The arrests of two 29 year olds today makes it two more national security law and sedition law arrests in Hong Kong to date :(

Demosisto's stall in different times -- specifically,

at the 2019 Chinese New Year Flower Market
 

Tomorrow might see a decision made on whether the government's injunction to ban protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong will be granted by a Hong Kong Judge Anthony Chan.  After this happens, Google (who owns Youtube) will be asked to remove 32 Youtube videos of the song.  

 

For now though, the videos are available to view and listen to in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world.  As is a 60 Minutes Australia segment on Kevin Yam and Ted Hui Chi-fung, the two Australin residents -- and, by the way, Kevin Yam also happens to be an Australian citizen to boot -- among eight Hong Kong dissidents who have had a HK$1 million bounty put on their head by the Hong Kong government.     

 

Thus far, the Hong Kong government are not able to get their hands of those eight individuals, all of whom currently are based outside of Hong Kong.  So it has turned its attention to relatives and friends of some of them.  Earlier this week, the eldest daughter, son and daughter-in-law of Elmer Yuen -- the last of whom happens to be pro-Beijing politician Eunice Yung -- were questioned for a number of hours by the police.  The same fate had already befallen the brother of former legislative councillor Dennis Kwok, the elder brother, sister and nephew of trade unionist Christopher Mung Siu-tat, and parents and elder brother of Nathan Law.     

Friends of Nathan Law who happened to be felllow members of the now disbanded Demosisto party and individuals with link to the Mee online shopping app have also been taken in by the police for questioning and even arrested.  And today saw two more of them taken into custody -- with Lily Wong and Chan Hok-kin, both of whom are 29 years of age, arrested "for suspected 'conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security" (national security law charges) and "accused of 'conspiracy to commit an act or acts with seditious intent' under a colonial-era sedition clause in the city's Crimes Ordinance".

 

I'll be honest: unlike Nathan Law or Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, I wouldn't consider Lily Wong and Chan Hok-kin to be household names.  So it can feel like the authorities really have it in for Demosisto -- in that they are going for quite a few layers of that former political party's leadership.   

 

And it's interesting that Lily Wong and Chan Hok-kin have been slapped with sedition law as well as national security law charges.  More than by the way, an AFP article came out just yesterday about how, beginning in March 2020, for the first time in over 50 years, the sedition law created under British colonial rule has been used to prosecute less famous and prominent Hong Kongers as well as famous ones.  

 

"Their cases receive little public attention as they are swiftly convicted as national security threats by the city's lowest-level courts.  Their "seditious" acts have mostly involved criticising authorities -- the government, police and courts -- through posters, stickers or on social media platforms.  The trials are also handled by judges picked by the government to rule on security cases, and bail for defendants has become the exception, not the norm", the article has highlighted.  

 

"Prominent activists and journalists charged with sedition have put up high-profile legal defences, but most residents accused of the crime choose not to fight after they are denied bail, due to the perceived slim chance of success, former defendants and lawyers told AFP."  For those who've wondered why so many Hong Kongers whose prosecution has been seen to be political in nature have pleaded guilty, it's additionally worth noting that "Sedition carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, but a guilty plea can reduce the sentence by a third."  

 

Still, a legal admission of guilty does not necessarily mean that the individuals who pleaded guilty actually think they are guilty of a crime.  A 68-year-old homemaker charged with uttering seditious words "eventually gave up on her appeal [of innocence[ and served out her three-month sentence so that she wouldn't have to report to the police three times a week -- a bail condition stipulated for her appeal process.  After all that, "I still don't understand what sedition is about," she said.  "I have only learned that the red line can be very wide."" :(

Making mountains out of molehills -- an adding to the mountain of resentment already felt by many people -- in Hong Kong

Flying on Cathay Pacific is not something 

many people are wont to do any more!

