Cross Harbour Tunnel

A scene from my life -- almost 11 pm last night on a double decker bus, on my way home after seeing a theatre performance. This is the Kowloon entrance to the Cross Harbour Tunnel, an 1.8 km underwater tunnel linking the HK island and Kowloon peninsula. Instead of the underground, I always prefer crossing the harbour by ferry or tunnel bus. Tags: Cross Harbour Tunnel|Hunghom|Kowloon|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Timeless style

I walk past this well-known cheongsam shop in Central quite often and am always attracted by its show window. These cheongsam are of more traditional style and are hand-made by expert tailors who are, in my opinion, artists. The shopkeeper wouldn't let me take photos inside so you have to bear with the reflection...I don't have anything elegant like this, the only cheongsam I have is in cotton with Financial Times print on it ;-) Link: Cheongsam on the cover of Life magazine Tags: Central|street scene|cheongsam|show windown|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Door guards

There are some interesting folk tales about the tradition of these posters, but I only remember that these guys are generals of the Tang dynasty; and their images are supposed to ward off evil spirits. It is also important that when you stick the posters, the generals are facing each other to bring harmony to the house. This is actually a display at an exhibition, we don't see many of these posters in urban HK now but I am sure the generals are still guarding doors in some suburb areas ;-). Tags: traditional posters|Chinese|street scene|door guards|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Hippy Hippo

No formal zoo in HK but we do have some hippos in the park. A happy family here and if you look closer you'll find the hippy hippo with a flower on its head ;-). By the way, the green plants in the background are lotus leaves, when dried, they give a pleasant fragrance and are very often used to make rice dumplings. Tags: Hong Kong Park|hippo|lotus leaf|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Waterlily

So I was told that waterlily and lotus are the same flower and I hope you wouldn't be bored with yet another flower photo. Really I think this photo has a calming effect which I need on Mondays (or maybe you do as well). I have 10 more beautiful lotus photos which I'll post in the coming 10 days...Just kidding...OK, if you click here and have a look at them then I'll post something else tomorrow...deal? ;-) Tags: lotus|waterlily|Hong Kong Park|Lotus Show 2006|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Gorgeous lotus

When I posted the lotus photo on June 9th I didn't know there would be a Lotus Show at the HK Park. The show is open from yesterday so I went early this morning (I thought I would beat the crowd, but NO!) There are over 100 kinds of lotus at the park and they are all gorgeous! And as you can see, there are many many photography enthusiasts as well. Tags: Lotus Show|Hong Kong Park|lotus|photography|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Beautiful HK

At the Avenue of Stars in Tsimshatsui, tourists are having fun taking photos with the "film crew". It is just a beautiful scene on a beautiful day by the beautiful harbor. Have a good weekend everybody! Tags: Avenue of Stars|Victoria Harbor|Tsimshatsui|street scene|tourists|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Summer solstice

Actually, summer solstice was two days ago ;-) This may look familiar to you, yes it is (again) a view from my window and I took this photo around 9 pm last night. The sky was kind of bright with the clouds providing a beautiful backdrop for a night view. You are looking at Kowloon in the far background with the yellowish lights and the hill. Tags: night view|Victoria Harbor|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

yawn...zzzz

Crashed: to fall asleep from exhaustion (MoodyMonday definition) I took this photo in Tsimshatsui. Being able to relax and sleep anywhere anytime like this is considered a blessing in HK's fast-paced and stressful city life. Tags: Tsimshatsui|street scene|sleep|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Sky

The weather is so nice today being both sunny and breezy; and I have to share these fluffy and beautiful clouds with you ;-) Tags: sunny|weather|sky|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Songs of the caged birds

I walked past an alley and saw this interesting scene of a free bird hanging around with the caged ones, as if it was listening to their songs. Tags: birds|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Sweet William

