Visions of AsiaSeeing things differently.
The journal / Visions of Asia
After almost two stiffing years in Hong Kong, for the first time, as mass competition was allowed by the Hong Kong authorities, under the form of the Standard Chartered marathon. I knew that one of my goals was indeed running such a race, but I was not sure of my performance, as the past two […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down life for many, and obliged to a lot of lifestyle changes. In my case, it was sadly 2020 was a year where my training efforts went dramatically down compared to 2019. It was thus that the appearance of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and the resumption of some competition in […]
Since the start of the protests in Hong Kong, policemen have been seen on several occasions taking out their guns and in at least two occasions, shooting protesters. The actions which lead to impressive footage or action scenes must not lead us to forget that “context is king” when guns come out in Hong Kong. […]
As I returned to Japan, almost two years after my first trip, my priority for this solo trip was to connect with Japanese nature and tradition. I definitely wanted to do a hike in Japan, and the closest place to Tokyo to do so was Mount Takao. But if you follow this blog, you know […]
In the last couple of months before December, riot police in malls became so frequent, that you would be forgiven for thinking about them with the term “Mall Cops”. But when the new mall cops peppered the Festival Walk mall, with a generous dose of pepper spray and pepper balls, they set in motion a […]
One year ago, I reflected on the path completed after my starting barefoot running in 2017. As we are now in December, it is time to reflect once more on the progress since then. And one of the best indicators of progress is probably the fact that I was able to complete a half-marathon barefoot […]
It was a couple of weeks ago that we found ourselves in one of the most intense fights of the time between protesters and police in Hong Kong (where even Wanchai looked tame). For six to seven hours, I was literally in the war zone, between relentless assaults by protesters equipped with molotov cocktails and […]
The protests on 28 September 2019 promised to be a tough confrontation between police and protesters. Both parties knew it would be a “general rehearsal” for what would take place on October 1st, 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. And we were not disappointed, […]
Shatin has been a flashpoint several times already, especially after police carried out a brutal clearance in July. Once again, a protest in the New Town Plaza mall of Shatin became a ritual celebration, something which made me think of a “Rite of Autumn”. The feeling was truly that of revenge and liberation from Chinese […]
Friday 13 September, on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the peaceful and cheerful celebrations on several mountains of Hong Kong gave a glimmer of hope and peace. Within the same week-end, however, we moved from mid-autumn lanterns to days of fire in Hong Kong. In the case you would understandably lose track of the […]