Red, White & Blue Bag :: 紅白藍帆布袋

Since the 1960s, Wah Ngai Canvas (華藝帆布, established in 1954) and its founder Lee Wah 李華 are known as the maker of the iconic red, white and blue nylon bags, literally, 紅白藍帆布袋. Films used to have these bags to store corpses in, but nowadays they use suitcases. LOL I also have an actual 紅白藍袋 that I use to move bulky items around and when not in use, it's folded up. These are as sturdy as the IKEA bags.

Now, the popularity of these bags meant that they're an avenue to do social good. A concept shop run by New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association have the disabled and mentally-challenged workers up their mental health by sewing these bags in workshops in Kowloon and sold all over the world. They're obviously priced a lot higher than what you can buy off of Taobao, Shopee and Lazada. As consumers, we then choose where we want to spend to get these bags. I simply want neat and tight stitching. It's meant to be brand-less. It's supposed to be the antithesis of a brand, or at least not a designer brand. 

I have some of those in nylon, and a mini version as a stylized tote made of fabric. The fabric tote was a fun buy from Hong Kong. I was in Cheung Chau and walked into a shop selling handmade fabric bags. The lady boss could make a few for me in the desired designs if I had another day to return to pick it up or 2.5 hours to wait for her to make one bag. I couldn't. So I simply took what was available on the racks. There was one in water-resistant frabic. The lady's stitching was top-notch, and she made an extra layer of fabric for the bottom of the bag. 

Sure, the nylon ones are used mainly for dog things and activities or supermarket runs. But this fabric tote — I'm very fond of. I don't just use it to carry random extra items around or as a shopping bag. On some days, I also use it as a bag-bag. I don't need to lug around designer bags all the time. They're just stashed at home. If I feel like taking them out, I will. If I don't, then I don't. I don't feel any social pressure to do so (got past that); I needn't live up to anyone's sartorial expectations. 

'White Cat, Black Dog'

I didn't want to bring the Macbook on this trip. I wanted to just take the Kindle along, but it's highly impractical. The iPad would be a much better companion since I could do more things on it, like... fill up the requisite Singapore arrival card (more like a health declaration; SG residents must submit it too) and... blog. Heh. The Kindle app on the iPad works fine.

The short flight to Hong Kong meant that I could easily finish Kelly Link's 'White Cat, Black Dog' (March 2023). The macabre little stories are such delicious nuggets. Seven short stories in the fantastical and quietly touching on morality and life's values. 

These aren't fairy tales though. Apparently these stories have all been published prior, except for 'Prince Hat'. I have not read any, so they're all new to me. The illustrations that prefaced every story are quite beautiful. The charcoal illustrations are done by Shaun Tan. 

'The White Cat's Divorce' seems to be inspired from an old French tale 'La Chatte Blanche' (1698) written by Madame d'Aulnoy. I love this first story best. Narcissistic billionaire patriarch, odd sons, weird worlds and an expected obsession with youth and immortality. It's awesome little tale with people's heads being chopped off. Hurhurhur.

The second story 'Prince Hat' explores the relationship between staid and dependable Gary, and his husband, the whimsical Prince Hat. Yup, that's his name. We were taken through a journey of Gary searching for a missing Prince Hat, finding him in the other world and getting him back into this world. All because of love. 

All the excitement in 'The Lady and the Fox' pretty much happens every Christmas. The Honeywells are a family full of idiosyncrasies, an adopted relative, a centuries-old fox, a Lady of the mansion, and a happily-ever-after. Okaaaay. 

"We all lose," says an acerbic voice. "We all love and we all lose and that's just the way it goes."

'The White Road', 'The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear' and 'The Game of Smash and Recovery' kinda flew over my head. 'Skinner's Veil' was a bit difficult to finish. What on earth was that thing about ghosts and house sitting and strange smooth happenings in life for Andy? 

再見啦，香港! 🇭🇰

《大批判: 香奈兒》2001年、王廣義
'Great Criticism: Chanel' 2001, Wang Guangyi
(born 1957 in Heilongjiang, works in Beijing)
油彩布本 / Oil on canvas
Donated to M+ Sigg Collection

This city has irrevocably changed. The events of the past four years have scarred it. While its economy will get back on an even keel, the society might not. The people and nature of Hong Kong are changing. 'To what?' That remains to be seen.  

The old vestiges of the city are still there, but something innate has changed. you wouldn't feel it unless you speak to people across the social strata. We would be too shallow to judge the students for having ignited the protests in 2018 to early 2020. Did it bring about an earlier implementation of restrictions and the National Security Law? Perhaps. From my viewpoint, these protests had to happen. It would have happened at some point post pandemic anyway. This is one last stand against being fully embraced by the overarching ideals of the Chinese Communist Party. It's the final goodbye to the Hong Kong people's ideal of democracy. 

