So, for those of you out there who think that "Islam" is a religion of tolerance...you are right it is a religion of tolerance towards fellow Muslims. It is a religion that does not allow a fellow Muslim to condemn a fellow Muslim...say even if that Muslim kills some innocent non-Muslims. That must be great if you are a crazy radical Muslim...knowing that even if you blow up school children you are not going to be condemned by your fellow Muslims. That must be great...an instant base of support. If you don't believe this - just ask yourself how many Muslims you see on a daily basis condemning the terrorist attacks carried out by Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere around the world that claim the lives of innocent people every day. So, along this same line...I have said for awhile now that Europe and the UK are in trouble. They have tolerated radical Islamic teachings for too long and now they have a serious "homegrown" problem. A problem that is not going to go away. So, fire up this video and listen in and ask yourself how far America is behind Britain? I hope if we hear a "prominent Muslim" talking "smack" like this on US television that there will be no "tolerance" of this brand of lunacy.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Latest...
So, here is a quick wrap-up of what Randi and I have been up to over the last few weeks and why there have been no “posts” on the blog as of late. In fact, I do have fans and I have received a few emails asking me when the next post was going to be added.
Well, as most of you know – last weekend was Easter weekend. Randi and I had planned to head to Bangkok with a few friends and relax for a few days – taking advantage of the fact that Hong Kong gives off more time for Easter than the United States. In Hong Kong you get off Good Friday and Easter Monday. Pretty neat stuff if you want my opinion.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our plans and head back to CONUS for an emergency. My Grandmother died on Monday (March 17, 2008) after suffering from Alzheimer’s. My Grandmother, June Farage, was an incredible woman and had a “firecracker” spirit that the entire family will miss.
Alzheimer’s is a tragic disease; fortunately advancements are being literally on a daily basis and hopefully one day this disease will be thing of the past. You can aid the fight against Alzheimer’s by contributing to the Alzheimer’s Association. Approximately 78% of the funds donated to the association are used for research, care, support, awareness, and advocacy – with only 22% of the funds being used for general management and fundraising. This is an incredibly high ratio in the “not-for-profit” world. Our family asks that anyone who wishes to offer support to our family during this time – do so by donating a small amount to the association – even a few dollars can make a difference – and you can even donate in the honor of my Grandmother – June Farage.
June Farage was an awesome woman and she raised my father, his two brothers, and his sister with the love and support of my Grandfather – Nyme Farage. My Grandfather took care of June mostly by himself up until the final days when she had to be admitted to a hospice. He took care of her through a knee replacement, a broken hip, and through her Alzheimer’s despite the fact that he himself is in his 80’s. The example of love between my Grandfather and Grandmother is something that I will always aspire to. I know it was extremely difficult and challenging, both emotionally and physically, yet he stuck with her all the way through the end. Our whole family gathered to say goodbye to my Grandmother and it meant a lot to my Grandfather that Randi and I were able to make it to Florida.
So, Randi and I literally flew across the world (20,000 miles) in five days. We left Hong Kong on Tuesday morning (March 18, 2008) and arrived in Orlando on Tuesday evening (thanks to the huge time difference). The memorial service was on Wednesday morning. We then stayed and hung out with my Grandfather on Thursday and left Friday morning (March 21, 2008) for Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday evening (March 22, 2008) and let me tell you we were exhausted. I don’t think I have ever flow from one side of the world to the other and then back again – all in less than a week.
Randi and I are back in Hong Kong and back to work. We enjoyed relaxing on Sunday and Monday and then hit it hard on Tuesday – back to work. This coming weekend will be a busy one. I have to head to Southern China for a business trip on Sunday – should be fun. I will be going back and forth over the next three weeks. This weekend is also the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens – which is a world famous global rugby competition. Teams from around the world compete in short matches and it is basically a huge party. This will be my first time to go and I am looking forward to it. A friend and I are going to go – it should be fun – I will take plenty of pictures and be sure to write about the experience.
Well, what else is going on in the world? Apparently Hillary Clinton “misspoke” about landing under sniper fire in Bosnia. I know what “misspoke” is – usually it involves a minor fluctuation in details – say you accidentally said Monday – instead of Tuesday or something similar. However saying you landed under “sniper fire” when you really landed to a “press event” complete with a kiss from a young Bosnian girl with no “sniper fire” what-so-ever is just flat out bull shitting at its finest. The best thing is that there is no way in the world you could remotely mistake a “press event” for landing under “sniper fire”. In the words of Hillary Clinton, “I remember landing under sniper fire, there was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” Check out this photo; it clearly shows Hillary running for cover from “sniper fire”.
I have seen “sniper fire” in Iraq and it doesn’t look anything like that. It basically involves hunkering down and waiting for someone to take the sniper out. Running with your head down does nothing to protect you from a trained sniper with a heavy caliber precision rifle. This is just another example of the crap that Hillary dishes out left and right. Can’t you just envision the leader of the free world dishing out this crap – that would be great – exactly what America needs – a leader that mistakes a press event for sniper fire. I don’t know about you but, that is what I want in my Commander In Chief.
Now, let’s move onto to Memphis. A bit ago I wrote about the family that was basically massacred in Memphis and the police at first had no leads. Well, five days go by and guess what the brother of one of the victims is arrested and charged for the crimes. Now, I spoke about the “expertise” of the Memphis police department and I am sure that offended a few people – I am not a detective but; I think I could have figured this one out a little sooner than the MPD did. Jessie L. Dotson, Jr. was the brother of one of the victims and guess what – he had just been released from prison in January of 2008 for you guessed it – murder.
So, we have a brother who has just been released from prison for murder and now we have a family that has just been murdered. Now, with my limited knowledge it appears that you usually look to the family first and if you have a convicted murder that has just been released from the prison – I am sure the pieces fall into place relatively quickly. Just from reading the news articles it did not appear that this guy – Jessie – was a master criminal so I am sure there was a lot of “evidence” at the crime scene. However, apparently the MPD was put onto this guy by one of the surviving children. So, here is my question – without the surviving children – would this guy have been caught? Let’s just put it this way – family is always suspected first – I would think especially if one member of the family is a recently released convicted murderer. If I was a detective – that is where I would start my investigation – but, then again I am an accountant and one plus one always equals two.
Last but not least we have North Korea. Do these guys not get the message…your economy is in ruins and the only thing you can do is fire a few short range missiles off. Heck, sell the missiles for scrap and buy some food for the citizens. I am not sure what is or will happen in North Korea – but, let me tell you something has to give.
With the strict control that the regime has over the North – I doubt there will be any “uprising” in the future that could cause a dynamic shift in the stance of North Korea. My feeling is that the North will continue to become more and more jealous over the South and will do something about it.
My greatest fear is that they will try and take part of South Korea. This would be bad – I have no doubt that the South Koreans and the United States can stop the North Koreans – but, mark my words it would be bloody and make Iraq’s 4,000 U.S. causalities look like roses.
Kim Jong-il has roughly 8,000 artillery systems within 90 miles of the DMZ. I once read, and I can’t remember where this was or if it is 100% accurate, that theoretically the North Koreans could fire something like 20,000 artillery rounds in the first minute or two of a move South. This tactic would supposedly “stun” the South Korean and U.S. forces and allow “openings” to be created for the movement of tanks, mechanized infantry, and Special Forces into the South. Now, granted that much artillery flying through the air is very bad news…luckily a lot of the U.S. and South Korean forces have moved further South in response to this threat. Additionally, with the extremely sophisticated radar and counter-artillery systems the U.S. has produced, honed, and tested recently in Iraq – the North Korean’s would probably only get to use their antiquated artillery pieces (most from 1940 through 1960 designs) in the first few minutes. After that, they would receive a lot of counter-fire that would at least quiet them temporarily and force them back into their underground tunnels. Which, would hopefully give enough time for the extremely superior U.S. Air Force to begin hunting and killing anything that moves along the DMZ. No doubt anything that went airborne from the North would be shot out of the sky. The North Korean military has nothing that can take on any of the South Korean or U.S. fighters. It would be ugly, thousands would die – but, I am extremely confident that the South Korean and U.S. forces would be victorious.
Anyway, that is my greatest fear – hopefully the powers that be in North Korea will realize that rather than being jealous and trying to “take” South Korea they can just “join” South Korea and open up their economy and society to trade which would benefit the entire peninsula.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and that everyone takes time out of their day to talk to their family and realize that “good” or “bad” your family is your family and they you need to let them know they are loved and appreciated.
Well, as most of you know – last weekend was Easter weekend. Randi and I had planned to head to Bangkok with a few friends and relax for a few days – taking advantage of the fact that Hong Kong gives off more time for Easter than the United States. In Hong Kong you get off Good Friday and Easter Monday. Pretty neat stuff if you want my opinion.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our plans and head back to CONUS for an emergency. My Grandmother died on Monday (March 17, 2008) after suffering from Alzheimer’s. My Grandmother, June Farage, was an incredible woman and had a “firecracker” spirit that the entire family will miss.
Alzheimer’s is a tragic disease; fortunately advancements are being literally on a daily basis and hopefully one day this disease will be thing of the past. You can aid the fight against Alzheimer’s by contributing to the Alzheimer’s Association. Approximately 78% of the funds donated to the association are used for research, care, support, awareness, and advocacy – with only 22% of the funds being used for general management and fundraising. This is an incredibly high ratio in the “not-for-profit” world. Our family asks that anyone who wishes to offer support to our family during this time – do so by donating a small amount to the association – even a few dollars can make a difference – and you can even donate in the honor of my Grandmother – June Farage.
June Farage was an awesome woman and she raised my father, his two brothers, and his sister with the love and support of my Grandfather – Nyme Farage. My Grandfather took care of June mostly by himself up until the final days when she had to be admitted to a hospice. He took care of her through a knee replacement, a broken hip, and through her Alzheimer’s despite the fact that he himself is in his 80’s. The example of love between my Grandfather and Grandmother is something that I will always aspire to. I know it was extremely difficult and challenging, both emotionally and physically, yet he stuck with her all the way through the end. Our whole family gathered to say goodbye to my Grandmother and it meant a lot to my Grandfather that Randi and I were able to make it to Florida.
So, Randi and I literally flew across the world (20,000 miles) in five days. We left Hong Kong on Tuesday morning (March 18, 2008) and arrived in Orlando on Tuesday evening (thanks to the huge time difference). The memorial service was on Wednesday morning. We then stayed and hung out with my Grandfather on Thursday and left Friday morning (March 21, 2008) for Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday evening (March 22, 2008) and let me tell you we were exhausted. I don’t think I have ever flow from one side of the world to the other and then back again – all in less than a week.
Randi and I are back in Hong Kong and back to work. We enjoyed relaxing on Sunday and Monday and then hit it hard on Tuesday – back to work. This coming weekend will be a busy one. I have to head to Southern China for a business trip on Sunday – should be fun. I will be going back and forth over the next three weeks. This weekend is also the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens – which is a world famous global rugby competition. Teams from around the world compete in short matches and it is basically a huge party. This will be my first time to go and I am looking forward to it. A friend and I are going to go – it should be fun – I will take plenty of pictures and be sure to write about the experience.
Well, what else is going on in the world? Apparently Hillary Clinton “misspoke” about landing under sniper fire in Bosnia. I know what “misspoke” is – usually it involves a minor fluctuation in details – say you accidentally said Monday – instead of Tuesday or something similar. However saying you landed under “sniper fire” when you really landed to a “press event” complete with a kiss from a young Bosnian girl with no “sniper fire” what-so-ever is just flat out bull shitting at its finest. The best thing is that there is no way in the world you could remotely mistake a “press event” for landing under “sniper fire”. In the words of Hillary Clinton, “I remember landing under sniper fire, there was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” Check out this photo; it clearly shows Hillary running for cover from “sniper fire”.
I have seen “sniper fire” in Iraq and it doesn’t look anything like that. It basically involves hunkering down and waiting for someone to take the sniper out. Running with your head down does nothing to protect you from a trained sniper with a heavy caliber precision rifle. This is just another example of the crap that Hillary dishes out left and right. Can’t you just envision the leader of the free world dishing out this crap – that would be great – exactly what America needs – a leader that mistakes a press event for sniper fire. I don’t know about you but, that is what I want in my Commander In Chief.
Now, let’s move onto to Memphis. A bit ago I wrote about the family that was basically massacred in Memphis and the police at first had no leads. Well, five days go by and guess what the brother of one of the victims is arrested and charged for the crimes. Now, I spoke about the “expertise” of the Memphis police department and I am sure that offended a few people – I am not a detective but; I think I could have figured this one out a little sooner than the MPD did. Jessie L. Dotson, Jr. was the brother of one of the victims and guess what – he had just been released from prison in January of 2008 for you guessed it – murder.
So, we have a brother who has just been released from prison for murder and now we have a family that has just been murdered. Now, with my limited knowledge it appears that you usually look to the family first and if you have a convicted murder that has just been released from the prison – I am sure the pieces fall into place relatively quickly. Just from reading the news articles it did not appear that this guy – Jessie – was a master criminal so I am sure there was a lot of “evidence” at the crime scene. However, apparently the MPD was put onto this guy by one of the surviving children. So, here is my question – without the surviving children – would this guy have been caught? Let’s just put it this way – family is always suspected first – I would think especially if one member of the family is a recently released convicted murderer. If I was a detective – that is where I would start my investigation – but, then again I am an accountant and one plus one always equals two.
Last but not least we have North Korea. Do these guys not get the message…your economy is in ruins and the only thing you can do is fire a few short range missiles off. Heck, sell the missiles for scrap and buy some food for the citizens. I am not sure what is or will happen in North Korea – but, let me tell you something has to give.
With the strict control that the regime has over the North – I doubt there will be any “uprising” in the future that could cause a dynamic shift in the stance of North Korea. My feeling is that the North will continue to become more and more jealous over the South and will do something about it.
