I found internet... Beijing Day One

I'm literally uploading pictures as fast as I can. These first are from my first day in Beijing. This is Tianimiman Square and the Forbidden City. Enjoy. I will write more later.







I'm literally uploading pictures as fast as I can. These first are from my first day in Beijing. This is Tianimiman Square and the Forbidden City. Enjoy. I will write more later.

Ladies and Gentleman...

Well, the ethernet adapter on my computer is most likely fried. Apple is not sure what's wrong with it. They think the ethernet plug might need to be replaced. It looks like you are not going to get any blog entries from me for this trip.

Sorry, there's not much I can do. I'm using my travel companion's computer, which has a German keyboard (and just a little difficult to type on). This is just not going to work.

It makes me very upset to have to say that....

Ken

Smiles

First off, I must apologize because this post really deserved pictures, and I left my camera at the hotel.

Hello from Beijing. We arrived safely in Beijing, and ran into some other Hong Kong University students who were coming to Beijing the same weekend as us. After chatting throughout all the custom’s formalities, we went our separate ways and decided to run into each other tonight for dinner or to meet tomorrow.

Anyways, we took a taxi to our hotel in central Beijing. We’re staying a courtyard hotel in what’s traditionally referred to as a “hutong,” Chinese for narrow alley. Hutong are traditional Chinese neighborhoods, they are single-stories with narrow one-way streets with shops lining the outside and homes on the inside.

Our hotel is very nice. I will take pictures tomorrow of it – it’s way too dark to do so.
Anyways, Johannes and I wait around until about 6:30 p.m. for the other HKU students to call us. Unfortunately they didn’t, so out of starvation we decide to go looking for food. Our hotel lady told us to go “Left than Right,” but because I am a dumbass, I went Left, Left, Right to eat.
So we end up walking down some narrow streets of Beijing, where it’s literally below freezing.

We’re not going to go far for food, and we see this little tiny place that looks somewhat busy with good furniture and decide to step in.

No one speaks English, but we realize that the restaurant serves “Hot Pot.” Hot Pot is basically a fire-burning oven placed in front of your table with boiling water in it. They bring you meet and vegetables and you cook it yourself.

Our very nice server doesn’t speak a word of English, but continues to rattle on to us in Mandarin like we’re conversational in Chinese (and we’re just the silent types). Here’s our conversation:

Ken: Ni Hao (Points to hot pot at another table and smiles)
Server: Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin (smiles and points to the hot pot on the table).
Ken: (Smiles). “Xie Xie” (thank you.)
Server: Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin (opens up our menus, which we didn’t open, points to a spattering of things) Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin.
Ken: (Smiles)

I think I ordered food.

I’ve never had hot pot in my life. I have no idea how to eat it.

However, the food arrives, it’s absolutely amazing. Basically you take the vegetables, and meet, boil it, then dip it into a peanut sauce (which can be flavored how you want).

Server: Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin (takes various things and puts it in my peanut dip)
Ken: (Smiles)

The food was so great. I was absolutely thrilled – I love little hole in the walls, and we were absolutely stuffed, even though we had no idea what we ordered, how we ordered or how much the bill was).

We get the bill – it comes to 94 yuan (about 12 bucks). We ordered enough food for four people. So we split it, and it comes to like 48 yuan a person. Not bad. Well, I hand her a 100 yuan bill and she brings me change.

Server: Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin (hands back 6 yuan and smiles)
Ken: Smiles and begins to place the 6 yuan on the table as a tip.
Server: Laughs out loud, Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin. (hands the 6 yuan back to us).
Ken: (Smiles and takes the money back).

No Tipping I guess.

So, that’s my first day. I’d write more creatively, but I am a bit tired. We’re going to the Forbidden City tomorrow. Should be fun.

Please Mind the Gap – And Smile.

Ken

Off I Go

Play at home folks. We'll play connect the dots. Fun Fun. Wish me luck.

Ken

Woo!

I just kicked my only final exam's ass. It was four essay questions, and you could choose two to write on. One was Hong Kong's economy with China and another was Hong Kong's air pollution.

