Is That A Bear?

End of the Road

2011-04-04T16:50:00.003+08:00

I do realize that I haven't updated this blog in a while. The reason is pretty simple: not enough readership. When I post something on Facebook I get instant feedback, and it is easy for people to comment. My thoughts are instantly broadcast to friends whether they like it or not.

This blog has seemingly run its course, and it has served it's purpose. Maybe someday I will return to writing here, but for now hiatus is the status.

Finaly some sense

2010-11-22T12:25:00.004+08:00

Finally, logic has prevailed. Felix Hernández won the 2010 American League Cy Young Award as he finished the season 13–12 with a 2.27 ERA and 232 K's. Anyone with the slightest baseball sense would recognize that King Felix won because of the 2.27 ERA, and NOT the "dismal" 13 wins.

Hopefully, this is a sign for things to come. Sabermetics finally prevails, and I hope it is here to stay. Then again, without journalists making stupid comments and managers making stupid trades based on the W-L "stat", it will certainly be less entertaining. Thank goodness we have Theo.

Only in America Part III

2010-07-30T11:14:00.004+08:00

I guess ignorance is bliss.

In other news...

LOL Cleveland!

You can dooo eeet!

2010-04-08T14:00:00.005+08:00

After years of "doing it wrong", I've finally trained myself to naturally type the "y" key with my right index finger (I used to use my left). I just realized this today as I had to look up which is the proper finger to type the "y" key. I had been correcting myself for so long that it became natural, and I forgot that I was doing it right all along. Funny how the brain works.

This "achievement" may seem insignificant. For me, it is solid proof that I am able to shed bad habits that have been with me for life. All it takes is willpower and a little practice. On the downside, I'm feeling what might be a little CTS in my right index finger. Maybe I should have stuck with the left index afterall.

P.S. If anyone needs help with typing or typing properly, I recommend the awesome Typing of the Dead.

Oscarvations 2010 Edition

2010-03-09T05:08:00.000+08:00

The dynamic duo experiment worked. A lot of people didn't like it, but I thought it was no better or worse than in years past. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are generally great with comedy. The lowlight was the opening monologue. Including Neil Patrick Harris was fun. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him host one of these years.

My faith in the world (at least the film industry) is restored. A lot of awesome and deserving movies got recognition this year. The Hurt Locker wins best picture. The best film won, and not the one that made the most money. Crazy Avatar nerds everywhere are now blogging/tweeting/buzzing with vitriol.

Katherine Bigelow wins best director for Hurt Locker. Bigelow is James Cameron's ex-wife. She is really hot for a 59 year old woman. Her win was probably the big wow moment of this year's show.

The Year in Review Meme

2009-12-31T11:57:00.003+08:00

I skipped this awesome activity last year. Again, credit to John. However, I didn't cheat like he did, heh. Rules are the same as last time: first sentence of first post of the month for each month of 2009. A bit of comment follows each sentence, but it is hidden text and you'll have to highlight it to see it.

January
As Hong Kong stepped into the new year peacefully, more injustice took place in the Mainland. (What else is new? Another civil rights activist was just sentenced to 11 years just last week.)

February
HSBC... again. (The "World's Bank" strikes again with high fees and low benefits. Banks very often forget that besides being a business, they are a service to the people.)

March
The stuff we buy just keeps getting worse. (Definitely holds true. Lower prices mean cheaper and shittier products. We ultimately lose as landfills pile up faster.)

April
Resident Evil 5's issue of race has ballooned to internet wide proportions. (I think these stories are overblown. Video games get enough negative press as is.)

May
A couple months ago, there was a case of bickering between the so called "Kong Boys" and "Kong Girls". (Ultimately, video games and pocketbooks suffered.)

June
WRC and NASCAR too? Gran Turismo is again looking to be the all-in-one racing game. (Another post about games? Daaayum! A nerd is me.)

July
Recently picked up a new TV series called The Unit. (Thinking back I didn't really enjoy the whole "life on base" dynamic. The Unit is still awesome though.)

August
Why why why why why am I not surprised. (That prostitutes are more trustworthy than politicians in China. Corruption, yo.)

September
I am for the most part a Firefox user when it comes to web browsing. (Ain't that the truth.)

October
This is so much better than the original. (Pomplamoose rocks!)

November
It has been a long while since I posted. (But the point is, Belichick is still our coach.)

December
Was down with the sickness last weekend. (A long two weeks with me being sick, then my girlfriend.)

Sick Day Movies

2009-12-08T16:50:00.004+08:00

Was down with the sickness last weekend. Ended up watching four movies. Some new some old.

A Night at the Roxbury ** (out of 4 stars)

Old SNL humor from a decade ago. It was kind of funny ten years ago, but it seems to have lost whatever charm it once had. On the up side, it made my girlfriend laugh, so it was worth renting.

Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen **

The story and the action was pretty much exactly what I expected. Nothing new and nothing exciting. The only aspect of TF2 I liked was the "robo martial arts". The Transformer hand to hand combat was pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the "messy" designs of the Transformer robots made it difficult to watch. There were a ton of military equipment references in TF2, which might make it interesting for modern weapon buffs. Other than that, it was pretty ho hum.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra *

I didn't find any redeeming qualities in this movie. Perhaps the bits I did possibly enjoy are the nostalgia and nods to the old cartoon series. The action is over the top, but not creative or exciting. All the CGI looks obviously fake. The plot makes no sense, but that is to be expected. The characters are not memorable, and the constant flashbacks to tell the history of the characters is not done smoothly and became quite annoying. However, the absolute worst aspect of this action flick is the writing. The cringe inducing dialog is very cheesy and I don't think they did it on purpose. I will most definitely not watch the sequel to The Rise of Cobra.

The Game ****

This David Fincher gem from the late 90s starring Micheal Douglas is still good today. Douglas does a great job at portraying an asshole millionaire, then a whiny millionaire, then a helpless millionaire, then finally an ex-millionaire hellbent on revenge. He probably channeled some of his Falling Down rage for the last 15 minutes of the film. The story, soundtrack, and visuals are just the right amount of creepy. You'll see San Francisco in a light like never before. Just plain awesome storytelling.

James Bond, we have arrived

2009-11-26T11:24:00.005+08:00

Many people (me included) use our mobile phones to tell time. A watch has become more of an accessory rather than a tool.

LG has come out with the geekiest of gadgets: a wrist watch that doubles as a mobile phone. Kids of my generation and earlier have probably dreamed about this type of gadget at least once in their childhood. Even as grown-ups, the wrist watch phone still sounds awesome. Science fiction is finally becoming reality.

As for the phone itself, reviews state that it works well as a phone, and comes with a pretty good microphone and speaker. You can use a bluetooth headset in case you don't want to look like a pretentious douche talking to your wrist, and the phone even has 3G connectivity. Curiously, the phone also has a media player.

The major downside is that this phone has a very short battery life. 60 minutes of talk time is the standard test result. With bluetooth it's even less than that. The size of the phone is small for a phone, but it is pretty big for a watch. This is going to look awkward on people with wrists smaller than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I'm afraid I have to ask why a media player is necessary. Also, why not make a 2G model to save power? That way a camera would no longer be necessary, and it could make more room for a bigger battery or even kinetic charging.

Anyhoo, nice work. Now have fun pretending to be a secret agent.

In Belichick I Trust

2009-11-23T14:37:00.003+08:00

It has been a long while since I posted. There are multiple personal reasons for that which I will not mention here. There's a lot going on the world, but I'm going to get back on the horse with something a little on the lighthearted side (though some may take this subject a little too seriously).

Over one week has past, and the sports media looks like it has finally stopped talking about Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth and two. The game last week against the Colts was perhaps the biggest game of the season for the Patriots. The chance to secure home advantage in the playoffs, the chance to dethrone the mighty Colts, robbing them of a potential perfect season. Sadly (perhaps luckily), I could not watch the game live. I only read about the decision after the game had ended.

So it's fourth and two with the clock running down. WWBBD (What Would Bill Belichick Do)? Bill Belichick went for it. All I have to say is that this guy won us three Superbowls in four seasons, and he nearly won a fourth in five. In my book, Bill has a free pass to do whatever the F he wants on the football field for the rest of his coaching career. As for the decision itself, I wouldn't even consider it bad. Belichick knows the Pats better than any fan or journalist out there. He has the most experience and knowledge at his disposal. He is the only person on this earth who has the right and who has earned the right to make that decision. As far as I'm concerned, Belichick made the correct decision regardless of the result.

And that's that (that's that).

Pomplamoose Music

2009-10-02T12:21:00.002+08:00

This is so much better than the original.

Moving on without you

2009-09-18T22:22:00.001+08:00

Looking towards an upcoming wedding, I realize that most of the brothers and groomsmen are now married. This is a vast difference from a couple years ago. Friends are having kids, starting families, or buying apartments. We're all growing up, getting old, moving on with life. At the same time, I feel like I'm leaving my friend behind. He's supposed to be the one who abandoned us, but as we get older, and Kiki stays forever young, it feels like we're the ones who are moving on.

It's been six years bro, but you haven't been forgotten. Boy is it a chore to go visit you every year. Though I'm glad it's so far out in the boonies. You've got fresh air and a great view. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to be in LKF for eternity, but then again you're actually forever 24. All the best.

Another Extreme Solution

2009-09-18T10:18:00.003+08:00

Three Hong Kong reporters were beaten and arrested for dubious reasons in Xinjiang two weeks ago. The mistreatment and false accusations triggered protests and demands for clarification. Though I was angry and saddened by this incident, the first thing that came to mind was how to fight back.

As two of the detained reporters were getting beat up, the third reporter was able to record the incident with his camera. Unfortunately, the tape was confiscated during his detention. What to do?

Maybe the awesome TV show The Unit was still fresh in my mind, so I thought of covert operations. When reporters are in a sensitive area such as China, they should bring along a "covert reporter". This covert reporter will be outfitted with sophisticated spy glasses with a built in camera and microphone. If trouble arises, the covert reporter will spring into action and casually record the whole incident.

Regular TV stations can't officially release footage? I agree. The covert operation should stay secret. This covert operation must remain a secret for the sake of future missions. So instead of the TV station admitting it was their footage. First release it anonymously on a Chinese YouTube-esque website, then broadcast the video on the local news, claiming it was taken and uploaded by a random person on the scene. Let those violent keystone cops know that there's always someone watching.

Again, it's one of my bizzaro solutions to one of the world's troubles that will never happen. When you get beaten up and falsely accused of "inciting public disorder".

Common Sense 101

2009-09-18T08:06:00.002+08:00

Thieving rich kids get a roasting -

Two well-to-do University of Hong Kong students who stole a friend's credit cards to buy computers were slammed by a magistrate yesterday.

Patsy Moy

Friday, September 18, 2009

Two well-to-do University of Hong Kong students who stole a friend's credit cards to buy computers were slammed by a magistrate yesterday.
The scolding came after Michel Yuen Sui-fa, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of theft, while his girlfriend, Li Chi-wah, 21, admitted two charges of obtaining property by deception.
Acting principal magistrate Chan Kam-cheong lambasted the pair for their greed, saying he saw no financial pressure that could have driven them to commit the offenses.
Yuen, who was raised in France, is a second year accounting and finance student at HKU and lives in a luxury flat in Kowloon with his family.
Li is the only child of an engineer father and a teacher mother.
Yuen was accompanied by his mother, and Li by her father when they appeared in Kwun Tong Magistrates' Court yesterday.
The magistrate said the defendants were privileged enough to enter the city's top university.
But he said they had failed to take advantage of the opportunity to study hard, resorting instead to dishonest tricks.
"You should feel lucky to have these [caring] parents. Both of you come from relatively well-off families," Chan said.
Yuen's theft took place on August 25 at the upscale Elements mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.
He had invited the victim to see a movie and have dinner.
Yuen suggested exchanging wallets with the friend "for fun," then removed the credit cards from her wallet and handed them to Li.
Li took the credit cards to a computer shop in Sham Shui Po, where she tried to buy two laptops worth at least HK$20,000.
When the shopkeeper became suspicious and asked for Li's identity card, she panicked and tried to flee.
After a brief chase, she was caught by the shopkeeper and later arrested by police.
Chan adjourned sentencing to October 2, pending probation and community service reports.
Both Yuen and Li are on HK$500 cash bail.

All three of these kids (including the victim) should be expelled from Hong Kong University for being idiots.

Wanna be like Rog

2009-09-10T12:29:00.014+08:00

Rafael Nadal returns to the Grand Slam tournaments from injury at this year's US Open tennis tournament. I couldn't help but notice the drastic changes in his appearance. Gone are the sleeveless t-shirts and capri-esque long shorts. Nadal is now sporting a regular collared polo type shirt with regular above-the-knee length shorts.

This is a drastic change for the man who arguably pioneered unconventional tennis attire. Yet more drastic is his hairstyle. Nadal always had longish hair that fell below his chin midway to the neckline. At the US Open, we're perhaps a bit shocked to see that Nadal's hairstyle and length is quite similar to... Federer?

That's right folks. Nadal's appearance appears to be identical to Roger Federer. His Nike shirt, shorts, and even bandana are the same as Federer's. The hair similarities just make things a little bit creepy.

We know Nadal doesn't need Federer's game to win, but adopting Federer's appearance an attempt to stay injury free?

Old vs. New. Still got the fist pump.

His barber finally has work to do.

"Chinese People Suck" Revisited

2009-09-09T18:22:00.003+08:00

Original post can be found here.

Mandy said...
Chinese people have a self concept of being "polite and modest". This is their national identity anyhow. I do think this rather ironic at times.

I have trouble knowing what to say when they say to me "Chinese people are more modest than westerners" (many Chinese I've spoken to feel Americans are "opinionated"). For Westerners, sharing ones personality, ones likes and dislikes, are a sign of friendship and trust/ a willingness to engage enthusiastically. To them it is seen as arrogance. Misunderstanding? Maybe.

I think they feel extremely fortunate to be, as they see it, of a more morally and culturally superior culture (I am reminded of this often).

Chinese tell me about the racist Americans that made black people sit at the back of the bus, then, in the same breath tell me they "don't like Indians because they are too dark". (BTW I am not American). There are different rules regarding what is PC and what is not. Perhaps some westerners share these kinds of prejudiced sentiments but they are sure as hell not going to voice this! This is an amusing point.