My greatest fear is that they will try and take part of South Korea. This would be bad – I have no doubt that the South Koreans and the United States can stop the North Koreans – but, mark my words it would be bloody and make Iraq’s 4,000 U.S. causalities look like roses.
Kim Jong-il has roughly 8,000 artillery systems within 90 miles of the DMZ. I once read, and I can’t remember where this was or if it is 100% accurate, that theoretically the North Koreans could fire something like 20,000 artillery rounds in the first minute or two of a move South. This tactic would supposedly “stun” the South Korean and U.S. forces and allow “openings” to be created for the movement of tanks, mechanized infantry, and Special Forces into the South. Now, granted that much artillery flying through the air is very bad news…luckily a lot of the U.S. and South Korean forces have moved further South in response to this threat. Additionally, with the extremely sophisticated radar and counter-artillery systems the U.S. has produced, honed, and tested recently in Iraq – the North Korean’s would probably only get to use their antiquated artillery pieces (most from 1940 through 1960 designs) in the first few minutes. After that, they would receive a lot of counter-fire that would at least quiet them temporarily and force them back into their underground tunnels. Which, would hopefully give enough time for the extremely superior U.S. Air Force to begin hunting and killing anything that moves along the DMZ. No doubt anything that went airborne from the North would be shot out of the sky. The North Korean military has nothing that can take on any of the South Korean or U.S. fighters. It would be ugly, thousands would die – but, I am extremely confident that the South Korean and U.S. forces would be victorious.
Anyway, that is my greatest fear – hopefully the powers that be in North Korea will realize that rather than being jealous and trying to “take” South Korea they can just “join” South Korea and open up their economy and society to trade which would benefit the entire peninsula.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and that everyone takes time out of their day to talk to their family and realize that “good” or “bad” your family is your family and they you need to let them know they are loved and appreciated.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Tennessee...
Randi and I have noticed that living in Hong Kong whenever news comes out regarding Tennessee or Memphis in particular it is always bad...we have yet to hear any good news come from our former home. For instance, the recent Memphis murders made international headlines and it appears that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) have no leads to go on.
I want to believe that there are some very good detectives in the MPD but, I have serious doubts about the professionalism of the MPD. First, they have lowered their recruiting standards, you can now become a police officer with little or no college education and they are lowering their psychological requirements. The following informative piece of information is available on the MPD website: "Individuals who were disqualified for the position of Police Officer on the basis of their psychological evaluation for the period of 1996-2001 will be allowed to reactivate their application of employment with the Memphis Police Department." Now, I don't know about you but, I really don't want my police department accepting people who were previously disqualified based on psychological factors...even if they have to undergo another psychological evaluation.
Memphis is notorious for having unsolved crimes, basically if they don't catch them in the first 48 hours they are not going to get caught - or the odds greatly decrease. In fact, the MPD was involved in a TV series called the "The First 48". I'll just say this - I watched a few of the shows when the MPD was involved and I was not exactly filled with confidence. I even had lunch with a few of the "crew" members from the show (the actual production people) at Cafe Ole one day when they were filming in Memphis - and they said that they were very unimpressed with the MPD. So, we will see how this plays out but, I would hope that whomever committed this atrocious crime is brought to swift justice.
Now, back to the point of Tennessee and the fact that all the stories coming out of there are usually bad. I opened up foxnews.com this morning and see this heading: "Man Dies When Wind Flips Mattress He Was Moving". So, I immediately have the following thought, "I bet this was in Tennessee." Sure, enough I open it up and find out that of course it was from Tennessee. So, this poor guy was riding in the back of a truck sitting on top of the mattress he was helping move when the principal of "lift" ruined his day. Now, I am sure this guy was having a blast right up until the end. I can just picture this guy in the back of the truck hooting and hollering as his friend was driving and he was riding the "magic carpet" in the back of the truck. Then, a little too much lift was created and the mattress probably just flipped right over and out of the truck with this guy holding on for dear life. Not the way I want to go out...moving a mattress. My thoughts and prayers are with this man and his family and I hope that we all learn a lesson from this one. You do not "ride" a mattress in the back of a truck. There are these neat inventions called tie-down straps...please use them to prevent this sort of tragedy from happening again. Less, Tennessee get more negative press.
I want to believe that there are some very good detectives in the MPD but, I have serious doubts about the professionalism of the MPD. First, they have lowered their recruiting standards, you can now become a police officer with little or no college education and they are lowering their psychological requirements. The following informative piece of information is available on the MPD website: "Individuals who were disqualified for the position of Police Officer on the basis of their psychological evaluation for the period of 1996-2001 will be allowed to reactivate their application of employment with the Memphis Police Department." Now, I don't know about you but, I really don't want my police department accepting people who were previously disqualified based on psychological factors...even if they have to undergo another psychological evaluation.
Memphis is notorious for having unsolved crimes, basically if they don't catch them in the first 48 hours they are not going to get caught - or the odds greatly decrease. In fact, the MPD was involved in a TV series called the "The First 48". I'll just say this - I watched a few of the shows when the MPD was involved and I was not exactly filled with confidence. I even had lunch with a few of the "crew" members from the show (the actual production people) at Cafe Ole one day when they were filming in Memphis - and they said that they were very unimpressed with the MPD. So, we will see how this plays out but, I would hope that whomever committed this atrocious crime is brought to swift justice.
Now, back to the point of Tennessee and the fact that all the stories coming out of there are usually bad. I opened up foxnews.com this morning and see this heading: "Man Dies When Wind Flips Mattress He Was Moving". So, I immediately have the following thought, "I bet this was in Tennessee." Sure, enough I open it up and find out that of course it was from Tennessee. So, this poor guy was riding in the back of a truck sitting on top of the mattress he was helping move when the principal of "lift" ruined his day. Now, I am sure this guy was having a blast right up until the end. I can just picture this guy in the back of the truck hooting and hollering as his friend was driving and he was riding the "magic carpet" in the back of the truck. Then, a little too much lift was created and the mattress probably just flipped right over and out of the truck with this guy holding on for dear life. Not the way I want to go out...moving a mattress. My thoughts and prayers are with this man and his family and I hope that we all learn a lesson from this one. You do not "ride" a mattress in the back of a truck. There are these neat inventions called tie-down straps...please use them to prevent this sort of tragedy from happening again. Less, Tennessee get more negative press.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
It's the end of the world as we know it...
So, I am still in Shitzhen having an actually fairly decent time. I have to say the town has surprised me this time around. We have eaten at a few decent restaurants and even hit up a Haagen Dazs store the other night.
So, last night I realized the world was coming to an end...how you may ask? Well, we hit a very local place for dinner (I don't think I have to point out that the restaurant served Chinese food) last night and as I was eating my rice I noticed something was just not right. It took a few moments for me to figure out what was wrong...and then it hit me...the music. Now, I am the first to admit that music is universal...but, when you are at a very local restaurant in Shenzhen, China of all places and Jack Johnson is the ambient music of choice...something is wrong. Taylor, is just not a song one would expect to listen too while working your chop sticks.
Congratulations Jack, you've made it big and you know you have when you are the music of choice at a local restaurant in China where no one speaks English. Perhaps, music is indeed the universal language and I thought it was English all along.
So, last night I realized the world was coming to an end...how you may ask? Well, we hit a very local place for dinner (I don't think I have to point out that the restaurant served Chinese food) last night and as I was eating my rice I noticed something was just not right. It took a few moments for me to figure out what was wrong...and then it hit me...the music. Now, I am the first to admit that music is universal...but, when you are at a very local restaurant in Shenzhen, China of all places and Jack Johnson is the ambient music of choice...something is wrong. Taylor, is just not a song one would expect to listen too while working your chop sticks.
Congratulations Jack, you've made it big and you know you have when you are the music of choice at a local restaurant in China where no one speaks English. Perhaps, music is indeed the universal language and I thought it was English all along.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
A Day at the Beach...
So, today was a pretty good Saturday. Randi and I spent it with our friends (Ali and Caz) at the beach with the dogs. Four humans and three canines...we had them outnumbered...just barely. It was a pretty good day in Hong Kong (as far as the weather and pollution) and we headed South to a beach near Stanley. This is a "private" little beach that is rather secluded and quit honestly it is not that easy to just stumble on. We have been there a few times and we usually have the entire beach to ourselves.
The beach is probably close to 100 meters long and is around 15 meters wide...so it is great for the dogs to run around and play. The beach is also studded with large rocks and Henry really enjoys climbing up on them and playing king of the hill (see picture). Henry and his canine cohorts played for several hours while the adults entertained themselves with food and chit-chat...it was a rather nice time. Henry loves playing in the water and even though he has yet to conquer his fear of water higher than his chest...he can still have a blast. In fact Henry had such a good time that we are pretty confident that he swallowed a good gallon of sea water. To say that this did not agree with him would be an understatement. Let's just say that part of the ocean came flying out of his rear several times. After the second time Henry was a bit more cautious about swallowing water and we are pretty sure that he has learned his lesson.
After a few hours and with the approach of inclement weather; we decided to call it a day and head home. Henry was exhausted by the time we got home and he spent the rest of the day sleeping off his serious play time. I think it is always a great time when you can get out with the dogs and just have a great time. It is seriously entertaining watching dogs just play with each other. They certainly can take amusement in the simplest things. Perhaps we need to follow their lead a little more often. I can't recall the last time I played a game of tag...but, I am sure it would be fun.
The beach is probably close to 100 meters long and is around 15 meters wide...so it is great for the dogs to run around and play. The beach is also studded with large rocks and Henry really enjoys climbing up on them and playing king of the hill (see picture). Henry and his canine cohorts played for several hours while the adults entertained themselves with food and chit-chat...it was a rather nice time. Henry loves playing in the water and even though he has yet to conquer his fear of water higher than his chest...he can still have a blast. In fact Henry had such a good time that we are pretty confident that he swallowed a good gallon of sea water. To say that this did not agree with him would be an understatement. Let's just say that part of the ocean came flying out of his rear several times. After the second time Henry was a bit more cautious about swallowing water and we are pretty sure that he has learned his lesson.
After a few hours and with the approach of inclement weather; we decided to call it a day and head home. Henry was exhausted by the time we got home and he spent the rest of the day sleeping off his serious play time. I think it is always a great time when you can get out with the dogs and just have a great time. It is seriously entertaining watching dogs just play with each other. They certainly can take amusement in the simplest things. Perhaps we need to follow their lead a little more often. I can't recall the last time I played a game of tag...but, I am sure it would be fun.
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Weekend...
The weekend is approaching. So, I write this entry from Shenzhen…still working on the project here and looking forward to heading home this evening. Due to the fact that I have approximately 12 months left in my original contract – Randi and I are aiming to do a bit more on the weekends in an effort to maximize our
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Your Body Will Thank You...
A few complimentary warnings from Shenzhen, courtesy of yours truly. All of those who know me will vouch that I am an adventurous eater and will try anything at least once. If you dare me to eat something I will be all over it. I love all sorts of food and have tried things that would never ever make it onto Fear Factor. I can’t even describe some of the stuff I ate in Iraq. As far as Asian food goes…I love it. I have eaten at some absolutely wonderful restaurants (nice and not so nice) in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Philippines, etc. However, the last two meals I have had for lunch (Wednesday and Thursday) in Shenzhen, China have been absolutely some of the poorest food that I have ever had the pleasure or displeasure to taste. We ate at a restaurant (Jasmine’s) yesterday for lunch and even our local staff (Hong Kong) decried the quality of the food. Most of us accept the fact that we will have to lower our food standards when in Shenzhen; however yesterday’s meal made us reset those low standards even lower. I can’t even describe the food…bad…would be putting it mildly. Let’s put it this way…I once ate the warm brains of a dead goat (as in warm because it was just killed in front of me) and I would gladly munch on some of that rather than repeat yesterday’s meal. Now, when you usually hit a low you can only come up, right? Wrong (just ask the Memphis Grizzlies, 14-39), today’s meal ranked right up there with stuff I have vowed to never place in my mouth again. Today we ate at a place (Ming Tien) that was supposed to be a Hong Kong Café style restaurant. Well, I have eaten at a lot of Hong Kong Café restaurants over the last 12 months and I’ll just say they missed the target on this one the only thing they got right was the tacky décor. They missed the target like Citibank’s latest earnings. So, when traveling to Shenzhen avoid Jasmine’s and Ming Tien if you value your lower intestines…they will thank you for it.
More Ridiculous Islamic Behavior...
So, to follow-up on yesterday’s diatribe about the ridiculous behavior coming out of the Saudi polity...how about more news of “tolerant” behavior from another Muslim country. This time we only have to look a little North and East of Saudi Arabia to find Iran. Iran, home of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the great president of Iran…without a doubt one of the most insane leaders of a Muslim country; the very man who called the Holocaust a lie and has repeatedly called for the annihilation of Israel. With leadership like that you know this is going to be good.
So, earlier this year the esteemed president of Iran bought four “guard” dogs from Germany for a ridiculous sum of US$100,000 (or more) per dog. In doing so he pissed off some of the ayatollahs in the country. You see many Muslims (note I did not say all) believe that dogs are “unclean” animals and should not be kept by Muslims. Now, where does this belief come from that says dogs are unclean? That is a good question and one that must be further explored. Let’s look at the Qur’an; which any good Muslim will tell you is the “law” that all Muslims should follow and it is the basis for Sharia or Islamic law. The assumption would be that the Qu’ran must say that dogs are unclean and therefore Muslims can’t keep dogs, right? Wrong, the Qur’an does not say that dogs are unclean and in fact many Surahs show dog with humans as their companions without saying anything negative about the dogs. Just look at Surah 18; which mentions dogs as companions numerous times and never says anything about them being unclean. So, then why are dogs unclean? Who knows just as no one knows why some Muslims blow themselves up thinking that by becoming a martyr they will please their holy allah and that they will be rewarded with virgins in heaven.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Canada was asked about dogs being kept as pets. In his response he went on and on about dogs…that they were OK if you were going to use them for hunting, or as a guide dog, or as a guard dog…but, as a pet…no sir. Suddenly as a pet it is unclean and can’t be kept. Why…because the saliva of a dog is dirty and supposedly the prophet (Muhammad) warned Muslims about the saliva. So, if dogs are unclean because of their saliva, how can a hunting dog that surely holds its’ prey in its’ mouth be acceptable. Wouldn’t the prey (which is going to be eaten by Muslims) be unclean because it has surely touched some dog saliva? These are the great questions that go unanswered in Islam and no one dares to ask the great “clerics” if they could be wrong and surely no one points out the hypocrisy and illogical nature of many of their teachings.
