Woo - back from a long holiday in Japan (and boy oh boy, is Tokyo expensive!). I'll post some pics of my trip next week but first, I wanted to share an observation I had while I was there. Japanese people have a reputation for being very well mannered and from what I could see in Tokyo, this reputation is very well deserved.
One of my pet peeves in Hong Kong is the lack of even basic manners which you regularly see on trains. One thing which I noticed while in Tokyo was that on the platform, everybody waited until passengers had gotten off the train before they got on the train. I have NEVER seen that in HK (there have been plenty of times where people in one particular section have been willing to wait but even when that happens, you will see people in another section try and push their way onto the train past people trying to get off). Granted, we were never on the trains during rush hour (I have heard enough about Tokyo rush hour to know to avoid it) so I don't know how things will change during rush hour but still - wow!
The amazing thing is that this level of manners seems to extend to other areas of their life as well. While we stayed in Tokyo, we actually spent most of our time in the countryside surrounding Tokyo and as such, we hired a car to make things more convenient. I have spent many years complaining about the lack of manners which HK people show on the road. However, this has always been based on a comparison with Glasgow which is a bit unfair to HK in that Glasgow is a relatively small city in comparison.
Tokyo, on the other hand, is a city which gets gridlocked during rush hour and is a much fairer target for comparison purposes. Unfortunately for HK, this comparison doesn't favour HK either. While driving around in Japan, it was amazing to see that people actually had good road etiquette even while we were stuck in a traffic jam.
I'm not going to comment on any other aspect of Japanese society, but when it comes to basic manners and regard for other people, Japan seems so far ahead of HK that its embarrassing.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Nike are dicks
Wow - two of my favourite ranty topics in one post!
This latest news out of Blighty not only shows that some UK laws are absurb, but that Nike are also dicks. In summary, a guy buys a pair of Nike shoes off the internet. It turns out that those shoes are counterfeit shoes and are seized at the border. Nike is notified of these counterfeit shoes and decides to sue the customer. The customer says that he wasn't aware that the shoes were counterfeit but this doesn't matter as the law says that the customers intention is not relevant.
First off, I'm operating on the good faith assumption that the buyer really didn't know the shoes were fake. With that said - wow, its like the UK is trying to kill off sales of physical goods over the internet!
Granted, this is hyperbole but this case is a pretty clear warning to anyone buying something over the internet in the UK that they need to be careful. Regardless of what you thought you were buying, if it turns out to be fake, you are liable. Particularly if you were thinking of buying Nike shoes because Nike have proven that they are willing to take you to court even if you thought the shoes that you were buying were real.
Secondly. Nike - what are you doing? On face value, this is someone who was willing to pay money for your shoes and was likely to have paid more money for your shoes at a later date. By suing him, you have pretty much guaranteed that neither he nor his friends and family will ever buy Nike shoes again (as well as any people who read this news and sympathises with they guy).
Also, how does this help Nike sell more shoes? The thing is, I actually accept their argument that they can't fight the supply side. What I don't understand is how reducing demand for your goods will help you sell more of those goods. Bear in mind, this guy thought he was buying genuine Nike shoes.
And even if you go on the assumption that this guy knew he was buying a fake pair of Nike shoes, studies show that 46% of people buying fake goods will go on to buy the real thing within 2.5 years. Of course, that number is going to be a lot lower for Nike if they sue people left, right and centre! And even if people don't buy the fake goods, studies show that this doesn't mean that they will buy the genuine article either.
All in all, I only see this kind of action as having a negative consequence for Nike.
Full disclosure - all of my sports shoes are Nike brand. Genuine too (at least, I think they're genuine).
This latest news out of Blighty not only shows that some UK laws are absurb, but that Nike are also dicks. In summary, a guy buys a pair of Nike shoes off the internet. It turns out that those shoes are counterfeit shoes and are seized at the border. Nike is notified of these counterfeit shoes and decides to sue the customer. The customer says that he wasn't aware that the shoes were counterfeit but this doesn't matter as the law says that the customers intention is not relevant.
First off, I'm operating on the good faith assumption that the buyer really didn't know the shoes were fake. With that said - wow, its like the UK is trying to kill off sales of physical goods over the internet!
Granted, this is hyperbole but this case is a pretty clear warning to anyone buying something over the internet in the UK that they need to be careful. Regardless of what you thought you were buying, if it turns out to be fake, you are liable. Particularly if you were thinking of buying Nike shoes because Nike have proven that they are willing to take you to court even if you thought the shoes that you were buying were real.
Secondly. Nike - what are you doing? On face value, this is someone who was willing to pay money for your shoes and was likely to have paid more money for your shoes at a later date. By suing him, you have pretty much guaranteed that neither he nor his friends and family will ever buy Nike shoes again (as well as any people who read this news and sympathises with they guy).
Also, how does this help Nike sell more shoes? The thing is, I actually accept their argument that they can't fight the supply side. What I don't understand is how reducing demand for your goods will help you sell more of those goods. Bear in mind, this guy thought he was buying genuine Nike shoes.
And even if you go on the assumption that this guy knew he was buying a fake pair of Nike shoes, studies show that 46% of people buying fake goods will go on to buy the real thing within 2.5 years. Of course, that number is going to be a lot lower for Nike if they sue people left, right and centre! And even if people don't buy the fake goods, studies show that this doesn't mean that they will buy the genuine article either.
All in all, I only see this kind of action as having a negative consequence for Nike.
Full disclosure - all of my sports shoes are Nike brand. Genuine too (at least, I think they're genuine).
Monday, December 13, 2010
Gerry and Gordon down the local playground
Time for some more picture updates of the kids! In particular, I'm going to Japan next week and I need to get some of the older pictures out of the way before I start posting holiday pics!
What do you think we are doing in this picture? Despite appearances to the contrary, we are not waiting for a taxi. Gordon just wanted to look at the cars and all I'm doing is making sure he doesn't jump out into the street.
In hindsight, that sounds really boring. Next time, I'll make up a story!
Gordon is now at the age where he is fascinated by the camera. Ah, this brings back memories of giant close-ups of Gerry...
A rare family photo where Gordon is actually looking at the camera. You would be surprised how difficult it is to get kids to actually look at the camera and smile. Unless you have kids of course in which case you are probably wondering when I learnt to use Photoshop.
I don't know why but this picture makes me think of a movie poster.
Mummy and baby with a cheesy grin - tons of photos like this but its still good to see Gordon with a smile.
What do you think we are doing in this picture? Despite appearances to the contrary, we are not waiting for a taxi. Gordon just wanted to look at the cars and all I'm doing is making sure he doesn't jump out into the street.
In hindsight, that sounds really boring. Next time, I'll make up a story!
Gordon is now at the age where he is fascinated by the camera. Ah, this brings back memories of giant close-ups of Gerry...
A rare family photo where Gordon is actually looking at the camera. You would be surprised how difficult it is to get kids to actually look at the camera and smile. Unless you have kids of course in which case you are probably wondering when I learnt to use Photoshop.
I don't know why but this picture makes me think of a movie poster.
Mummy and baby with a cheesy grin - tons of photos like this but its still good to see Gordon with a smile.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Newcastle United FC
By now, you will probably have heard that Hughton got the sack. This is despite him having managed to get Newcastle promoted to the Premiership at first go while also managing to get Newcastle in mid-table in the Prem. Granted, they aren't that many points clear of the relegation zone but considering that Liverpool, who have had a dreadful start to the season, are only 7 points off the CL palces (which amounts to just 3 games), its not a surprise that Newcastle are close to the bottom.
It's worth mentioning that he has achieved this with what is arguably a sub-standard group of players considering that a lot of pundits were predicting that Newcastle would struggle this season (with some people predicting relegation). Despite this, they have managed to pull off some impressive wins when they had a fully fit squad. But even more than this, the most incredible thing that Hughton had managed to do was bring stability to a club which seemed to careen from crisis to crisis (and have done so again now that Hughton has been removed).
With Hughton's removal, this means that, according to wikipedia, Newcastle will have changed managers 7 times over the course of a 3 year period. That's an average of just over 2 sacking's per year. Is it any wonder that this club struggles to do anything? Or that Mike Ashley is possibly the most hated man in Newcastle?
In a way, its a shame that this club is once more plunged into turmoil (although I'm sure that the owners would disagree, from the player and forum comments, it certainly seems that this is a club in crisis). Having said that, for such a ridiculous sacking, I hope NUFC get relegated.
It's worth mentioning that he has achieved this with what is arguably a sub-standard group of players considering that a lot of pundits were predicting that Newcastle would struggle this season (with some people predicting relegation). Despite this, they have managed to pull off some impressive wins when they had a fully fit squad. But even more than this, the most incredible thing that Hughton had managed to do was bring stability to a club which seemed to careen from crisis to crisis (and have done so again now that Hughton has been removed).
With Hughton's removal, this means that, according to wikipedia, Newcastle will have changed managers 7 times over the course of a 3 year period. That's an average of just over 2 sacking's per year. Is it any wonder that this club struggles to do anything? Or that Mike Ashley is possibly the most hated man in Newcastle?
In a way, its a shame that this club is once more plunged into turmoil (although I'm sure that the owners would disagree, from the player and forum comments, it certainly seems that this is a club in crisis). Having said that, for such a ridiculous sacking, I hope NUFC get relegated.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Munchkin
If you have been a nerd as long as I have, then the name Steve Jackson will bring back many happy memories. Steve Jackson is one of the premier develop of geek games and one of the most succesful games he has developed is a card game called Munchkin.
I was first made aware of Munchkin through a post of Wil Wheaton's blog. Although I've never played the game myself, the game sounded really interesting as it was the kind of game where most of the fun seems to derive from the hilarious and ridiculous situations that you can inflict on other players. Having said that, based on just that blog post, I never had a clear idea of how the game actually played.
