First Typhoon of the Year

Typhoon Merbok passes through Hong Kong

Over the weekend the weather was so hot that I barely went outdoors. Then late last evening the Hong Kong Observatory said the weather was unsettled and could lead to the possibility of a typhoon.

MTR commuters rushing home early from work

This morning it was bright and sunny, but when I left my home to head to the bus stop, it started raining! After we got into the office, Typhoon signal No. 1 was already hoisted, and then less than an hour later it was up to Typhoon No. 3.

By lunchtime people were speculating when it would be Typhoon No. 8 -- so that they could go home early.

After 4pm the observatory issued an announcement that Typhoon 8 would be hoisted on or before 5.30pm -- Typhoon Merbok was approaching much faster than expected.

And indeed T8 was issued at 5.20pm. By that time I was already on my way home, and there are pictures of the MTR packed with commuters.

We're expecting heavy thunderstorms the next few days

Merbok is expected to make landfall shortly in Mirs Bay in Tai Pang Wan, northeast of Sai Kung Peninsula.

So while we got to go home relatively early, it's back to work tomorrow as the typhoon will have passed over us overnight...

Why Stress Out our Children?

Children in Hong Kong are stressed out as well as their parents

It's shocking to discover Hong Kong children are more stressed out than ever, particularly concerned about their academic performance, followed by trying to meet their parents' expectations.

The Hong Kong Paediatric Society and the Hong Kong Paediatric Foundation released a damning report today saying children are suffering a worrying decline in their mental health in the past decade that is pushing their parents to a breaking point.

"There was no designated section for children in the [chief executive] policy addresses, not to mention a comprehensive child health policy and the children's commission," foundation chairman Dr Chan Chok-wan said.

The emphasis on academics is the main reason for their stress

The report said the government failed to tackle the "root causes" of declining mental health among young people, and this resulted in a "vicious cycle" in which parents are pushed to the brink of emotional breakdowns.

In the report that included surveys that asked 1,300 parents what they thought their kindergarten and primary school-aged children were stressed out about. Sixty percent of respondents said academic performance, followed by parental expectations at 50 percent. High self expectations was next at 38 percent, and socializing with friends was 26 percent.

About 70 percent of the parents admitted suffering from emotional problems as a result of childcare pressures, while almost two-thirds of parents had insomnia due to the same reasons.

Eighty-eight percent of the parents reported not getting enough support from the government.

Meanwhile the average number of child suicides is about 23 since 2010, though it increases after temporary government measures are stopped.

Leung Chai-yan has had her battle with mental illness too

Chan criticized Hong Kong's last three chief executives for "not being effective nor directional" on child welfare policies to improve the situation, and suggested Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was the worst.

This is ironic considering his adult daughter Leung Chai-yan has been suffering from mental health issues; she was in a hospital in Sha Tin a few months ago, though there is no recent word on her status.

The foundation chairman also repeated calls for the government to have a dedicated children's commission to advocate for child welfare issues, but thinks the government would not do this because it would lead to stricter guidelines.

"There is also a perceived manpower constraint. But the children's commission would be the one which would deal with all these affairs. The money used would be much better utilized. That in the long run is the best way to handle this issue," Chan said.

There have been calls for a children's commission for many years now -- how much longer do we have to wait? It is quite obvious the education system is stressing out children and their parents rather than making learning fun and educational.

Hong Kong also doesn't have enough child psychologists to diagnose issues in children to give them timely therapy. And there is too much emphasis on academics than giving children more freedom and space to play and relax.

Are we at a breaking point now, or do we have to wait until there's a spike in child suicides before the government does anything?

Trying to Preserve Tai O

Tai O fishing village is Hong Kong's "Venice of the East"

The other day I went to Tai O for a work assignment, and today I remembered there's a teacher there who wants to try to raise greater interest in the sleepy fishing village on Lantau.

Solomon Au Yeung has been teaching at the primary school there for the past two years and has grown to love the area -- so much so that he has started an IndiGoGo page to raise an ambitious US$150,000 to be able to rent a shop space and sell local souvenirs and snacks, and it would be the meeting point where guides could take visitors around.