So many facets I love about Hong Kong have been destroyed, removed and persecuted. I'm an outsider looking in. There's still so much I love about the city. Once upon a time, this city is so easy to live and work in. Now, I'm not sure about it. I don't know if the language and culture will be assimilated into a tepid version because of National Security Law. As it is, post-pandemic, I'm reluctant to step into any Chinese territory for a vacation. Hong Kong remains an exception for the now. I'm highly wary of the National Security Law, tbh. This trip has been such an eye opener. 

I'll need to come back to eat claypot rice because I hadn't had any for the past week!

Goodbye Hong Kong. You'll always be a city of my heart. And, 毋忘六四.

Looking towards Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island
from my vantage point at Hotel ICON in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

This Girls' Trip Is Done! 🧡

This is a girls' trip. Yet I'm reluctant to fully term it as such because of the stereotypical assumptions of what girls do when we do 'girls' trips'. Even I am guilty of holding that stereotype. I most certainly am not into spas, shopping or beauty things. No yoga things either. Neither am I into parties, getting drunk and eating at Michelin-starred restaurants or whatever 'best of' places. It has to be a balance of somewhere in between. Preferably evened out with a gym and a pilates session. But I guess it's how we define it that matters. Many friends do live-on-board dive trips as a 'girls' trip'. We do medical mission trips in rural regions. In our mid-forties, who cares about labels that define us?! We will define it ourselves. 

M, S and I are very different individuals. Yet we share a friendship spanning 20 years. For M and S, theirs started during college days in the UK. Being ex-colleagues accelerated our friendship. They're more open to being friends with colleagues. I'm not, and never will be. But our type of fast-paced work which included a ton of traveling meant that we were exposed to one another's quirks super early on. None of us have a choice in there. Hahaha. 'Staffing our bosses' on work trips and putting out sudden fires meant that we were extremely professional about it and learnt to appreciate one another's strengths, cover the other's weaknesses and carry everyone through a trip smoothly. We learnt to lean on one another.

Traveling for vacations meant that we only need to be responsible for ourselves. We haven't done this travel together as a trio for years! Actually, I hadn't even seen them since early February. LOLOLOL It says a lot about friendship, trust and efficiency when we randomly cobbled together a trip within three days, and MADE IT without any drama. What we did in Hong Kong reminded us of how much we love to just chill out and have fun with one another. Our brand of humor complement each other's quirks, and it has been so so awesome. We love it! We can share a room and a bathroom. BUT. We do need to sleep in THREE SEPARATE BEDS! 😂 

We're already thinking of another trip, and another, and a bigger one before we hit 50 years old. S is absolutely meticulous about details. It isn't so much of a surprise that she thoughtfully got something drawn as a gift for us, but it's heartwarming that she bothered to. It's such a wonderful gesture to remember this trip. Ralph Lazar of The Last Lemon at The Happy Page illustrated this. These little details. Awwwww.

Alrighty. Till the next one, my lovelies. 

Bar Buonasera HK

My favorite bar of the trip is Bar Buonasera at Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. I like quiet whisky bars. I can't quite deal with jazz bars and bars with 'live music'. The choice of music is often extremely grating to me, and I tend to wear ear plugs at those bars. If I want 'live music', I'll check out an indie gig. As much as Darkside is beautiful, it's not my kind of bar because I'm an alcoholic a drinker, and I highly dislike its prices of whisky by the glass. 

Helmed by Ayako Miyake and Nick Tse, Bar Buonasera is a drinker's sanctuary. The duo were in Singapore in early May for a one-night stint at Smoke & Mirrors. I actually didn't know about that till later. Haha. Obviously Smoke & Mirrors (it's really cocktails) isn't a bar I hang out at unless I have guests in town to have a drink with. They're off to Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar in Bangkok in two weeks on 15 June. (Hey BKK people, GO SAY HI! One night only!)

These girls didn't like eat much dinner, except sliders at another bar earlier. They weren't feeling 100%. So I simply got some easy calamari and grilled wings for them. I really wanted that gorgonzola with honey and nuts. It was beautifully decorated with rice paper flowers. It was tasty, and perfectly complemented my peated malts. 

If I hang at out at a bar on my own, Bar Buonasera is exactly what I'm looking for. We went late, just before closing. I got in all the drams of whisky I wanted. Thrilled to see a bottle of Caol Ila 18 y.o. But sad that there was only a dram left and I couldn't have more. It's not that rare, but because 85% of Caol Ila whiskies are used for blends like Johnnie Walker, so it's rare to find an 18y.o lying around at the bars. I ended the night with a shot of Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Mmmm.

