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Back on the Bike
Jun
19
- Pier at the far end of Pak Kok, facing HK
Island across the East Lamma Channel.
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Full Moon
Sunrise
Jun 18
- Opposite the sunrise today, the full moon was
setting, reflecting some of the sunrise colours.
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Sunset Flight
Jun
16
- Occasionally, I get lucky, finding details in
my photos only while post-processing them.
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R.I.P. Island Bar
Jun 9
- "My tribute to The Island Bar which closes
today after 38 years!"
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Rooftop Racket!
May 30 -
Songbirds making such a racket on our balcony at 5:30am, keeping me awake!!
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Lamma's da Vinci
May 28
- "Delighted to
meeting you on Lamma, Nick! You have inspired me..."
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'L' is for Lamma!
Mar 23
- The fun-loving Lamma Dragonboaters seem to
love all smileys!
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Plant & Garden Tour
Mar 10
- "Sign up today for a plant and garden
trawl of the northern NT on March 27th."
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Green & Happy
Mar 6
- Learn more about energy efficiency, renewable energy, low carbon lifestyle
and smart city....
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Cupid's Boss
Feb 14
- Another masterpiece from Lamma's best-known artist, SCMP cartoonist Harry
Harrison!
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June 19: Back
on the Bike
June 18: Full
Moon Sunrise
Opposite the sunrise this very
early morning, the full moon was
setting, reflecting some of the
sunrise colours.
Not too bad for snapshots with
my front&back-cracked smartphone
(plus my ancient 2nd-hand pocket
zoom lens mounted on a pocket
tripod), I hope.
Is it high time to upgrade my
hardware? No need yet, I think,
as long as I can get OK photos
like these above.
;~}
June 16:
Sunset Flight
I'm taking sunrise/sunset photos
quite frequently these weeks.
We'll be losing most of our
views next month - due to a
massive rent increase, after 6
happy years here in our
panoramic rooftop flat - moving
into a flat surrounded by trees
and palms.
Occasionally, I get lucky,
finding details in my photos
only while post-processing them.
For example tonight: Sunset
flight (zoom in)!
June 12:
'Farewell My Beauty!'
June 10: What
Will I Miss the Most?
What will I miss the most about
our rooftop after having to move
next month to a rooftop-less Pak
Kok flat? Let me answer visually, just the other evening:
June 9:
R.I.P. Island Bar
Sharon Birkett:
"My tribute to The
Island Bar which closes today
after 38 years!
As The Island Bar finally
closes, it's a sad, fond
farewell.
Countless
celebrations have taken place
and many rang the bell.
Shelves are filled with dragon
boat trophies, it's a fabulous
display.
A Boaters and
regulars' social, every day!
Dancing on the tables, Queen
songs blasting out,
Win or
lose, team spirit is what the I
Bar's about.
Operation Santa,
lots of silly banter,
Quiz
nights, treasure hunts, bands,
will be missed.
Late night
stay behinds, many happily
getting pissed!
People squeezing passed, as they
come off the ferry.
Punters
oblivious, becoming more merry.
To All Those-who worked at
Lamma's oldest institution,
THANK YOU very much for the fun
times and your community
contribution!
Will miss you, Brad Tarr &
Oliver Armistead!"
Historic website -2009:
http://Lamma.com.hk/islandbar
Our stories & photos of The
Island Bar
May 31: Last
Day of YSW Ferry Pier Shop
They've had to close the decades-old shop for
good today, pending the renovation of
the entire pier.
See our 18-year-old Lamma
developments forum for details
and plans...
My favorite photo of this sad
event:
Harry Harrison's
photo of the 2 Lovely Lamma
Ladies at the pier, together
with a decades-long,
almost-daily customer.
Discuss on Facebook...
P.S. The
ancient Pak Kok ferry pier will
also be renovated, err,
completely rebuilt soon.
More details...
... and even more details & pics
& info ...
May 30: Rooftop
Racket!
May 28:
"Delighted to meeting you on
Lamma, Nick!
You have inspired
me to revive my portrait-drawing
passion!", said Jerry Tan
who has spent a day's vacation
to enjoy the tranquility of our
island.
He's blogged
extensively (in Chin.) about his
visit and the Lammaites he met.
Here's my edited and links-added
translation of excerpts from
Jerry's blog:
"Yesterday evening, when I
walked up and down the YSW Main
Road en route to the beach, I
saw an old man sitting on a
sidewalk chair. Next to him was
a simple bookcase with some
English books and DVDs. Despite
the almost constant flow of
people, no one stopped to check
out his books and no one greeted
him. He read a book quietly and
rarely lifted his head.
The
old man is a bit special. The
silver scorpion on the face and
the long, white waterfall on his
chest dazzled me. I had to stop
and have a closer look. I was
afraid that my greeting would be
dumb and I am afraid to disturb
his silence.
