The Real Reason for a GST

Yes yes, one of the most debated topics this year is the possible introduction of a Goods and Sales Tax (GST). Pretty much everyone in Hong Kong, including all political parties are opposed to having a GST. Tourism and the poor are the two groups that will be hit the hardest by this tax. Please feel free to Google it and read all about the details.

What came to the public's attention was a leak last week about the Government's plan to purchase a fleet of the Volkswagen Phaeton. These cars will replace the current fleet of BMW 7-series luxury sedans, purchased back in 1997. Their excuse was that the BMWs were close to 10 years old, have around 200,000km on the odometer, and it is "about time" to replace them.

Meanwhile, a lot of questions are being asked (see article on the left): why so soon (referring to 10 years)? The old BMWs still run great. How did they manage to rack up 200,000km? A lot of non-work related use would be a good guess (so high mileage is not a good excuse). Why the Phaeton? Why not a cheaper, more environmental car?

This comes as quite a shock to Hong Kong people after they heard our Financial Secretary, Henry Tang, brazenly ask the question, "Where is the money to come from?", referring to the need for a GST.

Well, I can't tell you where the money will come from, but I guess I know where its going.

我們的祖國... 唉 Part IV

Just returned from a four day trip to China. Naturally, you don't read about the embedded shit about the country until you return to "civilization", where free speech prevails most of the time.

In the fourth installment of this ongoing series, we get a glimpse of how Chinese people have soiled the English language, just as they soiled their own language by creating simplified characters (but that's another story).

In preparation for the 2008 Olympic games, it appears that China is overhauling its signs that display english translations. Tourists will no longer think that Chinese people have sex with fruit, among other misconceptions, due to atrocious translation errors.

In the end, it all stems from laziness. Whoever did the translation was too lazy to see whether they did it right. This sign in particular has been on the internet for quite some time. Its just that people were too lazy to make the correction until now.

Policy Address

Hong Kong's most gutless man strikes again!

After that anti-smoking cop-out he pulled last year, the master of Chinese cheek-kissing is back this year with another gutless cop-out; this time he's backing out of setting up minimum wage legislation. Of course we all remember his false promise to improve the environment. What has this guy done?! What is his purpose? To go around shaking peoples' hands and asking them whether they've eaten lunch yet?

I bring up that point because that's exactly what he did. Tsang went around local neighborhoods asking residents who were on their way to work, whether they were on their way to work. He asked people who just finished lunch, whether they had lunch yet. Do something already! I can't stand how he pretends to be a politician. Don't we have any good politicians in Hong Kong? Perhaps China only approves of the silly ones, because they are easy to control. From now on, his nickname is no longer "Bow Tie", its "The Puppet".

Puppet Tsang (PT for short), is continually protective of the business circles (工商界) in Hong Kong. Every time the people want something whether it be anti-smoking legislation, environmental improvement, or minimum wage legislation, those bastards of business always get in the way. With the help of PT, they always end up getting their way, too. I don't know what PT is so afraid of. Even our Mainland brethren have a minimum wage policy. Perhaps he's afraid of angering big business, which is possibly his meal ticket after his term in office ends. Is this idea so preposterous? A good number of politicians in Hong Kong have moved on to big business after they retire from politics.

This time around, he says non-legislative policies will be suggested, and the possibility of legislation will be reviewed in two years... TWO YEARS?! Unbelievable. Instead, he throws out some chump change used for "determining whether the improvement plan is successful". What kind of bullshit is that?

Meanwhile...

Turns out the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (食環處) pays its workers less than government issued welfare. So the question is, would you rather work your ass off sweeping the streets and cleaning the toilets, or would you rather kick back at home and pick up an even bigger check? Hong Kong would be a nice city if it weren't for corruption, unethical practices, and a shoddy government.

阿扁發脾四

So yesterday was Taiwan's 10-10 celebration. As planned, the Anti-CSB (Chen Shui Bian) folk went forward with their "天下圍攻", and surrounded the Presidential Palace among other places. Any type of planned celebration was disrupted.

Despite the chaos, resilient Chen strapped on his bullet-proof vest and braved the stage. Cries of protest drowned out the canned cheering and applause. Protesters managed to sneak on the stage, holding up an Anti-Chen banner behind the President as he spoke.

