Green Day 綠 日
Hella cool!! Saturday's concert was the most spectacular one I have ever seen. I had tickets to see Green Day at SBC Park in San Francisco. Running late from a nice Chinese dinner (excellent 金 針 銀 耳 焗 蠔 煲 baked oyster hot pot with cloud fungus), I arrived at the stadium midway through the set by Jimmy Eat World, another well known band. They played a couple of big hits. But that was just a warm up for Green Day. From the moment that Green Day came on the stage until their final song 2 hours later, the crowd of about 50,000 went wild. People were totally into the music--yelling, pumping their arms in the air, jumping, dancing, waving lighted cellphones, and having fun. The combination of great music and the punk look (heavy tattoos, metal studs, etc.) was exciting. I had the feeling that I was seeing the best punk band in the U.S. playing at their peak. They played many of my favorites--2,000 Light Years Away, Basket Case, She, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). But the music wasn't the only thing. The large video displays, stage lights, and fireworks (flares, explosions, Roman candles, and skyrockets) created a dazzling display. And I have never seen a lead singer so captivate a crowd as Billie Joe Armstrong did with his powerful voice, audience interaction, and showmanship.

After the concert, I walked past the band's bus, which was painted up like the poster above. Seeing that people were handing out posters, I ran over and grabbed one to share on my blog. All the while, I was stunned, not quite believing that I had seen such an awesome show. My buzz even lasted into the next day.

It's hard to tell whether Green Day would appeal to a HK audience. Their hard-edged music and punk look might be a bit extreme for Cantopop fans. On the other hand, the punk look might appeal to fashion fans. It would be interesting to see HK's reaction to a Green Day concert.  ¶ 7:55 PM 1 comments

  滷 味 The last time I was down in Fremont, I noticed 萬 家 香 滷 味 (maan6 ga1 heung1 lou5 mei3), a shop that specializes in selling 滷 味 (lou5 mei3). It's difficult for me to define 滷 味 other than to say that it is popular in many places in China and generally consists of salty side dishes. The item I got was 考 夫 or 烤 夫 (haau2 fu1), an interesting Northern Chinese side dish that can be tough to find in the Bay Area. It consists of a mixture of dried bean curd, mushrooms, cloud fungus, and bamboo shoots soaked in various sauces and spices. The flavor often reminds me of licorice. Anyway, I love 考 夫 and wonder where it originally came from. Somehow the name does not seem Chinese to me.

Speaking of 滷 味, 潮 州 (chiu4 jau1) Chaozhou restaurants typically have dishes like 滷 水 鵝 (lou5 seui2 ngo4) brine-soaked goose or 滷 水 鴨 (lou5 seui2 ngaap3) brine-soaked duck. Last year when I was in HK, I remember buying 滷 水 鵝 at 飄 香 潮 州 滷 水 專 門 店, a specialty shop on 皇 后 大 道 西 Queen's Road West. The owners, a father and son from Chaozhou, were very friendly as they told me that their 滷 水 鵝 was authentic Chaozhou style and gave me a sample to try. They even spoke a few words of 潮 州 話 (chiu4 jau1 wa2) Chaozhou dialect for me to hear. I bought a half goose and brought it back to my hotel room, enjoying every bit of it. Every since that time, I have been a bigger and bigger fan of 滷 味. Next year, when I return to HK, I hope to be able to go back to that same shop to get some more authentic 潮 州 滷 水 鵝.  ¶ 8:33 PM 0 comments

  Don't Miss Out 唔 好 走 雞 呀 Recently, I borrowed an interesting book from the Oakland Chinatown library. Published in HK in 1983, it's called 廣 州 話 方 言 詞 典 (gong2 jau1 waa2 fong1 yin4 chi4 din2) Cantonese Dialect Dictionary. The book, which lists Cantonese dialectal words and sayings, includes the following information for each entry: the Chinese character(s), a Romanized pronunciation, and a definition in Chinese. Looking through the various pages, I can see many familiar words, such as the following example:

走 雞 zeo2 gei1 [jau2 gai1]
(1) 失 去 機 會: 唔 好 走 雞 呀 (不 要 失 去 機 會).
(2) 跑 掉: 吼 住 佢, 唔 好 畀 佢 走 雞 (守 着 他, 別 讓 他 跑 掉).

