Join membership of Physical

Date: 18 December, 2006 (Monday)
Weather: Cold and dry

Right after work I head to physical and planned to join the membership of Physical. It's been long I have planned to join it. I didn't join it earlier because I afraid I didn't have the patient to play it after few times playing. Well since some of my freinds have joined as well and I think I should also do some exercise to keep healthy. haha
When I got the counter there was only a salesgirl. She suggested some packages but I'm interested in the one which with facial packages. haha..That girl was a bit tricky she filled in the form for me and 'tick' the box of 'auto-pay after a year contract' thats crazy! (she thought I didn't see it!) I checked it and refused. How could she do that without asking me? So she gave me a new form and I have to fill it myself!!! ha!
Well I guess I would probably start it next week..haha..lets seeeeeee. yeah

Shopping with Frances and Carol

Date: 16 December, 2006 (Saturday)
Weather: Cold and dry

I woke up at around 10.30am then prepared everything and left home. I went to have my hair cut first when I got there, it was so crowded! I bet most girls would like to have a new hair style before christmas! haha well, I just have a bit hair cut. Anyway it's still fine but the service wasn't as good as before. As there were too many people..haha
Then I went to meet my friends, Carol and Frances. It's been awhile haven't met them. Carol will go to China on 23 December. I would also like to travel. haha just see anyone who has time and willing to spend holidays with me..haha whatever! We originally planned to have dinner buffect in hotel as Frances got the discount coupon it sounded pretty good. But too sad that we were too late, it's fully reservated. As Frances said the food is pretty good there and price is reasonable..haha so yeah anyway maybe we gotta try it another time. After shopping around in TST we ended up having dinner in Pizza Hut. Yeah I love pizza and pasta. yummmy..hahaha That Pizza Hut has new decoration. But I prefer the old decoration because the seats are smaller not as comfortable as before.
well we all back home at around 11pm. It's a great day as we 3 talked so much! haha It seems like our topics never end....haha

Food safety must never be compromised

Supplies of fresh fish to Hong Kong from Guangdong province are in jeopardy because mainland fish farmers say our food safety rules are unreasonably strict and that until we change our ways, we should go without. These are indeed fighting words, but so be it, at no time can we compromise the regulations that ensure our food is as safe and healthy as possible.
The ones changing thier ways should be the farmers themselves, who should know very well the laws of Hong Kong and the mainland on food production. They have been given access to our markets because they claim to understand the rules and have agreed to follow the terms.
To casual observers, those rules may seem overly strict when it coes to malchite green, the fungus preventing chemical that sparked the row after being found in fish samples by food safety authorities. The quantities were minute, being several fold below the threshold limite set by the European Union. Further, althouth the compound has been found by scientists to cause liver tumours in mice, there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusion other than that it can be toxic to human cells.
In short, the traces that have so far been detected are so low that they would be unlikely to cause health problems, even if ingested regularly over a long period of time. The operative word here, however, is "if". That is why Europe, the US, Canada and many other developed nations have banned the use of the chemical in seafood farming and ensure tained products are removed from the food chain whenever they are detected. Mainland authorities followed suit in 2002 and Hong Kong officials made the decision last year.
Since Hong Kong banned malachite green, batches of contaminated fish are immediately withdrawn and supplies stopped until the all clear is given. The same procedure has applied in recent weeks with scares over eggs containing the cancer-causing chemical Sudan Red and bean curd contaminated with the equally dangerous substances formaldehyde and boric acid.
Such measures were taken under our stringent food safety regime which closely follows standards in Europe and North America. As most of our food comes from the mainland, similarly strict measures are expected from producers there and co-operative agreements allow inspections and monitoring.
There are questions about whether Hong Kong has adequate resources to properly enforce the rules given the high quantity of produce coming across the border. Just what is sufficient when it comes to the number of inspectors and laboratory facilities needed is difficult to answer because testing food from every truck or boat is impractical, so the matter becomes one of random sampling on a predetermined scale. There is no question, however, that mainland enforcement of rules could be better and promises have been made by food safety authorities.
The demands made by Guangdong fish farmers also highlight Hong Kong's dependence on food from the mainland. Up to 80 per cent of our freshwater fish comes from the province and the cutting off of those supplies on 28 Nov meant many people were forced to go without one of their food staples.
The mainland has been our traditional source of food for reasons of proximity, freshness and cost. Market forces have made Hong Kong a more attractive destination for that produce than domestic mainland markets. Both sides benefit. Our food sources are not unchangeable, though, and until Guangdong's farmers come to their senses and reconsider their position, we will have to be content with saltwater fish and limited amounts of the freshwater variety. We should also explore new markets.
Food safety is non-negotiable. The rules the government has put in place are necessary and must be strictly adhered to. To do otherwise is to compromise our health and the well being of our community.