Well, in the end Ah Bian got frustrated and announced that next year's 10-10 celebrations would be cancelled. I found that hilarious. He's basically trying to cancel the nation's (wait, Taiwan's not a nation) birthday party. Is that even possible? Its like he had a senior moment, and did something that made absolutely no sense. I don't think anyone has the right or power to cancel the country's birthday celebration... Unless you're a dictator.

That's a slight peek into Ah Bian's mind. He subconsciously thinks he's some sort of dictator. Then again, if he were an actual dictator, these protests would be violent, and he'd have troops shooting these people. Sze Ming De would be assassinated, and China would intervene, and it'd be a big friggin mess. Someone needs to make a movie about that.

Therapy is...

Another summer, another season of baseball ends. What went wrong this year? August was horrible. I still miss that awesome 2004 team that worked out so well. I don't doubt Theo Epstein and his scouting team. Heck, one of the guys (Galen Carr) went to my high school (Class of '94) and lived on my floor as a teacher one year. They know a lot more about the players, and certainly know a lot more about baseball than I do. However, I must question at least a couple of their moves they made this year.

• David Wells - Why bring this guy in? Schilling, Beckett, Clement, Wakefield, Arroyo. Where would Wells fit in? Sure, the decision looks horrible now since he missed nearly the whole season, but I questioned this move the day it was made. He is a big time pitcher who I felt didn't fit in our lineup.
• Bronson Arroyo - Another move that looks horrible in hindsight, but that's not the point. This guy was a Red Sock. He loved being on the team, and trusted the team by not asking for a no-trade clause. We repay him by trading his ass before the season started. Wily Mo Pena is a decent young bat, but its hard to replace a solid SP.
• Josh Beckett/Hanley Ramirez/Coco Crisp/Andy Marte/Cla Meredith/Josh Bard/Jon Lester/Craig Hansen/Manny Delcarmann/Kason Gabbard/Jonathan Papelbon - This is more of a curiosity rather than a criticism. Getting Beckett seemed necessary at the time. Though Hanley "The Other Ramirez" Ramirez nearly led the league with 26 errors, he had a phenomenal rookie season. Crisp was horrible as our new lead-off hitter. Andy Marte was not spectacular as a rookie. Pitching showed some ups and downs. Lester was decent, Papelbon was insanely awesome. What I'm wondering, is whether we're sticking to our prospects as Theo said, or giving them away for veterans. Which is it? Also, what made us give away Ramirez when we needed a speedy shortstop? What made us trade Marte for Crisp? Cla Meredith? Josh Bard? I'm not asking for trades or big moves. Just want some reassurance for the guys already in our lineup. Especially those who did poorly last season.

One thing we did was accomplish the goal of bolstering defense, at the expense of offense.

Therapy is...

Coming home after a long day (or night), and falling asleep to Game 4 of the 2004 World Series (choose games 4-7 ALCS if you're in a Yankee hating mood).

Katamari = Need Insurance

Ad sort of based on a videogame that I haven't played, but really should have long time ago. It is an interesting ad on its own, but ten times funnier if you've played or seen the game Katamari Damacy.


The actual PSP game.

I Miss You, Fat Bastard

When Kiki saw this picture, he said, "I look like a fat bastard". He was sort of right. My horrible hair plus his expression of "fatness", made for a pretty bad picture. Yet, this ugly ass photo still sits in a frame on my bookshelf among others.

This arrival of this September means that I've been at this blog for a year. It also marks the month that my best friend Kiki permanently departed from this world. Hate to sound like a broken record, but I still think about him everyday. Occasionally, I'll have a dream about him either still being alive or somehow becoming reanimated. Waking up from those dreams isn't so much shocking as it is disappointing. I am almost used to that feeling now: waking up disappointed that it was just a dream.

Meanwhile, my life continues to move forward. There's so much I want to say, and so much I want to share. I miss you Brother. Hope to see you again soon.

Re: Now You've Done It

In response to Alex's comment:

Alex said...
I understand you totally. But then what can we really do about it? Not turn on the AC? That would be lethal in the summer. Or maybe we should starting limiting the number of cars allowed in the city, just like those taxi license

I understand what your saying. It can be difficult having zero A/C during summer in Hong Kong. I just wanted to point out this article (see below). It is an interesting take on the use of A/C, experimentation, and a change in habit. Perhaps its time we all reassess our needs.