However, that is the great thing about being an American, being free, and not being a Muslim. I can call “bull shit” when I see it or hear it. I am calling “bull shit” on this one. So, this leads me to believe that most Muslim teachers (sheikhs, clerics, ayatollahs, etc.) are deathly afraid of anything that brings happiness to a Muslim other than the Qur’an; because if they can be happy with something other than the Qur’an then in their opinion Islam is probably being threatened. Clerics, ayatollahs, sheikhs and Muslim leaders are only concerned about exerting control over their “followers” and they do so any way they can and they don’t need a reason and they certainly aren’t going to explain anything to anyone and that is the problem. So, this leads us back to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his dogs. So, some ayatollahs issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) saying that it was all right for the president to have his dogs. Yet, others issued a fatwa saying he couldn’t. Are you seeing the contradictory nature of Islam and the hypocrisy of Muslim leaders within the same country? Heck, they can’t even agree on something as simple as four dogs. So, the president…being the president…said “whatever” and decided to keep his dogs. The president makes his decision while it is still illegal for the average Iranian citizen to have a dog as a pet. In fact, it is illegal for an Iranian citizen to walk their “illegal” dogs in public. Can you believe that? I can’t.
I open foxnews.com this morning and see an article about a man who was arrested and is going to spend some time in jail and receive lashes for taking his dog for a walk. So this old guy (who is 70 years old) has been sentenced to four months in jail and will receive 30 lashes for walking his dog. Can you imagine this? I can’t even begin to understand the thinking behind this one. Since, this poor guy lives in Iran he certainly can’t defend himself in court adequately. If he did so he would in essence have to challenge the Sharia, the ayatollahs and their interpretation of the Qur’an. If he did that I am sure he would be sentenced to death for much greater crimes against Sharia.
It is this kind of thinking and these sorts of actions that represent Islam to the world. Independent of what the moderate Muslims out there say, when people think of Islam they think of ridiculous stuff like this. Unfortunately, the ridiculous actions of countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran will forever cast Islam in a negative light and rightfully so. For if this is the kind of Islam that Muslims want to spread around the world…I think most people will tell them to shove it where the sun don’t shine.
So, to add to my list of Muslim countries that are in trouble or heading for trouble; I gleefully add Iran. Surely, the people of Iran will not stand for this kind of behavior, leadership, and law for long. That means Iran is headed for another revolution and this one will be led by people who are tired of being oppressed by a religious system that crushes rather than uplifts. You can’t lash an old man for walking his dog, plain and simple.
So, earlier this year the esteemed president of Iran bought four “guard” dogs from Germany for a ridiculous sum of US$100,000 (or more) per dog. In doing so he pissed off some of the ayatollahs in the country. You see many Muslims (note I did not say all) believe that dogs are “unclean” animals and should not be kept by Muslims. Now, where does this belief come from that says dogs are unclean? That is a good question and one that must be further explored. Let’s look at the Qur’an; which any good Muslim will tell you is the “law” that all Muslims should follow and it is the basis for Sharia or Islamic law. The assumption would be that the Qu’ran must say that dogs are unclean and therefore Muslims can’t keep dogs, right? Wrong, the Qur’an does not say that dogs are unclean and in fact many Surahs show dog with humans as their companions without saying anything negative about the dogs. Just look at Surah 18; which mentions dogs as companions numerous times and never says anything about them being unclean. So, then why are dogs unclean? Who knows just as no one knows why some Muslims blow themselves up thinking that by becoming a martyr they will please their holy allah and that they will be rewarded with virgins in heaven.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Canada was asked about dogs being kept as pets. In his response he went on and on about dogs…that they were OK if you were going to use them for hunting, or as a guide dog, or as a guard dog…but, as a pet…no sir. Suddenly as a pet it is unclean and can’t be kept. Why…because the saliva of a dog is dirty and supposedly the prophet (Muhammad) warned Muslims about the saliva. So, if dogs are unclean because of their saliva, how can a hunting dog that surely holds its’ prey in its’ mouth be acceptable. Wouldn’t the prey (which is going to be eaten by Muslims) be unclean because it has surely touched some dog saliva? These are the great questions that go unanswered in Islam and no one dares to ask the great “clerics” if they could be wrong and surely no one points out the hypocrisy and illogical nature of many of their teachings.
However, that is the great thing about being an American, being free, and not being a Muslim. I can call “bull shit” when I see it or hear it. I am calling “bull shit” on this one. So, this leads me to believe that most Muslim teachers (sheikhs, clerics, ayatollahs, etc.) are deathly afraid of anything that brings happiness to a Muslim other than the Qur’an; because if they can be happy with something other than the Qur’an then in their opinion Islam is probably being threatened. Clerics, ayatollahs, sheikhs and Muslim leaders are only concerned about exerting control over their “followers” and they do so any way they can and they don’t need a reason and they certainly aren’t going to explain anything to anyone and that is the problem. So, this leads us back to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his dogs. So, some ayatollahs issued a fatwa (Islamic ruling) saying that it was all right for the president to have his dogs. Yet, others issued a fatwa saying he couldn’t. Are you seeing the contradictory nature of Islam and the hypocrisy of Muslim leaders within the same country? Heck, they can’t even agree on something as simple as four dogs. So, the president…being the president…said “whatever” and decided to keep his dogs. The president makes his decision while it is still illegal for the average Iranian citizen to have a dog as a pet. In fact, it is illegal for an Iranian citizen to walk their “illegal” dogs in public. Can you believe that? I can’t.
I open foxnews.com this morning and see an article about a man who was arrested and is going to spend some time in jail and receive lashes for taking his dog for a walk. So this old guy (who is 70 years old) has been sentenced to four months in jail and will receive 30 lashes for walking his dog. Can you imagine this? I can’t even begin to understand the thinking behind this one. Since, this poor guy lives in Iran he certainly can’t defend himself in court adequately. If he did so he would in essence have to challenge the Sharia, the ayatollahs and their interpretation of the Qur’an. If he did that I am sure he would be sentenced to death for much greater crimes against Sharia.
It is this kind of thinking and these sorts of actions that represent Islam to the world. Independent of what the moderate Muslims out there say, when people think of Islam they think of ridiculous stuff like this. Unfortunately, the ridiculous actions of countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran will forever cast Islam in a negative light and rightfully so. For if this is the kind of Islam that Muslims want to spread around the world…I think most people will tell them to shove it where the sun don’t shine.
So, to add to my list of Muslim countries that are in trouble or heading for trouble; I gleefully add Iran. Surely, the people of Iran will not stand for this kind of behavior, leadership, and law for long. That means Iran is headed for another revolution and this one will be led by people who are tired of being oppressed by a religious system that crushes rather than uplifts. You can’t lash an old man for walking his dog, plain and simple.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Ridiculous Saudi Arabia...
I am sure all of you remember the story not too long ago about the American woman arrested in Saudi Arabia at a Starbucks by the Mutaween. The Mutaween are the Saudi religious police controlled by the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV). This particular woman, Yara, is a managing partner in a financial firm and was having coffee with a colleague at Starbucks. It was widely reported that she was arrested, strip searched, forced to sign confessions, and told by the judge that she would burn in hell. Well, in light of the outrage that erupted within the kingdom and around the world the Mutaween have spoken up to explain the situation. The statement was reported to have contained the following:
"It's not allowed for any woman to travel alone and sit with a strange man and talk and laugh and drink coffee together like they are married, all of these are against the law and it's clear it's against the law. First, for a woman to work with men is against the law and against religion. Second, the family sections at coffee shops and restaurants are meant for families and close relatives." The statement also stated that the version of events, as reported, were incorrect, basically denying that she was strip-searched or forced into any confessions. The statement also accused her of wearing makeup, not covering her hair and "moving around suspiciously" while sitting with her colleague.
I have to seriously question the sanity of the Saudi officials who are in charge of the CPVPV. Do they actually think they are helping their case by saying that it is against the law for a woman and man to "sit and talk and laugh and drink coffee together like they are married" and that it is against the law for a woman to work with men and that it is against Islam. I suppose, by this same logic, two men talking, laughing, and drinking coffee together in Saudi Arabia are probably gay lovers who are secretly married? Saudi Arabia is there something we should now?
It is absolutely asinine for a Muslim country to display such intolerance when Muslims around the world are screaming that they are discriminated against in other countries. Per the Saudi information website:
"It is the fundamental assumption of the polity of Saudi Arabia that the Holy Qur'an is more suitable for Saudi Muslims than any secular constitution. This assumption must be viewed in the context of a nation which is completely Islamic. Hence, no churches, synagogues, temples or shrines of other religions exist. No proselytizing by other faiths is allowed. The entire Saudi population is Muslim; the only non-Muslims in the country are expatriates engaged in diplomacy, technical assistance or international commerce."
So, we are talking about a country that doesn't even allow other religions to freely practice. My parents lived in Saudi Arabia for several years and despite the fact that they were there in an official capacity for the United States of America my mom was still worried that her Christian books and such would not make it through Saudi customs. Yet, Muslims around the world want to ensure that their right to practice Islam is not impinged upon. How about some reciprocity? I think it would be great if Saudi Arabia allowed Christianity to come into their country. Hey, if they are so sure that Islam is the only true religion, I am sure they wouldn't mind Ravi Zacharias to come hold a few question and answer sessions in the kingdom. I have a feeling Ravi Zacharias would be the living embodiment of all that the CPVPV fears.
One need not look far to see the absolutely lunacy of Muslims today. How about the fact that Muslims around the world protested a few cartoons featuring "the prophet Muhammad". While some clerics took it a step towards "crazy" and issued fatwas calling for the death of the cartoonist. I don't know about you but this doesn't sound like behavior of people following a religion of tolerance to me.
I think Saudi Arabia and Islam is in serious trouble. When a country and a religion are ruled by naive and intolerant individuals, only trouble can follow. I am all for religious freedom in the United States, but I honestly believe Islam and especially radical Islam poses a clear and present danger to the very freedoms that we currently enjoy in the United States. Now I am not worried about the United States being taken over by Muslims...let's be honest that just isn't going to fly in the US of A. As long as some tough American men still have their guns no one is going to take over the United States and certainly Muhammad is never going to be on the back of a U.S. dollar. But, I do think that the spread of Islam is a serious concern to our interests around the world and we need to be extremly vigilant about what is going on in the world of Islam and in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia.
Bottom-line if Saudi Arabia wants to arrest men and women for having a coffee together then I think it is about time that the American government and American businesses take some action. I personally think Starbucks should pull completely out of the kingdom and the U.S. government should seriously consider what we are doing for Saudi Arabia. If we are all about promoting freedom and democracy around the world - then we should start with Saudi Arabia.
"It's not allowed for any woman to travel alone and sit with a strange man and talk and laugh and drink coffee together like they are married, all of these are against the law and it's clear it's against the law. First, for a woman to work with men is against the law and against religion. Second, the family sections at coffee shops and restaurants are meant for families and close relatives." The statement also stated that the version of events, as reported, were incorrect, basically denying that she was strip-searched or forced into any confessions. The statement also accused her of wearing makeup, not covering her hair and "moving around suspiciously" while sitting with her colleague.
I have to seriously question the sanity of the Saudi officials who are in charge of the CPVPV. Do they actually think they are helping their case by saying that it is against the law for a woman and man to "sit and talk and laugh and drink coffee together like they are married" and that it is against the law for a woman to work with men and that it is against Islam. I suppose, by this same logic, two men talking, laughing, and drinking coffee together in Saudi Arabia are probably gay lovers who are secretly married? Saudi Arabia is there something we should now?
It is absolutely asinine for a Muslim country to display such intolerance when Muslims around the world are screaming that they are discriminated against in other countries. Per the Saudi information website:
"It is the fundamental assumption of the polity of Saudi Arabia that the Holy Qur'an is more suitable for Saudi Muslims than any secular constitution. This assumption must be viewed in the context of a nation which is completely Islamic. Hence, no churches, synagogues, temples or shrines of other religions exist. No proselytizing by other faiths is allowed. The entire Saudi population is Muslim; the only non-Muslims in the country are expatriates engaged in diplomacy, technical assistance or international commerce."
So, we are talking about a country that doesn't even allow other religions to freely practice. My parents lived in Saudi Arabia for several years and despite the fact that they were there in an official capacity for the United States of America my mom was still worried that her Christian books and such would not make it through Saudi customs. Yet, Muslims around the world want to ensure that their right to practice Islam is not impinged upon. How about some reciprocity? I think it would be great if Saudi Arabia allowed Christianity to come into their country. Hey, if they are so sure that Islam is the only true religion, I am sure they wouldn't mind Ravi Zacharias to come hold a few question and answer sessions in the kingdom. I have a feeling Ravi Zacharias would be the living embodiment of all that the CPVPV fears.
One need not look far to see the absolutely lunacy of Muslims today. How about the fact that Muslims around the world protested a few cartoons featuring "the prophet Muhammad". While some clerics took it a step towards "crazy" and issued fatwas calling for the death of the cartoonist. I don't know about you but this doesn't sound like behavior of people following a religion of tolerance to me.
