Hurricane Megi miraculously missed HK, but my original plan to join my fellowship camp this weekend was already canceled. The unexpected free time had given me a major headache rather than a relaxing time. My mind was cluttered with projects I wanted to start, but was afraid that they wouldn’t be finished and become major distractions when I begin my much needed isolation period next week to work on my paper and dissertation.
Ended up not doing much other than watching a RTHK series dedicated to the elderly (黃金歲月). The elders captured on camera spent their lives after retirement in a vast number of ways – teaching, painting, dancing, volunteering, …, and even triathlon! I couldn’t help noticing the genuine happiness shown on their faces, so full of life. In contrast, I see my parents daily sitting on the couch with their expressionless faces starring at the TV screen that is full of flickering stock quotes, life seem to be slowly and relentlessly sucking out from them. They should have more than enough savings to spend the rest of their lives worry-free, but they claimed that following and investing in stocks give them a sense of purpose, something to look forward to each day. But that’s not happiness, is it?!
Had been in search of a new bible after finished reading The Message, and unexpectedly, I found this peculiar version – The Green Bible! It is the New Revised Standard Version with scriptures concerning “Green” topics highlighted and discussed. What a wonderful idea!
How great would it be if we Homosapiens can live in harmony with nature like the natives? We civilized non-natives tend to study nature from afar and regard it as nothing more than natural resources to be consumed. In stark contrast, early indigenous people were careful observant of nature, they dwell and lived off of it and saw it as sacred. They were truly living in harmony with nature!
Sat in on a seminar about Grass today. Didn’t realize we humans depend so much on grass until now – more than 45% of our diet’s calorific value comes from it (rice, wheat, barley,…)! Furthermore, grass can be used to make paper, herbal medicine, oil, furniture, construction materials, etc. And the fastest growing plant that can rise up to 3 feet in a single day is bamboo, also grouped as the grass family (Poaceae). Such miraculous plants!
When asked about my farewell gift from my Elim Fellowship’s b/s, I requested The Message – a contemporary English translation of the best-selling book of all times. After bringing back this gift with me to HK for a little over a year, I’ve finally finished reading it from front to back!
It’s Chinese National Holiday today. Went back to Tsing Yi to play bball with my highschool friends. This is one of the rare occasions that I went back during the day rather than night to play badminton. With much time to spare after the game, I forgot about my fatigued body and took a long leisurely stroll around the neighborhood where I grew up. Not a lot had changed, many of the neighborhood shops (barber shop, clinic, stationery shop, bakery, general store,…) were still there. I navigated the neighborhood with ease as though I’ve never left that place 10+ years ago. I doubt that this sense of belonging to a community and strong attachment to a place can be bought in any of the luxurious private housings that are selling like hot cakes.
