Dear Vicky: The Nocturnal Central

Hello, everyone! I hope your weekend went well!

It’s February, and 2026 is not off to a good start. I was shocked when I saw the news of Catherine O’Hara’s passing. The world has lost another comedic genius. I’ve been playing Schitt’s Creek in the background when I cook or minding chores around the house. And her Moira Rose is comedy in its perfect form, the mannerism, the delivery and timing of every line. What a loss!

I had a movie weekend. My wife generously took care of the tyrannical George while I watched two movies in cinema: Sorcerer from 1977 and Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless. Boy, oh boy, aren’t they different movies! I only heard of Sorcerer from the Criterion Closet, and I couldn’t find it anywhere online. It just so happens that one of the cinemas I go to frequently is showing the 4K restored version of the film. I went and watched it on Saturday. It’d be an insane production with today’s CGI. I have no idea how it was made in the 70s. The cinematography and sound design are beautiful. Apparently, when the film came out, it flopped, which is kind of sad.

Then on Sunday, the Irish Film Institute started its Godard season, of which Breathless was the first screening out of 24 titles spanning two months. I am catching up on the Nouvelle Vague, slowly. The film was fantastic: stylish, funny, and dark. Paris looks pretty darn good in black and white.

And, that’s today’s rambling.

I am having a hard time trying to sort my Hong Kong photos into categories so that they are 1) presentable in Substack formats, and 2) not like a bombardment waiting in your inbox. I cannot do it. So I am taking the easy way out. I will go through them roll by roll, and maybe separate the daytime shots from the night ones. Here’s a a roll of the new-ish Kodacolor 200 I shot during a night outing around Centra, specifically near Lan Kwai Fong, the bar area in Central, or what I’d like to call the biggest beer vomit in the world. I’m sure you’ve guessed it: I’m a big fan.

This was a part of my effort to shoot as many neon lights as I could. And of course, I wasn’t able to stick to just neons. So prepare for random photos.

Trams and passengers.

Yung Lee Restaurant and a red taxi.

An unsettling cat statue and some reflections.

Wyndham Street sign outside the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. If you read Chinese, you know the Chinese name 雲咸街 is written from right to left, which means this was an old sign.

A fish ball stall in the centre of LKF. And the 雲咸街 here is written from left to right.

Busy. And the restaurant Ho Lan Jeng is a wordplay. It sounds like the Cantonese for damn good.

A Wagyu restaurant.

A bar sign.

Franks, open late.

Back alley.

The Pontiac Bar.

Phone checker.

This took me back to 2019.

Whisky, crab, and lady.

Party without a biker.

Lanterns and table.

He who’s not even trying.

Another shot of the old Lin Heung Teahouse.

An outdoor Dai Pai Dong in Central. It’s been there for 50 years at least. Good food.

Inside the Central Station

Waiting for the bus home.

That’s it for today! Thank you for visiting my little corner and tolerating my ramblings. I hope you’ll have a good week ahead. Take care!