Stuck in Hong Kong, Nowhere to Go

A tourist takes a picture inside the empty Duomo cathedral in Milan

With the coronavirus spreading to more than 77 countries, there are fewer and fewer places us here in Hong Kong can travel to without having to under go 14 days of quarantine.

Since Friday, Hong Kong has 106 cases, Singapore 130, and Macau has 10 -- and no new cases for the past month which is impressive. But the ferries that go to Macau at Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan are still docked and idle.

Hong Kong Airport is eerily empty most of the time

From Monday, Hongkongers' favourite destination, Japan will impose a two-week quarantine on travelers from China and South Korea, while Hongkongers will not be able to get visas. Those who can still travel to Japan can only arrive at either Narita or Kansai airports.

There is also a concern that passenger flights between Hong Kong and Japan could soon be cancelled, which means people's cravings for Japanese food products -- from milk to radish to sashimi -- could be disrupted, as many food products are flown in daily thanks to passenger flights.

Looks like not only Japanese restaurants, but also others that use Japanese ingredients will be affected... there could possibly be no more Hokkaido scallops or sea urchin, or the famed tuna to fermented beans called natto that my colleagues enjoy eating...

From Monday Japan imposes more travel restrictions

Meanwhile if you are traveling to Thailand, then you have to check in with the authorities daily about your health authorities. The same goes for South Korea... but why would you go there now with over 6,000 cases?

The Philippines, Israel, Taiwan, and Bahrain have either banned travelers from Hong Kong or imposed a 14-day quarantine. No point in going to these places either.

You could go to Europe, but Italy would not be a wise choice (3,858 cases), nor Germany (534 cases) and France is about to call it a serious health crisis (423 cases).

And then if you were going somewhere, aren't you worried about possibly catching something on the flight?

Homemade dumplings seasoned with balsamic vinegar!

Best just to stay put for now... and continue to flex those culinary skills in the kitchen!

A colleague I haven't seen in a month came back this week and she practically stayed home the whole time, cooking three meals a day. "I have to say my cooking improved!" she observed, nor did she mind working from home.

One good thing from this is people eating healthier now that many are cooking at home. Wonder if they will continue to do so after the coronavirus eventually goes away...

 

Singapore's Newest Attraction is a Gem

Looking up at the 40-metre tall waterfall, the world's largest one indoors

Apart from the marvelous shopping and eating options (the pandan chiffon cake at Bengawan Solo) at Singapore's Changi Airport, there's another new attraction called Jewel.

There's lots of greenery and water inside the giant dome

It opens on Wednesday and locals got a a sneak peak the other day. What was previously an open air car park has been transformed into a massive 10-storey complex with the focal point being the world's tallest indoor waterfall at 40 metres high. Oh and there are 300 shops and dining outlets in there too.

The complex, encased in a dome-shaped glass structure, was designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, who also was the creative brains behind Marina Bay Sands.

So if you only have a few hours to kill, and not enough time to venture out in the city, perhaps Jewel will be the solution to hang out. There's even a Shake Shack for those hankering for a New York burger fix, A&W Root Beer, and Pokemon Centre, where fans of the video game can buy all the merchandise they want.

It's not hard to see why the complex is called Jewel

Changi Airport is the seventh busiest in the world, hosting more than 65 million travelers in 2018.

Hong Kong's New Star

Big thumbs up for Mak Cheuk-wing on winning an international title

Hong Kong is so desperate for a good news story and finally we have one in Mak Cheuk-wing.

Remember her name because she's a rising star in windsurfing and she's only 13!

Mak won an international youth-class race on Lake Garda in Italy, beating out favourites Mathilde Garandeau from France and Linoy Geva from Israel to clinch the Techno 293 junior girls U-15 class.

It is Hong Kong's first world title in the Techno class.

This competition is seen as a path to the Youth Olympics for windsurfing competitors under 17 years of age.

Mak started windsurfing at nine and was humble about her win, saying she owed it to her coaches, Cheng Hing-lun who coaches her in Hong Kong, and Cheng Kwok-fai, who led the Hong Kong team to Italy.

She also thanked her parents "for supporting me and allowing me to do a sport I love".

"I am very happy to win this title this time after I missed out at the European championships."

In the Techno 293 European championships in Poland, Mak finished second.

Coach Cheng Kwok-fai said, "She is very talented. She is able to pick up new skills very quickly."

We hope this paves the way for more Hong Kong kids and their parents to realize that academics are not the be all and end all -- that it's passion about something that will really propel you to success.

Congratulations to Mak and we'll be following her career, already well on her way to more competition and pride for Hong Kong.

Tensions Flare; Family Frictions

Large numbers of people at Admiralty, who later clashed with police...

As I write (10.30pm Sunday) there are clashes between protesters and the police in Admiralty, where crowds have overtaken Lung Wo Road.

Police knew something was coming with the Federation of Students told people to come to Admiralty at 6pm and have goggles and helmets on hand.

The crazy thing is that I was just there two hours ago and while I was impressed with the turnout -- there seemed to be just as many as in the first week of the Umbrella Movement -- I didn't feel there was tension in the air.

There was lots of police presence, standing at various points where there were barricades, but other than that it seemed like a typical night in Admiralty.

However, things have escalated in the last half hour and so far five people have been arrested.

But my blog post wasn't supposed to be about Admiralty today, but about a documentary I saw before dinner time at the Asia Society as part of the 15th Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.

It's called Life in Stills by Tamar Tal and tells the story of a grandmother and her grandson who run a photography shop in Tel Aviv.

Miriam Wasserstein with grandson Ben in Life in Stills

The shop, The Photo House, was started in 1940 by the grandfather, famous Israeli photographer Rudi Wasserstein who captured images of the place before it was formally a country from the mid 1930s until his death. There are over 1 million negatives in the shop that they carefully archive and sell prints to customers.

Grandmother Miriam is 96 years old and a no-nonsense woman who has really dry humour, while her grandson Ben has the patience to look after her and explain what is going on around her which she may or may not accept.

Their shop is facing eviction because developers want to build something new on the block, while they try to fight to stay there. Meanwhile we find out why it's only the grandmother and grandson around -- four years earlier his mother was murdered by her husband who then committed suicide.

Miriam is still reeling from her daughter's death, while Ben has compartmentalized it elsewhere in his mind and has moved on. He also reveals he is gay and moves in with his boyfriend, but does Miriam approve? We are not sure.

Wonderful photo of a younger Miriam by her husband Rudi

The documentary is only an hour long and at the end we see the shop has to move temporarily for at least three years while the new development is built; when it is completed they will get to move back, but not exactly in the original location.

We also see photographs that Rudi Wasserstein took, and perhaps for many Israelis they are considered iconic images, but more explanation and captions would have been appreciated for those not too familiar with his work.

Ben knows the camera is watching and at times looks like he's trying to act, when he should just focus on what is going on, like Miriam who acts very natural, or maybe she doesn't even realize the camera is there!

Nevertheless, the tender portrait of the grandmother and grandson is poignant, revealing the various layers they struggle with together and individually.

Here's a taste from the trailer:

Life in Stills

lifeinstillsfilm.com