Josekin's Blog...

Bangkok thoughts

2011-11-24T11:43:00.001+08:00

Yes I live in Hong Kong. Yes I work for Tencent in Shenzhen. Yes I work mostly in Bangkok for a company that Tencent acquired. And yes Bangkok is somewhat normal again, as in we finally moved back into our previously evacuated offices after a whole month on the run!

Week 1: nobody knows anything until the water shows up at their doorsteps. With not many options in mind, we asked all staff to work from home starting Oct 22 because the surrounding neighborhoods are all seeing water and it is impossible to drive. Two days later, I get pictures that show both access roads to the office have been turned into a tranquil lake.
Week 2: Waiting... waiting... as a temporary solution for both staff and company, we rented some hotel rooms for affected staff and a conference room to work out of.
Week 3: I finally am in Bangkok. On the cab ride from the airport, the city seems eerily empty. I see no floods. There are several cars and trucks parked on the elevated highway. Near my hotel, there's little traffic, little tourists, little people on the street (street vendors are still out in full force though), only a few food vendors, and no working girls. They say central Bangkok will be spared from the floods. For once, I believe them. They also announced that the flood waters will recede in 11 days. Nobody believes that. My staff tell me that the water may come towards our current location. I believe them.
Week 4: Seems the same as last week. Alas the water didn't come our way. A bit more people on the streets. Central Bangkok is as normal as it can be, but on TV you see reporters in chest deep water interviewing families who had nowhere else to hide from the water. Near the (now evacuated) office, we can access the office via convoys but not drive in ourselves.
Week 5: The cars have been cleared from the highways. Toll booths are back up and running. Tourists on flipflops are ranging around the hotel. Breakfast food vendors are back 80%. Working girls are back at the bars again. Nov 24, I'm sitting back in my office. About 40% of the staff is at work. And I let out a big sigh or relief.

Bangkok, you're back. Kind of. Millions of home remain under water elsewhere in Bangkok as the government sacrificed them to save the central district.

The outrage from Google's Reader fiasco

2011-11-20T21:17:00.000+08:00

My thoughts from a while ago... but too lazy to blog. I need to blog more.

For a company that has always churned out products that are both groundbreaking (Gmail) and customer fitted (Reader), Google's recent blunders in its push towards social is quite shocking. Specifically, I'm talking about its attempt to push Reader towards G+. It's an effing disaster.

I still think G+ is a great platform and great social tool, but forcing Reader on G+ this has just been desperate and Google will probably end up in a lose-lose situation. G+ is already becoming G Staff+ (not sure if Google staff realizes that... just because they can recreate their social circle there... doesn't mean others would)... and Reader has just downgraded itself significantly to become an RSS feed since it's social aspect was stripped out to accommodate the aforementioned G Staff+.

Why do I use Reader? Because in one platform, I can subscribe to:

(35%) all the industry news feeds that I ought to follow (e.g. GigaOM, Tech Crunch) and all the blogs that interest me (e.g. Freakenomics, Photo related)
(33%) my friends' blogs (e.g. GSB folks, foodie friend in NYC) and posts for burning time (e.g. Failblog, FML)
(16%) stuff that my friends read, i.e. wife sharing wife things, Satyajeet sharing Satyajeet things, Megha sharing jokes, Ivan sharing random auto things, Haide sharing new mom things, etc
(16%) stuff that people in the industry read, i.e. Thailand reporter sharing Thailand things.

#1 Do I wish there was an icon on Gmail that could get me access to these feeds? YES!
#2 Do I wish I could share to Facebook as easy as I can share to Buzz? YES!
#3 Do I wish Reader was more powerful so that I can find out which blogs other people are subscribed to? YES!
#4 Do I wish other people can know what I subscribe to? YES (but not completely)!
#5 Do I wish sharing was more intuitive in Reader? YES!
#6 Do I want complete control on how I share? YES!

And what does Google do? Stay put on #1 and #2, address #5 partially, and make G Staff+ the default for #3, #4, and #6. Well, congratulations, you just eliminated 32% of my reasons (stuff that people read) to use Reader. Not only that, but the remaining 68% of the reasons any RSS feed software can do! And G Staff+ can control the sharing very well, but hey, you're still G Staff+ and nobody outside of Google goes there to read what I share!

And being the person who is in love with my own vanity (I mean, come on, all bloggers should admit that), I want people to read what I write as easy as possible.

So, this is what I am going to do. Share this on Facebook (not easy, but hey, they're the SNS), Reader (Auto), and G+ through Reader. And hope that Google will listen to its users and leave Reader alone - it's a great great platform, don't force parts of it to G Staff+. Allow both, and make it easy to share to G Staff+, but don't eliminate other ways!

Google. Still needs to learn social. (But if the argument is to bolster its search engine, that's fine... but don't mess with Reader!)

Blogging again - Movie Series

2011-10-21T20:01:00.000+08:00

In no particular order...

3 Idiots: if you overlook the simple premise and predictable plot, it's a thoroughly enjoyable movie with likable characters. And I added one sentence to arguments at home: All is Well. Recommended.

The Fighter: the pirated DVD has been sitting at home for a while... it's a pretty good movie and I see how Oscar would bless it. Love the Southee accents from both Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. Totally believable. Great inspiring movie overall. Recommended.

One Day: I recognized Edinburgh right away. Then it was all London and all downhill. The book must be much better than the movie. Not recommended.

Transformers 3: Saw this on the plane... and glad I never had to pay to see a 3D version. Just a lot of metal robots messing around with each other. I don't need to fork up HKD150 for it. Anyway, I get to see my old home in Chicago go up in flames... other than that, Transformers 3 was just a lot of metal moving around. Not recommended. Oh, and just to be clear, I prefer Megan Fox.

Fast and Furious 5: dumbass plot with dumbass actors and actresses but with tons of over the top action. Sure, why not? Love the Brazilian bad guy. After checking IMDB, I can confirm his only role in US movies is being a drug lord (Desperado, Clear and Present Danger, and I'm not sure who he was in Behind Enemy Lines, but let's just assume he was a bad drug lord there too). How do you ever top that one!!?? Recommended.

Too Big to Fail: I read the book first, and the movie doesn't miss a beat at all. I wanna get Paulson's take on the movie (apparently he was spoke at Booth this past Monday... too bad I missed that by a day!). Much better than Inside Job, IMHO. And Paul Giamatti's impersonation on Bernanke was awesome. On the flip side, the actor who played Warren Buffet was not. Couldn't you get Buffet to play Buffet!? I'm pretty sure he'd say yes! Highly recommended (and the book is highly highly highly recommended)

Goodfellas: why I haven't seen this classic from start to finish is beyond myself. Highly recommended.

I think there were a few more movies that I saw on my (coach) flight from Hong Kong to New York, but I don't remember already... guess they weren't worth it. And today I'm heading back from Chicago, so looking forward to a few more!

Blogging again - Concert series

2011-10-17T12:36:00.003+08:00

Although I am old and boring, I actually do stuff outside of work. The PNW and I went to three concerts (the forth, Paramount, was not to be...):

James Blunt: PNW downloaded all his music to my iPhone (thank you, QQ music) and I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought... EFFING HIGH!!!!!!

Khalil Fong 方大同... sad to say, I didn't know his songs as well. Got free front seat tickets from Tencent so we scrambled to download the music and learn the lyrics. His encore song PNW knew well so that made it all worth it (I think... as in it was a free ticket after all!)

Red Hot Chili Peppers: hard core band with hard core fans. I knew maybe 30% of the songs and I'm pretty sure everybody else in the concert knew 150%. Awesome crowd made the concert much more enjoyable otherwise.

Linkin Park -nuff said. I actually enjoyed the concert but "my friend" with much higher standards thought it was pretty bad. Clearly not everybody at the concert knew the songs and I think therein lied the problem. Was quite a contrast to RHCP where all the hard core fans showed up. And, uh, one of the concert t-shirts didn't have Hong Kong (WHAT!?)... come on guys, the least you can do is print right t-shirts for those who pay for them!

2 months after G+ launched...

2011-08-16T08:10:00.000+08:00

Admittedly I got really excited about G+ when it first came out. I'm still excited about it even though its really lost its steam. As a former consultant and current tech strategist, I've monitored some of my own behavior:

I get notifications much faster on G+ than I do from Facebook (Web bar rules)
I spend less and less time on G+ because I don't have enough friends on them
But the posts on G+ are more relevant for me... partly because I'm in tech
I also spend less and less time on Facebook because I have to split time with G+
I'm getting bored with Facebook
I post on both networks now...
Posts where I am seeking advice (Kindle recs) get better responses on G+
But none of my advice seeking posts were shared...
Posts where I am eavesdropping (Over the border) get better responses from my closer friends on G+
Posts where I am just sharing interesting bits in life also get better responses from my closer friends on G+, though they get more responses on Facebook

I wrote this a week ago and forgot to post it... here's an addition since G+ added games and Google acquired Motorola: it feels more and more like a community for Google and ex-Google employees and techies. I see 1500 comments for Larry Page, Satyajeet's lovefest with G+ games, a few comments on how G+ is quite boring, and that's about it.

Apparently combining all types of social activities is not enough, you still need a social graph that engages each other. And, guess what, I'm working at a place that has all that. Tencent! Now if they can only figure this out better than Google.

Anyway, the wars continues...

Book, TV, and Movie

2011-07-29T22:52:00.001+08:00

In order or preference...

The Help (Book) - this fictional story about black maids and their employers in Mississippi is written by a white person. Perhaps that's why a white lady and a bunch of black maids tried helping each other and only the white lady made a future for herself... anyway, I shouldn't be cynical about fiction, right? The book touches hearts with light and heavy subjects at the same time, and is simply a wonderful read. It's incredibly raw, and you find yourself sucked into the lives of the three main characters, rejoicing and bleeding with them along the way. Highly recommended.

Dexter Seasons 1-3 (TV) - I'm pretty sure this is fictional as well. Just kidding... blood scientist with the Miami police is a serial killer who hunts down people who slip through the cracks of justice. Yeah, okay. Surprisingly good actually, even though outrageous. Recommended.

Harry Potter (Movie) - It's not a bad movie at all... I just don't know what is going on most of the time because I haven't read the book and I rarely remember anything from previous HP movies. Wizard fight scenes suck and the general fight scenes aren't that great either. I suppose it's real good if you are an HP fan, like my wife is. Not recommended.

Sadness takes over

2011-07-24T18:04:00.000+08:00

Today, we visited Alan. I can't believe it's already been eight years.

As we mourn our loss, I can't help but notice how nice it was at the grave yard. The day was hot. But there was a nice mid morning breeze. The sun never let up. But there were clouds protecting us every now and then. A new building was being build. But there were birds and dragon flies humming and buzzing around. Alan's grave stood there. But there he was, admiring the greenery, buildings, mountains, and skies, laughing at all this foolishness of those who remain behind.

And I let sadness take over. Wish you were here bro. I know you wish that too.

Movie time!

2011-07-04T03:34:00.000+08:00

Oh man, I think I watched quite a few movies but never had time to write what I thought of them... here goes:

Inside Job: My old firm Analysis Group was mentioned several times in this movie (along with the very evil Glenn Hubbard) as part of the evil establishments that protect banks and bankers from being held accountable for what they did. I wish documentaries would not be as one sided and actually seek another angle to try to offer some neutrality to the story. For example, how could you not interview Andrew Ross Sorkin? By the way, Too Big to Fail is a much better way to understand the financial crisis. Inside Job is more for populists. Not recommended (unless, of course, you are a former employee of Analysis Group, defender of the evil empires).

King's Speech: A real movie finally! What a fantastic job by Colin Firth... it's rare nowadays that actors and actresses capture the total essence of the character they are playing. But Colin Firth has done it masterfully. Natalie Portman in Black Swan - reviewed a while ago - might be another... my god that makes TWO worthy Oscar wins! Guy Pierce, on the other hand, is not believable at all... Highly Recommended.

Hangover 2 - please don't have a Hangover 3. The Thai lady boy moment trumped all the moments in the original Hangover, but the rest of the movie couldn't measure up. And what's up with the Asian pre-med kid being a complete dork in the movie not caring that he's missing a finger to becoming a surgeon... oh wait, there wasn't supposed to be a plot, right? Not recommended - you're better off re-watching the first one!

X-men First Class - truth is, I don't even remember what happened in the movie, except that it was slightly better in the sense that there was quite a bit of depth in the discussions of mutants' value in the ecosystem. Overall the mutants abilities were a bit disappointing though (especially the kids... I mean... you can scream so loud that you can fly... err...) Slightly recommended.

Some HK Detective Story: I'll cut to the chase: Not recommended. It has Aaron Kwok so that's the one to avoid.

Quick thoughts on Google and +

2011-07-01T01:34:00.000+08:00

There's tons of articles on how Google+ is going to affect the Internet landscape. Here were my first impressions...

用了Google+一个早上，Google能整合Gmail Contact，Picasa，和Buzz等产品，从一开始就有一个比较好的基础。但感觉就是除了Hang out（多人视频交谈）以外，其他的都跟Facebook差不多。Circle虽然是一个很好的概念，对Privacy的了解和体验都不错，但就算能优化体验，其实Facebook也可以抄袭的。在人与人之间的沟通，如果base能做起来，我觉得Google+有可能取代Gmail和Facebook Wall。但其它添加平台粘性的地方，如游戏，Google+很难有突破。

当然。。。我只用了一个早上。。。

Roughly translated: Between Hangout and Circle, Google's key differentiators so far, Facebook will copy Circles pretty quickly. To regain (maintain?) its status as communication platform between people, I think Google+ is a great first step and could possibly take over wall functions on Facebook. But it lacks other "stickiness" factors such as social games... for now.

One day and trying out many different ways to use Google+ later, several things struck me:

Love

Hangout - love it... Skype is going to hate this... or rather, Microsoft is going to super hate this very very much. How did MSFT stock price still raise? Their crown acquisition just got punched in the face... twice!
Circles is a great privacy tool. I'd like to see sub-circles (I organize my friends in triagles - a few at the top whom I can share everything with, a couple more in the middle trapezium whom I'd like to know (but not too much) about, and the bottom trapezium whom I have on the list because it's rude if I don't. Nonetheless, a great feature that Facebook will have to copy for sure.
Buzz put the first spotlight on Google where it violated users' privacy. Google+ is much much much better. You control it with Circles. I raised an eyebrow with the "Share" function, but then I thought this is the same as a private email being forwarded... or some private Facebook status being screen captured (See Failbook for some hilarious examples). Privacy win for Google+, so far.

Hate

Circles is a great idea and the animation is awesome. It is, however, a fundamentally flawed UI with the horizontal setting. It needs to be VERTICAL, like a phonebook list, and allow us to drag names towards the Circles on the right. Someone had too much fun with the animation and forgot the fundamental desire: I need to organize my contact list.
I hate that Google+ is hijacking "Stream" and "Hangout"... now I have to ask people to see my stream? And hanging out with people becomes a different thing?
Google released Plus like they did Gmail, Buzz, Wave, with limited invitations. Under a close beta, they will fix kinks and bugs and improve the product to a point that it can be released publicly. Except that Plus is a product that needs the public release to truly unlocks its popularity. Perhaps a prime example of how a large established firm with its established release schedule got in the way. Within a day, all users are screaming for more invites, but Google can't give them the jewels cus the product still has bug. I suppose Social products have very little room for error from the get go!

Not sure

Do you notice you can't post on other's "wall" like you do in Facebook? You can only "stream" the person... I'm not sure where this could head, but it was strange that if I want to start a discussion with someone over Google+, I need to use stream and I cannot add more people to the discussion (or maybe I can "share"...?)

Switching from Google to Steve Jobs

2011-05-30T00:14:00.002+08:00

Finally, I gave in and dumped my old ass Google G1 phone and got an iPhone4. Well, more like my wife was sick of me hogging hers to play games so she got me my own instead. Now we can both play games at the same time and cease conversation once and for all. Technology, it's great.

The G1 and iPhone4 are of course no comparison... the Apple product is clearly the champion of smartphones... for now. Apple products, however, have a way to piss you off. The iPod, for example, still baffles me why I cannot simply drag and drop MP3s from a folder to the iPod.

Here's problem #1 with iPhone4:

Yup, I'm ghetto, and the iPhone4 is sleek and chic and cool. I have 4 Sim Cards - HK, China, Thailand, and US. And they all fitted nicely into my G1. iPhone 4 is so nice and small it doesn't allow for any ghetto Sim Card storage.

Problem #2: like all normal tech savvy people, I use Google to manage my emails, my contacts, and my calendar. G1 was perfect in every way because it was designed to do just that. iPhone4, on the other hand, dislikes that very much. I synced email and calendar via Gmail, but contacts needed to be done via Exchange, but only after you disable Gmail. Say what!? Luckily wife has done this once and guided me back to the enlightened path.

Problem #3: iPhone4 also dislikes you trying to customize anything in a non-Apple way. In Google Contacts, for example, you can customize names for numbers, such as "Call this number after 10pm." A more practical use is that I name one of my contacts "Lawyer" and customize to "Criminal" and "Document" so I know which one to call. Well, those numbers won't appear on the iPhone4, unless you change it back to "Mobile" "Home" or "Office" cus those are the only 3 possible places where you would have a phone number associated...

Anyway, I'm done bitching. Where did I move the Angry Bird Rio icon...?

