Hong Kong Daily Photo

Training for RIR

2008-11-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

I haven’t been doing much other than paddling for the month of November. I’ve put off blogging, drinking, e-mailing, going out, running, reading or writing for four weeks of hard training. I just started doing outrigger canoeing in October and have spent many long hours training, hoping to make the team for the Round Island Race that happened yesterday, the 23rd of November.
We’ve paddled around Lamma Island (24 km) three times, done sprint sessions, technique sessions, huli drills (flipping and righting the canoe), sea change practices, and so much more.
I’d never paddled before, so there was so much to think about and so much that they told me to focus on.

I can’t count the number of times I heard:
1. Rotate your body.
2. Reach two inches further.
3. Transfer your weight from your ass to your paddle.
4. Power in the water.
5. Snappy return.
6. Pause at the front.
7. Clean exits.
8. Paddles in and out together.
9. Bend from the waist.
10. Use your legs.
11. Timing!!
Each Saturday and Sunday morning I spent 2+ hours out paddling, starting usually at 8 a.m. The way to the beach is beautiful on a weekend morning. People are getting their fresh meat from the butchers. Shopkeepers are arranging their vegetables. Old ladies and men are squatting on the edges of the sidewalk with fresh greens or cut flowers to sell. The tourists are starting to choose the steamed boxes of dim sum. I ride the bike through the waking-up village, then continue on past banana plants and vegetable plots out to the beach by the power station.

Plus, there were the Tuesday and Thursday night sessions of paddling at night across the warm water. We were chasing moon paths across the water, dancing ferry lights and avoiding the black silhouettes of fishing boats coming too close.Not many people get to be out around the corner of the island in the chop and wind where the big tankers sail off to parts unknown. I feel so lucky to get to go out there. When Gina or Mel takes us close to the rocks and we whoosh down the waves through the foam, I try not to wiggle from excitement. My paddling team thinks I never stop smiling.

Proud to be an American

2008-11-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

"OBAMA WON!"
"NO MORE GEORGE BUSH!"
"WE ARE ALIVE DURING HISTORY!"
"OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT"

The little kids of eight, nine and ten ran screaming through the halls of our school here in Hong Kong. These Hong Kong kids (many with Canadian passports) are overwhelmingly for Obama.

I can't believe it really happened. And I can't stop crying for joy at the thought of hope for my country.

AIG and me

2008-09-25T21:25:00.001-07:00

On the bus on the way home yesterday, my seat mate and I looked up at the familiar buildings of Hong Kong and simultaneously gasped. To the left of the "Lightning Building" (which is the new Bank of China building), there used to be a neon sign writing over and over the letters AIG. Now the panel is dark. I guess US TAXPAYERS doesn't fit.

This blog is going the way of the AIG corporation, but without the federal support. I am working very hard this year on building a community of friends here in Hong Kong, which requires going out and talking to people in person. I don't have time to do that and all the other things like kids and work and put up a daily photo.

So for the time being, I'm going to stop posting to this blog. I'll still be putting up posts every week or so on my commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com site. I hope you stop by.

Kid on hammock with glow sticks

2008-09-20T06:16:00.001-07:00

New locals at the mid-autumn festival

2008-09-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

More mid-autumn festivals

2008-09-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

Locals celebrating on the beach with lanterns and sparklers and candles in the background.

Mid-autumn festival

2008-09-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday was mid-autumn festival so we made our way, lanterns and glowsticks in hand to the beach.

Sleep-over view

2008-09-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

The view from the bedroom window of my friend's flat. She let me sleep over, and the kids, too, because I spent three days of the three-day weekend at a conference.

Fishing boat

2008-09-15T06:10:00.001-07:00

A boat pulled up early Saturday morning at the Yung Shue Wan pier selling its catch along side. I don't think they were supposed to because the woman was hustling the sell and the boat pulled away in a couple of minutes.

Sunrise

2008-09-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Olympics are over, so look at the sky now! It got thicker as the day went by.

Green

2008-09-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

Watching someone harvest on the walk home from the beach.

One way home

2008-09-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

The new commute

2008-09-08T03:51:00.001-07:00

Leaving the Yung Shue Wan harbor.

Glorious Central

2008-09-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

The last morning commute from Lantau.

The bridge still growing

2008-09-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting for them to finish stringing out the bridge.

