Reminiscence of 1 week stay in Bangkok

Eastern societies

are not more sexually liberated than
Western societies

To perceive Eastern societies as more sexually liberated than Western societies is to perceive the world from a position of extreme white male egocentricity. This alleged sexual “liberation” is extracted by filtering the world through both the white Western lens and the male lens.

When white Western men participate in sex tourism in Asia, this so-called sexual “freedom” is purchased through the colonization of the bodies of Asian women. White Western men gain sexual choices they would not have had otherwise, because the sexual choices of economically-disadvantaged Asian women are being severely limited.

In other words, white Western male egocentricity (not the imagined licentiousness of Asian culture and Asian women) is the source of the West’s orientalist perception that the East is sexually liberated.

A guy (not going to name the person!) told me that western men who’d never dream of visiting a prostitute back home but regularly do so in Asia, is because Asian prostitutes are “sweet, affectionate,” and “unmarred by the businesslike qualities of common sex-for-sale workers in the West,” who are supposed to be “sleazy, mercenary, cold, depraved, and vaguely intimidating” (though how he would know this having never visited them back home is unclear - it seems to be the way he view all Western women). Of course, there are plenty of Western call girls who can and do behave sweetly and affectionately, it’s just that the men who flock to Bangkok’s red light districts can’t afford them. The difference is less cultural than economic: “Do the arithmetic,” a grizzled guy (again, no names) says, “She’s 51 years younger than me. Do you think I could have somebody like her in Pennsylvania?”

I know, prostitution is one of the world's oldest profession... but when people Men say they do it because they live in a free society and give excuses with big words like "sexual freedom" or "south east asian culture's sexual liberty", it just kills me. Guys, just assume what you do !

...sexual freedom of a society isn't the liberty accorded to its men
...but the liberty accorded to its women !

Oh, China !

I am not a regular blogger, I know.

I've got troubles with that, I admit.

Recently, I wanted so much to write about Tienanmen crackdown 20 years ago and the current political situation in China. I was in Beijing just one week before the 20th anniversary of this crackdown. I also happened to follow the march and the candle-light vigil in Hong Kong (the only place in China where one can organize such events). I also witnessed the saga of Hong Kong Immigration authorities refusing entry to the 1989 lead-students [now settled abroad] who were demanding reforms and democracy back in '89. I also saw many websites blocked [including this blog and the French Consulate General of Hong Kong, San Fransisco & New York] and now I see that the authorities are going further in controlling the cyber world by installing a new software in all computers sold in China on the pretext of protecting children from pornography. I also learned that journalists in [mainland] China have civil-servant ID cards, WTF ! Students of Beijing University got text messages in their phone and emails with a list of reminder how to behave well in public (i.e, beware of what you talk and to whom you talk, especially about the controversial & prohibited 3 T's, = Tienanmen, Tibet & Taiwan).

Oh, China !

Parking lot for "planes" ?

My mind is so disturbed about issues on human rights, democracy & free speach in China. Keeping all that aside, I am currently in Bangkok for 10 days enjoying the thai smile & hospitality.

just watch it even if you can't understand

Movie plot: The radical children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against the "new face of fascism" (= American imperialism supported by the German establishment). German police force uses every means to track them down.

Strange to say, for a movie pitched as an extended historical action-adventure, director Uli Edel’s equally fascinating and frustrating portrait of the formation, terrorist activities and imprisonment of the later-named Red Army Faction (RAF) from 1967 to 1977 may be too subtle for its own good.

It is Meinhof’s unpredictable conversion from radical writer to full-blown ‘revolutionary’ which is at the heart of this episodic film’s essential mystery. She aids a bold rescue mission to spring the imprisoned Baader, takes an increasingly important role in the faction’s tactics and organization, even abandoning her children to a Palestinian camp, before cracking up in Stammheim prison.

One of the most expensive recent German films, Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex) has a good pedigree among its makers. Cultural and dramatic competence is in evidence here, but this is a film more intent to show rather than understand. It’s also more content to present an admittedly compelling and relevant ‘factual’ history but loath to offer any profound social, political or psychological analysis of its protagonists. As such, this is a film that’s bound to disappoint and bemuse as much as it intrigues.

The reconstructions are impressive, notably the violent response of supporters of the Shah of Iran and riot police to a Berlin demonstration which, legend has it, concentrated the mind of the left and provided the foundations for the Baader-Meinhof gang’s support. Also remarkable are the evocations of the ideas, conflicts and contradictions of the time.

At two and a half hours, it’s a risky, if laudable, strategy to outline a decade-long chronicle of events (arson attacks, bank raids, assassinations and kidnappings) without adopting, or privileging, a fully developed character with whom the audience can relate to or identify. As an action-packed pageant of events it is excitingly demonstrative and provocative, but as human drama it proves a mite too enigmatic and unyielding.

Verdict
worth watching
definitely not a simple Sunday evening chill-out movie

Indonesian Modern day Miracle

Modern miracles do happen. Two Indonesian examples :

1. Ten years ago, as the Asian Financial crises savaged Indonesia's economy, many experts predicted that the country would become unstable, if not splinter. Instead, look at this [world's most populous Islamic] country...it has emerged as a beacon of freedom and democracy for the Muslim world.

2. From Pakistan to Gaza & Lebanon, militant Islamic movements have gained ground rapidly in recent years, fanning Western fears of consolidation of radical Muslim Governments. But in Indonesia just the opposite is happening, with Islamic parties suffering a steer drop in popular support. I was able to observe the parliamentary elections a little closer as I was holidaying there just after. Voters punished Islamic parties that focuses narrowly on religious issues, and even the parties' best efforts to appeal to the country's mainstream failed to sway the public. Congratulations to my Indo friends for not falling into the trap of religious fanatics !

If you didn't know, Indonesia is not just full of Muslims. There are Hindus & Christians too. According to wikipedia, 93.18% of Indonesians in Bali island adhere to the Balinese Hinduism. Did you also know ? : popular south Indian dishes like "idly" from Tamil Nadu or "pittu" from Kerala originated from the Chinese "dim-sum". It is believed that South Indians (particularly Pallava Tamil Kingdom) was in trade with Chinese in Java island as early as 9th century. Loads of exchanges happened during this time and one among them is : these traders brought the steam-cooking culture to South India...a fact many of my south Indian friends have difficulty in digesting !!!

Few glimpses of what my eyes saw in Indonesia...
Hinduism in Indonesia [in Tirta Emul Temple in Bali]

Hinduism in Bali

South Indian Pallava architecture in Prambanan temple of Java

His Royal Highness was spotted in the beaches of Bali... what a vanity !

Borobudur temple Buddha over-looking the volcanic mountains

9th century Buddha statue in Borabudur temple

Yogyakarta in Java Island & Iseh rice paddy in Bali island

Ubud & Hindu Temples in Bali island

Balinese "Legong" dance

Hindus of Bali

Pilgrimage to the Batur volcano temple in Bali island

Traditional clothes of a Balinese Hindu

Reminder : Love Thy Family

"...the little imperfections that make a relationship perfect."

No, I did not coin that line. That line was thought of by Yasmin Ahmad and her team. I find it simple, brilliant and enlightening. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports in Singapore has launched "Funeral", a television commercial which looks at relationships in a different angle, through a woman at her husband's funeral. Ms. Lee (played by the playwright, director & actress Jo Kukathas) speaks at the funeral of her husband. Snoring & farting becomes the topic of imperfections. I admire this video for its [subtle] support for multiracial relationships.

This video intrigued me a little and when asked a friend living in Singapore why the Singaporean Government needs to tell/remind people to love their own family members ? the answer I got was : Firstly, We get these brainwashing propagandas all the time. Secondly, Singapore is a very family centric place. Whereas Hong Kong is a money & career driven place. In Singapore, most people just spend their free time with their family, parents & in-laws. So, many people get marry here at a very young age. This campaign is just to reinforce the message that you should appreciate your family because there is nothing else to do in Singapore... after all, Singapore is a police State and all media is monitored.

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Well, I like the video and I must admit that it is pretty touching...
but, such a video campaign issued by a Govt. still intrigues me...
oh yeah, they even have a special website for family issues.
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Jackie, are you a control freak ?

I know my blog might get filtered in mainland China due to this post.
If it is the case, so be it. I don't care.

I really don't know what to make of this one. I mean there is the racial angle, the nationalism angle, free speech angle. And then, there is also the fact that we're talking about the star of Rumble in the Bronx, and how his comments have already ignited a firestorm in Hong Kong & Taiwan (i.e. being taken really seriously !). Then again, I guess we could expect a similar reaction if Arnold Schwarzenegger/Shah Rukh Khan/Angelina Jolie or any other actor ever made such comments.

If you are not already aware of this, Jackie Chan made the following comments to a group of Chinese businessmen last week:

I'm not sure it's good to have freedom or not. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic.

He went on to say:

I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want.

Understandably, this hasn't sat very well with many in China, particularly in Hong Kong & Taiwan (though the media in mainland China hasn't had very much to say about it; the same media that edited out all references to Taiwan in Ang Lee's Oscar acceptance speech for Brokeback Mountain). Many have already gone to describe Chan as a fascist and a racist, some even going so far to illustrate his point with images of Chinese torture victims, asking if this was the kind of control he meant.

Just to fully illuminate the issue, it's best to mention that many interpret this as an act by Chan meant to curry favor with the ruling Communist Party, which recently banned latest film, Shinjuku Incident for being too violent. Though Chan was an ardent critic of the government around the time of Tienanmen Square, he has remained fairly quiet in recent years [= pro-Beijing].

If we're are going to critize Chan for attacking the Chinese, we're overlooking one basic fact: the guy is Chinese himself. My very good Chinese friend [from mainland China living in Hong Kong since several years] reacted to this : Jackie Chan is a movie star, not a politician or opinion leader. We don't need to expect everything he says to be politically correct. He should be allowed to say whatever he wants to say and we have the right to disagree...and this is the little freedom we have in Hong Kong...

Indeed, let's applaud for the free speech here [an unknown concept in this part of the world - mainland China]. But,

don't you disagree with him ?
is there any kind of people/nation in this world who deserve to be "controlled" ?

Two must-see videos

I regret for not being able to update this blog regularly. I have no intentions to give a lame excuse like "I was busy bla bla bla", but I'd rather say : "I am occupied and I am organized, thus, I am seldom busy".  Anyways, I regret not being here on a regular basis. 

One lesson learned this weekend : 4 glasses of Champagne, 3 shots of absinthe is the recipe for a comatose Sunday and a difficult Monday. Above all, dancing with so much alcohol in blood may lead to an ankle-sprain. 

I am off to Indonesia (Yogyakarta & Bali) for 10 day holiday trip for some respite from this mundane world in the concrete jungle (aka, Hong Kong). See you in few days with pictures...

I discovered two interesting videos lately...

1.  A 24 year old New York sign language interpreter from Brooklyn called Michael DiMartino have been posting some unique videos in youtube (as Captainl0ver) in which he uses the sign language while performing them. I found it creative, original and fun. He doesn't rip off others ideas and he uses his own choreography (quite good I might add...). I am not a Britney Spears fan. I am remotely interested in her personal life or her music. But this video on Womanizer did gain my attention.  

2. Through Starry Nights blog, I found a music video very interesting. Ben.E.King's Stand By Me sung by musicians all over the world giving a universal message of "peace" & "humanity". The research on this video led me to the "Playing for Change" Foundation who produced this video. Their website states that they are dedicated to connecting the world through music by providing resources  to musicians and their community worldwide. In South Africa, they are building a music school and an Arts Center. In India & Nepal, they are rebuilding Tibetan refugee centers.

Enough with the [stupid] boycotts

Somebody asked me in Facebook to join a group called "Boycott the new Karate Kid movie". I am ok to boycott things I don't want to do anyway. I will also refuse to drink rat poison, decline to throw myself off a high building [no scarcity for that in Hong Kong] and pledge not to cut my own head off with an ax, if that helps.

Boycotts are easy. Remember Woody Allen's answer when asked if he ever took a political stance against anything ? "Yes", he replied, "I once refused to eat grapes for 20 minutes."
Don't you think that a weird plague of boycotts is sweeping around the world ?

For example, someone forwarded me an email from a religious group in Malaysia for people to stop using Maybelline mascara [wtf!]. Why ? Because it is the Asian equivalent of a product originally made by an American company, and American companies are sort of associated with the American Government, and the American government is suspected of being pro-israel, and Israel did terrible things in Gaza recently. Doesn't that sounds a bit tenuous to you ?

I know there is loads of research showing that while boycotts sometimes have a good effect, secondary boycotts only harm the innocents. The Maybelline thing was not just secondary, but "fourth-ary", "fifth-ary" or "sixth-ary".

Meanwhile, I learnt that unknown persons have been forwarding text messages around India, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere, saying that Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Starbucks are giving a week of profits to Israel to buy bombs. As a result, lots of restaurnts in Asia stopped serving Coca-Cola.

When I enquired to a friend who works for the Starbucks-Asia, she just laughed and said : "Do you know how much it costs to open stores in Asian cities ? If we make a profit this quarter, I want it forwarded to me and then I might use it to buy myself a double large latte."

This message isn't remotely true and Asian versions of the company are almost entirely non-American : "McDonald's is locally run, serves local customers, employs local people, supports local charities and pays local taxes."

Ironically, one of the few multinational firms that has been willing to help folk in Palestine is Coco-Cola, which opened a bottling plant in Ramallah, employing about 400 people.

So, I didn't send a positive reply to the "Boycott the Karate Kid" people. Instead, I went to their group section on Facebook to see why they were agitating against a harmless Jackie Chan movie. The organizers said it was because they were "completely weireded out" that someone should remake a "classic" movie.

Okay, everyone. Time to boycott the [stupid] boycotts. The next time someone asks you to boycott some [stupid] thing, treat it as a BUYcott and support it. So buy a coke, and let's go and see the Karate Kid remake together. And I'll wear LOTS of mascara, if you will.

Down by the Mighty Mekong for a week

Luang Prabang is a charming little ancient town, and the architecture as best I could tell has the French [art déco] influence, but still has a feel of a Lao architecture structure and traditional Lao landscaping mixed with the French ones gives it the old world charm look in my opinion. For a typical Lao local, one might not feel comfortable seeing so many foreigners in one place, as most Lao locals would say that there are too many farangs. It should be the same in the other ancient city of the region, ya, I am talking about Angkor [Cambodia] where I spent a long weekend in 2007.

Like most people who've visited Luang Prabang, I fell in love with this old charming town, but I don't picture myself living here though. The pictures you see here [see below] would tell you how beautiful this town is and how much I loved my holidays there. So, I am not going to gloat about it...rather, I want to talk about something else here : freedom of press !

Me and my friends went for massages quite often to Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel which is not far from where we stayed [at Satri House Hotel]. While waiting for the masseuses, we picked up the Vientiane Times [the website claims that they are the gateway of democracy!] to see what is happening in this country. Surprisingly, many things ! The front page talks about the problems the dolphins and frogs facing in Laos, pictures of Indian and Australian National day celebrations by their embassies, Beckham going to play for Milan, somebody suing Michael Jackson and the only article I read the whole story was about a Govt. official declaring that the Laos PDR (People's Democratic Republic) is expecting more money from NGOs for the country's welfare.

Honestly, I think I was so naïve to expect a nice press in Laos. It is after all a communist country whose super donor is - People's Republic of China !

According to the UN Refugee Agency, all the print & electronic media is state owned. I learnt later that the only two papers which [occasionally] talk about social and economic problems are the French weekly Le Renovateur and the English daily Vientiane Times. These two papers are highly controlled subsidized by the Laos Ministry of Information and Culture. It seems that they frame their content primarily to attract tourists, expatriates, and investors to the country. Tourism has led to the proliferation of internet kiosks with unrestricted access to foreign news sites. However, language barriers and high monthly connection fees (approximately $300 to $400 compared with the average monthly salary of $20 to $30) limit regular internet use for all but wealthy individuals, expatriates, and business organizations. Internet service providers must submit quarterly reports to the government to facilitate monitoring.

...so much for the Freedom of Press
in the Lao People's Democratic Republic...

Happy Chinese New Year of OX

2009 is the year of Ox in Chinese Lunar calendar. This festival is like X-mas to our Chinese friends and in this part of the world it is that moment everybody looks forward to. I wish all the best to all my [Chinese] friends for this OX year.

I am off to Luang Prabang [Laos] for holidays. Catch you all [with pictures] in 10 days...cheers !

Are you all aboard the Atheist Bus ?

On the feast of epiphany, the new British advertising campaign casting doubt on the existence of God — which started with large posters on the outside of 200 London buses brashly proclaiming politely suggesting “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” — grew entirely out of a blog post on The Guardian’s op-ed blog. And this has now spread to Barcelona (Spain) which Italy might witness too.

How awesome is that? Using a tit-for-tat for all those religious people who try to impose their faith on others. How many times have you driven down the highway and read some sort of religious billboard? There are all kinds of them talking about Jesus as well as supporting various “moral” campaigns. For instance, "Got Jesus?”. No, I don’t. And at this point, even if I had him, I might keep him locked away just to agitate his flock.

If you get to see those christian signs all over the city like "God is love" or "Why worry when you can pray?" or "Christ is the center of our Home", why can't the agnostics and the atheists come up with such statements ?

I love this comment from Sandra Lafaire (an unknown American tourist in London interviewed by journalists) who thinks these signs are “dreadful” and says, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don’t like it in my face.” Hello, Sandra, you mean like the 50 foot high crosses that sit by many Interstates in your country? You mean like the 20 tele-evangelists that hog the Sunday morning airwaves in your lovable country? You mean like the annoying ringing of the church bells in many countries including yours? You mean like complete strangers knocking on your door trying to get you to “find” Jesus...ah dear Sandra, you could have thought twice before making that comment.

