Randy Cohen, New York Times Magazine’s acclaimed “Ethicist,” on Transportation
Quotes/paraphrases from the interview:
“Ethics are the effects of our actions on other people. …
“The word we ethicists use to describe (people who drive around the city) is “selfish”….
“What civilization is is a restriction on individual freedom….
“Public parking in the city: why is it good for the city for people to be able to store their private property in public space when public space is limited….”
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Chicken Feet
Do you think we have enough?
Oh, thank goodness! There are more over here!
These photos are from the super market in Shenzhen. I went there for the afternoon at Jason's suggestion to look at the city's planning and bicycle facilities. It's a special economic zone, a small fishing village that has grown up just in the last few years since China took control of HK. They thought they would try capitalism close by and see how it works for them. I took dozens of photos of the streetscapes, etc., but the short version is that it's a collision between China and Los Angeles with emphasis on the latter.
Oh, thank goodness! There are more over here!
These photos are from the super market in Shenzhen. I went there for the afternoon at Jason's suggestion to look at the city's planning and bicycle facilities. It's a special economic zone, a small fishing village that has grown up just in the last few years since China took control of HK. They thought they would try capitalism close by and see how it works for them. I took dozens of photos of the streetscapes, etc., but the short version is that it's a collision between China and Los Angeles with emphasis on the latter.
La Vie en Rose
A couple weeks ago, KT came over to catch up. We had a mellow but delicious dinner chez moi. She mentioned that she'd recently seen La Vie en Rose, and the adventures of Edith Piaf and her best gal pal reminded her of us. After dinner, we headed over to Luna Park for dessert and a cocktail. 
We were about to call it a night, when I suggested we take a look at Medjool bc she'd never been there. The roof bar is kinda cool. There we met random guy (whose name I remember, but I don't want to open that door. I didn't realize Medjool is such a pick up joint). Random guy bought us drinks, called me inauthentic, spun me around, and then moved on to other chicks.
As KT would say, Life is Absurd.
We were about to call it a night, when I suggested we take a look at Medjool bc she'd never been there. The roof bar is kinda cool. There we met random guy (whose name I remember, but I don't want to open that door. I didn't realize Medjool is such a pick up joint). Random guy bought us drinks, called me inauthentic, spun me around, and then moved on to other chicks.
As KT would say, Life is Absurd.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Juno, the movie
I saw a pre-release screening of Juno last night at the new theater in the Westfield shopping mall that I didn't even know existed. Particular fun was the cast with the mom from Married with Children, and Jason Bateman (yum) and Michael Cera together again post-Arrested Development. (I love situation comedies involving crazy American families.) The Juno character drives the story, making it a bit more special than your average teen disaster, but I really don't like it when people give babies up for adoption esp when the teen's parents are currently raising a 5-year-old. Juno may have been quick-witted and creative (to a point of feeling mechanistic in the script), but I found it difficult to believe she had such a limited concept of family.
The afterparty was fun with free-flowing Bushmills, and... yeah... I'm going to leave it at that.
The afterparty was fun with free-flowing Bushmills, and... yeah... I'm going to leave it at that.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Term Paper Topic: Me
I got a random phone call yesterday. Of course, I didn't answer it. I think I didn't even see it come in. Anyway, it was from a community college student in Seaside who is doing her "Women in Art" term paper on me. I returned her call, and we had a nice chat. She's going to send me the paper, her display board, and some of her drawings when they're finished. She's a competitive roller skater too. She was surprised by my age -- I look so young in the photo. I told her that I'm a vampire who never ages.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Other HK copy
"Show you have a loving heart. Please offer your seat to anyone in need."
-from the MTR
I don't know why, but that kind of copy would never fly in the US.
-from the MTR
I don't know why, but that kind of copy would never fly in the US.