Resolution #1

2008-09-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

I have resolved not to post any more pictures of cargo ships. No one comments on them, so they must not be as beautiful as I think. Plus, they just don't have the impact if they're not massively motoring toward you. Imagine a building moving along like a bus.

Next to last day before the move

2008-09-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Evergreen on my old commute

Getting back to it

2008-09-04T05:33:00.001-07:00

Since my last post, I've moved from Lantau Island to Lamma Island and simultaneously started a new school year. I'm going to try and see if I can manage in my new life to get back to posting every day. Here's a picture leaving my old commute in Discovery Bay.

Joy #4 Joshua Tree

2008-08-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of school (Friday was canceled because of Typhoon Nuri) and I think I might be frazzled. So I'm posting one more of the joys of summer.

Lights and shadows

2008-08-24T05:37:00.001-07:00

The most sparkling day!

2008-08-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's a typhoon day, but last week, it looked like this!

A Sheung Wan tram

2008-08-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

My favourite intersection in Central

2008-08-21T06:44:00.001-07:00

I believe...

2008-08-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's not Hong Kong. But Hong Kong is tiring and hectic today, and I believe in baseball.

Joy #3: Direct morning light

2008-08-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hurrah for the Olympics cleaning the air!

Sonoma County Fair: Joy #2

2008-08-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Pink lemonade, et. al.

Sonoma County Fair: Joy #1

2008-08-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite ready to be back yet. Let's indulge for a while in one of the treats of summer in the US - the county fair.

Just about back to real life

2008-08-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

The best iced coffee I had in Hanoi.
I've finally finished posting the story and pictures from my trip to Vietnam. It's about time because I'm back to work on Monday. Check out the holiday at holidayinhanoi.blogspot.com.

Hanoi is Happening!

2008-07-14T16:07:00.002-07:00

This is clearly not Hong Kong. Please check out my blog of my terrific trip to Hanoi at:
holidayinhanoi.blogspot.com. I'll be updating it every day to tell the story of my 13 days in Northern Vietnam.

Going off.

2008-06-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today I'm flying to Bangkok. I'll be taking the summer off from Hong Kong and this blog. These are the shoes I bought for my adventure. Don't they look rugged and able to take on anything?

First I'm flying to Bangkok by myself, then on to Hanoi. I'm treating myself to a trip on my own - an early birthday present for my 40th in August.

Mid-July I'm flying back to Bangkok and meeting the rest of the crew. We're flying to Ho Chi Minh City and Southern Vietnam for a couple of weeks, then back to Bangkok for three weeks lazing on some beach somewhere.I'm back at work on August 18th. I have wandering to do until.
See you then.

Elegance

2008-06-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

Note the nose ring. A touch of class on the bus to Stanley

5:45 a.m.

2008-06-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last morning I have to get up at this ungodly time (this school year), though isn't it beautiful!

Ice cream truck in Mongkok

2008-06-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

Get your soft serve here. Yes, Mister Softee plays music. Yes, you can pay with your Octopus card.

Apliu Street Flea Market

2008-06-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

The place to buy carabiners, battery operated USB chargers and apparently the place to hang your laundry.

Another misty moment in HK harbor

2008-06-18T03:54:00.002-07:00

Dozo in Soho

2008-06-16T02:39:00.002-07:00

All you can eat sushi brunch.

Father's Day

2008-06-14T20:43:00.001-07:00

Papa and kids at Lamma Beach

In Causeway Bay

2008-06-14T03:22:00.001-07:00

More dragon boats

2008-06-13T05:07:00.002-07:00

What fun everyone was having racing! I could only watch 20 minutes or so because I was so longing to be out there. Next year I told myself, I'll get on a team. I want to practice for months and get really good. At least I think so even though I've never tried.

The market they will tear down

2008-06-12T07:24:00.002-07:00

Graham Street Market is scheduled to be "revitalized" soon. It's the oldest wet market still left in Hong Kong. Some people think that they don't want to see fish being filleted on the asphalt.

The bridge growing

2008-06-11T01:04:00.002-07:00

I've been watching the bridge growing since I got here.

Looking towards Central

2008-06-10T00:30:00.002-07:00

The sky scrubbed clear from a Black Rainstorm (official term), a fishing boat and a ferry in the distance. The view from another ferry while coming home sandy and sunned.

