首先，我想借此说一下这番话。最近新闻播报台湾花莲这次地震的灾情，我觉得很心酸且难过。地震无情，天灾难避。在台湾，花莲是以大山阔水的景致，朴实善美的人文。这一次的地震却带来如此的浩劫，我期望花莲能早日步上正轨。台湾加油!

Before the start of my blog story on a place visited in Taiwan last December, i would like to first express my sympathy. I have learned with profound sadness over the earthquake in Hualien in Taiwan which has caused loss of lives and enormous devastation of properties. I encourage all of you to please dig deep and let's stand strong behind the people who need it the most and those who have given up the most to be there for others in their greatest time of need.

去年我在台北探访了芝柏山庄。三芝是北海岸著名的观光景点，沿途一整排各色各样充满异国风情咖啡馆林立，因此一到周末假日，总吸引络绎不绝的游客前来吹海风、喝咖啡，或是观海听浪、堆沙堡、戏水。。。但如果你来到三芝，只是享受蔚蓝海岸的怡人景致，那未免有些可惜，因为这里其实也是个丰富迷人的人文艺术城镇，能让人体验不同于一般所熟知的三芝风貌。

原本的芝柏山庄本是有钱人买来做为度假别墅的高级社区，因此除了家家户户都是独门独户，外加私人小庭院外，社区里还有游泳池、网球场、篮球场和溜冰场等设施，但后来面临金融风暴，有许多屋子因屋主无力偿还房屋贷款，因此而遭到法拍或是闲置，由于地处偏远、交通不便，一般人也不愿居住在此，但在艺术家的眼中，这里环境清幽、不受外界打扰，加上房价租金低廉，简直就是启发灵感、艺术创作的天堂，于是吸引了不少艺术创作者的进驻，并且在有心人士的共同经营与推动下，让这个曾经一度面临荒废的社区，重新换上新面貌，每一栋艺术家的住所兼工作室都非常具有特色，建筑本身就等于是一件他们的代表作，包括外观造型、用色、涂鸦和造景摆饰，都独具巧思与创意。如今一到周末假日，就有不少游客慕名前来造访，逐渐成为三芝另一处观光热点。

For me, travel and photography have always worked in perfect harmony. They go hand in hand. Capturing great moments and transforming what I’ve seen into something new and artistic while strolling through a new city with fresh eyes is a rewarding experience.
 
Hong Kong is famous for its distinct urban skyline, comprised of towering skyscrapers and futuristic office blocks – some of the tallest in the world. For this reason it's long been a favourite subject of artists and photographers, eager to capture the sprawling, bustling metropolis.
 
I develop a passion for photographing the striking architecture of Hong Kong a few years ago. I took these photos last year while on vacation. Being interested in architectural photography, I always see various attractive buildings in Hong Kong. ​Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas around the globe. Faced with this limitation and the impossible prospect to expand horizontally, builders are forced to look simply upward. Buildings, housing apartments and condominiums are stretching more into the skies as developers hurry to provide more living space.

其实很多人不知道，在繁忙的台北市中心，还有条植满老树及日式古宅的幽静巷弄，青田街。巷弄两旁老树成荫，遮住头上的阳光，也隔绝了外面的人车声，静的连踩到树叶的声音都很清楚，和外头喧嚣的和平东路仿如两个世界，走在里面，不知不觉就放慢了脚步。​​一栋栋日式老屋，静谧地坐落在巷弄绿荫之中，在茂密的雀榕、软枝黄蝉之间，个性店铺群聚，这是青田街，台北最富人文诗意的街道之一。经过数十年无心插柳，虽然不少日式建筑已被改成4、5层楼的公寓，但青田街依旧保留超过30栋日式老屋以及为数众多的老树，堪称水泥丛林中的绿廊，也自然散发多元的生活美学。

青田街一栋栋老屋如同时空胶囊般，保留住许许多多文人雅士的生命轨迹。

Taiwanese people are entirely accustomed to having residential and commercial spaces mixed together, as is evident in the presence of convenience stores at every street corner. Some streets in Taipei bear such historical vestiges that one forgets time. The verdantly shaded Qingtian Street for example, is still flanked by wooded dormitories built during the Japanese Ruling Era. 

Qingtian Street is where noise fades into tranquility, and leafy giants stand quietly before rustic wooden houses of the Japanese style. While time passes by, Qingtian Street still retains its elegant look in a gentle attitude. Not only you can feel the historical inheritance, but also feel its vitality. 

We always want the New Year to bring bigger and better things, and 2018 will be no different. Every year, we make resolutions. Every year most of us break them. But, it seems that keeping resolutions that are tied into things that you enjoy and appreciate, like travel, are much easier to keep as they’re achievable and you want to accomplish them.  Travel New Year resolutions are in fact fun, encouraging and exciting. Making minor changes and creating goals can help travel infatuated humans achieve and tick off the biggest bucket-lists to date and help set you up to do even more. How satisfied and stoked will you be?

