SQUARE in Tsim Sha Tsui East

It's been a while not going to the Tsim Sha Tsui East district, until recently I was having a gathering over there.  So I've decided to go earlier, buy some time, hanging around to see if there is any big changes.

Actually not much, when I was standing on the footbridge looking towards this view, same feeling of the good old days as I was a student, still...a lot of "squares".  

Tsim Sha Tsui East is always a bit isolated and therefore even though it is a tourist + commercial zone, I feel more relax here compare with the Canton road section. 

 

Except this new building (to me) I've discovered near the harbour, I will say it looks nice to fit into the surrounding, subtle & decent; again square square square... 

 

Finally, I found "Square of the Day" in a dramatic colorway that attracted me. I thought the purplish shade was due to deterioration of the glass curtain material instead, but did create another unique scenario I love.

Looking into windows of the buildings from street in or after the twilight time is one of my "hobby", it's interesting, imaginative and even with surprise sometimes; I will always imagine the look of the peoples who live inside, what is his/ her job, what are they doing right now/ or waiting for someone may be...under the bright white or moody yellowish luminescent; weird thoughts, I know :P

What do you think?

Musée National Picasso Paris

Day 7: Cold & rainy morning /17531 steps

Let's skip day 6 in the mean time,I will get back to you when Book Three is ready, but, this time, will have to wait for a while.

So, lets visit this museum which I shall say it is raw and subtle - Musée National Picasso Paris.

Situated in a historic monument since 1968 - Hôtel Salé, built between 1656 & 1660. Almost 365 years before? Wow! 

I am totally disconnected from reality and try to walk into Picasso's mind. Before this trip, I saw a T.V. series in Hong Kong about his whole life; so, more or less it helps to understand/feel a bit more when perceiving his works. 

Those two paintings in Entrée Sortie may not be the most famous one, but I personally like them a lot. They are so simple, a view from window, may be; what we often do in our daily life, but in Picasso's eyes, they became extraordinary. 

It is raining outside right now, a bit grey...but when I view from here, I see color. 

Besides Picasso's work, I love to view from the windows of this monument, it's frame & a bit distorted glazing, creating an illusory effect, and that's why I can be detached.

Exposed timber structure in the ceiling

But when these timber structure appear somewhere in the building, sometimes they form part of his art piece; the contradiction of antiquity & cubism forms an interesting combination yet harmonize. 

It's stop raining outside when I've finished to enjoy the last art piece; it's time to return to reality, although I wish there is no Sortie.

Petit Palais

Day 5: Cloudy afternoon / 17758 steps

Grand Palais

Petit Palais

Arriving here at around 1300, the sky is still a bit dull, hopefully it will turn brighter afterward.

There is a square connected two museums that I am planning to visit. One grand one petit, they are just located right opposite to each others, so convenience.

I have to shoot very very quickly here, you guess why?  
"I am attacking by marshmallow!"
Hey, I am serious. 

Originally I thought it is raining, when those feather like marshmallow sit on my camera, they are sticky, so I taste it...omg! so sweet!

Can you see those white kiosk there in the center of the square? Yeah! there they are made and fly in the air every where. Catch them if you can or want a seat? there is another corner for you...a small food plaza.

I am already filled up by the marshmallow, so I jump into the Grand Palais first, but unfortunately, can't access by my pass or I can buy a ticket. Usually in this situation, I will turn to another one and leave it for my next trip. 

Voila! Petit Palais is free entry. It's beautiful inside with wide range of collections, but this area is quite extraordinary.

When I am walking under this gigantic corridor, what I am thinking is "who put the carpet onto the ceiling?":P
This is also an exhibition gallery, see those modern art piece displayed on the floor? Well, 

super beautiful mosaic flooring + uninterrupted marble walls + carpet like hand painted fresco ceiling + lifeless modern art...what do you think? Is it weird but interesting? A totally different style of what I've been visited before, a bit of sadness is floating in the air... 

Leaving Petit Palais at around 1445, then I return to Jardin des Tuileries, this time, God give me a present...Sunny sky! What a wonderful experience there, I'll share with you in my books later. 

Up to now, do you remember how many museums I have been visited? Any more to come?

East meet West?

East meet West? nothing new! but rarely match, exactly the same feeling as, when I saw this "closed" signage of "America Express" hung onto a very traditional Chinese bi-fold doors in Beijing.

Like "Starbucks in the Forbidden City", although we love coffee very much, it's still awkward to see a western culture located inside a 101% Chinese architecture......is this what we think?

Is it a matter of design issue? historical reason? or cultural difference that creates the discomfort which spoil the harmonize of the overall environment? I don't think so. 

In fact, there should not have any conflict of having a relaxing coffee moment while taking the exploring trip in the mysterious Forbidden City..........but if we treat this as a commercial or western cultural intrusion, then it's not difficult to understand the leaving of Starbuck which was suggested to be combined as part of the beverage outlet inside.

Is there a way that East meet West can be succeeded? In terms of design field, some designer claim that they've made it, but in my memory, I still can't name one, can you?!

浴德池 - The vanished spa

不少香港人都曾經享受過日式溫泉, 但澡堂呢? 又或者是在香港的上海澡堂呢?對這間已成記憶的上海澡堂, 相信大家可能有些少印象, 因為當它遭拆卸前, 不少傳媒也佈道過.

其實我曾經差不多每天也路過這裡, 也曾多次想入內探索; 但每次從外面厚厚的花玻璃望進, 總怕一推門而入, 會從幪朧的紙皮石圍牆背面走出一個赤條條的大漢來?! 再加上玻璃門總是貼著"不設女賓"膠牌一個; 所以廿多年來也沒有入內, 回想起來, 實在有點可惜. 因為話說當它拆卸時, 一些有心人特別留守, 取回一些很有歷史價值又富上海風味的室內擺設, 而浴池的水龍頭就是其一了.

也許時代的變遷留不住昔日繁華的印記, 但我想告訴你, 那藍白色的霓虹招牌, 在深藍的夜空下,
我的腦海中, 仍然很美!

Most of us did familiar with Japanese spa or onsen, we don't have spring water in Hong Kong but a Shanghai style public hot water bath, which was once a deluxe leisure activity for businessmen to gather around, well, of course talking business or,  just relax.
浴德池 - an already demolished public bath pool, became famous and widely reported by media, just before it was gone years ago.

Truly speaking, I passed this "huge bath tub" almost everyday when it was still there. I did try to enter may times before, but whenever I looked inside through those thick etched pattern glass, nothing was there besides mosaic walls; I was thinking if I pushed the door opened, would there be a naked big guy behind and telling me that, couldn't you see the note on the glass door outside " Gentlemen Only"? So, I didn't remove the veil and it's a bit too late by now.

Because there are news from the reporters afterward, said that some "Old stuff lovers" waited outside while it was demolishing and successfully grabbed some "treasure" = Very aged Shanghai stylish interior decor, like a special designed faucet for the main pool, which was worth to be reserved.

Well, may be we can't freeze the golden age while we are moving on, lots and lots of valuable 
architecture, furniture or designed fixture that reflects a specific period of our history have to disappear; but I would like to tell you that, I will never forget it's bluish white neon sign hanging right under the clear deep blue sky, in my memory...they are gorgeous!