Hope fades for the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, and Hong Kong itself

 

Spotted at Victoria Park two years ago

 

I hope many people continue to believe this two years on

 

Two years ago today, a pro-democracy gathering took place on the football pitches of Victoria Park. Unlike the June 4th candlelight vigils held at the same venue to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre, that which brought together football fans bedecked in the jerseys of their favorite clubs was a joyous affair.  Two weeks earlier, Carrie Lam had finally announced that she would be withdrawing the hated extradition bill that had caused protests to rage over much of the summer of 2019 (and would morph into a call for the rightings of many injustices along with genuine universal suffrage for Hong Kong).   

There was so much hope then and I wish that could have continued to be the case.  But the fact of the matter is that, especially since the announcement and then coming into being of China's national security law for Hong Kong, the territory's pro-democracy movement has been largely on the back foot. And while there are some individuals and organizations trying to hold the line (or, at the very least, to their principles), many more appear to be folding -- with yesterday seeing confirmation that the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), a worker's rights organization that represents 145,000 members from 93 different groups covering a broad spectrum including aviation, construction, catering, retail and social welfare, is in the process of disbanding. 

 

On its website, the words "solidarity", "dignity", "justice" and "democracy" feature prominently, and the HKCTU lists its mission as "To strive [for] decent work and dignity for workers through the consolidation of collective strength and promotion of independent trade union movement and societal change.  Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy trade union, it was founded in 1990 by Lee Cheuk-yan, who remains its General Secretary despite currently being behind bars.   

Hong Kong Watch's Benedict Rogers was moved to Tweet the following yesterday: 

First they came for the protesters 

Then the legislators

Then the media

Then the lawyers and speech therapists

Then the trade unionists

Make no mistake about it: Hong Kong's civil society groups are crumbling. The HKCTU's impending disbandment comes amid growing pressure from Chinese-backed media on the city’s unions and mounting national security probes on pro-democracy civil society groups.  And earlier this evening came news that the HKCTU's Chief Executive, Mung Siu-tat, has left Hong Kong for the United Kingdom after, in his words, "A strong power forced me to make a painful choice between being a chief executive and being a father".  

As was noted in the Hong Kong Free Press's piece about the HKCTU disbanding: "Pressure on pro-democracy groups which have long been part of the city’s social fabric has prompted critics to accuse Hong Kong authorities of using the security law to dismantle civil society [but] Carrie Lam has denied such an intention."  This is in keeping with the line she's taken that that there's been no dismantling of civil society in Hong Kong taking place since the implementation of the national security law, which she told the United Nations back on June 30th, 2019, would affect only an "extremely small minority of people".  But when the HKCTU's membership alone numbers some 145,000, I think it should be plenty clear that this is not the case at all.    

Big names get the attention but it's worth looking at Hong Kong too!

Even amidst the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic,

life's a beach for some, it seems!

 The sense one gets when in Repulse Bay is that

the (super) rich are different... 

Outside the Hong Kong Country Club though is a reminder

that the Wuhan coronavirus strikes the rich too

Before this week, Hong Kong had a grand total of two recorded deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus.  But just four days after news came of the territory's third fatality from this deadly disease has come that of Hong Kong's fourth death from the coronavirus that now has spread to over 131 countries (with the East African countries of Ethiopia and Kenya being among those reporting their first confirmed cases of infection today).

The city's confirmed number of Wuhan coronavirus infections also rose by three today to 134, with a 16-month-old baby being among the latest cases.  (So, no, that which really is a more severe disease than the flu doesn't just infect elderly people though people over 50 years of age do appear to be at higher risk than younger ones.)  

Another noteworthy, and disturbing, finding about Hong Kong's three latest cases is that they all were found to be infected on their return to Hong Kong from visits to Europe -- as were the toddler's parents (whose infections were confirmed in the past two days and who appeared, as with their child, to have been infected by a fellow passenger on their flight back from London).  Put another way: it looks like Hong Kong has experienced the "reverse infections" from another continent that China has voiced fears of happening to it now that the coronavirus looks to be spreading much faster in the West than Asia.

Interestingly, as the coronavirus has spread outside of East and Southeast Asia, it has infected the kind of people who many would have thought would be less susceptible to fall victim to serious fast-spreading diseases.  Iran's vice president and two ministers have been infected by the Wuhan coronavirus.  So have a number of Western government officials (including Britain's health minister and Australia's home minister).  

