You don't have permission to access
/forum-OK/index.php on this server.
Have you ever seen this error message when trying to access the main page of
our forum? If yes, did you let me know about it, so I could fix it right
away? Please do so next time. If you notice any problem accessing any page
on this website, please email me right away, as many or even all site
visitors might have the same problem. I'll welcome any reports and will try
to fix them right away, 7 days a week. Please be as specific and detailed as
possible, so I can identify the problem quickly and precisely.
This particular problem happened just the other day, but only when accessing
the forum main page, while all the other pages of the forum worked fine, so
I didn't notice the problem myself. I got an email from a loyal and regular
forum visitor, with the subject line of "Whoopsie-doopsie!" -
I kid you not - pointing out this problem. Everybody accessing the forum
main page would have seen the same error message for several hours at least.
But it took me only a minute to fix it by simply re-uploading one of my
backup copies of the program file (index.php) on the server that had gone
bad.
Please bookmark the following page, it's the fastest way into the forum and
will list only all the new posts added since your last visit. It's the same
link when you click on Forums at the top of this website's home page:
http://www.lamma.com.hk/forum-OK/search.php?search_id=newposts
Emails from Zein at
Children Welfare Scheme:
"CWS would like to thank the amazing Committee, all our sponsors, over
100 volunteers, the Scouts and the Lamma community who supported this great
family event!
Dear Lamma-Gung and Lamma.com.hk,
Thank you for your kind support towards the Lamma Fun Day
and CWS!
We were very lucky with the weather and everyone had a
great time – the best time ever over the past 12 years
actually! The gross income (net will be determined after all
expenses come in) from the entire event was just over
HK$250,000 for our educational
and vocational training programmes in Nepal! We are overwhelmed
by your generous support towards our work and for your continued
kindness.
We will send you final
information in a few weeks time; but I just wanted to send you
an email now to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the
amazing support you provided to Lamma Fun Day and CWS."
The highest-ever bid at the auction
was $17,000 for a vacation in Nepal and Harry Harrison's cartoon
raised $5,200! Expenses were only about $50,000, tbc.
So it's been a fantastic success,
thanks to so many great volunteers, sponsors and local
businesses supporting the day in so many ways. Many, many thanks
to everybody helping before, during and after the event to make
it such a success!
But we need more pictures from the
Fun Day!
Email your best shots to me,
especially from the many children's activities, bands, Lamma
Rush and any special events happening. The Lamma Fun Day and I
will publish them for you, giving you the full credits you
deserve.
Unofficial winners at the Fun Day junior
rock stacking:
Lucia, Inez and Freya who's pile reached 14
stones
(contest & photo by Rocky Malcolm)
Auction item: Harry Harrison's original drawing, B4 size, signed & framed:
Harry will also be playing as part of The Curs, 4.30-5.30pm:
"Classic and ironic country music played by an irreverent collection of
maladjusted vagabonds":
Get your Lamma Calendar 2013, all profits for charity. $60 for 1,
$100 for 2.
More photos and last-minute news:
Facebook
page and our
Fun Day forum.
Who are all these people? How many of these 14
book writers do you recognise?
Click to learn more or meet ALL of them on Monday, Nov
26, 6:30-8pm in Bookazine, 3/F Prince's Bldg. Organised by an
ex-Lammaite, renowned and well- known publisher
Pete Spurrier of Blacksmith Books, this will probably be
one of the largest booksignings in HK ever.
Win one of their books in the Lucky Draw and
enjoy free wine. Pete promised that he'll be serving mulled wine
made to his own secret recipe. That should get some stimulating
conversations going, but not causing more than a few shaky,
illegible signings, hopefully. Come and join us!
A letter from Lands Dept. to a Senior Lammaite who had objected to the
redevelopment application for Diesel's, to replace it with two Village
Houses:
For more details, see our forum,
Saving Diesel's from closing down.
Tentative and unconfirmed closing date: next June, 2013.
RocksOnTop.net,
Rocky Malcolm's official website, built by himself.
It's a website about piling one rock on top of another. Why Not?!
Lamma Island Revisited - Posted by cindyxuxin on November 19,
2012:
By Cindy Xu Xin and
Ma Ning
"Local community on Lamma island is still recovering from
the economic blow and the emotional distress caused by the ferry
collision that happened a month ago.
Some local residents said their business has experienced a
significant downturn due to a tourism decline, among which
restaurants are hit especially hard..."
