The Tiny Urban Balcony

A metropoly like Hong Kong is the best place for enjoying some green out on the tiny balconies constellating the hyper tall buildings. It’s the perfect job to realize how precious even a little patch of mother nature is. Here at home we keep changing and planting new seeds, we like to make experiments with new flowers and veggies depending on the seasons, the weather and how appealing they look on the print of the seed paper bag. So far we have been quite lucky until now and the freshness of a prosperous green mini zone has brought forth jolly smiles and astonishments on how gorgeous every detail in the Hands of mother earth is:

mix of wild flowers

basil and tomatoes and chili

mint, lemon tree…

wax plant (the flower is amazing looking but not seen yet) and aloe vera and chili

fast germinating salad cress 

Tao couplets

Usually they stop to the first couplet but here’s the rest, even more beautiful and enduring!

1. It is wisdom to know others;

It is enlightenment to know one’s self.

2. the conqueror of men is powerful;

the master of himself is strong.

3. it is wealth to be content;

it is willful to force one’s way on others.

4. endurance is to keep one’s place;

long life it is to die and not perish.

Accompanied by fabulous sitar from Bangladesh…enjoy it ~

My daily panorama back from work

In Hong Kong you get EVERYTHING from any point of view, that is why many people who have lived here a long part of their life can miss the everthing feeling. And that’s what makes this city so unique in the whole world and the kind of place to not be missed once in life. It is just unbelievable! Moreover, if you are a content person that is not seeking special entertainments or adventures in life, Hong Kong is still perfect for you because of its deep Chinese heritage which is all pervading in people and happenings here! There are no cities like Hong Kong, where progress is showering from all sides, there is no fear of Big plannings ahead in the years, a character which is blossoming nd blossoming  every day. If you come to Hong Kong you will leave transformed for sure. In a world that cannot escape the game of transformations, this city is playing each card with the professional skills of a champion. 

My new route at sunset betwen traffic jam in the heart town and the Chinese sea flowing thru the beautiful hills (and hundreds islands).

Shots from Downtown around the Mosque

Who said you need to live in Swayambuland to enjoy purity?

purity of sea breeze

purity of noise

purity in construction

purity in progress

purity of light and height

purity of loooots of people

purity of burstling energy

purity of a modern-in-a-hurry life

and much muchmore purity settled under the earth

of this corner of city where i live. have a new glimpse! these are the steets i walk on almost every night. there is so much to be photographed here. it s amazing.

Grey fotoreportage from Popular Sham Shui Po

This is Sham Shui Po one of the most attractive areas in HK city. It is a pretty popular neighbourhood with the classical dead temple and old buildings. If you look at its district logo  you will  notice that, only with few others, it was inspired by a Chinese idiographic character. There is one reason why i love to visit SSP at least once a month… can u guess? stay tuned for it!

 

Here shops do not stay open until wee hours so you must be fast and before 5 o clock your shopping should be over. the market is a great attraction, it’s one of the cheapest in town and offers different kinds of goods, from antiques to clothing to electronics….but i dont come to SSP for these kinds of goods unfortunately.

there is also a timid accentuation of a cultural variety and you can mingle with Indians and Arabians along the road…

not enough colorful and beautifully beautiful? tha’s why i said stay tuned untill the next.

 

 

 

Beginning of Spring in New Delhi

I went to Delhi two weekend ago for a friend’s wedding and found a warm sky plus a warm family who took care of myself like their own daughter. It was a marvelous experience! We spent our days in the militar area of the city at DSOI and surroundings. The flowers of their garden are among the most amazing I ever saw all together in one place in a urban setting, i took hundreds of pictures: that was a fantastic start of Spring time!

 

 

 

Blu Lotus Art gallery in Hong Kong

Most of the art galleries (if you want to call them that way) in town re concentrated around and inside SoHo which is the same spot where we had our dance performance last weekend. Futan art village does offer something different like more space, high cealings, the idea to have a trip to reach there, the face-to-face communication with hosted artists, most of the ones work  directly in the gallery. Two spacious floors facing the green. Is it real Hong Kong? yes, it is.