 

A few months ago, I flew on a plane for the first time since October 2019.  Like in 2019, I opted to take Cathay Pacific flights.  Something I noticed on both my flights this year: the level of English proficiency of the cabin staff appeared to have gone down.  So it came across to me as rather ironic that in recent days, reports have cropped up about a Cathay Pacific cabin crew member having made fun of a passenger's lack of English fluency (to two colleagues) after the passenger asked for a carpet (instead of a blanket).      

 

As it so happens, the passenger in question was from Mainland China (and probably didn't know (much) Cantonese either).  And probably because of that, the Cathay Pacific management felt obliged to take quick and dramatic action.  As chronicled by Aaron Busch over on Twitter: 9.59pm, May 22: Cathay Pacific says they are aware of a complaint aboard CX987, apologises[;] 2.28pm, May 23: CX says they have suspended the flight attendants involved for three days, pending an internal investigation[;] 9.43pm, May 23: Three flight attendants fired"!  As in not just the cabin crew member who did the mocking was fired but also the two of her colleagues who had listened to her! 

 

As if this wasn't already quite the reaction, the arline's CEO, Ronald Lam, also has said that he will personally lead a taskforce to conduct a review into the company's code of conduct.  But even that does not appear enough to satisfy angry Mainland Chinese social media users and Hong Kong's Chief Executive!  

 

Wading in to give his two cents on the matter, John Lee proclaimed that "The words and deeds of the flight attendants hurt the feelings of compatriots in Hong Kong and the mainland and destroyed Hong Kong's traditional culture and values of respect and courtesy".  And we also have Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai-hung, weighing in to express "his deep concern to Cathay and [demand] that [the] management immediately improve the company's services. "I am very distressed by the inappropriate comments made by some of the Cathay Pacific cabin crew members," he said in a statement. "The incident is a serious breach of Hong Kong's reputation for service excellence, long-standing values, and ethical standards"!

 

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill!  But that, alas, appears to be the norm as far as the Hong Kong government is concerned these days.  In recent days, John Lee also has "condemned an unusual rise in the number of requests to withdraw from the city's organ donation system, saying Tuesday that police would investigate suspicious cases.  According to the government, the city's centralized organ donation registration system received nearly 5,800 withdrawal applications in the five months since December, when the government raised the possibility of establishing an organ transplant mutual assistance program with mainland China"; a number that is significantly higher than normal.

 

Obviously, what is getting the goat of the government is that the withdrawals can be seen as "a form of subtle protest against proposals to establish deeper medical ties with mainland China".  As The Guardian article about this noted: "Many Hongkongers are mistrustful of the health system in mainland China. Fears about organs harvested from prisoners are especially common.

 

But since organ donation is a voluntary thing in Hong Kong, people surely have a right to decide to change their mind about donating their organs just as they have a right to decide whether to take part in the organ donation scheme or not in the first place?  In which case, it would again be making a mountain out of a molehill to ask the police to investigate the withdrawals.  As is getting the police (and lawyers?) to determine if laws were broken in the process?

If nothing else, this is just going to result in even more resentment along with derision at the authorities on the part of Hong Kongers.  Already, someone has been moved to post the following on the LIHKG discussion forum: "We have nothing for you to take away, you took it away, and now you even want to take our organs, right?"

 

And over on Twitter, Australian professor Kevin Carrico was moved to note the following: "[Hong Kong] in 1997- the city will maintain its way of life for 50 years without changes [versus Hong Kong] today- if you choose to no longer donate your organs we will be opening a national security investigation on you".  What a joke, right?

Speaking of jokes: I'm not sure how long it will stay on Youtube but check out this video in which American comedian Paul Ogata pokes fun at the Hong Kong Tourism Board's "Hello Hong Kong" campaign (and slogan).   As the saying goes, sometimes you have to laugh; otherwise you'll cry.  Sadly, that's a feeling I've come to know too well as a resident of national security law-era Hong Kong. :S   

A wonderfully memorable evening at Kichijoji's Bakawarai (Photo-essay)

I dreamnt last night that I was visiting Japan. I've had many dreams in the past few months of leaving Hong Kong and going elsewhere but until last night, all of the dreams had actually been not very pleasant in nature: seeing as they involved my having to flee a place I love (and have come to look upon as my actual as well as spiritual home).

