Some letters home….again….sic…..
.......did u know that the man that was the fortune teller, who is in debate re the rich widow's billions, is chen zhen zhung? not the same written words, but the sound is the same....? we should discuss this and your thoughts on these 'synonym' things.....
been watching a lot of chinese news and stuff.... lol....
U know another topic that we should chat about, which u may not be aware, is that even though I have not stayed in hk a lot, I am a very truly, ingrained patriotic chink. Eg., in my discussions with jer and er the other day, I found the magic number... there are about 15m people in hk, which is about right.... but this is not a number quoted by colonials.... or people who are really not into the culture and nature of the Chinese psyche in HK.
I am obviously not a pro-foreigner in Hong Kong, China.
.........
Sounds like u have quite the plan....; 'visual a boyfriend'? Is that like beam me up Scotty?
Seen the new movie? Star trek? I thought it was good. But trips, we're going to Bali again.... but that's about it.... ta's bought a place (750 sq ft... about hk$10k a sq ft) and we're involved in the renos...
like golf is a trip here, it takes about 1.5 hours (trains planes and automobiles….) to get anywhere remote enough to play, and about $120us a game..... so if u call that travel? and i get my 40 min workout by walking home from downtown every work day. It's 30C so believe me, it's a workout.
other than that, I have been caring for the cats... and meeting up with old friends and checking out the museums and things. Wed is free here..... but other than spending lots of money... not much else. May have to seriously consider some paying work because of the swiftness with which cash leaves one's pockets here..... it is a marketing society and cash based..... so money really flies..... basically no tipping but there is a 10% surcharge on most services...... and a 100% surcharge on new cars.... otherwise taxes are low and it's easy to make decent money. But the economy is in deep doodoo and being a financial center, it is hurting.
blog....? no time to polish my stuff and no bitching about food here... everything is just about a certain standard with difficult task to find that very special place.... have been to the best suckling pig restaurant and roast goose, peking duck, shanghaiese, blah blah blah... have put on 10 lbs and 2" around the waist, so..... trying real hard to work it off and eat less.... Chinese food is really quite fattening and in hk pork is the favored meat... and it ain't really nice pork like ontario's.... so....
also have a piece on Michelin guide on restaurants in HK, Macau and environs..... in one word..... it sucks!!!!!! Big time... and is useless
Good luck on the visuals lol
..................
Eating, living and travailing in HK-SAR are a trial in and of itself.....
Guess I can only get two letters in for public comment.........
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
waking, walking and waiting in HKG
Waking, walking, waiting in Hong Kong
This place is so crowded and the ‘me first’ attitude so prevalent, that walking is like a game of squash. For those who have taken a lesson, and I am not a great player, but have learnt the game from pros, it is that you have to control the center of the court. And essentially, by whatever means, move the other, or others in this case, off their point.
Everyone wants to take the shortest route. And most people are doing their BBs, texting, reading a newspaper or book…. all on the go…. Good thing we only do that in cars in Canada…..hehehehe….. Anyway, if you yield, they will walk right thru you. Same goes for a garbage cart person, office/home mover, pretty girl, car, tram and more major sized vehicles…… of course it also depends on the mood of the driver, of a car, vs. say, a pedestrian. So if u were walking and a car drove by, if you yield, they will go right by, bullocks to ‘right of way’….. control over center court……
Most polite people would yield. Does that mean HK’ers and that is differentiated from tourists and other temp residents, are vastly more impolite that most other people in the world….? It’s just a big city… by that I mean like New York City, London, etc. Each has its own form of rudeness. But HK’ers are particularly efficient and ruthless in their politesse. It is like a cross between too many years of imperial rule, by emperors or colonizers, and the most efficient way for the little guy to get ahead.
And this is not a walking friendly city. The railings are so high and so inconveniently placed, that it takes 20 to 30% longer to walk any distance, and probably another 50% more if you take the pedestrian routes, indoors, as in air-conditioned, and thru shopping areas and food stalls. I suppose it’s safer than having people walk into constant traffic and causing congestion because of some strong willed pedestrians. (Causeway Bay has the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world… and when I am there, I believe it…… it’s called sogo….). But I like the outdoors and although somewhat sooty from the traffic, a walk from central back to happy valley, 40 min, would give one a nice tan….(chinese are loathe to tanning, they think they’ll get skin cancer…or white is god… or something…..). Sure beats paying HK$850++ for a round of golf, where u have to eat enormous amounts of food, take a golf cart and probably won’t get as much of a workout as my 40 min brisk sweaty walk home.