Although the book is fun, I can see two weak points. First, it's 20 years old and does not cover much of the new slang now popular in HK. Second, it uses a weird Romanization system that is hard to decipher and pronounce.

Speaking of Romanization, I have mentioned before that there are two main systems for Romanizing Cantonese. The first is the Yale system. The second is the Jyutping system 粵 拼. The Yale system supposedly is the easiest for American speakers, because it most resembles English spelling and sounds. That's the system I use to Romanize Chinese words in this blog. But to keep things simple, I use the tone numbers (1-6) instead of using tone marks and adding "h" for the lower tones. I tend to avoid the Jyutping system, because it seems unnatural to me. For example, using "j" to represent the "y" sound, "c" to represent the "ch" sound, and "z" to represent the "j" or "ts" sound just confuses me.

When I first started studying Cantonese years ago, I mainly studied Romanization and didn't worry about Chinese characters. However, written Cantonese has come a long way in the last 20 years. As Cantonese language websites, message boards, chatrooms, SMSing, etc. have become more common, the written language has proliferated. It's now much more important to learn Cantonese characters than it was in the past.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  賞 月 Autumn Moon Festival


Sunday was a memorable 中 秋 節 (jung1 chau1 jit3) Autumn Moon Festival for me. After hearing about it on the local Cantonese language radio (星 島 中 文 電 台), I signed up for an afternoon program in San Francisco Chinatown. The main feature was a lecture in Cantonese about 風 水 (fung1 seui2) geomancy. The program was conducted entirely in Cantonese, and surprisingly, I understood most of it, including some of the jokes. The lecturer was 醉 一 先 生 (jeui3 yat1 sin1 sang1), who was dressed in a 唐 裝 (tong4 jong1), an old style Chinese gown (see photo above). His traditional dress seemed appropriate for an ancient topic like 風 水. It also gave a special holiday flavor to the program. After the lecture, there was music on the 古 箏 (gu2 jang1), a Chinese stringed instrument, as well as 月 餅 (yut6 beng2) moon cakes and other snacks.

After dark, in anticipation of the full moon, I climbed to the top of the ridge that overlooks my neighborhood. At first, the moon was partially hidden by some unusual clouds. But rising higher, the moon suddenly came out of the clouds and shone brilliantly. To capture the moon in all its glory, I set my camera for extra large magnification (see photo above).

From the news reports, it sounds like the full moon was only partially visible in HK on 中 秋 節 because of rainy weather. As I admired the full moon, ate moon cakes, and drank a little 白 蘭 地 酒 (baak6 laan4 dei6 jau2) brandy, I was thinking of my friends in HK and hoping that I could share the beautiful moon that they weren't able to see.  ¶ 9:00 PM 1 comments

  Rolling with the Punches
Saturday started bright and early with exercise. A friend had mentioned some classes at 24 Hour Fitness, a local health club (gym) that we both belong to. I decided to check them out. After a half-hour class concentrating on abs, I took an hour-long cardio kick boxing class. Cardio kick boxing is something I had always wanted to try, but I wondered whether I could do the kicks and keep up with the pace. I had no trouble with the pace and enjoyed the high tempo music. The kicks and punches were another story. They proceeded rapidly from one move to another, and I had never done this before. It was like learning a new dance step, and I felt like a fish out of water. The instructor previously had studied martial arts, and her movements were so quick and graceful. It will take many more classes before I can master the various moves.

I have seen many ads for HK health clubs 健 身 中 心 (gin6 san1 jung1 sam1), and I am thinking of checking them out next year. On the other hand, I would prefer to exercise outdoors and probably will be busy with other activities. So it remains to be seen whether I actually will join a HK health club. Any good recommendations in the Shatin 沙 田 area?

Driving into the city (San Francisco) on Saturday afternoon, I noticed a lot of fog. The late night weather report said there would be especially large waves, and I was on my way to see them at Ocean Beach, the large beach that runs along the west side of San Francisco facing the Pacific Ocean. With fog over much of the city, I didn't expect the scenery to be very good. Besides, I had forgotten my camera, which turned out to be a big mistake. Starting at a trail that I had seen before, I walked north towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Surprisingly, the sun was out, and the sea was spectacular--dark blue, white-capped waves, and a gentle breeze. The trail had many beautiful vistas of the sea, beaches, and bridge as well as some romantic, secluded places. I enjoyed the walk so much that I have plans to return again soon--this time with my camera.