Traveling like a consultant

2011-04-07T02:19:00.000+08:00

Perhaps it was pure coincidence that I watched Up in the Air last night... pretty good movie which I highly recommend, by the way.

As a former consultant, I maximize efficiency. At the airport, that means minimize the time I spend waiting for others. So when I switched a 5pm flight to a 10pm flight because a meeting ran overtime, I've already planned how to leisurely stroll into my seat a minute after the gates close. Game plan: leave office at 740pm, arrive at boat terminal at 8pm for a 815pm 30 minute boat ride to arrive at 845pm, giving me more than enough time to enjoy the lounge and have dinner there.

Instead, here's what transpired...

Actually, perhaps the seeds were planted even earlier...

140pm: Meeting ran overtime... going to miss my flight... checking flight scheds... email travel agent to switch me to a later flight...
230pm: Travel agent emailed "no flight at 1010pm"
240pm: WTF are you talking about (No, I didn't say that...), it's CX 709
241pm: Oh... you are flying from HK, not Bangkok!
242pm: OMG, you are a fucking idiot (No, I didn't say that...)
.
.
.
740pm: Leaving the office...
750pm: uh oh, the main road to the terminal is blocked for no apparent reason
803pm: 12 minutes to get a ticket, go thru customs and immigration
804pm: Sorry, we accept cash only for boat tickets
804pm: WTF... (No, I didn't say that...)
805pm: Bought ticket... with cash
805pm: Sir, you have to check in your flight over there
805pm: Sir, we can't see your reservation
808pm: (Fiddling with my Blackberry) Here's my reservation number, flight number... and my previous flight number
811pm: Sir, here's your reservation. But... we can't let you on the boat unless you have a ticket... and we can't give you a ticket unless you've paid the fee for changing your ticket...
811pm: Urrr... here's my credit card
812pm: And we can't accept payments here...
812pm: WTF... (I did say that...) let me find my travel agent at 812pm. WTF... (I did say that) Sorry, I'm not swearing at you, I'm swearing at my idiot travel agent...
813pm: (Annoying customer waiting behind me) Excuse me, can you guys open another line to serve us?
815pm: (After some phone calls...) Sir, we can let you on the boat. We've held it for you. Please run.
(WTF... couldn't you guys have done that at 810pm?)
816pm: running... running... immigration... running... other dude running after me... I have to sign a waiver in case I miss my flight... running... running...
818pm: On the boat! It's leaving 3 minutes late thanks to me!
848pm: Hong Kong Airport! Full hour before my flight... just have to pay my fine and check in...
851pm: Sir, our credit card machine isn't working... Sir, there is no ATM in this section...
900pm: Sir, sorry to keep you waiting... we've found a credit card machine...
911pm: Woohoo... finally at the lounge
941pm: (Announcement) Mr. Lam, please go to your gate!
949pm: In my seat
955pm: Gate closed! I got there a couple minutes early. Must make it tighter next time.
1208am: Finishing this blog entry
112am: Arrive at hotel lobby... fudge, I'm SPG Gold now... I miss complimentary breakfast and Internet!

World News

2011-03-27T21:10:00.000+08:00

I'm sure we all feel the same way: the world is coming to an end, and it has all ironically started with Egypt (it being an ancient civilization and all), continued with chaos in Libya and other Middle Eastern / African countries, then concluded with earthquakes in China, Japan, and Burma / Thailand.

I remember reading a great BBC article about how the media will soon get over the "Facebook and Twitter - American innovations - helped the lower class Egyptians overthrow their dictator" angle and the only way you'll learn about what is happening in Egypt is through Al Jazeera (Their website which has Lybia on the cover but also their site on Egypt). Well, that's exactly what happened. Perhaps right now is when the Egyptians actually NEED our attention... but, alas, watching bombs drop in Libya is clearly more interesting. Just as a reminder, I came across this CNN article... food for thought.

Kindle changes my life... so far

2011-03-21T22:53:00.011+08:00

I got a Kindle for Valentines Day... and so far, it has changed my life.

Instead of eating and watching movies, I now do three things: eating, watching movies, and reading on my Kindle!

In a month, I've read:

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell: the only reason I didn't buy the book was that it's basically a collection of his articles from way back and I thought why would I shell out US$15 for this? Oh, but it is $3 on the Kindle! Awesome book, especially the chapters on the Discovery Space Shuttle disaster and Enron. Highly recommended.
Lost Symbol: the first time I tried the "highlight function" on the Kindle... more on this at the end of the post. Sigh. Anyway, horrible book, and I got all the twists. Dan Brown, how have I read all your novels. Arg. Not recommended.
Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin: I can't believe that the author is only 32 years old. His account of how the US government and other Wall Street big boys raced to save their buddies is one of the most captivating stories I have ever read. Dare I say he is better than Michael Lewis (I read the Big Short on my way from HK to Brazil - and I just realized I never wrote about that... highly recommended book on how people made unbelievably easy money from the 2008 financial tsunami). The whole thing is a gripping ride. Highly highly highly recommended.
大江大海1949 by 龍應台: I've been reading about 4-5 chapters a day on my commute to Shenzhen. And not one day have I not welled up on my trip. 龍老師's detailed description on how lives were eternally altered during the war years in China were all so moving. I remember meeting her once and asking her if she regretted leaving out any stories. She replied by saying all of it - all stories that were told but not published deserved to be published.

Well, I wanted to share a sentence in the Lost Symbol that has to do with bad writing and a penis. Why am I not sharing this now...? Cus my Kindle seems to be stolen at work. Mother fucker, I have 86 hours of CCTV to see who might have stolen it... or if I just left it on the bus.

But... it has changed my life... so far.

Movie - Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-20T15:27:00.000+08:00

I swear I've seen more movies... but somehow never recorded them.

Adjustment Bureau (IMDB): In a story about fate and free will, I thought the movie was pretty good until the last 5 minutes. Matt Damon runs a lot in this movie, and I kept thinking that he'd turn into Jason Bourne and actually change his fate with fists and guns. Anyway, he didn't. I suppose the message of the movie is that you got to grab the bull by the horns and control it. I'm cool with that message. I can't stand movies that worked so well along and keeps the audience on its toes and screws it up at the last moment (Somewhat like State of Play, but Adjustment Bureau only screws up the last 5 minutes) When Matt Damon stops running, that's when you should leave the theater and call it a night. Slightly recommended without the last 5 minutes.

Inception: I think the last time I watched a movie three times in a year was The Mission (Canto). Well, I did my third Inception and it was better than the first two. And I think I figured out where Leo is physically and also in his dream state. In fact, it kind of reminded me of Momento, another one of my all time favs.

Skiing in China

2011-03-01T01:56:00.002+08:00

Skeptically, I went skiing in China last weekend. Turned out I was the fool - the ski resort I went to was comparable to mid-sized American ski resorts in the NE and everything exceeded my expectations. The only thing I really wanted more was more grooming on the tougher slopes.

Anyway... seeing that most of the workers on the lifts were villagers from the originally deserted town, I wondered out loud whether they knew how to ski and how they would get back down the slopes. If they don't ski down, they'll just take the lift down of course.

Not. As I looked down the black diamond run and considered how to end my last run of the day, I saw a bunch of dots in a straight line going down... curious, I caught up. So this is how they get home...

Yup, put your ass on a shovel and head down. I'll be back, China ski resorts!

The problem with Facebook...

2011-02-19T11:50:00.000+08:00

Much like how Google promotes the use of the Internet to strengthen its commercial interests, Facebook promotes the lack of privacy to strengthen its.

I received the following email from Facebook after painstakingly going through it's privacy settings (PC, then mobile, then back to PC) trying to remove my phone number from Facebook.

Hi Josekin,

As you requested, your imported contacts have been removed. Please note: if some of your friends choose to share their email or phone numbers with friends on Facebook, you'll still see their contact information in your phonebook.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

And herein lies the danger with Facebook:

First of all, I'm not sure if I removed MY number at all. And I can't figure it out.
Second of all, now I am aware that others have their number that I can see. I'm no stalker, but this strikes me as dangerous especially for younger folks who have less concern for their own privacy (because they haven't realized the harm).
The second sentence... "if some of your friends choose to share". Look, let's be honest, nobody knows that they just did, because Facebook has made privacy such a convoluted process to set and un-set.

Ugh... everything Facebook does makes me want to quit it, but I can't. Doesn that make me sound like an addict? My god it does!

Movies, again.

2011-02-13T02:24:00.000+08:00

Yup, apprently I only eat and watch movies.

Middle seat coach on United from SFO to HKG - it doesn't get any worse than this, except that I'm paying a fraction of the price, so I guess I do deserve whatever they give me. Btw, DO NOT get the breakfast option that is Japanese Teriyaki Vegetables and Tofu with Rice: by far the worst ever airplane meal I have ever had.

Even though it was a shared movie screen for the entire coach, I managed to catch 2 pretty good movies. In fact, the flight was overall enjoyable, no doubt because I didn't have to play the elbow game with my neighbors. You see, life is much better if we all stick to our personal space.

Anyway...

Morning glory - Rachel McAdams stars in this girly comedy along with... wait for it... wait for it... Harrison Ford! And I'm not ashamed to say that it was surprisingly good with a lot of funny moments! Harrison's serious face (a.k.a. the Jack Ryan or "I'm the President of the United States of America" face) is still fun to watch. Recommended to watch on an airplane - the couple across the aisle kept LOLing.

Megamind - fun cartoon featuring voices of Will Farrel, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and the fat kid from Super Bad. haha... just thinking of Super Bad makes Megamind worth it. Fun cartoon from start to finish. Brad Pitt does an awesome job as the voice of one of the heroes. I couldn't really tell that Megamind's voice was Will Farrel's. Recommended.

Nobu in Hong Kong

2011-02-12T01:38:00.000+08:00

For those who love Japanese food, Hong Kong is a pretty nice city that blends the very affordable sushi belt restaurants as well as independent high end ones. Nobu, while not independent, was one of the first Nobus opened outside of the US. Located in the harbor-front Intercontinental Hotel, it actually is one of the best dining spots you can find in Hong Kong, offering a close and unobstructed view of Hong Kong island.

Before I delve in... here's my experience at Nobu NY for restaurant week. Also wanted to mention Gwyneth Paltrow's restaurant rec Zuma (my review)... do not go unless you don't know anything about Japanese food and want to "give it a try". Funny I never mentioned it in my original post, but the server didn't know what omakase was! And when the-PNGF and I asked where the salt was from (you know, cus it was actually tasty, the server told us "sea salt". Ugh. Zuma also ranked in top 20 restaurants in Asia for Michelin, I think. Double Ugh.

Back to Nobu Hong Kong. We ordered the Omakase and I think the pictures cover all 8 dishes. I have the menu at home so will have to recheck later.

Chilled tuna tartar with caviar kicks off a great meal; the combination was wonderful and really prepared me for the next few courses.

The next appetizer was somewhat disappointing. I can't remember all the ingredients, but I do remember the tuna that was soaked in some sweet wasabi sauce (background) - too much.

Lobster salad was very good. Slightly warm but not undercooked and still flavorful.

Unfortunately, the seafood entree was not the black cod. The seabass was nonetheless masterfully prepared and was cooked just right. The sauce complemented the tenderness very well.

The fatty tuna was the star of the meal - balanced, fresh, and full of flavors - and made the whole meal worth it

Uni sushi was among the best I've had in Hong Kong

Ebi had the subtle sweetness to it - nice piece of sushi that leads to dessert

Flan/Cheesecake was balanced and okay - nothing surprising though.

Overall, at HKD 1188, I thought Nobu Hong Kong was of great value and even greater taste. Combined with a unbeatable view and ambiance, it was a great dining experience. The servers, similar to those at Robuchon, however, still need better training. Otherwise, my only wish was that they had more of their signiture dishes on the Omakase!

Flying to US means watching movies

2011-02-11T15:00:00.000+08:00

United's business class video on demand system is still one of the best I've seen for all long haul fights. See my review from almost TWO years ago! Oddly, however, the selection seems to be less...

Especially strange was the TV series. I ended up watching 3 episodes of The Wire Season 1... even though it was episode 2, 6 and 11. Yup, those were the only 3 on VOD...

Back to the movies.

Due Date: Robert Downing Jr and the hilarious fat kid from The Hangover (who now seems to be in a lot of movies...) make a funny pair as they road trip back from Atlanta to LA. It's okay funny most of the time and I think it kept me entertained for the most part. Not really recommended.

127 Hours: I really wanted to see this movie for some reason. Something about the story about a man being literally stuck in the wilderness that is fascinating. And the part where he has to saw off his arm. In fact, when I first read the incredible story quite a few years ago, I thought to myself that it would make a really good movie and that the hiker would gain fame and fortune from his unfortunate encounter - else he'd just be another hippie hiker. Anyway, I liked the movie although it isn't for anyone. You have to watch a good 90 minutes of James Franco struggling with hallucinations and reality - there's no real point to the movie other than our hero realized he should have told the ones he loves what he was up to when he goes on solo adventures. Oh, and there's a good 5 minutes of him hacking off his arm. Again, not for anyone. Recommended.

Black Swan: this was a theater in LA, not the flight TV. I think the first word that comes to mind is "disturbing"... then "fantastic"... then "disturbing" again. I think I need to watch the movie again to truly appreciate it. My first thought after the screening was that damn she actually had to go through all that shit to become perfect. It wasn't until the next morning that I thought... hmmm, maybe she did imagine all of it deliberately so that she can grow into the role. Maybe she wasn't crazy. Anyway, I think the point was that perfection can always be achieved if you push hard enough... right? Natalie Portman does a masterful job in the movie and certainly deserves all the credit (she's the favorite for the ultimate prize, an Oscar). Still, a disturbing movie. (Made me think of Tiger moms for a minute actually) Recommended.

Wanna watch porn?

2011-02-03T10:47:00.001+08:00

Food porn, that is. Met up with some high school classmates for a wedding and someone mentioned my blog. Shame on me since I've been making a lot of food porn but not really sharing them. Here are four pictures, two from my birthday lunch at Bo Innovation and two from PNW's birthday lunch at Rubuchon (Macao). Both meals were fantastic (Robuchon still needs a better main cource... same as my last visit) and quite memorable... should go to Bo again even though PNW doesn't really like fusion.

I can't remember what this was; another point I will try to improve on... should be fried shrimp balls.

Bo Innovation is known for its twist on Chinese food... this is the 蝦餃 Har Gau, shirmp dumpling

Generous portions of Foie Gras at Rubuchon

One of the best Napaleons I've ever had

More food porn will come, I promise. Yesterday, I've edited pictures up to September of last year. Almost back to the present!

Emirates A380 - How big is it really?

2011-02-03T02:12:00.000+08:00

Side note for Emirates from my consultant mind: when I checked in at Emirates,they simply put me in zone F, which means zones A-E board first, then in zone G for the Dubai-Sao Paulo... and I had such high expectations of their services. The flight was good, the entertainment system was good, the service was very nice, and the food was horrendous. But I thought they missed a great chance to convert me from Cathay though.

Imagine if all gate agents asked "Sir/Madam, are you a frequent flier member on any other airlines?" If they find some Silver/Gold/Platinum/Diamond/Other exotic metal members, they immediately offer a new mileage card (fill in contact info first) and first time user privilege (upgrade, use of lounge, board first... all if available). Wouldn't you capture some new loyal-to-other-airlines customers right away? Instead, I get dumped to zone F and spent 20 minutes in line wondering why I didn't take the Cathay flight.

All in all, the Emirate experience was still a pretty good one. I also had the chance to ride on the A380... the bigness of it can only be appreciated by pictures... and unfortunately, I wasn't flying during the day so there really wasn't an opportunity to have the A380 against a 747 or 777 to get a good perspective on its size. I shall try anyway.

Here's one of the wing of a regular aircraft (Airplane nerds please tell me the model):

And this is the A380... I can't even get a picture of the whole wing of the A380! And it covers the whole Kenyan Airline AIRPLANE!

Otherwise, the inside is a bit of an anti-climax: it looks like all the Airbus internals, although it comes in 2 floors (I didn't get to go up...). The stairs, in case that would interest you.

Movies on Emirates

2011-01-19T07:00:00.000+08:00

It may seem that I am only watching movies on the plane or on pirated DVDs... perhaps true. I did see Harry Potter 7 the other day. I was lost most of the time cus I had no idea what muggles was. Not recommended? (The question mark is intentional)

One thing Emirates got right: movies that can play once you board the flight! How has no airline done this before? You get on the plane, sit down, hit a few bottons (or touch the not-very-reliable screen), and start your movie! I can sit on the tarmac for hours watching a movie without getting jittery because we haven't taken off yet. Which is exactly what happened in Dubai when a passenger had a heart attack on the tarmac and the plane headed back to the terminal. I was watching The Expendables and never made a fuss... anyway, on to the movies:

The Expendables: Watching a bunch of macho old men run around killing people and dismantling buildings is fun. Not really... but if you want to see some ass kicking, I think this movie might do it for you. Okay, I'll admit, I've already forgotten what this movie was about except that there were some gun fires and sticky bombs and kung fu kicks. Not recommended.

Wall Street: The classic one. Now that I've seen the original, I wonder why didn't someone make the sequel to Charlie Sheen's character... like what happens to whistle blowers against high power folks. Anyway, Michael Douglas is masterful and the whole movie just nailed New York perfectly. Also loved the music and sound effects. Highly recommended.