You have to be so hard and tough in China. I am far too much of a softy and friendly person I guess. People at markets manipulate and force one into situations one doesn't want to be. They do not take "No thank you" for an answer. I feel very uncomfortable with being cornered. In these setting the Chinese can be uncharacteristically confrontational. Wow. I avoid markets now as it is traumatic and I feel bullied (although maybe this IS a cultural misunderstanding on my part, I'm try to be diplomatic!)

People are guarded and they fight for their territory (spatially on trains etc but during bargaining too). I think it is related to the trauma of the revolution and the fact that there are toooo many people (upping competitive/grabbing mentality). The people are not very trusting- not just with westerners but with each other too.

The public behavior is not very refined to the Western eye and the Chinese are FIERCELY practical people (hence the supposedly rough tone during speaking- not a true indication of attitude). When I think of things from this perspective I don't really take offense to being pushed out the way by charging people rushing to the seat on the subway.(-:

While I DO want to tear my hair out sometimes, I have developed affection for a lot of people here in China!

Keep engagements light-hearted is the key here I think.
SEP 9, 2009 1:15:00 AM

Re: Mandy
Wow! This piece was written over three years ago and I still manage to get a response about once a year. At first I thought the title might be a little too strong, but now I'm kind of glad I used it. Perhaps I have a new found respect for the word, suck.

I first wrote this piece out of anger and disgust. I was unhappy that my own people were such an embarrassment. It's been three years and I admit that I haven't mellowed out one bit. Something has changed though. Instead of getting angry, I'm getting even. Instead of avoiding people or trying to snake my way through crowds, I find myself bumping people and giving a helpful nudge now and then. Rest assured, not everyone gets this type of treatment. I never push women or children, and I only bump the people who are doing something blatantly wrong like cutting the cue, or blocking the way for no reason. Hey, I even forgive those people with lazy feet who are unable to walk in a straight line.

In these three years I've seen worse examples than my plane debacle. There is a lot of wrong in China, and there are plenty of Chinese wrongdoers. At the same time there are some examples of good, and despite the title I used I think it is obvious that not all Chinese people suck.

Anyhow, followers of this blog will realize that I have moved on from this subject, as there are much bigger fish to fry. Bad manners are the least of China's worries. Defeating corruption and taking care of the underprivileged Chinese citizen takes precedence.

Thank you for your insightful comment.

Back to Basics

2009-09-03T11:10:00.003+08:00

I am for the most part a Firefox user when it comes to web browsing. My second choice is Google Chrome. However, there's always this rare (or outdated/poorly designed) site out there that requires me to dig out Internet Explorer once in a while.

I'm not entirely against IE. It's just that it is so damn slow. Both IE7 and especially IE8 run at snail speed. Is my computer too slow? Possibly. If that's the case, shouldn't the other browsers run slow as well?

I decided to downgrade all the way back to IE6. I remember first using the IE6 beta back in 2000. That's almost ten years ago. The downgrade process required me to delete the XP Service Pack 3, which took forever. I was left with a ten year old web browser that had none of the bells and whistles of Firefox or Chrome or Opera, but it ran smooth and fast. Though because of major security issues and Firefox superiority, I won't be using IE6 very much at all.

I appreciate new functions added to upgrade software, but I think developers should really make speed and usability more of a priority.

Another Fallen Hero: 譚作人

2009-08-12T10:54:00.004+08:00

From the Associated Press.

Another China activist charged with subversion

(AP) – Jul 31, 2009

BEIJING — A Chinese activist who questioned why so many schoolchildren died in 2008's massive earthquake has been charged with subversion and will stand trial in mid-August, his lawyer said Friday.

Tan Zuoren's trial is to begin Aug. 12 in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province where a devastating earthquake last year left nearly 90,000 dead or missing, said lawyer Pu Zhiqiang of Beijing's Huayi Law Firm.

Tan is accused of inciting to subvert state power, but it was not immediately clear what evidence will be brought against him, Pu said by telephone from Chengdu.

Beijing routinely uses the charge of subversion to imprison dissidents for years.
Following the 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, Tan tried to investigate the collapse of school buildings in the quake and the number of schoolchildren killed, estimating at least 5,600 students were victims.

Tan had hoped to complete his investigation before the May 12 anniversary of the quake, but he was detained in late March, Hong Kong-based activist network Chinese Human Rights Defenders said earlier.

In May, the government finally released its own count of students killed in the disaster, putting the official toll at 5,335.

Critics allege that corruption-enabled shoddy construction caused several schools to collapse while buildings nearby remained intact — a politically sensitive theory that the government has tried to quash.

Officials blame the sheer force of the quake as the main cause of the number of flattened schools.

Pu said the charges appear to be linked to Tan's quake investigation as well as essays he wrote about the 1989 student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square that ended in a deadly military crackdown.

China has always reacted sharply to any challenges to its one-party system, but it is also cracking down on any dissent ahead of a gala celebrating the communist regime's 60th anniversary on Oct. 1.

Subversion. That's what most of China's greatest modern heroes are often accused of. Why? Because our great nation is so corrupt and backwards and too proud/afraid/stupid to admit that they fucked up.

Prostitutes: 1 Politicians: 0

2009-08-05T12:08:00.005+08:00

From the Hong Kong Standard...

Poll gives prostitutes a leg up

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Prostitutes are considered more trustworthy in China than government officials and scientists, a survey suggests.

Sex workers are considered trustworthy by 7.9 percent of 3,376 respondents, putting them in third place after farmers and religious workers, Insight China magazine said.

"A list like this is at the same time surprising and embarrassing," the China Daily said yesterday in an editorial.

"The sex workers' unexpected prominence on this list of honor is indeed unusual."

The list showed scientists and teachers ranked "way below, and that government functionaries, too, scored hardly better."

Soldiers and students were ranked right after sex workers.

The editorial found it "worrisome" that there was a "dramatic drop in government credibility ratings."

More than 91 percent of the respondents admitted "they would take government data with a pinch of salt," it said.

"Given the constant feed of scandals involving the country's elite, this is not bad at all."

It added: "At least the scientists and officials have not slid into the least credible category, which consists of real estate developers, secretaries, agents, entertainers and directors."

Why why why why why am I not surprised.

I understand that defeating corruption is a daunting task. I know that this is not a job that can be accomplished quickly, but when your people (if this were a truthful national survey, I'll bet the number would be higher than 7.9%) trust prostitutes more than they trust government officials... YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM!

My brainstorming...

Instead of using the media to their advantage, the government tres to conceal pretty much everything. Why not use the media to put pressure on corrupt officials? Why not purposely leak information to expose local government criminals? Yes, it is difficult for good China officials to go against the flow and risk being ousted by their corrupt peers. So perhaps covert operations are in order. Leak information to the press, give them the freedom to expose the most corrupt officials, give covert protection to reporters who face danger.

Instead of creating secret "police" to "maintain peace" (the government has unlicensed, unofficial, unlawful, brutally violent secret police that beat up citizens for minor infractions), the good politicians should create secret police that exposes corruption and protects the whistleblowers. Naturally, the high up officials must be able to cut all ties with these covert operators in order to not arouse suspicion among their peers. I think with covert operations, the press, and internet bloggers working together, it is possible to defeat corruption and regain the faith of the people.

Anyways, that would be my dream anti-corruption operation. I'm almost 100% sure it will never happen.

Can Jonas Blane and The Unit beat corruption?

Silly Old Man

2009-07-28T17:01:00.003+08:00

I guess it's difficult to have an opinion these days in Macau. Apparently, having an opinion, and going against the majority is wrong according to the so-called "King of Gambling", Stanley Ho.

This stems from the recent farcical "election" for Macau's new Chief Executive. Fernando Chui received 282 out of 300 votes. He got a majority of the votes mainly because he was the only candidate. It's kind of like being a member of your own fan club. Four of the votes were not counted for unknown reasons, and fourteen votes were left blank. This led the old gambling hero of Macau to spew some nonsense, saying that those fourteen voters "made a big mistake", "aren't at peace", and "won't be able to sleep well". With Ho's alleged links to organized crime, one might even perceive that as a threat.

Chui still "won". I don't understand what Ho is bitching about. Why can't he just stick to casinos and restaurants.

Top Notch Service

2009-07-22T17:52:00.001+08:00

Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant demonstrated to me that service doesn't require a high price or much effort.

Once upon a time ago (erm... last week), my ice coffee was pretty bland. I don't know if it was a cost cutting measure or an unfortunate mishap, but the color looked like ice tea, and it pretty much tasted like watered down milk. After I brought up the issue to my server, the problem was quickly remedied. This is the kind of service you should expect from all restaurants.

What lifted Watami to another level, was how they remembered me the next time I came (a few days later). They remembered the minute coffee return request from the last time, and as the latest ice coffee arrived, they reassured me that it would not be like "last time". I never imagined a HKD50 lunch set would include this high level of service.

Watami has always had good service, but this really put them over the top. It is certainly puzzling why other places can't do the same.

The Unit

2009-07-02T17:12:00.003+08:00

Recently picked up a new TV series called The Unit. It is an action drama based on Eric L. Haney's book, Inside Delta Force. The TV series tells stories of the US Army's most elite special forces units. It involves their missions, their lives at home. One constant background story is the problematic task of keeping the unit and it's operators' identities secret.

I first discovered The Unit after watching David Mamet's Spartan, starring Val Kilmer. That film had Val Kilmer playing a Black Ops operator, and it was done in the typical Mamet style that I very much enjoy. The authenticity of the film came from Haney, who was the technical consultant for Spartan. The Unit was created by Mamet, and heavily influenced by Haney and his book.

I like The Unit for its authenticity and the extremely high level at which these unit members operate. They are very competent and versatile. Not only are their strength and skill top notch, but they also display an extremely high level of intelligence. They are the most elite soldiers in the world, and you can totally imagine them being successful in whatever profession they may have otherwise chosen. Actually, they aren't just elite soldiers, they are elite human beings.

These guys are the real Jack Bauers, but without all the bullshit that comes with 24. I'm sick and tired of Bauer's unlimted strength, unlimited luck, and his endless stupid yelling and screaming. However, if you did indeed like 24, then perhaps you'll be delighted to find out that Dennis Haysbert plays the extremely cool main character in The Unit.

I don't suppose The Unit is for everyone, but if you liked Black Hawk Down and/or books about the most elite soldiers in the world, check it out.

Countdown to Extinguish-ion

2009-06-22T11:30:00.001+08:00

Sadly, due to my ignorance, I failed to notice that the blanket smoking ban for indoor areas which was supposed to take place January 1st, 2009 had been postponed to July 1st, 2009. When I found out about the delay in January I was very disappointed. Two years isn't a long enough adjustment period? Bars and saunas were obviously stalling. It didn't matter how much of a grace period they were given, they were refusing to comply with the smoking ban.

That said, I was still willing to give them an additional seven months if it meant permanent cleaner air in bars.

Then in May, bar and sauna workers/owners came out to protest again, stating that the poor economy and swine flu were reasons (read: excuses) for again delaying implementation of the smoking ban. Fortunately, university students also came out that day to protest the possible delay of the ban.

Bars and saunas really have to shift their attention to their jobs at hand. They are not selling cigarettes. They are selling beer and massages. Instead of worrying about the potential loss of customers, why not instead think about how they can improve their product to attract more business. Yes, there will be an adjustment period, but people will still want to drink and people will still want their massage. It is stupid to think otherwise.

Anyways... 8 days to go.

New Gym Characters

2009-06-19T11:03:00.000+08:00

Okay, there really isn't much to say about the latest gym characters. They're pretty nice guys. Let's just say they are highly related to the following video.

Happy Friday.

YouTube: Bottom of the Barrel

2009-06-18T10:49:00.002+08:00

We've all seen cool stuff on You Tube, but it's not all cool. The above is one of the worst videos I have seen. I am not even sure how I came across it (probably searching for something related to sausages), but it must be the worst video I have ever seen that has come out of Hong Kong. Upon seeing the title, I actually thought it was introducing an innovative way of cooking sausages. Umm... no. This ridiculously silly woman spends nearly 8 minutes "cooking" a tiny piece of sausage with a lit piece of paper towel.

It is stupid to begin with, and the video can be ignored entirely. However, upon further inspection, it appears that this woman is making a career out of this, and that she is actually semi serious. I just can't believe there are dumbass people using awesome technology to create idiotic content, and are actually earning money... and she actually has supporters.

Wow, just wow.

Financial Services Sector run by Gambler

2009-06-17T11:57:00.004+08:00

From The Standard

Lawmaker shows winning hand for advice

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Financial services sector legislator Chim Pui-chung may not have been a god of stocks over the past year, but he has been a god of gamblers.

Chim has turned over the tables in Macau by winning more than HK$200 million in 10 months playing baccarat, according to The Standard's sister magazine East Week.

To celebrate his success at the Wynn and MGM casinos, Chim offers would- be gamblers six tips:

Have a clear mind, understand the banker's role and how it operates;

Know your strength;

Let the profit run;

Stop once your luck runs out;

Bet as much as you can when you are winning; and

Set a stop-loss and stop-profit point.

Chim said gambling is not a form of entertainment and should be seen as a business. The legislator, who claims to be one of the world's 10 biggest gamblers, is considering publishing a book, entitled Chim Pui-chung Winning Bible, which will include his secrets to winning and detail his extravagant stays at the best casinos around the world.

You have got to be kidding me... the Financial Service sector legislator of Hong Kong is "one of the world's 10 biggest gamblers". Unbelievable.

This gives even more reason to do away with the Functional Constituency seats in Legco currently occupied by lazy fat cats not elected by the general public.

TSM 20th

2009-06-10T17:17:00.006+08:00

The TSM anniversary has come and gone. There have been countless blogs, editorials, and articles about the 20th anniversary and what it means. So I'm not going to talk about the people who are still suffering from the incident, the ways China has been trying to hide the truth, or the way some have gone as far as attempting to deny the incident actually took place.

Simply, to me it was and still is as devastating as 9/11. TSM hurts more than 9/11 because the TSM has not yet been resolved. No one has taken responsibility for the death of (official death toll still not confirmed) the student protesters. Most protesters are still to this day forbidden from holding a job, receiving social benefits, entering the country, or have been jailed. What makes me angry, sad, and helpless is the fact that in 20 years, nothing has changed.

