World Cup 2010

Jul 12, 2010

The World Cup 2010 in South Africa has finally ended with Spain winning this most prestigious soccer award.  I’m not really much of a soccer fan, but the atmosphere in HK is definitively much more vibrant and infectious compared to Toronto.

Although I don’t play much anymore, soccer is still my favorite sport.  Started playing it in primary school and carried the amateur hobby all through highschool and university.  What I like about the sport is the way a simple ball can bring so many different people together, hearts and minds linked without the barrier of language and culture.  Peace.

Tai Mo Shan

Jul 11, 2010

Out of spontaneity, my brother-in-law decided to drive us up Tai Mo Shan after our usual family Sunday dim sum.  The limitless blue sky, the fluffy white clouds, and the layers of lush green mountain-tops is a rare treat of paradise in the hustle and bustle of HK.

Want to go there again sometime to immerse myself in the tranquil atmosphere for a relaxing afternoon…

Tai Mo Shan

<< How Buildings Learn >>

Jul 10, 2010

Learned from the book that many architectures were demolished prematurely due to fluctuating market value, over-specification and lack of flexibility in design.  Architectures can no way be designed perfectly, they should be designed rather for longevity by allowing inhabitants to easily adjust, adapt, re-adjust, re-adapt, and slowly evolve as a living museum.  If longevity is not an option either through the Low Road or the High Road way, architectures should at least be designed for easy disassembly to facilitate reuse or recycle.

<< How Buildings Learn>>

Bonsai Terrarium Class

Jul 4, 2010

Took an introduction class on bonsai terrarium yesterday. The instructor performed an amazing live demo and created a scenic landscape inside a semi-enclosed glazed apple. Reminded me of hobbyists assembling model ships inside wine bottles.

I’ve already reserved a small space next to the miniature stone garden to put into practice what I’ve learned…

Holiday

Jul 1, 2010

Today is a holiday for both of the countries that had my residence time split almost equally.  It was particularly hot today with extreme UV alert, so I didn’t dare to go outdoors but rather spent much of my time at home reading “The Message”.

I’ve also spent some time creating my first colored artwork since returning to HK, it’s been a long time since I indulged myself with coloring.

Materialism

Jun 30, 2010

It wasn’t difficult to notice the heightened materialism after moving back to HK, but I was surprised that it ranked no.2 in the world in terms of carbon emission due to imported consumptions (article here)!

I see local ads encouraging people to lead a low carbon lifestyle by switching to CFL bulbs, taking shorter showers, setting higher thermostat temperature… but I have yet to see ads encouraging people to buy less stuff, quite impossible in this consumption-driven economy. If only we can learn to “not getting what we want, but wanting what we’ve got”.

Cradle to Cradle

Jun 24, 2010

Love books that inspire me to think and re-think…

Not sure of the exact reason(s), but I became a bit of an environmentalist in recent years. Ever since I watched “The Story of Stuff“, I have this little guilty feeling whenever I buy or throw away stuff. Slowly, I also became a bit of an anti-consumerist, silently protesting against such proposals as to hand out cash coupons to stimulate the economy. Before I realize it, I became a bit of a pessimist towards the whole product design industry.

This book brought back hope upon my depressing views. Products don’t have to move linearly from the manufacturer to the consumer and to the landfill. If designed right, products can become nutrients and cycle back into the biosphere or “technosphere” when they are no longer needed – waste becomes food. Think cherry blossoms!

Is this really possible in real-life products designed in a world so obsessed with GDP growth?

Shanghai Expo 2010

Jun 22, 2010

Been back from Shanghai for a few weeks already, it’s about time I finish organizing the photos and archive this project before I move on to a new one.

Despite the crazy long line-ups and the rudeness of our mainland people (just a difference in culture I would say), the 3.5 days I spent at the Expo was still an enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I didn’t see many of the popular pavilions because of long line-ups, but I think experiencing the China, UK, and Spain pavilions is enough to make my trip worthwhile.  Besides, the interior of many pavilions are just imbued with large projected images and videos on blank surfaces, I was seriously getting more and more “multimedia-phobic” as the trip progressed.  Frankly, I find the exterior of the architectures far more interesting than the interior.

UK Pavilion

School

Jun 19, 2010

Goddess of DemocracyI was 30 minutes late when I arrived at the main campus.  Instead of walking in late to a seminar, I went the opposite way to drop off my book at the library.  Then I took a long slow walk along the usual route in the very quiet campus.  It was a hot and humid afternoon, but the sun was much welcomed after a week of rainy days.

It wasn’t that long ago that I first set foot on this campus, I still remember the excitement of exploring it to find the location for my first lecture… Time really does fly, I’ve finished my first year, and there’s just one more to go.

The World without Us

Jun 15, 2010

<<The World without Us>>An interesting and imaginative narrative on what the world would be like if we as a specie suddenly vanishes.  The planet’s ecosystem would probably be better off without us Homo Sapiens!

I’m reminded of people toiling their lives trying to leave behind a lasting legacy, is that worthwhile?  Perhaps not according to the book, for nothing would last forever.

“… This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind”  (Ecclesiastes)

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