I think Saudi Arabia and Islam is in serious trouble. When a country and a religion are ruled by naive and intolerant individuals, only trouble can follow. I am all for religious freedom in the United States, but I honestly believe Islam and especially radical Islam poses a clear and present danger to the very freedoms that we currently enjoy in the United States. Now I am not worried about the United States being taken over by Muslims...let's be honest that just isn't going to fly in the US of A. As long as some tough American men still have their guns no one is going to take over the United States and certainly Muhammad is never going to be on the back of a U.S. dollar. But, I do think that the spread of Islam is a serious concern to our interests around the world and we need to be extremly vigilant about what is going on in the world of Islam and in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia.
Bottom-line if Saudi Arabia wants to arrest men and women for having a coffee together then I think it is about time that the American government and American businesses take some action. I personally think Starbucks should pull completely out of the kingdom and the U.S. government should seriously consider what we are doing for Saudi Arabia. If we are all about promoting freedom and democracy around the world - then we should start with Saudi Arabia.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Just Words...
“Don’t tell me words don’t matter, 'I have a dream.' Just words? ‘We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.’ Just words? ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words? Just speeches?" These were the words Barack Obama "borrowed" from Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, who spoke the same words in 2006 as he was campaigning.
Now, as most of you know; I am a conservative and I find the "socialistic" notions of Obama and Clinton utterly repugnant on multiple levels. Universal health care...great notion...but, seriously has this worked for any country? Not at all, you only have to look at Europe. Virtually every nation in the E.U. has universal health care and when talking with citizens from these country they all say the health care systems are absolutely horrendous. It still boils down to the fact that if you have more money you have more choices. Do, I have statistics and figures to support this...no, but I have talked to folks from all over and they all say the same thing...bad idea. Now, the United States has approximately one quarter of the population on some sort of government sponsored health care system and it doesn't work. What makes these brilliant politicians think that the U.S. government can effectively control a system that would cover all of the U.S. when they cannot effectively do so now? Needless to say...I think it is absolutely absurd. If you want a democratic free country and an effective economy you have to let the free market work and that includes health care. Some may go without...unfortunately that is life. Last time I looked there wasn't a Porsche 911 GT3 in my garage and no matter how much I think I deserve one or how much someone tells me I deserve one...I still don't have one...because I can't afford one.
So, back to the speech. Some (Obama supporters) may say that folks are making a big deal out of nothing. I on the other hand think this is absolutely symbolic of Obama and is a telling sign of what his presidency would be like. Obama had the following remarks when asked if he should have credited the governor, "I’m sure I should have. Didn’t this time.” What an idiot..."I'm sure I should have"...are you kidding me? He should have simply answered, "yes, I should have and I apologize to Governor Patrick and to the American people for passing of another's words for my own." I don't have a problem with Obama using someone else's words...I mean let's be honest speech writers write most of the speeches we hear. However, if you are going to "copy" someone else's speech without saying so...that is just stupid. That would have been the same if Obama started his speech with "I have a dream" and tried to pass it off as his own.
I am sure Obama is a great guy...probably someone I would love to have a good political chit-chat with and share a beer or two; however, as the President of the United States, I think he would be extremly bad for this country.
His continued grandiose slip-ups and contempt he shows when someone questions him are telling of an individual who is in over his head. Obama has zero executive experience (just like Hillary) and to be the Chief Executive of the United States of America requires a bit more experience than a little litigation and a few years in the Senate. Being the head of the largest economic force in the world, being Commander In Chief of the most powerful fighting force in the world, and being responsible for hundreds of millions of people requires some serious executive experience and sound decision making skills. Skills I believe that are missing in Obama as evident by his latest "error". The President of the United States cannot say "I’m sure I should have. Didn’t this time" when literally the United States may be resting on his/her shoulders.
Now, as most of you know; I am a conservative and I find the "socialistic" notions of Obama and Clinton utterly repugnant on multiple levels. Universal health care...great notion...but, seriously has this worked for any country? Not at all, you only have to look at Europe. Virtually every nation in the E.U. has universal health care and when talking with citizens from these country they all say the health care systems are absolutely horrendous. It still boils down to the fact that if you have more money you have more choices. Do, I have statistics and figures to support this...no, but I have talked to folks from all over and they all say the same thing...bad idea. Now, the United States has approximately one quarter of the population on some sort of government sponsored health care system and it doesn't work. What makes these brilliant politicians think that the U.S. government can effectively control a system that would cover all of the U.S. when they cannot effectively do so now? Needless to say...I think it is absolutely absurd. If you want a democratic free country and an effective economy you have to let the free market work and that includes health care. Some may go without...unfortunately that is life. Last time I looked there wasn't a Porsche 911 GT3 in my garage and no matter how much I think I deserve one or how much someone tells me I deserve one...I still don't have one...because I can't afford one.
So, back to the speech. Some (Obama supporters) may say that folks are making a big deal out of nothing. I on the other hand think this is absolutely symbolic of Obama and is a telling sign of what his presidency would be like. Obama had the following remarks when asked if he should have credited the governor, "I’m sure I should have. Didn’t this time.” What an idiot..."I'm sure I should have"...are you kidding me? He should have simply answered, "yes, I should have and I apologize to Governor Patrick and to the American people for passing of another's words for my own." I don't have a problem with Obama using someone else's words...I mean let's be honest speech writers write most of the speeches we hear. However, if you are going to "copy" someone else's speech without saying so...that is just stupid. That would have been the same if Obama started his speech with "I have a dream" and tried to pass it off as his own.
I am sure Obama is a great guy...probably someone I would love to have a good political chit-chat with and share a beer or two; however, as the President of the United States, I think he would be extremly bad for this country.
His continued grandiose slip-ups and contempt he shows when someone questions him are telling of an individual who is in over his head. Obama has zero executive experience (just like Hillary) and to be the Chief Executive of the United States of America requires a bit more experience than a little litigation and a few years in the Senate. Being the head of the largest economic force in the world, being Commander In Chief of the most powerful fighting force in the world, and being responsible for hundreds of millions of people requires some serious executive experience and sound decision making skills. Skills I believe that are missing in Obama as evident by his latest "error". The President of the United States cannot say "I’m sure I should have. Didn’t this time" when literally the United States may be resting on his/her shoulders.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Shenzhen...Again...
Well, it is that time again...Shenzhen time. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to cross the border (in Hong Kong) and travel over to the PRC's closest city...I will give you a rundown on what Shenzhen is and is not. Shenzhen is a bustling city...it is relatively new as a lot of business and commerce has exploded in the last few years. You can probably get anything and everything manufactured here and you can probably buy anything that you want (real or fake). It is definitely an eclectic city as it is a migratory city with tons of "workers" from the rest of the country working in the thousands of factories that dot Shenzhen and the surrounding cities. If it is made in China...a safe bet is that part of it was made in Shenzhen. What it is not is a vacation destination or a relaxing place. This is the home of hustle and bustle. This is the one place where a local "driver" can actually get lost...can you imagine that. Can you imagine me directing a local Chinese person in China...it has happened. Shenzhen is also a place where you can see the transformation of an economy and the beginning of a middle class. If you think China you probably are not thinking of Mercedes and Lexus cars filling the roads. Well, come to Shenzhen and that is what you will see...here China's newly rich are not afraid to spend. You can head to the luxury stores...Zegna, Dunhill, etc. and get the latest designer offerings. You can also head to one of the many "fake goods markets" and get nearly the identical thing at a fraction of the price...I myself am not a large fan of fake goods...but...to each their own. So, we are here on a project for the next few weeks; which means that I have to travel across the border a few times a week...also an interesting experience. The contrast between Hong Kong and China is apparent as you cross the border. I do have to say though Shenzhen is not a bad place. The Intercontinental Hotel is a great hotel and I have to say it ranks up there. Shenzhen...not a bad place to spend a week but...not a great place either.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day and the vacation is over...
Well, the vacation is over. Randi and I arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday a little bit before noon and nothing says "vacation over" like immediately heading back to work. I dropped Randi off at her office and then I headed to mine...sounds fun...right?
Well, Randi is officially a certified PADI Open Water Diver and I completed my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification as well. Here is a quick picture of Randi after one of her dives...doesn't she look like a professional after a long day in the water
We had a blast in Boracay and it was difficult to come back; however, it was also nice to come back. It is always good to sleep in your own bed and we were both missing Henry a bit. To say that Henry was excited to see us, would be an enormous understatement. I have not seen that dog shake so violently with excitement in a long time, if ever. I was scared that his butt was going to come off. He spent a solid 20 minutes running around, shaking his butt, and bringing various toys to us to play with. He was definitely excited.
I don't really know the best way to wrap-up or final days in Boracay...other than to say they were fantastic. Randi ended up doing about four dives and I ended up doing a total of eight dives. To be honest I was actually a little tired after the final day of diving.
I started the day (11th) with an awesome deep water dive off of Boracay at a site called Yapak II. This was an absolutely incredible dive to say the least. I have to admit I was actually a little nervous/excited about this dive before hand. the dive was scheduled for a total of four people - two divemasters and two divers. Due to the fairly technical nature of the dive it was a recommended one-to-one dive...at least for the first time...by technical I mean: negative-entry, deep water (in excess of 33 meters), navigation (compass), and strong current. Additionally, it was a shark dive with the opportunity to see some whitetip reef sharks. So, you add all that up and I was experiencing a little bit of the nerves and a bunch of excitement. Randi will tell you if there is a little danger involved and a lot of unknown...I will be the first to jump in (in this case literally). So, the other diver and one of the divemasters didn't show up for the 7:30am dive which left Jeco (the other dive master) and me for the dive. To add to the excitement it was really windy and the waves were actually fairly large as we motored out to the dive site. The waves were actually in the 3 to 5 foot range which is actually pretty large. The New Wave Divers (the awesome diving company we picked) website has the following description for the dive:
Start Depth: 30 meters
Maximum Depth: 40 meters
Rating: *****
Description: Yapak 1 and 2 are actually two separate walls which begin at 30 meters and drop down to 70 meters. The most famous of Boracay’s dive sites, close encounters with white tip and grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, groupers, napoleon wrasses and giant trevallies are common. Surface conditions can be rough, and therefore a negative entry is often required, followed by a spectacular blue-water descent.
So, the "idea" behind this dive is that you do a negative entry (because of the waves and current) and meet up under water around 5 meters. Then you find your bearing (compass) as you are in deep blue water (100 meters) and then you swim with the current while descending down to around 33 to 35 meters - where if you were dropped off in the right location and found your bearing you end up on an awesome wall that slopes slowly up to the island. You then swim along the wall and get to take in the whole experience. Jeco pretty much described it as "God's Theater". He also stated that this was his favorite dive...it is now mine as well.
So, by the time we got to the dive site; I was pretty much pumped up for the dive. We donned our gear, deflated our BCDs (since we needed to do a negative entry) and got wet. Just going into the water was awesome as it was a deep blue and you are literally surrounded by water with nothing but blue water all around you. It was the definition of a blue-water descent. Jeco and I met up at 5 meters and then we headed down while checking our bearing and direction of descent every 5 meters or so. As we approached 30 meters it was as if the world just opened up. Suddenly the wall came into view and thousands of fish were everywhere. We headed to the wall and basically perched ourselves at the edge of a drop-off (down to 70 meters) and sat there just watching the fish for a bit. It was awesome. Due to the depth our bottom-time was limited. So, after about five minutes we just started to drift along the wall taking in the sites as spectators to God's awesome underwater creation. We saw baby sharks, tuna, and just about a hundred different kinds of fish. It was incredible. As our No Decompression Limits (NDL) got closer and closer we slowly swam up the wall a little bit more to extend our bottom time. Unfortunately our NDL came and we had to ascend up to our 5 meter safety stop depth. Ascending was pretty spectacular as well...as you slowly left the underwater world and were again surrounded by just deep blue water...it was as if the doors to the theater had just been shut. After our safety stop we surfaced and tried to find our boat; as the current is pretty strong we ended up probably 300 meters away from the boat. We signaled the boat and they made their way over to us. just sitting in the water waiting on the boat was pretty cool as well...as you are just floating on the surface...hanging out and you really realize how small we are and how large the oceans are. Very cool. Well, since the seas were pretty rough Jeco told me be prepared to grab onto the boat. So, the boat motored in on us and due to the swells it was pretty challenging to grab onto the grab ropes but, we made it. We got our gear off while attempting to avoid being bashed up against the side of the boat and climbed on board. All in all I have to say it was an awesome dive and definitely an experience that I would like to repeat. So, for those of you who dive and those of you who want to...get certified and come over to Hong Kong. We will take a two day trip over to Boracay and get a few dives in and we will definitely hit Yapak.
Randi and I spent our final night in Boracay at Cafe Del Mar...the same place we started our vacation. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset and we totally relaxed as we reflected on our first true vacation as a married couple. I've attached a few pictures of our final sunset...I have done absolutely nothing to these pictures.
With a nice lantern on our table we enjoyed the final moments of the evening in full Technicolor.
So, we are back in Hong Kong and glad to be back although we will miss Boracay...and definitely the warmer tropical weather. Last night we found out that Randi's parents are going to come visit in April so, that will be fun. If you are planning to come visit us, remember that our two years is up in February of 2009...so plan your trips now.
Well, Randi is officially a certified PADI Open Water Diver and I completed my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification as well. Here is a quick picture of Randi after one of her dives...doesn't she look like a professional after a long day in the water
We had a blast in Boracay and it was difficult to come back; however, it was also nice to come back. It is always good to sleep in your own bed and we were both missing Henry a bit. To say that Henry was excited to see us, would be an enormous understatement. I have not seen that dog shake so violently with excitement in a long time, if ever. I was scared that his butt was going to come off. He spent a solid 20 minutes running around, shaking his butt, and bringing various toys to us to play with. He was definitely excited.
