I Have A Life.

I am going to be on vacation in Japan from tomorrow to October 7,2004. Please notice that here will not be any update until I return Hong Kong. Hope you all have a nice Mid-Autumn Festival.



由明日至下月7日，我將會到日本旅行。請留意在旅行期間本網站不會有任何更新。

祝你們也有一個愉快的中秋節。

Yesterday, when I was thinking of Eastern European countries, a name "Cadfael" suddenly jumped to my mind.



No car-chasing, no explosion, no forensic evidence, but the detective Cadfael series attract viewers with the fascinating plots of stories, wonderful performances of actors and the revalation of medieval romance.



Sir Derek Jacobi (see the photo above), one of the greatest actor I have ever seen, starred as Brother Cadfael. Cadfael was a devoted monk in a abbey in a village of Shrewsbury, England in the 12th century. He ran a his own apothecary shop, cultivating the plants and herbs from which he makes medicines himself. With his knowledge on herbs and plants, the medicine man became a canny sleuth in the medieval English.



The tremendous realism is the most interesting part of the TV series. Every screen reveals a village and the society of England in the 12th century. When I watched the series, I felt that I am really learning a lot about that society.



I found the DVD sets of Cadfael yesterday night, but they are too expensive, even the second-hand sets.

From the day, when I decided to buy the air ticket to Japan, to today, it is just one week. Now I finally have the framework of the schedule of the trip, and all reservations have been made. I can finally slow down and take a deep breath.



Here is my plan. I will be in Japan from 20th of September to 7th of October.



20/9 to 24/9 morning in Tokyo. Visit Asakusa, Ueno, Palace, Cruise, Tokyo Tower, Hamarikyu and Harajuku. Totally 2 and a half day, so I have one day without any schedule.



24/9~25/9 in Sapporo.

26/9 in Otaru.

27/9 drop by Niseko, Onuma, 五棱郭 when I travel to Hakodate from Otaru by train,

28/9 in Hakodate. View the sunrise, visit the morning market, then go to 十字街、元町, finally hike to the top of Hakodate Hill to view the sunset and night scence of Hakodate.



29/9 Go down to Nikko by train.



30/9 ~ 2/10 in Nikko. I originally planned to leave Nikko in the evening of 1/10. However, yesterday I found that there will be an Autumn Firework event in Nikko on 2nd of October, so I stay one more day in Nikko. Then I schedule one day to visit Nikko Edo Wonderland and Kinugawa Onsen. I didn't plan for enjoying hot spring in the whole trip. I am now going to have an "Onsen Evening".



3/10 ~ 7/10 in Kyoto. Since I spend one more day in Nikko, there are only 4 days left for Kyoto. There will be a festival at Kitanotenmangu. They occupy afternoon of 2 days. I will spend one whole day in Sagano and Arashiyama. Spend one morning to walk along the Philosophy Road, another morning and an evening at Nijojo and Kyoto Gosho.



I have left some free time, especially at the period in Tokyo, to have spontaneous activities. I want to spend some time to get closer the community. I want stories and photos reflecting the internal life of peolple living in the place, not only some beautiful photos. So I am looking for some high school events or city events. Then I walk around the local community when I take part in the event. Later, maybe I just sit inside a playground and watch children playing. Travel agents can take me to beautiful place any time as long as I pay, but I want something beyoud beauty, so I cannot join any tour. No one can plan this kind of tour for me, and I also do not know how to approach to a community which I can speak their language. That's where my headache comes from. Anyway, I try to do my best to achieve my goals.



In the trip, I will visit 3 universities - Tokyo U., Hokkaido U. and Kyoto U. . It is only for personal interest. I just love the feeling walking and observing the architectures on campus.



I feel very lucky to find a firework event in September, and it is held on the right time and at the right place when I travel. Firework events should be over in August. Although I cannot wear Yukata to the event because of the low temperature at night, I still overjoyed when I know I hit one. I also find some festivals of shines and open days of high schools held in the period of my visiting to the city.



