Monday, July 31, 2006

Green mossy wall

It's hard to explain but I love this photo I took in Aberdeen yesterday. My eyes must have become well-trained to seek out green subjects and I find this green mossy wall quite beautiful. This shot didn't come out as well as expected and I surely will photograph this green wall again, but hey, I still like it and am eager to show it to you ;-)

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camera Hong kong

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Chow Kuey Teow

Chow Kuey Teow simply means "fried rice noodles"
One of the great enjoyments of doing this blog is that I get to know people from all over the world, including Kris, a talented photographer from Malaysia residing in Szentes, Hungary. Last week, Kris solved the mystery of "Chow Kuey Teow" for me -- the pronounciation of CKT which is a ChiuChow dialect is very close to "fried something expensive" in Cantonese dialect; and when I was small, I had wondered why adults would want an expensive fried dish. Though I had asked from time to time, nobody (that I know) seems to know what CKT really means. Of course, now I know. So, with Edwin of Kuala Lumpur Daily Photo, we are giving Kris a treat -- we are both posting photos of this popular Malaysian Chinese dish today.
I took this photo at an average Malaysian restaurant near my place, there are better places for Malaysian food in HK but I think I'll save them for next time ;-) Enjoy!

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camera Hong kong

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Queen's Road Central

A street scene at Queen's Road in Central around 5 pm on a Friday, just before the crowds would take over every corner. Queen's Road is one of the oldest streets in the business and shopping center on HK island. Tips: to the left side of this photo (the direction which the pink shirt lady is going) is Lan Kwai Fong, perfect spot for a TGIF happy hour!

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camera Hong kong

Friday, July 28, 2006

Ent

Fantasy: the feet of an ent from The Lord of the Rings
Reality: the power of nature, the roots of an old banyan tree eating a whole wall and a plaque at the King George V Memorial Park.
Links: wiki page on Ents, another shot showing the plaque

Have a good weekend everybody!

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camera Hong kong

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Showerhead?

It is quite obvious why showerhead was once called "lotus head" in Chinese. ;-) When lotus wilts and the petals fall off, all that remains is the cone shaped head. When it ripens, the seeds can be taken out (see the holes?). Lotus seeds can be eaten fresh, dried to be used in dishes, or even made into paste form for desserts. I took this photo this afternoon at the lotus pond at the university.
Links: closeup image of the lotus head and seeds here, the wiki page on lotus seed here.

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camera Hong kong

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Walk hand in hand

Well, they can't, but shoes in hand instead. I don't know if there's a proper name for this kind of "pebblestone walk" but they can be found in a lot of parks in Mainland China, and are getting popular in Hong Kong as well. Probably based on the theory of reflexology, walking on these pebblestones is supposed to be good for one's health. I took this photo in the Victoria Park but I didn't try the walk -- I did see some painful expressions from these people.

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camera Hong kong

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

STOP pollution

Of course, Hong Kong can't be beautiful all the time. As we have a typhoon in the region and the pressure is low, air is really bad these days. I find it hard to breath outdoor in the day with temperature at 34C and the air so polluted. For those of you visiting in Summer, be prepared.

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camera Hong kong

Monday, July 24, 2006

A whale of a good time

Odd scene, isn't it? Yellow whale on land spitting out kids and the kids were having a whale of a good time!

I took this photo yesterday afternoon outside a small shopping mall (after I went home, grabbed my camera and had to go to my parents' place).

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camera Hong kong

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Booze

I took this photo at a booze shop in SoHo a while ago. Seriously, I don't drink......I mean I don't drink much but today I did something as silly as a drunk. This afternoon, with a few ideas in mind, I got my tripod, lense and what not, traveled to Wanchai with big plan for photos. After a bit of walking around, it was time for action and also the shining moment that I found out I had brought everything BUT my camera!

Well, I hope you'll find something you like from these shelves......Btw, does anyone from HK know of a place which carries gluweine? ;-)

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camera Hong kong

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Lining up


The last of the sculpture exhibition series and I've saved the best for last. This is a piece of the "Living World" series entitled "Lining Up". If you think the one shown in yesterday's photo is abstract then what do you think of this one?
Link: Ju Ming Museum in Taiwan

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camera Hong kong

Friday, July 21, 2006

Pink ladies

Of course, as there are some 60 pieces of works in the sculpture exhibition (see yesterday's post for info), we'll look at some other ones ;-). Ju Ming premiered his latest series "The Skirt Story" in HK and here we see some pink ladies forming a visual delight at the exhibition.
Links: See the whole "The Skirt Story" collection, a previous post of Ju Ming's Tai Chi sculpture,Ju Ming Museum in Taiwan

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camera Hong kong

Thursday, July 20, 2006

A piece of living world

I took this photo at the largest sculpture exhibition in HK with 60 works by renowned Taiwanese artist Ju Ming, and this is a piece from the Living World series. This exhibition is held at one of the busiest shopping centers in Causeway Bay(until August 1). Being outdoor in a piazza, it surely attracts a lot of viewers who don't usually go to museums and I really appreciate this trend of promoting art in daily life.

Links: a previous post of Ju Ming's Tai Chi sculpture, a full view of this sculpture ,Ju Ming Museum in Taiwan

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camera Hong kong

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Reach out and touch

I love trees and one of my favorites are banyan trees which I've shown in some previous posts. Well, it's time for another one ;-) I found these four banyans near Bonham Road on a small slope and from this angel, it just looks like they are eagerly reaching out to embrace each other!

