Tense Commemoration of Leslie Cheung

Leslie Cheung died 19 years ago today, fans still remember

Today is the 19th anniversary of singer and actor Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's death. He was at the gym on the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, asked for a glass of fresh orange juice,  a piece of paper and pen.

He wrote a note that turned out to be a suicide message, went out on the balcony and then jumped to his death on April 1, 2003.

When news first broke of Cheung's suicide, people thought it was an April Fool's joke.

Previous memorials with lots of flowers, fans

But it was the cruel reality that one of Hong Kong's beloved artists died after battling depression and could not fight it anymore.

That day flowers were placed around the outside of the hotel and since then, every April 1 fans have paid tribute to Leslie 哥哥 or "older brother Leslie" by bringing bouquets or having florists deliver giant flower displays there with loving messages, saying they miss the singer, and that they still love him, some from Japan even.

The floral displays were quite amazing and heartening to see, that he has so many devoted fans after all these years. The hotel quietly allowed fans to commemorate the singer on this one day each year.

Last year what happened and the year before? I guess the gatherings were small because of the pandemic, but still happened?

This year no memorial, but lots of tension

However today the loving and nostalgic atmosphere of previous memorials had been completely sucked out of the area.

I went to check it out around 5pm and there were none of the large floral displays -- they had been removed earlier. Instead there were several people clutching their small bouquets and taking pictures of themselves holding the flowers in front of the hotel as proof they had paid tribute to their idol.

Some took pictures of several bouquets on the ground, and as soon as that was done, they scooped up the flowers and left. 

It took me a minute or two to realise there were undercover police there shooing people away.

One older male fan wearing a yellow mask got into a tense argument with one of the undercover cops, who was dressed in black, and dared him to speak louder and ordered people to move along and not to gather.

Fans lingered with flowers then left

The man complied, but not before saying, "hak ging" or "black police" and walked away. "Why can't we gather there," he muttered.

Yes, why can't we?

Has Cheung suddenly become forbidden to remember, like June 4?

Or if it's because of pandemic reasons, how about being more polite about it, letting people have their moment to pay tribute and then leave?

Restricting people's freedoms further just creates more tensions and resentment, not to mention further hatred of the authorities...

Post script: It turns out in the end fans were able to place flowers at the hotel later in the evening. They sang a song at 6.43pm, the time of his death and to avoid further trouble, they dispersed quickly into the night.

Foreign Ministry Overwhelmed by Flowers

Meng clutching a giant bouquet after landing in Shenzhen

 

With Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou given a hero's welcome back to China complete with red carpet, dozens of red roses, an army of drones creating messages in the sky, the highest skyscraper in Shenzhen illuminating messages too, and pretty much everyone excited that their "Huawei princess" was back home.

So the Chinese foreign ministry seemed surprised to be overwhelmed with dozens of bouquets for the businesswoman who was under house arrest for over 1,000 days in Vancouver. 

Foreign ministry says it is "a sea of flowers"

As the ministry thanked people for their flowers that were sent as expressions of national pride and gratitude to the government for securing her release, it asked that people stop sending anymore, as the ministry has become "a sea of flowers".

"We greatly appreciate your kindness. And we sincerely suggest that you stop sending flowers, although you are welcome to continue to leave messages," the ministry said.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday her colleagues were deeply touched by the gestures.

"These flowers represent the Chinese people's sincere support and affirmation of the [Communist] Party and the government's ability to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and enterprises, and reflect the hearts of the Chinese people," she said.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my friends who care about and support Meng Wanzhou and China's diplomacy."

Hua Chunying asks people to stop sending flowers

Right. Diplomacy. More like hostage diplomacy.

But a good way to soften the image is the flood of flowers at the ministry. 

Glad the florists are doing a roaring business these days in China...

Picture of the Day: Flowering Tree

There's a tree at Chater Garden that has fern-like leaves

 

I often pass by Chater Garden across from the Bank of China headquarters, and there is a lovely old tree there in the public space.

The red flowers are orchid-shaped

Its flowers are now blooming and they are a brilliant red with flowers that seem similar to orchids and have fern-like leaves.

So pretty!

Warning for HK Govt in Year of the Ox

Lau shows the prophecy he picked out with the fortune stick

 

The Year of the Ox has a cautious warning for Hong Kong authorities.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the ritual fortune stick is chosen at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin, and this year the interpretation is for the government to be more decisive.

Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, who chairs the powerful rural body, the Heung Yee Kuk, picked a "neutral" fortune stick, though he said it should serve as an alarm call for officials, referring to the year-long coronavirus pandemic.

Che Kung Temple is in Sha Tin

"Hong Kong is facing a big problem. The people suffer pain. It's hard to do business now and many people are left jobless. Every step of the government is important, particularly at this stage," said Lau, who is also a pro-Beijing lawmaker.

"If it is not decisive and moves a wrong step, then the problem will be big. The fire will grow bigger. So the prophecy asks the government to implement its policies in a decisive, precise and timely manner, otherwise the problem will be big."

The fortune stick is one of 96 in a bamboo cylinder, each stick is numbered and refers to an omen, with 35 good ones, 17 bad, and 44 neutral. To pick the fortune stick, you have to shake the bamboo cylinder at an angle until one stick falls out. If two or more fall out at the same time, then put the sticks back in and shake it again.

Each omen is written as a poem, and usually people ask a fortune teller to help them interpret what it means. Lau's stick was number 45. It roughly translates as:

"One must discuss with others before taking any action. Matters of the world are fraught and in vain.

Shake the bamboo container until a stick falls out

"The wood that piled up in one's storage is not burnt for nothing. The knowledge knows before a fire burns."

It goes on to say:

"Everything is not ideal, but the self should have peace and the family has some luck. Those who seek money cannot yield a great outcome."

If one looks at how the Hong Kong government has handled the pandemic, the omen seems to describe it well, as the authorities have done several U-turns on many policies in battling the virus, including the latest decision on allowing the Lunar New Year flower markets to open, when originally it said they would be cancelled.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has also been criticized for relying on a small circle of advisors instead of consulting more broadly. Perhaps one remembers the time when the government stopped allowing all meals in restaurants and had to reverse the decision in 48 hours after seeing people eating takeaway lunches in the rain?

The government u-turned on the flower market

Lau said: "The pandemic is just the same as fire. If it is not put off in a timely manner, it will spread so fast."

As the number of new infections was 12 today, but no closer to Lam's goal of zero, Lau said the government needed to do a better job in tackling imported cases and improving contact tracing.

When asked by reporters whether the prophecy suggested the Beijing-imposed national security law could not address the city's problems, Lau said: "The administration could not walk its talk on many occasions. I believe when making policies, the government should make them go forward, aside from thinking about them carefully."

Sounds ominous.

He gave the example of Hong Kong's housing and land shortages, saying it took two decades to develop an area.

Lester Shum was one of 50 arrested last month

Reporters also asked Lau whether Hong Kong authorities should refrain from prosecuting opposition figures, give that one interpretation of the prophecy suggested the importance of harmony.

"Politically, striving for harmony is always the best. People's grievances should be addressed. It can't always use tough measures. That can't solve the matter. Every society needs harmony and unity to go forward," he said.

Wonder if he meant to send that message to Beijing as well, after how it dealt with the social unrest in 2019 followed by over 10,000 arrests of protesters, and last month's arrest of 50 former lawmakers and pro-democracy activists for subversion in an alleged plot to "overthrow" the government...

Remembering June 4 Not Tolerated in HK

Lee Cheuk-yan (left) promotes June 4 in the alliance's stall

For the past 32 years, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Democratic Movements in China has had a stall at Victoria Park during the Lunar New Year market in Victoria Park. Even last year it was able to sell flowers and raise awareness about the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989.

But this year the stall was shut down before it could even begin doing any business.

Just after midnight Saturday morning, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department terminated the contract for the stall, saying they displayed banners irrelevant to the selling of flowers.

For the first time in 32 years the stall is shut down

The alliance had put up a banner that said: "Vindicate June 4, fight to the end".

The supposedly offensive banners were covered with a cloth, but were light up so they were still seen in the dark.

However, by around 8.30am the stall was cordoned off with metal barricades and tape, hours after the warning was given, and nothing was removed from the stall.

Alliance chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and secretary Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong refused to leave.

"Our flower stall has a history of 32 years, and we have never stopped expressing our demands," Lee said. "Our strategy is to express our demands through flower sales, hoping that the public will remember our existence."

The group has five "operational goals": the release of dissidents, vindication of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, accountability for the crackdown, the end to one-party rule in mainland China, and to build a democratic country.

