Upside Down

Cat loves this position, we human, too. Because this is a gesture of relax, day dreaming, doing nothing, to take a break...

To me, a plus of thinking, reviewing, re-considerate of something stuck into the bottleneck. It takes 5 to 30 minutes, or more; ending with a solution or simply nothing, but it's a good chance to see things from upside down, from another angle of view, a real interesting experience.

Especially when you are lying on the beach, looking at the sky above, sandals of people, sand and tree root around, searching for new attractions that are not normally found;  your viewing angle is expanding to a great distance, not only the sea in front of you.

Similarly, you will care more other than the tiny problem in front of you, but much more......a person? a long forgotten matter? things happening in other world that far apart? a special moment of something?.......a way out!


If it is so magical, why we don't do it often? Because it takes time - something we are "lack" of; and this magic will never work to the one who refuse to accept the true, even they know the answer is there upside down.

 

一碗冬蔭功的啟示

看這張照片,不會覺得這碗冬蔭功湯很美味.再加上用來承載的碗具,似乎不大吸引.

在香港,現在要喝一碗冬蔭功湯總得花上$40-90不等.美味與否姑且不談.貴在那裏呢?一頭大蝦?一堆香料?幾尾小魷魚?還是在於那用來承湯的精緻小火爐?又或是那模擬泰國的室內擺設?與及幾位穿上泰式服裝的店員所提供的"一般"服務呢?

原本是泰國人民家常便飯的一碗湯, 經過包裝後,甚至為符合市場需求而改變用料,口味,便能成為升價＋倍的菜式,給食店帶來可觀的收入, 這也就是設計和包裝的魔力......卻也可以成為咒詛.

事實上這一碗價值不到$4的冬蔭功,質地粗糙,用料普通,味道不豐富...但收費完全合理,沒有失望,是實實在在的地道平民口味; 總比運用技巧把外在因素提升,但產品卻是連基本水準也達不到的要好.名不符實就是我所指的咒詛.

生活質素絕不等同要享用刻意包裝,擁有浮誇外表的產品.簡單直接,沒有修飾,也可以是其中一種的消費模式,尤其在一些模擬不到的自然環境下享用就更加珍貴了.

年畫Chinese Folk Art

 

年畫-是中國的民間藝術之一, 用農曆新年作為主題的尤其多.但也有不少是取材自民間生活的. 這套共有四款, 名為四合院---春、夏、秋、冬的作品(Artist, Bai Yanping), 不用介紹也知道其內容是環繞北京傳統建築:四合院內平民在四季的生活及景緻.

還記得當年在北京公幹, 小休期間便在某商場內發現這一小套印刷品, 我要强調是印刷品,因為如果是原稿畫作,其色彩必定會更加豐富和較有層次感.年畫的趣味在於沒有透視,即沒有消失點, 所以一眼可以看清前後景所繪畫的內容,這也是我認為最獨特之處.

現在大家不妨細心欣賞這裡四季怡人的景緻.

Chinese Folk Art has one special kind of painting style - 年畫 , celebration of Lunar New Year is the most popular scene that artist will express in their painting, that's why in a straight forward translation, you may call it "Painting of the Year". But besides this, everything related to daily living of Chinese are also their favorite topics, like the one above are a Four seasons drawing in count yard house, i.e,  si-he yuan- a very traditional and historical apartment in Beijing, by artist - Bai Yanping.

This set of commercial print out was found during my business trip, once in Beijing a few years ago. If these are the original paintings instead of print out, you will see a more subtle but rich color effect; but what I like most is the non-existing of perspective = no vanishing point, a very unique criteria of this kind of painting, so you can see clearing what are happening inside each corner of the small garden.

Now, be my guest to take a Four Season trip, enjoy !

Happiness

You may easily recognize this photo is from the film of "The Pursuit of Happyness", one of our recommended film. I am not going to tell you the detail, I hope you can take a break from your work, watch and feel it by yourself.

