Homeless

Can you imagine what its like to be homeless and have to sleep in your car?

Apparently, it can be very (monetarily) rewarding. Check this out.

This guy has been living in his pickup truck since July 2005 so that he can avoid paying rent thereby allowing him to pay off his credit card instead. I've heard of lots of novel money-saving ideas before, but this has to take the biscuit!

I note that he occasionally uses a Gatorade bottle as a toilet. His response to this? "It's handy being a guy" - I love this phrase! In fact, I intend to start using it myself!

However, the article leaves one very important question unanswered. Why does he need a twin sized bed?

Teenagers prosecuted for racy photos

Sometimes, I don't understand US law. Actually, let me amend that slightly. I don't understand US law.

Check out this article about some US teenagers.

For those too lazy to read the full article, here is a brief summary. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy has sex with girl. Boy takes photos. Girl sends photos to boy via email. Boy gets prosecuted for producing and possessing child pornography...

Now, I know that my understanding of US law is limited, but this seems like a case of legal analysis overriding common sense.

Some other points.

It appears that the judge believes that the teenagers had no intention of widely distributing the photos. However, the judge comments that the teenagers could have sold the photos to a child pornographer. My viewpoint - why is this relevant? In this particular case, why is the potential action more important than the actual intention?

The judge also mentions that their PCs could have been hacked - thereby allowing the distribution of the photos. Again, why is this relevant? Are these teenagers also being punished for the potential actions of a third party?

Lastly, the judge states that the statue in question was there to protect the minors from their own lack of judgement. This sounds like a great idea - lets label them as sex offenders to protect them from themselves!

Here's another great idea. Lets lock up all teenagers just in case another one shows a lack of judgement!

How do these people get a driving licence?

The quality of drivers in Hong Kong is absolutely dreadful (although to be fair, it isn't as bad as in Mainland China). To be clear, when I talk about bad drivers, I don't mean drivers who speed all the time. Nor do I mean drivers who do maneuvers without using the indicator lights.

I am talking about honest to goodness god-awful drivers who don't deserve to have a drivers licence in the first place. I came across another example of this recently in a car park.

I was on my way into a multi-storey carpark. The road to move up (and down) a level is comprised of 2 lanes - one for going up and one for going down. The two lanes are right next to each other and go in a tight circular motion. Basically, the only way for you to tell if there is a car coming down is to check these big mirrors they have stuck on the walls. Alternatively, you can also tell there is a car coming if the other driver has switched on the main headlamps.

So I was on the way up to another level when I notice a car in one of the mirrors. Being careful, I slow down a little just to make sure there is room. Then the car itself comes into view. Right in the middle of the two lanes! I have an artists impression on the right (some idiot praised my last "artists impression" so you all have to put up with another one!).

I immediately hit the brakes and screech to a halt. Meanwhile, the other car swerves back onto its side of the road. Both of us end up next to each other giving me an opportunity to glare menacingly at the other driver (another side note, I really need to practice my menacing glare - at the moment, it doesn't intimidate anyone!).

The incredible part? The other driver has the gall to glare back at me as if its my fault!

I hate new shoes!

Before I get lampooned by the shopaholics amongst you (B - I'm talking about you!), I should clarify that I don't hate the idea of new shoes. As in, I don't hate having new stuff. I don't even hate shopping for new shoes (although being a typical boorish bloke, the idea of shopping generally sends cold shivers of fear down my spine).

What I hate is the process of wearing new shoes - the pain you go through until the leather gets worn in. I recently bought 2 new pairs of shoes to wear to work - hence the leather on the shoes is very new and shiny - and very hard. My poor feet are still reeling from the assault upon their soft tender skin!

By now, the readers from HK are probably scratching their heads in bemusement. Thats right, I bought some new shoes despite the fact that it's chinese new year. Everytime I buy shoes at CNY, I always get laughed at by everyone I know.

In HK, buying new shoes at CNY is considered bad luck - based on the fact the word "shoes" in cantonese sound like you are sighing. ie buy shoes at CNY and you will be sighing all year round.

