Always carrying a pocket snapshooter with me wherever I go comes in
so handy so frequently, occasionally catching a unique shot for this
website. Most mobile phone cameras are still not up to the quality I try to
maintain here. But these little high-tech gadgets, pocket-size cameras, can
be temperamental and come up with surprisingly weird defects.
My former, old pocket camera started vibrating permanently last year, like a
mobile phone buzzing non-stop. It still worked fine while vibrating, but all
pictures were totally blurred, of course. After a provisional repair, it
worked, kind of, but displayed all pictures rotated 90 degrees on the
screen. So I donated it to Nick the Bookman, paying it forward, to take
pictures for his music reviews. But as a life-long Luddite still struggling
with handling his Gmail, he never got the hang of actually using it.
My current pocket camera (Sony DSC- HX 10V) recently started adding
random, bright-pink, horizontal stripes to most of my pictures, see above. I
kind of liked this shot above, so here it is, shot from aboard the Star
Ferry. They repaired my girly, pink-loving camera free of charge in the
Repair Centre as it was still under 1- year warranty. It's OK now, no more
"Bad Contact of Optical (CCD/CMOS) Block". But the customer service lady
couldn't refrain from adding some dissing remarks to the "Official Receipt"
for repairing my almost-new camera:
"Cab and LCD protector scratched, stained. Cab seriously discoloured."
Well, fortunately I've still got my ancient, reliable, sturdy, but heavy
Nikon D80, now 6.5 years old and still working OK most of the time. The
external flash unit leaked battery fluid recently, short-circuiting its
electronics. My fault, they said. Plus, the camera body AND the zoom lens
have electronic problems, according to Nikon's techies; too expensive
to get it repaired. But they still work ... most of the time. It's time to
start saving up to replace the camera body someday, hopefully.
Oh yes, it takes me quite a bit of time, patience and expenses to shoot all
the thousands of pictures for this website, but I'm not complaining. Or am
I?
-b.jpg)
Click above for locations map and details in English & Chinese.
The Lamma-zine loves our advertisers! They've kept this entire website,
including the commercial ad-free forums, alive and going. So they get special treatment
occasionally here on the home page; for example promoting their events, activities and
newsletters to a wider audience, far beyond their own customers and mailing lists. Here are
two of their February newsletters. Click below to read more...
By
the way, our "Free Ads" promotion
is still running and has been extended till Mar 31, due to its great
popularity so far.
Welcome to our brand-new advertisers this year:
StilVino,
Pizza Milano,
Jing Jing,
LoSo Kitchen and
AA!
Automatic
email
from ObesityHelp Services (plus my comments - not for the
squeamish - added in green; a bit like a fake interview with
myself):
"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !! HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY !!
How have you been?
Great, thank you! No more health problems,
feeling fit & fine.
According to information you entered into your profile
with us, it was on this day, 5 years ago that you began your new
life as a post op after your weight loss surgery.
Correct,
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, Feb 25, 2008, removing most of
my stomach and then stapling it shut in a half-day laparoscopic
operation.
Congratulations on that rebirth!
Thank you!
Some post ops are forever eager with boundless energy
to share their story with peers. Others have totally moved on in
life and cringe at the very thought of being reminded of the
topic of obesity. Presumably you are somewhere in between.
In between, but still ready to
share when asked.
The reason I wanted to thank you is for having set an
example for others to follow. To this day, there is fear and
ignorance surrounding the topic. People like you who took the
brave step of moving forward and doing something positive in
your life stand out as an important role model to others.
Perhaps, maybe.
Every hour of the day, hundreds of your peers years
behind you go through profiles such as yours for inspiration,
hope and encouragement. While you might have have grown (or be
growing) light years away from your previous life, the mark that
you left behind on my web site has touched and continues to
touch tens of thousands of people.
Really? I'd hope so.
Our community has had no shortage of recent post ops.
What is in really high demand, however, is the current wisdom of
people 2, 3, 4, or 5 or more years out... Both the general
public as well as health care professionals alike are skeptical
about the long term outcome of bariatric surgery.
Great so far, 175 pounds lost
initially, only 12% regained in last 4 years; keeping steady now
thanks to just a bit of exercise, mostly cardio via hill hiking
& biking.
We have a number of important new sections on the site for
which we are collecting information. Below are just a few:
Post Op Clinical Survey: How have your
co-morbidities decreased over time?
All my former co-morbidities have
completely gone and not returned so far; no more diabetes, sleep
apnea, high blood pressure, knee problems, acid reflux. They'd
all return if I'd ever regain much of my former weight. This is
what really keeps me motivated to maintain my weight, not looks.
Hospital
Survey: What can you tell others about your hospital?
Queen Mary Hospital:
highly recommended, due to their recent successes they have
started a formal "Weight Control & Metabolic Surgery" programme;
actively looking for qualified candidates. See 20-page booklet
cover below, in Chin. only (the illustration looks like me
before and after!
For English-speaking patients, they're
handing out a printout of my Lamma- zine stories.)
Professional Surveys: Have you told us about your
PCP, Dietician, Psychologist, etc?