Lee said he was saddened by the "suppression" as their stall could still operate last year even though they had posted messages such as "Garden of freedom". Yet the authorities could no longer accommodate a small flower stall expressing views this year, he said.

Stall was vacated after contract was terminated

Tsoi said it was unreasonable for the FEHD to shut them down without giving a proper explanation as to why they were shutting down the alliance's stall.

Unable to sell the flowers, the alliance said they would hand out the flowers to community workers so that the blooms would not go to waste. 

In response to the case, the FEHD spokesman said the fair was a venue for selling Lunar New Year flowers, and the agreement signed between the department and the alliance clearly stated that the stall could only be used to sell and promote flowers. 

The spokesman added the department would take appropriate action to implement the agreement when necessary.

So it is clear the red line was crossed this time with the alliance. This was probably its test to see how much the authorities was willing to withstand in terms of remembering June 4, and now there is zero tolerance.

Perhaps the alliance should have been more clever in its packaging of the flowers, perhaps inserting secret messages in them or just sold flowers.

Now we know talking or promoting the remembrance of June 4 is not allowed, pandemic or not, as part of the ongoing mainlandization of Hong Kong.

Government U-Turns on CNY Fairs

Flower markets will be open before Chinese New Year

 

Is the Hong Kong government really serious about fighting Covid-19? 

Today it flip-flopped on a decision to cancel the annual New Year fairs because of the pandemic and instead is now allowing to happen -- but at 50 percent capacity.

On January 8 the government announced the fairs would not go ahead, but then this evening -- at a 6.30pm press conference -- Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said they would go ahead in all 15 locations in the city, but with restrictions.

Chan says the fairs will operate at half capacity

There will only be half of the stalls operating and a lottery will be held to see who gets to have these stalls at no charge. Those who had applied for multiple stalls will only be able to have one. 

Interestingly there will be hi-tech crowd control measures in place. Director for food and environmental hygiene Vivian Lai said each fair will be split up into smaller areas and "infrared sensors will be installed at the entrance and exit of each individual enclosed area so that the number of persons could be computed, and if the capacity is exceeded, an alert will be disseminated to the public on site, on a dedicated web page, and through radio [and] television if needed."

A "traffic light" system will be implemented at the fairs to either allow, slow or stop people entering specific zones.

When an area is full, people will have to line up in waiting areas and be socially distanced.

Gone are the politically satirical stalls... for good

This plan sounds completely daft. First of all a large swathe of people won't even bother to attend because the stalls of political parties will not be allowed to operate and thus no sarcastic products will be on sale like last year. 

Second, does the government think people are going to check a website to make sure they can get into the fair? They are either going to go and try to wait patiently, or not go at all because of this bizarre system. Any hi-tech plan the government implements always fails. May I reference you to the January 1, 2020 lucky draw online? It crashed magnificently.

Finally Chan says all flower vendors -- no other vendors, like those selling drinks and snacks -- will be tested before the fair. 

She also encouraged people to download the "Leave Home Safe" app, the government's effort for people to do contact-tracing by scanning QR codes -- if they remember to.

Will this year's turnout be like last year?

When the government first announced the cancellation of the fairs, the flower farmers were in an uproar, saying they had prepared millions of dollars worth of flowers, particularly orchids to sell. 

The flip-flop is pathetic to say the least. We would all understand if it was cancelled because of the pandemic, but now the government is pandering to flower farmers. Will people really come out to the fairs with the chance of catching the coronavirus? The government's integrity has sunk even lower...

Remembering Raincoat Man

Over one thousand people left floral tributes to Leung tonight

If the Hong Kong government thinks after almost 9,000 arrests in the past year that the number of protesters has shrunk to only a small group of "rioters", then it is sorely mistaken.

This evening over a thousand people came to Pacific Place in Admiralty to remember Marco Leung Ling-kit, who was the first casualty of the extradition protests exactly a year ago, and to mourn the death of "one country, two systems".

They also mourned "one country, two systems"

From around 6pm onwards, mourners came clutching white flowers to place them at the exact spot where Leung, wearing a yellow raincoat, fell to his death while trying to hang a protest banner. And the people kept coming.

And coming.

And coming.

The line stretched all the way westwards along Queensway and around the corner up Cotton Tree Drive where the west entrance to Hong Kong Park is, about 1km. The floral tributes didn't stop until 11pm. Some people waited two hours in line to reach the floral shrine.