Ramblings from HK
A lot of advertisements here seem to focus on social marketing. I have seen many many ads for saving the planet (“Love Hong Kong. Love green.”), stoping AIDS (“keep the promise”), stay healthy/keep others healthy by coughing in your hand, etc. I wonder if it is more successful here. I should go out into the world and count, but I would guess about half of advertisements had a social rather than consumer message. I also remember a big billboard in Saigon when I was there in 1994 with Grayson announcing that it was wonderful to have just 2 children.
The Heritage Museum had an exhibition of Tibetan art, which I found somewhat ironic (or something) given China’s reputation for oppressing Tibetan culture and religion. Is this an attempt at change or retribution? The description said that before painting a Buddha, the artist had to choose an auspicious day and commit a prayer. Devotion and piety are essential when painting. I can’t help but think of artists and writers who can only work when under the influence. Is their own creatively too raw, too real to face alone? Do we need an opiate (be it religion or substance) to face it? Or maybe everything is an opiate. I mean, maybe every mechanism we use to get ourselves to do things, to make that productivity real, is like a curtain or a funnel through which we process that hugeness that we (and the world) are onto the limitations of a medium.
Anyway
The museum also had exhibitions on the development of Cantopop (which I really wish I could relate to – that would make me supercool), another Chinese painter: Lam Wu Fui (more on brush strokes and compositon… blah blah blah), Hong Kong fashion design (I don’t know enough about fashion to know what it meant), and Cantonese Opera (the coolest part was the computer program which shows you what the make up would look like on you).
In Cheng Chau, I came across a yellow building that surprised me. G commented that the Chinese have a very different sense of color than we do in the west, but this building looked normal and pleasant. Well, of course, it was a bed and breakfast for westerners.
Construction is underway to fill in (or “reclaim” as they like to say) the harbor for more development. Hong Kong is small, and the steep mountains are developed and difficult to reach (except by elevator…). So, I understand the mid-term desire to take up more water space with land development… except… except! If you keep filling in the harbor, eventually there won’t be one, and the harbor is the reason HK is here, and one of its most desirable characteristics. Plans like this existed for the San Francisco Bay once too, but now we have policies that protect the Bay.
It reminds me of the psychological phenomenon where if a person wants someone to be close to them (a parent, child, or lover), they behave in a way that makes that person want to get away. HK is a social, cultural, and economic success. So, the development reaction to that is to destroy one of the qualities that make it so great. You have to be careful with this line of thought. For example, when this happens between lovers, it indicates a problem in the relationship that both parties need to figure out together. Some of my friends object to the new tall buildings going into SF, but the city’s skyline isn’t its greatest asset, and one should expect changes to a city’s skyline over time like the figure of an attractive woman (she won’t always be so thin, but she will always be beautiful if she continues to walk to work every day). Alan Jacobs worked like hell to prevent the Transamerica building from being built and for very good reasons (protection of public space and the planning process, etc.) but ultimately it was built AND I believe it’s unusual form adds significant dimensionality to the city’s skyline. Change is natural.
You can see that I’m struggling. I believe the water space should be protected, but I am not opposed to change and development. Existing cities should be grown and densified, open space preserved (including water), natural resources protected, transportation options available…. But it gets tricky when a city like HK is already incredibly dense, land is very expensive, and there is no where to go. Like with everything, it’s a matter of priorities.
I’m not sure if the land use patterns here are the result of the economy (originally a big difference between the rich and poor), culture, or topography. We have steep hills in SF too, but that didn’t cause us to develop only on the flat lands and leave the hilltops green (although the original plan for SF did include parks at the top of each hill so that the public can get up and look out – many of these parks have since acquired private housing). Here, the hills are much steeper and longer, more significant in scale, but they developed them to a point anyway. Why did they stop where they did? I might hike up there and take a look in a minute. (Today is looking like a lazy day. J is napping. Franck is reading. G is playing with the music on his computer. I am typing up my little thoughts.) Actually, I think I’ll take a nap.
