CURRY at Starbucks??

Yesterday afternoon, I had afternoon tea on the way to my office but decided that potato wedges and a chicken wing (washed down with iced lemon tea) - all for $12.50 HKD - would not suffice, and decided that it would be too troublesome to leave the office for a canteen when I would get hungry again within an hour or two. Therefore, I decided to drop by Starbucks beside the Main Library, which was on the way to my office, to grab a pastry.

Starbucks offers a small selection of sandwiches and sweet and savoury pastries, and HKU staff and students get a 33% off discount. I usually end up getting a "mushroom and cheese pocket" ($12 HKD, but $8 HKD for HKU students), which is a bit heavy, and only mildly-flavoured. The quiches are a bit more expensive, and besides, "real men don't eat quiche!" I decided to try something new, so I chose the "bacon and cheese puff", also $8 HKD for HKU students.

As I had predicted, I was hungry again one hour later, so I started munching on my alleged "mushroom and cheese puff". After taking one bite out of the triangle-shaped pastry, I didn't bite into either bacon or cheese. After taking my second bite, however, I was shocked to discover a greenish-yellow substance inside. Greenish-yellow?? That could only mean one thing.. my most feared nemesis.. CURRY!!

I immediately spit the contents of my mouth into the rubbish bin by my desk, then ran to the washroom to rinse my mouth. I rinsed for a full 2-3 minutes before rushing back to my office to rummage for some chewing gum. I chewed chewed chewed, then rinsed my mouth again, then ate a piece of Campino candy.

After that, I began to consider my next course of action. Should I write off my $8 as a mistake and throw the pastry away? Or should I return to Starbucks and exchange it for another pastry? And if I were to return to Starbucks, should I make a scene? Or should I murder the baristas and burn down the cafe?

After pondering this for about an hour, I decided that the stench of curry in my office was too much to bear, so I brought the contents of the brown paper bag with the Starbucks logo on it back to Starbucks. This is how the conversation went:

Me: "Excuse me. I ordered a 'bacon and cheese puff', but you gave me a 'curry puff', and I can't eat curry."

Barista: "Sorry sir. Would you like me to give you a 'bacon and cheese puff'?"

Me: "No thanks. I really can't eat now. Can I have my money back?"

While the barista fumbled with the change and double-checked the price of the "bacon and cheese puff", I felt a tinge of guilt. I know that low-level service industry workers in Hong Kong earn piss-poor wages. Some staff at Cafe de Coral, for example, earn between $3000-5000 HKD a month.. in HONG KONG! Anyway, it occurred to me at the time that these Starbucks baristas might have to pay for their mistakes out of their own pocket, so I told them I'd take a "bacon and cheese puff" after all - these places allow for a certain degree of "spillage" anyway, so no one loses, really. If they don't sell all of this stuff by the end of the day, it's usually company policy to throw it out anyway.

Big mistake. The 'bacon and cheese puff' was a huge disappointment. Sadly, it wasn't the worst $8 HKD I've spent on a pastry, though.

Floss and goats

Note to self: keep some dental floss in my office. It turns out that having bits of food lodged between my teeth hinders my ability to get work done.

Hey, has April Fools Day come early this year? Can this be real?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4748292.stm

(To my friends in China: you won't be able to open that link. On the other hand, you won't be able to open the link to my website either)

Why can't I get any work done? Or started?

I'm in my dorm room right now, and I can't seem to concentrate. I've been at my desk for more than 2 hrs, but I've been surfing websites and chatting with friends. There are 3 articles, 1 by and 2 on Foucault, sitting on my desk, that I'm desperately trying to read. The blinds are open and the sun is blasting its rays through the glass, and the windows are open, but the air feels stale. My eyes hurt, my head aches, and the clutter on my desk and shelves are doing nothing to help me want to work.

Maybe I should head to my office. On a Sunday afternoon. I should never even attempt to get work done in my dorm.

Or is this just how I am with Foucault?

