Share will you….
Alan Dowling is now telling the fearbook world that he’s about to make pizza!! Actually, this blog entry started out as a ‘What’s on your mind? share comment’ on fearbook, known to everyone else as facebook, and then I asked myself, “Why the hell am I telling this mundane and worthless piece of information to the whole wide world?”.
Fearbook’s ‘What’s on your mind comments’ are a little bit like the first series of ’Big Brother’, a reality TV show of a particular kind of madness that so fascinated Britain and anyone in close enough proximity to receive Channel-4, during a long hot summer if I remember correctly – in this show contestants were put together in a house (the BIG Brother house) for a few weeks and got to air their laundry, so-to-speak in public, actually on ‘LIVE’ television, 24-hours a day, or as the Americans like to phrase it – 24/7, a particularly annoying three words for me, in a bid to be ‘BIG Brother’ champion. It attracted millions of viewers and literally took the nation (The UK) by the scruff of the neck, indeed by storm. Believe it or not, ’sane and sensible’ people sat at home late into the wee hours of darkness and during daylight hours in front of their TV sets to watch someone (a housemate) listen to a walkman or butter a piece of toast or fiddle with a can opener to rid a can of beans of its lid; viewers could also observe housemates talk about complete and utter cARp to one another and the nightowls stayed up late to observe people sleeping under a duvet or brushing their teeth. I was one of them all those years ago, on a sporadic basis, thanking the heavens that I didn’t succumb to the drug of addiction, that is ‘BIG brother’ reality TV… share will you…………. tell the world that you’re unhappy or ecstatic, that you’re in a new relationship with ‘Fantom Fok’ or ‘Kitchen Kwong’, or that you just broke up with your 7 week old fling called ‘Willie O’ Whatshisface’, share will you………. that you had a great night last night with someone you shouldn’t be seeing, or with someone you should be seeing, that you just ate the most delicious (but really very ordinary and possibly below par) muffin ever and that you drank the darkest of dark and the strongest of strong double espresso coffee from a particularly corporate cafe chain while having your cheeky facial grin photographed for all to see, or at the very least share in pornographic detail some poor quality photographs of a piece of cheesecake covered with fake raspberry fruit coulis that doesn’t have a best-before-date because it is fake, or a photo of an overcooked, over-greased and over-priced chicken wing – food porn of the highest ranking, edible porn… share will you…………. tell the world that you’re about to embark on the trip of a life time, or that you’re running late for work or that the mice can play today because the boss (the fat office cat with the leather chair) is away, or reveal that you think that you’re not impressed with someone or something when everything seemed to be going so smoothly or that the frown on peoples faces this morning wasn’t an accident but due to the Hang Seng Indexes slight overnight fall, or air your views and opinions on the weather – too hot and uncomfortable in summer and too cold and uncomfortable in winter, ‘it rains all the time here’, or write in the ‘What’s on your mind?’ box that you are about to embark on a 5 day trip in 18 days time to a spec of a country in Borneo’s north, a non-alcoholic country where in every 48-hour period any adult of voting age can bring into the sultanate, 12 cans of beer and 2 bottles of any rot gut imaginable, which in fact could easily make it the most alcoholic country on earth… share will you………… but before you start sharing every little trivial trinket of your everyday existance, I beg you to spare a thought for the tens of thousands killed and maimed in the devastating Haitian earthquake this week. Thanks for your attention… share will you…………
Well done Hong Kong!
It was definitely a great night for Hong Kong football (soccer) winning the East Asian Games final against arguably better opposition, Japan. Having played a full 120 minutes of football it was pretty clear watching the penalty shootout that tired limbs played a part, although some of the spot-kicks were emphatic and very convincing. The goalkeepers also played a big part as is often the case when it comes down to a spot-kick finale. Congratulations to Hong Kong for winning football gold and three cheers for Japan for providing a competitive match.
Hong Kong has done pretty well overall in this East Asian Games, and as I write this, on the final day of the games, they are ranked 4th with a total of 103 competition medals in a wide range of sports including, aquatics, squash, rowing, martial arts, table-tennis, windsurfing, snooker (cue sports), cycling and football. The medals tally for Hong Kong as follows: Gold (25), Silver (29), Bronze (49).