The Heritage Museum had an exhibition of Tibetan art, which I found somewhat ironic (or something) given China’s reputation for oppressing Tibetan culture and religion. Is this an attempt at change or retribution? The description said that before painting a Buddha, the artist had to choose an auspicious day and commit a prayer. Devotion and piety are essential when painting. I can’t help but think of artists and writers who can only work when under the influence. Is their own creatively too raw, too real to face alone? Do we need an opiate (be it religion or substance) to face it? Or maybe everything is an opiate. I mean, maybe every mechanism we use to get ourselves to do things, to make that productivity real, is like a curtain or a funnel through which we process that hugeness that we (and the world) are onto the limitations of a medium.
Anyway
The museum also had exhibitions on the development of Cantopop (which I really wish I could relate to – that would make me supercool), another Chinese painter: Lam Wu Fui (more on brush strokes and compositon… blah blah blah), Hong Kong fashion design (I don’t know enough about fashion to know what it meant), and Cantonese Opera (the coolest part was the computer program which shows you what the make up would look like on you).
In Cheng Chau, I came across a yellow building that surprised me. G commented that the Chinese have a very different sense of color than we do in the west, but this building looked normal and pleasant. Well, of course, it was a bed and breakfast for westerners.
Construction is underway to fill in (or “reclaim” as they like to say) the harbor for more development. Hong Kong is small, and the steep mountains are developed and difficult to reach (except by elevator…). So, I understand the mid-term desire to take up more water space with land development… except… except! If you keep filling in the harbor, eventually there won’t be one, and the harbor is the reason HK is here, and one of its most desirable characteristics. Plans like this existed for the San Francisco Bay once too, but now we have policies that protect the Bay.
It reminds me of the psychological phenomenon where if a person wants someone to be close to them (a parent, child, or lover), they behave in a way that makes that person want to get away. HK is a social, cultural, and economic success. So, the development reaction to that is to destroy one of the qualities that make it so great. You have to be careful with this line of thought. For example, when this happens between lovers, it indicates a problem in the relationship that both parties need to figure out together. Some of my friends object to the new tall buildings going into SF, but the city’s skyline isn’t its greatest asset, and one should expect changes to a city’s skyline over time like the figure of an attractive woman (she won’t always be so thin, but she will always be beautiful if she continues to walk to work every day). Alan Jacobs worked like hell to prevent the Transamerica building from being built and for very good reasons (protection of public space and the planning process, etc.) but ultimately it was built AND I believe it’s unusual form adds significant dimensionality to the city’s skyline. Change is natural.
You can see that I’m struggling. I believe the water space should be protected, but I am not opposed to change and development. Existing cities should be grown and densified, open space preserved (including water), natural resources protected, transportation options available…. But it gets tricky when a city like HK is already incredibly dense, land is very expensive, and there is no where to go. Like with everything, it’s a matter of priorities.
I’m not sure if the land use patterns here are the result of the economy (originally a big difference between the rich and poor), culture, or topography. We have steep hills in SF too, but that didn’t cause us to develop only on the flat lands and leave the hilltops green (although the original plan for SF did include parks at the top of each hill so that the public can get up and look out – many of these parks have since acquired private housing). Here, the hills are much steeper and longer, more significant in scale, but they developed them to a point anyway. Why did they stop where they did? I might hike up there and take a look in a minute. (Today is looking like a lazy day. J is napping. Franck is reading. G is playing with the music on his computer. I am typing up my little thoughts.) Actually, I think I’ll take a nap.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Photos of today in HK
I am very tired. Too tired to write a whole thoughtful post. (I bet you're relieved!) Today, Franck (Juliette's friend from work in Paris who is now here too) and I went to the 10,000 buddhas temple (which the guidebook says actually has 13,000 buddhas). The inside of the temple is lined with little buddhas, which probably comprises the vast majority of them, but the walkways are lined with buddhas each seemingly with a different face. (I am controlling myself in the number of photos I'm posting!) The overall effect is quite impressive.
Notice the eyes in the hands coming out of the eyes
Typical China: a Renaissance pedestrian bridge (says Franck) going to monolithic apartment buildings in front of untouched hills (remind me to talk about what I have observed greenbelt-wise)
No photos of the Heritage Museum which was rather eclectic and surprising....
