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Lamma-zine 24 - today

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2011:  1-10

11 12  2012:  1

 

SouthLammaWayForward - Jan 30
What's been happening recently in South Lamma, mainly between Shek Pai Wan and Tung O Village?

Goodbye Lama - Jan 29
"Sad news on eve of 2012 Lunar New Year -- Lamma's two oldest dogs reduced by one!
Vernon & Lama (pictured)..."

Stay Alert of Burglars
Jan 28
"Friendly Reminder from Lamma Police for securing your home to prevent burglary:-"

Sampan Concordia - Jan 25
"Here are some shots of the sunken sampan at the YSW pier yesterday, 24th Jan."

DickStock 2012, This Saturday - Jan 24
"Open Mike, YSW Curs, David Bowie Knives, The Eight Eights, Transnoodle, Black Mariah"

Victoria Park Fair - Jan 23
We've been spending Lunar New Year's Eve in Victoria Park on HK Island, missing out on the traditional Lamma fireworks....

Lamma Carrots - Jan 22
Bought on YSW Main Street, directly from the Yung Shue Long valley farmer (probably the last commercial farmer in YSW?)

Happy New Year of the Panda!? - Jan 21
"So you thought it was the Year of the Dragon? This practically perfect panda begs to differ!!"

Boys & Their Big Toys
Jan 20
The valiant engineers, construction experts and civil servants bringing sewage....

'Beware Of Pedestrian'
Jan 19
YSW is changing so fast these days and there's so much construction going on all over....

Dog Rescuer Acquitted
Jan 18
You might have seen today's SCM Post's story, "Sally Andersen cleared over dog attack".

One-Armed, Evil Dictator Ruling Lamma? - Jan 14
"Lamma Island, only recently discovered by Bruce Lee and famous for its yearly martial...."

Dragon Garden & CNY Market Tours - Jan 12
Tours to the Shenzhen Lunar New Year street fair & the not-open- yet Dragon Garden in HK.

Happy New Year of the Balloon Dragon - Jan 11
Annual Dinner Party of King Wong, developers of "Lamma- 1" and "The Baroque on Lamma".

What's Going on in Tung O Wan? - Jan 10
Tung O Village Head Tour, updating us "green people" on his construction projects-in-progress.

Feathered Flock Feasting @ Floating Fish Farm - Jan 9
The largest flock of seabirds I've ever seen, living on Lamma for ten years.

Lamma 'Homes of the Rich & Famous' - Jan 8
Many Lammaites live in pretty amazing homes, often the result of years of building, expanding,...

Transient Artists Society
Jan 7
... HK Govt. Dept. websites. For example this "notice of intention to remove a notified society."

Pixies, Leprechauns & Bradasses! - Jan 6
"1st Santa Sprint:
The Lamma Outrigging Canoe Club and Lamma Dragonboat...."

Lamma North Figure 8 Loop
Jan 5
Banny the GPS-Mountainbiker and Titos have been cycling a figure 8 all over North Lamma.

A Gateway to Another World
Jan 4
"... south China islands whispering at the edge of consciousness and the tropically verdant hillside...."

Mr & Mrs Glutton Review 'Number One (THAI)' - Jan 3
Welcome to our couple of Lamma newbies and foodies willing to submit occasional food reviews!

'My Favourite Place in the World' - Jan 2
"For me, Lamma Island is indeed, the best place in the world."

Best of 2011! - Jan 1
This is my personal list of the Best of 2011 of Lamma-related events, taken from the Lamma-zine email sent....

Contact us for Lamma-related questions & comments Contact 'Lamma Gung' via Facebook Subscribe to biweekly Lamma-zine email Check out our advertising info Your sponsorship or donation to keep this site running?

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Jan 30:  SouthLammaWayForward

Today, just a link to a most interesting document about what's been happening recently in South Lamma developments, mainly between Shek Pai Wan beach and Tung O Village:

The Way Forward for South Lamma, written by the Chairwoman of Living Lamma, Jo Wilson, after meeting with Mr Chan, the Tung O Village Head.

See also the Lamma-zine photo gallery:
Jan 10: What's Going on in Tung O Wan?

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Jan 29:  Goodbye Lama

Vernon Ram - Senior Lammaite

(photos courtesy of Vicky, Jennifer and Petri)

Sad news on eve of 2012 Lunar New Year -- Lamma's two oldest dogs reduced by one!

Vernon and Lama (pictured) have long been recognised as two of Lamma's most famous landmarks for years. Regrettably, not anymore.

Lama, almost 15 years of age, was a lovable, golden-haired "discount chow-chow" on mother's side (with the father thought to have been another Lamma legend and part- shar-pei) with a heart of gold.

Judged by doggie years, he must have been a little over 105 (15 x 7).

Thanks to his loving owners, Petri & Vicky, he dragged himself for his daily constitutional along Yung Shue Wan Main Street, stopping after every few steps, small, measured steps to catch up on his dwindling breath and draining energy … but nearly always to wag his tail to acknowledge old friends, an eminently applauded and much- petted senior Lammaite of long standing.