I don't really know the best way to wrap-up or final days in Boracay...other than to say they were fantastic. Randi ended up doing about four dives and I ended up doing a total of eight dives. To be honest I was actually a little tired after the final day of diving.
I started the day (11th) with an awesome deep water dive off of Boracay at a site called Yapak II. This was an absolutely incredible dive to say the least. I have to admit I was actually a little nervous/excited about this dive before hand. the dive was scheduled for a total of four people - two divemasters and two divers. Due to the fairly technical nature of the dive it was a recommended one-to-one dive...at least for the first time...by technical I mean: negative-entry, deep water (in excess of 33 meters), navigation (compass), and strong current. Additionally, it was a shark dive with the opportunity to see some whitetip reef sharks. So, you add all that up and I was experiencing a little bit of the nerves and a bunch of excitement. Randi will tell you if there is a little danger involved and a lot of unknown...I will be the first to jump in (in this case literally). So, the other diver and one of the divemasters didn't show up for the 7:30am dive which left Jeco (the other dive master) and me for the dive. To add to the excitement it was really windy and the waves were actually fairly large as we motored out to the dive site. The waves were actually in the 3 to 5 foot range which is actually pretty large. The New Wave Divers (the awesome diving company we picked) website has the following description for the dive:
Start Depth: 30 meters
Maximum Depth: 40 meters
Rating: *****
Description: Yapak 1 and 2 are actually two separate walls which begin at 30 meters and drop down to 70 meters. The most famous of Boracay’s dive sites, close encounters with white tip and grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, groupers, napoleon wrasses and giant trevallies are common. Surface conditions can be rough, and therefore a negative entry is often required, followed by a spectacular blue-water descent.
So, the "idea" behind this dive is that you do a negative entry (because of the waves and current) and meet up under water around 5 meters. Then you find your bearing (compass) as you are in deep blue water (100 meters) and then you swim with the current while descending down to around 33 to 35 meters - where if you were dropped off in the right location and found your bearing you end up on an awesome wall that slopes slowly up to the island. You then swim along the wall and get to take in the whole experience. Jeco pretty much described it as "God's Theater". He also stated that this was his favorite dive...it is now mine as well.
So, by the time we got to the dive site; I was pretty much pumped up for the dive. We donned our gear, deflated our BCDs (since we needed to do a negative entry) and got wet. Just going into the water was awesome as it was a deep blue and you are literally surrounded by water with nothing but blue water all around you. It was the definition of a blue-water descent. Jeco and I met up at 5 meters and then we headed down while checking our bearing and direction of descent every 5 meters or so. As we approached 30 meters it was as if the world just opened up. Suddenly the wall came into view and thousands of fish were everywhere. We headed to the wall and basically perched ourselves at the edge of a drop-off (down to 70 meters) and sat there just watching the fish for a bit. It was awesome. Due to the depth our bottom-time was limited. So, after about five minutes we just started to drift along the wall taking in the sites as spectators to God's awesome underwater creation. We saw baby sharks, tuna, and just about a hundred different kinds of fish. It was incredible. As our No Decompression Limits (NDL) got closer and closer we slowly swam up the wall a little bit more to extend our bottom time. Unfortunately our NDL came and we had to ascend up to our 5 meter safety stop depth. Ascending was pretty spectacular as well...as you slowly left the underwater world and were again surrounded by just deep blue water...it was as if the doors to the theater had just been shut. After our safety stop we surfaced and tried to find our boat; as the current is pretty strong we ended up probably 300 meters away from the boat. We signaled the boat and they made their way over to us. just sitting in the water waiting on the boat was pretty cool as well...as you are just floating on the surface...hanging out and you really realize how small we are and how large the oceans are. Very cool. Well, since the seas were pretty rough Jeco told me be prepared to grab onto the boat. So, the boat motored in on us and due to the swells it was pretty challenging to grab onto the grab ropes but, we made it. We got our gear off while attempting to avoid being bashed up against the side of the boat and climbed on board. All in all I have to say it was an awesome dive and definitely an experience that I would like to repeat. So, for those of you who dive and those of you who want to...get certified and come over to Hong Kong. We will take a two day trip over to Boracay and get a few dives in and we will definitely hit Yapak.
Randi and I spent our final night in Boracay at Cafe Del Mar...the same place we started our vacation. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset and we totally relaxed as we reflected on our first true vacation as a married couple. I've attached a few pictures of our final sunset...I have done absolutely nothing to these pictures.
As the sun slowly set, the small sailboats sailing along the beach made for a truly remarkable scene.
After the sun had finally set; the sky really became an absolutely beautiful canvas.
With a nice lantern on our table we enjoyed the final moments of the evening in full Technicolor.
So, we are back in Hong Kong and glad to be back although we will miss Boracay...and definitely the warmer tropical weather. Last night we found out that Randi's parents are going to come visit in April so, that will be fun. If you are planning to come visit us, remember that our two years is up in February of 2009...so plan your trips now.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Are you for scuba?
I cannot help of thinking about the movie Along Came Polly every time I think about scuba diving. Who cannot laugh at Claude's line in the movie..."are you for scuba?". Well, Randi and I are for scuba. Today has been a great in Boracay. Randi is into her first day of getting certified as a PADI Open Water Diver and I am into my first day of getting qualified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver.
Randi hit the water for the first time and is in the process of practicing the technical aspects of diving. According to her all is well except for the mask clearing exercise. Apparently that is not going that well...but, she is plugging away and I am sure she will master it in the short run. Tomorrow, Randi will get to do her first true dive and she is looking forward to it with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. I think, as most people initially are, she is a little nervous about going into a different world where you are the guest. I have to say I can remember my first dive and I recall the apprehension that I felt for a brief second before another world was literally opened up. I think since Matt (my brother) and I spent so much time around the water (pools, lakes, oceans, etc.) we were probably a little more acclimated to the underwater world than most. I do have to say that I am proud of Randi for her adventurous spirit...which we all know she has...after all she did marry me.
I had an awesome day. The Advanced Open Water Diver course is basically the next stage for progressing with your diving skills. Basically you start to experience more advanced dive types. Today I did two dives and tomorrow I have three more. Today I started with a standard dive around Crocodile Rock (a small island off of the coast of Boracay); the first dive is basically to get use to the local buoyancy (all water is different - salinity) and for the instructor to get comfortable with you and vice-versa. The second dive was awesome...I did a night dive. Wow, being underwater is one thing; being underwater at night is an entirely different thing. Half of your senses are useless. All you really have is a limited visual sense (the flashlight beam) and your hearing. I was amazed at how much I could hear...everything from the water rushing around coral to a boat engine on the surface and the changes in engine speed. Very cool.
We did a beach entrance for the night dive and the instructor and I just headed out and went exploring for almost an hour (57 minutes to be exact). I really noticed that I sucked a lot less air than I normally do. After almost an hour underwater I had only sucked down roughly a third of my tank. I have to say it was actually very relaxing. I know a lot of you will think that it is crazy to dive...much less at night...with all those man eating sharks out there. But, let's be honest you have a hire chance of dying while walking your dog than you do of scuba diving. Some research shows that the actual risk of dying while scuba diving (from anything and everything) is 1:200,000. That means it is safer than driving your car to work every morning. So, that raises a very interesting question...why is scuba diving in the same column of "dangerous" activities as professional race car driver on most life insurance application. Anyway, back to diving at night...it is super cool and you see a lot of stuff you normally don't see. We saw octopus, shrimp, all sorts of fish, sea snakes, and a bunch of other really cool stuff...I hate to say it but, no man eating sharks...darn. I have to admit I was hoping (seriously) that as I swept my light beam I would catch a glimpse of a shark in the distance. Supposedly there are some sharks in the area...but, the Philippines are mostly known for their whale sharks. Unfortunately we are not in the area for a possible sighting. The best we can hope for are some little reef sharks.
Tomorrow I will get the chance to do a deep water dive (30 meters), a navigation dive, and then a wreck dive. I am really looking forward to the wreck dive as I think that will be really neat. I will also probably join Randi on a few of her dives...mostly for support...but, also because the diving here is awesome and I want to get as many dives in as I can.
Well, beside the diving (which occupied the entire day) we had a nice night. After my night dive we headed to the center of Boracay "d'mall". The "d'mall" is filled with restaurants and shops. We ate at an excellent Italian restaurant and were able to listen to an awesome percussion band playing next door...complete with fire dancers. Very tribal and very cool.
That is all from Boracay; we hope all of you are safe and sound.
Randi hit the water for the first time and is in the process of practicing the technical aspects of diving. According to her all is well except for the mask clearing exercise. Apparently that is not going that well...but, she is plugging away and I am sure she will master it in the short run. Tomorrow, Randi will get to do her first true dive and she is looking forward to it with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. I think, as most people initially are, she is a little nervous about going into a different world where you are the guest. I have to say I can remember my first dive and I recall the apprehension that I felt for a brief second before another world was literally opened up. I think since Matt (my brother) and I spent so much time around the water (pools, lakes, oceans, etc.) we were probably a little more acclimated to the underwater world than most. I do have to say that I am proud of Randi for her adventurous spirit...which we all know she has...after all she did marry me.
I had an awesome day. The Advanced Open Water Diver course is basically the next stage for progressing with your diving skills. Basically you start to experience more advanced dive types. Today I did two dives and tomorrow I have three more. Today I started with a standard dive around Crocodile Rock (a small island off of the coast of Boracay); the first dive is basically to get use to the local buoyancy (all water is different - salinity) and for the instructor to get comfortable with you and vice-versa. The second dive was awesome...I did a night dive. Wow, being underwater is one thing; being underwater at night is an entirely different thing. Half of your senses are useless. All you really have is a limited visual sense (the flashlight beam) and your hearing. I was amazed at how much I could hear...everything from the water rushing around coral to a boat engine on the surface and the changes in engine speed. Very cool.
We did a beach entrance for the night dive and the instructor and I just headed out and went exploring for almost an hour (57 minutes to be exact). I really noticed that I sucked a lot less air than I normally do. After almost an hour underwater I had only sucked down roughly a third of my tank. I have to say it was actually very relaxing. I know a lot of you will think that it is crazy to dive...much less at night...with all those man eating sharks out there. But, let's be honest you have a hire chance of dying while walking your dog than you do of scuba diving. Some research shows that the actual risk of dying while scuba diving (from anything and everything) is 1:200,000. That means it is safer than driving your car to work every morning. So, that raises a very interesting question...why is scuba diving in the same column of "dangerous" activities as professional race car driver on most life insurance application. Anyway, back to diving at night...it is super cool and you see a lot of stuff you normally don't see. We saw octopus, shrimp, all sorts of fish, sea snakes, and a bunch of other really cool stuff...I hate to say it but, no man eating sharks...darn. I have to admit I was hoping (seriously) that as I swept my light beam I would catch a glimpse of a shark in the distance. Supposedly there are some sharks in the area...but, the Philippines are mostly known for their whale sharks. Unfortunately we are not in the area for a possible sighting. The best we can hope for are some little reef sharks.
Tomorrow I will get the chance to do a deep water dive (30 meters), a navigation dive, and then a wreck dive. I am really looking forward to the wreck dive as I think that will be really neat. I will also probably join Randi on a few of her dives...mostly for support...but, also because the diving here is awesome and I want to get as many dives in as I can.
Well, beside the diving (which occupied the entire day) we had a nice night. After my night dive we headed to the center of Boracay "d'mall". The "d'mall" is filled with restaurants and shops. We ate at an excellent Italian restaurant and were able to listen to an awesome percussion band playing next door...complete with fire dancers. Very tribal and very cool.
That is all from Boracay; we hope all of you are safe and sound.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Boracay...dare I say Paradise???
Well...Randi and I are in Boracay and it sounds like it is a much better place to be than Memphis right now. We hope that all of our friends and family, in the greater Memphis area and Tennessee, are safe and sound after yesterday's severe weather. Our thoughts and our prayers will be with those who lost loved ones, who were injured, suffered damage, and/or experienced the tornadoes.
Meanwhile in the tropical island of Boracay all is well. Randi and I left Hong Kong yesterday morning via Cathay Pacific. Unfortunately we did not leave exactly on time. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 0805 in the morning; however we actually took off closer to 1000. Once we were all boarded on the aircraft (it never happens before you board) a "fuel pump" indicator issue arouse. This resulted in the mechanics having to replace a fuel pump on one of the engines. Now, don't get me wrong when you are about to travel several hundred miles over the South China Sea...you definitely want all of your fuel pumps working. But, let's be honest...why do these problems always crop up once you are on the airplane when there is no where to go? So, needless to say Randi and I sat in our economy seats for almost two hours on the tarmac (at the gate) in Hong Kong before heading off to the Philippines. This would normally not have been an issue; however, we had to catch a puddle-jumper to Caticlan so we could then catch a boat to Boracay. So, the late departure threw our original flight to Caticlan right out the window. I have to give credit to Randi and I both, as we were extremly calm and not worried...we just figured we aren't in Hong Kong and we will surely make it to Boracay eventually.
Well, we finally took off and had a safe flight to the Philippines. Once in the Philippines we had to go from the international terminal to the domestic terminal at the Manila International Airport (Ninoy Aquino International Airport - MNL) which, is an experience by itself. Here is a quick briefing for those of you who may be tempted to visit one of the smaller islands in the Philippines...highly recommended by the way.
(1.) You have to fly into MNL from wherever you are departing; this is the easiest step.
(2.) Once you land and deplane you have to make your way to immigration. You will stand in a long line looking at two flat screen televisions that continually say "Welcome to the Philippines" while sweating like a woman with questionable morals attending a Southern Baptist Church service in a bikini.