At this point in the day, Franck went to explore the other side of the river, and I went to find the University Art Museum. He said it was cool. The museum mostly housed ceramics, which aren't a great love of my life, but I enjoyed seeing the campus and the regional public transit system. I wanted to get a ride on the Duk Ling, a traditional Chinese junk complete with red triangular sails (Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings), but I didn't know you had to reserve in advance. So, I went home.
Sunset from the Star Ferry, untouched photo
Notice the eyes in the hands coming out of the eyes
Typical China: a Renaissance pedestrian bridge (says Franck) going to monolithic apartment buildings in front of untouched hills (remind me to talk about what I have observed greenbelt-wise)
No photos of the Heritage Museum which was rather eclectic and surprising....
At this point in the day, Franck went to explore the other side of the river, and I went to find the University Art Museum. He said it was cool. The museum mostly housed ceramics, which aren't a great love of my life, but I enjoyed seeing the campus and the regional public transit system. I wanted to get a ride on the Duk Ling, a traditional Chinese junk complete with red triangular sails (Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings), but I didn't know you had to reserve in advance. So, I went home.
Sunset from the Star Ferry, untouched photo
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Lamma Island (HK day 7)
This island is supposedly carfree, but I saw several internal congestion vehicles. In one case, a woman pulled her toddler out from in front of one zipping past on the tiny street. She scolded him. "It's very dangerous," she said. I felt sad that a child can't event toddle into the pathway on a carfree island.
My legs are about done, putting me in quite a predicament. I hobbled along the "family trail" and even climbed up to the wind turbine. Lamma has a rather large power plant (the beach provides an excellent view of it) and one large wind turbine. I didn't feel the slightest inclination to swim at the beach (very unusual for me) which was good, I guess, since I didn't have a swimming costume or towel with me.
My legs are about done, putting me in quite a predicament. I hobbled along the "family trail" and even climbed up to the wind turbine. Lamma has a rather large power plant (the beach provides an excellent view of it) and one large wind turbine. I didn't feel the slightest inclination to swim at the beach (very unusual for me) which was good, I guess, since I didn't have a swimming costume or towel with me.
Monday, November 12, 2007
HK Day 6
I began the day planning to go to Macau, but there wasn't space on a ferry until 1:30. Instead, I decided to go shopping. I don't shop. OK, so, in this case I got in touch with my inner girl and bought some things. But trust me, it was a struggle.
First, I went for REAL dim sum at this crowded place with a greasy table and little old ladies pushing around steaming carts. I sat with 2 couples, and we kept stealing each other's ideas, "Oh, I want on of those" we gesticulated to the ladies. Yum.
I must have taken hundreds of photos of patterns, light, colors in the various markets. Here are a few:
I fell in love with these vegetables for sale.
The flower market near Mong Kok: here's one shot of dozens
The bird market where dozens of men fawn over their birds
This little man repairs umbrellas for a living
First, I went for REAL dim sum at this crowded place with a greasy table and little old ladies pushing around steaming carts. I sat with 2 couples, and we kept stealing each other's ideas, "Oh, I want on of those" we gesticulated to the ladies. Yum.
I must have taken hundreds of photos of patterns, light, colors in the various markets. Here are a few:
I fell in love with these vegetables for sale.
The flower market near Mong Kok: here's one shot of dozens
The bird market where dozens of men fawn over their birds
This little man repairs umbrellas for a living
Saturday at Shek O beach etc.
When we first arrived, we were surrounded by little boys playing in the same way all dressed in white shirts, black shorts, and red hats.
A group of girls in turquoise shirts played on the beach. Here are a few of them.
Juliette and Guillaume on the bus
Me and Juliette on on the Tram
I took a ton of photos of the tram -- it's so slow; we were on it for about a million years. But trams are cute! Here, they're also wrapped....
The other remarkable thing about Saturday was the lunch. I have fond memories of the morning glories in spicy sauce and my deep fried calamari (you know it!). Juliette got a crab.
