心率

那些年，你在香港我在北京，每天在不同空間同一時區等待下班；然後，我在劍橋你在台北，喝着美味的咖啡以純白簡潔的名信片談話﹣你碩士final crit後寄給我的仍貼在房門後，每天更衣都會看見，上面說有同學因通了太多晚頂，在午飯中暈倒墮地，我們都覺得這樣子太不值得，說回來後要多一起玩、看日出、食早餐；也試過一整年不過一牆之隔而沒有談過一句話。這些年，我們在老餅店學藝、分別試過相戀失戀並有人問我們為何經常在一起，是不是拍拖、成立過自己的公司，在海旁建起小木屋、大鐵架、海藍色的一片天、在灣仔鬧市中掛了好多木鳥屋、在舊中環街市裹竪立了大黑板、把黃色月亮帶到時光隧道頂...努力實現小夢想的過程中，遇過許多許多大困難。但都有的士、青蘋果奶昔、越後妻有的大地、古堡下的星蟲、皇后街上的熟食晚餐、跑馬地冬天電車站的熱玻璃瓶維他奶和神級001相伴。

 

記得有次要在會展畫畫，你來了陪我，做完再做已經深宵，仍要到凱悅吃海南雞飯自我安慰一下，又試過見完freelance client 後覺得做藝術好像賣身，不得不去萬豪吃一頓沙律自助餐；但都不及在蘇格蘭生活了一個月完成了人生第一次architecture crit後，我倆第一次外出那頓飯深刻，記憶中餐廳內空無一人，但異常平靜溫暖，那時快要十一月了，在又累又冷的深夜，仿佛初次發現筷子那麼陌生、飯那麼好味道。我們試過一起在深夜冰冷的街道走路回家、試過在直島小路上唱歌、在金澤吃被稱作全世界最好味的刺身、每天在新潟山中赤身泡浴(!)哈！只要我一個電話說「今天這裹真的很少人... 不知道會否被趁機清場」你便偷偷從辦公室走下來仍未是夏愨村的夏愨道陪我；沒有錢看醫生時會立刻拿錢給我。在這個寫了八年的blog 裹寫了無數次﹣都說自少習慣離別，因此更加害怕，因為太知道適應是多麼容易。很難想像沒有你的香港，不過若你在倫敦開心我也會很快樂。大概，有一天我們會一起回去新潟；我不肯定，因為世上沒有什麼是肯定的，人與人之間有時會不知不覺便緣盡了，所以只好更加珍惜當下。

白玉

第一次見steve在倫敦的victoria coach station，素未謀面，知道他一個人來到英國，想讀建築設計，就這樣成為了朋友.... 第一次見姐姐ccc 呢就係我喺北京intern時，經過弟弟的穿針引線，約好了在北京大學門口見，成為我在北京唯一的香港朋友... 大家總在不同的地方，不過，來年或者又會跟施同學成為異國隣居。日本甜品，很好。白玉。抹茶。羊羹。たたみ.為什麼好朋友總不在身邊。這年代的人都太geographically mobile 了..我們的相識本來也是如此吧。

團圓

記得在北京時我最喜歡的一本書是團圓，因為畫很有文族背景cultural setting，但又唔會娘/造作，而題材亦係同己小時候的經歷息息相關。想不到今天可以在香港跟這位年青作者和老伯伯繪本家在讀書會中見面，我真的很開心呢。作者說她寫了三十多個稿，中間曾經放棄過，最後才寫出這個故事呢。今天做了什麼pudding，自己看看 : ) 這是簡單得很，但很好味，不過只是要來做video trial。將來才做真的蛋糕，星期三我們會到坪洲開屋頂燒鳥會啊。對昨天去了一個展覧的開幕。

北京で仕事をしていた時、たくさん絵本を買った、その中、「團圓」は私の一番大好きな絵本です。中国感じの絵と私の小さい時の経験みたいの話もとても素敵と思います！今日、台湾から作家と中国からのイラストレーターも香港へ来た！すごいね！読書会はとても楽しかった！どうして皆さんもそんな上手ですか... そしてといとこさん一緒に簡単食べ物を作った。

七夕

因為打網球認識了很多不同的人，一向很少中國或香港人打呢，但新認識的是北京人來的，北京人跟上海人感覺真的很不同，雖然我在北京工作的日子不久，但聽到北京口音依然是感到很親切！雖然他主要是說英文，而且來了香港差不多十年了。但突然也有點掛住在北京吃煎餅，南鑼鼓巷的冬天，不過很少會讓思緒多留在那段回憶之中，會令我想起不開心的往事以及自已的不好。哎吔，好似穿左個窿咁。咁你要快啲黎香港呢個臭地方陪我玩啦啦啦。我不想對香港有偏見，但係第二d城市好多有花香，草味，香港的夏天就有巴士臭氣，死魚味，臭汗味等。今天跟ブレンダさん做了豆腐蛋糕啊。一會兒把做法寫好放上來。呵呵呵。