Good thing then that the clever people at SJ Games have put together a flash demo of the game so that you can get a feel for how it plays! Now all I need are some nerd friends...
I was first made aware of Munchkin through a post of Wil Wheaton's blog. Although I've never played the game myself, the game sounded really interesting as it was the kind of game where most of the fun seems to derive from the hilarious and ridiculous situations that you can inflict on other players. Having said that, based on just that blog post, I never had a clear idea of how the game actually played.
Good thing then that the clever people at SJ Games have put together a flash demo of the game so that you can get a feel for how it plays! Now all I need are some nerd friends...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Leslie Nielson R.I.P.
Another day passes and I continue to feel older as the death roll on this blog keeps rising. By now, I'm pretty sure you will have heard that Leslie Nielson passed away over the weekend and read numerous testimonials on his life.
So you may as well read one more!
Believe it or not, I only know Leslie Nielson through his comedy movies and only realised he started his career as a serious drama actor upon reading the recent testimonials to his film career. In some ways, considering that I was born in 1975, its not a surprise that my only exposure to him was as a comedian.
Of course, all that justification flies out the window when you realise that, despite being a sci-fi fan, I had no idea that he was the lead in Forbidden Planet...
Ultimately though, films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun series are hilariously funny and remain so even to this day. Obviously, some of that success is due to the writers ability to create such quotable dialog. However, a large part is also due to Nielson's ability for deadpan acting and comedic timing.
In many ways, it was a shame that he was never able to replicate the critical and commercial success which he enjoyed with those early films. Having said that, having seen some of the later "flops", I have to admit that his antics still managed to raise a chuckle from me and the particular brand of comedy which he created, and specialised in, is the lesser for his passing.
So you may as well read one more!
Believe it or not, I only know Leslie Nielson through his comedy movies and only realised he started his career as a serious drama actor upon reading the recent testimonials to his film career. In some ways, considering that I was born in 1975, its not a surprise that my only exposure to him was as a comedian.
Of course, all that justification flies out the window when you realise that, despite being a sci-fi fan, I had no idea that he was the lead in Forbidden Planet...
Ultimately though, films like Airplane! and The Naked Gun series are hilariously funny and remain so even to this day. Obviously, some of that success is due to the writers ability to create such quotable dialog. However, a large part is also due to Nielson's ability for deadpan acting and comedic timing.
In many ways, it was a shame that he was never able to replicate the critical and commercial success which he enjoyed with those early films. Having said that, having seen some of the later "flops", I have to admit that his antics still managed to raise a chuckle from me and the particular brand of comedy which he created, and specialised in, is the lesser for his passing.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
UK plans to legalise racial profiling
Alas, the UK seems hellbent on proving that they have gone mad and are determined to ruin the country. The latest news coming out of Blighty is that London intends to legalise racial profiling.
Wow. Just wow.
For those of you who couldn't be bothered clicking the link, it basically says that police in the UK have stop-and-search powers even when there is no reasonable suspicion. Currently, under those rules, black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped than white people (that isn't a typo - the number 26 pops up several times in the article). Just think about that for a moment - 26 times more likely to be stopped.
And under an environment where this happens, the Home Office intends to allow race to be considered by police in deciding whether to stop someone for a search or not.
Yeah, I have NO idea whatsoever how that could end badly...
Wow. Just wow.
For those of you who couldn't be bothered clicking the link, it basically says that police in the UK have stop-and-search powers even when there is no reasonable suspicion. Currently, under those rules, black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped than white people (that isn't a typo - the number 26 pops up several times in the article). Just think about that for a moment - 26 times more likely to be stopped.
And under an environment where this happens, the Home Office intends to allow race to be considered by police in deciding whether to stop someone for a search or not.
Yeah, I have NO idea whatsoever how that could end badly...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Christmas shopping
The missus and I had taken a day off work today and while we had some spare time, we headed out to Toys "R" Us to do some Christmas and birthday shopping. An all-round good idea primarily as we avoid the Xmas shopping crowd this way and also due to the early bird discounts available for purchases in November.
One of the things which the missus noticed while occasionally visiting Gordon at the pre-nursery he goes to is that he really likes to play with the kitchen set during the free time period. Interestingly enough, Gerry also loves playing as a chef which resulted in the missus commenting that it was funny how gender roles have been reversed in HK as it seems that guys are generally the ones who like to cook.
We do have a kitchen set at home but its pretty beat up as we purchased it several years ago when we were in the UK. As a result, when we saw a pretty big kitchen set on sale (big enough to allow two kids to play with it at the same time!), we jumped at the chance to add it to our shopping cart. We figured that this would make a great birthday present for Gordon come January.
We knew that the kids would kick up a big fuss if they saw this huge kitchen set so as soon as we got home, we tried to hide the box away. Its funny, you don't really get an appreciation for how big a box is until you try to find somewhere to hide it. In the end, we stuck it away in a corner away from where the kids normally hang out.
Gerry has a great eye for detail which is normally a good thing. Unfortunately, it worked against us today as our hiding place couldn't escape his eagle eyes. Within minutes of coming home, he had spotted the kitchen set and threw a sulk when he realised that a) it wasn't his; and b) it wasn't going to be opened today.
Ultimately, he got his way. After dinner, we opened up the kitchen set and built it up. After wishing Gordon a quick happy birthday, he set about to playing as a chef with Gerry - who ended up playing with it much more than Gordon did as he kept grabbing pots and pans out of Gordon's hands (before ruefully handing them back after a quick scolding from me!).
Happy Birthday Gordon - hope you enjoyed your present...
One of the things which the missus noticed while occasionally visiting Gordon at the pre-nursery he goes to is that he really likes to play with the kitchen set during the free time period. Interestingly enough, Gerry also loves playing as a chef which resulted in the missus commenting that it was funny how gender roles have been reversed in HK as it seems that guys are generally the ones who like to cook.
We do have a kitchen set at home but its pretty beat up as we purchased it several years ago when we were in the UK. As a result, when we saw a pretty big kitchen set on sale (big enough to allow two kids to play with it at the same time!), we jumped at the chance to add it to our shopping cart. We figured that this would make a great birthday present for Gordon come January.
We knew that the kids would kick up a big fuss if they saw this huge kitchen set so as soon as we got home, we tried to hide the box away. Its funny, you don't really get an appreciation for how big a box is until you try to find somewhere to hide it. In the end, we stuck it away in a corner away from where the kids normally hang out.
Gerry has a great eye for detail which is normally a good thing. Unfortunately, it worked against us today as our hiding place couldn't escape his eagle eyes. Within minutes of coming home, he had spotted the kitchen set and threw a sulk when he realised that a) it wasn't his; and b) it wasn't going to be opened today.
Ultimately, he got his way. After dinner, we opened up the kitchen set and built it up. After wishing Gordon a quick happy birthday, he set about to playing as a chef with Gerry - who ended up playing with it much more than Gordon did as he kept grabbing pots and pans out of Gordon's hands (before ruefully handing them back after a quick scolding from me!).
Happy Birthday Gordon - hope you enjoyed your present...
Friday, November 12, 2010
Stonegrill
Looking back over my blog, I find it hard to believe that I've never talked about Stonegrill before.
If you have never been to a Stonegrill (or a steakhouse of similar style), then you are really missing out on a fairly unique way of eating steak. When you order a steak from Stonegrill, it comes to the table in raw form on top of a superheated stone which you use to grill the steak at the table. In practice, you tend to cut off small pieces of meat as those small pieces cook relatively quickly allowing you to slowly eat up the steak piece by piece.
As an early birthday celebration for the missus, we went to a Stonegrill last night and ordered the deluxe dinner set. This basically consisted of a range of 4 different types of steak with Angus steak at the "low" end before moving up to shortrib and two types of wagyu beef at the high end. Which was pretty good as it gave us the opportunity to compare and contrast the textures and flavours of the different types of beef.
The Angus Steak was probably what you would normally think of as steak - relatively lean with a full body flavour. The shortrib had a very distinct flavour and texture. I'm not sure how you would describe the flavour but if you have had it before, you would definitely recognise it. What makes the shortrib stick out though is the slightly chewy texture which you get from the tendon. Last of all is the wagyu beef which is highly marbled with fat and as a result, almost melts in your mouth. Even across the two types of wagyu beef that we had (which were classed as M6 and M9), there was a clear difference in both texture and look as the M9 clearly had more fat content.
In some ways though, the ordinary Angus Steak was my favourite. Although the wagyu beef tasted nice, the flavour goes very quickly and doesn't last as long. The Angus Steak on the other hand, has more lean meat in it which means that you spend more time chewing the meat which ultimately results in the flavours of the steak remaining in your mouth much longer. And as you should know, all your taste buds are in your mouth, which means that the full body flavour of the Angus Steak is able to come out stronger after chewing it for a while.
Naturally your mileage may vary and its always good to mix things up, but the classic New York Strip remains my favourite cut of meat.
If you have never been to a Stonegrill (or a steakhouse of similar style), then you are really missing out on a fairly unique way of eating steak. When you order a steak from Stonegrill, it comes to the table in raw form on top of a superheated stone which you use to grill the steak at the table. In practice, you tend to cut off small pieces of meat as those small pieces cook relatively quickly allowing you to slowly eat up the steak piece by piece.
As an early birthday celebration for the missus, we went to a Stonegrill last night and ordered the deluxe dinner set. This basically consisted of a range of 4 different types of steak with Angus steak at the "low" end before moving up to shortrib and two types of wagyu beef at the high end. Which was pretty good as it gave us the opportunity to compare and contrast the textures and flavours of the different types of beef.