My pain-in-the-ass neighbour

My neighbour has been an ass lately, and I got so fed up this afternoon that I fired this off to him:


Hi William,

Just as you once said that you hope we should be able to be open and civilized enough to discuss any issues that may arise between us - and I appreciate your frankness in discussing any problems you have had with me - I hope you will be receptive to some suggestions from me. First of all, I apologize if I have woken you when I showered between midnight and 1 am a few times in the last week. I was screening rather long movies last week, and went out last weekend. This week, I've been working in my office from mid-morning to late at night, usually midnight. As I said the last time you asked me to shower at an earlier hour (in November), I told you that I'd do the best that I can do. I feel that I've been quite accomodating of this request, but I can't, however, change my lifestyle. I can tell you right now that I will probably have to work late in my office about half of the time. Also, I sometimes like to go on midnight hikes with my girlfriend or play badminton until 1030 pm, then go out for a late dinner; therefore, it is difficult for me to shower before 11pm sometimes.

To be frank, I feel that you're asking for too much when you ask me to shower at an earlier hour - you're asking me to change my lifestyle. I've never asked you to shower at a later hour, and I never will. If you feel that our lifestyles are so fundamentally different, then you have three options available to you: 1. you can ask to be relocated to another room in Graduate House, 2. you can find private housing, or 3. you can wear earplugs when you sleep. I have every right to take a shower or flush the toilet late at night. I know of other residents at Graduate House who complain that their neighbours make the entire bathroom wet, or sing in the shower, or slam the doors loudly. I do none of these things.

While we are expressing our concerns, I'd like to point out some other things:

-with increasing frequency, you've been locking the bathroom door and forgetting to open it

-your idea to not turn on the fan in the bathroom causes the bathroom tobe very humid for up to half a day after you shower - the mirror, toilet seat, and even the walls become quite wet. Furthermore, the air becomes very stale

-you've been leaving the toilet lid up after using the toilet, perhaps even while flushing. When a toilet flushes and the bowl refills with water, water droplets tend to rise from the bowl, and will stick to surfaces such as the mirror, our towels, our toothbrushes, etc. Also, the bathroom may stink on occasion

-you don't flush the toilet sometimes, usually at night. There's no need to save water because the Graduate House toilets flush with seawater. If you're worried about noise, I won't be waken up by the sound of toilets flushing. (there's a strong ammonia smell in the mornings)

-you've been keeping too much stuff in the bathroom. There's no need for 3 tubes of toothpaste and 2 bottles of mouthwash, for example. The stuff you don't use frequently can be put in the cupboard behind the toilet, or if it doesn't fit, you can leave it in your room


And one last thing, if you really don't mind my frankness: I don't mind buying toilet paper for the two of us. I prefer the 2 or 3 ply premium paper that I've been able to buy at a bargain price. (I've already told you guys about "Goldfinger")

As you said to me before, I hope that we can learn to live together more harmoniously by being able to communicate to each other more openly. I hope you can accept the suggestions and criticism I have brought up.

Sincerely,


Ken

"You ain't doin' the US any favours, Pataki"

Two Republican US governors, including New York Governor George Pataki (who incidentally, has ambitions to be Republican presidential candidate for 2008), want to block the purchase of P&O Steam Navigation, a British firm that handles several US ports. Why? Because the buyer, Dubai Ports World, is a Middle Eastern company. According to their logic, something as vital as US ports are too vulnerable to be handled by a Middle Eastern firm - the assumption being that any Middle Eastern people are probably terrorists. What's next? Will Congress block a telecoms sale to Li Ka-Shing, the logic being that he's probably a Communist?

(You can read the story here: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/21/news/ports.php)

UPDATE: Many many more US politicians, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg among them, are also criticising the deal... idiots.

This reminds me of CNOOC's failed acquisition of Unocal last year, largely due to Congressional interference. That incident really pissed me off.

What does all of this say? In both the CNOOC and the Dubai Ports World cases, certain very powerful players in the US have been giving America, and the West, an extremely bad impression: "We makes the rules, and if you don't like the rules, tough. But if WE don't like the rules, we'll just change the rules."

To be fair, and I hate myself for doing this, I must give the Bush administration credit for supporting the proposed sale. Let's hear Bush in his own words (or at least the words his handlers have fed him): "I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company. I am trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, 'We'll treat you fairly.'" On the other hand, the owners of Dubai Ports World are probably friends of his daddy, or Dick Cheney, or Donald Rumsfeld.. boy, do I sound like Michael Moore or what?