Tokyo - morning

"Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day hunting for it" - forgot who ..
Went out for a little walk to get breakfast this morning, I love that the world seems to be mine before 7 am, air seems fresher and cleaner, and streets so quiet, it's cloudy again, how beautiful. Was thinking to stay in today, all day, and just go to bookshop to get inspirations, since I am out of money. Yet I realize that there's a "handmade market" somewhere in Tokyo just today, feel like I should go, since I have missed so many, and really wanna try selling things at one of them sometimes in the future. This kinda spontaneous discoveries feels very much like the days when I was working in Beijing, spending a lot of time to search for interesting little things to go to, and pondering whether to stay in or go out for the day. Thinking back to those days there, I am not sure whether it was good or not - working aboard alone in Beijing, maybe not the best mentally, but surely interesting eyes-widening cultural experience, no? This also leads to other endless ponders that probably has no answers. 
I have also always wanted to write about the queues during rush hour in Tokyo's JR platforms, unbelievably orderly and straight, having lived a little while in 東京 and 北京 I feel like i have seen the best and the worst in the world - in terms of queues. I love Beijing people and the city, but they just have no sense of queuing, remember those days of getting into the elevator or the bus to get to work, I feel like they will push over the bus, sometimes I walk down 21/F from my office instead of waiting for the lift.... no kidding, I was afraid that the lift will break down soon...... i mean....seriously............ but I still think it's a beautiful place. here too, everywhere is beautiful lol :P (sounds weird or stupid, but i really think so maa.....) 

Moleskin

Continuing my moleskin collection, from the time in Beijing. 

Moleskin sketchbook 3.5 x 5.5 inch

爆開的眼樹

北京的眼樹上的眼是因為樹枝生出來時，導致樹的表皮爆開，留下眼的形狀，樹枝被砍後，眼的瞳孔露出來。這是一個很local的爆裂，且是橫向的。
可是近日釣魚台國賓館外一段長達（十五分鐘車程）的路旁的眼樹卻出現直向爆裂，即由上至下的爆開，有的更整層表皮掉下來，眼的位置留出黃色及紅色的樹汁，情況嚇人，值得關注

今天記者路經此段，竟堵了三十分鐘車，兩旁不斷有警車經過，懷疑前面有乘客乍見眼樹後暈倒。

'Liberal'-Chinese-lover?

"A guy friend of mine has been in a stable relationship for a few years, but there's another girl who really liked him. People all adviced her not to do anything when he already has a stable girlfriend. But she thought if he loves her so much, than he won't be shook but her seduction. So later on, the guy did started getting really close with this girl, he decided to maintain both relationships.
A few days earlier, he posted a very long article on the internal-web of their uni (equivalent to facebook) - apologizing for what he did wrong. What made him changed all of a sudden - on her original girlfriend's fourth abortion, she realized that she couldn't get pregnant anymore. He felt sorry, and promised to marry her once they graduate"

Relationship-wise, I wonder if we are fossils.
Last night, I had another great cultural lesson on modern Chinese relationships. Many of those people involved in the stories are not fictional, not internet stories, not MK kids, but real friends of my friend, in one of the top universities in China.

"Another girl from a reowned school from Hong Kong, now studying University here, really liked a homosexual guy, she liked him so much that she made him drunk deliberately so he would have sex with her, and hoping that it could turn in a relationship. But the guy was too drunk and didn't know what happened the night before, so nothing happened following the event. Knowing that she couldn't win his heart, she thought having him physically is good enough."

Match-making is very common among my friends and C's friends here in the universities. It's alright to ditch a friend if a potential guy dates you for dinner, and it might happen like monthly or weekly.

There are internal websites, where people post their own pictures, searching for girl/boyfriends. One of C's pretty friend posted her pic, and got more than 1000 replies, INCLUDING a young professor. But that girl just got accepted by Harvard grad school, the professor suggested that he could apply to be a visiting lecturer there.

When Deborah was here, she pointed out how people are so CRAZY about getting married here in China, but it's not only in China, also in Hong Kong, people have very elaborate celebration for their weddings. Here, the biggest shops in shopping malls are those like "I DO"

PDA (Public Demonstration of Affection) is also serious, The other day i was on a bus- on the second floor, there were three couples, among them, two pairs were hugging very tightly, with the girl lying on the guys' legs throughout the bus ride, the remaining pair had the girl sitting on the guy's lap even there were SO MANY empty seats.....