Dorothy, who walked around the
island with me, is a neighbor of
the old man. She likes to buy
and buy when she chats with her
neighbors, no matter how much
money. Always eager to support
the local businesses, that might
probably be why she is so
popular on this island? Walking
on YSW Main Street, almost half
of the islanders will greet her.
Dorothy asked if I wanted to
take a photo with the old man. I
explained that I think his looks
are like the Renaissance master
Leonardo da Vinci. I liked his
beautiful beard and would love
to take photos and draw a
picture of him.
After taking a group photo, the
old man took out a note card and
encouraged me to
take a picture of
it. It was full of English
titles and links: the
website of Lamma Island,
his own
website, his own
MixCloud music DJ mixes
and
contact information.
He
explained that he was an
ex-radio DJ, a RTV journalist
(1974-1980) and an associate
editor of the radio (1980-1986).
There are many of his programs
still on the Internet. I asked
the old man for his. He replied
'Nick!'."
Read more in Chin....
P.S.
Lamma da Vinci or Leonardo da
Lamma?
May 19: Coffee!
Meet you at the
Lamma Art Collective
today?
May 2: Hulu's
History of Lamma
"Lamma Island is the third
largest island in Hong Kong,
with an area of 13.55 square
kilometres and a population of
about 6,000 ....
... There were 460 residents
in Lamma when the New
Territories was leased to the
United Kingdom in 1898. In 1931,
the population grew to more than
1,400 ...."
May 1: Sunset
After Rainstorm
Apr 28: LAMMA
DAY
Photos from "Lamma-Gung
Stand-in" Katherine
Forrestier, click
below! Many thanks
for these cheerful pictures!
"Wonderful to see so many
happy people, of all ages and
backgrounds. What a great place
we live in!"
Plus loads more pictures/videos
from many people...
Apr 25: Touring
Inside the Powerstation
Organised by Lamma Dragonboater
and "Educating Rita"
actress Chloe Grimmett,
thank you!
Yours Truly was
acting just as the middleman
between Chloe and HK Electric,
plus as a photographer, having
organised several tours for
Lammaites over the years.
Apr 14: Medical
'Vacation'
Queen Mary Hospital in-patient
for suspected spine tumor,
until further notice...
P.S. a few days later:
A different foodie pic today:
My beige dinner in the massively
overcrowded, hectic medical ward
of Queen Mary Hospital 3 days
ago:
Waiting all day for
doctors on a little mattress in
the corridor, hungry and not
permitted to eat or drink all
day before blood tests in the
late afternoon, so this standard
dinner wasn't actually as bad as
it looks! Click for many
comments from Friends:
Happy Easter everybody! Checking
out today with same
all-lower-body numbness/tingling
as I've suffered for 3 weeks
now: Many tests, but no
diagnosis yet, no treatment, no
medication.
"Come back as
outpatient next week."
P.S. 2 weeks later:
Checking in again very urgently
as in-patient after my spine
MRIs showed some
"ill-defined intramedullary
spinal cord lesion at T4-5
level" (below the neck.)
(I had to sell my entire 50+
years old comics collection to
pay for the urgent private MRIs.
Public MRI waiting time up to
1.5 years, in my own experience.)
For more info (if you're
not the queasy type)...
View from A7 ward of Queen Mary
Hospital in South HK Island.
(Sorry for photo quality, oldish
smartphone on bad digital zoom
on a foggy day.)
At home now, still as
numb/hypersensitive in most of
lower body as when I spent two
stays in QM Hospital, awaiting
more lumbar puncture/blood test
results.
All muscles and
walking OK, for the time being,
despite it feeling like walking
on pins-and-needles.
Mar 23:
'L' is for Lamma!
Lamma Dragons fundraiser today!
Main auction prize: Framed
original of this Village Vehicle
dragonboat full of true
Lammaites, another masterpiece
by Laudable Lamma Luminary
Harry Harrison.
Take note of the L(earner) sign!
This picture raised
HK$23,000, a new
all-time record!
Yes, the fun-loving Lamma
Dragonboaters seem to love all
smileys! Never a frownie or a
sad or even an angry face in any
of their cheerful posts:
Plus a few close-ups of the
Finest Customed Fiends...
Mar 17:
The Xscalator @ Lamma Enduro
Lamma Enduro
writes:
"Last year 500m of new trail
was sculpted into the Project-X
network. These new switchbacks
bypass a particularly brutal
section of the PX Climb.
We
present to you The Xscalator."
This has been happening in my
own neighbourhood and the views,
just a few minutes from our
360-degree-views rooftop home.
Time to replace my own own
ancient, rusty, flat-tires
mountain bike?
For some professional video from
my neighbour DJ's multimedia
company, plus some
more photos.
Jane, Lamma's
Master Gardener writes:
"Sign up today for a plant and
garden trawl of the northern NT
on March 27th.
Start: 9am from
Pier 4 (Central)
Finish: 6pm at Pier 4
(Central).