I want to say thank you here to angela and whitebleach for being so supportive and caring. I know now what problems I can solve by myself and what I can't. From now on, I am going to bother you a lot. (^.^;;



Let's go! Let me have a nice dream tonight. I haven't gone to bed before 2 am for several nights.^^



(Update on 2004/9/15)



On 29/9, I am going to drop by Morioka City and Sendai City for an hour and half to have lunch and tea-break, trying to buy some okashi, fruit and 漬物 to prepare to celibrate Chinese's Mid-Autumn Festival and watch the moon at night in Nikko.



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Comments



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by angelali at 2004-09-13 10:36



Dear friend, do bother me any time you like. :D I'm getting enthusiastic even though i'm not participating in your trip ^O^ After the conversation last night, I thought a lot to tell you about life in Tokyo (though my mind was empty at the moment u raised the question ^O^), and I thought too much that i was getting excited and couldn't go to zzz !! (laugh) Don't panic about the subway network. I would suggest u go to buy the maps and "study" it b4 going so u got an idea of what's going to happen (Cheap maps are sold at the $10 shop at CWB!)



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 by whitebleac at 2004-09-14 11:58



Is its subway such a labyrinth?

(perhaps easier than minibuses for Japanese tourists in Hong Kong)

For your desktop manoeuvre, the following homepage gives you guidance and a map in English and Chinese.

http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/index.html

Of course, it is nicer if you could buy a printed map beforehand.



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by windywood at 2004-09-14 14:22



angelali> I have received your email. Thank you, kiki. I have checked the menu of Ootoya. Food on photos look really yummy and cheap. Mm! I am also interested in goint to izakaya, but would it be strange to go alone? However, I think I will go to Shimokitazawa to take a look. May be I can find a place to try sukiyaki too, but I don't know how to cook the cake in the shop ^^;;





Your email is very informative. I couldn't find the map of Tokyo in CWB yesterday. But I will try to buy one at the airport if I can't get it in HK.



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by windywood at 2004-09-14 14:27



angelali> Ar! I want to buy a electronic Japanese-Chinese dictionary in Tokyo in Akihabara. Do you have any favourite model or suggestion? I hope to find one which can give example how to apply the words in sentence. The budget would be around HKD1000.



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by windywood at 2004-09-14 15:20



whitebleach> I think you are right, it is more difficult to travel by minibuses in Hong Kong than by subway in Tokyo. However, in term of subway system, the subway system in Tokyo is the most complicated one because it is run by several companies. When people change the line may mean they need to search for another station on the street. This is what I heard. I will know how good or bad it is when I arrive in Tokyo.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-15 00:02



Hmm... actually there are two subway entities, "Tokyo Metro" and "Toei Subway (run by Tokyo metropolitan municipality)". However, you can buy through tickets at any station, and junctions have connecting passages between platforms, irrespective of their entities.

So what you have to do are:

1) check the route map and find your destination, transfer and fair;

2) in case of transfer to another entity, buy a transfer ticket;

3) at a junction, follow the transfer signboard to the platform you want (you may have to exit through the wicket once, proceed the connecting passage with your through ticket and enter the other)



In case of joint service (subway and ground railway), you only have to buy a through ticket.



...Confusing? ^^;;;

(anyway you'll find it within a week)



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by angelali at 2004-09-15 11:00



Hi! Ai ya, let me lend you my map so that u don't need to spend extra $$ on these stuff la. :D If u're ok this weekend, catch me these 2 days and let me know, i'll get u all the things u may need. Can also sit down, have a drink, and i'll explain to u everything. :) For subway in Tokyo, first don't panic just by looking at the map which seems complicated. If u panic, u'll get lost! Usually, no need to look for the subway exit on the ground when u need to change to another line, platforms of all lines can be reached underground cuz the stations are linked (just like what we do about going from Central MTR to airport express station INSIDE Central station). About electronic dict, i'm not using one, but can gather info from my friends and let u know later. :)



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by windywood at 2004-09-16 00:37



angelali> No p-ro-b-lem. Let me call you tomorrow.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-17 02:16



中秋節 in Nikko sounds nice and calm.^^

Okashi? Here's a small list came out of my memory...perhaps I'm still forgetting a lot to name..^^;



1of4 北海道/Hokkaido: good westernised sweets based on its modern plantation & dairy farming

(1) ロイズの生チョコレート/Royce' "Nama" Chocolate

(by ロイズコンフェクﾄ/Royce' Confect Co. http://www.e-royce.com/)

- NEVER miss this! :D If you don't like this ganache chocolate, I'll refund for you!!



