2024年1月20日星期六

Not A Revenge Travel

 Revenge Travel was a trendy term in 2023 after all COVID-19 social and travel restrictions were lifted at the start of the year. Unfortunately, I’m not quite infected by this post-pandemic condition and don’t have much desire to fly expensively to places where you don’t feel like being abroad-people yelling in the same language, bargaining in the same manners, abusing food in the same greed, and taking photos in the same pose. I did travel to two places, but the journeys were more like spiritual pilgrimages, with few delicacies to fill the belly and lots of walking but plenty of time to mull over things.

2023年11月16日星期四

Pieces of Memories

I recently returned from a 19-day journey to a ‘developing’ area in the northwest of the Country. Most places I went to were much better than my expectations, and it might be because of the swift tourist industry development in the whole province. Along the main roads, restaurant foods were tasty, and the cooked rice grains were all in full shape without sand and husks. The shops were abundantly stocked with goods and produce from all parts of the Country. I could even find several brands of ‘moon-cake’ from the city I live in. Of course, most owners of the restaurants and shops spoke the Language with a non-local accent.

2023年1月26日星期四

Spring meets Winter

 Had been terribly busy in December and the weeks before Lunar New Year, unfortunately on something trivial from hindsight. Just feel I owe an apology to those I care and love.

Building up a healthy lifestyle was one of my resolutions last year and I failed to achieve it with the rest as usual. Hope that I can do better this year. Well, the bottom line is so low, so I remain positive about achieving it this year.

Finally, I got a free day for myself on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so I went for a solo hiking in a country trail after having a late breakfast at 10am. It was not a beautiful trail, but the cool air and serenity along the path was rejuvenating, even the dogs were on holiday – not a single bark!

Standing at the start of the trail, I was amused by its name – matching the time well – 送虎迎兔!At the end, I realized that spring was at the door step already! Leave this photo collection here to remind myself of such a brief and transient encounter, and to hold on to things I treasure while they still exist.




2022年11月24日星期四

Pictures at an exhibition

I haven’t been to a museum or art gallery for some time. A long time ago, I used to spend a lot of time visiting them, especially during weekdays and those that did not charge you anything for entrance. Free entrance and weekday visits often mean you can spend a lot of undisturbed time with the art pieces you like.

Being a mediocre art appreciator, I am always attached to a limited number of European artists whose works are often “commercialized.” Most of them are not contemporary but thrived in the modern art age. For those modern and contemporary local, Chinese or Oriental artists, I owe them an apology for being apathetic to their hard work. Very often, when there are traces of resemblance to some “great” artists in their works, I judge them as an imitation, or worse, a copy. I must admit I cannot help seeking out those traces whenever I notice the artists’ names are likely to be oriental. This is indeed my problem.

2022年8月12日星期五

An old man and his music

Six months had passed since my resignation from the job I had enjoyed for over two decades, or a request for early retirement that I always told others. So, I was not fired.

No dream to fulfill and no desire for a later reemergence, I told my ex-colleagues, who politely best-wished me more wonderful days to come. A few told me it was too soon, but they respected my decision – those were the best farewell words for me.

I was the last one to leave the office for the last time at 10:15 pm. I did not miss it badly, but the feeling was strange and eerie, and the same 10 minutes’ walk in the cold down the hill to the bus stop made me feel unreal.

2021年10月14日星期四

A day in Seoul

 2019 was a difficult year.

It was a difficult year for me too.

Indeed, it was a difficult year for everyone on the surface of this planet; it epitomized human alienation.

Those who know me do not quite believe I am not a sociable person; at least this is how I think. Many believe social togetherness is important and unavoidable, vital for the sustenance of a team, a community, a country or even a species.

After one whole exhaustive and sorrowful year, I decided to take a few days off to Seoul on my own. I bet I might have upset some people, but I needed that break, not for any purposes; just a break from the continuation of life at that moment. That was the first solo journey for more than twenty years.

2021年9月19日星期日

The trail traveled

29 August 2020 after a long mental struggle at McDonald’s, I stuck to the plan I made the night before.

Thinking that some solitude into the countryside could soothe my soul and clear my vision, I headed up the hill through a run-down village whose people did not like the passing by of hikers who seldom respected villagers had their own life too.

The tide of hikers had long gone at 10:15am and the path was quiet but the heat was building up fast. Deep into the village, I froze at the hearing of the distant barking of a dog that was echoed by another one from the left. Damn! I made the wrong decision to start late and missed the crowd!