A female retiree in her 60s told one media outlet she was arrested last year for taking part in a protest last year.

The police had opposed to march organizer Civil Human Rights Front to hold a public gathering for Leung, and she said, "Whatever the government refuses to let us do, it is the right thing to do."

Most people wore black and a white ribbon, signifying their support for a strike to protest against the upcoming national security bill.

As expected the police were standing by in riot gear ready to attack, but all they did was warn the crowd about social distancing and advised them to disperse.

Inside the mall people sang Glory to Hong Kong

Also in the tributes was a sign that read: "RIP One country, two systems 1997-2020".

Inside Pacific Place protesters shouted slogans and sang the protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong while waving flags.

There were memorials also held in Tuen Mun and Tin Shui Wai.

The sheer numbers of people show they are still keen to defend Hong Kong's rights and freedoms from the impending national security law. But will the government recognize these people's views? More importantly will Beijing?

If the national security bill is of utmost importance for Hong Kong, how come residents, who will be most impacted by it are not consulted? Why is it being done in such a secretive manner? Why are Hong Kong officials and many businesses blindly supporting it without even knowing what is in this new law?

No one is defending Hong Kong except Hongkongers themselves. A year ago tomorrow, 2 million people came out to march against the extradition bill put forward by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

There are still a lot of people who love this city and feel betrayed by Beijing for reneging on the Joint Declaration, where it was promised there would be 50 years of no change until 2047.

The remembrance ended at 11pm at Pacific Place

So while Lam and her senior ministers may think they are winning the war against the protesters, they are completely underestimating the sheer anger and sadness Hongkongers have, and that these emotions being channeled through every anniversary this year.

Protesters will make sure the Hong Kong government or the world will not forget what happened in the past year.

Burmese Noodles in Old Macau

A bowl of Burmese rice noodles with fish balls in Macau's old district

When I met my Singapore friend who used to work in Macau, her husband's first order of business was to go to the Three Lamps District in old Macau. It's called "Three Lamps" because there's a roundabout with three lamp posts there.

On one side is a mini open wet market where you can buy flowers, get keys cut, or simple electronic gadgets fixed, and of course buy food. There's fresh produce like vegetables, homemade tofu and noodles, lemongrass and chillis, and also snacks like banh mi, and large chunks of char siu and roast goose ready to be taken home and eaten.

Soy chickens and quails for sale at this shop in the wet market

Directly opposite the wet market area and going up a few steps from the roundabout is Resturante Birmanes Nga Heong, a Burmese noodle shop.

There are apparently a few thousand Burmese living in the former Portuguese enclave and there are a handful of Burmese restaurants in Macau. Restaurante Birmanes Nga Heong is cheap, though the staff aren't very cheerful.

We got there just before the lunchtime rush and perused through the menu. My friend and her husband both got noodles marinated in a soy sauce and topped with shredded roast chicken and chopped scallions. They also ordered a dish of pork chop that came in a thin slice and cut up into strips.

Thin strips of pork chop that are slightly sweet

I ordered a spicy and sour noodle soup that has fish cakes in it, but I asked them to substitute them with fish balls instead.

Soon my order arrived piping hot and thank goodness not too spicy though it looks quite red! I enjoyed the sourness of the soup base, the rice noodles soaking in the flavour along with the springy fish balls.

We also ordered a plate of choi sum, the vegetables very tender and in season.

Despite us enjoying the meal, it was a bit of a challenge dealing with a waitress who was hardly patient with us. But really we came for the food.

The Burmese noodle shop at Three Lamps District

Apparently this place is also known for its creamy chicken curry and black soy bean milk.

Restaurante Birmanes Nga Heong
27F-GF Rua de Fernao Mendes Pinto R/C
Macau
(853) 2852 8129

Takashi Murakami Versus Himself

Murakami's caricature of himself vomiting with happy flowers behind him

Last week my colleagues and I had a chance to see the latest Takashi Murakami show being held at Tai Kwun Contemporary that runs until September 1 minus the hordes of crowds. I saw his show last year at the Vancouver Art Gallery called The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, and none of the pieces in there were in this exhibition in Hong Kong.

Entitled Murakami vs Murakami, this show gives another side of the artist that are on a more personal level, as well as site-specific pieces, sculptures, animation, costumes and even carpet! Visitors had to wear shoe covers in order to tour the exhibition as there are two rooms covered with Murakami carpet!