Great consultations with all these specialists, pre- and
post-op, but no longer needed nowadays. On-going half-yearly
checkups for all former co-morbidities: all fine so far, no
complications.
Surgery Reimbursement Survey: Did your insurer
reward your hospital for supporting a bariatric surgery program?
No insurance. All treatments were
almost free of charge in HK's great public healthcare system:
$100/day for hospital stays and $60 for the numerous outpatient
specialist appointments, no surgery charges.
Only extra item to pay for: titanium stomach staples for several
thousands of $s, upfront, just in case you don't survive the
surgery (1% probability).
What's your experience with plastic surgery?
We are actively developing a plastic surgery section of our
site. Chances are good that you might have some experience with
that. Most people are ready for this within about 18 months
after surgery, if not before. Losing the weight is great, but
walking around with all the excess skin left over
from your pre-op past life can be a real drag.
Mixed experiences: They had to do my
major abdominoplasty operation twice, 3 years after the
bariatric surgery, as they had only sliced off half of the
hanging skin the first time. Oops!
Also, they won't tell you in advance that there'll be long
recovery times, that you're likely never to regain any sensation
in some of the remaining skin, that there'll be scars a metre
long, and that your now flat stomach might feel a bit tight
forever, like wearing a girdle 24-7. But the OK end result was
worth it (especially as it was almost free of charge.)
How are you doing on post op nutrition? Vitamins, liquid
diets, protein powders ... what's your experience?
No special nutrition or any diet
anymore, no supplements, just one multi- vitamin; back to a regular,
but health-conscious (mostly Mediterranean) diet, including all foods; plus a single
glass of white wine/day and mini snacks, especially nuts and chocolate.
Here's my free e-book (a free-book?):
Only Half The Man I Used To Be
Just in: the latest South Lamma newsletter from
the Baroque Team.
No they haven't given up yet on their
"visionary project to introduce a low-carbon community embodying
eco-tourism, windsurfing and yachting activities" and, last
but certainly not least, "low-density residential
development."
The small but still dedicated Team is diligently working on
several small pro bono projects while watching the public consultations
and future developments in the ex-Lamma Quarry closely, taking a
patient long-term view.
Learn about their
latest activities - Mikania cleanup, heritage center and EIA
study investigations - in their latest newsletter below. Click to enlarge and
post your own comments and
opinions:
The
Blog of Baroque has also just published a pair of interesting
articles about their ambitious long-term vision for all of Lamma Island:
"People nowadays look for special travel destinations
where one can experience the unique culture, tranquility and
breathtaking landscapes. It is easy to find such characteristics
in European islands, such as Corsica in Southern France and
Sardinia in Italy.
In fact, Hong Kong, as a world-renowned Asian cosmopolitan city,
has similar outlying islands that also carry distinctive local
characteristics which can produce a brand new travel
experience...
... Lamma Island, in fact, has the potential to become a
leisure resort just as Corsica and Sardinia. More will be
explored in our next blog. Stay tuned!"
Special Tourist Destinations: Corsica and Sardinia (Part 1)
Can Lamma be the Next Sardinia / Corsica? (Part 2)
Look what I found! Still secret plans, a train sim or pure fantasy? You decide.
Discuss in our ex-Lamma Quarry forum (that's where the "Lamma Island" MTR
station above would probably be located):
ex-Lamma Quarry forum.
Chart created by Nick Shearman. Thank you!
These low mobile Broadband speeds are probably similar for all other mobile
networks, including the large black spot south of Green Island.
Discuss mobile broadband speed on Lamma in our forum,
China Mobile + PCCW + 3 (4G LTE) in Lamma and ferry, or the Facebook
group,
Faster Broadband for Lamma.
Click above to read this informative, colourful 8-page promotional booklet.
Copies available outside YSW District Council office (besides Lamma
Gourmet).
Comments are welcome in our
Environment, Politics & Development forum.
TODAY is the last day to submit comments to the Govt.'s plans to build
private and public housing for up to 7,000 people inside the former Lamma
Quarry, opposite Sok Kwu Wan. Make your comments heard loud and clear, by
tonight:
Besides the official website above, a lot more info, photos, videos and lots
of opinions can be found in our forum:
Ex-Lamma Quarry forum.
P.S. Comments are still welcome after the deadline, submit yours!
While
chatting this afternoon with Violet of
the LoSo Kitchen in Sok Kwu Wan (our new restaurant advertiser,
welcome!), she introduced me to the woodworks of her uncle Rorry Chan
in Lo So Shing. He's one of just a few sculptors and builders living on
Lamma who works mostly in driftwood, typhoon leftovers and other distressed
wood.
You might meet this friendly guy - maybe the most tattooed man on Lamma? -
while he's walking his dogs on the Family Trail on South Lamma, like I did
yesterday by chance when walking home from Sok Kwu Wan (55 minutes,
including a few short stops). He doesn't speak any English, but seeing me
from afar he shouted out, as usual, "Lamma-Gung!"
See some more of his work, courtesy of Violet's bamboo carving-encased
iPhone:
"Custom-made working desk and garden sheds by Rorry Chan.
Welcome to order custom-made wooden furniture. Contact
lososhop@live.hk"