In last night's dream though, I was visiting what's become a favorite country to visit because of -- in no particular order -- its fantastic food, libations, cultural attractions, and natural ones too, a certain Pear (Fairy), friendly people and old friends who I met in Hong Kong but since have returned to their Japanese homeland.  And even while it really saddens me that it's looking like the Wuhan coronavirus is going to prevent me from making even one trip to Japan this year, it's also true enough that I have plenty of great memories of the Land of the Rising Sun to tide me over a while -- some of which I haven't yet chronicled on my blog. So here's going ahead and resuming posting about some of them from my May 2019 trip to Tohoku and Tokyo!

After I saw a video by Simon and Martina about their favorite 

izakaya, I simply had to go there when I was in Tokyo!

 

Bakawarai's idiosyncratic way to welcome its customers

and mark reserved seats (And, if you're wondering, that's 

the name of the friend I went with on the egg ;b)

 

That egg's not just for show, by the way -- as it can get used as 

an ingredient in one of this Kichijoji izakaya's signature dishes!

 

An omelette that's picture worthy and really truly yummy!

 

I had plenty of seafood on this trip but this stewed fish head may well 

have been the single most delicious seafood dish I had on it! 

 

I love this Japanese whelk dish and pretty much always order it

whenever I see it on the menu (or, in this case, as the menu's 

only in Japanese, ordered by other customers!)

 

Yes, we had a lot of beer and sake that night... :b

 

My vote for this atmospheric izakaya's piece de resistance:

the cured bacon hanging above the counter from clothes pins :D

 

A couple of notes to conclude: Thanks to Morgan for two of the above photos; and something that made my visit to Bakawarai truly memorable was that Simon and Martina happened to go there for dinner that night!  (And yes, I did perk up my courage to go and talk to them, and thank them for this really great izakaya recommendation!)  Also, should there be any doubt, I really would love to visit Bakawarai again on a future trip to Tokyo.  Truly, it's one of those places that makes me wish I lived in the neighborhood -- though it'd actually be pretty dangerous if that were the case, as I could definitely imagine my going and drinking as well as eating a lot there on many nights each week! :)  

More shock arrests and, even more shocking, bald-faced attempts to twist truths and rewrite history

They want to twist the truth but we remember 

too well the events of July 21st, 2019

What the majority of Hong Kongers have been 

feeling for over a year now

I woke up this morning to news of Hong Kong Democratic Party legislative councillors Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung having been arrested on charges related to the extradition bill protests last year.  According to the authorities, both men are "suspected of offences relating to a protest outside Tuen Mun police station on July 6 last year".  

Lam Cheuk-ting also was  accused of the police of "rioting" in relation to the mob attacks at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21st, 2019 -- which is incredibly ludicrous since, on that stated evening, he had live streamed the attacks on Facebook with his phone, and had ended up being among the victims of the attack  -- with a mouth wound that required 18 stitches among the injuries sustained that resulted in his being hospitalized for a time!  (Also, this is the same Lam Cheuk-ting who previously received a letter from the police last year thanking him for reporting the Yuen Long attack!)

As the day went by, further arrests were made.  As of the time of writing, the total number appears to be 16 -- with 13 of the arrests reportedly linked to the Yuen Long attacks.  As their identities came to light, there was further uproar since the police looked to have been targeting victims of the mob violence rather than the perpetuators!

The more news came to light during the day about the arrests and the police justifications for them, the more it looks to be the case that the authorities are trying to rewriting history, changing black to white and vice versa.  Among other things, they are now attempting to characterize the attacks as a clash between "evenly matched" rival groups -- something that smacks of major insanity (or gaslighting of the highest order) given the sheer amount of evidence to the contrary.