However, riddle me this, batfans! if buying shoes is such bad luck, why are all the shoe stores open and selling shoes at such large discounts?

Rubbish Bins

Happy (Chinese) New Year!
Gong Xi Fa Chai!
Kung Hei Fat Choy!

etc etc - you get the general idea.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, here is a question for you. Should 13 month old babies be allowed to play with rubbish bins?

Gerry is currently very steady on his feet. Basically, this allows him to wander around the house at will going wherever he wants (unless there is a closed door in the way, in which case he stands outside hammering his fist on the door until you open it!). Coupled with his natural curiosity, he spends a lot of time wandering around and picking things up to examine.

This became a problem today when he wandered into our master bedroom and ransacked the rubbish bin. The first thing he picked up was the empty can of Heineken. Now before you start thinking that I 'm a serious alcoholic, I should say that I haven't had a beer in months (In hindsight, that last sentence looks like a line out of Alcoholics Anonymous!). Yesterday was an exception where I polished off the last can of beer in the house.

Being the lazy git that I am, I threw the can into the master bedroom rubbish bin. Hence, when Gerry showed up to ransack the bin, the first thing he found was the empty can of Heineken. The first inkling I had of this was when my wife called me over (She was looking after Gerry while I was in another room at the time) to the bedroom so that she could give me a good rollicking about the fact that I shouldn't have put the can of beer in the bedroom rubbish bin.

Which raises the question - should 13 month old babies be allowed to play with rubbish bins?

Train etiquette

Although I have been living in Hong Kong for over 10 years now, some stuff I just can't get used to. One of these is the absolute lack of basic manners shown by some people in HK. This manifested itself again yesterday when I was on the MTR (the name of the underground system in HK).

For those who live in HK, or have visited HK and travelled on the MTR, you can probably already guess what I am going to talk about. For those who haven't, let me first give a little background.

The MTR platform in HK contains very clear markings showing people where the train will stop and where the doors are. This makes it easy for people to queue up in preparation for the trains arrival. The queue-up areas are on both sides of the door so that the central area is kept clear. The idea being that people on the train have a clear exit to get off the train before people on the platform board the train.

However, what really bugs me is that 9 times out of 10, as soon as the train arrives, everyone tries to rush into the train without waiting for people to get off. Despite being happy to queue up in the first place.

First off, I would like to say - LET ME OFF THE F$#KING TRAIN FIRST!!

Secondly, why are people happy to wait in the queue-up area if they are only going to rush the doors as soon as the train arrives? It just doesn't make sense! The whole point of having the queue-up area off to the side is so that people don't obstruct passengers trying to get off the train!

So yesterday, I was on the MTR (inside the train) and we pull up to the station. I am already standing at the door getting ready to get off the train as soon as it stops. Now bear in mind that I am carrying lots of stuff. I had my sports bag (playing squash that evening) as well as my wifes suitcase (she takes a lot of stuff home to work on in the evenings). So basically, I take up a lot of room (I swear, its the bags I have to carry - its nothing to do with me being fat!).

As is the norm, I can see lots of people in the queue-up area getting ready to rush the train doors as soon as they open. However, there is one woman who is standing right in the middle of the central area - the area which is supposed to be kept clear for passengers to get out first. As soon as the train pulls in, she shuffles forward even more - getting ready to rush in. As soon as the doors open, sure enough, she tries to push past me to get into the train (despite the fact that I am a full head taller than her).

So what is a guy supposed to do in a situation like that?

Quite frankly, with all the stuff I was carrying, I was in no mood to be polite or accommodating. I just squared my shoulders and walked straight out the train doors. As I said, I was a full head taller than her and as I walked forward, her head rammed straight into my shoulders. I want to repeat that - her head ran into my shoulders - I didn't deliberately ram her with my shoulders (on a side note, don't you just love Einstein and his theory of relativity?).

She gasped in shock as her head bounced back, the impact causing her to stagger backwards. For a moment, it looked like she might fall over - but alas, at the last minute, she managed to steady herself. I'm guessing she shot me a dirty look while cursing me extensively before rushing back into the train.