Freakenomics: I remember reading on their blog that there was some documentary thing. Each section of the documentary deals with a chapter in Freakenomics and uses a different director. So you get several interpretations/illustrations of economic research plus a whole lot of background information. In fact, they deal with a lot more of the background than the actual analysis, which is good. I highly recommend the Sumo Wrestling and Incentives chapters. Recommended.

Knight and Day: I knew it was going to be bad. I just didn't know how bad. Cameron Diaz is too old to try to look beautiful. And Tom Cruise... is just old. He didn't even need make up this time to look like the Cruise in Vanilla Sky. Actually, that might be worth the price of admission to see his face - it barely twitches the whole movie and when it does it takes us back to Vanilla Sky Cruise. Good times. Not recommended.

Killers: You know, after watching Knight and Day, I had no choice to watch another "spy" movie... this time with Ashton Kutcher and Catherine Heigl, whom for all we know might easily morph into Cruise and Diaz when all is said and done. Anyway, here are the plot keywords courtesy of IMDB: marriage, neighbor, assassin, birthday, hired killer. They missed "atrocious" and "unbelievable... plot". Not recommended.

Triple Tap: Chinese movie that is a sequel to Double Tap. Decent movie overall but with some fatal flaws, one of which is to try to try to mix in the financial crisis into it. It does nothing for the movie. Can we stick with people with guns trying to outwit each other? Instead, it spirals into some psychological warfare that involves offfices and women. Not recommended.

Grown Ups: Feel good comedy with Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade. Individually, each of them have made some pretty funny stuff, and together they string together some funny lines for about an hour and a half. Slightly recommended.

Megamind: well, I didn't exactly watch it. but since it was on like 20 screens for like 50 hours (of flight time), I think I got the gist of it. In fact, this probably happened for Avatar, Inception, The American (presumably, to fall asleep), Toy Story 3... but I want to go see Megaman when I am back in Hong Kong.

More movies - thanks Cathay for the upgrade! (Blast from the past)

2011-01-18T23:19:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... found a blog draft saved in November but never posted.... here goes. Not much of a post anyway.

Thankfully, I was upgraded to Cathay's business class (2009 review stands). Flat bed was awesome of course, but the On-Demand movie on 19-inch (I think) TVs are the best long haul invention ever.

(These four movies might have been one of the best 4 on a flight)

I watched Prince of Persia (okay), Cyrus (kind of funny), Inception (2nd time is freaking awesome), and Dinner with Schmucks (horrible).

Why Chinese Mothers are Superior...!?

2011-01-14T05:21:00.000+08:00

I read this WSJ article a while ago about why Asian parenting is better than Western parenting. At the time, I didn't make much of it. I simply brushed it away (reason below). Then it kept being posted on Facebook... so I felt compelled to offer an opinion.

In a nutshell, I felt that the article was all bull shit. Ms. Chua (Or is it Mrs. Chua, I'm going on a limb here and say that she's a Ms Chua) has this article to promote her new book. It needed a controversial article on a major newspaper and this is the end result. All bull shit marketing to sell more books. Thanks but no thanks.

I also felt that there is only one type of person who would write this kind of article: an Americanized Asian woman. A real Chinese parent would never go out and boast how much they forced their child to succeed and the child succeeded. A real American parent would be horrified to see any different type of parenting done in other families.

As for the point of the article... well, look, different parents have different ways of parenting. If "forcing your child do acquire skills" was the only way to go, supply and demand would dictate that all children being forced to work like crazy. And what if the kid just doesn't respond, or isn't good enough, or plainly hates what is being shoved down his or her throat? Do you disown him or her to prove that you are right and you are doing what is best for them?

Give me a break. People are wired differently and that's that. Raise your own child your way and be proud that your kid turned out great. No need to go tell how others should follow your lead.

Shenzhen bi-products

2011-01-01T11:19:00.000+08:00

Working in Shenzhen has its bi-products:

Better reflexes: I fear for my life every time I get on a car... nobody respects a stop sign and no one uses their turning lights. So one tends to develop really good reflexes on the road even though one isn't the driver.
Stronger abs: suspecting that every single person is trying to cut in line, all people in Shenzhen line up right behind each other. Makes me a bit homophobic sometimes, actually.Anyway, as a result, I constantly swing my backpack to create personal space. If I don't have a backpack, I'll swing my hips. Works like a charm.
DVDs... at USD$1 a piece, you tend to just resort to pirated DVDs for all your entertainment. Here goes...

Lie to Me: Loved the end of season 1 with an undeniable dark turn. It lost some steam in the middle as every episode started to feel like CSI. Anyway, good TV but I have one big question... if actors can fake all the truth- and lie-telling faces, how can you detect them in real life? Recommended.

True Blood: I swear, my wife made me watch it. So much nudity that sometimes I thought I was watching soft porn... not that I know what soft porn is...

The Town: When the ending credits rolled out, I was shocked to see Ben Affleck directed! Not a bad effort by him. Shadows of The Heat in some of the bank robbery scenes, right down to the demise of each robber. And Ashley Judd's hand slide. It is, however, not The Heat. Affleck can try to be Michael Mann... but he can't try to be De Niro. And the guy from Mad Men is certainly no Al Pacino either. Good action flick that would have been much better if it was the first of its kind. Recommended.

The American: This is Michael Clayton, assassin version, gone bad. I fell asleep twice and finally finished the movie on the 3rd night. The Italian town is beautiful though - always liked those narrow stone paved European small towns where everybody knows everybody. Except for the new killer in town, apparently. Not recommended.

Eat Pray Love: I thought this would be a boring chick flick. Chick flick it is. Boring it is not. Thank god that Julia Roberts is in this movie as she nailed the role of midldle age divorcee unsure of herself. Negative points for making Bali a tourist madhouse (Our October honeymoon coincided with a book club gathering in Ubud). Recommended.

Oh, and happy new year!

Dispicable Me

2010-12-14T23:41:00.000+08:00

Well, Despicable Me is a kid's movie. And that's that. Not recommended for adults.

Social Network

2010-12-04T16:16:00.000+08:00

Apparently Social Network won some early film award... I'm too lazy to even look that up.

Saw the movie last week and didn't like the whole movie at all. As PNW said, "why did they make all the characters so un-likable in that movie"? Well, perhaps it's because all of them are filthy rich and we are not.

The movie starts with Mark Zuckerberg being dumped by his BU girlfriend and then he runs across the Harvard campus to his dorm room so he can blog his revenge and start Facemash. That 3 minute sequence alone lost me. Why did we need to see him run through the campus? What was that awful techno-like music in the background? Why is he still running?

Aviator, by contrast, is a much better fantasy biography movie. There was a constant struggle to judge Howard Hughs throughout the movie.

The Social Network didn't have any of that struggle. Mark Zuckerberg was obsessed with making himself part of an elite... and nothing else. Maybe he cared about people being able to connect with each other? Help people find long lost friends? No such mention in the movie. It was one man on one mission only...

Ultimately, did I feel that I learned anything about the characters in the movie? No. It lacked depth and I think there will be a much better movie about these Internet founders when everything is said and done. I do believe that Zuckerberg is a douche to his friend Eduardo (who himself is quite a douche too), and that's about it. Just couldn't take any of the other fantasy themes seriously. Anyway, a movie on Jobs, for example, would be sensational since he has done the ups and the downs and his personality is strong (Mark Zucherberg, on the other hand, only has a strong personality... for now).

Not recommended.

A trip down food memory lane

2010-11-24T01:59:00.000+08:00

I've been on a surprise US recruiting trip for my company the last 12 days or so... all on a carry on suit case. And no camera. Needless to say, I am in pain.

But, it does give me a chance to chase food memories in Chicago (I just reread my post... good times!)... In four days, here's what transpired:

Arrived in Chicago on Tuesday morning. Went to Gibson's for steak. The 22 ounce Chicago Cut was a bit too much so I settled for the 10 ounce Filet Mignon. The surface was way too crusty and it seemed that the meat was simply sub-par. And the $14 Turtle pie for 10 people only came in one size. Arg!

Tuesday dinner, met up with b-school friends at new restaurant Gilt. Great restaurant with great food (Bone Marrow toast, pork belly, roast chicken, and some spicy pasta were all memorable and worth another try)... see? You want to see pictures, right? Me too.

Wed lunch. I was hoping to have Apple Pancakes at the Original Pancake House to honor 2R. It was not to be - I had lunch at the GSB cafeteria.

Wed dinner. Planned to meat up with Bainees at Frontera Grill. Wait was too long, so we walked pass Michelin 2 star restaurant NAHA, and ended up in Italian chain Maggianos. At least the lobster pasta was really good.

Wed night. After Maggianos, I met up with BSLW and PP at the Wit Bar. Drinks were okay. Conversations were great (I miss b school so much). And the best was the making out couple sitting across from us. Actually, not sure if they are a couple, if you know what I mean.

Thur lunch. Fogo de Chao with GSB friend. I had 10 pieces of bread, at least. Good times. Meat was great, but why do they insist of giving you double portions? I want to sample more meat. And more bread. Did I mention I ate 10 of those at least?

Fri lunch. Planned to pass by Hot Doug on my way to Kellogg. It was not to be with the super long line outside the restaurant. I had some left over turkey sandwich after my presentation.

Fri dinner. Joy Yee in Evanston. Nuff said... (not in the most complimentary way... it is Evanston afterall).

At least I caught a good movie in The Next three Days.

Red,Waiting for Superman

2010-11-23T21:25:00.001+08:00

Oh, I forgot the best reason for going to theaters in the US of A: 2fers!!!

My only regret for this 2fer is that I paid for Red and didn't contribute to the box office of Waiting for Superman.

RED: As a rule, when Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich (and Helen Mirren!) are in the same movie, you should go see it. I had no idea this was a DC Comic movie. Bruce Willis is still Bruce Willis, doing his squinting routine and "I need to look both surprised and confident at the same time" look. Malkovich is absolutely off the hook funny. Oh, and there's that hot housewife from Weeds (she can't act - but the role she got was perfect for her... in fact, I'm pretty sure she's still playing the drug dealing house mom role in this movie, awed by all the acting talent that has surrounded her). Anyway, a rule is a rule. Recommended.

Waiting for Superman: Thankfully Red was actually funny. Waiting for Superman is a depressing documentary about the education system in the US of A. It is broken, and it doesn't want to fix itself. Thankfully the director offers a glimmer of hope with all the new types of schools that greatly expose the deficiencies of the US public schools. The only problem: there aren't enough of these new schools. Nonetheless, I hope public school administrators and teachers see this movie... they will become obsolete unless they start to address the problem: that education is about the kids and not about the adults.

The Next Three Days

2010-11-22T05:03:00.000+08:00

I do miss theaters in the US of A. In Hong Kong, movie watching is complicated - you must first reserve tickets ahead of time. Who plans to watch a movie a week before it is released!?

Anyway, it's a lovely feeling when you can just walk up to the movies and have no idea what might happen in the next 2 hours. When the theater was filled with Wizard dressing Harry Potter fans on its first night of release, I chose to watch The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe.

The story: Russell Crowe, a middle school teacher, insists that his wife is innocent of a murder that has put her behind bars for life. He is on a mission to break her out of prison. That's right, Wentworth Miller is replaced by Russell Crowe in Prison Break.

But it is a surprisingly good Prison Break on the movie screens. Instead of focusing on HOW Crowe is going to break his wife out, the movie follows Crowe's struggle to make ends meet and his commitment to the cause. The first hour is in fact rather slow as you can imagine... but quickly builds amazing tension entering the last half and hour or so. Does he do it? Does he not do it? How far is he willing to go? How is he going to pull this off? Is he going to make it?

Forget how realistic that a middle school teacher can break out his wife from prison. It doesn't matter. I enjoy movies like this one - more on the person and peoples involved and less on actions (See Unstoppable). Highly recommended.

Salt, Blind Side, Unstoppable

2010-11-19T23:17:00.001+08:00

Now here is a trio of forgettable movies:

Salt: At the start, you see a naked Jolie being tortured by some North Korean agents. Well, you don't actually see it, cus she's in a very dark room (why does torture always happen in a dark room?). Anyway, she's released and 3 years later she is a Russian spy killing Russian presidents and US presidents and trying to launch nuclear missiles to wipe out the US... or was that Russia, I can't tell. WHAT!? Not recommended.

Blind Side: Arg, I had such hope to see a great Sandra Bulluck performance. I saw an average performance of a role that she should master. Otherwise, it was a simple feel good story that just felt okay with me. At some point, I want to see some real Oscar worthy movies! (Hurt Locker, An Education did not meet expectations). If you like predictable feel good stories, recommended.

Unstoppable: Well, classic Denzel movie. He's a 28 year railroad veteran trying to stop a train with dangerous chemicals running straight towards a populated town. The only thing missing is his drinking problem and family struggles and his angry side. Oh wait, he was asked to retire early at half benefits - yup, that's gotta be his fuel. Actually, forget about this movie. Not recommended.

You know, I really enjoy taking pictures and writing... it's too bad that I haven't done either for such a long time. Let me try to extend this.

Inception; A-Team; Robin Hood

2010-10-27T01:53:00.000+08:00

I was a bit disappointed with the highly anticipated Inception. I guess therein lies the problem: highly anticipated always leads to disappointment.

Anyway, the premise is quite simple: Leo is a dream hacker and can plant viruses into one's brain. The planting virus business can be quite dangerous and has led to the death of his late wife... which has in turn, from time to time, interfered with his projects. Leo needs to overcome his own created problem, team with some other hackers, and finish the next big task. My head is spinning already. Maybe I should watch it twice... Slightly recommended.

A-Team: it's so ridiculous it is awesome. Since when did Liam Neeson do movies like this...? The guy from Hangover can now just make any movie, I guess. Recommended.

Robin Hood: Russel Crowe in Gladiator 2! Little John is played by Keamy in Lost. I can never forgive Keamy. Why is Kate Blanchett in this movie? How did the British army just go from one place to another in a blink of the eye? Why would the King be in the front lines? Who are the orphans running around? Arg. Not recommended.

Oh yeah, I got married (twice!) and then went on my honeymoon.... must be back on this blogging business.

Circle of Life

2010-10-09T21:07:00.000+08:00

Today is Oct 9, 2010, a Saturday that I had to spend at the office because of China's ridiculous holiday schedule. My G1 made a ping sound and vibrated once. I ignore it. After 10 minutes, it does it again. I ignore it. 20 minutes later, after finishing some of my work, I pick it up to see what emails I get.

The first was my friend Eddy and his wife Emily welcoming a beautiful little baby girl to this world.

The second was my grandmother leaving this world.

And there you have it, the amazing Circle of Life in back-to-back emails...

I need to blog again

2010-08-17T15:49:00.001+08:00

Just because I haven't blogged in a month doesn't mean I didn't do anything... in sequence of the last few months.

An Education: I thought this would be better than The Hurt Locker. It was not. Now I have to turn my attention to Precious to see if there was indeed an Oscar worthy film. An Education is a classic "too much expectation" movie for me. At the core, the movie was a fun but simple depiction of when the poor meet the rich. The poor will always be "too simple, too naive" because they weren't exposed to the life of the rich. On the other hand, the rich will always be taking advantage of its inherent advantage. The girl in the movie is quite refreshing. Recommended.

Iron Man 2: not bad for a robot vs. robot blow it all up movie. Barely recommended.

Lost: I admit, it got a little dusty at home during the finale. It's too bad the series had to end like this... I felt there was still a lot of potential in it and it had a very loyal following. Unfortunately, it wrapped up in a very rushed fashion. Recommended.

Flashforward: I think I said I would boycott the show because the whole story line was just stupid to me. Well, TF convinced me to keep watching it with her. Let's just say I'm glad it is canceled after 1 season. Shouldn't they offer an alternative ending for season 1 when there is only season 1?? Anyway, the acting was horrible for the most part and the story just didn't have any punch to it. Not recommended, although the idea was great.

The Cove: this is what documentaries should be about. Facts and more facts and not opinionated pieces like Michael Moore. Don't get me wrong - I really do enjoy Moore's documentaries - it's just that sometimes his facts seem a bit far fetched to be making a political point. The Cove, on the other hand, is black and white. You may disagree on how dolphins think about being in captive, but you cannot argue with the slaughter. The Cove is a powerful documentary and I prefer it over all the so called OScar films this year. Highly recommended!

Liar Poke: Yeah, I'm about 10 years behind the time line. Awesome book with a strange similarity to the current financial crisis. Can we all agree that capitalism breeds greed and greed breeds financial crisis? And can we also all agree that this is not a bad thing? Highly recommended. And I need to read the Big Short.

Green Zone: Matt Damon is a soldier on a mission to uncover state secrets! Sounds familiar? That's cus it is. Okay, I think we all know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction. Let's just move on. Recommended if you like Matt Damon. Else, not recommended.

Shrek Ever After: Sure, it was fun. Poor Shrek. Sometimes men just need some space to be men. Recommended.

大兵小将： a surprisingly good Jackie Chan feature where he plays a deserting soldier and not his usual general figure. This small potato runs into a bit of luck and takes the opposing general, played by an inspired pretty boy Wong Lee Hom, prisoner. He tries to take his new found luck home to claim the prize of 5 acres of land so he can be a farmer again. Evil forces have other ideas. Recommended... tho don't expect any Jackie Chan stunts.

International: Clive Owens and Naomi Watts in conspiracy theory investigation on a bank that helps bad guys deal arms and fudge with money. Awful premise still mastered by Clive Owen's crunched face and Naomi Watt's partially stare down. Not recommended.

