Making Employees Happy

Every Friday we have our Friday Drinks, a relaxing time of the week where we get to share drinks and eat pies with colleagues after a hard week's work.

I hear the practice is widely practiced in Australia so I thought it should be brought to Hong Kong if it somehow makes employees feel good as they embark on their two-day break.

I read at The Standard that Standard Chartered Bank (not related companies) are allowing employees to enjoy their birthdays by letting them take the day off (with pay of course).

Other employee benefits that will surely put a smile on our faces (if not yet enforced) include paternity leave and "volunteer leave" to allow employees to work on community projects. There should be many others apart from the typical Chinese New Year bonuses.

As for our Friday Drinks in the office, I am happy we are trying to emulate what others are doing.

Makes me look forward to Fridays even more.

Pollution

I'd like to emphasize my post with a single title that is often synonymous with Hong Kong. The city has been hit by worst pollution ever recorded after smog and hot weather combined to kill one woman and left several elderly people in hospitals with breathing problems. Now I understand more about the very hot and very cold weather warnings in place in Hong Kong.

I am lucky to live just a few hundred meters from work so I don't have to stay outdoors and be exposed to higher pollution levels assuming my air purifier works to make air quality at home better.

Temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius in many areas and at least 91 elderly people were taken to hospital with respiratory problems. A further 1,334 needed emergency help.

Maybe it is a perfect "storm" brewing as smog could have been influenced by a typhoon fleeing towards Taiwan-Fujian province path that could have kept this unwanted combination of smoke and fog above Hong Kong skies. Mix it with the usual hot summer weather and it brings record pollution index. The benchmark air pollution index reached an unprecedented 202 in Tap Mun - one notch higher than the previous record of 201 set in 2005 at Tung Chung.

But bizarre things also happened. Just when everyone expected it's all hot and humid, thunderstorms also whipped the some parts of the city briefly, providing relief and blow the pollutants away.

Many people are focusing on Beijing Olympics and its concerns on pollution. Hong Kong is also a host city which has the same pollution concerns. It's a pity to horses and their handlers who might have trained in fresh surroundings and not used to the punishing pollution levels at Olympic venues.

MTR Accidents

When I take a ride at the MTR, I always hear the friendly broadcasts reminding everyone to be careful, avoid walking in the escalator, holding the handrail, taking the lift for heavy luggages, etc.

But it seems that since these reminders have been heard many times it becomes a simple monotony that is associated with every MTR station in the city. Therefore, as people are either in a hurry or simply careless, accidents in MTR have increased from first half of this year compared to 2007.

As SCMP reports, there were 389 escalator accidents in the first six months, up from 330 in the same period of 2007, a rise of 18%. Therefore I see that repeating the same reminders will not bring down the number of accidents, no matter how clear and simple the reminders may be.

Falling in the escalators had the highest recorded increase in accidents. This is primarily caused by people who fail to hold the handrail for various reasons: holding on to a heavy baggage, playing hand-held games, wearing Crocs sandals or simply chatting with friends.

The (unwritten?) rule on keep right on escalators must then be abolished because it brings people the perception that if we want everyone to keep right, we tolerate people who zoom their way to the top using the vacant space on the left.

Hottest and Coldest Aircon Settings in the City

It's a well-known fact that many Hong Kong buildings have cold interiors because of extreme settings on air conditioning units. That is why even in a hot summer months, we still see folks who wear suits at work. How uncomfortable it must be when they are outdoors, but they have to do it partly because of their job nature and partly because it gives them relief to the chilling temperatures at workplace.

These "breathe of cool air" amid the scorching summer heat could be a thing in the past as buildings have started to adopt the call to turn aircon thermostats up by a level. This resulted to less cold surroundings that sometimes cause discomfort to people and make them sick.

Temperatures in the buildings, ranging from 23.4 to 30.1 degrees, were welcomed by Friends of the Earth, which said they indicated greater energy-conservation awareness.

The other benefit is obviously a drop in power bills and enable companies to divert funds for other important purposes amid the high cost of fuel.

SCMP has conducted temperature checks at various buildings and found out the following:

HIGHEST TEMP
High Court Building waiting areas (29.1C)
New Town Plaza (27.4C)
Pacific Place (27.2C)
Bank of China Tower (27.2C)
Langham Place (26.5)
City Hall (26.4C)
ifc Mall (26C)

LOWEST TEMP
KMB Bus Route 101 (23.4C)
Kowloon Museum of Art Chinese Antiquities Gallery 2 (23.5C)
MTR Tung Chung Line Trains (24.2C)

Olympic MTR Station

In case you are wondering where did Olympic Station got its name, it was named in honor of Hong Kong's Olympic athletes. It started its operations in 1998 (last June 22 marked its tenth year of service), two years after Hong Kong won its first Olympic gold medal courtesy of Lee Lai Shan.

It is located at Tai Kok Tsui, which is on the western part of Kowloon. However, I couldn't figure out why this place is chosen to hold the name.

Now that Hong Kong Olympics is a legitimate name by virtue of the city hosting an Olympic sport of equestrian, I'll have to take a closer look at whether Olympic MTR Station provides special treats to its loyal patrons.

Gillian Chung: "Wrong Love" for Edison

Gillian Chung Yan-tung admitted that she felt "wrong love" for Edison Chen Kook-hei, who took the photos which were later leaked and stirred the whole Hong Kong entertainment industry late January. This was revealed in a book called Angels on Earth where excerpts of Gillian's interview response were published.

It was indeed a traumatic experience for the other half of the popular teenybopper group Twins who kept herself out of the limelight after the incident. Now we only see a lonely Charlene Choi, the other Twins member (as seen in this Adidas ad), in endorsements as the popularity of Gillian faded quickly.

While the photo scandal involved many stars like Bobo Chan and Cecilia Cheung, it was Gillian's appearance that was a stark contrast of her on-stage persona, idolized by many young fans from Hong Kong and abroad. As a result she lost some endorsements, but more importantly is the embarrassment it brought her.

