Dear Friends, my 2015
It’s been a while for me to post anything here. I don’t really have any exciting reasons beyond more of the regular reasons. Ever since I have come back from China, life has been fairly mundane. My days consists of counting the slow but steady passing of the clock and my week the count down to the weekend. Starting August I moved up north to work for Apple, it has been a good learning experience, but I have found myself missing you guys dearly.
Over all, I would say 2015 has been a great year. I’ve had some adventures, loved some and lost some. I’ve traveled to places that I’ve never been before, talked to people that I’ve never met, listened to music that I’ve never heard and tasted foods that I’ve never eaten. I’ve experienced many new things and met most of my goals set out at the beginning of the year, and I’ve also spent a lot of time in your great company. Now that it’s time for a new year, I’m a little sad for the previous year to be over, as it means our time together is cut shorter a little, at the same time I’m looking forward to the opportunities that lay ahead.
As we are getting older, and with the passing of each year, more and more of you are moving on to the next steps of your lives, getting married, having babies, settling down. I am very proud of these of you and the huge steps you are taking, at the same time I’m feeling a little lonesome in my little corner of bachelor living. I’m not one for always trying to catch up but maybe it’s at least time for me to be a bit more responsible and start thinking about the future. I’ve had my up and downs this year but overall I feel like I’m growing as an adult.
For 2016, I won’t propose any dramatic changes, or resolve to morph into a whole new person. Resolutions can be broken, and bad habits creep back in a short time. I want to aim for continuous improvement and growth. I aim to keep on being creative, and to expand my horizons ever farther. As for this blog, I’m will try to update it more often. And for you, whoever is reading, I hope I can bring you the beauty that I see. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I hope the pictures I post here can conjure little words of my wonder and awe, if only for a short moment.
Uh, so I got busy and then totally forgot about making the 3rd post about my trip to China. Sooooooo I’ll just dump the photos here and call it at that.
TAIPEI 臺北
Taipei is all about the night markets. Lots and lots of good eats everywhere.
Snake Alley
Outside of the city there is also lots of nature.
And of course, lots of scooters every where, all the time.
Some small stores while walking through an older part of town.
More good food, and cheap too!
BEIJING 北京
I ended my trip in Beijing. The place of my childhood. Through my numerous trips to China recently, I’ve slowly started to become familiar with it again. Relearning the alleyways and different neighborhoods. Beijing is a huge metropolis, but life moves at a slower pace here than the other major cities.
<<Back to Part 2
<<<Back to Part 1
MACAU 澳門
I made it from Hong Kong to Macau via the TurboJet in about an hour. Docked and promptly headed into customs for a very fast entry process. The last time I came to Macau I didn’t really have much time to explore. We were only there for about a day. However the Portuguese inspired architecture and the small winding alleys left a deep impression in my memory. Luckily this time I had a little more time, and was a little better prepared with at least some basic knowledge of the cities layout.
Macau is known as the Vegas of the east, its a gambling haven for mainland China and the rest of Asia as well. However the casinos don’t quite have the fanfare that comes with the Vegas casinos. Gambling halls are often quiet, with no drinking or smoking on the floor, and huge sums of money on the tables. Outside and away from the casinos, Macau is a completely different city. There are many parishes and old western style buildings left over from the Portuguese rule. Historical gems are hidden all over the city along its alley ways and side streets.
Once I got settled in the hotel, it was just past 2pm, still plenty of daylight left. I walked through the city center and past the Grand Lisboa Hotel and down into the side alleys to the older part of town. I didn’t exactly have a destination in mind, but just a general direction. I knew if I went south eventually I’ll come to the edge of the peninsula, where there should be a lake with a view of Macau Tower and Taipa Island.
First I came upon a theater. It was drizzling a little bit, so I went inside for a break from the humid air. Unfortunately there was a recital going on so I couldn’t get into the auditorium, but I did sit for a little bit and enjoy the soft classical music coming through the crack in the door.
Then I came upon a church. Having spent a lot of time in catholic churches while I was small, it felt strangely familiar, but the distinct Sino-Portuguese architectural style was a little different. There were people paying respects inside, so I didn’t go in, but I couldn’t resist taking a photo at the door.
I kept on walking and eventually the street turned and I was presented with a view of the city center and the surrounding casinos. A little farther and I was down by the lake side.