The curious The Birth of a Universe sculpture in gold

We were advised to go to the third floor then walk down and the first room had carpet covered in colourful skulls. In the middle of the large room is a giant gold leaf sculpture called The Birth Cry of a Universe after Murakami worked on it for 10 years.

It's several layers of creatures with nasty spiky teeth, collapsing on top of each other. Why one would make it in gold... is it meant to be ironic? Bling bling? Grotesque yet grand? We don't quite know what to make of it.

The next room is filled with mannequins all looking uniform in orange jumpsuits, and there are pieces from Murakami's own personal art collection. There are photographs of Larry Gagosian, prints of illustrations by Andy Warhol, some strange pieces of sushi that have images of women on them...

After walking down the spiral staircase we were immediately taken by the several costumes the Japanese artist designed -- with him as the mannequin in white complete with glasses, white beard and white hair. He is making fun of himself wearing them in various poses and they're hilarious.

Murakami being eaten by Mr DOB

He's dressed in a giant ball covered in his famous smiling flowers and he's even wearing a sunflower headdress complete with green leggings and even sneakers covered in his signature sunflowers. In another one he has a hot pink octopus on his head and a colourful suit with octopus arms on the blazer. Maybe Murakami should design his own line of clothing...

Even better he is being eaten by one his own creatures Mr DOB, actually Murakami's alter ego, or wearing what looks like a massive kimono but really it's a humungous polo shirt of his happy flowers, funky pants and giant slippers. His creativity really knows no bounds.

Another room features the superflat flowers. Murakami's theory of superflat refers to not only the perspectival flatness on the picture plane in Japanese art, but also the rejection of hierarchical divisions between high and low art, and of society itself.

This room is also covered in carpet featuring every possible shade of his flowers from red, green, blue and yellow that are all coded with numbers... it's really nerdy! There are giant sunflower cushions to sit on and watch a Murakami animation that is so absurd I burst out laughing when a creature that was terrorizing a city spewed out a giant piece of turd... thank goodness we couldn't smell it!

Cute (but expensive) flower cushions on the flower carpet

I also love the way Murakami is very willing to make fun of himself and the way he looks. There's a caricature of him vomiting some colourful stuff from his mouth, his eyes looking glazed. The walls were covered in the flower wallpaper and one of my colleagues thinks superfan Murakami collectors probably have the same wallpaper on their walls... how crazy is that?

The final room is a serene departure from the previous one, though it's completely covered in gold. In a way it harks back to Warhol's Silver Factory, but up several notches with the wow factor. There's a giant gold sculpture called Flower Parent and Child, a caricature of Murakami raising his right hand in salute with his dog Pom, the first creature with whom he could really express his love -- even though he is married...

Murakami vs Murakami is such a curious exhibition that reveals so many facets of the artist and his evolution of work. His mind must be going non-stop with so many ideas that he has to have a giant team of people to execute them all -- brilliantly too.

A gold sculpture of Murakami and dog Pom

He and Jeff Koons are the two artists who don't physically have a hand in every single piece of work they produce, and yet they claim them as their own. However it's no different from artists from other periods in history who relied on apprentices to help them too.

Nevertheless the size, scale and various mediums Murakami produces is staggering and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Murakami vs Murakami
June 1-September 1, 2019
Tai Kwun Contemporary
10 Hollywood Road
Central
www.taikwun.hk
Tai Kwun Contemporary

Visiting the Botanical Gardens at Berkeley

The poppy known as the fried egg flower at the botanical garden

Yesterday the temperatures in San Francisco were unusually hot and today was even hotter at 37 degrees Celsius! But we braved the heat and headed to the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley.

A poppy whose petals look like they are fiery red flames

Even though we were armed with large brim hats, we still had to try to find as many shady areas as possible to keep cool. As a result, we did a relatively quick tour of the place; if it wasn't so hot we'd probably be there for two hours. We ended up hanging around there for an hour and 40 minutes.

The garden features plants from around the world, and are grouped according to their origin: Asia, Australasia, California, Eastern North America, Mediterranean, Mexico/Central America, Deserts of the Americas, Southern Africa and South America.

We just wandered down the paths to explore the area though admittedly our direction was determined by where we found shady routes. Along the way we saw so many different kinds of flowers, succulents and cacti.