She regretted that the scandal had put pressure upon her Twins partner, Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin. "Some people said I should no longer perform because I would affect the good name of Charlene. Others said I should do pornography ... I don't want her to shoulder my burdens."

The book is available at the Economic Digest booth for HK$54. Publishing manager Gary Fung Ka-wai said 400 copies of the book had been sold between Monday afternoon and yesterday.

Tips to Travelers: Free Airport Pickup Isn't An Attractive Hotel Feature

One of the features for many hotels in Hong Kong and almost everywhere is that they feature free shuttle service from airport to the hotel. Looks like it is a very attractive offer especially for first time travelers to Hong Kong who are wary of getting lost.

However, one drawback of this feature is that these free pick up hotel service is available for about once or twice an hour only. So if you just missed the last one, you have to wait for another hour or 30 minutes to get a ride. Which means you have to make yourself busy within the airport which to me is not worth doing. You'd rather arrive in the hotel via Airport Express or airport bus and settle down to your hotel room for a brief rest from a tiring trip.

My advice is do not take this feature as a good attraction at all. If we arrive at the shuttle bus two minutes before it leaves, we are lucky enough. But this seldom happens.

Sixth Most Expensive City in 2008

Hong Kong's cost of living is good for sixth place worldwide in 2008. This is a notch lower than last year's standings.

COST OF LIVING RANKINGS 2008
1 Moscow
2 Tokyo
3 London
4 Oslo
5 Seoul
6 HONG KONG

The finding was conducted by a study called Mercer's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2008. It looks at the prices of more than 200 items which include food and transport costs among 143 cities earlier this year. Other surveys don't see Hong Kong among the leader board. For example in an Economic Intelligence Unit survey on cost of living, Hong Kong was ranked only 28th.

I wonder how will the recent rise in food prices in Hong Kong compare with other cities in case it didn't reflect in this survey. I did make a rough estimate on the cost of living in Hong Kong, with costs of food, transportation and utilities covered. Unfortunately, cost of these items have increased recently so you can just add approx 20% to the cost over there as a basis.

We also have to be a little observant to stretch the value of our money. One thing a study found out that supermarkets charge more on Fridays. Let's change the habit if necessary.

Why You Should Avoid Friday Shopping

In case you make it a habit to make a trip to your favorite grocer on a Friday, just after finishing work, think again. Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the one of the city's political parties noticed that every Friday, the price of goods sold in Wellcome and ParkNShop are substantially higher than on other days.

In ParknShop, a large bottle of Lion and Globe Corn Oil cost HK$6.30 more on Fridays while at Wellcome, Mei Lin double- cooked pork was HK$4.10 more on that day.

DAB should be commended for its proactive stance on providing information to consumers, in light of rising cost of living. In the past, the group also made a similar study that helped stretch the value of Hong Kong dollar.

5th Ranking in Weekly Working Hours

Just because Hong Kong has low salary tax rate doesn't mean it's the ideal place to work. A global survey of working hours recorded in 50 countries by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) showed that Hong Kong is fifth among top working hours per week among its workers.

1. Peru (50.9% of workers spend 47 hours per week)
2. South Korea (49.5% of workers spend 48 hours per week)
3. Thailand (46.7% of workers spend 49 hours per week)
4. Pakistan (44.4% of workers spend 48 hours per week)
5. Hong Kong (40.9% of workers spend 48 hours per week)

It could be good news to companies because workers here are devoted. It could be bad news to employees because they spend less hours on their personal lives.

The prevalence of longer working hours stays because I am not aware of any policy on overtime pay, something that employers sometimes capitalize on.

HSBC: The Hong Kong People's Bank

HSBC's slogan is "The World's Local Bank". It could also pass off using "The Hong Kong People's Bank". This is what I thought when I read The Standard's article on new offers to the masses.

Now, even blighters who earn a pathetic HK$2,000 are eligible for loans of up to HK$10,000 with no service charge and a flat interest rate of 0.53 percent a month. For a 12-month tenor, the rate is 12.7 percent, about 50 percent lower than HSBC's regular rate for personal loans.

That's a good thing for low income earners.

Kids will also soon get to open their own accounts. They even get their own ATM cards once they turn 11, if they can get their bosses' okay.

It seems that kids can't wait to grow older to have their own account. By the time they turn 11 they get their ATMs and...

This means they can easily get money off the funds deposited by their wealthy parents to shop just about everything they like to buy (sorry, cigarettes and liquor will have to wait for seven more years). Looks like businesses targeting children such as children's clothing and toys should be thankful to HSBC for this.

Children should be rewarded with gifts not just for sticking to HSBC but because they know how to take care of money at an early age.

Difference Between Red and Green Minibuses

Continuing on the topic of minibuses in Hong Kong, a city with efficient transportation, 16-seater minibuses (also known as public light bus because of its smaller frame compared to the double decker buses in the city) can be seen everywhere in the city, in two distinct colors: red and green and nothing else.

What could be the difference between the two, an uninformed visitor may ask?

Red Minibuses
There are 1,660 red minibuses (RMBs) in Hong Kong. They are colored for a reason. Let's start with the red minibus. These are minibuses that are more flexible in terms of route and fare although they aren't as flexible as taxicabs. They can be hailed almost everywhere within its route and stop at the nearest location allowed by traffic laws. Unlike bigger buses that don't open doors elsewhere but designated bus stops, RMBs usually stop where passengers hail them and provided vacant seats are still available.

One distinction of this minibus is that it changes its fares and routes at the course of the day. For example, a red minibus going to Shaukeiwan will be cheaper from Causeway Bay during daytime but will become more expensive during rush hours, probably owing to the loss of revenue attributed by traffic congestion.

Another distinction is that drivers of these buses rely on income based on earnings of these buses so they are more aggressive in getting passengers. Sometimes this aggressiveness can be detrimental to safety of drivers and passengers. Also, this nature of business model make drivers more careless.