Probably the biggest "name" thus far to have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus is Hollywood actor Tom Hanks.  On the same day (yesterday) that he and his wife, singer-actress Rita Wilson, made public their having been infected, two NBA players -- including the idiot who tried to make fun of the global pandemic by touching every single microphone and recorder in the media room he gave an interview just this Monday -- were also announced as having tested positive for the coronavirus, and the basketball league they play[ed] in announced the suspension of its season.     

Today, it was the turn of the English Premier League to announce its suspension -- tentatively "just" until next month -- after news came that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Odoi had tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, with a number of other players currently undergoing tests as well.  Oh, and the Canadian prime minister's wife also has been infected by this coronavirus, with her spouse probably being the first head of government to be obliged to work from home and self-isolating as a result of this coronavirus!

Maybe the news of these personalities testing positive for the Wuhan coronavirus will get people realizing that "anyone" (i.e., not just Asians or those of Asian ancestry) can come down with it. Maybe not.  Perhaps it will get some people finally realizing that the Wuhan coronavirus is a serious deal.  Perhaps not. 

Something that is being really clear to me in recent days is how much of the world outside of East Asia appears to not have been paying that much serious attention to what has been happening in this part of the world since as early as November last year and was known to be taking place in Mainland China by certain members of the medical community by late December (despite the Communist Chinese authorities trying to suppress information about it for weeks).  Belatedly though, articles have appeared in various Western media essentially urging people and administrations in the West to learn from the likes of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan about how to deal with the Wuhan coronavirus.  

To be sure though, as can be seen from the additional fatality and cases of infection announced today, Hong Kong is not out of the woods yet -- and most certainly cannot afford to be complacent.  Still, I do believe that Hong Kongers -- even if not their government -- have been far more "clued in" as to what's been happening, and for a while, and, frankly.  Consequently, they managed to dodge a big bullet early on and, hopefully, will be able to do so for as long as is needed -- which, sadly, is looking like it will be for many more months, especially if idiots continue doing what they have been doing to help its spread.

Footballing support amidst sporting disruptions in Hong Kong

Supporters of various football teams and clubs 

came together in Victoria Park last night

Traditional footballing enemies put aside their differences to show 

their shared support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests 

A symbol of the uncommon unity held up like a trophy

(and used to show that laser pointers can't burn it)! :)

China's late paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, promised that after Britain's handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997, “horses will still run, stocks will still sizzle, dancers will still dance."  As it so happened though, the Hong Kong Jockey Club cancelled race night at Happy Valley last night for fear of how people would react to a horse co-owned by hated pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho (he of the Yuen Long Triad connections and more) being scheduled to compete in a race.

Continuing on the sporting front: News came today that the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA)'s Clearwater Bay Open also will not take place this year while the organizers of the Hong Kong Tennis Open pre-emptively announced last week that this year's edition (originally scheduled to begin on October 7th) would be postponed because of the ongoing pro-democracy protests.  And, as it so happened, the Hong Kong government also announced yesterday that there will be no fireworks display this October 1st (like was the case five years ago and in the aftermath of the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision).     

We can but hope that on the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China, more joyous events like the gathering of football fans at Victoria Park last night will be held in Hong Kong instead.  Hundreds of supporters of various teams and clubs obeyed a call put out just a few days ago to assemble in the public space which on each June 4th since 1989 is where a candlelight vigil is held.  We then fanned out to form a human chain that ended up circling all six of Victoria Park's football pitches, with enough hands, legs and bodies (the last clad for the most part in jerseys of favorite football teams) to spare to form an additional line through the middle of the area.  

A spirited yet peaceful pro-democracy protest and show of solidarity, it saw club rivalries set aside to show people's collective support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.  Consequently, there came to be such unlikely sights as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans happily posing for photos together, and experiences involving fans from various clubs good-naturedly singing the anthem associated with Liverpool Football Club (You'll Never Walk Alone) as well as belting out Glory to Hong Kong and chanting "Five demands; not one less"! 

More than by the way, this Gooner couldn't help but notice the healthy representation of people clad in Arsenal jerseys last night.  Either there's a good percentage of Gooners who are pro-democracy supporters or there are a good number of pro-democracy supporters who are Gooners.  Frankly, either of these possibilities is fine by me! 