Black Sugar Coffee

I didn't bother to hunt down the centrally located Koffee Mameya at K11 or Blue Bottle Coffee at Central/Wan Chai. My coffeeshop of this trip is Black Sugar. On this side of the island, their Mody Road and Ho Man Tin outlets suit my daily routes fine.

The girls simply humored me for the first visit. They aren't such coffee fiends — I am. I'd honestly take a stroll here for the coffee than to subject myself to rubbish brews at the hotel's breakfast cafe. 

I've been sleeping very well here. The sleep is deep for six to seven hours, and I wake naturally before my alarm goes off at 7.30am. I don't actually need caffeine to get through the day. Most days, I only want one cup of coffee. Black Sugar's outlets are convenient to me, and their dependable beans and consistent pulls are great. There's nothing to complain about my oat white 5oz double shot. Gorgeous. It's my standard order at most cafes across many cities.

We went away with a few boxes of drip coffee bags. Those are great if we aren't sure that our recipients has a grinder at home or use beans for their coffee machines. I wouldn't have minded a Shiba print tote bag, but they were sold out of them. Oof. Note, it's not a Shiba-themed cafe. They just happened to use the Shiba-ken as a mascot because their three Boss-Pups are floofy shibes. Heh. 

Tong Shui :: 糖水

Hong Kong has entered summer and it's searing. It's less humid than Singapore, but the 30°C heat is mad. I'm outdoors in the heat in Singapore on most days. Yes, I'm used to it and I can bear it. But I don't really want to be out in this blazing HK heat all day. LOL I keep looking for iced water. Needed ice cubes. Thankfully we all brought our insulated water bottles that could keep water chilled for a bit. 

Desserts are a thing for the girls. We don't go out of our way to look for dessert shops. We simply chance upon them. Ice cream for M the ice-cream monster, and anything sweet for S. I survived a few jaunts into dessert shops. Places like Honeymoon Dessert and Hui Lau Shan, and Art of Dessert are quite classic I suppose. Then it's up to you how much of a purist you are — to eat at a franchise or hunt down the independent classic dessert stalls and find a flavor that you particularly like.

I realized that I can only do specific old school desserts and not all of them. I'm okay with either hot or cold ones for these, preferably cold though. I'm not fussy about it. I just want them to be not ridiculously full of sugar. Unlike me, to the girls, dessert can literally be dinner for them. Good gawwd. They did that one night and said that they didn't want dinner anymore before going out for drinks. I was like, "you're starving me!" I couldn't. Dinner MUST BE savory for me. For the night, luckily for me, the bar had decent beef sliders.

I usually don't mind a guilinggao (龜苓膏), a poached pear something (冰糖燉雪梨之類的), or a ginger soup thing with sesame or peanut tang yuan (湯圓薑湯). Ate a bowl of poached pear with dried longans that afternoon. It was refreshing!

All These Cha Chaan Teng

I don't particularly care that I eat at whichever famous cha chaan teng (茶餐廳). To me, most of them are pretty decent. However, I refuse to step into any Tsui Wah (翠華) or Cafe de Coral (大家樂). The latter simply feels like a McD's with all its ordering on big screens. When I'm already staying in Mongkok, all the ones around and a few streets away at Yau Ma Tei are all totally edible. 

On some mornings we ate breakfast at the hotel. On the other mornings, we pop out to the cha chaan teng for better local coffee and bites. All these cha chaan teng meshed into a giant version because I can't recall their names unless I look at the photos. They're all equally good, some better than the others. The black coffee with no sugar (齋啡) at these eateries are degrees better than the crap hotel coffee or those served at weird cafes. I asked for it to be brewed thick as well (加濃), and it's pretty much a kopi-o-kosong. Heh. 

They all do a decent luncheon meat and egg bolo bun (餐肉蛋菠蘿包) or as a sandwich with white bread. My only complaint — the spam is too thin and too small. Hahahaha. Surprisingly, I ordered no luncheon meat and sunny-side up with rice. (餐肉蛋飯) Why would I? I'd rather go home and cook my fuwa-fuwa rice and add a whole tin of spam to it. That would be wayyyyy more satisfying. 

M+

Made sure that I spent a few hours at M+. The visual arts museum was supposed to be opened in 2017, but that never came to fruition. It finally opened in November 2021, and I really wanted to visit it. We got tickets via Cityline, but you could also just buy from M+ ticketing counter upon arrival. The queues are still non-existent.