On his crowdfunding page he writes: "As more and more of the locals are moving out for work, some of the traditional stores may have to close down once the original owners retire, [sic] it's a pity to see their products/handicrafts (which not only are of high quality, but more importantly, reflect the cultural value of the place) have to disappear all of a sudden..."

Solomon Au Yeung wants to help preserve Tai O's culture

He wants to set up a "Cultural Concept Store" to preserve the local heritage, and take tourists around on tours.

Sounds all neat in theory, but the reality is that so far no one has donated any money because he's asking a lot from donors who don't know much about Tai O. He should really be pitching the Hong Kong Tourism Board which has the money to help fund his cause.

But we admire his willingness to put himself out there and try to sell his idea to potential patrons.

Tai O used to be a thriving area with lots of fish and seafood that the villagers would make into salted fish, fish sauce, and dried seafood. Today you can see some stalls selling dried fish maw and conpoy.

A lot of young people have moved away from Tai O to be closer to town for work, and so elders are left minding the store (literally).

It's a very laid-back place, where you don't even need to lock your door, air conditioning is sparse and people get around by foot or on bicycles.

The only time the place is busy is on the weekends or special holidays like Dragon Boat Festival; otherwise it's a pretty quiet neighbourhood.

We'll have to check back on Au Yeung's page to see how he goes.

Here's his page: www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-a-cultural-concept-store-in-hong-kong-community#/

Musical Ping Pong

Whoa what a finale! Incorporating table tennis with music. How novel!

This evening YTSL and I had tickets to watch a concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic called "Ping Pong Diplomacy", harking back to over 45 years ago when the table tennis team from the United States visited China.

It was considered a world-changing event in Sino-US relations, breaking the ice and paving the way for then US President Richard Nixon to come to China and meet with Mao Zedong.

Conductor Yu Long commissioned a piece -- featuring table tennis in the music! -- by Andy Akiho and it was performed for the first time two years ago by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

Were the table tennis players going to use up all those balls?

But before that music. Yu led the orchestra in a rousing Tchaikovsky piece called Serenade for Strings, op. 48. I had forgotten Yu likes a fast tempo but was soon quickly reminded when the opening, which is supposed to be like a sonatina, seemed very rushed.

He tried to make the second movement, a waltz, markedly slower, but it too speeded up towards the end, as well as the finale.

I forgot to add that the musicians weren't dressed in formal wear, but black T-shirts and jeans instead which was a weird look, perhaps to make the audience not feel so bad to be casual either.

There was no intermission, and the stage was set for Akiho's Ricochet: Triple Concerto for Ping Pong, Percussion, Violin & Orchestra with three movements.

We the audience were forewarned that ping pong balls could fly into the crowd. This we had to watch.

The piece starts with a violinist making eerie sounds on her instrument, and then a percussionist stands by the ping pong table and starts playing on drums with it. Two actual ping pong players, both American, but one Caucasian male in a shirt and red bow tie, the other a Chinese woman, in a red sleeveless cocktail dress and black heels approach the table and actually start playing table tennis.

At times they rally, and then they start hitting balls towards the audience. They use tambourines to hit the ball so that they too make music, and she hits the drum on the ping pong table hard as a solo passage.

Imagine writing the music for this piece? Ping pong player hits drum; ping pong player uses tambourine to hit balls five times...

It was unpredictable when they were going to hit balls into the audience. In the end the violinist and percussionist each grab box of balls and dump them onto the table to end the piece. So crazy yet so fun!

Kids scrambled towards the stage to grab whatever orange balls they could.

It was just so interesting to see how table tennis could be incorporated into music and it works. The two ping pong players knew exactly when to hit and when to stop, catching the ball. They had several balls in hand just in case shots didn't work out to keep the momentum of hitting the ball going.

It was fun, lively and unpredictable!

Ping Pong Diplomacy

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings, op. 48

Andy Akiho Ricochet: Triple Concerto for Ping Pong, Percussion, Violin & Orchestra