Something else that I found interesting was whose names and numbers were the best represented at last night's footballing gathering cum pro-democracy protest.  The most popular current Arsenal players in Hong Kong look to be, expectedly, 2018/19 Arsenal Player of the Season, Alexandre Lacazette, and less expectedly, Uruguayan defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira (more so even than the likes of 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot Winner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and German World Cup Winner, Mezut Ozil).  As for past players: I found it gratifying to see that there's still love for Dennis Bergkamp and Tomas Rosicky even while being shocked to not have spotted a single jersey bearing the name of Mr Arsenal himself, Tony Adams! ;b

Announcing the end of an era at Arsenal Football Club and sharing hopes for way better days to come!

The old Arsenal crest I way prefer to the current one

For most of this blog's existence, I had included a "Gooner since 1978" line in my "About Me" profile.  A year or so ago though, I deleted it as a statement of how I had ceased to look forward to watching The Arsenal "live" on TV (since, for much of my life, I've not lived on the same continent, never mind in the same country as the football team/club I've supported for the better part of my life) and decided to stop doing so after realizing that it often was causing me a lot more stress and anguish than much of the rest of my life.

While my frustration and ire during matches were often caused by the actions of individual players, I got to realizing with each passing year that the bulk of my agony and anger in recent years stemmed from the actions, policies and ideas of the manager of Arsenal Football Club since October 1st, 1996: one Arsene Wenger, whose reign had initially brought Arsenal F.C. so much success and fans like myself so much joy.  So it was great delight, even euphoria, that I learnt earlier today that Arsene Wenger will resign from the post that he's held for close to 22 years now at the end of this season. 

Here's the thing: Arsene Wenger did Arsenal a lot of good in the first decade or so that he's been at the club.  (We're talking here of double-winning seasons in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002, and a whole entire season unbeaten in the English Premier League in 2003-2004, among other things!)  But he also looks to have done much damage to the club in the past decade or so -- with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger-instigated move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium not having yielded the footballing dividends it was supposed to even after all these years, and a change of football tactics and player recruitment effected to give Arsenal greater European success not only not having yielded success in Europe but also causing the team to fare less well against domestic opposition.

Between the FA Cup wins of 2005 and 2014 were frustratingly fallow years where Arsenal not only didn't win any trophies but gradually ceased to play with the élan we had come to expect of teams managed by Le Boss.  And while Arsene Wenger did manage Arsenal teams to FA Cup victories in 2015 and 2017, he really should have gone after winning the FA Cup in 2014 -- and I reckon that if he had done so, he really would have been looked upon far more fondly by Gooners than he has been for the past four years.

As it is, it can feel like people's respect and affection for Arsene Wenger have increased exponentially in the hours since he announced his impending resignation; not least because they can finally see light at the end of the tunnel for a team and club that they follow, and may passionately love once more with a new man at the helm rather than what has felt for some time now like a dead man walking.  For my part, I want to say to him: thanks for some really great memories but I now look forward to a brand new era at Arsenal Football Club, and sincerely hope that it'll bring far more success to the Emirates Stadium than Arsene Wenger has managed to do.         

Game for a laugh outside a Yau Ma Tei mahjong parlour?!

An image pretty much guaranteed to get the attention

of those who pass by it (and put a smile on faces?)! :)

A few hours ago, the association football team I've supported since 1978 basically ended any real chance it had of winning the English Premier League this season in a game that it didn't just lose but also saw two members of the team sent off and a crucial player injured. After trying to destroy the Arsene Wenger bobble head my sister gave me -- but not being completely successfully in doing so because it turned out to be made of super strong stuff! -- I've decided to try another way to feel better: i.e., by thinking of and/or looking at something humorous.  

While looking through my photo archive, I found just the thing -- and reckon that the imaginative caricature I snapped while walking in Yau Ma Tei earlier this week is so cool that it's actually worth sharing on this blog (and yes, you can click on the photo to view an enlarged version of it)!  

Adorning an outer wall of a mahjong parlour is this large illustration which depicts Chinese president Xi Jinping, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Russian president Vladimir Putin and American president Barack Obama seated at a mahjong table.  And to judge by the chips on the table, Xi and Obama look to be doing well -- and this sense is given strength by Xi and Obama looking quite a bit happier than Abe and an especially disgruntled appearing, judo outfit-wearing Putin!