Pro Beijing folk are preaching forgive and forget, when the almighty Central Government won't even show the tiniest bit of forgiveness for the dead, those who try to mourn the dead, and the protesters who for the most part were trying to quash corruption and not fight for democracy.

I believe this is another misconception of TSM. Many believe that the students were dead set on making China a democratic nation. That is only partially true. The students pushed for democracy because it was a method of defeating corruption. Officials chosen by the people would have to be accountable for their actions. I know a lot of people are out there speculating whether China could have achieved today's success with a democratic system in place (in other words, if the students had gotten what they wanted*). Not to say that their arguments aren't relevant, but they don't mean that much to me. The stem of the problem then was corruption, and that fact has not changed: China is still extremely corrupt, and the people are suffering because of that.

The main concern of the students who protested are the same concerns I have for China today. Most of the students and disgruntled citizens had no intention of forcing democracy upon China. They were simply fed up and felt disenfranchised due to rampant corruption.

I don't believe that the TSM is the only outstanding issue facing China today. Heck, it isn't even one of the more important ones. Current issues corrupt officials, land ownership, secret police, freedom of speech, human rights... the list goes on. However, I feel it is necessary to remind China and the world that no one has forgotten about the TSM. It is necessary to remind China that killing unarmed students in cold blood is not acceptable, and no amount of national or economic success can erase this fact.

Physical Damage

2009-06-03T12:32:00.002+08:00

WRC and NASCAR too? Gran Turismo is again looking to be the all-in-one racing game. This is one of those series that I will snap up without giving it any thought. GT has proven it's worth in my gaming library.

This time it looks like there will be car damage involved. Fans (and critics) of the series have been waiting ten years for this type of addition to the game. When I saw NASCAR involved, I couldn't imagine them not including damage as that's a big part of what makes NASCAR exciting.

The graphics, the amazingly inclusive and realistic drivable car encyclopedia, the variety (rally, oval, road race) make it a game I'm highly anticipating.

The Home Team

2009-05-27T12:39:00.003+08:00

In a sea of red, Ohio still believes the Cavs can comeback and win it in 7.

Hey, with Lebron James on your team, a game 7 Cavs win isn't out of the question.

Moden view of video games

2009-05-20T12:25:00.006+08:00

A couple months ago, there was a case of bickering between the so called "Kong Boys" and "Kong Girls". The whole issue has sort of died down now. The boys and girls have expressed their opinions and they have come up with their desired stereotypes. In essence, they have vented their anger towards those members of the opposite sex who embody the worst stereotypical "Kong" traits.

Personally, I agree with some of the accusations, disagree with others, and simply have to dismiss a majority of them because of the absurdity. What sort of annoyed me was how video games is always used as the number one sin that the "Kong Boys" commit. I agree that when people over-indulge or become addicted to video games, it is most definitely a bad thing. Yet, how is being addicted to video games any different from being addicted to television? Isn't staying up all night watching Lost or Gossip Girl the same as staying up all night to play World of Warcraft? Why are games given that extra evil stigma?

Toys

The unfortunate truth is, that video games are still considered to be toys (for kids) by most people. So video games = for kids, and TV shows = for adults. Would you rather spend a couple hours playing Guitar Hero rather than vegging out on the couch? Most of the stuff on TV is pretty immature and unproductive. With games becoming more advanced, challenging, and aesthetically pleasing, people should see that value in games is growing.

Everything in moderation

Every form of entertainment is healthy until you make it unhealthy. Addicted to WOW? That's bad. Addicted to infomercials? That's bad too! Yet, watching TV all night seems like a more "mature" thing to do. Gambling is healthy until you lose your kid's college tuition at the Venetian. The same goes for eating, shopping, working, dieting, and even exercise. It bothers me that video games are immediately vilified as something immature, when they are probably much more complex and rewarding than something like The Amazing Race season 13.

Video games aren't evil, and the people who play them are not losers. If you abuse games, then it's a whole other story.

As for the video... The discussion could have been interesting if the attention whorish, egotistical host, Cheng (鄭大班) didn't open his mouth every 30 seconds to interupt his guests. Cheng has obviously already made up his mind about video games and other forms of modern entertainment. I don't see the point of trying to explain it to him.

RE5 and Race

2009-04-20T15:37:00.008+08:00

Resident Evil 5's issue of race has ballooned to internet wide proportions. Now every game journalist, podcaster, and forum junkie has had their say on the issue. The argument is about whether RE5 has been insensitive to race. Big, white anti-terror agent Chris Redfield goes to Africa to gun down a boatload of "infected" Africans. Read more about problems with RE5's imagery here, here, and here.

I can imagine what sort of problems people might see with RE5's imagery, but I'd be lying if I said I felt the same. The truth is that RE5 doesn't bother me at all. When I play the game, I feel it's just RE4 taking place in a place where the people happened to have dark colored skin.

Regarding RE5's controversy, Newsweek writer, N'gai Kroal said, "this imagery has history". He was referring to the issues mentioned above, and also how the Africans in the game were protrayed as savages. The game dehumanized them by making them mindless attackers, and with the lack of a background story.

In an attempt to try and put myself in the shoes of others and determine whether RE5's controversial imagery bothers me, I changed it up a bit. What if Chris Redfield went to a poor, remote village in China and started slaughtering "infected" Chinese people left and right? To take it even further, what if instead of being white, Redfield was Japanese? Would I be offended? No, but China's Fenqing (angry youth, or often times shit-youth) would be up in arms. A Japanese person going to China to slaughter Chinese people (even though they're infected "zombies")? Some people would certainly blow a fuse.

Some who downplay the questionable imagery claim that Resident Evil is "just a game". I do not agree with them. Video games aren't "just video games", as movies are never "just movies", and although many people still think video games are still toys and only for kids, those people are sorely mistaken. I don't think that RE5 is "just a game", but I do realize that I'm playing Resident Evil. The skin color of those zombies, and how they're relevant to history does not bother me. OK, perhaps I can see how it might bother some people. It is Capcom's fault for not being able to forsee this controversy.

I'm disappointed. Disappointed at Capcom for not being more sensitive in this day and age. We look at games of the past where these types of mistakes were made, and we can chuckle at that ignorance. Nowadays that type of ignorance appears to be unforgivable. I'm also disappointed at those who blindly label RE5 as racist, and those who blindly proclaim that RE5 is "just a game". Both sides should try to understand each other.

Is Resident Evil 5 insenstive? Yes. Offensive? No. Am I bothered by RE5? Other than not being able to run and shoot at the same time, the answer is no.

Get what you pay for

2009-03-31T12:07:00.002+08:00

No plans for PS3 price drop, says Sony.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173503

If this is true, then kudos to Sony for sticking to their plan. I'm not a "fan" of either the PS3 or 360, but I feel that the PS3 is definitely built at a higher quality. For starters, it is quiet compared to the jet engine-esque noise the 360 makes when the disc drive is spinning. The 360 has been found to have fatal errors (just google Red Ring of Death) that are covered by the warranty. When the warranty is up, you're on your own. You can tell that Microsoft did a lot of cost saving even before this console hit stores. On the other hand, the PS3 is a console for adults, and it comes with an adult price (USD499-599).

You have to hand it to Microsoft for devising a business plan that was purposely designed to defeat the PS3. They knew Sony's gameplan and made a cheap machine with a lower price point to initially sell more units. Brilliant plan really, since the money is made from games. With more consoles in more households, the likelihood of someone choosing a 360 game over a PS3 game is high. PS3 in turn can play Blu-Ray DVDs. This will boost their unit sales, but will it make Blu-Ray DVD users buy more games?

No Tube for You

2009-03-25T18:17:00.007+08:00

YouTube blocked in China? It was only a matter of time. Am I surprised this happened after promises of a more "open" internet? No. China makes few promises, and has a problem with keeping them. Lies and contradictions are common place. Its these contradictions and lack of clarity that drove away the faith I had in this country years ago. Not that I don't have well wishes for China. I really want to see China do well, but not in the way that most people consider to be "well". Responding to the YouTube blockage, China had this to say:

"Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite," the official, Qin Gang, explains. "China's Internet is open enough, but also needs to be regulated by law in order to prevent the spread of harmful information and for national security."
Another "Chinaism", another disappointment.

(Read more here)

Real Crooks

2009-03-16T10:23:00.003+08:00

Who are the real thieves? Bernard Madoff admitted his crimes. He was a nasty con artist, but at least he is finally owning up to his deeds.

On the contrary, these stubborn finance folk have seriously lost their way. They are stubborn to a point that outsiders simply cannot understand. A bonus should be a reward for a job well done. So even under normal circumstances, the bankers that caused this economic turmoil, have failed in their profession. Hence, they should not receive a bonus. It is simple logic: fail = no bonus. Compound that with the current situation, where taxpayer dollars were used to save the company and their jobs. Should that money be used to give out a reward for a job not done?

Some argue that the bankers are the only ones who can get us out of this mess, and because of that they should be treated well. That sounds almost as if the finance industry is now holding the world hostage. If we don't pony up a juicy bonus for them, they'll throw the economy into further turmoil.

This makes no sense. The real thieves of America have shown their faces, and people certainly have the right to be mad about it.

No to free publicity?

2009-03-10T16:54:00.003+08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7933565.stm

Why does YouTube have to pay artists to post music videos? Can someone explain this to me? I guess there must be a reason. I'm all for artists getting paid, but isn't having your MV on YouTube the equivilant of free advertising? Artists and record companies should be thankful there's a medium such as YouTube to freely spread their product.

Since when did people start saying no to free advertising?

Build Quality

2009-03-05T16:05:00.004+08:00

The stuff we buy just keeps getting worse.

I finally upgraded to a wireless keyboard and mouse at work. I chose this Microsoft combo because it was reasonably priced. I like Logitech's wireless stuff better, but I already had a set of that at home, and didn't want to spend anymore money.

I guess you really get what you pay for. This Microsoft set sucks. They keyboard is mediocre, but not really much worse than your average everyday keyboard. The mouse is really bottom of the barrel though in terms of quality. The optical mouse works on very few surfaces. It doesn't work on the mouse pad that I got for free from the store which I made this purchase, and it doesn't work on the old mouse pad that I was using. It only works if I put it directly on my desk. The battery life sucks compared to my Logitech wireless optical mouse at home, despite it turning itself off every couple minutes to save power.

Right now, I'm recharging the two AA batteries for the mouse, so I have reverted back to the trusty old Microsoft optical wired mouse I've been using for the past eight years. It is better in many respects. Not only does it feel better in your hand, the buttons have a better build quality, and it works on almost any surface. I don't understand how technology can move backwards, but apparently, that's what's happening to Microsoft.

From now on, I'm sticking with Logitech.

Cleaning up (one of) Bush's mess

2009-02-27T10:04:00.003+08:00

Sometimes you there are things that simply make no sense. USD480,000,000 for a helicopter in this economy, and it takes a new President to put a stop to it.

Yes, money needed to be spent after 9/11, but this is beyond ridiculous. Radar jammer, OK. Shielding for electronic equipment (against an electromagnetic pulse), OK. Toilet and kitchen?! Uh... NO!

Americans living in excess brought them to where they are today. You'd like to imagine the government being smarter than that. Then you remember who ran the government in the past eight years and it all makes sense (or no sense).

The Death of Comedy

2009-02-26T12:12:00.001+08:00

When was the last time you saw a quality comedy film come out from Hong Kong? The last funny film I saw from Hong Kong was Stephen Chow's Kung Fu. The Comedy is dead in Hong Kong.

Why you ask? There are little to no comedic actors left in the business. Film producers are not willing to take risks with new styles of comedy. Staying conservative, they stick with slapstick and mindless humor with actors who are actually singers by trade. The industry dictated this change, not the audience. I'll bet the Hong Kong audience is dying to see a serious, high quality comedy. Entertainment firms just aren't willing to take any risk. Instead, they come out with stuff that has worked in the past, shunning anything new or experimental.

Perhaps its the Hong Kong market that caused this situation. The market is too small, so in order for movies to make a profit, they have to be able to do well in China as well. Greedy firms may not see the value in producing a film only for Hong Kong, even if it does pay for itself. Touchy comedic material might be censored or unaccepted in China. Pirated DVDs are no help. Also, consumers (wrong as they are) will go for the pirated version, as they aren't willing to spend a lot of money on the current, rehashed, run of the mill comedies being produced today.

The vicious cycle continues, and thus brings forth the death of the comedy in Hong Kong cinema.

2 Legit 2 Quit!

2009-02-25T13:37:00.003+08:00

I never thought I would blog about fashion, but this is too funny. MC Hammer's parachute pants are back! Fashion designers are shamelessly bringing back the old design and giving it a posh name: "Harem Pants".

I'm no fashion guru, and most pioneering fashionistas would call my style boring and conservative. All I'm saying is that I would have trouble dating a girl who wore harem pants, and I would try my best to not associate with people who wore these pants in public.

On the other hand they look pretty comfortable, so perhaps they'd make great pyjamas (or adult diaper concealers).

Funny Friday

2009-02-20T13:55:00.000+08:00

Last Straw?

2009-02-17T16:37:00.002+08:00

HSBC... again.

There are a lot more important things to blog about. Plenty going on in China (which I will get to), and certainly plenty of crap going on with our own HKSAR government (which is a bit too depressing to get to). But I'm going to blog about HSBC's credit card program.

Is HSBC's credit card offering horrendous? Not really. So far, they haven't done anything wrong per se. They have just sucked for the five plus years I've been in the program. The rewards sucked. It is mostly crap, and the quality has gotten worse over the years. They started off with Japanese brands, then they switched to Chinese brands. Now they're offering what's called "flexi-rewards", which in theory allows you to redeem a 50 inch HDMI television for 7 million + points. That might actually be plausible if the points didn't expire so quickly. Spend HKD7,000,000 and get a HKD20,000 television for free! Ha! You'd imagine they might give you something better than a 0.29% return for spending a cool mil (US dollars) with their card, but no.

