Too Much World Cup

Wow, this guy takes his hatred for smoking (or his girlfriend's smoking) to another level. Complaining is one thing, but having a near death experience is another.

While watching World Cup elimination match, Sweden vs. Ukraine, this guy gets into an argument over his girlfriend's non-stop smoking. She gets pissed and locks herself in her room. He proceeds to climb out of the kitchen window onto a rickety laundry rack; risking death to continue their argument. Long story short: police arrive, everyone lives.

Perhaps the girlfriend needed all that tobacco tar because she was nervous watching the game. The guy was probably too tense after watching the game, which prompted him to induce a near death experience. Either way, please watch the World Cup with caution. Here's what to do for the remaining matches:

If you are...

• German - Your country is filthy rich from hosting the Cup. Klose is amazing, your chances are great. Relax and enjoy the game.
• Argentinean - your team is young and brilliant. If you lose this time, you'll most definitely have next time. Relax and enjoy the game.
• Italian - Okay, your team hasn't won in quite some time being the powerhouse that you are, but you're playing Ukraine next, with a great chance to exact revenge on Brazil for your '92 defeat. Relax and enjoy the game until then.
• Ukrainian - Well, looks like your World Cup chances aren't super great considering your lack luster performance against Sweden. Not much pressure here, just relax and enjoy the game.
• English - Well... you've waited 40 years already. What's another 40? Red Sox fans waited 86 years, surely you can wait 80. Better relax and enjoy the game.
• Portuguese - Think you can eventually get past Brazil? This ain't no Nike commercial. Just relax and enjoy the game.
• Brazilian - Tons of talent, your team is on a groove, and everyone is on your bandwagon! If you don't relax and enjoy the game, perhaps there's something wrong with you!
• French - You should still be high from winning and hosting the Cup eight years ago. Henry is lazy, and Zidane is running on fumes. Be happy, relax, and enjoy the game.
• Asian - You belong to none of elite eight countries. You have no reason to be passionate, unless you have money on these games. Gambling is bad, so just relax and enjoy the game.

Clutch Veterans Perform

It is elmination time in the World Cup tournament. Do or die, now or never. The young and inexperienced Spain has fallen to France. Netherlands unexpectedly loses to Figo's Portugese team. The pressure has increased as World Cup veterans show their stuff when it matters most.

David Beckham
Say what you will of Mr. Prettyman, but that free kick goal against Ecuador was nothing but awesomeness. Number seven is often criticized for umm... pretty much everything! However, it is difficult to deny how good he is with stationary kicks. When a guy is that good at what he does, I don't see how he can deserve criticism.

Zinadine Zidane
Crappy since 98? Difficult to convince someone of that after last night's body contorting header. Lets see what Zidane's got left for Brazil.


Ronaldo
Overweight? Hot wife? Save that kind of gossip for Maradonna, because this ex-Mr. Football is not done yet. Crossover against the goalie is a classic Ronaldo move.

我們的祖國... 唉 Part II

As mentioned before, China's growth is rapid, but they do run into snags now and then. Fraud and corruption are two major issues that drive away investors, and may be the ceiling to China's growth.

When is China going to realize that in order to become a major economic power, they need to be running a clean ship? Again, the government sees and recognizes this problem, but not enough is being done. China is growing fast. Authorities are too slow in employing standards to curb the trouble that comes with rapid growth.

A reader left a comment mentioning that perhaps communism suits China best, and that they are not ready for capitalism/democracy. I see where this is coming from, but I disagree. Communism is like a whole bunch of people standing in a very straight line. Anyone who steps out of line is removed from the picture. That is what China looks like right now. They act like robots: sure, they can make sound decisions, but they are inflexible. There is no opposition to keep the current authorities in check.

Being the only communist nation left in the world, China probably feels like they are being rejected by the rest of the world. Rejection can lead to stubbornness. Perhaps China is slow to change in reaction to the pressure imposed on them by the rest of the world. At the same time, there is no one within China to suggest they do otherwise. Besides, if the economy is booming, and people are getting rich, what's the point in doing the extra work? I'm guessing that some Chinese officials think like this.

So how can communism be defeated? It will take either a revolution, or an economic meltdown to initiate change. As we have seen in the past, even a large scale protest will not affect China's politics. It doesn't look like China will face any economic woes in the near future either. What a daunting task.

World Cup Disappointment

I have been waiting eight years for the 2006 World Cup! Okay, maybe not that long. I've been waiting eight months for the 2006 World cup! Why? Because I would finally get to watch it in Hong Kong at semi-regular hours, and everything would just be non-stop World Cup. The booze would flow, sleep at 5, wake up at noon. That's right folks, World Cup: 晚九朝五!

Turns out I had it all wrong.

The first round group matches end after tonight. So far, I've only watched a whopping four live matches. A huge disappointment. I can attribute this to a few reasons:

The group matches and final 16 matches have been bought up by Cable TV, which I have no access to. Like many other Hong Kongers, I'm forced to watch it from a location other than my home such as bars (everywhere has a cover, and rightfully so I suppose), malls, or public outdoor screens.

Unlike the good old days of 1998, I now I have to work. I really cannot afford to sleep at 5 every morning and expect myself to wake up at 7. I end up watching highlights of the previous night's matches on the local channel.

I'm just not excited anymore. There are so many matches I wanted to watch, but could not. I know the players, but I'm not particularly attached to any of the teams. For me, the World Cup has lost the glamour of yesteryear.

Hong Kong ranks 25th in courtesy poll

A Reader's Digest "courtesy test" shows that Hong Kong is ranked 25th in terms of courtesy. This news was all over the local papers, and many were shocked to discover that Hong Kong was so low in the rankings. Reactions from street interviews and the media felt that Hong Kong people were pretty polite, and the low ranking was not warranted.

I am not the least bit surprised with Hong Kong's low ranking. Hong Kong people are simply not that polite when compared to modern western civilizations. Those who think Hong Kong is polite enough probably have not experienced much foreign courtesy, or they just have low expectations.

Okay yes, on rare occasions I may experience acts of courtesy. However, most of the time I see of lot of cutting in line, fighting for space, and plenty of selfishness. Even courtesy comes with a price. When I do receive aid from a stranger, they sometimes give me this look like I owe them something, or that they are reluctant to help me out. I'm not sure which is better: helping with resentment, or not helping at all.

Courtesy must come from the heart. I hear way too many "lazy thank you"s from salespeople or restaurant employees. Sometimes an act of kindness isn't met with thanks. In Hong Kong, helping people might not reward you with gratitude. Instead you may receive a look of suspicion. Our culture has trained people to be suspicious of things that come without a price, and I suppose a helping hand is one of those things.

I'm pretty used to the rudeness that embodies Hong Kong, and it is sad.

New gym character: Unenthusiastic Fit Guy

That's right boys and girls, a new gym character has arrived!

This guy is not new to the gym. I've seen him around for quite some time already. Recently, I only see him when he's with his trainer. Unenthusiastically Fit Guy is quite fit, as his name states. What I've noticed is that his attitude is pretty lethargic when he's with his trainer. The scene is quite amusing.

The whole time UFG's trainer is trying to pump him up. UFG on the other hand is being a bit whiney about the whole thing. When he's lifting, you can tell its not easy, but he's not really trying that hard. The trainer tells him, "okay two more reps!", and UFG replies, "uhh... I don't think so", and puts the weights down. You can tell the trainer is a bit disappointed, but the guy is so nice that all he does is smile. The trainer tries to mix things up a bit and introduces new exercises to UFG's routine. When this happens, UFG unthusiastically says, "uhh... what's this now?".

The strangest thing was that the guy looked so fit. His demeanor didn't reflect his physique. There are two reasons why people hire a trainer: 1) They need instruction on how to do the exercises, develop a routine, and maybe get some eating tips. 2) They need someone to motivate them while exercising.

I don't know... I think trainers are a waste of money unless you're a professional athlete or bodybuilder. Us regular folk should be able to learn how to use the machines, and buy a book or read some magazines to develop a routine. It seems silly to pay so much money for someone to push you. Would your boss hire you to make him do his job? Instead, get a friend to go with you, or befriend someone similar (so you don't have to keep changing the weights) and workout together. You can motivate each other.

Update on annoying gym regulars:
Talkative Asian Duo These guys haven't showed up since they became a trio. Awesome! No more loud macho banter, no more hogging the bench press, no more lack of re-racking.

Orgasmic Situp Girl Haven't seen her in a looong time. Perhaps she has found a new way to orgasm. Unfortunately, her coach/partner still shows up on occasion. He still manages to leave his crap all over the place.

Tall Mean (Nice) Dude As mentioned in a previous post, Tall Mean Dude is now Tall Nice Dude. He is still nice the last time I saw him. Must be on Prozac.

Unfortunately, there have been new annoying people popping up at The Edge. Don't worry folks, they'll show up on these pages and receive the verbal bludgeoning they deserve soon enough.

Here are links to the previous gym posts:
I need my own gym
Welcome new idiot gym character!
Peaceful gym... sort of

我們的祖國... 唉 Part I

I've been hearing this phrase a lot lately. The literal translation is "our home country... [sigh]". What it always refers to, is China.

Because so many bad things happen in China, many people from Hong Kong have simply lost faith in the motherland. Censorship and sketchy human rights policies have always been there, so that's not the biggest issue (though every new incident continues to disappoint). The latest big issue has to do with China's rapid development in the past few years. The nation is showing exponential growth financially, but morally, it is still way behind the rest of the world.

