Creating your SPACE
Learning is a journey. For some, it’s a weathered path full of intriguing twists and turns; others welcome the stimulating trials and challenges; and many find exquisite joy in the blossoming flora they encounter along the way. As HKU SPACE celebrates its 60th anniversary, we are honored to have four alumni to share their journeys of learning with us, and talk about their experiences, and the beautiful scenery they encountered over the years.
Lam Chiu Ying, the former Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, takes us deep into the forest and contemplates the philosophical lessons he gained from bird watching. For Lam, learning is the most constructive form of leisure. Law Hiu Fung, a professional athlete and prominent Hong Kong rower, tells us how learning inspired him during a perceived impasse in his sporting career, and how the experience helped him to build a stronger sense of self. For world-class snooker player Ng On Yee, learning stimulates her intellectual and creative thinking, which in turn directly enhances her performance in competitions. And last but not least, Dr Ko Wing-man explains how he complemented his training in Western medicine with new knowledge from Chinese medicine, to build a truly person-oriented practice enriched with the subtle nuances of deep theories and traditions from the East.
Through their stories, we discover that each journey of learning is unique, with each voyage resulting in personal growth, intellectual and spiritual development, and an enriched personal space in which to thrive. Perhaps it’s now time to plan your own journey, and create and cultivate your own special space in which you can learn, grow, and flourish.
Ng On Yee: Stylish Aspirations
It all began with a uniform. Ng On Yee was 13 when she was first attracted to snooker while watching her father compete in his full snooker outfit. She thought it would be wonderful if she could wear the same outfit as a girl. So Ng asked her father to teach her how to play. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Ng is meticulous about details. In the world of professional snooker, which morphed out of billiards, a British aristocratic game played in the 18th and 19th centuries, both male and female players follow the same dress code: bow tie, plain shirt, black waistcoat with an elective back color, and leather shoes with socks. For Ng, who is fastidious about her uniform, one of the trickiest aspects is the shirt. It cannot be too tight, to avoid affecting her performance; but cannot be too loose either, for the sake of aesthetics. Each of Ng’s uniforms are tailor-made with a color-coordinated bow tie and waistcoat and specially designed buttonholes, and she insists on wearing the full uniform, even for competitions which no longer require female players to wear a tie.
But our Cue Queen’s most signature trademark is her round-framed spectacles. Ng says she owns more than ten pairs, and that something just ‘doesn’t feel right’ when she’s not wearing them. It’s not only to satisfy her vanity, as Ng is shortsighted by 600 degrees with astigmatism of 400 degrees. Although you’d never catch her in the prescription snooker glasses that Dennis Taylor wears! Perhaps it is thanks to such stylish aspirations, or such high standards for immaculate and precise detail, that the World Champion ultimately gained her current world title.