(2) マルセイバターサンド/Marusei Butter Sand

（by 六花亭/Rokkatei http://www.rokkatei.co.jp/）

- Crunchy biscuit sandwich with raisin & cream from white chocolate and fresh butter!



(3) トラピストクッキー/Trappist cookie

（by 燈台の聖母トラピスト修道院製酪工場/ Trappist Monastery）

- Simple but rich butter cookie made with homemade fermented butter by Trappist Monastery.



(4) 三方六/Sanpouroku

（by 柳月/Ryugetsu http://www.ryugetsu.co.jp/pc/）

- Soft and milky Baumkuchen won a gold medal from Monde Selection.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-17 02:17



2of4 東北/Tohoku: quality, substantial and sometimes creative sweets

(1) 萩の月/Hagi-no-tsuki

(by菓匠三全/Kasho-Sanzen http://www.sanzen.co.jp/)

- Moon-shaped silky-soft sponge with sweet custard cream inside. Popular souvenir of Sendai.



(2) ゆべし/Yubeshi

(by和菓子老舗ひろせ/ Hirose http://www.zundanet.co.jp/tanabata1998/hiro.htm)

- Traditional sweets of the region, like rice cake with sweet &soy source taste, usually 3 different flavours; bamboo leaf, walnuts, sesame



(3) かもめの玉子/Kamome-no-tamago (egg of seagull)

(by さいとう製菓/Saito-seika http://www.saitoseika.co.jp/)

- Cute egg-shaped wheat cake with yolk-flavoured bean-jam inside and coated with white chocolate.



(4) なまどら焼/Nama Dorayaki

(by菓匠榮太楼/Kashou-Eitaro http://www.namadora.com/)

- Dorayaki (銅鑼焼) is a popular sweets, sandwich sweet bean-jam with round sponge, and this is a special version with extra fresh cream inside.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-17 02:19



3of4 東京/Tokyo: even a consumption city has something to be remembered;;

(1) 人形焼/Ningyouyaki

- Rather for amusement? Asakusa is famous for this, traditional wheat cake with sweet bean-jam inside, baked in the shape of various characters...even "Doraemon", "Hello! Kitty" or "Dragon Ball" recently. ^^;



(2) ひよこ/Hiyoko (chick)

(by ひよ子/Hiyoko http://www.mi-na-mi.com/hiyoko.html)

- Originally from Fukuoka in Kyusyu, wheat cake with yolk-flavoured bean-jam inside, baked in the shape of cute chick. ^^



(3) 鳩サブレー/Hato-sabure

(by 豊島屋/Toshimaya http://www.hato.co.jp/)

- Actually a local specialty of Kamakura, a crispy & butter flavoured biscuit in the shape of a pigeon. ^^



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-17 02:20



4of4 京都/Kyoto: a Mecca of fine & beautiful Japanese sweets^^ (much other than the following)

(1) 生八橋/Nama Yatsuhashi

（by聖護院八ツ橋総本店/Shogoin-Yatsuhashi-So-honpo http://www.shogoin.co.jp/）

- Soft, thin sheet powdered with cinnamon, better sold type is a wrap with bean-jam inside, also hard baked one is available.



(2) ふまんじゅう/Fu Manjuu

（by 麩嘉/Fuuka http://www.okashi-net.com/kyo/huka/huka.html）

- Light, wet & cold dumpling wrapped in wet bamboo leaves with bean-jam inside.



(3) 御池煎餅/Miike Sembei

（by 亀屋良永/Kameya-Ryouei http://www.kyogashi.com/kashokai/yoshinaga.htm）

- Very soft & lightly sweet rice cracker with sensitive & subtle taste, sold in a fashionable can.



