Thousands More Infected with Covid-19

More than 17,000 people reported infections today

Today Hong Kong logged 8,798 confirmed cases, but there are a whopping 17,279 cases that have been reported -- people either testing preliminary positive through government testing or through rapid antigen tests.

Both these numbers are records and sure to climb even higher in the coming days and weeks. 

In addition 50 people died, only six of whom had two doses of vaccines. One was a nine-year old boy who had a pre-existing genetic disease when he was a toddler, but was not vaccinated.

Hui strongly urges children get vaccinated

"If you are unvaccinated, it is very likely that your condition will deteriorate. With chronic illnesses, it is even more likely that complications will develop. That is why we are asking children to receive vaccines as soon as possible," said Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, a government adviser on Covid-19.

There are also heart-breaking stories of 11-month old babies ]who test positive for the virus but are forcibly separated from their parents and put into isolation. The Hospital Authority will not allow parents who have tested negative to be with the child under any circumstances. 

Another first today was the implementation of the regulation where everyone must scan the Leave Home Safe app that has the person's vaccination status uploaded to enter supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, and wet markets. 

People need to have at least one jab and scan the QR code of their vaccination record onto the Leave Home Safe app. That way when someone scans the QR code of a premises, the person's vaccination QR code pops up to show they have been vaccinated. 

Diners must upload vaccination status on app

However, according to some restaurant owners, many elderly people did not do this -- they either didn't know or didn't know how to it -- and so restaurant staff had to help them sort this out, or worse, turn them away. People can still get takeaway food if they don't want to scan the app.

Nevertheless, some restaurants have already seen a 40 percent drop in business today. There is also the issue of only having two per table. But another reason is no one wants to inadvertently become positive during universal testing which will begin in the coming weeks.

It probably won't be until after April 20 when the mass exercise is over when people will feel safer to go out to eat. It's a terrible situation, but so is some 17,000 possible infections reported in one day.

Today was also the start of further restrictions, where everyone exercising outside must wear a mask, even in country parks. This evening on my usual walk along the harbourfront most people complied -- only a handful of people had put their mask on their arm as they ran. 

I was shocked to find out today that one of my colleagues hasn't left his flat for two weeks. He is completely paranoid about stepping onto public transport. Another has also sequestered himself inside his flat too, and seems less witty in his messages. 

People must wear a mask exercising outdoors

It isn't really good to be holed up in your home mentally or physically. This fifth wave has made some people extremely scared, and very irrational. On the other hand my relatives still continue to refuse to get the vaccine despite the exponential numbers. I'm amazed they still haven't gotten infected yet. 

They have stashed up as much food as their flat can hold and then maybe when the cupboards and fridges (they have two) become bare then maybe they will get jabbed.

Their inability to rationalise the necessity of getting vaccinated to avoid serious health issues if infected continues to confound me. 

CNY Hike to Cape d'Aguilar

The dramatic landscapes are quite the sight at Cape d'Aguilar

With Chinese New Year basically cancelled because of Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions, it was time to hit the hiking trails. My friend and I went to Cape d'Aguilar, a place we had never been to, which is near Shek O.

After arriving at Shau Kei Wan MTR station, we took the number 9 bus to Cape d'Aguilar which entailed a long and winding road that passes Cape Collinson where the military cemetery is, and also the start of Dragon's Back hiking trail where many people got off.

Different rock formations are in this area

Cape d'Aguilar is "hok tsui" in Cantonese and named after Major-General George Charles d'Aguilar, a British army officer who served as Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong from 1843-1848.

During that time he lived in Headquarter House, which was built for him in 1846 and is now Flagstaff House in Hong Kong Park. D'Aguilar was also an accomplished watercolour artist.

Meanwhile, the 14th bus stop is Cape d'Aguilar and we headed off down the road with the same name. It's a gentle road with many shacks and low-rise houses. After a while we came to a dramatic view looking over towards Stanley.

Further down we started seeing a secluded beach (though today was too chilly to hang out there) and then we spotted our end goal -- the marine reserve. There are different rock formations, some are smooth, others are jagged, with different colours. 