Lately, however, Lama was having trouble related to ageing. The inevitable end, however, came peacefully.

Who knows, perhaps Lama's two twin sisters Mandela and Dalai (both 1997-2006) have been patiently waiting for him in the great beyond with a cup of frozen yoghurt and brand-new pair of hips....

RIP.

To barricades and beyond! (Lama in the front) -- So what of Ginga is a cat...

Short leap ... upward -- To Mt Stenhouse and back (Lama right)

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Jan 28:  Stay Alert of Burglars

Philip Chow - SI, Lamma Police Chief:

"Friendly Reminder from Lamma Police
for securing your home to prevent burglary:-

  • lock your windows and door properly;
  • consider installing window guards;
  • consider installing intruder alarm;
  • barricade potential burglar access, i.e. waterpipe, iron fence at balcony;
  • don't place valuable and quick cash property visible from the outside;
  • make permanent marks on your properties, especially on those electronic products;
  • when leaving your home for a considerable long period, ask for assistance from your neighbour(s) to clear your post box for you and check your flat for any abnormality;

If further information is needed, you are welcome to call anytime (3661 1714)."

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Jan 25 - 3rd Day of Lunar New Year:  Sampan Concordia

Yesterday, Jan 24, at the YSW Ferry Pier.

Photos submitted by Restless Roving Reporter GweiZhai who's even on the job during Lunar New Year Break. Thanks! He writes:

"Here are some shots of the sunken sampan at the YSW pier yesterday, 24th Jan. No idea of the story behind it, but there was a lot of petrol leaking into the water and attempts to contain it."

To post your own photos or if you know more about what actually happened, see our forum, Sampan Concordia. Check the forum tomorrow, after the CNY break, for some official info becoming available, hopefully.

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Jan 24 - 2nd Day of Lunar New Year:
               
DickStock 2012, This Saturday

(Poster by Harry Harrison)

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Jan 23 - Lunar New Year's Day:  Victoria Park Fair

We've been spending Lunar New Year's Eve in Victoria Park on HK Island. We missed out on the traditional Lamma fireworks, but I got this link emailed by Lamma Newbie Johan Nylander: a brand-new Enter the Dragon: Tin Hau Temple lion dance & fireworks video! I managed to grab a few brightly colourful photos, plus another inexpensive glass dragon for my growing collection, started 12 years ago during the last Dragon Year in 2000. Avoiding the garish piles of cartoony hats, pillows & balloons everywhere, it was definitely even more overcrowded than YSW Main Street on a holiday, but orderly and pretty good fun:

Click for my photo gallery

Sorry about the picture quality and graininess in some of these photos.
I carried only my pocket camera for practical reasons. For more photos, see my photo gallery. Plus just a few more shots from nearby shopping malls:

Kung Hei Fat Choi to all our readers & contributors!

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Jan 22:  Lamma Carrots

Bought on YSW Main Street, directly from the Yung Shue Long valley farmer (probably the last commercial farmer in YSW?)

You won't find these beautiful, irregular, organic shapes in any supermarket!

Warmly welcoming Lunar New Year visitors from the Mainland yesterday, Nick the Bookman, TV commercials talent, mover, DJ, music reviewer, and probably the most-photographed Lammaite ever.
(Photos by Jane Ram, CNY vase in the Lamma-Gung&Por household.)

Why did I put these photos above together? Well, Nick's beard has similar rustic, naturally-grown, irregular shapes like the roots of the Lamma Carrots, and his face a similarly healthy colour with all the knobbly bits....

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Jan 21:  Happy New Year of the Panda!?

"So you thought it was the Year of the Dragon?
This practically perfect panda begs to differ!!"

Sarah Brennan, author of the "Chinese Calendar Tales" and "Dirty Story" series of children books, emailed me to announce her latest collaboration with Harry Harrison, Lamma's most famous cartoonist and illustrator. In addition to the UK launch at Edinburgh Zoo, they'll also launch at Prince's Building's Bookazine on Feb 4, 2pm. I attended last year's launch at the same venue (Facebook album) and it was such a beautiful event full of enthusiastic children listening to Sarah reading from her books and Harry signing. Plus free wine ... and cupcakes....

I asked her for a review copy (thank you!) and a few of Harry's amazing, hilarious illustrations. They're so different from his cartoons, but unmistakably and uniquely "Harry". Sorry, I sound like a fanboy ... maybe because I AM a fanboy!

 

Sarah Brennan writes:

"Pin Yin has beauty, brains and a healthy ego to match…but her attempt to replace the coming Year of the Dragon with a brand new Year of the Panda has come badly unstuck in a re-run of the Lord Buddha's race. The order of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac was of course determined by their order of arrival in the famous Great Race, one of China's most enduring, much-loved folk tales. Pin Yin Panda almost changed the tradition of millennia...until vanity got in the way!

But needless to say, this practically perfect panda will not be defeated! She's been invited to her very own official launch at Edinburgh Zoo for Chinese New Year, together with her creator Sarah Brennan. Sarah will be visiting the Zoo as part of a two week tour of UK schools and bookshops to launch The Tale of Pin Yin Panda.

