New toy testing - Canon 17-40mm F4 lens

Yesterday I hesitated to get my dream Canon L lens (so-called red ring lens - a premium lens with very low dispersion glass). Finally at lunch time, I got one 70-200mm F4. Then at dinner time, I got one 17-40mm F4. When I looked at those people spending over HK$5-6,000 for an iPhone and even waited in long line, I told myself "now it's iPhone 4 and I already saved at least 2 times of iPhone buying, and I also saved my life of risk. So in celebration the fact that I saved this money, I made use of it to buy 2 lens and I even got some changes to get some professional filter lens.

The below photos were taken at the range of F4-F5.6 at 1/20 to 1/40 at ISO from 800-1,600, with post-production of Lightroom to fill light and the lens alignment. The last feature is good to adjust some lens distortion like this kind of wide angle lens. I am surprised with the color separation of this lens and I guess it's attributed to the low dispersion glass used. I failed to take nice photos of MO HK lobby since it's very deep red, brown and dark with some velvet texture plus rusty metallic decorations, which would make the photo composition a bit vague and gloomy. So with the help of Lightroom, all these are nicely adjusted.

Below photo no. 4 is a new public pier like Queen's pier before on the right hand side of the new Star ferry pier. Further on it will link to the new harbour front promenade from Central to Wanchai. Should be a nice spot for photo taking in due course.

Hey Big Spenders

Under the recent survey carried out in Harbour City, Mainland Chinese tourists have at average a spending of HK$7,600 on each visit in HK, and an increasing no. of customers have their credit card spending at average to HK$ 5 million (US$625k)per year. This doesn't count the cash spending. So now we know why Canton Road has so many luxury boutiques. Next to the luxury goods, electronic stuff are the most popular things. On the photo no. 3, a long line is outside of Fortress store in Harbour City as it's open for registration for iPhone purchase (*note registration only). Meanwhile, iPhone is now the hit target of the long disappeared "head banging" gangsters (仆頭黨) (who rob someone's stuff by banging those heads with hard things like bricks).

I passed by Leonidas shop just opposite to Boardway and Fortress, and noticed no one was around. So these tell people tend to spend money on things which can be shown off. Why bother to spend a few hundred on eating something the others won't see?

Printing dollar notes, printing the future?

This big ad. poster simply reflects the iron truth we are facing.

Din Tai Feng, Causeway Bay, HK

A new branch was lately opened next to the Regal Hotel on Pennington Street. Again, a big banner of the Times magazine's article for this shop was posted at the entrance. Give us a break!

Food other than the steamed dumpling/buns is indeed so so to me. I would suggest visiting this shop is only for the steamed dumpling and buns as a snack. The famous Taiwanese cold noodle really sucks the most (no. 8 photo). Noodle too mashy and it's warm actually! Next worst is the beef soup. If some frozen beef is used, then pls add some beef stock. The stir fried veggie is below average. The shop is somehow crowded with many tourists, probably from the next door Regal hotel.

Shanghai Lao Ching HIn 上海老正興菜館, TST, Kowloon, HK

The area from Austin Road, Hill wood road, Observatory Road to Kimberly road used to be my restaurant hunting dated back to the late 80's to early 90's. On a recent re-visit, this shop is still there and still serves some very classic Shanghai dishes, kind of a family cooking style too. The hot and sour soup is very original taste and reminds of those 3-6-9 restaurant taste. I like the siu lon bao made in this way. I personally don't like it to be too thin and too delicate to forget about how to make the nice filling inside. The "hot burnt" lion head really reminded me of those family cooking, and the veggie rice with strong veggie aroma! Very warm and I like it the way the food were made in its natural way. No need to be too fancy sometimes. When we ask for a pork dumpling, it has to be with pork flavour in essence.

Hey Big Spenders!

Watched a local news TV special. In the latest research, the Mainland Chinese tourists have already broken a record for their super purchasing power, and out-won all the other tourists. In the interview, those tourists claim HK has all the international luxury products and they are all open from 10am to 10pm (some at 11pm). Unlike in some countries these kinds of shops run from 11am to 7/8pm due to the local labour law. What's more, HK offers a wide variety choices of Chinese restaurants as well as western.

The most impressive thing is that there are 20-30% customers who can have their credit spending at average to HK$ 5 million (US$625k)per year, from the research of credit cards in Harbour City. This doesn't count the cash spending. So now we know why Canton Road has so many luxury boutiques.

