京都 四条/カフェ

Ok, I "cancel" my doubt from the previous post, and decide to write a new one after dinner - as I have fell in love with this city after night falls! 

Had dinner at a cafe, that was converted from an old house of Kyoto. It's filled with beautiful illustration of bears, and also a lot of architecture related books. The shop owner/designer must be some crazy architecture fanatics or an architect.... and Japan always make me fall in love with architecture, their architecture is just different from the rest of the world. They must also have a very very ging publishing/printing industry, all their posters are so nice, every tiny city has beautiful posters at the JR station...
I guess it's like Spirited Away (same from Izumo-shi) everything is closed under the bright sunlight, but as night falls, and lanterns are lit, everything comes to life. When at Shimane, there were also a lot of other things that reminds me of Spirited Away!
Once again, it couldn't be explained in two dimensions, it's the politeness, smell of the wood, texture, the content of the books, petit flowers, the music that adds up.....
Bike back to the home along the dark alleyways .... so calm and quiet, the old lady has already laid the bed for me in my tatami room....

京都

Parted with Choi Sz at Hiroshima. Currently at Kyoto, finally back to a place with wireless internet in the room. Staying in a Japanese style home here in Kyoto, there's a very beautiful cat here : ) 

Was planning to stay in Osaka last night, but after a series of battle around Osaka station yesterday evening, I decided to give up, and travel to Kyoto immediately. The station was filled with construction (just like Tokyo Station's endless renovation) - and people were running around catching trains (they knocked down my luggage twice) super scary! I thought I should be able to cope with all these very well, as I am from a BIG city (HONG KONG!!!) But it's just too scary, like a factory! So different from the peaceful hills I have been in the past week, where people all wear a smile on their face. (Everyone was sleeping on the train in Osaka). It's impossible to act like a flaneur wandering aimlessly in Osaka. Went back to Osaka Ikea this morning, I realize that, comparing to the many foreign cities I travelled to - Japan is one of the few places that I feel most like a "foreigner" even though I also have black hair and yellow skin, but there is just something different. Even the view from the JR trains, is so unique, both in a positive and negative way. There are always real surprises. It really feels like being in a foreign country. 

Spent a day in Kyoto on bike, it feels so great biking around, but at the same time so dangerous! hahaa, my skills not too good!! Just remember that Phoebe used to bike to Minto house in first year, UNBELIEVABLE! I don't think it's true, it's probably a lie! Many people thought that I would like Kyoto, I am not too sure, but we will see! 

There's also a very exciting discovery at Ikea today. 

So many people wearing Yugata (the summer kimono) here in Kyoto, thinking whether to just stay in tonight! Don't want to go out until I get one!!

And.. a lot of business matter to deal with!

Let me say add oil to myself! 

絵本x忠雄

Visited Tadao Ando's beautiful design in the suburb of Himeji today, a Children centre and a space museum + overnight stay rooms wrapped in the serene bamboo forest. Even my uncle auntie and Jaci were really impressed! It was built and designed around two decades ago, but still looks so clean, new and modern. ehon x ando......

the craziest of all is the picture story book library facing the pond, and the big round arts and crafts room!!!

every space opens to some open exterior view, or slow flowing water

So far we visitied Ando:s work from -the-high-art-museum, to this museum, that interacts with everyday life

Meditational Space

The architecture that calm one's heart, thought of kitty's dissertation, and experienced at Himeji today. Was thinking that I won:t have the motivation to see all the Ando's work if yu tsz wa is not coming wor, but then I still went to Himeji today - and loved it.... a lot.... I guess it:s about the whole experience, all the special viewpoints, the serenity, the light, the inter-play between outdoor and indoor, the conversation with the friendly people - and I wrote in my moleskine - wouldn't it be great if there's such a place in Hong Kong? Beautiful architecture - not one that's just a visiting point, but a space that you would alwasy want to use and revisit! Wanting to sketch it - but realize that it's at once so simple yet complex to sketch.........

Just thought - the space could be in no way designed and experienced two-dimensionally. It has to be designed in model - and experienced in reality....

there are two blocks, and a Japanese house/garden in between.... it's such a mystery how the traditional architecture and the modern one live in such harmony

I always feel weird when I talk about architecture - doesn:t seems like it's the ME i know.... lol

Why, doshite... archtiecture, fascinates me - too?

瀨戶內當代芸術の朝聖

One of the new "art house" of Naoshima, first experience of 直島錢湯

Choi Sz and Maoshan watching sunset outside SANAA's port...

famous yayoi kusama's pumpkin and best favourite SANAA's work! 

素顔の直島

Naoshima, beautiful as ever before but 暑いね

草間彌生 choi sz & maoshan's morning walk

just the two of us at moi favourite cafe of naoshima - matcha latte.s

hedgy, blackie and collin @ entrance of Chichu Art Museum 

the cat cafe 民宿we are staying at tonight

jaci just wrote a postcard to my dad saying 「女古長你是一個大肥人，你真好笑」 lol

A day of sunshine and flowers

wow, today is overwhelming, i don't know where to start. But I could proudly say that our previous hard-work has came to a first stage of success! So I could go to Japan without BIG worries, or a feeling of back to zero-directionless-state! I must say that I feel very very thankful, and fortunate, that we are given such a precious chance to handle this business, and do hope that everything goes well, of course I will work hard too! I am not normally a person who talks about 緣份but this time it's all really the right timing, the right people, the right aim, the right Japanese connections, and it's a thing that I DREAM to do, but have never thought I could be able to achieve in at least a decade. 

I was really more thinking that even though it's so great, we are most likely to have to give up this opportunity. But as many times in life, miracles happen, and they do not just happen in a coincidence! So I believe that we must be confident in ourselves too! Then we all had a nice afternoon tea at Clipper Lounge at Mandarin Oriental.