Another highlight of Pin Yin's visit to the UK will be a meeting at the House of Lords with Hong Kong's last Governor and current Chancellor of Oxford University, Lord Patten of Barnes, who has endorsed the book with a blurb on the back referring to his eight grandchildren. "Naturally, they'll all get a signed copy!" says Sarah."

From the FAQ section of Sarah Brennan's colourfully interactive, cutely animated, sound-effect- enhanced website:

"9. Who does the amazing illustrations in your books?

My illustrator is Harry Harrison, the much-loved cartoonist from the South China Morning Post. He's also a regular contributor to international publications like The Guardian, Time magazine, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. It's hard to believe but Harry has never had any formal art training! His favourite things when he was a kid were insects, exploring, climbing trees, making dens and playing war, but he didn't like sport!

10. What is it like working with Harry Harrison?

Harry is one of the funniest and cleverest people I know, and when we have a book in production, and Harry is sending me the new illustrations, every day feels like Christmas! We work together at the very beginning, when Harry sends me his "scamps" which are like very rough little sketches of his ideas for each page. I might make a few suggestions then, but after that stage, I leave Harry to it because I know from experience that whatever other ideas I might have, Harry's are generally much better! Harry always gets the humour in whatever I write and then expands it or gives it a tweak, and this is what makes his collaboration so important to me and to the finished book.

If you'd like to see more of Harry's work, visit:
www.flickr.com/photos/harryharrisonillos"


More "Chinese Calendar Tales" in this series are planned, just 7 more books, 7 more years to complete all the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The first 5 books are still available in HK bookstores, at below $100:

P.S. Bookazine is a former, but NOT a current Lamma-zine advertiser.

P.S. II - Sun, Jan 22: Just in from Sarah, photos from the worldwide book launch in Edinburgh Zoo, courtesy of A. & J. Simpson, News and Pictures.

Sarah with Tian Tian in her indoor enclosure --
Before the launch in the Zoo gift store

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Jan 20:  Boys & Their Big Toys

The valiant engineers, construction experts and civil servants bringing sewage treatment to Lamma Island. Drainage Services Dept. organised an on-site media briefing today, bringing in media from HK by special ferry.

"3 Groundbreaking Attempts" were highlighted: Horizontal Directional Drilling - Miniature Helicopter Device - Membrane Bioreactor

YSW Sewage Treatment Works in progress, seen from lammajoeyu's quadrocopter.

Notice the abandoned shack in the upper left corner in Kam Lo Hom (formerly "Hunter's"), just approved to be rebuilt as a Village House (in the middle of the Green Belt forest and with a great view of ... sewage treatment!)

 Click to enlarge almost any Lamma-zine photo, as usual.

In the spotlight, ready for fame & glory: lammajoeyu, VV Driver and Quadrocopter Aviator, hired as a contractor for "construction works monitoring". He's even got a name card now, for his new Sky View venture!

Wow, look at that drill! It was used for magnetically-guided Horizontal Directional Drilling of the outflow from the Sewage Treatment Plants, deep below the seabed.

Joe's quadrocopter flying high above the Horizontal Directional Drilling rig (the "oil drilling rig" as some people wondered) in YSW harbour, now drilling in SKW.)

The Effluent outflow from the Sewage Treatment Plant, after going through one of the almost 20,000 0.4-micron membrane filters of the Membrane Bioreactor which will filter out even bacteria. The sewage will be treated first with bacteria for 30 days in completely enclosed tanks with odour filters in this automated plant.

The Effluent is definitely much cleaner than the sea water it's being pumped into, but none of The Boys I asked dared to take a sip or even let me have a smell. The filter's remaining sludge will be dried and dumped into landfills.

Joe's quadrocopter flying high above the Big-Helipad entrance.
Live video feed to a large flat screen TV, overlooking the media briefing.

Drilling the 500-metre-long outflow pipes under the seabed,
avoiding corals in YSW (60m below seabed) and fish farms in SKW (30m).

Photomontage of future $120-million Yung Shue Wan Sewage Treatment Works,
scheduled to be completed in 2013, operational after May 2014.
$90 million for the very similar, but smaller SKW plant, adding up to a total of $440 million, including Phase 1 and 2 of the sewerage pipes, the pumping stations (to O Tsai, Hung Shing Yeh and Mo Tat Wan) and the marine outflows.

By the way, Phase 2 of the North Lamma sewerage pipes, connecting all the way up to the top of Tai Peng and Hung Shing Yeh (but not Pak Kok) will be tendered for construction only by end of this year, 2012, taking several more years after that. So no hurry yet to start up saving your money to connect your building to the sewerage (usually around $10-30K per building, to be shared by owners.)

If you're interested in more details, here are the digital handouts from the media briefing. They're short and concise, little technical jargon, well-illustrated and presented "in order to enrich visitor's savvy". Have a look:

Briefing Notes: Eng. - Chin.  |   Fact Sheet: Eng. - Chin.

