A good friend asked me about books that I have been reading. That caused me to look up a representative sample of the books that I have read/re-read in 2022 - more or less in that time frame.These are books that I read from cover to cover, not including those that I have only flipped through, or read only a small part.I probably missed some, but hopefully not too many. But there are also many that I left out for various reasons.
Most of the books I read are written in English, but there are also some that are in Chinese. After so many years of reading in English, I feel I still read faster in Chinese, perhaps because it is my first language? There are books on China/Hong Kong - culture, history, current events. What is happening in Hong Kong/China these days? What are the historical/cultural factors behind them? What is going to happen now, given what we know?
I enjoy reading about science, technology, justice (or the lack of it), fish, history, economics, human behaviour, faith, …
The main theme lately, however, is centred around the brain. I want to know how we think, feel, dream, remember, make mistakes, decide. Generally I prefer books written by reputable scholars, backed by serious research. There has been tremendous advances in understanding the brain - in neural science, computer science, psychology, philosophy, behavioural economics, … What has scientists discovered about our consciousness? What is it and how does it work? Can people create it?
Everything is anchored by my faith. Is consciousness the same as our soul? If not, how are they related? What is life really about? How then should I live? My reading is always driven by the desire to know.
It is said, from Psychology, that people tend to like things that they are familiar with, and yet somewhat different. Familiarity assures and comforts, while exoticness excites and challenges.But people may differ widely as to the degree of each.Perhaps that is partly why many Hong Kong people like Korean food. They share a lot of commonality with Chinese food. Yet differ subtly in the use of spices, cooking methods, combinations, etc.
We enjoy very much the aromatic grilled beef and pork.
The visit to the DMZ was the highlight of our trip to South Korea. We have to thank our daughter E for booking us on a local tour to visit the place. It actually took two tries. The first time, we went there, waited at the entrance for 2 hours, and was then told by the South Korean military that the DMZ was closed for the day, because of heavy snowfall. We could just give up and receive a refund. But we decided to try again the following day and our persistence was eventually rewarded.
The DMZ is a 4 kilometre-wide strip of land straddling the demarcation line dividing South Korea from North Korea. From an observation tower at the edge of the DMZ, we would see, towards the north west, the Imjingang Railway Bridge crossing the river leading towards North Korea. In parallel and to the east (to the right in the photo) of the railway bridge is what was left from the old railway bridge which was destroyed in the war.
Birds (Kites, I believe) can fly freely above and across the DMZ. But not us humans.
A memorial/altar was set up, in line with the bridge, looking towards the north. People come here to pay respect to their ancestors, or to remember those who are presumably alive in the north. Not only can they not go to the north, all communication with the north are cut off.
Many people tie ribbons to the fences. For a similar reason. To pray and hope for peace and reunification.
At an observation tower inside the DMZ, we can look across the actual demarcation line into North Korea. There is a South Korea flag at a small village just south (to the right in the photo) of the demarcation line. There is a North Korea flag at a small village just north (to the left in the photo) of the demarcation line.
Large scale fighting of the Korean War stopped in 1953. But the hostilities has not really ceased. No formal peace treaty has been signed. Technically, they are still at war. Both sides keep large standing armies. The people long for peace but no one has any ideas when it will come. The war is ubiquitous in the lives of the people, even 70 years after the fighting had stopped. Even though South Korea has become one of the most advanced, vibrant, hard-working, creative and friendly places in the world.
A student went with us on one of the early projects in Cambodia, when we piloted a home-stay program in a village just outside Phnom Penh. That was 10 years ago. Subsequently he also went with us to Rwanda, when we installed our first set of solar panels at a primary school. He has remained in touch ever since. Earlier this month he defended his doctoral thesis at University of Oxford. In his thesis he acknowledged that service-learning experience taught him the importance of social responsibility, which influenced the choice of his research topic related to security on the Internet.