(3.) You've made it through immigration (no visa required) and you will find yourself in one of the most chaotic baggage collection areas you may ever see. Now, Randi and I decided to go carry-on so we skipped this part. Let's be honest if you have to check luggage for a trip to the beach you packed way too much stuff. All you need are some bathing suits, a couple of t-shirts, maybe one "dressy" outfit, some sandals, sunscreen, a toothbrush, and some toothpaste. Everything else is fluff. Randi and I both packed enough for a full week into two very small carry-on rollers. So, if Randi can do it you can too. I also have to say I was very proud of Randi for packing so little and for packing so quickly (under an hour). Back to our guide of surviving MNL.
(4.) You have your bags (checked or unchecked - congratulate yourself) and now you will make your way outside and decide on your mode of transport.
(5.) Option 1 - Taxi: You step outside into a hot, humid oven and you are immediately "propositioned" by taxi drivers. These are supposedly the unregistered guys - so steer clear. You want to take a "registered" taxi so, you have to cross the pick-up lane and you will clearly see a labeled registered taxi stand (look for the "taxi qeue". You proceed into the stand tell the guy behind the counter where you want to go and you will get a registered "slip". You need to take that "slip" outside and then you get into a qeue (line) and wait for a taxi. When it is your turn you hand the "slip" to the driver and you are off like a dirty shirt.
(5.) Option 2 - Airport Shuttle: You step outside into the same hot, humid oven but, you do not cross the pick-up lane; instead you head to your right and go to the "airport shuttle" holding area. Now, this is not a "special" area by any chance, there are some blue chairs and a large yellow handicapped parking square painted on the lane and a sign that says "airport shuttle". There are also some official baggage handlers with their blue numbered shirts. Here you will sort of form a qeue (line) and wait for a shuttle. Once the shuttle arrives you will pile in (you may climb over some pre-loaded luggage) and attempt to find a seat, a place to stand, or a good solid piece of luggage to sit on.
(6.) You head towards the domestic terminal through streets that are packed with cars and drivers who choose to ignore those pesky lane dividers. I have driven in some crazy places in my life and this is probably in the top ten. Like many places, you make your own traffic rules.
(7.) You have arrived in one piece, so say a quick "thank-you prayer", approximately 30 minutes to an hour after you have landed.
Now, once you are at the domestic terminal the fun really begins. It looks like you are stepping into chaos and in reality you actually are. You now need to find the ticketing office of the airline (I use that term rather loosely) that you are flying to the outer islands. You will have to purchase your ticket (cash or credit card) as most of the smaller airlines do not let you pre-pay for the ticket. You can pre-book but you can't pre-pay. Don't ask me...I just work here. Anyway, the domestic terminal is a bit crazy; there are a lot of armed security guards (all friendly) and a lot of little airlines (Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit, South East Asian Airlines, etc.). Randi and I flew Asian Spirit and it was actually a great experience. There is a good bit of security and you will pass through three security checks. The first check is just to get into the terminal, you have to show the guards your passport and your ticket. Once you are inside the men are separated from the women...seriously there are separate security lines. You will proceed down your line (hopefully, I don't have to tell you which one) and have your luggage searched and you will more than likely be physically searched. Remember, that it is best to be the happy foreigner that is wearing a big smile and have fun with all of this...as it is for your safety. I think Abu-Sayyaf is still a big problem in the Philippines but, not big enough that you should be discouraged from visiting. After the first security check you are in the "terminal" where you need to find the hand written sign with your flight and airline on it. Here you will have your baggage weighed and checked for boarding (only one small carry-on). I believe the luggage limit on the smaller flights is 10kg or 22lbs so make sure you go light or be prepared to pay for the extra weight. They will tag your bag with a very small tag (no fancy labels here) and it will disappear into the depths of the domestic terminal. You will also notice that the Philippines apparently has no OSHA. We saw people (workers) crawling over belts, riding the belts, crawling into the baggage holes and a whole lot more. If you could take pictures in here...you would have some great ones. Next you have to pay the airport tax so, you take your tickets to one of the four tax booths and you pay your 200 peso tax per person. Now that you have paid for the privilege of the domestic terminal experience you head to another security check. Here boys and girls get to stick together. Your luggage is checked again and you are probably physically searched again, just in case you decided to grab a little kid and tuck him into your pants while checking your baggage and getting your boarding pass. Hopefully you make it through security and then you make your way into the gate area and by "area" I mean a large room filled with a ton of people and about four "gates" (which are really more like doors). Now, surprisingly most folks are pretty happy as they are probably going on vacation or are returning home to visit friends and family...there are no grumpy business travelers here folks. Once in the gate area you are going to need to find your "gate" and you will need to pay attention to the boarding times as I did not hear any boarding calls. I think you need to pay close attention and make sure you head to your "gate" at the appropriate time or you could be swimming to the outer islands. There are no jetways here, you pretty much head out a door...errr...I mean gate...onto a working and busy tarmac...so, keep your head on a swivel. Prior to heading out to the tarmac you may be searched again; I think this is for the shady looking people...also known as my friends. The airline staff will point to your airplane and you just kind of head towards it while dodging luggage carts, airplanes, fuel trucks, and other passengers.
Randi and I had a pretty good experience through all of this. Since our Cathay flight was late taking off we were late (as in missed) for our booked flight on Asian Spirit to Caticlan. Once we got to the Asian Spirit office we told the friendly agents what had happened and that we really wanted to get to Boracay ASAP. They re-booked us on the same flight for the following day as they informed us that the remaining five flights for the day were all booked. At this point we just figured that we would spend a night in Manila...no harm no foul. Once we were all booked for the following day one of the friendly agents (Neil) told us that we could probably fly stand-by on one of the flights later that day if we were lucky. We paid for our tickets and then he headed into the terminal with us and told us that he would do his best to get us on the next flight. Our original flight was at 1300 and he was going to try and get us on the 1330 flight...it doesn't get better than that. Anyway, he rushed us through the check-in procedures and maintained contact with someone on a radio the whole time. I am assuming that he was talking to the gate agent...as we were the last two to board the airplane and as soon as we were on the stairs were literally being rolled away.
So, after a late flight and an interesting experience making it to and through the domestic terminal we were airborne and headed to Caticlan on a short thirty minute flight. The best part of the flight was this little Asian kid who was probably four or five who kept saying "this guy doesn't want to wait". I guess he was as ready for a vacation as Randi and I. On the flight in you really get to see the beauty of the Philippine islands and the beautiful waters that surround them. The islands have awesome stretches of beaches and the water is a deep emerald blue. Absolutely amazing.
Landing in Caticlan was great...nothing like a short landing on a rough but paved airstrip. Once on Caticlan you basically get handled by your hotel greeter who gets your baggage and gets you in a van for the short lift over to the boats. You will wade out into the water and climb aboard the boat. Your luggage will safely be carried above the heads of the boat guys and handlers...so, you need not worry about wet clothes. Albeit, you may want to pack light not only for the 10kg limit but, also to make sure your luggage is not inadvertently dropped into the ocean. So, the key here is wear pants that you can either roll-up or just wear shorts and make sure you can easily slip your choice of shoes off or that they are amiable to getting wet.
Randi and I enjoyed a pleasant boat ride to Boracay. Seeing the deep blue water and being able to see the bottom (even though it was extremly deep) is such a contrast to the polluted brown waters surrounding Hong Kong. Once on Boracay our luggage was again handled by some porters and we were ushered into a small open back vehicle for the short ride to our hotel. The ride was awesome, nothing like cruising through tiny streets and getting to see the locals. Boracay is a neat place, if you are looking for an exotic five star lush escape...this is probably not your place. But, if you are looking for pristine beaches, local flavor, and an extremly relaxing atmosphere this is your place. There is even a golf course on the island. Apparently, the island was without electricity until the early 90's, so we are not talking state of the art. The first "resort" is currently being built by the Shangri-La and I am sure more resorts will come in after the first doors are opened there. Right now the island is dotted with small beach front resorts, mom and pop shops, local restaurants and beautiful white powder beaches...beaches with sand that is the consistency of ground cinnamon. Yes, the sand really is that powdery. Apparently that is why Boracay is always in the top ten best beaches...no matter who ranks them. This place is great.
Randi and I got into Boracay around 3:00pm yesterday and made our way to our hotel. We decided to stay at a little boutique hotel, named One Crescent Place, that is off of the beaten path. It had great reviews from www.tripadvisor.com and we really liked the idea of a little hotel with a bit more of a local flavor. We have been nothing but pleased with the hotel thus far. With only fourteen rooms you definitely get personalized service. The front desk attendant even walked us to the beach (literally less than 2 minutes) and pointed stuff out for us. Great service. Everything that we are wanting to do; they will arrange. They actually care about the service that you receive - not only from their hotel, but on the island. We have even met the owner's sister who lives in Hong Kong...a small world. The hotel room is great; stylish in a minimalist sort of way. Very comfortable with ceiling fans, air conditioning, a super clean bathroom, and great lighting...even the bed is comfortable. We are on the second floor and overlook some small local houses complete with crowing roosters in the morning. We really like the place.
Last night we walked on the beach and found a Cafe Del Mar; which is known for their great music. We sat on the beach around a small little table and watched a beautiful sunset while eating fresh seafood and sipping on delicious local calamansi juice with the smooth tunes of Cafe Del Mar playing in the background. It was absolutely relaxing and Randi and I just enjoyed the moment. After dinner we explored the beach area a little more (there really is nothing off of the beach) and spotted a few restaurants that we are going to try in the coming days. We called it an early evening and were in bed by 2100. It was a long but relaxing day.
We started this morning with a breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast is made for you every morning (you can eat it on their wonderful patio or in your room) and this morning we chose the "American" breakfast, eggs, bacon, ham, toast, absolutely divine fresh mango, plus fresh mango juice. It was delicious and we are planning on sampling the pancakes tomorrow. After breakfast we booked snorkeling and massages and then headed out to the beach.
We explored the other end of the beach and spotted a couple nice prospective hotels/resorts for a future stay...just in case we decide to stay beach-front next time. Although, we are currently enjoying our little private oasis. After exploring the beach we headed out for snorkeling. We made our way to the snorkeling spot on the Rod-Angelo, named after the boats owner and his youngest son...by the way we are talking a very small local boat - complete with outriggers. Once at the snorkeling spot the water was crystal clear but the current was a bit strong for Randi. After feeding some beautiful fish (while snorkeling) we decided to just cruise around the island and take in the beauty of Boracay. The boat crew (Marlo and Larry) pointed out the local sites, who lived where, and what was being built where as we ventured around the island. The island is small, probably no more than a mile or two long and probably only a couple thousand meters wide, so it is pretty tiny. Even though it is small it is beautiful and surrounded by some seriously amazing water. I hope that 10 years from now it will not be ruined and turned into just another tourist spot, complete with a Hard Rock Cafe. I am not knocking the Hard Rock (OK...actually I am) but, it is the epitome of a "tourist trap" complete with poor quality food...why anyone ever goes to one to eat is absolutely beyond me. If that were to happen it would be a waste of a beautiful location and be worse for the locals who are extremly friendly and polite. By polite I mean, everyone is referred to as "sir" or "mam" in every establishment...independent of it being a restaurant, grocery store, shop, etc. It is definitely more polite than say...Memphis. I have not heard "watsh ya want" yet from any customer facing employee of any establishment we've been in.
After our excursion around the island and our attempt at snorkeling we walked the beach looking for someplace to eat lunch. We settled on a little restaurant that served pretty good Mexican food and some super sweet iced tea. We had to head back to the hotel for our massages so, lunch was pretty quick. Randi and I decided to each get an hour massage "in room" at the hotel at 1700. Sure, enough at 1700 the front desk called and said our masseuses had arrived. Are we spoiling ourselves? You bet you and so would you when an hour "in room" massage is only 400 pesos or approximately US$10.00. At that rate, we are thinking this may turn into a nightly affair.
Well, that about wraps up our first full day in Boracay...we are currently deciding on walking down to the beach and grabbing something small to eat or just calling it a night and going to bed.
Cheers from Boracay and we will keep you posted. I forgot my SD card reader in Hong Kong so I cannot download any photos and the one computer shop we found was out of stock...so you will just have to be patient.
Meanwhile in the tropical island of Boracay all is well. Randi and I left Hong Kong yesterday morning via Cathay Pacific. Unfortunately we did not leave exactly on time. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 0805 in the morning; however we actually took off closer to 1000. Once we were all boarded on the aircraft (it never happens before you board) a "fuel pump" indicator issue arouse. This resulted in the mechanics having to replace a fuel pump on one of the engines. Now, don't get me wrong when you are about to travel several hundred miles over the South China Sea...you definitely want all of your fuel pumps working. But, let's be honest...why do these problems always crop up once you are on the airplane when there is no where to go? So, needless to say Randi and I sat in our economy seats for almost two hours on the tarmac (at the gate) in Hong Kong before heading off to the Philippines. This would normally not have been an issue; however, we had to catch a puddle-jumper to Caticlan so we could then catch a boat to Boracay. So, the late departure threw our original flight to Caticlan right out the window. I have to give credit to Randi and I both, as we were extremly calm and not worried...we just figured we aren't in Hong Kong and we will surely make it to Boracay eventually.
Well, we finally took off and had a safe flight to the Philippines. Once in the Philippines we had to go from the international terminal to the domestic terminal at the Manila International Airport (Ninoy Aquino International Airport - MNL) which, is an experience by itself. Here is a quick briefing for those of you who may be tempted to visit one of the smaller islands in the Philippines...highly recommended by the way.
(1.) You have to fly into MNL from wherever you are departing; this is the easiest step.
(2.) Once you land and deplane you have to make your way to immigration. You will stand in a long line looking at two flat screen televisions that continually say "Welcome to the Philippines" while sweating like a woman with questionable morals attending a Southern Baptist Church service in a bikini.
