Romer's Tree Frog: A Lamma Icon Nancy Karraker - Research Assistant Professor - Division of Ecology and Biodiversity - University of Hong Kong : (All photos taken by Nancy Karraker; sound recording kindly provided by Geoff Smith.) Not many places as small as Lamma Island can claim the discovery of a new animal. Romer's tree frog, also known by the scientific name Liuixalus romeri , was first discovered by J.D. Romer in a small cave on South Lamma Island in 1952. When the roof of the cave collapsed and other frogs were not found nearby, it was believed until as recently as 1984 that the species was extinct. It was then rediscovered in the so-called Kamikaze Caves and has since been found all over Lamma Island. While it was first known from Lamma, the species also naturally occurs on Lantau, Po Toi, and Chep Lap Kok islands. Most of the population from Chep Lap Kok was translocated to eight sites in the New Territories and Hong Kong Island when the new airport was being built a...
兩天之內,我大了兩歲,因為我是年廿七出世。我的生日是跨年的,阿媽話:好在趕得切生佢出來逗利是。昨天E小姐 (一個初相識便已無所不談的朋友) 問我生日過得如何。都到了這種年齡,其實都不會太看重生日。不過既然問到,就胡扯兩句"nothing special...Just a year older now..." 我還沒有說完,可她馬上閃著她像扇一般的眼睫毛,充滿同情地說" Oh! Don't be sad..." 我想她是收錯訊號坐錯位,其實我並沒有半點悲傷。"There's nothing wrong to be old, that's not something that we should be ashamed of. Actually, I feel good." 可是她還是充滿同情地說, "Oh, you're so positive!" , 再加一個甜笑。 主流社會對個人有一個成敗得失的評分表,善惡美醜一項項列得井井有條。如果別人要用它來為我評分,我是完全理解的,也不會生氣。畢竟主流價值無孔不入,我們當中又有幾多個真的不沾半點俗氣。但理解歸理解,我仍是誠心希望我們每一個人都能更善待自己,更了解自己的真正價值所在,而不須再被主流凶狠的價值觀折騰得惶惶不可終日。 回想幾星期前,在北京皮村舉辦的「第一屆打工青年文化藝術節」聽到孫恆提出工人要建立自己的文化,我當時在席上像觀看跳水選手的評判一般,恨不得可以同時兩手高舉兩個「十分」,太好了,完全到位無水花!無錯,是有需要建立一套新的文化/價值觀,一套有別於消費文化的價值觀! (有關北京之旅的東東,還是留待下回分解,因為實在有太多感想。)至少,我認為每個人都應該有自己的評分表,不需要因為無車無樓無文憑而歧視自己。 又一年了,最大的感慨是時間不夠用。