I think red minibus drivers compete with van drivers as among the most reckless drivers in Hong Kong. One headache for motorists and pedestrians is that red minibuses stop just before a pedestrian crossing to pick up passengers. Whether or not the traffic light is green or red, these buses remain parked until the bus is full. I often see this just outside Quarry Bay MTR's Exit A1 pedestrian lane.

On many occasions I see red minibuses involved in accidents in Hong Kong so it's reasonable for the government to enforce the seat belt law.

By saying "basee jam mggoi" or "[name of street or landmark] mggoi" you tell the drivers, many of them barely speak English, that you want to get off the designated area. They will acknowledge your request by raising their left hand. Don't forget to hand in your coins before you alight. Better prepare an exact amount (pay in 10 dollar, 5, 2 or 1 dollar coins and avoid smaller values unless necessary) because drivers find it hard to manage giving back the change with their eyes on the road (sometimes they don't park the bus well because the whole process takes only a few seconds except for elderly and disabled passengers).

The good thing about these buses is that they are fairly quick and reaching a destination at cheaper cost is achieved only by this mode of transport. Drivers sometimes ignore the huge speedometers installed inside the bus. Passengers too won't mind especially if they are in a hurry.

I think it's colored red because it's closest to a taxi (Hong Kong island and Kowloon taxis in Hong Kong are painted red) in terms of fare and route flexibility. Some people term these red minibuses as "poor man's taxi".

Green Minibuses
Did you know that public light buses in Hong Kong were established because of the 1967 Hong Kong riots? Trams were unable to transport people so the government offered people rides in vans for minimal cost. That idea proved helpful and licenses were awarded to drivers as a reward for helping the government during that troubled period.

Green minibuses (GMBs) are regulated by the Transport Department and have fixed routes with fixed fares. Remember this main difference between red and green minibus: For green minibuses paying your fare is done before you take your seat. Green minibuses accept Octopus cards and coins (no change given, so prepare an exact amount and please don't shortchange the drivers).

Wearing seat belt is mandatory for one's safety and avoid summons and fines. However, the culture of wearing seatbelts in Hong Kong's minibuses hasn't been instilled in the minds of people just yet. If the Philippines imposed a seatbelt law on its jeepneys, it's more decent to buckle up on these minibuses.

As a more regulated mode of public transport compared to its red cousin, green minibuses have their designated bus stops and terminals where passengers can wait. But not all bus stops are helpful at all. One thing I noticed about bus number 69 that goes to Cyberport from Quarry Bay is that in its first two stops, the bus gets filled immediately and people seldom wait at stops like in Fortress Hill or Leighton Road (some six stops later, I guess). Since no person is expected to get off until the final stops, it's useless to wait for these buses especially on busy hours.

I can't help but repeat thanking that nice driver of green minibus number 24M (Mount Butler route) for keeping my wallet intact when it slipped from my pocket. Hong Kong has honest bus drivers.

Minibuses in Hong Kong are pleasant rides to experience. They are fast, cheap and on time (at least the green ones). You may hear a Cantonese radio talk show the driver wants to share with his passengers but a few will also play Western music and speak Tagalog! Once you alight the bus, it would be nice to say thank you to the driver who will smile back at you.

Hong Kong Classifieds: Expat Leaving Sale

If you live in Hong Kong and decide to leave Hong Kong and don't want to bring your stuff out with you, sites like Geoexpat and Asiaxpat can help you facilitate sale of your unwanted items. You don't have to be an expat to be in the list. Locals also find it useful to find buyers using these sites.

What seems amusing to me is that terms that are often used to attract potential buyers are almost the same:

"Expat leaving Hong Kong"
"Expat relocating, need to sell"
"We are moving back to UK/US/Canada/Australia"

The better the headline is (with clearer photos) the more attractive they become. Whether they are accurate or just plain effective ploy, as long as both seller and buyer end up with a smile, the ad headlines don't matter.

The Seat Belt Law

There has been an alarming rate of road accidents in Hong Kong recently. Some of these accidents have cost lives which is very unfortunate. Minibuses are often involved in these road mishaps. Even with the installation of large speedometer display inside the minibus prevented them from happening.

In the first half of this year there were 546 traffic accidents involving minibuses resulting in 889 casualties, compared to 544 accidents and 870 casualties in the same period last year.

That is one of the reasons why a campaign on wearing seat belts took place recently. More than 200 passengers of public vehicles were given summonses and verbal warnings for not wearing seat belts. Light bus drivers themselves will be fined HK$5,000 and jailed for 3 months for not buckling up.

Just like when I lost (and later recovered) my wallet in that green minibus plying the route of Mount Butler, I wasn't wearing the belt because to me it feels like it doesn't make a difference.

We are accustomed to buckling up when we fly, because airplanes have paid staff to remind us. On buses, there is no bus steward to check everyone has worn his/her seat belt before the driver starts the engine. If there is anyone reminding us to wear belts on light buses, probably they are the traffic police. And that comes with verbal warnings, summonses and even fines.

As crash test dummies would silently say, wearing seat belts could potentially spare us from more debilitating injuries. It is just an honor to be reminded to protect ourselves from potential harm by practicing the habit of wearing them every time we travel.

Children's PLA Boot Camp: A Possible Discipline Solution

Hong Kong children (and grown ups) have been noted as those that lack proper manners in public. One of the reasons is that parents put more focus on academic excellence and less on good manners and proper behavior. In a competitive society, a successful child in school makes parents proud and stand tall among their peers. But when these children grow without proper manners, it's also a black eye to parents. Worse, these kids will kick their parents out of the house.

A possible solution to this potential problem: PLA summer camp. Just over the weekend, the People's Liberation Army, the name of China's army, conducted a summer camp in their Fan Ling barracks. 150 boys and 50 girls joined the activity. Summer camp "recruits" were wearing long-sleeved, camouflage uniforms and heavy leather boots, endured an hour of muggy weather to parade publicly for the first time in yesterday's opening ceremony. Their steps were unsynchronized and a little chaotic compared to the PLA soldiers beside them, and some appeared uneasy in the demanding conditions.

