Information Requested - Hong Kong Trip Planning

Okay, right at the outset let me say:

Please note: no spam, junk, sleaze or tacky rubbish. If you don't know me and haven't read my blog, think twice before leaving anything other than your fleeting glances.

My request is fairly simple - I am going to be in Hong Kong for 3 or so days at the end of June and I would like recommendations on *must see* places to visit, places to eat and any other avenues of *memorable experience*.
Again, let me remind you, keep it clean and family-oriented. :)

I've been told that Hong Kong is expensive, so places that are light on the budget would be really good.
I am always up for new cultural experiences, so ideas in that vein are welcome too.

The Migration has occurred...

Okay, so I am leaving this blog here for the next little while.
I may even update it if I feel it needs to happen.
BUT if you really, really want to know what is going on with me, it is time to update your feeds and/or your weblink to the new Oh Waily Waily weblog, which can now be found here.

If you have a weblog of your own that I haven't seen yet and you think I might:
a) like it;
b) find it informative;
c) want to keep in touch with you;
d) find it amusing;
then leave a comment.

{Please note: no spam, junk, sleaze or tacky rubbish. If you don't know me and haven't read my blog, think twice before leaving anything other than your fleeting glances.}

Who Moved My Cheese?

I've just finished reading this nifty little book by Spencer Johnson M.D. and can recommend it for a little bit of light reading.

It is a business and life parable involving two mice and two littlepeople.
It is a simple story that reflects on many humans dislike of change and the fear that promotes "stick-in-the-mudness".
I have to say that I have read much better written parables that have a similar intention of highlighting areas where our emotions create difficulties for us in life, but not one directed solely to the fear of change. I found this one less lively and buoyant in tone. It felt flat and lacked the upbeat writing style of say, Fish, Fish Sticks or Gung Ho!

The concepts (or "The Handwriting on the Wall") are good, but could have been presented in a more pleasing format.

On the whole, a 2 out of 5 rating.

Shi mian mai fu (House of Flying Daggers)

This was DVD number 2 for us last weekend. It sounded good from the cover description, and as I am a fan of kung fu and Hong Kong/Chinese movies I thought it would make for a good afternoon of viewing.

I was disappointed by the story. And I am sorry to say that I got bored about 20 minutes from the end.
I don't like being disappointed by kung fu movies. It just feels wrong to me not to have enjoyed such skill and grace.
I thought the pacing was fine until it came time to wrap the story up. It dragged on and on and on. It was clear that the two lovers were not going to ride happily off into the sunset. The reaction of "the jilted man" was excessive but it would not have spoiled the ending, but for the ridiculous length of time and unnecessary fighting that finally came to an end with the heroine's death.

Okay, so that was the bad stuff.

On the flip side of the excruciatingly long, dragged out ending, is the sheer beauty and texture of this film.
This is the second film by Yimou Zhang that I have seen in recent months, the other being Hero or Ying xiong. They are both beautifully filmed pieces and have stunning visual impact.
In House of Flying Daggers there are many wonderful visual treats - the Echo game, the chase through the forest, and the chase through the bamboo grove. The latter is particularly good, especially if you like the colour green.
The costumes are flawlessly beautiful and there is no complaints about spending time looking at the actors either with Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro in the main roles.

But I still can't reconcile the lack of compact storytelling with the beautiful look of the film. Which is a real shame.

I can't give this a good recommendation for the entire film entity, but if you want to see what great visuals are possible in a movie, then spend your $5 and hire this DVD. Just remember - buyer beware - you may be bored before the end.

Constantine

John and I got this DVD out last weekend. Starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. It also has a nice turn by Tilda Swinton as the angel Gabriel.

On the whole a fair way to spend an hour or so. If you have strong Christian faith that does not extend to "artistic licence" then this may not be an option for a Saturday night. If you are not too bothered about people interpreting your faith for entertainment, then you may be fine with this movie. It is certainly not "high" entertainment. It is not cerebral in any way that I can define.

It is pretty much what you expect - a Hollywood movie. It has a hero, who is an anti-hero in many ways. It has a heroine (read "victim to be rescued by said hero"). It has the ultimate baddie, who actually saves the day (out of self-interest of course). You never actually see the ultimate goodie !

One of the goodies is actually not quite so good, although as the saying goes - "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". It is certainly seen from a cynical point of view, where even the 'good' are imperfect.
Fallibility and humanity seem to be imprinted on even the 'divine' or 'semi-divine', but I guess that is our view as humanity.

On the whole, it is good entertainment, just don't expect it to rock your world or challenge your intellect.

Bleat !

No, make that rant !
Umm, no. Make that a "public service announcement", since I did say that I wouldn't rant in this blog.

Okay. For those of you who don't know - my business is Marine Safety. For those non-NZers, or those away from home, we have had yet another tragic loss of life at sea. The NZ Herald has many articles on this latest event, but the first paragraph of this one is the key for me.

