More people need to give me presents like this.

A few spottings of the “Tao” character while I was in Hong Kong. The word is somewhat ubiquitous, since it can mean “road”, “path”, or “way”, and so marks road signs everywhere. This is the same character that I got tattooed on my right wrist.

It’s interesting to see how different Chinese characters can look, whether they’re engraved, painted, written, or stamped.

They’re in France now, and I feel like a part of me is missing. I know they aren’t gone forever, but they’re so far away that I can’t just drive over to their house on a whim to talk anymore. They were people who really understood me, who introduced me to so much of the world, who inspired me, who gave me confidence.

Before getting on the bus to Montreal, Frédéric told me that we’ll go on lots of adventures together. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Pat and Jen bought me this feather fountain pen set from their honeymoon to Europe. It comes from an Italian sculpture store, Fabris Giuliana in Venice, Italy.

The nib is super fine; I don’t think I’ve ever owned a fountain pen with such a small nib, which is perfect, because I tend to have small handwriting. You can’t even tell which direction the stroke is going. So far it writes a little rough and scratchy, but with enough use, the nib will break in to my writing style.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. Not just the concept of putting ideas into more a tangible medium, but the act of writing itself, whether it’s on a keyboard by night, or flowing lines on a sheet of paper.

Taking portraits of families is a lot harder than I expected. It’s not so much the amount of light and large depth-of-field required (although that does play a part), but the fact that there are so many things going on at once. Getting everyone to co-ordinate what they’re doing becomes exponentially difficult with every extra person. And if only one person blinks, the photo is ruined.

One of the biggest assets a photographer can have is a sense of humour. If you can make your model laugh, you lower their apprehensiveness, which brings down their guard and provides you with much more natural expressions. Not to mention the fact that it’s a pleasure to see someone smiling or laughing.

I’ve been back from my trip to Hong Kong for a little over a month now. Here are some little differences I’ve noticed between there and here.

Parking

Space is at a premium in Hong Kong, so parking spots are tiny. Most cars have folding side-mirrors, and proximity sensors that beep faster the closer you are to something when backing up. Vans and SUVs have mirrors on the back windows that lets a driver see the back bumper through the rear-view mirror. That way, you can squeeze into a space without any guess work, although it takes about three or four turns, Austin Powers style.

Some parking lots also have these lights above the spots that let people know if a car is parked in the space — green means it’s available. That way, you can see what spots are free with a quick glance, instead of driving around and hunting.

Taking care of the elderly

In the parks, there are workout areas for the elderly. They include things like Gazelles, bench steppers, and wheels you can rotate for flexibility. This is so awesome. Canada should have something like this. My grandma used come to this park to work out before she had colon cancer.

How cool is it that the symbol they use is the silhouette of someone doing single whip. I found this symbol in many parks actually, and I think it means that it’s a public park.

There are also speakers that beep at the traffic lights to let blind people know when to cross, and subway escalators that click constantly, so they know where to get on.

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I generally don’t take photos of wildlife, because I don’t have the right equipment; the most telephoto lens I have is a 100mm macro, where I’d say at least 200mm is needed. Wildlife also tends to be difficult to capture, since the variables are so hard to control (especially with models that don’t understand verbal commands), and the chances fleeting. Every now and then, an opportunity presents itself though.

She bought me these boxer briefs. Calvin Klein, body cut, lightweight cotton construction.

Until then, all the underwear I had were plaid XS boxers from The Gap that I could only find online, or XXL from Gap Kids, decorated with rockets, and basketballs, and skiers. I didn’t think she’d find anything else that would work on my small frame.

So this is my first pair of boxer briefs, and they fit. My sexy underwear, she would call them. I guess it’s hard to find my other underwear sexy when it’s meant for those 7–14.

On nights like this, when I’ve been in the house by myself all day, I have a craving for something. Not just for a taste, but an experience, among the lights and the shadows.

A while ago, I found the right place with the right ambiance. A place without the distractions of my house. Where I can write without thinking of what other work I should be doing.

I always tell myself that I’ll go tomorrow. It’s always tomorrow (the same day that most diets start). So I force myself to get in the car and drive.

When I walk in, I have to remember the nomenclature. Tall means small, grande means medium, venti means large.

Along with this craving comes a thirst for something sweet and warm to drink, harking to the days I lived unemployed, and my favourite thing to do was drink all sorts of strong coffees and teas. My stomach will pay for this later.

The cups always feel nice in the hand. Maybe I’m a sucker for good design — the pure white, the clean lines, the textured insulating sleeve with prominent corporate logo.

Sometimes, I need to go out to be alone. A warm drink is company enough.

I finally got a large print made for myself, of the frozen lake from my trip to New Hampshire. You really need to see the original from the entry (on black) to get an idea of what the picture looks like, because the shot I took above doesn’t do it justice as I was exposing for the general area in my living room, losing much of the detail of the picture. At over 48″ wide and 32″ tall, it cost me a pretty penny, but it was oh so worth it.

After some extra tweaking on my end to bring out the contrast, my awesome printer brought out the trunks of the white birch trees in the left forest using Photoshop, adding a touch of contrast and detail. The picture was laminated with a matte finish, so there’s no glass to reflect (and hence distract), from he windows. Then my framer used one of her new framing techniques where she takes textured fabric and stretches it over an inside border (instead of a mat board), then adds a frame that’s smooth but not flat¹. The colours fit right in with the walls, while the border and frame matches the couch.

It’s the first picture I’ve used to decorate the main floor of my house, because I’m really picky about the stuff I put up on my walls. This one was chosen because the sky, the sunset, the ice and the patterns in it, all speak emotion to me, which is what I try to achieve in my pictures, and something I enjoy looking at.

1. This means I sign, stamp, and number the picture on the picture itself, since there’s no mat board to write on. [↑]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll miss the way you comfort me with crowds. I’ll miss the smells of your streets. I’ll miss your alleys and their stories. I’ll miss your mix of classical and contemporary. I’ll miss the diversity of your food.

You made me feel comfortable, like I belonged somewhere, and with all your rich and somewhat mysterious culture, renewed my pride in being Chinese.

It’ll be a long time before I see you again.

Goodbye, you beautiful city. I miss you already.

 

Upper Lascar Row, also known as Cat Street, is a narrow alleyway market that sells decorations, trinkets, and antiques. It’s not quite like other Hong Kong markets because it’s less commercialized (i.e. doesn’t sell as many touristy things), even though the most common buyers there seem to be foreign.

The name comes from a joke in Chinese: it’s said that if you have something stolen, you’re likely to find it for sale on Cat Street. Thieves are known as “rats” in Cantonese slang, and people who purchase goods from rats are called “cats”.

 

The final week of my Hong Kong food diary. It’s safe to say that I gained a few pounds, as I would continue eating even after full. The weight is mostly in my face (good) and midsection (bad). Yes, my cheeks have filled out, but now I have a muffin top. It was totally worth it though, as I don’t know when I’ll have a chance to eat many of these dishes again.

Other weeks in my Hong Kong Food Diary

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3