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by angelali at 2004-09-17 11:13



Whitebleachさん＞WoW! すごい！北海道のそのチョコレート、今度是非試してみたいなぁ。

Windywood>HAHA! you'll need to carry another empty XL suitcase for all these omiyage!! ^o^ Since your trip is long and u'll have your "instruments" which maybe quite heavy, I would suggest u sending back some of the stuff (even the omiyage) to HK by post b4 u move on. Don't worry about the box or packages, cuz everything is available at the Japs post offices. :)



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-17 16:38 



Angelaliさん＞

こんにちは！Royce'のチョコレートは、深い香りと味がとろけるように柔らかく広がり…、とてもおいしいですよ！o(^_^)o でも、北海道でしか売っていない…。四川の代わりは、冬の北海道でもいいかも？！

割と最近まで、東京に住んでいらしたみたいですね。最初は、広東語の上手な香港在住の日本人だと思っていました（^_^;）。Windywoodさんとの間で、「東京での生活」についてどんな話題が飛び交っているのか、興味津々…。



(The same as above)

Roice' chocolate is tremendously delicious, silkily melting in your mouse with its deep aroma and taste...! o(^_^)o But sold only in Hokkaido... Perhaps, Hokkaido should be your substitution to Si Chuan..?!

You might have lived in Tokyo until relatively recent date. At first when I read your writings on blogs, I did not doubt that you are a Japanese in Hong Kong with amazing fluency in Cantonese (^_^;). I've been very curious what has been talked about "life in Tokyo" between you...



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by windywood at 2004-09-18 00:25



whitebleach> Those okashi look very tasty. d(-_^)good!!

Very useful information. Thank you very much for writing them down for me, ﾐ★(*^-ﾟ)v Thanks!!★彡

I love good food very much. They are very good souvenirs for my friends in Hong Kong and the US too.

There will be a lot of fun in my trip! q(^-^q)(p^-^)p ♪lala~



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by windywood at 2004-09-18 00:49



angelali> It seems that I am going to have some big shopping events in my trip. hoho. One more XL suitcase? Maybe. However, utilising the postal service makes more sense. Thanks for suggestion.



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by windywood at 2004-09-18 01:13



I am now quite relaxed. It is not time to complain any more. It is time to enjoy the trip. No matter whatever happens, "天跌下來當被用"(If the sky fells over the head, use it as a blanket to cover the body - Cantonese idiom), just don't care.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-18 16:10



windywood>

You seem ready for your adventure... o(^-^)o

You're welcome for the list. It's nice to know that it made you so happy.^^

Please note that some of the Okashi suggested above are difficult to be sent overseas. Namely, Fu-Manjuu in Kyoto needs to be finished while they are fresh, so almost impossible. Roice' ganache chocolate in Hokkaido needs to be kept cool (blow 10 degrees centigrade). If Hokkaido were your last destination, you could buy it just before your departure and ask a cabin attendant to keep them in a fridge in flight.;;



You may sometimes like to enjoy petit extravagance on traditional/modern foods of local preference. The following list is another small one of eating on "if I were there, I would..."basis. Some of them are rather classy, hence cost you due amount...but do have value for money.



Bon Appetite... Oops... Bon Voyage!!(^_^)v



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-18 16:12



1of4 北海道/Hokkaido

Autumn is harvesting season. It means there the season for appetite. I can't wire it out here namely; boiled or baked corn(とうもろこし), baked potato with local butter（じゃがいも）, boiled hairy crab(毛蟹/kegani), fresh scallop(帆立貝/hotate-gai), sashimi of saury(秋刀魚/sanma) or cuttlefish(イカ/ika), salmon roe (イクラ/ikura), Mongolian mutton barbecue(成吉思汗鍋/Genghis-Khan-nabe), various jams and bakeries, etc., etc...



2of4 仙台/Sendai

(1) 牛タン/Gyuu-tan(beef tongue)

- If you have a lunch there, grill of beef tongue is a nice & famous local specialty,usually comes with 麦飯 and grated yam. Stew is also yummy.^^

(2) 笹かまぼこ/Sasa-Kamaboko (bamboo-leaf-shaped boiled fish paste)

- You can buy a pack of fresh KAMABOKO to enjoy on board to Nikko. Do you need beer also? ;)



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-18 16:15 



3of4 東京/Tokyo

(1) おでん/ Oden(Japanese hotchpotch)

- If you try ODEN in Tokyo, visit here in Ginza; you can enjoy various kinds of tasty Oden a la carte on a counter^^ Perhaps you miss nice Sake (They have!^^)

--> 一平/Ippei http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g087100/



(2) フルーツパーラー(Fruits & Sweets parlor)

- Walked too much? Refresh yourself with fruits and sweets in fashionable atmosphere

--> 資生堂パーラー/Shiseido parlor

http://www.shiseido.co.jp/parlour/html/index.htm

: Perhaps no need to explain.. Run by famous SHISEIDO! o(^-^)o They also have variety of neat confectionaries in fashionable packages (can be durable in room temperature)

--> タカノフルーツパーラー／フルーツバー Takano Fruits Parlor/Fruits Bar http://www.takano.co.jp/

: One of the nicest fruits parlors in Japan. Based in Shinjuku.

