Vanity Plate: KINGKONG

Move over, big ape comin’ thru’ …

About car plate, licence plate, number plate, registration plate, vanity plate

Bus Feet

Are more people putting their feet on bus seats? Here are two recent examples:

What’s interesting is that local Chinese are often (sometimes wrongly) criticized for being inconsiderate; but these two examples perhaps show that some non-Chinese can also be thoughtless, uncouth and selfish. However, I offer no statistics so I may be mistaken.

Carson Yawn Very Chinese

Better times will surely come to Birmingham City FC, so it was probably a very bad idea for Carson Yeung to bring along the wife, mistress, girlfriend or perhaps sister to watch his first match as the new owner of the Blues. From the looks of things, she did not appreciate being made to sit and watch the match between Birmingham and Arsenal.

[Carson Yeung and guest unimpressed and bored, respectively]

Cultural Note
When Chinese people laugh, especially Chinese girls and also many Asian women, the social norm is for them to cover their mouths with one of their hands. But when Chinese people yawn (or burp), they usually don’t bother covering their mouths. It’s quite distasteful.
Why is this? Why the inconsistency?
Perhaps bloggers from the highly irreverent Dark Side will provide their unique take on this sometime?

Blue Goose a Sitting Duck

Back in August, the Darkside blog mentioned the fierce opposition by the local (i.e. implied-to-be-Chinese) community to the opening of the Blue Goose pub in Mid-Levels. Apparently over 2,000 signatures were collected, as the fear of drunk Gweilos wandering the streets seemingly and effortlessly appeared in their media-driven stereotypical thoughts. Pub equals Gweilos equals drunk Gweilos equals community meltdown. It should be noted that drunk Gweipos are included in the stereotype of drunk foreigners.

So before it could take flight or even wet its webbed feet, the Blue Goose was a Sitting Duck just waiting to be made extinct. It was simply a duck out of water. Just like the Dodo, just waiting to be shot.

The Demise of the Blue Goose Pub

However, the Cooked Goose will soon emerge (a Phoenix?) from the not-quite-fiery-ashes-but-sodden-scaffolding as a new Pacific Coffee outlet. Will it become a Lame Duck or Golden Goose? Only time will tell.

Dare I ask fellow bloggers to come up with more ‘fowl’ bird puns??

How about a backlash?
What would happen if over 2,000 signatures were collected from Gweilos to oppose the opening of a coffee shop? Perhaps a good reason against the opening of a coffee shop is, say, for fear of too many crazy, hyper and caffeine-buzzed locals wandering the streets and becoming public nuisances? Now wouldn’t that be something!?

Magnifisolation, according to Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

Last month, when Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, 79, visited Hong Kong I heard a quote on a TVB news clip (June 19, 2009). Buzz was asked to describe, and not for the last time, how he felt about the moon landing (or being in space), and he graciously and humbly replied that he had a feeling both of “magnificence and desolation”.

Perhaps “Magnifisolation” should be a future term to add in the dictionary?

Definition: a profound feeling of utmost brilliance mixed with unbound bleakness.

[Buzz Aldrin in Hong Kong, June 19 2009]

In celebration of the Apollo 11 40th Anniversary of the First Manned Mission to the Moon.

[NASA Apollo 11 Mission Crew: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin Aldrin] from Wikipedia.

Remember Tiananmen

Tsing Tao Beer Spans the Galaxy

On keeping with the Star Trek theme (that occasionally pops up on this blog), here’s some Star Trivia about Star Trek and Chinese influences.

Apparently, Tsing Tao beer left a memorable impression on Gene Roddenberry, and on others who worked with him, as evidenced by these screen shots of a Star Trek: The Original Series episode called: “And the Children Shall Lead“.

Check out the Asian kid (1st on right). In this story, his dad has been buried along with the other adult colonists. I may be mistaken, but I believe the Asian kid’s family name is “Tao”.

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Captain, There Be Whales Here!

HK Doppelganger 2

Rafael Hui Si Yan // Penfold Hamster

Rafael 1; Rafael 2

Penfold 1; Penfold 2

Rafael Hui Si Yan, GBS, JP (Chinese: 許仕仁, born 1948) is the 3rd Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and a former career civil servant. He was appointed on June 30, 2005 (for two years, until June 30, 2007).

About HK Doppelgangers

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HKOB lookalikes

Zheng Jie … She’s Got Big … Dijen

There’s a recent tongue-in-cheek post about Chinese tennis star Zheng Jie and her feminine physique, who is apparently drawing some interest from the Netherlands (of all places). I’m sure people in other places are interested in Zheng Jie too. I enjoy tennis, so I will briefly comment on Zheng Jie. Incidentally, I managed to watch her and other women players in action earlier this year in Victoria Park during the World Team Challenge exhibition event.

Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion and Wimbledon singles semi-finalist Zheng Jie is a talented tennis player who, because of her particular physique or body type, tends to play in a similar way to how Michael Chang used to play. She is a counter-hitter or counter-puncher who willingly scurries and scuttles around the court, which has the effect of further developing those thigh muscles of hers. Yes, she’s got big thighs.

Zheng Yi (L) and Yan Zi (R) at the Beijing Olympics (August 2008)

Zheng Jie in action at Wimbledon (July 2008)

HK’s Humpback Still Here

It has now been about 10 days since Hong Kong’s first ever sighting of a visiting humpback whale … and apparently it is still huge and still here! The 10-metre long whale is believed to be a juvenile (adult humpbacks are between 14-19 metres long) that may have lost its bearings on its way up to the Arctic Ocean. Let’s hope it finds its bearings soon.

Pic courtesy of the HK Dolphin Conservation Society.