thoughts escaping my mind
In the morning, the winds and rains were still strong and the typhoon signal was no lowered till around 10am.
I went out to see some of the aftermath. S said there would be nothing exciting. Just a lot of rubbish and leaves. The real damage is in a place like Lantau Island that would be hit hard. He wasn’t that far off.
Due to the warnings of a T8 typhoon arriving in Hong Kong, Macau had to be cancelled.
I met A and her friend Q, and soon I was wondering how to fill the day.
We of course, started with food.
It was past noon by the time we headed out and the first place we headed for was the Australian Dairy Company. But no matter how hungry you are, you have to wait your turn in line.
We made it out of Lin Heung and after a short ride up the Mid levels escalators and a walk around Central, we took the ferry to Lantau Island to find Tai O.
… last week.
Yes, I am already back in Singapore as I write this.
S & S took me out to experience the heart and soul of Hong Kong yum cha – basically, a morning of shoving, elbowing, yelling, grumbling to get your cup of tea and dim sum.
Yes, people, this is the world where the customer is slave and staff, king. And judging from the crowd at the place, we are gluttons for punishment.
I arrived in Hong Kong at 6am. It was an uneventful flight, unlike the fist fight that almost took place on the flight to the US.
Caught the airport express and zoomed into Kowloon. I was at S&S’s place by 7:45am – an hour they are obviously not used to getting up at.
We had a quick breakfast and then I went back to their apartment to clean up, walking the route they take every morning to work. It’s a very nice walk along the water’s edge.
I took the bus into town and met up with my former classmates, M and L, at Toh Lee Restaurant, Nikko Hotel. They looked great – and can you believe it? I forgot to take photos of our meet up.
Except this photo of roast meats.
After that, it was a couple of hours talking about teachers and remembering them. L does a great impression of the late Miss Goh (PoSoCaMaZiHyCoM – Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Hydrogen… oh dear, I forgot the rest and are those before even correct?). Oh we recalled how we were slapped around by Cheong Sam Teo, our ear pulling adventures with Mrs Ee. The abuses we endured then.
The day before, I met up with M, whom I met in Maine International Film School, who refused to take a photo with me, because he looks fat in photos. A problem I can identify with. Unfortunately, I also look fat in real life.
Anyway, we went down to Sausalito, had a ginormous salad. It was more the atmosphere than anything particularly beautiful in Sausalito. It was a nice little town – but it’s a tourist town, and to take a decent picture that says something about the place, is hard without it just being a snapshot of the place. So I didn’t take a any photos there. If I had driven a car, I would’ve driven up on the hill amongst the homes of locals to find something to take.
M had spent some time in Japan shooting his 12k short film and was telling me all about it and about his great Japanese film crew and the Russian composer on the film and all the difficulties of getting people together and the like.
After M dropped me off, I took an hour and a half walk from the Ferry Building to the home of the Giants, where they were having a game and walked past the SFMOMA back to Market and found the Montgomery BART back to T’s.
The next day, T and I went up to Napa.
When I clipped your nails too close
Blood dripped
Never a whine or a yelp
A hug and a pat
Forgive me
And you did
When you turned white
With pups in your belly
I carried your pale body to the vet
I said come home
And you did
When your white locks turned bright red
From a cyst
I said don’t you go yet
Wait to come to our new home
And you did
Before I left
I trimmed your hair
And whispered, wait for me
Alas your old heart could not
At last at home you are
Tricky has left us: 9/9/09.
I attempted another day of San Francisco by starting at the 24 hour 1/4 Burger place near T’s place, that serves breakfast all day. Oh yes, chicken fried steak, eggs (any style), homestyle potatoes, steak – the possibilities for a wonderful breakfast are endless.
So there is the quarter pound burger. Loads of old people came in for the breakfast. One day, I’ll try it. I’ll order breakfast at 1am in the morning. That’s what I want to do.
After a couple days of doing nothing, I hit the streets of San Francisco again.
Taking the BART to the Montgomery, I transferred to a MUNI, 38L, transferred to another MUNI, the 28 and arrived at Golden Gate Bridge car park.
Of course after two days of clear days, today, it was misty.
Continue reading “Golden Gate Bridge, Clement, GG Park, Haight Ashbury”