Praying Hands

This pair needs little explanation.  Each hand leans on the other.  Together they stand.  It is about symmetry, balance, mutual-dependency, and faith.  

This pair is not particularly difficult to make.  It just takes time and patience.  Means a lot to me, however.  

#SChanPalmArt

Short Life of a Mushroom

On Friday, May 30, I stumbled upon a bunch of wild mushrooms on a patch of grass in  a quiet corner of our campus.  They looked like little snowballs. Perfectly white, and almost spherical - in 30 degree weather. They looked so elegant, and delicate.  But they had to be much tougher than they appeared.  The grass lawns on campus must be saturated with weed-killers; they look immaculate - not a blade of weed can be seen, except these little snowballs.  Hence these little balls of white must be very tough, to bae able to sprout and even thrive, apparently.  And probably poisonous too. 

In 3 days, many of them had turned into umbrellas.  Elegant, perfect in form.  Photograph-ready.  But for how long?

Some of them, had already progressed beyond that.  They were turning brown, and the umbrellas were beginning to flip, giving a hint of dark folds underneath. 

Another 7 days,  most have shrivelled.  

Some have flipped completely, exposing the almost-black, sinister-looking underbelly.  The stems had completely dried up.  Most of the mushrooms had actually disintegrated completely. Gone.  

Such is the short life of a wild mushroom.  Pretty for a couple of days, followed by rapid decline, then oblivion.  

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong seems to be all about dragon boat races and dumplings. 

The Dragon Boat Festival is 端午節 in Chinese. But most people just call it Dragon Boat Festival. 

It is supposed to commemorate Qu Yuan (屈原, Wat Jyun in Cantonese), a poet who was also a high official of the state of Chu (楚) during the Waring States period, around 300 BC.  Who drown himself in a river when the king would not listen to his advice about threats to the state.  

It is said that dumplings are dumped into the water, to commemorate his death. Others say dragon boat races are carried out for the same reason.  

Dumplings are great to eat, of course.  They can come in a wide range of styles.  The basic ingredient is sticky rice.  Many also contain mung beans.  They can be relatively plain, fortified with a piece of fatty pot belly, and further supplemented by a salted egg yoke.  But they can also contain more expensive items such as mushrooms, scallops, dried shrimps, etc.  In most cases, they are a delicious meal by itself.

Dragon Boast races, of course, are a lot of healthy exercise, and fun. 

But we should also not forget Qu Yuan (or Wat Jyun, 屈原),  Poetry, a higher purpose, civic concern, are as much as a part of our Chinese culture and heritage, as is food and physical activity.  

Sights with Memory

Two days ago, I ran again on an old route, a very popular route in the middle of Hong Kong Island, which brought back lots of memories.  Which, I am sure, are shared by lots of HongKongers. 

There were those staircases with an Olympic theme.

The circular, elevated walkway underneath which so many of us have walked so many times.  So often we got stuck watching the walkway, for a long time.  But nobody complained.  

Those tramways on which we tried to find a way through. Among double-decker trams and buses stuck among the people.  Riders inside watched us, and we watched them.  

The gigantic department store, a popular landmark and rendezvous.  

The dark place under the flyover.  Where people pay old ladies to beat up their enemies  - virtually.

The elevated walkway across the main road.  Where so many reporters and photographs set up their cameras. 

A historical church.  Reminds us of the role that some Christians, pastors, and their churches played.

An infamous staircase.  Where a few old men liked to berate others. 

The spiral staircase, where lovers and newlyweds like to take their photographs, in happier times.  

A very old public underground toilet.  Only for men.  It has not changed for ages.

Another historical building.  Not many are left standing.  

The old hospital, the major hospital for the common people like us in the Western District for so many decades.  Astride the “Birds’ Bridge”.

A very old bathhouse.  Now no longer in use

A very old maternity clinic.  Many who live in the Western District were born here.  

Just a few of the familiar sights which bring back so much memory.  Never forget.