Me - I just laughed and kept walking.
>:)

Happy Valentines Day!

Sarah (my wife) and I don't eat out very often. Most of the time, we eat at home. Of course, this makes it all the nicer when we do go out to a fancy restaurant.

Today, as a Valentines treat, we went to Rei Sushi, a Japanese restaurant located in the IFC mall in Hong Kong. Normally, I avoid going to restaurants on Valentines Day as many restaurants have horrible Valentines Day menus. However, the restaurant we went to today had a very nice menu so we decided to try it out.

Very nice.

Although expensive, the meal was definitely worth the price. For me, the highlight would be the sushi. One of the sushi included in the meal was a sushi made with the belly of salmon. Now the belly of the salmon is very fatty and hence, very tasty (flavour molecules reside in fat or so I've been told - I guess this makes me delicious!). The chef flash-grilled one side of the salmon - this meant that the fatty juices were flowing hence it was particularly juicy; at the same time, the other side of the salmon was still raw so you got an interesting juxtaposition of taste and texture.

We also received a complimentary gift from the restaurant. At the end of the meal, they brought us a very nice gift wrapped box. At first, we thought it was going to be chocolate or something. However, it turns out to be a heavy slab of crystal with a picture of two lovers kissing.

How sweet.

Home, Sweet Home!

There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like home!

Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I now appreciate this phrase more than ever. I have now been on the road for a week. Started with a trip to Shanghai on Monday. That trip ended on Thursday when I returned to HK. However, this was immediately followed by a trip to Singapore on Friday which ended today. Although a week isn't long, it certainly felt longer!

For those who hadn't guessed, I am now back in HK safely ensconced in my own home. :)

Not to say that I dislike traveling. I had a really good time in SG. Met up with my brother and his family and he took us to a couple of good tourist traps. A rare opportunity for our whole family (including my dad who flew all the way over from Scotland for this rare chance) to get together. Plus I got to try out some of the PC games he has been playing (check out my games blog for my thoughts of F.E.A.R. - I will post some thoughts on Company of Heroes next week).

However, irregardless of how much fun I had, it still feels good to be back home - sleeping in my own bed.

The happiest moment of my life

Quick - call the MIB! My son is being eaten by a ball!

I wasn't planning on blogging today but something happened which I just had to talk about.

In the past, I would have considered the happiest moment of my life to be when my wife said "yes" after I asked her to marry me. If you haven't experienced this yet, you have something to look forward to. No matter how well you know your girlfriend, there is always that risk, that uncertainty, that she might say no.

Some people may wonder - what about the actual marriage or when my baby boy was born? To be honest, although great, these moments just don't compare mainly because they are more drawn out. For example, the wedding day itself is an all day slog with picking up the bride, the ceremony followed by the wedding banquet. Similarly, with the birth of Gerry, having spent so many hours in hospital waiting, the actual birth itself contains an element of relief.

Now don't get me wrong, these are great moments. But for me, they just don't compare to that moment of joy, of trepidation passing, when your loved one says yes. That moment when all fear and uncertainty passes and you know she loves you as much as you love her. Sappy, I know, but what can I say - I'm a hopeless romantic!

Anyway, as I was saying above, something happened today - and as you can guess, it involves him:

I got home from Shanghai today. I hadn't seen my son in a couple of days and when I got home, he was very happy to see me - which is always nice. So we start playing and I ask him what he's been up to in the last couple of days. He gives his usual answer - a series of "uh" and "gah" and "heh".

After I put him back down, I head into my library to turn on my PC. I'm going to Singapore for a holiday tomorrow so I wanted to check the weather to see what clothing I would need to take (chance of thunderstorm and rain incidentally). As I'm tapping away on the keyboard, Gerry wanders into the room, comes up to me and holds his hands up. This is a sure indication he wants to come up onto my lap.

So I pick him up and sit him on my lap. I expect he wants to hammer away at the keyboard as he likes to copy what we do now. Instead, he sits himself very steadily on my lap, looks straight at me, smiles and then says very clearly "ba ba".

