From my living-room window in Discovery Bay, my family has a bird's eye view of the Disneyland construction site.
I have to admit that, in the beginning, I grew increasingly nervous as the reclamation spread further out to sea in front of our home. But once the site started growing up, instead of out, it's been an interesting exercise for us, although this may be because daddy is a civil engineer who keeps a pair of binoculars by the window and keeps the rest of us up to date on exactly what, in his expert opinion, is going on in the soon-to-be Magic Kingdom.
My two daughters, aged four and two, are familiar enough with the icons of Disney, and they're aware that in a couple of years, we'll be able to go to that place across the water where wonders await: Magic Mountain, the Electrical Parade, and six (count 'em) Disney princesses, to name a few.
I remember when the Disney deal was signed. Some people derided Tung Chee-hwa for dancing with Mickey Mouse. But now that I have kids of my own, I'm pleased to have been reacquainted with Walt Disney.One of my most enduring memories is of the night my parents decided not to tuck me and my siblings into bed, but to take us to watch Bambi at the drive-in. Pyjama-clad, we snuggled in the car with my parents, bewildered that they'd thought of such a thing, but so thrilled that they had.
But this childhood memory is not the only reason I like Disney. I had no idea, when I started watching the studio's films with my girls, that I would enjoy them just as much - and have coined the term 'Disney therapy' to explain what I'm referring to.
Take, for example, the story of the Chinese heroine Mulan, which is great after a bad day at work, or when your self-confidence is low. Then there's the wonderful Lilo And Stitch, which says that a family can be many things. And all those Disney princesses, even Snow White, tell our daughters it's OK to be strong. Recently, my uncle died, and later that evening my girls and I got into our pyjamas, snuggled down in the beanbag chair, and watched The Lion King, to learn, once again, how we can begin to know who we are - and all about the great 'Circle of Life'. It was such a comfort.