SCMP Story and discussions in our forum: Lamma Village Sewerage Phase 2

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Jan 19:  'Beware Of Pedestrian'

Yung Shue Wan is changing so fast these days and there's so much construction going on all over the place, so much changing in a formerly very quiet and peaceful village. To demonstrate, let's look at a single street corner in Sha Po Old Village (close to the waste bins and the public noticeboard):

Farewell to Myrna's former C5 Pinoy Store in the Red House, which closed down just a few days ago, after the landlord broke the 2-year rental contract after just half a year for unclear and undisclosed reasons (I've asked). Oct 13: Halo-Halo, Myrna!

No more cheerful neighbourhood hangout/meeting place for Filipinos, their international relatives and friends, and no more Halo-Halo drinks for me! Want to rent a pretty unique one-floor house?

Just opposite the Red House, there's Vanoclamma the Guerilla Gardener's project-in-progress, transforming an area full of rubbish and dumped waste into a flower garden. Weeks of (unpaid) work, just a labour of love and it's not even his land.

The local land owner was sceptical at first, but was quite happy to take it over and continue, after most of the hard work has been done.

Just opposite, on the very same street corner, a two-floor Village House is being torn down - jack-hammering much of the day! - to build another new, maximum-size Village House. We looked at the rooftop flat just half a year ago when considering to move....

This will be the third brand-new Village House built in this short street in just the last few years, all neighbouring each other, continuing the feverish building boom all over Sha Po Old Village with more than a dozen houses going up or being "re-developed" in the last few years, rentals booming. We've lived in several flats in this village for the last ten years ... time to move on?

Finally, more traffic signs and mirrors are appearing close to that same corner, after the recent serious accident of a VV hitting a pedestrian on a nearby street corner. Usually, these signs warn to beware of speeding vehicles only, but "Beware Of ... Pedestrian"? Maybe this refers to me, or to anybody rushing or even running for the ferry?

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Jan 18:  Dog Rescuer Acquitted

You might have seen today's SCM Post's story, Sally Andersen cleared over dog attack, also featured in many other printed, electronic and online HK Media.

The Lamma-zine has been very supportive of all the fantastic dog rescue work that Lammaite Sally's charity HK Dog Rescue has been doing, so I won't comment much on this controversial case. Here's a photo I took for a Dec 14, 2004 Lamma-zine story. But have a look at this in-depth interview last year, by Jay Scott Kanes, our Senior Pet Correspondent:

Who Lives? Who Dies?
How to Decide?

See our Pets forum for some of the stories, press clippings, plus additional facts and lots of frank opinions from Lammaites: Quarry dog attack case.

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Jan 14:  One-Armed, Evil Dictator Ruling Lamma?

"Lamma Island, only recently discovered by Bruce Lee and famous for its
yearly martial arts tournament operated by the one-armed, evil dictator
who rules over the island. I could be wrong."

Anthony "No Reservations" Bourdain
(introducing Lamma in his new TV series "The Layover", episode 1.05
about Hong Kong - The Travel Channel - broadcast Dec 20, 2011 in the US.)

A few months ago, Anthony Bourdain of long-running (7 seasons) TV series "No Reservations" was filming on Lamma for his brand-new series "The Layover". As part of the "Hong Kong" episode, he and a posse of off-Lamma expat yuppies had lunch in Lamcombe Seafood Rest.: "pissing shrimp, jumbo scallops and clams." (Photo courtesy of Travel Channel)

Check out his irreverent and idiosyncratic HK Travel Tips: "Go to the Aberdeen Fish Market, where true Hong Kongers shop. Just remember to wear your Wellingtons." Plus Just the One-Liners.

Mr DickStock noticed the filming (a quite frequent occurrence in YSW these days, usually for HK TV soap operas). He recognised Mr Bourdain, but neither called me nor took any pictures himself! If you see anything newsworthy happening anytime, anywhere on Lamma, give me a call at 6498 6960 and I might come running or biking ASAP, if possible!

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Jan 12:  Dragon Garden & CNY Market Tours

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Jan 11:  Happy New Year of the Balloon Dragon

Photo gallery of the Annual Dinner Party of King Wong Development, the company behind "Lamma-1" on Tannery Beach and partners in "The Baroque on Lamma".

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Jan 10:  What's Going on in Tung O Wan?

Piles of construction materials have been appearing besides the path along Shek Pai Wan Beach in Tung O Wan, the location of several beach cleanings in recent months and close to the location of the proposed spa resort hotel (rejected by Town Planning Dept. last month). This had many people worried, some complained and the Lands Dept. stepped in, putting up Stop! signs last month.

The man behind all the construction-in-progress, Mr. Chan, the Village Head of nearby Tung O Village then contacted Damon Wong (defeated District Council candidate), calling for a meeting with "green people" to explain his plans and get their support, hopefully, to convince the Govt. to let him continue his construction & river restoration plans. I tagged along, taking pictures, asking lots of questions. See my captioned photo gallery of the Tung O Village Head Tour.