I like the sign if for no other reason than it will agitate the pompous religious types. It is good for the bible/torah/kuran/bagavat gita thumpers to get slapped upside their metaphorical heads now and then. It brings them back to reality…if only for a brief moment. Now excuse me while I go pray to the alter of Ben and Jerry’s...(chocolate flavor, btw!)

hoping for the best in 2009

I hate New Year's Resolutions (never made one in my life). They often seem so lame, narcissistic and clichéd, hopeless even before the year starts. But given that most clichés turn out to have at least some truth in them, I thought we should give it a whirl.

I'm all for hoping that you can change your life and our world for the better. However, if I could "resolve" anything for 2009, it wouldn't be losing weight or some other minor change in my life although I have plenty of flaws that need fixing. When I see so much of poverty and misery for many, I feel quite lucky and privileged where I am sitting now. I prefer not to have any of those stupid resolutions, rather :

I hope for the best,
the hope you have for your future when you are a child...

Over the years, I noticed that people’s New Year’s resolutions are most often things that they detested to do but got to do that is why these New Year’s resolutions usually die out faster than a virus being exposed to the heat of the sun. That is also the reason why these people easily fall in to that trap of "I can’t do it coz its soooo hard to do" crap. Take the case of these following new year’s resolutions:

1. I will quit smoking. (hello, if you’re a chain smoker, the thought of not having that fix will completely freak you out and the more you would stuff your mouth with those cigarettes until you die of lung cancer!) You better try this : I will smoke half a pack a day instead of the usual 1 pack.
2. I will not fight with my wife/husband or sometimes boyfriend/girlfriend. (It is like getting a knife and slitting your own wrist. That suppressed anger will definitely give you a heart attack). I suggest you do this : I will let off steam only after listening to his/her side.
3. I will go on a diet. (if you put this in your new year’s resolution list, every food that you will lay your eyes on would beacon you to go taste and stuff them in your mouth). There is nothing wrong trying this out : I will eat five small meals a day or will treat myself to 2 slices of cake a week instead of the usual 2 whole cakes.
4. I will go to the gym often. (believe me, every step towards that gym would be so heavy that you would believe that you really are not feeling well for that workout). What about this : I will do 15 minutes treadmill, 50 counts crunches & lift, say 3 sets of weights a day.
5. I will not shop so much. (Are you crazy?! If you love to shop and you put this in your list, go buy an anti-depressant drug now). The phrase which suits you more : I will be a smart shopper.
6. I will forgive those who have hurt me and forget about it. (hahaha! What are you, a saint?! Gimme a break! The thing about pain, it goes away with time. You cannot just force yourself to be fine with something that you feel just isn’t right that fast) Why don't you rather start with this : I will see the good in everyone.
7. I will save up my money. (and forever feel sad for not buying that favorite book or that smashing outfit or that little surprise for your loved one?! Such a heartbreak…). Centuries old piggy-bank can do wonders for you : I will deposit 500 in my account every pay day.

Nobody has got that magic New Year wand to change the planet
so let's be realistic and hope for the best in 2009.
Happy New Year to you all !

Santa did finally pass by ...

Santa came through the chimney which doesn't exist [here] and gifted me a golden fish in a lovely bowl... and I am calling her Bertha. My 30th x-mas certainly sounds good to me (won a professional battle for a good cause, increase in certain figures which indicates my work as a success story and of course this golden fish)...looking forward for 2009 now !

1st Gay Pride March of CHINA

Last Saturday (13.12.2008), the "fragrant harbour" of China (= Hong Kong) witnessed its 1st Gay Pride. I was glad to be there with all my friends (gays, lesbians, straights etc..). I don't know if my friends do realize what an important and historical event it was for China = 1st Gay Pride of China !!! Few pictures to share...

between the walls of THE CLASS

Definitely, it is a week of French Films for me (which hardly happens in Hong Kong), thanks to the Alliance Française de Hong Kong who is presenting the Frenchcinepanorama. Yesterday, I went to watch The Class or Entre Les Murs (= Between the Walls) by Laurent Cantent. Tonight it is going to be Andalucia and tomorrow it will be Parlez moi de la pluie (= Let It Rain).

If you thought the “inner-city classroom drama” genre was played out, leave it to the French to prove you wrong. It’s easy to assume classroom films will fall victim to cliché. However, considering the authenticity of The Class (François Bégaudeau, who plays the teacher, also wrote the autobiographical story on which the movie is based) as well as the prestigious Best Film award it received in Cannes, the film should not be ignored by the audiences worldwide. France has already submitted the film to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film consideration in 2009.

The film looks at a group of French students as they go through a year of high school. It was filmed with three digital cameras over the course of a school year. Most of it takes place in a classroom in a secondary school in the 20th arrondissement (= district) in Paris, a multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Paris, but the story the movie tells reaches beyond the walls of the classroom, into French society itself.

Following the course of a single school year, no stone is left unturned; from the thin-membraned solace of the teacher’s break-room to the staff council meetings to the parent-teacher conferences to the revelations of the family dynamics of the students themselves, this inner-city middle school comes alive with what seems to be a magical minimum of effort.

Even with a class of twenty students, the viewer never feels alienated or out of reach of the lives and complications of the students as well. The students are presented through the lens of Mr. Marin (the teacher), who after only four years of teaching at this school seems to have a grip on the tribulations ahead. His class is by no means saintly, and the students have no qualms with discord or discontent. At times combative, vulnerable, defiant, and uncertain, the students of Mr. Marin’s classroom (the actors all of junior-high age, no artifice of a primped and camera-ready face among them) bring both mesmeric honesty and perhaps unsettling reminders of the middle school through which everyone must pass.

This film takes place entirely between the walls of this school, and although the city does not encroach on this atmosphere, its effects certainly color the lives of every student and thereby eliminates a possible sense of seclusion. Ultimately, at the hands of Cantet and Bégaudeau, The Class is more so vivid & compassionate tale of classroom life than any other you’re likely to see.

Learning Chinese

Today, the first few hours at work after lunch was hard to concentrate because I haven't got the slightest idea how many glasses of Champagne I gulped at the official reception of the Independence Day Celebrations of Finland. So, I hit a chat with the Bitchy Bhisan (yeah, he calls himself "bitchy", no wonder I am in love with this nepali boy), who sent me a picture and said "don't get offended". Did I find it funny ? well, ya...but then, is it really funny ? I don't know... The tipsy state of my mind found it funny...oh btw, don't tell my boss that I was hitting a private chat with a friend at office. ..ssshhhh...I said...ssshhhh... ok ? ah ok ok ok, i say Please ! Thanks for sssshing !

paree the gai paree

Paris, Paris, Paris…

What do you associate it with?
Eiffel Tower? Montmatre? Louvre ? Champs-Elysees ?
Arts? Fashion? French Revolution?

Cédric Klapisch is one of my favorite French movie directors. I have not seen all of his movies, but have viewed a good number of them, and I count Un Air de Famille among my very favorite ten (and, even, maybe five) movies of all time. I also adored L'Auberge Espagnole (Klapisch would have been better off not making Les Poupées Russes, the sequel to this movie...). That's one of the reasons why I was anxious to see Paris which was screened yesterday as the opening film in the Frenchcinepanorama (French Film Festival in HK organized by the Alliance Francaise de Hong Kong).

The general storyline revolves around the protagonist, a young Parisian man who is ill with a weak heart and is unsure how long he has left to live. His sudden illness gives him a new look on life. He sees everything and everyone differently, in a new light. The fact that his death seems imminent suddenly highlights his life, the lives of others and the life of the city as whole. Market stall holders, a baker, a social worker, a dancer, an architect, a homeless person, a university lecturer, a model, and illegal immigrant from the Cameroon…all these ordinary but conflicting characters are brought together in this film. You may think that these kind of people are nothing out of the ordinary, but for each one of them, their life is unique. You may think that think that their problems are insignificant, but for them they are the most important problems in the world.

This film made me reflect differently on my own life and the lives of others. We are sometimes so wrapped up in our own lives, we forget to look around us and see that other people are struggling too, and often have much bigger problems than our own.

‘They do not know how lucky they are.’ Pierre stares down from his apartment on the high-rise onto the people in the streets. Yes, we live our lives everyday, complaining about our job, our family, relationships - about our unhappiness; but do we ever stop & think how lucky we are to have a life, and how we could life our lives in full ?

En voyant cette fille magnifique,
je me suis dit que c'était vraiment horrible, la beauté.
Et alors, rajoutée à la jeunesse, c’est carrément injuste, indécent.
[When I saw this gorgeous girl, I thought that beauty is really horrible.
And, compounded with youth, it's absolutely unfair, indecent]

On rale, on rale...et on n'est jamais content.
C'est bien Paris !
[we complain, we complain... & we are never happy.
This is so Paris!]

But - believe me - there are many other great lines in this movie!

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In the end, at 130 minutes, Paris requires a serious investment of its viewers' time. The fragmented nature of this film, which features a multiplicity of undeveloped story lines, may get on the nerves of many, and leave them unsatisfied, or downright disappointed. However, it's got some redeeming qualities: A great cast, dialogues that are brilliant at times, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. I would still recommend that you see it if it ever comes to your neck of the woods, if you like films about broken hearts and the dance of life.
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Free speech or tougher law against cyberviolence ?

The South Korean ex-model and hottest movie actress Choi Jin Sil, aka "the people's star" or "the Nation's actress" was found dead in her flat on 2nd October '08.  The Police immediately declared the death to be a suicide. And why ? An ugly rumor appeared online few weeks before her death accusing the 39 year old actress (& mother of two children) of being a ruthless loan shark and blamed her for the suicide of a popular but down-on-his-luck actor Ahn Jae-hwan  who had run up more than $2 million in debts before asphyxiating himself in his car. She was on depression and on medications and this rumor didn't (obviously) help her out which raced among hundreds of thousands of chat-room users who added their own attacks on Choi's morals and character. Although the actress repeatedly denied everything, the torrent of hate was more than she could take. 

Choi's suicide was scarcely an isolated incident. South Koreans, who claim to be the most wired people on earth, have a word of online attacks like those that led to her death: it translates as "cyberviolence". In South Korea, almost every household is equipped with broadband Internet Service, and ideas and information flow freely in a flourishing online culture. But the unrestrained ethos of the Internet creates a dangerous mix when combined with Koreans' traditional Confucian emphasis on "saving face" (ya, the Chinese "face" issue). Choi's death, in addition to several other high-profile cases, has sparked a furious debate in S.Korea over whether new laws are needed to stop online slander and defend people's privacy. 

We all know that cyberattacks can spread at light speed, bringing down an entire career in days. Individuals who depend on public support for their livelihoods (like entertainers & politicians) are particularly vulnerable. To quote a few examples of such cases - a popular singer Yuni hanged herself last year amid viral accusations that she had gotten cosmetic surgery or (within days of Choi's death) a transexual celebrity & an openly gay television actor hanged themselves after being bombarded with hate e-mails and web posts. 

But, online lynch mobs also go after thousands of "nobodies". 3 yrs ago, a young man became a target after he allegedly ditched his pregnant girlfriend and she killed herself. Internet attacks against him turned into a witch hunt. Using S. Korea's powerful social-networking sites (oh, beware facebookers!), stalkers learned every detail about his life (name, address, employer and even the name of the college he was attending at night). He was accused as "shameless criminal", many staged candle-light vigils at his college campus. He had to quit his job and live in self-imposed exile for months. He finally had the courage to sue the instigators and won in an appeals court last July (after 3 years!).

The ruling Grand National Party have proposed a new legislation to cut down anonymous postings and replies. They say this new law is to "keep cyberspace from becoming a public toilet wall". Even so, civil-liberties' activists & the opposition Democratic party are trying to block such restrictions in the name of "free speech". They argue that a stronger sense of public responsibility should be created instead of creating such laws. Many foreign critics say that this move is more politically intended by the ruling party to suppress Internet criticism of the Govt.  Across S.Korea, people have been flooding into chat rooms to mourn Choi and discuss how to stop cyberviolence. 

Maybe they'll find that words have the power 

not only to harm but also to heal. 

The cow story on economy

A while ago when all this financial crises drama started, I searched for this hilarious cow story. Last week, a friend forwarded me and thought I might as well post it here. I don't find this extra-ordinary or excellent or fantastic or superb or whatever...just something funny to laugh about and nothing serious lah !

Few Economic Models explained with Cows:

Socialism
You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbor.
Communism
You have 2 cows. The State takes both & gives you some milk.
Traditional Capitalism
You have 2 cows. You sell one & buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies & the economy grows.
You sell them & retire on the income.
Surrealism
You have 2 giraffes. The Govt. requires you to take harmonica lessons.
An American corporation
You have 2 cows. You sell one
& force the other to produce the milk of 4 cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.
A French corporation
You have 2 cows. You go on strike, organize a riot & block the roads because you want three cows or the conditions provided by the Govt. is not sufficient.
A Japanese corporation
You have 2 cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce 20 times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called "cowkimon" and market it worldwide.
A German corporation
You have 2 cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years,
eat once a month & milk themselves.
An Italian corporation
You have 2 cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have a pizza.
A Russian corporation
You have 2 cows. You count them & learn you have 5.
You count them again and you have 2.
You stop counting cows & open another bottle of vodka.
A Swiss corporation
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.
A Chinese corporation
You have 2 cows. You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment & high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
An Indian corporation
You have 2 cows and what you do for economy ?
well, nothing...just worship them !
A British corporation
You have 2 cows. Both are mad.
An Iraqi corporation
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them you have none.
No-one believes you. So, they bomb you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of Democracy
(so they say!)
A New Zealand corporation
You have 2 cows. Business seems pretty good.
You close the office & go for few beers to celebrate.
An Australian corporation
You have 2 cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.
A Zambian corporation
You have 2 cows. You call in investors to look after them for you
and wonder they are not sharing the milk with you.
A Zimbabwean corporation
You have 2 cows. You eat both.

Space Technology for "ground"

While the world was watching the USA (the White House race, the Proposition 8 and not to mention the financial crisis), India rocketed a satellite to moon which places India in the cour des grands of "space power".

But, the Indian space program is already far ahead in one respect: its use of space technologies to solve the everyday problems of ordinary people on the ground. For more than 20 years, India has been quietly investing 100s of millions of USD in its earth-sciences program with an eye toward helping farmers with their crops, fishermen with their catches and rescue workers with management of floods and other disasters.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), America & Europe maybe ahead of India in terms of number & sophistication of India's satellites but with an annual budget of about 1 billion USD (less than a 10th of NASA's) ISRO [Indian Space Research Organization] covers a lot of "ground". It has built 46 satellites which provide data for at least for 9 Indian Govt.Ministries. It's 11 national communications satellites are the largest network in Asia. The list goes on....

After some research, I found out that all this [satellite network] is the fruit of an effort begun in 1982 to connect India's remote regions to radio, TV and telephone networks. Today, ISRO has covered more than 90% of India in terms of satellite TV and Radio coverage.

In an artile in Newsweek (oct 27th 2008), Jason Overdorf pens down how ISRO helped coastal fishermen double the size of their catch and how Indian meteorological satellites have improved the government's ability to predict the all-important Indian monsoon, which can influence India's GDP by 2% to 5%.

The USA and Europe may have beaten ISRO to the moon,

but India's vision might just show the way for mankind's next giant leap.

PS: The above picture was taken by my friend Xiaofei during our holidays in Boracay (The Philippines) early 2007.

A different perspective

Leave this post if you are underage,
or if you are not comfortable with nudity/sex

I came across this (Tokyomango) while web-browsing about Japan.

When we think of Japanese culture, we know there’s more to sushi, sake and samurai. There’s also manga, sailor girl uniforms, geisha and Aibo. And then there are cultural elements which keep one scratching his/her head in wonder. Practices which are generally taboo in most Asian cultures, and even the west, but treated with indifference, if not taken in objectively by the Japanese. Religion is not necessarily a moralizer, and sex and sexuality seems to be viewed from a different perspective.

Take the following photos as an example. Are they a fertility cult? Or is this a far out dating gimmick ? Or is it just extreme porn? Oh btw, the following pictures is a true event and no fake or no posing.

This week's Italian gaffe !

At Moscow, in a joint press conference with the Russian namesake President Dmitri Medvedev, our dear & dearest Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi compliments Obama for his suntan. He says: "I will try to help relations between Russia and the United States where a new generation has come to power, and I don't see problems for Medvedev to establish good relations with Obama who is also handsome, young and suntanned". Maybe, the world needs a nice tape like this to shut my "friend" Silvio up.

Hey, Silvio, we haven't forgotten this:

• In 2002, you complimented the then Dutch Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "He's so good looking, I'm even thinking of introducing him to my wife".
• In 2005, President Tarja Halonen of Finland was prompted to call in the Italian ambassador in Helsinki to explain your comments which suggested that you had wooed the Fin President to ensure her backing for Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority. Your exact words were "I had to use all my playboy tactics, even if they have not been used for some time."

Complimenting somebody for his good looks is ok lah!
But complimenting a dark skinned person for his suntan...
~ aiya ~
Some people really need to mind their tongues
especially those who lead a sovereign State !

PS: The opposition in Rome is demanding an immediate official apology to President-elect Obama.

I'm famous for intolerance

Love, Lust, & Life is the main story of this movie
(like any other Woody Allen's oeuvre)

Woody Allen does Latin. Yes, that’s right Latin — no more geriatric New York, no more contemporary London — but his latest enthralls the audience with Gaudi churches, Gothic cathedrals, and a hint of Spanish guitar. Woody is giving us the breathtaking lushness of Barcelona in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Of course, the film opens up in the trademarked black & white credits, but Woody does the new location with such conviction that the only sense of Barcelona the audience is neglected is, its smell.