Happiness - something abstract, can be easily reached; but can also be so apart which seems we don't know each other. The "happyness' that Will Smith come across here  is nothing to do with luxury or desire; but simply SURVIVE. Why is it so difference? so touching, even though we may not have the same experience......

because at the bottom of our heart, we did have the same scenario, some days, some times before - to die for something. Do that "Happiness" still here? or just gone within seconds? hours? days or months?

There are different level of happiness, I believe; to have a long lasting or a most touchable one, will be the total sacrified of our own for somebody we treasure, without calculation of reward or lost.

Official site : The pursuit of Happyness 

自我增值

"自我增值" - 這不單適用於人類,對商品而言更是恰當,此話何解?我所指的當然是人為的增值,看看右邊的相片, 這是我在杭州一間酒店內所拍下的宣傳品, 看外面的包裝,頗討好呢, 至少顏色鮮明, 令人覺得內面的茶葉也頗新鮮.

我仔細看看所推銷的是什麽特別貨品?說真的,沒什麽特別,只是四種普通茶葉罷了, 但特別的卻在包裝上.後面用錫袋包着的同類貨品賣５元人民幣; 但放了入前面的有蓋及有茶隔膠柸內, 身價卻增值至10元.結果...我明知這一小柸茶葉不值＋塊錢, 我還是買了一柸回香港.

包裝也是產品設計的其中一種,內裡也包含着不少平面設計的元素.處理得宜的話,不單吸引消費者的視線, 燃起購買慾,更令貨品價值提昇.

一套四款的展示,經過悉心包裝,無論自用或作手信,其美觀,實用,方便携帶及在趣味上,肯定己成功達到"自我增值"的目標.在國內,也算是少見成功的包裝貨品.值得一讚!

To increase the value of

product, as commom as tea

leaf here in Hangzhou, 5 RMB

for a bag, 10 RMB for a plastic tea

cup - see? the miracle of Product Design.

雷生春

If we can't preserve what it should originally be, it's better to demolish and let it totally vanish except of what remains...the best memory of what we had.

(Photo: a monument in H.K. that is going to lose her face due to the modification of building usage by the government)


雷生春是一幢古建築,相信沒有人會反對.
雷生春是一間華麗的古老大宅,我認為絕對是.
雷生春是一幢中醫館......

基本上不應該有衝突, 只要保留其建築形態精髓,改變內在用途以配合社會建設,也未常不是好事-這是我原本的想法.

但自重它開始被"翻新"之後,外牆油了奶油黄色,加了光管,拆了鐵拉閘,用啡紅油油了後面走火梯,加了展示板......我開始忘記她原來的樣貌, 直至尋回這張舊照. 最近還聽聞為要方便現代人上落將來建於內面的中醫館,會加裝電梯云云!如果你們到現址,巳經圍上了圍板.難道不可以把醫館放在地面,上層用作展覽廳,那就可用原有的樓梯經加固後上落嗎?

這一切一切,其實都不應該感到意外,始終落在沒有文化及藝術背景的政府手上,古物的下場大多如昰, 只是結局有多糟糕罷了!如果說藝術或設計文化對我們设有直接影響,懂欣賞古代建築的朋友們絕對不會贊同,這可不是保留集體回憶那麽簡單,而是挽回失去的技術與見證社會變遷的歴史.

Coffee diary 05

What time is it now? Wow! better take a break. Hey, it's nice to see you already here...a big pot is perfect for me.

Do we love to work late? I'm not sure, but with a cup of coffee is always better. No phone call, no email, no human voice, all in silence, only the sound of the keyboard...click click click...tab tab tab...may be sometimes, a sign from the air conditioner...

but it's difference, you know? a midnight dinner of room service vs a hot supper at your home sweet home; a stranger sleeping in next room vs your love in the bedroom; a banquet coffee cup vs your own coffee mug...even thought we are working now under the same universe.

Before we return to our desktop, how about a remote "Goodnight Hug" to him/her/it?