And people have this strange idiosyncrasy of rushing when they are on flat land, but stopping on escalators, especially going up. It is as if they are taking a break from the mad rush at which they convey themselves on flat land. The etiquette for escalators is to stand on the right, with the keeners as in exercisers, or real rushers, to walk up, or down, the left hand side. Some tourists and foreigners don’t know this, of course and once at the HK passport office, I overheard someone say, as I rushed by, saying ‘excuse me’, on the escalators on the left hand side, …. ‘Boy, the people in Hong Kong are always in a rush’….. Think they were philippinos trying to get entry visas. Wait till they’ve been here a while…. Then they can line the streets in central, sitting and chatting in the middle of the road, on Sundays……..
I have often asked myself, why …? why are people always ‘in a rush’ in Hong Kong. It is like, as if everyone was rushing to be ‘re-born’ in the traditional Buddhist sense….. sort of ‘instant karma’…. By the way… this is a big insult to say that people are rushing to be re-born… as it implies that they should die first…..lol….. so it’s like saying… ‘go jump in a lake’…… People are in a rush because of the HK mentality of being more efficient (translate faster) than everyone else. That way they will gain an edge. But if everyone thought that way, it is unlikely that there will be an edge to be gained….. I did test this hypothesis though, by taking the same route thru bus, metro, walk, etc… and if one rushes a little bit more than the average, one does in fact get there faster…. That’s because there are always the earlier train, the emptier bus or the less crowded walk…… That’s why everyone here is running on overdrive all the time, …. From the time they wake in the morning, till their heads hit the pillow at night……. Mortality rate….? I am guessing, but I would say it would be higher than Ottawa….. where..? Ottawa, Ontario? ....lol…..
Certainly the pressure on children to perform is enormous in HK. I have never heard a parent complement his/her kid about how well they are doing… it’s always… well they are doing this and that and they don’t have time for something else, but we have her in golf… but she doesn’t play it as well as she could or should….. Maybe it’s this same ‘edge is the best’ attitude again…. As they say…. ‘if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere…’, or were they talking about NYC?
Toronto wanted to be like the big apple once… look at them now………
This place is so crowded and the ‘me first’ attitude so prevalent, that walking is like a game of squash. For those who have taken a lesson, and I am not a great player, but have learnt the game from pros, it is that you have to control the center of the court. And essentially, by whatever means, move the other, or others in this case, off their point.
Everyone wants to take the shortest route. And most people are doing their BBs, texting, reading a newspaper or book…. all on the go…. Good thing we only do that in cars in Canada…..hehehehe….. Anyway, if you yield, they will walk right thru you. Same goes for a garbage cart person, office/home mover, pretty girl, car, tram and more major sized vehicles…… of course it also depends on the mood of the driver, of a car, vs. say, a pedestrian. So if u were walking and a car drove by, if you yield, they will go right by, bullocks to ‘right of way’….. control over center court……
Most polite people would yield. Does that mean HK’ers and that is differentiated from tourists and other temp residents, are vastly more impolite that most other people in the world….? It’s just a big city… by that I mean like New York City, London, etc. Each has its own form of rudeness. But HK’ers are particularly efficient and ruthless in their politesse. It is like a cross between too many years of imperial rule, by emperors or colonizers, and the most efficient way for the little guy to get ahead.
And this is not a walking friendly city. The railings are so high and so inconveniently placed, that it takes 20 to 30% longer to walk any distance, and probably another 50% more if you take the pedestrian routes, indoors, as in air-conditioned, and thru shopping areas and food stalls. I suppose it’s safer than having people walk into constant traffic and causing congestion because of some strong willed pedestrians. (Causeway Bay has the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world… and when I am there, I believe it…… it’s called sogo….). But I like the outdoors and although somewhat sooty from the traffic, a walk from central back to happy valley, 40 min, would give one a nice tan….(chinese are loathe to tanning, they think they’ll get skin cancer…or white is god… or something…..). Sure beats paying HK$850++ for a round of golf, where u have to eat enormous amounts of food, take a golf cart and probably won’t get as much of a workout as my 40 min brisk sweaty walk home.
