in u2’s plaintive song, "beautiful day" they gently prod then push at listeners not to forget that no matter what state your personal world is in, it’s still a beautiful day out there.
beautiful day was one of the first songs to make it to my ipod and a classic for all times. right up there with 3 dog night’s "mama told me not to come". (nothing if not classy babe am i).
there’s a line i think of often from that song. the other day i was walking downhill from sebastian’s school down to central (and it is all downhill) and i saw a group of tourists taking the peak tram up to victoria peak. they were amazed watching the city unfold infront of them.
and then came the song…
it’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.
twisting in their seats fingers poised over their cameras waiting for the perfect shot. or maybe, sadly, letting it get away.
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
i stopped walking and smiled, seeing how overwhelmed they were by hong kong which alongside the peak tram is a kalaidascope of colours and attitudes. hong kong can do that do you. it was a crisp day with a hot yellow sun, hong kong was really showing itself off. i kept standing there watching them watching hong kong, i like seeing my city being admired.
two days later, it was me on a train, a different train, the kcr, as i headed to shenzhen, china to do a little last minute shopping and to check out the artists enclave i have heard so much about and wanted to see for so long. i was going with my friends barbara and odila and a few of their friends. as the faithful kcr chugged along (the kcr takes you to the new territories and then up to lo wu, from there you cross over into china), we were past the racecourse in sha tin, and the university, and it was marshy, green, with herons, cows, really a different feeling from the hong kong i know. and before we got to sheung shei station, i noticed that i could see the highrises of shenzhen.
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
i can see it.
i went to my tailor, got some pants made for charles and put in an order for a top made for myself. i have long arms and while that is beneficial for sports, it is a hassle when i am wearing sweaters because the sleeves are always so short and snaking above my wrists. i DISLIKE THAT INTENSELY. (nothing like a little reminder that my anal retentive tendencies are alive and well.)
then shopped around a little bit, and found a place that i sometimes have trouble tracking down that had ferragamo boots for sale. real ferragamo. so i bought a pair of brown boots that actually fit in with my lifestyle. check them out.
http://www.styledrops.com/shoes-83_5.html
they’re the terry ones. they look good with jeans or a long skirt. which is what i wore them with today. and i paid about $50 us for them. they are great.
then we left the mall, and in a taxi headed off to the artists enclave. the taxi driver got "lost" aka: let’s take these three women for the scenic ride but we got there in one piece (i had sms’d charles the taxi driver’s license plate and number just in case he kidnapped us). and the enclave was so peaceful, so unlike shenzhen which you associate with people grabbing you and saying, "missy missy, latest fashion come here and buy now, watches, purse, movies, gucci, prada" etc.
it was another buttery sunshine day and about one city block had every single building dedicated to art shops. it was amazing. local traffic only, so we cruised along happily, as did bicyles, children, birds and very contented cats. and the artwork was stunning. every medium, every form, incredible.
i found an artist i really like. i’ve been looking for some art to go behind our bed, but we have a sleigh bed so i have to be careful with the frame. and i think i found him. he is a very interesting fellow. i bought one of his original prints, not for behind the bed. we all bought something. and laughed.
it was starting to get dark, and we had to get home. i had forgotten that china, that shenzhen could be like this. there are "lazier" sections of hong kong, but this area was just wonderful. i might even get a sketch of the kids done at some point. anything is possible.
we said goodbye (with much hilarity) to the area, piled into a taxi and headed back to lo wu, and then zoomed back into hong kong.
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
it was a beautiful day.
