From the top, it sounds less clear than the view. The contour of buildings, antennas, foliages are precisely identifiable, and even their density does not seem to bring so much sense of confusion. Sounds are everywhere and yet nowhere. Where are the sounds? Are they at the location of my hearing, are they at the source? Are they in an in-between?
My view from the top is clearly a vantage point for only a certain type of perception. I can easily imagine a viewpoint indicator, naming all the different elements that constitute the landscape, a useful tool for the captain in Mérimé’s Columba: “The schooner was already within sight of Corsica. The captain pointed out the principal features of the coast, and, though all of these were absolutely unknown to Miss Lydia, she found a certain pleasure in hearing their names; nothing is more tiresome than an anonymous landscape.” I am lost in the sensation of this anonymous landscape. In a playful will to reclaim my land, the land where my feet are grounded, I run among the floors, naming and reading my immediate landscape, making it mine, being the sole captain of this abandoned ship, stranded in the middle of Hong Kong.

“701, 702, 703, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 614, 613, 612, 611, 610, 609, 608, 607, 606, 605, 604, 603, 602, 601, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 414, 413, 412, 411, 410, 409, 408, 407, 406, 405, 404, 403, 402, 401, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 214, 213, 212, 211,210, 209, 208, 207, 206, 205, 204, 203, 202, 201, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114”

“Block B six floor, moisture content, number one, number two, number three, number four, number five, number six, number seven, number eight, number nine…carbonation depth…hall one 1, hall number two, hall number three, hall number four, hall number five, hall number six, hall number seven, hall number eight, hall hole number 9 …”

“Building Ordinance Chapter 123, notice…danger…lift machinery…unauthorised access prohibited door to be kept locked…”

“no spitting”

“6th floor.. under a fire do not use the lift”

“notice…it has been brought to our attention that store room in…blank space…of Hollywood Road Police Married Quarter has been illegally occupied…it is an order to remove all private property inside the above store room before…blank space…store room clearance and change of lock will be carried out by this office, after the permitted date…and any articles found therein, will be treated as abandoned items, and disposed off accordingly without further notifications…Force Quartering Office…”

“There is a calendar page to block the window… the month are May and June 1999, the fifteen of June was a Thursday…”

“the first of the month was a Thursday…the second a Friday…the third a Saturday…the other pages are torn on the floor…”

[whispering] Sounds are leaking in my ship. I should close the window.

And I am up again, contemplating another world being built.

從上而下，聲音比景觀更模糊。建築物的輪廓，天線、樹葉正是精確的識別，甚至它們的密度，亦未有令人混淆。聲音到處都是，卻不知從何處傳出。聲音到底在哪裡？它他們在我聆聽的位置嗎? 它們是否在源頭？還是在兩者之間？

我俯瞰的位置，對某種感知特別有利。我可以很容易想像一個全景座標，為風景中所有元素命名，對普羅斯佩．梅里美(Prosper Mérimée)所寫的《高龍巴》 (Columba)中的船長來說，是實用的工具:「科西嘉島已己在帆船的視線範圍之內。船長指出海岸的主要特徵，雖然這些知識對莉迪雅小姐來說是毫無概念可言，只是當她聽到這些名字時會找到一些樂趣。沒有什麼比匿名的風景更惹人煩厭。」我在這匿名的風景中感覺迷失了。我抱著玩味的心情開拓我的土地，我腳下的土地，我在樓層間跑起來，命名和閱讀我眼前的景色，使它成為我的土地，成為中途滯留在香港的棄船上，唯一的船長。

“701, 702, 703, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 614, 613, 612, 611, 610, 609, 608, 607, 606, 605, 604, 603, 602, 601, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 414, 413, 412, 411, 410, 409, 408, 407, 406, 405, 404, 403, 402, 401, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 214, 213, 212, 211,210, 209, 208, 207, 206, 205, 204, 203, 202, 201, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114”

「低座六樓，濕度，一，二，三，四，五，六，七，八，九…… 碳化深度……一號大堂、二號大堂、三號大堂、四號大堂、五號大堂、六號大堂、七號大堂、八號大堂、九號大堂地洞……」

「大廈條例第123條……危險……升降機……未經授權，不准入內……」

「禁止吐痰」

「六樓……發生火警時切勿使用升降機」

「通告……我們的注意到……荷李活道已婚警察宿舍……空置的……儲物室……已被非法佔用的……須於所有私有財產移離上述儲物室……空置的……儲物室將被辦公室清空及換鎖….. 在限期屆滿後……所有發現的文章將被視為遺棄物品處理，恕不另行通知……部隊宿舍辦公室……」

那兒有月曆紙遮蓋窗口……月曆是一九九九年五月及六月……六月十五日是星期四」

「本月第一天是星期四……第二日是星期五……第三日是星期六…..其他紙頁散落一地……」

[低語]聲音正滲入我的船，我應該關上窗子。

而我再次起來，思考另一個已建立的世界。