And people have this strange idiosyncrasy of rushing when they are on flat land, but stopping on escalators, especially going up. It is as if they are taking a break from the mad rush at which they convey themselves on flat land. The etiquette for escalators is to stand on the right, with the keeners as in exercisers, or real rushers, to walk up, or down, the left hand side. Some tourists and foreigners don’t know this, of course and once at the HK passport office, I overheard someone say, as I rushed by, saying ‘excuse me’, on the escalators on the left hand side, …. ‘Boy, the people in Hong Kong are always in a rush’….. Think they were philippinos trying to get entry visas. Wait till they’ve been here a while…. Then they can line the streets in central, sitting and chatting in the middle of the road, on Sundays……..
I have often asked myself, why …? why are people always ‘in a rush’ in Hong Kong. It is like, as if everyone was rushing to be ‘re-born’ in the traditional Buddhist sense….. sort of ‘instant karma’…. By the way… this is a big insult to say that people are rushing to be re-born… as it implies that they should die first…..lol….. so it’s like saying… ‘go jump in a lake’…… People are in a rush because of the HK mentality of being more efficient (translate faster) than everyone else. That way they will gain an edge. But if everyone thought that way, it is unlikely that there will be an edge to be gained….. I did test this hypothesis though, by taking the same route thru bus, metro, walk, etc… and if one rushes a little bit more than the average, one does in fact get there faster…. That’s because there are always the earlier train, the emptier bus or the less crowded walk…… That’s why everyone here is running on overdrive all the time, …. From the time they wake in the morning, till their heads hit the pillow at night……. Mortality rate….? I am guessing, but I would say it would be higher than Ottawa….. where..? Ottawa, Ontario? ....lol…..
Certainly the pressure on children to perform is enormous in HK. I have never heard a parent complement his/her kid about how well they are doing… it’s always… well they are doing this and that and they don’t have time for something else, but we have her in golf… but she doesn’t play it as well as she could or should….. Maybe it’s this same ‘edge is the best’ attitude again…. As they say…. ‘if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere…’, or were they talking about NYC?
Toronto wanted to be like the big apple once… look at them now………
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
the economy...
i would very seldom comment on the economy on a worldwide basis.... but a lot of the puts and takes and ups and downs in the market; and the brits saying that it's done and the economy is improving; etc .... I only have one thing to say... and let it be said that it is here that it has been said first....
the accordion effect....
more on food and travel later......
the accordion effect....
more on food and travel later......
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Hong Kong Tai Pai Dong
There is a tai pai dong on the street in Happy Valley where I live and it has reputedly the best breezy chicken... or chicken with garlic flakes.
Well i finally did try it and the report on tai pai dong, which is street food and once upon a time frowned upon in HKG because of the cleanliness aspect..... was OK. It is to compare with the Singaporean version of street food, which has been accepted from a quality standpoint since inception. My take on Singapore is that the street food has gone downhill, with many stalls not passing the govt cleanliness tests. Some HK places, like this one in Happy Valley, is in fact a lot cleaner.
The food however is so so. Will go back and try more, but the prices are very good and the cleanliness is acceptable. Skip the washroom check and stick with items you know and it’ll turned out OK
Well i finally did try it and the report on tai pai dong, which is street food and once upon a time frowned upon in HKG because of the cleanliness aspect..... was OK. It is to compare with the Singaporean version of street food, which has been accepted from a quality standpoint since inception. My take on Singapore is that the street food has gone downhill, with many stalls not passing the govt cleanliness tests. Some HK places, like this one in Happy Valley, is in fact a lot cleaner.
The food however is so so. Will go back and try more, but the prices are very good and the cleanliness is acceptable. Skip the washroom check and stick with items you know and it’ll turned out OK
Monday, March 30, 2009
Beijing weekend
Beijing, initial impressions:
The trip to Beijing was at best, interesting..... the place is newly developed and highways and new airport are vast and expansive, but efficiency is at a minimum.... (reminded me a little of Jeddah/Riyadh in the ‘70s) …. running around town is probably more efficient via subway..... the place is much like Winnipeg or Ottawa, large expanses..... but people are rather rude, and crude, however nowadays the restaurants are being trained in finesse, resulting in overly sympathetic service......