The Angus Steak was probably what you would normally think of as steak - relatively lean with a full body flavour. The shortrib had a very distinct flavour and texture. I'm not sure how you would describe the flavour but if you have had it before, you would definitely recognise it. What makes the shortrib stick out though is the slightly chewy texture which you get from the tendon. Last of all is the wagyu beef which is highly marbled with fat and as a result, almost melts in your mouth. Even across the two types of wagyu beef that we had (which were classed as M6 and M9), there was a clear difference in both texture and look as the M9 clearly had more fat content.
In some ways though, the ordinary Angus Steak was my favourite. Although the wagyu beef tasted nice, the flavour goes very quickly and doesn't last as long. The Angus Steak on the other hand, has more lean meat in it which means that you spend more time chewing the meat which ultimately results in the flavours of the steak remaining in your mouth much longer. And as you should know, all your taste buds are in your mouth, which means that the full body flavour of the Angus Steak is able to come out stronger after chewing it for a while.
Naturally your mileage may vary and its always good to mix things up, but the classic New York Strip remains my favourite cut of meat.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Gerry at school
A rare treat today as we look at some pictures of Gerry at school. One of the good things about the Kindergarten he currently goes to is that the teachers take quite a lot of pictures during the class so you can get an idea of what they get up to during class.
This picture was taken during a school outing to the dentist. Those giant teeth are used to show kids how to brush their teeth properly.
A chance for Gerry to show off his balancing skills. I love the fact that there is a beanbag on his head!
Not quite sure what is happening here - he looks happy enough though!
This picture was taken during the mid-autumn festival celebrations at school.
Another picture from the mid-autumn festival celebration. I think the taekwondo lessons he has been taking are finally paying dividends in this shot!
This picture was taken during a school outing to the dentist. Those giant teeth are used to show kids how to brush their teeth properly.
A chance for Gerry to show off his balancing skills. I love the fact that there is a beanbag on his head!
Not quite sure what is happening here - he looks happy enough though!
This picture was taken during the mid-autumn festival celebrations at school.
Another picture from the mid-autumn festival celebration. I think the taekwondo lessons he has been taking are finally paying dividends in this shot!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Gordon goes to Disneyland
Now that Gordon is a bit older, we have reinstated the Jokemeister family weekend tradition - going to Disneyland! This was a rare occasion when we took Gordon out and left Gerry at home (can't remember why though!).
On the way into Disneyland, Gordon looks a little apprehensive - probably as he has never been to anywhere s fake before!
He cheers up considerably once he gets to drive (although he doesn't look it here, he was laughing just a second before!).
Gordon is starting to take an interest in the camera - won't be long until we get extreme close-ups!
Just like Gerry, Gordon loves to run around chasing the birds.
Buzz Lightyear striking the pose for little Gordon. I can't help but wonder what Gordon is thinking right now - probably wondering why so many people are lined up!
On the way into Disneyland, Gordon looks a little apprehensive - probably as he has never been to anywhere s fake before!
He cheers up considerably once he gets to drive (although he doesn't look it here, he was laughing just a second before!).
Gordon is starting to take an interest in the camera - won't be long until we get extreme close-ups!
Just like Gerry, Gordon loves to run around chasing the birds.
Buzz Lightyear striking the pose for little Gordon. I can't help but wonder what Gordon is thinking right now - probably wondering why so many people are lined up!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Grease is the word!
One of the great things about growing up in the UK is that it has a fantastic history of musical theatre. Although there were less opportunities in Glasgow, some of the travelling musical productions would make their way up to Glasgow or Edinburgh. And of course, you could always pop down to London for a quick trip and catch some musicals or plays while you were down there.
Incidentally, musicals are also one of the things I miss most about the UK since I came to HK. Admittedly, some of the musicals do make their way to HK on occasion. The problem is that tickets generally tend to be prohibitively expensive. For example, when Phantom came to HK, good tickets were priced at well over the HK$1,000 range. Considering the relative price of other things in HK, that's pretty steep for 2 hours worth of entertainment.
All of which made me pretty happy when I noticed that Grease had come to HK and that good tickets "only" cost in the HK$600+ range. Although still expensive, it was a cost I could justify.
The show itself is very well done and really manages to capture the feel and energy of the movie. All the old classics from the movie are here although the songs are spread around the cast instead of being primarily sung by Danny Zuko. Understandable otherwise they may have had trouble finding actors willing to take on those roles.
One of the best things about the show though is how funny it is. You can tell the producers went out of their way to make this a funny show. The producers have also done a great job in realising that most people watching this on stage will have already seen the movie and be very familiar with the songs and stories. To ensure that the show remains interesting throughout, there are a couple of set pieces which play very cleverly on the audiences expectations of what would happen next based on the movie.
All in all, this was a fun show. The only downside was that the theatre they used in Hong Kong wasn't great as the seats were a bit cramped. Still, considering how long since I've seen a musical on stage, it was well worth the slight discomfort.
Incidentally, musicals are also one of the things I miss most about the UK since I came to HK. Admittedly, some of the musicals do make their way to HK on occasion. The problem is that tickets generally tend to be prohibitively expensive. For example, when Phantom came to HK, good tickets were priced at well over the HK$1,000 range. Considering the relative price of other things in HK, that's pretty steep for 2 hours worth of entertainment.
All of which made me pretty happy when I noticed that Grease had come to HK and that good tickets "only" cost in the HK$600+ range. Although still expensive, it was a cost I could justify.
The show itself is very well done and really manages to capture the feel and energy of the movie. All the old classics from the movie are here although the songs are spread around the cast instead of being primarily sung by Danny Zuko. Understandable otherwise they may have had trouble finding actors willing to take on those roles.
One of the best things about the show though is how funny it is. You can tell the producers went out of their way to make this a funny show. The producers have also done a great job in realising that most people watching this on stage will have already seen the movie and be very familiar with the songs and stories. To ensure that the show remains interesting throughout, there are a couple of set pieces which play very cleverly on the audiences expectations of what would happen next based on the movie.
All in all, this was a fun show. The only downside was that the theatre they used in Hong Kong wasn't great as the seats were a bit cramped. Still, considering how long since I've seen a musical on stage, it was well worth the slight discomfort.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Doctor Who
Whooo-whooo-whooo.
If I knew how to embed sounds into blog posts then, right now, you would be hearing the sound of a TARDIS dematerialising. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that so instead, you will have to put up with "whooo-whooo-whooo".
The reality is that if you are in anyway familiar with British culture, then you will know what sound I'm referring to. You will also know who the Doctor is and how important Doctor Who is to British Sci-Fi culture (and if you aren't, there is always wikipedia). Being the nerd that I am, would it surprise you to learn that I loved watching this show as a kid?
Quick aside - Peter Davison is, and will always be, my fav Doctor by virtue of the fact that he was the encumbent Doctor when I first started watching.
Anyway, when I heard that the show was being relaunched in 2005, I have to admit that I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to start watching again. Despite that though, I never actually got round to watching the show until recently.
Overall, I have to say that I like the new Doctor Who (although I have to admit that I don't think its as good as old Doctor Who). Granted, this may just be nostalgia talking but the sight of the Doctor tooling around with his sonic screwdriver just sends a tingle down my spine. If you get the chance, and were a fan of the old Doctor Who shows, then I would recommend you take the effort to watch.
Having said that, there are some areas of the show which I'm not particularly enamored with. Most are probably a little nit-picky but the first two I talk about below are issues which I feel really negatively impacted my enjoyment of the show.
For those who haven't watched yet - spoilers!
Romance
My first major dislike of the new show is the introduction of romance into the Doctors life. In the old Doctor Who, the Doctor was an ancient alien with no interest in romance whatsoever. However, the new Doctor seems to run around picking up companions based on how likely he is to get a bit of the 'ol nudge-nudge-wink-wink. What is particularly galling though is that they reintroduced Sarah Jane Smith and retconned her so that she also loved the Doctor. WTF!?!?
Deux ex machina
My other major gripe is the number of plot resolutions which rely on deus ex machina. Not sure if this is something which can be classified as a bad decision or just down to having bad writers but so many episodes seem to rely on a deus ex machina to resolve the crisis instead of relying on the cleverness of the Doctor.
Again, this may be nostalgia, but the overwhelming memory I have of the Doctor is his ability to use his brains to solve a problem.
Target market
The show seems to be primarily targeted at a family audience and this really shows in the dialogue sometimes. To be fair, Doctor Who was always targeted at a family audience so the criticism is probably more on me than the Doctor. Still, after watching fantastically mature shows like Battlestar Galactica, I can't help but wonder what a mature Doctor Who would be like.
Still, its probably for the best that its a family show. Can you imagine the outrage if they tried to make it mature and fluffed it?
Daleks
I should clarify here that I don't dislike the Daleks. I just dislike how often they show up for a race which is supposed to have been genocided during the Great Time War.
The thing is, the first Eccleston Dalek episode, where you found out that the Daleks were extinct, is excellent. When you find out that the Doctor had to wipe out both his own race and the Daleks in order to end the Time War, this brings a real gravity to his situation as the last of the Time Lords (which Ecclestone acted out brilliantly). However, the constant reappearance of the Daleks (from between 2-4 episodes each season) completely diminishes the dramatic aspect of their death in the first place. Which is a bit of a shame really.
He can do what now?
Another issue I had was the constant introduction of new abilities. Again, this may be nostalgia, but the skillset of the Doctor was pretty well known in the past. Now, whenever he's bored, he just whips a new ability out of his pocket.
Epic storylines!
Granted, we are getting into major nitpicky territory here but it was annoying how often the danger that he was facing was of "epic" proportions and of threat to the entire World or Universe! The problem with making so many "epic" storylines is that, after a while, it loses the dramatic impact and is no longer epic. Sometimes, smaller storylines can be fascinating as they allows you to focus on the relationships and character building of the main characters in your show.