The story is basically about a guy whose habit was to flip on the A/C before bed. It was a ritual that had lasted for as long as he could remember. Then one day he got sick, and decided to sleep with just the fan. He slept great without A/C. Suspecting that his good night's sleep was due to him being sick, he tried later on to sleep through the night sans A/C. The results were the same: great night's sleep. Since then, the guy sleeps with only the fan on.

I'm not saying that everyone should sleep without A/C. However, I do encourage people to experiment with different ways to carry out daily tasks. See if a certain energy saving way might work for you. I tried sleeping without A/C, and it worked for me. Though I can understand how it might not work for everyone, the author of that article didn't think he could sleep without A/C until he actually tried it.

In the end, it all comes down to what we are accustomed to. Can we break the cycle and get used to different conditions?

Now You've Done It

Hong Kong is become less and less attractive to foreign companies. The reason is not as obvious as it seems. That's right boys and girls, its the environment. That overwhelming cloud of aerial pollutants that blocks our beautiful harbor view is driving away foreign investors. Nobody wants to work in this environment. They're paying a premium for office space that is surrounded by smog. Here's what the pie charts say:

If the quality of Hong Kong's environment remains the same...

The attractiveness to foreign investors will:
Get Worse 79%
Get Better 8%
No Change 14%

Will cause foreign companies to relocate away from Hong Kong:
Likely to very likely 59%
Unlikely to very unlikely 41%

Funny and Unfunny of the Day

Funny

"I got some good news earlier today before the show. Thanks to Alex Rodriguez, I am no longer the most overpaid disappointment in New York City."
-- David Letterman

Unfunny

China's Priorities

Okay, I know this is old news, but the article is interesting. A demonstration of how China operates, and what it values.

The short version:
Reporter A reveals that China sent troops to Vietnam. He receives a jail sentence of 15 years.

Reporter B reveals the contents of a Jiang Zemin's report one week before its scheduled to be released. He receives a jail sentence of life imprisonment.


Like the author states: "who would have thought that revealing military secrets were less severe than some report".
Hmm...

Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is something new to me. I've heard stories of Mainlanders coming to Hong Kong for quality medical treatment, and I've heard of Hong Kongers going to China for cheap medical treatment. However, this is the first time I've heard of people actually trying to promote "medical tourism" as a selling point.

Basically, Mainland Chinese will come to Hong Kong for medical treatment at private hospitals as tourists. They will be allowed an extended stay for their treatment. I guess running a hospital has long become a business rather than a service; I just didn't realize it.

Are private hospitals in financial trouble? Do they need patients from China to fill beds? Kwong Kwok-hay, assistant medical superintendent of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital said that the hospital is in short supply of nurses, and it is already at 90% capacity. He also brought up a very good point: what are they to do in the case of an emergency? They cannot send the "vacation patients" to a government hospital.

It is a shame that China cannot even take care of its own people's medical needs. Every time I see this type of incompetence from the Mainland, I think of all those people boasting about how great Shanghai is, and how it has overtaken Hong Kong in wealth and modernity. My response to that is, so what? China has such a poor infrastructure and social system. Crime and corruption is rampant. The rich are too rich, and the poor are too poor. Those rich have to come to Hong Kong for health care on a traveler's visa because their own government can't take care of them.

China's "free" Tours

Recently, there have been more and more reports on "zero fee" or low cost tour package groups visiting Hong Kong from China. The problem with these tours is that they are low cost, so tour agencies must make their money through commission from local shops that they take the tourists to. If the tourists make no purchases, the agency makes no money.

This policy has caused much confusion and unpleasant behavior among the tour groups visiting Hong Kong. A tour of Hong Kong has now evolved into one big shopping trip. Tour buses bypass famous landmarks, instead making stops only at overpriced jewelry and electronic shops. The trouble starts when tourists decide that they don't want to spend money.

A prominent case is when a tour group was forced to wait for 3 hours on the street for their tour bus, this was supposedly in retaliation for the group not making enough purchases at designated shops. Some opted to return to the hotel on their own, only to find out their hotel room key cards no longer worked. Naturally, arguments ensued and police got involved.
As it turns out, this type of behavior has happened many times already. Tour agencies threaten to confiscate hotel rooms if tourists don't spend enough money. The designated shops often jack up product prices in order to make enough for themselves and the tour agency. There have been many cases of tourists discovering their purchases are fake or not as promised.