Did the great wall at mu tian yu, reportedly 90 min. out of town, but took twice as long... and that is symptomatic of the taxi services, and highway conditions, and this was a private car for the day.... si ma tai, which is still more spectacular and supposed to be 2.5 hrs would probably be like 3.5 as it is reportedly near hebei....; the 6 circle roads around Beijing define the city..... with a 1.25 hour minimum, due to traffic congestion, to get beyond the 6th ring or outer circle...... 1/2 hour if low traffic.... you get the picture......
The duck and Beijing food places my friend recommended were great, easy to find, like most restaurants anywhere else in the world, (rmb200pp), they also ask for feedback, especially if you are chinese speaking. But most people are done with the evening and restaurants closed by 10pm…. like Winnipeg....lol.... The ones I went with some other hong kong friends were all in hutongs... which are neat, but dumpy and at half the price (rmb100 pp...) probably not worth the hassle of trying to find them with taxis or scooters, who are 'uncooperative' at the best of times...... and dirty by western standards. (When I am afraid to ask for ice, I would say it is dirty.)
People are just generally clueless and not ready for the quick development of the city and taxi drivers can range from chatty and entrepreneurial, to basically, 'tell me where u want me to go and what to do... communist era mentality.' ... so its a crap shoot. But they are a relatively cheap way to get around. The subway is rmb2 any distance... like Ottawa bus service....lol.....
Walked down some hutongs and shopping streets, like liu li chang street..... third world alive....neat stores in refurbished buildings built for the tourists; Forbidden City..... pushy, crowded and probably not worth it...; the king's brother's residence.... much prettier and better, especially if u go early......; tien an men, drive by at evening flag ceremony.... pretty campy.... (just the front side/yard of Forbidden City).
Food in general in Beijing is uninteresting to boring... 'dumplings dumplings everywhere, but not a tasty one to eat'..... especially the street food (rmb 30pp), which we walked into this restaurant serving dumplings, cha chang mein and other local specialties.... all kind of rubbish, dough based, like buns, noodles, rolls, etc.. (the dough tastes consistently good, but the fillings and sauces need significant work... basically it is a flour based subsidence, ........ should have tried to eat at the Dong an men market 'eating/food' street where they had seahorses, scorpions, starfish, worms, grasshoppers, and other strange yakitories....... Also tried a Chinese hamburger, sauced minced pork, in a hamburger bun, in a plastic bag… you’ll figure out why they have a plaster bag…..lol…..
And one needs to have a guide or be able to read chinese to get the full value of anything, as it is a joke translating between hongkong cantonese, beijing mandarin, hongkong/taiwan mandarin and english...... typical response from a taxi driver.... 'you guys from HK are way too stressed out' is like the pot calling the kettle black......lol....."
The trip to Beijing was at best, interesting..... the place is newly developed and highways and new airport are vast and expansive, but efficiency is at a minimum.... (reminded me a little of Jeddah/Riyadh in the ‘70s) …. running around town is probably more efficient via subway..... the place is much like Winnipeg or Ottawa, large expanses..... but people are rather rude, and crude, however nowadays the restaurants are being trained in finesse, resulting in overly sympathetic service......
Did the great wall at mu tian yu, reportedly 90 min. out of town, but took twice as long... and that is symptomatic of the taxi services, and highway conditions, and this was a private car for the day.... si ma tai, which is still more spectacular and supposed to be 2.5 hrs would probably be like 3.5 as it is reportedly near hebei....; the 6 circle roads around Beijing define the city..... with a 1.25 hour minimum, due to traffic congestion, to get beyond the 6th ring or outer circle...... 1/2 hour if low traffic.... you get the picture......
The duck and Beijing food places my friend recommended were great, easy to find, like most restaurants anywhere else in the world, (rmb200pp), they also ask for feedback, especially if you are chinese speaking. But most people are done with the evening and restaurants closed by 10pm…. like Winnipeg....lol.... The ones I went with some other hong kong friends were all in hutongs... which are neat, but dumpy and at half the price (rmb100 pp...) probably not worth the hassle of trying to find them with taxis or scooters, who are 'uncooperative' at the best of times...... and dirty by western standards. (When I am afraid to ask for ice, I would say it is dirty.)
People are just generally clueless and not ready for the quick development of the city and taxi drivers can range from chatty and entrepreneurial, to basically, 'tell me where u want me to go and what to do... communist era mentality.' ... so its a crap shoot. But they are a relatively cheap way to get around. The subway is rmb2 any distance... like Ottawa bus service....lol.....
