I’m dissappointed with Hong Kong really, they let in a Mexican guy with flu symptons and now suffer the consquences…we’ll see how Donald Tsang handles this I guess. The unidentified man flew into the city yesterday from Shanghai on China Eastern Airlines Flight 505 after originally departing from Mexico.

I also wonder if house prices will decline, it’s something I regret not thinking about during SARS but then again we all had other things on our minds rather than getting a cheap place to live.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

Cough
Fever/Chills
Sore throat
Fatigue/Body aches
Decreased appetite
Less commonly: runny nose, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Perhaps he is making money from his online clothing site http://www.clotinc.com/ which he founded in 2003. It even has a toy section where you can buy an Edison Chen doll which looks like has loose trousers and hands straight down by the sides to show he’s not getting upto anything naughty.

I couldn’t really stand the guy. He came out in early 2003 around the same time as the Twins and some how got famous. He also was involved in a scandal in 2007 where he smashed a taxi driver’s windows for getting in the way of his posh car…seems like a rich kid gone bad.

I believe he’s now living in Canada where he has a low profile, perhaps working in a Chinese restaurant or somewhere in the local Chinese community. I don’t think he made enough money from his music, tv appearances and low budget Hong Kong films. I also doubt his 5 second appearance and 1 line words in Dark Knight amounted to much.

I knew it would happen, as Hong Kong has the benefit of being a major stop-over for different destinations.  I’d hate to see him in the country and can’t see how he would be allowed to settle, he’d definately would not be allowed in China!

My other question is, how come he’s still making money?  If people want to get to him, hit him where it hurts…in his pockets.  For example, the NBA still continue to play his music in adverts and during the half-time shows…perhaps they should stop it!

However, my 5 year stay in Hong Kong has been great. I’ve managed to meet some great people who have come and gone. My son Harrison was born here too.

I’m currently living in Zhuhai, China which seems a very quiet city and missing shops I used on a daily basis like Mannings, Watsons and Wellcome…but I’ll make do.

I need to quickly learn the local lingo which is a mix of accented Cantonese and Putongwa as now I need to navigate around by taxi.

I’ll post a photo of the great views I can see from my window. Bye bye Hong Kong, I’ll miss you and hope to come back very soon.

 

This amazing sculpture is by Tsang Cheung Shing a ceramic art tutor and product designer, also from Hong Kong. It’s part of a collection of work shown at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

This particular piece called Yuanyang II is modeled in a distinctive form with two figures indulged in kissing each other. Their heads support two elegant cups for drinking tea and coffee.

The form and concept design fully complement the theme “Yuanyang” (a typical Hong Kong beverage of mixing tea and coffee), a symbol of marriage and love, with a touch of humour for artistic creation.

People over here are already wearing masks, which is confusing…do they have the flu or are they protecting themselves from the flu?

I guess the solution would of been to instruct parents that if their child is sick, then they shouldn’t go to school..but I don’t think that’s the norm!

Also, I’ve been trying to find my son Cadbury’s Mini Eggs. I saw some in Wellcome, but they quickly ran out…anyone got any ideas?

Famous Hong Kong celebrities like Bobo Chan, Gillian Chung Yan-tung, Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi and Joey Yung have all been implicated.

The Hong Kong Police said there were only six victims, but had to explain the appearance of a seventh (Vincy Yeung) by saying that her photographs had been erroneously grouped with one of the other females.

The news in Hong Kong has died down, so I doubt anything else will re-surface. I don’t think there’s any chance of Maggie Q photos and even the Joey Yung and Jolin photos look fake.

Edison Chen and Maggie Q Video

Whilst no pictures of Maggie Q ever resurfaced together, Edison and Maggie did hook up in the film Gen-X Cops 2. I found a video of her briefly topless in the film “Naked Weapon” and “Manhattan Midnight”:

Maggie Q Topless Video.

Well…of course they would be! There is a huge football fan base, go to LKF on football nights over here and you’ll see what I mean. The huge popularity would mean increased tourism and money, which any Hong Konger loves.

The problem what people easily forget is that Hong Kong isn’t suitable as a Footballing Venue, even if it’s for a one match stop. The problem is the pollution and high humidity during the day, that combined with the poor footballing grounds wouldn’t make for an ideal venue.

As an English football plan, I wouldn’t like to see extra matches played, let alone extra matches played around the country. Some players can play upto 60+ matches a year if you take into friendlies, league, internationals as well as promotional matches for their club. This can lead to player injuries and difficultly in scheduling other games. The main importance for teams is to play the Premier League and be on ‘top form’.

If teams are slowed down by having to travel all over the world, then what’s the point?

At the start of the week, there was a mention that fake photos of Edison and the Hong Kong women were posted on the internet…I thought big deal, so what! Then the police got involved and my curiosity grew…hmm, why were the police getting involved if the images were fakes?

Later still claiming the photos were fakes, a guy ended up being arrested and connected to making repairs on Edison’s computer. Hmm, I was already linking the dots and thinking that – Edison must of left photos on his computer, the repair guy found them and posted them for all to see.

