7 years

Today was my last day working at the Immd. Wow...has it really been 7 years? I can still remember the first day I reported for duty here.

Earlier this week, when was asked how I felt about leaving soon, I honestly answered that I had yet to feel anything. I guess it really didn't hit me until today. During my last bus ride to work, the last stroll from the bus stop to the office, the last time signing in...I suddenly felt very nostalgic about everything. Even changing that damn water dispenser for the last time brought a smile to my face. All things considered, these last few years have been very memorable.

Seeing how I won't be in Wan Chai for a while, I took this last chance to have lunch at Mr. Steak over at Sanlitun. I love this place, but I do wish that they'd offer a buffet-only menu.

The famous Small Soup

All-you-can-eat salad bar.

It's a bit of a tradition for us lunchmates to have someone accidentally spill their glass of water. Seems fitting that on my last day, someone managed to do it one last time...even in Mr. Steak.

Yummy Linguine with Ox Tongue in Pesto sauce. I usually choose the smallest lunch set because...

...I need the extra room for the all-you-can-eat desert. The apple crumble and the bread pudding never disappoint. Hell, even their cookies are hard to resist. If they packaged these bad boys, I'd be the first in line to buy them.

In the afternoon, I made my rounds to the various floors, taking photos, shaking hands. I guess I never realized how many acquaintences I'd made over the years.

Anyone who's worked in this building knows how stupid the software that controls our eleveators is, but all the same, I've always liked the way the polished metal interior looked. I couldn't get a sharp photo, but this blurred shot looks pretty funky.

Finally made my way down to the "Perso" center, where all the magic occurs. Even though I was transferred out of the travel document team a few months back, I still find it hard to not think of it as home.

In my farewell letter to my colleagues, I wrote "I'm saying 再見 rather than Good-bye because Hong Kong is too small a place for our paths not to cross again." And in any case, co-workers come and go, but friendships can last a lifetime.

So long guys, and I'll see you when I see you :)

Politics

I was having a discussion about politics the other day (What? A serious conversation?!)

On Nov 18, HK held a District Council election. The big news was that the Democratic party took a pretty bad hit, losing in most of their constituencies. Unfortunately, they didn't lose in my district.

It's not that I have a problem with democracy, but I simply thought that the Democratic council candidate in my district was too focused on politics and not enough on the real issues of the district. To me, a district councilor should be more concerned about issues such as the environment, welfare, transportation conditions, public safety, etc. rather than party issues such as universal suffrage (which was basically the sole selling point of his platitude).

Anyways, those of you how know me know that I'm not an enthusiastic proponent of democracy. Do I think that people shouldn't be allowed to vote? Of course not. I have not qualms with the concept of democracy, but therein lies the problem: it's a CONCEPT. In theory, democracy is a wonderful idea, but like so many other concepts, theory and reality seldom match. In a real world situation, "Majority rules" often leads to less than ideal results.

For example, suppose that a family of 5 (2 parents, 3 small children) was given the following issue to vote on: Should the family eat vegetables and other healthy choices, or candy, popcorn and soda for all their meals? Chances are, the vote would come in 3 to 2 in favor of the junk food. And why? Because the children lacked the ability to make an educated decision on the matter.

And so it is with most societies. This probably sounds elitist, but I argue that a substantial part of the voting community is ill-equipped to make decisions that will influence the entire community *. Democracy needs to work under conditions where everyone involved can make an educated vote, rather than being told who and what to vote for. The voters need to be able to weigh the good and bad repercussions of their decisions instead of voting based rash and skin-deep reactions (something I has already played heavily in the Legislative Council election, aka The Battle of Mrs. Ip vs. Mrs. Chan...)

* The fact that Mr. Leung Kok Hung ("Long Hair") is a legislative councilor is nothing short of irrational voting. Honestly, what constructive action has he done since taking office?

Macau

I remember when Macau was a nice quiet place to visit on the weekends to get away from the bustling city life of HK. Not anymore. I visited on a Thursday last week and was stunned by the amount of people crammed into the city streets. This was a non-holiday weekday for crying out loud! The "freedom walkers" of Mainland China really are a boon to tourism wherever they go.