It’s narrated in a post-modern storybook sort of way with all the twists and turns of any complex Woody Allen film. Anyway, for the guys I’m sure any movie in which Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johanson kiss is one to see. And for the girls, you probably won’t leave with the deus ex machina feeling, but you might take comfort in the theme illustrating how no one knows what they want from love, just what they don’t want.

In Love,

you don’t have to know what you’re looking for
but you should know what you are NOT looking for !

In general, the movie was a lot like one big dream sequence. The main character (Javier Bardem - in No Country For Old Men) walks & talks the way you only wish people would speak. What occurs is what you’d always want movies to happen and what you see is what you’d want to see. The movie was just pleasing on every level. It’s both surprising and satisfying. Some more thoughts….

• I love the way the characters talk. Many of the conversations are real conversations. Each character has tendencies that are real and recognizable. Scarlett Johansson’s (in Match Point & Lost in Translation) character has nervous little responses that sometime don’t make any sense (she says the contrary of what she is, for example, "I am famous for intolerance") and Rebecca Hall's (in The Prestige) responses are always extremely honest.
• I love the scenery. The background of the city makes the foreground even better. The characters are ridiculously attractive, especially Penelope Cruz's (Volver, see my review here & Vanilla Sky) smoking!
• Penelope Cruz is f’ing amazing. She was a angel in Vanilla Sky and goddess in Volver. She’s even better here. Sultry, destructive, passionate.
  
• (Spoiler Alert) There’s no happy ending. At the end of the movie the characters are older, wiser and have had a great summer but this is not a rom-com.
• One thing I don’t like is when characters in the film starts complaining they sound like Woody Allen. I’m happy he’s not in the movie but when character neurosis come out, the language is totally his. They talk like him (well, it is his movie, after all !). So, for those who don't like that part of Woody...you won't appreciate it.
  

I’ll say no more, except this movie is a must-see for anyone
who ponders the human condition & enjoys adult stories
that make your brain contemplate life.

did you know ?

Latin American countries deeply rooted in Roman Catholic religion

are moving forward towards equality, tolerance & justice...

In a region famous for passionate Cuban bolero songs, erotic Brazilian dances, and histrionic Mexican soap operas, love is not taken lightly, and tying the knot is the ultimate goal for most couples--gays included. As recently as 2000, domestic-partnership and anti-discrimination laws in typically closeted Latin America were pipe dreams, but now at least one country and over a dozen cities, states, and provinces in the region grant some form of rights to same-sex couples, and pro-gay laws have been enacted or are being drafted in several countries. In fact, Latin America is quickly becoming a vibrant front of the international gay rights movement. Freer minds, social-democratic governments, minority activism, and gay-friendly soap operas are leading a cultural revolution that the Roman Catholic Church, conservative politicians, and especially machismo can no longer stop.

Latin Americans are surprisingly tolerant of homosexuality. Though they may face taunts & violence, men in particular can sometimes lead openly, even flamboyantly gay life.

Last summer, Panama, the southern most country of Central America repealed its 60-year old sodomy laws. President Martin Torrijos Espino issued a decree to repeal a 1949 law that criminalized sodomy with imprisonment. According to the Official Gazette of Panama (published online) states that this law conflicted with the Panamanian Constitution & international human-rights' treaties Panama has signed. This document also cites that people should respect and not discriminate against the "sexual preferences of each person".

oh yeah, did you know this ?: Nicaragua approved a new penal code that decriminalized consensual gay sex in November last year. In Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico City and the Mexican state of Coahuila and the Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, same-sex couples can have their relationships recognized by civil union laws.

Halloween !

Lost in Translation in Tokyo ?

It was Samuel Johnson who famously stated : "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Were the 18th century author, poet and moralist alive today and able to visit Tokyo, he might well be tempted to replace his affection for his hometown for that of the Japanese capital.

All cities grow, evolve and stretch new boundaries, I agree. But Tokyo is something,! It is a city where around every corner lies something that gives pause for thought. It can be teenage girl dressed in the lacy frills and studded leather of the "Gothic Lolita" look. It can be a salary-man spread-eagled on the floor of the last train home mumbling the words to a karaoke song, with his briefcase as a pillow. It can be the back streets of the Kabukicho red-light district.

I remember what a friend of mine said -- "Ask a dozen long-term residents of Tokyo where they most enjoy visiting in this vast and sprawling metropolis and you will receive a dozen different answers, partly because everything changes so frequently and so dramatically."

Few Blah-Blah about Tokyo !

Tokyo is a bit like having sex with someone unattractive,
it's much better in the dark
-- unknown source --

• Tokyo (& Kyoto) = Good service, polite manners & unbelieavable cleanliness everywhere you go
• Most local bank ATMs do not accept International cards (duh, hello?) except Citibank - 24/7 (bless them!) and post offices - open only on working hours.
• No need to tip, a smile will do very nicely...oh ya, you can even say "arigato goizamas" (thank you very much)
• Most of the restaurants are smoking - what ? are we in 70's ?
• In Tokyo buildings, the 1/F is actually the G/F
• Subways are cheap, clean, efficient and English directions everywhere.
• Taxis are not a bargain affair like Hong Kong but no more expensive than London Taxis.
• Hotel pools = pay to swim ? hello ?
• Trying to get lunch after 2 pm - insane
• Meaningless address system - double insane

I toast to the city of Tokyo ! Cheers !
(can't say chin chin like in France
because in Japanese it means small willy! hehehehe)

Only in Japan...nowhere else

My trip to Japan was just Ab Fab ! No words to explain this wonderful country full of contrasts (geisha, samurai, tori, kimono, manga, sushi, sashimi etc...). People are so polite even when you spill hot water on them, oh yeah, the guy who got a splash of the hot water on his back didn't panic at all, he just stood up & wiped the water away and apologized to me! hello ! aren't you supposed to curse me ? hello ! Anyways, coming back to Japan, I totally fell in love with Kyoto (the ancient imperial capital of Japan) - a city which was not affected by the WWII bombardments - full of temples, Zen gardens and pollution-free town. In one day, I saw 6 UNESCO classified sites in this city. I didn't get impressed by Tokyo in the begining maybe because I was coming from Hong Kong. The street lights and those buildings cannot come near to Hong Kong King Kong.

Only thing which surprised me is that Japan doesn't accept international credit cards - deuh ? hello ! The English of our Samaurai friends is much much much worse than our Hong Kongers ! But on the contrary to Chinese language, Japanese (at least) sounds easier to learn. I did learn few words...

I made a colleciton of pictures for an album Only in Japan...nowhere else and let's save the classic pictures of temples and gardens for another post.

~3~Three decades in this world ~3~

Today (5th Oct. 2008), I am in Japan (in Kyoto, to be precise) . Yes, I wrote this post before I left for holidays, Thanks to the "schedule task" option in blogspot. All this humpy-bumpy-dumpy drama because I am not sure whether I would be able to blog while I am on a 10 day holiday trip to Japan. Even If I could, I might not. For me, a long trip holiday in a foreign country is to take a break from everything, including blogging !

As one young man leaves his 20s behind, idealism gives way to practicality. Well...almost !

If at age 20 you are not a Communist then you have no heart.
If at age 30 you are not a Capitalist then you have no brains.
(George Bernard Shaw)

I first heard this when I was 21 trying to change "the system" in India. While in full stride, complete with petitions in my hand, an older student said, "I'll sign the petition but nothing's gonna come of it".

"What do you mean?" I replied, "It is so logical & easy to implement. I am certain the University President will have to agree!".

"Alright," he shot back, "Time will tell. But just remember what Bernard Shaw said and realize that you can't change the world".

The bomb hit at that moment and its impact has never quite ceased. This quote has haunted me since then. What could it really mean ? If you think communism is right, why wouldn't you stick with it ?

Today, I am 30, the big "3-0". And, I now see clearly the truth of Shaw's statement.

When I was 20, the world was an open book. I felt as I could do anything & accomplish everything, while living or nothing. I would become a world-renowned personality (educating & inspiring, leading & loving, all without struggle!).

Now that I have lived through the 20s decade and had many eye-opening experiences (jobs that brought lots of surprises, relationships that were difficult to foster & maintain, struggles due to poverty & job-search, travels that triggers certain concepts of life which eventually leads to self-realization), I have become less idealistic about the world than I once was. I also realized that things don't usually work out in life the way you thought & hoped they would.

As I reflect on this, I am indeed humbled. I am living now as a realist, as Shaw remarked. My idealistic days had ended for the most part. True, you can't implement all your dreams, they may be impractical. But some of them could probably work.

I have made a birthday resolution. I will still be a dreamer, but a more realistic dreamer. As a 30-year old, I am practical and can be wise not trying to implement a hopeless fantasy scheme. I am humble and broken-hearted enough to know how to let go senseless dreams.

The old cliché is true: A jack-of-all trades is a master of none. The 20s are the training ground to become a jack-of-all-trades. The 30s is the time to focus & master those talents that can be applied in practical directions.

Yes, George Bernard Shaw, how right you were.
But I'll always be a bit of an idealistic !

PS: See you guys in 10 days when I get back to Hong Kong and we'll talk about JAPAN !

Internet Rumour !

I received a forwarded mail from a friend, announcing that UNESCO declares the Indian National Anthem the best in the world. I was like..."what the holy shit..that's not possible! It sounds ridiculous". I did a small internet research on it. I am really frustrated...hope my weekend won't be spoiled by this.

According to this story or this story, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), has announced that the Indian National Anthem is the best in the world.

The story is currently circulating via email, and has also been posted to many blogs (mostly in wordpress) and forums, especially those that target an Indian audience.

However, I could not find any evidence whatsoever that confirms the rather fanciful claim in the message. There is nothing about such an announcement on the UNESCO website, nor are there any credible news reports that back up the claim in any way.

If such an announcement was true, don't you think it is very likely that it would have been widely reported - and one would suspect, hotly debated - in media outlets both in India and around the world ?

Thus, it seems apparent that the story is no more than another pointless Internet rumour with no basis in fact.

As its name suggests, UNESCO conducts very important work on an international scale in the spheres of education, science and culture. Therefore, it seems extremely unlikely that UNESCO would waste its valuable time and resources on the rather frivolous, and ultimately meaningless, exercise of nominating the world's best national anthem.

Just how "good" a particular national anthem might be considered is an extremely subjective matter. Quite understandably, patriots in many nations are apt to view their own anthem as "the best" (go talk to the extreme right wing French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen & his party men about the French National Anthem La Marseillaise, you will know what I am talking about) and are unlikely to be swayed from this opinion by even an organization as prestigious as UNESCO.

But again, it's just another hoax !
But who are these lads who got time to do such idiotic stuff ?
I really wonder !

And, Man created God !

In one of his posts, a US blogger John Evo presents us a video (in 3 parts & 10 min each) explaining how Christianity is linked with other religions and older myths of ancient peoples.

This video is a gathering of concise & comprehensive facts.
I recommend this post from John Evo's blog to all readers of my blog.

Now, What say I ?

As Science explains more & more, there is less & less for religious explanations. Originally, in the history of human beings, everything was mysterious. Fire, rain, birth & death - all seemed to require the action of some kind of divine being. As time has passed, we have explained more & more in a purely naturalistic way. This doesn't contradict religion, but it does takes away one of the original motivations for religion.

Religion has evolved along with science. Religion is something created by human beings, and as human beings learn more and more, their religion changes. Today, especially in the more established religious sects in the West, they've learned to stop trying to explain nature religiously and leave that to science.

The more we learn about the universe, the fewer signs we see of an intelligent designer. Isaac Newton thought that an explanation of how the sun shone would have to be made in terms of the action of God. Now we know that the sun shines because of the heat produced by the conversion of hydrogen into helium units core. People who expect to find evidence of divine action in nature, in the origin of the universe or in the laws that govern matter are probably going to be disappointed.

People who believe in God is not able to understand why the God that they believe in is that way and not some other way. The non-believers (call it atheists or agnostics or whatever you want to) find it hard to prove that logical consistent laws of nature does not really describe the world we see. All human beings, whether religious or not, are caught in a tragic situation of never fully being able to understand the world we are in.

I don't believe in God,
but I don't make a religion out of not believing in God.

1. The ideal answer to our questions is to have only ONE kind of nature that is possible in the terms of logic and derive these laws of nature in the same way we derived the principles of arithmetic.
==> I don't think that will be possible.

2. It is logically possible that something could be discovered that will make me change my mind and it will be interesting to see if that happens.
==> But I don't expect it.

3. It is always possible that we will discover something in nature that cannot be explained in the naturalistic way that we've gotten used to in science and that will really require divine intervention.
==> That hasn't happened.

I don't believe in God,
but I don't make a religion out of not believing in God.

PS: And, of course I consider myself as an atheist, yeah !

Hey Hong Kong, more dramas, please !

A month ago, handmaiden and I, had a comment conversation in her blog on theatre, stage performing etc. I realized that it has been more than two years that I went to a theatre. Since I moved to Hong Kong, I have been to plenty of concerts, dance shows but no drama !

I know, what you are thinking...do this drama-queen really need another drama ?...well, it is always interesting to see the real drama to improvise the drama in your life, isn't it ? [prash winks]

One would have thought Hong Kong, being a big city, might have slotted into the category of a big theatre scene: WRONG.

You have to feel sorry for amateur dramatists. All that effort and practice, all that personal cost (both in terms of finance and dignity), all that expectation...and for what ? For the sort of comment a friend of mine made after a performance: "I'd rather chew my arm off than watch that drivel again."

hey handmaiden, I am sure that your summer show was not those types and you are one of those good amateur dramatist.

Don't we all have those dreaded events we go to only because our best friend is in the chorus or because our boss' daughter is in the lead and he/she has bought the entire evening's tickets for his "lucky" employees ?

All this said, the shows can sometimes be very good. New York & London amateur productions easily equal their professional colleagues on Broadway and on the West End. In Paris, any theatre show will have its own audience and you will mostly witness the hall is full. In Hong Kong, there is a very small-town attitude towards the theatre. There are only a handful of poorly and no prestige theatre. As a result, apart from the odd visiting blockbuster from London or some esoteric Chinese production, amateur dramatics is one of Hong Kong's few theatrical diversions.

It's a shame that a city with so much money and pretence to sophistication should lack the most basic of any theatrical infrastructure. So the next time you sneer at your mate (in Hong Kong) because he's just landed the role as the back two-thirds of a donkey in this Christmas' panto production of Alladin, just remember that with so little else to choose from culturally in this city, he may be the only laugh you have this year.

A long weekend in Macau

Macau, is a territory located in southeast China, and was until 1999 administered by Portugal as an overseas province. Like its formerly British neighbour Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula (specially designed for HK & Macau), China's socialist economic system would not be practiced in Macau, and like Hong Kong, Macau would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign & defense affairs for the next 50 years (Will China keep this promise ? I believe so!).

This very small territory has the highest population density among all the countries/regions in the world. Macau is also nicknamed Asia's Las Vegas due to its Casinos (Macau's gambling revenue had soared 22% in 2007, to USD eight billion) So true, full of casinos and all those rich Chinese from mainland China [where gambling is illegal] flock over to Macau to gamble (more than 22, 000 visitors in 2007 from China). According to the US Government, the Macao bank is a primary conduit for money earned by North Korea from counterfeit currency & drug smuggling. We don't know how far this accusation is true...Of course such issues are handled at high-level and secretly, especially in China. Oh, China !

This is not my first visit to Macao. I have been there several times but only on official purposes. Matthieu & Beatriz invited us (= Samy & I) to spend the long weekend there. (long weekend = Monday holiday as it is Mid-Autumn Festival in this part of the world) A little break from this concrete jungle (read it as Hong Kong) would do no harm and it was so much of pleasure to be with Matthieu & Beatriz. We had a splendid weekend there. Apart from the pleasure of enjoying the company of Matthieu & Beatriz, major highlights of this visit are :

1. Macanese food at LORCHA (a mix of Portuguese & Chinese cuisine makes it a special & delicious "macanese" cuisine)
2. Partying in a bar at the MGM Grand casino where the American Mexican band's live music was really blasting & vibrating.
3. Got impressed by the ZAIA show of the Cirque du Soleil at VENETIAN (owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation) oh boy ! Venetian Casino is so pathetic ! The cheapest Casino I've ever seen (well, actually I havn't seen much of casinos). Everything is fake & cheap, they were replicating {so badly} the real Venice of Italy. The Chinese, especially from mainland China , go bananas about it. Apart from having the Canadian Cirque du Soleil permanently based here, many big stars are brought here to perform like Beyonce, the Australian soft rock group Air Supply, American hip hop Black Eyed Peas, the British rock band The Police, Celine Dion, the popular Taiwanese musician Jay Chou and in two months you have the Canadian Grammy Award nominee, songwriter, fashion designer & actress Avril Lavigne
4. Macau Fire Works Competition ! We witnessed the fire work display of Germany (not so good), Japan (cool) and UK (the better among the three)
5. Bought couple of good Portuguese Porto wine, Creme de Cassis & Pastis

Now, back to work...aiya ! ! ! But, the good news = this week is short !

Where is my salad grown ?

A new study reveals where water goes when you flush the loo

- basically, in your salad.

If you've ever wondered where all that cruddy old water goes when you pull the bathtub plug, brush your teeth, or purge the loo, this is the report you've been waiting for.

The short answer: on your salad.
The big surprise is, this may not be all bad.