Oh yeah, I'm getting married in 5 days!

Lazy blogger

2010-06-16T19:55:00.000+08:00

Holy xxx I haven't had a single thought in a month... er... I mean I haven't had time to blog. Between preparing for a wedding, job, move, it seems that I cannot spare even the slightest time to blog.

Must change.

投不投票？

2010-05-15T15:32:00.000+08:00

很多人问我，516投不投票。。。

答投，一般就是“哦，好吧”

答不投，反应就是“嗯，我也不投，这次玩的太过分了”

无论结果（指投票率）如何，各位高官，政党，传媒，学者请不要多做无谓的解释。主流民意一直都没有变：香港人想要普选。

曾荫权，高官们，中央： 516我不投票，不等我不支持废除功能组别。不要因为投票率低你就自鸣得意。

我不投票，只是因为不支持公社两党的做法（process）。但我跟他们追求的结果（results）是一致的。我支持真普选，支持废除功能组别。

请不要曲解我的民意，并认真及真诚的对待像我这种选民，不然，你会把我推往公社两党那边的。

There will be Blood (Movie, don't worry)

2010-04-19T22:30:00.000+08:00

Watched There will be Blood (IMDB) last night. I remember watching the 2007 Oscars and being totally bored because I didn't see much of the movies. But then the Oscars intrigued a little me so I watched "No Country for Old Men" on a plane ride (See review). I also wanted to watch There will be Blood so I waited three years to do that. haha.

Much less complicated than Old Man, Blood tells of a story of a the self-made man on his way to his fortunes, and the trail of bodies he left behind. On the surface, it's a story of the struggle between money and faith. Dig a bit deeper and I think it's really about the sacrifices one makes in pursuit of one's destiny, as in self made destiny (oxymoron?). The final 5 minutes is a classic must see and I couldn't have enjoyed it more... it was one of those moments where you watch a movie and you think, "ah, the world is right". Yup, now you have to watch it till the end! heh heh.

As usual, money wins over everything else.

Daniel Day-Lewis, by the way, came out of nowhere to give a classic performance as our "hero". Really mastered the role. His voice was especially good... somewhat close to (gasp) Sean Connery.

Dwayne from Little Miss Sunshine was the typical "I remember that face... where did I see him" actor that captures my mind for half the movie until I figured it out. He did okay as a over zealous priest.

Anyway, the movie was pretty good I thought, but for some strange sound editing. It is really odd that a good movie would be shadowed by its sound effects... maybe it was supposed to build some emotion for the audience. I just felt bothered and, frankly, annoyed at the sounds in the movie. Other than that, it is a good movie.

Recommended. Especially the last 5 minutes.

Shutter Island

2010-04-13T23:35:00.000+08:00

I'm still confused about Shutter Island (IMDB). So is he crazy or what?

Just kidding. Was a bit disappointed with the whole set up. I love the point where they say that labeling a person crazy is the best way to make sure nobody believes the person, as the vicious cycle will continue with the person vehemently defending himself, further proving that he is crazy.

SPOILER ALERT.

So, Leo, at the end, is crazy... I guess as the audience, you just have to shoulder that suspicion all the way to the end. It's a decent movie, but I personally think there wasn't the need to keep going in circles to mark Leo's route from normal to crazy and back again. And all the "mental patients just need more help" talk during the movie were all categorically thrown out with Leo's execution. Or was that the irony of the movie (that Leo thinks they can't be saved)?

Oh well... not recommended, though I must say Martin Scorsese does a fine job in making thriller movies.

Sushi pictures... from Yasuda

2010-04-13T22:39:00.004+08:00

Four people sent this NY Times article to me. So I thought I'd re-post some Yasuda pictures.

And I just made myself very hungry. There's a better picture for the Uni... but the other Uni wasn't as good as this one... and as a rule I cannot get myself to post good pictures of not the best food (or at least give you clear warning).

Bad entertainment...

2010-04-04T03:12:00.000+08:00

I'm waiting for TFs call to see if she got on the plane to Hong Kong alright (WOOHOO! Finally!)... so I resorted to watching movies on TV to pass time.

Assault on Precinct 13: someone asked me the other day, why do good actors make bad movies? Well, I say cus they really aren't that good. Great actors and actresses look at the script and has the intellect to say no to bad ones. So count Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawk, and Gabriel Byrne out of the "good actor" list. How can a movie about 10-20 cops trying to storm an old police station in a snow storm to kill the mob boss who is going to rat them out and are deterred by a "I've made decisions that killed my team members so I'm going to drink and drug myself to oblivion" cop be successful? (Yes, that was all in one sentence)

Nope. Not successful at all. Highly not recommended.

Super Crunchers: say this about Freakenomics - they really pioneered the "let's put some interesting research on a book and dumb it down so people understand what academics/business people do" genre. Now there's a flood of books that say the similar things. Hey guess what? Data can tell you a lot of things! REALLY!? Noooo way. Yeah, really. It can.

And yet I'm still fascinated on how Harrah's comps a person their room when they loose a lot on the tables to keep the customer "happy". Yup, just that part. I'll recommend flipping through the book, finding a few headlines that interest you, and read those sections only.

(Hey, a book review, how about that!?)

Hurt Locker... It's Complicated...

2010-04-03T14:35:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to combine movie names into sentences... Hurt Locker, It's Complicated... actually, it's not. Quite a simple movie

Hurt Locker (IMDB): You know what I really really don't understand? Why is Avatar mentioned in the same sentence as Hurt Locker in Oscar talk? Actually, why is Avatar mentioned at all? Sure, it's a visually stunning movie, but it's really a pretty dumb one (my review).Taking this a step further, why is Hurt Locker mentioned in Oscar talks anyway? I liked the movie overall... much better than Avatar... but it's not Oscar worthy. Not that my opinion matters... didn't Titanic win an Oscar over As Good As it Gets, Good Will Hunting, LA Confidential, AND The Full Monty (I had to look that up: damn, how did he WORST movie win best picture!?).

Anyway, back to our war movie. In a nutshell, our hero's job is to disarm bombs in Iraq and he loves his job and can't get away from it. Yup, what you read will be what you see. To me, the last 10 minutes of the movie is the best part and may have been the make or break between award and not. Some people just love their jobs so much nothing else matters. For others, the priorities are different and they just care about other things more. Sure, loving the military job makes him like a cowboy, but isn't every other job the same? Why do bankers work till 4am every day? Why do consultants endure 5 days of hotel room over a night in his own? Money talks... but there's a passion that keeps people going as well. And our hero just loves the thrill of working in the battlefield over everything else. Nothing wrong with that.

Now I want to watch An Education... still in search of the true Oscar winning.

Oh, recommended movie, even though I was slightly disappointed.

It's Complicated (IMDB): a very fun movie with Meryl Streep leading the way. All around good performances by all - especially Alec Baldwin - and an enjoyable movie. Highly recommended for a good 2 hour laugh.

The Consultant Lifestyle

2010-04-03T01:33:00.000+08:00

In order to avoid a potential 3 hour commute from HK to SZ during the long weekend (alas, it happened the day before, damn it), I stayed with my consulting friend in SZ for the night at the Futian Shangri-La.

And you know what... I miss that lifestyle immediately. Walking into the grand hotel lobby, with everybody smiling at you, nice room, nice shower, all the toiletries, the neatly tucked bed, all the TV channels, food at a touch of the button away. And the miles and starwood points....! Sick. Why would I think that?

Then again, I went to sleep at 1130pm, and I think my friend pulled an all nighter. Okay then. On with life.

The new blogspot

2010-03-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

I love the new blogger user interface called blogger draft: user friendly, easy to use, all the options. As such, you see the new josekin blog page. Something I could definitely show my colleagues. It always amazes me how Google puts out free and good products all the time, and trusts that more Internet means more money for Google. Arrogance, perhaps? Or just simply too much cash?

Sadly, Google has left China after refusing to censor its searches in accordance with Chinese law. Even more sadly, my life becomes much more difficult when I cannot access Google in a timely fashion. Google maybe a distant #2 to China's Baidu, but for professionals, Google results are far far far better than Baidu's. Arg. Just have to patient with the on again off again Google pages.

I disagree with Google's decision. Their mere presence has helped many people find information they otherwise wouldn't have found. If "do no evil" is truly your purpose, by your leaving actually encourages evil. At the same time, I'm sad that the Chinese government still has to censor results. Can't trust the people to make their own judgments huh?

Taiwan Documentary

2010-03-28T03:19:00.000+08:00

Watched the premiere of a Taiwan Documentary on an author's book - 龙应台‘s 目送一九四九。

I've heard that the book is really good. I will read it in the future. James got a signed copy, so I guess I'll grab that off him at some point.

The documentary, in my opinion, wasn't that good. It really just tried to record the writing of the book... I understand that a documentary should be recording the facts, but I also think that it should have a point of view. With many many heart-felt moments of people who have had their lives turned up-side-down by a invasion followed by a civil war, there were plenty of opportunities to tell a story. I don't buy the director's view that "we don't want to tell you what is right or wrong; we want to present you the facts and leave you to draw your own conclusions". The whole thing was just put together with no real theme or story.

What did impress me was the amount of Mainland students who turned out for the event. They all came ready: read all the books, had all the questions, and were very well spoken during the Q&A. As the author said herself, the most important is to have a critical mind and find your own answers. I hope these students at least took that away from the premiere.

I still would encourage people to watch the documentary. It has a lot of heart-felt and touching moments. Just don't expect too much. And read the book if you can.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-21T22:42:00.002+08:00

Geez... tough weekend. First an awful experience at restaurant SML. Now Alice in Wonderland (IMDB).

Remember I wrote about movies in 3D before (plus a brief review on Avatar)? Basically, I thought the customer experience wasn't good enough - and probably best suited for kids and teenagers. Alice in Wonderland doesn't qualify for either.

Even if it were regular price for a 2D experience, I still wouldn't like the movie. It was all show and no substance, even with Tim Burton at the helm and Johnny Depp leading the charge. First, the show: the sets were stunning, depicting a Wonderland that is fantastic... from the different characters to the dreaming castles and woods. Then, the substance: not much of a story, and you can't blame the original short story either since Burton made this a continuation story (Alice is 18 or something). Not much of character development. Not much of anything really.

Somehow, I get the feeling that the studios figured they could ride the 3D wave a bit and push anything 3D with some big names down our throats. Damn. Very soon, audiences are going to wise up and reject paying this type of premium mediocre movies.

Not recommended.

Awful restaurant...

2010-03-19T23:44:00.002+08:00

Okay, I found a restaurant that sank lower than Aquavit (see experience during restaurant week a while ago).

It's an establishment called SML in Times Square. SML stands for Small Medium Large, which are sizes available for all their dishes. I think the owners had this in mind:

Shitty deal
Medium shitty deal
Large shitty deal

Anyway, the food was acceptable in general. It was my second visit (I knew I shouldn't have gone in... but I had a good reason, see below)

Mom and I arrived at SML at 9pm, after all other restaurants in Times Square had a line outside (9pm!). The server showed us an outdoor space that looked quite comfy... sure, we'll sit there. 1. I need food. 2. It has a nice breeze.

You have to place your order inside (they can't serve people in open space, which is not part of the restaurant). Fine. We ordered two pasta and a dessert. The dessert came within a minute. Doesn't make sense, but it can sit and wait for the pasta, I guess. Mom's pasta came (okay, a bit salty) first, and we waited for mine. And waited. And waited. I told mom to go ahead and eat hers first. Went back to the cashier to ask about the pasta. He said must have lost the order and went to the kitchen to hurry it up. 10 minutes later, I'm still waiting. So I canceled the order, wolfed down the dessert, and left. No real food in my stomach, I lost all my appetite.

It's Friday, and all I want is a decent meal with my mom, and SML ruined it. I will never go back there ever.

Late marriage

2010-03-15T22:01:00.002+08:00

As I looked through the employee manual... if you "marry early," you are entitled to 3 days of vacation. If you have a "late marriage," you are entitled to 13 days of vacation. Naturally, I quickly look up what is the definition of "late marriage"...

After 25. Damn!

嵗月神偷

2010-03-14T00:37:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since I've seen a really good Hong Kong movie. This award winning film (Crystal Bear at Berlin Film Fest) would qualify in the really good club. I love the simple story being manifested in the most simple and subtle ways. Simple, like how the family had to physically keep their home together through the typhoon (hurricane, for you Americans). Subtle, like the the communication of the whole street was through one phone in the garment shop, or like how the tree trunk is used as a table during dinner. Nothing over the top. Just life.

And so life keeps going on, and you just keep faith.

A special thanks to the actors who did a magnificent job, especially the mother and the younger son. Impeccable performances.

The movie almost died midway due to insufficient funds... and now it's going to make a lot of money due to the award and the curiosity caused. So my question is, why did it have to be an award for a movie to be recognized and rightfully profit from its hard work? Should the "goodness" of the movie be able to help it sell tickets in the first place?

Sigh, Hong Kong.

Squat toilets...

2010-03-13T00:40:00.000+08:00

Something that continues to bring a smile to my face for no rational reason whatsoever is the squat toilets in my new office. For those who are unfamiliar with a squat toilet, just image the toilet seat on the ground. It's not that bad or disgusting... it's just different way of going.

Anyway, before my first day, during my interviews, I've used the standing toilets before and they are quite nice, with a large window that overlooks the entire Nanshan area (Shenzhen's version of Silicon Valley, if you will).

So on my first day of work, when I was ready for the stall, I was shocked to see a squat toilet upon opening the door. I opened another one: squat. And another: squat. And another: squat. That's 4 out of 5... arg... I was so disappointed that I just went back to my desk. I'm not squatting with my nice suit and shirt on.

Fast forward to my 7th day of work. We're meeting a foreign firm, and I went to the meeting floor - again, shocked to see that they have a sitting toilet!!!

Turns out the 5th stall I didn't open was the sitting toilet. Haha.

Starting a job at Tencent, Shenzhen

2010-03-04T20:53:00.002+08:00

Well, if you've read this post about Bills Gates interviewing me and the actual disaster, then you might have figured out that I'm heading to some sort of tech firm. That firm is Tencent QQ, the MSN/Facebook/Twitter of China. You might laugh at Facebook's current valuation of $11B (see range), but Tencent is no laughing matter, publicly traded and valued at ~$35B.

Anyway, today was the first day of work. And here comes the obligatory Good Bad and Ugly:

The Good

I have to leave the company at 630 to catch the shuttle bus back to the HK border; so, yeah, I now have a natural time to get off work
No lap top, no Blackberry
The team seemed very nice, and things seemed efficient (the internal portal has so much info it's a bit overwhelming)

The Bad

How can no Blackberry be good!?
I don't understand why the wall of a cell has to be against the window. Can I saw off the cell wall?
Food options are going to be extremely limited... unless I'm brave enough to eat on the streets

And the Ugly

It's a 1.5 hour commute minimum
And the most painful part is the immigration. Rule #1: don't be a foreigner. Rule #2: don't line up behind clueless old people

New York Restaurants

2010-02-27T00:25:00.000+08:00

This is a long long long awaited long long long post. Epic. Food porn. I hope. I've spent 6 months eating in NYC. Here's the report card. I thought I'd quickly put the restaurants into categories to make it easy (Somewhat similar to Chicago Restaurants):

(Note: I can't afford some of the true top notch places... so there won't be the Alinea (yum yum yum) equivalents such as Per Se, Ko, L'Atelier, etc... and I'll try to include some better pictures from the meals)

Best food, best value for money, you must visit, etc etc

$$$: Peter Lugar (Porterhouse for 2; see review)
$$: Eleven Madison Park (lunch, lobster, why don't I have a review!?), Jean George (lunch, seafood; see review), Katz Deli (mmm... hot pastrami; see Deli face off 1, 2, and 3), Nobu (Restaurant Week menu, black cod; see review), The Modern (Restaurant Week menu, duck; see review), Cookshop (Calamari, food you shouldn't miss)
$: Shake Shack (Burger), Di Fara (Pizza, see review), Bill's Bar (Burger, Milkshake), Artichoke (Pizza), Habana Cafe (Grilled corn)

If you want real steak, you go to Peter Luger

Jean George's lunch is a great deal with top notch seafoodEleven Madison Park served the best lobster I've had all my life

Also on the "the best" list from Eleven Madison Park - Caramel Chocolate Cake

Black Cod Miso, the bread and butter of Nobu (their sushi is good but not worth the price)

The Modern (In MOMA) makes excellent duckDessert was excellent as well

Katz's pastrami sandwich is really one of a kind... tho very expensive for a sandwich!

Cookshop had one of the best calamari I've ever had. It was unassuming at first, but really surprised me when I ate it. Nice little gem hid near High Line Park

Shake Shack has one of the best fast food burgers around the country... better than In 'n Out... tho their Black & White milkshake were suspect twiceNot sure why I have a soft spot for grilled corn from Habana Cafe... mmm... grilled corn

It is a true pleasure to watch Master Dom at work in Di FaraDi Fara pizza - where Italian food conquers TF

If someone else is paying, you're getting some of the best food around

Yasuda (Yasuda's station, omakase of course; see review), 15 East (Uni on squid ink pasta needs more uni), Del Frisco's (any cut, really, but with foie gras butter... damn)

Much like watching Di Fara's master do his thing, you have to watch Yasuda do his

Yes, the uni fell off... but it gave me good orgasm

One of the high of high times at Yasuda: Toro

Yes, Yasuda deserves four pictures. Custard sushi was one of its kind: I have never had anything quite like this (and it was very very very good)

15 East is a hidden gem... the uni was way too small on the squid ink pasta, but oh was it so yummy

Good food

Priced right: Junior (signature cheesecake), Nook (brunch or lunch), King's Papaya (iconic hot dog), La Esquina (Mexican), Dessert Truck (bye bye, sigh), Gascogne (one of the best creme brulees I've had, simple french), 26 Seats (duck, simple french), Clinton Street (to die for pancakes), 2nd Ave Deli (see review), Num Pang (SE Asia sandwiches, see review), Fivepoints (brunch, food you shouldn't miss), Yakitori Totto (Japanese BBQ, food you shouldn't miss), Tabla (Donut with trio sauce), Momofuku Noodle Bar (Chicken lunch), Hagi (Japanese bar food), Porchetta (Prochetta), Barney Greengrass (Sturgeon scramble... my goodness), Tartine (brunch), Gramercy Tavern (lunch; see review)
Over priced: Norma (any sweet brunch dish is super super excellent), Grimaldi (pizza), Isabella (brunch), Fatty Crab (Asian fusion, crab), DBGB (brunch), Babbo (Italian that impressed TF), One if by Land Two if by Sea (Seafood), Sambuca (Tiramisu, best in NY)

Junior cheesecake... it's a landmark, a tourist trap... and it's goodA hot dog is a hot dog... but a Papaya King hot dog... now that's something else. Best bang for the buck meal in the city, perhaps!Gascogne's creme brulee... I almost forgot this gem. Absolutely perfectly done. And the french food (and wait staff) ain't bad either
Clinton Street Baking Company and its Blueberry pancakes have people waiting for hour(s): it's worth the waitThe donut at Tabla was out of this world... and its Asian fusion sandwiches aren't bad eitherChicken lunch at Momofuku may be a difficult reservation to get... but it's worth the trouble if you like moist and flavorful chicken

Hidden gem: porchetta at Porchetta is juicy and the meat is done impecably

Unfortunately, I only went to Gramercy Tavern once - the meatball was excellent
Sweet brunch from Norma's is great and overpriced; stay away from savory stuff

Who can say no to Sambuca's tiramisu?

Decent food

Priced right: Smorgas chef (Swedish chain, sure why not), Ipuddo (Ramen, roasted peppers, not worth the 2 hour wait though), Kyotofu (Tofu-based dessert), Won Dee Siam (Thai), Van Leeuwen (Ice cream), Alta (Tapas), Caracas Arepas (S American sandwich), Jewel Bako (Sushi)
Over priced: Le Pain Quotidien, Luxee (bye bye), Crumbs (cupcakes), Max Brenner (hot chocolate, dessert), Bubby's (pancake, brunch), Zaitzeff (burger), Ma Pache (Asian fusion)

Ippudo's wait is totally not worth it... but you can get the roasted peppers at the bar (I suggest leaving after you eat them... maybe add the pork bun)

TF likes Crumb's Red Velvet... and I think we probably had about 30 cupcakes in 6 months. It's yummy but a little steep at $3.5

I'm a sucker for good brunch

Penelope, Prune, Balthazar (Bread basket!), Cafe Orlin, Petite Abeille (waffles look amazing, but the savory stuff is not to be missed), Stanton Social

Stanton Social had some nice little dishes... but very expensive, as are most brunch places in New York (thanks, Sex in the City)

Only if someone pays you (Just take my word for it)

Serendipity 3 (Frozen chocolate... bleh), Magnolia Bakery (proves that Sex in the City girls don't have taste buds), Carnegie Deli (Size doesn't matter, dead last in any deli challenge), AJ Maxwell (The Half Cheesecake), Aquavit (He scored 16, see horrible review), Bar Boulud (Daniel Boulud may have had some good times, but the Bar ain't one of them), Sasabune (No sauce please... arg)

The totally overrate Carnegie Deli... and they dare charge a supplemental charge for shared sandwiches... I feel bad for the tourists. Go to Katz!

AJ Maxwell's "half cheesecake" for our restaurant menu... WTF

Sorry I had to end on a bad note for food, but I feel like you need to know these things. Probably missed quite a few restaurants I've been. Oh well, if I forget, it's probably not that good anyway. Hope you enjoyed this!

Meat on the conveyor belt

2010-02-26T15:49:00.002+08:00

I just completed a health check for my next job in China. It has to be done at a designated hospital in Shenzhen, so I had to make quite an effort to go there.

The first visit in the early afternoon was a failure. They only open 8-11am (WTF!?).

So I came 10am the next day. And I now understand why it's only 8-11am. You enter the building, tell them what kind of health check you need. Then:

The nurse gives you a form
You are directed to a place to have your photo taken
You stick the photo on the form and fill in your details
Nurse takes the forms, gives you a card, and you enter the "health check area"

Which really is a huge conveyor belt with a lot of people on it. Blood sample, urine sample, x-rays, external check, internal check, ear check, throat check, eye check, height, weight, blood pressure. Bam, I'm done. The whole process took about 30 minutes... and there were hundreds of people on the conveyor belt. Amazing.

Take the X-Ray room for example. I lined up behind a girl. The nurse told her to take her necklace off, tells her to go inside the X-ray room, stands in front of the X-ray. Doctor turns on the machine, and I see her heart pumping and her lungs right on the doctor's screen (I'm still lining up). Doctor looks at it, stamps a "Seems to be no problem" stamp on the girls form, she's out, and it's my turn.

And for once, I know what meat on a conveyor belt feels like: just get this over with quickly and life is good.

錦衣衛

2010-02-25T19:09:00.000+08:00

Well, it's your typical HK Donnie Yan kung fu movie:

Conflicted hero is betrayed by his friend
Great evils are also at work
Hero finds friends
Hero seeks meaning in life
Fight
Evil loses

The fight scenes are good... but how can the top dog working for the king not be able to beat a woman called 脫脫 (Strip strip... if you will)? Come on, now.

Why blog

2010-02-25T18:17:00.000+08:00

Someone told me that blogs are for those who are afraid of being alone, and that through blogging they can at least feel like they are attached to the world.

Perhaps. I blog partly due to self indulgence and partly for vanity. I think my opinions are important, so I blog about them and hope someone notices/agrees/disagrees. haha. Yup. That's about it.

A few days ago, good friend AL forwarded to me a post from his Facebook network about my blog. That's what I'm talking about! Random stranger finding my opinion useful! Thank you, Lawrence Gutman! (To Ernie, Carnegie Deli should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Katz and 2nd Ave Deli. It's not even an argument... told you I blog due to self self self)

Movies... etc

2010-02-17T01:51:00.000+08:00

Crazy Heart (IMDB) - well, the only consolation from the unfortunate Wolfman was that we went for a 2-fer and saw most of Crazy Heart. We didn't finish the movie cus we were too tired and we left at 2am. Basically, it's a Wrestler wanna be with more light hearted moments. Pretty good movie through 1.5 hours.

I didn't finish the movie, so it's hard to recommend it... although I will say this: Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal are perfectly casted while Colin Farrel was horribly casted.

Valentines Day (IMDB) - look at the cast. Gather your breathe. WOW. Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Jessica (Alba and Biel... WOW WOW WOW), Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Swift (!?)... damn! Anyway, it's your typical valentines day flick I guess. Funny and witty through out, I enjoyed most of it. The only knock I have is the relationship between Kutcher and Garner - clearly a rebound that is the worst idea. Female audience squealed when the gay couple was revealed. And I loved the Roberts story.

Sure, I'll recommend it for couples. It's not like you can get away from it if your gf asks, right?

Whip It (IMDB) - saw this on the plane. It's a Juno repeat! Cute movie with rebellious teenage daughter has to decide between a passion and her former life. Apparently, Drew Barrymore directed this. Not sure why that would be a selling point. She also played a crazy and violent girl in the movie - fitting. Anyway, Ellen Page does some spectacular work again. Recommended.

Love Happens (IMDB) - hmm... this came out when I was in NYC? I had no idea! It's a story about life and death and how people overcome their griefs. Unfortunately, they wrapped it around a romantic relationship (no sparks between Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Anniston at all) and that just destroys the movie. Plus there are all these subtle and not-so-subtle product placements in the movie, which I greatly resent. I believe in product sponsorship. I don't believe in rubbing that in people's faces. Not recommended.

Robuchon Macao

2010-02-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

When mom asked if I wanted to visit Macao's art collection from the Forbidden Palace and also I.M. Pei's new building, I was hesitant. But when she mentioned lunch would be at Joel Robuchon Macao, I immediately said yes! Macao we go... for the only Michelin 3-star restaurant in Macao. (HK has 龍景軒; while I didn't visit 龍景軒, I did visit its ex-chef's installment at Mongkok's 添好運 - see review abt a month ago)

Decor - very formal tho the patrons (namely, me) were more casual. It was homely and each table were flanked by four very lush sofa chairs that were very comfortable. Some tables and built-in sofas that seemed too luxurious and comfy for a restaurant.

Service - attentive but not great. We had to ask for water a few times. In general, they lacked a genuine knowledge about the food and the preparation. Very good at reading off the paper, not so much when asked more about it. And the dessert tray waiter must be a trainee or something. He needed better English, Cantonese, and understanding of the dessert dishes he is presenting.

On to the food:

The bread basket could have easily been the highlight of the lunch. As you can see, there were quite a few to choose from. The bacon bread was quite memorable - with strips of bacon twisting its way up on perfectly baked bread. The cheese bread was also very nicely done. It's hard to find good bread in Hong Kong, and Robuchon really nails it.

Amuse was oyster with vanilla foam. A wonderful start to a meal, mixing freshness with a hint of aroma.

For the appetizer, I ordered the foie gras dish. The curled pieces were all foie gras, so it was a pretty generous portion. I should have written down the different sauces, because they were the key to the dish, complementing the richness of foie gras perfectly. I thought it was a bit too much food though. Eating 5 to 6 pieces of rich foie gras may be luxurious, but certainly not the best to activate the taste buds.

I got the Buta no Kakuni as a main course. It was decent. The pork was done perfectly and the sweetness showed itself quite nicely. The condiments on top, however, missed the mark - the flavors didn't mixed well and I was left with a sour aftertaste. I also tried my brother's lobster with walnut sauce, and it wasn't very good. A bit overcooked and dry, it was no match for ones I've had in New York at Eleven Madison Park.

Dessert was generous - you get to pick four out of this truck. (Not discussed is the not-so-memorable pineapple and the over-the-top chocolate caramel cake)

Everybody agreed that the pistachio cake was the best among all the desserts. Moist, flavorful, and good for pictures. (Not so much about the golden pieces that accompanied most desserts... arg... we're not in China!)

I actually liked the Napolean even better. Nice and light and a perfect ending after the heavier pork entre. The crust: easily cut but did not crumble too easily. The fillings: flavorful without being overwhelming. There was a slight toasted honey taste as well that I couldn't really place but certainly remembered.

All in all, it was a decent meal that unfortunately didn't meet all my lofty expectations. Dishes were all decent. However, ultimately, the sequence and entrees were so-so and the service was definitely not up-to-par. You expect more from servers at these top restaurants. At $495 (USD 65), it's quite steep for a 3 course meal. Nonetheless, at least I can now take Robuchon off the list of places I need to eat at!

The Wolfman

2010-02-15T13:40:00.003+08:00

(IMDB) Thumbs down, way down. I know you get paid handsomely, but Sir Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro should be really choosing the right scripts for themselves. Do you think they look at the finish product and say, no way, I shouldn't be associated with this movie? Well, I think Hollywood should start including this clause in actor contracts:

After the final touch up, the 5 highest paid actors and actresses in the movie should watch the movie once, consider its impact on his or her career, and then have the option to pull himself or herself from the movie. Insurance will cover part of this cost for the producers

Then maybe they'll cast the folks more appropriately.

Not recommended, especially those with a faint heart.

Wing Squad

2010-02-15T00:26:00.000+08:00

Well well... Superbowl means the return of the Wing Squad! After I thought WS died along with my move to Chicago in 2006, it came back in 2007 ("SuperBore"), 2008 (Another WS outside of Boston), 2009 (I watched the whole damn thing in Chinese).

This year, it's actually the 10th Wing Squad (WSX) gathering. And we're doing it in Boston, where it all began at Tufts.

The site of WSI, II, III, IV, V, and VI - The Summit. Good times.

WSX would not be complete with homage to the Jumbo

The Great and Only Wing Works, where mutation and hair happen

Yup, these are the wings

Anyway, despite an expected poor showing from SG, the Wing Squad prevailed once again. And the Peyton Manning face made a dramatic return to sports. So it's good times all around and hoping for a successful WSXI.

Google Buzz vs. The World

2010-02-11T05:13:00.002+08:00

I get what Google is trying to do with the Buzz. It's basically offering Facebook's status update plus Twitter plus notifications from various applications (e.g. Blogspot, Youtube, Picasa, Flikr, etc).

Remember Google Wave? It failed miserably not because of the technology - it was a far better version of MSN and Group emails - but because of the lack of platform to promote it. You needed a wave account and nobody felt it was necessary (i.e. Necessary = Facebook) to register. Also, it was a bit ahead of its time.

This time, they wised up. In order to reach the most users in the shortest amount of time for Buzz, they've leveraged their one and only platform - Gmail - to reach them. Within minutes, I suddenly had 50 "followers"... and I automatically "followed" another 50. That's a great start.

Now to the function... it seems more like twitter than Facebook (even though I don't use Twitter), or maybe just Facebook's status update. It links to several other apps (e.g. for me, blogspot and Picasa are important) for automatic updates, and my "followers" (That sounds nice) can comment on the updates, either my own post or automatic. Sounds convenient to me! I'm sold so far. If enough people are sold too, Buzz is good to go.

Which brings me to a BIG BIG problem: um... it's not really a breakthrough... just makes me have to do two status updates every time - Buzz and Facebook. So, let me ask the ultimate question: when MSN tookover ICQ, it was because MSN offered a service that was better. When Facebook destroyed Friendster, it was because Facebook had a better interface. What about Buzz is better than Facebook/Twitter? Anything? More convenient notifications?

Me thinks not much yet. And until the Google team figures out a better product and not just a copy, two things will happen:

Advanced Google users will probably use Buzz along with Facebook and Twitter
Not so advanced will not

Meanwhile, I'll Buzz for now.

Brief conclusions

2010-02-02T22:56:00.003+08:00

Well, I've talked about crazy interviews (first step and second step) and crazy mobile plans (first step and second step). Apparently, I'm the only one who is crazy:

Interview: I have a verbal offer - though HR is really evasive on what it actually is. Apparently, Bill Gates didn't notice that I WTFed him in my blog. Decisions, decisions, soon.
Mobile: I hawked a Google G1 from my friend. It's a thing of beauty even though I am 1 year behind in the technology. It syncs with everything (emails, contacts, calenders... that's all I ask!) and has a keyboard, exactly what I need...

I just have 2 extra BB phones and 1 extra BB plan now. LOL. Anyone?

On the bright side...

2010-01-30T14:14:00.002+08:00

This week has not been kind to me. A trip to Beijing might change things. Or not.

At airport security, they took out the tool that secures the platform between my camera and my tripod and indicated that "tools" are not allowed on the plane. Even screwdrivers for eyeglasses are out. Great. Not that I'm okay with giving up the "tool"... but I didn't even bring my tripod. The tools are all in the pouch and I just carry it everywhere. So now I have to check in my bag...

I really don't get it. My keys can be a tool... more deadly too. Let's just say you can't stop terrorists by going strict on non-terrorists. Arg. By the way, I remember back at Tufts they taught us that "terrorism" is an asymmetric battle to inflict harm on normal life. Based on airport security, I'd say the terrorists scored one right there.

On the bright side... I got an upgrade to business class.

Black Wednesday...

2010-01-27T11:28:00.002+08:00

Before I go into it, there are TWO Chinese women tennis players in the Aussie Open semi-finals! TWO! They have tough tests ahead with one playing former #1 Henin and the other likely facing Serena Williams. Still... two in the semis is quite an achievement. This year is the first year they play for their own money rather than having the Chinese sports authorities take a big slice. Who said capitalism doesn't work!?

Today I had a very important interview, and it went like this (Black Wednesday):

Stepped on a dog on my way out of my building... dog owner yelled at me for not being careful
Rode a crazy cab where the driver claimed all politicians are drug dealers and one of them was responsible for Chinese sprinter Liu Xiang's injuries... and that Gordon Brown is a Russian spy/ Spanish drug dealer (I kid you not)
Arrived at the interview 30 minutes before hand, had a leisure breakfast... only to find out I'm in the WRONG building 5 minutes before the interview
Ran to the right building, entered reception covered in sweat
Here's the worst part: remember I blogged about being interviewed by Bill Gates? Well, the man asked if I blog, and he typed in my blog address and started to read it!!!!!

Man, I'm laughing right this moment just thinking about it. I didn't blog about the company name of the man's name... but I was clearly writing about him. LOL. He was browsing a bit and then we continued our conversation. What should I have done besides sweating more??? ("Sorry sir, I wrote about you and compared you to Bill Gates... it's a compliment. Really, it is. Sorry I swore in the blog post. I was excited. I do silly things when I'm excited")

音樂人生 KJ

2010-01-26T00:23:00.000+08:00

My last documentary was Michael Moore's Fahrenheir 9/11... so it's been quite a while.

