Countdown to Extinguish-ion

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.

Countdown Continues

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.

Madness is a charcoal filter

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.

Alex says: "I am Ironman"

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.

Just A Friendly Reminder

Finally

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

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

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

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

Happy 2007. Thanks for not smoking.

Extinguish Smoke

(Click on the image to enlarge)

Just read this article in the paper. First, why don't I translate it:

Ever since I've been sick, my life has taken a 180 degree turn. In the past, cigarettes and my presence would be synonymous. Friends would say to me, "if you believe you can quit smoking, you'll definitely be able to do it". My answer to that was, "I firmly believe that I'll never be able to quit, and your point is?" How ironic that I am now constantly asking people to quit smoking.

Illness makes us realize the importance of life. Because of my desire to live, cigarettes have become my enemy. Out on the street, I am constantly trying to avoiding smoke. It is only now that I truly understand the definition of the word, "unavoidable". Even in the elevator of my apartment building, people smoke. I want to go out and grab a bite to eat, and cigarette smoke is everywhere. Their so-called non-smoking area, is surrounded by smoking sections. One time I got mad, so I wrote on a piece of paper: "Excuse me, but I have cancer. Please stop smoking for the time being, thanks!". Since then, every time I am at a restaurant and find someone next to me smoking, I will politely ask them to put it out.

Some people smile as they blow smoke in my face, thinking its a joke. Some will give a well mannered response, then proceed to put out their cigarette. Then there are some who will stare at me with disdain, and continue to smoke. A friend once pointed out that I'm selfish. He said, "cigarettes aren't the only thing in this world that cause cancer. Why not be a little patient? You used to be a smoker. Surely you can understand our (smokers) plight?". After hearing this, I was dumbstruck. I really wanted to tell him that actually I understand completely. I don't hate cigarettes, but my body suffers whenever I smell smoke. My immune system isn't strong like normal people, and smoke lowers my immuno-defense, increasing the chances of my cancer having a relapse. I'm only trying to stay alive. I'm sure everyone does things to protect their own life.

Oftentimes I feel its not that I'm prejudice against smokers, its that smokers are prejudice against me. I am now in the process of writing a book about me during my sickness. I hope smokers will read it, and that they will realize how difficult it is for a sick person to return to society.

The girl who wrote this is 23 years old. She is recovering from nasopharyngeal cancer. Visit her site here.

Smoking is a topic that has been beaten to death on my blog, but as long as it continues to exist, I will continue to fight against it. I'm not ignorant. I'll admit that I understand why people smoke: they're coerced into doing it by Philip Morris and friends. What I still don't understand, is why smart people continue to smoke. So who is smart enough to not smoke? People who know that its bad for them (that means pretty much everyone).

I feel sorry for the author of this article not because she had cancer, but that the hardships she has to face after achieving such a heroic victory. It is almost as if her reward for defeating cancer is a lifetime of confinement and solitude.

Gray air

Haven't been too diligent with the updates. In fact, I haven't been reading much in terms of weblogs. Here's a tidbit I swipped from The Sports Guy's Mailbag session:

Q: To what would you compare the scene in the randomly placed smoker's lounges in the Las Vegas airport?
-- Marcus Guerriero, New York

SG: Hmmm ... you're talking about the most hopeless, desperate, depressing social setting on the planet -- everyone in that room has hit rock bottom and doesn't seem to care whether they live or die, but they're so addicted to nicotine that they're willing to share this smoky, cancer-ridden, glass-enclosed space with 10 other complete lowlifes. And that mere realization ruins their will to live even more than it was already ruined. It's like the spirit in the room has been collectively broken. And there's no going back.

That's exactly what I thought during a recent trip to the airport! I got jitters all over just imagining myself stuck in that room. Yeeesh! What a nightmare!

Let's plan for a ban!

The Hong Kong government has finally had the balls to push for a smoking ban scheduled to start in January 2007. As far as I know, all restaurants and bars that are open to minors will ban smoking. Naturally, places where minors are not allowed such as night clubs and discos will still allow smoking until a further ban in 2009. That's fine with me cause I never go to those places anyways. If all goes well, all the places that I do go to eat an drink will be smoke free.

It looks like they are still debating over this issue. I continue to find it unbelievable. I was watching part of the debate they were having on TV the other day:

There's the pro smoking ban side that mostly consists of doctors, health professionals, and rights groups. Their reasoning is pretty obvious. Second hand smoke kills the customer, and even more so, the employee. A workplace with second hand smoke is a hazardous work environment. A deeper issue is that the large number of lung cancer patients is costing a lot of money to treat. The numbers indeed show that a good portion of the patients are ex-workers from smokey restaurants or bars.

The other side that is against the smoking ban is made up of restaurant owners and employees. They worry that with the smoking ban in place, the will lose all their business and with that, their jobs. Yeah... uh-huh... its soooo obvious that once smoking is not allowed, smokers will stop going out to eat, stop getting massages, and stop consuming alcohol. I'm sure they'll all hide in their homes and puff away there out of bitterness, blah blah... Don't give me that shit.

Why is Hong Kong so behind in the times?! Can't we be a pioneer for once? It took us years to start using unleaded fuel. It took us forever before we started recycling. Hong Kong is one of the most modern cities in the world, yet it can't join the rest of the civilized world and ban such an ugly and outdated habit.

