My travel plans had gotten a bit complicated by now. I wanted to take the Foreign Service Officer Test during the June 5-12 window, but the only country in the area that offered it was Taiwan. Luckily I was able to get a great deal on a flight and hotel from a travel agent in Hong Kong. I considered it worth the money so I wouldn't have to wait four months to take the exam, and it's always nice to get a new passport stamp.
My first impression upon entering Taiwan was a pervasive sense of confusion. Am I in China? Am I not in China? I knew that China considered Taiwan to be a "rogue province," so I was naturally a bit confused when my entry paperwork said "Welcome to the Republic of China." The key word that is missing, of course, is "People's." Taiwan and the surrounding islands are the last remnants of the nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek which was defeated by Mao's communists in 1949. The R.O.C. claims to be the legitimate representative of mainland China, but is recognized as such by only 23 countries. This explains why I was taking the exam at the American Institute, as opposed to an "embassy" or "consulate." I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the R.O.C.'s claims and the time in the early 1990's when Ric Flair showed up in the WWF with his own belt claiming to be the "real world's champion." Whoooo!
One thing was perfectly clear: the sign at the airport which informed me that drug trafficking in the R.O.C. is punishable by death. I was thankful that I had left my supply of horse tranquilizers in Korea.
Disclaimer for future employers/my mother: the above sentence is a joke. I have never engaged in the production, transportation, distribution, or consumption of horse tranquilizers.
First impressions weren't great. I walked to the tourist information center where I was immediately jumped upon by a very pushy gentleman. He wanted to order a car for me to take me to the hotel. The price he quoted me was NT 1400, or about USD 42. This seemed unreasonably high to me. He and his colleague kept pushing me and trying to get me to write my name down and pay the money; I've learned that people only behave that way when they are trying to screw you. Instead I was able to get a bus into town for NT 140 and then take a subway to my hotel's door for NT 20. Suck on that, pushy Taiwanese guy!
I had a bit of difficulty locating my hotel due to a poor Mapquest map. Once there, I settled in for a boring night. After all, I had a test to take the next morning!
Due to non-disclosure agreements, I cannot blog about the test. Sorry. But I think it went well. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Vegas + History = Macau
Getting into China is a pain. I looked into the proposition with visions of Great Walls dancing in my head. Turns out you need a visa, which costs money and may or may not only be issued at Chinese consulates in the United States. Come to think of it, the only friends I can think of who visited China recently were Canadian. Well, if you can't get into China, do the next best thing: visit the Special Administrative Regions! It's like being in China with less hassle and more capitalism. Having run out of things I wanted to do in Hong Kong, I decided to take the hour long ferry to the former Portugese colony of Macau. I had heard about three main attractions: Portugese food, Portugese architecture, and degenerate gambling facilities. I hoped to sample all three.
My lack of a debit card finally caught up to me, as the ferry terminal only accepted cash. I tried to take cash out with my credit card, but that proved impossible. Fortunately I had $30 in Yankee Cash with me and there was a currency exchange nearby. For the moment that settled the problem as Macau accepts Hong Kong dollars. I purchased my ticket and crafted an ingenious strategy to get some cash in Macau . . . more on that shortly.
I got mildly seasick on the ferry, but it was fascinating to see that all signs and forms used three languages: Chinese, English, and Portugese. I'm not sure how often the Portugese is actually used, but I did hear a few people speaking in what sounded like a Romance language during my stay. We disembarked in the gambling district, which confused me initially. What I believed was a Portugese fort or Confucian temple was in fact part of a cheesy casino, I think. I walked to the historic part of Macau, where I saw some lovely old Portugese buildings which come in some strange colors:
These buildings may not be surprising considering Portgual is the country that produced this guy.
I found a nice Portguese restaurant where I got a stunning sirloin steak encrusted with garlic. It came with a vegetable soup, fries, and rolls. Outstanding, but unfortunately the restaurant was playing some of the worst music of all time, including Celine Dion, Vanessa Williams, Elton John, and that wretched "Every Time You Go Away" song by some guy who I'm not going to even pay the honor of looking up on Google. I didn't think anything could make me miss K-Pop, but there you have it.
Next I checked out some historic sites, including the ruins of a cathedral and the fortress, which now houses the Macau Museum. I walked to the free Macau Grand Prix and Wine Museums. Yes, a museum devoted to drinking is right next door to a museum devoted to driving. You couldn't make it up.