It's a beautiful venue at the West Kowloon Cultural District, and I was struck by how it gives out distinctly Tate Modern vibes. The gorgeous Hong Kong Palace Museum is next door to M+, and I think many people are surging there to view the current exhibition (ticketed) hosted by jewelry house Cartier that runs till 14 August 2023. 

I was secretly relieved that we missed the Yayoi Kusama exhibition that ended on May 14. I'm not a fan of her pumpkins or polka dots. I've seen her installations twice as standalone shows, and come across so many of her works dotted (pun intended) here and there. I don't think I can deal with more polka dots. M+ still has a number of the artist's pieces on the ground floor and basement. 

I took my time looking at the exhibits; the brain cells were in overdrive. I think the friends were a tad bored. LOLOL. Art is subjective right? So it all depends on what you're interested in. It's like, I can deal with Renaissance and Classical. I cannot deal with Romantic and Impressionism. I definitely cannot deal with Monet or Van Gogh. (Hence I absolutely hated having to play Beethoven and Chopin piano exam pieces.) I didn't dare to drag the friends to the Affordable Art Fair at the HKCEC that ended on 21 May. Teehehehe.  

In the East and South Galleries, there're also design and architecture highlights from around Asia. Singapore's Marina One designed by Ingenhoven Architects was shown, as well as Hans Tan's three works from his 'Spotted Nyonya' series (2011) by way of a kamcheng, a candle holder and a dish. I also liked the two 1950s rattan pieces from the now defunct Kowloon Rattan Ware Company (九龍藤器公司). They're chairs, you know, those saucer chairs that are pretty comfortable to curl up with a book and chill in. 

These galleries don't just note architecture in the region. They also note design and quality elements from living makers in Asia. While the design elements in the visual galleries are cool, I got a bit tired of them after seeing them endlessly displayed. 

My personal preference is the works shown at the Sigg Collection's 'From Revolution to Globalisation' (till 23 July 2023). Those works are a great summary of the development of Chinese contemporary art from the 1970s till today. The Sigg Gallery is huge, and this exhibition is so well curated, showcasing all art forms through the decades. I really lingered over them. 

'Art and Politics' 2006 / 《藝術與政治》
Oil on canvas / 釉彩布本
Wang Guangyi / 王廣義 
(born 1957 in Heilongjiang, works in Beijing)
Donated to the M+ Sigg Collection.

天外天嘅艇仔粥加皮蛋

Went for a dim sum lunch at Above and Beyond (天外天). We had a lovely view of Central from our table by the window. The light was kind and golden. 

This M only likes sweet things. Tsk. She immediately ordered the steamed egg custard buns (流沙包) that came in a cow/panda print. She asked for dumplings and left us to order the rest of the food. She ate the sweet custard buns even before the savory foods arrived. Heh. 

Ordered loads. The usual meat and prawn dumplings of siew mai and har gow, two types of cheong fun (rice rolls), S also had a baked taro cake with goose. I had to have the boat congee (艇仔粥). That was hearty and yet elegant, full of squid and fish and peanuts. Had to have century eggs. They were delicious! It came in a generous portion with seared peppers.

Of course we still had space for dessert. That came in the form of fresh milk egg tarts. I don't often eat egg tarts. I like egg tarts I remember them to be soooo lovely. They don't come yellow like the usual, but in a pale white version. They're still small and very manageable. I took one. It's still as superb as I remember them to be. 

A Nifty Purse

M was ridiculously thoughtful. She bought bags from Psalm 136 for us. She knew our likes and preferences and picked the apt fabric design for us. Run by Nathan and Joycelyn, these handmade bags take about 3-4 weeks to arrive after placing an order. Ahhh... Psalm 136 — the right use of power. We see those four examples; every verse of Psalm 136 reminds us to give thanks to God, “whose steadfast love endures forever.”

M bought a big one for herself that's named 'Lisa'; it's easily converted into a backpack too. Mine is named 'Valley of Hope' by the maker. It comes with a brass chain, but M added on a PU leather strap. So clever. Since I always sling my bags as a crossbody and am rough with them, I prefer the thicker strap over a metal chain. Heh. I forgot to take a photo of S's bag which has a fabric print of red and white tassels, and a tassel at the side. Couldn't find a photo of it online either. Will grab a photo of it the next time I see her.

The bag is really quite well made. It holds up great during these casual and hot strolls around the city. At 19cm (L) x 5cm (W) x 20.5cm (H), it slings over the body well and sits nicely on my butt. Hahaha. The clasp isn't fussy either. It's the brass plated alloy frame's edges that might scratch if I slip my hand in too fast or force it wider than it can open. Otherwise it's a lovely bag that I will use often!