The reason I thought of the good old money grubber, is that they've been pestering me recently (twice per month since August, by phone and by mail) to upgrade to their platinum card. For joining, I'll immediately get 10,000 crappy HSBC reward points, plus have the first year annual fee (about HKD1,000) waived (which would have happened regardless, with the amount I spend with the card). By spending another HKD15,000 (within three months) I can get 40,000 more crappy points given within the next five months.

I decided to give them a legitimate chance and checked what perks the card has to offer. The offers were quite disappointing. There are various discounts here and there, and a perk or two that look somewhat appealing. However, most come with a catch. For example:

15% off on food (not drinks) at H One. Seems like a decent deal, but then you see that it only applies if you spend HKD800 per person. It also does not apply to the set lunch menu from Monday to Friday.

$800 per person is quite a lot, and that doesn't include booze...

Some offers don't make much sense: 10% off the a la carte menu at Fook Lam Moon Restaurant. Not applicable to fruits, beverages, set menus, valet parking or service charge. Again, the restrictions. But what makes the least amount of sense is in the deal itself. People who dine at Fook Lam Moon would not give a rat's ass about a meager 10% discount.

Overall, these ho-hum 10-15% food only discounts make me want to just use another card and get airline miles instead. Which brings us to our next topic.

I thought of enrolling in HSBC's Asia Miles mileage reward program, only to discover that the reward ratio is HKD15 spending for one mile. That is pretty lame. HSBC also requires an additional enrollment annual fee of HKD150. Booooo...

So what might perhaps be the last straw? HSBC announced that in April 2009, bill payment with the classic and gold credit cards will not count towards reward points. Is it a big deal? It will be if you pay your bills with the card. The point is that they're slowly chipping away at the benefits that may have attracted customers to join in the first place. I am just annoyed at the consistent lame-ass marketing efforts they throw at me. I mean... I'll sign up for the platinum card. Just give me something more substantial, like a free phone or a couple bottles of wine.

Fallen Hero

2009-01-07T16:47:00.003+08:00

廣東作家陳啟棠協助農民維權被秘密判刑

2009-01-05
曾協助南海山三鎮失地農民維權的廣東網絡作家陳啟棠，被關押一年多後遭秘密判刑兩年半。家人質疑審訊不公平。維權人士則批評中國政府以言入罪。（張麗明報道）

陳啟棠的妻子張月清向本台粵語組表示，她本周日致電法官，才得悉法院已於上周三開庭宣判，判處陳啓棠入獄兩年半。她仍未收到判決書，不能確定他被定罪是否被捕時所指控的招搖撞騙罪。她批評法院沒有通知家屬開審和宣判日期，令她失去與丈夫見面的機會，亦無法確定審訊過程是否公正。她說：我們一直都不知道。第一次開庭我已問他為甚麼不通知我們，他說他是成年人，不用通知家屬。他犯了甚麼大罪，可以不通知？

陳啟棠是於前年十月下班回家途中被公安人員帶走了，至今已被關押十四個多月。張月清說，在這一年多裡，家人一直無法與陳啟棠見面，完全不知道他在獄中待遇。家人原本聘請了律師為他辯護，卻收到陳啟棠的信件，表示他會自辯，毋須聘請律師。

張月清指，當局只允許陳啟棠寫信給家人，但信件都被監控，所以陳啟棠是否受到壓力才拒絕聘請律師，家人無從得知。她說：信是他寫的，但他是否受到壓力，我們不知道。寫信也只是家信，若談及案件或獄中情況，根本不能寄出。

張月清說，法官表示陳啟棠可於十天內提出上訴，若陳啟棠不提上訴，家人最快可於本周末安排與陳啟棠見面。她非常擔心丈夫的情況，呼籲國際社會關注，迫使中國政府儘快釋放他。

一直關注陳啟棠情況的廣東作家廖祖笙指責廣東當局，純粹因為陳啟棠發表文章和協助南海三山鎮失地農民維權而把他判刑。他說：肯定跟他寫的文章有一定關係。現在是暗無天日的時代，甚麼事情都可以發生。

陳啟棠是廣東佛山人，以筆名“天理”在網上發表文章，議論時政。前年三月，他和多名維權人士，包括郭飛雄和郭永豐等人，創辦《維權聯盟》，發放中國各地維權信息，協助公民維權。被捕前，他正積極關注佛山南海三山鎮失地農民維權情況，多名農民代表遭判刑，其中一人更在囚禁期間死亡。

本台周一曾致電佛山市中級法院和佛山市看守所，希望查詢陳啟棠的情況，但電話均沒有人接聽。

As Hong Kong stepped into the new year peacefully, more injustice took place in the Mainland.

On December 31st, activist Chen Qitang (陳啟棠) was secretly sentenced to two and a half years in prison on charges of impersonation and fraud. Chen is an internet writer in the Guangdong province, who was helping villagers in Foshan City resist land grabs. The charges made against him were likely falsified, as he angered developers and corrupt government officials for aiding the helpless peasants obtain justice.

When will this stop? With the internet and more brazen reporters, the whole world can see these injustices taking place. Does this incident only look funny to foreigners? Does the Central Government not see what's going on here? This is not petty crime. Chen's imprisonment stemmed from developers stealing plots of land from villagers to build multi million dollar structures. When will China decide that it has had enough of being the butt end of corruption jokes? Jokes aside, real people are suffering here. When they try to speak out, they are bullied and punished.

Again, China gets no respect from me until this blatant theft and injustice is put to a stop.

F**k Artisan Water

2008-12-19T17:53:00.005+08:00

Madness is... a HKD80 (USD10) bottle of water.

Apparently, that's what some restaurants are charging these days for bottled water. Not only do they charge an outrageous price, but they damn near force you to order it. If you want water, you have to order the silly artisan bottled water. Otherwise, you're just going to have to go thirsty while eating that meal. What happened to the days when water was free at restaurants?

I'm a drinker. I'll have beer with my pizza and wine with my steak, and I'll pay for it. But I absolutely hate having to pay for ridiculously expensive water that comes in an environmentally unfriendly bottle. It is stupid. I feel like I'm being cheated. The water costs HKD10 in the store, so they're making a profit of HKD70. That is seven times the retail cost.

Sabatini's in the Royal Garden Hotel has the right idea. They serve bottled water, but it is included in the meal. Now that is service, and service that I will gladly pay more for.

Cheapo

2008-12-11T16:15:00.002+08:00

Even when it comes to charity, HSBC is a cheap bastard.

In an attempt to offload some of my HSBC credit card bonus points, I chose to donate them to the Community Chest. Then I found out that you need 25,000 points to donate HKD100! That's a 0.4% return since one dollar spending equals one point. Normally I would accept this if it were a cash back return scheme, but this is a donation. I expect the bank to be willing to give a little more when it comes to charity. Oh well, I guess I'm just more naive than I'd like to think.

Countdown Continues

2008-12-09T11:46:00.009+08:00

Nearly two years ago I foolishly discovered that most restaurant bars did not ban smoking because they were able to claim "bar status". Banning restaurant smoking in 2007 was a great leap for Hong Kong, but bars were still off the hook for another two years. Since then, I have been silently counting down the days until January 1st 2009, when smoking will be banned in bars as well.

Only 23 more days left until the full ban comes into effect.

Sadly, not every establishment will adhere to the new policy.

"Upstairs Bars" will ignore the ban the best they can by instructing customers to smoke in stairwells (already illegal), or they may ignore them completely by continuing to allow customers to smoke.

Smaller, less prominent bars on the ground level may try to ignore the ban as well. Their success will depend entirely on A. The bar's popularity, and B. Whether anyone files a complaint. If a bar is popular, there will be more people filing complaints, forcing the bar to follow the rules.

Karaokes should have banned smoking since 07, but it appears that they are ignoring the law. They aren't saying it is okay to smoke, but they aren't doing anything to prevent it either. They're basically turning a blind eye, and providing makeshift ashtrays when requested.

As for massage parlours (where smoking is still allowed until 09), I have no idea what they will do. They are also usually located "upstairs", and it will be difficult to enforce a smoking ban just like the "Upstairs Bars".

It appears that not many people are all that interested in fixing these problems. Government officials feel that it isn't their problem. The Tobacco Control Office doesn't have the manpower or incentive to enforce the new legislation. Owners of bars and clubs fear that banning smoking will turn away customers. Non-smokers have either stopped going to these places (like me), or pretend it doesn't bother them.

So how can we finally make Hong Kong smoke free? Here are some ideas. Increase the manpower of the Tobacco Control Office, and give them an incentive to hand out fines. Make it a quota system where the more fines they hand out, the more salary they will receive. Have them work in tandem with the police. Make the smoking fines a larger amount to cover the cost of TCO officer bonuses.

When you raid enough karaokes, bars, and clubs, people will learn not to smoke there and eventually become accustomed to it. People putting out their butts before TCO guys can hand out tickets? Have officers pose as party goers, and conduct random raids. Don't tell me this can't be done. The Department of Health did the exact same covert type operations when the order came down to clean up littering in Hong Kong.

If you're going to make such a drastic rule change, you have to come down hard in the beginning. Does the government want to give the people another reason to call it weak? Nobody said this task would be easy, but it it nothing new. Many other cities have banned smoking already, Hong Kong has no excuse not to.

This is the world we live in

2008-12-05T10:53:00.003+08:00

Having made HKD1 billion in profit last year (and 500 million for the first half of this year), TVB decided to layoff 212 employees in this time of turmoil. Their reason is that they must be responsible to their shareholders.

TVB's decision probably makes sense on paper. With publicly listed entities, the shareholder is king. I guess I could sympathize with the layoffs if TVB was barely breaking even, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I just want to know when enough is enough.

I certainly have no right to judge TVB's decision. Perhaps they are planning for the gloomy outlook in upcoming years. Only they can project how much revenue next year will bring.

The TVB layoffs have brought to attention the subject of shareholder responsibility vs. social responsibility. Naturally, to stay attractive and keep investors coming, TVB wants to show shareholders that in times of turmoil, they know how to make the tough, unpopular decisions to keep that profit margin. Strictly business minded people will applaud this, stating that it keeps Hong Kong investment opportunities attractive.

On the other hand, where does it end? Shareholders are not the only ones fighting their way through a bad economy. The ones at the bottom of the ladder always suffer the most. When does a company put a hold on the profit margin, and decide to take care of their own people? I'm sure corporations understand what they are doing when they put people out in the cold in this economy. They have just never experienced it themselves.

No one is saying that we should tell TVB (or any other company) how to run their business. I'd like to ask, do investors only care about profit? If that were the case, nobody would care about child labor, poor working conditions, and minimum wage. If profit was the sole purpose of investing in a company, these issues wouldn't even be discussion topics. Can corporations look past the money and see the significance of social responsibility? Can investors do the same? People don't like the words "social responsibility". How about just calling it "taking care of your own", or "living through the thin as well as the thick". There will always be money to be made, but at what expense?

Furthermore, is TVB's reputation in the public eye at all important? Make an unpopular move, and there could be consequences (though likely minor consquences).

Personally, I would much rather put my money in a company that took care of society as well as their investors. A company that blindly cares about profit (especially in times like these) is not a company I would support.

New Style of Corruption: The Puppet

2008-11-30T12:14:00.001+08:00

扮港商也可騙得十七億元？
24.11.2008 潘小濤

有一宗跟香港有少許關係的國內法庭新聞，看過後讓人難以置信。

主角是只讀了小學的湖北木匠王細牛。不過，這位中年漢，卻憑著一間在香港註冊、登記資本只得一萬元的空殼公司，短短四年間，在國內商場翻雲覆雨，賺了十七億元，還包了六個「二奶」。難道中國真的遍地黃金？

這位假港商的賺錢秘訣，只得一個字，就是「騙」。更奇怪的是，他的謊言其實破綻百出，卻屢試不爽。法庭透露，二ＯＯ一年，王細牛得知寧夏自治區政府準備改造寧夏賓館，於是承諾出資4.56億元，並與區政府簽訂了投資合同。然後，他以扣押招標保證金、騙取銀行貸款及工程材料等，拿到五億，再以高息來公開集資，又獲得三點二億。僅在寧夏，他已得到逾八億元。

問題是，他是如何得知寧夏區政府要改建寧夏賓館呢？是誰給他信息，又是哪個官員決定與他簽定合同呢？法庭沒有說。

之後，王細牛轉戰內蒙古，聲稱要在內蒙首府呼和浩特市的建成「西北第一高樓」，樓高169米，投資額達53億元。當地市政府高度重視，列為07年內蒙古自治區成立60周年獻禮工程。為保證工程進度，剛建成四年的公安局大樓，還有市政府大樓、龍海商廈、第一人民醫院保健樓、公安局三棟宿舍樓等全被炸掉，讓路給此「西北第一高樓」。然而，王細牛的公司自始至終都沒有出資，那個所謂「西北第一高樓」很快成了爛攤子，甚至涉嫌非法集資。到這時內蒙古警方才開始調查王細牛。當時，他已得到各種貸款及集資逾九億元。

更甚者，他用了六個假名登記了張身份證，然後成立了六間空殼公司，並且用每個假名娶了一個老婆。

聽完這個故事，大家是否滿腹疑團，為甚麼這樣一個木匠，能令那麼多大官上當受騙？他騙回來的錢，究竟流向何處。我就懷疑，他是否只是木偶公仔，背後有官方背景的人控制他，否則不可能獲得那麼多政府工程的消息，而那些地方諸侯也不會那麼信任他！看國內的新聞，即使是法庭已判了案的新聞，也不能全信官方的版本呀!

It appears that corrupt Chinese politicians have found a new way to steal from the people. They've gotten smart. Instead of strong-arming the funds and concealing the crime with their authority, they employ a "puppet" to do their dirty deeds. When this puppet gets caught, they are free of any blame.

This case in point involves a middle carpenter with only an elementary school level education. This man, Wang Xiniu, managed to open a shell company in Hong Kong and proceed to con investors into giving him a grand total of RMB 1.7 billion within the very short span of four years. Through forged documents, he has six identities, and six wives to match.

Wang's building investment proposals were obviously flawed, yet they somehow got approved. How did this happen? How did an uneducated carpenter orchestrate such an elaborate plan and actually succeed in its execution? Wang has now been caught and been proven guilty in a court of law. However, no details behind his actions have been disclosed, and the whereabouts of the 1.7 billion yuan is still unknown.

