Dim sum with my mom

Some might think that five dishes
between two people is a lot, others too few
-- but for us, it's just right!

As I write this blog entry, my mother's lying in a Singaporean hospital where tomorrow morning, she'll undergo pretty major surgery. To state the obvious: it's hard not to think of her -- and worry about her. But when we spoke on the phone about half an hour ago, she was pretty cheery and actually sounded a lot less worried than I know that the rest of the family currently are.

To psychologically boost and cheer me up somewhat, I'm going to recall some memories of when she visited me in Hong Kong a couple of months ago, during which we sampled quite a few of the Big Lychee's culinary delights. Among the dining highlights of that week was dim sum brunch at the peculiarly named Sportful Garden in Causeway Bay.

Not being huge eaters, we decided to share just five dishes -- along with a pot of tea -- between the two of us; with our choices being a mix of basic and more exotic eats. Because we wanted some variety, however, we only ordered two of the staple dim sum triumvirate of har gau (shrimp dumplings called "kau chee" in Hokkien), siu mai (pork and mushroom dumplings) and char siew pau (roast pork buns).

A word (or, actually paragraph!) re Sportful Garden's char siew pau: I have to say that they are among the best I've ever eaten -- made special because they are cooked with a special abalone sauce! In other words: their char siew pau actually is pretty extraordinary!

Because I was with my mother (who, like me, loves eating what can be described as "spare parts"), I could happily order two dishes to share that would freak out some other people I know: i.e., stewed chicken feet (and should you wonder, chicken feet is good at soaking up sauces!), and a plate of cold jellyfish and hot ducks' tongues (both of whose textures are what contribute to making them good eating as far as the initiated are concerned!)!

Lastly, there were steamed sweet custard buns for dessert. And again, I have to say that the ones at Sportful Garden really do seem especially good -- because, my mother suspected, they used richer duck eggs rather than regular chicken eggs in making the custard.

So... does our meal sound decadent or weird to you? To be honest, it was neither to us -- and, instead, was just plain delicious! So much so that I hope to be able to repeat the experience with my mother again before too long...

Garbage (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

This is one of those Photo Hunts that had me hunting through my photo archives because sorry, but no way was I going out of my way to take photos of garbage! Indeed, I usually take pains to avoid taking photos containing, to quote the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "discarded or useless material.

Much as one would like for it otherwise, however, garbage often is an apparently invariable presence in photos and reality. In the case of the first photo above, it comes in the form of what gets washed ashore onto beaches like this isolated one out on Tung Lung Chau (trans. Eastern Dragon Island), a largely uninhabited island -- that lies east of the much bigger Hong Kong Island -- where garbage is more likely to be "imported" by ocean waves than generated by the tiny local populace.

Over the course of hunting through my photo archive, I also came across a visual reminder of how it is that just as one person's poison is another's meat or pure pleasure, so it can be that one person's garbage can be another's livelihood, if not outright treasure. Thus it is that while Hong Kong, a place with a significantly disproportionate income disparity between the "haves" and "have nots", is often noted for its consumers of luxury and "name brand" items, it's hard not to also be struck while visiting or living here by the presence of people -- usually older folks at that -- who have effectively become scavengers of re-usable or recyclable materials, including discarded electrical items and old cardboard.

On one hand, I feel so sad when seeing people reduced to such (and not being able to live comfortably in what should be their post-retirement years). On the other hand, I feel great admiration for these folks who seem so determined to live independently and not be a burden to others. And yes, both of these emotions only get heightened upon thinking -- as some writings and films I've come across have implied -- that these working men and women may have been the ones who formed the backbone of Hong Kong's economic rise in the late twentieth century and find themselves still having to work to the bone in the twenty-first century (even while more fortunate contemporaries now are able to rest).

From Shek Pik Reservoir to Tai O, Part I (Photo-essay)

In the last (thus far -- since she never say that she had retired for good) film that she appeared in, Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia played a drug trafficker who is never seen without both a trenchcoat and a pair of sunglasses on her. When asked why, she muses about how changeable the weather is. And while those who live somewhere other than where Chungking Express was filmed may think that her answer is a reflection of her mercurial nature, the fact of the matter is that Hong Kong's weather really can be pretty capricious and not all that easy to predict.