If I knew how to embed sounds into blog posts then, right now, you would be hearing the sound of a TARDIS dematerialising. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that so instead, you will have to put up with "whooo-whooo-whooo".
The reality is that if you are in anyway familiar with British culture, then you will know what sound I'm referring to. You will also know who the Doctor is and how important Doctor Who is to British Sci-Fi culture (and if you aren't, there is always wikipedia). Being the nerd that I am, would it surprise you to learn that I loved watching this show as a kid?
Quick aside - Peter Davison is, and will always be, my fav Doctor by virtue of the fact that he was the encumbent Doctor when I first started watching.
Anyway, when I heard that the show was being relaunched in 2005, I have to admit that I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to start watching again. Despite that though, I never actually got round to watching the show until recently.
Overall, I have to say that I like the new Doctor Who (although I have to admit that I don't think its as good as old Doctor Who). Granted, this may just be nostalgia talking but the sight of the Doctor tooling around with his sonic screwdriver just sends a tingle down my spine. If you get the chance, and were a fan of the old Doctor Who shows, then I would recommend you take the effort to watch.
Having said that, there are some areas of the show which I'm not particularly enamored with. Most are probably a little nit-picky but the first two I talk about below are issues which I feel really negatively impacted my enjoyment of the show.
For those who haven't watched yet - spoilers!
Romance
My first major dislike of the new show is the introduction of romance into the Doctors life. In the old Doctor Who, the Doctor was an ancient alien with no interest in romance whatsoever. However, the new Doctor seems to run around picking up companions based on how likely he is to get a bit of the 'ol nudge-nudge-wink-wink. What is particularly galling though is that they reintroduced Sarah Jane Smith and retconned her so that she also loved the Doctor. WTF!?!?
Deux ex machina
My other major gripe is the number of plot resolutions which rely on deus ex machina. Not sure if this is something which can be classified as a bad decision or just down to having bad writers but so many episodes seem to rely on a deus ex machina to resolve the crisis instead of relying on the cleverness of the Doctor.
Again, this may be nostalgia, but the overwhelming memory I have of the Doctor is his ability to use his brains to solve a problem.
Target market
The show seems to be primarily targeted at a family audience and this really shows in the dialogue sometimes. To be fair, Doctor Who was always targeted at a family audience so the criticism is probably more on me than the Doctor. Still, after watching fantastically mature shows like Battlestar Galactica, I can't help but wonder what a mature Doctor Who would be like.
Still, its probably for the best that its a family show. Can you imagine the outrage if they tried to make it mature and fluffed it?
Daleks
I should clarify here that I don't dislike the Daleks. I just dislike how often they show up for a race which is supposed to have been genocided during the Great Time War.
The thing is, the first Eccleston Dalek episode, where you found out that the Daleks were extinct, is excellent. When you find out that the Doctor had to wipe out both his own race and the Daleks in order to end the Time War, this brings a real gravity to his situation as the last of the Time Lords (which Ecclestone acted out brilliantly). However, the constant reappearance of the Daleks (from between 2-4 episodes each season) completely diminishes the dramatic aspect of their death in the first place. Which is a bit of a shame really.
He can do what now?
Another issue I had was the constant introduction of new abilities. Again, this may be nostalgia, but the skillset of the Doctor was pretty well known in the past. Now, whenever he's bored, he just whips a new ability out of his pocket.
Epic storylines!
Granted, we are getting into major nitpicky territory here but it was annoying how often the danger that he was facing was of "epic" proportions and of threat to the entire World or Universe! The problem with making so many "epic" storylines is that, after a while, it loses the dramatic impact and is no longer epic. Sometimes, smaller storylines can be fascinating as they allows you to focus on the relationships and character building of the main characters in your show.
Monday, October 18, 2010
How Liverpool tactics have changed
Wow. Things have been a bit hectic lately so I haven't had much time to blog. Hopefully, they will settle down a bit now though so with any luck, I can get back to my regular blogging schedule.
A couple of weeks ago, I briefly mentioned that Liverpool were in an unbelievably poor run of form and that October would be a tough month for them. Unfortunately, things look much bleaker than I would have thought possible (I really thought that we would at least have 3 points courtesy of Blackpool). The only upside in recent times has been that those American owners have finally gone (here's hoping the new American owners are better!).
Now, the key challenge going forward is to improve results on the field. With that in mind, I found this article talking about the way that Liverpool now play under Hodgson to be really fascinating.
The first thing I would say is that I still think we should give Hodgson some time to get things right. Removing him now would do be unfair on Hodgson as he really hasn't had enough time to stamp his own style on the squad and for the squad to adjust to the way he wants to play. However, discussing his tactics is obviously fair game (and ever since I started playing FM2010, I have to admit that I find the whole topic really fascinating)!
The second thing I want to say is that I don't really watch Liverpool games as I just don't have the time. What this means is that I have no real idea if the playing style being adopted is indeed as the author claimed. In other words, I'm taking a lot on faith here!
With all that said, from reading the article, it certainly seems like Hodgson is trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Reading that article reminded me of when I first started to play Football Manager 2010. If you read my gaming blog, you would know that I spent a fair amount of time analysing the players I had and devising some tactics and playing styles to cater to the strengths of the players I had. Fundamentally, my view is that, until you have had time to buy some new players that fit the system you like, your only real tactical option is to play to the your existing strengths.
Granted, this is a game I'm talking about, but I'm pretty sure the principal is true to real life football as well.
Anyway, the biggest concern I have about the current Liverpool tactics is with Torres.
Torres is not and never has been a target man. However, this seems to be the role that he is being asked to fill. As I said above, I don't really watch the matches anymore as I don't have time. However, I have a tendency to believe that he is being asked to play as a target man as many of the match reports I see all mention the fact that he is often left alone up the pitch without any real supply or support. Of course, this may not be a huge problem if Hodgson can buy a traditional target man during the Winter transfer window. At this point, I guess a lot will depend on whether he has any money to spend.
A couple of weeks ago, I briefly mentioned that Liverpool were in an unbelievably poor run of form and that October would be a tough month for them. Unfortunately, things look much bleaker than I would have thought possible (I really thought that we would at least have 3 points courtesy of Blackpool). The only upside in recent times has been that those American owners have finally gone (here's hoping the new American owners are better!).
Now, the key challenge going forward is to improve results on the field. With that in mind, I found this article talking about the way that Liverpool now play under Hodgson to be really fascinating.
The first thing I would say is that I still think we should give Hodgson some time to get things right. Removing him now would do be unfair on Hodgson as he really hasn't had enough time to stamp his own style on the squad and for the squad to adjust to the way he wants to play. However, discussing his tactics is obviously fair game (and ever since I started playing FM2010, I have to admit that I find the whole topic really fascinating)!
The second thing I want to say is that I don't really watch Liverpool games as I just don't have the time. What this means is that I have no real idea if the playing style being adopted is indeed as the author claimed. In other words, I'm taking a lot on faith here!
With all that said, from reading the article, it certainly seems like Hodgson is trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Reading that article reminded me of when I first started to play Football Manager 2010. If you read my gaming blog, you would know that I spent a fair amount of time analysing the players I had and devising some tactics and playing styles to cater to the strengths of the players I had. Fundamentally, my view is that, until you have had time to buy some new players that fit the system you like, your only real tactical option is to play to the your existing strengths.
Granted, this is a game I'm talking about, but I'm pretty sure the principal is true to real life football as well.
Anyway, the biggest concern I have about the current Liverpool tactics is with Torres.
Torres is not and never has been a target man. However, this seems to be the role that he is being asked to fill. As I said above, I don't really watch the matches anymore as I don't have time. However, I have a tendency to believe that he is being asked to play as a target man as many of the match reports I see all mention the fact that he is often left alone up the pitch without any real supply or support. Of course, this may not be a huge problem if Hodgson can buy a traditional target man during the Winter transfer window. At this point, I guess a lot will depend on whether he has any money to spend.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Newfound respect for authors
I have to admit that I have always had a huge amount of respect for authors of fiction. The ability to dream up new worlds or to come up with crazy situations or characters while at the same time making everything seem realistic and possible. Amazing.
That level of creativity is something which I've always struggled with. For some reason, despite not really understanding the rules of grammar, I don't have a huge issue in writing (generally) technically correct English (I can already tell this sentence is going to bite me in the ass at some point down the line!). The problem for me has always been coming up with something interesting to write about and then to make that "thing" engaging to the reader. If anything, this feeling has intensified recently with my attempts to do a bit of fiction on my game blog.
The whole affair started with a series of journals (the so called Aladuchar Journals) tracking one of my characters in a role playing game. I thought that if I didn't have enough creativity to come up with new situations or characters, then I could just "borrow" them from an existing game. In effect, I was doing a fanfic.
However, I soon found that even doing a fanfic is not easy. The problem I found myself facing was that the journals soon became a pretty boring log of what I was doing in the game. And quite frankly, even I found myself bored to tears upon reading them. I can't imagine what anyone else would have been thinking.
As a result of this, I scrapped the journals and decided to do something on a smaller scale. Instead of cataloguing the adventures of a character over the course of a 100+ hour game, I would just catalog one quest. Hopefully, the smaller scale would be easier to manage and keep interesting.
The result was a write-up of the Blood Ties quest in Fallout 3 (part one here and part two here). Overall, although there are a couple of area's which could be improved, I have to say that I'm relatively happy with the results of that writeup. It's also worth mentioning that your enjoyment of the story probably depends completely on knowing about the background of the Fallout universe.
Of the things I learned while writing that story, the most important one is probably the need to plan out the story. When I first started writing, all I was doing was cataloguing what I had actually done in the game while adding in the occasional commentary on events as they unfolded. If I had a proper plan to the story, I would have been able to incorporate some foreshadowing into part one.