This bodes very well for Hong Kong’s sporting future and I’m impressed by the broad-ranging disciplines where medals were won and although you would expect a region with 7 million people to be good at something, it is still impressive, mainly because there are many other distractions in a large city and actual participation in sport and the promotion of health and fitness (save for a few yoga companies) is not necessarily a big thing in Hong Kong as it is in many other countries, or compared to the competitiveness when it comes to business.
And last but not least, Hong Kong also snatched, unofficially, the gold medals in the Gambling and tooth-picking disciplines. Onwards!!
Facebook – not in a nutshell
With 350 million users on Facebook according to the ‘boss’ MZ, one wonders how much productivity time is lost as a result of employees accessing the social networking website during working hours.
I would imagine that it is impossible to put an accurate number on it and I dare say that nobody, employees that is, would admit to using Facebook during working hours, unless of course, it was directly related to their job and they used it in a professional capacity (paid to do so) and did not do anything of a personal nature. With the growing number of applications, games, groups, and other categories, it is likely that workplace-productivity is going to decrease as long as Facebook is accessible at work.
For quite a long time I totally omitted Facebook, even though many people talked about it – almost in the same vein as ‘the best thing since sliced bread’, and it was as if everyone had an account and to be without one was like missing a limb or a very big part of something very essential. It seems that, if you didn’t have an account you were in some way left out or disconnected from all the happenings. I still never had the urge or the interest to open an account. Then after some time, I decided to take the plunge – a new Facebook account all for me. It wasn’t a life-altering moment and it certainly didn’t set me on fire however, I realised very quickly, that it was a good way to find people – not your colleagues sitting across from you but people living abroad, old friends, acquaintances, school/college mates, people who you met at some stage in your life around the world – people you liked but lost contact with! All good stuff, I think you’d agree.
After adding a few friends to my list I found that they were very active on the website and other people even found me. At every social occasion, as before, I would be asked, not my phone number or email, but if I could be added as a Facebook friend. Of course, now I could say “yes, no problem”, now having an account to find. With Facebook there’s no need to ask for details, except a name, and then on searching you hope that the name, of which there might be multiple matches, actually brings up a photograph that resembles the person whose name you got. If the photo frame is blank or has a cat or a dog or even something more surreal, then you need to delve a bit more to make a match. Anyway, when all’s said and done, Facebook, for what it is, a ‘social networking website’ is a decent offering enabling people from all ‘connected’ corners of the world to find each-other, touch base, share photographs and video, play games and use a plethora of applications.
I’m definitely not a big fan of Facebook but I like the website for finding people and sharing photographs, and posting the odd note like telling the world that Ireland are playing South Africa in rugby and afterwards posting another note to say that Ireland has beaten South Africa (15 – 10). I’m sure few non-rugby fans or those void of geography knowledge would not get this one, but if I posted a note to say that I won a million Euro, or was getting married or divorced even, or was in ‘a new relationship’, then there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind what I meant. And I learnt not to joke on Facebook or write anything misleading or ambiguous, either advertently or inadvertently because ‘friends’ read your wall and note your status and are likely to get the wrong message. I’ve posted a grand total of 3 photographs to date, two of my niece’s Japanese Spitz puppy and one of a Wild Boar. I do not use it for any sort of proper communication – I have a telephone and email for that. I have a grand total (at time of writing) of 108 friends, many of whom I’ll sadly never meet but many I will. The fact of the matter is – I would like to have more time to see these people for real to see them face-to-face – one wonders though if the whole idea of Facebook’s virtual world is to stay within a virtual social world! Most Facebook users will rarely see their ‘friends’ even if they live in the same city but they’ll ‘virtually socialise’ with them vigourously and frequently! And don’t forget to ease off the Facebook activity at work because you’re definitely not paid to browse a ‘social networking website’ during working hours. Feel free to add me as a Facebook ‘friend’!
Drinks for Christmas
These drinks are traditional winter cocktails. They can be enjoyed as a stand alone beverage or after dinner favourites and are most popular in the winter months. They are easy to make and share some common ingredients.
IRISH COFFEE
(Whiskey based)
1 generous measure (3cl) of Irish Whiskey
12cl hot black coffee
1 teaspoon of brown sugar (optional)
1 heaped dessertspoon of whipped fresh cream
Grated Chocolate for garnish (optional)
Method: pre-warm a stemmed glass. Put sugar into glass and cover with Irish whiskey. Stir in the coffee and mix well. Float cold cream on the surface by pouring it into a teaspoon and letting it overflow on to the surface of the drink. Grate or shake a little chocolate on top.
