Happy 100th birthday, Correctional Services Department. To mark the date, prison staff took the stage at Tai Kwun [the cultural center in Central that used to be a jail] and told their century-long story in an interpretative dance.

That was an excellent idea, and I strongly recommend that all government departments replace formal speeches with interpretative dances in future.

"Chief Executive Carrie Lam will now present her one-hour long policy address in a mixture of jazz and hip-hop. She will afterward answer questions using only Irish Riverdance leg movements."

The most eye-catching people at the above event were prison staff dressed in historical uniforms. These included a white mini for women and green pajamas for men.

Who will sign my campaign to bring these outfits back for all civil servants here?

* * *

Incidentally, the old pictures that prison staff uncovered for the anniversary website reveal that convict cooks in Hong Kong jails used to literally prepare food using garden spades.

These days they use precision instruments to make delicate macarons that look like they belong on Masterchef.

* * *

The government has a cunning plan to speedily solve the housing problem by building life-sized "Lego buildings." These are flats built in factories and then stacked up to make apartment blocks.

Development chief Michael Wong Wai-lun is spending much of this week in Singapore, where they do this a lot.

On Monday at the Jurong factory where they build each "brick," staff told him that the challenge was delivering the flats without accidents.

"I was riding my bicycle to work, officer, when I collided with a three-bedroom apartment coming from the opposite direction."

* * *

You know how when you're selling a home, some cheeky bidder will slip in an ultra-low bid just on the off-chance that you're desperate? Well, the same thing happens with tycoons.

A HK$3 billion lot in Tai Hang Road attracted a pile of sealed tenders, mostly around the expected price.

But one of the offers was for a mere HK$1 billion, Lands Department staff revealed this week.

Someone hoped to shave HK$2 billion off the price.

Probably one of the tycoons just betting the small change in his pocket.

* * *

While the rest of us moan about Hong Kong, the atmosphere in the city's finance world is incredibly upbeat - and infectious.

On Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po told a financial conference about our astonishing achievements, such as the fact that the World Economic Forum recently rated our financial system the "best in the world" - superior to London or New York.

If you're feeling depressed about Hong Kong's prospects, just stalk Paul Chan for a morning.

* * *

Had to laugh at the student quoted in this newspaper yesterday saying that the turnstiles at the Polytechnic University entrance made it feel "like a jail." They are the same turnstiles used at the swankiest buildings in Hong Kong, including the IFC office block.

* * *

From Wolfman Jr on Twitter: "Calling BS on news that the Amazon is burning. I just got a package delivered from them today."

* * *

I think the Bee Gees could have recorded a whole album in Hong Kong this week:

Saturday Night Fever

Sunday Night SARS

Monday Night Bird Flu

Tuesday Night Wuhan Coronavirus

Wednesday Night MERS

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Prison service tells its story in a dance