There's also The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, a building very close to the water, with a slope built to have boats go into the water. The building looks relatively new and we wondered what they were studying there.

The waves constantly crash into the rocks

As we made our way towards the water, it crashed violently against the rocks. Swimming is prohibited here and it's easy to see why. Then we found it -- Crab Cave -- though many people were taking photos there so it was hard to take a nice photo.

It's a natural rock formation that looks like a cave, but again the waves crash in from behind and one could easily get wet if standing too far in.

Then we went to explore other areas that also had good views to avoid getting wet. However, one domestic helper got parts of her legs and feet wet and complained about being cold. The perils of trying to get the perfect picture...

In fact most of the people there were domestic helpers, enjoying their holiday. My friend YTSL who regularly hikes has observed that many domestic helpers like to go hiking in the Shek O area. 

Many people taking pictures at Crab Cave

After we wandered around, we turned back and went back the way we came and had a few minutes to spare before the bus arrived to take us back to Shau Kei Wan -- and it was the same bus driver too!

First Socially-Distanced Weekend

The skies have been hazy lately but the view wasn't too bad

This is the first weekend where the stricter social-distancing measures have kicked in, and it was sad to see children's play areas covered with plastic tape preventing kids from using them, and the new water area in Causeway Bay was shut down, where people would have rented paddle boats.

So it's not surprising Hongkongers took to the hills and did some hiking. This morning I headed out to the Morning Trail that goes up to the Peak, going via Sai Ying Pun and walking up to the start at Kotewall Road.

Kids are not allowed to play on the slides

As I started there seemed to be more people walking down than up, but soon I encountered many small groups of people -- mostly maskless! -- slowly making their way up. I kept my mask on most of the time, only to take it off briefly to drink some water or wipe my nose and mouth covered in sweat.

It was a nice day for a hike, not too hot but I was sweating enough to wear a T-shirt. And in 30 minutes I walked up to the playground area, with another 800 metres or so to reach the Peak Tower. After a quick bathroom break -- no line! -- I made a loop around the Peak, catching some of the stunning views before heading down the Morning Trail.

That's when I saw more people walking up, this time around 12.30pm. By the time I reached the beginning of Kotewall Road, there was a bus heading to Central and I managed to catch it before it left the terminus. 

Meanwhile Hong Kong recorded 33 new cases, six of which are import-related. 

The new paddle boat area is closed

There is now a second positive case related to the Witman Hung Wai-man birthday party. A 43-year-old woman who was not invited to the celebrations has tested positive, along with a confirmed case. The Centre for Health Protection's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan is now concerned there are other partygoers who were not on the list but were at the event, who may be spreading Omicron in the community.

"There are hidden guests," Chuang said.

Then there is lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu who had a meltdown on his live stream video during his one day in quarantine, which was amusing but also elitist. He ranted that he was released and dropped off at Tsing Yi MTR station; if he had known he would have called his driver to pick him up. Maybe he forgot to pack his Octopus card along with his new clothes...

So much for Beijing's directive of having lawmakers being grassroots and attentive to the needs of local residents.

It is becoming clear that the government seems to think it's OK for people to eat lunch in restaurants because they have to work, but it's not OK for them to eat dinner because it's a leisure activity. The same goes for exercising in the gym and camping, but shopping is OK because it stimulates the economy...

A Wander Around Tai O

Tai O is a quiet, quaint place, but housing is dilapidated

 

Yesterday I took advantage of a day off to wander around Tai O, a small fishing village on Lantau Island. I have visited two or three times previously for work assignments, one on making the famous shrimp paste that has a very strong smell, and one on solar panels used as a pilot project by WWF. But after spending a good part of the day conducting interviews and shoots, we were tired and wanted to go home so I never really got a chance to see the place.

The night before I did some research on places to visit and especially where to eat and noted the names and addresses.