At this point I was starting to get a bit too much color and my ankles - fragile at the best of times - were starting to give out after all the walking and the Adidas assault from the previous day. I decided to put my plan into action. I figured, where are they going to let me take out cash with my credit card? Where would they actually WANT me to be walking around with money in my pocket? The casinos, of course! I thought I'd get some money, play a couple of hands of blackjack, then cash in my chips and be set until my replacement debit card comes.
This plan did not work well.
Not because I pissed away the money, though I did lose about HKD 350 on blackjack before making back a bit on Roulette. The transaction required a 25-minute approval process, with the cashier calling the bank in China, and that bank calling MY bank in the states. Personally, I was thrilled. I was managing to screw both a casino AND a bank at the same time. I'm hoping the long distance charges outweighed the money they gained from my gambling. On top of that, I won a free cup of coffee from the "lucky spin wheel." After a club sandwich and a gin martini, I headed back to the ferry and headed home, in preparation for my flight to Taiwan.
Pictures will be up later. Contact me if you are interested.
My lack of a debit card finally caught up to me, as the ferry terminal only accepted cash. I tried to take cash out with my credit card, but that proved impossible. Fortunately I had $30 in Yankee Cash with me and there was a currency exchange nearby. For the moment that settled the problem as Macau accepts Hong Kong dollars. I purchased my ticket and crafted an ingenious strategy to get some cash in Macau . . . more on that shortly.
I got mildly seasick on the ferry, but it was fascinating to see that all signs and forms used three languages: Chinese, English, and Portugese. I'm not sure how often the Portugese is actually used, but I did hear a few people speaking in what sounded like a Romance language during my stay. We disembarked in the gambling district, which confused me initially. What I believed was a Portugese fort or Confucian temple was in fact part of a cheesy casino, I think. I walked to the historic part of Macau, where I saw some lovely old Portugese buildings which come in some strange colors:
These buildings may not be surprising considering Portgual is the country that produced this guy.
I found a nice Portguese restaurant where I got a stunning sirloin steak encrusted with garlic. It came with a vegetable soup, fries, and rolls. Outstanding, but unfortunately the restaurant was playing some of the worst music of all time, including Celine Dion, Vanessa Williams, Elton John, and that wretched "Every Time You Go Away" song by some guy who I'm not going to even pay the honor of looking up on Google. I didn't think anything could make me miss K-Pop, but there you have it.
Next I checked out some historic sites, including the ruins of a cathedral and the fortress, which now houses the Macau Museum. I walked to the free Macau Grand Prix and Wine Museums. Yes, a museum devoted to drinking is right next door to a museum devoted to driving. You couldn't make it up.
At this point I was starting to get a bit too much color and my ankles - fragile at the best of times - were starting to give out after all the walking and the Adidas assault from the previous day. I decided to put my plan into action. I figured, where are they going to let me take out cash with my credit card? Where would they actually WANT me to be walking around with money in my pocket? The casinos, of course! I thought I'd get some money, play a couple of hands of blackjack, then cash in my chips and be set until my replacement debit card comes.
This plan did not work well.
Not because I pissed away the money, though I did lose about HKD 350 on blackjack before making back a bit on Roulette. The transaction required a 25-minute approval process, with the cashier calling the bank in China, and that bank calling MY bank in the states. Personally, I was thrilled. I was managing to screw both a casino AND a bank at the same time. I'm hoping the long distance charges outweighed the money they gained from my gambling. On top of that, I won a free cup of coffee from the "lucky spin wheel." After a club sandwich and a gin martini, I headed back to the ferry and headed home, in preparation for my flight to Taiwan.
Pictures will be up later. Contact me if you are interested.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hong Kong, Day 3
Day 3 was a very up-and-down day.
I had been relying a little heavily on foreign food (Starbucks and Burger King) so I decided to find a more authentic Hong Kong dining experience for my early lunch. In keeping with the rule I learned in Korea, I walked into the most crowded restaurant I could find. Also in keeping with what I experienced in Korea, my ginger chicken was undercooked. Memo to Asia: rare chicken is not a thing!
I then hit up a shoe store. I do a TON of walking when I am traveling, and my five-year-old Timberland boots are not the ideal choice; a blister had formed on one of my toes. I picked up a pair of Adidas sneakers for the very reasonable sale price of HKD 169, or about 20 bucks. I was close enough to the hotel that I went back and put them on. It was hot and humid and I wanted to wear shorts, but shorts and boots is pretty much not cool at all. The jeans were swapped for shorts and the boots swapped for Adidas.