Film in Hong Kong is booming. They were making the next spider man movie on the escalators Friday and over the weekend. J&G's office was hosting the filming of another movie, made from a cartoon and starring Kristin Scott Thomas. (G joked that he saw her in the elevator and slapped her ass.) Their employer sent an email to all employees: "you are invited to be an extra in the movie. Asians will be paid X; Caucasians will be paid 2X." I guess it's a matter of supply and demand...?
So, from the beach and the tram, G headed to the office. J and I went back to the apartment to wash up before dinner. We went to Ashvin's for dinner. He just moved into his furnished apartment on the Kowloon side of the water. His place is really nice, but it's funny to look into the windows of the other apartments -- they are all furnished exactly the same: white, modern, metalic, mirrored, sparse.... Every apartment had angled windows onto the water. He made Maracian (where he is from) food for us: chicken, onion, curry powder, cream, banana.... It was good.
Over dinner, they got me to tell some of my dating stories. I told them one I haven't posted here yet. I began telling this guy I was on a date with about my work. He said: “I don’t care what you do for work. I only care that you are beautiful.”
My companions had quite a reaction to this story. Ashvin was incredulous; he said: "that sounds like a line from a movie."
Juliette said: "did he ask you if you can cook? That’s the other thing that women are for, you know.
Me: I think he did….
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Sunday on Lantau Island
I owe you a post for Saturday at the beach, etc. but for now, I am offering photos of today's trip to the big Buddha on Lantau Island. We had a vegetarian lunch at the monastery, saw the big Buddha, and then hiked back to the city. The monastery is quite unusual in that it seeks to attract tourists; they were in the process of building a larger and more impressive temple. The lunch was tasty, and their restaurant could accommodate hundreds. The bicycle facilities were well-developed in this near-suburb.
Me and Juliette in front of the big buddha.
The big Buddha is surrounded by these smaller vistales. I think they are gorgeous.
Small is beautiful -- the little altars are as lovely as the huge.
I took several pictures of the bicycle facilities at this edge of HK -- this is the one that make the cut.
Me and Juliette in front of the big buddha.
The big Buddha is surrounded by these smaller vistales. I think they are gorgeous.
Small is beautiful -- the little altars are as lovely as the huge.
I took several pictures of the bicycle facilities at this edge of HK -- this is the one that make the cut.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Photos of HK day 2
At the botanical garden
View from the top
In case you're forgotten what I look like at the top of a mountain
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Crabs for sale
View from the top
In case you're forgotten what I look like at the top of a mountain
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Crabs for sale
Pirates, tea and foot massage (HK 2&3)
Foot massage is a normal nightlife activity here. Last night, we sat in a pleather comfy chairs with huge orange pillows in a row to wait for and then receive our massages. They bring you a cup of tea to drink. They put your feet into a bucket of tea (or at least it looks like tea), then they rub your feet and calves. I could have gone for more feet rubbing. Today I have big bruises on one of my calves.
Juliette loves tea. From our comfy chairs, I commented: one sure does drink a lot of tea here – you chose well for yourself.
J: Because of the tea? Welcome to China.
OK, my comment was stupid. But her tone was pretty funny.
After our massages, she tricked me into getting a drink. That is, she said we were getting one and then ordered an ice cream. Under her advisement, I got a Singapore sling. We sat outside in a narrow passage decorated with xmas lights at a bar called the Baby Buddha in SoHo.
Hong Kong isn’t very big. It is very 3-dimentional. It’s a tall Seattle but narrow between the mountain and the water; so, there isn’t much room to build. They expanded up these steep steep hills, and I imagine this area originally offered cheaper land that was close but work to reach. As the area developed further (with more 30+ story buildings!), the city added the escalator increasing the value of all the properties up here. Juliette added that the escalator also created this very trendy neighborhood along side it. I think that’s sometimes called gentrification.