Apart from the World Cup, flower is a popular subject of DP blogs recently, so I am making a flower collection today. I've chosen sweet william for HK and here are the links to other flower photos last week: Roses in Sharon and Rheingau , waterlilies in Montchauvet, geraniums(?) in Szentes, , hibiscus in Akita, lavendar in Brussels, marigold from Oulu DP bloggers: let me know if you have a flower photo last week ;-) Tags: flower|sweet william|park|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

A florist at Stanley

I took this photo at Stanley, a seaside village and tourist attraction at the southernmost part of the Hong Kong island. Stanley is famous for its open-air market which is quite touristy but there are also neighborhood stores such as this roadside florist which is simply good to look at. Tags: street scene|Stanley|florist|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Fishing by the harbor

Finally rain stops and the sun is out (intermittently). I took this photo at Tsimshatsui seaside promenade and there were quite a few people fishing. The local traditional way is to hold the fishing line directly instead of using fishing rod. With the harbor so polluted I doubt if they would eat the fish though. Tags: Tsimshatsui|street scene|fishing|Victoria Harbor|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Maxim's

It's time for a food pix ;-)...that's our dinner at the Maxim's restaurant (yes, same name as the famous one in Paris). Maxim's is a restaurant chain, it is usually not the best place for adventurous gourmet seekers but definitely a safe place for tourists or sometimes, for locals who are looking for more basic dishes. Btw, how's your chopsticks skill? Since I was holding the camera, I couldn't show you the perfect way...maybe next time. Tags: Chinese food|Chinese cuisine|Maxim's|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

A different universe

Stephen Hawking is, literally, the talk of the town today as he's here to give a talk. But these kids probably don't care about the origin of the universe, they just want to catch a game before it rains again. Just to share a bit of Stephen Hawking with you -- at the Q&A he was asked about his future goals, he humbly mentioned a few subjects about the universe, then added those might be easier than to understand women. He obviously has a good sense of humor. Tags: Wanchai|street scene|basketball|Southorn Playgrounds|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Vespa in LV

Bob of Barcelona DP posted a photo of a bright yellow Vespa yesterday, so today I'm showing its distant relative in HK. See the seat cover? Don't you think this Italian looks good in French fashion? I win the caption competition at Mark's Sainte Maxime DP, click here to have a look of mine and other funny/hilarious/abusive/bitchy captions, LOL ;-) Tags: Vespa|LV|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Weeping lamp post

I took this photo about 2.30 am this morning (or last night?) when there was a heavy downpour with the loudest thunders I've heard in years. If yesterday's photo reminds some of you of Jackie Chan's movies, then maybe this one will remind you of Wong Kar-wai's movies or...ghost movies? Tags: rain|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Big brothers are watching

The two bright and shiny landmarks of Central (IFC and the Center) seem to be two big brothers poking their heads out to check out these apartment buildings in the western district (yes, over-imaginative sometimes and it runs in the family, see the June 10th post). I didn't have my tripod with me so I was really just holding my camera against a railing and held my breath...and the exposure seemed to have taken forever... ;-) Tags: Central|western district|IFC|the Centre|night view|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Museum of Tea Ware

Do you like Chinese tea? This is a set of beautiful 17th century tea cups in the Museum of Tea Ware. Made with the then innovative overglaze techniques, they were decorated with 12 flower-of-the-months, from top left: prunus, apricot blossom, peach blossom, peony, pomegranate, lotus, rose, osmanthus, chrysanthemum, orchid, narcissus, and wintersweet (the audio guide told me). I wonder why Jasmine was not included then? (the audio guide does not take question!) Tags: Museum of Tea Ware|Hong Kong Park|Admiralty|tea cups|antiques|museum collections|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Flagstaff House & the robot

The black buildings in the background are arms of an injured transformer robot (my nephew told me). The white building in the foreground is the Flagstaff House, built in 1846, once the office and residence of the Commander of British Forces, the oldest existing Western building in HK, now home to the Museum of Tea Ware (my dad told me). ;-) Two more photos of yesterday's lotus blossom here Tags: Hong Kong Park|Admiralty|Flagstaff House|Lippo Centre|Museum of Teaware|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Lotus blossom

