Oracle Bones

The subtitle of Peter Hessler's second book (first one being River Town) reads: A Journey between China and the West. It is more than that; the book weaves through time and history, from the earliest dynasty of the Shang to modern day boomtown Shenzhen, traverses geographically between China and the USA, as Hessler tracks the immigration story of his Uigher friend who sought political asylum with his Homeland America, and touches issues from culture (Chinese writing system, the anchor of the story as Hessler traces the life of oracle bones scholar Chen Mengjia) to politics (cross-strait issue) to democracy (local elections) to architecture (Beijing's hutong).

I found it hard initially to make sense of the flow of the book, as it seems on the surface to leap from one topic to another, some quite unrelated. At times, the book also appears to be a mishmash of observations about different aspects of China gathered during the author's almost ten year-long stay in Beijing. But things started to make sense after a while, as I realised that this is the way China is: everything is happening at the same time, and at frightening speed. Yet everything is interlinked. It is a story of ordinary folks in past and present China struggling to understand their lives which had been and still are constantly shaped by dramatic forces beyond their control - the Shang rulers who used oracle bones to divine their empire's fortunes, a stubborn scholar driven to suicide during the Cultural Revolution for his staunch opposition to the reform of the Chinese writing system, a futile battle against the destruction of Beijing's traditional courtyards to make way for modernisation, the marginalisation of ethnic minorities etc are all threads of a common story where their confluence and conjunction create the China today.

River Town

I first learnt of Peter Hessler, when I read his wife Leslie Chang's Factory Girls, which I blogged about earlier. Hessler was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker based in China for 10 years. He first lived in China when he went as a Peace Corps volunteer to a small river town along the Yangtze river to teach English and literature. River Town is a diary of his observations about the people, culture and life in Fuling, a town near the Three Gorges. I am not a heavy reader of travel-related literature but River Town is incredibly well-written, immensely thoughtful and often very funny. What got me hooked were Hessler's acute observations of things and people around him, his analytical turn of mind that produced sensitive portrayal of his experiences and how his role and identity shifted and adjusted to the vast differences he encountered daily. He also wrote Oracle Bones, a collection of stories about ordinary Chinese people, which is the next book in my reading stash. His newest book Country Driving was published in early March this year.

Lamma island - Seagull's take

Bolstered by my lovely all-by-myself day trip to Cheung Chau, I happily set out to explore another outlying island, Lamma island, this time with my husband the following day which was a Saturday (= no need to work). As biking around Cheung Chau was quite a breeze given the relatively flat terrain, I urged him to also get a bike on Lamma island. Boy, was it a huge mistake. We were completely ignorant of the geography of Lamma, which had only one path running across from one end to the other of the small island. The good thing is you will never get lost. The bad thing is to get from one bay to another, one has to cross the ridge and our bikes were totally useless on those horrendously steep slopes. The worse thing was we had to climb back over the same ridge again to return our rental bikes (the alternative was to lose our deposit of HK$600). I then realised why there were two ferries leaving separately for two different parts of Lamma from the mainland - Sok Kwu Bay and Yong Shu Bay - because people simply pick one bay to visit! The tasty though slightly pricey seafood meal at the end of our hike did soothe our rather broken spirit (legs felt broken too) but the savoury mantis shrimp and succulent bamboo clams were soon forgotten as we grudgingly trudged back up the ridge to return our rental bikes. Another reason why Lamma wasn't particularly appealing was the large expat population living on the island, which sort of turned it into a yuppie (plus white trash) hangout with the usual bars, booze and Western grub. Lamma is a 30-min ferry ride from the mainland which makes daily commuting to the mainland quite bearable. It is away from the city and yet not too far that you are cut off from your urban comforts. The first thing we saw when we landed was a row of real estate agencies hawking the ideal seaside home, followed by a row of restaurants and bars catering to the expat population. There were much less interesting sights to shoot, plus we were totally whacked by the punishing "mountaineering" experience.

A herb garden on the island. This is the entrance. The owner is a young HK couple who grows organic herbs and use them for making tea and snacks that are sold in their cafe.

A creative way to label the plants using upturned glass bottles and white paint.

The cat which is very much a part of the herb garden.

Houses on the hillside.

There is a huge power station (three smoke stacks and at least 4 storage tanks) on one end of Lamma island. I guess a lot of electricity is needed to keep the bars, restaurants and large air-conditioned homes going.

Cheung Chau (3) - Seagull's take 2

Flower shop

The Chinese New Year celebrations were just over.

The mist was rather heavy and the view wasn't fantastic. On a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see HK Island.

Cheung Chau has a number of small rock formations and they have names like Vase Rock, Human Rock etc. I don't remember seeing any sign for this one though.

Cheung Chau (2) - Seagull's take

The prep work going on for the Cheung Chau Bun Festival in May at the island's central parade square.



Colorful flowerbeds lining the streets, complete with mini white picket fences!


One way to get around - a tricycle with attached wagon for man and goods.


Apartments look like this. Very old style. This may be on an island but being HK, the flats are still quite tightly packed. There are some blocks where you can reach across from your balcony to your neighbour's and nick her clothes.

