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.
1. Love the boots - Ferragamo for 50.00? That hurts to read.
2. I adore your posts that tell about what you see around you, and when you include favorite music, well you know I love that most of all!
It's a beautiful day most anywhere, if you can take the time to notice it - how cool that your view happens to include China, as U2 penned.
xoxo
Posted by: Boulder | December 21, 2006 at 06:04 PM
Wonderful post! Shopping trips with friends are so much fun & your descriptions of both Hong Kong & Shenzhen make me want to see your part of the world even more.
Posted by: elaine | December 22, 2006 at 12:43 AM
Tess--What a great post! I love the u2 song too, love u2 in general and love that you really can see China in front of you. And can I say how intensely jealous I am of your ferragamo boot purchase?
Posted by: Polly | December 22, 2006 at 02:02 AM
Wait a minute - it says $621.
Sounds like you can have all kinds of fun while C is away.
Posted by: joeinvegas | December 22, 2006 at 11:13 AM
Aw, what a neat post.
I'm heading off for vacation, hope you, MC and the kiddies all have a very merry christmas. thank you especially to you and mc for being my angeles and guiding me. : )
Posted by: Maggs | December 22, 2006 at 10:41 PM
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I hope you have a healthy and happy holiday!
Posted by: kate | December 25, 2006 at 02:36 AM
Hope your family Christmas was also a beautiful day. Wishing you all the peace, hope, love and joy of the Christmas season.
Posted by: SheilaC | December 26, 2006 at 02:17 PM