A day in a park



Today is Chung Yeung Festival, a day to "sweep the graves of our ancestors" and a day to hike. The weather was just a bit moody and a bit sad, so I didn't go to hike but instead walk to the Hong Kong Park in the city. The air is surprisingly fresh in the middle of the city. Though the sky is grey, it's still a good day to see some flowers, the pond, the man-made waterfall and the water fountains. I bet I was lucky to get up early and go to the park early because I found hundreds of maids in the another park when I was walking back home later.

Being in a park is always good but never good on holidays or weekends as most of the city parks have become the gathering points of hundreds or even thousands of maids. They are sitting on the floor, playing guitars, eating, cutting hair, playing cards or eating. I don't blame them as they just find a place to gather around and obviously we are short of space. Since families hire them to take care of their children and doing housework for them, I bet we have to bear the consequences, i.e. giving up some peaceful walk in the park on holidays. Or we can still wake up extremely early and have some fresh air before they flock in.

I just hate to see those maids all sitting on the grounds of the gardens and the footbridges as well. It almost projects HK an uncivilized place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dynamic Change of Media Landscape

Newspapers and magazines do not operate the same way as it used to be. Editorial content was considered to be a very important asset for attracting advertising. Some years ago, I saw some chief editors call corporations and PR consultants for advertising, taking up some of the roles of an account manager. In recent years, more newspapers and magazines judge on whether corporations place ads on their publications before placing any stories on them. An English newspaper here used to run editorial video stories but a recent layoff dramatically cut the resources and made its online team to do "sponsored video interviews" only. That makes the team very commercial and almost gives up their reporting work. Even I'm one of their sponsors, I feel sad. But things have never been the same. Should you quit or stay? I guess that the team might not be there some months later. On the contrary, more Chinese newspapers have been adding video news stories, 100% editorial content. Can they...
Read more

Alfresco Dining

Image
The weather is so unpredictable in New Zealand. In the morning and at night it can be below 10°C,  while in the afternoon it is hot like summer at 26°C. The wind direction plays a big role when it comes to the actual temperature. The forecast said 17°C, but I was wrapped head to toe in winter clothes on this summer day.   The sun is always so bright that sunglasses have become essential. If you put your feet in the water on the beach, it is not so bad, but the further you go towards the sea, the colder it gets and the waves get bigger.  In late spring, the temperatures are usually perfect for having a coffee and eating outdoors. Find a beautiful lake, a farm overlooking with snowy mountains, a beach, a pier, or even a park, to lie down and stretch those aching muscles. Bring some chairs to your favourite garden, sit down with a friend and happily have a bite of good sandwiches, apples, and cheese.  I enjoy the luxury of being so close to nature on my travels. It...
Read more

Agricultural Show

Image
  The agriculture show resumed in Christchurch, New Zealand after a two-year hiatus. This show has put a lot of emphasis on sustainability with its online advertising although the plastic cups and plates have not yet been replaced with better solutions. However, the organiser claimed that they sourced local and climate-friendly partners, used recycled and decomposted materials as much as possible, and of course donated materials to the community after the show.  I'm glad to lear that such efforts were made to protect the environment.  I absolutely love saying hello to a variety of sheep, cattle, and horses at the show. The food stalls were of great variety and good quality. The selection was excellent throughout the day. There were lots of fun competitions such as gumboot throwing, wood chopping, and educational stalls on recycling aimed at families and serious workers. I hope there will be more shuttle buses and signages in the future.
Read more