Random city photos

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

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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?

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

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

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

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!

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.

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.

This 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.

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.

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.

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?

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.