At this point it was starting to rain harder. I was too excited to explore and forgot to bring an umbrella. Realizing the potential predicament that I was in, I decided to turn around and head back to the hotel.
The light rain quickly turned into a torrential downpour. I tried to run to the nearest cover I could find but it was to no avail. Within seconds, I was soaked from head to toe. Eventually I found refuge under the front entrance of an office building, where I found a few other people who also forgot their umbrellas. The storm was picking up pace, and the light was getting dimmer. I remembered that there was an underground parking structure and tunnel system that can lead me across the square to the Wynn hotel, but the entrance was a few hundred feet away. I was already soaked, so I figured I can at least get across the square and make a little bit more progress towards my destination.
I ran as fast as I could, the ground level entrance is a glass structure reminiscent of a entrance to a subway station. Walked down four flights of stairs and the tunnel opened up to a large parking lot. I followed the signs to an elevator and found three other people waiting. There was a young couple, and another woman. Once we rode the elevator to the top, the couple ran out into the rain, with their umbrella flapping. The woman and I waited a little bit more. She complained to me about her cheap umbrella and how it didn’t work very well. I politely mentioned that a bad umbrella was still a little better than no umbrella at all. She looked at me and chuckled a little bit. By then the rain was reduced to a drizzle again, so we walked out and parted ways.
The whole rain incident disoriented me and I found myself lost. By then the sun was already down and all the neon signs were turning on. I walked through a quiet but brightly lit promenade, lined with stores selling everything from luxury watches to exotic health remedies. Eventually I found my way back to my hotel. By then I was exhausted, I showered and decided to turn in early.
I started the next day looking for something I consider a must have when coming to Macau, Egg tarts. A quick search on google (not blocked in Macau) netted a result for Margaret’s Cafe E Nata right near the center of Macau. I gobbled up 3 freshly baked tarts with a cup of coffee. After the yumminess, I went to check out Largo Do Senado (Senado Square) and walked through the alleys until I came to the Ruin’s of St. Paul’s.
I was greeted with hundreds of tourists taking selfies. In another day and age, this would have been an odd sight. This area, the historic center of Macau is a hugely popular tourist area, also a UNESCO world heritage site. I hung around only for a little bit, somewhat tired from yesterdays adventures and a little overwhelmed by the crowds of tour groups. A few minutes later, I got into a cab and headed for Taipa Island across the bridge.
The cab dropped me off at The Venetian. Much like the Vegas Venetian, it also sported a indoor mall with a faux canal. I walked around a little bit, and chanced upon a performance by some very beautiful European ladies and string instruments. After the performance I walked around a little more but lost interest pretty quick, so I took another cab and left for Macau Tower.
Macau tower reminded me of the Space Needle in Seattle, and the tower in Seoul. Up top the view was incredible. If you are a daredevil, there are also several activities that you can try, including walking the circumference outside and doing the worlds tallest bungee jump.
I spent some time admiring the view, watched a few brave souls jump off the edge, and eventually took the elevator back down to the base. Outside, I found myself on the opposite side of the lake from the day before. It was starting to drizzle again. Not wanting to get soaked again, I quickly snapped a few photos and took a cab back to my hotel.
Not wanting to end my day too early this time. I went out to wander again after dinner. At night when all the shops are closed, the streets offer a different kind of vibe altogether. I went back to the historic center. The Ruins of St. Paul’s stood, without the crowds, solitary and lonesome, in quiet magnificence. I then walked behind the site into the neighbourhood, until I found a quiet local bar. A few beers later, I felt pretty good. I said goodbye to the bartender, walked back to the hotel and slept soundly until the next morning.
The next day I woke up to two really sore and slightly swollen feet. I guess I overdid it a bit for the last few days. It was my last day in Macau so I decided to take it easy. I started the day off with more egg tarts, and then went in search for some good Portuguese food.
I spent the afternoon on top of Fortaleza Do Monte (mount fortress), named for the fortress that sits on top of the hill in the center of Macau, that has since been converted into the Museum of Macau. The hill offers a vantage over all of Macau, One can walk to each corner of the battlements and look to the edge of the peninsula. The museum offered a lot of insight into its past, although a section of it was closed for an upcoming exhibit.
After the museum I went back to the hotel to rest my feet. That night I met up with some friends I met on my trip for some drinking at the local bar street. It was a lot more quiet than I expected, but I guess most people that come to Macau are busy at the tables in the casinos. After a while I decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel. I needed to be rested for the next leg of my journey.
