The Bank of Time

On By Paul1 Comment

In recollecting my younger days in the challenging field of life insurance business, there used to be a favourite story of mine which I liked to relate & dmonstrate to my agency force & clients alike as “How much life insurance is enough?”

This story is “The Bank of Time” which unlike our conventional money bank does not permit any deposit of your very own except withdrawals – a fixed endowment amount is credited to you each day upon your awakening.

This is an interesting concept & certainly a worthy food for thought.

“Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course? Each of us has such a bank. It’s name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success. The clock is running! Make the most of today.

• To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.

• To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

• To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

• To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

• To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who just missed a train.

• To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask someone who just avoided an accident.

• To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. And remember time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why its called the present.”

Story – Author Unknown

“The Bank of Time” that TIME forgets!

It’s the Bank that all or most people generally forget.

“The Bank of Time” is really YOU!

Your life is immeasurable & you’d like to insure yourself to the optimum limit in the event of accidents & untimely demise.

Victoria Peak – Hong Kong

On By Paul5 Comments

Victoria Peak – the highest point in all of Hong Kong, overlooks Kowloon and all Hong Kong island. Its views are most spectacular & world renowned.

Victoria Peak (traditional Chinese: 太平山, or previously- 扯旗山), 554 meters (about 1817.6 feet) above sea level, is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. It occupies the western part of the island and ascent is by way of the venerable Peak Tram. As most visitors would agree it’s the only way to truly experience the beauty of Hong Kong’s natural wonders.

As early as 19th century, the Peak attracted European & prominent residents because of its panoramic view over the colony and its temperate climate compared to the sub-tropical climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard MacDonnell had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868. Those that built houses named them whimsically, such The Eyrie, and the Austin Arms.

These original residents reached their homes by sedan chairs, which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. There was limited development in the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram Funicular in 1888. (Refer article by same author on Maxwell’s Hill, Taiping, Malaysia).

The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for non-Chinese. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth.

With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its harbours. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.

Peak Garden at the Top

PeakLookout

Having A Fair Go . . . For The Senior Gold

On By Paul2 Comments

By P Chong                                                                       Sat. 28 August 2010

Google Image

A senior citizen after putting in 40 years of life work is naturally expected to be treated with all due respect, honour, dignity & decency, and to live whatever is left of the rest of his natural life with ease & comfort. Ironically & contrary to such expectations, a criminal enjoys more benefits for which all men slave to provide in their working lives. To make matters worse, even an illegal immigrant or refugee gets better treatment than the senior citizen in terms of perks & benefits.

For crying out loud, is this laughable or laudable? Justice is supposedly to be fair & just – but its scale is tipping rightly or wrongly in favour of the undeserved. Such a scenario you would say can only happen in an undeveloped or under-developed world. But the truth is justice though preached is not seen to be done in the globalised economically developed world.

The world we live in is topsy turvy. Apparently, the value system has been manipulated by the “politically correct” politicians – devils & crooks in disguise.

Let’s switch it around & put the seniors in jail and the criminals in a nursing home. This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks for starters and other perks & benefits that follow:

  • They’d receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc. and they’d receive money instead of paying it out.

  • They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance.
  • Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.
  • They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.
  • They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool and education.
  • Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ’s and legal aid would be free, on request.
  • Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens.
  • Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls.
  • There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.

Now, for the “criminals” in the nursing home:

  • The “criminals” would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised.
  • Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week.
  • Live in a tiny room and pay £900.00 per month and have no hope of ever getting out.

    A Worthy Law Project?

Whether you are young or old, you’d be the judge and jury!

Surely, such a suggested scenario would be called “A Fair Go”!

Related Articles

Tianmen Shan – Hunan, China

On By PaulLeave a comment


Tianmen Shan – Heaven’s Gate

James Cameron‘s recent epic movie “Avatar” (Floating Mountains) no doubt helps to promote the spectacular wonders of the Chinese mountain scenic attractions.

All too well, people have long been familiar with the ancient mountains located around the vast Chinese landscape so mysteriously depicted in Chinese paintings.

The five famous mountains – Huangshan, Taishan, Huashan, Hengshan & Songshan are now facing competitions with newer discoveries such as Tianmen Shan or Tianmen Mountain.(Chinese Mandarin word“Shan” means “Mountain”).

Tianmen Mountain in Hunan Province just south of Zhangjiajie City (previously known as Dayong City) is an absolutely ‘must see’ scenic area.