P.S., if you're going to spend the whole day on your feet, do not do it in new shoes. They needed to be broken in and ended up cutting into my heels really badly. I'm not sure I'll ever get the blood stain out of that sock. Seriously.
Next I headed across Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong Island with the intention of doing another walking tour. I checked out a few temples then went to the Museum of Coastal Defense, which was terrific. It seems like a very specific subject, but it was housed in an old fort and had a great survey of the entire military history of Hong Kong. I think these sorts of esoteric museums can be excellent. Some people obviously cared a great deal about the topic and put a lot of effort into it. Plus, they had a tank. And they quoted my hero, William Tecumseh Sherman. Bam!
Wandering back towards the temple area, I stopped into a little restaurant and had an absolutely stellar beef yellow curry for about USD 5. I like Korean food, I really do, but it generally only contains one spice - red pepper - and variety is nice. Following this triumph, I made a ghastly error and got on one of the trams to head to the city center. The tram gets stuck in traffic, stops too often, goes on random detours, and there really isn't anything interesting to see on the route anyway. I suggest walking on your hands instead. You'll get there just as fast, and you might get a few tips from impressed onlookers. After an excruciating hour where I got about halfway to my destination, I gave up and took the subway the rest of the way.
At first I was upset as this scuttled my plans to visit The Peak on a high-incline tram. In retrospect, I'm glad I missed it. I found out later that "The Peak" contains such god-awful mass-produced tourist traps as Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant, a Hard Rock cafe merchandise store (not even a restaurant or casino!), and a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. If you ever see me in a wax museum, call the police because I've been kidnapped and I am there against my will. I cannot stress this enough. If I was given the choice of staring at creepy wax figures or participating in a live-ammunition re-enactment of the Battle of Guadalcanal, I would flip a coin and let fate decide.
I wandered around for a bit photographing the various skyscrapers, then headed to the IFC mall. I had one major objective: I needed a new carry-on bag. The unpacking-repacking incident at Incheon revealed the fact that I had way too much in my checked baggage and needed a more spacious carry-on. IFC mall was simply no help. It was spacious, gorgeous, and way out of my price range. Luggage isn't something you should skimp on, and I wasn't going to buy some no-name brand on the street, but I found myself longing for The Bon Marche . . . oh, sorry, MACY'S . . . where you can buy last year's model of a good brand for 40% off. needed the suitcase, but I wasn't about to drop $270 at the Samsonite store on a whim. Defeated, I returned to the subway and headed for home while forced to watch a young couple make out from the mall down through the station and on to the train. Yuck.
Back on Nathan Street I checked out a few more malls with little success. Just when I was about to give up and give my battered feet a break, I accidentally stumbled into Mecca. First of all, there was a HUGE soccer superstore. They didn't have Bolton (they did have our inbred arch rivals, Blackburn) but they had a Hong Kong national team jersey. I gave up trinkety crap souvenirs a long time ago but I always try to pick up a jersey from the places I travel. Across the hall was a Wenger Swiss Army luggage store where everything was 30% off. And below that was some deliciously greasy pepperoni pizza. I decided to call that a successful day and took a hot bath.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed with Hong Kong. There was some great shopping and some very cool architecture, but it wasn't for me. My favorite cities - Copenhagen, London, Florence for instance - are the places where history mingles with the present and you can't spit without hitting a beautiful old building, and equestrian statue or a plaque denoting some significant event. I didn't really experience that in Hong Kong, though it's always possible I missed it. That's not to say I would advise against visiting. Just come with friends to check out the restaurants and bars, and come with empty suitcases to take advantage of the deals.
Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2593085&id=10712264&l=5b9d060ed5
I had been relying a little heavily on foreign food (Starbucks and Burger King) so I decided to find a more authentic Hong Kong dining experience for my early lunch. In keeping with the rule I learned in Korea, I walked into the most crowded restaurant I could find. Also in keeping with what I experienced in Korea, my ginger chicken was undercooked. Memo to Asia: rare chicken is not a thing!
I then hit up a shoe store. I do a TON of walking when I am traveling, and my five-year-old Timberland boots are not the ideal choice; a blister had formed on one of my toes. I picked up a pair of Adidas sneakers for the very reasonable sale price of HKD 169, or about 20 bucks. I was close enough to the hotel that I went back and put them on. It was hot and humid and I wanted to wear shorts, but shorts and boots is pretty much not cool at all. The jeans were swapped for shorts and the boots swapped for Adidas.