As many Hong Kongers have said to one another more than once over the past year, one big difference between Hong Kong and Xinjiang is that in Hong Kong, we've had tons of press coverage (from international as well as local outlets) and so much livestreaming of the protests and associated clashes that have taken place.  The former helps keep the world informed; the latter makes it so that many of us were effectively witness to such as the events at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21st in real time.  

So "imagine what they would say if the press hadn't been there...".  On a related note: how timely for the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) to announce its 2020 awards for journalism today and give the Award for Excellence in Video Reporting Global (English Language) Media to the New York Times for its "Where Were Hong Kong’s Police?" piece, an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Reporting Breaking News (Chinese Language Media) to Initium News for its "Investigation of the indiscriminate attack of July 21 Yuen Long Nightmare" as well as an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Information Graphics (Chinese Language Media) to Citizen News' "The ‘721’ Yuen Long Attack"!

She may not have won any SOPA awards but many of us remember and appreciate the courage under fire that Gwyneth Ho showed that nightmarish evening.  Then a Stand News reporter, she -- who now has become a social activist and politician, and was the choice of many to stand for election as a legislative councillor this September (but was disqualified from doing so before the announcement of the election's postponement) -- live streamed the attacks even after she was attacked.  

This evening, she showed her bravery and determination once more by turning up in Yuen Long to recount her experience that night and, in so doing, rebutt the alternative accounts that the police are trying to perpetuate.  It really says so much about them that the police's response tonight was to try to drown out her voice with loudspeakers.  But she nonetheless managed to make herself heard.  

Earlier today, RTHK journalist Damon Pang was moved to Tweet the following: "I’m confused.  They say it’s 2047 but it’s 2020,  But others say it’s 1984"; this in response to a Tweet by a colleague showing an incident which took place on July 21st which clearly did not happen the way that the police were stating today that it did.  Also today, Quartz reporter Mary Hui was moved to suggest that "Everyday is Opposite Day for the HK govt" and remind people, amidst the haze created by today's crazy events, that yesterday had seen Carrie Lam making a number of questionable statements too.

A recap: First, she had criticized medical experts who were not enamored of her government's scheme to conduct mass testing for the Wuhan coronavirus as being "politically motivated".  (It's worth remembering that these doctors include highly respected figures such as the University of Hong Kong's Ho Pak-leung and Benjamin Cowling.)   Then she had gone on to criticize critics of the Department of Justice as disrespecting the judiciary.    

Something that's worth noting: much of the recent criticism of the Department of Justice -- specifically, its chief, Teresa Cheung -- came after she stepped in to block two private prosecutions that Ted Hui had tried to bring to court (involving, in one case, an unarmed protestor shot at close range by a police officer and, in another, a taxi driver who had rammed his taxi into a crowd of protestors).  And in the off chance that it's been missed: yup, that's the same Ted Hui who was arrested today!

An election postponement announcement to cap off a nightmare month for Hong Kong

Flowers for Stanley Ho's funeral; 

will there be any at Hong Kong's?

Okay, Hong Kong may not be dead yet but who knows 

when ballot boxes like these will get used again?

Earlier today came word that Carrie Lam -- who a recent Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) poll found to have an "approval rate [of] 18%, disapproval rate 72%, giving a net popularity of negative 53 percentage points, registering a drop of 7 percentage points since half a month ago, but the change is within the sampling error" --  was going to hold a press conference at 6pm.  Pretty every much everyone knew it was to announce the postponement of the Legislative Council elections -- something the powers that be had been telegraphing this move for days now (see my mentions of this back on July 20th and again on July 27th).  And so it came to pass.    

To be sure, there are some people who might have thought that after disqualifying 12 democratic camp hopefuls from taking part in the Legislative Council elections yesterday, the authorities felt confident enough that the pro-government/Beijing faction would prevail in the coming elections.  And this on top of the legislature already being fixed to favor the establishment by way of being made up of representatives of functional constituencies as well as geographical ones.