See the video (Chin. w/Eng. subtitles) and read the interviews...
Plus the "official" version, from the HKTB:
Lamma Island Family Trail.
Plus a fine, first-hand report from an actual visitor, "a long time Lamma
Island lover" and blogger at
You Got Me Blogging. He's been walking and photographing this
most famous and popular Lamma trail and just emailed me about it:
The One With The Lamma Island Hiking Trail.
During a little afternoon stroll along the coast from Sok Kwu Wan to Mo Tat
Wan, I noticed this surprising, unexpected sight from atop the hillside, overlooking Mo Tat Wan
beach, the ferry pier and
The Bay Rest. Closer examination resulted in
a little
ad-hoc photo gallery, click below.
The MTR and their Japanese contractor for tunneling the South Island
Line were enjoying a little R&R, renting The Bay rest. and all the water
sports gear all afternoon and evening. They seemed to enjoy themselves
tremendously on and off the beach, followed by a great dinner.
I interviewed one of the guys with 3 lines of engineer-
ing degrees & titles on his namecard. It turned out that there are no plans
for an MTR stop on Lamma (yet), but that it would probably be possible to
tunnel under the East Lamma Channel, extending the South Island Line beyond
Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau. Perhaps some day, if the Govt.'s secretive ideas
for public housing in the Lamma Quarry are ever realised?
This story is also a little freebie for
our advertiser, The Bay
Restaurant. Mo Tat Wan is the only place on Lamma where you can
actually rent a wide range of water sports equipment by the hour and be
supervised by qualified instructors. Find out more in my
photo gallery:
|
Adam the Stylish Producer:
(Photos of this "Sponsored Feature" by
Stylus HK Theatre) |
|
 It's
Behind You!!
2 Lamma residents take to the stage in
this year's Christmas pantomime.
Adam Harris
and Andy Fullard, 2 long-term Lamma residents and regulars on
Hong Kong stages, will be camping it up in this year's Christmas
pantomime, a musical extravaganza of mirth and mayhem that has been
brought to Hong Kong audiences for over 50 years by the Hong Kong
Players. This year the story is Little Red Riding Hood, but
with a totally modern take as the fabulous cast dance and sing their
way through some of the greatest songs of the last 3 decades. Harris
is directing the production and has a small cameo - blink and you’ll
miss it - while Fullard is getting ready to be booed as he plays the
villain, the ever-hungry but very sophisticated Big Bad Wolf.
Pantomime is a traditional British
theatrical form associated with Christmas. It evolved in the 18th
Century from Italian traditions. It is very interactive with the
audience expected to show their feelings and to help cast members
overcome danger and adversity. They cheer the lovers and boo the
villain and hope to catch sweets from the stage. It's a show for all
the family with kids delighting in the big costumes and incredible
dance numbers while adults enjoy a chuckle at lines which could be
taken two ways!
Little Red
Riding Hood is being
performed at the Shouson Theatre, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Wanchai
from December 1st to 2nd and 6th to 9th. Tickets are selling fast
and can be obtained from
www.urbtix.hk
for 330/290 HKD (stalls) or 290/250
HKD (balcony).
Coincidentally, Harris and Fullard
will go on to perform a very different piece of theatre in February
2013 as they bring C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud to life in
Freud's Last Session, a portrayal of a fictional encounter
between two of the greatest minds of the 20th Century.
Detailed information on both
productions can be obtained from Adam Harris at
stylushktheatre@yahoo.com or
HongKongPlayers.com. |
This entertaining media release inspired me to ask Adam
a few questions:
It’s
been exactly 200 years since the Brothers Grimm published their
book Children's and Household Tales, containing this
famous German fairy tale. What is its relevance in modern-day
HK?
With
pantomime we don't seek modern resonances so much as aim to give
everybody a great time. Panto always, wherever it is staged,
contains multiple topical references and Lamma is rarely spared!
The wolf at the door could of course be a metaphor for financial
recession but...nah...not in this show!
This
is essentially a very dark and grim(m) story, some of the
protagonists getting devoured alive by a wild animal! How will
you inject song and dance and cheers?
It's
true. Most pantomimes are based on fairy tales, many of which
are very dark. Kids love that - think of Roald Dahl's books for
children and even parts of Harry Potter. Having said that,
nobody gets actually eaten in this production. Oops, spoiler!