The main featured scenic spots are centralized in the north part of Zhangjiajie City – Wulingyuan Scenic Area which became China‘s first National Forest Park in 1983.

Cable Cars

The best way to get to the top is by cable car. A one-way trip costs CNY48. The roads are scary with many twists & turns & certainly not for the faint-hearted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Gate Road

If you have more time to stay in Zhangjiajie , there are lots of places you may want to visit . . . to fill your thrills & frills . . . too many to mention here because of time & space constraint.

A scenic spot you might enjoy is the Feng Huang Cheng (Phoenix Town) located some 210 kilometers (about 130 miles) west of Zhangjiajie Village. Here you can experience that Chinese minorities lead a life of primitive simplicity unaffected by the ways of modern development. This raises the question that in the failing realm of capitalism, shouldn’t economists consider the aspect of GDH instead of GDP – H as in HAPPINESS rather than P in PRODUCTIVITY. Could you be content & happy living just a basic lifestyle?

Finally, the newly opened Yangjiajie Scenic Area located in the northwest section of Wulingyuan is worth a visit.

Like they say “A picture is worth a thousand words”, you’ll be amazed by the slide show as presented by pps creator Dan Calistrat or view on YouTube the airflights through the Heaven’s Gate.

Flying Through Heaven’s Gate


UPDATE & LATEST NEWS

This is  China’s newest tourist spot with a glass-bottomed walkway around the cliff face of the Tianmenshan – a feature similar to the Skyway of the Grand Canyon in US. However, this is of greater  distance 200 ft long & stands at 4,700 ft. above sea-level.

To walk on it is to test your nerves, to see whether your heart can stand the dazzling height!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Related Articles

 

Jumbo Floating Restaurant – Aberdeen, Hong Kong

On By PaulLeave a comment
A mural in the restaurant
Image via Wikipedia - Ancient Mural

Dine like an emperor with a “six-star” sumptuous dinner at the dragon court of this most famous Hong Kong landmark in Aberdeen.

Make it a memorable occasion & have your photo taken dressed in traditional imperial garments sitting on the emperor’s throne.

Source: Wikipedia - Full View at Night

Jumbo Kingdom (traditional Chinese: 珍寶王國) consists of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant (珍寶海鮮舫) and the Tai Pak Floating Restaurant (太白海鮮舫), renowned tourist attractions in Hong Kong‘s Aberdeen Harbour.

Popular for Weddings & Lavish Functions

Over 30 million visitors have visited Jumbo Kingdom, including Queen Elizabeth II, John Wayne, Tom Cruise, Chow Yun-fat and Gong Li. Jumbo Kingdom is part of Melco International Development Limited (新濠國際發展有限公司), a company listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The Jumbo Kingdom was established in October 1976 by Dr. Stanley Ho. It took four years and over HK$30 million to design and build it. It was originally decorated in the style of an ancient Chinese imperial palace.


Free motor launch transport

The Jumbo Kingdom recently underwent a major multi-million dollar renovation, which transformed it into “a theme park on the sea” including dining, shopping, sightseeing and cultural attractions.

Jumbo Entrance

A Chinese culinary school taught by the chefs

of Jumbo Kingdom has been established.

Visitors can experience the nostalgic Hong Kong dining experience from a bygone era, the Typhoon Shelter seafood meal on a sampan.

The Chinese Tea Garden, Pier Plaza & Bronzew are Exhibition are additional attractions.

Since its opening in 1976 as the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, it has excelled in the preparation of seafood for discerning diners. Designed like a classic Chinese palace, it can accommodate up to 2,300 people. Situated in Aberdeen Harbour, the Jumbo is one of the world’s largest floating restaurants and an iconic tourist landmark of Hong Kong.

Inside Jumbo Floating Restaurant (Hong Kong)
Image via Wikipedia - Interior

The combination of good food & place makes eating all the more pleasurable!

Colours & lights at night add on to the romantic delight!

HK Sunset Cruise By Chinese Junk

A romantic & worthwhile proposition is a Sunset Cruise plus dinner at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant!

Star Seafood Floating Restaurant – Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong

On By Paul7 Comments

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Lion Entrance

The eternal question among the Chinese is:

Do we Eat to Live

or Live to Eat?

Dragon Chairs & Folding Screen

Hong Kong offers a variety of cuisine from street stalls to imperial courts. Good food galore, for the Cantonese are undoubtedly the best cooks in the world. However, but it’s knowing where & what to eat, as like the locals, that will make the difference to your wallet & palate.