But I guess the Hong Kong government, its acolytes and/or its bosses no longer are under illusions after last November's District Council elections revealed how widespread the dissatisfaction with "the establishment" is -- and that the (previously) much vaunted "silent majority" actually favors the pro-democracy camp!  Put another way: the powers that be may have lots of power and tools to oppress people but they also know now that they have not won the hearts and minds of the majority of voters (and, for that matter, Hong Kongers in general).  And I honestly think that they're pretty fearful as a result.

As to the timing of the announcement that the Legislative Council polls will be postponed for a year (at the very least):  I can't help but think that they wanted to wait to mark the one month anniversary of the implementation of China's security law for Hong Kong with a bang -- to cap off what's been quite the whirlwind month of oppressive activity (which a number of sources, including the folks over at China Uncensored and a number of academics, believe are taking place because Xi Jinping's window of opportunity might be smaller than he would like).     

And no, I don't think there's anyone with a brain out there who is buying the suggestion that this postponement has anything to do with anti-Wuhan coronavirus measures (even though the third wave is indeed currently battling Hong Kong, with 121 new cases reported today and the death toll now up to 27).  After all, there's so much Carrie Lam could have done to prevent the pandemic from worsening -- including tightening quarantine and testing restrictions, if not outright closing the border -- but she has damned herself (and Hong Kong) by opting not to do so! 

Amidst all this, there's a piece of news that might got more attention if it had broke on a slower news day: the announcement by Hong Kong's top public prosecutor that he's stepping down, citing differences with Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng and being sidelined from cases under the new China-imposed national security legislation.  The full text of David Leung's  internal email to a colleague has been released and people are debating whether he quit because his conscience was pricking him or because of office politics.  But what is clear is that not everyone has been reading from the same page over in the government camp: and I don't (just) mean medical experts vis a vis the goverment officials overseeing health matters  (including the woman with a reputation for being quite the control freak)!

Focusing on Yuen Long once more one year on

Numbers and letters which, taken together,

have much (sad) meaning for Hong Kongers

The feelings are still very raw one year on

One year ago today, much of Hong Kong watched aghast on live stream as well as videos posted on various websites and social media platforms as a bunch of thugs attacked people who happened to be at the wrong place and the wrong time: namely, Yuen Long MTR station late one Sunday night.  The day after, I was in shock and filled with anger.  Those feelings have persisted to this very day: this not least because justice has most definitely not (yet) been served and, also, because, still more evidence of police misconduct (or, at the very least, dereliction of duty) that night has come to light in recent days.

Here's a link to a great investigative video about police (in)actions in Yuen Long that evening by public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)'s Hong Kong Connection team which aired just last week.  (For those, who prefer to read a summary of it, go here.)  Thanks to their efforts, it's come to be known -- and the police have belatedly admitted -- that there were plainclothes police officers at the scene when the mob of attackers -- clad predominantly in white shirts -- gathered in the vicinity of Yuen Long MTR station in a manner which plainly was unusual and suspicious. 

In the days since the RTHK report was broadcast, there has been still more findings that make people further distrust and not respect the police.  Among the upsetting revelations: that the police had put the victims and suspects of the attack the same room before an identification parade and read the victims’ names out loud, exposing their identities.

Something else that might make your blood boil is the realization that the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) concluded earlier this year that the police did not collude with the armed gang that attacked passengers at Yuen Long MTR station on July 21st, 2019. And this not entirely unexpected conclusion on the supposed police watchdog's part is why, for many months now, one of the Hong Kong protestors' five demands is for there to be an independent investigation of police conduct. 

On the one year anniversary of those disturbing events that upset Hong Kongers so much that many of us were unable to sleep that night, here's also sharing what Professor Clifford Stott -- one of those international experts hired to advise the IPCC, only to resign after realizing its limitations -- noted in a recent Tweet: "[W]hat is most significant about Yuen Long is not merely [Hong Kong Police Force] failures, which are self evident, but the fact this incident led to a catastrophic decline in public perception of police legitimacy. Thus police inaction in turn amplified & further radicalised the protests."  