Anyways, the last time I visited was back in January 2006. Several new casinos have opened since then, although to me the attraction was minimal (I'm in the minority of people who never step into a gambling hall when visiting Macau).


But..I was attracted to the Venetian. Not for the gambling but for this:


The majestic food court; such a beautiful sight. More so for the inclusion of Fat Burger


Last week, I was disappointed to find out that Fat Burger was opening a branch in Wan Chai near where I work…scheduled to open after I switched to my new job over in Kowloon. But the Fates were kind because I got to try out the Double Fat Burger at the Venetian. Not bad for a chain restaurant.

The interior of the Venetian was obviously modeled after Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, but even though they shared the same kind of blue sky with clouds ceiling, the Venetian felt kind of…dank. It was the lack of lighting that killed the mood for me. So gloomy and dark.

The one saving grace is that many of the gondoliers had excellent singing voices. Their operatic performances echoed throughout the halls.

Standing motionless for hours...it's getting harder to make a buck.

The grand golden hallway.

For me, no visit to Macau would be complete with dining at A Lorcha. Definitely some of the best food I've ever had in Macau.

Damn...even their bread is awesome.

Chourico assado (Portuguese sausages)

Feijoda (pork knuckle stew with red beans)

Peixe grelhado na brasa (grilled seabass)

Serradura (a creamy pudding with biscuit crumbs. The best in all of Macau. Seriously.)

Another favorite of mine: the crab congee over at Seng Cheong in Taipa.

The famous Macanese pork chop bun

and Portuguese egg tart.

I find it a bit disturbing that there's actually a need to emphasize the authenticity of the medicine...
Look at how congested this street is. You don't even have to move your feet; the crowd moves you forward in waves.

Thanks to Gingie for giving me directions to Tim Fat. It's a tiny little place with room for 15 (tightly squeezed) but the shark fin soup is excellent.

Look at the abundant ingredients.

Yet more food. Salted cod, large garlic prawns and ox tail stew.




Some random pics

and a quick self portrait

IMAX

I've tasted the IMAX experience...and I like it.

I went to see the 3-D version of "Beowulf" at the UA IMAX cinema. In the infamous words of G.O.D: Delay No More! Go see this movie right away!

"Beowulf" is the perfect reason for movies of this kind to be made in 3-D IMAX. CGI frees film makers from the physical limitation of conventional techniques allowing for an unlimited freedom of camera angles, and the 3-D element adds texture to an already delicious combination of flavors. The epic monster battles with the intense action and swooping camera movements took full advantage of the medium.

And that's where "Beowulf" suceeds where other CGI movies have failed. Unlike some directors who use CGI as a end rather than a means (George Lucas...I'm looking in your direction), I love how Robert Zemekis used the technical aspects as tools to add to the story, rather than making the story all about the 3-D graphics. Like his work in "Forrest Gump," some of the best effects were the ones where you didn't even notice that an effect was taking place.

BTW, for those of you familiar with the original story; the plot pretty much swerves into artistic licence the moment Beowulf encounter's Grendal's mother. Personally, I liked the path the writers took because it added and extra layer of story/character development that was missing from the source material. Instead of just a boring Hero Fighting Monsters story, Beowulf becomes very human (flaws and all) in this version.

Maybe I'm gushing a little too much, so to be fair I should mention that this isn't a perfect movie. It's not Oscar material (nor was it trying to be) and frankly, the PG-13 rating hinders the violence and nudity to almost comical levels (when the nude Beowulf fights the Grendal, the way swords/ cups/arms and legs conveniently cover his goodies everytime is almost Mr. Bean / Austin Powers ludicrous). But in any case, this is simply a great example of how much fun an adventure movie can be when everything works out the way it's supposed to. In the annals of film making, I think this movie will stand as a cornerstone of adventure movies. I'm looking forward to what the next auteur will do with this medium.