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Jan 9:  Feathered Flock Feasting @ Floating Fish Farm

The largest flock of seabirds I've ever seen, living on Lamma for ten years.

(Click to enlarge. Fish farm in Picnic Bay, Sok Kwu Wan, Jan 9, 2012,
shot from a very bumpy high-speedboat from Tung O Wan to Sok Kwu Wan.
More photos at the end of this photo gallery.)

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Jan 8:  Lamma 'Homes of the Rich & Famous'

Many Lammaites live in pretty amazing homes, often the result of years or even decades of building, expanding, decorating, planting, etc. I wanted to feature several of these homes I've visited over the years, but the owners are usually quite reluctant about too much publicity for their private home and personal spaces. My home photo shoots have usually been limited to homes that are up for sale or rent, like Graham's house, Lili's flat, or a few Fok Ming flats.

Quite a few families occupy entire 2- or 3-floor Village Houses (3*700sqft), paying rents of $38,000 or more these days. The population of Lamma isn't growing at all, according to Govt. census data, but the quality of housing is improving dramatically with all the many new Village Houses being built nowadays, while the number of occupants per flat and house seems to be decreasing dramatically, keeping the overall population steady.

For example, our own Village House has only 4 occupants, Lamma-Por and myself on one floor, plus one single lady on each of the other two 700 sqft floors. The brand-new neighbouring Village House is occupied by a single family who seems to live there only intermittently, so it's usually just a single domestic helper living in this entire building. Several families I know have bought 2-floor older Chinese houses and renovated them. Many of them have doubled in value in the last two years, occasionally commanding sales prices of $5,000+/sqft.

One more case of a fortunate family occupying an entire 3-floor Village House was showcased in today's SCM PostMagazine, which features every Sunday a "Homes of the Rich & Famous"-type residence (old, long- running US TV series).

This time, the SCMP featured my friend Debi's amazing & beautiful family home in Tai Peng. Have a look at page 38, Sunday, Jan 8 2012, written by well-known ex-Lammaite Viv Jones: Island Life (link needs subscription). Here's the intro and a few great pictures (by John Butlin) "borrowed" from the public section of the SCMP website, with many thanks.

"Island life - Far from the madding crowds, an interior designer has created a tranquil family space - by Viv Jones - Jan 08, 2012

"We have always loved this house because it has a permanently open view," says interior designer Debi Yeung-Salansy of her Lamma home. "We don't really see any other houses, just trees and sky from most windows, and a gorgeous view from the roof."

So who'd like to be the next Lamma home, featured in the Lamma-zine? We can change the title from "Homes of the Rich & Famous" to something less grand, if you prefer. "Homes of the Poor and Infamous", maybe? I'll take the pictures and conduct the interview. Email me!

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Jan 7:  Transient Artists Society

It's surprising what kind of fascinating stuff you can find occasionally when searching for "Lamma" on the numerous HK Govt. Dept. websites. For example this "notice of intention to remove a notified society":

Kind of intriguing, isn't it? There was an actual society for Lamma's "transient artists", organised by a "Shue T'ing Gallery" on 77 YSW Main Street, just besides Bookworm Cafe? Plans to run art galleries or organise Lamma's many artists have usually been less-than-successful or short-lived. Was this the rumoured, historical art gallery in the building where the Diesel's Sports Bar has been located for more than a decade now?

This ancient building - the last one of this type on Main Street, I believe - is awaiting the landlord tearing it down (maybe later this year?). He'll be building two 3-floor Village Houses in this prime location on YSW Main Street.

This former art gallery was named after the former opium den (Shue T'ing, shooting, get it?) rumoured to have been situated inside the same building decades ago. But this is all local folklore and difficult to verify. My own investigations into the history of the Diesel's building ran into a wall, mainly because of decades-old feuds between local family clans who categorically refuse to talk to any "media" about this building.

I've got lots of photos, photo galleries and Lamma- zine stories about the numerous great and unusual events taking place in there over the last ten years. But before that?

Does anybody know more about the history of the Shue T'ing Gallery and the Diesel's building? Email me!

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Jan 6:  Pixies, Leprechauns & Bradasses!

OC6 and Overall Champion: Team Brad & the Bradasses

Team Paul & the Pixies (click to enlarge)

Team Leo & his Leprechauns

Dawn - OCCCC (Outrigging Canoe Club Cheerleader-in-Chief):

(Photos and captions provided by Dawn, click to enlarge)

1st Santa Sprint

The Lamma Outrigging Canoe Club and Lamma Dragonboat Teams continued their support of The Island Bar in raising funds for Operation Santa Claus with an event now in its 3rd year - the Boxing Day Paddle. This year though, something new. The gentle hangover paddle from Powerstation Beach into YSW harbour for photo op with a slow paddle back is now a race which shall henceforth be called The Santa Sprint!

The race commenced at Powerstation Beach with Henry as the official judge, paddle through to YSW Harbour to pick up a phrase (to be repeated back in full later or time penalties deducted and in keeping with the Christmas Spirit these were based on bad Christmas cracker jokes) and then race back to Powerstation Beach, first onto the beach the overall winner!

