Formation of Hongkong government in Exile

Yesterday, with the help of functional constituents representatives, Parliament of Vichy Hongkong has forcefully passed a bill to open up the border with China.  This was done by ignoring the 3000 plus revision requests by some concerned members.  The public is in fury.  I am outraged!

In response, our facebook community has started to discuss the possibility of forming a shadow government.  A government that listen to the peoples' wish.  The idea is to present an alternative to the current government and eventually replace it.  It is an excellent idea, but so as communism.  An exile government could produce unwanted politics.  Look at the Tibetan, for example, do we really want to be in exile for several generations?  Are we ready for that?  I doubt the ordinary Hongkong citizens are.

Nonetheless, this office is prepared to step up as long as the peoples of Hongkong call for me.  Hongkong needs a prime minister, just like Canada and Australia.  I live in Vancouver, so the fear of Chinese persecutions are minimal.   Oh well, I am not supposed to campaign quite yet.  For now, here is my deal.  If I can secure 689 comments on this post, I will considered myself nominated.  I will contact like minded people to form my cabinet.  With further discussions, my team and I will publish our campaign policies.  May the best team wins.

God save Hongkong

There's More Than One Of Everything

Growing up in British Hongkong, I was accustomed to the great contrast of Eastern and Western civilizations.  When I was young, I can comfortably drink Chinese tea in the morning, British tea in the afternoon.  Over time, however, the definition of "Chinese" starts to change.  The dual realities that peoples around the World experience is very much different then it used to be.

• There are two logics - "logic" and "Chinese logic"
• There are two milks - "milk" and "Chinese milk"
• There are two foods - "food" and "Chinese food"
• There are two elections - "election" and "Chinese election"
• There are two constitutions - "constitution" and "Chinese constitution"
• There are two socialisms - "socialism" and "Chinese socialism"
• There are two governments - "government" and "Chinese government"
• There are two democracies - "democracy" and "Chinese democracy"

As for us British loyalists, we are especially sad because

• There are two Hongkongs - "Hongkong" and "Chinese Hongkong"

Sometimes I wonder, in a parallel universe which my people rejected the Chinese British Joint Declaration in 1984, how does Hongkong fare...

World Cup

32 teams from 32 countries gathered in Brazil to participate in World Cup.  Compare to the Olympics, developing countries have relatively more opportunities to compete in this tournament.  Some would say it is a chance, a windows, for slam dog children to achieve unimaginable wealth and glory.  It brings hope to children living in poverty, that someday they will become a Neymar or Messi.  Personally, I enjoy watching the games very much.  Yet, I cannot help myself wondering if the game is lifting kids up and giving them a better future.

Let's take our host country as our example.  According to UNICEF report on Brazil, 17 million children live in poverty or "extreme poverty".  To put that number into prospective, that is more than half the population of Canada.  Assuming a national football superstar comes once per generation of about 20 years, these 17 million children are competing for one seat of stardom.  17 million children play soccer for the most part of their day because they perceive soccer as the only way to salvation, among them, one will get there. 

We do play a very similar game here in Canada.  We call it lotto 649.  Even with the infamous comparison to being strike by lightning, the odd of winning the big one lies in the neighborhood of 1 in 14 million - still better than World Cup.  Plus, we don't set aside our lives and devote our entire youthful days rolling the balls.  We get a degree, get a job, pay our taxes, and (if BCFT and the ministry decided to grow up) provide the same opportunity to our young.  Without a welfare and schooling system, the typical street children have no means to move up onto the middle class.  The cycle of poverty continues.

As usual, I am just ranting.  Let's go back to enjoy the game!

Coupon Fine Prints

Being a country leader in exile, I have very little resources.  Since none of you are paying taxes, the Hongkong government is not paying me any salary.  I live as frugal as I can just to get by.  Living costs are expensive here in Vancouver.  Therefore, coupon clipping is my daily routine to find bargain to lower my costs.

Last evening, this leaflet arrived at my mailbox.  It says "spend $10 and get $10 off".  Initially, I thought it meant buy $20 worth of grocery and get $10 discount.  Upon reading the cashier instruction, I realized it is $10 on the original bill to qualify.  For a savvy consumer, it means buy $11 and pay only $1.  Okay, I am just very cheap, okay!?  But the lesson here is to read the fine print, even when it is not meant for you!

Reproductions of this coupon is invalid.  I have it attached here so you guys won't throw it out as garbage/recycle.  It is GOLD!  Fine prints also say limited time offer, so spread the good news to your friends and relative, QUICK!

Developement could be illogical

Slowly driving downhill on Canada Way, I am going slightly below speed limit.  Numerous vehicles pass me by and I don't really care.  I am relaxed and coasting down the hill.  I know the car will speed up eventually, so why the rush.  I sit and let gravity does its job.

Truly rare occasion nowadays, being self-employed, I am usually busy running around the city meeting clients.  Especially so these weeks when the teacher's union action shuts down schools from time to time.  Parents look for me as substitute educational service.  Or, at least, during office hours, they have the peace of mind knowing their kids are with a trusted tutor doing math instead of hanging out with unknown peoples.  I left home at 8am only to return at 11pm last night.  I work almost as hard as my childhood friends in Hongkong.

In contrast to lives in Vancouver, my constituents in Hongkong live an extremely busy lives.  They run around the city doing their thing.  Break a sweat just to bring home the BBQ pork.  Environment and live style pushed aside to make ways for more developments, more money.  Never pause for a second to ask the meaning of all these hassles.  I petty them.  Yet, Vancouverites are blindly following that footstep. 

Other then all the Asian faces on the street, we are putting up condominiums to house more people.  As a person who drive for a living, I witness many real estate construction on the daily basis.  Still, it breaks my heart to see patches of urban green spaces cleared.  Some say economic development is important.  I tell them, "go back to China".  We are Canadian, the village people.

This is from Google, it is a recently disappeared greenery, evidence that Vancouver is rapidly being Hongkongized.

Another night, another lie

News from Hongkong echo in my head.  This was another one of those sleepless nights.  I woke up to roam around my apartment looking for distractions to calm my mind.  The bright screen of my computer was the obvious choice at this hour.  Great, more news.

By saying computer, I meant the Internet. By saying the Internet, I meant facebook.  It was the prime time for my kinsmen to go online.  A single topic dominated the chat room.  It was how the new Chinese "White Paper" twisted the meaning of my territory's autonomy.  My peoples were complaining the loss of freedoms across the board.  They worried their way of life would be unsustainable.

I comforted them.  I told them that lives had changed.  Like frogs in boiling pots, they just hadn't noticed any changes.  The good life promised to be unchanged for 50 years by the almighty chairman, now only exists in the memories of old men such as myself.  Self determination was a broken dream.  Today, the new chairman simply put those reality into cruel words onto cold white paper.  Nothing is new, nothing is unexpected.

No comforts for boiling frogs.