Inspiration from the animation movie "Spirited Away"

Last time at the MO stay, we found out 3 pajamas were put in the room. As a MO fan, a subconscious thought of taking one of those as a souvenir came up. However, better not, for some reason. Supposed this pajama is for sale if you wanna take it home.

That reminded me of a Japanese animation movie called "Spirited Away(千與千尋)" made by the famous Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki 官崎駿. It's about a girl going with her parents to a holiday destination, but got lost on the way. Then they got to a strange place, where lots of restaurants were there, but the town has no one. They noticed the restaurants having some very delicious food on the table. The parents then took those food though her girl urged them not to, since having food on the table with no one around doesn't mean it's for free being taken. Later on, the spirits showed up and cursed the parents into pigs and so they ate like pigs. The girl tried so hard to find her way to get back her parents and there went an intrigue story of how we as human being treat this world by exhausting our natural resources and ruining environment...etc.

So this MO extra pajama reminded me of what the girl urging her parents. :)

A fine day, Aka Guti Hua Hin, Thailand

Aka Guti has a very nice big swimming pool though every villa has its own pool. The mountain landscape of Hua Hin is very charming, and the green too.

赤柱糧倉, 1943年

那年日軍佔領香港, 她的丈夫給擄去了海南島, 當時海南島一片荒涼, 那等同買了一張單程票給他….

惶恐炮火下, 帶著六個小孩, 她誓要堅毅勇敢把持著這頭家, 一個都不能少!

無奈日子冷冷地沉下去. 孩子在捱餓. 怎樣頑強, 還是要向現實低頭. 甚至犯險搖著破爛舢舨, 黑夜裡從筲箕灣搖了十數里到赤柱日軍糧倉, 風高浪急, 還有日軍海上監視, 不容有失敏捷地抬走一袋一袋米. 畢竟只可走一趟, 糧倉隨後加強保安.

月伏月, 孩子愈漸消瘦, 難以下決定還是要為他們打算. 只有一個選擇, 也是戰時很多窮苦人家最難下的決定 – 賣孩子. 打量孩子們, 要到寄人籬下的家庭生活, 她一定要有強頑性格. 就這樣挑了一個, 數月後又另一個, 再一個….. 在送走女兒的每一次, 刀割心腸地狠狠對著女兒說不要她, 好讓女兒頭也不回就走, 過她的新生活. 到最後只剩一女一男. 看著男孩的眼睛, 也看到丈夫眼睛一樣的神采, 就容許自己有點貪念, 留下他吧.

可惜炮火歲月沒完沒了, 就連山頭上樹皮也給吃光, 戰火下的屍骸, 巳漸漸夾雜著活活餓死的.

雖然萬事不如意, 當中也有一點幸運. 在這最絕困難關時, 她們遇上一對宅心仁厚的夫婦. 終於有溫飽. 她敦促兒女要緊記這兩位大恩人, 當中兒子深受影響, 更將這施恩發揚光大, 沒想到也是兒子將來與人極端分享的人生理念. 說得貼切一點 “派街坊”, 竟然成為她與兒子常常吵鬧的原因.

光復後, 她却沒主動去找回那些賣了的女兒, 在她眼裡, 能知道她們活著巳經是天賜, 在那裡? 不相干.

奈何, 女兒她們相互尋回對方, 血濃於水.

年伏年, 當中兩個賣了的女兒仍放不下心中的怨恨, 她不作任何辨識, 說回頭, 有何用? 有溫飽巳經心滿意足, 不要無病呻吟, 這也是她常常對著自己孫兒的教誨, 及後她更教導她的孫兒, 飯碗不能剩下一粒飯, 還有要將當時家裡飼養的家禽給吃後剩下的骨頭, 往附近山上埋下黃土, 從自然界取, 也須還給自然界, 尊敬萬物. 其中的一個孫兒想了很多十年, 最後想通了這個萬物理念, 今天要對他的祖母說一聲謝.

可知道祖母早已去了海南島, 與別了的丈夫看著海南島有多繁榮, 偶爾托著西南信風問問這個極端溫飽的孫兒 “文華東方, 梲榕山莊也來了, 何時來看看這個比海還要更南的島?”