In a survey of 53 countries, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (a water research & advocacy group) has found that the vast majority of produce cultivated in urban plots is irrigated with what amounts to tainted water, fetched from polluted streams and lakes or wells. True, only a fraction (say 10 %) of global agricultural output is harvested in the cities, and only a part of that crop is consumed uncooked. Yet in these cities alone, some 1.1 million farmers produce vegetables and fruit for 4.5 million people. Projecting the numbers worldwide, no fewer than 200 million farmers rely on recycled water to sow 20 million hectares, an area twice the size of Hungary. The findings were released during the World Water Week, in Stockholm 2 weeks ago. See the Research Report of IWMI here.

At first look, this all seems horrendous. After all, the water we dump, from sink or commode, back into an ecosystem, carries a galaxy of bugs, bacteria and germs that can cause nasty diseases from diarrhea to hepatitis. Worse, it's a good bet that most families that consume the fruit and vegetables grown with such swill do not properly wash their produce, a sure invitation to illness. Cholera outbreaks in Israel and Chile have been traced to food contaminated with wastewater (cf: see the WHO report here). Nearly 200,000 residents of Accra (Ghana) put food on the table thanks to wastewater irrigation and more than quarter of Pakistan's domestic veggies are grown by this method, which also helps fertilize farms and reduce water stress.

Irrigating with waste adds a kind of pro bono fertilizer to the farm & also returns moisture to drying lands. The soil is also a great natural filter, "cleansing" dirty water as it seeps into the ground. There may even be a plus for the climate, as sludge-laden water returns carbon to the earth that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

Some 85 % of the 53 cities studied dump their sewage and wastewater into streams & lakes. In the poorest societies, where clean water is as precious as it is scarce, diverting fresh water to the farm is to rob the drinking glass. The WHO, now adapting its approach, signs off on wastewater farming in countries with skimp fresh water, but presses authorities to work on better waste treatment and to educate families on washing produce.

So pull the plug and pass the salad. But wash, first.
Bon apppétit !

What's the big deal about this deal ?

In a dangerous and unstable world, isn't cementing friendship with an up-and-coming power such as India worth breaking a few rules for ? That is the reasoning behind the Bush administration's championing of a controversial civilian nuclear deal with India, which George Bush and India's Manmohan Singh struck in 2005. After the NSG waive, today we are awaiting a final nod from the America's Congress.

Some (including Fareed Zakaria) see it as a Nixon-to-China moment: Nixon opened diplomatic relations with Communist China to balance the Soviet Union; doing nuclear favors for India now will help balance a rising China.

But do Washington know that New Delhi has no intention of picking America's fight with China. I don't see India meddling itself into this, I rather see India trying to please China (ex: Tibet). Indian leaders know very well, that India needs China as much as it needs USA. On the other hand, let's point out the obvious factor : Indian contacts with Iran and the other unsavory regimes remain unhelpfully close.

1. India barely lifts a finger, these days, to get herself a permanent UN seat, why ?
2. US & India are strongly bent on signing this agreement, why ?
3. France, Germany, Russia & UK supports this deal, why ?
4. Do India really deserve this exception and red-carpet treatment in the Nuclear world ?
5. Can India be trusted ?
   

I wanted to summarize the whole deal to see
what's the big deal about this deal ?

WHAT IS THE PACT?

* The legislation amends Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. It lets the US make a one-time exception for India to keep its nuclear weapons without signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The amendment overturns a 30-year-old US ban on supplying India with nuclear fuel and technology, implemented after India's first nuclear test in 1974.

* Under the amendment, India must separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities, and submit civilian facilities to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

GAIN FOR INDIA

* Current state of power generation in India is bleak. There is overall 12% shortage in the country. In some areas shortages are much higher. Most of the power is generated using coal (60%). Hydro accounts for 26%, gas accounts for 10% and nuclear accounts for 3 % of power generated. Remaining 1% is generated using a mix of diesel and fuel oil. As the economy grows at 8-9% a year for the next 15 years, power generation will have to fill up the previous gap plus grow at a rate of about 10& per year. That means, unless power generation capacity boosts well about 10-12% a yeare, Indian industry and agricultre will find difficult to maintain the momentum it has created in last 5 years.

*If you go to the NASA website, you can see beautiful satellite pictures of the earth at night. If you look carefully where the lights are, it says a lot about where the world economy is today. Europe is probably the most uniformly luminous; but not as bright as the eastern part of the US and its western coastline. Africa is almost completely in the dark. Latin America is lit, but mostly along the coasts. One can also see Asia’s economic story in the picture: vast swaths, including most of Russia, Tibet, and the Middle East are unlit. Japan looks like a shining moon in the middle of the pacific. The southern part of the Korean peninsula is bright, the north completely dark. China’s lights shine on the coast and slowly fade inland. India is full of a million dull lights, with a few bright spots.

To me, this picture highlights the obvious point that wealth, economic growth, and energy use are fundamentally intertwined: where there is wealth or growth, energy is needed the most. If we could somehow see that picture evolve over the past 50 years, I am almost certain that we would see Europe, Japan, and the US brighten as their economies grew, with the rest of Asia emerging towards the tail end. The point of this silly astronomy lesson is simply to say that if India wants to grow at the pace necessary to lift our millions out of poverty within two or three decades, we’re going to have to power that growth – with lots of electricity and fuel; and hopefully some alternative methods too.

WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?

* Unlike members of the NSG, India has not only failed to sign the NPT, it has not signed the CTBT either. Critics say it undermines the NPT, which holds that only countries which renounce nuclear weapons qualify for civilian nuclear assistance. And America, Russia, Britain, France and China, the five official nuclear powers, it refuses to cap uranium and plutonium production for military uses. Yes, indeed India has agreed to put more civilian reactors under IAEA safeguards, but on the unilateral insistence it can take "special meausres" (well...let's say...like tossing inspectors out) if its others demands are not met. These include the uninterrupted supply of foreign uranium fuel and help in building up a strategic fuel reserve.

* The accord sends the wrong message: it could undercut a US-led campaign to curtail Iran's nuclear program, and open the way for a potential arms race in South Asia.

* India says 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities are civilian. Critics say the pact could make bomb making at the other eight easier, as civilian nuclear fuel needs will be met by the USA

* USA Congress may not have noticed, but American officials have been coaching India in avoidance tactics: buy your uranium fuel from others, not us, they suggest, and you're in the clear.

HOW IS PAKISTAN INVOLVED?

* Pakistan sought a similar civilian technology deal with the US but was refused. It is the only other confirmed nuclear power not to have signed the NPT - saying it will join after India does.

* Pakistan's own expanding nuclear program could fan the rivalry between India and Pakistan.
* Let's not forget that India & Pakistan are nuclear rivalries in the region.

INTERNATIONAL RIVALRIES?

* China is said to have supported Pakistan's nuclear weapons program since the 1980s. Some analysts see the Indo-US deal as part of attempts by larger powers, the US and China, to shore up influence in South Asia by building up rival arsenals.

* The IAEA said in 2004 that Libya & Iran's nuclear programs were based on Chinese technology provided by Pakistan. Knowing India's closer ties to such countries, can we do an exception to India ?

CONCLUSION

.....[no sé, well...not yet]....[no sé = I don't know in Spanish].....

Curiosity kills the cat !

Sonia passed me a link at office yesterday. A Hong Kong student (Chinese) was honoured by the International Student Research Award of the American Psychological Association (APA) for her research study on self-stigma, Homosexuality Identity and "coming-out": A comparative Study of Lesbians in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

And the Student's name is Pizza Chow...yes, her name is PIZZA ! ! !

I really want to meet this student and ask her few questions. This is very intriguing for me.

How & Why the hell on earth would anyone
want to have PIZZA as a name!

Several years ago in Paris, I met a Chinese priest learning French in my University. He introduced himself as Pierre-Jean. I was like, O.K. whatever ! Two days later, we crossed each other at the campus cafeteria during the lunch hour and we had a talk. I asked him, very curiously, why his name is French (= biblical). Then he explained to me that in China before leaving abroad, they choose a western name. As he is a priest he choose a biblical name. That intrigued me a lot. I told him, a bit brutally direct, that I would rather prefer to call him with his Chinese name as he is from China. To be frank, I do not remember his name, all I remember now is that his name was unpronounceable. But still, I was stubborn and told him that I will certainly call him by his Chinese name and I will make efforts to do so. I never saw him again.

2 years ago, when I reached Hong Kong, I told all my Chinese colleagues that I will call them with their Chinese name. Very soon, I abandoned that idea because I couldn't. It was so difficult. And, I got back to their western names Vivien, Kenis, Min, Leona, Jass, Vicky, Judy etc.

On one hand, I really admire the Chinese people adapting to the world.

On the other hand, I find something weird in this. The names these people choose !!! Sometimes, it is not western (or biblical). It is the name of objects. Yes, ...objects ! Want examples ? ...

Egg, Apple, Tiger, Eagle, Peach, Water, Cherry, Ice, Open, Shine, Windows, Gorilla, Rabbit, Yellow, Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Seven, Eleven, Spring, Rainbow, Centre, Panda, Dolphin, Oxygen, Energy, Happy, Goofy, Bacon, Spaghetti, Cotton, Orangejello, Gentle, Why-not, Cowboy, Uranus, Coffin, Jerk, Pencil, Frog, Dicko, Internet, Mango, Cadburries, Fish, Lychee, Onion, Carrot, Table, Money, Pissy, Pillow, Yuck, Vegina, Maybe, Tomorrow, Cradle, Dog, Watermelon, Puppy, Radio, Lotion, Mango, Telephone, Piano etc..

Every culture have their weird names, I agree and I also know that many Indians names can sound weird in English, for example, Sukhdeep (in western world, people tend to pronounce this word "suck deep"). But again, these are words in one particular language with a certain meaning to it in their own language. And, such incidents are a mere culture-crossing. Thus, it doesn't bother me much.

But having names such as Pizza & Apple ...boy ! I am really curious...and this kills me.

Hey, fellaws !
Name = Identity !
Hence, please think twice (or more if you need) before you choose
the so-called Western name !

What makes the French so French ?

For a long time now I wanted to write about the 2003 published Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong: Why many love France but Not the French ?

Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoit Nadeau make a point that western travelers to Africa or Japan expect a certain level of cultural unfamiliarity to be a part of the experience. However, when people (especially North Americans) travel to France, they don’t take into account that the French are a different people, with different instincts, intuitions, history, and culture. The authors very cleverly do not judge the North American (the US of A and Canada) system nor the French. They just say: from a distance, modern France looks like a riddle. Up close, it all makes sense.

They discuss the French tendency to be non-abiding (pushing, cheating, taxes, speeding, not paying metro tickets, parking on the side walk, and not curbing their adorable lap-dogs). They believe that these small rebellions are a necessary counter point or release valve in a French state that is quite authoritarian (NB: French abolished the monarchy during the French revolution and installed a new "bourgeoisie" centralized & controlled Presidential Monarchy and now the country is run by the 5th Republic which gives the President more powers). But that the state grew to be so in response to a general admiration of taking things to the extreme, jusqu’au boutiste.

Particularly interesting was the section on Muslim integration in France. France has the largest Muslim population outside a Muslim country. Recent changes outlawing overtly religious symbols in schools such as crosses or, more importantly, head scarfs issue. This book presents the seaming intolerance in light of the policy France has always had toward regional differences and immigrants. Complete integration.

Since WWII religion and ethnicity cannot be asked by the state, so a French person is only that, French, nothing else. This policy is not working well with the Muslim community, because they might look different, and have noticeably non-European names, discrimination is rampant. Interestingly enough, the authors mention that the police have started actively recruiting beurs, which draws a strong parallel to Boston.

A few rules for the rest of the world hoping to understand the different notions of privacy that the French have:

1. Always say Bonjour, when entering a store. A store is a private space, more like entering someones home than popping into a Walmart or Carrefour. In fact, say bonjour any time you start talking to someone, especially someone you don’t know well.
2. Don’t ask someones name, a name is private.
   
3. Don’t ask what someone does for work. Also rude.
4. Resist the urge to talk about money. Especially salaries. You will make people uncomfortable. Even the good deal you got on x, y, or z is off limits. Think up something else, I’m sure you have something more interesting to say than that.
5. Don’t be afraid of raucous political discussions. Very few French will turn down a good fight (= debate).
   

The Authors mention how the French are convinced their country is going to shambles; the trains awful, the health system failing, and students hooligans.

In fact the trains are amazing. They are almost always on time, are incredibly modern, fast, and comfortable. You can get nearly anywhere without owning a car. You can just take a walk in Paris, not pay attention to where you are going and when you are ready to be done walking find a metro station almost certainly within five minutes. There are at least fourteen train lines, five RER lines, tramways, and countless buses serving Paris. There are so many options it can be hard to decide which route to take between two destinations. And they are CONTINUING TO IMPROVE IT (many French find it hard to believe it).

The health system is amazing. France consistently ranks first for quality of health care. The US ranked 37th. Many American friends of mine living in France told me that "one really feel the difference living here".

French students may be less respectful than they once were (a common saying among the teachers worldwide) but the French educational system still turns out top notch graduates and they pay next to nothing. The system may need revising or be too rigid, but it is still a first class educational system almost free to those hoping to better themselves.

There are also a slew of funny anecdotes about living here that will have anyone that has tried it laughing like mad. For example, why do the French religiously open and close their shutters twice a day? I’ll leave the answer for the book.

Gender Equality in the toilet !!!

Two days ago, I was having lunch in our office's kitchen with my colleagues (Sophie, Alex, Julien & Daniel). Our conversation little by little led to one topic so universally controversial :

Toilet Seat, put down or put up ?

Our office is situated on 2 floors (25th & 26th) - the last two floors of the Admirality Centre - the building which has got the red coloured advert GOME on the top. In the past, the situation was one Men's toilet in the top floor and Women had their rest room on both floors. I work in the 25th floor and since more than a year now I am using the ladies toilet in the 25th floor (nobody opposed) for a simple reason that I have to climb every time to wash my hands or redo my tie or answer the nature's call. Today, things have changed. All the toilets have become "mixed" (not unisex toilets). This means in the rest room, you have two closed WC (one for Men & the other for Women) and the washing area with the mirror is a common area.

Daniel: [smiles cunningly] ah, Prash, I heard that you pee while sitting.
Prash: oh ? who told you that ? [what a question ! now he thinks he is right (you too!) damn !]
Daniel: It seems that the reason nobody opposed the idea of you using the ladies toilet in the past is you pee sitting.
Prash: Well, I think the ladies in my floor didn't bother me using their toilet because I put the toilet seat down after the whiz.
Sophie: I don't know why, you men never bother to put the toilet seat down after...
Alex: Why should we ?
Sophie: Because at home, your sister and mother might use it after you.
Alex: Ya, right, but why is that the mother & sister not put the seat up after they use the toilet ?
Prash: Ah, that is a good question...
Julien: Why should men put the seat down while you women never put the seat up.
Alex: Why can't everyone just look out for themselves when it comes to peeing? Is this too much too ask?
Prash: I don't agree... If you don't put up the seat while you pee, you might spill your whiz on it and women pee while sitting, oh, for that matter, you might even sit on it for the #2...so it is a question of hygiene.
Alex: Good. But that makes no point...Again, why should men put the seat up while they (women) don't put the seat down ? Do women not want equal rights in the toilet area?
Daniel: I heard many times from women that "I almost fell in" or "I sat on the bare toilet"
Alex: And you know why ? because they never check if the toilet seat is down...They take it granted that the seat be down.
Julien: So, Sophie, have you ever fell in ? or sat on the bare toilet ?

[the rest of the conversation is censored for the sanctity of this blog]
**prash winks**

This conversation made me think a bit about Gender Equality (you ought to know by now that I am very concerned about the gender equality and I shout for women's equal rights). After thinking, I came to conclusion that it is a double standard. Women still want men to be the "gentlemen", open doors, pay for dinner (not true always), etc... they want to keep all the good things they had when it was "unequal" and take only the good things of equality. Sorry to say this, but if women want equality, they have to take the good AND the bad.

SO, I have two pertinent questions:

1. Why in the world do some men NOT lift the seat? Guys, you ALL know that at some point You will have to sit for #2. So, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING by not lifting the seat for #1 ?

I try to tell my close female friends that men do not always have sex on the brain. But apparently, even as they are simply walking to the bathroom to do #1, they pass some hot woman, their brain shuts off, and they are unable to think about anything except how to get laid. I can’t think of any other possible explanation as to why they would urinate on a seat that they themselves might have to use in the future.

2. More importantly, why do women not only DEMAND that the seat be left down, but make such a BIG DEAL about it?

"Oh my GOD, that’s so nasty – so inconsiderate – that man left the seat up!" Ladies, it makes me even sadder that your unceasing and unquestioning loyalty to convention, tradition, and standards has blinded your ability to think logically on this matter. I would think that in a culture full of men who urinate on your toilet seats, you would be THRILLED to see a man leave the seat up after using the toilet. You should encourage such behavior.

I would like to propose a solution: Let’s ALL leave the seat UP – let that be its natural resting position. If we can instill this idea worldwide, then we can all put the seat DOWN when we use the restroom (men, for #2 only, please) and it won’t be covered in urine, since the stupid, lazy, sex-always-on-the-brain man will not urinate all over the seat every time he goes to the john.