In the Dubai Ports World case, I also think it's very stupid for the US to continue to alienate moderate Muslims any more than it already has. Dubai - which is trying to position itself as a tourist destination and regional transportation and financial hub - is as Western-friendly and anti-terrorist as any Arabic state can be (arguably second only to Kuwait), and you've got to be a real moron if you can ruin that kind of goodwill and potential.

Fools who sacrifice food for toys

During a conference panel on economic growth in China, one of the panelists, when talking about Chinese market research, said that many Chinese consumers would cut down on whatever little they spend on food in order to buy non-essential luxury goods such as jewelry, cosmetics, clothing, consumer electronics, etc. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

While living in Beijing, I dated a university student whose parents didn't earn much money, and who would earn only about 10 yuan an hour (about $1.40 CAD) doing part-time jobs. Still, she bought an i-book, which is as expensive in China as it is in Canada, probably 12,000-14,000 yuan. She also bought a 2,100 yuan Samsung mobile phone. Honestly, who needs a mobile phone worth $300+ CAD?

This girl also spent liberally on taxis. Even though I could be considered rather affluent in China, I almost never took taxis. The only times I took taxis was to (but not from) the airport, when buses stopped running, and when I was in a hurry. Sometimes, I didn't even bother taking buses because I didn't want to pay the 1 yuan (14 cents CAD) fare! I rode my bike instead and paid a 0.3 yuan parking fee. Anyway, this girl could have taken a 1 yuan bus ride to my house and back, but she instead spent 15 yuan to go to and from my house. Fortunately, she wasn't a gold-digger, and was actually quite low-maintenance.

The funny thing about this girl is that she paid next to nothing to eat. She was still a university student at the time, so she could eat at university cafeterias, where food can be extremely cheap, usually 0.5 yuan to 5 yuan. She ate only 1 or 2 meals a day, usually tiny meals. It didn't help that she thought she was fat and therefore needed to eat less to lose weight.

We broke up after less than 2 months, but very soon after that, I met a great girl who turned out to be one of the great loves of my life. Fortunately, she was much more sensible than the silly girl with the i-book and the Samsung phone, and she knew how to stretch her dollar quite well - except for phone bills. My current girlfriend is sensible too, but her disposable income - she's wealthier than me! - allows her to spend more frivolously than the other girls, but only sometimes. And yes, the latter two eat properly.

Hello, boxers

After years of prodding from friends, I've finally switched from briefs to boxers. I finally understand what other guys have been raving about - they really are quite comfortable.

I've been eyeing boxer shorts at Giordano, $100 HKD for 3 pairs, for quite some time now, but have been reluctant to buy them because I wasn't sure what size to buy. I should have taken a closer look because there's a chart of each size, i.e. S to XXL, on the back of each package. Anyway, I bought two pairs of XL and one pair of XXL just in case, and am glad to say that both fit. No, I should say I'm glad to say that XL (36" to 40" waist) fits, but not so glad that XXL (40" to 44" waist) also fits. I've seen boxers on sale at Giordano for $100 HKD for 4 pairs, so I guess I'll hoard next time I see them on sale for this price again. I may also try boxers from Marks & Spencer ($100 HKD for 3 pairs, according to a friend), but not at Muji, because of country of origin.

I'm REALLY glad that I can buy underwear in Hong Kong. First of all, sizes are generally much smaller in Hong Kong, and I really did fear that they don't sell underwear for fat-assed people like me. Besides, I've been wearing the same kind of underwear for the past five years: blue Stansfield's "tighty whitie"-style briefs, $20 CAD for a pack of 4 at Costco. I don't even have a Costco membership, and there isn't a Costco around, so I was beginning to worry holes holes started to appear in some of them, and the elastic has been getting loose too.

Yep, I really like boxers. My girlfriend does too!