I could write a doctoral thesis on both of those subjects. I've done a presentation on question 1 and written enough Bloomberg stories on question 2 to be the Hong Kong Air Pollution beat reporter.

It's nice to be good at school again.

Ken

This needs no explanation.

The Lonely Planet guide book I bought about China has a chapter about the Mongol invasion.

It's titled "The Wrath of Khan."

Wow....

Is Wolf Blitzer Going to have to slap a....

Lordy. Lordy.

It was like God smiled, then struck me with a lightning bolt.

Hong Kong decided, I think collectively, to put everything on sale.

Like, everything. Seriously, you need a list?!

Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Tod's, Dior, YSL, Columbia Sports Company, Nike, Cole Haan, Lacoste, Givenchy, Juicy Couture....

It goes on. The English department store Harvey Nichols, considered one of the most exclusive stores in fashiondom, is having a 40 percent off sale.

Why do they have to be so cruel? The only store not being cruel is Chanel, who thankfully, never puts anything on sale. If you didn't know Chanel burns everything they don't sell. That makes my day.

Ken

Today Covet Item. Take a wild f'kin' guess.

Victoria Peak

Here's some pictures from my trip up to Victoria Peak today. Enjoy

Colonialism is Pretty

Let's say you run a civilization. At some point during your history, you decide you need more space, and figure that well, China's the way to go. So, when you arrive in the Pearl River Delta, what do you do? Do you:

• A - Build a trading post, adapting to the 3,000-year-old Chinese Culture in the area.
  
• B - Build a trading post, deciding that any local culture somehow falls beneath your great civilization. Local culture? Ha!
  
• C - Build a trading post, get bored, build a casino or 20.
  
• D - A mixture of B and C, with just enough Catholicism to keep from going to Hell.
  

I love Macau.

I took a day trip to Macau today. Macau, the strange colonial bedfellow of China, was founded by the Portuguese 500 years ago (Woah). After holding onto this tiny tiny tiny island (two kilometers by one kilometer), for centuries, the Portuguese gave it back to China in 1999. However, they left a very interesting impression on this little island.

First off, it's the only place in China you can gamble. I never equated the Portuguese with gambling, but I never equated the Portuguese with much in the first place so I obviously needed a place to start. They are kinda the strange cousin of Europe who lives by the beach all the time. I know my European friends will enjoy that. We love stereotypes.

Macau is actually really cool though. Hong Kong and Macau both were founded around the same time, but Hong Kong took a "historical building? Fuck that - let's put a car park here" attitude. So, in Macau, you have cobblestone streets, European architecture, and more churches than you can shake a Bishop's staff at.

The architecture was pretty awesome. The streets were all cobblestone, with beautiful frescoes, cute little shops. You'd think you were in some quaint Portuguese or Mediterranean town in Europe -- that somehow was having the largest Chinese tour group in history coming through.

I was also thoroughly entertained by the money in Macau. Macau uses it's own currency - the Pataca. Other than winning the "Hard Consonant Word of the Day," it's probably the least used currency on the face of the planet. It's pegged to the Hong Kong Dollar (which in turn is pegged to the U.S. Dollar). And, funny thing, the currency is in the minority on the island. According to their Monetary Authority, Patacas make up only 22.3 percent of all Macauese currency in circulation. The More You Know. I took some home with me, cuz I like useless money.

Pictures anyone?

Okay, so, yea... Macau likes the Church. A lot of very large, massive, ''power of Christ'' churches. The one that's pretty popular is St. Paul's Cathedral ruins. This was built like 400 years ago and then God got angry some time in the 1800s and decided to burn the entire thing down.

All that's left is the facade in the front. However, it's a pretty massive facade. You can see the whole city, and its casinos, from the facade's second floor.

Cultural Imperialism time though. Since I got to Hong Kong, I have been warned not to take photos of any inner sanctums of the temples here. St. Paul's has a crypt, a fairly nice one, filled with bones and stuff. Obviously God didn't like the architecture, but had a thing for the skeletons.