Running around Cheung Chau (HK) - Holga's take

My husband was in HK for a one-week business trip in early March and I went over the weekend to join him. I had some time to myself and went hiking on two of the outlying islands, Cheung Chau and Lamma islands, something that I have always always wanted to do. The islands have a laid-back, 1970s feel, which is certainly something we do not easily associate HK with. Cheung Chau is the most populated outlying island (and HK has over 260 islands in all) with about 30,000 residents, and is a 45-min ferry ride away from Central in HK Island. The population is made up of mostly retirees and yuppies, who want to lead an "alternative" lifestyle and prefer the daily commute to living in pigeonholes on the crowded mainland. I had a thoroughly enjoyable walk-cum-bike ride around Cheung Chau alone, and spent some time chatting with the locals. There are no cars, cabs, buses etc on the island. People get around on bicycles, and for transporting goods, they use a small motorised bike with an attached mini-trailer to ferry stuff around.

Ping An Bao (Buns of Peace) is Cheung Chau's most famous export. Every May, there is a huge celebration in Cheung Chau where thousands of people descend on the island to participate in this festival, with street parades, temple celebrations, and tons of these buns tied to a tower structure where participants will compete to climb the tower to grab as many buns as possible. It is a huge stampede but I bet it's lots of fun. Of course, the bakeries also sell them for consumption. I was too early but managed to catch the prep work going on at the central parade square.


There seems to be plenty of these cheery little flags hanging around the island. These were in front of one the numerous Tin Hou Gong temples (Goddess of the Sea).



Cheung Chau began as a fishing village and the industry is still being kept alive by a small fishermen population on the island. But the catch is far too minimal to satisfy the seafood-mad folks from the mainland so most of the restaurants import their stocks from all over the world.





This was taken along a stretch of beaches on the opposite side of the pier. City folks come to islands like Cheung Chau and Lamma during summer to chill and do a bit of sunbathing.


And fish! This rocky stretch faces the main HK Island, which was not in sight as the weather in spring is generally foggy; I was told it is very common for ferries to collide due to the poor visibility. On my way to the island, the ferry had to stop mid-way for a while because it was completely shrouded by the mist. I was getting sick and throwing up because of the choppy waters.


There is a primary school and a secondary school on the island. The street leading to the school is named 学校路 (School Street). This shop is right outside the school and judging from the sign, it probably sells school supplies.



The signboard along the beach got me real excited and I was sad to see the shutters down. Mmm, tasty seafood BBQ dinner on the beach goes *poof*.



Random splashes of colour all over the island. This is a low wall bordering a ball court.



One of the Tin Hou Gong temples. Islands of HK always have at least one of these temples worshipping the Goddess of the Sea.



Holga 135, Kodak Ektachrome 64

Lomo Resources from Japan

I depend heavily on Amazon Japan as a source of lomo-related materials. The following are some of the resources I have accumulated to help me learn more about using my Holga, Chelsea and Seagull, as well as find out what else is out there.

Both Kimagure 1 and 2 (2 came out as a result of overwhelming popularity of 1) are compilations of toy cameras and vintage cameras, most of which are no longer in production, including the vintage folding camera which I would really like to get my hands on. There is a new version produced by FujiFilm but it looks really weird with the lens folding out from sideways, instead of folding downwards like the usual.

A very good book with tips on toy cameras and film, both 120 and 35mm. One of my favourites.

I got this because of the toy camera feature. Camera Nichiwa is a monthly magazine on cameras in general, and a lot more fun than the serious DSLR/Professional magazines that Japan seems to churn out by the dozens (i think photography is the number one hobby among Japanese retired old men). I never read those since I do not own or know how to use a DSLR. And the photos in these pro mags don't do anything to me, cos digital shots always look very flat and somehow lack character.

SNAP! is a quarterly magazine dedicated to toy cameras. As far as I know, this is the only magazine solely dedicated to toy cameras in Japan. The publisher INFOREST MOOK also does books on toy cameras, like Camera Plus etc. It also produces special supplements, known as 別冊 (bessatsu) in between the SNAP! volumes. Every issue focuses on different topics, like Holga, Diana, LOMO LC-A, or on film and shooting techniques.

This book has good tips on DIY-ing one's camera. I learnt how to make a filter using nail varnish, transparency and some color pens. Using it as a lens filter, the effects are soft and dreamy. I am shooting some using this now and will put up the shots later.

I like this book for the lovely shots contributed by lomo lovers. Some of them make me go wow, and like "how the hell was that done?" The camera and film type used are indicated alongside each photo, so it helps to give a sense of how certain film type would turn out.

This is a guide to common toy cameras and there are specific instructions on how to use them, like loading film etc. Very basic though a good one-stop introduction to the world of toy cameras.

An Illustrated Life

I bought this some time back when I discovered HOW Books (www.howdesign.com), a publisher of design and ideas-related books and magazines. I don't draw or sketch much but I find this very stimulating. The colours and sketches gives me a lot of energy and sets me thinking, not necessarily about art but about visuals in general: how life can look like. I have never read through this in one sitting but rather this is something I flip through for a bit, toss it away, make some mental connections, and come back to it again. And again. They also produced "Caffeine for the Creative Mind", a collection of exercises recommended by various folks to jumpstart one's thinking.

Red Moon Anthology - White Lies

almost dark -
a fountain
lifts the rain

Ian Daw (UK)

family reunion
I give the embers
one more poke

Harriot West (USA)


barefoot
the earth
pushes back

Bill Kenny (USA)



cotton candy
there and gone
a face in the crowd

Cathy Drinkwater Better (USA)

Magic of Thinking Big

Sometimes one needs a periodic dose of self-help tonic to keep it going.