"The makeover of a village house on Hong Kong's idyllic Lamma

Island Lamma-based interior designer Debi Yeung-Salansy has transformed a tired village house into hotel-style retreat with a stunning roof terrace facing the sea..."

"...The house had previously been rented for many years by musicians, who were more interested in hosting much-loved community gatherings than home upkeep..."

Nov 29:  Smart Power Services & Care Fund

Mr. Choi said the enhanced “Energy-efficient Community Subsidy Programme” will help NGOs and schools in adopting various energy-efficient appliances, such as LED lights and motion sensors.

HK Electric to Promote Carbon Neutrality with One-stop Initiatives under Enhanced 'Smart Power Services'

"HK Electric will allocate over $70 million for Smart Power Services in 2025 to enhance the Company's green and caring initiatives, supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools and underprivileged communities to achieve carbon neutrality.

The Company will also continue to distribute cash coupons to underprivileged families and subsidise sub-divided unit (SDU) households to install tariff meters.

Next year, the Smart Power Care Fund will continue to support various green and caring programmes, including distributing cash coupons to the underprivileged. Customers under the Concessionary Tariff Scheme and households in financial need as identified by social welfare organisations or various councillors, will receive a set of cash coupons worth $200 in 2025.

Around 10,000 households are expected to benefit from this. The Concessionary Tariff Schemes, launched in partnership with the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in 1994, offer up to a 60% tariff discount to the elderly, disabled, single-parent families and unemployed HK Electric customers receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance.

NGO-run community centres on Hong Kong and Lamma islands will continue to enjoy the 'NGO Catering Subsidy' in 2025, with the subsidy cap increased from $20,000 to $30,000 per centre for the provision of food and beverage for activities organised for the disadvantaged."  Read more...

Nov 28:  Immortalising the YSW Harbour View

Lorraine Sewell writes:
"When your friends turn up and immortalise your view by a crisp and sunny HK winter morning. Nice!"

Nov 27:  YSW Folk Festival

"Join us on for an unforgettable day where folk music, dance, and artistry come alive in a vibrant community celebration! This year, we're proud to support a charity dedicated to helping the homeless in Hong Kong.

Festival Highlights

Over 20 Folk Bands and Dance Groups performing across six unique venues:

Spicy Island, Gangstas, Beer Shack, Diesel's, Lamma Art Collective, Dale Candela

Festive Market featuring local goods, handcrafted items, and holiday treasures.

Open Jam Session in the evening at The Banyan Bay Cafe – bring your instruments and join in the fun!

Street Performers showcasing their talents around every corner of Yung Shue Wan.

All-day Ceilidh - Enjoy a full day of traditional folk dancing at designated venues, accompanied by lively folk bands and a professional caller to guide you through the dances. Whether you're a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, the ceilidh promises nonstop fun and community spirit!

Support ImpactHK - Throughout the festival, we'll host fundraising activities."

Nov 22:  Creative & Initiative People @ L.A.C.

"Thank you all for joining the opening of the Collection Show II of @lamma.artcollective today! Congratulations to our gorgeous artists of this show @vburgess_art @roma_olnchk @criminal__ink @yuliaskrygina @gypsea_ced @ewawilko and Mary Anne Le Bas!"

Nov 21:  The Amazing Ingenuity and Inventive Spirit of Lammaites

Parksy wrote: "Necessity being the mother of invention helped me make a TV remote for a 70 inch custom-made TV of an unknown manufacturer, tried many universal remotes, but I found a couple of incorrectly labelled buttons that did something, hmmm, Arduino and Github to the rescue, built a receiver for those odd infrared codes from the universal remote, identified the header of the NEC code BF00, then I found the 256 possible commands, tried them all, scribbled down the ones I needed i.e. FF00BF00 turned it on and off, then built a remote IR code sender and gaffer taped it all together."

Nov 20:  Semi-Clear Fluid Diet

No new Lamma-zine stories for over a week! I also missed the free Diwali buffet in Spicy Island and the Lamma Fun Day while lying in the Gastrointestinal Ward of Queen Mary Hospital over a long weekend.

This was my first time ever calling the ambulance due to 10 out of 10 excruciating abdominal pain at 5pm on Nov 14, since none of my regular painkillers were working. After a 2+ hours journey to hospital and a 4+ hours wait in A&E, I was finally admitted after midnight:

1. Ambulance staff arrived in 20 minutes in Pak Kok New Village, after some difficulties finding our address.

2. Rolling my stretcher down the very steep hill to the bottom of Heart Attack Hill, where the ambulance was waiting to transport me to the North Lamma Clinic in YSW.

3. After some basic tests and an anti-pain injection, I was transported to the YSW ferry pier.

4. Unloaded onto the regular ferry to Central, from where I had to catch my 3rd ambulance ride today to Queen Mary Hospital.

5. Waiting for 4+ hours in A&E, triaged as a "semi-urgent" case, I was finally admitted into the surgical ward.

The doctor said there’s nothing I can do to prevent this from happening again—no medication, special diet, or treatment available. While I feel okay for now, I worry it could happen again because of my ongoing abdominal discomfort.

Nov 19:  Electricity Tariff Increase

"HK Electric announced today the Average Net Tariff for January 2025 will be 167 cents per unit of electricity, slightly up by 1.5 cents, or an increase of 0.9% compared to January 2024 (see table).

On the other hand, the Fuel Clause Charge for January 2025 will decrease by 1.9 cents from 46 cents in January this year to 44.1 cents per unit of electricity, in light of the current situation of the fuel market.