P.S., if you're going to spend the whole day on your feet, do not do it in new shoes. They needed to be broken in and ended up cutting into my heels really badly. I'm not sure I'll ever get the blood stain out of that sock. Seriously.
Next I headed across Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong Island with the intention of doing another walking tour. I checked out a few temples then went to the Museum of Coastal Defense, which was terrific. It seems like a very specific subject, but it was housed in an old fort and had a great survey of the entire military history of Hong Kong. I think these sorts of esoteric museums can be excellent. Some people obviously cared a great deal about the topic and put a lot of effort into it. Plus, they had a tank. And they quoted my hero, William Tecumseh Sherman. Bam!
Wandering back towards the temple area, I stopped into a little restaurant and had an absolutely stellar beef yellow curry for about USD 5. I like Korean food, I really do, but it generally only contains one spice - red pepper - and variety is nice. Following this triumph, I made a ghastly error and got on one of the trams to head to the city center. The tram gets stuck in traffic, stops too often, goes on random detours, and there really isn't anything interesting to see on the route anyway. I suggest walking on your hands instead. You'll get there just as fast, and you might get a few tips from impressed onlookers. After an excruciating hour where I got about halfway to my destination, I gave up and took the subway the rest of the way.
At first I was upset as this scuttled my plans to visit The Peak on a high-incline tram. In retrospect, I'm glad I missed it. I found out later that "The Peak" contains such god-awful mass-produced tourist traps as Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant, a Hard Rock cafe merchandise store (not even a restaurant or casino!), and a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. If you ever see me in a wax museum, call the police because I've been kidnapped and I am there against my will. I cannot stress this enough. If I was given the choice of staring at creepy wax figures or participating in a live-ammunition re-enactment of the Battle of Guadalcanal, I would flip a coin and let fate decide.
I wandered around for a bit photographing the various skyscrapers, then headed to the IFC mall. I had one major objective: I needed a new carry-on bag. The unpacking-repacking incident at Incheon revealed the fact that I had way too much in my checked baggage and needed a more spacious carry-on. IFC mall was simply no help. It was spacious, gorgeous, and way out of my price range. Luggage isn't something you should skimp on, and I wasn't going to buy some no-name brand on the street, but I found myself longing for The Bon Marche . . . oh, sorry, MACY'S . . . where you can buy last year's model of a good brand for 40% off. needed the suitcase, but I wasn't about to drop $270 at the Samsonite store on a whim. Defeated, I returned to the subway and headed for home while forced to watch a young couple make out from the mall down through the station and on to the train. Yuck.
Back on Nathan Street I checked out a few more malls with little success. Just when I was about to give up and give my battered feet a break, I accidentally stumbled into Mecca. First of all, there was a HUGE soccer superstore. They didn't have Bolton (they did have our inbred arch rivals, Blackburn) but they had a Hong Kong national team jersey. I gave up trinkety crap souvenirs a long time ago but I always try to pick up a jersey from the places I travel. Across the hall was a Wenger Swiss Army luggage store where everything was 30% off. And below that was some deliciously greasy pepperoni pizza. I decided to call that a successful day and took a hot bath.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed with Hong Kong. There was some great shopping and some very cool architecture, but it wasn't for me. My favorite cities - Copenhagen, London, Florence for instance - are the places where history mingles with the present and you can't spit without hitting a beautiful old building, and equestrian statue or a plaque denoting some significant event. I didn't really experience that in Hong Kong, though it's always possible I missed it. That's not to say I would advise against visiting. Just come with friends to check out the restaurants and bars, and come with empty suitcases to take advantage of the deals.
Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2593085&id=10712264&l=5b9d060ed5
Hong Kong, Days 1 and 2
It's a blogging frenzy tonight! I've got a lot of catching up to do. With Live From the 38th Parallel on hiatus for now, I've still got 4 days and 2 Special Administrative Regions to catch up on.
Once I sorted out the airport debacles and wiped off the wine, Hong Kong was straightforward. I walked over to the tourism desk and asked for their cheapest hotel, which was HKD 400 a night, or about USD 50. I'm not one of these people who is going to find the cheapest possible slum to save a few bucks. I'm not saying I spend every night in a Hilton, but for me it's worth a little cash to not worry about personal safety or parasites. The hotel was a train and a taxi away. It was easy, except for the fact that the cars drive on the left - i.e., "wrong" - side of the road, a fact that has been the cause of several ill-advised strides into the intersection. That's honestly pretty much it for Day 1 I'm ashamed to say. I was so tired that I just wanted to chill in my hotel and watch Burn Notice on my computer after discovering it in the Seoul love motel.