Anyways, there are signs everywhere saying that say ''this is a sacred place, please respect it.'' Really didn't see it from the Chinese there. It was kinda sad. They were touching things, and taking goofy pictures. I was a little flustered.

Okay more pictures of churches, ready set go:





Sorry, I had to do it. The Power of Christ compelled me to take this picture. I feel my soul rotting.

Okay, enough of good ol' fashion religion. Let's see sin! It's what everyone comes to Macau for anyways:



Woo! Casinos! Steve Wynn just opened a casino last month in Macau. It's the big super-hot place to be right now. It looks deathly familiar... to Las Vegas.









Speaking of Vegas. I wanted to share this picture. This looks like the other Macau streets I have taken pictures of, yes? Wrong! This is a new Casino. In good old Las Vegas style, they built a whole cultural center to emulate old Macau. Except, well, old Macau is like one kilometer from here.

I didn't get it. I think they should have done Paris. That would have at least been in the spirit of Vegas.


The food was actually really good in Macau. It's a mixture of Portuguese and Chinese food. Take that Californian infusion cuisine! The Portuguese got to this idea before you! I did spoil myself though. I ordered a wonderful rack of lamb and a great bottle of wine, and sat on a cobble stone street reading a book. It was heaven in some Portuguese Chinese Gambling Catholic weird sort of way.

Please Mind the Gap - and the Sin.

Ken

PS: Find me 40 bottles of this wine, and I will love you forever. I couldn't find it for the life of me.

And you thought U.S. Flying Sucks

Ken: "Hello nice travel agent. I would like to book two flights from Kathmandu, Nepal to Dehli, India."
Agent: "Certainly Rich American. We have three flight options for you."
Ken: "How splendid. Please give me those options."
Agent: "Well, we have Airline A, B and C. Airline A we aren't sure exists anymore."
Ken: "Oh... well, why are you trying to sell me this?"
Agent: "It's the cheapest."
Ken: "I can imagine. Next option, please."
Agent: "Certainly rich American. We have Airline B. Airline B doesn't fly to Dehli right now, but will next month."
Ken:"Oh, so it's expanding? Excellent, I'll take those tickets."
Agent: "Oh, you misunderstood me Rich American. I said they don't fly to Dehli right now, I didn't say they were expanding."
Ken: "So, why don't they fly to Dehli right now."
Agent: "Poor safety record. I think they forgot to hire mechanics or something. Big Nepalese Scandal."
Ken: "Next airline please."
Agent: "Certainly rich American. You can fly Airline C. Airline C is expensive."
Ken: "Well, okay."
Agent: "Very Expensive."
Ken: "Aren't I the rich American?"
Agent: "Certainly you are sir. But you can't afford this ticket. Plus, they require you get pick up the ticket in Kathmandu. I think you have to be Nepali to fly them. Are you Nepali, Mr. Sweet?"
Ken: "I'm not in Kathmandu. I was hoping for an e-ticket. No, I'm American, remember?"
Agent: "Oh, yes.... hmm. Well, Airline C is a good option. Can you wire me your deposit and we'll see if the flight is open for non-Nepalese?"
Ken: "I'm going to take a bus."
Agent: "Call back next week. Some other airlines might start up between now and then."

Sadly, this conversation is pretty much verbatum.

Please Mind the Gap - and get me out of Nepal.
~Ken

Who knew I would be happy to have a long layover?

On January 5th, I fly from Dehli to Singapore. I get there in the morning (430 a.m. to be precise). I then leave Singapore for Hong Kong at 7 p.m. and get into Hong Kong at 1045 p.m. on the 6th.

So, I get to spend the whole day wandering around in Singapore. Woo, another stamp!

Usually I hate long layovers... but I get to wander Singapore now! I'll make sure to leave my cocaine, pornography, cigarettes and malaysian newspapers at home then.

Ken

Indiana Ken

Ladies and Gentleman, we're starting to wind down here in Hong Kong. I leave for the United States on January 9th. But, I still have a month left here in China. But, would it be appropriate for me to leave Asia on such a boring, downturn note?