In Yuen Long today, a number of brave souls turned up to voice their dissent and called for justice for the victims of the mob attack and for Hong Kongers to never forget what happened in that northwestern New Territories town on July 21st last year.  In contrast to a year ago, the police elected to go for a show of strength there today: with some 200 riot police officers being at the scene to do such as stop a few lawmakers from holding a press conference in the area as well as clear a mall connected to Yuen Long MTR station of protestors and journalists. 

At times like these, I must admit to wondering how the (relatively) good apples among the Hong Kong police feel about what's going on -- not only in Hong Kong at large but among their brethren.  Actually, I also find myself wanting to know whether there are any good cops left in Hong Kong; this especially in light of some 500 officers having quit the police force in the past year (or, to be precise, between last June and this past March) -- including the host of Police Report TV program jointly produced by the police and RTHK.  (Incidentally, it was announced earlier last week that this weekly program will have its final episode this August; it first went on air in 1973, 47 years ago.)

Words to live by during these troubled times: "Wear a mask" but/and "don't let fear dominate us"!

Old Lennon Wall poster with a still valid message

Pro-democracy protestors also fight against the Wuhan coronavirus!

Hong Kong recorded its highest daily number of new Wuhan coronavirus cases to date today with 67 confirmed infections, all but four of which are believed to be local transmissions.  Scarily, 35 cases were infected via unknown sources; something which is a real worry (not just the high -- by Hong Kong standards -- number of cases).  This on top of the territory recording two deaths from the coronavirus in a single day yesterday -- the first time I can recall this happening -- bringing the total number of coronavirus fatalities in Hong Kong into double digits.

After a few weeks where some people looked to have prematurely let down their guard against the Wuhan coronavirus and brought down the mask wearing percentage of the population down to about 70 percent, I'm seeing mask wearing percentages back up to around the 90-95 percent mark once more.  (And yes, there are indeed some mask hold outs even in Hong Kong.  And I must say that I'm happy to see the police turning their attention to this matter and arresting at least two people who had refused to wear masks (a practice now mandatory when taking public transportation) yesterday, one of whom had attacked a McDonalds employee who had asked him to do so!)   

If only the Hong Kong police could return to doing the kind of things that most of us would applaud and regain their reputation as Asia's finest.  (It may be hard to believe that, back in 2009, the local constabulary had a 85 percent community confidence rating!)  But, in order for that to happen, they'd have to stop being a political tool whose many actions are so politicized and at odds with what the majority of Hong Kongers want -- and that doesn't look likely anytime soon.

Thus it was that, hours before they arrested those anti-mask individuals yesterday, they went to the residence of Hong Kong Democratic Party vice chair Lo Kin-hei and arrested him for his alleged participation in an unlawful assembly back in November of last year!  On the other hand, it's now been revealed that plainclothes police officers were present in Yuen Long on the evening of July 21st last year but did not effect any arrests of those who went and attacked passengers at Yuen Long MTR station -- and for that matter, did not do anything to stop that white-shirted mob from assembling and then moving to effect their attacks.  

For those who need their memories refreshed: check out this New York Times video on what happened (and did not happen) in Yuen Long last July 21st.  Speaking of the New York Times: Shocking news emerged yesterday of the media outlet having decided to relocate part of its Hong Kong office to Seoul; with it also having been reported that New York Times correspondent Chris Buckley, who had previously been expelled from Mainland China, now also has had to leave Hong Kong after his work permit was not renewed by the authorities.

In view of this, it's to be expected that reports have emerged now of other news organizations, like the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, considering relocating at least some of their staff away from Hong Kong too in the wake of China having imposed that draconian security legislation on Hong Kong.  Heck, a good number of American businesses beyond news purveyors appear to be seriously contemplating exiting Hong Kong as a result of the new security legislation that, a few weeks back, they had actually not seemed all that worried about -- at least publicly.  

