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Pak Kok Pier
Progress
Sep 12 -
Good progress so far, will it really take almost 3 years to complete and
open?
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SunseToday
Sep 10 -
Plus my best result from playing around with my sunset photo.
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Sep 26:
From the seemingly ancient days
when
Lamma Events & Happenings
were still bountiful, wildly
joyous and happening almost
daily, pre-Covid-19.
Case in
point, this cheerful
Mid-Autumn Festival 2011
in the YSW Football Pitch with
many free, public performances.
Here we see a favourite local
band (The Curs,
full of Laudable Lamma
Luminaries) receiving a little
plastic flag for performing
their rousing, feel-good songs.
Their mock displays of unbridled
joy about receiving this flag as
reward (no fee) for performing
inspired me to create a few
DeepDreams via Google's cloud AI
programs:
 
More about these graphics and
comments from Lammaites:
Unbridled Joy!
Sep 22:
Lamma Matthew:
"The 5th and final in the Apple
Daily's series of stories on
Lamma's unique culture and
characters. This time about
Uncle Yeung and his popular
lizard. The stories are all in
Cantonese only but in my view
are all really good, showing
Lamma in an authentic,
contemporary and positive way.
As far as I can recall none of
them even come close to using
the popular hippy angle."
Links to all 5 recent Lamma
stories & videos in
Apple Daily newspaper
(in Chin., use auto-translate
plug-in in your web browser for
English version):
-
About
Uncle Yeung and
his popular lizard mascot.
-
Great story about Lamma
resident,
Jim, who busks
most weekends on the path to
Hung Shing Ye beach singing
English and Chinese songs &
playing multiple
instruments.
-
A
touching story about
Lamma Brand's JC
and his family.
-
Story on
22 Cafe @ Green
Cottage.
-
Story on why Lamma doesn't
have any
chain stores
like 711, Wellcome.
Sep 18:
Flying high above Yung Shue Wan,
another great drone photo from
Mark Malby's Mute Planet!
It's a photo bubble and you can
look in all directions by
clicking above.
Zooming out on Mark's Planet
Lamma:
Sep 15:
The
premiere of the interactive
drama "Smart Power Alliance",
commissioned by HK Electric and
produced by iStage, will go live
on the Happy Green Campaign
Facebook page on 10 October
2020.
Media release from HK Electric:
"With Hong Kong going all-out to
tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and
schools getting ready to start a
very different academic year, HK
Electric's Happy Green
Campaign is launching a
trio of new e-learning tools to
meet the online learning needs
of students.
The
trio includes an
animation series, an interactive
drama and a virtual guided tour,
which enable students to know
and experience more about
Smart Power for Smart
City
even if they are required to
learn from home.
Rolling out today (15 September
2020) was the first episode of
the animation series
Smart City Takes Action,
casting the Happy Green
Campaign's spokesmen
Green Kid & Family, who
illustrate how everyone can take
actions to save energy, protect
the environment and live
low-carbon.
The six-episode
series will cover the different
aspects of a smart city and be
launched in phases on the
campaign's Facebook page with
games, quizzes, worksheets and
competitions to add fun and
encourage interaction...."
Happy Green Campaign:
"Supported by the Smart
Power Education Fund,
HK Electric's Happy Green
Campaign promotes energy
efficiency, renewable energy and
low-carbon lifestyle among the
public, in particular the
younger generations.
In
2020, "Happy Green Campaign"
continues to organise various
educational activities on the
theme of "Smart Power for Smart
City". For more details,
please visit here.
"
Sep 12:
Some of the pier's pillars have
been anchored into the seabed
and the first steel girders for
the future walkway are appearing
pretty quickly. Good progress so
far, will it really take almost
3 years to complete and open?
The Aberdeen-Pak Kok ferry
continuing its route to Yung
Shue Wan, a mere 10 minutes from
Pak Kok.
P.S. Sep 14:
Just in, drone photo by Mark
Malby!
Sep 11:
"A playful romp through
world history, Cowries to
Crypto provides an entertaining
account of the creation of
money, from the earliest forms
of barter to the introduction of
coins, paper notes and digital
currencies.
Beautifully narrated
through a series of witty
illustrations (by
Harry Harrison),
this extraordinary book tells
the tale of how money came to
be."
My favourite illustration from
this highly recommended book
(HK$158.40): Chasing crypto
currencies.
Sep 10:
Plus my best result from playing
around with my sunset photo.
