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février 28, 2006

revolving cityview

Today we challenged the weather...
Just for the view Beatrice and i tried the R66. Located at 62F of hopewell centre in wanchai, R66 is the only revolving restaurant, after Furama's closure. It takes about one hour and a quarter to revolve 360º . I found it unrivaled to Furama's view, nor from the Peninsula's Felix or office tower, which is open as if 'in the heart of the matter', while wanchai hopewell views the city in laid back and much sombre attire. Night view should be more spectacular, the food is just ok, you cant have the whole cake...
starting from the 0 axis, mountain view
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...veiled cityscape...admiralty, central
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...wanchai north and harbour
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...wanchai
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suddenly the sun breaks out from the overcast sky
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...happy valley then winding up back to the mountain
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...
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hopewell centre skyline, one of the first generation skyscrapers
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R66 Revolving Restaurant, 62/F, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East, Wanchai

beatrice wore a floral cotton shirt with grey tweed vest, jeans and tweed beret (sugarmag), boots (obitsu)

février 27, 2006

rabbit in rain

oh it's raining and so windy, beatrice runs as fast as a rabbit up the steps
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retreating into the familar spot, the once fav restaurant that changed ownership
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looking out to the drizzles
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thanks to warm lighting inside and the huge torch like heater with fire (suddently available in many terraced restaurants) we are not chilled
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better indulged in the food - rabbits like salads
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the rabbit in the rain
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on beatrice, rabbit hood and blue top and skirt set (bs workshop), laced undergarment (sugarmag), furry bag (sugarmag), black boots (momolita preta)

février 26, 2006

chocolate enchanted afternoon

a connoisseur of chocolates... and whose cookery has cordon bleu standard, stanza is preparing today a sachertorte
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she uses belgian chocolate as ingredient, see the huge godiva cupboard, with signature of Godiva's master chocolatier Jean-Claude Sibret
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then she starts to make a fondue à la suisse
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little stanza cheering at the gourmet chocolate meal, they are going to invite their Milk sisters
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Sisters caprice arrive... it's going to be a cosy afternoon
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after the sweeties and chats, stanza presents a box of home made chocolates to her sister caprice and keeps one for herself. that's the photo of their amicable sharing...
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close up...
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(this pix from godiva.com)

on TF6, chef's outfit (sugarmag January member gift), on milk and petite TF6, pink floral baby loiita dress (cct), on petite milk, pink ruffled lolita dress (cct). The Kitchen and utensils (rement), zebra couches (rougepower), tablecloth (carré d'hermès, racontes-moi le cheval)

The best Sachertorte in the world are the trademark Original Sachertorte from Hotel Sacher in Vienna and from the Viennese pastry shop Demels Sachertorte
pour memoire:
recipe (unofficial!) from sacher

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Zutaten (für 12 Portionen):
Hier geht´s zurück zur Sendung!


Für 1 Tortenform Durchmesser 22-24 cm = 12 Portionen

13 dag Butter
11 dag Backzucker
1 Päckchen Vanillezucker
6 Eier
13 dag Kochschokolade
11 dag Kristallzucker
13 dag glattes Mehl
Butter für die Tortenform
Marillenmarmelade zum Füllen

GLASUR
1/8 l Wasser
30 dag Kristallzucker
25 dag Schokolade


Zubereitung:


Hotel und Café Sacher


Die Kochschokolade anwärmen. Die Butter mit dem Back- und Vanillezucker schaumig rühren, nach und nach die Dotter einrühren, dann die vorgewärmte Schokolade dazugeben und gut durchmengen.
Die Eiklar mit dem Kristallzucker zu einem schmierigen Schnee aufschlagen und vorsichtig unterheben. Zuletzt das Mehl einrühren.
Die Masse in die gut mit Butter befettete Tortenform füllen und im vorgeheizten Rohr bei 170 Grad ca. 1 Stunde backen; während der ersten 15 Minuten die Backrohrtüre fingerbreit offen lassen.
Die fertige Torte stürzen und auskühlen lassen.
Die Marillenmarmelade auf ca. 70 Grad erhitzen.
Die Torte in der Mitte durchschneiden, die untere Hälfte mit Marmelade bestreichen, die Torte wieder zusammensetzen und außen überall gut mit Marmelade einstreichen, anschließend mindestens 2. Stunden trocknen lassen.
Für die Glasur den Zucker mit dem Wasser ca. 5 Minuten kochen und anschließend überkühlen lassen.
Die Schokolade im Wasserbad aufweichen und mit der noch warmen Zuckerlösung gut verrühren, sodass eine dickflüssige, glatte Glasur entsteht; sollte sie zu dick sein, mit etwas Wasser verdünnen.
Die noch lippenwarme Glasur über die Torte gießen und rundum glatt verstreichen.
Die Sachertorte kühl stellen, bis die Glasur getrocknet ist, dann erst in 12 Tortenecken schneiden und nach Belieben mit Schlagobers garniert servieren.

février 25, 2006

blythe grandiose

beatrice was amazed by the grandiose of these blythes in their haute couture attire...
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février 24, 2006

the opened treasury...

To complete the series about Chinese New Year, yesterday, on the 26th day of the first lunar month, Goddess of mercy, Kwan Yam opens her treasury... a last event of the lunar new year month. Thousands of people queued last night to borrow "money" from the goddess, in an annual ritual believed to bring good luck.
Beatrice and I decided to have a look at this ritual, however not daring to go to the jammed Kwanyam temple in Hunghom, instead at Man Po Temple at Hollywood Road during our resumed lunch hour adventure...
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empty queuing rails reflecting the economic upbound this year??
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crowdiness at the Kwanyam side vs the vacant opposite side of Man Mo Gods, the God of Literature and of Art of War
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beatrice under the flickering lights of incense sticks
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hundreds of spiral incenses hanging in the temple, burning the wishes of worshippers to be delivered right up to the sky to gods
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worshippers receive (by purchase!) a package of faichun with auspicious words, that of prosperity... They also take home a lettuce and a lai see envelope full of peanuts, lotus seeds and other nuts symbolising a prosperous year
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worshippers borrow a red note inscribed with an imaginary sum of money, usually in millions of dollars. They have to return the notes before the following Lunar New Year.
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beatrice inspects the lanterns bearing different auspicious messages, to be purchased
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Man Mo Temple, a declared monument and tourist spot, is perhaps the only temple allowed to be photographed inside
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To follow traditions, Beatrice also picked red notes.... yet to be unwrapped...

beatrice wore a lemon colored cotton padded coat and jeans (sugarmag).

this visit is inspired by newspapers... scenes at the famous kwanyam temple in hunghom for this event
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(scmp)
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(apple daily)

sequel to the open treasury

so happy... the first time beatrice picked these fictive notes, she's got for the 'main income' packet 1800 million and for 'other income' packet, Mark Six First prize!!!
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février 23, 2006

picturesque

bébé enjoying the postcard view of the Victoria Harbour
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it's a fairly clear day these days... often the city is being enveloped in a haze... Were it not the incident of this year's standard chartered marathon on 12/2 when some 4800 runners fallen sick and one alleged asthumatic runner dead, chances are that most people would have hardly noticed the aggravating pollution, chalking it up to just another bad air day...
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the 2ifc should level our height here at Findley Road (The top floor of Two ifc is slightly higher than the peak's viewing gallery)
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blurred blueness of sky and harbour
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sprouting skycrapers
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residential uphill and commercial down around the harbour
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cityscape view from angle of a creeper tangled tree
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février 22, 2006

promenade at the peak

strolling along plantaton road
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reposed under the shade
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tree cohabitating with creepers
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a moss covered wall
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gigantic wild palms
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banana trees
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mum let's eat at peak's lookout
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jogger and dog
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classic window
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hey sis, just send you all a postcard, with love, from the peak
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février 21, 2006

ascension!