You’re
promising a “Musical Extravaganza of Mirth & Mayhem”. Sounds
great! Tell us more about the “Mayhem” part.
Pantomime
is a high energy style of theatre. With a wolf and a Dame on the
loose, mayhem is guaranteed. This production contains the
hardest scene I have ever had to direct, so some rehearsals were
mayhem too. We have included a few surprises which we hope will
introduce young children to the magic of live theatre. Panto was
how I was hooked as a young boy.
Is
Andy the Big Bad Wolf really “ready to be booed”? How did he
practice? Stand-up comedy in a YSW bar?
Andy
has a long history of performing in street theatre in the UK and
is more than capable of handling anything. He'll be disappointed
if he's not booed. He also honed his skills at handling audience
participation in my production of The Rocky Horror Show
where he played Riff Raff.
Christmas
pantomime, an ancient and acclaimed Lamma tradition, has been
performed in the forest at Hunter’s.
Wouldn’t this
forest setting be more appropriate for this tale than a big city stage?
I
am a big fan of outdoor theatre. I would love to stage
Twelfth Night on Power Station Beach! Our wonderful designer
will conjure up a forest right in the heart of Wanchai.
How
will this dark nature tale appeal to us Lamma tree huggers and
eco-warriors?
Lamma
audiences may have a hard time with the love interest being a
woodcutter, but I guarantee that he's the kind of woodcutter who
follows the strictest ethos of sustainable forestry. The tale is
one of fun and joy. It's a metaphor in itself, take something
dark and put a positive spin on it. That's a Lamma vibe,
methinks!
Will
the audience be encouraged to dress up in their favourite Riding
Hood costumes?
By all means! Panto meets Rocky Horror -
I love it!!
How
much audience participation will be permitted, for example in
assisting in the gruesome demise of the Big Bad Wolf?
As
much as they like with the booing and cheering, but we may have
to draw the line at actual stage invasions!
Ming Pao Teens, Nov
7, 2012, an interview I gave pre-Ferry Disaster.
It's also featuring Just Green, Green Cottage and Bookworm
Cafe, plus Lamma's famous Rocky Malcolm, plus my summer intern
who took quite an interest in the two young & pretty reporters, Cammy &
Virginea. Click below to read these newspaper scans; sorry, no English version available
yet.
If you can provide a translation, please let me know. The Lamma-zine is
actively searching for a part-time, bilingual Lammaite as an
assistant/interpreter, moderately paid by the day. Know anybody?
Balancing out all the very pretty, touristy shots in the upcoming Lamma
Calendar 2013, let me showcase the amusing, often quirky, other side of Life
on Lamma. This side is usually reserved for residents, an unusual aspect, a
colourful facet of our home, showing our everyday life
here and why this is such a special place.
Many of these unique shots have been published before in our popular and long- running
Typically Lamma! forum.
Post your quirkiest, funniest, most unusual photos, or
email them to
me!
Pak Kok hat fashion, by Marcus -- Protest, maybe? by Ryan
Teddy the Scarecrow, by L-G -- Fireworking the Policebox, by Pit
Afterwards - Taking a roadside nap, by L-G
Transporting seafood - Pig's head - Dragonboating practice, by L-G
It was raining beer on the 2:30am ferry? by Howard Sheard
Birth of a new village, Tai Wan Nam, by L-G
Pigsty for sale, complete with ex-tenant? by Gary
Lamma Dragons hat, post-party, by L-G
Woodworker, by L-G -- T-shirt design, by Peter Bolt
Building a Village House, by L-G
Public swimming pool with high-diving platform - No scaffolding needed, by-G
Lamma villager taking home the shopping, by Anonymous Guy
For the very latest news & updates, see our forum!
My former rooftop garden is reverting to a natural state, more of a subtropical
jungle than a pretty garden. Anything is welcome to grow, mostly local
plants, weeding is optional. But some less pleasant wildlife has moved in,
besides all the cute caterpillars, butterflies and many birds who especially
like our little fountain: Baby centipedes, cockroaches, bees and even a
large frog. How did it ever get up there? There's no outdoor staircase, no neighbouring building and no trees?