On the way to Fu Shan Viewing Pt

Then I took the MTR to Tung Chung, and then the No. 11 bus to Tai O. I was surprised to see a long line of people at the bus stop, but luckily I got one of the last few seats. I remembered it takes about 45 minutes to get to Tai O, and on the bus it made scheduled stops in places including Tong Fuk Correctional Institute (former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung served two months there), and another, Shek Pik Prison where pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung is, and independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei spent some time there previously.

Finally we arrived around lunchtime and I tried to find the shops that sell some snacks, but was disappointed to find they were all closed because it was a weekday! There's Tai O Bakery that apparently sells freshly made doughnuts sprinkled with sugar, and another stall that makes savoury pancakes called jianbing.

The only places open were cha chaan teng or a few western-style cafes selling cheesecake and coffee.

I decided to find the hill called Fu Shan Viewing Point, but not before I saw a woman selling pandan egg waffles. It turns out she had literally just opened her shop and so her waffle iron was not even heated up yet when I asked for an egg waffle.

The woman in her 70s was on the surly side, chastising a trio of middle-aged women who were lured by some palm-sized puddings to snack on. Luckily the three women were in a good mood and didn't let her criticisms get in the way of them having a good time.

The bridge in the distance and a plane overhead

Finally I got my egg waffles that had a tiny hint of pandan, but it was sustenance to keep me going for the mini hike.

The stairs are clean and wide, but I was already huffing and puffing and sweating -- I didn't realize until later it was because it was so humid. Walking along the ridge of the hill, down on one side are hundreds of large Chinese-style graves, and then further down is Tai O village itself.

On the other side is the South China Sea and in the distance is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge that had no traffic on it. Above it every few minutes a plane took off from the nearby airport, making it an ideal spot for plane spotters.

I continued along the stone path until it abruptly ended, but saw others ahead still continuing along a rugged path and followed them.

The place is a scenic spot for pictures too

It wasn't too hard to climb and soon I was at the top, admiring the view, but then what? Turn back or continue down a dirt path? I decided to be a bit adventurous and thankfully with the help of ropes strung along the way, I managed to get down easier than my experience on Mount Johnston! 

When I got to the bottom, I checked out another scenic pavilion before encountering a temple and then walked back towards the Tai O village.

By now more visitors arrived and I'd pretty much gone through all the main thoroughfares in the village

While it's quaint and some like to call it "The Venice of Hong Kong", it really isn't, surrounded by dirty water, homes on stilts, others on the ground have very basic furnishings. One has to wonder if the government knows about people's living conditions here and will they be upgraded? 

Nevertheless, life here is slow, people ride bikes or walk along the paths, while cats and dogs laze around wherever they feel comfortable. 

Large fish that have been salted are left to dry out

This morning I woke up to heavy rain and was glad that I made the effort to go to Tai O yesterday, though I missed trying those doughnuts!

Hong Kong's Budget Hopes to Jumpstart Economy

Paul Chan delivered his budget today with a green tie

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered a sobering budget today with only a few sweeteners in a bid to jump start Hong Kong's economy after a year of recession because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The city fell into a record deficit of HK$257.6 billion (US$33.14 billion), and Chan warned Hong Kong would continue to have deficits in the following years. Nevertheless he forecasts 5.5 percent economic growth in the coming year.

Permanent residents get HK$5K in vouchers

There are a few main highlights from the budget:

While last year the government handed out HK$10,000 to each Hong Kong permanent resident and low income non-permanent residents, this year Chan said only HK$5,000 that would be given out to every adult permanent resident and new immigrant from China -- but in the form of electronic vouchers, and incrementally, to be used by a certain date each time. There were no further details on how that would work and what that could be spent on, but some speculate it will be for food, which makes supermarkets, or rather the conglomerates that own them -- even richer.

For those who have been unemployed, with proof of paperwork, they can take a one-off low interest loan of up to HK$80,000 and borrowers would only have to repay the interest in the first year, and the balance within a maximum of four years. Those who pay back the loan on schedule will be reimbursed the interest.