the ascension of bébé (béatrice)... to the peak

Adjacent to the Helena May on 33 Garden Road stands the Peak Tram Terminus. Opened in 1888, the Peak Tram is the earliest machine driven mode of transport in Hong Kong. The old terminus had been demolished. On top of the present terminus is the St. John's Building.
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the truncated shadows of the windows of st john's building projected onto a huge wall of advertisement, a quite often scene as that of the rounded windows of jardine house on city hall's wall
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often the fountain would splash mildly on your face on a windy day
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in the long long 8 minutes a tram arrives (i've got more than enough time to record in photographs its every gait...)
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... sitted on the wrong side (take the right hand side next time!)... no photo on the tiilting upward tram

the peak tower in scaffolding... about to turn a new face
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a lazy rickshaw carrier, enjoying his delifrance sandwich!
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on béatrice beige leather dress, green tweed fisherman's overcoat, pink knit cap (blythehautecouture), ballerina styled lolita high heels (momolita preta)

février 20, 2006

red riding hood Part I

setting out in don quixote spirit >3<
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février 19, 2006

red riding hood Part II

reflection by the lily pond...
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on beatrice, little red riding hood outfit from pullip stock clothes, over a white ruffled lolita dress from cct, boots from momolita preta

......adventure to be continued some day.......

février 18, 2006

the girl with a silver spoon...

beatrice is an unexpected girl. She was born 'with a silver spoon'... (thanks to blythehautecouture for letting it).
Her allure (flowing long chestnut hair, round sparkling eyes and sweet cheeks) reminded me immediately of those of my first beloved dolls Marine and the ressembling Exelina, a 'premium version' of Jenny (Jenny dolls) that i owned as a child. She is no doubt italian...
This girl, epitome of Marine and Exelina, debuts on a not sunny day, at signal hill of tsimshatsui.
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marine wore a 'low key' black babydoll robe (a past collection, sugarmag) and white boots (obitsu)

février 17, 2006

dining with mozart

i find Mozart (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) got a charming name Amadeus which i noted when small in my suzuki violin school volumes. The preoccupation with death in his biography story and the infamous scandal of jealousy of his rival in the film add all the more gothic elements to his music as in requiem or the sinister notes here and there eg out of the clarinets...
when visited years ago his hometown Salzburg, his geburtshaus, being a student, i had never the luxury of tasting at the Viennesse styled kaffeehaus...
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now I frequent from time to time mozart stub'n in the tranquil corner at Glenealy
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unrivaled at all to french wines but adding to the best ambience with a glass of Solitaire 2000 - Weingut Feiler – Artinger, Rust-Cuvee made from Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; close ruby, deep blueberry nose and a note of vanilla.
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i like plain food like a simple Frankfurter Wuerstchen mit Sauerkraut und Kartoffelpuree
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caprice sitting next to us in an unoccupied table, in fact Mozart's wife got the same name as her twin sister constanze (TF6) mozart called her stanzi in the film...
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besides the souffle viennese apple strudel is the next tempting dessert... Handgemachter Wiener Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesoße
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the famous viennese coffee
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Mozart Stub'n - 8 Glenealy or access from the 'maze' staircase from Arbutnot Road
there will be Mozart programme at this year's arts festival
Semper Opera Dresden and Opera Nuremberg, Don Giovanni
Ensemble Wien-Berlin with the Mozarteum Quartet Salzburg , quartets

caprice wore a red hearts coat with furry lining and jeans from sugarmag

février 16, 2006

tsimshatsui

colombine' s visit to tsimshatsui a foggy saturday morning... that was going to make up my journal on a busy day...
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février 15, 2006

gris horizon

dans tes yeux gris horizon...
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février 14, 2006

rendez vous de chouchou

my chouchou dates at les amis this noon
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février 13, 2006

wonderland revisited

terribly busy, old pix of aurore posing in wonderland allure at the heritage premises of hong kong design centre, at kennedy road
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février 12, 2006

night of the first moon

Today is the 15th day of lunar new year month, Yuen Siu meaning Night of the First Moon.
Women in ancient China were strictly confined to their houses except on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year when they would dress up and go out to enjoy the lights and riddle games. Today, people in Hong Kong consider this day, Valentine's Day. Traditional families eat sweet dumplings and light lanterns on this day.

