Lamma Island community website

	Underground Wins 3 Awards! Jan 17 - Founded by ex-Lammaite Chris B, her music organiser Underground HK...		The Princess Greets the Rock Troll Jan 14 - This rock formation at the back of Mt. Stenhouse...
	Sweet Potato Blog Jan 2 - Francis Cheng, MD of HK Electric, has launched...		Happy New Year! Jan 1 - ...from this HK-Trio, originating from Africa, Europe and Asia.
	Good Riddance to 2025! Dec 31 - I made this farewell card from the YSW ferry pier webcam.		Calendar 2026 Dec 28 - In Love With Lamma, AI-processed photos.
	Happy Holidays! Dec 25 - Christmas Eve @ Pebbles Beach, Pak Kok.		*'Beside the Placid Banyan Bay'* Dec 24 - Christmas poem & video by Mark Malby of Mute Planet.
	Happy Winter Solstice! Dec 21 - "Season's Greetings and happy winter solstice today!"		Aberdeen MTR Station! Dec 20 - This new line is to begin construction in 2027 & be completed by 2034.
	Aberdeen Promenade @ Christmas Time Dec 19 - ...a photographer's delight.		Home Sweet Xmas Home Dec 18 - Christmas wreath on our outside door.
	Yuleternative Dec 17 - "That was a blast! Has anyone got pictures?"		Snow Day! Dec 16 - "Sun Dec 28 - Family Fun Snow Day @ Forest School, Open Space"
	Winners of 'Green Energy Dreams Come True' Dec 15 - "...six-day Green Energy Study Tour to Chengdu..."		HEC Promotes 'Digital Accessibility Design' Dec 14 - "...voice assistance, clear font, high contrast, barrier-free elements..."
	Jo San, Good Morning! Dec 13 - Photo from Ariele this morning,		Just Another AI Calendar? Dec 12 - 45+ years ago, I drew these images by hand with colour markers
	Nick the Artist's Model Dec 11 - Passersby will stop and ask to take a picture or even draw or paint you?		Decarbonisation – a Journey for All Dec 10 - HK Electric: "Why are We Embarking on this Journey?"
	Antique Dragons For Sale Dec 7 - Custom-made for me 25 years ago, in the Year of the Dragon.		Toddler Disco, Yuleternative & Beer Fest Dec 5 - What's on in YSW this month?
	Chow Yun-Fat, Lamma's VIP Dec 4 - "How Chow Yun-fat became a HK cinema superstar"		*'You Are Secured'* Dec 3 - Reports from my free Netvigator Shield and my paid Norton 360.
	2026 Lamma Calendar? Dec 2 - Is it time to create a 2026 Lamma Calendar!?		Wind Anemometers Dec 1 - A fascinating video about HK Electric's former power station.

How little does it take to make a Lammaite or visitor happy? Case in point: My lunch today in Jaybird Rest., YSW harbourside.

Sitting outdoors on a cushioned chair in warm weather (see clock tower in picture) and this amazing, peaceful view of the harbour and the ferry pier, sipping this very pretty and tasty hot chocolate, after lunch of a burrito and a glass of rose wine, no worry about the time; that's the encapsulation of a happy, often blissful experience.

This is ine of the pictures exhibited right now in Rachel Smith's solo show @ Major Pop Gallery, Sai Street, Sheung Wan:

Wow, I haven't seen all these great new works from Rachel Smith since we both were in an Abandoned House group exhibition (more photos) together in an abandoned villa in the deepest New Territory just 2 years ago.

"In a wayside forest, a long-abandoned building sits, dreaming of days gone by when it was the heart of a family. Then on Saturday, 20 May, 2023, this silent, forgotten home will be transformed by a diverse group of artists into an underground celebration of creativity and freedom.

A select group of art lovers will arrive by bus. They will find the space alive once more. Visitors will freely wander through corridors and hallways, discovering rooms and hidden corners filled with installations, paintings, sculptures and performances.

The space is abandoned, unregarded and unloved but for one afternoon. We seek to encourage and challenge people to try something different, something far from the shopping malls, chain stores and coffee shops.

Then, at the end of the day, as all the visitors disperse, the group will pack up their work and disappear into the dusk, leaving behind only traces of their creativity and a sense of hope for a more vibrant, expressive and inclusive city."

Afterwards, I expanded and further developed my pictures into my Wall Calendar 2025:

"For a tiny independent platform that started in 2004 with a simple dream – to give original bands a stage and a community – this is honestly overwhelming.
Everyone who voted, everyone who came and/or performed at The Underground shows in 2025 – this win belongs to you as much as it does to The Underground team."

This rock formation at the back of Mt. Stenhouse is showing up in more and more posts by hiking Lamma visitors. Here's a nice photo from Yaris Ellen Malene (13K followers).

It inspired me to use the latest, most powerful AI image generator (Google's Nano Banana Pro) to transform this photo into The Princess Greets the Rock Troll. A morning of fun in Photoshop.

"Francis Cheng, Managing Director of Hong Kong Electric, has launched a new quarterly column titled Sweet Potato Pages, which officially debuted today (1 January 2026).

The title "Sweet Potato Pages" cleverly plays on the Cantonese pronunciation to signify "Francis' Pages", embodying both Mr Cheng's pragmatic approach and approachable manner, alongside his emphasis on team development.

This mirrors the solidarity seen in sweet potatoes, which often grow in clusters or multiple tubers underground. Through Mr Cheng's perspective, the column will share HEC's latest developments and strategic direction, highlighting progress in innovation, smart grid construction, and carbon reduction initiatives.