Just the image of this foursome playing mahjong together would bring smiles to the face of many.  But that wasn't enough for the ambitious artist, who also has North Korea's "dear leader" Kim Jong Un, popcorn in hand, being one of the game's spectators, German chancellor Angela Merkel at the party serving cupcakes, and the ghost of Saddam Hussein hanging on to the back of Barack Obama's chair!  

And while I can't identify the eighth personality in the picture, I'd easily imagine that he's a political heavyweight from the African continent.  If his hair were whiter, I'd say that it was supposed to be Nelson Mandela.  What do you think?! ;b

Taking part in a beach cleanup on Cheung Chau

Some people clean the beach while others enjoy themselves

earlier today on Cheung Chau

A sample view of the kind of trash found on a Hong Kong beach

The fruits of a morning's worth of labor 

of nine "sustainability heroes" ;b

Today has been one of the busiest Saturdays I've had in a while.  I just got back from watching  the English association football team I've supported since 1978(!) triumph in a match telecast "live" from England into such as the big screen of a bar in Hong Kong.  And in the afternoon, I put on a yellow T-shirt and went to Wan Chai to hang out for a time with my fellow Malaysians in aid of Bersih (the movement to demand for clean -- bersih in Bahasa Malaysia -- and fair elections (and government) in Malaysia).

While important in their own way to me, both of those events actually weren't the main event of the day as far as I was concerned.  Instead, that "honor" goes to a morning beach cleanup session over on Cheung Chau organized through Green Sustainable Living HK, a local meetup.com group founded by a Madagascar-born Hong Kong resident.  One reason for thinking this is that it was the event of the day where I felt most actively a participant.  For another, I really appreciate that there was physical evidence that people's efforts actually counted and made a difference.

Whereas my first beach cleanup had seen the group head over to Coral Beach (AKA Tung Wan Tsai) over on the northeast of the island, this time around, we headed in the opposite direction -- over to Pak Tso Wan (AKA Italian Beach) over in southwest Cheung Chau.  Partly because this smaller area of the island didn't seem half as full of garbage as Coral Beach and in part because there were more volunteers around this time out, I really could see that the beach was quite a bit cleaner after we had labored for a few hours in hot sun and also under clouds as well as were showered upon on a couple of occasions -- and boy, did this make me feel good!

Over on Coral Beach last month, I had been shocked to not only find lots of glass shards on the beach but also whole test tubes and bottles that looked like they were meant to contain medication.  This time around, I found less glass about but, equally -- if not more -- alarmingly, lots more plastic materials and styrofoam, both of which easily break into little bits after baking for a time in the sun.

Sometime back, I read about how the tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean are liable to be swallowed by various sea creatures, including those that we consume -- leading to the pollutant ending up in our bodies.  When seeing the garbage found on the beach, I also get to thinking of the early scenes in Ponyo, on the Cliff by the Sea showing the horrific mess that trawlers tend to dredge up from the seabeads -- and how it is that pretty much all of it is the creation of us humans.

To this end, I make it a point to get as much plastic and styrofoam off the beach as I can while carrying out beachcleaning exercises.  Something else that I target are the broken pieces of glass that dot the ground, since there have been too many times when I've been barefoot on a beach in Hong Kong and found myself worrying that my feet'd get cut by the shards I can't help but spot every few meters that I walk on what on the surface can appear to be truly beautiful beach locales.

At the same time, there's no denying that one can get a disproportionate sense of achievement from getting larger, more clearly visible items off the beach and into the garbage bag.  Some of these objects are on the mundane side and come in the form of such as whole plastic and glass bottles.  More unexpected "finds" on Italian Beach this afternoon included footwear, ranging from an adult-sized sneaker to a child-sized plastic sandal!  Then there's what strikes me as really disturbing to find on a beach in Hong Kong: items such as syringes, which get me thinking less of drug users and more of medical waste that should have been disposed of in a much more responsible way than it has been.