音樂人生 KJ (Music Life KJ) is a documentary about a young and talented pianist named KJ and his life when he was 11 (2002) and 17 (2007/8). The documentary mixes between the two periods, dissecting this young man's life into three parts: his talent, his views on music, and his views on life. The first words in the documentary from KJ: I want to be a human being.

Although this would be a major disservice to KJ, let me try to put his life (according to the documentary) in a nutshell: he is a perfectionist in all aspects in life, and he expects that he can achieve perfection in life through music.

Unfortunately, life certainly isn't perfect. And the young man is torn between imperfections and his attempts to correct them. The seeds were planted early, as you see the 12 year old KJ get really frustrated with a professional orchestra in the Czech Republic. He yells at his older brother for not being able to play the music correctly. His siblings all point to KJ's learning music as the start of his pursue for perfection. Then you see the 17/18 year old version trying to train a bunch of young musicians to play perfect orchestra music... and he harshly criticizes some of them for hitting the wrong note, or the wrong time, or the wrong note at the wrong time. And he gets really frustrated when the music isn't perfect. Then of course, when the kids get it right, like so many perfectionists, he becomes the happiest person alive and forgives all the problems before.

I've told you many times his attitude towards music - perfection - and he tries to place this attitude to everybody around him. For example, at a competition, he insists on making the perfect music and therefore going overtime for 2 minutes. He is aloof and he doesn't celebrate with his fellow musicians when they win. He harshly criticizes those who play music because they want to win music competitions. (Josekin's note: it's the right attitude, but too simplistic... competition is a good motivation for kids - not every teenager can just motivate themselves to make good music because of their love for music) His only focus is to play good music. And I salute that.

Somewhere along the lines, KJ has also equated music with life. I must first say that KJ is extremely mature for his age, even at 11 (more on this later). He believes perfect music and influence people into perfect lives (My interpretation based on a 1.5 hour documentary). For example, at 17, he is deeply deeply troubled by his parent's divorce. You can see the agony on his face when asked about this topic (very very well done section for a documentary).

As I said before, KJ is clearly a very mature person... at 11, he's put quite a bit of thought on why human beings exists, briefly concluding that it might be better to die young after listening to perfect music: therefore achieving a perfect life... and dying at a high point in life is better than all subsequent points. He's ELEVEN!

Anyway, I guess you see where I'm coming from (if you've read this far... haha). Some people are ahead of their age, seek meaning and perfection in life, and can find it in a very small part of life, be it music, video games, studies, etc. They become very good at it, achieving "perfection"... but fail to leverage it into other parts of life. It's tough cus they are all so smart and talented. But, amen, that is life.

Highly recommended. I think the director used some very effective editing to show us the life of KJ. I believe what I saw and I feel that much closer to KJ. I wish I can meet him. I wish I can tell him about Alan. I wish he would study something other than music - philosophy perhaps, even if that would seriously challenge his way of life. I think if he can experience life without music for a little bit, he can see other perfections.

Results are in - quest for mobile data

2010-01-22T00:30:00.002+08:00

I compromised (See what being cheap means: lost time and efforts... and sanity at times). In the end, I decided even with no synching of contacts and calendars, I got what I want... which was emails and IM.

So here are the results (all unit in HKD):

$1000 2nd hand blackberry phone on $13 monthly plan for 6 months; includes enough voice and data (will try to borrow phone that can browse internet from friend)
$500 2nd hand blackberry phone on $12 monthly plan for 12 months; includes unlimited emails and IM (eventually will add voice/data and replace the aforementioned 6 month plan)

I was being cheap... damn I miss a salary from Bain!

Interviewed by Bill Gates

2010-01-21T22:40:00.002+08:00

Well... not quite. While working on my consulting project, I've been selectively interviewing with high potential companies. After 6 hours of interviews with 4 people in the department, they've told me that I will have a 2 hour interview with the president of the company next week.

Given the size and nature of this company, it's similar to me interviewing at Microsoft for a strategy position and then Microsoft telling me that Bill Gates will talk to me for 2 hours.

WTH!?

My friend 2R put it best: this means the management team hired a very capable middle management to free up time for the management team. (Yes, if I am hired, I will be the middle management! yay!)

Hong Kong Dum Sum at 添好運

2010-01-19T19:27:00.005+08:00

When my friend ST asked if I wanted to go to 添好運 for dim sum, I immediately said yes and started to call my other friends to see if they want to go as well.

The chef used to work at Michelin 3-star restaurant (1 of 2 in HK) 龍景 at Four Seasons and decided he could do much better opening his own restaurant. Of course he is right! Tucked under a unassuming building in a very model district, 添好運 had a huge crowd waiting at 11am already.

We took a ticket and went to walk around the neighborhood for 45 minutes before coming back to the crowd... another 20 minutes, we were in. There weren't that many dim sum items to choose for (20 or so?)... and we ordered from half the menu.

Strange experience... it was kind of regular at first, improved in the middle, and then got really good in the last few dishes (desserts were a disaster - don't order).

The first few dim sums that came (Shirmp Dumpling, BBQ Pork Crepe, Beef Ball) were good but not great. The wraps are yummy and well-made: not too thick, yet maintaining the elasticity. The fillings were okay. 馬拉糕 was the exception... usually very oily, this one is solid and spongy with very little oil.

馬拉糕

The second round had my own dim sum favorite 咸水角 and their famous BBQ Pork bun. 咸水角 was pretty good, maintaining the balance between the fried dough and the vegi-pork fillings. Temperature was good and flavors came together quite well. Ultimately, it's definitely above avg but not great. The 叉燒包 seemed to be the most popular among the customers. Quite a few people ordered extra to take home. I think it's nice... but I've had something similar before at 海都 (a HK dim sum establishment) and I wasn't surprised with the one from 添好運. It was great and exactly what I expected... hence a little disappointed.

咸水角

叉燒包

The last few dishes were decidedly better than the ones before, standing out from their dim sum peers. The Pork Ribs, in particular, blew me away. The pork was perfectly cooked and literally melted in my mouth. I just wish there weren't any bones and I could chew on it forever. The vegitable dumpling also blew me away. It had quite a bit of strong vegi flavors (chong, yim sai) that mixed very well with a special sauce that mellowed out the tastes. I was very impressed with both.

蒸排骨

粉果

The inconsistencies did make me think... did the master chef take a afternoon break and affected the output in the beginning??? That's my theory anyway.

Conclusion: would go again if the wait isn't that long and that I have something else to do in the YMT and MK area (such as shopping like mad).

My quest for mobile data

2010-01-15T21:43:00.003+08:00

Here's what I want: a mobile device with a QWERTY keyboard with a plan with some minutes and lots of data usage. I want to sync my Google email, contacts, and calender to make my life mobile and easy. Oh, and I want to be cheap about everything cus I'm not earning a Bain salary anymore. Haha.

Here's my quest... a 90% failure:

Stage 1: 2nd hand Blackberry Curve 8350 for HKD 1000. Since I gave back my Blackberry to Bain, and BBs have the best QWERTY keyboards, Yahoo Auction served its purpose
Stage 2: Cheap phone/data plan from TDML for HKD 600 (6 month contract). Well, I've worked for telco clients and TDML is the best value. For only USD13 a month, I get 1,200 minutes and 1,000 MB. Deal!

UH-OH!!! The data plan from TDML doesn't support BB phone!! Fudge!!

Stage 3: Research time! I can salvage the situation with China Mobile's Blackberry plan for HKD 80 a month...

UH-OH!!! The 2nd hand phone doesn't work with China Mobile...! The phone is locked by the previous owner!! Fudge!!

Stage 4: Another 2nd hand Blackberry 8310 for HKD 500. While trying to contact the original seller via Yahoo Auctions, my friend KC has a spare one to sell

UH-OH!!! That one doesn't work with China Mobile either, despite KC's assurance it was okay! Fudge!!

Stage 5: With a "fixed phone", I finally got the China Mobile plan for HKD 1000 (12-month plan). This includes all PUSH email and no browsing

UH-OH!!! The no browsing part means I can't Sync, or so CM service people tell me. Fudge!!

Stage 6: According to the 3rd sales rep, I can add a HKD 98 monthly plan to get browsing!

UH-OH!!! There's no browser on my phone right now and nobody is sure if it can be installed! Fudge!!

So... after HKD 1500 in TWO phones and HKD 1600 in TWO mobile plans, I'm still can't get my Sync to work... and I'm looking at another HKD 1200 to get what I want. UGH.

Well, on the brighter side, had I bought a new BB with a new plan with more minutes and more data, it would still cost me more.

But the trouble is too much already. And I'm commited to more trouble! UGH!

Hole in the Wall - Food in HK

2010-01-14T10:37:00.003+08:00

Good food in Hong Kong has always been very affordable. Part of it is because the taste buds are just more sophisticated and mediocrity will not be tolerated. So, as a restaurant, you have to offer a good product regardless of the price. And because the food comes first (not the service or the environment, factors much more important elsewhere in the globe), restaurants are able to offer their good food at a decent price without the best location and decor.

Legacy-type hole-in-the-wall restaurants are plentiful in Hong Kong. Most of them have been around for years and slowly made a name for itself. 蘭芳園 and 九記牛腩 are two I frequent quite a bit. Here are some a bit off the beaten path:

蝦醬豬腩（Shrimp paste pork belly)

This is a specialty in Tai O, all the way in Lantau Island. It's a fisherman's village that has retained some of its charm despite the development of tourism. Here are some pictures from the hike to Tai O. I cann't remember the name of the restaurant, but I suspect they all offer similarly awesome food that is fresh and MSG-free.

B-仔涼粉

A visit to the remote Yuan Long (Pictures from our visit to Wetland Park, right next to Yuan Long) would be incomplete without a visit to the famous 佳記 for it‘s 涼粉 - um, you can't even see it as it's buried under the fruit! Quite yummy... although what I remember is the pig's skin 咖喱豬皮 and wing tips 雞翅尖. Those were even better than their signature dessert. Nonetheless, I feel I have the obligation to show the picture of the gorgeous and ultra-large B-仔涼粉 - it was enough for six of us.

炸蠔 (Fried Oysters) from 流浮山

Everyone in Hong Kong knows about the oysters from 流浮山. It's just that only a few of us actually venture over there, as it is almost an hour from anywhere else in Hong Kong. There's a Chinese saying called 聞名不如見面 (To see the real thing is way better than hearing about it). Unfortunately, the oysters in 流浮山 is reverse - tasting the real thing never measured up to the expectation. The oysters were okay. The shirmp was nasty and didn't taste fresh at all. And the fish was overcooked.

炸蓮藕餅 (Fried lotus) from 生記

Was lucky to be inivted for a birthday dinner for a friend at the famous 生記海鮮 in Wan Chai. It's a difficult reservation and you sense it right when you walk into the restaurant. Despite its modest decoration, some tables were showing off a lot of bling. The food is absolutely fantastic (besides a dish of pig's feet) across the board. The fried lotus was fresh, crunchy, and yet still moist. 生記 has been regarded as the place that makes the most authentic sweet and sour pork in HK (um, the world)... I've had better, but this is still pretty good (top 5 perhaps). Mmm... sweet and sour pork. I really shouldn't be posting about food at 10:30am... not good for my stomach.

Wagyu Brunch (HK)

2010-01-13T18:34:00.001+08:00

I'm still fighting BSLW's claim 2 years ago that you cannot find quality Western food in Hong Kong at a decent price. Wagyu's weekend brunch did not help my cause. Here are the pancakes... way too spongy with little flavor. It seemed like the cook forgot to add spices and just put more bananas on top. Yeah, the picture looks great, but don't let it fool you. It was a bad pancake.

Feeling very...

2010-01-11T08:59:00.001+08:00

Ads that make me scratch my head (if not banging it)

2010-01-08T13:16:00.001+08:00

Dumber? Low attention span? The value of entertainment.

2010-01-07T23:03:00.002+08:00

This day and age, I'm looking for two things in entertainment like movies and TVs:

Does it make me dumber?
Does it lose me half way in?

Sorry I can't have a nice table here... but here goes:

G.I. Joe (IMDB)

Yup, made me 15 years dumber
Yup, lost in 10 minutes... and then entertains me for 2 minutes... and then loses me again

Not recommended. And please, no sequel!!! Just go an kill bad guys already... we don't need the romantic relationships that don't look real anyway.

Sherlock Holmes (IMDB)

No, did not make me dumber; didn't make me smarter either
No, movie kept me entertained throughout

Recommended for 2 hours of solid entertainment. Downey Jr. is slowly proving himself to be a pretty good actor. Jude Law gives a fine performance. Not sure where Rachel McAdams was during the movie, though she occasionally gives some fresh air to the script. Sure, I'll go see the sequel as well!

十月圍城 Bodyguards and Assassins (IMDB)

No, did not make me dumber. I felt slightly more patriotic after the movie... for 30 minutes. Please note that this is fiction and not real history.
Yes, sometimes it gets repetitive as people fight and die. I liked the build up... but the final 10 fight scenes... couldn't it have been 5?

Recommended. I'll overlook the fight scenes and skip to parts I liked: each martyr died for their own passion. The general to reinstall the family glory; the monk to reconnect with his faith and to spit in the policeman's face; the general's daughter to avenge her father's death; the gambling spy to be remembered by his child; the begger to see the women he loves but cannot have (um, yup, that's his mom... don't ask. I don't understand either.); the servant to protect his master; the master to protect democracy; the assassin (yup, he dies too, surprise!) to pay final tribute to his country. They all died for a different reason that they thought was worth dying for. Good stuff.

I also want to note those who didn't die: the tycoon, the organizer, the revolutionary, the police commander... yup... I think it's a subtle dig at those in powerful seats. You die for passion if you are a follower, and the "leaders" will succeed with your blood. It's always worked that way, no?

(By the way, Leon Lai got a bad rap in the movie. Not sure why. He wasn't good, but he wasn't that bad either)

Avatar IMAX 3D (IMDB)

Yes, made me dumber, especially the part where the natives start chanting like humans in Matrix: Reloaded (And Morphius's speech was practically copied)
Yes, I kept waiting for the final fight I almost passed out in my seat. Did it have to be 2.5 hours long? Couldn't it be 1.5 hours and have 1 more show fitted in? Plus, IMAX 3D isn't ideal from row 5.

Recommended for the IMAX 3D experience - much better than Up. Truly remarkable... very realistic... and the 3D was sometimes mind blowing. I just wish it were shorter and not that stupid. This is corporate America working here... they would have wiped out the indigenous people before trying scientists and then resorting to the military. Plus I don't think 20,000 people with bows and arrows would have been a match for the para-military men anyway. And wouldn't they just come back with bigger guns? Arg. My head hurts from thinking. Wait a minute, why do I have to think for this movie?

Mad Men (IMDB)

No, made me think a bit... but not too much. Not like The Wire.
Yes, I had some lapses. Sometimes I think it's just too subtle about its messages.

Recommended... mostly because Season 2 is said to be unbelievable. Season 1 really wasn't bad, but I can't pinpoint any particularly good parts either. Love the development of Don Draper from director to partner... Peggy Olsen from secretary to writer (and mother!)... Pete Campbell from manager to, uh, manager... Betty Draper's spirals... the relationship between Joan Hollaway and Roger Sterling... the strangeness and oddness of Cooper... the parent relationships within the Campbells (both Pete and Trudy)... all the family relationships... all very interesting. But subtle.

Looking forward to season 2.

HK TV

Yup, most def makes me dumber... even the "news", which concentrates on so many meaningless local stuff
Yup, I cannot keep my attention for more than 2 minutes

Not recommended. AH. I need ESPN, which would have drawn a no, doesn't make me dumber nor smarter and no, will not lose attention.

HK News makes me scratch my head...

2010-01-04T10:55:00.002+08:00

I'm working from home this morning and there's a discussion on inflation on TV by some "respectable" commentators:

"Avatar is making about HK$70M in 15 days, clearly challenging the highest grossing movie in Hong Kong... this is huge inflation risk"

Josekin thinks that since Avatar charges double the price due to its 3D technology (See my thoughts on another 3D, Up... tho I was told Avatar is very much worth it), it's gross revenue should be adjusted downwards, probably spiking the inflation threat.

Sure, there's inflation, but as a professional commentator, you really should do some basic research and not use a movie as an example. I understand using the Avatar example rings in more ears... but still. Fail.

2009 in Pictures

2009-12-31T15:31:00.002+08:00

Why I've never thought of this idea is beyond me. Here's my 2009 in pictures! It was kind of fun going through all my albums and picking out some pictures to showcase (or not) my year!

Much better than bullet points! Here's the link if you prefer the album to the embedded slideshow.

Reviewing 2009...

2009-12-31T11:31:00.003+08:00

I don't do new year resolutions. But I do do old year reviews. 2009, chronologically:

Worked case in Shanghai
Worked case in Hong Kong
Took Leave of Absence
Went to NYC
Took photography lessons
Learned to cook again (not heating up, cooking)
Visited Toronto
Bought laptop
Moved to bigger apartment
Took photography lessons
Learned a new dish
Visited Seattle
Visited Vancouver
Visited Boston (it's the summer... I travel when the weather is good... and when I have a case that I have to travel for)
Quit Bain
Bought engagement ring... ouch!
Proposal accepted at Grand Canyon... woo hoo!
Met in-laws at LA... woo... hoo?
Found wedding ceremony location
Found wedding reception location
Visited SF
Moved to smaller apartment
Took photography class x2
Musical
Attended first NFL game
Went to Beijing
Went back to Hong Kong
Started my own company
Completing my first client update (currently waiting for client to get off the phone)

Fruitful, I'd say. Looking forward to 2010.