--> 千疋屋総本店/Sembikiya So-honten http://www.sembikiya.co.jp/top_b.html#

: Another best & authentic fruits shop with tradition and reputation.



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-18 16:16



4of4 京都/Kyoto

(1) さば寿司/Saba-zushi(SUSHI with lightly marinated mackerel)

- The shop below offers the best!^^ Its taste is too subtle to be kept for hours.

--> いづう http://r.gnavi.co.jp/izu/



(2) いもぼう/Imo-bou (pottery of taro and dried cod)

- The following shop has been keeping their home recipe for 300 years with the same sauce inherited from their ancestors...

--> 平野屋 http://r.gnavi.co.jp/imobou/

(For their story: http://www.digistyle-kyoto.com/hyakumikai/hyakumi_22.htm)



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by whitebleach at 2004-09-18 16:32



Sorry;; Forgot some explanations.



In Sendai, grilled beef tongue should come with 麦飯(mugi-meshi) and grated yam (とろろ/tororo...never confuse with TOTORO;; its anime^^)



In Kyoto, the name of shops pronounced as follows:

いづう-->izuu

平野屋-->hirano-ya(ひらのや)

20/9



NARITA（成田）@2:30pm



[夕]

Tokyo Station (東京えき)、

Ginza(銀座区)ーKabukiza（歌舞伎座）/未定/ or just walk in the town of my hotel



21/9



[朝]

文 京区ーUniversity of Tokyo(東京大学) or other campus walk. I love walking in campus. If anyone know where I can find beautiful campus, no matter high school or university, please let me know. I pick The University of Tokyo just because it is closed to my hotel.



Palace (皇宮)



[午後]

Harajuku(原宿)

－Omotesando(表参道)、Takeshita Street (竹下通)、Meijijingu(明治神宮)



22/9



[朝]Ueno(上野)、Asakusa(浅草)

[午後]CruiseーHamarikyu(浜離宮)、 Tokyo Tower (東京タワー)

[夜]Shinjuku(新宿)/未定



23/9

No schedule



24/9

To Sapporo(札幌)

Hokkaido University (北海道大学)



25/9

Walk around Sapporo Station(Not planned)



26/9

Otaru(小樽)



27/9

Niseko(ニセコ)ーOne and a half hour

Onuma(大沼) - 3 hours

五棱郭

arrive in Hakodate(函館) at night



28/9



View sunrise

函館朝市

十字街、元町

夜景



29/9

go to Nikko(日光)



30/9

walk around Nikko Station



1/10

Nikko Edo Wonderland(日光江戶村)

Enjoy hot spring in Kinugawa(鬼怒川)



2/10

中禅寺湖

戦場ヶ原

日光秋の花火大会



3/10

Go to Kyoto

[午後]東山区



4/10

[朝]

京都御所

Seimeijinja(晴明神宮) - 一千年祭 舞楽奉納(11:00-)

Kitanotenmangu(北の天満宮)　ずいき祭り - 還幸祭 (13:00-)

二条城



5/10

[朝]左京区－京都大学

Kitanotenmangu(北の天満宮)　ずいき祭り - 八乙女田舞(15:30-)？



6/10

Sagano(嵯峨野)-嵐山



7/10

Back to Hong Kong

Rain falled on a soccer field. Tree patterns left on the field. The view was impressive. Living in a heartless and gray metropolitan like Hong Kong, this natural marvel in my neighborhood really lighted up my heart at the beginning of one day.



Moved by the view on the ground, the first thing I did after getting up is taking photos. The A/C of my room was on, so water droplets blurred my lens when I put it outside the window. When my lens was ready, the field has already dried. I seldom praise when it rains, but in this morning, after I put all my lens back to the air-tight box, it started raining heavily again, and I praised.