So where did the fake photos story come from? I think by saying the photos were fake, people became interested to do a search on the net..if they kept it quiet no one would care.

I’ve seen the photos of Gillian Chung and Cecilia Cheung nude and it’s nothing special. In fact, I’d recommend staying away from the Cecilia Cheung photos! She’s got a lovely face, but blimey she needs to sort out her privates!! Too hairy for my liking.

This will all die down soon enough. I think once the public have seen all the Hong Kong Celebrities, the fuss will end and move onto something else…although there are supposed to be 6 high profile celebs photos totalling 1000+ pics and since he dated some stunners, I wondering who is next?

That also reminds me of Ronaldo promoting the Chinese city of Guanxi! I first encountered Ronaldo as I was coming out of Nanning, Guanxi airport. The first thing I saw was a huge billboard with his face on, giving a toothy grin. I’ve also seen some adverts on television too. What has Ronaldo got to do with Guanxi or even China for that matter!

I thought registering a website under his name would be useful for him (anyway, the celebs and their kids are doing it), feel free to leave a comment or drawing on his site!

I was going to title this entry “Stamp Ho’s” but perhaps that’s being a bit too harsh. You see, Wellcome give out these little stamps which when added up equate to a free saucepan or frying pan. I find as soon as the checkout ladies put the stamps in your hand – the Stamp Ho’s are within a split second next to you, begging for your stamps.

I stupidly used to give mine all away, thinking they’ll not amount to anything only realised we could of got a complete free kitchen set. Damn those Ho’s!

I guess HK is jumping on the bandwagon of films like Spy Kids or James Bond…but “Spy Dad”, come on they could do better than that couldn’t they? Perhaps “Spy Grandad” will be next.

If they do come, I’ll have to remember what we usually do in England – turn off the lights and tv, so maybe they’ll think you’re not in.

Watching the local news is quite freshing, as there isn’t really any news to report – you know the stories: Cat stuck up tree or local girl breaks arm. Today, I watched our local weather man talk to a woman about her fake snow making business. In the background a wind machine was blowing the fake snow on them and it was gradually covering them both! At the end of the discussion the weather man wiped the snow from his face and said “Oh man, this stuff is disgusting and tastes of plastic”. I bet this woman’s company wished she never met this guy!

Not related to the above, but today I threw up on a packed MTR Train! To explain, I was feeling a bit ill from previously eating : BBQ Pork and Noodles, Pocki Chocolate Sticks and Fried Dumplings from a Street Vendor. Anyway, I managed to find a plastic bag beforehand, throw up and then quickly popped out at the next stop to put it in the nearest bin. I didn’t look at the people sitting opposite me, but could imagine the horror on their faces and probably lived up to their “Gwellio Stereotypes”.

Maybe the above issues could be tackled by the District Councillors? I’ve seen the flyers for “Voting for your Favourite Councillor” all around HK, but don’t really know what these guys are going to do?!

I took the escalator up to Mid Level yesterday and noticed a new feature…a whiny voice telling you to “Take Care”. I think the voice message is a good idea, although the speaker could of said the words faster as I could only hear the Chinese version and just heard the first two words of the English version until I got off!

I was thinking maybe the HK Government/Airlines in HK could give out leaflets to all new arrivals which could detail useful Cantonese words such as “Help, Fire, Watch out etc.,”. I think people who live here take English for granted and should try to speak the local language – for their own safety?!.

However, what I consider pretty dangerous are the ‘Securicor’ type firms that collect/deliver money to Banks or other establishments that hold cash. I’m sure these guys do a decent enough job but they also carry really big Double Barrel Shotguns! I can imagine the mess the weapon would make on their (un)intended victim, but wonder if it’s really necessary. Surely if someone was going to rob a bank they would do it A) Without the Guards being there and B) Be at a close range, perhaps with a more effective small handgun. A double barrel is surely to cumbersome?

I was once walking out of McDonald’s when on the stairway, I was bumped into by a Guard carrying a shotgun on his shoulder which was pointed in the direction of my head. Surely carrying any type of gun into a place filled with kids is just asking for bad news – let alone scary the poo out of everyone! I thought with the use of credit cards and electronic payments, the demand for these guys should decrease?

Is there a Hong Kong Arts Scene? From what I can tell, there isn’t one. Sure there are many art galleries that cater for the rich and a few statues dotted around the place but sadly I do not see many things that are creative in this country.

This will be my first Christmas in Hong Kong and to tell the truth I didn’t think it would be celebrated much since Chinese people have the Chinese New Year tradition. I guess it’s a Western thing that’s been brought over, much like Halloween!

Last year I was in China celebrating the Chinese New Year. I didn’t realise there were two things you had to do – give money and wear something red. The giving of money (via small red envelopes) is something children usually participate in, however I thought I’d give it a try. When I opened up my envelope though I was shocked to find only 2RMB, where the person I gave my money envelope to had in at least 20RMB!