Just like in any other similar camp, unnecessary items are banned. MP3 players, PlayStations and snacks are not allowed. Children have to sleep unaccustomed to lack of aircon and wake up earlier than usual.

Since Hong Kong has no national service like Singapore or Korea, where young citizens are required to join military training, youths often have little opportunity to learn about discipline other than school and home. If the opportunities are missing in these places, then it is not surprising to see some people fail (or refuse) to offer seats for the elderly in MTR, don't give way to the needy on opening doors or bump others during rush hour without saying a sincere sorry.

Tax-free Salary

One of the good things about Hong Kong is its low salary tax-rate. That is a big selling point Hong Kong can brag about when trying to lure overseas talents to work in the city.

More than having that relatively low tax rate in the city, the government announced that 2.1m residents at work (61.39% of the total working population) will not be taxed for 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Prof KC Chan presented the above figures in today's Legislative Council meeting. About 14% of the 3.43 million taxpayers paid salaries tax of $1,000 or below, 5.18% paid $2,001 to $5,000, 4.26% paid $5,001 to $10,000 and 3.8% paid $1,001 to $2,000.

On the amount of salaries tax paid by taxpayers - excluding those who paid at the standard rate - on their income, the average percentage was 4.7% in 2006-07. The highest amount of salaries tax paid was $593,000, and the lowest was $1.

The average percentage in 2005-06 was 6.2%.

Best Airport in 2008

Hong Kong International Airport once again is awarded the world's best according to a Skytrax survey, which polled more than 8.2 million travellers of over 97 nationalities. For the record this is the seventh time in eight years that Chek Lap Kok, as the airport is also named, has won the prestigious award.

From the news.gov.hk website:

Airport Authority Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hui said it is a great honour to be recognised again as the world's finest airport.

"To meet growing demand and maintain our high service standards, we have launched a $4.5 billion enhancement programme for Terminal 1 and the airfield. We are working hard to minimise the inconvenience to passengers during the improvements, which will be completed by 2011," he added.

Skytrax Chief Executive Officer Edward Plaisted said: "To retain the title of world's best airport among such strong competition is clear testament to an airport that is satisfying its customers at the highest level.

It can be recalled that Hong Kong airport was also the best airport in 2007 according to the same survey.

Weather Records

2008 seems to be a record setting year in terms of weather reports. It was earlier posted in this blog that this year has the coldest February in 40 years.

Last month's continuous rains also set a record. Total rainfall recorded at Hong Kong Observatory in June reached 1,346.1mm, breaking the previous monthly rainfall record of 1,241.1mm - in May 1889.

The current weather in July hasn't been that scorching hot yet -- I only noticed a few days of very hot weather warnings. Hopefully Hong Kong won't set another weather disturbance record again.

MTR Developments for Everyone

The MTR will soon be safer way to travel as platform gates will be installed on remaining stations that don't have them. The eight stations are Kwai Fong, Kwai Hing, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon Bay, Ngau Tau Kok, Kwun Tong, Chai Wan and Heng Fa Chuen. This will be good news to people scared of tripping over and meeting a cruel death on the railway tracks. Platform gates provide barrier between trains and passengers and while waiting for the arrival of trains, it becomes impossible for people who attempt to commit suicide by jumping over the railway tracks.

Not too long time ago, a man was killed when he was dragged while standing at Kwai Fong Station. The installation of platform gates will hopefully prevent accidents such as this from happening next time.

There is also good news for MTR workers as the company is expected to provide wage hikes to its employees. Workers must be smiling as they are expected to have at least 2.3 to a maximum 6.8 percent raise.

And for people who find Wan Chai station too crowded, an extra exit will be installed to provide more accessibility to people exiting the station. An extra MTR exit costing HK$100 million will be built in Lee Tung Street to provide access to Wedding City arcade, Urban Renewal Authority chief executive Quinn Law Yee-kwan said.

This means more option (an Exit D?) for all of us who alight at this station especially those who are going towards Queens Road East, Hopewell Centre and nearby places. Good work MTR!

Anti Racial Discrimination Law

After Hong Kong lawmakers finally signed a law making racial discrimination an offense. Although it was seen as a law that lacked teeth -- an important clause involving language wasn't included -- it is a good step at making Hong Kong a place where equality reigns.

The development comes more than a decade after an anti-discrimination bill was first proposed and almost 40 years after an international covenant against racial discrimination was extended to Hong Kong.

As a minority in Hong Kong I didn't feel much discriminated except when it comes to language (an attendant won't talk to me unless I speak Cantonese, getting taxi rides or shops showing only Chinese characters on menus). I got employed in a company with multicultural environment and enjoyed (almost) living in Hong Kong as much as locals do.

A survey on racial discrimination by Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor showed that among 123 respondents from Hong Kong's ethnic minorities, 67% of them experienced some forms of discrimination, notably on employment and admission to facilities.

Among the interesting excerpts from respondents (probably several years ago):

British barrister labeling all Vietnamese as liars and violent. The person tried to convince this barrister otherwise but to no avail.
Bus driver yelled at a mainlander pretending not to understand his semi-Cantonese question.

Vietnamese refugees were being fired after the employer discovered through a police check that he or she was Vietnamese even though the employee did nothing wrong.

June 1998. On a daily basis, vendors, especially of food charge more to Caucasians than Asians. Also rents!

I experienced this in our post office if they know that their customers are Filipino, they usually shout at us. We are all the same.

It just happened last January 1 1996. We queued up at the bus stop going to xxxxx Park. We were the first in line, but the Chinese driver let the other Chinese on first. He said they are Chinese people so he let them in first. Maybe because only domestic helpers here in Hong Kong.

I experienced problems in government services and sale/delivery of goods or services. At the immigration at Kai Tak, both passport clearances and customs target black people.

I have become increasingly aware of resentment of Hong Kong people towards Mainland Chinese. I am not aware of anyone who has acted upon this resent, but it has been voiced to me frequently.

