A modern civilization

Yesterday I stay in school all day to have research collaboration, that is, looking at a figure I drew several months ago trying to recall what it means.

Today afternoon I walk to the Peak. In East Midlands it is exactly what the name suggests: a piece of flatland, with no mountains, no other interesting landscapes. Hong Kong, on the other hand, is a very strange place where there are so many tall buildings while at the same time there are mountains, seas, and everything else. Looking at all those buildings from the peak, I heard a tourist saying, "a modern civilization".

return from ISAAC

Today in the morning we have the flight back to HK.

Other than the "tour" and the weather, this ISAAC is generally well-organized. In particular, the hotel has free wireless Internet access (although there are many sites you can't go in mainland). The hotel staff can understand my standard of putonghua (!) and their general English level is quite good: at least better than some of the speakers in the conference, I believe.

Back to HK I relax in the bright sunshine that I didn't have for several months. Even in this day with the shortest daytime of the year, the sun is much brighter than that in UK. (Can I really call that thing in UK "sun", when it only hangs at 30 degrees above horizon even at noon?)

ISAAC day 3

今天大清早便要俾talk。我還以為咁早冇人聽，點知越講越多人。後來我才知道另外一個做同一problem的人 (而我們的paper cite了他們的 result) 竟然在場。幸好我的拉布戰術成功，冇時間俾人問嘢。

午飯後，沙達散博士可能真的太想去那天涯海角，也可能對昨日的節目「回味無窮」，大家決定去那天涯海角。結果每人付了六十五元入場費，看了兩舊石頭，以及以海南島天然雨水洗頭。我相信沙達散博士對祖國的「旅遊景點」一定加深了認識；不知此行令他後悔多少世？

回程時，王太被一樓盤吸引，參觀示範單位幾乎成為了本旅行團行程一部份。

ISAAC day 2

我不是得閑無事回香港的，而是要去 ISAAC.

主辦單位安排了今天下午有一個"tour"。行程包括三個半小時的車程和兩小時的「參觀」。

本來沙達散博士與宋博士打算不跟團，改往名景點「天涯海角」參觀。後來潘博士覆述王太之理論，表示天涯海角「唔去就後悔半世，去就後悔一世」，於是眾人決定還是隨團出發。

行程的第一站，各團友就被安排往某咖啡廠「參觀」及購買手信。之後我對明年將主辦 AAIM 之潘博士說，可安排團友到位於紅磡的金至尊買金，貢獻香港經濟。

行程的第二站，也就是最後一站，我們到了國家4A級旅遊景點「興隆熱帶植物公園」。

我們用了一小時半的時間，參觀了很多椰樹，蕉樹，其他樹，與及更多的椰樹。沿途碰巧遇到心情好的職員，便講解幾句，心情不好的職員更會互相吵架。我們還可看牌上的中文字，外國的團友們便只可專心觀樹。

各中外團友們對於OC竟然能安排如此節目，無不感到十分驚奇，臉上不由自主的流露出奇特的笑容。由於節目過於「精采」，潘博士與宋博士在途中研究「紅豆生南國」的下一句是什麼。沙達散博士更情不自禁，表演拋樽雜技。

回程時王太再發表理論，指這些節目唔係幾好，「雖然天涯海角只係兩舊石頭，但都係呢到景點，第二到冇得睇」，眾人大表同意。王太又表示此行也有好處，就是「得到人生經驗, 以後冇咁易俾人揾笨」。

晚上的 BBQ，我也不想多提，除了有表演以走音 (?) 的民族樂器 (?) 奏出「有隻雀仔跌落水」...

back to Hong Kong

終於，回到香港。

不知是因為我搭BA/CX終於夠多，還是訂票時擺了 DR. 出來，還是我靚仔了，我竟然被 upgrade...