*姑母每次到訪赤柱, 緊握手心, 娓娓道著當年她母親從日軍糧倉偷米時的險象還生。如今赤柱巳成為不少人的安樂窩。一貶眼，巳過了７０年。每一位孫兒現在很溫飽.

孫兒此時回道 “我們原是水上人，四海為家，他朝信風再起時，往南走一走，靠西邊遠飄，後會有期.” 別掛心。

Eating dinosaurs?

I failed to find my "dream" salty fish (should be one with fierce teeth and a struggling face), but still tried to take some photos of this salty fish (called 牙或). When I used Lightroom to auto light/white balance the photo , I found out my combat recognition to the recent scientific research on how dinosaurs evolved into fish. As this salty fish was hung up in the air for weeks of sun bathing, the dense salty fluid was down at the fish head. It made the fish nose a bit bigger than it should look. It does look like a dinosaur's head right in front of my eyes.

BTW, now I know how tough the job for a photographer, and some unspoken frustration. I spent my rush lunch time for weeks to search for my dream salty fish! No BBQ pork lunch box from Choy Hing. Only bread for a whole week, but where is my dream salty fish please! Crazy, right?

Needs some make up...

This building (pink/white) is about 300 feet away and I tested the 580 EX speedlite coverage strength. Right after I took it, I couldn't help with "wow...", but then noticed the underlying water mark on the external wall. It needs some make up.

HK is now under another sequel of sand storm [all the way from Mongolia Gobi dessert, south-eastward far reaching to Taiwan and bounced back south-westward to HK. Amazing traces of Gobi is here. Pixmation, not just flash we are trying bounced back. Even sand storm does. :)], you would see the dim smog in the dark around the black building behind.

Red Hot Friday, IFC II, Central, HK

Some of my friends often told me to crop photos as zooming to take photos are not good as it's either easily shaky or not too clear. However, zooming has one of its benefit, especially you wanna proportionate a tiny object to be bigger or an object behind bigger. Just like this photo, the wooden mini-santa claus is a pretty tiny object and the HSBC's banner behind is quite big but pretty far behind. So in taking a proper angle and a zooming, both can become more proportionate. These 2 things are not related but it comes out quite related, like the santa is so happy with this red hot surprise offer. This is something making me happy in taking photos.

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin 銀座梅林, IFC II, Central, HK

This shop landed at IFC II several years ago and now relocated on another side of the mall (above the HK Airport Express station - good for the travelers to stop by after checking in downstairs and before their train ride to the airport). The shop offers various sets priced from HK$158 to 238 from signature cutlet pork chop to cutlet seafood, with free flow of rice and cabbage salad. On the menu the pork chop sandwich (HK$68) below photo no. 5, as a snack caught my attention and the shop manager highly recommended it. It turned out it's very nice one. The shop uses very good oil, bread mix, flour besides the main character pork chop so from the cutlet to the deep frying. It turned out almost perfect. Why almost? The pork chop is a bit over-cooked. Yet, the pork chop wasn't punched a bit so that the meat texture is a bit too chewy. However, the pork chop itself is still very nice and a full pork flavour. The shop is now promoting their "golden pork 金豚肉" at HK$178 for a set course. This pork was claimed to have more vitamin B-1 and a bit fatter, and that means a bit softer. Another disappointment is the shop didn't make nice rice - too mashy. So their attention seems to be too much on the deep fried stuff. Next time I would order the pork chop sandwich first.

Le Gouter Bernardaud, IFC II, Central, HK

Originally wanted to visit MO HK tonight but again FULL. So to get a lingering thought of MO, I thought of the choco. drink and dessert made of Valrhona chocolate (MO's signature choco/mocha drink), offered by this local French cafe in IFC mall (opposite to Vertu and Leica shop). Tried the green tea sesame cake (from no. 3 photo onwards), hot mocha, iced decaf. coffee, orange choco. tart. All are pretty nice, esp. the orange choco. tart. Coffee pretty aromatic, at HK$36. Mocha at HK$45. Cake at HK$36. Average price considering it's in IFC. BTW, all the below photos are processed after Adobe Lightroom 3 and it's under Pixmation's influence, but I didn't spend much time to fine tune the photos, but I noticed it helps to solve the light effect problem. Like below photo 2, originally the words Le Gouter are difficult to see clearly. It helps to fix quite many problems. Very sleepy.... ZZZzzz