A lotus blossom in the Hong Kong Park. Have you ever seen and wondered why buddha is often depicted to be sitting on lotus leaf or lotus blossom? Here's a good explanation -- "...the lotus represents purity of body, speech, and mind, floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire". Link: previous post of a Buddha statue A lotus in Szentes, Hungary by Kris Tags: Hong Kong Park|Admiralty|lotus pond|lotus|water lily|Buddha|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

gusty

A fountain in the Hong Kong Park -- see the splatters are mostly on the right hand side? It was really gusty yesterday. Kids really like this fountain...they have lots of fun pretending they are trapped in the middle and getting wet. But yesterday was school day, so no kids. Tags: Hong Kong Park|Admiralty|fountain|gusty|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Hong Kong Park

At the entrance to the Hong Kong Park...the park is actually very nice and I'll show you later. Do parks in your city have that many rules? By the way, I bet you can figure out some Chinese characters from this photo ;-) Link: Hong Kong Park website Tags: Hong Kong Park|Admiralty|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Impossible team

Apart from showing a night scene of Causeway Bay in this photo, I also want to know if you have seen Adidas' "Impossible team" advertisement (see the huge billboard). I really like the TV commercial version, especially when Beckembauer shows up, plus all the international stars such as Zidane, Raul and Beckham to play with two bossy little kids. If you haven't seen it, here it is. Tags: Causeway Bay|street scene|Adidas|Impossible Team|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Candlelight vigil

I am really proud of the dedication and solidarity of people over the past 17 years. I took this photo last night at the candlelight vigil to remember victims of the June 4th incident. The vigil is held every year since 1989 but this is the first time I attended and it was very touching. Police counted about 19,000 attendees while the organizers said there were 44,000! To me, it symbolizes that HK continues to be a free society. Elsewhere in China, it is not even allowed to discuss the June 4th incident publicly unless you echo what the government says. Here are some other photos I took last night, and here's a link to a local newspaper report. Tags: June 4th|Tiananmen Square|Victoria Park|candlelight vigil|Causeway Bay|street scene|Hong Kong|photos

June 4th

I want to share today's photo to remember those who lost their lives on June 4th, 1989 in Tiananmen Square. Photo shows the memorial sculpture at the University of HK, the two bigger Chinese characters means "national sorrow". Links: The Tankman, special feature on PBS Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 on Wiki Tags: June 4th|Tiananmen Incident

Fruit stall

I took this shot at the same spot I shot yesterday's photo -- from a footbridge. Almost all fruits sold in HK are imported. See anything you like? Here's a cellphone photo of the footbridge, it's a covered footbridge so I don't have to handle my umbrella and camera at the same time ;-) Tags: street scene|fruit stall|Central|footbridge|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Vancouver or HK?

~Rainy Day~ William Wise I do not like a rainy day. The road is wet, the sky is gray. They dress me up, from head to toes, In lots and lots of rubber clothes. I wish the sun would come and stay. I do not like a rainy day Actually, rain is OK to me; but raining continuously for 2 weeks confuses me sometimes -- am I in Vancouver or HK? :-) Tags: Rain|William Wise|street scene|Vancouver|abstract|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Gold

Yesterday's taichi sculpture is to show you HK's public art, and today's photo shows a different and practical kind of art. This is the show window of a jewelry shop displaying gold figurines, buddhas, coins and cartoon characters. Most traditional Chinese love gold (in any forms) and gold can be gifts for just any occasions as long as you can afford it -- weddings, birthdays, new borns, anniversaries, new businesses and etc. In HK's Disneyland, there's a shop selling gold Mickey Mouse! Tags: gold|jewelry store|Mickey Mouse|art|gifts|gold decorations|Hong Kong|photos|daily life