長州火車頭米線

We went to Locomo / 火車頭米線 for lunch. M loves their noodles, and would try to eat it whenever she is in Cheung Chau. She first started going to Locomo when they opened in November 2013. There's nothing mind-blowing about its food because it's just noodles in soup. BUT it's comfort food done really well. I like!

The restaurant has managed to stay in business since. It utilized the pandemic lockdowns and low tourist volume to refurbish. Now they're reopened with an updated decor and an electronic ordering system in Chinese. The soy bean drink (comes chilled and not hot) that arrived with the bowl of noodles was surprisingly palatable. (I generally don't like soy milk, soya beancurd and soy-bean-anything.) The kitchen didn't put in too much sugar, they boiled to just the right texture and it wasn't too stinky. 

Take your pick from the available soup bases, choose your noodles and add on all the ingredients you want. I love it! It's not overly salty and has no nonsensical flavors in there. I can cook this too, except I obviously can't do it here. Heh. And this explains the popularity of the cute restaurant. That homecooked taste is something we can rarely find at restaurants/eateries now. Cooks seem to like to over-salt things and add wayyyy too much badly cooked stock. 

I took the peppery pig stomach soup, fish balls and fish paste. I skipped the mi xian (米線), which is thick beehoon. I wanted thin beehoon. Slurrrrrrp. Mmmmmmm. I should have ordered extra pieces of pig stomach! 

When we were waiting for a table at the restaurant, my heart skipped a beat. Two Shiba-ken were obediently sitting on the chairs with their pawrents. Oh my heart! The red Shiba-ken grinned at me. I almost reached out to rub his cheeks, but that would be a bad idea. Heh. I simply grinned back at him.

長洲太平清醮 / 包山節

I wandered to the town square to check out the prep for the Cheung Chau Bao Festival (包山節). This is known as the Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival / 長洲太平清醮, but for ease, many of us call it the 'Bun Festival'. 

This Festival is steeped in Taoist roots; during the three days in the lunar month that falls some time in end April or May, the entire island goes vegetarian, including the McDonald's which will rescind its meat burgers and offer a mushroom burger to diners. 

The town square was a busy hive of activity. SCMP reported that after a three-year hiatus, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival returns this year, but without the impressive 40-foot bamboo bun towers. Three smaller towers have been erected instead for the 'bun scramble' competition. Citing sponsorship, manpower and cost issues, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee said that it was regretful that they couldn't construct the signature towers, and would do better next year. 

Today, I could feel the excitement and also a bit of sadness from the locals because of the watered down version. They had wanted a triumphant return after the three-year pandemic hiatus, but it isn't meant to be. I didn't know what to make of the banners behind those three small bun towers. So strange! The banners depict the actual height of the intended bamboo (now steel, as dictated by the Hong Kong government) towers. Ah well.

I never wanted to be here during the Festival itself. The Parade and the bun scrambling will be fun to watch, but it'll be too crowded for my liking. All the jostling and perspiration, and it might also be canceled if the rain pelts down. However, I quite like being here to visit, a day before the festival begins.

I also wandered into the alleys and checked out a clan association space. The elderly caretaker invited us in to take photos. He didn't bother smiling, but he certainly didn't mind chatting. He even answered my question about the word printed on this set of buns. The word referred to this alley and area of ‘北社’. The word was cleverly shrunk from two into one. So much politics in one bun festival and the various representatives.

Coming out to Cheung Chau for a stroll makes for a nice morning because I prefer sweating it out here than to walk the malls where there's nothing much of interest for me. Here, it feels nice to just take a short boat trip out, and smell the sea breeze, and simply enjoy my short time here. Didn't bother eating a bun though. Not that fond of steamed buns with sesame or lotus paste, unless I'm at someone's home and it's offered to me, then I'll eat it.

香港你好！🇭🇰

We intentionally didn't plan to have fancy meals or designated meals at whichever 'best of' eateries. We aren't bothered to do so, and this isn't exactly an eating trip anyway. We're staying in Mongkok, and we're right next to Yau Ma Tei. This is the home of local eats! Just walk to any stall to eat whatever you want off of the menu. Tonight, we opted to stayed in and got food to-go. 

Found a random stall that looked decent — 琪昌燒味 on the corner of Argyle Street. Bought siew yoke and roast duck, and the girls insisted on getting 12 curry fishballs from the stall across. Brought them back to the spacious hotel room for dinner for three. It fed us really well. All that pork, and delicious duck. That was definitely half a duck in there. The stall gave us a discount; these two large boxes of roast meats were only HKD60. Wow. 