I know I know, So Much for our lunch break ~!~
(and all this, while I was having my salad)

Taxi Conversations (Part 2 = Paris)

In Hong Kong, a foreigner seldom gets the opportunity to have a conversation with a taxi driver (due to the language barrier)...but when he/she does, this is what happens. I lived in the 16th district of Paris (aka, 16e arrondissement). Though poor people live in this area (proof: MOI) this district is reputed, since centuries, for its bourgeoisie & richness. One fine day, I needed to go somewhere (don't remember where) and as I was a bit late I abandoned the idea of taking the Metro and called for a taxi. I warn you this conversation ain't any funny at all !~

Une femme de là-bas

[the whole conversation takes place in French]
Prash: Bonjour !
Driver: Bonjour, Monsieur ! (Good Morning, Sir) where do you want to go ?
Prash: 6e arrondissement, S'il vous plaît! (6th district, please!)
Driver: Which street ?
Prash: [after indicating the name of the street and the number to the driver prash searches for his AirWave Sugar-Free chewing gum]
Driver:[after a short silence] ah, aren't you fasting ?
Prash: Pardon ?
Driver: It is Ramadan and are you not fasting ?
Prash: No, I am not fasting, [out of respect] but if you are fasting I can throw it away, if you want.
Driver:[reduces the volume of the radio] No, it is ok, I can withstand the temptation...[sighs] ah these young people, no respect for the tradition & religion.
Prash: Sorry ?
Driver: I said, young people like you don't respect the tradition.
Prash: Well, first of all, you are not old [driver should be around 35] and second of all, I am not fasting because I am not celebrating Ramadan.
Driver: Ah ! that's exactly what I am saying...you are not celebrating Ramadan because you have no respect for the tradition & religion.
Prash: [tensed] Monsieur, I am not a Muslim...
Driver: Ah ? what ? you are not from Pakistan ?
Prash: [feels so flattered] No, I am not.
Driver: So, you are a Hindu.
Prash: Well, I am an Indian
Driver: Ya, you are a Hindu
Prash:Well, like most Indians I am born Hindu but I am Indian and not Hindu.
Driver: mm....
Prash:Hindu is a religion and Indian is a nationality.
Driver: So you are not a Hindu or Muslim ? what are you ? a Christian ? go to church ?
Prash:[annoyed] I am born Hindu and I have no religion nor do I believe in being part of any particular Nation, I am content to be 'citizen of the world' but if you want to know about my origins, I am Indian.
Driver: I always thought that all Indians are Hindu like the Bollywood movies.
Prash: Well, India houses the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and before Pakistan. You could very well meet an Indian who is a Muslim. And many big actors of Bollywood are Muslims.
Driver:[feeling a bit stupid] ah, these days traffic in Paris is terrible, luckily I took the Trocadero route.
Prash:[regretting to have encouraged this stupid conversation prash takes out the mobile and calls a friend to escape this situation ...prash needed a friend, now, right now] Hello, Hi...how are you ?
Driver: [after the telephonic conversation] so you speak so good English, are you from London ? [I don't know why, people, especially in France, think I am a British from London...even if I sound British, couldn't I be a British from Leeds or Gloucester or Norwich, for that matter ?...why is that it is automatically London ?!?]
Prash:[for the umptieth time in his life] NO, I am from Newcastle, my parents live in Croydon and my brother lives in Manchester, my aunt lives in ...[of course this is joke but they never get that, do they]
Driver: ah I see...now I understand..you speak so like British ...not like those stupid Americans
Prash:[more annoyed] ya, you are right, all Americans are stupid and the rest of the world is really intelligent.
Driver:[probably feels stupid again] no, that's not what I meant
Prash:[whatever you meant, moron, it is stupid] I understand...it is ok.
Driver: [after an awkward silence] you should be rich
Prash: [there we go again] No I am not
Driver:At least you should be married to a French woman
Prash: [surprised] Why ?
Driver: You live in 16th district and you are taking a taxi to go to the 6th district [another posh area of Paris]...at least you have a French girlfriend ?
Prash: I am not married & I have no girlfriend [and wonders why he answered that question]
Driver: you know, these French woman (= white women)...they are just good for fucking...
Prash: [shocked and checking out the area & the meter] well...
Driver: they are just good for fuck...if you want to have children, you need "une femme de là-bas, de Maroc" (literally means, a woman from there = as he put it, back home from Morocco). You marry a woman from your village and have children and fuck around with these French sluts...that is the way to live.
Prash: [angry, stressed, annoyed and also relieved as the travel is almost over] just drop me here in the corner...Merci, au revoir et bonne journée (thanks, good bye and have a good day)

61 years YOUNG India

61 years ago, the 1st Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave a speech titled Tryst with Destiny in which he said "At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom".
Where is India today ?

At the World Economic Forum 2006, Davos was plastered with signs in local swiss town buses : India - World's Fastest Growing Free Market Democracy! And, when the official delegates got to their hotel room, they found iPod Shuffle loaded with Bollywood songs, and a pashmina shawl, gifts from the Indian delegation. This Indian extravaganza is remembered by many even two years later especially in the international economic, diplomatic & journalistic circles. Such marketing slogans wouldn't work if there were no substance behind them.

But does the world really know this complex, diverse country?
Just as important, does India know what it wants of the world?

At this point, anyone who has actually been to India will probably be puzzled. "India?" he or she will say. "With its dilapidated airports, crumbling roads, vast slums and impoverished villages? We're talking about that India?" Yes, that, too, is India. The country might have several Silicon Valleys, but it also has three Nigerias within it, more than 300 million people living on less than a USD a day. India is home to 40 % of the world's poor and has the world's second largest HIV population. But that is the familiar India, the India of poverty and disease. The India of the future contains all this but also something new. You can feel the change even in the midst of the slums.

To new visitors, it won't look pretty. Many Western businessmen go to India expecting it to be the next China. But it never will be that. China's growth is a product of its efficient, all-powerful government. Beijing decides the country needs new airports, eight-lane highways, gleaming industrial parks—and they are built within months. It courts multinationals and provides them with permits and facilities within days. It looks good and, in many ways, it is that good, having produced the most successful case of economic development in human history.

India's growth is messy, chaotic and largely unplanned. It is not top-down but bottom-up. It is happening not because of the government, but largely despite it. India does not have Beijing and Shanghai's gleaming infrastructure, and it does not have a government that rolls out the red carpet for foreign investment—no government in democratic India would have those kinds of powers anyway. But it has vast and growing numbers of entrepreneurs who want to make money. And somehow they find a way to do it, overcoming the obstacles, bypassing the bureaucracy.

What is happening today is the birth of India as an independent society—boisterous, colorful, open, vibrant and, above all, ready for change. India is diverging from its past, but also from most other countries in Asia. It is not a quiet, controlled, quasi-authoritarian country (I didn't mention China, did I?) that is slowly opening up according to plans. It is a noisy democracy that has finally empowered its people economically.

If you ask the question "What will India look like politically in 25 years?" we know the answer: like it does today—a democracy, probably with a coalition government.

Democracy makes for populism, pandering and delays : but it also makes for long-term stability. If the Indian state has succeeded in one crucial dimension, it has failed in several others.

• In the 1950s and 1960s, India tried to modernize by creating a "mixed" economic model, between capitalism and communism. This meant a shackled and over regulated private sector, and a massively inefficient and corrupt public sector.
  
• The results were poor, and in the 1970s, as India became more socialist, they became disastrous. In 1960 India had a higher per capita GDP than China; today it is less than half of China's. That year it had the same per capita GDP as South Korea; today South Korea's is 13 times larger.
• The United Nations Human Development Index gauges countries by income, health, literacy and other such measures. India ranks 124 out of 177, behind Syria, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.
• Female literacy in India is a shockingly low 54 percent.
• India is considered as highly corrupted by many studies.
  
• Infrastructure is very poor. China developed its infra-structure according to its growth & need. India didn't.
• Despite mountains of rhetoric about helping the poor, by any reasonable comparison, India's government has done too little for them.

Is this a problem with democracy? Not entirely. Bad policies fail whether pursued by dictators or democrats. But there are elements of democracy that have hurt, certainly in a country with rampant poverty, feudalism and illiteracy. Democracy in India too often means not the will of the majority but the will of organized minorities—landowners, powerful castes, farmers, government unions and local thugs. It is ironic, for example, that India's Communist Party does not campaign for growth to lift the very poor but rather works to maintain the relatively privileged conditions of unionized workers.

Democracy is India's destiny: a country this diverse and complex (17 major languages, 22,000 dialects and all the world's major religions) cannot really be governed any other way. China's so-called communism did encourage the separatism of Tibetans, Mongols & Uighurs. Had it not been for democracy, India would have split into two in the early years of Free India due to the cultural differences between the north Aryan and the south Dravidian.

The central paradox of today's India is : its society is open, eager, confident and ready to take on the world but its State (its ruling class) is far more hesitant, cautious and suspicious of the changed realities around it.
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How & When will India shackle its major problems like, to name a few:
Poverty, Pollution, Corruption, Child Abuse, Dowry, Caste systems, Religious fanaticism, Victorian homophobic laws, Unemployment, poor Infra-structure...

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Taxi Conversations (Part 1 = Hong Kong & Bangkok)

Conversations with Taxi drivers in Hong Kong is very rare for a non-Chinese as these drivers hardly speak any English. In one way, this is actually a good news because you are not forced to hear any crap like in France [Taxi Conversation (Part 2 = France) is coming very soon]. I just jotted down some of my experiences in Hong Kong and one funny conversation in Bangkok.

Hong Kong Stories
Namasté mania !

Driver: Namaste, my friend, Namaste
Prash: well...namaste ! Admirality MTR Mgoy ! [MTR = Mass Transit Railway = Metro/subway]
Driver: Namaste ...Namaste !
Prash: ok, thanks ! I'll get down here ...
Driver: Namaste...Namaste..houqhoduaou...hoquodhouqod...
Prash: [smiling and was about to tell the driver what he is blabering is not even close to any Indian languages] Keep the change ! Mgoy ! Bye Bye
Driver: Namaste...Namaste..houqhoduaou...hoquodhouqod...

Learning English !
Driver: Hello...how are you, sir ?

Prash: [to his friend in French] ah, this Chinese driver speaks English ...hurray !
Friend: Fine, thanks..could you take us to Shiu Fai Toy, mgoy [mgoy = means Thanks & please in Cantonese]
Driver: It is a good weather today...nice ...beautiful...I learn English, you know ...
Prash: Fantastic, where do you learn English ?
Driver: From my clients...from you, my friend, from you...you be my teacher, my friend ?
Prash: Well...
Driver: Boss, how do you say the name of this hotel ?
Prash: Cosmopolitan Hotel
Driver: sorry teacher, Cosmo ..euh ?
Prash: Cosmo POLITAN
Driver: Cosmo Politan Hotel...Cosmo Politan Hotel...[repeats 100 times until we reach the destination]
Prash: [to his friend in French] This is funny, you think we are going to get a reduction ?
Driver: CosmoPolitan, teacher, you very good...thank you and it is 28 HKD [no reduction!]
Prash: [sighs] Mgoy soy...
Driver: Thank you Teacher !

Prash and the Thierry Henry connection
Driver: Where are you from ?
Prash: euh...well...I am from India...
Driver: But you spoke French on the telephone...
Prash: oh, that is because I lived in Paris for a long time...
Driver: ya ya ya...I knew it...you are like Thierry Henry
Prash: ya ya ya...I am a Black Football player ! [since when do I look like a Black man ? But, I was flattered as Thierry Henry is gorgeous]
Driver: He is very good...and very handsome like you [wondering if these drivers always flatter you to get more tips?]
Prash: Thanks ...you play football ?
Driver: No..but I like to watch...I am sure you play football you have a wonderful body
Prash: well...

You are beautiful so you should speak Chinese
Prash: Hello, Shiu Fai Toy, mgoy !
Driver: Ah you speak Chinese ?
Prash: No, I don't speak Chinese
Driver: But you must...you are very beautiful you must speak Chinese ...
Prash: euh...what ?...well...OK.
Driver: You are very beautiful, your wife is lucky !
Prash: I am not married
Driver: Then your girlfriend is lucky !
Prash: oh ya ...certainly !
Driver: You don't have a girlfriend ?
Prash: No..I don't.
Driver: Then you must like boys. Such a camera-ready face and sexy body! Why don't you have a girlfriend ?
Prash: No one interests me, now. Thanks
Driver: Why not ? WHY NOT ? [claps hands together] I know! you like boys!
Prash: [only if he knew !] If you say so...
Driver: I was joking lah ...come on !
Prash: OK OK
Driver: A beautiful boy like you has no girlfriend...I can't believe.
Prash: well...
Driver: Maybe you like boys...but I will tell you, boys are no good, they don't have that two things here [does a indecent gesture to show me what he was saying] You go get a girlfriend, boys are no good ...
Prash: OK, I will, Thanks..I will ! Bye Bye

All Americans sing Village People's YMCA

Driver: Where are you from?

Prash: Hong Kong
Driver: Ah, Hong Kong, Really ? You don't look like you're from Hong Kong. Where is your father from ?
Prash: [exasperated] America
Driver: America ? Ah ! I know ! I know ! Hollywood, New York, gangsters, Right ?
Prash: Yes, that's right !
Driver: Village People, yes ? YMCA ? [hums YMCA chorus]
Prash: [couldn't prevent laughing] Yes, that's everyone's favorite song in America
Driver: I like happy songs. I want to buy a CD
Prash: Thank you very much for the ride, you are the happiest taxi driver I've ever met.
Driver: You too ! Very smiley. Very Happy. Yay ! Bye Bye happy boy !

A close relationship with God
Automated female voice: Welcome to the taxi. Please fasten your seatbelt.
Driver: It's cool, istn't it ? I had it installed last week
Prash: Yes, very cool. I've never seen one of those in a taxi before
Driver: [After a long silence] Do you believe in Jesus ?
Prash:[Unsure of where this is going but reluctant to make enemy] Uh, I guess so.
Driver: I love Jesus [turns up radio]. I love listening to Christian songs [starts singing].
Prash:[says to himself Vive la Freedom of Religion in Hong Kong]. Yes, they are very nice
Driver: Sometimes I have conversations with Jesus. He appears to me. I can see him.
Prash: Really ? [checks if the doors are unlocked in case quick getaway is needed] How interesting !
Driver: Oh yes, he's been appearing to me since I was in grade four.
Prash: I totally believe you.

The fashion boy whoring during weekends !
Driver: I really like your shirt and your cool look.
Prash: euh..ok [flattered], Thank you.
Driver: You must work in fashion, to dress like this.
Prash: [well...this is interesting...] ya, kind of fashion-related
Driver: I bet you get all the bitches
Prash: I beg your pardon ?
Driver: You must get a lot of chicks from the way you dress
Prash: No, not really...
Driver:Yeah, whatever. You must bang a lot of bitches every week. You're a playa [playboy?] just like me, I can tell. I like to get freaky with it [bitches] on the weekends.
Prash: uh..uuh..
Driver: Yeah, tell you what ? There is this club in Shenzhen [border city of Hong Kong in mainland China and capital of "authentic" fake objects] with the hottest hookers. Do you go whoring a lot ? I really like it when...
Prash: Stop at the next intersection, please.

Bangkok, Thailand
Ladyshopping

Driver: Where are you from, sir ?

Prash: euh..well...euh...well...I am from Paris
Driver: Oh, I knew it...you look so French man (wha..? ok..whatever!)
Driver: You visit Bangkok ?
Prash: Yes
Driver: You finish shopping ?
Prash: Yeah..actually, finished this afternoon. Thanks
Driver: lady shopping?
Prash: sorry..what ?
Driver: lady shopping ...
Prash: pardon ?
Driver: you come out at midnight, I take you to bars & clubs and you can lady shopping
Prash: ah..I see...but it is ok I am not interested.
Driver: Why ? you are married and got kids ?
Prash: well...yeah...you got it !
Driver: But it is ok, it is just lady shopping...you don't make children with them
Prash: No, thanks !
Driver: [after a while]You live in Paris ? what is the color of the taxis in Paris ?
Prash: There is no uniform colour for taxis in Paris
Driver: Good, good, good ! You take taxis for shopping [in] Paris
Prash: It is expensive, but yeah sometimes I do.
Driver: You lady shopping in Paris ?
Prash: [annoyed] well, no !
Driver: you know, it is very beautiful, lady, lady...lady shopping, I will show you around. I know nice bars and clubs, you give me just few money.
Prash: No thanks !
Driver: You said you wanted [to go to] Austrian Embassy, today is Finals Euro Football. You go watch football ?
Prash: Yes.
Driver: [after an awkward silence] what about lady-boys ? (lady-boys = transsexuals or cross-dressers).
Prash: No thanks.
Driver: You look so beautiful...like Thierry Henry [again ?]
Prash: Ya sure...
Driver: Your wife doesn't have to know...you tell wife, you go out with me, your friend and we go for ladyshopping.
Prash: Just around the corner, you stop, will 'ya ? Thanks ! Bye!

Polygamy in the name of Religion & God !

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I think last week was just an exasperating week for me. After the Italian ridiculousness, my exasperation continued due to the three words I despise the most - 'polygamy' in the name of 'religion' and 'God'.
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The former teacher and Muslim preacher, who lives in Niger State with his wives and at least 170 children, says he is able to cope only with the help of God. He tells during a BBC interview "A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them". (Wait a second, did he say "control" ?)

He says his wives have sought him out because of his reputation as a healer - "I don't go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them."

But such claims have alienated the Islamic authorities in Nigeria, who have branded his family a cult. Most Muslim scholars agree that a man is allowed to have four wives, as long as he can treat them equally. But Mr Bello Abubakar says there is no punishment stated in the Koran for having more than four wives. "To my understanding the Koran does not place a limit and it is up to what your own power, your own endowment and ability allows," he says.

"God did not say what the punishment should be for a man who has more than four wives, but he was specific about the punishment for fornication and adultery."

'Order from God'
(oh ya, obviously ! Let's not forget, it is all GOD)

His wives and children break out into a praise song when he comes out of his balcony or room. Most of his wives are less than a quarter of his age - and many are younger than some of his own children.

The wives claim that they met Mr Bello Abubakar when they went to him to seek help for various illnesses, which they say he cured. "As soon as I met him the headache was gone," says Sharifat Bello Abubakar (just 25) at the time of marriage and Mr Bello Abubakar was 74. "God told me it was time to be his wife. Praise be to God I am his wife now."