SHANGHAI 上海
I left early next morning for the Macau/Zhuhai terminal. Much to my dismay, upon exiting the China border crossing area, I found out all Zhuhai to Guangzhou trains were sold out for the morning. I needed to get to Guangzhou to get on the bullet train for Shanghai. Luckily Guangzhou is only about an hour away by car, so I found a cab that would take me and negotiated a flat fee. On the way the driver and I chatted and he told me his life’s story.
He used to be a policeman a long time ago. One night on the job he got called to break up a fight at a local KTV club. He went in and found a drunk guy with a knife. The drunk guy lunged at him and stabbed him in the leg. His fellow officers beat the guy and subdued him. Turned out the drunk guy was the son of someone important, and he was forced to leave the police and have been driving a cab ever since. The money is not great, but he is pretty happy. He told me he grew up in Shanghai. I told him that was where I was going that day. He laughed, and told me it has changed so much since he was a teenager, and now everything is expensive. Soon the cab stopped at Guangzhou South Station, I said goodbye and got out of the cab.
Being in a Chinese train station is also quite an experience. There are endless crowds of people traveling in all directions. People of all sorts come and go. I got in line to buy my ticket for the HSR to Shanghai. Then I found a quiet restaurant and had a simple lunch and waited for my train to arrive.
The train to Shanghai travels at 300km/hour, which roughly translates to 186mph. It took about 8 hours to get to Shanghai. By the time I arrived, it was already pretty late. I got a cab and headed for my hotel.
The next morning I got up early and set out for the Shanghai F1 Circuit. People that know me know I’m a pretty big gear head. Shanghai F1 circuit has an adjacent karting track that offers an phenomenal karting experience. Last time I was there was the first time I experienced the joy and craziness of 2 stroke karts (not my video), definitely not something easily found stateside.  Unluckily for me, the karting track was only offering their slower “fun” karts that week because of an upcoming race, all the pro karts were in for service. All was not lost because at the F1 track Ferrari was hosting a race for their 2015 Ferrari Challenge series. I stopped by to catch the end of the race, and a parade lap with some of the older Ferrari F1 cars. The sound of uncorked Ferrari V8s coming down the straightaway was simply amazing.
Still dejected by the failed attempt for some 2 stroke karting, I looked online for alternatives. I ended up going to QM Karting Club all the way across the city. This facility had an outdoor and an indoor track. The outdoor track was designed for high speed and didn’t have that many turns, the kart was bigger but going over the curbs while cornering hurt my ribs a little. The indoor track was definitely more fun, it was well designed and even had elevation change. Plus it was timed. I ended up doing 4 sessions total, and managed to shave 1.5 seconds off my initial indoor lap. Happy with the results, I decided it was enough for the day. I boarded the MTR, and decided since I was already in Pudong, I could get off a station early and walk to the water front.
I got off at Pudong Road Station and found myself in a older neighbourhood, still a little ways from the main financial center. Walking towards the river I was treated to a breathtaking view of the Pudong sky scrapers. The walk was farther than I anticipated, so I got to the next MTR station and took another train to get across the river to get back to the hotel.
The next day I had a late start, and then I met up with my local Shanghai friend for lunch at Xintiandi. Afterwards we strolled around the area exploring the alleyways in between the main streets.
Later we walked to the Bund. It was already late in the afternoon, the Bund was packed with people and tourists. We strolled around and watched the barges float down the Huangpu river. Soon, we became hungry again. With the help of the internet, we found some good eats not too far away on Nanjing road.
After we ate, we had a fortuitous run-in with the local rollerblading spider man! He was awesome, and soon attracted a large crowd of people all armed with cellphones and cameras. We waited our turn to take some photos, and soon Spidy was again on his way.
After I said my goodbye and farewell to my friend. I went back to the hotel and turned in early for the night, because the next day would be another long traveling day.
Yes I do go to China a lot, on average at least once a year. For some reason I always try to go to other places but end up back in the motherland, not that I mind it. China is a chaotic mess, but its the chaos that draws me in. For me it feels like being in the wild wild west, where anything is possible and all roads are open, not to mention the good food and interesting things happening daily.
CHANGCHUN 长春
My journey started in the city of Changchun, the name translates to long spring. It is a beautiful city with lots of greenery and sits in the north east of China in what was historically known as Manchuria. My cousin Jun was getting married! Its a big occasion for the family. Thus the trip.
