Hong Kong protest area photos taken this past week (Photo-essay)

Since September 28, the day I returned from my wonderful Japanese vacation which I still have yet to blog about, I've not only been preoccupied by what I now come to think of as the Umbrella Movement but have heard of family members arguing and friends quarrelling about -- and some "unfriending" one another over -- the protests.

For many of us who have been to the protest areas: we are inclined to think "if only more people were more willing and less afraid to go and see what's out there for themselves..."  Then, we firmly believe, people would not only better understand the situation but also be more sympathetic towards -- and even inspired by -- what the Umbrella Movement's members are doing (or at least trying to do).

For those who have been relying only on the reports of -- and views given by -- others, here's adding my own.  One reader commented in a previous blog entry that "cameras don't lie".  I'll say that mine may be particularly truthful since I never do such as Photoshop my photos!

 Spotted at Admiralty this past Monday

 An artist's view of the Mongkok protest area

-- shared over at Admiralty

The scene in Central late Tuesday evening

(which, yes, was quieter than in nearby Admiralty)

A barricade at Central that was manned by the police 

on Tuesday night but looked to have been reclaimed

by protesters come Friday evening

Whose side would you rather be on: that of Totoro 

and friends or Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers?

This is what a lot of the protesters look like 

and do over at Admiralty

The people in the photo taken earlier this evening look relaxed 

but my friend and I were uneasy about the considerable number

of police vans about -- and grew even more worried when 

a bunch of them drove away with lots of officers with gear inside

For those who need a reminder: the protestors here in 

Hong Kong's greatest (defensive) weapons are umbrellas