According to TCM, this plant is good for many ailments!

One of the first flowers we saw was a white poppy called fried egg flower because it has five large white petals and a yellow centre. Its actual name is the matilija poppy. Love the name. We also came across an unusual looking red poppy with petals that looked like flames, particularly in the heat!

At one point we came across the Chinese medicinal herb garden, where some plants that are used in traditional Chinese medicine or TCM are grown, or at least attempted to -- some herbs were wilting under the heat.

A plant we saw was called Chinese leek seeds or jiu(3) cai(4) zi(3), or allium tuberosum. It is apparently good for back and knee pain, incontinence and frequent urination... hmmm maybe I picked a bad example. We also observed that many of the herbs were good for treating impotence!

An aloe plant from South Africa that grows in a spiral

This being California, we saw lots of aloe plants, one of which grew in a spiral pattern that I had never seen before, and some cacti that were very tall! The taller the cacti the greater its ability to store water -- it is able to store as much as 90 percent of the plant's weight.

For example, a cactus about 7 metres tall and weighing 6 tons can capture and store as much as a metric ton of rainwater in one day. This can cause the ribbed stems to expand 30cm!

Meanwhile, on a hot day, the same 7-metre tall cactus can lose 0.24 litres or one cup of water. Interesting factoids!

A cactus called African milk barrel from South Africa

Across the street from the botanical garden is the California Mather Redwood Grove and Amphitheater. We got the special door code to go in and actually the area isn't that big but still nice to walk in a mini forest filled with redwood trees, also known as sequoia sempervirens.

These trees are the world's tallest ones, with some reaching 106 metres with a diameter of 7 metres, and can live over 2,000 years.

They grow best in the California and Oregon coasts where winter rains and condensation from summer fog provide the moisture they need.

Another interesting fact is that it takes two weeks for water to travel from the roots of a redwood tree two weeks to the tree top. The needles in the tree can also absorb water, and when there are fires, the redwood tree's bark can be as thick as 30cm to protect itself. Really fascinating!

Looking up at the super tall redwood trees

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
200 Centennial Drive
Berkeley, CA
94720-5045
(510) 643 2755
botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu

Munich's Museums

Beyond the Deutches Museum's planetarium is the Frauenkirche in Munich

Our last full day in Munich was a cold and rainy one... we took our hop on, hop off bus again just before 10am and got off at Deutches Museum, which focuses on science and technology with over 28,000 items.

A self-playing keyboard and drum!

the museum was founded in 1909 and is geared towards families and many had young kids. A random trivial fact is that for a time the museum was used to host rock and pop concerts for acts like The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John.

When we arrived there was a lineup, but went quickly and we decided to tackle the museum from the top down. The top floor is a planetarium, but it wasn't open yet, and it talked about all kinds of things related to space, from the sun to the constellations, how telescopes can see so far into space and how the black hole works, using a silver ball rolling around slowly into a spiral that spins very quickly at the end before disappearing into the hole.

On the same floor, the sixth floor, there is an outdoor area where you can see the museum has a tower that shows the barometer and hygrometer, which measure the humidity and water vapor in the atmosphere; the recording was a bit on the high side because it was rainy that day, which sadly made it difficult for us to take some nice scenic pictures of Munich.

The Wright brothers' plane

We also saw exhibitions on things like engines, a man demonstrating how to blow glass, the history of ceramics and how bricks are made in a factory. Another one that I found interesting was musical instruments, though it focused on keyboards.

There was a very small keyboard with black keys called a spinett and a clavichord, both about two-thirds the size of a piano. There was even those self-playing pianos -- one that included the drums too -- and they were pretty massive machines.

One Yamaha looked like today's upright pianos, but this one was different -- it can help musicians record music, as the movement of the hammers is scanned by an LED light barrier. The information is then stored in a MIDI file in the computer. When the music is played back, the signals are electronically converted, and the piano keys move hydraulically in the same way the pianist struck them. Wow.

A plane that was similar to what The Red Baron flew

I had heard of the hurdy-gurdy, but this was my first time actually seeing it. It was a giant box on wheels, but it's supposed to be a stringed instrument that makes sound when it is cranked by hand. The roller rotates and the bellows are then operated, this makes the pins of the roller open valves so that air flows to the corresponding pipes.