As the unemployment rate is now at a 17-year high at 7 percent, Chan has earmarked HK$6.6 billion to create 30,000 jobs for the next 12 months. 

The government will create 30,000 new jobs

Seeing as Hongkongers are stuck in the city because of the pandemic and many have turned to hiking, the financial secretary has pledged HK$500 million to spruce up country parks, installing new washrooms, barbecue pits and picnic sites, including HK$55 million improve 10 hiking trails with the potential of promoting for tourism.

Speaking of tourism, Chan has allocated HK$934 million into that sector, perhaps in a bid to get the city ready when the pandemic calms down and people can start traveling again. The Hong Kong Tourism Board is probably salivating over that money it gets to play with.

Those playing the stock market were shocked to hear the government will raise the stamp duty to 0.13 percent from 0.10 percent on stock trading, the first hike since 1993 that could help the public coffers grow to HK$92 billion.

The response was immediate on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with the Hang Seng Index plunged as far as 9.3 percent before finishing the day down 3 percent to 29,718.24. Investors didn't see that announcement coming and many feel this hike on the stamp duty is bad for the financial sector. 

Money will be used to upgrade hiking trails

But perhaps the most eyebrow-raising news that Chan did not announce in his speech is that a whopping HK$8 billion will be spent "to safeguard national security".

In a press conference with the media following his budget speech, Chan said he did not include this figure because it has already been accounted for, and that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had already approved the amount.

Also suspicious was that Chan did not explain where the money came from and how it would be spent. 

In a separate budget document, it says the HK$8 billion is a "non-recurrent appropriation to a special fund to meet the expenditure for safeguarding national security". During the press conference, Chan only said that the money would be used over the coming several years and did not clarify how the money would be spent and on what.

One reporter on Twitter has pointed out this amount is almost three times the budget in 2018-2019 on "internal security", just before the anti-extradition bill protests erupted. 

A whopping HK$8 billion on national security

There is also HK$3.5 billion that will be spent on prison management, up from HK$3 billion last year, while "constitutional and mainland affairs" will receive a budget of HK$200 million, twice as much as it got five years ago.

Jeremy Tam Man-ho, former lawmaker and vice-chairman of the opposition Civic Party, said the funding allocation for national security was equal to "dumping money into a dark hole", and called on the government to explain. 

"It is a large amount of money," he said. "But there is no transparency at all. The people have no idea how the money is to be used. I think the government owes Hong Kong people an explanation."

Indeed. 

Hiking Up and Down Mount Johnston

About to ascend Mt Johnston in Ap Lei Chau

This afternoon my friend and I went back to Ap Lei Chau -- and tackled Mount Johnston, and what a glorious day to do it. The sky was so blue, and we only saw one cloud in the distance. 

We started off at Kennedy Town again and walked up Victoria Road, and this time bypassed going down to Cyberport and kept walking along Victoria Road until we hit Pokfulam Road and then down to Aberdeen where we had a quick stop at McCafe to have coffee and snacks before crossing the bridge to Ap Lei Chau.

Going down the other side of the mountain

This time we were mentally prepared for climbing up the steep mountain that thankfully had ropes to help people up and they were very handy, though very dusty. My shorts and windbreaker were becoming dusty too from me holding up the rope waist level. 

Finally we reached the top (196m) and it's a very flat and has a fantastic 360-degree view of the south side of Hong Kong, Ocean Park, and Lamma Island in the distance.

Mount Johnston, also known as Yuk Kwai Shan is named after Alexander Robert Johnston (1812-1888), who was a British colonial officer who served twice as Acting Administrator of Hong Kong from 1841 to 1842.

After admiring the views we had to get down the mountain on the other side to a tombolo -- a small island attached with a narrow sandy beach. It was there, my friend said that we could catch a sampan back to Aberdeen...

Looking back up Mt Johnston from Ap Lei Pai

So we tried to descend on the other side. It didn't look difficult... Again we had to hold onto ropes to get down and my friend suggested walking backwards to avoid sliding too much. I dropped my water bottle twice! Next time need to carry a knapsack and wear gloves and better shoes.