(3.) You've made it through immigration (no visa required) and you will find yourself in one of the most chaotic baggage collection areas you may ever see. Now, Randi and I decided to go carry-on so we skipped this part. Let's be honest if you have to check luggage for a trip to the beach you packed way too much stuff. All you need are some bathing suits, a couple of t-shirts, maybe one "dressy" outfit, some sandals, sunscreen, a toothbrush, and some toothpaste. Everything else is fluff. Randi and I both packed enough for a full week into two very small carry-on rollers. So, if Randi can do it you can too. I also have to say I was very proud of Randi for packing so little and for packing so quickly (under an hour). Back to our guide of surviving MNL.
(4.) You have your bags (checked or unchecked - congratulate yourself) and now you will make your way outside and decide on your mode of transport.
(5.) Option 1 - Taxi: You step outside into a hot, humid oven and you are immediately "propositioned" by taxi drivers. These are supposedly the unregistered guys - so steer clear. You want to take a "registered" taxi so, you have to cross the pick-up lane and you will clearly see a labeled registered taxi stand (look for the "taxi qeue". You proceed into the stand tell the guy behind the counter where you want to go and you will get a registered "slip". You need to take that "slip" outside and then you get into a qeue (line) and wait for a taxi. When it is your turn you hand the "slip" to the driver and you are off like a dirty shirt.
(5.) Option 2 - Airport Shuttle: You step outside into the same hot, humid oven but, you do not cross the pick-up lane; instead you head to your right and go to the "airport shuttle" holding area. Now, this is not a "special" area by any chance, there are some blue chairs and a large yellow handicapped parking square painted on the lane and a sign that says "airport shuttle". There are also some official baggage handlers with their blue numbered shirts. Here you will sort of form a qeue (line) and wait for a shuttle. Once the shuttle arrives you will pile in (you may climb over some pre-loaded luggage) and attempt to find a seat, a place to stand, or a good solid piece of luggage to sit on.
(6.) You head towards the domestic terminal through streets that are packed with cars and drivers who choose to ignore those pesky lane dividers. I have driven in some crazy places in my life and this is probably in the top ten. Like many places, you make your own traffic rules.
(7.) You have arrived in one piece, so say a quick "thank-you prayer", approximately 30 minutes to an hour after you have landed.
Now, once you are at the domestic terminal the fun really begins. It looks like you are stepping into chaos and in reality you actually are. You now need to find the ticketing office of the airline (I use that term rather loosely) that you are flying to the outer islands. You will have to purchase your ticket (cash or credit card) as most of the smaller airlines do not let you pre-pay for the ticket. You can pre-book but you can't pre-pay. Don't ask me...I just work here. Anyway, the domestic terminal is a bit crazy; there are a lot of armed security guards (all friendly) and a lot of little airlines (Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit, South East Asian Airlines, etc.). Randi and I flew Asian Spirit and it was actually a great experience. There is a good bit of security and you will pass through three security checks. The first check is just to get into the terminal, you have to show the guards your passport and your ticket. Once you are inside the men are separated from the women...seriously there are separate security lines. You will proceed down your line (hopefully, I don't have to tell you which one) and have your luggage searched and you will more than likely be physically searched. Remember, that it is best to be the happy foreigner that is wearing a big smile and have fun with all of this...as it is for your safety. I think Abu-Sayyaf is still a big problem in the Philippines but, not big enough that you should be discouraged from visiting. After the first security check you are in the "terminal" where you need to find the hand written sign with your flight and airline on it. Here you will have your baggage weighed and checked for boarding (only one small carry-on). I believe the luggage limit on the smaller flights is 10kg or 22lbs so make sure you go light or be prepared to pay for the extra weight. They will tag your bag with a very small tag (no fancy labels here) and it will disappear into the depths of the domestic terminal. You will also notice that the Philippines apparently has no OSHA. We saw people (workers) crawling over belts, riding the belts, crawling into the baggage holes and a whole lot more. If you could take pictures in here...you would have some great ones. Next you have to pay the airport tax so, you take your tickets to one of the four tax booths and you pay your 200 peso tax per person. Now that you have paid for the privilege of the domestic terminal experience you head to another security check. Here boys and girls get to stick together. Your luggage is checked again and you are probably physically searched again, just in case you decided to grab a little kid and tuck him into your pants while checking your baggage and getting your boarding pass. Hopefully you make it through security and then you make your way into the gate area and by "area" I mean a large room filled with a ton of people and about four "gates" (which are really more like doors). Now, surprisingly most folks are pretty happy as they are probably going on vacation or are returning home to visit friends and family...there are no grumpy business travelers here folks. Once in the gate area you are going to need to find your "gate" and you will need to pay attention to the boarding times as I did not hear any boarding calls. I think you need to pay close attention and make sure you head to your "gate" at the appropriate time or you could be swimming to the outer islands. There are no jetways here, you pretty much head out a door...errr...I mean gate...onto a working and busy tarmac...so, keep your head on a swivel. Prior to heading out to the tarmac you may be searched again; I think this is for the shady looking people...also known as my friends. The airline staff will point to your airplane and you just kind of head towards it while dodging luggage carts, airplanes, fuel trucks, and other passengers.
Randi and I had a pretty good experience through all of this. Since our Cathay flight was late taking off we were late (as in missed) for our booked flight on Asian Spirit to Caticlan. Once we got to the Asian Spirit office we told the friendly agents what had happened and that we really wanted to get to Boracay ASAP. They re-booked us on the same flight for the following day as they informed us that the remaining five flights for the day were all booked. At this point we just figured that we would spend a night in Manila...no harm no foul. Once we were all booked for the following day one of the friendly agents (Neil) told us that we could probably fly stand-by on one of the flights later that day if we were lucky. We paid for our tickets and then he headed into the terminal with us and told us that he would do his best to get us on the next flight. Our original flight was at 1300 and he was going to try and get us on the 1330 flight...it doesn't get better than that. Anyway, he rushed us through the check-in procedures and maintained contact with someone on a radio the whole time. I am assuming that he was talking to the gate agent...as we were the last two to board the airplane and as soon as we were on the stairs were literally being rolled away.
So, after a late flight and an interesting experience making it to and through the domestic terminal we were airborne and headed to Caticlan on a short thirty minute flight. The best part of the flight was this little Asian kid who was probably four or five who kept saying "this guy doesn't want to wait". I guess he was as ready for a vacation as Randi and I. On the flight in you really get to see the beauty of the Philippine islands and the beautiful waters that surround them. The islands have awesome stretches of beaches and the water is a deep emerald blue. Absolutely amazing.
Landing in Caticlan was great...nothing like a short landing on a rough but paved airstrip. Once on Caticlan you basically get handled by your hotel greeter who gets your baggage and gets you in a van for the short lift over to the boats. You will wade out into the water and climb aboard the boat. Your luggage will safely be carried above the heads of the boat guys and handlers...so, you need not worry about wet clothes. Albeit, you may want to pack light not only for the 10kg limit but, also to make sure your luggage is not inadvertently dropped into the ocean. So, the key here is wear pants that you can either roll-up or just wear shorts and make sure you can easily slip your choice of shoes off or that they are amiable to getting wet.
Randi and I enjoyed a pleasant boat ride to Boracay. Seeing the deep blue water and being able to see the bottom (even though it was extremly deep) is such a contrast to the polluted brown waters surrounding Hong Kong. Once on Boracay our luggage was again handled by some porters and we were ushered into a small open back vehicle for the short ride to our hotel. The ride was awesome, nothing like cruising through tiny streets and getting to see the locals. Boracay is a neat place, if you are looking for an exotic five star lush escape...this is probably not your place. But, if you are looking for pristine beaches, local flavor, and an extremly relaxing atmosphere this is your place. There is even a golf course on the island. Apparently, the island was without electricity until the early 90's, so we are not talking state of the art. The first "resort" is currently being built by the Shangri-La and I am sure more resorts will come in after the first doors are opened there. Right now the island is dotted with small beach front resorts, mom and pop shops, local restaurants and beautiful white powder beaches...beaches with sand that is the consistency of ground cinnamon. Yes, the sand really is that powdery. Apparently that is why Boracay is always in the top ten best beaches...no matter who ranks them. This place is great.
Randi and I got into Boracay around 3:00pm yesterday and made our way to our hotel. We decided to stay at a little boutique hotel, named One Crescent Place, that is off of the beaten path. It had great reviews from www.tripadvisor.com and we really liked the idea of a little hotel with a bit more of a local flavor. We have been nothing but pleased with the hotel thus far. With only fourteen rooms you definitely get personalized service. The front desk attendant even walked us to the beach (literally less than 2 minutes) and pointed stuff out for us. Great service. Everything that we are wanting to do; they will arrange. They actually care about the service that you receive - not only from their hotel, but on the island. We have even met the owner's sister who lives in Hong Kong...a small world. The hotel room is great; stylish in a minimalist sort of way. Very comfortable with ceiling fans, air conditioning, a super clean bathroom, and great lighting...even the bed is comfortable. We are on the second floor and overlook some small local houses complete with crowing roosters in the morning. We really like the place.
Last night we walked on the beach and found a Cafe Del Mar; which is known for their great music. We sat on the beach around a small little table and watched a beautiful sunset while eating fresh seafood and sipping on delicious local calamansi juice with the smooth tunes of Cafe Del Mar playing in the background. It was absolutely relaxing and Randi and I just enjoyed the moment. After dinner we explored the beach area a little more (there really is nothing off of the beach) and spotted a few restaurants that we are going to try in the coming days. We called it an early evening and were in bed by 2100. It was a long but relaxing day.
We started this morning with a breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast is made for you every morning (you can eat it on their wonderful patio or in your room) and this morning we chose the "American" breakfast, eggs, bacon, ham, toast, absolutely divine fresh mango, plus fresh mango juice. It was delicious and we are planning on sampling the pancakes tomorrow. After breakfast we booked snorkeling and massages and then headed out to the beach.
We explored the other end of the beach and spotted a couple nice prospective hotels/resorts for a future stay...just in case we decide to stay beach-front next time. Although, we are currently enjoying our little private oasis. After exploring the beach we headed out for snorkeling. We made our way to the snorkeling spot on the Rod-Angelo, named after the boats owner and his youngest son...by the way we are talking a very small local boat - complete with outriggers. Once at the snorkeling spot the water was crystal clear but the current was a bit strong for Randi. After feeding some beautiful fish (while snorkeling) we decided to just cruise around the island and take in the beauty of Boracay. The boat crew (Marlo and Larry) pointed out the local sites, who lived where, and what was being built where as we ventured around the island. The island is small, probably no more than a mile or two long and probably only a couple thousand meters wide, so it is pretty tiny. Even though it is small it is beautiful and surrounded by some seriously amazing water. I hope that 10 years from now it will not be ruined and turned into just another tourist spot, complete with a Hard Rock Cafe. I am not knocking the Hard Rock (OK...actually I am) but, it is the epitome of a "tourist trap" complete with poor quality food...why anyone ever goes to one to eat is absolutely beyond me. If that were to happen it would be a waste of a beautiful location and be worse for the locals who are extremly friendly and polite. By polite I mean, everyone is referred to as "sir" or "mam" in every establishment...independent of it being a restaurant, grocery store, shop, etc. It is definitely more polite than say...Memphis. I have not heard "watsh ya want" yet from any customer facing employee of any establishment we've been in.
After our excursion around the island and our attempt at snorkeling we walked the beach looking for someplace to eat lunch. We settled on a little restaurant that served pretty good Mexican food and some super sweet iced tea. We had to head back to the hotel for our massages so, lunch was pretty quick. Randi and I decided to each get an hour massage "in room" at the hotel at 1700. Sure, enough at 1700 the front desk called and said our masseuses had arrived. Are we spoiling ourselves? You bet you and so would you when an hour "in room" massage is only 400 pesos or approximately US$10.00. At that rate, we are thinking this may turn into a nightly affair.
Well, that about wraps up our first full day in Boracay...we are currently deciding on walking down to the beach and grabbing something small to eat or just calling it a night and going to bed.
Cheers from Boracay and we will keep you posted. I forgot my SD card reader in Hong Kong so I cannot download any photos and the one computer shop we found was out of stock...so you will just have to be patient.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Today Hong Kong - Tomorrow Boracay!
Today is the last day in Hong Kong for awhile...it is vacation time. Randi and I are headed to Boracay tomorrow morning for a few days...actually six days. We are really looking forward to a nice vacation and we are hoping that the weather in the Philippines will be nicer than the weather has been in Hong Kong. It has been cold and overcast in Hong Kong for the last week or so...very "Memphis" type weather really. I am definitely looking forward to a little sunshine and some beach time. We will keep you posted on our travels as we head South.
Tonight should be an interesting night...I always enjoy watching Randi go through her packing routine. I do have to say Randi and I have absolute opposite packing routines. My "routine" (if you could even call it that) involves opening up a drawer or two and grabbing items and dropping them into the open suitcase below. I of course have some "order" to the packing; I of course make sure that I have the essentials: socks; boxers; shirts; pants; swim trunks; etc. However, that is the extent of my packing plan. Now, on the other hand Randi has a certified routine, that usually involves: writing out a list; matching outfits; narrowing down the selection; etc. I have found, now mind you I have only been married a year, that 40% of the stuff Randi brings never makes it out of the suitcase. I like to call that "excess" where as Randi calls that "back-up". My idea of a "back-up" is a sub-compact Glock; quite the opposite from hers. So, there shall be some packing in the Farage household this evening. I predict that my packing will take about 15 minutes (from start to finish - including a few minutes of wonderment and nostalgia as I find the proverbial thought lost article of clothing) and Randi will take approximately 90 minutes. Perhaps, I can place a wager with her and drop the packing time to under an hour. Wish me luck.
See you in Boracay!