There are lots of Chinese restaurants in the city, and I wanted to go out for something nice on Saturday night. But after my first two choices were all full (wedding banquets), I was beginning to wonder whether I would have any luck. When I got to my third choice, 南 海 魚 村 海 鮮 茶 寮 on Irving Street, they had a wedding banquet, too. But fortunately, they had some extra tables. The meal was everything I hoped it would be. After ordering 大 千 海 鮮 煲 (daai6 chin1 hoi2 sin1 bou1) spicy seafood hotpot, I noticed that another table had 蝦 醬 鮮 魷 (ha1 jeung3 sin1 yau4) stir-fried squid with shrimp sauce--one of my favorites. So I decided to add it. I'm glad I did. Sometimes, it's amazing how good a simple dish can be when it's cooked right. The squid was a perfect texture--not too soft and not too tough--and the shrimp sauce was especially flavorful. It reminded me of a similar dish that I had last year at 舢 舨 海 鮮 酒 家 (saan1 baan2 hoi2 sin1 jau2 ga1) Sampan Seafood Restaurant on 南 ㄚ 島 (laam4 a1 dou2) Lamma Island (see photo above). And even though I wasn't part of the wedding party, it was fun to sit there and people watch (好 熱 鬧).

In the Bay Area, it's getting harder to get a table at the better quality Chinese restaurants on weekends. They often are completely reserved for wedding banquets or other parties. I wonder whether that's a problem in HK? With as many restaurants as HK has, I would guess not.  ¶ 9:00 PM 1 comments

  好 收 穫 This year has been a great year for fresh fruit. In fact, I have had so much that I have brought a lot to work to share with my co-workers. I have the following trees and vines in my back yard:

櫻 桃 ying1 tou4 cherries
桃 tou4 peaches
李 lei5 plums
沙 梨 sa1 lei2 Asian pears
番 茄 faan1 ke2 tomatoes
葡 提 子 pou4 tai4 ji2 grapes
蘋 果 ping4 go2 apples
林 柿 lam4 chi5 persimmons
橙 chang2 oranges

When I'm in HK, I love to shop for fruit in the markets. That's something I'm really looking forward to next year. Last year when I was in HK, I tried a few varieties of fruit that I had not seen before. It will be interesting to see how many new fruit varieties I can learn next year.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Car Trouble 整 車 Today, one of my cars was in the shop. I had noticed a leak lately, and the water pump needed replacement. Actually, the repairs ended up taking two visits to the shop and several days' time. They fixed it once, but the leak still continued, and I had to bring it back. What a hassle.

I remember one of my Spanish professors in university who taught us some Spanish words for car parts. Whenever he drove his car down to Mexico and there was something that might need repair, he made sure to learn the Spanish word for that part. When I took his class, he taught us cigüeñal (crankshaft), which was the part that was due to go out next on his car.

Not having driven a car in HK, I don't know many car parts in Cantonese. Here are a few that I know:

水 泵 seui2 bam1 water pump
引 擎 yan2 king4 engine
波 箱 bo1 seung1 transmission
波 箱 油 bo1 seung1 yau4 transmission fluid
倒 後 鏡 dou3 hau6 geng2 rear view mirror
車 尾 che1 mei2 trunk, boot
車 呔 che1 taai1 tire, tyre
車 輪 che1 leun4 wheel
暖 氣 機 lun5 hei3 gei1 heater
冷 氣 機 laang5 hei3 gei1 air conditioning
車 頭 燈 che1 tau4 deng1 headlights
逼 力 bik6 lik1 brakes

When I go to HK next year, I won't have my car and will be using public transportation (地 鐵, 火 車, 電 車, 的 士, 等 等) for a couple of months. At least I won't have to bother with car repairs.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Hip Hop & Barbecued Pork Hella funky! That’s how I would describe the House Jacks, a group that I saw at the Freight & Salvage on Saturday. On their website, they describe themselves as a “rock group without instruments.” Going to the show, I didn’t know much about the House Jacks’ music but was expecting smooth harmonies from them. What I wasn’t expecting was the funky beat that they create with their voices. I have never heard anything like it before. They sounded like a hip hop band with occasional tastes of gospel, soul, and even country. That’s incredible when you realize that they do it all with their voices (no musical instruments). The House Jacks are scheduled to perform in Japan in November, but I don't see anything scheduled for HK. If HK likes hip hop, I'll bet they would like the House Jacks.