But when the pollution I see threatens to make me despair about humankind, I get to thinking of the people who volunteer to help clean up the beaches.  As one beach cleanup participant remarked to me last month: "Isn't it amazing to think that people are willing to do this kind of labor for free?"  Alternatively put: humans really aren't all bad, there's hope for this world -- and long may that be this way! ;b

Thoughts on the protest area at Causeway Bay

Spotted at Causeway Bay this evening

 

After I wrote one of the messages in the above picture, 

an old guy nearby gave me a thumbs up! ;b 

If this were a normal Saturday evening, I'd currently be watching on TV my favorite association football team battling an opponent thousands of miles away.  But because these are unusual times in Hong Kong, I am instead blogging once more about a protest movement that, as recently as the afternoon of September 28, many people were doubting would survive into the next day -- and happily putting up a photo in which the "You'll Never Walk Alone" phrase which I hitherto have associated with an opposing football team is prominently displayed.

For the record: yes, I was in Admiralty once again this afternoon with a number of other people (at least 1,000 -- maybe over 2,000 at any one time?) -- and after dinner this evening, went and checked out the much shrunken Causeway Bay protest area that, in all honesty, I had expected to disappear before Mongkok's, not least because when the police moved in to remove some barriers and open up some roads in Causeway Bay, they did not meet with much resistance at all.

If truth be told, I got to feeling sometime last week that Causeway Bay was in danger of being a freak show and protesting akin to enacting performance art -- since it often felt there that tourists, casual onlookers and people posing for photos far outnumbered the Umbrella Movement participants.  Consequently, I found myself feeling more comfortable -- and inspired -- at the Occupy Admiralty area and began spending more time there rather than the area that's two MTR stops east of it.

At the same time, I felt and saw more "anti Occupy" dissent in Causeway Bay -- be it in the form of "anti" people yelling at protesters or rude and/or just plain pathetic messages written there (and then put up in the protest area itself!).  Re the latter: last week, I saw a sign purportedly written by a kid complaining that the Umbrella Movement protests had made it so that he no longer was unable to go to Central.  Unable to help myself, I scrawled a retort to "Take the MTR" on it!

This evening though, the mood was calm, and even positive and encouraging with a couple of speaker's "corners" having popped up and the speakers being listened to attentively and applauded when they finished saying what they wanted to.  And while there were some policemen milling about, they didn't appear aggressive -- and I would even believe that a few of them were actually listening to what some of the protesters had to say in a way that seemed unexpectedly open.

Seeing this got me thinking that the continued existence of the Causeway Bay protest area may indeed serve its particular purpose -- in that it may well be the space which doubters, who would not venture into Admiralty (because it's too strongly "enemy territory" for them) or Mongkok (because the atmosphere there is too intense and/or "grassroots"), can go to actually see and hear things for themselves and, at some point, maybe get "converted" to the cause.

Reacting to a man-made disaster (and thoughts on the Malaysian Airlines tragedies)

In this picture's foreground are planes from the two airlines

I've been most likely to fly with these past few years

Late last night, I got home from a film screening to news about a Malaysian Airlines plane having crashed in the Ukraine, the second plane from my country's national airline to have met with disaster in just five months.  Shock turned to horror and disbelief upon finding out that MH17 had been shot down despite being a civilian plane from a nation not involved in the conflict in the area over which it had been flying more than 30,000 feet above.

And then came the personal fears and worries that comes from my being one of those people who lives thousands of miles apart from family members, making flying about the most convenient way for us to meet up every once in a while.  In addition, there's the fact of my parents being among those who travel in planes a lot more than most others -- in part because they have a child each in Australia, England and Hong Kong.

My favorite footballer of all time -- Arsenal and Holland's Dennis Bergkamp -- was nicknamed The Non-flying Dutchman (as well as The Iceman, Bergie or just plain God) because he was afraid of flying on planes.  While his teammates flew to play Champions League and international matches in far away locales, he stayed at home.  When Arsenal played clubs within driving distance of London, such as Paris or Amsterdam, he'd be chauffeured there while, again, his teammates flew over.

In contrast, I can't imagine a life without flying on a plane -- not because I particularly love this form of transportation but, rather, due to flying having been something I've done ever since I was a very young child.  And being Malaysian and living in Malaysia for the early part of my life, I naturally tended to fly on Malaysia Airlines (and its precursor, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines).