Hell fuckin' no.


I'm doing a 23-day trip into Asia. That hand-written ticket is my ticket from Hong Kong to Beijing. Yea... plane ticket is hand written. How cool is that? Here's my travel plans. Links brought to by Wikipedia, the wiki-est pedia out there.

• December 16th - Hong Kong to Beijing. My friend Johannes from Germany and I will travel the Forbidden City, The Great Wall and other parts of China's capital.
• December 19th, evening - First-class train from Beijing to Xi'an. We will arrive in the morning of the 20th. Xi'an is one of China's most ancient cities. Hopefully we will see the Terracotta Soldiers, ancient pagotas, etc.
  
• December 22nd, morning - Fly from Xi'an to Chengdu. Chengdu, also another very ancient city has.... pandas!!!!! Yay Pandas! In Chengdu we will meet Jordan from Canada, and prepare for our trip into...
• December 24th, morning - Fly from Chengdu to Lhasa, in Tibet. I will spend Christmas in Tibet. That will include the Patola Palace, Tibetan monestaries, the highest lake in the world.
  
• December 28th - Johannes leaves us, he has great and wonderous things to see. But, Jordan and I continue on to Shigatse and Mount Everest Base Camp. Hot.... or... well, more cold. Things get a little, unexact here, because of where we are going from to where we are going to. We however, before New Years eve, will arrive in...
• December 31st - Kathmandu, Nepal. Shangri-la. We will spend three days in Nepal, seeing the scenary, and other stuff. I'd give you specifics, but there's just too much.
• January 4th - We fly from Kathmandu to Dehli, India. We plan to visit Agra, where the Taj Mahal is, and also see what we can in India during our limited amount of time.
• January 7th - evening. I fly back to Hong Kong, via Malaysia. I would like to get out, get my passport stamp and get back in my plane... hehe, yay passport stamps.
  

That's it. I will then fly back from Hong Kong to Los Angeles then onto Phoenix on the 9th of January, spend a few days in Phoenix with the folks, and then onto:

Columbia! Probably stopping in St. Louis to see Danny and Ian. That's like what, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Lhasa, Shigatse, Kathmandu, Dehli, Agra, Khula Lampour, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis, Columbia... 13 city destinations in a month? Woah.

I plan on blogging as much of the trip I can. We are heading into parts of the world that are pretty much cut off from civilization. However, I cannot express how excited I am! Please, let me here your comments.

Please Mind the Gap -- and Mount Everest.
~Ken

Don't Cry for me...

There's a Chinese person singing "Evita" at the top of his lungs in the shower.

... that is all.

Like a Black Man at a Croquet Match

First off, sorry for not posting recently. Life's been busy, and I haven't traveled or done anything that incredibly exciting here in Hong Kong. However, I have some things to update ya about.

So, I'm starting to realize what it means to be a minority in another country. It took three months, but I'm starting to notice it more and more. I'm not insulted by it, cuz I'll share some examples with you, but more, well, frustrated.

I've only recently started noticing things the Hong Kong-ese do when I, or a group of white people, come into the picture. I think I noticed it completely when I had a series of things happen to me.

Anyways, in the morning I get on my bus. I started noticing that always seem to have the seats next to me open. I especially noticed it one day when I got on a very crowded bus last week, and no matter how crowded the bus was, no one would sit next to me. I shower people, I shower.

I then went to a press conference. I signed in and sat on a couch, by myself like usual, and the security guard walked up to me.

Guard: "Sir, do you work for The South China Morning Post?" (the main english-based newspaper in town. The Post reporter is sitting across from me, she's a very nice Japanese lady.)
Me: "No, I'm with Bloomberg. She's over there."
Guard: "Sorry sir, I assumed you were with the Post because...."
Me: "Because why?"
Guard: "Nothing sir, have a good day."

The press conference was held by a very important gentleman in the community. He did his speech in English, and then took all his questions in Cantonese. There were six white people there standing around, occasionally asking a nice Hong Kong reporter what he's saying.