Beautiful Surrounding - Shatin Park

As a regular visitor to Hong Kong, I have come to be familiar with the Cantonese folks in their fondness of eating out. There is no shortage of choice restaurants.

Promenade along Shing Mun River

Star Seafood Restaurant (Chinese: “Ming Sing” 明星海鮮舫), formerly called Treasure Floating Restaurant (Chinese: 敦煌畫舫), is a restaurant in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. This is the only marble or granite boat-shaped restaurant berthing along the eastern shore of Shing Mun River, near the junction of Siu Lek Yuen Road and Tai Chung Kiu Road. It serves a variety of Cantonese dishes including Cantonese dim sum & seafood.

Shing Mun River & Cycle Track

Please confuse not yourself with another much more famous Jumbo Seafood Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen in Hong Kong.

Restaurant Side View

The 8-hectare Sha Tin Park is located by the Shing Mun River. The South Garden is a traditional Chinese garden with pavilions, bridge and waterfalls.

Sai Kung nearby is famous for its abundance of seafood restaurants. (Below)

Sai Kung Seafood Restaurants - Many Around Nearby

Related Post:  Eating Out in Hong Kong

A Wonderful Life . . .

On By Paul1 Comment

Starring: Ronald Cheng, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Vincent Kok, Teresa Mo, Yuk-Wah So   – It’s A Wonderful Life. 2007

The reality of life is that we are born to die. The future is set & final. It’s only the question of when & how – over which we have absolutely no choice or control.

From the womb to the tomb, one room in the ground is certainly waiting for us. There’s no escaping!

Some people always look to the future – moving forward, moving on, living for tomorrow, hoping for a better day. Others are grounded in the present and still others spend a lot of time reliving their past affairs and accomplishments.

Imagine the possibility of these scenarios:

  • Living a life without limits (Refer T D Jakes’ Reposition Yourself)
  • To have the option of living all over again repeatedly. (Refer “Groundhog Day” 1993)
  • To live life backwards – instead of living in a forwardly linear progression. (As propounded by T. H. White in “Living Backwards or In Reverse”). One takes inspiration from the past, energy from the present and vision from the future

Most will agree that living in the present is the most favourable and realistic rather than the three mindsets mentioned above. The present is all we have & anything that we can be certain of.

Often, in word processing software, we use the Un-Do button. Ever experienced a “faux pas” and wish life itself came equipped with such a key? Regrets live in that rear view mirror and no longer affect you. Hitting un-do brings the past back to the present only to force you to relive it. So, whenever you feel you’ve chosen poorly, forgive yourself and move on. There is no “retry” no “re-do” and no “un-do” to our experiences. What’s done belongs to history and you choose to either live with it and make it right the next time under similar circumstances or you can live your life in a constant loop of regret and blame. Life teaches us we can’t “un-do” anything. Choose instead to learn and grow. Make the best out of the circumstances.

In his song, “I Love The Now,” singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett writes:

“Tomorrow’s right around the corner

I’ll get there somehow

But I’m stuck in the meantime

And I love the now.”

The movie“Holiday” is about Johnny, a thirty-year-old man, played by Gary Grant who decides that he would like to use what little money he has to take a few years off for self-discovery. Afterward, he’ll be ready to settle down to a life of work and responsibility. Johnny feels, ‘Why wait until you’re old and sick to retire?’. That’s doing things backwards & it’s most mundane.

They say that “Youth is wasted on the young”. Alternatively, it’s often said “Don’t grow up so fast” or “Don’t grow old but grow up!” No matter how old you are, grab hold of that youthful spirit and natural ferocity and go for it. It may take some bending over backwards, but life happens now and the future becomes a memory in an instant.

Here’s Woody Allen’s Perspective on Living Backwards.

Woody Allen describes why he wants his next life to be in reverse, starting old and getting younger. Source: cslacker.com

I love words. It’s why I write & read. Also why I love lyrics and poems and movies. Words are powerful. They need to be guarded, for no retrieving is possible once they depart from our mouth. Most of us use words for the purpose of communication. Some of us wield words like artists wield brushes, painting something beautiful and or compelling out of what could have been merely mundane. Good writers have the ability to “paint with words”.

Related Articles

Smile!

On By Paul1 Comment

“Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you.”