One of the efforts made by the government in its drive to promote harmony in Hong Kong is to set up Nepali and Urdu language radio stations for a year.

It is interesting that this law is also possibly in collision course with what has been socially accepted norms. We are used to calling our local buddies from Pakistan "Ah Cha" and Caucasians as "Gwei Lo" and they would smile back at us because they understand that's how they are called with no offense meant.

Shall we be hearing MTR announcements with Vietnamese, Tagalog or Nepali added in the current lineup of English, Cantonese and Potunghua? I don't think it is necessary because speakers of these languages are literate enough to understand any of the existing languages used.

I just hope that with this new law enacted, Hong Kong will see more equal treatment of its residents.

First to Queue Publicity

One thing I notice about Hong Kong is that first placers are often rewarded. If not in monetary form, at least it's the publicity. This is what happened to the first person who had the right to be the first proud owner of iPhone 3G in Hong Kong.

Beaming with pride and as if telling the frustrated ones who did not get that prized possession yesterday, "are you jealous?", Ho Kak-yin was mobbed by photographers and enthusiasts who at least would be able to get glimpse of the new iPhone in full functional mode.

(His NYC counterpart just secured a date with a hot Apple employee.)

This is not the first time I noticed about people who were first in queue and got some share of publicity in South China Morning Post, TVB Pearl or Apple Daily.

* First to grab Olympic equestrian tickets
* First to queue for stocks application forms for a big company IPO launch
* First to queue for football tickets featuring Barcelona, et al
* First to fly on a historic flight from Hong Kong to London on Oasis Airlines

While it's not a race they are joining that whenever they finish first they are recognized formally, being first on any queue is a potential for 15 minutes of fame. This leaves nothing left to the second placer and followers.

So the next time we want to be famous, be the first in line. This could be our chance.

Vitasoy Black Eye

You know when you're from Hong Kong when you drink this one.

Vitasoy is one of the things that is identified as distinctively Hong Kong. Office workers and students get a boost at the start of the day by drinking this healthy beverage.

Just recently, it was thought to "stare down at the competition" as it launches an aggressive advertising campaign in print, television commercial and out of home advertisements.

The approach was simply to change the color of packaging and font type and exposing this new designs to busy locations such as in Causeway Bay. Maybe I won't see a free handout of this popular drink on the street because taste remains the same and sampling won't be necessary, but I could be wrong.



However, behind this hype of smiling advertising models and promotion staff is a picture of anger behind part those who make the Vitasoy brand possible. A group of workers which included salesmen, drivers and delivery assistants staged a strike in what appears to be an unfair labor practice.

According to SCMP:

They demanded that Vitasoy increase their base salaries and commissions combined by 6 per cent; rehire a driver they claim was wrongly fired; improve communication between management and workers; ensure workers do not work overtime; and adhere to employment contracts.

It seems that Vitasoy needs more than just TV commercials and print ads to explain its side. The management can spend more funds on public relation stuff because it has the money to do so. Recently, Vitasoy has posted a net profit growth of 21% to 211 million HK dollars.

I believe that if these promotions continue amid strike and management decides to ignore (which I don't believe they will do), these ads might backfire (people doing their own videos that parody the new ads, for example).

Not to mention missing our favorite drink from supermarket shelves.

iPhone Online

Today is day zero for many iPhone fans in Hong Kong. However, that countdown doesn't mean they will be able to buy the phone because only 1,500 units will be sold today.

For some reason either Hutchison Whampoa or Apple or both would like to make these enthusiasts get frustrated by the decision to award these units to lucky people, 500 of them whose names emerged from a raffle draw that attracted more than 60,000 applicants.

Worry no more. Apple disclosed that this new version will be available on its online shops. The date remains to be announced but this should be a good news to people who will be asked to step back from 3 Shops if they are not one of those lucky 1,500.

Hutchison Telecom's policy is not to lock the handsets that it sells via its network of "3" shops.

The talk is when will one be able to get their hands on this prized possession, which is faster and cheaper than its older version. Which makes me think, are current iPhone owners willing to ditch their old units in favor of the new ones?

English Proficiency in HK

I wonder if you have come across a circulating e-mail containing funny road, hospital or shop signs in China. I myself noticed these signs when I was visiting Beijing in 2004. Hopefully they were corrected just before the Olympics. They should be fixed not just to save authorities and shop owners from embarrassment but also to introduce more clarity.

In Hong Kong, signs are much better grammatically although there are still minor loopholes on a few of them. More than just a subject of enjoyment, these signs are among the evidences of English proficiency in China and Hong Kong.

It's been known that English usage in Hong Kong is not a popular thing to do. When I was in Singapore, I often hear Singaporean Chinese talk in English, but in Hong Kong I rarely notice the same thing.

English proficiency in Hong Kong is not at par with Singapore because the society doesn't promote its use. TV shows that are in Cantonese language also have Chinese subtitle (a few have English though), conversations on the street is in Cantonese. As far as I know there is no English talk show on AM radio. A topic in bus ad TV RoadShow has one about learning English language but that's about it.

I think classrooms are one of the few places where English can be practiced. Unfortunately, as Rob Leung pointed out at SCMP,

We should not forget that 60 per cent of local schoolteachers of English recently failed the written part of the government's English benchmark test. And 40 per cent of them failed the oral test.

This means we can't expect students to be good in English if even their teachers fail in their own tests. I can't verify the reports but this actually is a little contradictory to a finding by Hong Kong University that the city's best Primary Four students read English so well they effectively have two mother tongues.

But that's reading and not conversing so there remains something to be proven.

Another SCMP contributor, Justin Paul Hayward has a very good point on justifying why Hong Kong has a poor standard in English language.

Why, then, should the average person in Hong Kong learn this language? The reality is the English language is out of reach - and only for the lucky few who can either afford or have the vision to embrace it for their own future benefit without trepidation.

This reality will often haunt Hong Kong's claim as Asia's World City.

Horatio Boedihardjo: Oxford PhD - at 17

We may all remember the Indonesian-Chinese child prodigy March Boedihardjo as a 9-year old student entering Hong Kong Baptist University.