On Sunday, I travelled up to Sacramento to visit friends. Whenever I go up there, I stop by an excellent Chinese restaurant called 順 風 海 鮮 酒 家 New Canton Restaurant. The owners evidently come from 廣 東 省 Guangdong Province, and the food is authentic and excellent. Our meal on Sunday was 黑 椒 牛 柳 條 (hak1 jiu1 ngau4 lau2 tiu4) peppered beef strips and sliced peppers seared on a hot plate, 豉 汁 蒸 殼 蠔 (si6 jap1 jing1 hok6 hou4) steamed fresh oysters with black bean sauce, 蒜 蓉 芥 蘭 (sun3 yung4 gaai3 laan2) stir-fried Chinese broccoli with minced garlic, and 密 汁 叉 燒 (mat6 jap1 cha1 siu1) sliced barbecued pork. The entire meal was good, but the barbecued pork was the best--tender, moist, and flavorful.

I am totally addicted to 叉 燒 barbecued pork and have often wondered what HK restaurant has the best 叉 燒. Fortunately, I have a good tip. I'll share it in a few days.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Caught Up I finally got caught up with my blogs from last week. Check out the entries and photos for September 6 and 7, which I just posted. When I get a chance, I will post some details about my weekend activities.  ¶ 8:50 PM 0 comments

  Moon Cakes 月 餅 I’m counting the days until 中 秋 節 (jung1 chau1 jit3) the Autumn Moon Festival, commonly known as 八 月 十 五 (baat3 yut6 sap6 m5) because it falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it falls on September 18th.

The first time that I tried 月 餅 (yut6 beng2) moon cakes, I wasn’t that wild about them. But over the years, I have become more and more fond of them to the point that I now eagerly anticipate the Autumn Moon Festival and love to shop early for moon cakes. This year, I bought my favorites:

From 生 計(sang1 gai3) Sheng Kee, a Taiwanese bakery that makes their moon cakes fresh in the Bay Area:
棗 泥 月 餅 (jou2 lai4 yut6 beng2) date paste moon cakes
松 子 蓮 蓉 小 月 餅 (chung4 ji2 lin4 yung4 siu2 yut6 beng2) lotus paste and pine nut mini moon cakes

From 奇 華 (kei4 wa4) Kee Wah, a well-known Hong Kong bakery:
金 黃 蓮 蓉 月 餅 (gam1 wong4 lin4 yung4 yut6 beng2) golden lotus paste moon cakes

In previous years, I also have enjoyed moon cakes from 蓮 香 樓 (lin4 heung1 lau4) from Guangzhou and 咀 香 園 (jeui2 heung1 yun4) Choi Heong Yuen from Macau.

For the past several days, I have been snacking on moon cakes, and I hope that my supply will last until the 18th. If not, I’ll have to go get some more!

I imagine that HK probably has many more moon cakes than here. In fact, if they still have moon cake clubs in HK, I probably would sign up for one to get a bunch of top-quality moon cakes. One dream I have is to view the moon and eat moon cakes on 八 月 十 五 in an especially dramatic or romantic place, like a mountain peak or the top of a large rock. Does HK have any special places for viewing the moon on 八 月 十 五?  ¶ 8:15 PM 2 comments

  Bad Person 壞 人 As much as I enjoy speaking Cantonese, I sometimes run into difficulties. Last year, when I was in Hong Kong, I remember two small incidents. The first one happened while I was enjoying a tasty bowl of 雲 吞 麵 (wan4 tan1 min6) won ton noodles at 羅 富 記 (lo4 fu6 gei3) Law Fu Kee in 中 環 (jung1 waan4) Central. I wanted a paper napkin and asked the waitress: 唔 該 俾 條 紙 巾 我 (m4 goi1 bei2 tiu4 ji2 gan1 ngo5) Please give me a paper napkin. She replied back: 你 咪 有 條 磁 匙 囉? (lei5 mai5 yau5 tiu4 chi4 gang1 lo1) Don’t you already have a spoon? In Cantonese, paper napkin and spoon sound fairly close, and I guess that she misunderstood me. We both had a good laugh when I clarified that I meant paper napkin, not spoon. In my defense, it seems that paper napkins are not that common in HK restaurants. So she may not have been expecting me to ask for one.