There was a fantastic turnout on the day with 23 paddlers taking part. Teams for OC6 were drawn randomly and both OC6 and OC1 paddlers all set off at the same time.

The Champions on the day of the 1st Santa Sprint were:

  • OC1 Women's Champion:
    Sara Jordan in 42.10

  • OC1 Men's Champion:
    Andrew Fatman Shields in 46.25

  • OC6 and Overall Champion:
    Team Brad with Karen, Fraser, Amanda, Jaime and Luke in 39.44

Special mentions:

  • The 3 hardy dragonboaters:
    Frankie (visiting from Kathmandu),
    Tim and Christine who represented the dragonboat crews and opted to paddle in the outrigger canoes instead (for the first time).

  • Claudia – Best dressed boat and paddler, but Tim the Elf a close 2nd.

  • Gina – in the lonely spot as the only Surfski Paddler!

  • Lisa – without her the turkey, ham, gravy and puddings later at the Island Bar would not have happened!

Monies raised for Operation Santa Claus:

The cost of entry to the race was HK75 for each paddler with all proceeds going to Operation Santa Claus. The amount raised:
HK1,760, the best yet!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes from Lamma Outrigger Canoe Club and Lamma Dragonboat Crews!

The Team Mascot

Mr DickStock as Ghost of Christmas Past

The ONLY Surfski with Gina

Josh wondering where it all went wrong

Team Paul having far too much fun

OC6 and Overall Champion: Team Brad & the Bradasses

Claudia as Champion of Santa Spirit -- OC1 Men's Champion Andrew --
OC1 Women's Champion Sara

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Jan 5:  Lamma North Figure 8 Loop

Some of the coldest weather we ever get in HK, 11-13 degrees Celsius, ... and what are some Lammaites up to in the dark of night while most of us still cuddle up under multiple warm blankets? They go mountainbiking up in Lamma's hills at 6am! Banny the GPS-Mountainbiker and his friend Titos have been cycling a figure 8 all over North Lamma, Tai Ping, to the far end of Pak Kok in just 40 minutes yesterday morning.

Nutters! But obviously supremely fit, very healthy & highly motivated nutters! Respect! Just thinking about it makes me shudder, even while sitting in my unheated home office typing away with cold fingers.

I like to try to stay reasonably fit myself by biking, hiking and bootcamping, even recently joining the relocated Lamma Gym again (behind the Beer Garden); but these two guys are way over the top! They're kind of oddly fascinating über-human specimens to inspire us mere mortals, by setting an unattainable example, but not for us to imitate. Well, they inspired me to write this story, but not enough to leave my home office and get on my own mountainbike myself during this cold spell.

But we can admire and follow their exploits on Facebook, including all the statistics of their most impressive ride, including GPS satellite maps, speed, elevation, burning 548 calories, even Banny's heart rate topping out at 185 beats per minute during the ride.

Check it out, they're not shy to let the entire world know about their nightly adventures, via Facebook. Check out the short bike pants, at 13 degrees, at their "First rest stop" at the end of the Cable Road at the far end of Pak Kok:

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Jan 4:  A Gateway to Another World

Click above for Tung O Wan photo gallery by L-G

Wendy Teasdill - Senior ex-Lammaite, Teacher of Yoga Teachers:

It was all very low-key, very Lamma: 'Tung O beach clean-up on Sunday', said Roz. 'We meet at 8.30, Hung Shing Yeh.'

It's always good to clean up beaches, especially Tung O: When I lived on Lamma ('87-'93) I would sometimes walk across from the populated northern part of the island (where most people live) to the feral glory of Tung O in the south-east. It only takes about an hour from the main beach of Yung Shue Wan, but Tung O is a gateway to another world.

There is a view of south China islands whispering at the edge of consciousness and the tropically verdant hillside which backs the beach leaks bird-calls, bamboo groves, gigantic butterflies with a huge sense of entitlement, the scent of wild ginger flowers and psycho-dramatically inclined fruits....

Read more...

P.S. Wendy (centre) on her speedboat return from Mo Tat Wan to Yung Shue Wan, courtesy of Captain Oliver.

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Jan 3:  Mr & Mrs Glutton Review: 'Number One (THAI)'

The Lamma-zine has been without an Official Court Restaurant Reviewer for quite some time now, which was quite a big gap in our lineup of occasional, but very important volunteer writers.

My own attempts at reviewing reviews have been less than successful, I think. One of my reviews probably caused one advertising restaurant to reduce their ad spending on this site by half, perhaps because I was praising another, competing restaurant too much in my review (in their opinion, without me even mentioning the offended restaurant!)

Hitting this site's meager revenue so hard and direct, I've been kind of shy reviewing Lamma restaurants ever since, searching for an independent, unaffiliated reviewer. I got lucky recently, with a couple of Lamma newbies and foodies willing to submit an occasional food review. Welcome to our newly-appointed Mr & Mrs Official Court Glutton!