Now it's his brother Horatio Boedihardjo pursuing doctorate in maths at England's Oxford University in September. He just finished studies in the same university where he obtained first-class honours in a bachelor's degree in mathematics.

What's inspiring in him is that while he is a math genius and is getting more publicity, he remains humble of all his accomplishments.

He thanked his professor Janet Dyson who invited him to pursue studies at Oxford.

He names Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft head Bill Gates as idols. Both Zuckerberg and Gates began their successful careers at young age.

Horatio entertains the idea of being a teacher and inspire children to learn more about Mathematics. He even went on to invite people who are interested to communicate to him through his e-mail address horatio.boedihardjo at hotmail.co.uk if they are interested in studying Mathematics at the university. So spammers, spare the kid's email.

I am sure that he inspires a lot of kids, let alone parents of Indonesian and Chinese children whom they want to be good in Mathematics. I wonder if his e-mail account will be able to handle numerous e-mails from parents seeking tutorials, or nannies who can't answer mathematics assignments of their wards.

Learn Mandarin Videos

I live in Hong Kong but I have almost zero knowledge when it comes to speaking the local language. Cantonese is the dialect spoken by Hong Kong locals but Mandarin or Potunghua is spoken by more people in the Mainland China. If you are interested to learn more about learning the language, Watch to Learn Chinese is a site that could help you. It contains videos of basic and advanced Potunghua lessons. Free.

http://watchtolearnchinese.com/

Olympic Countdown: One Month to go

Today is July 8, 2008. This means that Beijing Olympics will just be one month to go. I am just wondering if Beijing is fully ready to welcome its visitors.

As the song says, "We Are Ready". Hopefully, it is true.

Pollution is one thing that keeps on nagging China's capital and efforts are currently undertaken to mitigate pollution effects.

I think the issue of pollution is way exaggerated although I can't blame other delegates to air their concerns; they live in a place that is much less polluted.

"You don't really want to go sailing around in pollution and I've never sailed in a place that's more polluted than this," complained Australian sailing coach Euan McNicol.

Australian sailor Elise Rechichi took 10 months to recover from severe gastric trauma when she swallowed water after she slipped on a boat ramp during a test event in 2006. "It's made us all reasonably wary of what's going on," McNicol said of the algae bloom.

Swiss coach Nicolas Novara said: "Everybody is being very careful about the pollution, trying not to have too much contact with the water, and not swallowing it."

Israeli windsurfer Maayan Davidovich believes the clean-up work is paying off.

She said: "It's not clean, but two years ago it was much worse, you would see bags and things floating. Now you're not seeing bags."

Qu Chun, the 2008 Olympic sailing competition manager, estimated two to five per cent of the course was still affected by the bloom, down from nearly a third a week earlier.

Qingdao has spent millions cleaning up what were once foul waters. Officials claim the unusually large annual algae bloom is the result of a hot spell after heavy rain, but environmentalists said such blooms are largely due to sewage and agricultural pollutant run-off.

According to BBC, Beijing failed the pollution test.

3583 3621: Please Don't Call Me

Ever since I came to Hong Kong, the perennial nuisance of strangers calling me out of nowhere -- in private numbers I can't report -- probably peddling me some products to buy. I say probably because I am just guessing as the other person on the line speaks in fluent Cantonese.

Sometimes I get a call from braver souls who show their numbers. One example is 3583 3621, the usual suspect in generating calls with recorded speakers to save cost.

Mobile phone has been associated to social stress, with some people unable to keep the conversation to themselves and modulate their voices. Instead they talk loudly and seems keen on sharing the conversation to others. I sometimes notice people turn their heads in unison; maybe that person in question just uttered the unspeakable terms.

Hong Kong's obsession to all things new (by the way iPhone 3G will be coming to Hong Kong this Friday) will not help in curbing these telemarketer calls, whose perpetrators believe remains to be a good marketing ploy.

Telemarketers are a waste of mine and others time. I will also be charged by my mobile phone company once I answer their calls (that's why I had to give up a line for excessive bills). I have to answer these calls because they could be overseas calls that I must answer.

Maybe I'd do a "Jerry Seinfeld approach" in answering these pesky callers. See the video above if you haven't done so.

Parents Fail to Teach Manners for HK Youngsters

The Standard reports that an alarming number of Hong Kong's young people grow up without learning good manners from parents, according to a survey made by YWCA. It involved 2,376 respondents aged 8 to 26 and conducted in March and April.

One in four young people swear in public, 60 percent usually fail to greet their parents and 80 percent will not give up seats to the needy on public transport.

I don't recognize this because I hardly know Cantonese but nonetheless it is a sad reality that children swear or lack initiative to help the needy because many parents fail to teach their children good manners.

Teaching of these values must start at home. Parents are the primary teachers and school teachers are there to provide support and guide children to further studies.

Parents are probably busy at work so they leave children on their own and when school age starts parents rely only to teachers for these types of learning. But long before children start school, parents have more time to spend with their children during the age when these youngsters ask so many questions.

If parents fail to teach their children to mind their manners, it won't be surprising to see them as grown ups that also lack manners. Maybe they are those people who bump you on the street without saying sorry or those who ignore the needy ones in public transport and fail to offer seats.

Anthony Brewer said it rightly in his response to the SCMP question of how the behavior of young people can be improved.

Apparently, in pushing children to excel academically, Hong Kong parents have forgotten simple things like courtesy and consideration. Perhaps we should start enrolling children in manners classes before we worry about algebra.

Whether parents can teach children good manners or not, children deserve the ten commandments for parents.

Shopping Experience at Hong Kong's Famous Markets

It's July and in Hong Kong it's the best month to attack shops and get the best bargains. As of late June, I noticed that the word "SALE" has been plastered across clothing shops in Admiralty, Central, Wan Chai, Kowloon Tong and Causeway Bay. I get it, these shops are selling these clothes and not offering them for lease, so those are the signs we see. Okay, enough of that.