Itinerary will
depend on traffic and other
constraints on the day, but we
plan to visit two major
nurseries; Hong Kong's
best-stocked garden sundries
store; and two of the most
worthwhile "gardeners' gardens"
in the New Territories.
Transport by
luxury 45-seater coach with
plenty of storage space for
sacks of potting mix, Alibaba
size pots, trees, shrubs and
1,001 plants of all sorts.
Lunch: to make
best use of our time, bring your
own food to eat along the way.
Charge per head
will be HK$200.
Register for the trip
asap by e-mail:
janeram@netfront.net
or WhatsApp 6505 9574.
Cut-off date
for payment to guarantee your
place: March 18th.
All are welcome
- please spread the word to your
gardening friends."
Jane's tours are always great
fun, from my own experiences!
They're one of the best and
cheapest ways to socialise with
other
Lamma Gardeners and
stock up on plants and gardening
supplies, directly from HK's
extensive plant nurseries in the
Northern New Territories.
My Balcony Jungle (downsized
from my former
L-G's Rooftop Jungle)
really needs some blooming and
climbing plants for my spring
planting!
 Lamma's most famous "girl band",
here's a publicity shot shortly
before they embarked on a US
tour.
bbChris is
modelling a wedding dress, as
SoS' most famous member, still a
Rock Goddess to
this very day (Thinking Out Loud
gig in The Hub Wanchai on March
23!).
She's the founder and
still the major driving force
behind
Underground HK, a
former moderator of our
Music forum and a
major, longtime
Lamma-zine Content Contributor!
Want to become a CC, too?
Contact me!
Chloe Grimmett,
Manager of the
Lamma Dragons
writes:
"HAPPY FRIDAY LAMMA!
Don't forget
to come down to Powerstation
beach tomorrow, Saturday, for a beach clean
up from 11.30am - especially if
you have any sailing / paddling
/ floaty equipment stored in the
bushes. (If you do, and can't
make it, please PM me!)
Lamma
Outrigger Canoe Club
have kindly offered to give out
bubbles & brownies to those who
get involved so bring down a
drinking receptacle to receive
your reward!"
P.S. March 9:
"Beach clean up crew! Thanks to
everyone who came down today!
(You can't see so well, but
there's a massive heap of
collected trash behind us.)"
P.S. II:
Artist of the Month - Chloe
Grimmett - interview
P.S. III: Chloe
will also organise a
Powerstation tour on Apr 27.
I'm acting as HK Electric
liaison and tour adviser as I've
organised the same tour quite a few
times over the years:
Inside Lamma Power Station.
"With the new Scheme of Control
Agreement between HK Electric
and the Government coming into
effect from 1 January this year,
we are committed to allocating
HK$5 million a year for
organising green education
activities, and sponsoring
community initiatives on
promoting energy efficiency,
renewable energy and low carbon
lifestyle," said Ms Yeung.
In
particular, she highlighted some
of the new initiatives this
year, such as free energy audits
for schools to assess energy
consumption and identify saving
options; overseas study trips to
bring outstanding ambassadors
and winning teams of the "Green
Energy Dreams Come True"
competition to Dali, Yunnan,
where they will visit renewable
energy facilities including a
wind farm, and see how Dali has
developed to become a Smart City
in mainland China.
At
home, students and the public
will be given a brand new "Smart
Power Experience" with the
soon-to-open Smart Power Gallery
where visitors will be able to
learn more about energy
efficiency, renewable energy,
low carbon lifestyle and smart
city through multi-media and
interactive displays.
Outstanding Happy Green
Community Ambassadors examine
water sample at Lamma Power
Station as part of their
job-shadowing experience as an
environmental engineer.
In
addition to promoting on
Facebook and YouTube, the
campaign will leverage on other
popular digital media to spread
the green messages, including
producing a mini-movie, VR games
and online games to reach
various audiences...."
HK Electric's Happy Green
Campaign to Promote
"Smart Power
for Smart City"
Website ~
Facebook group
 After the recent
Official Opening of
the completely rebuilt, highly
popular YSW
Diesel's Bar they're
restarting their long-standing
tradition of musical and
intriguing events.
Cases in point: a recent
Quiz Night and a
Chilli-Cook-Off
today, both firsts for them! How
much heat can I tolerate? I
guess I'll have to investigate
and report back.
P.S. Feb 24: The winner is ...
Annie! (photo by
Diesel's)
Feb 14 ~
Valentine's Day:
Cupid's Boss?
Another masterpiece from Lamma's
best-known artist, SCMP
cartoonist Harry Harrison!
As is frequently the case, quite
a few comments ensued. I was
especialy intrigued by Cupid's
winged boss.
Who is he? I always
assumed Cupid to be a boss-less
freelancer, like myself?
Writing about Harry, his latest
book has just been launched,
completing the Chinese Calendar
Tales series! Get yours or get
the entire collection.
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