Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Finally

January First Two Thousand and Seven marks the day Hong Kong banned smoking in most indoor public places. All I can say is that its about damn time! The ban is certainly a sign of sophistication. The ill effects of smoking have long been known, and Hong Kong is finally doing something to protect non-smoking consumers and employees who want to stay healthy.

"無啖好食"
"食食吓飯要走出街,好唔方便". A woman complains that she can't have a "peaceful dinner(安樂茶飯)", since she now has to go outside to smoke. All I can say is that non-smokers have never been able to have a "peaceful dinner", and now they can finally have it. Think about it this way: cigarettes are what's interrupting your peaceful dinner, not non-smokers. If you choose to smoke, I guess you've also chosen to have inconvenient, crappy meals. This woman also claims that she will go out less in the future due to the ban. If you let cigarettes control your lifestyle and daily habits, I don't know how else to put it: you are a loser.

Its hard to believe all the ignorant moaning involved in this new ban. Karaoke managers claim that sales will go down by 20%. Where is this prediction coming from? Will people suddenly stop singing karaoke? Will the sales of karaoke machines for home use suddenly skyrocket? Have people all along gone to karaokes specifically to smoke? I predict the answers to be big fat NOs. Will health conscious people start visiting bars and karaokes more frequently? That is certainly possible. I know I might. I've been avoiding poorly ventilated bars and restaurants for quite some time now because of cigarette smoke. No more watery eyes, no more sore throat, and no more smelly hair/clothes.

"你又俾人買煙,又度度唔食得煙"
The last I heard, we still have something called a free-will. Another woman complains that cigarettes are for sale everywhere, yet people aren't allowed to smoke. Just because cigarettes are for sale, it doesn't mean you have to buy them... idiot. Though I would love to see cigarettes outlawed, its not the government's responsibility to stop you from killing yourself or wasting your money. When you do try doing these things, just don't drag the rest of us with you.

Happy 2007. Thanks for not smoking.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is awesome, I'm really looking forward to visit the smoke free HK in 2008, by the way did you ever receive my Xmas card?

Justin said...

Yes I did! Thanks, Alex. My family and friends all asked about Ozzy. A nice and unique card. Thanks again!

Henry Chung said...

Hooray! Finally I don't have to worry about going out and having my jacket spell like an ashtray.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, as we gathered from our bar-hopping event last night, the ban has many loopholes. Many of the places that we frequent have asked for a 2-year extension - what a load of crap.

Anonymous said...

what the... a two-yr ext.!? >.<

Anonymous said...

Alright Non smokers.
please Don't write with So much HATE.
I Am Pro the ban.
But I Would still love to find a Place to Smoke during my lunch or Dinner breaks.
You know, you can't even Smoke in a Outdoor resturant?