All these bugs and animals are most welcome to enjoy my rooftop jungle. But
there are some more aggressive residents moving in as well. I got stung
twice while watering and removing dead leaves a few weeks ago, but couldn't
spot the aggressors. Recently, I discovered an abandoned wasps nest, glued
to a large dead leaf! Pretty fascinating and all harmless by now:
Fortunately, the views are still fantastic from our rooftop, despite the
several new Village Houses being constructed, surrounding ours in the last 3
years:
Jessica Fellas writes: "Hi there,
Thank you so much for putting us on your
'WHAT'S ON' guide. Please find attached a brief write up of the
event and images from Sat, Nov 3.
The night was a fantastic success, people sat
back whilst enjoying 7th Avenue's specialty dishes and were
transported to an underwater world through the beautiful
cinematography of Wes Anderson's film Life Aquatic. The
HK Electric metal box gallery displayed an array of artworks
from Usedpencil and
Jipola, inspired by
the watery theme as well as quirky visuals on the big screen by
Ko Lap Hang.
The highlight of the evening has to be the
talents of five great acoustic acts,
Sue Sherman, Hoping Passenger, James,
Aaron Lamb, Mr E and Mr D. A special thanks to all
of the performers involved and of course to the contribution of
The Amazing Handstand Band.
This December we will be creating a FW: Film
night with a twist. Details will be announced shortly.
Happy Creating Lamma"
Click for my captioned photo gallery
(all
photos by L-G; except the middle group shot above, by Power Publishing)
Planet_Expat book launch forum
As part of the Lamma-zine research, I subscribe to all Lamma-related
newsletters and blogs I come across, being flooded with news and info every
day. It's my "job" to sort through all of this input to find interesting
material for the Lamma-zine and the forum. Here are two of the latest
newsletters from organisations with very different visions on the future of
Lamma's development. I was surprised that the two newsletters below didn't
self-destruct in my email inbox, after clashing or igniting each other by
their sheer proximity.
Health warning: Some of our readers might experience a significant
increase in their blood pressure, depending on their personal, passionately
held views:
Baroque on Lamma
(Pilot Project, Measure Our RE Resources, Lack of
Medical Facilities)
Living Lamma
(Gold winners, greenest team! Glass volunteers
needed!)
P.S. By the way, the
BoL public stakeholder workshop on Nov 3 has been postponed
indefinitely, but not cancelled. The
Eden Project people changed their mind about coming to HK, after
receiving some "aggressive" emails. Invited by BoL, they planned to present
and discuss their famous biomes eco-project, voted Best UK Leisure
Attraction, and explore the potential to set up something similar on Lamma.
The BoL saga continues, I'll keep you informed...
The
Lamma Calendar 2013 just went
into production. Many thanks to all the photographers participating and all
the Lamma Faces on the Dec pages.
$4,640 have already been raised from the photographers for the
Lamma Fun Day charity.
The calendar will go on sale at the Fun Day and in Lamma shops and bars
afterwards. Despite a considerable hike in print costs this year, still only
$60, $100 for two. Get some for your family & friends overseas; there'll
still be time to mail them in time for Christmas. All calendar sales profits to a tbc Lamma charity.
Lamma
Fun Day writes:
"Dear Friends,
Lamma Fun Day is on Saturday 24th November – for the 12th time! Come join
the fun!
Every year our
bric-a-brac (2nd hand items) section
raises a lot for children in Nepal – Thank you! We would be grateful if you
could take the time to do some clearing – we take anything second hand, as
long as it’s clean. Books, DVDs, shoes, toys and clothes sell really well
but we welcome other things too.
Remember, one man's garbage is another man's gold!
For Central drop off: Mon 5 Nov, Tue 6 Nov, Mon 12 Nov, Tue 13
Nov, Mon 19 Nov & Tue 20 Nov from 11am to 7pm at the CWS office - Suite 303,
St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 2526
8810
For Lamma drop off: Please contact Pam at
pbovitz@gmail.com, or bring it
down on the day!"
Urgent call for more volunteers!
"We really need people to help with specific behind the
scenes jobs as follows:
Friday (23rd Nov) unload equipment from Gaido to beach,
Saturday (Fun Day 24th Nov) set up 8am - 10am,
Saturday (Fun Day 24th Nov) pack up 6pm - 8pm,
Monday (26th Nov) morning approx 7.30am (time TBC) re-load
equipment back onto Gaido.
We also need someone to assist the bands from 6 - 8pm and
2 people to sell beer on the beach from 6 - 8pm.
Anyone interested should contact me on
hazelwalpole@hotmail.com."
