Mr and Mrs Incredible

I have a knack for choosing and watching really bad films. First it was Monsters, then it was Shaolin, and finally Mr and Mrs Incredible. This Hong Kong flick -- starring Louis Khoo and the quirky and now svelte Sandra Ng -- is about a superhero couple who retires to a quiet village in the valley.

Of course a bad guy pops up (for all of 15 minutes) to disrupt the peace and our intrepid superheroes don their masks to fight him off. The rest of the movie is filled with much mooching and sweet nothings. The usual Hong Kong movie gags appear and put me to sleep amidst much polite tittering within the audience.

The bright spark in the movie are the trailers, they’re funny, candid and full of silly action. Best of all, it’s in Cantonese with plenty of “吃蕉”, “正啊!” all of which do not translate well into Mandarin.

Remember, only watch the good stuff.

Scene: Hong Kong (Cheung Chau)

Cheung Chau is quite possibly Hong Kong teenagers’ most favourite resort island. Like Lamma Island, one can reach it from Central Pier by 45-minute boats that ply the route every half hour. It’s also home to many villagers and fishermen.

Unlike Lamma Island, it’s Chinese-oriented. While the signs are still bilingual and everything’s nicely paved, I was hard-pressed to find a gwailo in the thronging masses of lovey-dovey trishaws, 

causal weekenders in the marketplace,

and meandering corridors flanked by close-knit buildings.

Part of Cheung Chau’s charm is its throwback feel to a village stuck in ‘70s where the pace of life is much slower,

where bicycles – not flashy cars – are the main mode of transport,

and sea-wise folk eschew brightly coloured boats for a surfboard and paddles when fishing for seafood.

When night falls, hunger pangs drive us to search for food. There are many stalls along the main stretch. They’re just right to feed a platoon of emaciated soldiers with its mounds of fried rice, heaps of clams and mussels, and tangles of vegetables. Everything fresh, hopefully.

But if you’re just one – like me – then try the stall at the very very end, past the main strip. It’s run by a family where the women deep fry stuffed vegetables, blanch che zhai mian, and bake egg rolls under a canvas awning. Enough for a modest and quiet meal next to the sea.

Regardless, Cheng Chau’s best feature is the sea. A  wide expanse of green against grey fog and relentless splashing. Enough to lull a wide-eyed insomniac into slumber.

Images of Cheung Chau

Scene: Hong Kong (Lamma Island)

Hong Kong is more than just a city of scurrying money suits, gwailos, and overly tall skyscrapers. There are also nooks where time slows down, and people are friendlier… oh you can leave your doors unlocked here as well.

This is Lamma Island. A tiny patch of mountain in the sea where foreigners congregate to escape from the madness of Hong Kong. There were plenty of gwailos and laidback Hong Kongers.

Lamma Island’s best activities include: hiking up and down mountains, seafood dinners, and bars for conversations.

I loved the oldness and rot in abandoned temples and homes.

Even this boat was a token of wetter times while the boat people of Hong Kong lived on their sampans and canvas-roofed shacks.

Scene: Hong Kong (Death Edition)

Being made up of mostly Chinese, Hong Kongers have a fascination with death. No doubt they speak of the dear departed in the past, but at the same time, it feels as if they are taking a long hiatus at a holiday chalet.

These tomb plots are considered to be “landed property”,

while urns of ashes in sealed cubicles are akin to Hong Kong’s high-rises.

Paper money, clothes, shoes, cars, a number of credit cards and whatever else is wrapped and lettered with the recipient’s name.

Delivery by fire.

Light a joss swirl and leave your wishes in the temple.