He could obviously see us. I'm standing in his fucking face with a tape recorder.

So I headed home, on my bus with my own seat, and went to grab dinner at a local restaurant. I was placed in the back, in a special section that had forks and water instead of chopsticks and tea in front of it.

Can I have any more stereotypes placed upon me?

Oh, a tuna sandwich with Mayo on white bread. Thanks!

Please Mind the Gap, and The Man,
Ken

Because Hong Kong Pop-Culture is not complete without YouTube

This video is so famous in Hong Kong, you can buy t-shirts with him on it. He even has a wikipedia entry... how awesome is that?

Sorry!

So... yea, I know I haven't posted in this thing in awhile. Would I be a horrible person to say that nothing is going on here in Hong Kong? It's just the usual: Work, School, Exploring the City, etc. There's nothing been interesting to write about, until this afternoon:

I went walking down Antique Street in Central Hong Kong today to look for gifts for people. Other than expensive Tea Sets I found a corner in Hong Kong that sold, of all things, Ivory.

Yea --- Ivory. That super-illegal material made of dead elephant tusks.

So, because I had no soul, I went in to look. Honestly, it was the first reasonable items I have seen. Ivory has long been prized for its ability for carving.

I found a few things that I actually liked --- very intricate, very beautiful, and very very illegal.

Oh well. I'll buy it anyways, and put the Ivory with my Absinthe, Blood Diamonds, Cuban Cigars and a Cambodian or Vietnamese baby in my luggage.

Illegal items are so awesome.

~Ken

Post's Covet Item: A trip into Tibet.

Gift Time!!!

Okay, because it seems to be that only my mother leaves comments on my Blog, I'm now requesting comments.

What do you want from China?

If you could have anything from China, please tell me. Ask, and you will have -within reason. Some suggestions - Tea, Tea Sets, Clothing, Sculptures, Jade, etc.

If there is something you're really dying for, and it's a little pricy, let me know and I can find it for you. I gotta know now because I will be searching the City for things, and I will be heading into China next month.

So, send me your material desires, Material Girls (and boys).

Please Mind The Gap,
Ken

This post's Covet Item --- Well, you're the one's coveting things. Tell me!!!

Things Turn Around

You guys hate my narratives, but I like my narratives, so... there.

I went into work today at 5:30 a.m. like I usually do. It was a typical Friday - as the intern, I have to be the first person in the office - usually to do summaries of the English-language newspapers and the like. I actually enjoy showing up to a 70-story building when I am the only in it. It's the only time here in Hong Kong I feel truly able to be to myself.

Anyways. So, I finish my tasks around 8:15 a.m. and then I am just browsing the terminal for interesting stories to e-mail to people. Then my former stocks editor taps me on the shoulder.

Editor: "We need you to cover Hong Kong stocks - everyone called in sick."
Ken: "Just Me?"
Editor: "Yea, Please. I need the preview in 20 minutes, thanks."
Ken: "Okay."

I realize two things immediately that didn't pass through my mind while my editor was talking to me:

1) The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China's $19.1 billion initial public offering is today -the largest IPO in the world's history. It's listing today, on my stock market I have to cover.
2) The Hang Seng Index is set to hit an all-time record.
3) I'm fucking alone to cover it.
4) And I have never written a stocks story without a co-byline before to help me through it.

Okay, maybe four things. After said pissing of pants, I got to work.

9:20 a.m. -I file my preview story in 20 minutes. Basically the preview is an overview of yesterday's market and any stocks we suspect will move today because of company news that came out after the markets closed yesterday.

Editor: "Okay, preview's out. What's your theme?" (context: every market moves for a reason, so without the market opening, I have to tell him my reason of what will move and why.)
Ken: "Consumer spending news in the U.S was mostly postive. That will reflect on the exporting companies such as Yue Yuen and Li & Fung Ltd. ICBC lists today, so all the liquidity that was pulled from the market to apply for ICBC shares will re-enter the market, probably back into their target companies. We'll be up this morning, probably led by usual cast of characters."
Editor: "Oil?"
Ken: "Oil's done nothing the last few days."
Editor: "Watch oil stocks. You have an up theme I take it?"
Ken: "Yes."