BAILEY’S (Irish Cream) COFFEE
(Bailey’s based)
1 generous measure (4.5cl) of Bailey’s Irish Cream
12cl hot black coffee
1 heaped dessertspoon of whipped fresh cream
Grated Chocolate for garnish (optional)
Method: pre-warm a glass. Pour Baileys into glass. Top with coffee and mix well. Float cold cream on the surface, as above.
Tip: Don’t over-whip the cream – make it just thick enough to float off the back of a spoon. Grated chocolate adds to the rich blend of flavours.
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG)
One of the hidden gems in Hong Kong’s New Territories and one that many visitors rarely see, Kadoorie Farm – a non-profit conservation and education centre lying on the foothills of Tai Mo Shan. Thankfully, having been there a couple of times in the recent past I was able to take some of my Irish contingent along for a visit.
Spread out over 148 hectares the farm is home to woodlands, orchards, vegetable terraces, herb gardens and a myriad of flora and fauna. Conservation and education is the key and this is evident by the excellent displays and information boards posted throughout the whole farm and garden. Every tree species is labeled as are animals. I personally like the idea of allowing the animals to introduce themselves to tell their own little story – many have names, especially the birds and a little story to tell. This is a great way to bring nature closer to everyone making it more tangible and a gentle way to remind people that animals have indeed a right to live a peaceful life in their own natural habitat, and are not just a food source to satisfy the hunger pangs of greedy ignorant people. An information display beside the turtle display informs us of the illegal turtle trade between Hong Kong and mainland China and the figures are alarming. It is quite disgusting how many turtles are killed, mainly in the name of Chinese medicine. Watch out because these animals are not breeding in great numbers so would fit neatly into the ‘protected species’ category.
Kadoorie Farm originally started out in 1956 as an Agricultural Aid program funded by two brothers. Effective and profitable farming techniques were taught to mainly refugees whose produce contributed greatly to Hong Kong’s food supply and its people. And when framing in Hong Kong declined in later years attentions turned to the environmental problems in the territory. So from 1995, a new mission was unveiled and Kadoorie Farm as it is known today was born.
A visit to Kadoorie requires at least 3 hours to enjoy the setting and appreciate the place for what it is – a little gem. The farm is essentially two parts, the lower areas housing many fauna (animals), vegetable gardens, a romantic stream, ponds and a small museum and shop. The higher areas are filled with tropical vegetation, little waterfalls, and several key attractions, like the Raptor sanctuary, Orchid Haven and Butterfly garden. The highest point is Kadoorie Brothers’ Memorial Pavilion, located at 602 metres. The second highest (552M) is Kwun Yum Shan Summit. There are spectacular vistas from both summits and great places to unwind, with nothing to distract you except the beauty and the sounds of nature.
Some tips for visitors:
If you are prepared and kitted out for a good walk in the outdoors then you can amble all over the place, all the way to both summits. Don’t underestimate the slopes however, they are challenging, so bring plenty of water and the usual stuff you might take on a hike – hiking poles are not necessary as the trails are either stepped or proper road surfaces. To see the farm and both summits allow at least 4 to 5 hours; if you like to read everything on display boards and ponder to take photographs then you could easily spend all day meandering.
If your time is limited or you are visiting with young children or elderly people then I suggest taking the ‘free’ shuttle bus tour (approx. 80 mins), departing from outside the main gate. It will take you at a leisurely pace to five main spots in the farm and gardens, including the two summits mentioned above and the Orchid Haven and Butterfly garden. Time is allowed at each place and the option to walk off by yourself is there at all times; a safe bet is to hop off at the Raptor Sanctuary as this allows for a very nice easy amble back down the slope before reaching the farm once again. The admission is just $10 for adults (free for elderly and students); and you’ll be asked to sign a register; get your shuttle bus ticket when you purchase your entry tickets and buy a map ($5) which aids navigation as you saunter around the park. Maps are also located at various points around the park. When you are finally leaving the park you are required to sign out.
The farm is located along Lam Kam Road about half way between Tai Po Market MTR and Kam Sheung Road MTR. Bus number 64K goes between Tai Po Market and Yuen Long, stopping at Kam Sheung MTR so you have the option to approach from either the east or the west. Taxis are a convenient option from nearby MTR stations.
A visit to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens is a breath of fresh air, especially for those in need of a little escape from the urban sprawl!