Walked down some hutongs and shopping streets, like liu li chang street..... third world alive....neat stores in refurbished buildings built for the tourists; Forbidden City..... pushy, crowded and probably not worth it...; the king's brother's residence.... much prettier and better, especially if u go early......; tien an men, drive by at evening flag ceremony.... pretty campy.... (just the front side/yard of Forbidden City).
Food in general in Beijing is uninteresting to boring... 'dumplings dumplings everywhere, but not a tasty one to eat'..... especially the street food (rmb 30pp), which we walked into this restaurant serving dumplings, cha chang mein and other local specialties.... all kind of rubbish, dough based, like buns, noodles, rolls, etc.. (the dough tastes consistently good, but the fillings and sauces need significant work... basically it is a flour based subsidence, ........ should have tried to eat at the Dong an men market 'eating/food' street where they had seahorses, scorpions, starfish, worms, grasshoppers, and other strange yakitories....... Also tried a Chinese hamburger, sauced minced pork, in a hamburger bun, in a plastic bag… you’ll figure out why they have a plaster bag…..lol…..
And one needs to have a guide or be able to read chinese to get the full value of anything, as it is a joke translating between hongkong cantonese, beijing mandarin, hongkong/taiwan mandarin and english...... typical response from a taxi driver.... 'you guys from HK are way too stressed out' is like the pot calling the kettle black......lol....."
Monday, March 23, 2009
a dilemma
a dilemma that i face is, of course, the fact that, should I just post something for/on an informational basis, which gets dated very quickly; or should i wait till i massage the piece till it's decent.... and definitely dated.....
right now, I have golfing, eating and a number of other pieces on HongKong?
and i have an interesting anecdote about eating out in HongKong... that one should carry napkins with one when one is eating out.... it's like the toilet paper thing in France....lol.....
anyway,.... any comments?
right now, I have golfing, eating and a number of other pieces on HongKong?
and i have an interesting anecdote about eating out in HongKong... that one should carry napkins with one when one is eating out.... it's like the toilet paper thing in France....lol.....
anyway,.... any comments?
Monday, March 16, 2009
history to an old indian friend.......
it's funny how everyone is calling u uncle nowadays....hahahahah, must be getting old.....
and I didn't quite 'pass out' in 69, but graduated then. I got jaundice the last month and had to stay with relatives, rather than at the school. I sat for the ISC and finished rather lower than I would have deserved. but I then got into xaviers intermediate, promptly started to party hard and managed only to scrape thru in 73, worked in HKG for a year and then went on to Queen's in Canada, did my MBA and then promptly got married... the rest is essentially history..... stayed put in Can for 30 odd years, married, divorced and had kids, built a life and now have given it up for a new adventure, back in HKG, the land of my birth....
that was part 1.....
if u said that was an interesting life, that's another story... I may write a book one day, but... the trip to Can is the part 2 of my life... married, homebody, father providing, hardworking stupid bastard paying my dues to my ex and 'family life'....... bitterness, ye, quite a bit..... lol.....
and now, the start of part 3 of my life back in HKG and starting a new life....
tsunami, serendipity, cycle of life... call it what u want.... but its a new lease on life, with a new circle of friends.... again..., and i am gonna enjoy it as much as possible.....
and I didn't quite 'pass out' in 69, but graduated then. I got jaundice the last month and had to stay with relatives, rather than at the school. I sat for the ISC and finished rather lower than I would have deserved. but I then got into xaviers intermediate, promptly started to party hard and managed only to scrape thru in 73, worked in HKG for a year and then went on to Queen's in Canada, did my MBA and then promptly got married... the rest is essentially history..... stayed put in Can for 30 odd years, married, divorced and had kids, built a life and now have given it up for a new adventure, back in HKG, the land of my birth....
that was part 1.....
if u said that was an interesting life, that's another story... I may write a book one day, but... the trip to Can is the part 2 of my life... married, homebody, father providing, hardworking stupid bastard paying my dues to my ex and 'family life'....... bitterness, ye, quite a bit..... lol.....
and now, the start of part 3 of my life back in HKG and starting a new life....
tsunami, serendipity, cycle of life... call it what u want.... but its a new lease on life, with a new circle of friends.... again..., and i am gonna enjoy it as much as possible.....
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