Take, for example, the day back in February that a bunch of folks, including moi, decided to hike from Shek Pik Reservoir to Tai O along Sections 7 and 8 of the Lantau Trail: When we met up at the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier in Central that morning, the fog (and/or air pollution) was so bad I had problems seeing across Victoria Harbour to Tsim Sha Tsui. But visibility had improved quite a bit by the time we arrived at Shek Pik Reservoir (via a ferry, followed by a bus ride) and just before we reached Fan Lau, we were greeted with bright sunshine and blue skies!

So while the initial photos taken along this hike tend to be of the close up variety and/or with views that can be on the misty side, I promise that it was quite a different picture later on (in at least one more photo-essay to follow!)...

The first photo I took on the hike -- and yes,
I have Hong Kong's air pollution to thank for
making me become more observant of sights
in the immediate vicinity when out hiking!

Part of me knows I should take warning signs seriously
but the graphics often amuse more than scare!

Still more misty than I liked at this stage
but the views had started to open up

This was one of those hike where we saw
a lot of water along the way

...not all that bad a thing when it helps
produce views like this, right?

After a few kilometers walking on the concrete
Kau Ling Chung Catchwater, our path became
more rugged (and attractive in the eyes of many)

As my geology professors at Beloit (especially
the wonderful Carl Mendelson) taught me to appreciate,
there truly can be beauty underneath one's feet

Looking back at a scenic view of wild Hong Kong that
actually would pale in comparison to what's to come! ;b

To be continued... (of course!)

Pink (Photo Hunt redux)

For a previous pink-themed Photo Hunt back in 2007, I opted to focus attention on pink urban sights in Hong Kong. So I thought it'd be good to go to the other extreme and focus on pink natural sights beyond as well as in the Big Lychee.

More specifically, the three photos of pink flowers above were taken (from top to bottom): while out hiking in the Wan Tsai peninsula in northeast Hong Kong; in the garden of my family home in Penang; and while visiting the Kokoen Garden in Himeji, Japan. (BTW, hope the Penang flower qualifies as pink - it looked very pink to me when viewed on its own but seems purplish compared to the other flowers...)

And for the record, all these photos were taken after I put up the first pink Photo Hunt entry back in October 2007. Also, something else I found interesting that the vast majority of my post 2007 pink photos either are of flowers or were taken on special occasions (e.g., Chinese New Year or -- as was the case with last week's Photo Hunt photos -- Tam Kung's birthday)!

Hello again, Hello Kitty!

My latest Hello Kitty plush
and the box she came in

You know it's summer in Hong Kong when it gets seriously hot and humid... and McDonald's runs yet another Hello Kitty promotion. (Maybe it's just coincidence but, seriously now, McDonald's has had a Hello Kitty promotion each summer since I've moved to Hong Kong!!!)

And although I actually don't much like to eat at McDonald's here, I find that I can't resist those way too cute Hello Kittys. So... just one day after learning about the promotion, here's my first -- and probably not last (since I find myself coveting the white-coated Dr Kitty!) -- of the Kittylab Hello Kittys... which, more than by the way, really is verrrrrry soft to the touch as well as kawaii to look at. ;S

Shing Mun Redoubt (photo-essay)

When talking to many local Hong Kongers, I often get the distinct sense that they invariably prefer the new to the old. Add to that the propensity of a significant percentage of the Hong Kong populace to not stray far into the countryside and you're likely to reach the conclusion that World War II sites like the Shing Mun Redoubt aren't much visited and aren't too well maintained.

But when my hiking companion that day and I checked out that which was considered the strongest part of the Gin Drinker's Line (only to fall within hours to the invading Japanese), we were surprised to find that much of what remained navigable through has actually been well maintained (by volunteers) -- and, also, that we were by no means the only visitors to the site.