Since I decided to book an air ticket to Japan last Saturday, my life is full of tensions in these days.



This is my first long travelling trip, and I am going alone. This is not a day trip; I don't know the area and I have to arrange hotels and transportation too. It is also different from going to study in the US for several years; I don't have several days to get information to plan what I am going to do after the arrival. During the days in the US, I had time, I had friends, I also had my own car no matter how old it was. I know the system of the US, and the most important of all, I know their language well. If anything goes wrong in my trip in Japan, it's hard to find someone surronding me who can speak English or Cantonese.



Recently, I am very busy to dig information related to travelling in Japan on internet from day til night, checking timetables of bus and trains, reserving rooms in inns and hotels, looking for maps and tourist guide to plan the tour. Nevertheless, I still have to keep looking for new job, puzzling for my future.



Although I am unemployed, I work until mid-night. My working hour now is acturally longer than that when I had a regular job. There is really tones of things to learn to plan a backpacking trip in a foreign country for the first time. However, shall I visit Japan for the second time? It seems not very positive. To use again the knowledge I have recently learned, I think I should become a travel agent to help people travel in Japan and the US. Hmm...That's a career...I am just talking. Please don't get serious.

I posted 2 photos of Tai O - the Village on Water in May. Yesterday, I visited to the village again.My friends and I went to Mui Wo by ferry, then took a bus to Tai O. Since we took some time to walk around Mui Wo, it was also 5 p.m. when we arrived at Tai O bus station. That was a little bit late. All of the bus tour groups had left. The street was not crowded with tourists. The village was quiet and peaceful. A few children were playing near the bus station. Tai O is been modernizing. There is a contruction site next to the bus station. There will be some tall buildings on the area behind the boys in the future.



There were some fishing boats parked near a pier. There are two piers in Tai O. The east pier is near the bus station. Modern ferry and fishing boats always parked there. The west pier is mostly for boat tours. Boat tour normally is a trip to see the Rock of General and to Chinese White Dolphin.







We walked to the west pier. As I passed a "Pan Uk" - (棚屋) the house build on water, I was attracted by sticks piled up outside the house. Although Hong Kong is a modern city, some people in Tai O still use wood to make fire. The colour inside those sticks were bright and orange, but the bark is rough and lighter than the inner part of sticks. When we were taking photos for those sticks, the photo is at the top of this post, the mistress of the house just went home. She asked me if we were interested in going inside her house. Why Not!







The mistress is a very friendly woman. She and I had a delightful long convensation about the changes in Tai O and our prespectives on living in Hong Kong when my friends were taking photos. Next to the kitchen on her right, there is a cage for raising chickens. However, there has been no more chicken in it since the outbreak of bird flu 3 years ago.



Leaving the house, we continued to head to the west pier. It was getting dark, and the street lights had already been on.



After visiting the pier, we rushed to the east to visit Sun Ki Bridge. The village is divided by a river to the east part and the west part. The bus station and the east pier are at the east part of village.

When villagers cross the river to go to the other side of village, they say that they "過對面海" - cross the sea. When we "crossed the sea", boats and villagers had arrived home. Smoke came out from chimneies. That was the end of another day.

Today's weather is excellent.



I finally saw the blue sky again. The sun shines so brightly. The air is quite clear after rainy days. Everything went very well today.



I took this photo in a park nearby my home in the afternoon. Can you feel the sun shining?

It has been raining quite heavily since last weekend. The humidity is very high. I am very much worrying about my lenses.



I have some leisure time today. So I decided to go to a park to shoot some raindrops on plants. When I check my lens. My Gosh! There are some mold on my old tele lens. I have one air-tight box to store not-in-use lenses. However, this lens is my favorite lens. My air-tight box is not big enough for all of my lenses, so I leave this lens always on my desk. I rushed to Tsuen Wan immediately and bought some moisture-absorbing gel to make another air-tight box to contain the rest of my lenses. No more fuzzy lens, please!

Here is a amusing news which can make my day.



The British decided to require Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians to take a test as other foreigners when they apply for naturalization. A test for what? To prove that they can speak English!