The one thing that I couldn't understand is why the girls like curry fishballs so much! They could even discuss and decide which kinds of curry fishballs are tastier. Dohhh. I love curry and I love fishballs. But I do not like them meshed together in the same bowl! M and S ate 6 fishballs each. I shuddered.

We had stopped by the supermarket to get a few bottles of water, and also got a bottle of easy Médoc for whenever. Opened it up to accompany the meats. The meats and red wine totally complemented one another and went down beautifully in the stomach. We were full and happy, but not overly stuffed. 

My First Flight in 3 Years! 🛫

I have totally forgotten how it felt traipsing through airports. To think that I used to spend so much time in them, pre Choya. The pandemic isn't that much of a deterrent to traveling. It's the presence of the dog and her needs that I have prioritized. I have willingly scaled back all my traveling for her.    

This is my first ride in a plane since the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021! OMG. Thank goodness I have a valid passport that was renewed in 2021. My destination is Hong Kong. A city that I love, miss and wondered how the vibes are now. It has seen and changed so much that so many of my good friends have given up on their country of birth or long-term residence, and emigrated or left to live somewhere else. I no longer have good friends living there that I would want to catch up with on this trip. 

This trip is happening because M scored a free ticket on Cathay Pacific. So S and I decided to make a trip out of it and got ourselves tickets on CX too. We packed light, but our suitcases were big. Hahaha. It's for all the shopping that we would be doing. I have things to buy, but they're not that much. Should the girls require it, I have extra baggage allowance on CX for them to utilize, like they could buy and fill a new 23-kg suitcase. LOL

I skipped all the meals in-flight and only asked for ice cubes and water. What for. I wasn't hungry. I just wanted to snooze a little and read; kept my mask on the face and air pressure ear plugs firmly locked in. It was a full flight and I'm not used to the sounds and the smells. I was the first one out of the plane and sprinted to immigrations, and felt mildly victorious at the non-existent immigration queue. I wanted to pick up our suitcases before the girls joined me. As our car crossed the Tsing Ma Bridge, this trip finally felt real. 

I am in Hong Kong!

Crossing Tsing Ma Bridge (青馬大橋).

'Indelible City' :: 真的是‘光復香港、時代革命‘嗎？

I had to read Louisa Lim's 'Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong' (April 2022). But I couldn't read this book as though it's fiction. I had to take my time about it. I didn't finish it in one sitting either. It wouldn't do the book justice and it won't help me mull over the author's points of view. 

When it comes to political views and comments, sometimes it's very subjective, especially when it concerns social shifts. To me, this is a very sad read. (Reviews here, here and here.)

Also, it's Hong Kong. I didn't grow up in Hong Kong and even if I think I understand the history and political shifts, and Beijing's National Security Law, I don't think I know enough of it, and especially not how its people truly feel about Beijing as the Overlord and Master. What if it's 50-50? Then what? 

The book is divided into eight chapters and three parts — Part 1: Dominion, Part 2: Dispossession and Part 3: Defiance. Journalist and long-time Hong Konger who now lives in Melbourne, Australia, Louisa Lim couldn't be that honest about events and people in her book. In the Author's Note, she said,

This act of stripping away the identities of interviewees is all the more painful because my aim in writing this book was to place Hong Kongers front and center of their own narrative. Yet in this national security era, writing about Hong Kong's distinct identity is land-mined with risk. Indeed, many of Hong Kong's best writers can no longer find the words, or even the platforms to express themselves openly.

Most friends I know who live in Hong Kong either as citizens or long-term residents have left the city. They left as quickly as possible, in fear and disappointment. Luckily they did. The exit bans in August 2021 were madness. Apple Daily disappeared overnight. The political promises of 1997 have evaporated. The Hong Kongers themselves had no say over any of the negotiations between Chinese and the British governments. Neither do Hong Kongers have a say now. 

The National Security Law is all-encompassing. It's amending textbooks and reeducating teachers, seeking to change the historical narrative of the former British colony, as well as 1989 Tiananmen incident. Even Cantonese is being eroded. Not when Beijing literally shuts down all dissent unceremoniously and as heavy-handed as she needs to be. Beijing's power is absolute. 香港能重光嗎？

Language is a key identity marker for Hong Kongers, who speak Cantonese rather than the standardized Mandarin—known as putonghua, or "common language"—introduced by China's Communist rulers in 1956. Though Cantonese is often viewed as a dialect, it's incomprehensible to Mandarin speakers. Some linguists see it as closer to classical Chinese than Mandarin, deploying archaic participles, ancient sounds, and traditional complex characters rather than the simplified ones used on the mainland. Unlike standardized Mandarin, Cantonese is gloriously irregular, its rules of pronunciation so causal that some words can be pronounced with either an initial n or l sound, used interchangeably. Cantonese didn't even get a romanization system until the 1950s, a full century after Mandarin was romanized by Thomas Wade. To this day, there's still no consensus about which of two romanization systems should be used or even how many tones Cantonese has; the range is five to eleven, depending on whom you ask.