The rise and fall of Cantopop

I attended the Beyond concert in Beijing in late May 2005. This venerable Hong Kong rock band, the only rock band to make it into mainstream Hong Kong pop culture, is wildly popular in Mainland China. It was in Beijing that I noticed and grew to love their tunes. As in any place in Asia, music is always within earshot, whether in a hair salon, supermarket, fast-food restaurant, public park, even on sidewalks. Chinese males of all ages can usually recite a couple dozen their favourite Beyond tunes in butchered Cantonese. At karaoke houses all over China, Beyond's rock ballads are still among the most requested songs. STILL popular, you ask? I say "still" because Beyond's main songwriter and vocalist, Wong Kar-kui, died in a freak stage accident in 1993! While the band kept writing songs, recording albums, and touring until "retiring" this year (though we all know that it's possible for Hell to freeze over), the band clearly isn't the same without Ka-kui.

In Hong Kong, there is no such love of Beyond. Aside from construction workers, bus drivers, and aspiring rock n' rollers, most Hong Kong people consider the band passe, and we all know that Hong Kong people are deathly afraid of being seen as passe. I'm not a connoiseur of music, but I do know that Beyond's tunes are original, their lyrics meaningful, and their performances burst at the seams with soul, spirit, and energy. For what, then, do Hong Kong music fans spurn Beyond's music?

Cantopop. Trashy, teeny-boppy, formulaic, meaningless and annoying marketing ploys that today's kids love. It really makes me cry to see how low Hong Kong pop culture has stooped with the likes of the Twins (who aren't even real twins), Boyz, Edison Chen, Cecelia Cheung.. the list is endless. These days, pretty boys and pretty girls who wear flashy clothes and dance and sing have edged out those with real singing talent, not to mention those who write meaningful songs. In fact, I wouldn't dare call these people "artists", and would call them "singers", at best, but of course, not all of them could sing. I think it would be more appropriate, perhaps even a bit generous, to call them "performers".

Perhaps an indication of the decline in Hong Kong's entertainment industry is its relative decline when put alongside rival Asian entertainment industries. Beginning in the 1970's, Hong Kong exported Cantopop all over the region - Chinese people (as well as non-Chinese) in Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, and beyond bought HK artists' albums and attended their often sold-out concerts. These days, however, performers from Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and even Malaysia, Canada, and the US rival Hong Kong's home-grown Cantopop performers in popularity, even on their home turf! Has the quality of Hong Kong's output declined, or has the competition gotten stronger? I think both.

Hong Kong's music scene was not always this trashy. There was a time when audiences were treated to some truly brilliant singers and songwriters. Sam Hui, for example, was a wildly popular popstar who wrote a wide range of songs like "尖沙咀 Susie" (Tsim Sha Tsui Suzie") that parodied Hong Kong society, love songs like "印象" ("Impression"), and other classics such as "沉默是金" ("Silence is Golden"). James Wong (黃霑) was the quintessential songwriter who wrote songs and lyrics for such classics as "上海灘" ("The Bund"), "獅子山下" ("Below Lion Rock"), and "忘記他" ("Forget Him"). Then, there were singers with unforgettable voices, such as Anita Mui, Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, and Roman Tam.

Gone is the heyday of Hong Kong pop culture. Marketing began to dominate the scene, and has almost entirely edged the artistry out of the picture, though there are still some rare talented singers like Eason Chan and Joey Yung. The beginning of the end should have been obvious. In the 1990's, four singers were annointed the "Four Great Sky Kings", but if you ask me, only Jacky Cheung ever deserved the designation - the other three were mediocre talents by comparison, one better-known for his acting, another for his dancing, and the third.. I don't see the appeal at all! And yes, there are many cross-over "artists" in Hong Kong, i.e. singers who act in TV and movies and actors who record albums - many appear to be equally untalented in both singing and acting. Now, large entertainment conglomerates such as TVB and Emperor Entertainment Group own stables of talentless hacks who are carefully packaged and sold to ignorant youths who don't know any better, as well to TV audiences who only have 4 TV channels to choose from, one of them being the perennial snorer, CCTV, and another that seems to show horse racing half of the time. Although diminished since reached its peak, this trashy incarnation of Cantopop will be here to stay because Hong Kong people need their own homegrown pop culture - no matter how much it "borrows" from outside influences - and it has become part of Hong Kong peoples' identity.

Well, Sam Hui said it best: "Silence is Golden."