We Asians have been paying a lot of money to hire people from these countries to teach our children speaking English because they are native english speakers, English is their first language and they speak english at home. Now the Brits say, "Wait a minute! Can they speak English? We need a proof." What a great Quality Control!

昨日，弟弟和同事在會議中討論某個校內活動的安排。



一個同事建議:「不如叫籃球隊去球場表演"插花"啦。」



中文的TA立即回應:「唔好!應該叫籃球隊去球場表演"插花"，旁邊再有個家政老師表演插花嘛。」



「吓?」



TA再補充:「咁咪男同學又有野睇，女同學都有野鍾意睇囉!」



真厲害，試問點夠佢o黎。



Yesterday, my brother and his co-workers had a meeting to discuss what to do in a school function.



One teacher said, "How about arranging the basketball team to preform 插花 (crossover) on the basketball court?"



(In Hong Kong, "插花" can be a slang which means "crossover" technique of basketball .)



A Chinese Teaching Assistant immediately replied, "Not good. We should let the team preform 插花 (crossover) on the court, and near the team, we have a home economics teacher to perform 插花 (the art of arranging flowers)."



"What?"



The TA continued, "So that, there will be a show that boys will be interested when the girls will also be entertained."



Fabulous. Who can beat this guy.

The puppet was very beautiful! With two sticks and his left hand, the master control the movement of fingers, head and body of the puppet. The puppet then spinned a handkerchief on its finger, took another handkerchief from a pocket of its dress, danced, flipped its body, picked up flowers and so on. The puppet behaved just like a naughty young lady. What else could those puppets do?Change its face.When the two men preformed the skill of changing face. We have already thought that was exciting. Now the master was controlling the motion of the puppet with both his hands, but at the same time he preformed changing masks with the puppet like a real human. What a skill the master has!

This is the end of 蜀風雅韵 series. If you go to Cheng Du, will you pay 120RMB to watch this show?

Changing face is the most familiar Chuan performing art for people in Hong Kong because not long ago there was news about a Pop star Andy Lau tried to learn the technique, but he was refused by the master of changing face.

There are two changing face masters in my photos. They walked around the stage. Suddenly, without touching anything on their faces, they magically changed their masks to other masks. Each of them changed about 6 or 7 masks, then we finally saw their own faces. However, the most mavellous things were just about to happen. Without touching anything with their hands, they put one of their masks back to their faces, and then again the other. How come they can do that!手影戲(Hand Shadow Show)

Many of us know how to make some hand shadows when we were kids. The performer that night was also very young. The background music reminded me the widelife on grassland in Africa. He made a lot of vivid hand shadows of animals. Dog could bark and make face to viewers. Hens fought together, then became an owl. Rabit and horse were running. Wolf came out and ate the rabit. We all know how to play hand shadows, but not in his extent.

To be continue...

Photo In 蜀風雅韵 by D70 with AI 80mm-200mm/f4.5@80mm, f4.5, 1/250s, ISO1600, MF, M-mode metering, Hand-hold"蜀風雅韵" (Shu Feng Ya Yun) is the only large-scaled Si Chuan operatic training and preformance center existing nowaday. It was established one hundred years ago. It is inside the city of Cheng Du. We went to watch their traditional preforming art show at the night.





We arrived at the operatic circle at 7:30pm. We were asked to pay extra 120RMB. We wondered if the show worths it because we have seen enough lousy shows in China, but the tour guide insisted that is a must-see show, so we were all there except one guy want back to hotel after dinner. I can tell you now, this is a show I highly recommemd. If you are in Cheng Du for the first time, don't miss it.By the way, the toilet there was very dirty. You don't eat anything strange before you go to the show. Look at the photo on the right. Here was where we sat. The guy is "D", my brother. You can see that we were quite far from the stage, but actually we were at the middle of the hall. There were a lot of people sitting futher away. Fortunately I had a zoom tele lens with me.



Before the show, I was given a fan and a pile of bookmarks of facial design of Chuan Opera.



It was hot there, so the fan was useful. During the show, we were served with tea and peanuts. Some ladies dressing traditional clothes were walking throughout the hall to refill the tea into our cups. They hold tea-pots which have a mouth longer than my arm but very thin. The shadow in photos shows a lady and tea pot with long mouth (the long straight thin shadow crosses with the mic stand).



To be continued...