Up theme= the Hang Seng Index is up today, for xxx reasons

10 a.m. - Market opens. The Hang Seng is up. I send my first fill story (I produce five updates in a stock story a day: entrance, fill, full story, afternoon update, close.)

Oil stocks are split today, and so are airlines. Usually oil and airlines move in tandem in today's market. If oil's up, oil stocks rise, airlines decline and then visa versa. I need an oil story though.

Editor: "I'm going to work on your oil section. You have very little company price information to back up your thesis. I think you'll need to try again with oil."
Ken: "Sounds good."

11 a.m. - With the exception of oil stocks, my thesis is holding up. The Hang Seng passes its record high and ICBC shares are trading 17 percent above their initial trading amount (so if you had 100 bucks in ICBC... in one hour you have 117.... hot).

However, I don't have a fund manager. I need a fund manager. Yes, they are exactly what they sound like. Very powerful people, who often control and decide the fate of tens of billions of dollars. They are G-d to the stocks writer. I go to my fund manager contact list.

11:45 a.m. - I haven't reached a fund manager. My story in completion is due in 45 minutes.

12:15 p.m. - Lilian at Daiwa answers her number. We speak for about 5 minutes. I've got my fundie. Now, I have a full stocks story due in 15 minutes.

12:40 p.m.-
Editor : "Where's my story?"
Ken: "I'm updating price information now and editing. Give me two minutes."
Editor: "Nope."

I send my story, and I am not happy with it. There is huge things I wanted to write about. I didn't have the time. To avoid doing the dialogue - basically my story gets shot to shit, mainly on the basis that it just wasn't ready. I needed more time. I learn and move on.

Lunch time.

2:00 p.m. -
Editor: "Ready for the market to re-open?"
Ken: "Yea."
Editor: "It should be a pretty easy afternoon. The Hang Seng is up 60ish points, it's probably going to stay that way. See if you can develop your themes more. Maybe oil stocks will pull together. We'll have our 'up' theme."

2:30 p.m. - Market reopens. (The market trades for 1 hour, 30 minutes until 4 p.m. I have a final story due to my editor by 4:30 p.m. - half the time I had in the morning. However, the story is basically written, I just update a lot of the prices).

3:00 p.m. - Hang Seng up 50 points.
3:02 p.m. - Hang Seng up 25 points.
3:03 p.m. - Hang Seng up 10 points.
3:07 p.m. - Hang Seng down 10 points.
3:08 p.m. - Hang Seng up 5 points. My story template dies. The Hang Seng is no longer at a record, nor is up. It's swinging between gains and losses (aka hard as fuck to write).
3:09 p.m. - Hang Seng is down 40 points
3:15 p.m. - Hang Seng is down 80 points.
3:20 p.m. - Hang Seng is down 110 points. (at this point... we have a very different story on our hands, nothing I have written, nor the quotes I have gathered, will work. My story is due in 1 hour, ten minutes..)

Editor: "We need a down story. What's the theme?"

Then I have an idea, and I throw something out.

Ken: "The Hang Seng is down because of ICBC."
Editor: "How?"
Ken: "ICBC is the biggest IPO in the world, and the bulk of the Hang Seng index are finance related stocks. It's most likely people are buying into ICBC, explaining why it's up now 18 percent, and why all the banks are down. Also, the Hang Seng has risen dramatically the past week, we could see some correction and psychological issues about the record high."
Editor: "Sounds Good."

I check the Hang Seng Financial Index - it's exactly what it says it is, a sub index made up of finance related stocks. It's way down. All banks and the Hong Kong Exchange stocks are down.

Bingo - I have my theme. Now I need a fund manager to ask if I am write. Remember last time? I have 15 minutes before the market closes. At this point, most of the investing community is incredibly busy -it will be hard to find someone.

I find a fund manager. He agrees with me somewhat. He also talks more about how the Index is at a record, so people could be just scared of the Hang Seng going any higher. Also, something called ''profit taking'' is happening.