晚上到了別人的婚宴，也聽到了一些消息。本學系師生戀的傳統，有各位師兄弟薪火相傳，我實在感到十分欣喜和羨慕。

light bulbs and electricity

Another light bulb blows itself, the second one within two weeks. Added to the fact that the auto-switch-off "feature" of the electric shower seems coming earlier and earlier, I really suspect there's something wrong with the electricity in this flat...

ebay

I better stay away from ebay for some time, after spending a ridiculous amount of money buying "hard plastic" (which is my favourite toy)...

phone line problem seemingly resolved

Last week the phone line problem re-appeared, and the biggest problem is that I can't get online. This time I found a neighbor to phone me to "trigger" the phone line to work. This happened for two consecutive nights and she must be very unhappy about that. After I reported to BT (British Telecom, not bit-torrent) now it appears to be working properly, and in any case I (finally) got a mobile to "kick" the phone line should the problem comes back again.

And it is good to know that, while many neighbors here are old people, the one closest to me is a young pretty gal...

Snow

The worst is finally here. Snow. This is the first time I see snow falling. While students generally look very excited, skiing (with normal shoes) around and throwing snowballs to each other, I really hate this weather...

broadband!

Hurray! I finally got broadband at home!

hk-place

I'm not updating here recently; for one I'm very busy, for another I have no Internet connection at home yet...

Meanwhile I'm looking at the photos of this site. It's so good that someone takes a picture of everything in HK... This is the train station just outside my Ma On Shan home, and this is where I live before I move to MOS...

The new flat

There are of course "features" of the flat that you only discover after you move in:

1) A phone line is set up last Friday, and it was working properly. Then the next day it didn't work, giving no dialling tone when you pick up the phone. However if you try to call that number (and no one picks up the phone) it appears normal - you hear ringing tone. Then I asked a colleague to phone me, I pick up the phone, it works, and immediately after I put down the phone and pick it up again, the dialling tone magically appears! And now I can make calls...

2) Apart from the fact that everything in the bathroom is operated by cords hanging from the ceiling, which I was well informed, the electric shower automatically triggers the fuse after a certain (small) number of minutes, so it helps you save water, save electricity, and save time. What a wonderful "feature"...

First lecture

I had my first lecture on this Monday. Actually, two lectures, separated by an hour. It went not too well but also not too badly - I just keep on talking and talking, and there's very few interruptions from students, at least much fewer than a first-year class I have seen. Maybe it's really too boring so in the second lecture a significant number of people did not appear. (No, there must be other reasons, like they didn't appear after getting the lecture notes...)

Will be moving...

Assuming everything works out, this will be my last night in Opal Court.

Opal Court is certainly very good: in a very convenient location to university, city centre, rail station, ... everything. And you have a nice view of the city in 14/F when everything else is only two or three storeys high. A bit noisy since it is just beside the railway and a fire station, but I don't mind that. Also a lot of fun to have earthquake experience, like watching the lamp swinging, when wind blows... It would be good if I can stay there indefinitely. But I have to move to somewhere in a worse location, less secure, and, well, more expensive...

However, moving to some place without Internet (yet) is perhaps good for a lecturer who have a lot of work to do, like setting examination paper before he starts teaching...

Firework

Lots of fireworks today (actually, starting a week earlier or so), which I can view clearly from my room window.

some photos

Now, if you care to view, here they are. I hope I'm going to continually add more...

flats going away even more quickly

All flats that I'm interested in are gone within 3 days after I viewed them. Or before I view them. Except one that no one takes. So I'm trying my luck on this rather insecure flat - everyone can freely walk to the front door, and that's the only door you have to break to get in... even worse than public housing estates in Hong Kong which have 鐵閘. And in a place with this crime rate...

photo hunt

我覺得實在太好笑了...
http://forum.hkgolden.com/view.asp?message=530564
http://forum.hkgolden.com/view.asp?message=530047

講開又講, 我其實一早就應該問... 點樣免費睇生果報呢...

weather, buildings, and toys

(1) I've all heard about it. These days I have a chance of really seeing how bad the weather in UK could be... strong winds, raining all out of sudden, ...

(2) 英國D樓係咪紙紥的... D 牆除了薄至可聽見隔離講嘢外, 仲滲水的...

(3) I like Argos! They are having a sale on (one item of) my favorite toy! Saves me quite a lot of money even comparing with the price at HK... So, finally, this huge box is sitting in front of me...

flats are going away quickly

Tuesday: there is a flat for renting that seems too good to be true.
Thursday: after viewing it I think it is just so-so.
Friday: it's gone!