Delivery in Public

One day last week I was struck by the mountain of coloured packages piled up under the elevated pedestrian walkway near home. Presumably these are packages deposited by delivery companies - waiting to be picked up by the recipients.  These packages are now practically ubiquitous: occupying valuable space, obstructing movement, creating danger for passers-by, etc., at the lobby of residences, public spaces such as this one, …

These delivery companies are money-making businesses. Why are they allowed to use private residences and public spaces to conduct their business, to make money?  I don’t believe they are paying any rent or fees for the use of the space.  So they are doing this at our expense?

If someone wants to set up a coffee stand, at the lobby of some private housing, underneath pedestrian walkways, would they be allowed to that, for free?  Most likely not.  So why can these delivery companies do that?

Three days after posting the photo and accompanying questions on social media, I passed by the same spot and was amazed to the space cleared.  Was it just a coincidence?  

Probably not.   But just seconds later, I realised that the mountain of coloured packages did not simply disappear.  It simply moved 20 meters away, to another spot under the same elevated walkway.  It is arguably slightly less obstructive.  But the same questions remain.  Some netizen suggested that I should make a formal query/complaint.  May be I should. 

The Eye of Da Vinci’s cat

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvius Man is one of the world’s most famous drawings. His cat was the only living being who had to privilege to watch Dr Vinci make the drawing.  Unfortunately, we cannot interrogate the cat now. 

I tried to imagine what the cat’s eye looked like at the time.  I am afraid my imitation of the Vitruvius Man is a very poor one. 

My Little Owl

My Little Owl was born on 17th August, 2026.  

He was made out of a section of the spine of a palm leaf.  The original leaf, as a whole, was roughly 5 meter (500 cm) long.  The Little Owl, as it stands, is about 5 cm wide, and 14 cm tall.  

The imagination of an owl carved from a piece of a palm leaf took a couple of days. The actually carving took a couple of hours.  

#SChanPalmArt

Hill Road Flyover

Some people driving on the Mid-Levels, on Bonham Road near Pokfulam Road, want to get down to the waterfront in a hurry.  

They are 80 meters, around 260 feet up from the sea.  

They have to negotiate a maze of steep, narrow streets, sharp turns, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, J-walkers, double-decker buses, mini buses, taxis, private cars, lorries, cement trucks, …

The alternative is to fly over all of that.  

In between high rises. 

With roller coaster-like turns. But you get down to the sea in no time at all.  It is an amazing sight, from many different angles.  

Tribute to Bruder Klaus field church

A while ago I read about Bruder Klaus field church, in a field near Wachendorf, Germany.  It was commissioned by farmer in honour of the 15th century Swiss Saint Nicholas of Flue (also known as Brother Klaus), and designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.  

The church looks utterly unimpressive from the outside.  But the architecture inside is really unusual and very beautiful.  It reminds one of the art of M C Escher.

I decided to make my own model of the international structure, exposing it to the naked eye, without the concrete shell encasing it.  Using only coffee stirrers and copper wires.  

One enters through the small triangular entrance. Your eyes look up naturally as the ceiling gets higher and higher. The tear-shaped sanctuary comes into view gradually, as the hallway turns to the left. Then you realise the ceiling opens up in the form of an oculus, as your eyes look up to heaven.

Kadoorie Farm animals

Kadoorie Farm is a gem. They have been around for 70 years, making very valuable contributions to agriculture and conservation in Hong Kong. They are halfway between Tai Po and Yuen Long. From Kowloon, it takes some time to get there—and more time to explore. But it is time well spent.

A few days ago, my wife and I spent half a day there, mostly looking at the animals. Almost immediately after getting off the bus, we had an encounter with a very curious chameleon. It came to the glass to stare at us—or more precisely, at my camera/phone. It probably mistook the lens on my phone for the eyes of some animal and followed it around for quite some time, allowing us to study it in detail. We were fascinated by its two-toed hands, individually swiveling eyes, deliberately slow gait, and colorful costume. That was an encouraging start to the exploration.

The crested myna 八哥 stood very close to, and behind, the wire mesh, eyeing us suspiciously. But it didn’t move away for a long time. It seemed to do that for all visitors. What did it see in us?

The muntjac (barking deer) 赤麂 sat quietly. They are the only native deer in Hong Kong, rarely seen in the wild these days.

The flamingos were picturesque and so graceful-looking. Yet I could not help thinking about the reason why they don’t try to fly away: the big feathers on their wings are clipped.

Big turtles and the crocodile seemed to sit peacefully together. Why doesn’t the crocodile eat the turtles? Because it is fed sumptuously? Or perhaps the turtle’s shell is too hard to digest?

The yellow-crested cockatoo 小葵花鳳頭鸚鵡 was really fun. It would listen to you, say hello, and stick its claw out of the fence to try to grab anything that came close.

The eagles are majestic. The black-eared kite 麻鷹 is quite common in Hong Kong. We often see them cruising in circles near the tall high-rises, diving into the water for fish, and even standing on window ledges looking inside.

Then there was this curious masked palm civet 果子貍 which came to the wire mesh to stare at us. Perhaps it was trying to decide whether we were food? Perhaps it was studying us just as we studied it? What did it think of us?

The little catfish was not very interactive. But it is a native of Hong Kong, just as we are.

All in all, a very satisfying excursion. 

There is a lot more to the farm, but that is enough typing for now.

Contrasts and duels

Rectangles and triangles.  Straight lines and curves. Slants next to each, even in opposition.  

Ovals at right angles.  Shadows crossing each other. 

Encounters versus being alone.  

#SChanPalmArt