The second incident happened when I was talking on the phone with Mr. C, a postcard dealer whose shop I wanted to visit. I had never met him but had bought some old HK postcards from him and exchanged some emails. Anyway, when I was talking Cantonese with Mr. C, he suddenly asked me: 你 係 唔 係 華 人? (lei5 hai6 m4 hai6 wa4 yan4) Are you Chinese? The problem was I had never heard the term 華 人 before. In the U.S., I had always heard 唐 人 (tong4 yan4) or 中 國 人 (jung1 gok3 yan4) used to refer to Chinese people. So I thought that Mr. C was asking me whether I was 壞 人 (waai6 yan4) a bad person, which didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t until I asked him to repeat the word that I realized he was paying me a compliment rather than dissing me.

Fortunately, I have been speaking Cantonese long enough that I seldom have a problem with people misunderstanding me. But there’s always room for improvement. Next year, when I go to HK to study Cantonese, my goal is to improve my pronunciation and vocabulary to the point where people never misunderstand me. In the meantime, at least I can laugh at myself about some of the funny incidents that I have run into.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Chaozhou Cuisine 潮 州 菜 Monday night, after hiking around the Pinnacles, I was very hungry. Fortunately, there were some good restaurants right on the way home. I stopped by one called 金 島 潮 州 酒 家 (gam1 dou2 chiu4 jau1 jau2 ga1) Golden Island Restaurant that specializes in 潮 州 Chaozhou style food. The more I try Chaozhou food, the more I like it. This time, I ordered 潮 州 芥 菜 煲 (chiu4 jau1 gaai3 choi3 bou1), a hot pot with pork slices, Chinese mustard cabbage, and other ingredients. When I ordered it, I wasn't sure what I was getting, but the waiter put me at ease saying 你 可 以 放 心 喇 (lei5 ho2 yi5 fong3 sam1) "Don't worry" or "You can relax." He was right. I loved this dish (好 送 得 飯) and definitely will order it again. The other dish I ordered was 潮 州 蠔 仔 蛋 (chiu4 jau1 hou4 jai2 daan2), which resembles an egg omelette with oyster and preserved vegetable pieces in it. They serve it with 魚 露 (yu4 lou6) fish sauce, which adds flavor and saltiness.

The last time I was in HK, I had some excellent Chaozhou food, which I will write more about another time. When I go to HK next year, I hope to try and compare more Chaozhou and 客 家 (haak3 ga1) Hakka or Kejia cuisine. Yum! :P  ¶ 9:00 PM 1 comments

  Condor 鵰



This was a hiking trip that I had been thinking about for a long time. My destination was Pinnacles National Monument, an area of spectacular rock formations located south of San Jose. The Pinnacles, which are a favorite area for hiking and rock climbing, are home to the rare California condor, one of the most endangered species in California. I had never seen a real condor before but had seen pictures of them. In fact, the HK television series 神 鵰 俠 侶 Return of the Condor Heroes and 射 鵰 英 雄 傳 Legend of the Condor Heroes both had condors in their titles. 鵰 (diu1) must mean “condor” in Cantonese.

On the way to the Pinnacles, I stopped off for lunch at 三 六 九 (saam1 luk6 gau2) 369, a Shanghai style restaurant in Milpitas. Using my rusty Mandarin, I ordered 紅 燒 牛 肉 麵 (hung4 siu1 ngau4 yuk6 min6) braised beef noodles and 油 條 (yau4 tiu2) you tiao or deep-fried crullers. You tiao are called 油 炸 鬼 (yau4 jaa3 gwai2) in HK. It was a good combination. The you tiao was especially soft and fresh, and the braised beef resembled 牛 腩 (ngau4 laam5) only spicier.