Profit Taking = Stock goes up, you make money. You sell stock and get money, you get your profit. Simple. (FYI: Profit Taking is an illegal word in business journalism. We're never allowed to say a market moves because of profit taking. I agree.)

4 p.m. - The market closes at a stable level of down 60 points. I've got my quotes on what's happening with the market. I look at oil stocks - they are down. I look at airlines - they are up. Yay, took them about fucking time.

I write a couple theme graphs on ICBC being this huge-ass deal for the market, and why banks may not be benefiting from a new dog on the block. I write about how the positive U.S. economy is still helping Yue Yuen and Li & Fung (remember them? They were at the top of my story... they closed up today, yay, one theme didn't have be totally rewritten.).

4:30 p.m. - I send my story.

Broadcast Anchor: "Hey Ken, we're hearing rumors that we had a really high turnover day. Can you check?" (Turnover ... well, basically how much money's worth of stocks changed hands).

4:35 p.m. - We find out the HK Stock Market had the second-highest day of trading in history. The only day higher was the massive sell off in 1998 during the Asian Financial Crisis.

4:50 p.m. - Story gets posted on the wire.

Byline: Ken Sweet.

I, by myself, covered the stock market on: the biggest IPO in the word entering the market, the second-highest volume day ever and the all-time record high for the Hang Seng Index.

By Myself.

I wish Darren was here. He went to Austrailia, I hope he would be proud.

Editor: "Great job today Ken. Have a great weekend."

So I left.

Please Mind the Gap,
~Ken

This Post's Covet Item: Ny-Quil. I didn't say throughout this entire post that I started coming down with something. So I worked all day today pretty much sick.

Tourism meets Buddhism

Picture a Buddhist monestary. What words come to your mind? Serene? Calm? Beautiful? Those are usually the words I put with East Asian temples, from what I have seen since I came to China.

My serene thoughts of a Buddhist monestary were shattered on Sunday, after a few friends and I decided to visit the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. It's the largest sitting Buddha in the world.

I should have been forewarned about going. First off, I thought such an object would be nice and calm to go see. I ignored the signs right infront of me:

1) Tian Tan Buddha was built in 1990
2) A major Hong Kong transportation company just opened a Cable Car, the Ngong Ping 360, to get to it.

I should have known better. Instead I got this:

AGH! I hate lines!!! The bottom photo was the back of the first of five line segments we had to wait in to get on the cable car. Once we were on, though (1 1/2 hours later), the ride was somewhat pleasant.

Sorry for the glare. We were told that this monestary was way out of the way, and the Ngong Ping 360 was the only way to really get out to see it in time. However, my friends and I noticed a very nicely sculpted path right under the Cable Car.

So, we all felt bad because instead of walking on the nice wooden path through a beautifully green mountainous path, we put ourselves in our sterile little cable car box and rose past it. It was sad. The superficiality of this trip could only get worse....

Now... I support Starbucks. They make great coffee. However, this Starbucks was located in a fake village Ngong Ping 360 built next to Buddha. I quote the brochure:

"Ngong Ping Village occupies 1.5 hectacres adjecent to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue in Lantau, and has been designed to reflect and maintain the cultural and spiritual integrity of the Ngong Ping Area."

I would like to note this Starbucks was next to a giftshop, a French restaurant, and a Chopstick store. Oh! They had a mascot too.

Sorry for the stupid picture, the attendent doesn't know how to use my camera. ... sad. But... you get the picture. There are no monkeys on Lantau island (with the exception of said monkey costume man).

Okay, after losing my soul in the commerciality of that damn village. We made it to the Buddha.

Pretty neat looking, huh? The crowds were massive in the town, but honestly, there was hardly anyone at the Buddha. It was really sad, really.

This was behind the Buddha. Why couldn't the Cable Car have like two exits and dropped me off somewhere in that mountain over there?

Please Mind The Gap - and the creepy monkey.

~Ken

This Posts Covet Item: Ebony chopsticks set at the Chopsticks Store, US$120.