There was even a very old jukebox and not the ones we think of from the 1950s -- this one was from 1900 that was shown at the World Exhibition in Paris. Very neat.

Down on the first floor were flying machines including the one made by the Wright brothers in 1909, the first engine-driven plane. We also saw the Fokker Dr. I, the World War I fighter plane made famous by Manfred von Richthofen, or The Red Baron.

The Alte Pinakothek is only 1 euro on Sundays!

The airplane's wings only had a span of 7 metres, making it easier for the plane to fly tight turns. To be honest I don't know much about The Red Baron -- only from what I read from Snoopy comic strips! Nevertheless it was fun to see the plane in person.

We had a quick lunch in the cafeteria which offered decent food and after we finished we noticed there was a big line out the door for people to get food. When we left the museum, we saw a very long line that was almost a block long. Perhaps this was a way to spend a rainy Sunday.

Gorgeous flowers by Rachel Ruysch

After our dose of science and technology, we headed to Alte Pinakothek, an art museum that houses over 700 artworks from the 14th to 18th centuries. The museum was commissioned by King Ludwig I and built from 1826 to 1836 in a Neoclassical style. Originally the building was meant to hold the entire art collection of the House of Wittelsbach, and the king allowed the public to view the works, and it continues this tradition today.

It was still raining when we got there, and there was a giant lineup to buy admission tickets. We soon found out why -- on Sundays admission is only 1 euro!

The building is long and narrow and basically two floors. There are a lot of religious paintings with all kinds of themes from the nativity scene to the crucifixion, angels and depictions of heaven and hell.

I preferred the non-religious pieces, portraits of ordinary people, country scenes, and there's one of a bouquet of flowers by Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750). She was the daughter of Dutch botany professor Frederik Ruysch and she used his vast collection of animal skeletons and botany samples to practice her drawings.

Albrecht Durer's self portrait that is Christ-like

She was so good that at one point she taught her father and sister how to paint. At the age of 15, Ruysch apprenticed with a well known flower painter, Willem van Aeist, and he taught her among other things how to arrange flowers so that they looked more spontaneous. While she continued to work with him, Ruysch was already selling her own work at 18.

Ruysch would later go on to marry Amsterdam portrait painter Juriaen Pool and have 10 children! She continued to paint while married.

Another famous work we had to see was Albrecht Durer's Self-Portrait with Fur-Trimmed Robe, 1500.

He painted this when he was 28 years old and it is considered unusual because of its frontal angle and meticulous details. Durer based the style of this portrait on icons of Christ the Saviour, his hand raised in the sign of the blessing.

Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher

One fabulous piece of Rococo art has to be Francois Boucher's Madame de Pompadour, 1756. She was the official mistress of King Louis XV of France and here she is wearing an elaborate afternoon dress surrounded by books, sheets of music and drawings. We were mesmerized by the detail in the folds of the dress as well as the reflection in the back. Her proportions seem a bit off though -- she must have been extremely tall according to this painting and had very tiny feet! In any event a beautiful portrait that shows off the lifestyle of the aristocracy in that period.

Picture of the Day: Kim Chong Hak's Flowers

Beautiful fantasy bouquet of flowers from Korean artist Kim Chong Hak

Next week is art week in Hong Kong with the massive show Art Basel on at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

His paintings are vivid and childlike, inspired by nature

It'll be interesting to see if buyers are still enthusiastic about parking their money in art or are having second thoughts and bursting the bubble.

Aside from the speculation, I like to see what's out there, what artists are doing, what mediums they are using, and yes how some pieces are so absurd that you wonder if they were made to dupe unsuspecting buyers?

Nevertheless, the above painting caught my eye. Korean artist Kim Chong Hak is 82 years old and still painting vigorously.

He has an over 50-year career in painting and it seems like he's not stopping anytime soon, which is why he is nicknamed the "Korean Picasso".

This giant long canvas is covered in brilliantly-coloured flowers -- apparently that's his thing, using quick brushstrokes to capture the essence of the them.

Kim once wrote in 2000:

Kim, now 82,  working in his studio

I look at the flowers over and over again, imprinting them in my mind, and then I draw them looking only at the canvas. I like the ones I draw fast. It doesn't work very well when going too slow, thinking too much... When drawn fast, details are weeded out and only the essence of the object remains.

So fantastic to see an artist boldly making his mark in his 80s and I can only hope that I can be just as active if I ever get there...!