柱记之死 (The Death of Zhu Ji)

2009-12-25T20:15:00.003+08:00

Merry Christmas from Hong Kong. I've been back for almost 2 weeks, and my blogging has been horrible. Here's my Christmas present - and a vow to blog more.

Saw GI Joe on the plane from Chicago and also Sherlock Holmes earlier today... but today I want to talk about 柱记之死.

For those of you who don't know, 柱记 is a congee restaurant that I grew up with in the Bonham Road area. When I was young, my family rarely went out to eat breakfast. When we did, it was always 柱记, a super hole in the wall congee place that set up shop on the street side, covered by a few metal sheets (铁皮) and supported by a few pieces of iron plates on the floor. It leaked from the ceiling, and you watch your step so you don't fall onto the streets. But, man, the congee was good. Alan and I always looked forward to the day our dad went out for breakfast, cus we knew the tasty congee and the fried dough (which you dip in the congee) would be near.

Eventually, 柱记 made enough money and morphed into a shop (I found out on a random visit during high school... I had to get used to it being in a real shop space!). The staff remained. The dad and mom took orders. There was the same congee cook. On busy days, the sons and daughters would help take orders. Besides the food, there was also the impeccable way of calculating the bill. Every bowl of congee was associated with a different color/size bowl. Same with fried dough and other appetizers. A metal plate was one piece of friend dough. A small flat plate meant two pieces. A bigger flat plate was for a more expensive bread. When you were done, they wandered over, took a look at your table, and yelled out the final bill. I've never heard a complaint before.

And then there was today. The name changed. The staff was no more. Replacing 柱记 was a place that had none of the familiarity and friendliness. The waitress was semi-deaf and couldn't remember our orders. She practically slammed the congee on the table. And she took about a minute to calculate the bill. WTF. Oh, and the quality of the food is down: the congee was too watery (not enough time spent on making it) and the fried dough was too crispy (too much oil).

Ah, the death of an icon for me. RIP, 柱记. You will be remembered. (And someone ought to start a competing congee place to get all the lost customers)

I'm moving on to a congee place that's a hole in the wall in Kennedy Town.

What do Hos wear?

2009-12-12T14:29:00.000+08:00

The Scene at Hong Kong Airport

2009-12-09T08:40:00.003+08:00

I never understood the urgency of getting off a plane. Crazy people making not-so-subtle grunts and sighs while they think another passenger is taking too much time to clear the aisle of luggage. Relax! You're here, and you'll be out in no time!

But such is the scene when every plane parks at the terminal. Everybody has their hands on the seat belt, and once "ding" happens, all jump up and rush to haul their bags onto the aisle and anxiously waits for the line to start moving. They want to say "get out of my way" but are restrained by the natural politeness of their Chineseness.

And then there's the mad dash to the immigration office. Old people and slow movers be damned, cus no one is getting in their way. Elbows fly on the conveyor belt and those who stop moving are given a stare down (from their back, but still).

Finally... which line to join. You quickly observe all eight lines. Avoid children. Avoid old people. Avoid the immigrant. You could stick another 10 traits of people who will hold up the line at immigration. Or follow this one: get the line with the most suits, cus they always know what they are doing. And another stare down from the back happens when a migrant worker slows down the line - actually, the whole line will collectively stare... maybe it's for the immigration officer.

Anyway, after all that hassle... it's 5 seconds at the immigration station, where I calmly put my finger print on a scanner and it says "Please Enter". 10 seconds got me to the baggage conveyor belt, where my overweight bags are already there. 2 minutes to load up and whisk pass customs. 30 minutes later, the airport express got me to Central station. 10 more minutes, a taxi brought me home comfortably. In less than an hour, I got from seat 34F to home.

So why all bumping and grinding at the airport? Well, because it's Hong Kong! Efficiency. Big city rudeness. At least the move from NY to HK improved one aspect of my life.

Eff you, Great Firewall...!

2009-12-06T11:11:00.001+08:00

It's freezing in Beijing. And I can't access Blogspot and Facebook. I'm not sure which is the worst.

I never understood the Great Firewall... whereby China just blocks certain websites as it pleases. Recently, they blocked Google because of "offensive material" appearing on their searches. Uh huh. Punish the messenger.

Eff you, Great Firewall! I can still post blog entries via emails and read blogs via Google Reader. Woohoo! But I'm off Facebook for a while. Woohoo!

(And let me try to attach a picture to see what it does)

SuperFreaknenomics

2009-12-05T09:52:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Google Offline, I can now draft emails on a long haul plane from US to China! That means I can also draft blog entries - yes, I'm aware I can do this on Word as well, but I just don't like Microsoft that much and would much prefer doing it through email. (Um, plus the China Firewall prevents me from accessing Blogspot) The only downside is that I can't reference other pages until I get a connection.

Just finished the Freakenomics sequel SuperFreakenomics. As far as sequel goes, this performs along the same lines: something new and refreshing, but overall not as good as the first one.

The book starts out with a bang (pardon the pun) with a discussion on prostitution, leading to a broad discussion of gender inequalities and some reasons behind it. Fascinating read, and not just because of the price of different sexual tricks and the story of one entrepreneur in the industry. I love, for example, the brief discussion on the discrepancies of male and female earnings, explained mostly by difference in average hours worked (women work less) and appetite for more earnings (men are more motivated to earn money - um, yeah, it's called capitalistic greed).

The following two chapters are a downer: one was a discussion on the value of data (duh) and how it can lead to terrorists (The Wire has taught me well: Follow the money, and you open all sorts of shit cans). Another was a discussion on whether humans are inherently good or bad with a slight dig towards popular beliefs and popular media. Pretty boring.

Then came the chapters that fired up people: seat belts and global warming. Obviously, they put these chapters at the end cus they knew it was going to be controversial:

Seat belts should be sufficient for older children and that the more expensive car seats are merely a money making machine that prey on parent's insecurities but doesn't help save the child more than a seat belt would.
There may not be a global warming. Even if there was global warming, the solution is cheap and simple and only $250 million.

My thoughts on the seat belts: listen to the economists with no stakes (other than their own children) in the trade. It's the most impartial opinion you'll get and, hey, you can keep testing it to see if their are right with the initial test results. Naysayers need to look at the data more and stop being too emotional about the authors trying to kill their kids.

My thoughts on global cooling and geo-engineering: INTERESTING. I want to know more. And I think here is where SuperFreakenomics fail a bit. A lot of "INTERESTING", but not a whole lot of discussions on those points. I wish the book were (gasp) longer on these chapters. Perhaps the simple solution was too simple and just was tht short? I find that hard to believe. Anyway, the Chinese have always been about geo-engineering (Mao says 人定勝天, people can always triumph nature), clearing the skies of Beijing for the Olympics and the national holidays. Why didn't they consult their Chinese counterparts? Surely there's data to show effects and impacts?

Anyway, too short on things that matter, too much on topics that are more "hey, look at me!". Nonetheless, it was a refreshing read on the plane and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Last Hurrah

2009-12-03T23:29:00.003+08:00

Well, if there was any doubt what I like most in life, my last few weeks in the US seems to have confirmed it.

Food: Vietnamese sandwich from Saigon Cafe, pho from Nha Trang, bo lah lut from Thai Son, sushi from Yasuda, pastrami sandwich from Katz, pie from Artichoke, burger and shake from Shake Shack, brunch from Clinton Street, steak from Del Frisco's, sloppy joe from Millburn Deli, oreo ice cream sandwich from Bandera, deep dish pizza from Borcino's, and my own cooking of 沙茶牛肉, 腐乳通菜, 糖醋排骨

Photography: all the food above, walking on the Brooklyn Bridge, hike in Harriman

Entertainment: In the Height (musical), MET, Knicks game, Jets game, Patriots game, This is It, 2012, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Book of Basketball, SuperFreakenomics, work out, Heroes, Flashforward, and other TV series

Work: slides on how to buy diamonds, slides on the online travel industry in China, and thoughts on marketing a country overseas

That about sums it up through empirical data, whereby I am pressed for time and I can only do the things I like most. Food, photography, and outdoors first, then sports and various senses stimulating entertainment (to different degrees)

Sushi Yasuda

2009-12-01T05:26:00.003+08:00

I just had one of the most satisfying meals I had in New York, courtesy of Sushi Yasuda. Thanks to a great recommendation from Rambling and Gambling after I complained of a not-so-perfect omakase meal from Sushi Yasuda (Website) couple months back, TF and I made a reservation at Yasuda's station to get the best. Hey, it's my last day in New York, I'm going all out.

The sushi, real quick:

The absolute best: Yasuda calls it the Custard Sushi, which is made of egg and yam. I have never heard of or had a sushi like this one. While it harbored many tastes and textures, it had a hint of sweetness that was the perfect followup to all the fish sushi. Yasuda explained that the Custard Sushi was rarely made in the US and that the ingredients all came from Japan (I think, it was loud). And that it had something to do with the year 1934. My god it was good. Next time I have it, I will write down what he said.
Maybe the best I've had: Uni, Tamago, Ebi
Great: Tako, Unagi, Otoro, Oyster
Good: Toro, Salmon

The station, however, was what amazed me.

Our seats were on the side of the sushi station so we had a good view of all the stations down the bar. Watching Yasuda work his magic is fascinating. He's the only chef with a bucket of seafood in front of him (all the other sushi chefs had their seafood in the bar window). He peers into the box, puts his hand in, picks and chooses, and takes a cut of fish out. With perfect precision and utmost concentration, he slices the fish and examines it for a split second. He puts the fish back into the bucket and starts handling the rice. He grabs a small bit of rice, and massages it into a sushi with both hands deliberately, and then quickly puts the fish on top, applies a small about of sauce, and then places it on your plate with a twist of his wrists.

You have to be there to appreciate it. His hands are lightning quick. They are always on the move, doing something to create the next best piece of sushi. Serving six customers continuously, he remembers every single piece he made. If you ask him a question, he will answer it with great detail on where the fish is from, how it was prepared, and what other ingredient is used.

In fact, he will tell you how to eat it: immediately, within 15 seconds of being served, with no sauce, so as to "have the perfect temperature for the fish and the rice to taste just right". Hence no pictures of food - I do apologize. The man seemed like a semi-sushi-Nazi about everything happening at his station. He wanted our experience to be perfect. I don't want to be yelled at. Can you blame him?

TF told me that in her last visit, Yasuda told her not to eat her sushi fish-side-down and that "nobody eats their pizza upside down". I looked it up and every where I go it says fish-side-down. I, however, did not have the guts to challenge the grand master, placing my sushi fish-side-up like a good little boy.

And "how do/should you eat your sushi?" is now the biggest question in my life. Do you go with popular wisdom with "fish-side-down" or with Yasuda's "rice-side-down"?

2012

2009-11-30T22:36:00.002+08:00

Well, 2012 and Fantastic Mr. Fox (review here) is not a 2-fer. It's just 4 "free" AMC tickets (2 from the This is It debacle).

Anyway, onto the movie 2012 (IMDB)... here's what we want from a disaster flick, a.k.a. Deep Impact 2 (Sorry, there was no disaster in the more entertaining Armageddon besides Ben Affleck's unfortunate acting):

Impossible disaster: check
Impossible solution: check
Urgency: check
Close to zero chance of success: check
Earthquakes that wipe out continents: check
Tsunamis about the height of the ocean: check
Rich assholes: check
Scheming politicians: check
Humorous crazy white dude: check
White kids in distraught: check
White parents in distraught: check
White folks running: check
White folks keep making impossible escapes: check
Pet needs to be saved: check
People dying: check
Minorities getting screwed: check
White and black hero: check
Black president: check
Tenuous relationships that need to be resolved through disaster because they just can't do that when times are normal: check

Actually... it has awesome special effects and that's all you need to know. It was entertaining and I love the Tibet solution. Some plot holes:

So UK cancels the London Olympics due to incoming disaster... and it's snowing in DC... right
US chief scientists asks "what's at 29,000 feet"? You don't know Mount Everest!? Besides, wouldn't Noah's Arc measure in metrics (meters) instead of feet?
Speaking of units, India use Celsius, not Fahrenheit
Danny Glover as a black president. Morgan Freeman should always be the black president (oh, and he will be in Invictus, movie I really look forward to)

It's dumb but entertaining. And 30 minutes too long. Sure, I'll recommend it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009-11-30T22:22:00.003+08:00

I'm not sure what to make of Fantastic Mr. Fox (IMDB)...

It's a fun movie to sit through. It had great voices from great actors (Clooney, Streep, Murray, Dafoe - missing Weaver for the evil cider farmer tho... that would have been great). It had some great moments of humor. It had some good life lessons. It had pretty good animation. It had man vs. nature. It had passions in life vs. responsibilities. Basically, it had everything a good serious animated movie would have.

But... I just can't put the whole thing together and enjoy it as a movie for some reason. Maybe because I didn't know what to expect? Maybe I need to watch it again? I don't know.

Fun movie. I think I recommend it though. I think.

Black Friday and the US Consumer Market

2009-11-28T07:22:00.002+08:00

Interesting experience last night. TF learned that the Armani Exchange at Soho is opening at midnight to welcome Black Friday. When we got there at 1:30am or so, it was mostly empty... because the only sale was $50 off $150 purchase, and most of the store was selling at full price anyway. And none of the other stores in Soho were open for midnight madness. What a debacle.

We didn't buy a thing out of protest (and lack of good design), wandered in Soho for a few minutes, and went back home to continue the sleep. Oh, and we banned AE until next Thanksgiving.

This morning, right before I left home, a friend of mine from HK asked how the US consumer market is. Glad you asked. Here's what I've seen:

There were no crazy sales in Soho. Max was 50% at Esprit and 41% at Kenneth Cole. Most name brand stores carried a 25% discount across all items and that was it. (I miss outlet shopping, which probaby had steeper discounts)
There were no crazy crowds in Soho either. Most busy was American Eagle and their high school customers. Especially compared to last year, where TF said by 9am was madness at most stores
Bags observed on the street: 50% had bags... mostly of Armani Exchange, H&M, American Eagle, and Uniqlo variety

Which leads me to conclude:

Retailers are doing okay. They don't seem to have much excess inventory and they can live with the small discounts during Thanksgiving leading up to Christmas
Revenue is probably a small but positive growth from last year, but profits should be much better if the inventory was indeed well managed
Chinese factories are probalby suffering from fall off in orders in 2009... at least they can make stuff for they backyard; imagine the factories in Central America

Consumers were trained on 2008 to expect deep deep price cuts. TF, for example, is not happy with the little discounts, and didn't shop much. No worries, me thinks. Materialism will prevail in a capitalist society and they will be well trained by next Thanksgiving!

So... Retailers will be fine and consumers will slowly live the truth. Except for Armani Exchange, of course, who cost me 2 hours of sleep last night. Boo.

Entertain thyself, continued (In the Heights)

2009-11-25T04:14:00.002+08:00

On my last post, I really meant to include "In the Heights" but it slipped through the cracks. Guess that's the priority: sports, movie, musicals.

After flirting briefly with TKTS, we decided to get our tickets from Plum, which actually offered better seats for the same price. Front mezzinine, front row for $80ish.

I liked the show overall. It depicts the local life of a bunch of immigrants from South America... which reminded me a bit of Rent (about a local group of yuppies).

Music: Good music with some rap and latino flare mixed in with regular musical songs. It was a venture into some new music on stage and I thought they did a marvelous job on it. Rap voice doesn't travel as well as sung voice, so it was sometimes drowned out by the orchestra music. There's also a bit of Spanish in the songs, tho they do a decent job of mixing in the translation in the dialouge. The next version would most definitely be much improved
Cast: Decent performances from the cast. The lead guy (Usnavi) was pretty good with his rap but lacked expression on stage. The other leads were decent - Benny was consistent through out and performed well; Nina shined in the first act but faded in the second act. Decent performances for the rest of the cast.
Story: Well, it's your standard musical story. Introduction to all (smartly done), tension builds, someone dies, and all is resolved at the end. I enjoyed the 2nd act much better than the 1st, which I thought was a bit noisy and chaotic with the story free-flowing towards nowhere... thankfully it all tightened up in the 2nd act
Set: The set was somewhat boring with little interaction...

I enjoy musicals... but haven't gone to much while in NYC. Just not a priority compared to others!

Entertaining thyself in NYC: the Knicks, the Movie, and the Jets

2009-11-24T03:44:00.004+08:00

Thank god TF doesn't work at Evanston. Being in NYC with a lot of free time has been a huge blessing. I'm a lucky person, what can I say.

The Knicks

After the last Criagslist debacle trying to buy Cavs tickets, I tried again. Apparently the Warriors are a much easier ticket to score. I paid $60 per ticket (Face value $90) to a season ticket holder who couldn't wait to get rid of his tickets.

The game was a complete blah. The Knicks are a sorry team with no defense and no offense. Apparently Chris Duhon is not Steve Nash. Who saw that coming? Poor David Lee is stuck anchoring a non-existing defense and is being worked over on both ends. They've gotten Eddy Curry back and are surprisingly playing well with him. Oh, and there was a Darko sighting, which is always intriguing. I keep waiting for his up-side to show up.

