Too hot for Scandinavians

It had to happen in Hong Kong. I had been walking all afternoon and wanted to have something to nibble on. Not many coffee shop on the main avenue I was. 

Then I spotted this Delicatessen Corner.

Suddenly I was beamed into the Twilight Zone: Smoked ham and cheese, whole grain German bread, Sacher Torte... The waitresses were dressed like Snow White and yodeling music was playing in the background.

 

I went to the Sibelius concert with Errol, since Fred was in Taipei and couldn’t come. I guess he didn’t miss much. The program included the Violin Concerto, the 6^th symphony, as well as Karelia and Finlandia. I thought Edo de Waart was to conduct but we had replaced by a second-best substitute, David Atherton - diplomatically tagged ‘laureate chief conductor’. Atherton had all the manner(ism)s of a maestro, but not the means to master Sibelius’ music. He struggled through the symphony, almost seeming relieved at the end of each movement, while his accompaniment to the violin concerto was barely adequate as the poor soloist, Viviane Hagner bravely tried to inflate some life and emotion into the music.

The sound of the orchestra was unbalanced. The brass section was excellent, while the strings sounded weak. I could imagine how well they’d play under the direction of any talented conductor. But the concert was underwhelming.

A mere glance at the program pictures and you’d know: Edo de Waart looks confident and fiery, his eyes full of passion and generosity, David Atherton just strikes a pose and tries hard to look interesting.

My upcoming trip to Vietnam doesn’t yet have any reality to me. I mention it, talk about it, but cannot emotionally get engaged in it. Yet I’ll be there in a little more than one week. After seventeen years!

I don’t even know when or how I’ll come back to Hong Kong.

The idea of meeting my father there delights me and moves me; I had wished that the whole family could come - the four of us would together in our country for the first time. But they didn’t seem to catch grasp the importance of it, or didn‘t want to view it that way, bringing out all possible reasons not to, the money issue, my brother getting married soon, winter not being the right season, etc...

Maybe I’m being too romanesque, but I was picturing the whole family getting rejuvenated, connected by this first visit in our homeland. A intimate celebration that bears more meaning than any Christmas celebration or any wedding.

I have the vague intention to come back to Paris to celebrate Chinese New Year but I’d rather stay in Hong Kong now and experience my first Chinese New Year in Asia! 

Learning to live without them...

Times of possibilities

I have been drifting from one day to another without knowing where I would end, or what I would see. Two weeks indeed it took before anything started to make sense.

I have had this lunch with Phil Whelan who has a radio show airing every morning. Fred organized the whole meeting thanks to his friend Jason, a computer genius as well a jazz pianist from Hong Kong with an uncanny London accent that made me wonder whether there wasn’t somebody else hiding behind him.

I don’t know where this appointment will take me to. But meeting people is a good start. Phil seemed interested in what I do, especially when I mentioned my work with Jo. I will hand him the CD of both NINA and PLAY 2 PLAY, as well as the DVD of NINA. I think it would be a very good thing if Noism could perform here. Since Jo has been nominated by ELLE magazine as one of the up and coming choreographer, they could develop some kind of buzz around him. That is, if he’s willing to play the game…

My life here becomes one of a socialite’s! The pace is now so quick that I find it hard to realize what is happening. If the first two weeks went by rather smoothly, I have the feeling to be in four different films running at the same time. Yesterday for instance was the opening night of the D&G shop. A crowd of picture perfect male and female models, local celebrities and a whole parterre of ‘handsomites‘. I must say that I was highly impressed by this one model, a Chinese-German girl, beautiful beyond beauty, who had the perfect smile when it came to have a picture taken. Her smile didn’t radiate any warmth, but I was struck by how ‘perfect’ it looked. As much as Maria Callas knows how to carry an opera aria... 

I went with a few friends, although I showed up late only for a few minutes and was given a golden bag when I left. A group of five trendy boys each carrying a golden D&G bag… I guess we were a mystery to no one.

Another event I attended the night before was the ceremony for the 80^th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand. There wouldn’t much connection between me and the Thai community if it wasn‘t  for my friend Gob who invited me. The evening was of course just an excuse for people to show off and eat delicious food after two speeches and a traditional dance performance that went completely unnoticed by the audience.

I enjoyed the challenge of trying to word out my situation in Hong Kong each time differently to all the people I would be introduced to., although each introduction would follow the same pattern, with the same reaction, the same questions. I would do some ad lib when I’d find that my reply didn’t really matter.

Sunday saw me attend an underwear show. No one really cares about underwear, but the body - not the person, that has it on.

Now that two weeks have gone by, that my enthusiasm has waned, I can see behind the mirage and observe more attentively the people and the place.

Hong Kong is definitely not a place for me to live. I love its dynamism, the fast paced excitement that it brings. But people do not seem happy here. They look like they’ve hypnotized to follow strictly observed rules. The obsessive need to look good, the urge to display the latest hot item, be it a bag from Gucci, an i-Phone or a hairdo. While the same thing can be said about Japan, at least I had the feeling that the people enjoyed somehow. Here the life doesn’t seem to allow much enjoyment. Keeping up appearances is a job, for market value, as a friend said to me yesterday. Everyone goes to the gym to shape up into this magazine-like über-man or über-woman. Since everyone does it, there’s hardly any room for those who wish for something else. I am even surprised to be surprised by my reaction. I have lived in Paris, London, Tokyo. But I never felt this silent glittering sadness so strongly.

Shattered souls.

I’m listening now to In Rainbows, Radiohead’s latest album and it’s a masterpiece. If the previous opuses were interesting and very ambitious, they have reached some kind of simple perfection with this one.

Good because not much has aroused my ears lately.

But tonight, I will hear the Hong Kong Philharmonic in an all Sibelius program conducted by Edo de Waart. It’ll be interesting to see the contrast between what they do and the hours of wonders I experienced last month in Paris with Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Flying High

I’m in Hong Kong, my mother is flying today to Boston, and my father will go to Vietnam in two weeks or so. Funny that we’re all going far away from Paris. Except my brother…

Hong Kong Airport

[…]

I know it will take me a couple of weeks to settle in Hong Kong. It’s not only to get physically used to the change, but also to feel the air, observe, watch, discover the people and the city they live in, feel the pulse and the pace.

I feel like a kite, going where the wind blows. Fred has received a few e-mails from friends of his who are trying to introduce me to music people here. I must say that I never expected Hong Kong to be the heart of culture. However, I was very surprised to learn that record label Naxos was founded in Hong Kong!

So I’ll keep my fingers crossed, say my prayers every night and go to the temple to do a secret ritual dance under the moon!!!

Exploration

The last ferry to Lamma Island is at half past midnight, which doesn’t allow me to stay late. Now that I am on the Hong Kong Island, I can take the bus back. The problem is to know where and how. I was coming back from Mongkok yesterday night. I was told that I could catch the bus from Causeway Bay. The major task was to locate the stop. Unlike Paris, all different kinds of buses, double-deck buses, tramways, shuttles are running to and from any direction.

It took me one good hour to find mine. I was running, crossing the streets back and forth, some people directing here then there,. The typical sight of a foreigner lost in a big city.

I didn’t know one had to ring the bell anytime to get off the bus. So I followed one man who was getting off and found myself standing in the middle of road at night, with the wind in full blow and no one in sight.. That wasn’t Chung Hum Kok, obviously!  I tried to walk the rest of the way but stopped after a few meters. It was impossible to walk on the side of the narrow meandering road unless I wanted to be end my life and be  ran over by a car. The wind was so violent I could barely stand.

Finally hailed a cab and reached home. More than one hour and a half to get back. Metro, bus, taxi…

I was still haunted by the film I had seen in the afternoon: Lust, Caution, Ang Lee’s latest oeuvre.

Queen Street

Hong Kong

Contrast. 

I have left Lamma Island for Chung Hum Kok, in the Southern part of Hong Kong Island where I’m going to hosted for the rest of my stay, that is, the rest of the first part of my stay.

Lamma Island was a rural, quiet, peaceful and very laid back place which came as welcome release from days spent in the hard speed city. The Chung Hum Kok is equally peaceful. Just add glamour and style to it. And lots of money.

Lots of style and lots of money to achieve it. It can be likened to the Côte d'Azur, French Riviera. Expensive houses on the coast with  a private view on the sea. People dream of it, pay to enjoy it on a holiday. Some people have as simply as one can drink water.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the place. Fred has been so kind to invite me to stay. There’s a Steinway grand piano in the living room. Everything has been decorated and furnished with great taste. Spotless, perfect, immaculate. I felt like a stain!

That’s the kind of place I would love to have myself - and will eventually. Maybe the change of scenery has been to dramatic for me, from Paris to Hong Kong, staying in Lamma Island and now in this AD magazine worthy house.

But then, I certainly earned it, somehow. Things never happen for now reason, and if I felt the impulse to move back to Lamma Island, I now am happy to enjoy it, little by little. To get used to the idea that it is part of my life, and that I am not a guest on a film set.

Fred's cat, Ling-Ling

Fred's art-loving poodles

[…]

I have met Ah Sing, who’s a screenwriter, children book writer, and also has a well paying job to finance his project: to have a publishing company. He’s worked as s screenwriter for the Shaw Brothers and more recently collaborated in the musical drama ‘Perhaps, Love’, with Takeshi Kaneshiro.

We had only been exchanging a few messages on the internet, but since I was new in Hong Kong, he kindly offered to visit me on the island. We had a walk through the hills, sat by the beach,  had some tofu desert in an isolated stall on the road and talked, of course. The received ideas will have it that Hong Kong people are mainly materialistic, yet I have met a few people who try to cope with this life in order to reach their aim. Ah Sing has already been working in the cinema business and will not give up writing just because it doesn’t make money. I don’t know how he manages all these jobs, but I was highly inspired to see how much he gave for that.

I don’t know where this encounter will lead to. He wants to help, knows some contacts… I explained to him my position regarding this ‘business’: never forget that even if most of the people follow the established rules, there’s always a way to expand and bring new elements in the game.

Out... here

The first thing that welcomed me: an ad with Andy Lau. Yes I was definitely in Hong Kong! Someone told me he’s everywhere and indeed he is.

The trip went smoothly. I arrived more than early at the airport in spite of the strikes. Jan kindly suggested to drive me to the airport and Nicolas joined for what was to be our last meeting before he goes to the wild American West. 

Jan did so well that I had four hours and a half of spare time before the flight!!! Hardly anyone on the road when we expected endless traffic jams.

Being greeted by Andy Lau on my arrival was a good sign for me. I had no idea where I would spend the night, but everything was fine; I was happy to be here.

I had my moments of doubts. My bank account showed a 1200 euro gap compared to last week, I didn’t know what happened, I didn’t know what to do. But something kept telling me: a beginning of a new life has to be a real beginning. I could not bring back old habits and old ways. I will allow myself a few days of aimless loitering before getting started.

I sat on a bench and called my friend Siu Yung. He had offered to host me very good-naturally. He lives on the Lamma Island, which is a welcome change from the fast paced life of Central Hong Kong. The ferry ride gives you the time to leave this craziness behind and you step into a different world when you leave the boat. Lamma Island is very rural, quite undeveloped. The nights are quiet, I wake up with the song of the birds. Not your usual Parisian pigeons or sparrows.  It’s a whole concert to greet the new day. I open the windows and see amaryllis that grows in the wilderness of a backyard and an abandoned piece of land. If it wasn’t for Siu Yung I may have ended in a love hotel, as one friend suggested. Even though I’m not sure they would accept a ‘normal’ guest. I remember how I in vain tried to book a room in a love hotel in Tokyo…

I don’t do much during the day. Just aimless loitering, watching people, following these endless footbridges that take me from one building to another. The city is impressive, though not so big. What is considered remote here isn’t once you’ve known Paris, New York, London or Tokyo. So this twenty something minute daily ride on the ferry is like taking the metro in Paris. Except that is it more pleasant.

If I needed to feel comforted in my decision to leave Paris, Hong Kong gives me the perfect impetus.

It is sheer idiocy to keep on living in Paris where the cost of life is increasing beyond limits, where I find no possibility to develop my projects and where the global sentiment isn‘t of expansion or growth, but fear and defensiveness.

The days are so beautiful, I will take a walk across the island and maybe have a fresh seafood lunch.  To think that I was freezing on my bike a few days earlier… That’s the wonder of traveling.

Bibbe is in Paris!

Bibbe is in Paris !!! There will be a screening about Billy Name’s work tomorrow evening, so I will certainly go with her. She told me at the last minute and has picked the perfectly wrong time to be in Paris with all these strikes… Strikes... Our national sport.