In addition, with a proper plan, I would have been able to make the change in tone a bit more consistent. In writing part two, I felt that I had to keep the start of it lighthearted as well so that it had a consistent tone with part one. Having said that, I'm still in two minds about this. Part of me likes the way that the tone suddenly changes at the end of part two as it serves to make you reevaluate all the stuff that came before.
That level of creativity is something which I've always struggled with. For some reason, despite not really understanding the rules of grammar, I don't have a huge issue in writing (generally) technically correct English (I can already tell this sentence is going to bite me in the ass at some point down the line!). The problem for me has always been coming up with something interesting to write about and then to make that "thing" engaging to the reader. If anything, this feeling has intensified recently with my attempts to do a bit of fiction on my game blog.
The whole affair started with a series of journals (the so called Aladuchar Journals) tracking one of my characters in a role playing game. I thought that if I didn't have enough creativity to come up with new situations or characters, then I could just "borrow" them from an existing game. In effect, I was doing a fanfic.
However, I soon found that even doing a fanfic is not easy. The problem I found myself facing was that the journals soon became a pretty boring log of what I was doing in the game. And quite frankly, even I found myself bored to tears upon reading them. I can't imagine what anyone else would have been thinking.
As a result of this, I scrapped the journals and decided to do something on a smaller scale. Instead of cataloguing the adventures of a character over the course of a 100+ hour game, I would just catalog one quest. Hopefully, the smaller scale would be easier to manage and keep interesting.
The result was a write-up of the Blood Ties quest in Fallout 3 (part one here and part two here). Overall, although there are a couple of area's which could be improved, I have to say that I'm relatively happy with the results of that writeup. It's also worth mentioning that your enjoyment of the story probably depends completely on knowing about the background of the Fallout universe.
Of the things I learned while writing that story, the most important one is probably the need to plan out the story. When I first started writing, all I was doing was cataloguing what I had actually done in the game while adding in the occasional commentary on events as they unfolded. If I had a proper plan to the story, I would have been able to incorporate some foreshadowing into part one.
In addition, with a proper plan, I would have been able to make the change in tone a bit more consistent. In writing part two, I felt that I had to keep the start of it lighthearted as well so that it had a consistent tone with part one. Having said that, I'm still in two minds about this. Part of me likes the way that the tone suddenly changes at the end of part two as it serves to make you reevaluate all the stuff that came before.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Liverpool 2 Sunderland 2
Dear oh dear oh dear.
I have to admit that recent performances from Liverpool have been unbelievably poor. And when I say poor, I don't even mean the fact that we have shipped 3 goals to both Man Utd and Man City. The fact is that in the Prem so far, the only team that Liverpool have beaten are WBA - and even that was only by 1 goal. And to be honest, if it hadn't been for that freaky first goal, we might not even have had a point from this game.
I don't want to hop onto the bandwagon that is already calling for Hodgson's head as I still think that he should be given more time. Hopefully, things will eventually "click" and the results will come. However, if things don't click soon, we may well find ourselves in the relegation zone as October brings some tough fixtures.
Okay, granted, the first match in October is against Blackpool at Anfield which Liverpool should really be winning. However, after that, we go up against Everton, Blackburn and then Bolton. All three of these sides have shown in prior years that they are not easy sides to beat (although you have to wonder what happened to Everton this year) and if Liverpool continue to play as badly as they have been, a defeat against all three sides is not as far fetched as I would once think.
So far, the only positive this season has been the fact that we have been able to score goals (Stevie G FTW!!!). Still, my pitiful performance in FM2010 doesn't seem so bad now...
I have to admit that recent performances from Liverpool have been unbelievably poor. And when I say poor, I don't even mean the fact that we have shipped 3 goals to both Man Utd and Man City. The fact is that in the Prem so far, the only team that Liverpool have beaten are WBA - and even that was only by 1 goal. And to be honest, if it hadn't been for that freaky first goal, we might not even have had a point from this game.
I don't want to hop onto the bandwagon that is already calling for Hodgson's head as I still think that he should be given more time. Hopefully, things will eventually "click" and the results will come. However, if things don't click soon, we may well find ourselves in the relegation zone as October brings some tough fixtures.
Okay, granted, the first match in October is against Blackpool at Anfield which Liverpool should really be winning. However, after that, we go up against Everton, Blackburn and then Bolton. All three of these sides have shown in prior years that they are not easy sides to beat (although you have to wonder what happened to Everton this year) and if Liverpool continue to play as badly as they have been, a defeat against all three sides is not as far fetched as I would once think.
So far, the only positive this season has been the fact that we have been able to score goals (Stevie G FTW!!!). Still, my pitiful performance in FM2010 doesn't seem so bad now...
Monday, September 20, 2010
By now, the more observant of my readers (so no, not you) will have noticed the twitter feed on the right hand side of my blog. For the extremely unobservant, I should add that the twitter feed is mine and that I have indeed created a twitter account.
The catalyst for this was basically last Thursday's post. I had some random thoughts which I wanted to share. The problem was that there wasn't enough meat on those random thoughts to really justify a blog post in its own right but other than ignoring it completely, what could I do?
Well, it turns out that I could have created a twitter account and micro-blogged about it. Who knew, right? Too late now I suppose but hopefully, such short and random thoughts can be kept to twitter in future.
Also, somehow I have managed to pick up three followers. I have no idea how I managed this or why they would be interested in my tweets considering that my tweets so far have consisted of random crap. But there you go.
The catalyst for this was basically last Thursday's post. I had some random thoughts which I wanted to share. The problem was that there wasn't enough meat on those random thoughts to really justify a blog post in its own right but other than ignoring it completely, what could I do?
Well, it turns out that I could have created a twitter account and micro-blogged about it. Who knew, right? Too late now I suppose but hopefully, such short and random thoughts can be kept to twitter in future.
Also, somehow I have managed to pick up three followers. I have no idea how I managed this or why they would be interested in my tweets considering that my tweets so far have consisted of random crap. But there you go.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Some random links and thoughts
This rant perfectly echoes my thoughts on people who are consistently late. There really isn't much that I can add to that which hasn't already been said. So why am I writing this post if I don't have anything to say?
The truth is that I really wanted to send that link to the missus. However, at the last moment, I chickened out so I'm posting it here instead. If you never hear from me again, then I want you to know one thing - the missus did it.
*********************************************************
Also - Oh, how I wish this didn't resonate with me so much.
The truth is that I really wanted to send that link to the missus. However, at the last moment, I chickened out so I'm posting it here instead. If you never hear from me again, then I want you to know one thing - the missus did it.
*********************************************************
Also - Oh, how I wish this didn't resonate with me so much.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Gerry and Gordon go to the mall
The weather in Hong Kong has been extremely unpredictable lately. At any moment in time, you are either going to be pelted with thunderstorm levels of rain or baked by heatwave levels of sun. The net result of all this is that we have been spending a lot of time in shopping malls recently.
Still, Gordon doesn't seem to mind. Having said that, I think he is just happy with any chance to get out of the house.
A rare picture with Gordon looking at the camera while Gerry is looking elsewhere.
Closeup of Gordon - he is starting to look really cute now. :)
Huzzah - its me again!
For the life of me, I can't remember what they saw that is so fascinating.
Still, Gordon doesn't seem to mind. Having said that, I think he is just happy with any chance to get out of the house.
A rare picture with Gordon looking at the camera while Gerry is looking elsewhere.
Closeup of Gordon - he is starting to look really cute now. :)
Huzzah - its me again!
For the life of me, I can't remember what they saw that is so fascinating.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Gerry at Pizza Express
Gerry actually learned to love pizza at a very young age. At some point in time, the missus and I couldn't be bothered going out to eat and ended up ordering Pizza Hut for delivery. In those days, Gerry only ate a little bit of the pizza dough but it wasn't long before he started eating whole slices!
Being the fan of pizza that he is, we naturally jumped at the chance when we got an invitation from a parent of one of his school friends to join a pizza making party at Pizza Express.
Here you can see that he is kitted out in his chef's hat and already has his pizza base ready for the topping.
Halfway through the process and you can already see that this is going to be a yummy pizza!
Huzzah - the (almost) finished product. In case you are wondering, this is a ham, mushroom, pepperoni and olive pizza. If I recall correctly, Gerry looks so upset because he wanted to immediately run off and cook the pizza (instead of standing there while daddy took a picture).
And here is the final finished product. Unfortunately, I don't have any good pictures of Gerry eating the pizza as he wasn't willing to stand still while holding a slice (I have lots of blurry pictures though!).
Even little Gordon managed to get some. Considering our nickname for Gordon is "little pig", would it surprise you to learn that he really enjoyed the pizza?
Being the fan of pizza that he is, we naturally jumped at the chance when we got an invitation from a parent of one of his school friends to join a pizza making party at Pizza Express.
Here you can see that he is kitted out in his chef's hat and already has his pizza base ready for the topping.
Halfway through the process and you can already see that this is going to be a yummy pizza!
Huzzah - the (almost) finished product. In case you are wondering, this is a ham, mushroom, pepperoni and olive pizza. If I recall correctly, Gerry looks so upset because he wanted to immediately run off and cook the pizza (instead of standing there while daddy took a picture).
And here is the final finished product. Unfortunately, I don't have any good pictures of Gerry eating the pizza as he wasn't willing to stand still while holding a slice (I have lots of blurry pictures though!).
Even little Gordon managed to get some. Considering our nickname for Gordon is "little pig", would it surprise you to learn that he really enjoyed the pizza?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Werewolves
Short post today as I'm linking to entries on someone elses blog which are really worth reading.
In my travels through the interwebz, I sometimes come across some really interesting stuff that I wish I had the time to partake in. The online forum game of werewolves is one such circumstance as it sounds like a perfect mix of paranoia, psychology and dumb luck.