Day 2 was more active. First things first: I bought myself a cheap watch which proceeded to never work properly. I then resolved to follow the walking tour of Kowloon recommended to me in a guide book given to me at the airport. As I usually do, I headed straight for the museums. The Hong Kong Art Gallery was really rather impressive, with four stories of everything ranging from ancient gold and pottery to really fascinating modern interpretations of classic Chinese themes. I highly recommend it, especially as it was only HKD 10.
Next I wanted to hit up the Space Museum, but that didn't open until 1 PM so I headed to the Avenue of Stars. This is basically Hong Kong's answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I got to see plaques for some of my all-time favorite stars, including John Woo and that God among men, Chow Yun-Fat. He's the coolest guy in film since Steve McQueen (proof). I think stopped by a joint to get a take-out rice bowl, then I sat in the park and had my encounter with Yogi Baba. After fleeing the scene I wandered by a pub that served Kilkenny, which I have only seen in my dorm bar in Copenhagen and Santa Clause in Daejeon. I treated myself to a pint while finishing up Dubliners - yes that really happened, it was a very Irish moment.
The Space Museum had opened up at this point, and I checked it out. If you've been to a space museum or science museum before, skip it. It was a fairly standard overview of astronomy and space exploration. One thing that I found interesting was the battle that was going on over the "planet" Pluto. Their big model of the solar system included it, but the description had been replaced since it was de-planetized.
Next I wandered back up Nathan Street to Kowloon Park, which was quite lovely. There were a number of beautiful and exotic birds, and a few swimming pools that were teasing me as I stood there sweating bullets. After dinner I headed back to the waterfront to watch the "Symphony of Lights," which is basically a giant light and music show that encompasses the whole waterfront. I got there around 7PM and chatted with a very nice elderly gentleman from Delhi while we waited for an hour. With a wait like that I was a bit disappointed. It's not bad for something that happens every night, bit it was only 15 minutes long and it was no Fourth of Jul-Ivar's.
At this point I decided to call it an evening so I could upload my photos!
Once I sorted out the airport debacles and wiped off the wine, Hong Kong was straightforward. I walked over to the tourism desk and asked for their cheapest hotel, which was HKD 400 a night, or about USD 50. I'm not one of these people who is going to find the cheapest possible slum to save a few bucks. I'm not saying I spend every night in a Hilton, but for me it's worth a little cash to not worry about personal safety or parasites. The hotel was a train and a taxi away. It was easy, except for the fact that the cars drive on the left - i.e., "wrong" - side of the road, a fact that has been the cause of several ill-advised strides into the intersection. That's honestly pretty much it for Day 1 I'm ashamed to say. I was so tired that I just wanted to chill in my hotel and watch Burn Notice on my computer after discovering it in the Seoul love motel.
Day 2 was more active. First things first: I bought myself a cheap watch which proceeded to never work properly. I then resolved to follow the walking tour of Kowloon recommended to me in a guide book given to me at the airport. As I usually do, I headed straight for the museums. The Hong Kong Art Gallery was really rather impressive, with four stories of everything ranging from ancient gold and pottery to really fascinating modern interpretations of classic Chinese themes. I highly recommend it, especially as it was only HKD 10.
Next I wanted to hit up the Space Museum, but that didn't open until 1 PM so I headed to the Avenue of Stars. This is basically Hong Kong's answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I got to see plaques for some of my all-time favorite stars, including John Woo and that God among men, Chow Yun-Fat. He's the coolest guy in film since Steve McQueen (proof). I think stopped by a joint to get a take-out rice bowl, then I sat in the park and had my encounter with Yogi Baba. After fleeing the scene I wandered by a pub that served Kilkenny, which I have only seen in my dorm bar in Copenhagen and Santa Clause in Daejeon. I treated myself to a pint while finishing up Dubliners - yes that really happened, it was a very Irish moment.
The Space Museum had opened up at this point, and I checked it out. If you've been to a space museum or science museum before, skip it. It was a fairly standard overview of astronomy and space exploration. One thing that I found interesting was the battle that was going on over the "planet" Pluto. Their big model of the solar system included it, but the description had been replaced since it was de-planetized.