My new city 70 years ago

This is Hong Kong in 1938 almost when my mother in law was born! Just yesterday she gave us tons of pictures of  my husband childhood and much more. It was  evident from the background how different the city was. Beautiful documentary which can be enjoyed alot in complete silence/ muting the sound. luv, r

Inside the flowers of Lamma island

Travelogues about island are not finished yet here. Lamma island is considered probably the coolest one to live in because of its artistical attractions. Lots of European families landed in Hk decided to settle down here although the houses are not modern at all and all kinds of interesting animals (lots of snakes they say) around are ready to visit anytime.

There are plenty of colorful things to watch in Lamma. Flowers, plants and trees have been marked and explained upon small wooden tags but for the aracnide up there there was nothing to read since it was a spontaneous meeting at the beginning of the main path. When arriving at the harbour, about 20 minuts from HK mainland, you may probably meet some native selling hand cooked red bean sweet soup or cookies.

Afterwards by following the main narrow street the wole greenish and easygoing, wild and relaxed environment will disclose in front of you:

There are 2 things you should pay lots of attention while hiking around Lamma. One is the strong smell of its flowers scattered in mass at any corner like in a big garden. All the fragrances fuse in the air, it s like being in heaven and the aroma is so much penetrating that your brain is so happy to swim into it! There are flowers whose petals are starting to yellow because of the Autumn season but they keep the odorous activity tuned, others present rare jungle shapes of colored lianas.

 

Now, why Lamma is considered so artistic?? First of all musicians, painters, dancers, writers and so on populate this place. Not only the fragrance but also the music of a piano flying out from a window for example can accompany you in the trip for a while.  I met a French dancers who has been living here for years while staying in HK and she never regretted to have to travel back and forth for her job was on the mainland, and consider that afyter 11 or midnite there are no more ferries every day. 

The second Art reason is that all the shops and restaurants maintain of course a well trendy made look to catch your eyes. They care about little details, sometimes extravagants, sometimes normal. So you may notice an old singer sewing machine right against the main wall of the street you are walking along or a wooden rocking horse placed like on a pedestal at the end of a street. Romantic sets have been created at the outdoor tables of all the restaurants. Lamma is perfect for the tea time and serves traditional or western home made cakes or for the dinner/lunch with the availability of the tastier and fresher of the fish (expensive!) for you to pick directly from the big tanks outside each restaurant.

AH! before night time, dont forget to enjoy the sunset that on the islands is always so spectacular and regenerating!

Travelouge’s sunset also comes here ~

 

Power runs on the lines of design

It is beautiful to see how the design of certain style flourishes in one place and then moves to another one. And people can admire the original feature of the original design truly better in the second place than in the first. It’s fascinating. This is what happened to the buddhist Chinese architecture which originated here in China during the Tang Dinasty and can be nowaday found quite intact in the island of Japan.

There is almost no need to go and seek for informations about this period because the temples speak by themselves. They are charged with silence, dignity and sober beauty. These qualities are certainly the same residing in the ancient Chinese spirit which was moreless lost for all these years. These are the blossoming times and the meaning of strenght and power animating this spirit must come back now.

Rural Hong Kong rocks

HK governament puts effort in protecting and re-touching as less as possible the rural areas around. The structure of the old villages is always maintained although new house and taller buildings are being built in their proximity which feels strange at least for the old inhabitants of the villages themselves. many young couples are moving in three floors houses nearby the villages today. the railway connections are very close and fast to get to the city so for them it is good to live in teh outskirts and work in the city.

I am still prefering the city and all “her” amazing noise and vitality which sound so much feminine in some terms. It is like a pulsating body continuously alive, breathing with the breath of all the human cells (us) that go to give “her” a unique form. The villages are indeed beautiful spots where to rest during weekends and discovering always new aspects of the city personality. 