One can only come to the conclusion that there is a higher power behind the scenes. The men behind the man are likely corrupt Chinese government officials. Only they would have the power to push for the approval of such shoddy construction proposals, and only they have the ability to prevent the courts from probing any further into the people behind Wang Xiniu. Meanwhile, Wang, who began as their puppet, is now their deliberate scapegoat. They knew that his ruse was built on sand and was destined to be uncovered. Now Wang takes all the blame, and the people's money will never been seen again.

Bling It!

2008-11-25T15:02:00.006+08:00

Click here for the tech stuff. Tests have shown that Chrome is twice as fast as Firefox, and it appears to be the fastest browser available. Has mighty Google done it again? The browser feels great. It has nearly everything Firefox 3 has. It doesn't "hang" occasionally like FF does, and it is a lot faster (at least it feels that way since I haven't timed it myself). Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised that Google appears to be dominating another facet of my web experience. The Google search engine, Gmail, Maps, Google Chat, Blogger, Reader, Picasa, and even YouTube, all suit my web lifestyle just right. Minimalist, utilitarian, unobtrusive, efficient, are words I'd use to describe Google's most basic products. They are taking over the world and perhaps they deserve to.

Weak Sauce

2008-11-19T13:11:00.000+08:00

Why is our government so weak?! Every time the public or the media asks our government to make a decision or solve an issue, all we get is a wishy-washy non-answer. As the article notes, our useless government always comes back with a non-answer like, "that is a hypothetical question", or ignoring the problem all together with, "there is no problem there", or yet another non-answer like, "the government has the ability to solve any problems that may arise".

Macau is not a mirror image of Hong Kong, but being another SAR of China, it is the only place to compare us to. The Macau government is not perfect. Yet how come they can come up with solid answers and our government cannot? We've even had a two year head start in terms of SAR experience.

I hate our government. I hate them for their style of corruption, and their lack of a spine.

We Have Arrived!

2008-11-05T13:12:00.006+08:00

Big-O's checklist on who to thank:

1. Family
2. Supporters
3. The People

...for obvious reasons.

4. George W. Bush

...if he didn't do such a craptastic job in the last four years, Obama wouldn't have won so convincingly.

Hooray!

Not Just Racing Buckets

2008-10-30T16:12:00.006+08:00

Premier racing bucket and OEM car seat maker, Recaro, has seemingly snuck into the airline seat business.

In the past, airline seats had no visible branding. You assumed they were Airbus brand or Boeing brand seats. Now you can see the Recaro brand clearly labeled on the seats in certain Airbus planes. It is kind of like Prada putting their name on an LG phone, or Bose putting their stereos in Audi cars.

Overall, it's refreshing to see professional travel seat makers making seats for airplanes. So what's next? Herman Milliar designed seats in first class? Would be a great selling point if you ask me.

Happy Birthday

2008-10-23T10:12:00.000+08:00

To a friend who can no longer wish me Happy Birthday.

Controversial legislator quits beauty pageant

2008-10-16T12:10:00.008+08:00

BEIJING -- After public outcry, political figure, Yuan Jing, decides to quit the ongoing "Miss Chinese International" beauty pageant.

Yuan Jing, a controversial people's congress deputy who joined in a beauty contest, shows in this undated photo. [Sina.com] When she made the announcement last week, Yuan was ranked second among more than 1,000 candidates in the contest's preliminary section, which was held online.

"I'm too busy to continue the contest," the 22-year-old explained. "I have a heavy workload."

She does. Yuan is a deputy to the People's Congress, or legislature, of east China's
Jiangsu Province and an alternate member of the Chinese Communist Youth League Central Committee.

As a politician, Yuan's entry in the Hong Kong-based beauty contest, created controversy.

Opposition didn't come from fellow politicians but instead from Internet users throughout China.

"Being a People's Congress deputy means she represents the people. What she's supposed to do is to help improve people's livelihoods, not go for a beauty crown," said a user on a forum of sina.com, China's major Internet portal.

The beauty pageant, sponsored and aired by TVB, a leading television station in Hong Kong, is an annual contest generally held in January and February. Contestants are women born in China or of Chinese descent living abroad. Some participants become famous TV stars after participating.

Many people questioned how Yuan used her political status in the pageant. On her blog, she promoted her legislative titles.

Yuan defended the move, saying "I was only introducing myself to the public. It was a kind of resume. Besides, contestants naturally would try all means to win votes. Why can't I?"

Yuan said she didn't care much about the negative responses written about her on the Internet.

"I would walk my own way."

Not all the online comments were bad. Many people supported Yuan.

"She is a girl after all, young and pretty. Being a Congress deputy doesn't forbid her to participate in the pageant," an Internet user said.

"It's an open world," said another.

Yuan admitted she didn't expect to win so many votes during preliminary selection. It isn't known just how much her political status played a role in her popularity.

Yuan did say she thought twice about applying for the contest because of her job title but she went ahead anyway.

"I'm just a 20-something. I want to go for a beauty pageant -- that's a dream cherished deep in the heart of every girl, I guess. So, why don't I give it a try?"

Yuan denied she quitted because of social pressure.

"It's really because of my own tight work schedule," she said.

"If such opportunities present themselves before me in the future, I'll go for it again, definitely. I'm not only a People's Congress deputy, but also a vigorous young person."

In my opinion, China has much bigger fish to fry. Instead of bitching about a move that could possibly make Chinese politicians look hip and cool, they should focus on stopping corrupt officials from accepting bribes and abusing power. This article should be under the gossip column.

Please focus on the important issues! Stop corruption, not beauty pageants!

Restaurant Etiquette

2008-10-14T15:10:00.003+08:00

I had to have a late lunch the other day. So I'm at the mall, expecting restaurants to be somewhat empty. I though about trying this somewhat new place where there's always a long line (turns out it was crap, but anyways...). Surely, there would be no line well past the lunch hour, right?

Wrong. There was still a considerable line. What I should have done was move on and eat somewhere else, but it was too late. My mind had already programmed itself into wanting to eat that meal at that place. So I lined up with everyone else, and that's when I noticed the reason for the line.

People who had finished eating were still hanging around. They weren't just done eating, their dishes had already been cleared away. Despite people waiting for seats right in front of them, they chose to just remain in their seats and chit-chat long after their meal was finished.

Of course this annoyed me, but it is what people do in Hong Kong. Even at a busy restaurant, most Hong Kongers will choose to be inconsiderate and hog their tables until their lunch hour ends. This happened to be a Japanese restaurant, and it reminded me of what would likely happen in Japan: people would quickly eat their meals, and vacate the restaurant. If they wanted to hang out and chat, they would go to a cafe instead of delaying the next person from eating their meal. That is restaurant etiquette.

Naturally, different restaurants and different situations will require different actions. If the restaurant is empty, then yeah, stay as long as you want. However, during the lunch rush, I wish Hong Kong people would be more considerate.

180903

2008-09-18T08:30:00.003+08:00

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
"Just what your worth"

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I...

Tears stream, down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

Exit Polls

2008-09-13T11:57:00.001+08:00

The latest Legco elections in Hong Kong have triggered a gaping hole with the method and usage of exit polls.

First, Dr. Robert Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme (POP) at The University of Hong Kong, made the fatal mistake of announcing that the exit poll information will be distributed to media sponsors periodically before the election is over. This got an immediate negative reaction from the public and many politicians. Chung reversed the decision to release data early, but it was too late. The people had lost faith in the fairness of exit polls and many chose to boycott them by either remaining silent, or purposely providing wrong information.

Second, there's the issue of "fake" exit pollsters. These are exit polls run by private entities who use the data to win the election, rather than for study. The public generally does not like this type of polling, so the pollsters impersonate Hong Kong University staff to entice voters to reveal their choice.

What is the solution to this? I have heard suggestions to release the official vote count every hour, as to ensure absolute fairness. When all the data is out in the open, there will be no chance for private polls to use their data to "cheat". However, that is a pretty drastic move.

Instead, I suggest making the Hong Kong University pollsters "official". Have police stand guard near the HKU exit poll personnel to keep the peace, and to inform the public which poll is "genuine". There will no longer be exit polls claiming to be from HKU.

Give us a choice

2008-08-29T13:29:00.000+08:00

Credit card companies are cracking down on retailers who have a surcharge for customers who decide to pay with their credit card. Credit card companies take a hefty percentage from each credit card transaction which ends up being paid directly by the retail store. By employing a surcharge, the retailers are trying to pass on the credit card's added cost to the customer.

Credit card companies are offering a service, and of course retail shops can choose whether they want to allow the use of credit cards as a form of payment. However, I believe the card companies are overstepping their boundaries when they require retailers to charge the same amount for both cash and card payments.

The retailers have no choice. They are forced to pay the transaction fee when a customer pays with a credit card. They should have the right to pass that fee to the customer. Customers will either pay the higher price, pay with cash, or purchase their goods from another store that doesn't charge the transaction fee. The credit card company may lose out if the customer decides to pay in cash, but I still think it is unfair for the card company to tell the retailer how to run their business.

The Consumer Council has sided with the card companies on this issue. If that is their policy, I suppose there is nothing that can be done. However, I am disappointed that the Council has sided with big business rather than try and help out Hong Kong's small business owners.

Monster Maker

2008-08-27T11:34:00.003+08:00

Everyone knew that Nissan had their cross hairs on the Porsche 911 Turbo. Everyone knew the goal was to beat the Turbo. No one expected the GT-R to completely blow the 911 out of the water. Let's just say, there's no comparison. The heavier, front engined GT-R beat even Porsche's top of the line, ultra rare, Carrera GT (on the Top Gear track, driven by the Stig). It is mind boggling how good this car is at this price. It is truly supercar performance, without the supercar price tag. It has achieved what the Honda NSX always wanted to do. So instead of paying USD600,000 for a Ferrari Enzo, you'll probably end up paying USD70,000 for a GT-R that has Enzo like performance. How crazy is THAT!

What's even more amazing is the technology involved. Sure, the Porsche GT2 is crazy fast, but you have to be a very competent driver to be able to control it. The GT-R on the other hand is suitable for both professionals, and amateurs alike.

Bravo, Nissan. I am officially jealous.

Absurd

2008-08-19T11:36:00.003+08:00

I have refrained from posting about Olympic controversy during the Olympics. This is not a controversy, it is just people acting dumb.

Today's newspapers were filled with pictures of Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, and the faces of people in tears over his sudden exit from the games. Cry for Sichuan, cry for the firefighters who gave their lives in Mong Kok, but please don't cry for Liu. He still has his gold medal from 2004, and he has won many many events between then and now. He is no slouch, and certainly not a disappointment. China is shooting for 40 gold medals in this Olympics. People shouldn't cry over the one they can't get.

Of course, that's not all. The worst part is probably the silly internet folk (AKA 憤青), who are calling Liu a coward, speculate that he pulled out on purpose, and whining about how they feel cheated. Cheated? Last I heard, the Olympic televised broadcasts are free. Let's say you managed to get an overpriced ticket to watch the race live: last I heard, there's still a 110 meter hurdle event going on. It's not like the event was cancelled. People cheated themselves by putting too much focus on Liu.

There are the more mellow ones who say they wish Liu would have ran anyways since he showed up, to "finish what he started". Err... the man still has something called a career. If he destroys his Achilles tendon just so you can "get your money's worth", Liu's career as a hurdler may just end then and there.

The media is also certainly at fault, for over promoting Liu. However, I'm cutting them a huge break this time. If it wasn't for the media, Liu wouldn't have been making 60 million yuan per year in sponsorship money.

So stop whinning. Nobody lost here.

Oh please...

Golf without El Tigre

2008-08-07T18:44:00.002+08:00

Suddenly, the PGA Tour Championship is upon us! I honestly didn't notice. Since the US Open, and since Tiger Woods got season ending surgery, golf has pretty much been fast forwarded for me. I've only noticed the majors, and the only reason I even noticed the British Open was Greg Norman almost winning it.

Is it my fault? Am I a "Tiger only" golf fan? Not necessarily. However, I have to admit that ESPN and a blog or two decide how much golf news I receive. Now that I'm paying attention, I've noticed that ESPN's golf coverage has dropped a ton since Tiger stopped playing.

Is this on purpose? Probably not. A sport simply isn't as exciting when your best player is injured; especially when its an individual sport. Even for other sports, when Jordan was injured, basketball suffered a blow. Tiger is just so much better than his peers, that the blow golf suffers is even greater. It's all relative.

Farewell, Manny.

2008-08-01T10:50:00.006+08:00

Perhaps one day we will know exactly how this came to be. Maybe when Manny writes his life story, we'll find out why Manny's departure from the Red Sox was so abrupt. Things just happened so quickly.

Throughout all the rumors and talks, I still expected Manny to stay. I mean, the past few five seasons all had rumors of Manny being traded, but trades never took place. Manny's offensive prowess just never allowed the Red Sox front office to get rid of him. He had some attitude issues, but how "destructive" could they possibly be if we were able to win two World Series titles, and come pretty darn close in 2003? Manny was the WS MVP in 2004, and he gave the team much needed contribution in 2007. To me, the 2008 rumors seemed no different. It was that time of the year when Manny was acting up again. He was still one of the most productive players on the team, and arguably the most hardworking. I really didn't see this coming. Down to the trading deadline, I was still telling friends that Manny wouldn't be traded. Things would just be the same as they always are. Lo and behold, Manny is gone, we are suddenly short two top prospects, and Jason Bay was due to play LF at Fenway.

Suddenly, a player who had been with us for eight years, who played Fenway in his prime, who won two World Series titles with us, who had so much talent, quirkiness, and unintentional humor, was gone.

From a baseball standpoint, Jason Bay is certainly an upgrade in defense, and provides current Manny type stats. I'm disappointed that Brandon Moss had to go, plus we gave away a much needed reliever in Craig Hansen. Both were long time Red Sock prospects. Personally, I'm sad to see Manny go. Not only a future Hall of Famer, but one of the most fun players to watch, whether it was hitting the baseball, or doing funny stuff like high fiving the crowd, or taking a leak in the Green Monster.

Farewell, Manny. Good luck, and thank you.