A strange anniversary

There has been yet more upheaval in my life, this time with an entirely different set of characters. In the last year, I've made some choices that may get me (and others) into trouble, and that may end up causing others to get hurt. I'm afraid that I'll have to leave you all to speculate.

In related news, today marks the one year anniversary of the end of 18 months of celibacy and being single - and I was trying pretty damned hard to get out of that slump! Since this time last year, the longest I've been single was 2-3 weeks. I'll leave the details to your imagination.

Actually, I'm a bit angry at the gods. When I was single, I found it incredibly difficult to meet single girls. In fact, the only girls I ended up meeting were either actually not that interested in me (and I don't think they would have been very good for me) or they had boyfriends. The irony is that as soon as I found a girlfriend, I started to meet lots of single girls, many of whom seem quite interested in me. Are the gods trying to punish me?

Well, I'm very happy in my current relationship. We will do whatever it takes to stay together, as long as we're this happy.

Stupid blogspot..

Damn! I couldn't load the log-in page for www.blogger.com in the last few days, so I've been unable to write anything. I really had a lot to get off my mind too, including what has so far been the biggest shock in my life, but fortunately, I've resolved these things. Too bad I've already put much of this stuff in the "forgotten" part of my brain, so you guys will never hear about it.

Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!

The overlooked merits of a university education

HKU organizes some very meaningful extracurricular activities, including volunteer and charity organizations, cultural activities, and sports. Furthermore, these activities are well-organized and easily accessible, though I feel that sometimes, some courses and events fill up a bit too quickly, yet other times, not enough people participate in some of the relatively obscure but very interesting activities. Most of the sports recreation courses I've signed up for, for example, are full. This semester, I'll be taking "Learn to Swim - Breast Stroke", "Muay Thai" (Beginner), "Social Dancing" (which is ballroom dancing), and "Tennis" (Beginner).

I really appreciate HKU's attempts at "whole person education". For too many, university is vocational training, mere preparation for the job market. If that's all people expect and if that's all they aim to accomplish, I really pity them.


I believe that people can acquire more than mere vocational training with a university education; instead, they should be able to: 1. acquire skills and knowledge that may (or may not) be useful in my future occupation(s), 2. widen their social circles, and 3. improve themselves in all aspects, including (4.) intellectual and spiritual development (i.e. self realisation).

The first involves what we learn in the classroom. We go to classes, read some textbooks, write some exams and papers, then we graduate. Why? Sometimes, we learn things that may be useful in our future careers, but while some programs (such as pharmacy and accounting) are more practical and career-oriented, other programs really don't provide anything immediately useful for any job. On the other hand, learning skills such as critical and analytical thinking, public speaking, and the ability to write clearly and concisely are useful in both our everyday lives and for any career.

University is a great place to meet people, whether in classes, student societies, dormitories, or anywhere on campus. Even if we were unpopular in high school, we're given a relatively clean slate at university, and can even reinvent ourselves year after year. Sadly, I've encountered many unfriendly people at university. Many people give the impression that they have enough friends, and that meeting new friends is a sign of weakness, of not having enough friends. It's really their loss - the people we meet at university may be our future co-workers, clients, friends, or even spouses, and they're no good to us if they remain strangers.

University is a great place for overall self-improvement. We learn social skills such as how to make friends and how to deal with people. We can play sports to become more physically fit, and can make friends in the process. We may be forced to learn skills such as time management and to adapt characteristics such as the willingness to take risks, as well as self-control. As life usually becomes more complex during our university years, we may be faced with more challenges, and most of us emerge stronger in the process. This is important because the next stage in our lives is usually even more complex.

I've come to realise that university is a place where I can broaden my horizons, to understand the world in which we live, and to understand myself. I've been granted the privileged and precious opportunity to read and discuss the works of the world's great thinkers, to hear the opinions of world-renowned experts firsthand, and to have access to all of the ideas that have ever been written down. The terminology isn't important, but our understanding of things is. At the very least, we should try to understand human behaviour, to be able to put ourselves in other peoples' shoes, and to understand our own motivations and characteristics. If you can understand the intricacies and machinations of international finance, behavioural psychology, organic chemistry, classical drama, etc., then even better. Sadly, few people are interested in the world around them, and just as few are willing to take the initiative to learn and to understand.