I don't view the protests as a single-layered fight for democracy. That's too simplistic. It's a little bit more than that. The Hong Kongers have woken up and want a say, and even as Beijing literally rolls over them, they want a say. I'm not fond of the Communist rhetoric. I don't buy it and I don't accept it. Beijing can't seem to accept the Chinese diaspora doesn't all belong to her, and not all Chinese people are the same. 

As a then-journalist on the frontline of the 2019-2020 protests, the author witnessed police brutality to all protesters and journalists. Journalists were beaten, harassed and detained. The author was routinely tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed. Elections and its results did nothing to quell the unrest. Beijing wouldn't back down. Hong Kong's own government leaders doubled down with even more force. 

Protesting with Chinese calligraphy: 'The King of Kowloon' — Tsang Tsou-Choi (1921-2007). Who is this King? / Louisa Lim for The Guardian. 
自稱「九龍皇帝」的曾灶財的街頭塗鴉無人不曉，他花了超過五十年的時間及心機，堅持在香港的大街小巷用毛筆書寫漢字，透過他獨特的文字宣傳自己主權，也被譽為「香港街頭塗鴉文化始祖」。

I've never seen so many friends flee Hong Kong the way refugees flee a war zone. People I know have been arrested, detained, released, and re-arrested. Even when one isn't in Hong Kong, the space for discussing about the events in Hong Kong have diminished. Threats against activists (in exile) and such are credible and plentiful. 

The state of Hong Kong society and politics is something I know fairly well and I keep up with it, out of personal interest and for work related purposes. But it isn't a topic I'm keen to discuss with people at a social gathering. Not even if you're an academic. I don't have an objective viewpoint about it, and I'd like to stay within my echo chamber. 

I was keen to know the author's thoughts about Hong Kong history, and the city she grew up in, and her experiences covering new shuttling between mainland China and Hong Kong. I was interested to know about her interview with the 28th and the last Governor of Hong Kong (1992-1997) Chris Patten, now Baron Patten of Barnes and Chancellor of Oxford University. The author doesn't mince her words in this book. You can be sure this book isn't going to be available anywhere in China. Even possessing a copy or be found to have read it could cause one to be prosecuted. The irony. In the Epilogue, she concluded,

Beijing's endgame was total dominance. Its actions sabotaged its own One Country, Two Systems formula, exposing it for the sham it was. In imposing the legislation, Beijing had in one fell swoop undermined the high degree of autonomy it had promised to Hong Kong, sidelined its judiciary and canceled its rule of law. It was as if, in order to fix a leaky pipe, the builders had pulled down the entire house and plowed up the land under its foundations. 

Tsang Tsou-Choi (1921-2007) or in pinyin, Zeng Zaocai's works are now very rare, and a few have been protected by transparent boxes. / Anthony Kwan for The New York Times.

拜拜香港，再會啦!

There's no part of the city that's alien to me. Its tiny streets and lanes feel most familiar. Its colorful wall murals are hugely jarring to the faded old bricks, concrete and cement, but not unwelcome. I'm just tickled that nowadays, wall murals are used as a well to band a community together in a sort of identity. It used to be called 'graffiti'. Sanctioned graffiti have been redefined as 'wall murals', and firmly placed in the realm of mainstream art/

There's a certain je ne sais quoi to have these murals pop out around the city and back alleys that make me smile each time I see them. I didn't hunt them down. I purposely avoided memorizing the addresses and location of these wall murals. I wanted to stumble upon them. Well, Sheung Wan has plenty of them adorning the walls.

While I've never been in love with the city, Hong Kong is always a happy jaunt. It's scary how fast its social fabric is shifting, and how the political changes have swept through society till it has rocked the very core of steel-willed Hong Kongers who've built an identity over two generations prior to 1997. This is not the 'price of progress'. It feels like, an inevitable change in the make-up and outlook, the overall vibes and such that still has plenty to do with its economic tradeoffs.

It's been great catching up with the friends, watching shows at the Arts Festival, strolling its streets and even getting into an exercise routine. Heh. I leave with a little heartache (bye bye Leica Q), but with more insights gained, again. Traveling always opens my eyes to joyful little things elsewhere in the world. Hong Kong always gives me that bit of nostalgia in a way that clinical and sanitary Singapore never does.

324 Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei.
Italian artist Pixelpancho's wall art for art festival HKWalls 2017.