Following the commissioning of a new gas-fired generating unit L12 early this year, HK Electric's percentage of gas-fired generation is expected to increase to about 70% of its total output in 2024.

The Company's target is to phase out the use of coal for daily power generation by 2035."

Nov 16:  Lamma Fun Day!

Photos!  More photos!  Video!  Setup video!

Harry Harrison original, donated for the online charity auction.

Nov 15:Nov 15:  Free Diwali Buffet

"We're thrilled to invite you to a FREE Diwali Buffet at SPICY ISLAND filled with delicious traditional dishes, sweets, and joyful company! You only have to pay for your drinks!
Thank you for your support over the years and we wish everyone peace and prosperity!"

Nov 14:  Ferries Resuming After T8 (Toraji)

Aberdeen to Lamma (Pak Kok, YSW):

Departure from Aberdeen: 11:15am
Departure from Yung Shue Wan: 12:00noon

Chuen Key Ferry Resume Service:

From Aberdeen to Sok Kwu Wan: 11:00am
From Sok Kwu Wan to Aberdeen: 11:45am

Nov 13:  Nick the Disconnected

Nick the Bookman has turned into a totally disconnected hermit, not even having a landline phone anymore! Plus no Internet, no email, no messaging, no social media, etc.

His longtime, widely-known landline phone number with voice-mail tape-recorder has stopped working after decades of reliable service. But it's proven impossible to replace this ancient hardware, so he gave up his phone number entirely.

A very active discussion ensued on Facebook about how to get him at least a mobile phone, or not? Join in if you're one of the multitude of his friends or just curious.

So for the time being, the ONLY way of contacting Nick is meeting him F2F at his daily bookstand on YSW Back Street. But his email and website will remain active, maintained by and forwarded to myself who'll print out his occasional, rare incoming emails and deliver them to Nick in person.

Nov 12:  Lamma Fun Day This Saturday

Nov 11:  Bookworm Cafe & Man Kee Closed

2 decades-old restaurants, real stalwarts of the YSW food scene have closed recently. They've been open longer than I've lived on Lamma, older than this website launched in 2002.

Bookworm Cafe has been open since last Millennium and will be sorely missed by so many Lammaites and the hordes of weekend visitors lining up outside.
Founded by Bobsy & friends last millennium, it's been featured frequently on this website.

It was probably the most famous YSW restaurant on social media, especially in restaurant guides. Shortening its name to BWC a few years ago, it changed to a meaty, cafe-style place:

Man Kee Restaurant is still looking for a new tenant, but an Italian restaurant, called Ora, has soft-opened in the Bookworm's place. Slogan "No Pasta Left Behind".
They just emailed me while I was typing this story:

"We are currently running soft till end of the year (only open few days a week and limited hours). We selected a short but signature menu so everyone can keep on track of the grand opening in January."

Nov 10:  TeleHealth Video Call

On the way to the Lamma Clinic for a regular appointment, they called to invite me to a TeleHealth video call consultation after my appointment.

Set up inside the Clinic they connected my mobile to a pharmacist in the hospital, interviewing me about my medication-taking habits.

This is in test mode now to some underserved, remote locations and is limited to chats with only pharmacists for now. TeleHealth roll-out next year, offering more services.
More info: Click TeleHealth in the HA Go main menu on your mobile.

Nov 9:  Shopping Trolleys Multiplying?

What's going on at the Lamma ferry pier in Aberdeen? We bought this cool, big-wheeled trolley on the right a few days ago (Taobao, of course). We parked it at the ferry pier today while leaving to eat and shop in Aberdeen.

When we came back, surprise! Two more trolleys like ours also parked at the pier, first time ever, never noticed them before!
Are these things multiplying?

Nov 8:  Hoopla About a Hoopoe!

NEWSworthy HK writes:
"LAMMA: this beautifully crested Eurasian Hoopoe was photographed a few days ago & is a regular winter visitor to HK (Nov to Jan) from Europe... his favourite dishes are insects, small frogs, seeds & berries... during breeding/nesting season the female Hoopoe produces a foul-smelling liquid from a gland (rubbing it into her feathers) that deters predators from attacking/trying to steal eggs...

Credit: Cliffcher Lucas Eustaquio"

A hoopoe like this was a frequent visitor to our house's patio just a few years ago. It's great to welcome this beautiful species and its distinct song back to Lamma!

Nov 7:  Bye-bye, YSW Ferry Pier

Dismantling the old Yung Shue Wan ferry pier today. It's truly the end of an era after so many of us walked on it twice daily, some of us for decades. Officially opened in 1987, it replaced an older public pier, in use since 1964 (Wikipedia).
Zooming in:

Nov 6:  'Lying Flat' on the Lamma Ferry

TVB short story about some people taking a nap on the Lamma ferry, 'lying flat' across seats.

"'Lying flat' is a concept that originated in China and refers to rejecting social pressure to achieve success in the workplace or fulfillment through consumerism.
It encourages a more leisurely and nonmaterialistic lifestyle, focusing on the bare minimum for survival."

Sounds like quite a few Lammaites?

A big discussion about this story started on FB right away.

Nov 5:  'Pasta-tively Delicious Memories'

Guess where in Yung Shue Wan? More details to follow as soon as they'll become available about this new-restaurant-in-progress.

Nov 2:  HK Electric Online - 4th Quarter

Nov 1:  New Month, New Calendar Pages

Do you like my new wall calendar picture, also used as my Facebook header this month?
View all of these monthly pictures, based on my group exhibition Abandoned Visions in an abandoned house last year.