If you want to know what Werewolves is, then you should check out this post which gives a good introduction to the rules while also giving you a pretty good gameplay example. And if you have the time, I seriously suggest you read the gameplay example (which lasts for a couple of posts).
The level of paranoia, downright sneakiness and all round back-stabbing which goes on during a game of Werewolves sounds deliciously delightful. It also convinces me that I would be an awful Werewolves player as I would probably be way too trusting. Probably a good thing that I don't have the time to get involved in a game.
In my travels through the interwebz, I sometimes come across some really interesting stuff that I wish I had the time to partake in. The online forum game of werewolves is one such circumstance as it sounds like a perfect mix of paranoia, psychology and dumb luck.
If you want to know what Werewolves is, then you should check out this post which gives a good introduction to the rules while also giving you a pretty good gameplay example. And if you have the time, I seriously suggest you read the gameplay example (which lasts for a couple of posts).
The level of paranoia, downright sneakiness and all round back-stabbing which goes on during a game of Werewolves sounds deliciously delightful. It also convinces me that I would be an awful Werewolves player as I would probably be way too trusting. Probably a good thing that I don't have the time to get involved in a game.
Monday, August 30, 2010
British citizenship
The other thing on my to-do list which I have been researching is whether my grandkids would be eligible for British citizenship. And after a fair amount of research, my conclusion is that a greater morass of uncertainty and confusion has yet to be devised in the history of mankind.
Naturally, the first place I went to was the website for the British Consul in HK. I guess I should have known what I was getting myself in for when the only information they had on this was to ask you to contact the consul!
So much for the British Consul in HK. But, where else could I go? Well, it turns out that there are a raft of different options. As a quick aside, isn't it sad that the clearest indication of whether my grandkids can claim British Citizenship comes from a wiki? Anyway, I wouldn't particularly recommend that you read through all of that in detail unless you have a lot of spare time...
So, after all that laborious reading, I have finally come to the conclusion that my grandkids aren't likely to get British citizenship as Gerry and Gordon are British Citizens by descent i.e. their British Citizenship is gained through their parents (or more particularly - me!). As pointed out in the glossary of terms for By descent:
"British citizenship gained through your parents. This type of citizenship cannot normally be passed on to your own children."
It goes without saying that this only applies if Gerry and Gordon don't become eligible for British Citizenship status via some other means (such as becoming naturalised themselves). It does go without saying, right?
Naturally, the first place I went to was the website for the British Consul in HK. I guess I should have known what I was getting myself in for when the only information they had on this was to ask you to contact the consul!
So much for the British Consul in HK. But, where else could I go? Well, it turns out that there are a raft of different options. As a quick aside, isn't it sad that the clearest indication of whether my grandkids can claim British Citizenship comes from a wiki? Anyway, I wouldn't particularly recommend that you read through all of that in detail unless you have a lot of spare time...
So, after all that laborious reading, I have finally come to the conclusion that my grandkids aren't likely to get British citizenship as Gerry and Gordon are British Citizens by descent i.e. their British Citizenship is gained through their parents (or more particularly - me!). As pointed out in the glossary of terms for By descent:
"British citizenship gained through your parents. This type of citizenship cannot normally be passed on to your own children."
It goes without saying that this only applies if Gerry and Gordon don't become eligible for British Citizenship status via some other means (such as becoming naturalised themselves). It does go without saying, right?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
How to cure my cold
People who have known me for a long time will know that I have a really sensitive nose and that I tend to pick up the common cold very easily. Various remedies have been tried for this over the years. Some of them simple (drinking vitamin C regularly) and some of them less so (regular nasal spray). For various reasons, nothing has really worked.
However, there is hope that a solution has finally been found!
Actually, to be completely honest, I don't think this solution will work either. Having said that, the method certainly sounds like it has merit so I don't intend to stop anytime soon.
PS Just realised that I haven't actually said what the solution is yet. Well, check out number 3 on this list!
:D
However, there is hope that a solution has finally been found!
Actually, to be completely honest, I don't think this solution will work either. Having said that, the method certainly sounds like it has merit so I don't intend to stop anytime soon.
PS Just realised that I haven't actually said what the solution is yet. Well, check out number 3 on this list!
:D
Monday, August 23, 2010
University tuition rates
I've said before that one of the advantages of growing up in the UK was that the British Government paid for my education. However, in researching whether this benefit will be available to my kids, I came across an interesting realisation - that first statement of mine may not be true for all UK citizens.
First off, I should say that all comments below are based on my current research. I have no idea what the position was like when my brother and I went to University (I guess I can ask my dad next time I talk to him).
So, it turns out that the proper terminology for the different University tuition fees are "home" rates and "overseas" rates. Growing up in Scotland like I did, I would have been paying the "home" rate. In the case of my alma mater (ie the University of Strathclyde), the "home" rate is actually zero for Scottish-domiciled students (whereas Sassenach's will need to pay a fee).
Which makes me wonder if my brother, who went to some posh University in England, actually had to pay a tuition fee? Or, as is more likely, whether my dad had to pay a fee?
Not quite the free ride I initially thought. Still, considering the heavy discount on "home" rates compared to "overseas" rates, the British Government is footing the majority of the bill so still highly generous.
Anyway, the bigger question behind all this is whether my kids will be able to enjoy "home" tuition rates. Unfortunately, the answer would appear to be no. Rules for determining eligibility for "home" rates in England, Wales or Northern Ireland is here while the rules for those studying in Scotland is here.
While there are two different sets of rules, the broad themes are the same. In particular, there appear to be two major stumbling blocks to my kids claiming "home" tuition rates.
First, they would have to be ordinarily resident in the UK for the full three years prior to the start of the course. Unless my kids go to school in the UK, this criterion isn't likely to be met. In addition, during that 3 year period, the main purpose of residence in the UK must not have been for the purpose of receiving full-time education. In other words, even if the kids went to school in the UK, they would still not be legible for "home" rates if they were only in the UK for the purpose of going to school.
So, as I said above, it seems likely that my kids won't be able to claim "home" tuition rates.
Pity.
First off, I should say that all comments below are based on my current research. I have no idea what the position was like when my brother and I went to University (I guess I can ask my dad next time I talk to him).
So, it turns out that the proper terminology for the different University tuition fees are "home" rates and "overseas" rates. Growing up in Scotland like I did, I would have been paying the "home" rate. In the case of my alma mater (ie the University of Strathclyde), the "home" rate is actually zero for Scottish-domiciled students (whereas Sassenach's will need to pay a fee).
Which makes me wonder if my brother, who went to some posh University in England, actually had to pay a tuition fee? Or, as is more likely, whether my dad had to pay a fee?
Not quite the free ride I initially thought. Still, considering the heavy discount on "home" rates compared to "overseas" rates, the British Government is footing the majority of the bill so still highly generous.
Anyway, the bigger question behind all this is whether my kids will be able to enjoy "home" tuition rates. Unfortunately, the answer would appear to be no. Rules for determining eligibility for "home" rates in England, Wales or Northern Ireland is here while the rules for those studying in Scotland is here.
While there are two different sets of rules, the broad themes are the same. In particular, there appear to be two major stumbling blocks to my kids claiming "home" tuition rates.
First, they would have to be ordinarily resident in the UK for the full three years prior to the start of the course. Unless my kids go to school in the UK, this criterion isn't likely to be met. In addition, during that 3 year period, the main purpose of residence in the UK must not have been for the purpose of receiving full-time education. In other words, even if the kids went to school in the UK, they would still not be legible for "home" rates if they were only in the UK for the purpose of going to school.
So, as I said above, it seems likely that my kids won't be able to claim "home" tuition rates.
Pity.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My to do list
I currently have three very important tasks on my to do list.
1) Find out if Gerry and Gordon can attend University in the UK for free
One of the benefits of growing up in the UK was that my education was paid for by the British Government (or the British people depending on your point of view). However, will Gerry and Gordon be able to avail themselves of this benefit if they decide to study in the UK? Is British citizenship enough for them to get a free pass or are there other requirements?
2) Check out the classified section of the newspaper for job listings
I need to identify some nice jobs that Gerry may be interested in based on his current interests and find out the skill set that those jobs require. With this in mind, we can then start planning the kind of extra-curricular activities that Gerry should get involved in. This will allow us to "sell" him on those activities early so that he can have a head start in building up certain key skills which will be relevant to him in future. For example, getting him involved in speech competitions will help build his presentation skills which is important no matter which career he ultimately chooses.
3) Find out whether my grandkids are eligible for British citizenship
Both Gerry and Gordon can claim British citizenship on the basis that I am a British citizen (and in fact, Gerry has already done so). However, in some countries, this only applies for one generation - so if the UK follows this rule, then my grandkids would not be eligible for British citizenship. What I need to do is find out if the UK follows this rule and if so, what we can do to counter it.
Oh - one last point. One of the above tasks is a joke - can you guess which one?
1) Find out if Gerry and Gordon can attend University in the UK for free
One of the benefits of growing up in the UK was that my education was paid for by the British Government (or the British people depending on your point of view). However, will Gerry and Gordon be able to avail themselves of this benefit if they decide to study in the UK? Is British citizenship enough for them to get a free pass or are there other requirements?
2) Check out the classified section of the newspaper for job listings
I need to identify some nice jobs that Gerry may be interested in based on his current interests and find out the skill set that those jobs require. With this in mind, we can then start planning the kind of extra-curricular activities that Gerry should get involved in. This will allow us to "sell" him on those activities early so that he can have a head start in building up certain key skills which will be relevant to him in future. For example, getting him involved in speech competitions will help build his presentation skills which is important no matter which career he ultimately chooses.