The happiest moment of my life.

:)

Karaoke

I went to a karaoke last night organised by some of the girls in the Tax Department in Shanghai (Thanks for the invite ladies - I had loads of fun - hope your ears heal soon!).

It's been ages since I've been to a karaoke night. And even then, when you go to a karaoke in HK, it seems that not many people sing. Most of the time, we just sit around drinking beers and playing dice games. Or maybe this is just indicative of the people I normally go with! Anyway ....

Everytime I go to a karaoke in Hong Kong or China, it always reminds me of my first experience with karaoke in the UK. You have to realise, the karaoke setup in the UK isn't anywhere near as good as the setup in HK/China. In HK/China, when you go to a karaoke bar, you get a room to yourself so that you and your friends can sing and drink and be merry!

In the UK, there aren't any dedicated karaoke bars. The karaoke itself was run by a restaurant. So what would happen is that guests would go in and sit down at their table. Each table would sit around 10-12 people and the restuarant had approximately 12-15 tables. Singing itself was strictly by rotation - ie 1 person from table 1 would sing followed by 1 person from table 2 etcetera and so forth. While you were waiting for your turn, you would order and eat your dinner (it was a restuarant, remember?).

This obviously has several problems. The first being that it takes bloody ages before its your turn to sing! Basically, over the course of 1 evening, you would only get 1-2 songs in unless you got lucky and some people at your table weren't interested in singing.

However, there is a second and bigger problem. Dinner.

Can you imagine what its like watching someone who has just stuffed their face with fried noodles trying to sing Elvis? Trust me - not nice (and I know as I was right next to the guy!). It was our first and only time in a karaoke in the UK - we basically decided it was better to go to the local pub and brave amateur night instead.

On the plus side, I did manage to get some take-away fried noodles. Had to wash them out of my hair first though...

Technology - always works!

Just a quick post today.

I'm actually writing this post on my Treo 650 as I'm currently on the way to the Airport. Need to fly to Shanghai for a couple of days on a business trip. As I'm typing away, I am also listening to music (Andrew Lloyd-Webber) on my ipod nano.

Just in case you haven't guessed - although not quite the living embodiment of gadget boy, I love technology. Which makes it all the more annoying when it breaks down.

My PC broke down yesterday. It hasn't died (yet) but it definitely needs some CPR. The problem seems to be with the CPU fan. The PC works fine if I just leave it running. However, when I tried to run some more intensive software, the whole PC suddenly turned itself off!

Never one to take a subtle hint (or any kind of hint for that matter!), I immediately turned the thing back on. I was greeted by a cacophony of beeps as the PC went through its bootup. I was also greeted with an error message saying "CPU tempurture is overheat". Being the cunning individual that I am, I promptly set about decoding that cryptic message into English!

My uneducated bumpkin guess is that the fan on my CPU broke down and isn't working. Hence leading to the CPU overheating when pushed into any serious action. Unfortunately, as I'm going to be traveling for a while, it looks like I will have to wait before I can take my PC to get it serviced.

Lucky for me, I can still blog from my Treo.

And he shall be known as Psycho!

I played squash again last night.

Just like last week, we were 3 people on 2 courts for an hour and a half. However, the pain wasn't anywhere near as bad as last week. One big reason for this is that we had a proper rotation this time so I managed to have a rest in the middle. This allowed me to get my second wind and I wasn't as tired as I was last week (In fact, I could even walk normally today!).

Now, I've mentioned before that I like to play squash primarily for the reason that I can hit the ball as hard as I like. It's not something I get to do when I play badminton. As I wasn't feeling so tired yesterday, by the time we got close to 8pm (which was when our court ended), I still felt like I had a lot of energy.

Of course, in a situation like that, there is only one thing to do - blast the ball as hard as humanly possible! WALLOP! WALLOP!! >:)

I was hitting the ball so hard that my partner asked me if I have a lot of troubles at home (Honey, if you're reading this - no troubles, honest - luv u!!)! Today, my squash partner was talking about switching to table tennis so that I can't go psycho on him.

Wimp!