Touch This Earth Lightly

Apr 2, 2010

<< Touch This Earth Lightly >>Walls that breathe, roofs with glimpses of the sky, sliding windows with views of the vast Australian landscape, together with the smell of seasonal flowers and occasional sound of dripping rain, I can imagine myself relaxing and enjoying my cup of morning coffee in a veranda house designed by Glenn Murcutt.  The Architect describes his designs to be in tune with the climate and right for the given landscape.  He design his houses for serenity, hoping the inhabitants would feel at ease rather than trapped.

I think it would be lovely to live in one of those houses, but I doubt that to be the ideal sustainable lifestyle.  Besides, with land prices so high here, who can afford a little piece of serenity that way?!

Best Man

Mar 28, 2010

Gift for MV WeddingOne inevitably feels honored when being asked to be the Best Man for his friend’s wedding, but I was a bit reluctant at first because I don’t really like attracting attention and have a natural tendency to shy away from the spotlight.  But after everything about the wedding is completed tonight, I’m glad that I took up my friend’s offer.

At the dinner banquet, I had the opportunity of seeing many uncles and aunties whom I haven’t seen for a long time.  There’s this funny feeling when they actually remembered me and held memories of me as a kid.  It brought back good memories that were long forgotten.  I was sitting at the head table and surprisingly I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.  I remember seeing everyone of them when I was a kid playing with the groom, strangely I felt as though I was part of the family.

Air Pollution

Mar 22, 2010

When I came home from badminton tonight, my mom told me worryingly to close the windows and turn on the air conditioning before going to bed.  The weather isn’t too hot yet, it’s the air pollution!  The air pollution index (api) topped off at 500 (severe) today mainly due to the devastating sandstorm from northern China.  Air pollution is indeed one of the things I hated most about HK, I think I’ve chosen the right topic for my research paper.

My tiredness continued today as I couldn’t quite sleep last night, hopefully the air-con would help me to get a much needed restful sleep…

Air Conditioning

Tired

Mar 20, 2010

Today’s one of those days when I just don’t feel like doing anything.  After departing my friend at the airport, I went home and decided to go down to shoot some hoops, just like the last few weekends.  The basketball seemed to be heavier than usual today, and I had my worst shooting record by far!

In general, I’m kind of low in energy and motivation these days.  I can’t seem to pull myself together to do anything other than my research paper, which I had barely started.

Shooting Record

Architecture without Architects

Mar 18, 2010

In my mind, architects always hold this mysterious prestige status, attractive yet unattainable.  Perhaps I was drawn to the field by the creative and inspirational masterpieces of world-renowned celebrity architects.  It seems to be a field never lacking dreams and aspirations.

Yet, my perception of “architects” seems to have shifted slightly after looking at the pictures of the magnificent vernacular architectures that did not have any architects’ name attached.  Instead, the structures were shaped by communities and long-standing cultures.  They were often composed of similar units but appear non-monotonous because they followed the natural curves of the landscape.

<<Architecture without Architects>>

I’m Healthy Again!!

Mar 15, 2010

After a long week of sore throat and “dizziness”, it feels good to be healthy again!  Suddenly, food tastes better, mind is clearer, and even badminton games seem more enjoyable!

Timing is just right, I need to gear up to work on my research paper and help with my friend’s wedding preparations…

Sickness (Part III)

Mar 10, 2010

<<Material Architecture>>My light fever has pretty much subsided, but my throat is still so sore that I couldn’t take in solid food.

Haven’t stepped out of my apartment for 3 days, must be a record.  It’s not just because of sickness that I stayed home, the sudden cold weather is discouraging me to even open the window.  I’ve spent much of my time under the warm comfort of my blanket reading and learning about some metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and natural materials that are used in architecture.

Sickness (Part II)

Mar 9, 2010

My sickness continued.  It’s very minor, just prolonged.  Felt weak and vulnerable, an unexpectedly good feeling.

I am reminded of one time when I got seriously sick when I was living by myself in Toronto.  Death didn’t feel too far from me then, I was half-conscious and struggled immensely in my mind saying to myself “I can’t die yet”, and all I could do was pray.

Sickness

Mar 7, 2010

Woke up this morning with a minor headache and sore throat. Nothing serious, just a minor fever.

I’m actually thankful, for this is the first time I got sick since returning to HK, not a simple feat considering my previous sickness-prone annual visits.

20100308

Bauhinia Blakeana

Mar 4, 2010

Recently, I started noticing the vivid pink and purple colors dotted all over the streets of HK.  It’s the blooming season for the city’s floral emblem.

Bauhinia flowersI remember stumbling upon a small park which had tens of Bauhinia trees planted, so I made an effort to visit it again expecting to see something like the famous sakura scenes of Japan.  It was a total disappointment, the trees didn’t look too healthy and there were only small amounts of flowers that blossomed.  Worst of all, I had tens of mosquito bites on my arms, they really had a feast of me!  I wonder if this is one of the reasons why parks are so under-utilized in HK…

The Bauhinia trees near my place actually looked much prettier!

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