Underpass Steps Design

Ever noticed that the stairs leading into some underpasses around Hong Kong have an extra step? At first, I thought that the extra step was to stop water entering and flooding the subway, but if it was, then they would have done something clever instead like a smart drainage system with a duct to channel the water somewhere else, or a ramp leading up to the step. In actual fact, the step is an ingenious way to transport people to the bottom as quickly as possible.

Luck Perks

Bad feng shui doesn't affect Caucasians, likewise walking under a ladder doesn't affect Chinese; the ultimate fight scene would be between a Chinese window cleaner and a Caucasian rubbish man.

Touching Door Handles

In Hong Kong, more people die from touching door handles than any other causes of unnatural death. The most poisonous door handles can be found in the men's toilet; in some cases, they can be so virulent that without immediate medical attention, you can drop dead within several hours of touching one. That is why you should wait for the door to be opened by someone else, then dive through the gap like Indiana Jones. If the door doesn't open for hours, and you think your girlfriend might get fed up of waiting, using a thick wad of tissues, grab the door handle and give it a quick tug - keeping contact time to a minimum - make your escape, and live to tell the tale.

Avoid MTR Pitfalls

The other day, on an already crowded train that was about to depart the terminus at Tung Chung, a seat next to me stayed vacant as several unaccompanied persons walked right past. At one point, a slightly dishevelled woman in her forties, by herself, stood next to it while looking yonder for greener pastures. After a while, I was beginning to wonder if she would ever sit down as the train began moving. Then it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps individual MTR seating held different values; unwittingly, I had settled down in the ghetto area of the train - this woman was obviously holding out for a better deal - she was looking to buy prime real estate!

Forget Hong Kong housing speculation, the next boom is in MTR seating.

Noise Pollution

One of the first things that visitors will notice about Hong Kong is that it is a very noisy city. There is clamour almost everywhere you go, and even if you decide to stay indoors, you can be certain of annoying construction work disturbance from neighbouring dwellings.

You might ask, how do people manage to live in such a noisy environment? The answer is quite simple: Hong Kong people are deaf. It's true. If you go to any Chinese restaurant, the customers don't talk, they shout at each other - we just haven't developed a sign language yet - people communicate by iPhone, that's why it's so popular over here.

Hong Kong Exercise Style

Hong Kong exercise style is simply this: Warm-up stretching for twenty minutes, then actual exercise for five minutes which usually involves walking at a slower pace than normal and clapping your hands as if applauding sarcastically (stop immediately as soon as you break a sweat), then warm-down with more light stretching for another twenty minutes. That adds up to forty-five minutes, so treat yourself to a tall double latte with whipped cream to round up your total workout time to an hour.

Yet Another HK Blog ...

It almost feels a bit rude to start a blog without the obligatory introductory post - so here it is. Have fun with it.