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camera Hong kong

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

All quiet in Lan Kwai Fong

An ordinary evening at HK's hottest night spot, Lan Kwai Fong; no World Cup, no festival, no TGIF ecstasy......just a "quiet" evening to hang out with friends or strangers. ;-)

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camera Hong kong

Monday, July 17, 2006

Bank on the banks

Every day when the bank's business is done, another type of business takes over. Itinerant hawkers take over the "free" space in front of banks to sell their merchandise ranging from crafts, paintings to clothings and home items.

Another photo in North Point and I think similar scenes can be seen in other residential areas as well.

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camera Hong kong

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Tram ride

450This is something I've been wanting to show you -- the tram. I think the best way for visitors to see HK is to take a tram ride, the longest route runs from one end of the HK island to the other end, taking about 1.5 hour and Euro 0.2/US$0.3 ;-) The great thing is that it takes you through some distinctively different areas of HK and give you a good overview of what the city is like.

If you have something similar in your city, do let me know, it will be useful when I visit ;-)

This tram is decorated in a special theme to promote the city, for a similar design on a ferry, click here.

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camera Hong kong

Saturday, July 15, 2006

North Point

I took this photo in North Point (north-eastern part of the HK island) yesterday before it got dark. North Point is one of the areas in HK where new immigrants from Mainland China like to settle in. More often than in other districts, we can hear regional dialects on the streets and small eateries featuring provincial cuisine.

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camera Hong kong

Friday, July 14, 2006

People on the street

Uh......not quite a daredevil attempt of people shot...
There are a few daily photo bloggers quite good at "people on the street" photos, and I have always wondered how they did it without getting into trouble. I really want to try but I guess I won't see many happy faces if people know a stranger is taking their photos. Anywaz, here's an attempt yesterday, a scorchingly hot afternoon......34 degree.

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camera Hong kong

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Fishbone on balcony

I just walked past this apartment building, looked up and thought maybe this would let you have a peek of ordinary homes in HK; and that fishbone antenna are still occasionally used here. Are they still used at your city?

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camera Hong kong

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Place for high drama

The dome top building is the work of the same architect who designed the Buckingham Place's facade. This 96-year old granite building sits in the center of Central, in which HK's most-watched drama is regularly staged. Its official name? Hong Kong Legislative Council Building.

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camera Hong kong

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Parting is......

Parting is such sweet joy......We had spents weeks and a few overnights together, yesterday, I finally said goodbye to my paper and sent it in. Not going to miss it -- I'm FREE, life returns to normal, the World Cup is over and I can be back in action with my camera anytime now ;-). But until then this is a photo to commemorate the occasion, a crappy little cell phone photo I took at the downtown campus overlooking a fast-food restaurant.

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camera Hong kong

Monday, July 10, 2006

Speechless

camera Hong kong

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Ready to take off

I found this distant relative of the Hungarian dragonfly as seen in Szentes Daily Photo getting ready to take off at the Hong Kong Park.

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camera Hong kong

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Loan shark

Loan shark in action on a busy footbridge in Hunghom district.
"Easy loan, call Miss Kim, 81069588, instant approval with credit card", now all you need is the area code for Hong Kong. ;-) And instead of cash, I would need to borrow some time.

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camera Hong kong

Friday, July 07, 2006

I want some more

OliverLisiTwist: Please, sir, I want some more time.
Summer is here and the students are gone. I took this photo yesterday afternoon in a 100-year old courtyard in the University of Hong Kong, a tranquil corner where time seems to pass slower -- my imagination because I'm running out of time for a paper. (plus Zidane's final game is on the night before the deadline!)

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camera Hong kong

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Mega ZZ

Wow, look at the varieties of magazines at 7-eleven...look at the colors...look at the shirt of the shopper......OK, OK I confess, I post this photo only because Zidane is on the magazine cover...actually, I took this photo today because of the MegaZinedineZidane...I love Zizou ;-)

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camera Hong kong

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Almost a Bob shot?

I remember seeing somebody described this kind of low angle photo in Barcelona Daily Photo as "Bob shot", and here's my attempt for one at the Tsimshatsui seaside promenade...well, the lighting and composition are nothing to compare with Bob's but at least the angle is quite low and the legs are there ;-p

If you haven't been to Barcelona DP and have no idea what Bob shots are like, I suggest you to click these links, you will be amazed...Girl carrying water, Carrer de la Lluna; Selling belts by the harbour, Port Vell; Two nuns in Carrer dels Tallers; White skirt with Carrer de la Lluna in the background; Barceloneta beach; Barceloneta; footbridge (legbridge) in the port; another shot from Carrer de la Lluna

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camera Hong kong

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Photo vendors

I'm sure these photo vendors detest the idea of "one photo a day", that would mean bad business, wouldn't it?
You are looking at the HK island from the Tsimshatsui seaside promenade; and facing directly on the waterfront is the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Does it look like a sea bird to you?

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camera Hong kong

Monday, July 03, 2006

On a clear fine day...

...you can see the beautiful Lamma Island with the three chimneys of a power plant. The typhoon which passed by HK last week might have cleared the polluted air so we can actually see beyond the island......if you travel past the island and all the way southward, you will reach the South China Sea and then Malaysia.
I took this photo yesterday around 6:30 pm at the Southern district, the building on the left is a private apartment building, while those near the sea are government public housing.
Links: more photos and info on Lamma Island on Wiki

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camera Hong kong

Sunday, July 02, 2006

World Cup in HK

The FIFA World Cup fever is here too! Only the last three matches are broadcast free in HK and as most games are held around or past midnight HK time (eg, the France/Brazil at 3 am), there are thousands of restaurants and bars like this one providing big screen and open till 6 am for fans.

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camera Hong kong

Saturday, July 01, 2006

If walls could talk

If walls could talk, this one would probably tell you it has certain likings for cool sunglasses and nice shade under trees.....pretty much like us!. Have a great weekend everybody...

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camera Hong kong