Ganiat Mohammed Bello has been married to the man everyone calls "Baba" for 20 years. When she was in secondary school her mother took her for a consultation with Mr Bello Abubakar and he proposed afterwards. "I said I couldn't marry an older man, but he said it was directly an order from God," she says. She married another man but they divorced and she returned to Mr Bello Abubakar.

No Work !

Bello Abubakar and his wives do not work and he has no visible means of supporting such a large family. He refuses to say how he makes enough money to pay for the huge cost of feeding and clothing so many people. "It's all from God," he says. Other residents of Bida, the village where he lives in the northern Nigerian state, say they do not know how he supports the family.

According to one of his wives, Mr Bello Abubakar sometimes asks his children to go and beg for 200 naira ($1.69), which if they all did so would bring in about $290.

Most of his wives live in a squalid, unfinished house in Bida; others live in his house in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. He refuses to allow any of his family or other devotees to take medicine and says he does not believe that malaria exists. "As you sit here if you have any illness I can see it and just remove it," he says. But not everyone can be cured and one of his wives, Hafsat Bello Mohammed, says two of her children have died. "They were sick and we told God and God said their time has come."

She says that most of the wives see Mr Bello Abubakar as next in line from the Prophet Muhammad. Yes of course, they also see him as Jesus, Krishna, Shiva, Buddha...(Give me a break, please!)

Indeed, he claims the Prophet Muhammad speaks to him personally and gives detailed descriptions of his experiences. (I am sure that Prophet Muhammad also tells him the different positions of Kama Sutra to be practiced on his wives as rituals even if they didn't want it.)

Berlusconi, when will you stop your crap ?

An article dated 5th August in the International Herald Tribune (IHT) made me feel so exasperated. It is about the Italian summer scandal about the Pop-Star Prime Minister Berlusconi trying to cover up an issue. The article is titled : Art historians outraged over Berlusconi decision over painting.

In brief, the Italian media mogul and the Prime Minister Berlusconi (nick-named "Ecommunist" by the British Economist) ridiculed himself not by choosing a painting of Giovanni Battist (17th century fresco painter and printmaker) to be the background of all Press Conferences of his office in Rome but by retouching the exposed breast of the lady in the painting. The official reason (after several clumpsy attempts of hiding the truth) issued was "it (the breast, the nipple) might upset the sensitivity of some viewers".

Ridiculous, absurd and pathetic...why ?

1. City of Rome is full of nudism (statues, paintings etc)
2. Vatican City (inside Rome) is full of nudes too, well except Michael Angelo's Sistine Chapel where the genitals of the figure were covered with loincloths in the 16th century.
3. Many Italian official offices have such paintings in their reception hall, meeting halls and their websites. Example given by IHT - the Italian Culture Ministry has a very naked figure of Daphne by the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini on its Web site.
   
4. Big nude statues in front of the big buildings are still seen in Rome.
5. Last but not least, according to IHT - Newspaper commentators have pointed out that Berlusconi, who owns Italy's three largest private television stations, has not shied away from showcasing scantily clad women in scores of television shows.

This painting depicts “The Truth Unveiled by Time” and the original is in the Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza, which houses the civic museum.

Let us give them a little more time to “re-unveil again the truth” of Gianbattista Tiepolo nipple or the sex scandal (the affair between Berlusconi and Mara Carfagna, ex show girl and the current minister for equal opportunities).

My question is : What would you say if somebody retouches the painting of Mona Lisa or Last Supper or Raja Ravi Varma paintings or Persian paintings, even if it is a blown-up digital version ?

A stupid question, I know...many might not even bother.

Me, an ardent amateur and lover of art & history, I am not able to accept this, some of you might find this issue so petty that it is not even worth to talk about but I couldn't stop myself to pen down my feelings on this issue.

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Ciao to all my Italian friends (Nicola Ardagna, Andrea, Nico from Roma, Sophia, Alisa, Caterina, Nico from Torino, Elena, Maria, Giovanni, Gioele, Filipe, Feredirico) please do tell me what is happening in your country if you are there or tell me what the Italian press is saying exactly...
a short email will do...Grazie Mille & Baci Baci
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One World One Dream

but not for women from certain countries...

Olympic Games 2008 fever commences this week (FRI 08.08.2008) . The whole world is waiting patiently or impatiently the coming-out party of China (the opening ceremony) at Beijing. Hong Kong is very proud to welcome the Horse Racing competition of Olympic Games by gloating itself as the equine capital of China (for obvious reasons).

And, China is getting lots of bad press as the Olympics draw closer, and rightfully so in many cases. Yet, I think when it comes to the Olympics, some of the criticism aimed at China should be directed elsewhere:
the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC’s charter states that “any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on the grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic movement.”

Why is it, then, that certain nations are allowed to officially not include female athletes in their teams competing in the Games ?

While the hypothetical example of participating countries barring black athletes from the Olympic Games would have rightly caused international outrage, the committee continues to allow the participation of countries that do not allow women on their Olympic teams.

Countries with men-only Olympic teams include Brunei, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to their respective governments, women are barred from Olympic participation for "cultural and religious reasons".

If there are 56 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), that means that over 50 other Muslim countries do not agree with the idea of banning women from sports competition. So is the opposition from Brunei, Saudi Arabia and the UAE simply cultural? And if so, is it valid for those countries to cite Islam as a reason for their decision?

For some countries, clothing mandated by religious and cultural views confines women to certain Olympic events. In recent Games, for example, Iranian women competed in pistol- and rifle-shooting events.

The slogan for the Olympics is ‘One World, One Dream.’ This dream, however, I think, won’t be realized by women in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries that ban women from sports domestically and internationally.

Some argue there is a good news - the number of all-male teams has been declining. According to recent reports, 35 all-male Olympic teams competed in Barcelona in 1992 compared with 26 in Atlanta in 1996, 10 in Sydney in 2000 and half that number in Athens in 2004. In 2004, 40.7% of Olympians were women compared with 38.2% in 2000.

One should never exaggerate the importance of a bunch of sporting events. Women’s participation in sports is also a reflection of the female gender’s role in the world at large. If the IOC is to be taken seriously about the empowering, uplifting and egalitarian nature of the games, it should crack down on nations that so overtly violate its ideals.

Will at least the London Games in 2012 witness the celebration of female Olympians from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and other Muslim countries ?

INSHAH ALLAH -- the atheist prash

Being Black !!!

Two weeks ago, the English daily newspaper of Hong Kong - South China Morning Post (SCMP)- claimed that the authorities in Beijing issued a secret ban on Blacks, Mongolians and other "social undesirables" from Beijing's bars during the Olympics festivities.

Of course the sources of SCMP are anonymous and no concrete proof is issued to this article. There is no official statement issued (well, not yet) by Beijing either.



Many international journalists claim that they phoned to the bars and enquired (certain even claim that they talked to these bar owners personally). Apparently, they found no evidence.

• Is it really true that the Beijing authorities issued a secret official notice ?
• Is it really true that the Beijing Police are paranoid ?
• Or did Beijing shut down autocratically this problem ?
  
• Or is it just a mere rumor based on an unreliable source of SCMP ?

Whatever the truth may be, this issue made me ponder on "being black". (I am sure my Parisian friend K will find this article very interesting and he will certainly have a say here.)

Browsing the web, I found the following interesting passage in Verneilla Randall's blog dedicated to Race, Racism and Law:

When I was nineteen (and working at my mother's bar) I met a young man in service whom I like a lot. He was very dark skin - "blue black". He had a friend who was "so light he could be white". My mother was beside herself.
- "Why", she asks, "do you have to like the dark one?"
- "If you have children with him" she shouted "they will be too dark!"
- I remember saying to her: "The Blacker the berry the sweeter the juice."
- And she retorted - "Yeah, but who wants diabetes"

We all heard so much on this issue during the Clinton-Obama race. It is not yet over, people still talk about it because Obama won the race and now he is facing McCain. I know, this is an issue of one country and only shall its people decide who their President is. But when it comes to the country which is supposed to be the Numero Uno of the world, the whole world watches, talks and thinks. Hence, I think I can pen down something about it, can't I.

Wait a sec, is Obama a Black ? oops ! I didn't know or rather never thought so. I always thought and saw him as somebody from mixed race of second generation. But I've heard people say, "ah ! Obama is Black, he won't get elected" or "Obama is black, just for that I will vote for him" or "USA is not ready to have a Black President" or "It is so cool to have a Black President" or "a Black President will change the image of the USA abroad"...If everybody thinks he is Black unlike me, then I made a mistake. Discussions with colleagues, friends and unknown strangers from the net was followed and quite a few of them told me that I am right and he is certainly not African-American or Afro-American or African or Black, for that matter.

Why some think he is Black and some think he is not ?
Is it because Obama is too dark for white people and he is not black enough for Blacks ?

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I personally think only "education" can eradicate the three major psycho-socio issues of today's society - racism, homophobia & inegalitarian attitude towards women. And these problems cannot be solved in a day or in a month or in a year...it will take generations if a proper education is put in place by every one of us, starting at Home. Well, again, isn't it always easy to preach ...
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Should Hong Kong aspire to be the Monte Carlo of China?

The question may seem absurd. For a start, Hong Kong is a commercial city of nearly 7 million people; Monte Carlo a town in the French Riviera of just 16,000. Yet Monte Carlo is a metaphor for things that Hong Kong should stand for� - quality, wealth, low taxes and a sort of independence.

• Hong Kong must adjust to the fact that it is not any more the only capitalist city or financial center in China, is not the biggest port, is no longer a manufacturing hub or a unique political anomaly in a post imperial age.
  
• Can Hong Kong transform itself again, as it did in the 1950s when it became more than a China gateway by turning itself into a manufacturing powerhouse?
  
• Or is it destined to become like Rio de Janeiro? Fifty years ago, the Brazilian city was the priciest place on the planet. But it lost its bearings when the bureaucracy moved to Brasilia, the bankers moved to Sao Paulo, and slums and drugs trumped its topography and iconic beaches.

The most attractive aspect of Hong Kong is precisely that it is so different & unique from the rest of China and Vive la Différence!

Hong Kong must remain itself - unique and different. But what is that self at a time when its government is making daily appeals to its people to be more patriotic, to learn the national anthem and to emphasize their membership of One Country over their enjoyment of the freer of Two Systems?

I personally think, Hong Kong's leaders should stop stressing cultural and racial homogeneity of China but instead they should include the roles of Nepalis, Americans, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, Thai, Indians, French, Nigerians etc.

If this 'cosmopolitan' policy is put in place and Hong Kong shows itself the difference from the rest of mainland China, Hong Kong can only glow and fly high in the future.

I am aware that when China is dancing proudly for the Olympic Games this year (next month) and when the Tibet issue & the Sichuan earthquake raised the strong feeling of patriotism in China, any move by Hong Kong towards an another direction may not be viable at all.

But the ideal future for Hong Kong is to remain "different" and "unique".

Will Hong Kong move towards its own identity or will it get more and more submissive to Beijing ?

PS: Hong Kong was the last great jewel in England's imperial crown, a reminder of the days when the sun never set on the British empire. It is now more than a decade since British bade farewell to this colonial jewel it held for 156 years.

Working late is a culture in Hong Kong...

Hong Kong is a modern westernized city on the surface, but it can be surprisingly difficult to adjust to the unspoken cultural norms of many workplaces.

For example, working late is often accepted as normal and workers are not strongly focused on leaving the office at a particular time. People see the requirement for long hours at work as a sign of their importance, and they use their office spaces as second homes where they often have more privacy and comfort than at home. They don't have the Western habit of escaping the office as quickly as possible. Consequently, they may not see the same urgency to reduce workloads and improve efficiency. They're more compliant to 'busy work' as they're happy to fill the time and it makes them feel recognized.

At work, the phrases you often hear from your work-partners are :

1. I know you are very very very busy too...
2. You should be very very very busy, but I am sorry to call you...
3. It is nice to see (or to talk to) you again, you should be very very very busy nowadays...
4. You tell me when you get a little less busy, we can have lunch together around the corner...

During a recent cocktail reception, I met a work-partner and her assistant (Event Managers). The first thing the assistant tells me that they are very very very busy and especially her boss (she says it in front of her boss). I, very innocently, say - oh, poor you, what event are you working on ? - The immediate answer from the assistant was - oh, we are working on quotes for autumn projects. I understood what was going on (the assistant is trying to make her boss happy by saying that her boss is very very very busy). To claim that you are very very very busy, even if you are not, is a part of the culture here.

In august 2007, a journalist friend of mine made a documentary film for Pearl TV of Hong Kong on this topic (see the youtube below). Some excerpts, which I totally agree :

• On an average, Hong Kong people work 50hrs/week and 65hrs/week in the Financial field
• 75% suffer from stress, 45% from exhaustion, 33% from depression or 28% just take sick leave to recover massive long hours
• Working late doesn't mean that they are very productive
• People tend to think (or rather should I say 'believe strongly') that the longer you stay at work the more efficient you are
• The Spaniard in this film tells us that it is just the contrary in Spain, where people will think that you are not competent enough if you work late.

According to an expert in this video, they are mostly on msn or skype or facebook or go out for a snack or for a smoke during the day. And then they realize that work has to be finished and they stay extra-hours. And then, they start complaining that they are very busy, have so many things to do, they don't have a private life, they are so dedicated to their work and the company. How far is this true ? When I told my Chinese friends that I am tempted to believe this story, some shamelessly admitted and some just couldn't stop defending and counter-attack the western culture. I realized later that, the ones who admitted had lived abroad and the ones who counter-attacked feel more Chinese and blame the western world for seeing China (including Hong Kong) with a bad eye.

I am not saying that in Hong Kong there is no reason to be busy. But being "busy" (very very very) the whole year is a little odd ? I know in certain job fields the peak season is almost the whole year. But if the vast majority of one population says the same thing and pretends on doing something...then I think it is a part of a culture and hence, I personally believe that "working late in Hong Kong is a culture".

No offense or no judging is intended by this post. With all due respects (as the Americans love to say in their movies and series), hey people from Hong Kong, please take some time for yourself and live your life and not for your work.

PS:

1. The Basic Law of Hong Kong says that an enterprise is obliged is give minimum 7 paid holidays to its employees. In my observation, most of the companies give 10 days per year (excluding the public holidays).
2. In France, the French enjoy a 35hrs/week system (which is a political debate currently as the President Sarkozy wants to relax it a bit, well actually he had already done it) and to top it all, the French enjoy a 25 yearly paid holidays excluding the public holidays.

Being "fashion" is all psychology and vice versa, but only when your pockets are full

Being "fashion" is all psychology
Yesterday I had the following MSN conversation with a very good friend:
Friend: Prash, where would you go if you are looking for advises for fashion, health and couple related issued ?
Prash: I don't, because I don't need any and **prash winks**
Friend: Ofcourse, you don't...you belong to one of those handsome guys who eat junk food at McDonalds and still remain "fit", on a hypothetic basis where would you go if you need such advices ?
Prash: I was joking, sweetness!. Frankly speaking, I don't know...but, being "fashion" is all in the "head" (= psychology).

Friend: My girlfriend just left office, it is 22.30, OMG !
Prash: oh boy! Hong Kong is crazy, i shall write a post on "working culture of Hong Kong" in my blog soon...
Friend: Ya, you should...HK is crazy.
Prash: ya, i will. I think, as long as you are comfortable with what you are wearing and you feel sexy in it...then, you are in "fashion". I believe that the essential part in all this is to create one's own style. Once you have a style and you follow it and you modify it a little from time to time. One advise would be - try to make your look "unique".

Friend: Everybody trying to be "unique" - that is a funny phrase.
Prash: I know...fortunately for me, many don't and thus I don't have to break my head for my better looks ** prash smiles** I hope the weather is good this weekend, I wish I could do some outdoor activity.
Friend: We shall try to catch up this weekend.
Prash: cool...btw, why you ask me this question ?
Friend: Just a pondering thought, dude !
Prash: I am sure your girlfriend tried to give you some fashion advises and you thought it was too "queer" :-)
Friend:** smileys**
Prash: **smileys**
Friend: Ah, she just arrived...cya soon
Prash: ok, ciao ! kiss to the princess from prash ./

This conversation made me ponder...
Psychology affects Fashion Trends in Asia.

I agree with Megan Zborozski, when she says "Disposable income is the key to establishing a lucrative business in fashion... " Indeed, without it, most people would not care what the newest styles are or whether a particular designer's line of clothing is "in" or "out". But you all know that such a decision in making these fashionable purchases varies from person to person, and even from country to country. Ya, I know what you are trying to say, similarities do exist, but various elements come into play when evaluating those who follow fashion.

In this part of world, where i am living right now, culture & tradition and income play a huge role in determining the way in which people dress as well as the reasons behind it, especially in China and Japan.

China:

"To get rich is glorious" were the words uttered again and again by Deng Xiaoping during the 1990's. China's booming economy has given some Chinese to buy trendy clothing and designer brand names and thus, China has emerged as a strong lucrative luxury market. Of course, I am excluding Hong Kong when I say China.

Some Chinese are buying expensive, designer brand labels in order to "show-off" their newly-found wealth, an image which can be witnessed in big casinos of Macao (aka, Asia's Las Vegas). They prefer brands and logos which shall indicate their financial status. But, it's important to recognize that the large number of people who live in rural China still live in poverty and continue to struggle to purchase the basic necessities.

Many Chinese Fashion designers are on the rise and they let the Chinese & Western models cat-walk the ramps of Beijing and Shanghai with their new-look concept clothes.

It will be interesting to see if one of the main exporters of clothing & textiles will become a key importer of new styles and fashionable clothing & accessories.