For the past three years John and I have been paying good money to display our products at boat shows around New Zealand. These products include lifejackets and liferafts. I could do you a good sales pitch for why you should buy our products, but that isn't the point I want to make here.

In the first year we attended boat shows we turned up to all of them. By the end of the long and weary-making first one we discovered some very disturbing facts about the NZ boating public. These "quirks" that we discovered have since reappeared at all of the subsequent shows and have been rehashed in many variations. Here are the core issues:

1. They know NOTHING about their safety gear !


2. They THINK they know EVERYTHING about their safety gear !


3. They don't think they will ever need to use it ("It won't happen to me; my boat is unsinkable, etc.") !


4. They had no idea what they were buying when they bought it, but it must be good because they bought it and the salesman was friendly and told them it was perfect for all forms of boating !


5. They think ALL products give them the same result !


6. They would rather spend that huge amount of money for a real lifejacket for their kids on some new fishing kit for themselves ! (Sarcasm is all mine)

So. You can tell that these little foibles really tick me off. Those poor folk on this most recent vessel were apparently not wearing any lifesaving gear, despite the rough conditions. One of the most common reasons given to us for not wearing lifejackets on board is the discomfort. One of the things we are constantly telling people is that in an emergency the ONLY lifejacket that is any good is the one you are wearing ! So you need to spend maybe NZ$50 to NZ$100 more on a lifejacket that you can do this with, so what ?! What is your life actually worth to you?
Here's that paragraph again:

" Two big waves struck so suddenly and violently that no one caught in the Foveaux Strait trawler tragedy had a chance to react."

Apparently Kiwis are just not getting the idea. Accidents and emergencies are not patient, wait for you to get yourself organised, events. They are often nasty, violent and unnecessarily tragic. And they certainly don't wait for you to "catch up" with the situation.

Please, please, please.

If you own a boat, know someone who does, get them to invest in good safety gear - not the cheap and nasty stuff that they won't use or wear ALL of the time. The ONLY time you want to use these things is when your life depends on it. That's not the time when you can take your $20 Warehouse foam jackets back and get a refund ! Don't skimp - good quality equipment, taken care of, will last you nearly your entire life on the water. And will possibly save your life on the water one day.

Don't buy from the "quick-sale" merchant. If they are offering you a cheap deal you do want to be asking yourself why. There are very few industries where "you get what you pay for", and this is one of them. Read up, research, ask awkward questions of the person selling the product. If they don't know an answer, or can't get you an answer, then don't buy from them. They don't know enough for you to give your life into their hands. Unfortunately in this country (NZ) there are some very big names with questionable ethics, so don't always think that 'big name' equals 'your best interests at heart'. There is a fair chance that the best interest for them is their bottom line.

Buy from someone who wants to teach you everything they know about their equipment, from using it to how to care for it. If they send you away to try other people's products like we do, it means they are serious about you finding the absolutely right product for you to wear. That means you will have probably found someone who actually gives a damn about your life and not only about their bottom line.

Be proactive. Be cautious. Ask questions. Don't hold desperately to "it won't happen to me". Don't fall for slick sales pitches. Buy for your use, need and comfort, not for the "boat show special" savings. And don't give away your power to the sales person. You are the only person who knows what you do on the water.

 

So. In the end, I ranted. :(

Mrs Henderson Presents

For my birthday treat I was escorted to the Lido Cinema in Epsom to enjoy a big cushy recliner chair in the front row of their Lounge Cinema.

After initial doubts that my eyesight would cope with the very up-close and personal relationship the front row has with the screen, I settled in to enjoy the film.

The film is set just prior to and into the early years of the Second World War including the era of the blitz, and revolves around The Windmill Theatre.
Judi Dench is, of course, Mrs Henderson and Bob Hoskins is Vivien Van Damm. It is a lovely little vignette of British theatrical life, and a rather quirky relationship between the two central characters. It is fair to say that Bob Hoskins is playing against type in this film. It feels slightly odd, but not to the point of being unbelievable.

If nudity is off-putting to you, then perhaps this isn't the movie for you as it is not restricted to the pretty "tableaux" girls.

It is also very poignant in places, but in an understated way. Take for instance Laura Henderson's visit to the lake on the way back from her husband's funeral to his wake. How she behaves when someone rows passed her is an interesting insight into self-control and self-denial. Or perhaps it is simply the social graces of the time.
I enjoyed the film and found a fair amount of humour in it, although the audience we were with did not share this same feeling throughout. A lady in the lobby prior to the movie said that her session was in uproar most of the time and that they had found it hilarious in places.

So, while I can still recommend this as a fair spend of your money, I guess there is a lot of 'hit and miss' to the humour Mrs Henderson presented.