I spent the first week helping him with various tasks and also visiting my grandparents.
As I was part of the wedding party, I didn’t really get a chance to take photos of the wedding. My cousin hired a pretty good crew though, can’t wait to see the photos.
After the festivities, and as people started to return home. I started the next leg of my journey.
HONG KONG 香港
As I left Changchun and said goodbye to my family, I boarded a flight taking me south to the city of Hong Kong. The plane was delayed by a few hours and landed just before midnight. Hong Kong is a city that never sleeps but at the airport I was met with a quiet dreariness and humid air. The taxi dropped me off in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui at the bottom of the building that housed my stay.
The next day I took the MTR to go visit the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. To get there required a 1 hour ride on the MTR and a short walk from the station to the bottom of the Ngong Ping gondola. I elected to take the crystal cabin (glass floor) up. On the way up I shared the cabin with a Singaporean family.  With feigned ignorance or maybe simple indifference, I blocked out the kids complaints about fear of heights and simply stared out of the window. The view was incredible.
As we reached the top of the mountain, we became engulfed in fog. The gondola wavered precariously on ropes that stretched into a white mist. When we finally landed and had a collective sigh of relief we found ourselves in a faux mountain village. A quick read of the road sign led me out and to the foot of many flights of stairs that led to the Buddha.
I didn’t stay too long at the top. I simply circled around and came back down. There was still plenty of time left so another quick read of the road signs led me on the Wisdom Path.
The path winds through a dense forest and leads through an old village. There was a dirt trail that split to the right. I saw an old abandoned structure and it peaked my interest, so I took the muddy dirt path and off the main trail. The trail led me to a clearing and some more abandoned houses, and eventually led back onto the main trail.
Eventually I came upon the wisdom path. Its an area with 38 wooden posts with sutra inscribed in them. My chinese is bad so I just walked around it and took the path behind it to another trail. I walked until I rounded a corner and came upon a pretty good view. At this point the trail would lead all the way down to the ocean. I thought about taking the hike, but it was getting a little late in the afternoon and I would have wasted my gondola ticket down. So I played it safe and headed back the way I came.
\
By the time I got off the gondola ride it was late afternoon, I boarded the MTR and decided to explore the city a little more. So I got off at Mong Kok station and headed to the Ladies Market.
Having been here before, I can’t say it changed much. Last time I was here was at night and it was much more crowded, however during day time this is still a pretty busy place. I left the market and walked down Nathan road, ultimately deciding to take one of the back alley that runs alongside the main road to see if I can find something more interesting and unique.
As the sun sets the city truly comes to life. With thousands of neon signs lighting up every street and alley. I was getting really tired at this point so ventured to Mody rd and found a quiet bar to have a drink. The next day I had an early start and decided to take the ferry across the bay to central.
Once I got to central, I stopped by one of the large heavily air conditioned shopping malls for a break, some free WiFi, and some coffee, and it gave me some time to figure out where I want to go next. Conveniently there was a bus terminal right down stairs and I boarded a double decker bus towards The Peak.
Sitting on the top of a double decker bus while it was speeding up a narrow mountain road is definitely an experience. One should not have the fear of heights, as sitting on the left side offers a view of a sharp 300 feet drop off with only a 3 ft tall stone wall separating the bus and certain death. Every bump and sway the bus made on its way up feels more and more precarious. Also on the way up, it became increasingly clear that I would not get a clear view of the city from the top of The Peak. This was confirmed when the bus finally reached its destination and I found myself surrounded by dense fog. I didn’t want to go back the way I had just came, so another quick look at my phone with free WiFi compliments of a McDonald’s inside The Peak Galleria (there are malls literally everywhere in HK), I found out that walking from The Peak to the suburb of Aberdeen would only take about an hour. I figured why not. Thus started my impromptu hike.
At first I found myself on the side of the road with no sidewalk, with cars speeding out of the fog, suprising both the driver and I. Eventually the navigation directed me to turn down a smaller side street and the fog parted. The street ended and a leaf strewn trail lay before me. Gingerly I walked down this path and into what seemed like a jungle.
Eventually I came out of the jungle and happened upon a reservoir. Passing the reservoir the path evened out and got wider, and there was a tall concrete wall to the left side. I looked up and saw markers for graves over the wall. I climbed to the top and saw a massive cemetery sprawling out over the hill, and beyond it, Aberdeen.