​One ultimate list of travel tips for the budding adventurers is to stay in the moment. To me, that’s most important thing. Take your time and enjoy yourself. Travelling should be fun not hectic, so have a simple plan and stick to it. While you can sightsee all seven wonders of the world in a month, you can’t really experience their majesty if you are on a plane every four days. Find a place where you can truly enjoy yourself and stay there for a time. Look up information about the place you are in and learn something new, even if no one cares but you, it will be worth the effort. A month in a single country is better than running across an entire continent.

Last but not least, i always remind myself to be happy always. Happy travels in 2018 :)

I know Taipei is not well-known for being at the top of many Asians’ travel bucket lists. I haven’t visited Taiwan since the last in 2013. But after almost two weeks affair with Taipei, I really love Taipei. So what made Taipei special to me? It’s just a feeling that I get; a feeling of knowing a place even though I’ve only been there for a while; a feeling of belonging somewhere. I collect such places, as someday I’ll settle down and I’ll do it in a place that I feel like I belong to.
​
I stumbled upon a sort of street art park, the gray skies making the colorful murals pop. I knew then that Taipei and I were going to get along just fine. It reminded me of Tokyo, where as a foreigner you feel like a fly on the wall even when you're in the middle of the action. You overwhelm your senses trying in vane to absorb your surroundings. I remember thinking, "I should move here to live and work" with so little trepidation that it scared me.

这次的台湾行，其实是应该称作台北之旅，我在台北逗留了差不多两个星期。所有的目的地似乎都埋伏着一场回归。一次又一次向别人提起台湾的种种，一次又一次给别人写台北的旅行攻略。这是我的第四次台北之行。在四年后重返这座温情脉脉的城市，那些最初抵达的地方依旧朴素迷人，可那些日子的记忆如何寻找呢。我已经改变了。重新去和台北相认，交谈，惺惺相惜，重新触碰那些令人心意荡漾的行走线路，重新喜欢上一个城市，唤醒爱意，这就是旅行赋予我的，最奇妙的意义。走在台北再繁华的街道，可能会突然发现一幢古旧建筑，一侧是朴实的小巷，一辆鲜黄的机车正不紧不慢朝你的张望中开过来。

台北是这样，它具备一个城市令人心动的所有理由。

哈咯大家！我现在身在台湾旅游，已迫不及待地​真的要告诉大家，台湾的合欢山真美，高山真美。
我很少这样说，但是让我告诉大家一下，14甲公路是台湾最美的公路。大家有机会一定要上山，慢慢开车、散步或是挑个步道来走，能感受这条路的美。

​我漫游合欢山区，到处充满著昔日的足迹回忆。周遭是熟悉的山影，不过在变幻云彩的掩映下，呈现出不同的风情。无限的高山美景依然令人陶醉。伫立高山上，蓦然旧事上心来，此情此景最是令人怀念往事。远山一望，晴空蔚蓝，极目天涯浮白。我欣赏著高岭上朵朵白云漂浮，当看到那飘逸的白云，有种寄语白云的心境。

I write about my travels all the time. When I write for this site I delve into my discoveries, feelings and learnings. For most, a journal is the place to hold both kinds of memories. You’ll want the details of what you did and where but at the end of a trip, it’s also nice to have a journal rich with the meaning of your travels. I found the journey to Mt Hehuan in Taiwan soul inspiring. Mountain climbing is something you have to experience for yourself, and once you have, it’s unforgettable.

Mt Hehuan means mountain of harmonious joy in Chinese. And you will totally experience this joy when you reach the top. When I was there, the weather was surprising good albeit windy. The sky was vibrantly blue, forming a stark contrast with the passing white clouds. At the top, the actual scenery is far more beautiful than a photo can depict. One should really should pay a visit to witness and enjoy the spectacular view and feel the sense of joy.

A few months ago, when i learnt that i had to fly to Tokyo in early December on a work trip, i was extremely excited. I've just returned to Singapore recently after spending a few days in Tokyo. After a full day of presentations, I thought it might be a good idea to head out into the hustle and bustle of the city to wake myself up and brush away the cobwebs. 

Almost exactly two years ago, I headed off to Yoyogi Park to look at the golden ginkgo leaves, I was unable to forget their beauty. Since then, I made a mental note to myself that I would always visit the place when the leaves were turning. So I decided to go to Yoyogi Park again this time round. To my consternation, the sky was already turning dark at 5pm. Nonetheless, the golden ginkgo leaves were still there. One of its highlights at ​the Yoyogi Park is seeing trees change color and be filled with “momijis” (red maple leaves). What is unique in Yoyogi is the ginko forest that turn into a breathtaking golden shade in autumn. From mid November to mid December is the perfect period to enjoy the unique colorful leaves. The main entrance of Yoyogi Park is located only 5 minutes walk from JR Harajuku Station.