Bar of the Trip- Alvy's

We didn't have any particular bars to check out. There isn't a need to. We simply hung out at wherever convenient, with the caveat- it cannot be fancy. For the friends, they said that once done with their work day, they didn't want to sit at bars in Central anymore. Hahahah. Okaaaay.

We found ourselves in Sai Wan lots this trip. Even found a comfy bar in Kennedy Town to hang out at with the friends- the one-year-old Alvy's that has decent beers on tap, a huge range of American whiskey and small batch bourbon, and gin, and trots out good sourdough pizzas via their brick oven named 'The Big Red Bitch'. The staff wore tees printed with a statement on the back- 'NO SLICES'. LOL It's an unassuming neighborhood bar and exudes quite comfy vibes. We returned thrice.

I have no idea why the man is all excited about being in Hong Kong on a short trip only to get a pizza. Of course the friends were more than keen to indulge him since they're always up for pizza. They like the ones at Alvy's. Why is pizza so popular? Luckily (for me) I'm usually fed and happy before arriving at Alvy's. I can't quite do bar food anymore especially if they're all fried. If I make the mistake of doing fried pub grub and beer, in about three hours, my stomach would totally rebel and I'd get the runs from all the oil.

Plenty of beers and imperial stouts here. I'm spoilt for choice by the many taps. The other night, after a boisterous dinner at Yardbird (where I was traumatized by way too much chicken), we adjourned to Alvy's to 'wind down'. I felt bloated and skipped the beer. Opted for a gin and tonic. Two glasses and great conversation and company sufficed for a pleasant night out.

正斗潮州滷鵝

Gave in to one meal of braised goose (滷鵝). We visited friends at their home in Sai Wan for snacks and drinks. Then we decided to pop down the street for a quick supper before heading back to the hotel. Skipped the long queue at Sheung Hei Claypot Rice「囍煲仔小菜」and went across to「正斗潮州滷鵝」.

The man couldn't resist a whole plateful of innards- liver, gizzard and intestines. I thought they were a bit... smelly. Hahahaha. I can't quite manage innards except a select few in specific cooking methods, say, grilled chicken hearts, sambal paru, peppery pig stomach soup, and that's about it. I don't touch pig's intestines, chicken gizzards or whatever sweetmeats.

No regrets for this meal. The table ordered individual plates instead of sharing plates. Easier lah. This eatery is tiny and caters mainly to takeouts. I had breast meat with the pickles, salted vegetables, tofu and braised egg. The skin was a tad gamey for me, so I pushed those aside. Otherwise, it was an extremely satisfying meal. Again, a sambal belchan of sorts would have been very nice. Hahahah.

Hey Megaformers!

I eagerly looked forward to hopping into H-Kore for its Megaformers (by Lagree Fitness). I hadn’t done this for a year! It would jog my muscles into a new way of moving against resistance. The side planks were killer. After the first class, my armpits (teres minor and serratus anterior) were aching like crazy. Surprisingly, the glutes and inner thighs were fine. Hurhurhur.

I go into H-Kore on week days. I didn't bother to request for private sessions. This isn't quite pilates, and I didn't need the instructor's touch. The off-peak (9.30am or 10.30am) group classes were fine for me; there's never a full class of 15. Since it’s a group class, I don’t expect the instructor to specially attend to me, so I work harder in the sense that I'd be more conscious of how many reps I choose to do within the allocated 20 or 30 seconds, and I might just force myself to push a little more. Extremely effective. The muscles were like, woah, new moves, work work work.

I enjoy the sets of exercises on the Megaformer. They truly train the core, maintain stability and build strength. Planks, twists, planks, pikes and planks. BUT, these exercises don’t meet my needs when it comes to maintaining flexibility and strength. Pilates still nail it beautifully for me. While I wouldn’t mind popping into Megaformer classes, those aren’t likely to become part of the regular routine in Singapore. The Megaformer is designed to be quite unlike the Reformer, really. It hits a different set of exercise goals.

When the weekend rolled around, the man decided to ditch the hotel gym and give H-Kore a shot too. He bravely went for two classes on consecutive days. I'm soooo glad he was curious and open enough to check out the Megaformer. He should mix up his exercise routine and focus more on strengthening the core. He's quite annoyed that I can out-plank him any day still. Hahahaha.

The man came away with aching glutes and inner thighs (adductor muscles), and the realization that his obliques are in serious need of strengthening. He sweated buckets. He thought it more challenging than the exercises on the Pilates Reformer. He was wowed to the extent that he said if H-Kore indeed sets up in Singapore next year, he would sign up for a term of maybe 10 classes to supplement his HIIT workouts at the gym. Waaaah.