Tonight should be an interesting night...I always enjoy watching Randi go through her packing routine. I do have to say Randi and I have absolute opposite packing routines. My "routine" (if you could even call it that) involves opening up a drawer or two and grabbing items and dropping them into the open suitcase below. I of course have some "order" to the packing; I of course make sure that I have the essentials: socks; boxers; shirts; pants; swim trunks; etc. However, that is the extent of my packing plan. Now, on the other hand Randi has a certified routine, that usually involves: writing out a list; matching outfits; narrowing down the selection; etc. I have found, now mind you I have only been married a year, that 40% of the stuff Randi brings never makes it out of the suitcase. I like to call that "excess" where as Randi calls that "back-up". My idea of a "back-up" is a sub-compact Glock; quite the opposite from hers. So, there shall be some packing in the Farage household this evening. I predict that my packing will take about 15 minutes (from start to finish - including a few minutes of wonderment and nostalgia as I find the proverbial thought lost article of clothing) and Randi will take approximately 90 minutes. Perhaps, I can place a wager with her and drop the packing time to under an hour. Wish me luck.
See you in Boracay!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Democracy, Vacation, and the end of January...
Well, it is hard to believe that the first month in 2008 is already behind us. One cool thing about living in Hong Kong is the fact that we are almost a half a day ahead of our family and friends in the US. Thus, it is always fun to call them in the morning and tell them that the day is going to be a good day, “Dad, Friday is going to be a great day…it was for us.” Randi and I had “dinner and drink” events Thursday night to finish off January. Randi had drinks with our friends Caryn and Jerry. Caryn works for W.L. Gore and Jerry owns his own business and is involved in consulting with oil companies. He is headed to Saudi Arabia for a business trip and I am sure we will have some great conversations when he returns. Meanwhile, I had dinner with my fellow FedEx Express ex-pats and one of our FedEx Trade Network (FTN) attorneys, John. I met John in Hong Kong almost one year ago when I was involved on a special project involving FTN. He is a great guy from Memphis and it was good to hear some stories from home. Apparently, we are not the only ones getting unseasonably cool weather. John informed us that it has been in the teens and low twenties in Memphis…which is cold…no matter where you live. February is going to be a great month. Randi and I are taking our first real vacation to the island of Boracay in the Philippines and then I will be heading to China for another project for the second half of the month. Boracay is supposed to be absolutely beautiful and we have heard nothing but good things from friends who have visited the island. Randi is hoping to learn how to scuba dive on this trip; that way she will be able to join me on some underwater diving adventures in the future. It is hard to believe but the end of February will mark one year in Hong Kong and it has indeed moved along very quickly; this will put is halfway through my assignment.
Now a few words from Randi…
Hmmm....words from me?....Well, I was supposed to write this on Feb 1 and now it's Feb 3, so from that you can deduct 1 of 4 things: 1.) I'm at work; 2.) I'm stressed; 3.) I need a vacation; and/or 4.) All of the above.
But honestly....(well, that is pretty honest)....I haven't sent one of my typical update emails since before Christmas. Christmas was a nice holiday once Mark's family arrived after a very chaotic travel schedule complete with uncooperative winter weather in the US and UK that left them stuck in London Heathrow for 14 hours (yes, sitting in Heathrow for 14 consecutive hours) and arriving in HK with no luggage after taking nearly 2 days en route. I think Mark and I will soon have to accept that requiring our families to fly anywhere to visit us seems to cause either: a.) natural disasters (the earthquake and flash-flooding that left my parents traveling nearly 3 days and arriving in Hawaii less than 24 hours before the wedding in Maui) or b.) logistical nightmares that paralyze the air travel industry on an international scale. I will contend that the real culprit behind the Hawaii debacle was a 4.2 ounce bottle of Clinique moisturizer and those rigid TSA rules about liquids, gels, and aerosols.
As for an update about life in HK...nothing really notable to add to the list of 257 of the craziest things I've eaten since living here. The last mass email sent had pics of the pigeon head for dinner in November attached but for some reason wasn't accepted by several email servers...how could pigeon head possibly be spam?? That's quality stuff. I have to say Mark's parents and brother were brave in trying the local flavors we offered them. Granted we were a bit tame...no internal organs, exposed heads, feet, eyeballs, anything with the viscosity of sinus drainage, etc...although neither us nor my friends could talk them into sampling the chicken feet with yum cha (dim sum) at lunch. Some things you just have to try.
The latest and greatest thing going on now is Chinese New Year. For us I suppose it would equate to a 4 day Christmas. It is the most important holiday of the year - most locals spend time with with family, have big meals, give red packets holding cash gifts (lai see), etc. This year marks the Year of the Rat. Allegedly the Year of the Rat symbolizes wealth, charm, and order...and here I was connoting it with death, disease, and filth....uneducated gweilo (white person)...what was was I thinking???
As for the expatriate community during CNY, most people take a holiday (vacation) and head out of town. We will be spending about a week in Boracay, Philippines. I cannot wait! I am so excited for some beach time. Boracay comes highly recommended as it is one of the few uncommercialized and naturally beautiful strips of beach around...and unlike a lot of similar destinations in Asia, western tourists aren't targeted and solicited so heavily to give money, buy useless souvenirs, and whatnot. From my understanding, it's a getaway with little more than a few restaurants/bars, beach, diving, and water sports. Yahoo consistently ranks it as one of the world's Top 10 Beaches...and what's good enough for Yahoo is good enough for me. I'm sure there will be future posts on flickr.com, so we will keep you updated.
Also soon to come out on Flickr maybe...I was on my way to the office today to do some catch up (on a Sunday afternoon--sigh) when I found myself in a Chinese protest march. The shouting, signs, and flags were all in Chinese so I have no idea what it was about. I'm sure onlookers and protesters were wondering where the clueless gwei mui (white girl) came from...just another typical I Love Lucy moment in life. Most likely it was a pro-democracy demonstration since reaction to China's decision to delay the possibility for universal suffrage in HK until 2017 (instead of 2012) has not been good. Ideas toward democracy here are as interesting as they are controversial - worth Googling "politics of Hong Kong" sometime. Anyway, I walked in the back of the protest march -- with the cops in case these usually very docile and non-confrontational Chinese suddenly went all Orange Mound on everyone (to non-Memphians that means homicidally crazy) -- until I found a way to get around; only then to try to cross the street when the light changed and left me stuck in oncoming traffic that involved multiple double-decker buses. Yet another predictable moment from I Love Lucy...one day I expect to go schizophrenic and hear Desi Arnaz's rebuking Cuban voice in my head when I do the absent-minded things I do. I have pics from the action I will try to post soon.
So until next time - Happy Chinese New Year...Kong Hei Fat Choi!!! We will update you on Boracay and the latest Hong Kong-isms later in February.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Movie Review: Cloverfield
The Farage "F" Rating: FFFFFFFF
Cloverfield was released on January 18, 2007 to much anticipation in the United States as there was a bit of pre-release Internet hype over this film; much as there was about Snakes on a Plane. It was released in Hong Kong on the 17th to the same sort of anticipation. We watched this movie last weekend and Cloverfield is definitely worth seeing as it takes the "Blair Witch" concept of hand held held filming to an entirely different level.
I have read a few reports about people getting "car sick" while watching this movie and I can believe it; the filming is indeed a bit sporadic. I won't spoil the movie here, but faced with the "reality" the characters are experiencing...sporadic is indeed acceptable and adds to the experience of watching this movie. In fact, I cannot think of a more effective filming method.
In my opinion the last big "monster" genre film, 1998's Godzilla, failed miserably in reviving a genre that scared movie goers for decades in the past. Where Godzilla failed, Cloverfield will not. The movie is exciting and if you have a pulse it will startle you a couple of times.
The actors, although none of them were previously famous, performed well and more importantly performed as one would expect under the situation portrayed in the movie. This movie saved money on the actors in order to spend the cash on the special effects; this was an investment that would make Warren Buffett proud. Rumors of a US$30 million budget and an opening weekend of US$41 million in the US and Canada, means this movie is definitely in the black.
The movie is definitely worth seeing, although short, it is a fun ride. You will be pulled through New York in ways you never imagined and the feel of the movie will make you wonder, "what if this really happened?" Regarding a sequel to this movie, one only has to look at all the other "films" that were being made during the movie. As you watch the movie, note how many other people are seen filming the event. The Producer, J.J. Abrams of Lost and Armageddon fame, has hinted at the possibility of sequel from a different perspective. I can't think of a cooler possibility; two movies about the exact same event, occurring at the same time, but completely different. Definitely a neat possibility worthy of further exploration.
One thing to look out for; at the very end of the movie, when two characters are at Coney Island, just watch the sky.
Cloverfield was released on January 18, 2007 to much anticipation in the United States as there was a bit of pre-release Internet hype over this film; much as there was about Snakes on a Plane. It was released in Hong Kong on the 17th to the same sort of anticipation. We watched this movie last weekend and Cloverfield is definitely worth seeing as it takes the "Blair Witch" concept of hand held held filming to an entirely different level.
I have read a few reports about people getting "car sick" while watching this movie and I can believe it; the filming is indeed a bit sporadic. I won't spoil the movie here, but faced with the "reality" the characters are experiencing...sporadic is indeed acceptable and adds to the experience of watching this movie. In fact, I cannot think of a more effective filming method.
In my opinion the last big "monster" genre film, 1998's Godzilla, failed miserably in reviving a genre that scared movie goers for decades in the past. Where Godzilla failed, Cloverfield will not. The movie is exciting and if you have a pulse it will startle you a couple of times.
The actors, although none of them were previously famous, performed well and more importantly performed as one would expect under the situation portrayed in the movie. This movie saved money on the actors in order to spend the cash on the special effects; this was an investment that would make Warren Buffett proud. Rumors of a US$30 million budget and an opening weekend of US$41 million in the US and Canada, means this movie is definitely in the black.
The movie is definitely worth seeing, although short, it is a fun ride. You will be pulled through New York in ways you never imagined and the feel of the movie will make you wonder, "what if this really happened?" Regarding a sequel to this movie, one only has to look at all the other "films" that were being made during the movie. As you watch the movie, note how many other people are seen filming the event. The Producer, J.J. Abrams of Lost and Armageddon fame, has hinted at the possibility of sequel from a different perspective. I can't think of a cooler possibility; two movies about the exact same event, occurring at the same time, but completely different. Definitely a neat possibility worthy of further exploration.
One thing to look out for; at the very end of the movie, when two characters are at Coney Island, just watch the sky.
Hong Kong Chapter III - August 12, 2007
"A Flying Dog and Typhoon Pabuk"
A flying dog and Typhoon Pabuk; It is time for another update fromHong Kong about the continuing adventures of Mark, Randi and Henry Farage.
A flying dog and Typhoon Pabuk; It is time for another update from
Well, things have not been boring or calm since I last updated you on our adventures in
Henry has learned the inherent dangers of stalking birds in
I, unfortunately, was looking at something else when he did this and did not have the opportunity to tell him “no”. All I heard was a thump and then some whimpering…which is never a good thing. I could not figure out what happened at first, seeing how these ledges are almost 5 feet tall; I did not think he would jump up on one blindly (had I thought that…he would have been on a leash), finally I looked over the edge and Henry was indeed way, way down below.
Well, Henry being the tough dog that he is decided that the fall was nothing and was trying to figure out how to get out of his predicament, I knew he definitely was hurt as he was crying softly and dragging himself around very slowly, all while leaving a trail of blood, another “not a good thing”. I told him to lie down and to stay, fortunately for him, he did.
Rescuing him was an adventure as the family, whose terrace he landed on, was not at home. I had to get security to open a vacant apartment adjacent to the one in question and then we had to scale a six foot wall that separated the terraces. We wrapped up Henry, after I assessed his injuries, (compound fracture, possible internal injuries, lacerations, etc. on my first inspection) and proceeded to extract him out of the terrace. About an hour after his fall we were at The Ark Veterinary Hospital and he was being assessed. I have to give major credit to our Gurkha security guards for helping me rescue Henry and get him to the hospital, they were great. For those of you who do not know who or what Gurkhas are, you should do a Google search on them. They are considered some of the finest, fiercest and bravest soldiers in the world. They are known for their inability to quit and their trademark Kukri knifes, the very site of these weapons in the hands of a trained Gurkha has literally stopped revolutions. Randi feels very safe with Gurkhas patrolling our complex, as can be expected.
Fortunately, for Henry, he is an extremely fit and tough dog despite his inability to defy the laws of gravity. Despite the severity of the drop and the landing (concrete) he walked away with only one broken bone (basically a doggy toe) and a slightly ruptured spleen and of course some serious bruises and lacerations. Every vet has basically been in awe that he was not hurt worse; we even consulted with our vet back in
Henry had his 1st surgery on the 22nd of June to fix the compound fracture. We located a great Orthopedic Veterinary surgeon named Matthew Field and he was treated at the
Henry is milking his injuries for all he can, he has learned that if he holds up his injured leg and makes a “sad” face that he can get whatever he wants. It is quite ridiculous really, but very, very effective.
Besides Henry, all is going well. We are experiencing our first typhoon of the season. The storm started as a “severe tropical storm” and has been named “Pabuk”. Apparently, a “Pabuk” is a large freshwater fish that lives in the
Since, it takes me a few days to write these updates (time is at a premium) Pabuk has hit and has gone on its merry way. Did it make it to a “signal 8”? You bet you, was it anything to get worried about? Not at all…it is really quite comical looking back on the last few days. I would basically equate the “chatter” of Hong Kong to the “chatter” that happens in
Unfortunately, as a product of the changing wind direction, the smog has returned in force over the last few days (or is it fog) and the visibility has been decreased significantly. For the past month, I could see the horizon with visibility in excess of 30 kilometers; today…visibility is down to 7 kilometers. Basically it looks like a lot of fog has rolled in…unfortunately this is not fog this is “clean” air from
Well, on to more interesting topics, Randi and I bought our first piece of furniture in
Work is going great, I just finished my first project in
Randi is doing great; she is starting to enjoy her job more and more as she has gone through various stages with it. I think it has taken her a bit of time to get use to the
Well, we hope this finds you all well and that everyone in
Cheers.
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