As travel agencies in the Mainland continue to use "zero fee" as a selling point, Hong Kong agencies are getting fed up with having to deal with tour groups that don't make any money. Both sides are at fault. China tour groups should not keep pushing "zero fee" tours. Hong Kong agencies should not even accept this type of business unless it is absolutely clear that the tourists know the "rules" of the tour. They are wrong to put all the blame on agencies in China. The unwritten policies now are unethical and dishonest. The term "zero fee" is false advertising.

Get rid of the ambiguity, and people will start loving Hong Kong again.

He walks the walk... and that's about it

I'm beginning to wonder who is worse: Donald Tsang or George W. Bush. At least Bush doesn't bow down to communists.

Last night's "Lights Out" protest was considered a failure. I personally consider it a success, because it clearly showed us who really cares about the environment, and who does not. The result? The general public does, and the big corporations do not. Oh, and despite his claims to support the environment and clean air policies, Donald Tsang actually does not care about the environment.

Like the ignorant chunk of Hong Kong, he only cares about his own future and economic prosperity, blah blah. I can't believe this guy's approval rating actually went up 0.8%. Oh wait, I just realized that its from all the talking he's done in the past year. People support him because they're anxiously waiting for him to actually do something.

"I am determined to ensure that this standard will be complied with by the power companies. It is important".

This was Tsang's claim about a week ago. Hong Kong saw one of its worst weeks of poor air quality. So the good ol' crowd pleaser comes out to talk the talk as he usually does. However, when it came down to when it really mattered, Tsang refused to participate in the protest. He even went as far as refusing to postpone a light show scheduled for last night.

Yup, go ahead Tsang, just go do what you normally do. Go back to China and kiss some more communist ass. Hong Kong doesn't need you around to make false claims and put on a fucking show.

The King Responds

After not finding "grill marks" on my airport burger, I wrote a complaint to the company that franchised Burger King in Hong Kong. What I got was a prompt and detailed response. Let me share that here with all five of my readers.

The response was sincere, and I have no reason to doubt that BK does char-broil their patties, except for the fact that my burger lacked grill marks twice already. I believe that their airport branch is simply too busy at times, and they have a bit of a quality control issue. I have taken up on Sammy's meal voucher offer, and I hope to give BK a favorable report next time. Below are the photos (click to enlarge) that came with the email.

Give me grill marks!

I am a frequent airport visitor, so naturally I have tried all the restaurants at the Hong Kong International Airport. One exception would be Popeye's Chicken, because my fried chicken eating days are over. The food is all overpriced, as expected. The biggest disappointment however, is that Burger King's burgers are not char-broiled.

How is this possible? My impression was that BK prided themselves on serving their meat with grill marks. That tasty burnt carcinogenic flavor just goes well with beef. They basically took away the only reason anyone would choose BK over McDonald's. Oh well.

On to the price. I recognize that its airport prices, but lets just take a look at how outrageous they actually are:

McDonald's Double Cheeseburger = $8.00
Burger King Double Cheeseburger = $29.00

My regular MD meal consists of two double cheeseburgers and an order of corn = $29.00. At the airport, my meal is cut in half, plus I get no veggies. I feel bad for the people who work there and half to make this overpriced junk their daily intake.

(click to enlarge at your own risk)

The New Cool

I have to admit that stepping into the theater, I had lowered expectations for Miami Vice. The theatrical trailer made it look like an MTV style action flick full of unintentional cheesy dialogue. Well... after seeing it, all I can say is that this film went beyond my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Before we get into what I liked about Vice, lets set a few rules for watching it:

1. Try your best to ignore the plot. Why? Because its not all there. These days its hard to create an original cop story, and writers sometimes try to get too creative. I enjoyed the plot, but I can totally see how people would get confused or feel cheated by all the "unanswers".
   
2. Do your homework. If you're not already a fan of the original Don Johnson/Philip Michael Thomas hit TV series, do yourself a favor and get to know the background. The movie doesn't explain how Crockett and Tubbs became agents, and for good reason! I am very happy that this movie isn't three hours long.
3. Treat all the drugs, money, and reasons for the "mission" as MacGuffins. It is a bit confusing, and it is ultimately unimportant. In some movies you just have to ignore certain plot devices that move the story forward. I hate it when critics overemphasize on story and plot in action thrillers.
   