We got onto the thin sandy strip and walked across to the "tied island" for a break. The water was so clear there. However, we didn't know if we could make it over the other side of this smaller island to catch a sampan which was supposedly HK$50 per person. So we decided to go back where we came.

Going back up wasn't too bad, and yes those ropes were very helpful again. There was less sliding. A mother and her son were in front of me and she kept encouraging him to keep going or to take a break if he needed. I told her it was my first time here and she said it was for them too.

For kids this hike is pretty tough if they are not fit! Using the rope definitely involved a bit of core and lots of balance.

Looking at Ocean Park and a new hotel there

Going back down the other side was a bit easier now that I had some experience for the past few hours! When we finally made it back down to Lei Tung Commercial Centre, my legs were kind of like jelly. We took the MTR back home and my socks, runners, windbreaker and shorts were covered in dust!

What a day!

Scenic Southside Walk

An old battery at the U of Chicago campus

 

Today we played urban tourists and walked over 12k from Kennedy Town all the way to Ap Lei Chau! This is not a route most people would go, but it was time to visit the south side of Hong Kong Island.

Looking at Bel-Air in Cyberport from Victoria Rd

At the start of the walk we visited the University of Chicago campus that was designed by the late Vancouver architect Bing Thom. His signature clean lines, incorporating the building into the heritage site as well as the natural landscape was clear here.

He is remembered with a replica of his drawing carved in stone that says "Tree of knowledge" on it, referring to the campus offering an education to students and faculty. 

The site also includes a battery to hold a gun emplacement looking out to the sea. But the weapon has been long gone, and instead a large deep circular pit is left behind. 

A sculpture of a dragon boat

We then walked to Cyberport for a quick pit stop, a mall in the middle of no where, but offers a hodgepodge of food options for people living in the area. Nearby the grass at the park was downright deplorable, completely dry and dusty. 

Pressing on we walked up a gentle incline back up onto Victoria Road before it merged into Pok Fu Lam Road. We passed by Wah Fu Estate and then soon we were in Aberdeen. The promenade there is short but nice, a bit touristy with a model of a dragon boat and some bronze statues depicting life in the area centuries before that are related to fishing.

Then we found the entrance to the bridge to go further south to Ap Lei Chau and South Horizons. We made it to Lei Tung and then my friend pointed up to a giant hill called Yuk Kwai Shan or Mount Johnston to climb! I was not prepared for that with not enough water and we had already walked 12k! I also had a time crunch to be back in time to eat at 4.30pm (linner or dunch) before the restaurant closed at 6pm.

Lots of boats docked around Aberdeen

So we turned back and caught the bus back to Causeway Bay. Guess we head up to Yuk Kwai Shan next time but perhaps without the prologue of walking all the way there!

Hike to Kowloon Peak

A view of Kowloon and Hong Kong island in the distance

Today my walking buddy and I went up Kowloon Peak or fei ngo shan (飛鵝山) which is above Ma On Shan. We took the MTR to Shatin City One and began walking up a path of stairs. It was a good day to go, around 9-12 degrees Celsius and relatively clear.

Along the way we passed a group of young people, the girls already saying they had regrets when they were only at the beginning of the hike! 

Past the Gilwell campsite and the hills ahead

We soldiered onwards and finally got onto a path that was covered with rocks and tree roots so I constantly had my head down making sure I wouldn't trip. Many of the paths were quite narrow too, another reason to watch where we were going.

A few times we had to consult our map or ask a few people how to get there as there were some "intersections" along the way. While the paths weren't packed, it was good to see many like-minded people getting some fresh air. 

Finally we made it to a clearing and the views were outstanding -- on one side was Sai Kung, and on the other Kowloon below us, such as Kai Tak and beyond to Hong Kong island, with the convention centre and IFC in the distance. 

We kept going, and had to go up one hill and then the other (Elephant Hill) to get to a weather station and helicopter pad. The first hill was such a trek that we had to practically climb up the steep hill, grabbing onto large rocks for balance. 

Below is Sai Kung

Meanwhile others were coming down the same path, and that was even scarier -- one young woman slid down right beside me and landed on her bottom. Yikes. 

Some parts were relatively flat but meant passing low bamboo bushes. At each point the view below was more amazing and eventually we finally made it to the weather station and helicopter pad. One man was playing with his drone, while the rest of us took lots of pictures having succeeded at reaching this point! Phew!

Now how to get down? Off another part of the mountain was a path marked with wooden steps and we made our way which seemed relatively easy at first, but it seemed to never end. By this point it was 5pm and we saw people, including young families making their way up. I encouraged a young girl to keep going though she was breathing rather heavily, while two women were walking up, the second one carrying two heavy bags!

I asked why so many bags and the first one admitted she couldn't carry it anymore and was exhausted. I told them another 10 minutes or so they would make it to the top, but why were they carrying so much stuff? They wanted to go up in time for the sunset, but the hazy air didn't seem like a dramatic sunset would happen. Nevertheless I told them the view was definitely worth it and they carried on.

The weather station and helicopter pad!

Finally we saw large Chinese graves and then an actual road! Civilization! It was Fei Ngo Road, with lots of fancy homes on both sides. Who lives up here? Towards the bottom we caught a taxi down to Diamond Hill MTR and made our way back from there. 

What a trek! My legs feel like jelly, but the views were worth it. I probably won't go up there again anytime soon. We recorded a 12km trek, but it definitely felt much longer!

Picture of the Day: Looking Down on Hong Kong

From High West a view of Hong Kong, Kowloon and beyond

 

For New Year's Eve my friend and I decided to close out the year to do something different -- hike up the Peak and go up to High West in time for midnight.

We had to prepare because it would be very cold that night -- down to 7 degrees Celsius, and we needed headlamps too to make our way up unlit paths.

Walking up the Peak the skyline was stunning

I wore several layers under my down coat, and even brought mittens and a hat! The headlamp definitely came in handy in several parts of our hike up, and in particular going up High West, a section of the Peak that has no lighting whatsoever.

When we got there just after 11.30pm, there was a group of lively Italians drinking, eating and chatting with friends back in Italy on their phones. A pair of young local guys seemed intimidated by them and left shortly after we arrived so we occupied their spot. 

While we were hot and sweaty walking up, we soon got quite cold from sitting around waiting for midnight to arrive! Luckily it wasn't too windy, but my hat definitely came in handy. The view up there was so clear it was amazing. The skyline was so brightly lit that perhaps there were a lot of people at home.

And looking up above, the moon was full and for once in Hong Kong you could see many stars around.

Meanwhile another group of French people came up too, complete with those New Year party hats and tiaras and headlamps too.

A southside view of Cyberport and Aberdeen

When midnight rolled around, we all shouted and hollered, popped open our champagne bottles and toasted to a new year.

Soon after taking some pictures, we descended down and then my friend and I managed to catch the bus down the Peak -- which was quite full of people -- and grab the last seats at the back of the top of the double-decker bus. A massive traffic jam took us forever to get down at first, but by 1.30am I was back home.

I won't forget this New Year's Eve for a long time, and hope to be able to use this headlamp again!

More Fears of Positive Clusters

Lots of people hanging out by the waterfront today, with or without masks

Today there is something to be happy about -- Hong Kong recorded four new coronavirus cases, three of which were from abroad.

However, lots of people took advantage of the warmer weather and blue skies to again head out to the beaches and hiking trails...

And it turns out my new next door neighbour doesn't really understand social distancing either.

Many people went to Cheung Chau for Easter Sunday

Early this afternoon I heard the door open and a male voice say, "HEY!" and people came into the flat, and there was practically non stop laughing and joking. It seemed like a mixture of English and Cantonese.

As I had a feeling there would be lots of people out during the day, I purposely planned to go out after dinner for a walk. When I opened the door, I was shocked to see several pairs of shoes outside my neighbour's flat. Nine pairs to be exact.

My neighbour recently moved in, so this was probably a housewarming party, but why now, in the midst of a pandemic?

And while having a house party is not yet banned by the government, it is shocking to see people not making more of an effort to maintain social distancing.

Nine pairs of shoes outside my neighbour's flat...

I took a picture of the shoes and went out for a walk along the harbourfront. I noticed not as many people out tonight as usual, probably because they had already been out during the day, and also it was windier, making it more chilly.

After I came back, I told the man at the reception desk there was a house party next to my flat and showed him the picture of the shoes.

I told him he probably couldn't do anything about it, but I just want him to know. He took down notes.

Then I went into the elevator and when the doors opened to my floor, I was stunned to hear really loud music coming from my neighbour's flat.

But moments later, the music was shut off -- the man downstairs had probably contacted them to be quiet. As I write this blog they are still there, two hours after I complained...

While most Hongkongers are staying home most of the time, there are others who are selfish and still don't think the coronavirus pertains to them...

I just don't want to hear a week from now the Centre for Health Protection talking to reporters in the daily briefing about a cluster of positive cases next door to me!

Tips for Working from Home

Is this how you work from home? Doesn't look particularly productive

A lot of companies in Hong Kong have urged staff to keep themselves free from the coronavirus by working from home, and one wonders how productive these people are, not being in the office.

We have the option to work from home too, but I prefer to go to work where I can at least interact with a few colleagues and get my requisite one mask per day.

Some management trainees went hiking instead of working

However, there are some people, mostly young people new to the workforce who don't seem clear on what it means to "work from home" and thought it was an opportunity to play hooky, like some management trainees at Hang Seng Bank did.

A group of them went hiking -- and took pictures which they posted on Instagram with the sentence, "Best WFH activity", with WFH meaning, "work from home".

It is unclear what has happened to these management trainees, but one HR consultant hinted they are not suitable for managerial jobs...

Which may explain why my company's HR department sent out an email giving some friendly tips on how to work from home.

The first suggestion is to get dressed for work so that you are in the mindset of being in the office.

Working from home means more supervision needed online

Second is to work at home as if in the office and it may help to have a to-do list to follow.

Third is to have a dedicated work space to help focus.

Fourth to put personal chores aside, as it can easily be distracting to have things to do at home, like watch Netflix, do the laundry, or Marie Kondo your flat. Do these other things after your work hours.

Fifth is to over-communicate by using our online messaging system so that you are checking-in with supervisors and letting others know what you're doing. Or "meet" colleagues in online meetings, but much like teleconferencing, no one can hear what the other person is saying.

Best to have a dedicated work space for being in the "office"

The last tip is to make your family aware you're working and not to disturb you (easy to say), and that when you are done for the day to put the laptop away to delineate between work and personal time.

So there you have it. Some tips are common sense, but like those Hang Seng Bank management trainees, better to spell it out than to see them enjoy some fresh air during office hours...

Typhoon Pakhar Storms in on Sunday

When the typhoon signal was lowered to T1, storm clouds began to gather...

Typhoon Pakhar approached Hong Kong in the early hours of Sunday morning which meant a lie-in for most people. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the T8 signal for the whole morning with an amber rainstorm warning as well.

While the rain wasn't particularly heavy in Kennedy Town, it kept coming down in a northwesterly direction. Down below in an apartment complex across the street, I could see two white plastic chairs had blown into the swimming pool (they have since been fished out).

There's going to be questions about why two hikers didn't get down by Saturday evening from Kowloon Peak. A woman had an injured leg and had trouble making the descent, and rescuers tried to get to them yesterday evening. But it took 160 rescuers, including one fireman who was injured, to help them get down.

Most of Sunday was rainy thanks to Typhoon Pakhar

The typhoon conditions made it treacherous for everyone to descend the mountain, so the rescuers had to build a rain shelter and call for more reinforcements.

Then there was a ship that was sinking and 11 crew members had to be saved at the height of the storm. By the time the rescuers arrived, the ship's bow was already submerged.