Soon after the MH370 disaster, I returned to my home state of Penang for a short visit.  Before I left Hong Kong, a friend asked me which airline I'd be taking there, and expressed his relief when he heard that I was going on Cathay Pacific (which operates daily direct flights between Hong Kong and Penang) rather than Malaysian Airlines.

Although I didn't take Malaysian Airlines that time, I actually hadn't thought of deliberately avoiding flying on its planes in the wake of what happened to MH370.  And even while I have to admit to having thoughts post the MH17 disaster that the airlines may be jinxed, I still am not going to point fingers at the airline and say that these two tragedies are its fault.

The thing is: until this year, Malaysian Airlines had had a very good safety record -- and I've definitely felt much safer on its planes than on quite a few other airlines' (including Air India, where on one flight, I couldn't get the seatbelt buckle to work, Air Tanzania Corporation (i.e., Air Total Chaos), and some American airlines' whose planes looked considerably older and less well maintained than Malaysian Airlines').

Leaving aside national pride and family concerns, there's also the matter of the victims of MH17 (and MH370) and their loved ones.  Truly they have suffered in ways that I do not wish on anyone, and my thoughts and condolences go to them.  And I sincerely hope that no more disasters and tragedies of this sort will befall anyone else for some time, if not ever.

Azure and Creative (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

After I booked the flights and hotels for my recent Japan holiday, I got to realizing that I'd be missing this year's edition of Art Basel (formerly known -- more appropriately to my mind -- as Art HK) as well as spending FA Cup Final day (the first one Arsenal had been involved in since 2005) in the Land of the Rising Sun.  

I have to be honest and admit that the latter realization stung much more than the former --this not least because my Japan trip plans included a visit to places where I expected my culture vulture appetite would be satisfied.  And so it proved, particularly at Kanazawa's 21st Century Museum of Art, where I was treated to an exhibition of the creative works of Leandro Erlich that included the famous The Swimming Pool installation that's actually on permanent display at the museum.

Although my blog post on the 21st Century Museum of Art did not show it, this wonderful museological establishment does indeed feature works by Japanese artists as well as creative types from other parts of the world, with the often polka-dotted works of the inimitable of Yayoi Kusama also being on display there.

As with Kusuma's works, I first came across the art of her countryman, Takashi Murakami, in Hong Kong (though in his case, it was at a special exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art rather than Art HK/Basel).  Interestingly, while looking at photos of their works which I had come across at the annual Hong Kong art fair, I noticed that they both have made use of azure colors in their works.  

Still, for a combination of azure and creative (Sandi's and Gattina's chosen Photo Hunt themes for this week), it's hard to beat Leandro Erlich's The Swimming Pool -- especially when viewed from underneath its water component.  To better see what I mean, go here to see an enlarged version of one of my photos of the creative installation)! ;b

Hello Kitty in 1960s Hong Kong at Langham Place

Your eyes are not deceiving you -- yes, that's Hello Kitty

and Dear Daniel in Chinese opera garb! :b

 Hong Kong has got Hello Kitty-fied at Langham Place!

Hello Kitty dressed in 1960s clothing and posing

for a photo in a retro photo studio

The cute cat also could be found at the Hello Kitty-fied 

old time noodle stall in attired this time in amah garb! :o

Late last night, I watched my team of choice -- Arsenal Football Club -- lose its season opener for the first time in years.  Worse, even while some blame could be laid down at the feet of the match referee, the truth of the matter is that a better team could have overcome the bad refereeing to prevail against opponents who were relegation battlers last season.  

So suffice to say that I was not a happy camper when I turned in for the night last night.  

Thus it was that after I woke up this morning, I decided I needed to do some things to make me feel better -- so, first, I headed over to Sham Shui Po for a hearty brunch of pig liver noodles(!) at Wai Kee, then did some shopping for Hello Kitty items in Sham Shui Po and also Mongkok.  (And if you must know, I got myself a Hello Kitty camera case (to replace the one I lost recently) and water bottle this afternoon!)

Somewhere along the line, I remembered that a friend of mine had told me that there was a Hello Kitty in 1960s Hong Kong exhibition on at Langham Place -- and decided to go check it out.  Since the exhibition's been on since late July, I thought maybe it might not be so crowded any more -- this even though today's a Sunday -- but I really underestimated the Hello Kitty mania of Hong Kongers as there were a lot of people there, including many other shutterbugs happily clicking away on their cameras!