3) Find out whether my grandkids are eligible for British citizenship
Both Gerry and Gordon can claim British citizenship on the basis that I am a British citizen (and in fact, Gerry has already done so). However, in some countries, this only applies for one generation - so if the UK follows this rule, then my grandkids would not be eligible for British citizenship. What I need to do is find out if the UK follows this rule and if so, what we can do to counter it.
Oh - one last point. One of the above tasks is a joke - can you guess which one?
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Premiership starts anew
Hoozah - the new Premiership season is underway and, despite "only" managing a draw against Arsenal in the opening game, there is hope that Liverpool will do much better than they did last year. More importantly, this is a good opportunity to plug another website which I enjoy reading but which I haven't yet mentioned on this blog.
Which website is that? Zonal Marking of course!
Zonal Marking is a website dedicated to analysing the different football tactics which teams use. I first started reading this site after I realised that the match engine in FM2010 was good enough that tactical nuances could be analysed and then exploited. The problem was that my lack of knowledge re football tactics meant that I didn't know how to analyse or exploit opposition tactics.
Naturally, the first thing I did was to jump onto the forums at sigames to start reading forum posts on favoured tactics. However, one thing very quickly became clear. There was no super tactic that would always work. The key was in finding the right tactics for your players, having squad depth so that you could change the way your team played by using subs and then using all this to exploit opposition gaps. Easier said that done - as I said above, I didn't know how to do this.
Luckily for me, one of the posts had a more general discussion of football tactics which included a link to Zonal Marking. I started reading ZM last season and the in-depth analysis it provides is a great way to better understand what is happening on the pitch and why the players are doing what they are doing.
Definitely recommended reading for footie fans (irrespective of whether you play FM2010 or not!).
Which website is that? Zonal Marking of course!
Zonal Marking is a website dedicated to analysing the different football tactics which teams use. I first started reading this site after I realised that the match engine in FM2010 was good enough that tactical nuances could be analysed and then exploited. The problem was that my lack of knowledge re football tactics meant that I didn't know how to analyse or exploit opposition tactics.
Naturally, the first thing I did was to jump onto the forums at sigames to start reading forum posts on favoured tactics. However, one thing very quickly became clear. There was no super tactic that would always work. The key was in finding the right tactics for your players, having squad depth so that you could change the way your team played by using subs and then using all this to exploit opposition gaps. Easier said that done - as I said above, I didn't know how to do this.
Luckily for me, one of the posts had a more general discussion of football tactics which included a link to Zonal Marking. I started reading ZM last season and the in-depth analysis it provides is a great way to better understand what is happening on the pitch and why the players are doing what they are doing.
Definitely recommended reading for footie fans (irrespective of whether you play FM2010 or not!).
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Banoffee pie
Banoffee pie is a deliciously decadent dessert from the UK. And if you have never had one, then you are truly missing out on one of life's great indulgences. Of course, if you have never had one, then you will have no idea what I'm talking about so let me enlighten you.
This is a banoffee pie:
In essence, it is a biscuit base (although the original recipe uses a pastry base) with a layer of dulce de leche, banana's and lashings of whipped cream topped off with chocolate shavings.
Yum!
Here you can see a side view with the soft caramel oozing onto the plate. Although hard to spot, there is a layer of banana's under the cream.
And below, proof of the delicious nature of this world famous pie.
:)
Look - even the people on the TV wanted some!
Gerry caught in the act of snarfing some down.
Even little Gordon, so often left out of family activities, managed to get some!
This is a banoffee pie:
In essence, it is a biscuit base (although the original recipe uses a pastry base) with a layer of dulce de leche, banana's and lashings of whipped cream topped off with chocolate shavings.
Yum!
Here you can see a side view with the soft caramel oozing onto the plate. Although hard to spot, there is a layer of banana's under the cream.
And below, proof of the delicious nature of this world famous pie.
:)
Look - even the people on the TV wanted some!
Gerry caught in the act of snarfing some down.
Even little Gordon, so often left out of family activities, managed to get some!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Why parents hate parenting
As I make my travels across the series of tubes that is the internet, I occasionally find an article that rings so true to my own experiences that I can't help but wonder why people actually needed to conduct a study to prove the point. As the father of two children, this article rings of such truth.
Its hard to summarise such a long article while keeping the key message intact so I strongly urge you to read the full article if you have the time. In brief though, the article talks about how parenting doesn't make the parent happier and, if anything, actually makes the parent less happy.
Anyway, two points in the article resonated with me in particular and I wanted to add a little more comment on those points from my own perspective.
Moments of transcendence
It's possible that the author doesn't buy this argument herself but one of the points mentioned in the article is that children "offer moments of transcendence, not an overall improvement in well-being". The author labels this as being a "fatalistic explanation" but I'm not sure that I concur.
As a father, those moments of transcendence are unbelievably powerful and pack one heck of an emotional punch. I've talked before on this blog about one such moment with Gerry. Another such situation occurred over the weekend.
Normally, Gordon doesn't like me much. He spends most of his time cozying up to either his mother or the maid. In fact, the only time he willingly lets me hold him is when we are getting into the car (I'm the only one who knows how to put him into the baby seat). However, over the weekend, Gordon deliberately held up his arms for me to hold him. And this was despite the fact that the missus was holding him at the time.
Moments like this are treasures for which words cannot do justice. Moments like this make all of the other crap you have to put up with as a parent worth it.
Kids destroy every other joy
One of the other quotes in the article which really resonated with me is on page 3. Kids are "a huge source of joy, but they turn every other source of joy to shit".
The reality is that I have given up all pretence of having a life, with the exception of videogames which can be played after the kids have gone to sleep. All of my social activities have basically died as a result of the time I spend with the kids (although I do go out and meet with some friends whenever there is a blue moon). This is likely to continue until the kids get a bit older and realise that hanging out with your parents is seriously uncool.
This used to bug me a lot. I used to regret having to give up all the fun things that I used to do like badminton, snooker or just hanging around with friends in a pub. As you can imagine, this isn't a healthy state of mind and over time, it would probably have negatively impacted the kids as well. Luckily for me, I eventually came to a realisation which helped me get over this.
In the end, I realised that my favourite leisure activity was playing videogames and that I was damn lucky to be able to have kids while keeping my favourite hobby.
:)
Its hard to summarise such a long article while keeping the key message intact so I strongly urge you to read the full article if you have the time. In brief though, the article talks about how parenting doesn't make the parent happier and, if anything, actually makes the parent less happy.
Anyway, two points in the article resonated with me in particular and I wanted to add a little more comment on those points from my own perspective.
Moments of transcendence
It's possible that the author doesn't buy this argument herself but one of the points mentioned in the article is that children "offer moments of transcendence, not an overall improvement in well-being". The author labels this as being a "fatalistic explanation" but I'm not sure that I concur.
As a father, those moments of transcendence are unbelievably powerful and pack one heck of an emotional punch. I've talked before on this blog about one such moment with Gerry. Another such situation occurred over the weekend.
Normally, Gordon doesn't like me much. He spends most of his time cozying up to either his mother or the maid. In fact, the only time he willingly lets me hold him is when we are getting into the car (I'm the only one who knows how to put him into the baby seat). However, over the weekend, Gordon deliberately held up his arms for me to hold him. And this was despite the fact that the missus was holding him at the time.
Moments like this are treasures for which words cannot do justice. Moments like this make all of the other crap you have to put up with as a parent worth it.
Kids destroy every other joy
One of the other quotes in the article which really resonated with me is on page 3. Kids are "a huge source of joy, but they turn every other source of joy to shit".
The reality is that I have given up all pretence of having a life, with the exception of videogames which can be played after the kids have gone to sleep. All of my social activities have basically died as a result of the time I spend with the kids (although I do go out and meet with some friends whenever there is a blue moon). This is likely to continue until the kids get a bit older and realise that hanging out with your parents is seriously uncool.
This used to bug me a lot. I used to regret having to give up all the fun things that I used to do like badminton, snooker or just hanging around with friends in a pub. As you can imagine, this isn't a healthy state of mind and over time, it would probably have negatively impacted the kids as well. Luckily for me, I eventually came to a realisation which helped me get over this.
In the end, I realised that my favourite leisure activity was playing videogames and that I was damn lucky to be able to have kids while keeping my favourite hobby.
:)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Back in Phuket - part three
The last set of holiday pics. :)
One of the really fun activities that the hotel had was an animal towel folding tutorial. And basically, its exactly what it says on the tin - teach you how to fold towels into animal shapes!
This is a picture of me making the head of some animal - can you guess what it is?
That's right! It was the head of an elephant!
Here you can see the finished product.
A couple of swans. How lovely - I actually have this in crystal form as well!
Elephant, rabbit, monkey and two swans. By now, we have a veritable zoo!
The only thing missing was an aviary!
One of the really fun activities that the hotel had was an animal towel folding tutorial. And basically, its exactly what it says on the tin - teach you how to fold towels into animal shapes!
This is a picture of me making the head of some animal - can you guess what it is?
That's right! It was the head of an elephant!
Here you can see the finished product.
A couple of swans. How lovely - I actually have this in crystal form as well!
Elephant, rabbit, monkey and two swans. By now, we have a veritable zoo!
The only thing missing was an aviary!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Back in Phuket - part two
Some more pictures of our holiday in Phuket.
One of the advantages of taking Gerry to a resort hotel is that the hotel has a shallow swimming pool for children. In this particular case, the swimming pool had a water slide which Gerry absolutely loved. He must have been up and down that water slide at least a hundred times over the course of the week that we were there!
Here you can see Gerry as he gets to the bottom of the slide. You could always tell that he was on the slide as the foam board that he has would make this horrible screeching noise on the slide.
Check out that grin on his face! If nothing else, that grin tells you exactly how much he loved that slide.