Okay. I liked the new Vice because it was beautiful, the action was exciting, and it was so damn cool. I haven't seen a movie this cool in a long time. I have seen Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday, and he was not cool. However, in this movie he is the epitome of cool. Despite the 80s hair style, Colin Farrell plays a very smooth Sonny Crockett.

It must be said though that Vice is very much a man's wet dream. From the fights, to the gun fights, to the cars, planes, boats, and "hard" dialogue, I can see how men would enjoy this film right off the bat. A lot of the "coolness" comes from material objects. Everything from the condos, to the man toys, to the clothes, all look expensive. Women may have to look for appeal elsewhere, such as in the actors, or the beauty of each scene.

Speaking of beauty, Michael Mann and his crew did an excellent job of making each and every scene just exquisite. Whether its a scene with action, actors and dialogue, supercars racing on the street, or racing boats cruising at top speed in open water, they all look fantastic. They really know how to make something good look even better.

The music in the film is well done. I'm sure Mann was trying to keep with the formula that made Vice successful in the first place: the MTV style. Back in the day, it was Jan Hammer's opening theme, and background music by various hit bands that made the TV series so popular. Mann did a decent job of compiling a good soundtrack and inserting those tracks at the right moments in the film. Two disappointments: 1) Jan Hammer was not invited to do a track or two, 2) Mann made no effort to recreate the most famous scene from the TV series, despite putting a modern cover of the Phil Colins song, that was integral to that scene, in the end credits. Missed opportunities.

Perhaps what I enjoyed the most was that it was a darker, higher budget version of the 80s TV series. Not only did it bring back memories, but the movie did an even better job of portraying how slick Vice was. I feel I've said enough. If you go see this movie, watch it for what it is, and perhaps you'll enjoy it too.

Hack Digest

Recently, my ball has been going all over the place. I just couldn't manage to hit the ball straight! Even when I did hit it straight with my wedges, it would still be slightly off target. That is not what I expect from those shots within 130.

Anyways, I have found the solution to my spraying it all over the course: don't swing so hard! I guess I have to face the music and admit that I'm a short hitter. Sure, on a good day I can roll the ball to probably 270-290 yards, but most of the time the ball is either in the junk or lost. I end up hacking it back onto the fairway and lose a stroke or two anyways.

Next time I'm out on the course, I'm going to try hitting it soft. Perhaps my drives will barely carry 200 yards, but at least they'll go straight...



On Tiger Woods winning the British Open...
I thought it was great seeing him dominate with iron play. A couple of years ago, when his drives were all over the place (like now), I always wondered why he didn't just tee off with a one iron. My guess is that he could have probably belted it out straight and close to 280 or longer. Then show the folks some stellar long iron play to score.

Anyways, that's pretty much what he did at Hoylake. A lot of people said it was boring to watch Tiger not use his driver. I on the other hand cringe every time he pulls out the big stick. Why? Because I just know that its going to be a huge gamble to have it stay in the fairway. Hitting all those long iron shots helped Woods get comfortable with them. His GIR (green in regulation) numbers were well over 80%.

Now that's the kind of golf that I want to be playing. Dominate with the long irons, and only use the driver when necessary. Distance off the tee is overrated.

More Tiger

Bush kills people, not embryos

Spam 2.0

In the past few months, email users have been receiving "anonymous" stock tips via their inbox or spam box. Spam is what it really is.

This nouveau spam makes a weak attempt at fooling the recipient into purchasing a stock. How does this work? Is this supposed to be a scam? Did these idiots really expect me to go out on a limb and buy this stock because some random email says to "check it out tomorrow morning"?

I'm curious as to who are the target victims of this scam. Who would be foolish enough to open an eTrade account, or to run to their broker to buy these dummy stocks? You have to be pretty foolish, desperate, or bored to become a victim.

However useless this type of spam may be, it has unfortunately been able to penetrate spam filters because of its "trade alert" headline. Many people who work in the finance industry have to sift through their inbox to separate this crap from legitimate news/tips. So more than anything, this new type of spam is causing congestion.