Yesterday the instant headline news in the media has been about the award of the Nobel Prizes and the winners of this year's prize for Physics are the "Father of Fibre Optics" and the Inventors of the CCD Imager:-
Hong Kong News Headlines - South China Morning Post (SCMP.com)
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09100601nobelprize.asp
The CCD imager is the heart of all digital cameras whereas fibre optics and electro-optical electronics and devices are the bases of modern communications which the Internet is built on. Both are very important to our life and actually the two things are two of the most important hobbies of mine for decades - I have been a digital photographer since the Year 2000 and an Internet user since 1990.
As a Hong Kong people, I feel extremely proud of Professor Kao of being awarded the Nobel Prize finally, after so many years of his invention and his huge contribution to the Mankind. Personally, I was the student of Professor Kao back to 1990 and there were occasions that I chatted and discussed things directly with Professor Kao face to face in person and what I must mention is that Professor Kao is an extremely modest, friendly and polite person with good open-mindedness, despite that he has extraordinary foresight and rich technical knowledge in engineering and research.
I think Professor Kao must be one of the most respectable persons in my life and I had learnt a lot of things from him which are much beneficial and useful to me. Undoubtedly, I feel extremely proud of once being a student of him, in addition of being a Hong Kong citizen for having such a great Hong Kong and Chinese scientist and engineer.
Update (10-9):
Here are some latest touching news and reports about Professor Kao and his recent life and family:-
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/event/fc/20091007/hknobelkao.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/3/eliy.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgu.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgv.html
(all in Traditional Chinese)
Despite that Professor Kao now has the Alzheimer's disease, so that he has almost forgotten what fibre optics is about, he has yet remembered much about his wife and many things about their life and marriage.
I'm glad to learn that Professor Kao still has good health and an enjoyable family life and he has received much support from his family even though he has the disease. But life is life and that's life and everyone has to face it no matter how. In fact, we have to face all the difficulties in our lives, as long as we are still happy and to face all those bravely and positively and family is actually the most important thing in our lives which cannot be replaced by anything.
My all the best wishes and blessing to Professor Kao!
And for me, without the best support and pardon from my wife, I think I cannot spend some more time in writing/maintaining my blog of which the time is somehow "squeezed" from my family time. So, I would like to also thank her here publicly with this opportunity! (my lovest, if YOU read this.. :->)