Here is a closeup of Gerry as he hits the water. Even with his eyes closed, he is still grinning away.
A rare break to take a rest from the sun. Unfortunately, we didn't have any shades so had to improvise...
And a clear photo just in case you weren't sure that the person in the photo above was really me.
:)
One of the advantages of taking Gerry to a resort hotel is that the hotel has a shallow swimming pool for children. In this particular case, the swimming pool had a water slide which Gerry absolutely loved. He must have been up and down that water slide at least a hundred times over the course of the week that we were there!
Here you can see Gerry as he gets to the bottom of the slide. You could always tell that he was on the slide as the foam board that he has would make this horrible screeching noise on the slide.
Check out that grin on his face! If nothing else, that grin tells you exactly how much he loved that slide.
Here is a closeup of Gerry as he hits the water. Even with his eyes closed, he is still grinning away.
A rare break to take a rest from the sun. Unfortunately, we didn't have any shades so had to improvise...
And a clear photo just in case you weren't sure that the person in the photo above was really me.
:)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Back in Phuket - part one
As promised, here are some pictures of our recent holiday to Phuket. Gordon was left at home as we didn't have confidence in our ability to look after both Gerry and Gordon without a maid. Poor Gordon.
It will be no surprise to my readers to learn that I really love going to Thailand. It seems that I end up going there at least once to twice a year. The people there are friendly, food is cheap and the weather is lovely! What's not to like?
Me and my homeboy checking in at the hotel!
This is us wandering into the local village. Believe it or not, the coffee shop at the local village does some really nice pasta! They also have pesto sauce which isn't very common in HK.
Gerry - getting into the local spirit.
We stayed at the Marriott while in Phuket. One of the good things is that the resort hotel has a very good kids club with lots of activities. One of them was an ice lolly making activity from which you can see the results here.
Probably the only way that Gerry will eat cold food is if he made it himself!
Another picture from inside the kids club. They had a very small indoor playground which Gerry had some fun clambering around in.
It will be no surprise to my readers to learn that I really love going to Thailand. It seems that I end up going there at least once to twice a year. The people there are friendly, food is cheap and the weather is lovely! What's not to like?
Me and my homeboy checking in at the hotel!
This is us wandering into the local village. Believe it or not, the coffee shop at the local village does some really nice pasta! They also have pesto sauce which isn't very common in HK.
Gerry - getting into the local spirit.
We stayed at the Marriott while in Phuket. One of the good things is that the resort hotel has a very good kids club with lots of activities. One of them was an ice lolly making activity from which you can see the results here.
Probably the only way that Gerry will eat cold food is if he made it himself!
Another picture from inside the kids club. They had a very small indoor playground which Gerry had some fun clambering around in.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Coming to America
Wow - what a fortnight!
Two weeks ago, I was sunning myself in Phuket, Thailand (pictures to follow soon so keep tuned!). This was followed by a trip to Washington DC last week for a 2 day meeting. With the vagaries of international travel being what it is, I only got back to HK yesterday despite leaving Washington DC on Friday!
So, what did I make of my very first trip to the US?
TSA
Getting through customs in America really is as annoying as you have heard about. I'm not going to bother moaning about it too much here as my views on this are well known anyway. However, I think the border patrol guy at customs tried to catch me out in a lie!
After scanning my passport and asking a raft of questions, he asked me if I enjoyed my last trip to the US. The thing is - I've never been to the US before and I'm guessing he should have seen that when he scanned my passport. Naturally, I told him that I had never been to the US before but I can't help but wonder if I would still be in the US, locked away in a dark and dingy cell, if I had said anything else!
Streets
I knew about the street names in America before I went so this wasn't a surprise. Nonetheless, the European in me just can't get used to the way streets are named in the US.
In case you didn't know, streets in US cities are laid out in a classic Sim City grid. The first street is named 1st Street and the second street is named 2nd Street. Meanwhile, the streets running perpendicular to these are named A Street, B Street etc. As you can imagine, this makes it supremely easy to find your way around.
Having said that, while I love the ease of finding your way around, it does feel very artificial and manufactured. I guess its no surprise that The Matrix was made by Americans!
Zing!
Hot Dogs
The number of locations selling hot dogs is also unbelievable. Not sure if this is a symptom of the fact that I was walking around a tourist area but it felt like every couple of blocks, there was another street vendor selling hot dogs with an appropriate line of waiting customers, hungry for their processed meat and bread!
Chatty
Americans (or should that be DCians?) also seem to be incredibly chatty. They seem willing to chat about anything to anyone at the drop of a hat. While checking in to the hotel, it felt like the girl at the reception was trying to do a background check on me! Normally, I wouldn't mind but after a 20+ flight in economy class (the company wasn't willing to stump up the cash for business class tickets), the only thing I wanted to do was get to my room and crash.
And this isn't just the receptionist either. As another example, while on the metro, I noticed one of the passengers accidentally step on the bag of another passenger. After apologising profusely, the two people started to talk about what they had just bought and how it was a good deal!
Just feels so strange. In HK, if someone steps on your bag, they are more likely to give you the evil eye ("how dare you place your bag where I might step on it!!") before cursing at you and walking off!
Great day
They also seem to love saying "Have a great day!". On the metro, in hotels, in restaurants. And they say it with such passion as well - as if they really do want you to have a great day! Considering how friendly the general population appears to be, I wonder where they get custom agents from...
Zing!
Pictures
Not sure why but a lot of the buildings in downtown DC use this architectural style. When I showed the missus the pictures, she said it felt as if I had gone to Italy instead of DC. Didn't feel like I was in Italy at the time but there you go.
The Washington Memorial (or is it Washington Monument?) - one of the most instantly recognisable landmarks in DC. I've seen pictures of it before, but the pictures don't prepare you for the sheer size of the monument. That thing is frakking huge!
Also, as a Castle fan, I have to point out that in miniature souvenir form, this is also a deadly weapon!
A picture of the Lincoln Memorial taken from the National World War II memorial. Being the sad tourist that I am, I naturally went to the Lincoln Memorial and sat on the famous steps to take the below picture:
What can I say - its an iconic image!
Capitol Hill. Considering this is taken at night without a tripod, I'm fairly happy with the results. Also, the light at the top apparently means that congress is in session. Amazing what you can learn while on a business trip!
Two weeks ago, I was sunning myself in Phuket, Thailand (pictures to follow soon so keep tuned!). This was followed by a trip to Washington DC last week for a 2 day meeting. With the vagaries of international travel being what it is, I only got back to HK yesterday despite leaving Washington DC on Friday!
So, what did I make of my very first trip to the US?
TSA
Getting through customs in America really is as annoying as you have heard about. I'm not going to bother moaning about it too much here as my views on this are well known anyway. However, I think the border patrol guy at customs tried to catch me out in a lie!
After scanning my passport and asking a raft of questions, he asked me if I enjoyed my last trip to the US. The thing is - I've never been to the US before and I'm guessing he should have seen that when he scanned my passport. Naturally, I told him that I had never been to the US before but I can't help but wonder if I would still be in the US, locked away in a dark and dingy cell, if I had said anything else!
Streets
I knew about the street names in America before I went so this wasn't a surprise. Nonetheless, the European in me just can't get used to the way streets are named in the US.
In case you didn't know, streets in US cities are laid out in a classic Sim City grid. The first street is named 1st Street and the second street is named 2nd Street. Meanwhile, the streets running perpendicular to these are named A Street, B Street etc. As you can imagine, this makes it supremely easy to find your way around.
Having said that, while I love the ease of finding your way around, it does feel very artificial and manufactured. I guess its no surprise that The Matrix was made by Americans!
Zing!
Hot Dogs
The number of locations selling hot dogs is also unbelievable. Not sure if this is a symptom of the fact that I was walking around a tourist area but it felt like every couple of blocks, there was another street vendor selling hot dogs with an appropriate line of waiting customers, hungry for their processed meat and bread!
Chatty
Americans (or should that be DCians?) also seem to be incredibly chatty. They seem willing to chat about anything to anyone at the drop of a hat. While checking in to the hotel, it felt like the girl at the reception was trying to do a background check on me! Normally, I wouldn't mind but after a 20+ flight in economy class (the company wasn't willing to stump up the cash for business class tickets), the only thing I wanted to do was get to my room and crash.
And this isn't just the receptionist either. As another example, while on the metro, I noticed one of the passengers accidentally step on the bag of another passenger. After apologising profusely, the two people started to talk about what they had just bought and how it was a good deal!
Just feels so strange. In HK, if someone steps on your bag, they are more likely to give you the evil eye ("how dare you place your bag where I might step on it!!") before cursing at you and walking off!
Great day
They also seem to love saying "Have a great day!". On the metro, in hotels, in restaurants. And they say it with such passion as well - as if they really do want you to have a great day! Considering how friendly the general population appears to be, I wonder where they get custom agents from...
Zing!
Pictures
Not sure why but a lot of the buildings in downtown DC use this architectural style. When I showed the missus the pictures, she said it felt as if I had gone to Italy instead of DC. Didn't feel like I was in Italy at the time but there you go.
The Washington Memorial (or is it Washington Monument?) - one of the most instantly recognisable landmarks in DC. I've seen pictures of it before, but the pictures don't prepare you for the sheer size of the monument. That thing is frakking huge!
Also, as a Castle fan, I have to point out that in miniature souvenir form, this is also a deadly weapon!
A picture of the Lincoln Memorial taken from the National World War II memorial. Being the sad tourist that I am, I naturally went to the Lincoln Memorial and sat on the famous steps to take the below picture:
What can I say - its an iconic image!
Capitol Hill. Considering this is taken at night without a tripod, I'm fairly happy with the results. Also, the light at the top apparently means that congress is in session. Amazing what you can learn while on a business trip!
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