My take on the 7s

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel absolutely *nothing* about the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens? I know to many it's the perfect excuse to (cross)dress in crazy outfits and get absolutely sh*t-faced in public, but there's something about it that feels a bit...iunno...removed?

See, I've been to other sporting events like the European Cup '08 and the 2010 Olympics where people dress up just as crazily but for something that they are actually passionate about (GO CANADA GO!!! :)).

In HK however, the people who go to the 7s seem to have a) no concept/love of rugby and/or b) no particular fanship to any team. Costumes are thus totally random instead of representing any one country and the point of going seems to be more about getting wasted than cheering on your team.

Don't get me wrong, I too LOVE dressing up but paying big bucks to drink with a bunch of other peeps in costume to (not) watch rugby live just doesn't make any sense to me... ~_^

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Smog, schmog

Everyone's been going nuts about the super-high levels of pollution lately. True, Hong Kong's never seen this amount of smog before, what with the air pollution index (API) going off the charts in most of HK. But let's be honest here, when has HK air ever been fresh?

I remember when I was littler, I used to tell my friends, "You know you're in Hong Kong when your boogers turn black!" TMI maybe, but you know it's true. It's no different now and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Before the API existed, I'm sure this is how most HKers judged the quality of the air, among other things:

I can't say that I've noticed people doing anything differently ever since the pollution levels went up. You'd think they would all strap on a gas mask (or at least some sars/swine flu masks or something!?) given that a gazillion umbrellas pop open at the slightest hint of rain. Perhaps it's because nobody really knows know what extreme pollution does to us besides give us black boogers...

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Support the seniors!

We're used to seeing them bulldoze through crowds and hobble around MTR exits in hopes of collecting your free used newspapers, but there's a new kind of senior that's been spotted around several MTR stations (including CWB).

This time, they're the shaky, near-death seniors with goggley glasses, spotted skin, missing teeth and a bright red bag of boxed cookies slung over their sloped shoulders.

"Please buy my cookies," they repeat, one after another in toad-like croaks. Although I'm usually immune to their tactics, I just couldn't walk away this time from one severely hunchbacked granny.

It took me a few cries of 'por por' before she noticed me, but she eventually (read: in slow motion) turned around and extended a box of cookies towards me. Turns out that they were raising money for the Helping Hand society, which runs several old folks home here in HK. Seeing not only that was she old, tired but missing her right thumb as well (sob!), I decided to buy a box for 35 dollars and wished her a good rest of her life.

When I got home, I did some research on what kind of organization would put these frail, old seniors (that they had vowed to protect) in the middle of rush hour traffic only to feel the harsh sting of rejection 100x over. I discovered that I'm probably not the only one who felt that this was 'cruelty to seniors' because Helping Hand themselves had already posted several videos of their star cookie sellers, including:

• Granny Bucktooth
• The Ecstatic Wheelchair Sistas :D
• Mrs. Potatoface
• Chan & Ng (Cookie Campaign Veterans) *must see!*

I was surprised to see that many of them actually seemed quite happy to be out there selling cookies (that or Helping Hand neglected to post any footage of the bitter and resentful seniors). Watching these videos made me smile, and I'm so proud of all the seniors who are brave enough to get out there and sell those cookies with no fear of being rejected, knocked over (or even killed, shhh!). You go, Grandma/pa! :D

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Being si-man

Something I tend to get called a lot in Hong Kong is '斯文' (si1 man4), and up till now I still can't figure out whether that's a good thing or not.

At first, I took it as a compliment, since it means 'cultured, refined, elegant and genteel' (bwahaha, genteel!!).

For instance, someone once said to me, "You're so 斯文, seeing you brings a smile to my face," (no joke) and I have also once heard, "You're so 斯文, you must not be from around here."

Today though, someone said it to me with a somewhat negative connotation, as if my si-man-ness was a bad thing. That got me thinking, what is it that makes me so damn 斯文??

• Is it because I don't talk at 100 decibels when I'm on the phone?
• Sit and slouch with my legs wide open?
• Let out loud croaky burps whenever I feel like it?
• Push people around in the MTR like human bumper cars?

 If so, I'd happily take 斯文 as a compliment, thankuverymuch!

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