Hong Kong has long been recognized as a shopper's paradise. Whether you're looking for high end luxury brands or the bootleg version that still looks strikingly the same as the original copies, you can find it in Hong Kong. Many of these shops are close to transportation facilities (some are linked with MTR stations) so it's hard to miss them.

Major shopping areas in Hong Kong are in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui although other districts have their own shopping arcades. Both original and fake goods are sold within these places. Original goods are naturally sold at shops located at well-known malls such as ifc, Times Square, Sogo, Ocean Terminal, Pacific Place and Festival Walk. Fake items are peddled on sidewalks with sellers always on the lookout for Anti Hawking Officers patrolling the area.

Shopping Malls
Shopping malls are good choice to buy much better quality products (not just for show off). Like malls anywhere else, prices are fixed as shown in price tags No bargaining is expected unlike in Mong Kok.

Usually shops within these malls open around 10:30 - 11:00am and close normally around 12 hours later. For an extremely humid summer like Hong Kong's, shopping at malls is a wise move. Sales persons are usually very helpful and are generous with their smiles.

Whenever I find myself staring at items displayed on the window, a sales staff usually approaches me and asks how s/he can help. Many of these shops have the Quality Tourism Service logos as an indicator that customers are assured of good quality products and services as attested by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Open Markets
Mongkok's Ladies Market and Fish Market; Stanley Market; Yau Ma Tei's Temple Market, Prince Edward's Flower Market are among examples of open markets in Hong Kong. Generally tourists find these places a good avenue to test bargaining and negotiating skills especially at the Ladies Market. This is one of the most distinctive characteristics of these street markets.

If I go to Mong Kok and try to get a good bargain:

1) I start with about 40% of the total amount. Usually a calculator comes in handy, not for calculating totals or exchanging currencies but simply to write the desired asking price and a rebuttal bidding price.

2) Read the facial expression of the shopkeeper. If she can't seem to imagine offering you the price, I continue prodding her to agree. Often times, she agrees but to a price higher than my offer.

3) I attempt to leave the shop as I disagree to her latest price. She then persuades me to stay and say a new price as a compromise to her and my previous offer. It's either I take it or if I still feel price can be lowered, I walk away with less pretensions.

4) If at 2) the shopkeepers face turns sour and I can imagine that she feels insulted with the price I offer ("My goods may be fake, but they're not as cheap as what you think!!!!"), I become cautious because it could be a sign of impatience and she can easily drive me away from her shop, causing some embarrassment.

Strange Hong Kong First Names

A survey in China showed that over 3,500 babies will be named "Olympics". This is at least a consolation for them if they can't bear "Olympic babies" -- children delivered at 8:08 pm, on August 8, 2008, when the opening ceremonies begin.

In Hong Kong, we may see traces of this naming phenomenon, but we don't need the Olympics to discover that some first names of Hong Kong people are not the usual ones we recognize. While Hong Kong people have surnames or family names that are very common (people who have same surnames aren't necessarily related), the first names are what usually catches my attention.

I have a friend named River (a male), a former colleague named Platini (another male) and I recall having one client named Rainbow (a female). And as I recalled asking someone having such similar unusual name, she told me that it is the closest to her Chinese name she could think of. Most of the time it is the parents or grand parents who choose the Chinese names but Western or Christian names are commonly left to the discretion of those who bear them.

As Wikipedia explains:

In Hong Kong and Macau, some people may have their Chinese given names related to the pronunciation or meaning of their English given names, while many in Taiwan will choose their adoptive English name based on their Chinese given name.

I am not sure what is the motive of having strange first names. Is this to have the most unique name of all? Is this to make someone popular? Or is it the closest Western counterpart of their Chinese name (even if such Western name rarely exists)?

I made up most of these names but you should not be surprised if you come across any of the following:

Hitler Wong, Gummy Choi, Winky Cheung, Milky Tam, Kenix Kwok, Chlorine Shum, Power Lau, Natalis Chan, Tats Yeung, Bondy Chau, Sammul Chan, Solar Yim, Sicily Pang, Jelly Au, etc.

Some of these names are derived from popular culture, movies and things that interest these people.

I don't really mind them using these names; it's their business and not mine. I am just wondering why these fine ladies and gentlemen could stray from using the mainstream naming convention and prefer to use these interesting names, not to mention their weird meanings.

15 Things I Learned About Eating in Hong Kong

I was once asked what could be my one-word description of Hong Kong. At the time I could not describe it because my mind was filled was filled with lots of Hong Kong characteristics: on-the-go, the city that never sleeps, very crowded, orderly chaos, etc. Obviously, they don't fit the one-word description I was asked about.

Now I have that description: vibrant.

One of the things that make Hong Kong vibrant is about its thousands of restaurants that serve a variety of food from all corners of the world. Of course, Chinese food tops the list while Western, continental and exotic dishes can be found everywhere as a testament to the multi-cultural nature of this place.

As a foreigner living in Hong Kong for the past seven years, I have always been invited to Chinese meals at house of friends and in restaurants. There are many things that I still need to learn, from naming dishes to dining etiquettes.

All these years I have learned the following:

1. At the beginning of meals in restaurants, tea is served not only for drinking but also to wash utensils. Of course, if you chose to do the latter, you must not drink the tea!

2. It should be perfectly fine to lift my bowl up and shove the food into my mouth with chopsticks; same is true with producing sound when slurping soup and noodles.

3. It is perfectly fine to point out to a dish eaten by someone else if I want to order it and I don't know what is its name.

4. Hong Kong's dai pai dongs are among the best places to hunt for delicious Chinese food although they don't look too hygienic. The dishes they provide earned them loyal patrons and stayed in business despite the emergence of more stylish competitors.

5. While burping is absolutely abhorred in certain places (I noticed it in Austria), it's a sign of a satisfying meal and everyone doing so will please the hosts.

6. It is expected in Hong Kong to share tables with complete strangers. With few seats on offer and dinner or lunch breaks expect surge of hungry clients, sharing of tables is a common practice. We share the table to these people, not the food and it's not unusual not to talk to them.

