Sheehan Quirke is expert in art, architecture, history, love, poetry, and literature.
He posted just one video on YouTube — and it’s already had over 4 million views.
It points out that modern architecture and urban design is much uglier & boring than in the past.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Hillier Smith named this his favourite YouTube video of 2025.
You’ve never heard of Taichung, but it’s the 2nd largest city in Taiwan (2.86 million+).
Home of Giant Bicycles.
AND Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the world’s largest semiconductor foundry.
It’s no magnet for tourists.
But I really enjoyed the National Museum of Natural Science. First class.
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is equally well presented, but I’m much less into art.
More interesting than both, for me, is this quirky candy / ice cream shop called Miyahara. A historic building transformed into a luxurious dessert and souvenir store with a Harry Potter-esque interior.
Though an urban sprawl, here and there are some interesting architectural treats.
Train station, for example.
SOME green space. Not as much as I would like.
There are some interesting attractions outside the city, but I found public transportation not nearly as convenient as in Taipei.
Overshadowed by the more famous, nearby Buddhist temple, Borobudur, as a tourist, I enjoyed the Hindu Prambanan temple complex just as much.
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor Wat.
With the main prasada tower soaring up to 47 metres high, a vast walled temple complex consists of 240 structures is today mostly in ruins. Only a few of those have been restored.
One big difference from Borobudur is that you can enter some of the temples here.
Very few tourists leave the main temple area. The rest I had almost to myself.
Somehow the jumble of original stone suits the confusing Hindu storylines of this vast site.
The temples were mysteriously abandoned near the half of the 10th century.
In 1918, the Dutch colonial government began the reconstruction of the compound; however, proper restoration only commenced in 1930.
I’m quite certain it will never be completely restored.
For 30 years I’ve been trying to get to Indonesia to see impressive Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
I’d rank Borobudur alongside the Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Bagan in Myanmar, Petra, and the Pyramids of Mexico & Central America.
Running out of time on my 30 day visa to the nation, I splurged on a 13 hour private guided tour which included this highlight.
My guide got me #1 in line to visit Borobudur! I finally finished 1st in something! 😀
If alone, I could have rushed up to the top like a winner.
HOWEVER, everyone is guided in groups here. My guide was excellent.
Everyone must wear gifted sandals. They seriously do not work for people with bunions.
The site has been vastly improved in recent years. There’s some lovely landscaping, including many lotus flowers, a symbol in Buddhism.
There are 2 kinds of tickets: structure and ground. The ground tickets only allow wandering outside the Temple. Structure ticket holders get to climb the temple. Numbers are limited each day.
Of course everyone is keen to get the tour over with so they can scramble for photos. Me included. 😀
Though much of the stone had been vandalized and looted over the decades, there are still many impressive carved stories.
Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth.
British Governor-general in the early 1800s was Stamford Raffles. He sent Hermann Cornelius, a Dutch engineer, to investigate a rumoured huge temple.
Today Borobudur is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.
Jodipan Colorful Village is often called by tourists the Rainbow Village.
This was a slum area in the city of Malang, Indonesia, ready to be demolished. All residents relocated.
However, a group of students from a university in Malang came up with the idea to give the area a fresh and remarkable splash of paint in the hope of attracting the attention of tourists.
In June 2016, the Air Force troops painted the entire village (named Jodipan), and directly after it became a major tourist attraction.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
It’s not easy to take a bad photo here. 😀
Look up. Way up.
This success inspired another Indonesian Rainbow Village ➙ Kampung Pelangi, Semarang.
Arema Blue Village was originally another slum right next door.
This area was painted April 2018.
It reminded me somewhat of the traditional blue city Chefchaouen in Morocco.
The Blue Village is not nearly as tourist ready. It’s mostly a neighbourhood painted blue in honour of the local football team.
Both are close to the train station and my hostel.
One of the most beautiful sights in nature.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
You know it when you see it?
Something that appeals to you artistically, I might consider garbage. And visa versa.
It’s subjective.
Certainly, anything I could easily recreate is NOT skillful. NOT art.
This is not art …
This is not art …
Voice of Fire by Barnett Newman.
It’s 2 cans of paint, 2 rollers, canvas, and less than an hour.
Almost everyone would agree that Van Gogh was an artistic genius.
Impressionism was an original step forward in generating emotion through art.
I’d argue that Warhol was another original step forward.
Picasso, another genius.
The artist friend I admire most is Mike Sissons. Great in many mediums including sculpture.
The artist to study in 2024 is a young guy from Mexico — Gawx.
He’s also the most skilled video editor on YouTube in my opinion. Something like Van Neistat, but even better.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rave On John Donne/Rave On Part Two is a 1983 song by Van Morrison.
THIS is poetry.
Click PLAY or listen to it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or listen to a LIVE version on YouTube.
Jungle is a British band closely associated with a dance troupe. Some of their videos, including this one, are one shot. Very cool.
Choreography by Shay Latukolan
Will West is the lead dancer.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Catchy tune.
But I post here for the brilliant choreography by Emma Scherer using that song.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
It’s a reimagining of Bob Fosse’s choreography from the Rich Man’s Frug in the musical Sweet Charity (1969).
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch the original video by Portugal. on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 