Late Night Shopping

AM, PM or APM

After Work

City Web

Bouncer

Tamiflu

I read an interesting aritcle in FT today. According to the paper, Tamiflu is made from star anise (eight corners), a very common Chinese spice used in cooking. Star anise is for the raw material shikimic acid, a key component for the drug. I never realised star anise is so valuable!

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy

Lau Fau Shan

I went to Lau Fau Shan last Sunday. I was surprised that the place has not changed a bit. The feeling of the place is very 1960s. I found two food stalls selling grilled oysters next to the seaside. Although I have not tried them, they seemed vey yummy to me.

Oyster Market

Puzzle Solved

I was always puzzled over the Budda's birth-year. I am just reading "The universe in a single atom", which says that the 2500th anniversary of the Budda's death was in 1956. In other words, the Budda died in 544 BC. I guess part of the puzzle is solved.

Best Lunch

I like to have a sandwich and a coffee in the Statue Square. I usually choose a seat facing the HSBC building and enjoy the food. I think the place is the best in Central to have a relaxing lunch because one can enjoy delicious food and the beautiful view of the masterpiece building. I always think it is a luxury to look at this once most expensive building in the world. If I am lucky, I can have a sunbath at the same time.

A Junk in the Daytime but a Chinese Lantern at Night

SOM has designed and built the AIG Tower in Central after the Convention and Exhibition Centre (Phase 2) in Wan Chai. The building resembles a junk in the daytime but a Chinese lantern at night, which can be undersood as the two elements of Hong Kong. I like the concept a lot as the local characteristics are considered and put into the building.

Service Quality

I was looking for a shirt and went to Causeway Bay in the evening today. I visited three shops and the following are what I observed:

A. Polo at Sogo
A man was looking at a shirt and asked a 20-something female shop assistant for advice. She replied in a very rude tone without looking at the eyes of the man. I left immediately without further looking.

B. Brooks Brothers at Sogo
I was greeted by two salespersons when I walked into the shop. I asked a third shop assistant about the colour of any oxford shirts available. She "delivered" the information with a very freezing tone. I left the shop shortly.

C. Etro at Lee Gardens
I was greeted by several salespersons as I walked into the shop. I found a shirt I was interested. A salesperson asked my surname and guided me to the changing room. When I walked out the changing room, I was greeted by another salesperson addressing me with my surname. You may have guessed that I bought the shirt with a feel-good shopping experience.

Changing Colour

The LV shop in Causeway Bay has a colour-changing-wall. It gives me a feeling of dynamism. I am looking forward to the opening of the flagship store at Landmark. I hope the decoration is even more spectacular.

Original Hong Kong Styled Cafe

White Palace is an original Hong Kong styled cafe in Kowloon City. I would guess it is more than 40 years. The cafe has a unique wall decoration with diamond pattern. An open kitchen specially for noodles, which I have never seen before, is located near the entrance. All the chairs and tables seem authentic to me. It is a pity that the food is only so-so, however, the staff are very friendly.

Old District, Modern View

Another unusual combintion in Hong Kong: a post-modern structure in Ma Tau Kok. The structure is the remain of a demolished gas storage tank. A very interesting structure in a very old district!

Visual Impact

A building under a motorway is quite an unusual combination. We can always discover such odd combinations in the city. Expect the unexpected when you walk on streets next time!

Secret of Chinese Cooking

Dried mandarin skins are commonly used in the prepartion of Chinese soups. The skin is added for its very unique aroma. I walked on Shanghai Street today and spotted that the friuit skin was being dried in front of several fruit stalls, a very rare scene in the other part of the city. I always think that the stall owners earn more by selling the skin than selling the fruit, because the skin has a much higher price.

Building with Changing Colour

The LV shop in Causeway Bay is fitted with colour-changing panels. The appearance is very attracting to passers-by. I think the idea is very innovative as the building is lifted to an organic level.

Old Lady

I saw this old lady in the market. She was walking with two canes at a very slow pace. Although she had to spend a great effort in moving, she decided not to stay at home but to explore her neighourhood. I guess most senior citizens would not have her determination.

Market at Night

The street market in Central is very different at night. The place usually busy with people in the daytime has new visitors or inhabitants at night: slim cats are scattered on the floor or in the stalls. They are usually in a relaxing mood when human beings are not in their proximity. A lot of people including the old and the young give them food after the evening. I just wonder where the cats are in the daytime as I never spot one when the sun is not down.

Late Night Shopping

Shopping is a culture here. Most shops are open at around 11 am and closed at 11 pm. The opening hours reflect the city's characteristic very well: night activities are very prominent. Most people may have long working-hours and they can only meet their friends or shop in the evening.

Team Spirit

The soul says to the body: We are a team.
The body replies: Yes, we are a team. You are my best partner.
They mutter to each other in a city full of people and neon lights.

Green Packaging

I cannot remember the last time I saw straws for food packaging. The use of straw in markets was very common in the 70s, before the popularity of PE bags. I thought the use of straws has been totally replaced, but I was wrong. I visited the Bridges Street food market today, I found that a few stalls still used this traditional material. Really unbelievable!