Mr & Mrs Official Court Glutton - Restaurant reviewers of Lamma-zine:

(Photos by L-G and Mr Glutton)

His Imminence, Lamma-Gung, having duly sanctified upon us our new title of Mr & Mrs Official Court Glutton, we have been waiting for the perfect moment to test the boundaries of our new authority.

Still finding ourselves settling into a real rhythm since landing in HK almost 60 days ago, the "perfect", well-planned moment hadn't yet appeared in the couple of weeks since we accepted the commission. Getting on the ferry a bit late after appointments in Central, Mrs G and I decided it was time to make our first review as Mr & Mrs OCG. That was the easy part, now we have 30 minutes to decide which place we will eat at. I honestly don't think it took us 30 minutes to decide to come to Hong Kong, and we were here in 30 days. But you can't expect us to decide what to EAT in 30 minutes. Get Real!

You see, we have nearly developed a hobby out of LOOKING at food since arriving. If we see a new grocery store, we will go in just to see what they have, or what the deals are. While walking about Hong Kong, Mrs G will suddenly notice I am missing and back track to the last restaurant that had a menu visible from the sidewalk. I've been known to gawk at pastries or siu-mei also. Calculations show we average 2.8 laps around a supermarket to complete a shopping trip. It's hard for us to go into YSW for produce and not go to all three major shops, just in case. Small fridge, lack of cupboard space, and what either one of us "feels like" eating today doesn't make the food buying decisions any easier. Or faster.

"How about Lung-Kong? We liked it so much!", asked Mrs G. We liked the subdued (e.g. not fluorescent) lights on the seaside patio, great food and service, but decided it would be a) lengthy and b) expensive.

It went on and on as we discarded each of the restaurants we knew so far. "Want to try Beer & Babble?", said I. The (what we thought was wax, but IS real) food on the table outside the door does look appealing as we pass by. We decide it is too Western and a bit expensive for our taste tonight when we review the menu. The Japanese place next door? Mrs G lived in Japan and has spoiled me as well with top quality Japanese food. By now we are in no mood to risk disappointment. The menu does look good as we pass slowly by. Waterfront? I am not a big Indian fan, but I still want to try it, another day. There were a few more discussions and look-sees.

Eventually it's down to Beer Garden or #1 Thai, and #1 Thai is on the way home. All this thinking is making us grumpy, hungry and anxious to get home. Combined with the dizziness and shakes I'm experiencing, I convince myself I have hypoglycemia. Must eat! Must eat now!

We get take away because we want to get home, not because of the plastic chairs, red checkered table cloths, and garish tube lighting. Quickly deciding on Seafood Curry, Spring Rolls, Chicken with Mixed Veggies, and steamed rice, we order in an instant at the counter. WHAT!?!?!? NO SPRING ROLLS?!?!? OK then, meat sticks, pork, please. Satay Sauce and the Double Chili Sauce separate. Chop-chop. Total order about $140. We wait at one of the tables outside drinking the beer we picked up while slowly navigating Main Street.

The food comes packed in waxed boxes in about 15 minutes. They did seem rather busy as most tables inside had customers and two to-go orders where picked up before us.

The Seafood Curry was absolutely the highlight of the bunch. Rich, coconutty broth, cauliflower, more veggies, beautiful Thai curry, squid, mussels, prawns, fish. A good bit of heat, but would only be too hot for the true princesses among us. It IS worth a trip all by itself. We nearly scrapped over the last bites. I swear those are not my chopstick marks on her delicate hand! The chicken was lean and tender and the assortment of veggies was cooked a wonderful al-dente. The mushrooms in broth were delicious, we haven't been able to cook these Asian mushrooms right at home yet.

What can you say about rice? We prefer brown rice, but we did eat it all. Cooked perfectly, it gave a wonderful balance to the heat in the seafood. That's our biggest complaint about restaurants here, brown rice is few and far between. One more reason that we like Lung-Kong.

The large pork skewers had super smokey grill flavor, but they did contain a bit of gristle. But the sauces were lackluster. The Double Chili was just chilies and oil, it seemed, and the Satay lacked any heat and contained little besides peanuts, salt and sugar. We couldn't really distinguish the difference between "chili" and "double chili". With the gristle, this left the pork skewers, which appeared great at first glance, the letdown of the meal. But we did eat half the order on the way home. It had been a long hunt.

We made it back for the spring rolls a few days later. They had the nice CRUNCH my glamourous sidekick loves. OK, I admit, I am the sidekick. Filled with those translucent glass noodles and a small amount of carrot and seaweed bits, I thought the gentle taste of the sea made a choice combination. My delicate partner found the "fishy" taste too much. I ate what was left of hers.

Salted Pork and kale off the special menu for $45 was also good on another day, nicely spiced tender pork, the whole container filled to the brim with obviously good quality kale. All the portions we have had were OK sizes, but not BIG. Except the meat skewers, which were.

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I get the meat sticks from #1 Thai, bring them home, and put on the green hot sauce I have in the fridge from the "Thai Thai 2" lady up the street in Tai Yuen.

