Opinion | All Around Town: how a smooth-talking Democrat was once lost for words
She may speak impeccable English now, but Emily Lau stumbled when she when was put on the spot at primary school
Emily Lau Wai-hing might be well-known for her impeccable English, but very few would have guessed that the Democratic Party chairwoman was actually a Yuen Long girl and once repeated a year in her primary school studies. Lau told All Around Town that she grew up in Yuen Long and was sent to local Chung Sing School for two years – until her mother decided to move her to the prestigious Maryknoll Convent School in Kowloon. “I was supposed to be promoted to Primary Three, ” Lau recalled. “But in the end I only applied for Primary Two as my mother wanted to make sure I could get in.” Lau said she had only learnt Chinese and mathematics in Chung Sing School and experienced a dramatic change in her new English-medium environment. “I was caught talking in class one day and my teacher said something in English to me. I did not get it and replied ‘Yes’ and the class laughed,” she said. “It turned out the teacher asked if I had been told to talk in class.” Lau caught up fast though and managed to secure 9th place in class the next year.
Jeffie Lam
Has Hart got the stomach for ‘sushi’ challenge?
Outgoing US consul general Clifford Hart tried many local delicacies during his three years in Hong Kong but ignored calls by internet users to try the notorious “red bean sushi” from Ming General Japanese Sushi restaurant.
Now a month before leaving the city, Hart has uploaded a video on facebook and claimed that not dining at Ming General, famed for its outlandish dishes, was one of his biggest regrets.
Making reference to a famous line in Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s 1995 romance-comedy A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella, Hart said: “There was once a plate of sushi placed in front of me. I didn’t treasure it, and I regretted it very much when I lost it. There is nothing more painful than this in the world. If god gave me more time, I might try it. I really love Hong Kong, and if I have to set an expiry date for this love, I hope it will be 10,000 years.”
The internet savvy diplomat says he will return to Hong Kong soon to work in the private sector – time maybe to make up for the “painful regret”?
