Fictional diary entry of 2007

I booked the first flight to Hong Kong, Kowloon was my target city |the second to last weekend of March 2007,

I said to myself; Try to live, to make some memories. In the future, all you're going to have left is memories, videos, pictures, text.

Make the effort, I said to myself. So I did, and I arrived at Kowloon by taking a taxi from the Hong Kong downtown area. The first weeks went by quite smoothly, a little boring at first when I was getting used to the feel of being in a new town. It sort of blended the capitalism of the West and the raw feeling of living in China, with whatever that brings to mind to my slightly more familiarized but utterly Western mind . The food, everything was pretty satisfactory, would you believe they had 7-11 stores in Hong Kong? It is kind of a staple there as well. Beats me, a foreigner that didn't even have that in his own country.

All joking aside though, the diary is not about me getting to know the special Asian flavors or anything detrimental like that. The thing is that I managed to convince Klaudia Rusek to hop on the plane the following week, joining me here at my shabby place. (I keep saying HK)

At first she was shy . We booked nearby rooms and she came to mine , I went to hers etc for about a week. Then as I got to know the area a little better, I used to take long walks after the sun had set, with my camera and take pictures of the deserted metropolis. She stayed at home smoking weed. (dOOKIE)

I love the roads when noone is around. I like seeing places that were once bustling with life, empty. I also love nature, old buildings and the juxtaposition of the two, especially when old vehicles have "returned" to nature . When a place that was to become a new block was scrapped instead,and only vines and old machines can be seen; that's wonderful.

I have this amalgam of pictures in my mind; Pictures of Asia, pictures of the sea-scape images of me walking along roads with my camera listening to Rei Harakami's music. Abandoned junkyards. Vehicles used for construction, now dumped into a field with two cans of beer and coke next to a carton of some Japanese company; left to the rain and the wind.

I have always harboured a desire to venture into Asia. Although never really thought about actively seeking out the means to do so until later on .

I didn't necessarily want it to be Japan that got my foot on for the first time. Japan, particularly its language being the first "real" experience I've had directly with Asia even if I don't particularly like their POP culture to be honest (Anime etc bores me with minor exceptions)

But the thought of just the different sights that the Asian continent held for me was something I kind of inherently had with me for years, subconsciously.

I think it may have a lot to do with the fact that it's just a whole lot different to what I've been experiencing for the better part of my life. Even a big escape plan if you will, a sort of childish behaviour on my part, a desire to leave everything behind and start anew. Whatever.

Places like Kowloon's outer areas fascinate me. I just love the flats there,

I love the narrow streets, just like Macau but at a lower scale.

The broad squares, the monuments that no Westerner has ever set eyes on; The places outside of the mainstream Western tourism. Picking a place on google earth and becoming infatuated with it. Venturing into an unknown country with really just your backpack and the album "wasuremono" a fitting title for a place in the world, forgotten by many.

This ain't art by the way.

It's just a projection of a feeling I have that makes Asia so alluring to me Sorta like falling for a city. I booked the highest room available and ordered a champagne. As I opened the window I heard the fanfare of the city, at 17:00 sharp. Reminding people to stop working. 

Klaudia had knocked on my door and the last rays of the sun reflected on the venetian blinds overlooking Victoria Peaks, and the cascading Metropolis with its post 80s architecture called for a mood that required smooth jazz.

Putting "Day's End' started what was going to be a very fun evening for both of us.

"Knock Knock!"

17:01

God, I love the morning breeze. Let's go to the national park today, I thought to myself.