In the Bay Area, I know of two Shanghai style restaurants with number names--369 and 168. One time, when I went to Chicago, I ate at another Shanghai restaurant called 四 五 六 菜 館 (sei3 m5 luk6 choi3 gwun2) 456 Restaurant. As I understand it, these restaurants are named after famous restaurants that existed historically in Shanghai. The numbers presumably relate to the street numbers of the original restaurants.

The Pinnacles ended up exceeding my expectations. Although the weather was hot (about 92 degrees F.), there was a slight cool breeze once I reached the top of the rock peak. On the way up to the peak, I used the binoculars to look at several large birds soaring high overhead, hoping to see a condor (I think I saw one, but I'm not positive). Other highlights were the rock formations (see photos above), which resembled something from the moon or another planet, a rock tunnel that looked like a mine or wine cellar, and a series of caves. The caves were unbelievably fun. Crawling through them with a flashlight, I constantly had to look carefully which way the trail went. At one point, as I emerged from one cave, I saw a cute little woodrat with big ears. I wondered whether he was looking for a little snack, but he was too quick for me to get a photo.

Returning to my car just before sunset, I noticed that there were at least 50 large birds (probably California turkey vultures) circling the peak. And as I drove away from the park on a country road, I saw more animals--3 coyotes and 4 rabbits. The coyotes looked hungry, and I hoped that the rabbits would be safe from them.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Ginger Milk On Saturday, I was sitting in the tea house when I noticed a woman at the next table eating something that looked familiar. Only it was something that I seldom see at a tea house. I asked her, “你 係 唔 係 食 緊 薑 汁 撞 奶?” (lei5 hai6 m4 hai6 sik6 gan2 geung1 jap1 jong6 laai2) Are you eating ginger juice curdled milk? It turned out that she was. I also asked her about 雙 皮 奶 (seung1 pei4 laai2) double skin milk, which is similar in appearance to 薑 汁 撞 奶 but with a thicker consistency. 薑 汁 撞 奶 and 雙 皮 奶 are recent discoveries for me, and they already are two of my favorites. I wish I knew more about them. As far as I know, 雙 皮 奶 is popular in 順 德 (seun6 dak1) Shunde, one of the 縣 (yun6) counties in 廣 東 省 (guang2 dong1 saang2) Guangdong Province, and may have originated there. Presumably, both 薑 汁 撞 奶 and 雙 皮 奶 are popular in HK. Here in the Bay Area, I know a couple of places that make excellent 薑 汁 撞 奶, but it’s very difficult to find 雙 皮 奶. I sure hope that I can find 雙 皮 奶 in HK.

Sunday found me eating Chinese food again. This time it was dinner at 迎 賓 樓 (ying4 ban1 lau4) China King Restaurant, a small hole-in-the-wall located near my house. For value, it’s hard to beat. I ordered 黑 椒 牛 柳 (haak1 jiu1 ngau4 lau2) black pepper beef medallions and 蒜 蓉 菠 菜 (sun3 yung4 bo1 choi3) stir-fried spinach with minced garlic. It’s funny how something as simple as spinach can taste so good. Face it--I love fresh-cooked Chinese vegetables. HK should have a great selection, although I have been reading in the newspaper lately that chemical residues in produce from Guangdong Province are an increasing problem in HK.

Tomorrow, I have plans to get up early to go on a hike at Pinnacles National Monument, a spectacular rock formation located south of Hollister. The last time I was down in that area, I couldn't find the place. This time, I have done my homework and have hopes of seeing a rare California condor.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  如 何 變 靚 D How to Get Prettier Every once in awhile, I read or hear a story that is so ridiculous that I can't help but laugh. A recent news article that appeared in the Singtao Daily 星 島 日 報 sing1 dou2 yat6 bou6 definitely falls in that category. There is a Hong Kong business called "變 靚 D" 美 容 公 司 bin3 leng3 di1 mei2 yung4 gung1 si1, which translates to something like “Get Prettier Beauty Company.” Owned by 蕭 若 元 siu1 yeuk6 yun4, who has a reputation as a gifted scholar in HK, the company specializes in beauty treatments. The company is very successful in HK, where it has many branches. And with the weight-loss craze spreading to Mainland China, the company also decided to expand there.