It's even more colourful, but I
prefer the original, of course.
Sep 8:
Great in-depth story, interview
and video in Apple Daily
about the head honcho (& family)
of YSW's 2 Lamma Brand shops,
one of them self-service:
Lamma Brand story &
video.
Iconic
photo above also by Apple Daily)
If you encounter a guy looking
quite a bit like the
Lamma-Gung avatar
wearing a worldwide-exclusive,
custom-printed-by-Lamma-Brand
"Lamma-zine" baseball cap, say
hello and I might invite you for
a drink!
Here's an extremely cute mini
painting by a local artist in a
wooden frame which I couldn't
resist buying from JC's main
shop on YSW Main St.
Besides
an eclectic, often hand-made
variety of arts & crafts,
they've also got a wide
selection of really creative,
JC-designed
Lamma-themed T-shirts
and souvenirs! Check out his
shops'
Facebook page.
Aug 31:
This might be the Lamma version
of the Excalibur/King Arthur
origin story, near Powerstation
Beach, the left-overs from
recent works.
Whoever can pull this sword,
err, shovel out of the hardened
concrete will become the
legendary King/Queen of all of
Lamma? (Photo by
Andrew Guthrie).
Lammaites really loved this photo and
many creative comments ensued,
even a poem by Gareth
Dunster:
"Sometimes the construction
workers on Lamma can do a shoddy
job and this can make people
sad. I've written a poem that I
hope may help in some way:
Construction work on Lamma
Island can be quite bad , I've
found,
Like throwing lapsap
in the trees and rods sticking
up from the ground,
But the houses that we live
in were made by these same lads,
So is shouting out foul language
and littering really so bad?
These gallant fellows toil
and sweat in tropical
conditions,
It's no surprise
they leave hastily after
finishing their missions,
A well-earned, ice-cold Blue
Girl beer would surely be no
trouble,
Rather than
complaints about the noise and
dust and flytipping and lack of
quality and rubble,
So remember, if not for
them, you'd still be living in a
hovel,
So think twice before
you mock them for a simple
misplaced shovel."
Lamma's new Official Court Poet?
Aug 30:
My recent photo of our familiar
and trusted ferry arriving at
Pak Kok ferry pier at sunset,
shot from my former rooftop.
The construction of the new pier
has just started. (Another
iconic photo from my neighbour
DJ Clark)
The pier will change from
currently the above look to this
layout in 2023 (Drone photo by
Civil Engineering Dept.):
Reconstruction of Pak Kok ferry
pier (LegCo paper).
It'll take 3 years and HK$72.4
millions!
We hope the inconveniences won't
be too big for the daily
commuters on this pier. It's our
ONLY way of getting to the rest
of HK Island, to "civilisation".
You know, where there are any
restaurants, shops, public or
private transport (except VVs),
entertainment venues, anything
besides just a few dozen village
houses and semi-wild nature like
in all of Pak Kok.
We love it,
but even us home office workers
have to get out of our island
hideaways at least occasionally.
More photos to follow,
documenting the progress...
Aug 27:
China Mobile HK
writes:
"The above fluorescent green
area represents CMHK outdoor 5G
coverage as of 17 Aug 2020."
Is this the
only 5G service provider on
Lamma so far? Astronomic top
speeds of up to 300mbps on CMHK
have been measured with a fancy
5G router setup, 100x the speed
of Netvigator broadband in most
of the island, 10x faster than
the new, ridiculously expensive
(but steady & reliable)
Netvigator broadband available
in just a few villages. Expect
CMHK 5G speeds faster than the
best 4G connections you can get
right now.
An interesting discussion
ensued...
Aug 21:
I've actively participated in
various "new media" over the
decades. Remember BBS, IRC,
CompuServe or dial-up email?
I've
run/administrated/moderated/paid
for the Facebook-style
Lamma forums since
2002, years before Facebook was
born and grew up into this
all-encompassing juggernaut it
has become nowadays.
In the heated Facebook
discussions in the various
public and private Lamma
Facebook groups these days,
people love to coin nicknames
for each other. This hasn't
changed since being called
online, pre-Facebook
The
Other Fat Bastard and
The Biggest Loser of
Lamma. These nicknames
were all tongue-in-cheek (I
hope) and I wore them with
pride. Click on the nicknames
for context.
 A brand-new moniker for me has
just been created in one of the
often tumultous, heated,
controversial discussions in the
private
Lamma Island Uncensored
group, about fake accounts at
work in Lamma groups. Click if
you're a member already or apply
if you're a genuine, current
Lamma resident and can take the
"uncensored" heat.
In the meantime, I'm seriously
considering adding this new job
description to my namecard and
maybe even to my Facebook
profile!?
P.S. The gigolo
graphic comes from a Timeout HK
article:
Hong Kong's gigolo scene
Aug 20:
The
HK Electric On-line
newsletter (link received with
our monthly electricity bills
yesterday) features photos of
Lamma's 2 winners of their
recent
Lamma Nature Photo contest:
Mark Malby
&
Ewa Wilkinson.
Congratulations!
"HK Electric On-line"
is their quarterly newsletter
keeping customers informed of
company updates and new service
initiatives, for example their
recent $500 dining coupons
handouts valid in most N.Lamma
restaurants.
Aug 19:
Peter Kline the
Master Bird-o-grapher writes:
"My garden after the rain -
Lamma Island, Hong Kong. Playing
with a macro lens and flash
diffuser."
Aug 11:
Taking the Lamma ferry from
Central Pier 4 today, you might
encounter this most unusual and
slightly worrying sight:
2
healthcare workers handing out
free Covid-19 test kits to
public transport workers and
taxi drivers!
Read the full story here...
Aug 3:
This is probably the best, most
mouth-watering bread photo I've
seen recently. It has been
created, err, baked, for a
friend by master baker
Dina. She's also a
well-known Lamma Artist (see her
longtime exhibition in
Jing Jing Rest. on YSW
Main Street). She so serious
about her "hobby" that she's
even named her yeast starter
culture!
Dina writes:
"I do have enough regulars, but
a few more orders, why not? I
can always say no if I can't
take it anymore as I want to
keep it as an enjoyable hobby.
WhatsApp: 9367 4649"
Aug 2:
 Karen
Taylor's amazing
eye drawing (1st picture)
inspired me to create a series
of computer graphics "hybrids".
I still like her original best,
but it was great, inspiring fun
to play around with!
She writes:
"I had a lovely day off work
yesterday and enjoyed a private
art therapy session with the
amazing
Katie Flowers' Wild
at Art HK workshop.
We did a 'loosening up' session,
using inspirational cards, music
and layering of lines, colour
and quotations to create
something that expresses our
feelings and hopes for the
future.
I can highly recommend this as a
treat for the soul and also
supporting local business and
artists in these challenging
times."
Aug 1:
 Lamma's
latest fashion! A safer way to
wear a face mask, protecting the
eyes as well, modelled on our
very own catwalk, Main Street!
While I was walking by the other
day, always stopping for a chat,
I reminded mask-less Nick that
they are now mandatory in
public.
He obliged and
grabbed one from his nearby book shelf,
putting it on in his own, unique style, of
course, posing for my camera. My most popular photo on
Facebook in a while!
Great Grateful Dead T-shirt, by
the way.
One more try, see right, he'll
get the mask's position correct
someday, I'm sure.
Jul 23:
Nikky Kok:
"Good Morning, Lammaites!
I'm a student at HKU and a
happy Lamma resident.
Currently, I am doing a
research project on our
community.
The focus is
on food and food culture.
I'll be grateful if you can
fill out this brief survey.
It should take less than 5
minutes. You can PM me if
you have any questions.
Thank you for your help and
have a nice day!"
Survey Street Stations: July 18-26
CEDD Study for Pier Improvement
at YSW
Jul 22:
Katie Flowers of
Wild at Art & Studios
writes:
"Home Sweet Home, Yung Shue
Wan Lamma island;
an original
collage created for the lovely
Ewan, captain of the young Lamma
Dragons. Well coordinated Liz
Gower and Lia!"
Jul 21:
Mark Malby of
Mute Planet writes:
"Just one of the many dramas
that unfolds on a Lamma weekend!
Wasp vs Spider. A
Yellow-headed Spider Wasp
(Leptodialepis bipartitus) takes
down a much bigger
Huntsman spider
(Heteropoda venatoria),
paralysing it with a sting.
The spider will be dragged off
to its lair, still alive, and
used to incubate the wasp's
eggs, dying only when the larvae
eat it from inside."
Jul 16:
A first for drone photography of
Lamma I've seen over the years,
a thermal view of N. Lamma!
Mark Malby of
Mute Planet writes:
"'I'll
tell you how the sun rose, a
ribbon at a time.' (Emily
Dickinson).
How different the
world looks through a thermal
photographic lens."
How about a 360-degree photo
from
Mute Planet,
hovering high above YSW Harbour?
Click and drag to look around:
Plus a sunrise drone photo from
Mark, Lamma's Drone Photography
Master,
rarely seen as it's very
challenging
to fly a drone at night, easy to
lose it forever. Sunrise over
the Powerstation, impossible to
shoot from Lamma itself, because
of the
Powerstation's location.
I've tried years ago to get a
similar angle of a Powerstation
sunrise photo from the first
morning ferries to Cheung Chau,
but couldn't achieve the print
cover quality required.
"'Any sufficiently
advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic' - Arthur C. Clarke.
A
summer sun rises behind the
massive complex of the HK
Electric power station on Lamma
Island. (All photographs:
Mark Malby)"
Jul 15:
Message from HK
Electric:
"· We were informed by one of
our outsourced security guards
today that he has tested
positive for COVID-19 and
classified as probable case.
· The infected case works at
Lamma Power Station and the last
time he reported duty was last
Friday on night shift. He has
been wearing masks in the
workplace and has no contact
with customers or the public.
· He is admitted to Alice Ho
Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in
Tai Po for treatment in stable
condition.
· Power supply at HK
Electric is not affected by this
incident.
· Other than the
precautionary measures that are
already in place, additional
cleaning and disinfection have
been arranged at the workplace
of the confirmed case, as well
as the company ferries
travelling to and from Lamma
Power Station. The Company has
also requested the contractor
concerned to arrange staff
members who have had close
contacts with the confirmed case
to be put under quarantine.
· The spokesman reiterated
that HK Electric places great
emphasis on staff and
contractors safety. Since the
outbreak of the pandemic, the
Company has strengthened the
daily cleaning and disinfection
measures which include setting
up temperature monitoring system
in all office premises,
providing hand sanitising gel as
well as reminding staff to wear
masks always and maintaining
social distance constantly."
P.S.
Update from
HK Electric:
The infected power station
security guard has tested
negative on the 2nd test, so
he's not a "confirmed case" yet.
He'll remain in quarantine and
will be tested again soon.
Jul 14:
Yardley Brothers Beer
@
The Beer Shack
write:
"Ahoy, ye scurvy bilge rats!
Some say the three treasures of
Hamish McYardley are still
buried on Lamma Island to this
day... If ye be lucky enough to
come across a map, follow it to
find glory and untold riches!
"The legend of the S.E.A.
Sour begins on an island near
the coast of Hong Kong, where
the four shipwrecked sons of
Hamish McYardley, Scotland's
least successful pirate,
discovered three chests each
filled with a grog so
thirst-quenchingly sour it could
drive a man to murder...
"The boys were never seen
again, and neither was the grog.
Some say it's still buried in
those hills... waiting for
somebody brave and thirsty
enough to find it."
The 3 treasure chests' locations
are marked on the map above.
"The first of the 3
treasures
has been found!
Congratulations Andre Leigh and
friends! Head to The Beer Shack
to get a well earned tankard of
ale!
2 more are out there
somewhere...."
"S.E.A.
Sour has washed
ashore!
This experimental
sour beer was made with
Rhizophus oryzae fungus, then
kettle soured with
lactobacillus. Rhizophus oryzae
has been used in South East
Asian cooking and alcohol
production through history. We
have used it to give the S.E.A.
Sour a tropical and funky
wine-like pineapple character.
This limited-edition, very
unique sour beer will be
available next week!"
It all sounds like another trip
to YSW Back Street is in order,
enjoying their latest
Beer Shack offer of
4 beers from their 9 taps for
just $120!
Jul 8:
A summary of the report on the
"Pier Improvement" works at YSW Ferry
Pier has been uploaded, click
above.
View the ongoing discussions
among residents...
(The cover for the new pier
walkway and the measures to
block illegal bike parking along
the walkway are highly
controversial.)
 A
Commentary Seminar
has been organised by residents
concern group
WE Lamma on June 30
in Spicy Island with CEDD and
Arup HK (consultants team) and
about 40 Lamma North residents.
View the highly informative
meeting notes...
P.S. You'll
have to join the private
Lamma Island Residents
FB group (I co-moderate) to view
many of the Lamma-zine-FB links.
Jul 5:
My latest Creative Experiment
from today, started as a CG
sunset, then it progressed by
computing it all overnight into
something that looks like the
burnt-out future hull of our
sun, a few billion years into
the future?
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