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my first attempts to shoot at night... (and shaky by the strong wind)
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in complete darkness...
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stanza wore a layered dress with peacock blue furry cape.

février 11, 2006

marine promenade

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février 10, 2006

promenade at shaukeiwan

Shaukeiwan is one of the oldest village settlements. Probably best known for its fishing fleet, quarrying was an important local industry in the early British era, and attracted many Hakka migrants, many of whose descendants still live in Shaukeiwan. Located at the eastern approaches to Victoria Harbour, the area was also a strategic military installation and an extensive complex of barracks and gun batteries were built on the hillsides and cliffs overlooking the Lyemun Straits.

stanza turned to the several tourist spots in the area
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the tam kung temple off the typhoon shelter
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the area nearby is one of Hong Kong Island’s last remaining squatter settlements at Ah Kung Ngam, centred around the tiny Yuk Wong Temple.
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the Shaukeiwan Main Street East groups together local cafe selling fish ball noodles, there is also the famous tin hau temple
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i tried the fish ball noodles. hating the smell of fish, i found it too 'freshly made' to me...
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at the end of the street is the furthest eastern terminus of the island's tramway, the opposite end is western.
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the colourful advertisements add charm of its own to each tram
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tempting to board on a tram but we did not have the luxurious time to ride the tram back to central...
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see the past tramway
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see the past tam kung temple
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pix from hk tourism board

février 09, 2006

dockyard

stanza went to promenade at the dockyard at shaukeiwan waterfront, she was terrified by the guarding dogs that she finished the journey short...
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février 08, 2006

angelic chou chou

two days left for the free gif software... flashes of chouchou, temperanza, in her sunday angel outfit with dashes of mauve, at the old church of Christ the Redeemer at causeway bay
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pillars and interior
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corridors
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portraits of temperanza
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blessed by sainte-marie
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garden
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beds pf mauve flowers
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on temperanza, angel outfit and white boots (sugarmag)

temperanza (temperance) is a major arcana card of the tarots, always depicted as a winged angel pouring water from one jar to another by the water. it is also one of the 4 renaissance cardinal virtures

février 07, 2006

temples revisited

lunar new year time gives me more appetite for shooting its ressembling ambiance, at the very few available temples in hong kong, often crowded by the intruding surroundings and canopied by time defying trees...
amandine, the golden toffee haired and pimpled girl, in a red cotton padded coat, posing at pak tai temple, wanchai
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the noon sun nurturing the sparkling time defying tree
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a high rise building intruding in the background (which had tempted me to erase it... but me being a "naturalist'...)
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i am always overwhelmed by the rigour of a dragon (that i feel too much power or the so called 'yang'??)
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a 30-second shot in the middle of crossing the road, avoiding here and there pedestrians and passing buses, lorries, flashing taxis... an old temple at Queen's Road East
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amandine wore a cotton padded coat (by sugarmag last CNY), over a corduroy red one piece dress (a recent gift from sugarmag during CNY) and yellowish brown leather boots (dollsheart)

février 06, 2006

more worships

the nineth day of first lunar month, more tributes to famous temple, at tin hau temple street. it is a declared monument. Built by a family 2 centuries ago, it's still family owned and run.
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colombine, on a red silk cotton padded coat and jeans (sugarmag)

The Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay was built by the Tai family probably in the early 18th century. The Tai family are Hakkas from Guangdong who first settled in Kowloon in a village now lost beneath the former Kai Tak Airport. The family used to go to Causeway Bay to gather grass and, according to legends, some members of the family found a statue of Tin Hau in the rocks near the shore. They then erected a shelter for it and, as the shrine became popular with the boat people who made donations, a proper temple building was subsequently constructed.

This Temple is one of the many dedicated to Tin Hau, goddess of the sea, and is a fine example of temple architecture of the period, still largely in its original form despite subsequent renovations. The temple is still under the management of the Tai family.