Madness is a charcoal filter

2008-07-29T17:16:00.004+08:00

William Pesek and I have something in common. We both refuse to help smoker friends buy cigarettes at the airport duty free shops. Read his interesting article about anti-smoking woes in Japan. It is quite sad to see such a sophisticated and advanced nation stuck with an archaic habit. As the article points out, for the Japanese government, it's an economic issue; health comes second.

Also check out David Sedaris' book, When you are Engulfed in Flames, where he goes to Japan (of all places) to quit smoking.

Wow Just Wow

2008-07-23T12:04:00.004+08:00

Twins general manager Bill Smith, on Livan Hernandez, who improved to 10-6 with a 5.29 earned-run average with Saturday's victory over Texas: "I'll take the (10) wins. Who do you want, a guy who's 10-15 with a 2.80 ERA or a guy who's 16-8 with a 7.00 ERA? I'll take the 16-8."

Remind me again... are they paying this guy? Furthermore... why hasn't he been fired yet?

Again, why why why do people even LOOK at the wins column when it comes to pitchers? What is this madness? Can't Minnesota afford someone with some basic, modern baseball knowledge?

Dear Bill,
ERA = VERY IMPORTANT
Wins = NOT IMPORTANT

Well... it's not my team, so I don't give a shit. Red Sox fans should thank their lucky stars every single day that we have Theo Epstein as our GM.

Alex says: "I am Ironman"

2008-07-22T10:39:00.003+08:00

Robert Downey Jr.? Nope. I've got a real Ironman right here! Congratulations Alex on finishing your first Ironman. I have witnessed the metamorphosis you have gone through in the last couple years: from getting healthy, to running, to biking, then to swimming, and diligently putting it together into achieving this goal which I'm sure is only a start to many more future accomplishments.

Very proud of you buddy. Let's drink together soon.

Well Deserved

2008-07-11T15:45:00.003+08:00

Am I finally agreeing with China in something? China Vice President Xi Jinping gave a speech that was very critical towards Donald Tsang and the Hong Kong government, during his visit just this week. Hopefully, Xi had the same issues in mind as the ones I've been talking about during the past two years of Tsang's administration (the year after Tung Chee Wah, and the official year when he was "elected"/appointed).

Michael DeGolyer certainly had the same issues in mind. His opinion piece (above) lists all the issues I've talked about in this blog. DeGolyer's article really summarizes where Tsang has failed and where he should have paid attention. Most of Tsang's faults are really the result of negligence (i.e. ignoring the environment). Other faults come from what seems like a clear choice (i.e. choosing to shy away from the "assistant hiring debacle"), or poor management (i.e. typhoon aftermath in the New Territories).

Well, time for me to shut up. Just read the article.

Bravo to Xi for not allowing this trip to be just a PR pat-on-the-back for Tsang.

World's Worst Tourists

2008-07-10T13:19:00.002+08:00

No longer are Americans the world's worst tourists. Sadly, China has taken the cake in this category. A French travel website surveyed 4000 hotel staff whom reflected that the worst tourists are those from China. India came in a distant second, and the French came in third. You can read about it here.

I guess this isn't really news. I have experienced the ignorant Chinese tourist first hand, and it is not pretty. Let's take away the spitting and squatting, since it's kind of a cultural thing. However, the lack of manners and lack of respect are actions I just don't understand. It is sad to see Chinese people (including many Hong Kong people) acting so selfish and disrespectful while in a foreign country.

Don't worry, things haven't changed completely. Americans were still voted as the loudest.

Sympathy

2008-07-09T13:39:00.005+08:00

Last week, a kid from Beijing went to Shanghai, charged into a police station in Shanghai, and started killing police officers. The toll from his action was six dead, and four wounded. The curious thing about this incident, is that Chinese netizens are praising this kid as a hero. The story (or rumor) is that this kid was accused ot stealing a bicycle, arrested, and beaten, resulting in him having become impotent. This rampage was his revenge. Internet folk have created websites and tributes to the kid for his heroic actions.

The true horror of this story is that the rumored unjust treatment by the police, and the kid's motive for revenge are so believable. The netizens aren't gullible. They are just so accustomed to corruption and incidents of injustice that to them, the kid's accusations come as no surprise.

China's biggest enemy is still itself.

Clarity... again

2008-07-07T14:10:00.004+08:00

Out of nowhere, the Hong Kong Government decides they want to donate HKD100 billion of public funds for the rebuilding of Sichuan. There are a few problems that have arisen from this announcement.

Fairness?
Hong Kongers living in poverty, feel that the government has shunned them. This aid was so easily and so quickly offered to Sichuan, while the impoverished have to protest and beg, only to get very little in return. Indeed many Hong Kongers are facing economic difficulties at the moment, and there have been noticeable cases where the government has ignored pleas for help. I'm sure many agree that money should be donated, but they're also asking, "what about me?".

Filtering.
Where will this money go? To Sichuan, of course! Not so fast. China is notorious for its corruption and its lack of clarity. This is afterall the blood and sweat of Hong Kong taxpayers. We want to know that the money is going to the right place and not into the pockets of corrupt officials, or corrupt contractors. This type of skepticism should be a shock to no one. There's nothing wrong with wanting to know how your money is spent. Have a plan. It is foolish to make such an announcement without a plan to reassure people their donation will be put to good use. We don't have a choice whether to give the money or not, so at least try to put our minds at ease.

Surprise!
Where is this sudden enthusiasm from the government coming from? The earthquake occurred in May. Why offer the donation now? There is speculation that Donald Tsang wants to offer this as a gift to vice president, Xi Jinping during his visit to Hong Kong. This is unlikely, but you do have to question the timing of this offering. Why make a move that might raise eyebrows? Use common sense. Try to make it our decision instead of just yours. Again, if the government proposed this donation earlier on, when people were in more of a giving mood, perhaps they wouldn't be met with such resistance.

Safety First

2008-07-04T17:18:00.008+08:00

Here we see Chinese soldiers preparing to defeat terrorists. No joke. These are undoctored photos, and they were published in a newspaper (in the third photo, you can see signs in the background stating this is a anti-terrorist training exercise). I'm guessing this is in preparation for the Olympics. This is also the dumbest shit I've seen in a long time.

Is a caption even necessary for this photo? What the hell? Soldiers on Segways? Is this their feeble attempt at being cool? It is failing miserably. This isn't even funny. It is very sad. Please stop.

What? So they're using flame throwers against terrorists? How is this even remotely useful in an anti-terrorist situation? You'll likely be facing a large crowd which will likely consist of innocent bystanders. Oh wait, but if you accidentally charbroil 100 innocent people, you can just block the media from reporting it. One hundred suddenly turns to one, and of course they'll say that one person was the terrorist.

What do we have here? This water truck is:
A) Spraying "terrorists" to disperse them.
B) Misting people because it's too hot.
C) Helping prepare for a new Olympic event: "rain sprints".

Oh! I get it now. They're spraying this water sprinkler style in order to extinguish the flames, in case all that flame-throwing gets out of hand. What else could it be? This weak sauce stream of water can't possibly stop a terrorist.

(Morons.)

Then again, these "anti-terror" drills are probably actually "anti-protester" drills.

Immortality?

2008-06-27T15:03:00.003+08:00

Does Curt Schilling belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Read this chat transcript.

I'm a Curt fan because of 2004, but when it comes to HOF induction, I am fair and unbiased. Curt Schilling is most definitely a Hall of Famer in my opinion.

What I don't understand is why people still base performance on number of wins. Wins is an eye catching stat. When you see a guy with let's say a 10-3 record, you automatically think that he's a good pitcher. That could be far from the truth. What really matters are ERA, strikes, walks (actually WHIP). Schilling performs above and beyond well in all those categories. Not getting a W, doesn't mean the pitcher didn't pitch quality innings. Getting an L or no decision doesn't necessarily equal a poor outing. Sometimes giving up one run can lead to a loss. If that one run was given up in 6 innings, I'd say that's a quality start; yet it's still branded as a loss.

So I don't get it. People these days should be smart enough to skip over the win-loss column when judging a pitcher's worth.

Everybody Loses

2008-06-20T11:35:00.003+08:00

Are the truck drivers right? Is the government focusing on the wrong stuff? Alcohol over fuel? Whether the decision was right or wrong, the people feel disenfranchised. Again, the silly HKSAR government has managed to give the impression that they are trying to make the rich richer. This stupid government needs to learn about something called foresight. They need to make decisions that benefit a majority of the people, then have their PR guys run all over town promoting their work. Now it's just the opposite. Everything is disaster management. The government is often seen as putting more money in the pockets of the rich AKA their friends/possibly future employers.

Despite the massive groan from the Hong Kong public, the government continues to blindly go ahead with its promotion of wine in the region. Personally, I'm disappointed with the decision to demolish the alcohol tax. Very little or no savings have been passed on to the actual consumers. Instead, the money has gone straight to the distributors. Wine shops shrug as they didn't win or lose in this situation, and they aren't to blame either. The government should have taken a step back, seen that when the alcohol tax was lowered a couple years ago, there was no significant drop in the price of alcoholic beverages. Is there a solution here? Probably not. Yet, why make your actions look dubious? Why make people feel disenfranchised? If I had any humble advice for the HKSAR government, it would be to focus on the real issues... please.

Whoa Boston (an ongoing series)!

2008-06-19T23:22:00.007+08:00

Before

After

I am primarily a baseball fan, but it's always good to see Boston win. After a 22 year drought (if you can call it that), the Cs win their 17th NBA Championship. Icing on the cake is winning at home, and starting the celebrations midway through the fourth quarter after annihilating the Lake Show. What a way to end this amazing season. This somewhat dulls the pain of Superbowl XLII, which has made me contemplate skipping this year's football season entirely.

In other news...

Everyone is saying it, so I mind as well say it too. It's on everyone's mind...

JD DREW IS ON FIRE!!!

We are injured, but we are strong. Just as the Sox disabled list was starting to pile up, we get strong performances from Masterson, Drew, Crisp, and even the pen has stepped up.

Craig Hansen is showing much more promise this season, as his outings are more and more solid. Javy Lopez, David Aardsma, Timlin, Oki, and MDC all seem to take turns having a bad inning. In other words it's a good balance, and the pen has been efficient with Papelbon to slam the door when necessary.

Happy Days in Boston!

Best. Show. Ever.

2008-06-16T11:35:00.008+08:00

HBO's The Wire ended this year after five seasons. I only recently discovered the series via rental. I managed to burn through season one in one week, but only because I was allowed to rent just two discs each time. In short, it is the best TV series I have ever seen.

I saw season one of Heroes this year. I really liked that show too, and I would rate it at a close second on my personal list. Both Heroes and The Wire are character driven shows. They each have a boatload of characters, yet both shows manage to balance out each and every one of them. With so many characters, it could have been easy to get lost and not care about some of them. It is not the case here. You end up caring about everyone in the story, including the "bad guys".

What edged it over Heroes for me is the realism and message of The Wire. Crime dramas and stories surrounding cops and robbers has been done time and again. This one is a masterpiece. The Wire is an intense portrayal of Baltimore in many aspects. Season One portrays the urban drug trade, poverty and despair among African Americans, and also the bureaucratic police department that's supposed to be fighting it.

The Wire is part entertainment, part social commentary. It is by no means easy to swallow. Negativity is never easy to watch. I'm sure not many people enjoy rewatching Saving Private Ryan. Yet, there are lessons to be learned when watching The Wire. The good guys don't necessarily win in the end, and perhaps viewers might be left with a feeling of despair, but they certainly won't be left with emptiness. While Heroes is very entertaining, the Wire is that and more.

The Wire toys with your emotions, and you end up caring about all the characters because the show feels so real. You sympathize with the cops who can't do their job because of politics and corruption. You sympathize with the "soldiers" of the drug trade, as the show asks whether they are truly at fault. Do they have any other way to survive in the projects if they didn't sell drugs? Season one of the wire tells the stories of multiple worlds most viewers know very little about. The story, the characters, and the setting do a phenomenal job of introducing us to one of the most crime ridden cities in America.

As said, The Wire is no walk in the park, but if you're up for a challenge, definitely don't let this amazing show pass you by.

(In addition: when I used to hear people talk about characters in the wire like, Wee-Bey, Wallace, Stringer, Bunk, Kima, Carver, Daniels, Prez, I got really confused. I couldn't put names to faces. After just one season, I know everyone in that show. Their personalities stick to you like glue. You get attached to these characters. I've seen nearly five seasons of 24, and the only characters I remember are Jack Bauer and Chloe.)

The light that burns the brightest...

2008-06-10T15:55:00.008+08:00

I grew up listening to Beyond, and Wong Ka Kui: singer, songwriter, lyricist, messenger of peace, leader, legend. Ka Kui died nearly 15 years ago, yet he is still influential to many people, including me. I never get tired of his songs, his message, his super soulful voice. The man spoke his mind, he loved peace, and he loved music. He was intelligent and ambitious, yet his goals were never about money, and he was always generous with everyone around him. If he were alive, Ka Kui would be 46 years old today.

Below are lyrics that I will never forget. They are powerful lyrics for sure, but the reason I will remember them forever is the performance below. This song and this concert really moved me, and Beyond went from being a band that I liked, to a band that I love.

我已背上一身苦困後悔與唏噓
妳眼裏卻此刻充滿淚
這個世界已不知不覺的空虛
不想你別去

Happy Birthday, Ka Kui. Your legacy will live on forever.

Meh Olympics Side Story: Meh Torch

2008-06-05T18:15:00.002+08:00

A newspaper decided that it was really important for the public to know the difference between the authentic, "priceless" Olympic torch, and a fake eBay Olympic torch. It is baffling as to why they felt the need to use half a page to cover this news. Then I realized why after seeing this chart.

They just HAD to emphasize that the torch is priceless (無價). Oooooo, that's right... another reminder of how sacred and important and amazing the 2008 Olympics is going to be.

Also laughable is how they spend half the article explaining that the real torch can be lit, while the fake torch cannot. I don't know why I need to know this. Perhaps they thought that people would be dissuaded from buying the fake torch if they knew they couldn't light up the flame and parade around their neighborhood.

