As today is Shang Yuan (上元節) -- the fifteenth day of the new year in the Chinese calendar -- and there being a full moon tonight, a small, temporary bamboo stage has been erected on the waterfront.
Evening commuters coming off the ferry mostly walk on by, but for those who stick around there is free seating and recitals from Cantonese opera until 10:30pm.
Say it all in six words. For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Ernest Hemingway did that half dozen. But these are from Mister Bijou. Wherever you go, there you are. All half dozens, by Lizzie Widdicombe? Look you to New Yorker Magazine More for six of the best? Your suggestions can go in Comments!
We regret to announce the passsing of Joey and Polly, two budgerigars who won the hearts of all who met them (except the Fedex man). Resident in a watch assembly plant in Guangdong province, the vivacious duo fell victim to the recent severe cold snap.
One minute's silence at midday at head office in West Bromwich, England, has already been held. Our condolences go out to Dave A and Winnie. Obituary
Make that the Edison Chen (陳冠希), Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐), Bobo Chan (陳文媛), Cecilia Cheung (張栢芝) and others photo scandal.
Yes, Dorothy, the Edison Chen photo scandal has its own reference page: Wikipedia
For even more detail, Roland Soong has been covering developments as they have been, as it were, uncovered. He also has some astute observations along the way. See Brief Comments and Brief Comments Archive: ESWN
While it is not as cold here as across the border. . . it is soooo cold. The temperature nudges just above 10C during the day and then drops below ten at night. The weather forecast for the next seven days is more of the same.
Neither having central heating nor double glazing and living in a concrete box with tiled floors, the only solution is layer upon layer of clothes, and headgear of some sort. Oh, and huddle around an inadequate electric heater.
Oddly, it often feels warmer outside. It helps to keep moving.
In such circumstances, posting over the next seven days is liable to be irregular at best.
Alice Poon reviews We Deserve Better: Hong Kong since 1997, by Hemlock: Asia Sentinel Hemlock reviews King Hui: The Man Who Owned All The Opium in Hong Kong, by Jonathan Chamberlain: Hemlock
A clip from Performance starring Mick Jagger and James Fox:
Filmed in 1968, the cinema release had to wait until 1970 -- apparently, the American film distributors, Warner Brothers, had a hard time getting their heads around a film in which worlds collide, identities dissolve and get re-arranged, drugs and violence are ever-present. Oh, and there's sex and nudity, too. In short, one of the best British movies of the period, and one which has stood the test of time.
A cold front has swept down from the north. The air temperature on a little island in the South China Sea is currently 13.3C and dropping, probably to a low of 11C overnight.
New Year's Eve will be "fine and dry" with a high of 16C and humidity below 50%. Hong Kong Observatory talks about 'fresh northerly winds" amd forecasts an even colder and drier New Year's Day.
Van Morrison's Astral Weeks was released ten years, almost to the day, before this was written. It was particularly important to me because the fall of 1968 was such a terrible time: I was a physical and mental wreck, nerves shredded and ghosts and spiders looming and squatting across the mind. My social contacts had dwindled to almost none; the presence of other people made me nervous and paranoid. I spent endless days and nights sunk in an armchair in my bedroom, reading magazines, watching TV, listening to records, staring into space. I had no idea how to improve the situation and probably wouldn't have done anything about it if I had.
Ninth in a series of articles and multimedia examining the human toll, global impact and political challenge of China's epic pollution crisis: China Grabs West’s Smoke-Spewing Factories: NYT
In May 1968, the Situationist-inspired Occupation Committee of the People's Free Sorbonne University sent the following telegram from Paris:
POLITBURO OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY GATE OF CELESTIAL PEACE PEKING
SHAKE IN YOUR SHOES BUREAUCRATS STOP THE INTERNATIONAL POWER OF THE WORKERS COUNCILS WILL SOON WIPE YOU OUT STOP HUMANITY WON’T BE HAPPY TILL THE LAST BUREAUCRAT IS HUNG WITH THE GUTS OF THE LAST CAPITALIST STOP LONG LIVE FACTORY OCCUPATIONS STOP LONG LIVE THE GREAT CHINESE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION OF 1927 BETRAYED BY THE STALINIST BUREAUCRATS STOP LONG LIVE THE PROLETARIANS OF CANTON AND ELSEWHERE WHO HAVE TAKEN UP ARMS AGAINST THE SO-CALLED PEOPLE’S ARMY STOP LONG LIVE THE CHINESE WORKERS AND STUDENTS WHO HAVE ATTACKED THE SO-CALLED CULTURAL REVOLUTION AND THE MAOIST BUREAUCRATIC ORDER STOP LONG LIVE REVOLUTIONARY MARXISM STOP DOWN WITH THE STATE STOP OCCUPATION COMMITTEE OF THE PEOPLE’S FREE SORBONNE
Some years later (1977) René Viénet, Situationist writer and filmmaker, assembled a visual collage from historic film footage to produce this amazing (and anti-maoist) political documentary about China in the 20th century: ubu
Here is a detail of a map of a Master Landscape Plan for a section of a little island in the South China Sea's harbour front. The whole thing -- plus a couple of artist impressions of how it is supposed to look when it is done -- is on a panel standing right next to the ferry terminal.
The Master Landscape Plan starts a little north of the ferry terminal and extends up to Pak Tai football pitch. Just close by that lone HSBC ATM machine is the entrance to a "wood deck promenade". Further along are two Observation Piers, a Fishing Plaza and a pier for guidos. The already established restaurant row becomes a Food and Beverage Corridor.
All fine and dandy. Now if they could just find a way to encourage the fishing boats and other harbour users not to dump diesel, sundry liquids and other stuff into the harbour. . .
The two large shophouses on the corner of the waterfront and the square were put up for sale by auction in the spring. Whoever bought them got the wrecking crew in this week.
Now the buildings are no more. But not for long. For pleasure and profit, another building is in store. It's a primo site.
Medical matters account for the absence of posts for the previous eight or so days. The sun rises, the sun sets. Life is sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet. Mister B now looks forward to posting some more. For the emails, thanks!
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
(click on photo to enlarge)