The enchanting Mrs. G and I make Number One Thai a semi regular stop now, we keep trying different things from the menu and we have enjoyed them all. The Tom-Yum Seafood is both my and my lovely Mrs' vote for the best thing we have had in the village, YET! Stay tuned.

P.S. Number One (Thai) has just started to move next door a few days ago, taking over the neighbouring, vacated premises of the former Yo Lau Kee restaurant. This was our favourite Wonton noodle place, see right, but it closed just a few weeks ago. It was also the venue of the very first restaurant review by our former restaurant reviewer!

Next review in progress: The Annual Snake Banquet for Lammaites, Dec 27!

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Jan 2:  'My Favourite Place in the World'

Elizabeth Gould - Frequent Lamma visitor & Honorary Lammaite:

(Photo by Elizabeth Gould)

For me, Lamma Island is indeed, the best place in the world.

In my working life, I taught high school English in Australia. After that I travelled, teaching English as a second language, starting in Korea in 1995, and finishing in Hong Kong in 2005. Traveling after this, has needed no excuse beyond the pleasure of re-uniting with friends and enjoying being there.

I notice that when I live in a culture other than my own, my needs become really strong. I found my need to practice my relationship with God appears whereever I am, and this is often expressed through meditation and singing.

I definitely need a good coffee shop on the water, and a craft is very absorbing.

All this satisfies my soul, as do symphony concerts, art galleries and music, but my body increasingly needs care and exercise. This has been everywhere, through bike riding, walking and yoga.

Now the proud owner of this little iPad, I can instantly Google any strange question that may pop into my mind, read an enormous range of books without going overweight on the plane, keep contact visually with my family and friends, make movies, write stories with photos and even read The Sydney Morning Herald if there is something happening in Australia.

However, the greatest mental stimulation for me I think, has always been the people I meet, from long friendships to fleeting encounters, people are my source of inspiration and motivation.

So if you haven't guessed already, that is why Lamma is my favourite place.

I go to church with my cousin in Finland, sometimes to my grandfather's church, but the choir is always in recess for three months in Summer. "Then go in Winter", did I hear you say?!! Here on Lamma I sing in a Filipino choir of delightful warm people who are naturally musical and have great food.

I meditate in Australia, and also once for four days in Korea. Usually I have to travel great distances for short periods to do so. Here I sit alone in a tiny chapel 10 minutes walk from my flat, at least twice a week. My life always seems to run smoothly here and I'm sure this is the blessing of frequent Peace.

I don't need to extol the virtues of Lamma coffee shops to you, and crafts are here in many forms. I am weaving in New Zealand and in Finland, but looms are big. I suppose I could knit. That's pretty portable. Here on Lamma in 2009, I made a silver pendant with Bibi, for which I shall be ever grateful to her.

Going to Symphony concerts in Sydney requires trains at night. Here everything is just a ferry trip away and now there is a 2.30am ferry back on weekends, we don't even have to sneak out before the encore.

As for the stimulation of people here, we have it made with a population of interesting, creative folk who smile at you on the path and chat on ferries and in cafes.

And the really big thing is that we have no cars. No cars to cut us off from our natural eye contact, no cars to pollute our air and our ears, no cars to speed up the slow pace of our lives here, just winding walkways and secluded stairways through jungle vegetation and birdcalls. Here with yoga twice a week and the hills, steps and vegetarian restaurants, my body is well cared for.

For all of us that have ever aspired to hang gliding, the kite must be our totem. He spirals effortlessly on the thermals, looking down on us all. I wonder if he sees the beauty and joy of the life we have here on Lamma.

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Jan 1:  Best of 2011!

Answering my own question from yesterday's headline, this is my personal list of the Best of 2011 of Lamma-related events, taken from the occasional Lamma-zine email sent to all subscribers yesterday.

There are way too many to count, but these events below are just from the last two months, with links to the related stories and photo galleries, of course:

  • Treasure-Hunting through Yung Shue Wan.

  • Santa-Clausing on Power Station Beach.

  • Receiving an official "Certificate of Appreciation" for the Lamma-zine.

  • Exploring the "Grotto I-Spy Riddles" @ Banyan House's Christmas Fair

  • Cleaning several Lamma beaches.

  • Joining a "Greenest Team Gold Award" ceremony.

  • Misbehaving at Clockenflap.

  • Rolling through the beautiful, people-free Lamma Quarry.

  • Photographing a cheerful, peaceful protest demo @ Central's Lamma pier.

  • Sunrise-Mountainbiking @ Lamma Winds

  • Tackling the entire Snake Trail by bike for the first (and last) time.

  • Celebrating the Thai Lantern Festival @ YSW ferry pier.

  • Enjoying the very professional & cheerful Basketball League Finals.

  • Observing the intense electioneering for the District Council elections.

  • Losing my new shirt to some seedy hitchhikers.

  • Receiving the final DVD release of the "Lamma My Island" dogumentary.

  • Having way too much fun while leaving the island only occasionally....

 

 
 
 

Lamma-zine started in 2002, and will be updated (almost) daily with anything vaguely related to Lamma Island or its residents, be it news, stories, events, links, photos, artworks, videos, etc.

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