février 05, 2006

worship

the eighth day of the lunar new year, people of particular chinese horoscope signs got to pay tribute to their year god, coz they are in 'conflict' with him... hahaha. the sheungwan man mo temple should be being queued by these 'conflicting' chaps
columbine went to a more tranquil and lovely place, the Lotus Temple at Tai Hang, where it held the annual Fire Dragon Dance at Mid Autumn Festival, i heard...
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lotus paper offerings...to be burnt... time was frozen
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the temple located at the end of an alley lined by a number of shophouses
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a breezy day
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scent of narcissis in the air
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columbine in a red cotton padded coat with black and white shades of dragon and peony
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a master has his desk and fortune sticks at the small terrace inside the temple
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peach carvings on the wall
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cozy air inside
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wooden doors
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these flawless folded lotuses looked a work of art
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in different sort of paper, under the lamplight
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lucky souvernirs

colombine's cotton padded coat is from sugarmag last CNY

Lin Fa Kung Temple (Lotus Temple) (蓮花宮), built in 1864, houses Kwun Yum (Goddess of Mercy) (觀音). It is situated at the end of a short street named after the Temple. Worshippers pay tribute at Lin Fa Kung Temple on its birthday, the Day of Becoming of the Nun and the Day of Becoming of the Goddess of Kwun Yum (觀音寶誕) on every 19th of the 2nd month, 19th of the 6th month and 19th of the 9th month of the Lunar Calendar respectively

février 04, 2006

everybody's birthday

Legend has it that the first eight days of the Chinese New Year are days of different living things, namely chickens, dogs, pigs, goats, cows, horses, human beings and crops. Fortune tellers would tell the future of different living things according to the weather on that day. Bright weather would indicate good fortune for the coming year. Now in Hong Kong, people celebrate the seventh day of the New Year as everyone's birthday (Yan Yat ).
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Families put together a Tray of Togetherness (chuen-hop) for the New Year. The tray is packed full of dried fruits, sweets, and candies and served to guests and relatives who visit. It has eight sides (the number eight is lucky in Chinese and is a symbol of prosperity) and is filled with goodies like red dates which bring hope for prosperity; melon seeds for proliferation, and cookies.
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Deep-fried to "golden' brown goodies lend allusions to gold which is money and fortune. Yau Gok - a crescent shaped crispy biscuit - filled with a sweet nut and sugar mixture - which resembles the traditional Chinese gold ingot (tael) and Jin Dui - a golden crispy pastry - is symbolic of prosperity.

columbine bumped into a lion dance in the street
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Lion dances take place throughout the first few days of the New Year, bringing good luck to households or businesses they visit. The Lion Dance is performed by two 'dancers', one at the head and one at the tail of the lion. The dance is accompanied by loud music on drums, gongs and cymbals. Firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals are used to dispell evil and bring good luck.
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the shocked columbine, in her first outing, by the stunning red everywhere
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today is also Start of Spring (Lichun 立 春), deemed the start of the flow of a new cycle of another year according to the geomancians, instead of the calendar year start of the lunar new year day. This is the year of the fire dog
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on columbine, wool hare hood with matching cherry patterned top, denim skirt, woollen boots (sugarmag)

février 03, 2006

the birth of temperanza

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to me chou chou is an eskimo doll with icy expressions, to shoot her a warm face, i've got to compensate exposure upto -1 or -1.3. i also had the luxury of using a borrowed tamron af asperical 24-135mm, 50th anniversary special edition no 001600 bought in tokyo, keekee

on temperanza, green wool long coat and skirt with matching top and elegant hat (sugarmag)
::hong kong legco (legislative council), jackson road, central::

post scriptum: rendez-vous chou chou, the cwc fabricated gimmick name, means in french bringing a pet to 'meeting', in that sense of the casual sort like blythe gathering (locally called meeting or MT!) or to a date, probably with presence of others' pets (so really not unlike a blythe gathering!). chou chou got a far more beautiful pronounciation than the commonly heard 'chow chow' here =_=(worse still with falling intonation, when i received a call from the official blythe agent here to fetch chowchow, lol what?...!! some even changed the spelling!!!). it's pronounced flat in 2 identical sounds, something like 'shoe shoe'

février 02, 2006

1QRC

the fourth day of the first lunar month was the commencement of work (!) with luck (big mandarine) and thereafter and forever.....
temperanza in the hustle...
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février 01, 2006

spring charm

the third lunar new year day was not a good time for getting together and by tradition one should not be talkative and be mindful of one's words...
stanza enjoying the charm of spring
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on stanza, spring cotton padded coat and jeans (sugarmag), brown boots (obitsu)