Tuen Ng Festival

2008-06-09T06:43:00.003-07:00

The front of one of the dragon boats set up for photo ops. There are booths all over raising money for the earthquake victims.

Roof garden of the IFC

2008-06-07T19:25:00.001-07:00

Outside Mui Wo

2008-06-06T06:56:00.001-07:00

Graffiti along the wall of the helicopter pad.

In the mid-afternoon

2008-06-05T03:29:00.001-07:00

Raining so hard that the lights came on in the blackness.

Insidious isn't it

2008-06-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

Crocs are everywhere, real and knock-offs. Since when? And why?

Lan Kwai Fong traffic jam

2008-06-03T05:55:00.001-07:00

The view they saw

2008-06-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

Looking the other way

2008-06-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Viewing the harbour

2008-05-31T05:51:00.002-07:00

Beautiful bridge from the airport

2008-05-29T16:40:00.003-07:00

I missed a day. Got home, went to post a picture, found that a lead piece of art had fallen from the wall and sliced through the internet cord. Bummer.

In Happy Valley

2008-05-28T05:32:00.002-07:00

Doesn't it look cold with the clouds circling the towers? It's unimaginably hot. A still, steamy hot that touches you on all sides equally. The wet season is back.

Hillary in Causeway Bay

2008-05-26T17:28:00.002-07:00

There's no escaping the election.

Causeway Bay

2008-05-26T00:45:00.001-07:00

From a tram at twilight, the busiest intersection in the world, they say.

Outdoor kitchen in Nim Shue Wan

2008-05-24T18:58:00.002-07:00

On Sundays especially, delicious-smelling food simmers on the stove. This was a rainy Saturday with no one cooking. More about Nim Shue Wan at commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com.

Near Nim Shue Wan

2008-05-24T01:24:00.003-07:00

Shrine near the Tin Hau temple in Nim Shue Wan. More about this area at commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com.

Nim Shue Wan

2008-05-23T03:37:00.004-07:00

Drying wood for heat and fuel alongside a creek near the squatters' village.
More on this area at commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com

In Aberdeen

2008-05-22T00:36:00.002-07:00

Evening of the Arts - student art with Barack Obama, tulips and plugs and Chip and Dale. Yes, I'm still in Hong Kong.

On the Star Ferry

2008-05-20T18:27:00.003-07:00

On "Twilight Star"- a lady who looks she's fallen out of the '40's into our time.

Unknown flower covering hillsides

2008-05-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

The hills are alive with these flowers. They've just bloomed in the past week. I'm hoping TOG from Coral Gables, FL will let us know what they are.

Wan Chai MTR Internet

2008-05-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Two free internet ports in the MTR station, even though there are no bathrooms. There's a countdown clock on the screen of each counting down from 15 minutes (to keep you honest about how long you've been there.) The poppies are a perfume ad.

Wan Chai MTR

2008-05-18T06:36:00.002-07:00

Every MTR (subway) station is a different color. I suppose it's so if you're really drunk, or it's so crowded you can't see the signs, you know where you are. Wan Chai is this disgusting green. These bright decals say "Step yourself to health." This staircase has 60 stairs and it's much less crowded than the escalator.

Reflections

2008-05-17T08:10:00.002-07:00

Street food

2008-05-15T22:37:00.005-07:00

Hate the curried fish balls, the yellow xiu mais taste like glue, a hot dog is a hot dog, but the octopus is divinely chewy.

Some sort of jasmine

2008-05-15T05:33:00.002-07:00

A shot taken when I should have been running.

French tram

2008-05-14T02:57:00.001-07:00

In Sheung Wan, from the top deck of the double-decker bus.

In Wan Chai

2008-05-12T21:22:00.001-07:00

The ad says: Intuition, ambiance, sensation, vibe, grandeur, pleasure, bliss, modern, luxurious, classy, posh, comfortable, relaxing, enjoyment, ensemble, polish, sparkle, twinkle, glow, warm, shimmer, glitter, glisten, cosy.

Twilight from TST

2008-05-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's twilight. The buildings have started to light up. The Star Ferry, "Bright Star" is crossing the harbour to take us home.