It’s not true that a new language should be taught by mothertongues to the kids

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I have two close examples which support the fact that children can learn a new language not necessarily from mother tongue teachers.

The first is a long study to which by myself I participated in 1998-1999 with a master thesis in Rome. Based on the main idea of Bruner about constructivism in psychology and learning processes we focused on children at kindergarten level living in an Italian context and being exposed to the English language as second one (L2). The research was inspired by 400 teachers and their young pupils. We eventually wrote this book comprehensive of all the work done. The cool point is that maybe only one of the teacher was a native English speaker, all the others learned in our seminars and transmitted their knowledge in the classroom. We analyzed their progress, prnunciation, improvements, diaries, workshops, a lot of interesting material…They did an excellent job and the children learnt each year more and more! Statistics and databases inclueded in the same book. Do you know why the children learnt English? The main result was that is because the teacher love them and express her lovely attitude plus interest towards them daily and firmly. A section of the project was dedicated to the expressions of her face, to her words and behaviours with the little ones. They love the L2 because they love in primis the person who is teaching them. That is why we intitled the book “The magic teacher”. This magic is nothing but pure love!

Second example is fresher and again comes from an experience in Italy which I only heard about directly and am supporting with material in Chinese language. My auntie, an experienced teacher and coordinator of seminars and workshop at a primary school, is already conducting Chinese classes in ludic form to the kids. And she never spoke Chinese before. She is using the modern Youtube way, karaoke, playful settings and real small storytelling linked to the new life of her adorable daughter (me 🙂 ) Here is an example i provided her few weeks ago. It is just so much sweet:

“Children understand love more than anyone else” (Nirmala Srivastava)

China & India forever sisters

Also twin sisters: there are so many things, traditions, mentality, ideas, visions, economy, fashion which are shared by these two countries. Watching at these three girls of a musical trio from Sichuan (the department stuck to the east border of Tibet) I cannot avoid to think about Indian movies from Bollywood, the lovely ornaments and long womanly dresses of the Home of spirituality. 

India & China share a history of spirituality and character from milleniums. It is not a case they are linked by the Himalayas, which is Home to Shiva and the Shakti Parvati who reside in our hearts in form of pure spirit and pure personality. We have just started to notice these relationships between countries just now that everybody talk about globalization and things like these. The most wonderful discoveries about “twins” countries still has to come and they reside in the manifested desire of each population to understand the subtle nature of their roots and traditions.

I hope the genuine desire of the humans to grow into their most ancient and valuable traditions will awaken each nanosecond more. For India and China (but also for all the other big and small nations)I wish in this New Lunar Year that:

•  people with enlightened brains and hearts will start to mangae their economy
• women with a sweet and adorable personality will understand their true power from inside and start to express it at higher levels 
• there will be dedicated more and more festivals, seminars, meetings to reckon the similarity between countries (at any level)
• their attention will be shifted towards the understanding of the importance of spirituality for the sake of a bigger vision

I only prayed for these four wishes. There are more but these are among the most urgent ones.

Happy Lunar New Year to you who are reading too. May you grow in a total collective atmosphere all your life.

Blessings

Let’s live in this world like an orchestra does

You already understood the meaning. But understanding is something and realizing is somehing else.

Today after finishing to watch the documentary Rhythm is it! ,that a lovely blog friend  so kindly send me thru air mail, I felt so much energy and inspiration that we can really make this world a very cool place. I had no doubt even before watching the documentary but a kind of logical, you can say, thought came to my mind. Its the following.

If an orchestra:

• can play so well such divine pieces of music all the time in any place of the world.
• can delight the senses of so many people in the same moment.
• can work with such harmony and coordination.
• is composed by people of any social background.
• does not know what the ego of any single person is, thus expressing the climax of the collective job.

If a simple but wide orchestra can really do and be like that for real. Why doesnt the world we live in become like a huge ORCHESTRA with no ego and completely collective in its own human work? 

If an orchestra does it we can also do it.