Are Sapporo Snow Festival and snow activities like skiing and snowboarding the only winter highlights of Hokkaido? No, not at all. I will count in “Shiroi Koibito Park”. It is less known but a must-see sightseeing spot with fantastic illumination. Shiroi Koibito Park (White Lovers Park) is a theme park by Ishiya, a local chocolate company. The company's flagship product is the Shiroi Koibito cookie, two thin butter cookies with white chocolate in between, a mandatory item on the souvenir shopping list of most visitors to Hokkaido. 

I love chocolate factories. When I was a kid, I used to read Roald Dahl’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. I also visited a local chocolate factory as part of a school field trip and I remember warm sweet smell of chocolates and us peeking into giant vats of chocolates, just like in the movie.

Of course, I didn't miss a chance to visit one in Hokkaido last year Christmas. Shiroi Koibito Park is a cool place to visit, not your usual factory space as it has a big park outdoors that feature some miniature gardens, houses, bridges, a clock tower, and interesting decors where kids and adults alike can discover. There is even a show of mechanical dolls as well as a working miniature train that runs every hour. The main building is tudor-style and tucked deep inside, you'll find a store, a cafe, a gallery, and the chocolate assembly line where you can only look from above. If you wish, you can opt to try your hand at making your own cookies. 

我很喜欢吃北海道知名饼干“白色恋人”，没想到在北海道首府札幌居然真的有一个主题乐园，Shiroi Koibito Park。去年圣诞节，我探秘北海道白色恋人巧克力工厂。工厂并不像我初想想像的常规工厂那样，反而像个美丽的童话世界，古色古香的连体英式城堡、掩映在绿树花丛间的小桥、定时的钟楼表演、会转动跳舞的“厨师”、美妙的八音盒音乐，似乎一下子把我带回童年虚无的幻境中。白色恋人巧克力，是北海道一种着名的巧克力，其背后有一个美丽的传说，代表纯洁的爱。

“白色恋人”名字的来历听起来浪漫异常：“一位制饼师傅在冬天时分制作出了一款香甜可口的饼干，一日，这位制饼师傅看见一对手挽手的恋人一起跨过皑皑雪地，这温馨的场面感动了制饼师傅，从此这种美味的饼干就有了一个美丽的名字：白色恋人。”

Given Hong Kong’s surging home prices, public housing flats are increasingly sought after by residents whether or not they are genuinely needy. But how many of us know how the public housing concept works, let alone its history?  

​The 60-year-old Mei Ho House in Hong Kong stands out in the aging district of Shek Kip Mei with its bright orange exterior that is easily discernible from afar. As the only building left in a defunct housing block that once resettled thousands of squatters made homeless by a fire in 1953, it is an important relic of Hong Kong’s early public planning. Mei Ho House marked the beginning of Hong Kong’s public housing policies, making it an ideal site for setting up a museum focusing on the history of the local community and the evolution of public housing and folk life.

The estate underwent another major facelift in 2000, except Mei Ho House or Block 41 which was preserved for historical reasons. It is listed as a Grade II historic building and has been used as a youth hostel and heritage museum. Hong Kong movie director John Woo was one of Mei Ho House’s former residents and he made his first film at age 26, when he was still living in the housing block. A touching essay about the estate by Woo is now displayed at the museum.

在香港，很多人都是“屋邨仔”（在公共房屋长大的人）。要找现代香港的起点，鸦片战争好像太遥远，而九七回归却太接近，我认为1953年12月发生的石硖美大火是一个合适的起点。就在当年这个不平安的平安夜石硖美木屋区发生了大火，火灾导致50,000多名灾民无家可归，迫使当年港英政府不得不问始制定公共房屋政策，兴建公屋让数以万计的灾民和往后的低下阶层入住，让他们得以在香港安居和扎根，做就香港六十年代开始的经济起飞。现在，您也可以走进、甚至住进香港昔日的公共房屋，体验这种地道的草根生活。位于石硤尾的美荷楼生活馆就是一所记录了当年居民生活的博物馆。

美荷楼在1954年落成，属于当年灾后建成的石硖尾徙置区，也即是香港第一个公共房屋。2013年美荷楼终于完成改建，由青年旅舍协会负责营运，大部份单位将以宾馆形式出租成予旅客，有两层则成为了生活馆，其目的是通过文物收藏和保存、研究、教育及展览1950年代起香港的社区发展、生活环境变化和人文面貌，推动香港的物质及非物质文化遗产、传统及人文精神的保育和传承。​感觉这里就是香港市民的一个缩影，把因为在这里可以体会到香港生活的一个很直接的体验。不说不知道，香港大导演吴宇森小时候也住在这个区。

My photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on the former residence of Soong Chingling in Shanghai and The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, a.k.a Wan Qing Yuan in Singapore《走访孙中山夫妇上海与狮城故居》is published in today's LianheZaobao 联合早报缤纷版 dated 23 November 2017! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :)

The old Shek Kip Mei neighbourhood may not be an obvious tourist hotspot in Hong Kong but the eclectic Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC) building alone warrants it a visit. The former 9-storey factory estate was built in 1970s. It has been successfully transformed into a community arts centre and turned the building into studio for artists and designers to pursue their creative work. It made a good use of the decommissioned factory building as an arts and cultural hub for the community. In addition to studio space for artists and art groups, the Centre features a black-box theatre, art galleries and communal studios/workshops for resident artists and the community to use.

The inauguration of JCCAC surely is a good start to nurture the local upcoming artists and to introduce arts to the public; it is also a milestone of developing the art and design industry in Hong Kong. I give it a 5/5 because I think this place deserves to be more visited, especially if you're into art. It's a building full of little ateliers / exhibition spaces for local artists. I found it very interesting to see the corridors, as there were interesting art pieces here and there. 

前阵子打算开始一个新的系列，叫作香港巡礼，趁著这次香港旅行的规划是艺术之旅，就去一些比较特别的香港地方拍照。我渐渐明白香港最重要的风景不在高楼而在寻常巷弄之间。我就来到石硖尾区，参观赛马会创意艺术中心 (JCCAC)。JCCAC是一个致力推动香港创意艺术发展的崭新艺术项目。

到赛马会创意艺术中心，是一趟时空交错之旅，让您回味香港传统手作工艺历史的同时，也见证了当代艺术的发展。这幢由“山寨厂”（指香港上世纪六、七十年代家庭式轻工业工厂）石硖尾工厂大厦改建而成的艺术村。其实香港有不少工厂大厦可以好好利用。就例如赛马会创意艺术中心的前身是一所工厂大厦，后来改建而成创意艺术中心的。内里除了有不同艺术家的工作室外，也有不同时段不同主题的艺术展览，是都市人可以忙里偷闲欣赏艺术品及轻松一下的好地方。

My photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Shanghai's creative hip place Tian Zi Fang & SG's Haji Lane《创意老街一座城市的记忆, 新加坡与上海创意文区哈芝巷与田子坊》is published in today's LianheZaobao 联合早报缤纷版 dated 2 November 2017! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :)

When it comes to the street art scene, Hong Kong is not a name that is usually among the most talked about. In the ensuing years, mural art has ballooned in Hong Kong amid a growing scene with local and international artists and increasingly favourable attitudes towards art in the public, by the public. Murals spread across Hong Kong, with diverging degrees of style, quality and message.

2013 saw the launch of HKWalls, a street art festival that has helped ferment discussion about public art spaces in the city. The following year saw the Occupy movement and its accompanying flurry of creative expression in public spaces. The protests turned out to be a rife platform for the creation of street art, with students, activists and citizens leaving their marks on the city’s concrete and turning the streets into extraordinary art installations. Their visual messages and rebellions were catapulted into the world’s consciousness via the international media reporting on the protests. I always remind people to look up in Hong Kong. If we only pay attention to the street level, we’ll miss so many wonderful things. Here take a look at some of the pieces that brightening up Hong Kong walls.

外国街头艺术十分流行，到处都有街头艺术家的杰作，走在街上都觉得充满住艺术气息。台湾、韩国等国家有很多广为人知的壁画村，有彩绘墙壁做背景，怎样拍都能照出一张漂亮的相片，走到哪儿都想按下快门，即使手软也停不下来，把一切透过镜头保存下来。想一想都让人心动，立刻飞到国外沉醉于那美丽的世界。

其实香港人不用羡慕，因为这股壁画风气早已在香港街头渐渐萌芽。有没有发现，最近一两年在香港上环出现了很多街头涂鸦壁画？原来这一切都是来自一个很有意义的涂鸦艺术节。这个由香港艺术团体HKWalls主办的涂鸦艺术节已经连续举办两年，在太平山街跟荷里活道附近留下来了不少涂鸦作品。很多人趁著假日来找找看隐藏在四周的壁画，显然已经成为上环一个小小的私房景点。这些壁画大多在大厦的侧门和后门之处，本来是单调乏味、最没人注意的场所，成为了艺术家天马行空的创意天地。这些壁画需要人用心发现，转角偶然遇上的惊喜，更显独特。