Flax

Apparently, I was too caught up with pirates in my last post, that I completely forgot to mention what "the essence of the bun" means. On Cheung Chau, the island we hiked last week, they have a huge Bun Festival every year in April or May. About a century ago, illness struck the island, so the people offered lotus paste buns to the gods and since the plague or whatever it was left, they continue to not only set out buns, but construct bamboo towers covered with buns. They used to leave them out for three days for the gods to eat the essence of the bun---and then the people would eat the rest of it. I don't know about you, but when I eat a bun, I don't care if there's essence in it or not; I do care if after 3 days of sitting outside in a tropical climate, a moldy film encapsulates it. This practice has been banned. People are so concerned about health in this area.
I actually mean that, though in that context, one might mistake my comment for sarcasm. But in all seriousness, every single day I see maybe 5-6 people wearing a paper medical mask. And these are people with temporary upper-respiratory conditions, not over-zealous doctors. The government seems to gently mandate it. Also, a true story set in a real-life grocery store:
I had just picked up a box of Honey Nut Os.
Guy: Don't get that one!
Me: But...I like it.
Guy: You need something with more fiber.
Me: Oh. I do?
Guy: Yes, come here.
And now I eat flax cereal.
On Saturday, I helped with the first rehearsal of "The Jungle Book"--kids aged between 6 and 11. Tattling is universal, the charges are not.
"Miss Camber! Miss Camber! Ho Fi was speaking Chinese!"
"Ho Fi, remember the rules."
I decided that I needed a keyboard to hone my non-existent piano skills. I found a really cheap 4-octave one on a website for expats. I had to travel almost all the way to China to get it, but ultimately bought a decent Casio from Tobias, the theology professor at Chinese University, and his wife, Gabi. Delightful people, despite the fact that Tobias wasn't wearing a shirt. He seems to be the type that never wears a shirt and when society mandates that he wear a shirt, I'm sure it's a very thin fabric and probably flows in the wind. Then I had to carry the thing back to my apartment (over an hour journey).
Now, whenever I'm tired of walking in the city, I can ponder that I could be carrying a keyboard in a moldy cardboard box, and I will feel better.
Today, I attempted to go to a Baptist church, but never found it. Last week, there wasn't an exit; this week, there wasn't an entrance. One day, I will find a church with adequate doors. So since I was close by, I went back to the "colonial" Methodist church. I met an American (they're rare since something like less than 15% of them have passports)--and he knows about the wonder that is South Dakota State University. His name is Ross, which is convenient because he looks like a blond David Schwimmer. He moved to HK to live for a year and is currently on year 18....it is indeed a seductive place. Go now, and eat your buns, essence and all.