High tea at the Peninsula

2008-05-10T18:04:00.001-07:00

My mom and I went for high tea at the Peninsula Hotel, in which the British surrendered to Japan on December 25, 1941. Ours was a more civilized affair. Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

Towards Sheung Wan

2008-05-10T06:52:00.002-07:00

The east side of the buildings of April 22

From my window

2008-05-08T17:41:00.003-07:00

The weather has shifted. It's heavy-hot and not smoggy. This evening was just as beautiful as it appears.

Durian, et. al

2008-05-07T18:01:00.002-07:00

And dragonfruit and mangoes and kiwi and peaches and persimmons and papaya.

Torch route

2008-05-06T21:41:00.002-07:00

The menacing police presence

Torch run again

2008-05-05T19:50:00.003-07:00

At the Hong Kong torch run there were probably a third of the flags that were Coca-Cola's rather than Chinese.

That CK ad again

2008-05-04T17:24:00.002-07:00

With bamboo scaffolding covering, it looks as though the building will be un or recovered. See April 5 and 6 for the whole view.

At Central Ferry Pier 3

2008-05-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the torch to run by - almost, but not completely, unlike France.

All over Central

2008-05-02T19:58:00.003-07:00

Domestic workers gathered all over Hong Kong on Labour Day to celebrate, worship and protest. More pictures @ Commuting to Hong Kong

By Happy Valley Racecourse

2008-05-01T18:46:00.002-07:00

Getting the decorations up for the Olympics. Equestrian events will be in Hong Kong.

May Theme Day - Numbers

2008-04-30T18:04:00.004-07:00

From the gloam of HK Harbor,

2008-04-29T18:01:00.003-07:00

part of USS Kitty Hawk's battle group glares out at us all.

In the Landmark Building

2008-04-29T00:08:00.002-07:00

I suppose it's art in a mall, but it is original and beautifully set by the fountain in great light.

On Gloucester Rd.

2008-04-27T17:15:00.002-07:00

Early morning reflections from the bus window.

In Ocean Park

2008-04-26T17:08:00.002-07:00

A picture from the "Dragon." How I wish it were sunny like this today.

In Tung Chung outlet mall

2008-04-26T01:15:00.002-07:00

Get your milky tea here - with Black and White evaporated milk. See commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com, The Diner in December 07 for more.

Home. Sick.

2008-04-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

On Des Voeux Road

2008-04-23T18:32:00.001-07:00

Louis Vuitton with reflections and a ghost bus.

In Hong Kong harbor

2008-04-22T21:26:00.002-07:00

One of the container ships that frequently crosses our path. It's flagged Majuro. I've been there and I'm pretty sure there is no harbor that it could dock in..

Central Ferry Piers

2008-04-21T17:20:00.001-07:00

Clear skies after a rain.

At the Big Buddha on Lantau Island

2008-04-20T17:16:00.002-07:00

The world's biggest outdoor, sitting, bronze Buddha in a Typhoon 3.

Causeway Bay

2008-04-20T06:00:00.003-07:00

It was a black rainfall warning because of Tropical Storm Neoguri. The little car didn't make it through.

At Discovery Bay Pier

2008-04-18T18:52:00.001-07:00

Typhoon Flag 1 is hoisted.

In Aberdeen Harbor

2008-04-17T20:53:00.001-07:00

Jumbo floating restaurant - of Noble House fame.

In TST

2008-04-17T03:22:00.001-07:00

Waiting to be picked up - with dragon.

At the top of Battery Path

2008-04-15T18:08:00.002-07:00

Striding away from the Court of Final Appeal. How ominous!

Hong Kong Harbor

2008-04-14T21:05:00.003-07:00

It looks like rush hour. See commutingtohongkong.blogspot.com for more photos of yesterday's commute.

The Mui Wo/Silvermine Bay Pier

2008-04-13T17:58:00.002-07:00

Get your mantis prawns, shrimp and fish here, fresh from this morning's fishing.

Queen's Road Central

2008-04-13T01:34:00.002-07:00

Bags everywhere!

From St. John's Cathedral

2008-04-11T19:47:00.003-07:00

A perfect sky framing the cathedral and the bad feng-sui new Bank of China building.

This, too, is Hong Kong, Friday

2008-04-10T20:33:00.004-07:00

Orchids, paper lanterns, a nazar boncuk hanging in the window, New Yorker magazines and the ferries coming in. This, too, is Hong Kong.