Next I wandered back up Nathan Street to Kowloon Park, which was quite lovely. There were a number of beautiful and exotic birds, and a few swimming pools that were teasing me as I stood there sweating bullets. After dinner I headed back to the waterfront to watch the "Symphony of Lights," which is basically a giant light and music show that encompasses the whole waterfront. I got there around 7PM and chatted with a very nice elderly gentleman from Delhi while we waited for an hour. With a wait like that I was a bit disappointed. It's not bad for something that happens every night, bit it was only 15 minutes long and it was no Fourth of Jul-Ivar's.
At this point I decided to call it an evening so I could upload my photos!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Yogi Baba
I've only been in Hong Kong for a day so I could be wrong, but it seems that a large number of the former colony's South Asian population is employed to irritate the high holy living crap out of you. Walking down Nathan Street, the main drag of Kowloon, you are guaranteed to be approached by scores of men offering "tailored suits" and "copy (that is to say, fake) watches and purses." Now I ignored every single one of them and so did everyone else in sight, so I can't imagine this is a very successful strategy. Still, they wouldn't do it if it didn't work, thus I can only assume one of two things. A) People actually take them up on these offers or B) they take prospective customers into dark alleys and rob them, in which case you only need one or two marks a day to make a living. Far-fetched perhaps, but I've learned quickly to stare at the ground and walk quickly.
The most egregious example came when I was sitting along Victoria Harbor eating my takeout rice and beef bowl. A gentleman in a turban approached me and said something about me having a "nice face" and said he could tell I was a "kind person." From that last part, I could immediately tell he was full of shit. I know enough about cold reading not to fall for this type of thing. He sat down next to me and introduced himself to me as "Yogi Baba," and attempted to prove this to me by showing me an old grainy photo of about a dozen nondescript bearded Indian men. Apparently, I will be famous by the end of this year, and he wanted to prove this to me with an "experiment." As he was writing something down on a piece of paper and folding it up, I hastily made my exit.
Maybe I was being rude. Maybe he was just an eccentric guy. He probably wasn't going to steal my kidney. But the truth is, I live every moment on the road through a prism of "What are the odds I'll end up in a bathtub full of ice missing an organ?" and this scenario was an unacceptable risk.
The most egregious example came when I was sitting along Victoria Harbor eating my takeout rice and beef bowl. A gentleman in a turban approached me and said something about me having a "nice face" and said he could tell I was a "kind person." From that last part, I could immediately tell he was full of shit. I know enough about cold reading not to fall for this type of thing. He sat down next to me and introduced himself to me as "Yogi Baba," and attempted to prove this to me by showing me an old grainy photo of about a dozen nondescript bearded Indian men. Apparently, I will be famous by the end of this year, and he wanted to prove this to me with an "experiment." As he was writing something down on a piece of paper and folding it up, I hastily made my exit.
Maybe I was being rude. Maybe he was just an eccentric guy. He probably wasn't going to steal my kidney. But the truth is, I live every moment on the road through a prism of "What are the odds I'll end up in a bathtub full of ice missing an organ?" and this scenario was an unacceptable risk.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
First Impression of Hong Kong
Two tall boys of Carlsberg for HKD 18, or about USD 2.30.
This place is amazing.
This place is amazing.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Injured Sørensen may miss Denmark's World Cup campaign
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/stoke_city/8643139.stm
This is not good . . . Sørensen is getting older but he's been quite good for Stoke these past few years. Perhaps more critically, he's one of the guys on the Danish team with experience at big tournaments, having been to the 2002 World Cup and EURO 2000 and 2004.
But the worst part is how this injury occurred. It's at about 3:30 in this video. Kalou slides in with two feet, which is a straight red card. Not only is the goal allowed to stand, but Kalou celebrates like he just went coast-to-coast even though the keeper is rolling around in agony. What a dreadful person.
http://www.footytube.com/video/chelsea-stoke-city-apr25-40855
This is not good . . . Sørensen is getting older but he's been quite good for Stoke these past few years. Perhaps more critically, he's one of the guys on the Danish team with experience at big tournaments, having been to the 2002 World Cup and EURO 2000 and 2004.
But the worst part is how this injury occurred. It's at about 3:30 in this video. Kalou slides in with two feet, which is a straight red card. Not only is the goal allowed to stand, but Kalou celebrates like he just went coast-to-coast even though the keeper is rolling around in agony. What a dreadful person.
http://www.footytube.com/video/chelsea-stoke-city-apr25-40855
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