Of course tensions were not eased by the American President announcing on Tuesday that he was ending Hong Kong's special trade status.  At the same time, it's worth noting that recent events in Hong Kong are freaking out not just Hong Kongers and Americans but others as well.  A case in point: the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry has reported that over 80 percent of respondents of a survey conducted earlier this month have expressed worries about the potential negative impact of the security law imposed by Beijing; with more than one third of those surveyed considering downsizing or outright withdrawing their Hong Kong operations.

Speaking of wihdraw: two co-organizers of this past weekend's democratic primaries (whose results are now out) have announced that they will be stepping down from their roles.  Au Nok-hin cited concerns for his personal safety yesterday while Andrew Chiu effectively said the same today.  Their decisions came after Carrie Lam and the Liason Office alleged that this past weekend's political exercise may be in breach of the security law.  (Interestingly, former pro-democracy lawmaker-turned-pro-Beijing government official Ronnie Tong has said otherwise -- but that appears to be insufficiently assuring for the likes of Au and Chiu!)     

Amidst all this, I'm going to let Lo Kin-hei -- a courageous man unafraid to have skin in the game -- have the last word(s) today: "My thoughts on the ways of life to go through the dark ages. Stay on with what we are doing, don't let fear dominate us! And, HAVE FUN! MAKE JOKES!"  (See this Youtube video elaborating on his stance and thoughts!)

10 highlights of my 2019 year

My favorite of a number of beautiful sunsets I viewed 

a number of different parts of the world in 2019

 

 Puppet Ponyo posing in front of a particularly awesome

section of my favorite cave visited last year

There's no denying it: 2019 was not a good year for Hong Kong.  And in view of my love for the Big Lychee and wish that it be free of political repression as well as my having done such as inhaled tear gas not just for the first time ever last year but on six different occasions (including one where it had quite the frightening effect on me), 2019 wasn't all that generally great a year for me too.   

But even though the year most definitely had its share of low points, it actually did also have a number of personal highlights.  So, considering that it's now the third day of the third month of a new year, I reckon it's high time that I spent some time looking back fondly at some of the better parts of 2019 for me; this not least because I do actually like re-reading my "10 highlights" posts from previous years (i.e., 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and all the way back to 2006, the year I began blogging). :)

1) Best boat ride: Unlike 2015, I didn't go on a cruise last year.  Living as I do in Hong Kong though, I did take a good number of ferry rides (across Victoria Harbour, and to and from different Outlying Islands).  And on my still-not-yet-completely-chronicled May visit to Japan, I went on two very different boat rides.  If it hadn't rained the day that I went to Geibekei, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the boat ride through that gorgeous gorge much more.  As it was though, it was the day that I was in Matsushima where the weather gods smiled at me.  So it's the boat ride across Matsushima Bay that's bathed with warm memories and feels particularly blessed to my mind.       

2) Best book: Back in 2005, Keigo Higashino wrote a crime novel that was translated into English in 2011 and given the title of The Devotion of Suspect X.  Looking for something to distract me from the ongoing troubles in Hong Kong one day in late 2019, I finally got to reading it and was so wowed by it that I've since bought and read four more works by the Japanese writer and probably will end up reading every one of his works that there are English language translations of!  More than incidentally, I've found myself immediately re-reading every one of Higashino's books after finishing them.  And I reckon it's a good measure of how wonderful The Devotion of Suspect X is that I've now reread it not one but twice and found it so very moving as well as interesting each time!    

3) Best cave: I didn't actually plan for it to happen but I ended up spending time in a surprising number of caves in 2019.  Ironically, the least impressive is probably the only one whose visit I've blogged about to date.  Hopefully in the not too distant future, I'll not only finish posting about my May Japan trip but also feel able to blog about my October Japan trip, during which I spend a couple hours or so exploring the thoroughly impressive Akiyoshido, Japan's largest and longest limestone cave!

