Was sagst du? 樣樣都德

When I was young in Hong Kong, many text books would carry this almost cliché saying that Hong Kong used to be a small fishing village. While it has since then changed umpteen times, there are enough bits and pieces left to allow one to trace back the beginnings of this place. 小時候的課本常言道，香港從前是個小漁港。雖然這地方改頭換面了不知多少次，但歲月總會留下一點痕跡給後人看的。 Hong Kong is still inseparable from the sea, and the sea is a part of many people’s lives. 香港這地方與海仍有不可分割的淵源，是不少人生活的一部分。 For my one week in Hong Kong, I stayed in a seaside district which is also a stronghold of Hong Kong fishery. The typhoon shelter is filled with fleets of fishing boats where the fishery households also do their business and call home. 這次回港一週，住的地方不止與海為鄰，而且是香港傳統漁業的據地之一，避風塘內泊滿了一艘又一艘的漁船，既是漁民的謀生工具，也是他們的商鋪和他們的家。 In contrast to the seafaring lifestyle, many have chosen to live in one of the many high-rises hugging the sea front. Fortunately the place doesn’t appear overly crowded with so many buildings. There is still plenty of open space to let th

This winter has been one where the sky was often as grey as the pavements and the colour that people wore matched the dullness and sombreness of the world around them. The weather and scenery reminded me so much of the typical autumns of Germany – if it hasn’t been an exact replica thereof. And much like my second autumn in Germany , this season has been filled with comings and goings. The frenzy of construction near my work place continues unabated, and at the end of July one of those long-established pubs has decided to call the last round in order to make way for new student flats. Although I don’t frequent it, it’s no ordinary pub to me, as it was where I had my first ever drop of alcohol in my life on my 21st birthday. After a lunch and a beer on the closing day, all that was left was just memories of the days long gone. The lab has seen a research group moving elsewhere and a couple of others leaving. Some of those have only joined the lab for less than half a year, and now the