7. It is an accepted practice to spit excess meat or bones onto the table. I still feel uneasy about it but I respect people who do so.

8. Service is fast so that when I order something, it reaches my table without too much waiting. When I am done, shop keepers also expect me to leave soon. Time and space is important so I need to be considerate especially during busy hours.

9. When served fish, don't turn it over or some misfortune could happen to you. I find this very interesting and some friends actually don't practice this one.

10. When someone serves tea on my cup, I would tap the table with my knuckles three times as a sign of gratitude. (I was told that this is symbolic of how Chinese people in the ancient times bow to the Emperor.)

11. It is said that you must not eat the last piece of food on the plate or you will remain single forever. I guess married people can freely finish off everything in sight.

12. When paying by credit card, a computer printout shows "TIP" where you can write your tip. While I don't think this is mandatory, it is a common practice to write an amount more or less 10% of the whole bill.

13. Ordering of food and drinks is usually done by the group and you must not order it separately (unless of course you are eating alone).

14. Hosts often ask guests what type of food they want to eat. When asked, I often say I eat everything but secretly hope I won't see a snake soup served later.

15. Bill is often understood as payable by the hosts. A guest insisting to pay for the meal only makes the hosts look bad.

Increased Smoking Fines: Will It Ever Help?

Legislators in the city of 6.9 million passed late on Wednesday a new law, which will allow officials to issue spot fines of 1,500 Hong Kong dollars (US$192) if they breach new anti-smoking rules introduced two years ago.
Three thousand officers from the city's Leisure and Cultural Services Department have also been authorised to hand out tickets alongside the existing 85 tobacco control officers.

The new crackdown is aimed at increasing enforcement of anti-smoking laws in Hong Kong which outlaws smoking in bars, restaurants and many public areas such as parks.
Currently, people caught smoking illegally will be ordered to appear in court where they can be fined up to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$641) although the average fine is around 700 Hong Kong dollars ($89).

Under the new spot fine system, smokers caught lighting up illegally will be issued tickets which must be paid up to 21 days.

Government figures earlier this year indicated that cigarette sales actually increased in the first year after the public smoking ban was introduced in January 2006.

Officials were working out the details of the new spot fines and no date has yet been set for their introduction, according to health minister York Chow.
Hong Kong has one of the region's lowest levels of smoking. Only around one in five male adults in the city smoke compared to between 60 and 70 per cent in neighbouring mainland China.

I am thinking if this will ever help deter the smoking habits of people or if it will even encourage them to do so.

Beware: Most Accident-Prone Areas in Hong Kong

The tragic news of that Garden Road accident in Central last Sunday is an eye opener to everyone; there are black spots in Hong Kong's roads that the government has identified based on past accidents.

1) Junction between Connaught Road and Pedder Street in Central
Near: Worldwide House, Giorgio Armani, Exchange Square

2) Morrison Hill Road/Sports Road, Causeway Bay
Near: Hong Kong Jockey Club HQ, Craigengower Cricket Club, South Pacific Hotel

3. Fleming and Hennessy roads, Wan Chai
Near: My old flat (with Zandro), 298 Computer Centre, Shell Gasoline Station

4. Garden Road/Lower Albert Road, Central
Near: St Joseph Church, American Consulate

5. Austin Road and Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui

6. Tsuen Kam Interchange, Tsuen Wan

As I pass through the Aberdeen Tunnel and watch the casualty figures at its end, it appears that the number this year isn't halfway to that of last year (considering that we are a little past the middle of the year) but I also notice there is an upsurge in the number of accidents that involved several unfortunate victims.

Whenever I hear Mass at St Joseph's church on Sundays I pass that accident area at Garden Road. Now I am warning myself and other pedestrians that we must have a watchful eye on the road and not just rush our way through the crowd to run against time. There might be no time to avoid accidents if we are careless.

Painful Divorce From a Mobile Phone Company

I've been an Orange / Three (3) subscriber for almost seven years. It ended when I got fed up of the soaring charges I get every month. My last months with this network were characterized with unexplainable charges that I never really anticipated. My monthly tarriff often ballooned to more than double even if I don't use too many minutes in airtime.

Perhaps I was enticed by the free Sony Ericsson K610i phone on offer. By taking the free phone when I signed a two-year contract, I tied myself to commit paying to this company whatever amount it wants to charge me. It turned out that this mobile phone unit is very user unfriendly in my opinion and ultimately I switched back to Nokia. I noticed that the phone is also etched with the 3 symbol as if I can't use other SIM cards on it.

I had thoughts of switching to other networks but I guess I was just too loyal. After all, I've been using this line for the past six years and when I am lost in Hong Kong, unable to report for work or make overseas calls, this phone line has been helpful in addressing those concerns. But the price of being loyal can be so expensive.

Three prides itself as a pioneer in 3G service in Hong Kong (where its name is derived), which I think is a huge flop. It continues to offer video services as "part of the package" even if subscribers aren't interested in using them. Maybe that's a way for them to justify their costs.

When I decided to cut off my association with Three, I was charged HK$1,600 "for breaching the agreement". Good thing I am able to retain my old number to make the switch.

Now, the hugely popular iPhone 3G will be launched in Hong Kong on the 11th and Hutchison Telecom which owns Three has the right to distribute this gadget. It is being promoted as "free" just the same that free Sony Ericsson K610i. Those who are interested to get the "free" iPhone 3G must be prepared to lock into a two-year contract that will cost HK$498 a month with unlimited use of mobile data and basic airtime of 2,200 minutes.

For a free 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G subscribers must pay HK$4,680 upfront; a 16-gigabyte iPhone 3G handset costs HK$138, but the upfront payment is a further HK$5,322. When Apple chief executive Steve Jobs launched the iPhone 3G last month, he said the 8-gigabyte model would cost US$199. You do the math.

If you are wary of these costs and your interest in iPhone 3G will wane (very likely within the two-year contract period), you must think more than twice.