The organizers had obviously realized this would be the case, and prepared for this by having such as staff members there to work on crowd control.  In particular, they made sure that people queued up to take photos at the more popular sections of the exhibition -- which included the Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel Chinese opera display, the Hello Kitty-fied Hong Kong tram display and, most popular of all, a Dear Daniel plushie dressed as a rickshaw puller standing next to a rickshaw on which a continuous stream of people went and sat on to pose for photos taken by family members or friends.

It's not just that there were lots of people in the exhibition area that made photo-taking quite challenging.  Rather, it was that the vast majority of adults there as well as children seemed unable to resist posing with or just plain embracing and stroking the large Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel plushies about the place!  And okay, yes, I couldn't resist stroking a couple of those winsome plushies myself -- though I can safely say that I am not responsible for the dim sum bun server Hello Kitty having fur on its face that looks overdue for a wash already! ;O

Monochrome and What Sport Do You Like? (This week's Photo Hunt themes)

For the longest time, when asked "What sport do you like (best)?", my answer would be association football (AKA soccer to American English speakers).  But while I still regularly watch it -- albeit on 'live' on TV or via "livestream" video, rather than live, since my favorite football club (still, after all these sometimes frustrating years...) have their home in North London -- I haven't played it since I left Philadelphia way back in the summer of 2003.

After returning to Penang, my sport of choice to play for a time was tennis.  But my getting a frozen shoulder put paid to my tennis playing days.  So I had to find another exercise activity -- and did so in hiking, an activity and sport that I had occasionally done when I lived in the US and Britain (and also Tanzania) but really only began pursuing in earnest after moving to Hong Kong.

As regular visitors to this blog know, I not only hike a lot but also take a lot of photos when out on Hong Kong's many hiking trails.  Even so, I was surprised to find how large was the number of hike photos in my archive that looked suitable for this week's Photo Hunt themes chosen by Sandi as well as Gattina -- and in many different monochromatic hues too!

In the end, I've restricted myself to just offering up three natural monochrome photos: with the largely gray one being a landscape image that includes a sighting of the iconic Lion Rock; the green image being a close-up shot of interesting, well, greenery; and the final photo being of a brown grasshopper in a largely brown setting. :)

Arsenal and the beautiful game

View of a night time association football game
played on a lighted but grass-less Kowloon City pitch

The first thing I did this morning after I woke up wasn't to go wash my face, brush my teeth or even switch on the electric water heater (to boil water for my coffee). Instead, it was to rush to my computer to go online and find out who my association football (soccer in American English) club of choice, Arsenal of North London, had signed before the closing of the transfer window on August 31.

To my joy, I discovered that Arsenal had brought in a total of five new experienced players (two of them captains of their countries -- South Korea and Israel -- and one other capped 79 times for Germany), three more than after I switched off the computer and decided to call it a night the previous evening. And even while I rue these transfers not taking place until after Arsenal lost 8-2 to Manchester United over the weekend (as well as lost 2-0 to Liverpool the previous weekend), they do go some way towards my restoring my faith in The Gunners as a while (management and board as well as team and club).

This all is a very good thing indeed to my mind -- and something that helps rest my mind and generally puts my ease. For, even while there may be some readers of this blog who do not yet realize this, I am as much a Gooner as I am a fan of Hello Kitty and Ponyo, among other things.

As a matter of fact, I've been an Arsenal supporter for much longer than I've been a lover of the furry feline and feisty fish creature. And at the risk of showing my age, I actually can vividly watching Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-2 -- after being tied at 2-2 with five minutes to go -- in the 1979 F.A. Cup Final as well as the 1989 Arsenal game at Anfield which The Gunners had to win by two clear goals in order to become league champions, the 1998 match vs Everton that Arsenal won 4-0 to clinch the English Premier League title, and so much more.

Being an Arsenal fan in particular (and association football in particular), it probably won't come as a surprise for me to state that I also enjoy playing the beautiful game. And it really gives me great joy and no small amount of pride to say that I've managed to play in several organized association football matches over the years -- including at varsity level (during my first two years at Beloit College) as well as intra-mural tournaments at college and a six a side indoor soccer league in Philadelphia some years later.