Within 30 minutes of locating them, the sailors were rescued by helicopter.

After the typhoon signal was lowered to T3, the city slowly sprang back to life. Apparently gyms were very busy once they opened around 3.40pm. People must have been having cabin fever in their flats.

As for myself, I headed to the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool at 9pm though it started raining heavily.

When I got there, I was thrilled to find only a handful of people in the entire complex. I had the 25-metre pool practically to myself, though the water wasn't very fast today so it was a bit of a slog.

Nevertheless, it was refreshing and quiet. Another weekend gone, just like that.

Early Morning Charity Hike

At the start of a hike for a charitable cause with lots of corporate sponsorship

A friend of mine put out a call on Facebook asking her friends if they'd like to participate in the Hike for Hospice 2014 in Tai Lam Country Park in Yuen Long.

Making our way up the stairs at the start

I asked hiking expert YTSL about the easiest route of the three, which was 8km long and she said there wasn't much to see. However I figured it was a good way for me to get there since transportation and a curry lunch were provided and contribute to a charitable cause.

The only catch was that we had to be at the Central ferry pier by 7.10am and so I dutifully woke up at 5.30am -- when it was still pitch dark -- made some breakfast and got ready. There was rain in the forecast so I threw in my umbrella, though the temperatures were still cold at around 13-15 degrees Celsius.

There were a few taxis in front of my building at 6.50am and within minutes I arrived as well as many others. It turned out Medicins Sans Frontieres also organized some charitable event as well in Cheung Chau which explained why there were so many people there.

Verdant scenery set against overcast skies and no rain!

But eventually the two groups sorted themselves out and we boarded chartered buses -- including a few canine participants. In less than an hour we were out in Yuen Long, a place I haven't visited in many years and I'd never hiked before.

The country park is well equipped with washroom and barbecue facilities, and so it is a good place for large gatherings such as this.

As we arrived, several media outlets were there too and we wondered why, but then we soon found out. Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah showed up and I was tempted to complain to him about being so fiscally conservative, but most people treated him like a celebrity and took pictures with him which seemed bizarre.

Overlooking civilization down below

Dr Edward Leong Che-hung was there too, a non official member of the Executive Council, but no one seemed interested in having photographs with a former legislative councillor...

After some short speeches about the hospice, which will be completed next year, we were off at 9am. There was a bit of a log-jam near the beginning as we had to climb up some rock stairs one by one but after a while the groups kind of spaced out.

For me hiking is a quiet contemplative exercise, but for many today it was a chance to socialize with friends, and while I enjoyed catching up with my friend, we wanted to avoid the noisy groups too. One guy even brought a radio and cranked it up loud which seemed to defeat the whole purpose of hiking...

The gods of the mountain hanging out in a temple

What was interesting about this park was that periodically we would see these concrete buildings and one would think it was a restroom, but it was actually a mini temple, with various statues lined up and incense offerings given to them. Nearby was a mini hut with a cute-looking elderly couple who are apparently the gods of the mountain. I saw three of these temples on the route that looked very similar.

YTSL was right -- there wasn't much scenery to see apart from some panoramic landscapes and a large reservoir area. And as she pointed out, now was not the time to find bugs either!

The large reservoir we hiked around

Nevertheless I enjoyed the hike -- it was relatively cool and in the second half of the hike I went off on my own, passing several groups along the way and appreciated the walk. The last section that included walking up stairs was a bit tough, but they were spaced out enough for people to catch their breath.

In the final stretch I wasn't quite sure if I was going the right way but then I saw a sign that said "The curry is cooking" because we'd been promised a curry lunch at the finish. But I still didn't see the finish line and it wasn't for another 20 minutes until I finished reached the end. If you subtract the time I waited for my teammates at one checkpoint, then I probably finished it in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The curry lunch? It was pretty good -- the restaurant seemed to have trucked in most of the food, but reheated it there, and even brought a portable oven to make delicious nann bread.

The finish line is here somewhere...

Sated and tired, we clambered back onto the bus and I pretty much napped all the way back to Central!