School (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Especially if one were to count my years at graduate school, I am one of those people who spent far too many years in (educational!) institutions. And maybe that's why in recent years, I've generally shied away from taking photos of any of them even though they are very much part of the Hong Kong landscape. (As an example, I walk past a school daily on the way to and from the nearest MTR station to where I live.)

So rather than offer up photos of schools for humans as my entry for this week's Photo Hunt, here instead are shots of a school of fish spotted swimming in the waters of Tai Tam Upper Reservoir. (Incidentally, these photos were taken on the same hike as that during which I caught sight of some (other) interesting Hong Kong wildlife. And for those who are wondering, yes, one is allowed -- after getting a license and outside of the spawning season -- to fish in Hong Kong's reservoirs.)

As for why the two fish photos above look quite different: the upper shot was of them swimming about rather calmly while the one below shows the frenzy and pandemonium that comes about after somebody -- not me! -- threw chunks of bread into the water. I wish I could also have captured the surprisingly loud sound of the fish urgently thrashing about in their contest to get themselves some bits of the food as that was really quite something along with the very sight. Suffice to say that it got me thinking that a school of excited fish can be as scary a sight and sound as that of a school of excited, squealing children! ;)