Somewhat amusingly, one rather large group we came across in that part of Shing Mun Country Park seemed to be composed for the most part of youngsters who got more excited when their adult leader promised them ice cream than by what they saw in the area. Still, I must say that the overall behavior I saw on display at the Shing Mun Redoubt was infinitely more respectful of its history and heritage than what I saw when, say, visiting such as the Yuan Ming Yuan or even the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Also, that this site is one that really is interesting -- especially if you know about its place in Hong Kong's history...

One of a number of dark and narrow --
but surprisingly clean -- tunnels that
link together bunkers, pillboxes
and other military defence constructions

A hole in the roof that I suspect was made
by a combination of an explosive blast
and natural erosion over time

The ruined as well as bullet- and shrapnel-riddled

part of the former military complex

Yes, well... we did enter (and, fortunately
as well as actually, as it turned out,
it didn't seem all that dangerous!)

The story is that homesick British soldiers
named the Redoubt's connecting tunnels
after certain famous London streets

A shot (no pun intended!)
that will be familiar to those who have viewed
Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms (2009) ;b

Inside one of those tunnels:
helpful signs along with not so helpful graffiti

And should there be any doubt:
yes, it could get claustrophobic in there,
so it was nice to come out of a tunnel into the open
-- and especially to see bright blue skies! :)

Things to do in Hong Kong when it rains

A view from the bus on a rainy day

After the storm earlier today

I come from a place where it rains a lot. (In statistical terms, we're talking over an average of 100 inches of rain each year!) This fact notwithstanding, many non-Asian tourists seem to primarily visit Penang for sun along with sea and sand. Consequently, I have visions of their being reduced to holing up for hours on end in their hotel rooms and bars when the heavens open.

What with Hong Kong being marketed as a shopping paradise, its giant indoor shopping malls are the places that tourists and locals alike tend to make a beeline for; and this particularly so when it rains in this territory whose authorities take rain storms very seriously. But for those for who do not always consider shopping or window shopping to be all that fun activities, there really are other -- and, to my mind, better -- options. More specifically, two rainy day activities that I regularly indulge in are movie viewing and museum going.

With regards to the former: one would do well to remember to not only look at what's on offer at the multiplexes -- some of which (like the Broadway Cinematheque) regularly offer up fare that's more art house than one might think -- but also the Hong Kong Film Archive. In addition, Hong Kong really doesn't lack for film festivals; with the HKIFF Society that organises a Summer IFF along with the Hong Kong International Film Festival each spring being the undoubted granddaddy of them all yet by no means being the only game in this city whose denizens have had a love affair with the movies for many decades.

With regards to the latter: although there surely are residents of -- as well as visitors to -- Hong Kong who don't pass through the doors of a museum even once during their time in Asia's World City, I really do reckon that those folks are missing out on a lot more than they might realize. For one thing, Hong Kong is home to more museums -- and some very interesting specialist ones at that -- than many people realize. For another, the territory's major museological institutions -- and one relatively 'minor' one in the form of the University of Hong Kong's University Museum and Art Gallery -- often play host to some really interesting special exhibitions.

As an example, earlier today, I braved the rain to go visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art -- and, particularly (since I had already been there before), its truly special temporary Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation exhibition -- the Takashi Murakami part of which (that includes screenings of this super-cute and colorful Superflat First Love video) actually got me covetting a Louis Vuitton item for the first time in my life!

For first time visitors to Hong Kong who want to know more about its local history and heritage, however, I really would recommend that they check out either the Hong Kong Museum of History -- with its wonderful multi-room The Hong Kong Story permanent exhibition along with informative special exhibitions like the current Modern Metropolis: Material Culture of Shanghai and Hong Kong (that I checked out last weekend) -- or the Hong Kong Heritage Museum whose permanent exhibitions include a very impressive Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall and one of whose planned special exhibitions is one on the late Lydia Sum.

What with rain storms in Hong Kong liable to come to an end as abruptly as they begin, one should also be on the look out for opportunities in between storms to enjoy scenic vistas -- since the storms often act like nature's cleaners and leaving clearer air behind. As an example, this afternoon, it was raining very hard when I entered the Hong Kong Museum of Art but it stopped pouring some time when I was in that museological establishment. Consequently, I was able to enjoy a nice stroll along the nearby Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade and take the post-storm photo that adorns the top of this entry... :)