He reminded me of another SL student who went to Cambodia with us, who remained involved in many projects, who is now a professor in engineering at a university in Hong Kong, having obtained his PhD at another prestigious university in the USA. And another, who went to Gansu in north-west China, who is now a professor in Canada. …
One who has taken another degree after graduation and has since become a social worker in Hong Kong. One who was in the first batch who went to Cambodia who works in information technology for a non-profit organisation. One who went to both Cambodia and Rwanda who worked in corporate social responsibility. One who did really well in Rwanda now working for a non-profit who travels frequently to foreign countries for projects.
The many who worked at our office for some time after graduation, and then moved on. And some who stay.
And the many many who have become professionals in their own discipline, who remain active in volunteering, donate to worthy causes, and otherwise engaged with the community.
They are the reason why we are in this business of service-learning. They are the evidence that service-learning works, if any justification is still needed. We are so proud of them.
Eating outdoors in the traditional way at a Dar Lai Dong used to be the norm, for common folks.
It is affordable for many. The food is freshly prepared and reaches your table literally seconds after it is prepared. It tastes so good because the coffee is hot, the toasts is crispy, and the noodle has not become soggy.
It is also because you feel free and unrestrained, sitting on the sidewalk, watching the world around you.
But Dai Pai Dongs are becoming more and more difficult to find. The government seems determined to kill them off, for whatever reason, despite the popularity. The vendors and their customers feel helpless. Unfortunately, the government’s power does not derive from the people who run or eat at Dai Lai Dong.
In the mean, time, enjoy the food and the scenery while you can. Because they may not last.
Our work on service-learning has, so far, focused on university students and professors. Starting with out own university, then other universities in Hong Kong, and overseas in foreign countries.Along the way, we have also worked with primary and secondary schools, but mainly as recipients of the service.Increasingly, however, we are seeing more and more secondary, and even primary, schools becoming active in community service, and moving into service-learning (with more emphasis on the learning).We have been providing some of these schools with some advice and practical assistance. But with limited resources, we could not do that in a more systematic manner, and larger scale.
We have recently applied for, and received, some funding so that we can now design a more systematic program for secondary schools. On the past Saturday, we started a teacher training workshop for teachers. We have a lot of material originally designed for university teachers. We then spent quite a bit of time to adapt the material for secondary schools. One of the challenges is to write up a set of case studies in the secondary school context.
We are excited to receive an enthusiastic response. One of the reasons, we have since discovered, is that recent changes in the secondary school curriculum has released some curriculum space for additional teaching. And some schools have decided to use that curriculum space to implement service-learning. A practice among some of these schools is to require all students in form 4 to undertake some service-learning project. Now these schools, and many others, have to scramble to find and train their teachers to create the curriculum and associated projects. This development sounds quite familiar, also an echo of what happened 10 years ago, when university education in Hong Kong changed from 3-year programs to 4-year programs.
We are also encouraged by some of the projects that some of the schools are contemplating. One is a project based on performing arts. It plans to train vision-impaired persons to perform in a play - through the use of audio description. There exist projects in which university students use audio description to help the visually impaired to enjoy art and performances. But this proposal by the secondary school goes one giant step further - it enables the visually impaired to perform, to create art, in addition to enjoying it. It is, mightily challenging. But it will be hugely impactful and satisfying when it succeeds.
Another project is easier to imagine but no less impactful. They plan to take the elderly from a nursing home to their school, and entertain them with purposely-designed programs. There may be many logistical issues, planning, organisation, etc., involved. Much depends on what activities are provided at the school, and the scale of the project. For the pilot, they are planning for a single event. We are encouraging them to learn from the pilot and take the next logical step, to extend the project in time, scale and variety.
For many schools, they are just starting to take service-learning seriously. There is, however, an enthusiasm in the way they engage in the class activities, in the questions they ask, and the projects they are proposing. We are looking forward to a much more active community developing in the secondary schools.
Today, once again, may wife and I travelled for 45 minutes to have dim sum in Tsuen Wan. In fact, we have done that many times since Steam Hut moved from Hung Hom to Tsuen Wan.
