Archive for May 2008

HK MTR network

Here’s a quick shot of the current MTR network. The MTR system is regularly expanded on the Kowloon/New Territories side. There is a project to expand it on the Hong Kong island as well (two new lines towards the South and Aberdeen) but nothing has begun yet. Examples of fares: crossing the Victoria Harbour raises […]

Curse of the Golden Flower

Big hit of year-end 2006, Curse of the Golden Flower stars superstars Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li and Jay Chou. The movie was directed by Zhang Yimou, already known for Hero and House of Flying Daggers. The story depicts a rebellion led within China’s very imperial family, which war symbol is the Chrysanthemum itself (the […]

Cheap food at Cafe de Coral

There are really plenty of restaurants in Hong Kong. Today’s brand highlight is all about one of them: Café de Coral (大家樂). Here you’ll find cheap HKese food (expect less than HKD 30 for a meal). Afternoon tea sets, chu pa bao (pmp), French toasts, chicken served with corn and potatoes etc. The quality is […]

Dong lai cha

This is one of the most common beverages you’ll find in Hong Kong’s cha chan tans (pmp). It’s basically cold tea with milk (and ice). I don’t know what makes cha chan tan’s tea so special but it’s definitely worth trying it out. Depending on the restaurant you’ll pick, you can find it as low […]

The ICC is growing up

Meant to be taller than the famous IFC 2, Hong Kong’s International Commerce Center is slowly taking shape. The shot above was taken in April 2008 and the final tower should look like below. The ICC is the real start of the “skyscraperization” of Tsim Sha Tsui.. in ten years maybe, I wouldn’t be surprised […]

Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden

We’re back to mainland China for this week’s “Elsewhere in Asia”! The picture above was taken from the Humble Administrator’s Garden of Suzhou (not far away from Shanghai). Suzhou is famous for its gardens and this one is the largest one. Originally built in 1509, this garden alternates small lakes, rocks, small pavilions and halls. […]

UI in HK MTR

User Interface rules our modern and automated world. Hong Kong’s MTR is the most usable I’ve seen so far in terms of User Interface. First, there is sound: each station is announced in three languages (Cantonese, Mandarin and English) as for each prevention message. Second, there are billboards with blinking lights indicating in real time […]

Hard Boiled

This week’s culture post introduces another John Woo’s masterpiece starring Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung: Hard Boiled (辣手神探). As for A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled belongs to the Heroic Bloodshed genre: don’t expect too realistic fights for John Woo rather focuses on slow motion and profusion of bullets and corpses. The story depicts a […]