4) Best concert: I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing my favorite violinist, Ning Feng, perform live not once but twice last year: with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in December.  But nothing beats the privilege of having been there for Alice Sara Ott's piano recital in November: one that felt thoroughly magical thanks to the considerable talent of a young woman I'd love to be able see return to Hong Kong for another concert but also know may not since she sadly has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  

5) Best exhibition: I often hear complaints from expats that Hong Kong lacks a world class museum.  Even if that may be the case, they actually often do have very worthwhile special exhibitions.  And such was the case to my mind with regards to the Hong Kong Museum of History's Gilded Glory: Chaozhou Woodcarving, a special exhibition that spotlighted the impressive school of woodcarving of a people that, half way through the exhibition, I got to realizing may be known as Chaozhou in Mandarin/Putonghua but are referred to as Chiuchow by the Cantonese and Teochew to the Hokkiens and the Teochews themselves!

6) Best hike: Thanks to the extradition bill protests (which I first took part in last April but kicked off in earnest in June), I went on way fewer hikes in 2019 than in any other year that I've been in Hong Kong.  Happily though, I did get back to doing so in the final month of last year and enjoyed a pretty good one last Christmas.  Still my favorite excursion into the Hong Kong countryside was way earlier in the year.  More precisely, my best hiking memories of 2019 are from the Sai Kung Peninsula one I went on back in January of last year with three friends, two of whom were visiting from the USA for the first time since they had left Hong Kong more than a year previously.

7) Best literary event: Although I love reading books, I'm not one to join book clubs or attend book talks or readings. But thanks to gentle prodding (and complimentary tickets) from a friend, I attended two Hong Kong International Literary Festival events last November; one of which featured an appearance by a writer I've long admired.  And so much did I enjoy "Japan and Autumn Light: A Talk with Pico Iyer", which featured mesmerizing reading of excerpts by the celebrated author of one of his recent books along with a conversation between him and Financial Times arts critic Ken Smith, that I ended up buying a copy of that tome -- and enjoy reading it I did too!

   

8) Best meal: My most popular post to date is of an omakase sushi lunch I had at the Hong Kong outpost of Sushi Saito last year.  If truth be told though, I don't think it's even my favorite omakase sushi meal of 2019 -- since I actually enjoyed a number of omakase sushi dinners at what's still my favorite regular sushi-ya, Uehara, more.  And while I really do love sushi and rate the food at Sushi Saito and Uehara super highly, my favorite meal of 2019 was at a place with a truly great combination of fun atmosphere as well as delicious food, and came with the bonus of my meeting the two Youtubers who introduced me to the wonders of their favorite izakaya (Bakawarai, over in Kichijoji, Japan) as well as being part of an epic night out with a good friend who really knows how to have -- and show me -- a good time!   

9) Best protest event I've taken part in: If only all protest marches could be like Hong Kong's anti-extradition bill march of June 16th, 2019.  Okay, yes, it took close to six hours for me to complete the route but it was absolutely mega (as in have an estimated 2 million participants!) and peaceful, with -- if memory serves me right -- zero police officers in sight.  And should it not be clear: it was perfectly legal, was issued a letter of no objection by the authorities, and didn't feature any tear gas attacks by the police.  Will we ever be able to see its like again in Hong Kong?  Time will tell but one reason why people are continuing to protest is because we want to have the right to stage and take part such an event again whenever the need arises. 

10) Best sunset: I love viewing sunsets.  I also love sunrises -- but since I don't like rising super early as much as I do viewing sunrises, I often miss seeing those!  In all honesty, I can't remember having seen a single sunrise in 2019 but I did get to view a number of cool sunsets -- and in more than one part of the world too.  Ironically, my favorite sunset turned out to be the one I viewed during a particularly low point in my visit to my least favorite of the places I visited in 2019.  If nothing else though, I'd say this: sunsets in Phuket really can be beautiful; and I'm glad I got to see one of them during what probably will be my one and only visit to that super touristy part of Thailand!