Somewhat sadly though, I only got to play organized soccer in the US -- but never did so in Malaysia (my home country) or England (where I attended boarding school) because in the time I've lived there, association football has been very much considered a sport for males rather than females. So it's somewhat ironic then that most of the time I've played the game in the US (and the one time in Singapore that I was on holiday and met up with a college friend with whom I regularly played soccer in Philadelphia, and in Tanzania, where I happily played with people half or even one third my age), it's been in a co-ed environment...

All in all, I've found that although I may not have the physical power and strength of many male football players, I have been able to at least match quite a few of them in playing skills. In addition, I've known several male football players who have been happy to have me on my team because of my attitude and team spirit as well as general footballing abilities. And although I've long since hung up my football boots (in favor of such as hiking), I definitely have many good footballing memories that come from my playing days (in addition to those that come courtesy of supporting and watching Arsenal).

To be sure, these include winning the state championship my freshman year at Beloit and scoring my first goal for the Beloit College varsity team. But, in all honesty, little achievements like winning tackles against macho men who thought they'd easily get past the tiny female left-back (i.e., moi), setting up someone else's brilliant goal or feeling like one had got this amazing, unspoken understanding with certain team-mates (Denise and Henry, if you ever read this, I'm talking about you) really are things I look back upon and treasure to this day. :)

Musings on the (culturally) British side of me

Yes, I enjoy eating pie, gravy, chips (with HP sauce
slathered on them) and peas at pubs -- and
feel the meal would be incomplete without a pint!

According to the proverbial "they", a rolling stone gathers no moss. But although I consider myself a rolling stone in many ways, I actually feel that the different places I've been to in the world all have left marks on me and -- particularly in the cases of those where I spent years living in -- contributed to the shaping of my personality and character.

Once upon a time, I was a socio-cultural anthropology student whose specialist areas included the study of ethnicity. (Indeed, I even once taught a 300-level university course on it!) So musing about cultural identity issues is not something that's completely alien to me.

Still, because the anthropological phase of my life was so long ago (to the extent that it can feel like another lifetime), it's not something that I've explicitly thought about for a while. But a remark by a friend earlier this week got me thinking of it once more. More specifically, he wondered how Malaysian I actually remain -- considering not only my years spent away from my native land but, also, the influences that the societies I've lived in (notably that of England, the USA, Tanzania and now also Hong Kong) have had on me.

My immediate reply to my friend's query was couched as a joke -- in that I told him that my love of food remains very Malaysian. (We were having the conversation over a meal.) But another conversation later in the week with a different friend hammered home the fact that unlike many other Malaysians, I am quite happy to go without Malaysian food for months at a time. (Put another way: I refuse to eat Malaysian food in Hong Kong because I just can't stomach the prices of Malaysian food outside of Malaysia and also because my experiences in places like England and the USA have me convinced that Malaysian food is truly only very good in Malaysia!)

Alternatively, the thought also has occurred to me this week, I find myself pining for English food and drink (more specifically, its beers -- ales and stouts) -- and doing what I can to satisfy those yearnings -- every place that I have lived! And especially when the weather turns cold, I actually seem to almost instinctively seek out nice warm pubs where I can find good beer served at room temperature and pub food (including Scotch eggs, all manner of pies and other kinds of food that feel perfect for helping warm as well as fill one up!).

Of course, if they have Arsenal match on TV, all the better! (Though to make me truly happy, the match had better see the Gunners winning comfortably!!) But, yes, I think my love of association football is another British cultural bequest -- though admittedly by way of Malaysia, since my earliest memories of watching Arsenal involve watching them on TV thousands of miles away from their North London home.

Other loves that I have to thank the British for: museums (because the first museums I was taken to as a child were in England); reading (not only is my favored reading language English but the first books I read were by English authors -- notably Enid Blyton!); hiking (since the first countryside tramps I took were in the English countryside); classical music (because the first classical music concerts I attended were in London); and theater-going (with my first theater-going experiences being to plays in London's West End).

In addition, strange as it may seem, I owe an interest in Japanese -- maybe even general world -- cinema to the British -- or, at least, my time spent in England. For it (also) was in the British capital many years ago that I got in a viewing of Akira Kurosawa's revelatory Ran -- the kind of film that exponentially expanded my ideas of what movies are and can be... and ditto, one could say, life in the bargain!