However, what I find to be absolutely the most absurd thing is how China spent tens of millions of yuan (US$X,000,000) over the past two years to create the special fuel that can manage to stay lit on the Himalayas leg of the torch relay. I won't even talk about how much could be done with that money in rural China. How about using that money to invent something good for the nation? Perhaps create the first LED Olympic torch? Show off China's technological prowess after inventing the first electric Olympic torch. It would also show China's newfound care for mother nature. Instead, the torch rides in it's own private plane that spews CO2 like there's no tomorrow.

Fun fact: did you know that this Olympic torch emits 5,500 tons of CO2? Read about it here.

6.4 不忘

2008-06-04T14:03:00.005+08:00

As people continue to cry over the Sichuan earthquake, let's not forget those who died in vain 19 years ago today, right smack in the heart of China: Tiananmen Square.

I usually keep quiet about this issue. Usually just post a picture or a news article. However, it seems like more and more people are forgetting about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Survey says that more and more people (nearly 15%) now think that the Chinese government did the right thing when they deployed the PLA, which resulted in death of thousands of student protesters.

Maybe 19 years is a long time, and people are forgetting the blood, sweat, tears, and pain they saw on television. Perhaps it is some of the younger folk who didn't live through the incident, and pass judgement based on things they were told.

Remembering "June 4th" is no easy feat. You watch as less and less people attend the annual memorial events. It's like trying to promote democracy in China, or like getting China to admit they were wrong. It's like talking to a brick wall.

Nearly 20 years later, exiled former student protesters are still not allowed back in the country. Many former protesters are still in prison. The parents of dead protesters are closely watched, and they are not allowed to go anywhere near the Square to pray for their dead children.

Since China certainly hasn't forgotten about this date, why should we? Don't give China a free pass on this. Don't let people forget.

理智躲到檯底

2008-06-03T08:21:00.003+08:00

Rational thought thrown out the window. A high school girl says they should save pandas instead of humans. CNN guy calls the Chinese thugs. Sharon Stone says the earthquake is karma. Not only have these people been condemned on the internet, silly internet folk have asked that these people be killed or hanged or whatnot.

You see this dumbshit happen all the time on the net. People hide behind their computers and do some extreme name-calling. It transfers into reality as well, like when Fenqing threw feces and paint on the house of a Chinese Duke University girl who pushed for peace talks with Tibet. In a country with little freedom of speech, this kind of behavior is not surprising. However, seeing it happen in Hong Kong really disappoints me.

Everyday, the local Hong Kong tabloids have an article interviewing pop stars about Sharon Stone. Every response is how her speech is unforgivable, blah blah blah. When did Sharon Stone's opinion suddenly start carrying weight?! Even if it did, what's the big deal? It is her opinion, and she certainly doesn't deserve to "die", or be "chopped into a million pieces", etc.

CNN host Jack Cafferty implied that Chinese people were "goons and thugs", which caused a typhoon sized stir. Again, I don't see what the big deal is. The author of the piece above said an American journalist she talked to chuckled that The Situation Room show is a "news show" and not a "news report", in response to Cafferty's comments. Goons and thugs was Cafferty's opinion. It doesn't actually mean that everyone in America (or CNN even) thinks that all Chinese are goons and thugs. It is Cafferty's right to have that opinion. Hong Kong people should be smart enough to know how important freedom of speech is, since we currently enjoy this right and hopefully will enjoy it for ever and ever. It's this peer-pressurish, pseudo-patriotic bullshit that's destroying the few things that make us more desirable than the Mainland.

The poor high school girl who thought pandas should be saved over humans may hold a different opinion, but it is her opinion to hold. Instead, she was not only condemned by her peers, her school actually punished her for speaking her mind. I just cannot believe people in Hong Kong have fallen to this level of ignorance. Students should be rewarded for speaking out, whether or not you agree with them. What the school should have done, was ask her to explain to her peers why she thought the pandas were worth saving over the humans. An easy answer would be that pandas are facing extinction, and humans are not. What part of that argument doesn't make sense?

Hiatus/Thoughts

2008-06-01T11:27:00.000+08:00

Where in the world? Yes, I've been away. Spent nearly two weeks in the US. Was ablt to swing by the East coast for the first time in four years. Do I miss it? Sure. Parts of it... sometimes.

So I was in the US when the earthquake hit Sichuan. It's strange how when you're not anywhere near the epicenter of tragedy, you can easily remove yourself from it. The only report I really watched was on CNN, when they interviewed an American there by phone. Otherwise, it was pretty difficult for foreign journalists to gain access at the time. It's that age old news barrier in China: when you're there, you can't get foreign news; when you're not there, you can't get any accurate news from China. So it was pretty easy for me to continue my vacation, and not think much about the quake and its victims.

When I returned to Hong Kong, then I realized how crazy people were about the quake. Newspapers printing everything in black, everything was tragedy, tragedy, tragedy, death, destruction, hopelessness. The Hong Kong media just kept feeding people negativity, as if the victims needed everyone to share their grief. Anyone person or media outlet that didn't follow suit were be "condemned" or frowned upon. It's like "Fenqing" behavior: if you don't agree with them, you're the enemy; there's no room for discussion.

Maybe it was my absence during the quake, or maybe I'm just a heartless bastard. I didn't feel sad, and I didn't need psychological help. Sichuan was a mess, and tens of thousands were dead. Yet people around the world die everyday. Some suffering African nations are in even worse situations than the quake survivors. What about Myanmar? Suddenly, people stopped thinking about them.

There are so many examples of how people suffer day in day out (even in China), yet we never think of those people. I know it's wrong to say this, but it almost appears like it's fashionable to feel sad, and cry about Sichuan, and donate money. Yet how often in our daily lives do we think about the impoverished, those struck by tragedy and injustice? Why does it take a major tragedy, and a pushy media to get us to care? I am numb by what goes on in the world today. Sichuan just didn't faze me.

Before the quake, I saw a news show (The Pearl Report) about the Olympics, and Tibet, and China's human rights record, which people were protesting. They interviewed a man living in Beijing named Wang Zhi. Wang owned property, he had a good job, and a family. Regarding the protests against the Olympics, he couldn't understand them. He said that he "doesn't have the luxury to care about human rights". That made me sad. In fact, I was stunned by his comment.

Plenty of tragedy and injustice happens in the world around us. Unfortunately, we can't seemed to be bothered by it until it hits us with sledgehammer strength.

Meh Olympics Side Story: Meh Hong Kong Torch Bearers

2008-05-05T01:33:00.008+08:00

The selection process of Hong Kong Olympic torch bearers didn't really push me any further away from the Olympics. Instead, it added to my disappointment in the Hong Kong Olympic Committee, and the Hong Kong government. Yet, perhaps I really shouldn't be so surprised.

It is a direct reflection of how the Hong Kong government operates: behind closed doors. There was speculation that the torch bearers were hand-picked by the Central Government. There was speculation that government officials picked all their buddies: ultra rich folk in Hong Kong. Of course, the 120 person list was kept secret from the public until two days before the event. When it was leaked that 2/3 of the runners were non-athletes and they were mostly from the business sector, the public frowned.

Again, after warning people not to politicize the Olympic torch relay (aimed at protesters), the government goes and makes the event very political. The list was very pro wealthy, and very pro China. Politicians who weren't "China friendly", were kept out of the relay. Though it is arguable that the list can never be perfect, it just seemed that the runners did not represent the Hong Kong people.

The relay came and went. So how could the government have done a better job? I have a couple ideas.

Have a little vote.
The US votes for minor yet somewhat important nationwide events that take place every year: All-Star games. For baseball, the players are picked online. For basketball, the players used to be picked at McDonalds. Make it a casual vote like the NBA All-Star game. Maybe even let McDonald's or 7-11 handle it for some free publicity. If the vote had to be fair, perhaps set up a simple web vote where people key in their HKID card number.

My suggestion is to allow citizens to vote for one or two people from their district to carry the torch. These runners would make up maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the total runners. The rest would be athletes, and the government could still throw in a dozen or so politicians in the mix to please China. The main idea is that everyone stays happy. Even if the list isn't perfect, at least the people had a say in it.

Let the little people run.
Why not make it a competition? Fifty people who do the most community service within one year get to be in the relay. How's that for a good cause. Perhaps reward kids who have done good deeds or have gotten good grades in school. I mean, who can argue with these selections? Who would not want kids, or good citizens to run?

The problem with the list was that it was just way too skewed towards big business. Unfortunately, that is also a reflection of Hong Kong: the people who build their fortune off the blood and sweat of others reap all the benefits in the end.

Blogger's Scheduled Posts

2008-05-04T14:08:00.003+08:00

I was secretly hoping for this feature.

Blogger's scheduled posts allows users to prepare their blog posts in advance, and schedule when they will be published. So technically, one could write up a year's worth of posts, and have them automatically published throughout the year. I actually thought of doing this for when I was away on trips to China (since my blog is censored there, and I have no access to it).

I also secretly wanted this function so that my blog would keep being updated even after I'm dead.

(this entry was published using Blogger's scheduled posts)

Political Olympics

2008-05-02T13:25:00.006+08:00

A lot of people are saying, "don't politicize the Olympics", and that it should be about sports and nothing more. Well, don't tell that to China. They were the first ones to make the Olympic games political. How?

Who transports a torch on a private jet? That's right, the oh-so-precious Olympic torch was flown to Beijing in a private jet.

Then it was "greeted" by Zhou Yongkang (周永康), the head of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. He is the overall 9th ranked government official in the entire Chinese Communist Party. In other words, a real big shot. The last time China sent a high ranking official to greet at the airport was in 1998, when then President Bill Clinton visited China. Clinton's visit was significant, because it was the first time an American President visited China since the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

After being transported to the Tiananmen Square, the torch was greeted by a lavish ceremony, with general secretary Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), ceremoniously lighting and passing on the torch to hurdler, Liu Xiang (劉翔), as vice-president Xi Jinping (習近平) made a speech. It was done in the same manner as when the Kings of China prayed to the gods in ancient times, the most grand of events.

The whole point was to show the world how China is an economic leader and powerhouse. The torch is a symbol of China's recent success and achievement of the status of top world power. You'd have a hard time convincing me that this torch ceremony was not political.

Meh Olympics Part II

2008-04-30T09:55:00.005+08:00

People ask me how can I possibly shun my country's own Olympic games. Well, it's simple. I just casually opened today's newspaper to find these two articles. Naturally, they were completely overshadowed by Olympic related news. It makes me wonder whether a country with such glaring problems deserves to host this event.

Sadly, there's a possibility that the journalists who uncovered these will be jailed or killed from retribution by corrupt local governments. In most foreign countries, they would be hailed as heroes.

Such is China.

Meh Olympics Part I

2008-04-29T13:20:00.004+08:00

The Olympic torch has arrived in Hong Kong, yay... not.

I'm finding it extremely difficult to get excited about the Beijing Olympic games. Between the shameless event promotion being done by the local government, the protests, and China's negative track record overshadowing the event, I just can't get bring myself to muster up any interest.

Looking back, I've always had a grim perception of the Olympic games overall. The Olympics itself is really a show. Back when I was in the US, the TV stations would promote the games early on: seeking out the potential medalists and turning them into instant celebrities. There would be interviews, mini documentaries, non-stop repeating footage of past events, silly slogans, plus the sudden flood of endorsements. It gave the public a month long love affair with these select athletes. Once the Olympics ended, they once again faded into obscurity. For me, it felt like a cruel cycle of highs and lows for these athletes, and I could never get comfortable with it. You could see the athletes eating up this short lived stardom, knowing that it may be their one and only chance to make a buck off their athletic careers.

Yet, even back then I still found the games enjoyable. The commercial nature didn't manage to completely overshadow the actual games. Watching athletes succeed and have their dream come true was still a very inspiring event to watch. The most memorable Olympic moment for me (and likely many Hong Kong people), was when Hong Kong won its one and only gold medal (during colonial rule) in 1996 via windsurfer Lee Lai Shan. I still get choked up and teary-eyed just thinking about it (very much like the 2004 World Series).

The Beijing Olympics are just not the same. It's like there's a huge cloud hanging over the upcoming event. Instead of the promotion of athletes, we've got Darfur, Tibet, RWB, human rights atrocities, pollution, and corruption issues popping up left and right. Instead of Olympic athletes getting their 15 minutes of fame, China's controversial issues are getting noticed.

Don't get me wrong. Anyone who's been reading this blog knows that I'd much rather have these issues dominate the front pages of newspapers than the Olympics. It's just hard to feeling happy about it when you're constantly faced with the shameless celebration of China, contrasted with the dark, ambiguous injustices occurring in the background.

Once you go black...

2008-04-28T15:27:00.004+08:00

Perhaps in a feeble attempt to stay on top and stay organized, I have long been a faithful PDA user. Since my Palm V died about 3 years ago, I've been trying hard to find a reliable replacement. Part of the plan was to also combine the whole phone/PDA/mobile email into one device. I tried a lot of options. At one point I got so frustrated, I even switched to the Hipster PDA.

Well, the notorious Blackberry devices finally caught my attention, and I bought in to the hype. The results have been eye-opening. The Blackberry email is great, but to be fair, a lot of providers do push email. Blackberry Internet Service is probably better than others because of their sheer size, but that's not what impressed me the most. The latest devices are just superb.

Not only are they reliable, efficient, and user friendly, but they are miles ahead of the competition. I won't go into the details, since any tech head on the net can tell you the positive details of RIM devices. Just comparing to other PDAs, RIM is much more reliable, extremely logical and easy to use, and the battery life actually performs to level stated by the manufacturer. It has no flaws, aside from perhaps being too boring for some people (usually iPhone users).

RIM doesn't try to do too much with their PDAs, and that's exactly what I want.

Self Imposed Handicap

2008-04-25T14:43:00.002+08:00

I caught a prison documentary on TV the other night. It isn't news that prisons are a problem: life in prison, managing prisons, managing prisoners, keeping a balance between prisoner's rights and keeping them in check, etc. One thing I never understood is why prisons have weight lifting equipment. Violence is a major issue in prison. So wouldn't it be easier to subdue weaker, out of shape inmates, rather than have to deal with inmates who have been bulking up and getting strong all-day?

It makes no sense. Prison guards are the people who should be working out, not prisoners. In fact, they should feed inmates a near vegetarian diet to keep them from gaining too much weight. At some prisons, all the inmates do is lift weights all day, everyday. Why not give them books to read instead? Make sure they're paperback books, so they won't use them as weights to workout.