According to both Miranda and my observation in our architecture firms in Shanghai and Beijing, almost all guys are married, and all young pretty girls ranging from e.g. 20 - 40 are single! How amazing. The girl next to me, looks like... 26? but she's actually 32, she's very eager to get a boyfriend, mostly cuz it's a norm, she's dating randomly, doesn't really like her boyfriend. But she felt scared cuz everyone in her University class are married - some even divorced already! hark.

Yes naturally, people all around the world seems to do things like this, we might be surprised because they are Chinese, I wonder... how are Chinese perceived, and how are they actually like?

Living in Art

Today I have found a close-to-perfect cafe, under nice sunlight, and stayed for a whole afternoon on the second floor on comfy chairs. With my drawing board, listening to stuff on laptop, soft pencils.. Cecilia even came visit me in the afternoon ! :)
Went to 北京美術用品街 yesterday, I love being surrounded by art tools and also books, I remember I really loved the smell of the art equipments room when I was back in St. Stephen's. Miss my seaside studio, creating art is such a therapeutic activity. 

Hatsune 隱泉

I am starving, but I guess I deserve it, I have less than RMB500 now, and had spent a few hundred on lunch today

Finally get around to trying some high-end jap food on the East side of Beijing today! Hatsune was repeatedly elected as the best Japanese food in town.

 

I must say that it's too good, the atmosphere is great, no door signs - look as if it's not opened yet from outside, after the stone door, it's an electrical water door, beyond are comfy sofas, abundant natural daylight, and fish installation in the double ceiling height space. 

I ordered a Hotate sushi and another dish withs hotate in, but later on the waitress said that the hotate is not fresh today, I told her that i really want it, but she said it's 真的不行.

So I had to change them to something else! Wishing for a surprise, and surprise surprise, it's really a surprise!!!!

ohohohohohohhohohohohohoh IT'S too good...................................

In search of a perfect cafe

You know how much time we spend in cafes. And of course in some periods of time in Edinburgh "when you can't find me in my room, I must be in a cafe"
But a good cafe is so difficult to find.
Ideally it should be above the street level, so you don't get people and cars roaming in front of you, and also allows more natural sunlight in.
E.g. Pacific Coffee Stanley and Starbucks Happy Valley
If not, it should be isolated from the streetE.g. Pacific Coffee Repulse Bay
They should also have a lot of comfy seats and is spacious. Mysteriously there are some that doesn't fit all the above criteria, but still won my heart,
E.g. Sift in Graham Street - probably because of it's unique atmosphere, the so squished steep street filled with old building and of course it's amazing food.
AND Aries!
It should also be quiet enough, of course, it's often difficult to get that, so one should always visit a cafe early in the morning, and avoid the time when school kids get off school (if it's near a school)
There are also some other with nice memory like Starbucks in Hysan Road, the old Starbucks of LKF...

In Beijing, I still haven't found one cafe that I always want to revisit.Sculpting in Time in Fragrant Hills is quite close, as it has good food, friendly waitress who know me already, free wireless, sunlight, and open view, and cats, but the sofa is not very comfortable, and as noon approaches, it gets crowded and you see disturbing scenes of people forcing cats to be near them!
The cafes I have tried in 798 either has good food but boring view, or no view and bad food.Nanluoguxiang's cafes are nice, especially if you watch from outside, but they have no sofa, and there will always be people admiring you (actually the cafe windows) in an arms length.Sanlitun is good for lunch and dinner, so those are not really cafes.The bookworm cafe is pretty but doesn't have nice seats.
Another problem is that they are all in a bit of a distance. Beijing is too big.

Of course there are also those cafes in shopping malls, which has no windows, those are not going to be considered.
et cetera....

I will continue to search for good cafes, some that I want to visit:
Cave Cafe 洞房咖啡 - 798 looks really nice, wanna go!! But far
Pacific Coffee - There are pacific coffees in Beijing, but no photos, i dun wanna travel half the city and be disappointed
Sugar Bar looks pretty but chairs dun look good
90% of the cafes in Beijing has wireless, but don't have good chairs, and no view, or are in crowded places, or have limited view because Hutongs have narrow roads. (ohhhh.....) But I still love Beijing, especially when I eventually find my favourite cafe here.