I walked through the cemetery and past a high school. It was 3:00 pm and school was just getting out. I followed the trail of students in their blue uniforms until I came upon a sign that directed me to the harbor. Aberdeen is still pretty dense compared to a lot of US cities, but it was noticeably more quiet than walking around in Kowloon. Walking around gave me a sense of a quiet peaceful seaside town. Its hard to imagine that a long long time ago, this used to be a pirate’s cove.
After walking around for a while, I decided to find a way back to the main part of HK. The shortest path would have been taxi and the cheapest would have been the bus but I wanted something a little more scenic. There is no direct ferry back to Central from Aberdeen, but one can take a ferry to Lamma Island, and from Lamma, board another ferry that would take you back to Central.
The ferry dropped me off on the dock, and I was welcomed by a row of seafood restaurants. Since it was a week day and off season, it was very quiet. I ventured outside the town since I had an hour to wait for the next ferry. There was a trail leading into the mountains, and I saw some backpackers and hikers walking around, I would have liked to explore more but that’s another adventure, for another time. I went back to the docks and waited for the Central ferry to arrive.
I ended the night in at a movie theater in Tsim Sha Tsui. I desperately needed to sit and do nothing so I bought myself a ticket for Mad Max: Fury Road. By LA standards the theater was a little cramped and the seating not very comfy. The heads of the people from the row in front blocked the bottom of the screen. However it was still a welcomed rest and a great action packed movie. The next morning I packed my things and got into a cab for the ferry to Macau.
Over the last weekend I had a chance to participate in a small shoot. I originally worked with artist Glenn Kaino on the Arch Scultpure project for Pittsburgh a few years ago when I was just a newbie right out of school. Seeing something modeled in Maya come to life as a 12ft tall sculpture that has somewhat turned into a landmark (It even has its own facebook page!) was an amazing experience. Glenn contacted me again for another project recently and I was pretty much in right away. So on Saturday he invited me on set to see an interview with artist Harry Gamboa Jr. Harry is a world-renowned artist, photographer and writer as well as a long time local of Los Angeles. It was very interesting hearing Harry recount his times growing up in Los Angeles, how much it has changed over the span of the decades and hes thoughts of whats coming for the future of the city. He is eloquent, poetic, insightful and truly inspiring.
I’ve been around my fair share of sets during work but this was the first time where I had to actively participate in the shoot. The crew Oliver and Steven were a little undermanned and welcomed my extra set of hands. Even tho I didn’t know what goes where half the time. I have to say, helping out on set was vastly different than what my normal work day involved and I thoroughly enjoyed the physical activities and being away from the computer.
After the interview I stuck around for the next session. The studio space had a very cool rooftop with a defunct water tower frame. Situated right by the 4th street bridge across the LA river, it had one of the best views of downtown LA. We packed up the equipment and moved upstairs. The roof was accessible by an ladder. By then it was already 4pm, the sun was already beginning its descent into the western horizon, showering the LA skyline in a nice and warm golden light.
The second session was much more relaxed and informal, while there were still things to be done and footage to be shot, being on the roof and in such ambiance made the atmosphere much more relaxing. The day ended when the sun set. We clambered down the ladder and packed everything back into the truck. Everyone led busy professional lives so we parted and went our own ways. It was a great day, and I am glad to have met such amazing people.
Its been a while since I’ve posted anything. From Jan to March I’ve been working hard on a project that pretty much ate up all my freetime, and will. Now that that’s over, I find myself even more busy! I think its a good thing. I’m returning to china in May for my cousin’s wedding, so until then it’s full throttle on work and side projects, and then I can enjoy a well deserved and relaxing break.
In between my last job and this current job I managed to take 2 weeks off. For most of the 2 weeks I stayed home and ran errands everyday. Things pile up really fast when you spend all day at work, and there were alot of things left to do. I managed to finish all my tasks on the last friday of my break (perfect timing huh?), so I was finally able to go out and do what I wanted to do! Which was wander around downtown and snap some photos.
The next day I spent some time down near the 6th and 4th street bridge. It was my first time out by the river in over 10 years that I’ve lived in LA. Walking through the tunnel and coming out on to the other side was almost a transcendental experience. In the busy and industrial area, the tunnel leads to a place that offers a little peace and tranquility, away from the loud sounds and lights of the city.