Japan:

I have very few knowledge of Japan, as I havn't been there. What I say here about Fashion in Japan is all from my wisdom (reading, listening & observing).

Did you know that Japan accounts for approximately a quarter of the world's luxury goods sales ?

Yes, it is because they are very fashion-conscious people, especially teens & young adults. Comparable to Western countries, the Japanese market is constantly flooded with new style, with those fashions sometimes having a turn-around of just a few days.

There are loads of success stories of many Japanese designers since decades now.

In general, Japanese consumers are known to be highly group-oriented people who emphasize a need of assimilation. With clothing, many Japanese are very loyal to designer brand labels. but at the same time are very conscious of the reputation of those brands.

This desire for brand labels has been a long-lasting trend in Japan. Unlike many of their western counterparts, who choose to wear designer brands as a way to promote their unique identity, some Japanese wear brands as a to identify with others, helping them to feel secure by wearing a brand that is accepted by others.

However, I personally feel that today (in 2008) more young Japanese seek unique clothing to avoid looking like "cookie-cutter pieces".

Just like the rest of the world, the Japanese and Chinese have varying reasons for their interest in fashion. Trends are closely followed by many Japanese, with their interests in styles and designer brand labels leaning towards the western model of thought. China, on the other hand, is slowly (or should I rather say 'in a constant speed') transitioning into a fashion-conscious country.

But one similarity is visible: the more money you have, no matter where you live in the world, the more likely you are to become aware of fashion. And to be fashion, your pockets should be full.

Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok

A long weekend (4 nights) in Bangkok did indeed do some good to me. Discovering a new country, language, culture, history and society is always interesting but when it comes to your dream country it is more thrilling, exiting and fun.

I gather that this city is a sexual tourist destination for many. I had certain encounters (don't get your dirty mind working...). For example, the taxi drivers constantly proposed me "lady shopping at midnight ? I can take you to nice places". When I refused, they even proposed me "lady boys" (transsexuals or cross-dressers). But beyond this, the city vibrates with full of culture, history and charm (of course not mentioning the traditional and authentic Thai cuisine). After visiting the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha Temple, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and Jim Thomson's house museum, I got to experience Bangkok by night. No complains about music - usual club music like any European city or big Asian city. To my surprise, a night club in Bangkok on a Monday evening is like a Friday evening in Hong Kong. The first thing people ask you in this country is "where are you from?" (very unlike Hong Kong where people ask you "where do you work or what do you do?").

These are several pictures of Bangkok. Don't get shocked by seeing the dicks. It is called "Lingham Shrine" (temple of fertility where you have many wooden penis representations are worshipped).

This is my first visit to Thailand and it certainly is not the last time (inshah allah...)

Click the below picture to see more:

Bangkok juin 2008

Melancholy musings...

The melancholy state is in the wind and sorrow breeze is hugging the grass

The reasons are like the monsoon clouds vaguely spreading over the fragrant port of China.

The melancholy state is in the wind and sorrow breeze is hugging the grass

Solitude is desired but not really wanted
Loneliness is expected but not really wished

The melancholy state is in the wind and sorrow breeze is hugging the grass

Sulking is witnessed but not really desired
Change is remarked but not really adored

The melancholy state is in the wind and sorrow breeze is hugging the grass

Long Time No See

Welcome to the Question World, population 'me'.

Where did he go ?
Where did Prash go ?
Where did His Majesty go all these days ?

Why did His Excellency disappear from the blogworld ?
No time to blog ?
No time for his bloody blogger friends ?

Got tired of replying the unknown blogs of the unknown bloggers ?
Got tired of commenting the unknown blogs of the unknown bloggers ?
Got tired of browsing the unknown blogs of the unknown bloggers ?

Why ? Why ? Why ?

Prash is back...and he is going to wake up soon...
...is the blogworld ready for Prash's pondering thoughts ?

Who let the ghosts out ? ...who ? ...who ? ...who...

The "Hungry Ghosts Festival" of Hong Kong

The Hungry Ghosts festival is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Chinese who maintain traditional beliefs hold that ghosts are allowed out from heaven for the lunar month to roam the earth, and the living are required to satisfy the ghosts in order to attract good fortune.

The activities of the Hungry Ghosts Festival hold in various places in Hong Kong. They usually include Chinese opera performance and free distribution of rice to worshipers and poor people. Many worshipers will go to large temples as well as along the streets to have ceremonies by burning incense sticks, candles and paper money and accessories for the dead, and consecrating the sacrificial offerings like meats and fruits. Some worshipers may employ some taoist priests to hold the sacrifice in order to make the ghosts free from sufferings.

Origins

The followers of Buddhism and Taoism will consecrate their ancestors and offer sacrifices to the lonely ghosts who are being taken care by no one.

Legends

1. One of the legend about the Festival is about the gate of the hell. It was said that during the first and the 30th day of the seventh moon, the King of the Hell would order to open the gate of the hell to let the ghosts wandering anywhere on the earth. Some ghosts are resentful because they have no descendants or no appropriate funerals. Due to this reason, people offered sacrifices to hungry ghosts in order to guarantee their safety and good luck. After the end of the seventh moon, the ghosts would return to the hell.

2. There is another origin for the reason of consecrating the ancestors on this day. It was said that the Buddha had a student called Sakyamuni Buddha. His mother made a lot of sins during her life. So she became a hungry ghost after her death. Sakyamuni Buddha sought for the advice of his teacher, and was suggested to prepare different-tasting foods and fruits by the monks from many places. His mother was able to extricate her sins by depending on monks, peoples and gods from many places. Sakyamuni Buddha followed the instructions and his mother was able to escape from the abyss of misery. Hereafter people are organizing the gatherings of Yue Laan during the Festival in every year. It is also the same time as the harvest time of some fruits like litchis and longans. Together with the paper clothes and money, they are the common offerings in the Hungry Ghosts Festival.

Local legends of ghostly madness (according to the weekly HK Magazine)

1. The Girl with the braided hair:

In the 70's, it was a lot harder to get into Hong Kong. If you were an illegal immigrant, you either swum across the South China Sea or you snuck onto a train and jumped off across the border. The story goes that a boy from the mainland China and his girlfriend stowed away on a train to Hong Kong, meaning to start a new life. When they reached the Chinese University in Sha Tin (border to the mainland) the boy jumped, shouting at the girl to follow. She jumped, but her braided hair caught in the train door. It ripped her face from her skull.
Fast forward to one fine night at the Chinese University Campus. A wandering student sees a girl with braided hair sitting alone in a public square, with her back to him. Thinking she's crying, he taps her on the shoulder: she turns around, and a flayed, skinless face stares back at him. It's crying blood. A loose flap of skin - nostrils, ears, eyelids, lips - hangs down from her head by a single braid of hair. The student is found unconscious in the square the next morning and since then, the area is called as "One-Braid Road".

2. Race till the Death

This tale took place at the Happey Valley racecourse (Happey Valley = where I live). In 1918 a man decides to take his young son to the races. The child bursts into tears outside the entrance and refuses to go in, despite coaxing and threats. The next day the father reds about a now-famous fire at the Jockey Club, in which 600 people perished, still the highest number of casualities of a fire in Hong Kong. His son tells him that he was too frightened to go in the night before, because everyone entering the racecourse had a lit candle floating just above their heads.

3. The Last Congee

It's 9pm ona cold night in 1953. A chinese restaurant receives a phone call requesting congee (a typical rice porridge in Asian countries), to be delivered to a flat in an old building in Yau Ma Tei . The deliveryman arrives at the flat, knocks on the door and a wizened arm reaches out holding the money and takes the delivery. The deliveryman returns to the restaurant, where he realizes that the money in his hands is actually made of Hell's bank notes (the paper money burnt ceremonially for the dead). He think it's a prank. The next day at the 9 pm, the same order arrives. the ownder sends his other deliveryman and the same thing happens. At 9pm on the third day, the same order comes again. The owner suspects a trick and he makes the delivery himself. Again the same thing happens. The owner files a police report and takes an officer to the flat, hoping to catch the con artists in the act. They arrive; they knock; but this time no arm appears. The two men break down the door, and there inside the tiny flat are four headless bodies sitting around a mahjong table (mahjong = a four player game of chinese origin) and the game is still in progress. The game is being played with Hell notes.

Haven't we all heard such weird stories before? if you havn't, oh boy, I have a loads of them....

Antonin's farewell party at VOLUME, Hong Kong

Few pictures taken last Saturday for the farewell party of our dearest Antonin. It was one helluva night...

With Sonia having Antonin in the background
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With Xiaofei in the podium
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With Antonin & Cindy
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With Betty & Samy
*****Dancing with Alex & Antonin on the podium

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Dancing with the "la belle" Audrey & Cindy on the podium
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"Things"

Since I am in Hong Kong, there are 'things' which intrigued me in the begining and which made me laugh, eventually these 'things' made me a bit sad thinking in depth about certain psychological aspects of the culture in this part of the world.

One of those 'things' are certain alimentary words used to describe certain characters of people.

1. A new concept of the word 'banana'...

What I knew before.

I knew that the Banana is humorously used as a phallic symbol due to similiarities in size and shape. I also knew that because of the stereotypical image of monkeys and apes eating bananas, they have been used for racist insults, such as throwing bananas at sports players of African descent.


What I know now.

In the Asian community, Banana is a slang term which is used to describe an Asian person who is perceived as acting like a white person. It is because, the Asian person is yellow outside and white inside...I've heard about this and asked couple of asian people in Hong Kong who could pass for a banana ; couple of them openly agreed that they are a 'banana' and certain of them found it insulting.

2. I learnt very recently there is another term in Hong Kong which is used for the White people who act like Asian. The word is EGG and you know why ? ... yes, you guessed it well, it is because the person is white outside and yellow inside...


3. On the other hand, in the gay world of Hong Kong there exists a certain lexique specifically to describe the one's physical attraction to the other.

Rice - a gay non-Asian guy (genearlly white) who is mostly attracted to Asian guys, regardless of their age (though, I think it usually refers to an older man who prefers younger Asian men...sorry if anybody is getting offended by this judgement).



This does not necessarily project a racist ideal of the submissive Asian onto his desired partner, though cases of this kind of projection do exist. This status does not necessarily signal an Orientalist fetish. In many cases, the 'rice' person will simply tend to be attracted to certain physical features genetically common among males of Asian descent.

Sticky Rice - a gay Asian guy who chooses to associate with and date ONLY other Asian males.



{I think this orientation is often the result of bitterness over failing to generate any sexual interest among non-Asian (mainly White) suitors. Also often associated with inadequate in-person social skills with regard to intereaction with people outside their own race. I find that these type of asian men are often bitter, racist anti-White and they will try to bash the Potato (see the next part) asian men who like white men because the Potato asian have no romantic interest in dating the genrally less attractive, ehtnocentric Sticky Rice. }

Potato - A gay asian guy who prefers to date (usually old and pathetic - sorry for the judgement...) caucasion men.


The good thing about these type of people you see is that they do not discriminate in friendship. {I find, personnally, these asian men are more attractive, fun, outgoing and self-confident than their Sticky Rice counterparts}

Mashed Potato - a gay white male who is sexually attracted EXCLUSIVELY to other white males


{usually to the exclusion of Asian males and generally its due to the sterotyped idea of the size of a certain essential part of the male's body...there are other reasons too, I guess}.

It might sound funny if you are hearing these 'things' for the first time...but I think, people get psychologically blocked in many aspects. There is a need of more education and more exposure to these people about the real world which is full of D.I.V.E.R.S.I.T.Y.

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Hello all,

I know, I have been eluding to update this blog since I reached Hong Kong,
Sorry la !
(in HK and Singapore (I heard so), the word 'la' is used at the end of any word or phrase just like that...to make the cantonese language sound sweet, maybe ?).
I am thinking of updating this page regularly from now onwards.
To begin, here are some of the pictures of me and my friends in HK.

Charlotte and I, having lunch in the Hong Kong Park (next to our office)...I am having a Thai Green Curry and Charlotte, her favorite Pad Thai.
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One saturday afternoon...
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With Xiofei and Charlotte, after a Korean Hip Hop show...
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Please note the signboard in an Exhibition Hall where the Korean Hip Hop Music show was held...
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With Sonia...oh btw, we know how to sing 'I love you, I need you, I want you' after this concert...you can check out the video taken by sonia here. Merci Sonia pour la vidéo.
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Hong Kong & it's surroundings

Dear blog buds,

>> Apologizes for not being here for the past few months <<

Busy schedule at work and settling down in a new town is the reason, so sorry folks...

/// Few pictures of Hong Kong and it's surroundings ///

The roof top of a temple in the Cheung Cha Island

The sunset in the cheung cha island (one hour ferry drive from Hong Kong island)

The fruit market in Jordan, next to the Jade Market

The temple street

The Big Buddha of Lantau Island (the island just opposite to the Hong Kong Airport)

Hong Kong

Here I am, in this capital city of capitalism since more than a month and I thought I shall write something about this city and the life here. So, this post is not going to be something interesting or stimulating. Don't complain later, I warned you before.

Hong Kong (aka, HK) is a coastal city in southern China, has evolved from a fishing village, salt production site, trading and military port into an international financial center that enjoys the world's 9th highest GNP per captia and supports a 3rd of foreign capital flows into China.

History:

Archaeological findings suggest human activity in HK dates back over 5000 years.

British used the territory as a naval base during their Opium Wars with China. After the first of such wars, the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong island to Britain. Following other fights and wars with the Chinese, Britain was given Kowloon and other territories in 1898 on a 99 year contract. In 1941, the British surrendered HK to Japan and after Japan's surrender in August of 1945, Britain reclaimed its territory. Since then, British ruled Hong Kong untill 1997 when the 99 year contract ended. (I am sure certain of you still remember the images of hand-over...Lord Chris Patten (the last Governor of Hong Kong) left Hong Kong in a boat with his daughter...who would forget the tears that ran out of this young lady. That was an emotional moment in the history of the world.

Hong Kong enjoys a special status. Officialy it is called as HKSAR of PRC (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of People's Republic of China). It has it's own customs law, common law, driving codes etc..Hong Kong enjoys a larger autonomy but has no say in the military and the foreign affairs which are taken care by Beijing.

Some things that changed after the transition in 1997 which are purely symbolic :

1. All public offices now flew the flags of the PRC (People's Republic of China) and the Hong Kong SAR (Speacial Administrative Region).n The old flags now flies outiside the Britisch Consulate-General and other British premises.
2. Queen Elizabeth II's portrait disappeared from banknotes, postage stamps and public offices. But, many pre- 1997 coins and some banknotes are still in circulation.
3. The 'Royal' title was dropped from almost all organisations that had been granted it, with the exception of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
4. Legal references to the 'Crown' were replaced by references to the 'State', and barristers who had been appointed Queen's Counsel would now be knows as Senior Counsel.
5. Public holidays changed, with the Queen's Official Birthday and other British- inspired occasions being replaced by PRC National Day and Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day.
6. All the red colour Post Boxes (Royal Mail, Queen Elizabeth II)'s totally disappeared in the streets of Hong Kong and replaced by the green colour Hong Kong Post.

Some things that didn't change :

1. The new Hong Kong SAR (Special Administsrative Region) remained a separate jurisdiction, continuing to use English Common Law.
2. The border with the mainland China continued to be patrolled as before.
3. It remained a separate customs territory, with freer trade with the rest of the world than with the mainland China. Thus Hong Kong remained a full and individual member of various international organizations, such as IOC, APEC and WTO.
4. Hong Kong continues to negotiate and maintain its own aviation bilateral treaties with foreign countries and territories. Flights between Hong Kong and China mainland are treated as international flights.
5. It retained most immigration controls to foreign countries, except politically related visa applications. Similarly, Hong Kong SAR passport holders had easier access to countries in Europe and North America, while mainland citizens did not. Citizens in mainland China should apply a visa to come to Hong Kong and they go through same process at the immigration as other nationals.
6. English remained an official language and would still be taught in all schools (which is degrading day by day). It is a controversial issue because many feel that their children are not proficient enough in English because of 'mandarinisation' in educational institutions.
7. It continued to have more political freedoms than the mainland China, including freedom of the press (although this became vulnerable to self-censorship) and freedom of expression.
8. Hong Kong, unlike mainland China, continues to drive on the left (like in UK)
9. Hong Kong retains a separate international dialing code (852) and telephone numbering plan from that of the mainland. Calls between Hong Kong and the mainland still require international dialing.
10. All the British Crown statues like Queen Victoria, King George etc remained in various places unchanged.

I have so many things to talk about Hong Kong...little by little...Few pictures of HK...past and present...


Hong Kong island (precisely Causeway Bay) in 1880


Wan Chai Area in Central Hong Kong island in 50's

Two main banks in Central in 1950's

Hong Kong by night

The Yellow/Green Mini bus which I take to go to office every morning

The ferry which takes you to the HongKong Mainland from the Hong Kong island

Back to the blogosphere

Dear friends,

Somebody once said, Time runs fast when you look into the past and Time is long when you look into the future - four years of stay in Paris is over and another new life starts in Hong Kong.

Step by step I am settling down at office and at home in HK, aka capital city of capitalism.

Due to some nostalgy, I have put few pictures (as promised) taken during the French National Day (aka, Bastille Day) and at the Garden Party of the French President's Elysée Palace.

The French President Jacques Chirac waving at the V.I.P section

The Prime Minister and the Defense Minister of France waiting for the President's arrival

Joseph visiting Paris from Bangalore, Mareko, me the terrible me and Andréa from Italy

Sam with his colleagues

Jean Philippe and His excellancy aka Prash

Sam and His Majesty in front of the Elysée Palace at the Garden Party of the French President

Wedding bells...