The colour red symbolises luck as well as having many other meanings. I was told that I needed to wear this colour, preferably under my clothes. Looking around the shops, I noticed many red coloured items – bras, socks, pants…. I chose the pants and wore them throughout the New Year. What stuck in my mind at the time though was that millions of people all over China were wearing the same colour pants as me!

There are two things I miss about back home – proper potatoes and bread. Of course you can get these things here but it just doesn’t taste the same, especially bread where they add sweetener and only serve in packs of six or less. Anyway, I recently checked out “Maxim’s” a kind of bakery that serves cakes, buns and most importantly English style bread. I guess because of Post-SARS and that no one here touches unwrapped food with their bare-hands unless they want to get sick – plastic tongs and plates are provided. However, I was surprised to see that no one cleaned these tongs or trays after food was placed directly on it – so I guess it defeats the purpose of having them!

Making Out in Chinese. This is a book that caught my eye, whilst looking through the Chinese Language section of our local book section. I guess it’s a book for the loser gweillio who can’t pick up women, since it started off with the Chinese translation for “What’s your name” to “You are looking lovely tonight”. A few chapter’s later then the book was telling you how to say “Do you have a boyfriend” to “Take off your clothes”. The final chapter ended up with “Are you pregnant?” to “I’ve got to go”. No I didn’t buy it!

Inside you’ll find the restaurant decorated with paintings, jade sculptures and plaques of Yeung Koon Yat, the owner and “World Master of Culinary Arts 2002″.

We found the food to be pretty good, but what put me off was that the owner proceeded to cut his nails on the table next to us!

It wasn’t just a finger or two, but both hands and it seemed to go on for about 20 minutes. My colleagues didn’t mind and I had my back facing him but I was distracted….I was ready to jump if I happened to see any flying nails entering our table!

It wasn’t so long ago when you could go into a Krispy Kreme and get a free “sample” glazed donut. I thought this was a great idea as it makes you feel bad if you don’t purchase something…although I saw it work the other way with lines of old ladies and kids who had no intention of buying anything, just waiting for the free donut.

I read today that New York are asking Krispy Kreme and others to cut the levels of fats, particularly Trans Fats from their foods. After doing a bit of research, each original glazed doughnut has 4 grams of trans fat whilst some have more, up to 7 grams!

Holy shit! As a new start up in Hong Kong, perhaps the Hong Kong Government should of done their research a bit more before granting licenses to set up shop.

This seems to go against the daily Government run ads of ‘eating healthy and doing more exercise…

Thinking it was something I did, I kept on checking until the error log showed that the problem was from my ISP, I-Cable.

A phone call today revealed that the Hong Kong Government now has passed a law for “Anti Spamming”, which I think involves prosecution if you are found to be spamming your wares to others. A recent study by Sophos reveals that Hong Kong/China accounts for 20% of all Spam relays, with the US being No 1.

I’m all in favour of this, however I found that all my outgoing emails have to now go through I-Cable’s SMTP server (smtp.i-cable.com). Some recent tests show that not all my emails are going to their correct destination.

I support the Anti-spamming measures, perhaps a little dubious as to why my emails are being checked – but have nothing to hide, so that’s ok…but if my emails aren’t actually getting through, then what’s the point!

Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo seem to be able to send emails ok, but doesn’t look too professional when replying to a client as such.

Anyone else come across this?

There’s already a wind turbine on Lamma Island, so wondering how effective it will all be. Of course it could all be just hot air, with an excuse to raise prices and to be built in the long term future but at least the company is acknowledging they have a part to play (or even pay) in the rising levels of Hong Kong pollution.

It’s also funny that China Light and Power, the other Electric Company is showing adverts to the tune of – Every day we plant new trees….hmm big deal, that’s not really going to stop the pollution that they emit.

It’s great he’s doing it, but what timing! I guess with all the positive press Buffet and Gates received, it makes sense for Jackie to state the same also.

Jackie is worth about $1 billion HKD and so half will be going to his charity.

It seems the tv channels have dedicated more airtime to covering stories such as betting scams and general gambling related interests, whilst the actual scores and team progression are on the backburner.

Of course watching the matches in Hong Kong isn’t nothing like it is in England. Firstly you have to be a bit of a night owl and secondly you have to be in a group of people that actually enjoys football. It should be widely known that if you’re in a bar or pub in HK and the match is on, then everyone’s attention should be on watching the game – not deciding to have “a chat” or getting in the way of the screen.

I’d actually like to predict that Argentina and Brazil will be in the Finals, with Argentina winning 2-0 with goals coming from Heinz and Crespo, so if anyone wants to take this bet up then that’s fine by me!

Perhaps this will do for HK what Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand?

I didn’t manage to show up this year, but went last year to see what was going on. I remembered it was quite peaceful and as most people were carrying lighted candles, it looked beautiful to watch.

I was interested to read that in the weeks after news filtered through of the event in 1989, one million people took to the streets of Hong Kong in protest – the largest civil demonstration ever seen in the city with roughly one in six of the population joining the protest!

By Cathay Pacific Airways closing a deal to take over smaller rival Dragon Air, it’ll benefit from access to routes between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Wondering if my Dragon Air points will be safe!

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