This aims to strengthen communication with stakeholders, showcase HEC's pragmatic, reliable and professional corporate culture, and enhance transparency and community engagement.

The Sweet Potato Pages conclude with a special note highlighting Mr Cheng's management philosophy: "embracing sustainability, valuing team development, and pragmatically embracing change."

The Sweet Potato Pages will be published quarterly on the HK Electric website and the HK Electric App. Your support is greatly appreciated."

I made this farewell card from the YSW ferry pier webcam photo of last night's amazing doomsday sunset.

Many people took a photo of today's sunset, posting it on social media but this one was the very best, IMHO. By Deb Lindsay, watch the biker going down Fishermen's Pier in YSW harbour at almost max. high tide!

"Well, it's that time of year again when we pay tribute to the little world we call home, where we celebrate the warmth (and cool nights) of the season with a poem:

O little town of Yung Shue Wan,
how comforting to see!
Beside the placid Banyan Bay
is where I long to be.

And with your bright streets shining
the restaurants and bars;
you bring us hope through all the years
beneath the friendly stars."

"A brightly-lit Christmas tree on a rocky islet in the middle of a harbour is a rarity in this part of the world, but makes a wonderful gem on a December night.

Our gratitude to whomever is behind it. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the friends of Mute Planet, near and far.
May you find joy and serenity as the year’s end approaches."

Lynne: "Seasons Greetings and happy winter solstice today!
Last weekend before Christmas to buy something special. Have a few more dried fruit packs left for your cocktails, decor, etc.
Thank you to all that have bought from me [on YSW Main Street]."

This new line is expected to begin construction in 2027 & be completed by 2034. This 7.5 km long line will go via a tunnel, have 8 new stations, incl. a Queen Mary Hospital and an ABERDEEN station, just across the street from the Lamma ferry pier, South of Aberdeen Plaza! Details.

Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Lamma to Aberdeen, their harbourside Promenade is a photographer's delight, especially at Christmas time.

Merry Early Christmas with a Christmas wreath on our outside door.
Should we get one this year as well?

Sun Dec 28 - Family Fun Snow Day @ Forest School, Open Space - snow, scavenger hunt, nature-based crafts, bamboo treehouse, trampoline, mud kitchen, campfire and marshmallow roasting!!
All ages welcome with adult accompaniment.

Mon/Tue, Dec 29/30 - Forest School Day Camp
2 days of fun and exploration - safe tool use, building, knots, campfire lighting and campfire cooking, nature based crafts and so much more.
Ages 7+ - no adult accompaniment required.
Pick up and drop off at Central Pier #4.

...Upon returning to Hong Kong, HK Electric will host a sharing session to enable more “Happy Green Schools” to gain deeper insights into how they can contribute to building a smarter, greener and more sustainable city."

"HK Electric has been committed to promoting digital inclusion to ensure that the elderly, persons with disabilities and all members of the public can easily use online services and enjoy the convenience brought by technology.

By improving the website and app, including voice assistance, clear font, high contrast and other barrier-free elements, HEC hopes to narrow the "digital gap" so everyone can use it with peace of mind.

HEC's general manager of IT, Mr. Wu Wei-kin, said: "We believe technology should serve everyone, especially the elderly, the disabled and the underprivileged.
By promoting accessibility design, we are not only improving the accessibility and fairness of our services, but also implementing the corporate value of 'Caring Community'."

Photo from Ariele this morning, showing the most colourful house on Lamma, close to the Pak Kok ferry pier. Plus my own photo showing the front of this unique village house.

This year, I've used them as input for some creative experiments with the new Photoshop AI features, Generative Fill and Expand.

Some interesting results after many happy hours of in-the-flow experimentation with usually little idea where the creative flow will lead me in the end.

Imagine just sitting by the side of the road, reading a book, not bothering anybody, and quite often passersby will stop and ask to take a picture or even draw or paint you?

This seems to happen to Nick the Bookman on a regular basis, see the top 2 very recent artworks! I've got a folder full of them as offline Nick is usually asking the artists to email them to me after completion.

I'm guilty of this as well as his image often inspires my digital Creative Experiments. I'm happy to publish them all here and in the Lamma-zine.

"Climate change, caused largely by the emission of greenhouse gases generated by human activities, is one of the most significant and imminent challenges faced by mankind.
To avoid the irreversible impact of climate change, we need a substantial and long-term reduction in carbon emissions through decarbonising various aspects of our daily life."

Custom-made for me 25 years ago, in the Year of the Dragon. Halloween horns added later, easily removable.

"How Chow Yun-fat became a Hong Kong cinema superstar without losing his humility"

I haven't had a security problem in years, fingers crossed! But the attacks keep on coming in from phishing, botnets, viruses, scams and malware, in addition to all the increasingly smart emails getting you to click on 'bad' links.

Maybe something like this one above, from photos I took of Lamma Fun Day visitors some years ago?

As there's not been an "official" Lamma Calendar published again this year, mine would be for sale only for individual orders, IF at least a few people might be interested.

A fascinating video about HK Electric's former power station in North Point, before moving to Lamma in 1982.

Extreme winds of 150 miles per hour (about 240 km/h) are unimaginable even today in Victoria Harbour...

However, during the "Ding Ugly Storm" of 1937, the wind gusts recorded at the North Point Power Station of 150 miles per hour, making it one of the highest wind gusts in Hong Kong!

The ability to accurately measure the high wind speed depends on the company's engineers who insisted on purchasing high-standard wind anemometers.

This forward-looking and safe mind set not only guarantees reliable and stable power supply, but also provides valuable data for Hong Kong to improve wind resistance standards in the future."

Plus a video about the very first power station, opening 135 years ago in 1890 in Wanchai: