Saturday, December 31, 2011

William Wordsworth: Upon Westminster Bridge

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.



Happy New Year

Friday, December 30, 2011

Eye | Land | View


The Other Side: Harbour eye-candy on a murky Friday afternoon

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Slade: Merry Christmas Everybody

For Christmas, a guilty pleasure.

No Christmas is complete without Noddy Holder's yell starting at 3'03. . .



Plus, Christmas hits: are Slade, Boney M and the Pogues made for life?

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Eye | Land | View


The weekend starts here. . . season's greetings!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Joni Mitchell: River

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

From the album Blue, a song for Christmas. . .

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Monday, December 12, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Ronnie Corbett: My Blackberry Is Not Working

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield. . .

Friday, December 09, 2011

Cold Weather Warning

The Cold Weather Warning has been issued by the Hong Kong
Observatory at 4:20 p.m. Cold weather is expected in Hong
Kong during the overnight period.

The minimum temperature in the urban areas overnight will be around 11 degrees. It will be lower than 10 degrees over parts of the New Territories and on high ground.

As Hong Kong will be affected by a cold winter monsoon in
the next couple of days, people are advised to put on warm
clothes and to avoid adverse health effects due to the cold
weather. You must also ensure adequate indoor ventilation.

If you must go out, please avoid prolonged exposure to
wintry winds.

If you know of elderly persons or persons with chronic
medical conditions staying alone, please call or visit them
occasionally to check if they need any assistance.

Make sure heaters are safe before use, and place them away
from any combustibles. Do not light fires indoors as a means
to keep warm.

Whatever the temperature, please ensure that there is plenty
of fresh air in your room when you are using an old-type gas
water heater. 

Dispatched by Hong Kong Observatory at 16:20 HKT on 09.12.2011

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Monday, December 05, 2011

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Orchestre National de Barbès: lawah lawah

For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.

Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian musicians. . .



The name of the band is a wry joke. . .   Barbès is in Paris's 18th arrondissement

If memory serves me well, Emile Zola's novel Nana begins in the Goutte d'Or (gutter of gold) in Barbès. At that time the area was a refuge for the poor recently made homeless by the clearance by Haussmann of whole sections of the city centre to create the boulevards and prospects as they are today.

Soon after the area became first port of call for workers from France's rural provinces, followed by workers from Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Since the 1950s, Barbès has been a starting point for workers from ex-French Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia. It has some great couscous restaurants. 

Friday, December 02, 2011

Eye | Land | View


Afternoon

Overnight the temperature hovered around 12C. Today, however, the sky was blue, the sun shone, and the thermometer hovered around a pleasant 17.5C. Humidity is way, way down. Crisp, even. Well, crisp for these parts.

Hong Kong Observatory forecasts cold (12C) for ce soir, except under the duvet.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Eye | Land | View


Afternoon

During the night an "intense winter monsoon" swept in from the north and the day-time temperature today dropped eight degrees compared with the day before.

Hong Kong Observatory forecasts an overnight temperature of 13C or slightly below. And not much warmer tomorrow. Ouch!