Bauhaus

A few early Hong Kong public buildings followed the Bauhaus style. I visited the food market on Bridges Street today and had a closer look at the details of the building. The outside of the market has a very plain look; the design is based on a pragmatic and economical approach, however, the functional features such as lighting and ventilation are not sacrificed. The windows are designed with the canopy-like feature to prevent rain from outside. A very clever approach without the use of glass panes.

Surprises

A walk in Wan Chai is always rewarding. It is easy to find the traditional Hong Kong customs in the 60s nd 70s. Hanging clothes for drying on streets was very common in the 70s but not nowadays. However, it is not difficult to discover this scene in Wan Chai. Although I do not encourage this activity, however, this adds more characters to the city. On deeper thinking, does the vest owner have difficulties to dry his clothes at home? Is the street his home? Is he poor? A number of questions in my mind.

Company with Heart

Muji is one of my favorite stores. One of the reasons is that it is a company with heart. The products are designed with caring-the-environment concept. Its chewing gum is a very good example to illustrate this chacteristic. The Muji chewing gum comes with a packet of paper, which is for the easy diposal after the consumption. This well-thought idea really differential the Muji snack from the Airwaves.

Working Late

Ghost in the Shell and the Matrix

Here is an article in which director 押井守 talks about Ghost in the Shell and the Matrix.

Will Be History

灣仔街市 July 2005

Part of History

中環街巿 2002

Anti-Japanese Drawings by Korean Children

Anti-Japanese drawings by Korean children are displayed in Korea. Hatred and disgust are expressed in the drawings, although the pictures are cute.

Via photoethnography.com

Changing Skyline

結蘆在人境

結蘆在人境
而無車馬喧
問君何能爾
心遠地自偏

Chen Kaige's Interview

Director Chen Kaige, 陳凱歌, had an interview with WBUR. He talked about his past and his views about making movies. I find the most touching part is his review of the cultural revolution in China. He described how he treated his father which is considered harsh and non-human nowadays. He said that he chose to revealed his past was very important to him. Most people blame the turmoil on only Mao Tse Tung but the revolution could not be successful without other people. It is a real courage to admit one's mistake and it is not easy for most people.

君乘車, 我戴笠

君乘車，我戴笠，他日相逢下車揖；
君擔簦，我跨馬，他日相逢為君下。

Spectacular Performance

Here is a spectacular performance showing 千手觀音. The coordination of the performers is very precise which results in an unbelievable visual experience.

Source: chinese-forums.com

人間好時節

慧開禪師

Back Alley

One Corner, Two Reds, Four Walks of Life

Advergames

Promotion of business with TV advertistments has been losing its effect in recent years. It is due to more people spending less time in watching TV, also, more time is spent on internet. As a result, a new medium for the advertisment has borne: advergames. The growth of advergames is increasing at a rapid pace which cannot be overlooked.

上下而求索

路漫漫其修遠兮,吾將上下而求索 - 屈原

Heroes

中國全國婦聯 has done on a survey in the “heroes of Chinese secondary school students" and the results were out in May 2005. The rankings are:
1. 毛澤東
2. 父母
3. 周恩來
4. 雷鋒
5. 劉翔
6. 成龍
7. 任長霞
8. 劉胡蘭
9. 董存瑞
10. 楊利偉

Source: New Weekly

顧長衛的孔雀

Peacock won a prestigous grand prize in Berlin Film Festival in 2005. The film depicts three brothers and sister growing up in China after the Cultural Revolution. The story does not involve much about politics though the traditional Chinese culture is much affected by the revolution. It focuses on the people in the time. The script is written with a lot of wits. The photography is very beautiful and elegant without doubt as the director was the photographer for the films of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. I have a lot of bitter-sweet reflection after watching the film. (http://ent.people.com.cn/BIG5/42075/3189726.html and http://202.108.249.200/movie/20050307/100793.shtml).

P.S. Works of 顧長衛
2000 Devils On The Doorstep, 鬼子來了, Cinematographer
2000 Autumn in New York Cinematographer
1998 Hurlyburly Cinematographer
1998 The Gingerbread Man Cinematographer
1994 In the Heat of the Sun Cinematographer
1993 Farewell, My Concubine Cinematographer
1990 Ju Dou, 菊豆, Cinematographer
1990 Life on a String Cinematographer
1989 Hai Zi Wang Actor: Secretary Wu
1988 King of the Children, 孩子王, Cinematographer / Actor: Secretary Wu

(source: NY Times)

Food Force by United Nations

The United Nations has launched an advergame to educate people about its food-aid program. The game consists six missions from surveillance to food distribution. After playing the game, people will have a general idea about what the UN is doing. I like the idea of using games in education. I think it works particularly well for teenagers. I will consider to recommend the website to the environment students in the next semester.

史記

I read 史記 last night. It is really a very good book. The section I read was 剌客列傳, which composes five stories. The use of words is minimal but the detail is not sacrified. The description of the people in the stories is vivid. I also find that a good guidebook is necessary for the full appreciation of the book. The one I am using now is 史記評賞 by 賴漢屏, which provides the story background and the people relationship.