You can't put a pricetag on these things. In fact, a university education can be quite a bargain if you make the best of it. Sadly, most people don't get value for money, and it's entirely their fault.

Pity Europe?

Once again, Europe is burning with fury. It has only been a few months after French of Arab and black African descent burned cars and caused havoc in France, and now, Muslims in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran have burned down their Danish embassies (as well as the Norwegian embassy in Syria); Muslims in countries like Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Indonesia are inciting further violence, in addition to the public uproar among Muslims worldwide.

All because of some cartoons.

My understanding it Islamic law forbids any visual representation of Allah or the prophet Muhammad. What is murky is who is subject to Islamic law and who isn't. Still, I can see why Muslims can be offended by the cartoons, which includes a drawing of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

I do pity Europeans and their dilemma. Most Western European countries now have sizable Muslim minorities, and the majority of them have yet to integrate into European society, many of them forming an underclass relegated to ethnic ghettos. I would say that European countries provide better social welfare to their ethnic minorities, whether they're legal immigrants or refugees, than the US provide to their's. Therefore, Europeans probably feel that they've done enough for the Muslim immigrants and their offspring. If these immigrants are given subsidized public housing, have access to public education and health care, and are even given living allowances, pensions, and unemployment benefits, what are they complaining about?

The alienation of Europe's Muslim populations has fuelled mass ethnic violence and fears of terrorism, even terrorist attacks. Not only do Europeans fear attacks on their physical lives, but they also fear attacks on their institutions and their way of life. The offending cartoons, for example, were published because of the principle of freedom of speech. Who is willing to let go of the hard-won freedom of expression, won after centuries of struggle?

I have the utmost admiration for Europe's historical legacies, its institutions, its relics, and its culture. It would be a shame if Europe's churches and museums are burned, its liberalism dies, its culture is dissolved, and its ideas and institutions eroded. Yet it is under threat from within. I'd hate to say this, especially as a scholar (and advocate) of migration and integration, but it's true. These threats are real.

On the other hand, Europe is paying the price for its sins. What sins? Europe changed the world during the Age of Imperialism, subjugating people all over the world, disrupting their traditional ways of life, and imposing European values upon them. These have turned out to be irreversible, and in the end, Europeans (and the Americans) have established the rules and set the standards. Only a tiny few have been able to escape the world of international trade and of capitalist economics, of cultural norms such as wearing clothes, and of political norms of liberal democracy (which can do more harm than good in MOST cases, if you ask me!). Europeans have since become a bit more humane, but not totally. Although Europeans no longer sail across the world to enslave and and dominate people at gunpoint, aren't agricultural subsidies and trade quotas on agricultural imports ultimately inhumane? I think so.

On the other hand, should Europeans who are alive today pay the price of the sins of their ancestors?

"Fearless"?

Once upon a time, I was a big Jet Li （李连杰）fan - I rented every Jet Li movie I could get my hands on, but I guess I wasn't enough of a fan to buy posters or t-shirts, etc. This was about the time that I was very interested in Chinese martial arts, when I made my best friends at university in the UBC Kung Fu Association. However, my interest in kung fu waned when I left for Taiwan - when I got back, the club just wasn't the same without my buddies, and my attempts to learn wushu were hampered by my inability to do most of the moves. Also, I no longer felt the need to assert my Asian identity through such means and besides, I became quite tired of the "finding my roots" thing. While I still like kung fu and still find it interesting, I no longer consider it part of my life, and I definitely don't think kung fu defines me.

Anyway, Jet Li's latest movie, which he says will be his last martial arts film, was recently released in Hong Kong. Just as I haven't watched his last few films, I haven't bothered to watch this one. His last few films were not only not as good as his older movies, but they also had some of the most stupid titles I've ever heard. "Danny the Dog"? Is it a movie about a dog?? "Cradle 2 the Grave"? Why the number 2? "Romeo Must Die"? Why is it imperative that Romeo must die? And what kind of a Romeo doesn't even make any moves on chicks and doesn't even kiss the girl? Actually, I did watch Romeo Must Die, but I didn't pay to see it.