Patriotism(?)

2008-04-24T09:59:00.005+08:00

Will patriotism go the on/off extreme route, as it did in the US? With China being heavily criticized for pretty much every move it makes (as any superpower should expect): Tibet, Olympics, Chinese netizens are showing their "patriotism".

Click here to see what I'm talking about.

This really reminds me of the "USA" chants at international sporting events, and the obnoxious American flag t-shirts, etc. To me, it's all a bit lame. No, patriotism is not lame, but people "showing off" patriotism is pretty weak. So you add "heart China" before your MSN name... so what? Most people are doing it just to be trendy, or they're doing it in response to attacks against China. But what else have they done to demonstrate patriotism? By the way, I don't consider protesting against a department store, to be patriotic in any way (it's just a waste of time).

A real patriot would do things to help his or her country; for example helping the disadvantaged or impoverished. Helping to fight injustice is a true demonstration of patriotism (though in China, that may land you in prison or even kill you). I just wonder how many of these silly chat room folk actually step away from their computer and make themselves useful (in the name of patriotism).

To express my disappointment towards China, I instead use

iTunes = Slow

2008-04-21T12:12:00.004+08:00

I don't know how else to put it. Apple iTunes is excruciatingly slow. My computer isn't anywhere near top of the line. I don't need the latest computer because I don't use heavy duty programs, and I don't play PC games. So why should I upgrade just for a music player. That's what I find to be most inexcusable: iTunes is a music player! Yes, it has other functions like iPod sync, iTunes store, and Quicktime. I would expect delays if all those programs were running all at once, but that is never the case.

Things slow down when I edit song names, organize the songs, or even just scroll up and down. When I say slow, I mean the program just freezes for a full 10 seconds. You can't do anything in iTunes, the CPU usage shoots up to 90-100%, and Windows Task Manager lists the program as "Not Responding".

I find it hard to believe that this type of program is taking up so much processing power. What the hell is it doing?! What could it possibly be doing?! All I want from iTunes is for it to sync to my iPod, and download podcasts when I ask it to. Perhaps it is trying to do too much. This is a flaw in the design. iTunes should be designed to work well on both faster and slower computers. It should give the user the option of making it run "heavy" or "light". If it weren't for my iPod(s), this program would have been tossed long time ago.

Typhoon Neoguri

2008-04-19T15:44:00.003+08:00

As Hong Kong suffers through, Neoguri, the first typhoon of the season, I can't help but remember the spicy korean instant noodles I used to love in college. Good times.

租霸

2008-04-08T03:46:00.000+08:00

One problem Hong Kong has failed to tackle over the years is the case of deadbeat renters. I remember seeing a mini documentary on how professional deadbeat renters or "租霸"s, take advantage of legal loopholes and terrorize small-time landlords. They refuse to pay rent, refuse to vacate the property, and when they do finally leave, they destroy existing appliances and facilities. Did I mention they don't pay rent?

The law "allows" these people to wreck such havoc because the law is designed to protect renters. They didn't want to see people being put on to the street because they were late with a rent payment.

Are landlords powerless? They can go to court and have a judge force the renter to leave and pay up the owed rental fees. However, this application process can take up to six months. The deadbeat renter often gets off with about one year's worth of free housing. They may pay the first two month's worth of rent, then just stop paying after that. The landlord doesn't realize it's a problem until perhaps a month after that, and pretty soon it gets to be a year before a judge forces the renter to leave. Of course, the deadbeat renter will destroy everything they possibly can in the apartment, including sinks, toilet bowls, air conditioners, and even the walls.

Just a few weeks ago, an incident happened which was similar to the documentary I saw five years ago. The government has done nothing to improve this situation, and these issues never make front page news.

Where are gangsters when you need them?

What non-lethal actions could a landlord possibly do to make the tenant leave on their own?

Call the cops - not only do the police have no power over these disputes, they often don't bother to step in between a landlord and a tenant.

Cut the power - this has not worked, as the renter would simply have the power reconnected under his/her own name.

Secretly let loose cockroaches/mice/foul smelling stuffs into the apartment - this might actually work, but the owner will have to do it strategically. First it must be on a day when no one is home. It can prove to be tricky, as even deadbeat renters hire domestic helpers. Lock picking may be required, as renters like this are overly suspicious and install their own locks. The owner must also let the loose only a couple at a time, as not to cause suspicion.

In the end, new legislation is ultimately required to solve the issue once and for all.

Times Square Promenade Liberated

2008-03-30T02:04:00.009+08:00

After 14 years of operation, it has recently been revealed that the promenade outside Times Square (in Hong Kong) is actually public land. Since the promenade first opened in 1994, citizens have been prevented from sitting, squating, eating, drinking, or even loitering in this space, which is evidently the equivalent of a public park. Times Square may not have publicly claimed this land as theirs, but their actions have certainly reflected otherwise.

In the past, this space has been used by private companies as venues for product placement, shows, a cafe, as well as other commercial ventures. It is still a mystery as to how much money changed hands between private companies for the use of this public land. Times Square security guards have also made a special effort to stop people from doing things management considered "unsightly". Sometimes this included simply standing around. (Curiously, no security guard ever stopped people from smoking in this area.)

The good news is that this incident has triggered an investigation by the press, to find and liberate all the "private" spaces that actually belong to the public. The people will finally regain their right to enjoy these gardens, parks, and rest areas. No longer will they be charged for useage, or barred from entering.

I guess in the end we have Times Square management to thank. If they didn't push their security guards to kick people out, there would be little to know uproar, and the land discovery would be a small page 5 headline. What touched me about the result was a caller on a radio show, happily proclaiming that she could finally sit in the promenade and eat lunch in peace.

A Hero Steps Down

2008-03-29T00:28:00.008+08:00

Hero of Democracy and one of China's worst enemies, Martin Lee (李柱銘), ends his political career after 23 long years. Lee has been, and is still the face of democracy in Hong Kong.

Thank you, Martin.

Stink Eye of the Tiger

2008-03-28T12:48:00.008+08:00

Tiger Woods curses out photographers and threatens to break some ****ing necks. Media frenzy ensues.

The coolest thing about this whole thing is that Tiger did not apologize. What's cool about Tiger is that he takes a stand, and sticks to his guns. Anyone who criticizes Tiger just hasn't been in his shoes. I'm not just talking about tournament play. All the pros play under tournament conditions with their paychecks on the line and where every shot counts.

Tiger plays under those conditions with the addition of literally the entire golf world watching, hundreds of fans and press in tow. The incident took place during perhaps the most tense of conditions in a regular, non-major event: the final day, with Tiger not in the lead. Ninety-nine percent of people would've cracked in that situation.

Furthermore, if you think cursing in public is an anomaly in pro golf, then perhaps you need to watch more pro golf (live of course).

A Case of 排華

2008-03-27T13:15:00.008+08:00

What happened in Lhasa? The reason for violence, you ask? We've seen this all before in the Philippines and in Indonesia. "Overseas Chinese" becoming the targets of violence, with the perpetrators being the locals, or natives.

What people often forget, is that Tibet really isn't China. China wants everyone to think Tibet is part of China, when it's actually not. The easiest way to find out is to ask a native Tibetan (no, not a Chinese person living in Tibet) what he/she thinks Tibet is part of. It would be the equivalent of saying Hong Kong was part of Britain from the 1897 to 1997. Hong Kong was under British rule, but it was never ever not part of China.

In the end, what matters most is the perception fo the people. A good many Hong Kongers are pretty attached to Britain. Okay, maybe rooting for the national football team doesn't really count, but I digress. Tibetans do not consider themselves to be Chinese no matter how hard you try to spin it. The matter worsens when people from the Mainland (漢人) come to Tibet, take up land, open up businesses, make a ton of money, and slowly but surely replace the Tibetan culture with that of their own.

A people can only lie down for so long. I don't support violence of any kind, but what did people expect.

HSBC: The Wealthy Man's Bank

2008-03-20T13:44:00.003+08:00

Is the zero percent savings interest rate a shock? Not really. However, from a lowly HSBC customer's perspective, the HKD5000 minimum deposit requirement most certainly raises eyebrows. Not only is HSBC giving the lowest of low interest for deposits (0.01%), they're also charging customers HKD50 for having less than HKD5000 in their savings accounts.

There are plenty of people living and working in Hong Kong who don't have $5000 to their name. Is HSBC out of touch, or simply trying to filter out the poor? After the ATM Charge Incident, and the bank's silly marketing campaigns, I just might leave them in the dust pretty soon.

Instead of helping me save money, HSBC spends money on stupid ads like this:

Silence is Golden

2008-02-27T16:58:00.005+08:00

What foreigners notice about some Mainland Chinese is how loud they talk on the phone. There is probably an official explanation for this, but here is mine: the louder you talk, the higher your status is in society. Notice when in a meeting with Mainlanders, the highest ranked person will always answer his phone during the meeting, continue to talk without leaving the room, and talk loud. Perhaps a lower ranked person will answer and talk quietly. The lowest ranked person will either not answer or leave the room to answer.

To add insult to injury, the higher ranked personel usually have the loudest, most annoying ringtones. Naturally, they have them on full blast during meetings. I'd be surprised if they even know how to use the vibrate function on their phone.

Outside of the office, pretty much everyone has their voice and phone on super loud mode. My guess is that it stems from the same reason: to show stature. The boss in public just acts as if he's in the office, by talking loud as usual. The subordinates talk loud in public perhaps to release their frustration of not being able to do it in the office, or perhaps to show that they are their own boss once the work day ends.

Anyhow, it is a nuisance and another stain on the international image of China.

Naked News

2008-02-17T09:25:00.003+08:00

Haven't heard about Hong Kong's "Edison Sex Photos" incident? Surely you've been trapped under an avalanche while skiing, or have been lost at sea for the past month or so. Why? Because this so called front page news actually made its way to foreign news reports.

There are important issues involved, such as whether the police exercised fairness, and whether this case was given special treatment. Also, Hong Kong people seem to have finally realized the full power of the internet.

Yet... this story and related news is still on the front page of newspapers to this day! It has overshadowed multiple news stories that are without a doubt, of greater importance. Some include: the brutal weather making life extremely difficult (death and destruction) in Southern China, Ching Cheong freed from prison, David Li buys get out of jail free card for HKD6 million (relieves himself of government post yet plans for reelection in a couple months), et cetera.

You may ask how this is possible. How can tabloid level news consistently make it to the front page of major newspapers? Well... asking that question just proves that you simply don't know Hong Kong: where survey shows that most locals first turn to the entertainment news of a newspaper, before reading the A1 front page stuff.

I guess you can't teach culture. In light of HK's sillyness, here is fun video that I agree with:

It's about time...

2008-02-05T23:33:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year.

Responsibility

2008-01-31T15:17:00.000+08:00

The poor weather is causing all sorts of inconvenience, death, and destruction on the Mainland. Hundreds of people are affected by blizzards hitting the unprepared southern parts of China. The blame is mainly put on mother nature. How can man possibly control the weather? Sounds like a reasonable excuse. However, this only masks the reasons why this natural disaster got out of hand in the first place. It is China afterall, and the Central Government is again to blame. Is blaming the government unreasonable? Let's look at the facts.

January 10th, the Anhui province suffered its first blizzard which caused considerable inconvenince. Chinese officials did not see this as a warning. Fine.

January 21st, a 2nd blizzard hits Middle/Southern China. The heavy snow left 14 regions without power, some without water. Air and land travel (train and highways, not to mention many car accidents) were at a standstill in the affected areas. Somehow, the Central Government took zero action, and corrupt local governments as usual, didn't lift a finger. Excluding the deaths and inconvenience, 800,000 people were stranded at the Guangzhou train station. In need of food and water, they were being gouged by the local stores which tripled their prices for the essentials. People even had to pay to use the toilets. The situation was getting worse and worse. The trains were stuck because no one took the initiative to clear the roads and train tracks.

January 29th, the situation was only getting worse. The Central Government officials finally realised how dire the conditions had become. Premiers Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao visited the train station and the families of the dead. With orders from the Central Government, the PLA was finally mobilized, and the local governments finally took action; action that should have been taken nearly ten days earlier.

The weather was good last year before the CNY holiday, yet travel was still difficult and problematic. How could officials have not seen this coming?

China always wants to be number one. They have a booming economy, they have shot rockets into space, they are holding the most expensive Olympic games in history. However, once again, they have proven to be very low in the rankings when it comes to taking care of their own people.

Generating Energy: Matrix Style

2008-01-17T15:05:00.001+08:00

Generating energy from humans used to be science fiction. It has since become science fact. Sweden is heating an office building from the train station below it. The BTUs generated by commuters passing through heats water, which will transform into 15% of an office building's heating energy.

Unless you have some sort of superpower, the only way humans naturally produce energy is throught bodyheat. To be able to harness this energy is brilliant. Next step is to learn how to harness the power of hurricanes and lightning.

Apple's Piece of the Pie

2008-01-15T11:17:00.000+08:00

Apple is really trying to shake their global money tree by attempting to take 20-30% of China Mobile's iPhone service charge revenue. It makes you wonder how much their taking from the likes of AT&T by giving them exclusive US rights, thereby giving AT&T free reign to force two year contracts onto unfortunate users. Then again, AT&T was probably forced to push two year contracts in order to recoup the losses suffered from giving away a portion of their revenue to Apple. Apple in turn is forced to take a chunk from mobile service providers to make up for the iPhone's high manufacturing cost.

A vicious cycle where the consumer ends up footing all the cost. At least both distributors are up front about it. It'll be interesting to see how Apple alters its strategy to lock up different international mobile providers. Who will they choose for Hong Kong? Will they even take a shot at HK since unlocked iPhones are so easily accessible?

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

2008-01-14T16:28:00.000+08:00

So last Tuesday night, I decide to do something I probably haven't done in years. I went to bed at 9:25PM. The plan was to wake up early the next day and go to the gym. Luckily, I fell asleep fairly quickly.

As expected, my body wouldn't let me sleep more than eight hours. I woke up at 5:30 refreshed, but I was shocked to discover that my solid eight hours was rewarded with a sore throat.

Whaddaya know... a good night's sleep yielded me the flu.