The Warriors were more intriguing: superb offensive power with Ellis, Jackson, Morrow, and Moore (Mikki Moore, that is, just a joke of course), and Radolph. But no one to set up or direct the plays. So the whole game was a lot of Ellis and Jackson one-on-one, will Nellie pulling his hair out on the sidelines (quite funny when he storms into the court for a timeout). The Warriors have since dealt Captain Jack to relieve the backcourt clog and give Ellis the keys to the offense. They should become better.

Anyway, the game was boring at best and the Knicks lost by 20 something to the Warriors. Yay. Recommended for the great seats, but not for the experience!

The Movie

This is It (IMDB) at the 86th Street AMC... the experience was interesting.

First the theater: ghetto. The only reason we went there was cus 1. They were playing This is It at 7pm and 2. I was buying Jets tickets from a guy who lived around there but was only available at 9pm. Oh, and 3. We had an AMC pass. Anyway, the theater was small and smelling and the seats were squeaky and not well maintained. The crowd at the theater were the New Moon crowd - teenage girls who were screaming and OMGing all the time. Awful experience.

Then the movie: well. Ghetto as well. Despite a start time of 7:05, the previews didn't start till 7:15, and finally the movie started around 7:25... except that it was New Moon, to the great disgust of the audience (yeah, you wouldn't believe it, but they are decidedly different from the New Moon crowd). 10 minutes later, the manager came in to apologize and restart the movie. At 7:45, we finally got previews (previews again!?), and the movie started thereafter. One hour delay.

Now the real movie: This is It is basically the entire concert. They play every song in its final or close to final rehersal version. If you are an MJ fan, you basically see and imagine the concert right in front of your eyes. If not, like myself, then it's a bit of a drag for 2 hours (3 if you count the wait time we had). Nonetheless, it was a great portrait of MJ the artist meticulously preparing for his come back tour. The man was energized and prepared with a vision that none of the other artists saw. He basically knew exactly what he wanted and made all the others do it to his precise requirements.

I'm just sad that his concert never materialized. It would have been a great display of music and talent. And may all artists (Britney, especially you) and reality TV stars pay attention to how you can become a real entertainer! Movie recommended if you are an MJ fan. If you can swing one at an open theater where you can sing and scream and dance, even better!

The Jets

You may not believe this, but I have never been to a football game live. Ever. I've seen NBA, MLB, NHL, soccer, even college sports... but never an NFL game. My last weekend in NYC is the weekend of Thanksgiving, and luckily there are a lot of tickets avaialble at face value. Not that anyone would want to see the sorry Jets play the equally sorry Panthers. Anyway, I got tickets for field level, 15 yard line, row 7, so I'm super excited! (Just wondering if TF shares the same enthusiasm...)

Bill Belichick's decision

2009-11-18T22:02:00.000+08:00

When I saw it unravel on TV, I had two reactions:

Speaking to myself: holy fuck, what the hell is he doing?
Thinking to myself: that's a gutsy call... fuck Peyton Manning, we're going for it.

Wednesday after a Sunday, people are still talking about whether it is the right call or not. All the statisticians have came to Belichick's defense, while most sports personalities have been against.

I'm in the for-camp. I was chatting with my friend while the game was still going. Quickly throwing out these percentages on the top of my head:

Prob of converting 4th down: 50%
Prob of Colts scoring 7 from the 30 yard line: 90%
Prob of Colts scoring 7 for their own 30 yard line: 70%

So the Pats had a 55% of winning (50% + 50% * 10%) if they go for it. And 30% if they punted. So with the top of my head probabilities, Belichick was right. And that's not even adding the probability that the Colts score quickly, and Brady has the ball back to drive for a field goal in a minute.

Of course you can poke holes. The biggest argument that the anti-decision camp make is that you have to trust your defense to stop the Colts. Basically, they say the 70% is lower. Okay, let's examine: Peyton Manning just completed a 2 minute 80 yard touchdown drive (after a suspect pass interference call). He also has the 2 minute warning and a Colts timeout to use. If you're pegging his prob of success to be lower than 55%, I think you are greatly underestimating the QB. But hey, that's just me!

I think Steve Levitt says it best: it's a principle-agent problem with coaches. The probabilities are in the teams favor, but most coaches are adverse to taking risky decisions that are game changing.

#16 Bill Simmons

2009-11-17T12:19:00.001+08:00

Resume: 12 years, 8 quality, 8 All-Stars...

The case for Simmons as a Level 2 journalist is a long list:

He's the only journalist on the list to have a nickname, and that should count for something. He started posting his thoughts online as the Boston Sports Guy in 1997, when blog wasn't even a word yet. He's a pioneer of the "from a fan's point of view" style of writing. Biased and passionate, Simmons was unique among writers. His ability to reference pop culture was unparalleled. During his apex from 2002 to 2004, he routinely churned out a quality piece a week, sometimes two, and had readers checking his website every hour to see if a new article has popped up.

And then there's his contributions to fans: the immortal Ewing Theory, Level of Losing, the annual NBA Draft Diary, the Peyton Manning (among others) Face, in-game running diaries (since stolen by ESPN in-game chats), the Tyson/Artest Zone, the Annual NBA Trade Value column, the Atrocious GM Summit, Mailbags (actual emails from actual fans, baby!), Weekyl NFL picks (You know, if gambling were legal), Mount Rushmore of (Since stolen and popularized by other writers), and a fist fight with Isiah Thomas. As Simmons would always say, I made the last part up.

And those were only the ones that made it with fans (more on that later).

In only 12 years, he's already amassed millions of readers (some may even be fans, a rarity for sports journalists)... and counting. So why isn't the Boston Sports Guy ranked higher?

Well, you really have to put his career in perspective. From 1997 to 2001, Simmons wrote two to three columns a week on his own website. Sure, that's a lot of writing, but his readers were all die-hard Boston Red Sox/Celtics/Patriots/Bruins and wrestling fans. If you are evaluating him for the pyramid, you have to look at post 2001 numbers.

Did his rise as a sports columnist in 2001/2 coincide with the underdog New England Patriots winning the SuperBowl, with the Ewing Theory almost being changed to the Bledsoe Theory? You bet! What about the Red Sox, who were competitive enough to be an interesting topic to write and read about, but not enough to advance past the Yankees (in fact, the harder the Red Sox fell ('99, '01), the better the reaction of Simmon readers)? And then there's the Celtics, who were such an inept team even after they finally dropped the Rick "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, Kevin McHale is not walking through that door" Pitino. In 2001, they drafted Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, and then Joe Forte (thanks, Red, ahead of Parker), then traded the only blue chip (Johnson). What about the Bruins... oh, who am I kidding, the Bruins did nothing to enhance Mr. Simmons' career.

Coincidences all in Simmons' favor? I say yes.

Speaking of coincidences, more things to put into perspective: his apex from 2002 to 2004 happened the same time where he moved to LA to work on Jimmy Kimmel's staff. Hollywood, where osmosis happens. Simmons benefited immensely from hanging out with other fellow writers much like players from the '86 Celtics benefited from the Bird/Walton osmosis.

And the drop off after 2004? Well, to put it simply, the Boston Sports Guy became the Sports Guy. He left Jimmy Kimmels show where his colleagues constantly challenged him to become better and then joined ESPN to work with the very people that he has always dispised - sports journalists who report in an unbiased way. Suddenly, there's self sensorship - Simmons lamented that "certain promises were not kept" by ESPN and that ESPN "won't let me be me" (cry me a river please), there's pod-casts, and, the worst, there're less columns. Isn't this Scott Templeton in The Wire where a news writer just wants to be on better media mediums such as radios and TVs? I'm not saying Simmons made anything up... but his aspiration is to eventually be in TV, even though he looks horrible on TV. Perhaps his role as executive producer for ESPN's 30 in 30 might finally reinvent his role with ESPN and propel him to a Level 1 guy.

When looking at Simmons' career, you also cannot ignore the fact that the entire period from 1997 to 2009 was where sports stopped being fun and started to commercialize. Sky rocketing ticket prices ($100 for Red Sox bleacher tickets!?) and unimaginable free agent signings (I don't even want to list examples here) turned the casual fan off. And many of them turned to the"from a fan's point of view" style of Bill Simmons, finding a comfort place where "someone still understood how they felt". Oh, and of course, there's this thing called the Internet that aided - understatement of the century - the popularizing of the Boston Sports Guy.

Those are all circumstantial, of course. Coincidences that, looking back, may or may not have been a valid reason for Simmon's rise to #16. I say yes, and that's that. But there are also these out-right failures: discontinued cartoon series on ESPN, incomplete all-time sports movie rankings, etc.

The biggest failure ever: losing to the Sports Gal twice in picking NFL games (and possibly many more March Madness brackets) over two seasons. Look, either you never compete with your wife or you beat her soundly. There's no middle ground here.

The second biggest failuer: openly lobbied for being the General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks and then losing to John Hammond. Actually, maybe that was a joke. I'm not sure.

And hence his ranking at #16 and on the verge of being a level 1 guy. Quick footnote: I concede that he's career is on-going and may head for higher if he does return to his roots as a writer. Perhaps 30-in-30 will put him back on the map.

I once was a huge fan of the Boston Sports Guy. TF and I still use his definition (The toothbrush rule) to mark the date when she became my girlfriend. I used to check his website all the time to see if a new article was posted. Now? Well, in 2008, his article came behind Season 2 of Lost (see entry). That should be telling, right?

So, #16 it is for now. He can still write. I just hope it will be a column instead of more pod-casts and shows.

I will say this tho: trying to write a ranking profile for Bill Simmons made me appreciate his Book of Basketball that much more. Amazing book for NBA fans. Highly recommended - again.

The Book of Basketball

2009-11-14T00:42:00.000+08:00

I got the new Bill Simmon's "Book of Basketball" (Amazon) a week ago at a book signing. When I got to Borders for The Sports Guy to sign it, there was a ONE HOUR line. One hour! So instead of a personalized signed copy, I got signed copies only... and that's only because I was moving that day and the movers were knocking on the door

(My plan of quickly seeing the Sports Guy in person, snap a picture of him, have him sign the damn book, and back to the apartment to wait for movers fell through...)

It's actually a very thoughtfully written book so far. I loved "Now I Can Die in Peace", but "Book of Basketball" is much much better. The Sports Guy takes us through the history of basketball, several controversies, and then through a list of basketball players he deemed significant. I'm at p.620 now, and I am quite satisfied as an NBA fan.

Recommended? Of course! But only for NBA fans. It even inspired me to write a future blog entry (evil mind in works).

Dilbert should be comic only

2009-11-10T22:24:00.000+08:00

A month after buying the Dilbert book (yes, there's a book) for $1 at a garage sale, I abandoned the attempt at page 59. The Dilbert series are made to be comic strips and they ought to stay that way.

I guess comics are like powerpoint presentations. They have one message only and that message is explained in a condense/accurate/general way. You get into the details and explain it in all different ways, it's like going back to the word version of the powerpoint!

Not recommended.

Why Craigslist Failed

2009-11-08T00:59:00.001+08:00

So yesterday, I was trying to grab a pair of tickets to see LeBron James destroy the Knicks. There was a pretty good chance that 80% of his FGs would have been dunks with David Lee manning the middle. Since Stubhub is such a rip off, I resorted to Craigslist.

Asshole #1: after we agreed on $250 via email, he calls me and says it's $275. Then it's $300. I should have kept saying yes and backed off the deal at the end.
Asshole #2: after we agreed on $180 and a meeting time and place via phone call, he pulls a no-show/ no-call/ no-nothing on us... 30 minutes before the game!

Eventually, TF and I went to MSG and tried to scalp tickets. The first quarter was about done, and the scalpers are still looking for $150 each! Um, I think I'll watch it on TV. Anyway, turns out the first quarter was the best quarter, so we lucked out n a weird way.

But it did get me thinking on how Craigslist became what it is now. Craigslist used to be the place to go when you needed anything. It was the classifieds for the Internet generation, and it covered every aspect. Years ago in In Boston, I found a 1 month sub-lease, I found a temporary roommie, I even sold a Total Gym! In Chicago, I sold all my furniture, even the 230 pound TV! Good times. Now?

Instead of being the mecca for house listings, it's filled the real estate agents; the listings most people are looking for are buried under
In fact, you can say that about all the listings (except for garage sale) - tickets included... so many of them were ticket brokers
Meaning, you can't really find what you need on craigslist most of the time.

Did Craigslist just insist that they don't regulate the classifieds and let users run amok? Well, they did. Businesses took advantage of the free service and overwhelmed it. Plus everything is annonymous so people like asshole #1 and #2 are all over Craigslist. That's what happens when you offer a free and good product but don't hold people accountable.

A shame, really.

Same picture

2009-11-07T03:27:00.002+08:00

A verticle shot works even better... shame that I only realized this after posting my original one. Oh, and it's Thai Ice Tea from Won Dee Siam. Not a bad place for Thai food, but I've been spoiled in Asia.

NYC Food...

2009-11-07T03:23:00.001+08:00

I've eaten out a lot in NYC. Lots of pictures too. I feel bad that I haven't posted a lot of them. Here's one not for the food, but for the picture. All restaurnats and correspondng pictures will be posted at some point (hmmm... would that be like 50 pages then?)...

Anyway, I liked this picture.

Two Downtown Conversations in New York

2009-11-07T01:23:00.002+08:00

Conversation #1
Tourist: Hey, man, what's going on there? (Pointing at a parade two blocks away)
Josekin: (sigh) That's the parade for the Yankees
Tourist: Oh, wow, I love the Yankees. Thanks! (Happily trots over to the parade)
Josekin: (Shaking head - man, I hate the Yanks and their "fans")

Conversation #2
Food truck guy: Hey, Chinese man, you work around here?
Josekin: No, I live near here.
Food truck guy: Aw, damn, Chinese man rich!
Josekin: No, my fiance pays the rent.
Food truck guy: Really? High five!

Speaking of which, did you know LeBron James is a whining Yankee fan? How can he be a Yankee fan?

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-11-04T01:13:00.002+08:00

Okay, I've never read the books so I'm just a bit less appreciative of the movie.

Where the Wild Things Are (IMDB): this shouldn't be a movie for kids, despite the "lonely boy runs away from family and assumes position as king among some big headed wild things" plot. In fact, it's got a slightly depressing theme and is actually quite sophisticated in its message on how people conform (or not) to society. Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing it. Anyway, the movie was cute at times and boring at others. Ultimately, directors need to think about what they want to make: a movie adapting a children's book and for children, or a adult version of it. Mixing it just didn't work for either.

I do recommend the part where Douglas' arms were ripped off.

Not recommended for adults... nor for children.

Fuck Windows

2009-10-31T04:32:00.003+08:00

What can be worse than the BSOD in the modern world???? (Blue Screen of Death, duh!)

Try "Windowns cannot repair this computer automatically "

Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggggg. Mother fucking fuck fucking A! Pardon me for swearing.

Last night, I went to sleep thinking "Fuck Windows, I'm getting a Mac. Macs won't screw me like this"

Rescue mission underway now. Let's see how well Lenovo "Rescue and Recovery" does.

Chasing foliage... chasing memories

2009-10-29T07:12:00.002+08:00

I lived in CT, I lived in Boston, and now I am living temporarily in NYC. Always heard about chasing foliage, always wanted to go, never did. So when the chance came knocking on my door, I jumped at it.

Surprisingly, the chasing led me to Kent School, my high school in CT! I'm skipping all the other pictures and going straight to Kent.

Ivy hanging on the library

The following three are all on the Macedonia River

The sad part is, at no point while at Kent did I notice the beauty of The Fall. When we drove by Kent, I noticed The Villager, Fife and Drum, Shanghai Chinese, Pizza Garden, Coffee Shop (all eating establishments, obviously)... I recognize some of the shops and B&Bs... all the commercial stuff. And yet I don't notice the simple, innocent, stunning Fall views. For two years, I had the front row seat: right outside the windows of Miller Hall were these exact amazing views.

Anyway, I do notice now! I slowly examined the campus and took tons of pictures. And I look at the aforementioned results of capitalism and skipped them all.

While at the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, the owner came out to greet me, telling me that I look familiar. Yeah right, sure. It's been 12 years! 10 minutes later, she runs out of her restaurant, and asks whether I had a brother who went to Kent. She does remember.

Gladiator, Revisited

2009-10-27T21:40:00.003+08:00

Re-watched Gladiator on TNT the other day. Actually, I only watched my favorite scene where the slaves worked together in their first coliseum fight. As I re-watched this scene, I realized that I couldn't understand anything that was said (all murmurs and shouts)... it was a simple action scene and I liked it. That's it.

How did this silly movie win Oscar awards is beyond me. This is like a MVP race gone wrong: how did Gladiator beat Traffic? Definitely Traffic got the biggest snub... then it's , Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Chocolat, apparently two foreign dis-favorites which were both more worthy than Gladiator. And then there's Erin Brocovich... probably the same as Gladiator.

What a debacle.

Cirque du Freak

2009-10-26T08:03:00.003+08:00

Saw a free pre-show thanks to our friend S&E and their American Express connections. If it weren't free, I wouldn't have watched it.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (IMDB) - to be fair, I had no expectations whatsoever. So with the low expectations, I went to the movies and my expectations were fulfilled. The main debate post-show was which was the worse movie: du Freak or Couples Retreat (review)? I think Couples Retreat was worse because in du Freak, I only felt bored for about an hour and I only shook my head five times. Not recommended. While the ending set up for a bunch of potential sequels, fans of the movie (mostly teenagers, I'm guessing?) will be disappointed. No way a sequel will be made. And may all other vampire movies rest in peace.