Who makes up these lame-assed titles? It's not just the titles of these movies, but I also find that when the superstars of Hong Kong cinema make the transition to Hollywood, they usually churn out crap. I did not enjoy a single Hollywood movie that Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or John Woo have made since their moves to Hollywood, though I must say that Chow Yun-fat's Hollywood movies aren't quite so bad. Sadly, the quality of almost all movies made in Hong Kong declined at around the same time that these superstars left the Hong Kong film industry. While Hong Kong movies made in the 1980's and early 1990's were simple but entertaining and original, they have since become formulaic, expensive, and sometimes, needlessly complex. Sadly, at around the same time that cinema receipts and video sales declined (partly due to rampant piracy), productions have become more expensive, with special effects, extravagant sets, and overpaid stars. Furthermore, professionally-trained and experienced actors, some of them also martial arts experts, have been replaced by stables of talentless pop-stars "owned" by various entertainment conglomerates. On the plus side, Hong Kong cinema still produces movies of some highly amusing and sometimes unique genres and themes that include debt collecting, life in the Triads, and gambling. I find that films can sometimes provide a glimpse of the sociological realities of a certain time or place, so I think movies are always worth watching, no matter how bad they may be.

Anyway, Jet Li's latest movie has yet another lame English title: "Fearless". It's unfortunate because the Chinese name is pretty cool and straightforward. Since the movie is about a real-life Chinese kung fu master, Huo Yuanjia (Fok Yuen-gapp), the Chinese name of the movie is "霍元甲" (Huo Yuanjia). I think the movie would do well if it were called "Master Fok". I feel that part of the appeal of Hong Kong films is their campy, cheesy feel, and nothing is more campy and cheesy than names like "Master Fok" or "God of Gamblers". As for the name "Fearless", is fearlessness really a virtue? Isn't it good to have some fears? With fear comes restraint, and being able to overcome fears takes strength of character and learning. Being fearless at the outset, on the other hand, is to be thoughtless. I don't think fearlessness is a virtue at all!

Another thing that makes this movie unappealing is that the producers recruited Taiwanese R&B singer Jay Chou to write and record the soundtrack. I don't see the appeal of Jay Chou. I do give him credit for writing his own songs and lyrics and some very catchy tunes, but I dislike him, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps I dislike anything that's popular (e.g. Harry Potter) and disdain contemporary pop culture, but more likely, I disdain egomaniacs, and there are few egomaniacs in Asia that are bigger than Jay Chou. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate the successful - I just hate what's popular.

I guess I'll pick up a 5.5 yuan pirated DVD copy of this the next time I go to China, or I may watch it on TV 6 months later.

Thoughts on Canada's federal election

Perhaps due to my relative apathy on the matter, I have yet to comment on last week's Canadian federal election . Perhaps I'll be away from Canada for too long to care, or perhaps I feel that my vote doesn't matter, or maybe I find all of the alternatives rather unappealing. In any case, I do care about Canadian politics, but it's not something I lose sleep over.

I pity Paul Martin. The guy never had a chance. Sure, the Liberals were the front-runners, and sure, they had a chance to win, but what I mean is that nobody really gave PAUL MARTIN a chance. Martin inherited a party that had many Chretien loyalists (though many quit or were shuttled off to patronage positions), plus a couple of major scandals, namely "sponsorship scandal" and allegations of insider trading. It was unfortunate that Martin and his two year old cabinet took the fall for the decade-long reign of the Chretien clique. Who can forget the imperious attitude of Shiela Copps, the aloof Hedy Fry, and of course, the corrupt Alfonso Gagliano. Anyway, most Canadians are too stupid to tell the difference. Still, I pity Kim Campbell more for the 1993 Tory meltdown.

Let's look at what many consider the turning point of the election: on Boxing Day, a gunfight between drug dealers in downtown Toronto claimed the life of a 15 year old bystander. The Tories capitalized on this, saying that the Liberal Party was soft on crime, etc. First of all, the legislative branch is largely independent of the judiciary, and vice-versa. One can hardly blame the Liberal government, particularly Paul Martin's Liberals, for a decline in the effectiveness of the RCMP, the OPP, or Toronto Police, and that's IF you believe there has been a decline at all. Also, the Liberals can do very little about the cultural aspect of crime, in this case, the influence of American street gang culture. In fact, if prevention is done at the school level, education is under provincial and municipal jurisdiction, not federal. Furthermore, the government cannot be held fully accountable for the socio-economic condition of those who commit crimes, and we can hardly say that Canada has been worse off under the Liberals like we can say that the US is worse off under George W. Bush.