On August 25, the company officially opened two more branches---one in 深 圳 Shenzhen and a flagship branch in 廣 州 Guangzhou. The Shenzhen opening was attended by the 蕭 family as well as 李 彩 華 lei2 choi2 wa4 (Rain), 湯 鎮 業 tong1 jan6 yip6, 鄭 則 仕 jeng6 jak1 si6, and other movie stars, who performed the ribbon- cutting ceremony.

Well, 變 靚 D must have stepped on someone’s toes in Shenzhen, because the next morning (August 26) at 8:30 a.m., 4 guys about 6’ tall showed up at the Shenzhen branch, which is located on the 4th floor. After managing to sneak two sealed plastic barrels past the building security, the guys arrived on the 4th floor. Pulling out hammers from their waists, they proceeded to smash the reception desk and glass throughout the main room. They weren’t done yet though. One guy opened one of the barrels and threw shit (糞 便 fan6 bin6) all over the place.

In the course of doing their dirty work, the guys also scared the shit out of 4 or 5 women employees who were present at the time. Departing from the premises, the guys left behind a plastic barrel full of shit. In fact, the stench inside and outside the facility was so powerful that the police arriving to investigate were driven away by the stink and had to put on masks to continue their investigation.

An incident like this sure doesn’t do much for the image of a beauty business like 變 靚 D. Can you imagine the work that would be required to clean up a mess like that? I wonder whether the smell is gone yet.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Latest Report from Hong Kong Today, I had another phone conversation with S, my consultant friend who just returned from a business trip to Hong Kong. It's always interesting to compare notes with him to get the latest report on HK. Here is some of what S told me:

It was raining most of the time that S was there. For 3 or 4 days, it rained non-stop.
The heavy rainy season in HK is July and August. For that reason, many expats leave in August, vacationing in the UK, Australia, or elsewhere.
The expat community in HK is dominated by Brits and Aussies. There aren't many Americans.
Most expats go to HK to make some money, planning to spend about 4 years there. Once there, they tend to fall into two categories.
The first group gets fed up with the lifestyle (constant drinking and dinners, rampant consumerism, etc.) after about 2 years and leaves.
The second group, which typically is married with kids, tends to stay about 10 years before leaving. The thing that eventually leads them to leave is their kids' educational needs.
There has been a greater exodus of expats from HK within the past several years. With the transition to China, more Chinese resources are available, and the easy money has gone away. A lot of expats have left for Australia, the UK, and Dubai.
The expat community in HK is strong and pretty tight-knit, partly because there is such a division between expats and locals.
The highest concentration of expats is in Central. Generally, the farther one gets away from Central, the less expats there are, except for a few places like Stanley and Repulse Bay. Because of language difficulties, most expats tend to hang together and do not frequent places with a high concentration of locals (e.g., Causeway Bay).
From June to September, HK is really humid (about 80%). For a good part of the year, it's too hot to spend much time outdoors. People tend to stay indoors where it is air-conditioned. Windows are always closed, and there is little fresh air.
With so much time spent indoors and the constant drinking and eating, it's easy to get overweight. People aren't as healthy.
Expats are very social and are happy to get together with other expats. It's easy to meet people and make a network of friends and business contacts. If you connect with one person, you will be amazed how fast the web grows.
In the hot weather, most people work out indoors in gyms. However, there are many trails and paths in the Shatin area, which probably would offer good opportunities for jogging.

*Note: S is familiar with the expat community and lifestyle. The above comments probably apply only to expats.

S cautioned me to carefully check out HK before deciding to live there. As he put it, "Don't sell your house and all your belongings and just take off without making sure that you really like the place." Specifically, S strongly urged me to hit the pavement for a week or two as a non-tourist to visualize whether I could tolerate living there day in, day out. Next year, when I go to HK to study advanced Cantonese, I plan to spend a couple of months checking the place out in more detail. With my knowledge of Cantonese, I already know that I will not be affected by the "comfort zone" that limits most expats. What I don't know is how people will treat me when I'm on my own, what job opportunities there are, how much the hot weather will affect my outdoor activities (trail jogging, hiking, etc.), and what it's like to live in a crowded building (noise, insects, etc.). I really like HK and am ready to give it an honest chance. I just hope that HK will meet me half way. If I can meet one or two sincere friends in HK, that should guarantee that I will have a good time and may well convince me to spend a longer time there.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments