Johnnie To: Morning, Noon and Night

Again, it seems, I'm not blogging.  So here goes another blog about--not blogging.  I'm currently working on a little project (or at least it seemed little when I proposed it) looking at some of the films of Johnnie To.  The idea is that this will lead to a short article to be posted on one of the HK film websites.  For a director of his international stature, To has received precious little serious attention from those who write about cinema.  Even more interesting, most of that interest (at least in the West) is...Read more

Where are the new blogs?

After a flurry of blogs about my trip to Hong Kong, suddenly there are no more blogs.  What gives?Well, for starters, I put a lot of my life on hold to have the time to write all of those detailed blogs.  I wanted to capture my experiences in Hong Kong as soon as I could, before they evaporated like the morning dew.  I've been on enough memorable trips to know that after several weeks, the sharp details of the trip begin to fade.  After a few months, it is like some hazy water colored memory and, after a couple of years, you are ...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 9 - Impressions of Leslie

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I had gone to bed late the night before, after a long day of emotionally fulfilling and inspiring activities.  A mere 5 1/2 hours after my head hit the pillow, I awoke to the jarring sound of the phone ringing.  It was Molle telling me that she would be unable to meet Simie and I for lunch in Tsim Sha Tsui.  She called early to make sure that I wo...Read more

In love with Hong Kong

 City of SurpriseI saw the light of galaxies burning in your eyesInexhaustibleBeyond time and spaceYet contained in two human orbsThe breath of the soulWeaving stars and beings intoAnd out of existenceI became pure vibrationRocked off my foundationsBeyond day and nightRight and leftToday and yesterdayI put down roots in this city of surpriseWhere nightly I wander the streetsIn dreams more real than ...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 8--The Day of Leslie

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I woke up early to have plenty of time to prepare for a very long day of commemoration activities.  This was also the first day that was going to be not only humid, but hot as well.  I dressed for the weather, not knowing when I would get back to the hotel.

 At 10 o’clock, I met an assembled group of Leslie friends:  Julie, Simie and Molle, and I caught...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 7

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The Time of Leslie – Day 1

Today before 6 p.m. would mark the end of time on my own playing tourist in Hong Kong.  Beginning at 6 p.m,, all of my remaining time in Hong Kong I would be involved in various commemoration activities for Leslie Cheung. 

For those few readers of this blog unfamiliar with Leslie Cheung—he was one of Hong Kong’s most t...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 6

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Between the material and spiritual worlds

I had another day on my own.  I had been in Hong Kong 6 days now and was in a definite rhythm.  Everything about the city seemed to agree with me—the food, the people, the transportation—well, except for the pollution.  The day started out foggy and the air was quite hazy and polluted for the entire day.  No Peak again today.  With that in mind, I decided to visit the Jade Market and perhaps make a few purchases for myself and family and friends.  I was desperately b...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 5

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The Spiritual Heart of Hong Kong

When I woke up, there was a hazy fog so going to The Peak wasn’t really an option.  Instead, I decided to go to Flagstaff House—The Museum of Teaware in Hong Kong Park in Central.

After a few false starts finding the museum (a sign pointed me into a shopping mall, but then I lost the trail for a while and had to walk around and make a few false starts before I picked up the trail again), I entered the garden.  This is a fairly substantial garden that is formally laid ...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 4

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Somehow, you know a Triad member when you see one Met with AnD’s own Danny and Jason Chau for lunch in Causeway Bay at a little restaurant that is a vintage recreation of a typical Hong Kong restaurant of the 1950s.  I had an absolutely lovely time talking with Danny and Jason.After a light meal, we walked in Victoria Park, enjoying the glorious day with abundant sunshine, cool t...Read more

Hong Kong Blog Day 3

Day 3 - Chinese Opera - From Tradition to the AvantgardeIt is Saturday, and I wake up to overcast skies that appear to be a mix of humid air and thick pollution.  A pall hangs over the city and the sun is a bright orange ball the color of a tangerine.  Too bad I didn’t make it to the Peak yesterday.  They are forecasting overcast weather and cool temperatures for the next several days, it seems.I met Molle, the fan from Perth, Australia, and we went up to the New Territories to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.  Molle had been there two yea...Read more