Digiart

                  A few years back, you wouldn't find me endorsing, much less doing digital art. A very dear art teacher of mine, Mr Venkat, back in 2002-3, had begun to venture into this realm. He passed away in Dec 2003, without ever realising his dream of producing a good body of digital art.

                     A few days back, late in the night, when I was browsing the Android market on my tablet, I happened to come across an application called Sketcher. Just out of curiosity, I downloaded it and tried my hand at some sketches.A couple of the brush types were quite surprisingly good. Here are a few of them. Though not very defined as the application lacks a point pen brush, once you get the hang of it, you can achieve a modicum of form and design.

The Inner Eye

The Fallen Tree

Enigmatic Smile

The Nest

Digital Ganesha!!

Quagmire

Dichotomy

This one's by my dear friend Ajit........will have to ask him what it depicts!

                  

Hong Kong-4

              One of the star attractions of Hong Kong , that virtually every tourist does and must visit is the Peak (Victoria's Peak) accessible through the Peak Tramway. The Tram picks up passengers from the Central District of Hong Kong, and then begins an exhilarating ascent that picks up in gradient, so much so , that one feels suspended almost vertically!

There's something about rail tracks that evokes such lovely nostalgia! The Peak tram here is a single car that can accommodate upto 95 passengers.

On the way up, which takes 7 mins, there are four stops but the tram does not stop at any of these. They are named as Barker Road, May Road, Macdon'l Road and Kennedy Road.

Once the tram reaches the summit, which is actually the peak of  Mt.Austin, a perceptible change in temperature can be felt. It was windy and cold and the fog laden peak was a delight to behold.

This pic was taken on our way up the steep slope.

The view from the Peak top was panoramic in scope. But it was a very grey day with a slight drizzle to add to the gusty wind.

This building here is the Peak Observatory, which offers an unparalleled view of Victoria harbour and the Kowloon Peninsula. It also houses the Madam Tussad's Wax Museum.

 The Wax Museum housed some of the most famous personalities on earth. Here are my favourites.

Madam Tussaud herself......

Hong Kong-3

          Well, now its time for the cherry on the cake. No points for guessing that I'm referring to the gorgeous, spectacularly beautiful Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong's jewel and pride and one on the most well known harbours in the world. A night view of the place can leave an indelible impression on anyone, and a day view is also breathtaking.

Victoria Harbour is a natural harbour between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. The harbour's deep sheltered waters and strategic location in the South China Sea were instrumental in its success as a trading centre.

 Two of the most famous sky scrapers on the skyline are the IFC, International Finance Centre, and the Bank of China.

Here's a look at Victoria Harbour ( pic from net) in all its resplendent glory and beauty.

                                                                            

Honk Kong-2

Day2:

  A good way to see Hong Kong would be to hop on a Big Bus Tour, which takes you around the city in an open top double decker bus. So with the wind on our faces, we set out to discover the old harbour region called Aberdeen and also a picturesque village named Stanley Village close to the famous Repulse Bay.

With a personalised running commentary on the various places in the journey, the Big Bus Tour was really good.

These pics were taken en route to Stanley Village. Some of the scenes were truely breathtaking as each bend in the road would reveal a different landscape with tiny islands dotting the South China Sea.

This is Stanley Village, a dreamy waterfront with a beautiful view of the South China Sea.

This is the famous Repulse Bay, so called because it was the den of ferocious pirates during the colonial days. The British Fleet drove them out in hoards, thereby " repulsing" them out of this natural crescent shaped beach.

It is also famous for another reason. The 1959 William Holden starrer, Love is a many Splendored Thing, was shot in Repulse Bay. The movie captured various facets of Hong Kong back in the colonial days and is also one of the most romantic movies of all time.

Then we were taken to Aberdeen, the old harbour that houses the typhoon shelters. We took a traditional Sampang ride along the stretch.

A famous landmark there is the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, with a traditional Chinese decor.

Its a great mix of old and modern. Private yatchs are docked alongside traditional fishermen's houseboats, and high rises provide a stunning backdrop to the old world beauty that is Aberdeen.





Also, take a look at this picture from the net showing a panoramic view of Aberdeen Harbour.