I must admit that I'm a BIT worried that Canada has a Conservative government. First of all, the old Tories used to be the PROGRESSIVE Conservatives. As we all know, that party all but died out in the 1993 federal election. The current incarnation of the Tories is the marriage of the Reform Party (later the Canadian Alliance), an Alberta-based party of rednecks in suits, and the remnants of the old PCs. Stephen Harper's Conservatives are not particularly fiscally conservative, so no need to fear for mass privatization and cutbacks. What scares me, though is the party's avowed social conservatism. While I consider myself something in between a traditional guy and a hippie, I think that this party has its fair share of fundamentalists in its ranks, and if the party gains a majority in subsequent elections, our hard-earned civil liberties may be threatened by the likes of them.

NOTE: For you non-Canadians out there, Tory = Conservative.

Slim pickin's

I just spent the rest of my Chinese New Year red pocket money.. ALREADY! Despite the large number of relatives I have in Hong Kong, and the fact that two of my elder cousins in Hong Kong are now married (and are therefore obliged to give me red pocket money), this year's take has been surprisingly low, so low that I blew my "jackpot" on a large pizza and laundry tokens.

With the exception of one aunt, every single relative here handed out only $20 HKD. That's strange, because in Canada, I was given $20 CAD! Today, $1 CAD = $6.789 HKD. Wow, I've really lost out, haven't I? Is the economy doing that poorly in Hong Kong? Were my relatives in Canada particularly generous? Did my relatives in Hong Kong collude to decide on $20 HKD as a token amount? Don't get me wrong - I don't NEED the money, and I don't love my relatives any less. It's just that all of my friends joked about me getting ready to strike it rich, etc., and I can't believe I spent it all on pizza and laundry tokens.

At least I fared better this year than I did last year in Beijing.

"Goldfinger"

After disappearing for 7 weeks, my neighbour has returned to Hong Kong. It was nice to have the toilet to myself for a while, and to not worry about how late I showered. I could have sang in the shower if I wanted to! Well, I'm stuck with this guy for the next 7 months.

It seems that relations between the two of us have gotten chilly lately. A couple of weeks before he left Hong Kong for an internship in Bangalore, he asked that I not shower so late because the sound of the running water wakes him up. I was used to taking showers at 2 or 3am, and he usually sleeps at 11pm. I wasn't about to take any shit from this guy, so I told him that he was asking a lot, and that I'd "see what I can do." It's not like I sang in the shower, and I was very careful not to slam the door when I used the bathroom. In fact, I felt he was asking for too much. He was asking me to change my lifestyle. By showering so early, I could no longer stay in my office until 1am, or go on midnight hikes with my girlfriend. Since I wasn't being unreasonably noisy, I should have told him to either move out or to buy earplugs. If he confronts me again, this is exactly what I will do. This is the kind of guy who likes to complain, and who will complain whether I comply with his requests or not. I'm better off showing that I'm not a pushover.

Oh yeah, the guy has also asked me not to turn on the fan unless it's really stinky. This is stupid. If we don't turn on the fan sometimes, the bathroom gets very very humid, and our bath towels won't dry - even the toilet seat gets wet! I'm going to make a point of never turning on the fan when I do a #2. Enjoy the smell, asshole.

Anyway, the guy came back yesterday afternoon, but has yet to say hi to me. And for the first time in the 5 months we've lived together, he finally bought toilet paper. I wish he hadn't. I know where to buy premium toilet paper at a bargain price ($22 HKD for 12 rolls at Chinese pharmacies). I've noticed that most of my classmates buy bargain toilet paper at premium prices (approx. $30 HKD for 10 rolls at supermarkets). Unfortunately, my neighbour bought the latter, and this morning, I had a case of what my uncle calls "goldfinger". Cheap-assed easily-torn toilet paper... damn!