Why do we do that? It is because of the good food and the people. Today, we had a special stewed soup (燉湯) - made with chicken, “black” garlic (黑蒜), a sea snail (螺頭), and a fungus Cordyceps militaris (蟲草花). I have heard of, but don’t know much about, its medicinal properties. But we do find it very tasty.
We also had my favourite dim sum - steamed ribs.
And another favourite, sesame buns. It has such massive, succulent, hot, molten fillings that it is difficult not to spill the fillings when you tear it open. That makes it almost impossible to share.
As for my wife, her favourite is anything with shrimp in it: shrimp dumpling, deep-friend spring roll with shrimp, … So we have that too.
We are fully satisfied. It is definitely worth the 45 minute trip.
We have eaten here so many times that we have gotten to know many of their staff, all good people. Today, one of them, M, was having lunch and we saw her face for the first time. We couldn’t recognise her - without her mask. Apparently this is quite a common occurrence these days - the mask has become so much a part of life that we have difficulty functioning without it.
Several years ago - from 2015 to 2017, I believe - a team from our School of Hotel and Tourism Management had served at a training restaurant in Ho Chi Min City. We had since lost contact with them, partly because of other commitments, and partly because of the pandemic. I did try to connect with them recently, but could not re-establish contact.
On Saturday morning last week, when our advance team was in Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), we decided to just go to their location to have a look. Perhaps we would be lucky, but we really didn’t have high expectations.
When we were getting close, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the site looked exactly the way I remember it, even though it was 7 years ago when I was here the last time.
It got even better. When I asked the first person I saw, whom I did not recognise, to see the person in charge, he brought exactly the right person, J. J was not there when I was there with the first team. But she did receive the team the following year, and remember them.
As we talked, it became clear that both sides are happy to get re-acquainted and work on a project together. It feel so good to have someone remember you (your team) many years later. The team(s) must have done good work, such that they would want us to come back. People often ask how we would know whether our work is making a good contribution to the community. This is part of the answer: when the people you serve want you to come back, you are probably doing something right. Not the full answer, of course. But this is part of it.
There is still so much to work out, there is no guarantee that we can actually send a team here anytime soon. But it will probably happen. I have a good feeling about it. This is part of the joy of service-learning done right - meeting good people, building relationships and keeping them.
Saigon was the name of the city that is now Ho Chi Min City.
It is also the name that I associate better with the memories and impressions I have acquired over the years of the city.
Our small advance team arrived in Saigon after spending one day in Da Nang. Here we met with UEF and VGU. I have spoken at a local conference on service-learning organised by the University of Economic and Finance before. They have a strong commitment from management and a team of passionate staff. Vietnam is developing quickly. Like many other cities, there are slums in the quickly-modernising city and much need to be addressed.
Vietnam German university stresses research and industrial relations, and has a brand new, attractive campus.
We walked into the compound of a restaurant school run by the Salesian Brothers of the Catholic Church, where one of our teams worked before. And were very pleasantly surprised to be able to reconnect with them. I have high respect for the work of the Salesians in many places in the world.
We also get acquainted with an old friend, who have collaborated with and helped us in many projects.
Every time I speak with Harry, I learn something new, about the country, about the very impressive work that he and his team has been doing, and much wisdom in working in this part of the world.
In only a couple of days, we have been treated by many interesting sights, foods, and experiences.
The discussions with existing and potential partners seem promising. We are hopeful that something new, challenging and fruitful can be developed.
Our small advance team spent only one day in Da Nang, meeting with Da Nang Architecture University and World Vision at Da Nang.
DAU has a vibrant service-learning program.
World Vision has many programs in the Central Vietnam Area, in the urban area and much more in the rural areas, including fishing villages and mountainous communities.
We visited a family whose house was damaged by the typhoon, which is now being repaired with help from the government and World Vision.
We also visited a community centre and a library set up in a primary school.
Lots of interesting work and opportunities in this areas.
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