Why a "smoking section" is absurd

In response to my dear friend, Arthur, and his comments on a smoking section:

I think it is ideal to have Smokers and Non smokers in seperate sections. I believe that Giving the people choices to pick from is at least better then BANNED it all together. Hey, you think Smokers Don't want a place to smoke freely and not Posion others? Heh

Do smoking sections really work? I cannot remember the last time I went to a crowded restaurant in Hong Kong, sat in the so called non-smoking section, and did not smell smoke. It is extremely difficult to properly create smoking and non-smoking sections within the same restaurant. The problem lies in the nature of smoke. Smoke is a gas, and that god-awful smell can travel around closed doors, air-conditioning vents, and even neighboring apartments.

Restaurants make feeble attempts to accommodate customers by drawing an imaginary line between tables that have ashtrays and tables that do not. Then they half-heartedly try to sit smokers far away from non-smokers. This works fine for the smokers, but sitting across the table or across the room makes no difference for someone who does not smoke. Most restaurants and bars simply don't want to put in the time, money, and effort into creating a segregated environment for smokers. Those that attempt to do so are often met with other problems such as the setup not working, or one set of people not able to get a "window" seat (just read some HK restaurant reviews and you'll see), or the smoke simply edging its way to the other side of the room as it always does.

Another problem is that most smokers simply haven't got a clue. They just cannot possibly fathom how much regular people are bothered by cigarette smoke. So here are some of the reasons:

1. Smoking kills. Everyone with half a brain knows that, yet why people continue to smoke baffles me. Why cigarettes are still on sale, I can understand. I don't agree with it, but at least I can see why tobacco is still being put on shelves (the answer has to do with economics in case you slept through that course in college). There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in smoking. Why do people still smoke? What the fuck? Anyways, I've strayed off the path; back to the topic at hand.
2. Smoking sucks because of the pollution it creates. Tobacco is a crop that destroys the land. Ground that has been used to grow tobacco takes a much longer time to recover than lets say... if it were used grow corn, or rice, or apple trees. However, most people tend to ignore or are oblivious to this fact.
3. Cigarette smoke smells really really bad. Think about a smell that you absolutely detest. Now imagine that smell being sent towards your direction constantly in the form of a gas. Even if its not sent in your direction, that gas starts to dissapate, and eventually reaches your clothes, nostrils, hair, eyes. It clings to every part of your skin, hair, and clothing. This god-awful smell won't disappear until you take a shower (sometimes twice) and wash your clothes. That is what cigarette smoke is like for people who don't smoke. People who do not smoke are quite sensitive to cigarette smoke, and smokers are naturally not as sensitive to smoke; hence, the divide widened even more.

*I am hesitant to mention that cigarette butts are polluting our streets and destroying the look of our cities because this is the result of human laziness and utter lack of respect for fellow citizens, also known as: littering. It is not necessarily a direct cause of tobacco and cigarettes, so I won't include it in the "list".

Okay, before you let loose your army of hate mail, let me explain why some smokers don't have a clue. Let me first explain the ones who actually do have a clue and understand how much non-smokers detest cigarette smoke.

• Type A: the smoker who does have a clue and does not smoke in the presence of non-smokers. I have one or two friends who do this, and I bow down to their considerate behavior. Mr. A. Huang, you are awesome, and there aren't many people out there as considerate as you.
• Type B: the smoker who does have a clue and just doesn't give a shit. These people know that smoke bothers the people around them, but they are too selfish to care. Some of them even write rants about how they hate people who get in the way of their cancer sticks. These people are all over Hong Kong, and sometimes they'll go out of their way to smoke in designated non-smoking areas. Why? Because they're assholes, that's why.
• Type C: the smokers who try to be considerate, but don't have a clue. These smokers mean well: they try to cause non-smokers less pain and suffering by blowing the smoke in a different direction, or hold their cigarette under the table, or behind their back in attempt to somehow hide the smoke from non-smokers. They don't have a clue because they don't know that these well-meaning actions make little to no difference to the non-smoker. They think that opening a window, blasting the AC, or turning on a fan will make the non-smoker feel better. It does, but its like taking a piss to put out a forrest fire: the effects are minimal.

So in response to Arthur's comment: yes, it is good to give people a choice, but 99% of the time (at least in HK), you're taking that choice away from people who don't smoke. Even when smoking is completely banned, smokers can still always choose to do their puffing outside the establishment. Non-smokers have never been able to choose to avoid smoke.

Keep your cancer to yourself

Will someone please explain to me why smoking is still allowed in restaurants and bars?

I cannot understand why restauranteurs are fighting so hard to have smoking be allowed. Their claim is that a smoking ban will drive away customers and thereby decreasing their revenue. Do they think that smokers will stop eating altogether if smoking is banned? Have they ever considered how much business they are losing by banning smoking? Why are these people so stubborn? Look at what success cities abroad have had with a smoking ban. People don't stop eating and drinking just because they can't smoke anymore. What does smoking have to do with anything?! If anyone's been paying attention at all, Hong Kong's only smoke-free restaurant/pub, Dublin Jack, is still alive and kicking despite being the only pub to have banned smoking.

I for one, would be more inclined to eat out and go out in if there was a smoking ban in place. Nowadays, when I'm forced to sit in a cloud of carcinogenic air, my eyes water then dry up, I can't breathe, and I end up smelling like an ashtray, a.k.a. shit. How is that a positive night out?

I'm angry and I'm negative about smoking, so kill me... wait, you already are.