Certain may frown, certain may blink, certain may ignore, certain may get scared, certain may get disgusted, certain may think it is gross and glaringly bad, certain may not comment on this post, certain may never come back to my blog again, certain may get shocked by the image of the above picture. I don't bother. The subject of this post is LOVE and official recognition by the Law for two individuals' Love.

Yes, two men kissing...they are my friends - Marc and Jean-Philippe (banana cake boy) -. They signed the Civil Solidarity Pact (PACS - Pacte Civile de Solidarité) yesterday - Tuesday 11th July-

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Congratulations boys!!!

May you be blessed with all happiness, health and wealth in this world all your life.

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What is PACS ?

France has a statuate authorizing 'civil unions' called PACS - Pacte Civile de Solidarité. PACS is a form of civil union between two adults (same-sex couples or unmarried opposite couples) for organizing their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so then "marriage". From a legal standpoint, a PACS is a "contract" drawn up between the two individuals, which is stamped and registered by the clerk of the court.

PACS was enacted in 1999 in France following some controversey. It was pushed by the then Left-wing Socialist Government and mainly opposed by the right wing (Chirac's party) the then opposition and current Governing party. Jacques Chirac, the President of French Republic said that 'PACS is not adapted to the needs of the families' in 1999, but now in 2006, he has formed a committee to look into the legal matters so that PACS can be improved. Why this change of mind by Chirac ? Figures...Yes...some statistical figures shall explain his change of mind.

Figures of PACS

According to the 2004 Demographic Report by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), the number of marriages in France had fallen each year since 2000.

266,000 civil marriages took place in 2004, a decline of 5.9% from 2003. However, the report found that number of people getting PACS had increased considerably every year. There was 29% increase in PACS between 2001-02 and a 25% increase between 2002-03. Reports also showed that one PACS in 10 got dissolved (considerably very less when compared to the divorces).

A parliamentary report in 2006 said that a total of around 170,000 PACS had been signed.

Gay life in France

Homosexuality is perhaps not well tolerated in France as the Benelux nations, Scandinavia, Germany, UK and Spain, but surveys of the French public reveal a considerable shift in attitudes comparable to other Western European Nations. A recent survey showed that 67% of French consider homosexuality "an acceptable lifestyle".

French social mores tends to view sexuality as a private affair, that should not be a reason of discrimination but also is something that should remain private. Certain while ago, when a French politician declared his homosexuality publicy the criticism directed at him was not about his sexuality but rather the fact that he made his private life public.

What do I think about all these above mentioned topics?

According to me, the French are right. It is a private affair. And a person never gets to choose his sexuality. You don't wake up one day and tell yourself ' ok, today I know that i am heterosexual and I shall get attracted to the opposite sex' ...do you ? The same way, I think the homosexuals don't choose it either. I think it is natural and it is normal (scientifically proved - to know more about 'choice and sexual orientation' click). If homosexuality exists in animals (to know more about animal sexuality click) it is normal that it exists in human beings too. Why make an issue ?

A private affair shall remain private.

What say you ?

PS: Today (wednesday 12th July) they are organizing a Champagne Party at their place. I am invited ... Champagne Party - *wink*

Crises Situation - 'whaaa...? why me?'

...I've got unanswered questions since more than a week...
...I have a crises situation here...

Last Sunday, my sweet best friend Jean-Philippe called me and said that he had tried a new recipie of banana cake (he adores to bake banana cake, I really wonder why - *colgate smile*) and he invited me for a cup of tea. I adore tea. The spring weather motivated me to move my ass (which is appreciated by both men and women *héhéhéhéhé*). I didn't want to get depressed travelling in that dirty and smelly parisian Metro, so I decided to take the bus.

I downloaded some Tracy Chapman songs in my mp3 for the little journey of 40min. The bus (numbered 63) wasn't crowded. An old lady (certainly 65 plus - no offense meant, you will understand later why I mention the age of the lady here) came and sat next to me. She looked like one of those typical 'bourgeois' old ladies who are loaded with money and live in the 16th district of Paris.(again no offense meant, you will understand later why I mention this). After a while, a 'mother' with her early teenage 'daughter' came and sat in front of us. I kind of eve's dropped their conversation (I never eve's drop...it was an exception...I can see your face take a little slide...oh come on, believe me...you won't? ok, i give up...whatever!). It looked like they had a healthy mother-daughter relationship (I am trying to understand the subject of their conversation, curious I am...curiosity kills!!!). Couple of years ago, during one of those my insomnia nights I watched a BBC report showing how a teenage girl tries to differentiate herself from her mother and the crises she faces during those crucial years.

Tracy Chapman singing in my ears, my mind pondered about the crises of teenage girls. Peace was in the air...but not for long time. The bus driver breaks suddenly to avoid an accident with a car. We all shake up. Well, I was ok...the 'mother' was ok, the daughter was ok...ah the 'bourgeois' lady? where is she? oops!...she is lying down...dear lord, she fell down brutally. The good samaritan nature in me resulted in a noble human action - help the lady to get up -. I reached out to help her...she accepted my help but she needed another hand for the other side. So the 'mother' gently pushed her from the other side. The lady's weight was totally on me now...oh boy! she's heavy! I help her to settle down...I ask her politely 'Ca va, Madame?'...she replies 'Oui, Merci Monsieur'....She throws a 'merci' to the 'mother' too. I said to myself, 'Good Prash Good...you did a noble act and your parents would be happy'. As the bus moves likes a snail in the parisian sunday traffic a little conversation starts among the passengers about how the bus drivers are so brutal in their driving. And everybody asks the lady if she is ok. The old lady very nicely answers them that she is ok because of the lady (the mother)....'whaaa...? and me?' ...pfff....Whatever!

Tracy is singing and I get back to her. After a little while, she shutters and she goes creeecchhh... I fetch for my mp3. And what do I see? The two words you never want to see in your mp3 - Low Battery !!! 'whaaa...? why me?' With a big disapointment I switch it off...and then I enjoy the parisian beauty...the Seine river and it's bridges. Meanwhile, the little conversation has become a serious dialogue. The 'mother' and 'the daughter' have gone back to their interesting (I still cound't figure out what they were talking about) topic which they seem to discuss with a passion. The 'bourgeois' lady gets up to leave. She looks at 'the mother' and says 'Oh, merci beaucoup Madame, c'est très gentil à vous de m'aider' {Oh thanks a lot, M'am, very kind of you to help me} and she walks away. 'whaaa...? and me?' . The 'mother' gave me a look with loads of pity and sorry in it (oh boy, you really don't want it) and she smiles at me and I smile back with this in my mind - 'whaaa...? why me?'

Did I do something wrong ? Why the lady didn't appreciate my help ? I helped her a lot, didn't I ?. Without me she would have taken hours to raise. I got furious..and I am furious. (I called Jean-Philippe, on the pretext of asking him if he wanted me to bring something, and told him that his banana cake better be delicious, the poor boy didn't understand why I said 'better').

1.Why am I not good in eve's dropping ?

2.Why is that when I always enjoy listening to some good music the battery goes low ?

3.Why did the old lady prefer to thank only 'the mother' and not both of us ?

For the question no.1, maybe it's because I belong to the 'adam' family and I am not good in 'EVE's dropping...ok ok ok...I stop the non-sense, I agree that what I just said is bullshit.

For the question no.2, it's Murphy's law...I am sure.

For the question no.3, did I hurt the lady in anyway ? but still, my good-will gesture deserves a 'thanks', right ?. As I know how much these French people adore saying 'merci' hundred times a day I wonder why she didn't thank me. A friend of mine reasoned that it is simple and the answer is in the mirror and I have to take a good look at myself in the mirror. 'Whaaa...? me?'

Next morning, 7 a.m. alarm rings...I wake up with Monday blues. I have to be at office early for a meeting. I splash some cold water into my face - the answer is simple, said my friend -. I take the shaving tools ouside the shelf - the answer is simple, said my friend -.I apply the shaving lotion - the answer is simple, said my friend -. I start shaving - the answer is simple, said my friend-.Ooucchhh!!! aie aie aie!!! red liquid squeezes out from my chin, I hate shaving cuts {I envy women for this}. I take the after-shave - the answer is simple, said my friend-. After applying the after shave on the cut I look at my face in the mirror (checking out if I am ok-lookable with that cut in my chin) - the answer is simple, said my friend...and he also said 'take a good look at yourself in the mirror' - //// Flash ////...the colour of my skin - Brown, OMG !. So the cliché - these bloody bourgeois and xenophobic old rich ladies in Paris who vote the right wing party are racists - is true ? Was the old lady racist ? I really don't know. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't...I don't know. I am confused. But all I know is, the liquid which squeezed out of my chin was RED in colour like everybody else's.

...I've got unanswered questions since more than a week....
...I have a crises situation here...

PS: btw, Jean-Philippe's banana cake was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S {as usual} and we had Japanese green tea. Merci JP !

VOLVER

***VOLVER***

...A man who understood women...and his name is Pedro Almodovar...

***VOLVER***

*** In spanish, Volver = to come back.

I saw this film yesterday and it got me thinking well after I had left the cinema. It made me cry and it made me laugh. It is a choral film where women (as usual with Almodovar) have the upper hand. The movie is "in competition" in the 59th edition of Cannes Film Festival and competing the top prize. The movie is part drama, part campy comedy, and it's full of Almodovar's trademark plot twists.

Let's not forget that Almodovar got the best director prize for the movie "All about my mother" in 1999, in 2000 an Academy award for best foreign language film in which Cruz played a pregnant nun with AIDS...and his 2004's "Bad Education" portrayed deeply many aspects of strong male characters. "Volver" says a great deal about Almodovar's skill as a filmmaker that he can weave whimsical humor and stark drama together in such a winning fashion. It's hard not to believe audiences will respond warmly.

The power of motherhood and the blessing of good friends run as themes through Pedro Almodovar's entertaining fantasy "Volver", even though the central topics are abuse and death.

The backdrop is Madrid and its lively working-class neighbourhoods, where the immigrants from the various Spanish provinces share dreams, lives and fortune with a multitude of ethnic groups and other races. At the heart of this social framework, three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality.

They are Raimunda, who is married to an unemployed labourer and has a teenage daughter; Sole, her sister, who makes a living as a hairdresser; and the mother of both, who died in a fire along with her husband. This mother character appears first to her sister and then to Raimunda. Finally we get to know that Raimunda got pregnant by her father when she was young. And Raimunda's father had an affair with the hippy neighbour whose daughter takes care of their dying aunt and Raimunda's mother caught them in bed and put fire to the building when there was a strong east wind. And above all, Raimunda tries to cover a murder committed by her daughter (she killed her father as he sexually abused him and the daughter finds out that he is not her biological father - we get to know later that her father is her grandfather).

"Almodovar writes for women that are 14, 30, 45, 60, 80 and this movie is an example for that", says Cruz. Her new character is a Sophia Loren-type role - tight skirts, high heels and generous cleavage. She is feisty, earthy and sexy in low-cut blouses, her hair is perpetually tousled and her mascara drips when she cries.

Almodovar himself has admitted that this is one of his most personal films, set in his home region of La Mancha and full of memories of his own childhoold. Great music too. The moment of the tango made flamenco really makes you break in goose pimples. However, it is not Penelope's voice, but flamenco-star Estrella Morent's. When you see Penelope singing Volver with a wonderful voice (not really her voice..) with tears...you are speachless.

It is very difficult to mesh fantasy with reality, but with great charm and a light touch, Almodavar shows exactly how it should be done.

If you like Almodovar, you will certainly like this film.

In the above picture you can see Almodovar with Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura and Blanca Portillo at the Red Carpet Entrance in Cannes Film Festival, few days ago.

--- "Volver" opened in Spain in March, in Italy and France this month, and will show in other countries from August ---

Modern Slavery

Are we in a desperate need of more Lincoln's, Mandela's and Gandhi's in this world ?

France remembers victims of slavery

Today, 10th May 2006, France commemorates it's first annual national day of remembrance for the victims of slavery. The French media is talking about it since couple of days though all the headlines are related to the "Clearsteam" scandal concerning the Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - two political rivals for the 2007 presidential elections from the same right wing party UMP -.

Contrary to popular belief, slavery didn't end with Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Experts estimate that today there are 27 million people enslaved around the world. It's happening in countries on all six inhabited continents. According to the CIA, 14,500 to 17,000 victims are trafficked into the "land of the Free" every year. Internationally, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked every year. Approximately 80% of them are women and children. Around the world, trafficking in women for commercial sex purposes nets $ 6 billion every year. You eradicate one smuggling ring, another one pops up immediately as the trade of human flesh is so lucrative.

Wars, famine, genocide, torture, mutilation, abuse of women and children -- the bewildering array of human rights catastrophes around the world is enough to stymie any neophyte Samaritan. To quote a few - Ethnic violence in Central Europe, repression in East Timor, modern slavery in the Middle East - children from 2yrs old are made into camel jockeys and lots of Nepalis, Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis, Srilankans work in pathetic conditions, certain without a contract -, women from eastern Europe are bonded into prostitution, children are trafficked between West African countries, children and women are forced into prostituion in Thailand and many men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural estates or some other outrage you haven't even heard about yet ?

Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex and race.

For many people, the image that comes to mind when they hear the word slavery is the slavery of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We think of buying and selling of people, their shipment from one continent to another and the abolition of the trade in the early 1800's. Even if we know nothing about the slave trade, it is something we think of as part of our history rather than our present. But the reality is slavery continues TODAY.



Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same. People are solid like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their "employers".

What is Slavery ?

Common characterisitcs distinguish slavery from other human rights violations. A slave is :

• forced to work -- through mental or physical threat
• owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or phsyical abuse or threatened abuse
• dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as 'property'
• phsyically constrained or has restrictions placed on his/her freedom of movement

What types of slavery exists today ?

Bonded Labour affects at least 20 million people (according to UN) around the world.

Early and forced marraige affects women and girls who are married without choice and are forced into lives of servitude often accompanied by phsyical violence.

Forced Labour affects people who are illegally recruited by individuals, governments or political parties and forced to work -- usually under threat of violence or other penalties.

Slavery by descent is where people are either born into a slave class or are from a "group" that society views as suited to being used as slave labour.

Trafficking involves the transport and/or the trade of people -- women, children and men --

Worst forms for Child labour affects an estimated 179 milion children (according to ILO) around the world in work that is harmful to their health and welfare.


Short History

1. Second Century Roman slavery and bloody game of Gladiators
2. 7th century slavery in Greece
3. Middle age (6th-15th century) slavery in Africa, America and Europe (especially Salt Mines and Cotton Field)
4. Portugese Slave Trade (15th-17th century)
5. Triangular Trade (18th century)
6. The abolishment movement 1688-1808 AD
7. The political issue of slavery 1819-1850 AD

I apologize if i have missed out certain historical events. I have just mentioned the important ones here.

Am I the only one who feels sad seeing this picture ?

I feel immensely sad when i see the tear shed face of this little girl named Aminata from Liberville, Gabon...Don't you? Don't you think that she deserves good food, proper shelter, loving family ?

One can explain the 'dominance theory of human survival' to defend slavery. I say 'bullshit'. No excuses for slavery or racism. Please ! ! ! We are not of different races...we all belong to the same race - human being race -.
Many of my friends would agree with this, I now, but still I thought of saying it out...sometimes we feel good when we let things out of our chest, don't we ?

Inspite of all these (once existed and now existing) religions which preaches love and peace, people still forget this basic morality of life. So many non-religious leaders did preach peace and love. What happened to the human solidarity ? Why are we living "today" wearing "yesterday's" clothes ?

Why ? Why ? Why ?

Do we need more Lincoln's, Mandela's, Gandhi's to eradicate such kind of barbaric unethical activities in this planet ?

Roma...la dolce vita...

Pictures taken in Rome - some souvenirs - Rome - my dream come true...
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Moi - so excited to see the St. Peter's Basilica of Vatican City...I ain't religious, but it is a historical place...
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St. Peter with the keys to Heaven in the St. Peter's Basilica of Vatican City. This statue is worshiped in a big way..it is a granite statue - very well polished, except his feet because people stand in a queue to touch his feet.
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Terrible me...so desperate to do some shopping in Roman streets...oh boy, shopping in Rome is expensive ! ! !
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One of the legendary Pope's Swiss guard in his parade uniform just in front of the St. Peter's Basilica.
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This is a bust of the greek mathematician and philosopher Pythogoras. Remember Pythogoras theorem in Maths ?...a²+b² = c²...remember ?... He is the culprit who founded it.
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In many cities you can see "lamposts" but in Rome you can see "clockposts" and with a small place to post adverts. I found this advert quite interesting. So cliché of Italy - "creation of Man" by Michel-Angelo with a Vespa Scooter saying 'scooters for rent'...it did get my attention and i am sure that it gets many foreign tourist's attention.
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Is that Lord Krishna ? OMG...for a second, I thought I saw Lord Krishna all naked with his Bansuri flute...this is a centuries old marble statue in Vatican Museum and it is not a statue of Lord Krishna.
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Fontana di Trevi - it is 18th century masterpiece in which the famous scene of Fellini's movie La Dolce Vita was shot.

As the legend goes, if you throw a coin backwards in the fountain, you shall come back to Rome...if you do it twice you will fall in love with an italian and if you do it thrice you will marry an italian...And this tradition gives 118 785€ to the Municipality of Rome. Foreign coins are given to the Red Cross.
PS: I wish i could go to Rome again, I should have thrown a coin into that fountain...damn it!

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I spent a "quality time" in Rome for 4 days last week. I admire Italy a lot, it's people, it's language, it's culture, it's history, it's civilization and last but not the least, it's CUISINE... There are so many things to be seen and to be told in Rome - A blog is not enought so if you are interested to see more pictures, do give me ur email id and i shall send you an invitation through Yahoo Photos to view my Rome Photo Album.

So much for Rome ! ! !