(Cafes I have visited so far in Beijing:
Nanluoguxiang: Guoke, NGLX, Sandglass
798: Art Cafe, The High Place, THe living experience place
Zhongguancun area: Starbucks, JC Cafe, Mima, Sculpting in Time
Sanlitun: that french cafe, Elements.... dun remember)

Picture was taken in a cafe in Denmark

恐怖的事

今天分享一些具恐怖的東西。北京四周都是眼樹，每天上班都要受十五分鐘看眼樹之苦。北方人自小看慣，不以為然，但所有香港朋友都覺得很freaky。眼睛是樹枝被砍後留下的疤痕，像平滑的樹皮上爆出一隻隻木無表情的3D 眼。

但香港有更恐怖的：行山時, 不知道還以為是一棵樹, 其實是滿佈了毛蟲, 請大家看看。(可能引起不安)
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/icyconnie/0705/DSC09155-1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/icyconnie/0705/DSC09159.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/icyconnie/0705/DSC09165.jpg

辦公室的同事分分雀躍地分享自己小時候「玩昆蟲」的經歷：哈爾濱春天掉得滿地是蟲，她總喜歡騎單車踏過它們;他小學時，春天的牆和樹身都滿佈蟲，他們會用樹枝把蟲括下來…….
我只能conclude我們香港人是來自石屎森林的。

離別

人生實在太多離別要面對了，尤其是交通發達的年代。爸媽來之前還挺不期待他們來，感覺已經很習慣一個人的生活。但現在卻習慣了早上有煮好了的早餐，晚上可以坐的士去吃飯的美好生活。剛在想要適應他們的離開，卻驚訝地聽到我在公司裏最要好的朋友都將要離開了，而且兩天後便是最後一天上班﹗
战致平 15:03:27: 我要走了，下周一就不来了
袁明珊 15:03:38 為什麼呢﹖!!!
战致平 15:03:53 我有更想做的事
實在太驚訝了，雖然我們都習慣離別，又為她追求夢想而感到很勇敢，但仍然覺得有點傷心的。
战致平 15:06:30呵呵，我5月不在BJ，不過五月末回來，所以你走之前還能看到豬狗MAC哈哈哈哈哈，我有個小本本給你
她就是也看小人書的女孩，與兩個畫家一起養了一隻husky及三隻貓呢。她還常到尼泊爾、緬甸等國家旅遊呢。
我一直想問她的星座，因為她性格很特別，星座真準,她是人馬座的。

Beijing Roast Duck - Dadong

It's so good that I wanna go again!!! We tried making reservations three times before, and finally succeeded on Monday night.

Nestled in the Nanxincang complex, a thoughtfully restored Ming dynasty imperial granary, is not one of Beijing’s famous centuries old Peking Duck eateries, but it was made famous by serving one of the best ducks in town.

The skin of the duck is crispy and the meat is tasty, and each roast duck is served with an array of sauces, including sweet wheaten sauce, granulated sugar, crushed garlic, thin slivers of scallions, red turnips and cucumber.

Your molasses-coloured duck is presented at your table, carved table-side, and then several duck-filled pancakes are assembled for you until your waitress thinks you’ve got the knack yourself.

It proves that you don't have to be a "Lao zi hao" to do it great!

Present. History.

During lunch, they had intense discussion about 6.4. Again very extreme views, which is interesting. We kept saying that we shouldn't really discuss this in public, as the police could arrest us, but they were too into the discussions. Two of them were in primary 3 or 4 in 1989, they were told to go home after lunch at that time.
Only one of the girl said that she would stand on the army side. And they said 小戰,你腦袋有問題. 這不是中國人的本質，是你受了二十多年黨教育失去了自己的思想。And they also talked about their views on the Communist Party.
I always find their political/historical discussion really interesting and annoying. They are all quite cool people, with strong personality and beliefs.

Magic Potion

辦公室內，喬健愛喝檸檬甘草，下午沒事做，偷了一片甘草，磨成粉末(個多小時)加一點點水，一朵菊花，數片苿莉花片,收在高身透明瓶內。
他們說：你不用做建築了，去幫人練仙吧。
練仙神藥, 你要嗎﹖