Beach Volleyball Tournament:
"At Lamma Fun Day every year there is a really fun and
challenging volleyball tournament. This year we have decided to
keep it simple and assign people to teams when they show up. If
you wish to play please arrive at 11am, make a donation of
HK$100, and you will be assigned to teams. If you come with
friends we will ensure you are on the same team.
Teams consist of 5 people and we will aim for 4 to 6 teams
in order to maximize court time for players. Tournament will end
at 5pm. Please email
bj@topexecutive.com for enquiries and to show your
interest so we can anticipate numbers in advance.
The winning team gets a pair of
Havaianas each!! So come down early and sign up!"
For more details and registration
forms for the
Lamma Rush, a
"Family Fun
Filled Xperience", on Fun Day, 2-4pm, a kind of
treasure hunt starting at the YSW ferry pier.
And yes, here's the official,
finally finalised, final poster, courtesy of Harry & Bill who
did a really fantastic job! Bands playing will be announced soon
as well!
For the latest Fun Day news, click on the poster:
For the very latest news & updates, see our forum!
Dymocks writes: "Tall tales of entrepreneurship and
adventure from the world of expatriates, with contributions from
across the globe, getting to grips with new cultures and
opportunities, and riding the rollercoaster of setbacks and
success along the way.
We recently spoke to John Cairns about his book.
Read the interview."
Dymocks Book of the Month! Many congrats to the Lamma-zine's
Official Court Senior Correspondent! John has written so many
great stories over the years, usually about pet- or
basketball-related issues, he's definitely earned this free
advertorial for his latest book. He even proudly hand-delivered
it to my home upon publication and I'm currently devouring this
cracking good read with 368 pages of fascinating, wild and wooly
life stories. I was offered to be included in the book by
publisher Paul Watt, a former long-time Lamma-zine
advertiser (Junk Pub and Duk Ling junk, see above), but for
various reasons decided to wait for a sequel.
This most entertaining book contains lots of caricatures and
cartoons by former Lamma Artist of the Month, ex-Lammaite
Sara.
He hosted my solo art exhibition -
Wonder, Whimsy, Weirdness - in his former Lan Kwai Fong
art gallery before returning to his native Sri Lanka. Sara will
be drawing caricatures of the book launch visitors and there'll
be free wine! The last caricature he drew of me dates well
before my weight loss, so I'm eager for a new one!
After almost a quarter of a century living in HK (11 years on
Lamma), I can definitely sympathise with the tagline of the
book, "Why Dedicated Expatriates Seldom Go Home". Home is
where the heart is....
P.S. Discuss this book,
including the book's curiously creative spellings of "Planet_Expat"
in our forum,
Planet_Expat book launch.
But who shot that famous junk on the
book's cover?
Guess who?
The South Lamma
Sewage Treatment Plant is making good progress. A huge junk of
the Ling Kok Shan hillside, between Sok Kwu Wan and Mo Tat Wan,
has been removed and a massive hole has been excavated. The
above-ground building works on the plant have just started.
It'll be quite similar to the almost completed (2013) plant in
Yung Shue Wan, part of the Lamma-wide sewage treatment works,
budgeted at $420+ million. Current status:
The builders write:
"The final outlook of the Sok Kwu Wan (SKW) slope
will be hinged on the types of slope treatment works to be done.
These works will be determined upon full exposure of the slope
faces. All soil surfaces will be hydroseeded, while rock faces
will be left bare in general. Sprayed concrete and hanging mesh
are the probable options to stabilize fractured rock faces.
Notwithstanding this, we will try to make the final slope
surfaces as natural as possible.
The SKW sewage treatment plant will be a compound
of low rise buildings, brown in colour - an attempt to match
with the slope surfaces. The artist's impression of the
buildings together with the slope will be produced when the
details of the slope treatment works are finalized."
Lamma Corner writes:
"With 100 students from Delia Memorial
School on last Sunday morning, Nov 4, we have cleaned up the
beach of Pak Kok Village."
More photos by Lamma Corner from 4 Nov...
南丫島石排灣 Shek Pai Wan, Lamma Island 14 Nov
南丫部落、綠色力量11月24日清膠行動招集
Lamma Corner & Green Power, Pellets Cleaning Event on 24 Nov
Living Lamma cleanup on the same beach - Oct 27, 2012
(PDF presentation,
all photos by
Living
Lamma)
More photos on Flickr...