Read this article if you can:

(click to enlarge)

If you can't read Chinese, let me briefly explain what it is all about.

The author starts off by speaking of quirky and sometimes humorous incidents that happened in China that she experienced or read about. These include: a guy on a highway chasing a "runaway tire", Chinese tourists "throwing" their kids over the fence at Disneyland, oxygen suppliers selling hospitals industrial use oxygen instead of oxygen suitable for patients, a Nanjing hospital "selling" (transfering for money) their patients, plus endless stories of fake products (fake eggs, fake oil, fake soy sauce made of hair, fake baby formula, etc.).

Some of these stories will draw a chuckle, others are downright scary. China's focus has been directed entirely towards financial growth. They have achieved this goal, and the quality of living in China has gotten better. Despite all this, the quality of Chinese values has not improved at the same rate. Law and order, the value of life, human rights, and the elimination of corruption have been swept aside to make room for financial growth. People who attempt to make amends to these issues are not only ignored, they are put in jail if their actions stand in the way of growth.

"大陸係咁架啦"
Unfortunately, many have come to accept these unfair and uncivilized happenings in China:

• Robberies and scams are rampant in the Guangdong province.
• Frequent travellers to China fear for their lives just doing everyday things. When you get in a cab, you're not 100% sure that you'll be safely taken to your desired destination.
• Fake items are not limited to Rolex watches and DVDs; they have expanded to items like food, cleaning products, and cars. It has been reported that 80% of the items in a Chinese supermarket are counterfeit.
• Corruption is still reluctantly expected when doing any sort of business in China.
• A good chunk of people still spit, piss, and shit wherever they please. Trash is an even bigger issue.
  

The sad thing is that authorities have the power to make things happen, but they choose not to. The laptop of a famous professor, who is an expert on SARS, was stolen via drive-by motorcycle theft. He immediately reported this to the police, and after turning the entire Guangzhou upside down, his laptop was found. If this man was not an expert on SARS, his laptop would have never ever been found. People get robbed everyday with many incidents caught on video, and no action is taken. The police only act upon more serious crimes, like if a murder is involved.

Despite all this, China is rich and the future only shows that it will get richer. What is the limit? How bad does it have to get before people start realizing that culture is just as important as wealth?

Vertical Woes

So I went to my brother's high school graduation. The whole thing ends, and everyone meets in the cafeteria for refreshments. As soon as I step into the horde of people, I notice something right away: I'm the shortest dude in the room...!

I'm not sure what kids have been eating in recent years, but it has made them progressively taller. Five feet eight inches was considered normal in Hong Kong. Now I think the average height of kids is more like 5'11". Perhaps it is my imagination. Maybe everyone was always tall, and I was always short. Perhaps all those years in Boston gave me the perception that it was normal for me to be short, and I expected something different back in Hong Kong.

Normally, I feel pretty normal in and around Hong Kong. It was just yesterday when I walked into that school where I felt so dwarfed. Then when I think about it, every time I go (not often) to one of those trendy clubs (*cough* Volar *ahem*), I feel like I'm one of the shortest people there (girls included... okay okay half of them are models). Kids these days are just tall.

Sure, its not the end of the world by any means, but it did occur to me that my height is one aspect about my physique that I can never ever change no matter what. I can eat tuna all day, and lift weights until I'm 200lbs of pure muscle. I can get plastic surgery until I look like [insert trendy Hong Kong artist of the month]. I can get a tan, bleach my skin, shave my head, grow it out, get botox, implants, even a bigger penis (according to all those emails), but I still can't permanently increase my height.

There's a limit to everything, and since the age of 16, I've been vertically limited to 5'8". There's a ceiling or maximum potential for everything. Everyone has the potential to do certain things, but everyone for the most part doesn't make an effort to reach that potential. A lot of people easily have the potential to bench press their own weight. A lot of people simply don't strive for that goal and fail to reach it.

With height, we always reach that potential. If I'm 5'8" at the age of 26, no one is going to tell me that I have the potential to be 6'3". Instead they say, that's tough kid, you're a hobbit.

A Tough Decision

After Life, or ワンダフルライフ (Wandafuru Raifu), is one of my favorite Japanese films. I accidentally discovered it one day at Blockbuster (of all places), and I liked it from beginning to end. What that means is that I read the back cover, was intrigued by the story background, saw the movie, and liked it even more.

The director of After Life is Hirokazu Kore-eda. The title introduces the story quite well. This film is about the afterlife. So the story goes: after people die, they spend a week in this limbo between heaven and earth. The location resembles a school, and there are counselors stationed there to guide the dead in fulfilling their deed. This deed is for a person to choose a single memory from his or her life. As it turns out, the dead can only carry one memory with them to the afterlife; everything else will be forgotten.