It’s very Rear Window here in the apartment. I just realized that the hugantic building across the way has ledges and spent some time imagining how I would handle it if I got stuck on one. Existential anxiety be damned. I solve problems. It isn’t enough to believe for a moment I have thrown myself in front of a train or gotten my self stuck on a ledge. I want to figure out how I would get out of a situation like that. I might have to break a window even if I couldn’t climb inside it. Anyway, someone from a nearby building would definitely see me and call for help….
I saw a bus today in need of a wrap. The copy said something like: “Get your message moving”.
I’ve had trouble getting fruits and vegetables here, but not today. The tap water tastes like dirt. I keep walking on the wrong side of the walkways. Boarding the metro is standard (boarders at the sides, alighters in the middle) but I’ve been having trouble even remembering that. About half the highrises are painted pink.
Today, I went to the former pirate island of Cheung Chau. That’s where I found all the bikes! I even saw several grown ups riding bikes with training wheels. I hiked around and saw a “cave” (really just a gap in some boulders) and a “leaning rock”, jumped from rock to rock over waves, ate fish for lunch, and explored the little town. Photos will tell more.
Once I’d pretty much worn myself out, I headed back to the ferry terminal. I had 10 minutes to kill; so, I decided to get some cake for the ride. I read in the guidebook about giving people things (business cards, in the guidebook) with both hands and bowing a little (good manners, HK style). Last night at the massage place, I noticed this is how J gave her person the tip. So, today when I received my change and cake from the little bakery man, I gave it a shot. It shot through me. Receiving that cake and change felt like a profound experience, like a real “namaste”.
Juliette loves tea. From our comfy chairs, I commented: one sure does drink a lot of tea here – you chose well for yourself.
J: Because of the tea? Welcome to China.
OK, my comment was stupid. But her tone was pretty funny.
After our massages, she tricked me into getting a drink. That is, she said we were getting one and then ordered an ice cream. Under her advisement, I got a Singapore sling. We sat outside in a narrow passage decorated with xmas lights at a bar called the Baby Buddha in SoHo.
Hong Kong isn’t very big. It is very 3-dimentional. It’s a tall Seattle but narrow between the mountain and the water; so, there isn’t much room to build. They expanded up these steep steep hills, and I imagine this area originally offered cheaper land that was close but work to reach. As the area developed further (with more 30+ story buildings!), the city added the escalator increasing the value of all the properties up here. Juliette added that the escalator also created this very trendy neighborhood along side it. I think that’s sometimes called gentrification.
It’s very Rear Window here in the apartment. I just realized that the hugantic building across the way has ledges and spent some time imagining how I would handle it if I got stuck on one. Existential anxiety be damned. I solve problems. It isn’t enough to believe for a moment I have thrown myself in front of a train or gotten my self stuck on a ledge. I want to figure out how I would get out of a situation like that. I might have to break a window even if I couldn’t climb inside it. Anyway, someone from a nearby building would definitely see me and call for help….
I saw a bus today in need of a wrap. The copy said something like: “Get your message moving”.
I’ve had trouble getting fruits and vegetables here, but not today. The tap water tastes like dirt. I keep walking on the wrong side of the walkways. Boarding the metro is standard (boarders at the sides, alighters in the middle) but I’ve been having trouble even remembering that. About half the highrises are painted pink.
Today, I went to the former pirate island of Cheung Chau. That’s where I found all the bikes! I even saw several grown ups riding bikes with training wheels. I hiked around and saw a “cave” (really just a gap in some boulders) and a “leaning rock”, jumped from rock to rock over waves, ate fish for lunch, and explored the little town. Photos will tell more.
Once I’d pretty much worn myself out, I headed back to the ferry terminal. I had 10 minutes to kill; so, I decided to get some cake for the ride. I read in the guidebook about giving people things (business cards, in the guidebook) with both hands and bowing a little (good manners, HK style). Last night at the massage place, I noticed this is how J gave her person the tip. So, today when I received my change and cake from the little bakery man, I gave it a shot. It shot through me. Receiving that cake and change felt like a profound experience, like a real “namaste”.
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