Apart from that, delivered my first lamp to my first customer, Wai sum! I have five customers so far. From the past few days, I realize really, that I don't earn a lot from selling the lamps anyway, but having friends that are interested already means a lot. Big thanks! there are two shops that would like to sell too! But of course there are other considerations too... Wrapped the lamp with white flower today, special thanks to Joey at agnes b. who's also a handcraft lover. : ) Shall we still go for my agnes b fleuriste next time or try something new?

in short, those who want to know more, I will update you personally. and keeping the tradition of silent revolution, i hope that I could be given the chance and time to continue to work hard and keep up these dreams, you will know more when it matures. 

Will be leaving for Japan tomorrow, not looking forward, but things always turn out good when I get there, like every other trips. I will miss Hong Kong SO MUCH, as usual :P

I feel so blessed. 

silent revolution, as usual

omg, I suddenly felt like my blog is a little safety haven, away from the constant headache brought by the endless to-do list. Believe it or not, i have been so busy recently, I guess it's a kind of 上心-busy, but have been working hard since I wake up till the moment I sleep, of course, squeezed time to meet friends too, when possible. I guess I do enjoy work, but the current massive projectS i am facing includes so much uncertainties, makes everything a little more complicated. There are things that are going but needs supplement once started, and things that could not be simply solved until meeting. Will have meeting over afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental this afternoon, hopefully could get this settled before I leave for Japan. Another true trip without researching, hotel bookings.... Recent work and discussions have provoked a lot of thoughts for me. But I guess they are just some repetitive notions shared by many others, not anything new.

まつたり

When i was young, I doubt if there'd be a day when I'd like perfume, I used to think that they resemble the whiskey on the shelf...not particularly tasteful.. But as we grow older, we realize the power of scent. Picking up a beautiful wooden bottle from a few months ago, immediately brought back the scenes from the cold streets and a mixed feeling of joy and uncertainties.
Was it just my imagination, or does it really connect to our senses?
--
Imagine if my job requires me to buy fresh flowers everyday... will our dream come true?
to-do list remains long...

おやすみなさい

Haven't updated my blog for quite awhile, have been very busy since back in Hong Kong. Was browsing through little pictures of Kyoto just now, and researching for my very-Japanese itinerary for this summer, suddenly realize that probably I really have experienced a quite-authentic summer last year in Echigo-Tsumari, among the old houses and the heavy rain of Niigata. Beautiful memory. I still can't decide whether to go to the Nara area... but I guess the best thing is to just decide on spot...

Have been making big plans and meetings recently, even though they might might might not come to a desirable outcome, but the process was very precious as well. Hope it could come to a satisfactory result. Swimming, looking forward to my daily swim, but am very very sleepy now. Often thought of Joey Yung's "Yellow Door" really like its lyrics a lot - a beautiful world between fantasy & reality.
白猫ど黄猫のランプを描きたい。

おやすみなさい

Everyday life in HK

Have unexpectedly completed a lot tasks under low-consciousness in the past few days back in Hong Kong. Apart from long days of hanging out with friends, far beyond midnight, I've also managed to sent a lot of emails and sorted things that I would have to sort. Yet there's still so much ahead, especially some that I always wanted to do, hope all things go alright, and I could achieve what I want in ease but with determination/persistency. + continue to play everyday with friends till dawn....

[001 Kuma family: A sleepy day at work, at work eating, and at work making stamp, planning workshop, exhibition : ) ] 

[002 Everybody draws together at Starbugs]

I believe other photos shall remain confidential?

Still so much to do in hand, learning Japanese with a cute tutor recently.
But in fact, i still have a lot more emails to send, e.g. so much things to arrange, has life always been like this? And what happens before there's email?
Anyway, nice day voila, nice nice day. babe hedgy & blackie deserves a nice tea with mami sometimes. days are so nice during bring sun light and dark dark night, insane isn't it!

A day at dbay 02

Arrived @ my beautiful home Hong Kong last night, had dinner with noisy jei jei, phoebe & lam ting, was already like 2 am when I got home laaaaa...... 

Spent today at Discovery Bay, selling stamps with Choi Sz, then we went down to the beach with everyone, and made some sea castle... and had dinner at the Discovery Bay Clubhouse, called 冬瓜盅 - it's HUGE! but delicious ;) 

Last day in Edinburgh

最後一日在丁丁，Phoebe 已經去左機場喇，淨返我一個要等到五點，好唔慣呀－因為最多通常都係我走左去旅行嘛，而家好怪咁呀。昨天早上跟爸媽去了Deborah 在鄉村Duns的家裏，她的花園靚到丫..... 佢爸爸媽媽都係architect 來的。我地都好想去住下，不過我屋企人要返香港喇。

(點解你要咁低b樣呀?）

而我呢就同Kitty 去Scottish Museum 屋頂的Tower Restaurant tea，我地終於試到喇。跟住去搵Phoebe 同佢爸爸媽媽食日本野，係Tang's呀，應該係做學生的最後一次了!!老闆仔都問點解我地咁耐無去呀，呢個陪左我地過無數凍凍艱苦時刻gey溫暖小店，雖然唔係話特別好食，但係細細間好親切咁。諗起好多外面天黑黑，躲在裏面電暖爐旁，想着明天要crit的晚上....仲要我地兩個都好病，老闆仔一定覺得我地不可思議

夜晚我地同所有Architecture Chinese 飲野，行返屋企o個段路，天開始黑.... 好似我地以前無數個walk咁

點解會咁ga，淨返我一個就會覺得nostalgic... 仲有大把野要trash. 希望返到香港o個晚真係會出lai玩啦, hahahahahaha, 記得人地都話我貪玩，哈哈 : )