You can smile with the parting of your lips & showing the whiteness of your teeth or a glint in the eyes.

You look beautiful when you smile . . . your heart gets a lift, your emotion glows, your blues get swept aside

and people will find you such a delight.

It seems that nothing is more powerful to elevate a mood than the impact of a genuine smile. The benefits  are mutual. Yes, the old quotation may be true. “A smile is a little curve that sets a lot of things straight.” Here are some of the many benefits of a smile:

A healthier immune system

Helps to relieve stress

A smile inspires others

Helps to spread warmth & cheers

Smiling can increase your chances for success.

The next time you’re tempted to frown, remember another old quotation. “It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown”.

Smile like . . . when you were a kid

Source: Unknown

. . . to be beautiful when you grow up!

Source: Unknown

Even should your beauty fade . . . you can still look happy No matter what happens to you, keep a Smile on your face . . . !

Source: Unknown

Some of you oldies might share my old favourite song:

Smile (Lyrics)

Artist: Nat King Cole

Words by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons and Music by Charlie Chaplin

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it’s breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You’ll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what’s the use of crying?

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile.

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what’s the use of crying?

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile.

Just to remind you of an old TV program: Smile, You’re On Candid Camera!

Have a Great Day !

Related Articles

Repulse Bay – Hong Kong, China

On By PaulLeave a comment


Repulse Bay, wide crescent-shaped beach, popular among locals and tourists alike, is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong.

Amidst the tranquility of The Repulse Bay, you are only 15 minutes from Hong Kong’s commercial hub, Central.

It is an artificial strip of sand on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Shark nets and floating platforms have been added as public safety for swimmers.

Visitors to the beach would notice the fascinating feature of a tall 37-story residential apartment block specially constructed with a square “hole” or empty space in the midst of it. This may seem to be such a waste of valuable residential space.

This is essential to the needs of a nearby legendary dragon. Legend has it that a dragon lives at the top of the mountain, and a “feng shui” master warned that the building would block the dragon’s access to the shore. Hence, a large hole was cut out of the tower’s centre to mollify the dragon and avoid a whole lot of bad luck.


Hongkees are great believers in “feng shui”. They would go to great length to accommodate the requirements of siting, orientation & the balance of the natural forces of “yin” and “yang” to secure the optimum fortune.

Repulse Bay Beach is also famous for the elaborate statues of Chinese sea goddesses at the Kwun Yam Shrine. Throw a coin into the mouth of the fish statue and receive good fortune; cross the gaudy Longevity Bridge and add three days to your life!

Source: HK Tourism Board: Kwun Yam Shrine

Such are the thrills & frills, apart from the sun, sea and sand . . . an ideal place for relaxation & sunbathing. It’s a delightful & popular place for the family outing though the name may sound “repulsive”. The name is derived from the past to remind the locals of the British army‘s victory over the haunting pirates in the old days.

Repulse Bay is quite a premium residential precinct among the top executives.

Related Articles

Dalton Ghetti ‘s Pencil Sculptures

On By Paul3 Comments

Would you have imagined that the simple pencil, long associated with art for hundreds of years, is now being used for sculpture instead?

Artist Dalton Ghetti, a Brazilian native now living in Bridgeport, CT, has been carving miniature sculptures into the graphite of pencils since he was a school boy in Brazil. He received his associate’s degree in architecture from Norwalk Community Technical College. Being used as a child in Brazil to sharpening his pencils with a razor blade, which led to him experiment with carving into the wood of the pencils and then with other materials such as chalk, soap, and tree bark. Eventually, he discovered the ease with which graphite could be carved into because of its smooth texture. He uses No. 2 pencils and stronger, flat carpenter pencils.

He does not require a magnifying glass for his handwork. All he needs are a razor blade, a sewing needle & very bright light.

Microscopic artist Dalton Ghetti spends up to two-and-a half years painstakingly crafting each handmade piece on the graphite of a pencil. Ghetti, who however works as a carpenter, has been working with pencils for about 25 years and his stunning sculptures include Elvis, the entire alphabet, linking chains and even an entire church which is just 10mm tall.

He also develops a technique of painting external walls with the illusion of 3-dimensional.

Carvings of Elvis – One of hundreds of Dalton Ghetti’s pencil creations

Two incredible types of hearts

All the 26 letters of the alphabet painstakingly crafted

Shoe & Button

Small Ladle & Screw

Carving with a Razor Blade
Related Articles