茶

近日午飯後,常開車到宣武區一茶莊喝（他們買）茶。
一開始覺得有點無聊的,尤其如養茶壺那類活動 - 很多買了貴茶壺的客人把它留在茶莊裏養，讓茶味滲入紫砂壺中。
近幾次都是試普洱茶，普洱也有很多不同的，有生有熟，也有年份之分。
大多茶都是雲南來的呀，茶馬古道就是以前雲南普洱茶外運的路綫，「三道六綫」，就是指北道至北京，西道至西藏，及南道四綫到南洋或世界各地的。
我認為生普洱比熟普洱好喝，但我還未遇到一種真正喜歡的茶，我近來特別期待那一天的來臨，我知道是會有的呀。
很久以前我也喝過玉蝴蝶，它是雲南少數民族的一種民間茶，茶形很美，在熱水中泡像蝴蝶翩翩起舞般。
另外，現在紫砂茶壺設計很diverse，不只有傳統那些呀．（有牛形呀，鳥形呀，南瓜形，鳥巢－（北京那個）形都有！）今天我看到一個很喜歡，但他們都說有點貴，我打算下次再去，如果還喜歡的話便買下來。
他們喝茶都計好溫度，不喝第一泡，用茶洗杯等，真好玩的。辦公室內很多人都喝茶呀。好喝的茶跟不好喝的差太遠了，有些「茶」樓確的茶像喝怪物般。

我的最愛

今天見到多棵盛放的白玉蘭，我不其然在公車上滿足地微笑。
之前在中關村圖書大廈搜購了多本好書，今天轉到旁邊的第三極書店，第七層竟全是兒童圖書，太不行了，心中很激動!!就像狼狗見到有人來跟自己玩時暫不定往前往後跳的那種感覺。
買到好書太美妙了，我會希望把書留在自己身邊，帶着上班，去街等！
很期待回香港時跟Bei bei 一起看，見到他都很喜歡那些故事令我最開心。

Retreat

我回來了！周末剛好碰上公司的活動季節，每一組也會自行安排一些活動，如唱k，食飯，溜冰等。我們組則去了五渡會所﹣兩日一夜retreat.
不要以為北京的鄉郊一定荒蕪，沒厠所等，這次我們去的會所是公司自己一班建築師設計，所以能試很多特別而現實生活客人未必接納的節點。(進口處地上物料define了室外內，但水池一直由外延伸入內，atrium成了一個雲石島，由subtle的玻璃小橋連接四周﹣聽說有些人喝醉後墮進水裹）

晚飯時，邪惡豬與吳剛又進入了激烈的討論（他們每一次一起都會的）。爭辯話題總是圍繞「中國人的本質」vs.「中國人做得到」一直以來我都覺得邪惡豬很不可以，什麼都拿出「中國人的本質」來大做文章，但這次經過史工(studio director)重新演譯其中的原因，令我有了重新的體會，亦會以此討論作為四月essay的中心。


在昨晚的討論中，吳剛激動的眼泛激光呢！他是個很敢言的人，希望每一個項目的小節點都做到最好，把中國整體的建築水平提高，要教育那些只想錢的發展商，對自己的設計作出堅持，因為讀了六年建築的，應不止是幫別人畫施工圖的機器吧。而邪惡豬則認為在中國工作重量不重質，凡事要順從甲方要求，要快，作為一個發展中國家，沒有時間去想小節點是否做得好，因為有更多更多人連住好的沒有，豈可以談質素呢。其實吳剛真的是一個對建築設計很有passion的人，他缺少的不是什麼「中國人的本質」而是一點處世的技巧（要達到目的不一定要直接教育對方那類情況吧）。我猜他也是遇到一點identity crisis.

不論那一方是對的，我認為一個公司有機會讓大家這樣爭辯也是一件很有意思事（除了後來為免大家爭着說話，凡說話的也要乾掉自己杯酒這事外）。

除了以上的事令我很glad有參與外，這兩天也過得很開心，從開車離開，開始見到奇怪山石景，到一起煮飯，烤全羊，看星星，跟狗狗玩（有四隻），跟小孩玩，玩WII!!!!，釣魚，snooker....全都很令我玩得很開心，又認識了更多朋友，真幸福。

More photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maoshan SOON

Picture Story Books in an (creative) architecture office

Recently, I've been bringing picture story books to the office everyday, showing them mainly to the people in my team. There are three distinct responses.

One of them have always been interested in picture story books, enjoys and comment on them critically.

One of them really loves them, spend a long time reading each book I brought back, and often exclaimed "This is a very touching story" or "These books are very meaningful" He said he never read such stories during free time, but has recently declared that he really wants to buy some and decided to go to the bookstore with me during the weekend. (He's now google-ing one of my favourite children's book author/illustrator Shaun Tan)

The third one can't understand most of the books I brought back, often ask "is this the end? what happens next?" But have secretly bought the books I showed him.lol
They also shared with me the books they like, one of them draw CG with his friend,and the other draws comics. But they told me not to show their creative work (website) to others in the office...

What effects can Children literature have on adults?

(picture: From Shaun Tan's - The Arrival, a long wordless story of immigrants. Highly highly recommended, go to the nearest bookshop and have a look. Also look out for The Rabbit - a story about Colonisation written from the perspective of the colonised.)