情, 理, 事, 態

朱光潛 has classified literature into four types: 情, 理, 事, 態. These four elements can also be intermixed in literature. I find that literature and photography have a lot in common, which suggests that one can learn the latter through the former or vice versa.

Believe What You Believe

A recent survey indicates Hong Kong people believe that the local economic outlook is good. It ranks second in the Asia region. The above statements are what I heard on the radio last week. Seems the future is getting rosy. When I read the same topic in the recent issue of the the Economist, the story is a bit different. The Hong Kong indicator is 0.9 (the world average is 1.0). Wow! A fact can be twisted so easily to distort the real.

Original Meaning

David Feldman's book "Who put butter in butterfly?" explains the original meaning of words. The book is interesting to read as it provides some smart-ass wits. I find his style is close to Lin Hang Tse's. The following are a few examples from the book:

G.I.: G.I. stands for government issued. As the US government issues the uniforms to their soldiers, therefore G.I. is equivalent to US soldiers.

Ladybug: The bug honoured with the title Lady. The bug is considered useful to humans because it eats "bad" insects.

R (in pharmacies): It is the Latin abbreviation for recipes.
Mistress (Mrs): Mrs is the abbreviation for mistress. In the past, mistress does not mean a concubine.

You are What You Read

The Apple Daily and the Oriental are the two most popular newspapers in Hong Kong. They have very diverse contents, thus the readers range from teenagers to senior citizens. Alas, they also mould their contents into the minds of their readers. In other words, the viewpoints of most Hong Kongers are the same as those of the two newspapers. Really a shame!

Purpose of Conversation

1. Killing time
2. Pleasing people
3. Gossiping
4. Obtaining information
5. Releasing stress
6. Stimulating in an intellectual way
7. Asking for support

Different people would have different priorities. What is yours?

City Landscapes Through Manga

The story of "Ghost in the shell", a Japanese animation, happens in Hong Kong. As a veteran Hong Kong citizen, I am very intrigued by the scenes depicted in the movie. Most of the shots accurately show the city landscapes as they are. Some shots are very imaginative and creative, for example, a canal with touring boats and sampans in the city center, an old building with glass claddings. These shots are very stimulating as they give us an opportunity to rethink our city again.

Jia Zhangke

Another new star of the Chinese Film Industry. Jia Zhangke has recently been awarded the French Chevalier honour.

Shopping Arcade

Atrim of Langham Place

China Cafe 中國冰室

This cafe is in the old district Mongkok, which may be why so many old persons gather in this place. Most of them may have retired; some of them work or live in the district. The cafe is open at 6 am - 7:00 pm. I have asked the owner whether the business was good at 6:00 am. She answered me that it was very quiet until 10:00 am. She explained that many people who had been living in the area had moved, also, the life-style was different from the past. The style of the cafe is very nostalgic. The small tiles for the wall and the floor are very original and rarely seen in the modern cafe nowadays. The fried chicken leg and the fried rice with beef are very yummy. This is a great place to visit or to spend a Sunday afternoon.

DIY Pinhole Camera

A cardboard pinhole camera costs HKD 500 at Kubrick. Thats extemely expensive!. A DIY method is available at http://www.pinhole.cz/en/pinholecameras/dirkon_01.html.

Cafe Lumiere

This is another splendid film by Hou. The film has thhe signature of the director - it is about nothing and it is about everything. The script may be boring to someone because the story is bland, but the message of life is delivered through the actors with minimal dialogues. The tension and emotions just penetrate into the viewer's heart. That really dfferentiates a great director from a good director. The soundtrack is first-rated, however, it is a pity that a CD is not released. The New York Times has a very positive review on the film. Another two Chinese reviews ( http://140.138.147.33/twlai/archives/000107.html and http://140.138.147.33/twlai/archives/000099.html) about Cafe Lumiere are worth to read. Here is another one by a Hong Kong author.

祥利冰室

祥利冰室

Exhibition on Impressionism Paintings

Gift from the Exhibition
I went to the exhibition on Impressionism today. I joined the guided tour during the viewing. The lady who guided the tour explained the selected paintings in detail. I remembered one saying by her - try to feel what kind of persons are the painters when you view their work. Very inspiring!

Meow!

3 Pacific Place

Three Pacific Place completes the last phase of the development. This phase has a prominent transparent-glass structure which is different from the other two phases. I find this building very attractive especially at night because its transparent structure is totally revealed by the lighting inside.

Muji's Timer

I had been looking for a timer for quite a while. You may say it is available everywhere. The reason that I spent several months to get the one I want because I could not find a user-freindly one until I saw one at Muji tonight. The time input is simple without pressing a minute or second buttons. In fact, the two buttons are not even on it. The selection of white colour is also in-line with the minimalistic design of Muji.

Franc Franc

Franc Franc's Business Card
I remember that I was very excited when I first walked in the Franc Franc shop in Causeway Bay. The shop sells products with a simple but functional design. I do not find another similar shop except the Muji. I especially like the items in the corner of traditional Japanese goods.