The counselors have the duty of helping each person choose that memory. They do that with one on one counseling, watching videotapes of their life to jog their memory, and eventually recreating that memory in a quirky way of which I will not reveal. The setting of this midway point between life and death is very "normal". It is a regular school with dorm rooms and classrooms. We see many different characters from all walks of life who have died and must choose their memory. The counselors act very human as well. They argue amongst one another, we see what they do after working hours, we see their frustration when it looks like some of the dead won't make the one week deadline.

I was first intrigued by the theme of After Life. What memory would I choose to keep for eternity if I were to die today? The film got even better as I watched these people go through the selection process. The story isn't just about the dead people choosing a memory, but it is about the counselors, too. After Life is classic Kore-eda if you've seen his other films. It is about humans, about life, death, and all the details in between.

The movie was great, the characters were excellent. The question that this movie raises will keep you thinking until the day you die. Which memory would you choose?

Religious wussies strike back

The Da Vinci Code movie has been banned in China, and it is suspected that the reason behind the ban is religion. Okay, I'm not going to bother explaining why it was banned or whether its right to ban the movie. You can look that stuff up yourself.

My point is... why are Christians so afraid of this movie? What's to be afraid of? Are they so lacking in confidence of their own religion that they fear a movie will create an army of non-believers? Have some faith in your beliefs, sheesh.

On the other hand, China, through means of censorship, communism, and the lack of fairness, never ceases to disappoint me. Screw you, China. (Ha! They won't see this, cause blogger is censored in China).

Abusing the environment

People in Hong Kong use way too much air conditioning. They set the A/C to full blast, then go to sleep wrapped in a thick comforter. UNBELIEVABLE! Talk about taking our precious natural resources for granted.

I think the government is right for once, encouraging people to keep the A/C temperature setting to 25.5 degrees. If its humid, invest in a dehumidifier. Also invest in thicker window shades: it contains heat during winter, and it keeps heat out during summer.

Here is my ultimate proposal...

Lets all invest in solar power! Everyone living in apartment buildings chip in to install solar power on the roof of your building. Naturally, a few panels won't power any of the juice-sucking homes of modern times, but perhaps this bit of solar energy can power the hallway lights, emergency exit signs, safety lights, etc. There's no arguing in who's paying for that stuff because its shared. If it is too expensive, maybe the government can help out a bit.

Let's save energy.

An Inconvenient Truth

"In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to." --Roger Ebert

Not so old technology

After a mere seven or so years of use, my Palm V has seemingly become obsolete. The old desktop software that comes with it is not compatible with Windows XP, which I finally upgraded to this year. The new software (downloadable free from the internet) is better and compatible with XP, but is not compatible with the Palm V's OS. I also discovered that the V's OS is not upgradable like some other models.

The only way I could continue using this PDA efficiently, is if I go back to using Windows 98 or maybe 2000. I can tell you right now that its not going to happen. So now I'm stuck. I love to use things until they're absolutely unusable. I just finished gluing back together a pair of flip flops I've had for around nine years, after five different people told me to just buy a new pair while I looked for the proper glue.

I can't stand waste, and I can't stand throwing stuff away; especially stuff that is still usable. Anyone have any ideas what I can do with this thing? Perhaps someone with Win98 needs an old PDA?

Let me know if you want it.

Game, Set, Match.

Saw Woody Allen's latest work, Match Point. I've always liked Allen's stuff, but never really loved it. I wasn't sure what to expect from Point. Hearing the title for the first time, I thought it was about tennis (and it is... a little).

I was shocked at how good this film is. The reason I found it good was that it controlled my emotions. The film really draws you in and connects you with the characters. With every turn of the storyline, you would feel different. Woody Allen had absolute control because he could make me like and dislike his characters at will. Point doesn't try to be super suspenseful like some other flicks, but it definitely keeps you on your toes.

*****S P O I L E R*****A L E R T*****

I hated the main character from the start. He seemed so reckless, yet you feel sorry for him being a poor boy surrounded by rich people. Then when Scarlett Johansson starts acting "crazy", you start to hate her for being that way. But of course you end up feeling sorry for her because of her situation of being pregnant with a married man's child. What a rollercoaster of an ending! I truly wasn't sure how it would all end. One minute you think the guy's caught, then the next minute you think he got away with it, then later he's so wound up that you think he's going to admit to the murder or kill himself. One important fact that makes the film work is that it emphasizes the importance of being lucky, and that part just keeps you thinking. It creates a premise that the plot can twist and turn because they can throw in the luck factor. The plot makes 180 degree turns multiple times towards the end, and some of those turns can be attributed entirely to the luck. It's slightly cheating in a way, but since the story already established it in the beginning, I didn't feel that the twists were forced.

*****END OF SPOILERS*****