Me:
  “I don’t need this service, thank you”.
Telemarketer in a clingy (嗲) voice:
  “I understand, but I just need to meet my quota, only a tiny bit away.”
Me:
  “Perhaps, but i’m not going to buy something I don’t want just to meet your quota. I have to WANT the thing.”
By this point extremely annoying telemarketer:
  “I understand, but perhaps you can help me? Just buy it anyways.”
Me:
  “If you understand then why are you asking me to buy? I told you I don’t need it.”
Excruciatingly annoying telemarketer:
  “We can be friends. Here’s my number [#], all you need is just pay $xx…”

- I tried to be nice; at that point I hung up. This lady was trying to sell me prepaid IDD calling card services. I told her I have cheaper suppliers, and I don’t like prepaid. She tried to pull a clingy girlie voice on me, assuming guys would fall for that. Even though I don’t need what she’s selling.

Is this how people sell in Hong Kong now? More disturbingly, is this how companies are training their salespeople?

Since late 2007 the unsolicited electronic messages ordinance (CAP 593) came into effect. Unfortunately this OFTA ordinance governs electronic communication only – that being SMS, fax, or recorded voice messages. It does not prevent telemarketers from cold-calling. What’s more one has to opt-in to the Do-not-call register by calling 1835000 from that number.

It’s a starter, but much more needs to be done. I don’t agree with then director-general Marion Lai Chan Chi-kuen who suggested that barring personal interactive calling “could hurt small and medium-sized businesses“. How about hurting privacy, adding to illegitimate phone charges (overseas roaming – I won’t even go there), and wasting people’s time? Welcome to Hong Kong: where the pro-business government cares little about individuals.

There has been little debate since. The government run Anti Spam Website gives advice on cutting down unsolicited contact, whilst a voluntary code of practice has been put into place by many institutions, including the HKDMA (Hong Kong Direct Marketing Association). But voluntary self-regulation is not enough – and surely i’m not the only one fed up of sales calls by now.

When will this practice finally be banned? Or, at the very least, extend the DNC register to cover personal marketing calls too. It’s about time.

I stumbled across this by chance, but it got me thinking: i’ve long been curious if any government schools in Hong Kong allow girl students to wear trousers. I certainly haven’t seen any out and about. I’ve also wondered whether any girls have complained or sued on grounds of sexual discrimination. I was surprised not to find anything online.

If I were a girl i’d fight for that right to wear trousers. Or maybe, if I were one, i’d genuinely enjoy the skirts…

As to my opinion: we shouldn’t generalise (I know many lovely Hong Kong girls), but I suppose I found this amusing for a reason!

Russia isn’t high on my list of places to visit, but this is certainly welcoming news. Being so close, it even sounds mildly tempting…

Edit – Noting that many people get here searching ‘visa free access China’ in Google, note the following:

2) Visa-free access to Russia granted to the following countries as of 28/08/2009 : Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Moldova, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Israel, Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Montenegro, Venezuela, Argentina – and Hong Kong.

Amongst other features, Jipingmi currently aggregates job listings from over 20 sites and separates agent listings from direct postings.

Now, if only our site was ready before we had to find ourselves a new office!

Then last but not least of course, Happy SAR day to those in Hong Kong – though I often wonder what it is we’re celebrating.

Yet again another article appears in the SCMP, part of a long string of articles debating the future of Hong Kong’s democratic reform: this time the DAB suggesting that there should be no universal sufferage on chief executive elections earlier than 2017, with full legco elections coming even later. This only a couple of months after DAB chairman Ma Lik ignorantly played down the events of the 1989 Tiannanmen Square ‘incident’.

The article laughably suggests that each “candidate must obtain 50 votes from a nomination board of 800 members before being put in a ‘one man, one vote’ election by the public or legco – with a similar 800 member nomination committee for chief executive. In another words – universal sufferage, but you can only pick from pre-approved candidates (by Beijing, no doubt).

It is of course times like this when you feel like practicing voodoo is a good idea – or to find a punching bag effigy of the said idiot and whack the living daylights out of it.

How one can be a complete stooge, a mouthpiece of a one party state with total disrespect for freedom of speech, a man who claims to be patriotic but not giving the slightest damn about people’s general aspirations, a spinless coward who has profited personally from being friendly to Beijing… it’s amazing what can come out of some people’s mouthes.

Watching shows in Beijing celebrating the 10th anniversary since the ‘Great Hong Kong Takeaway’, all the fanfare here is praising the central government support for Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s economic development – they of course all paint a rosey picture. It’s no surprise there are no mentions of the real struggles back at home. In watching the BBC’s reminiscing of the final few years of colonial rule under Chris Patten you get a very different picture – Patten’s efforts for last minute government reform; moves appreciated now by most but having enraged many at the time, mostly tycoons who have profited from befriending the Communist party. Gordon Wu (chairman of Hopewell Holdings) was even quoted to suggest self censorship would not be a problem and would not bother him.

China is by and large a very different place now to fifteen years ago – but deep down the same core problems exist. Pathetic would be a good phrase to describe the leadership here. Much has been achieved in concrete terms, economically and politically, but the tit for tat childish behaviour of key figures continues.

And yet, with 40 years to go till 2049, it’s happening in Hong Kong too.

The central government ought to speed up their brainwashing – at least by then 40 years later, we’d all be too ignorant to complain.

From the SCMP:

“Beijing has expressed concern that a plan to launch a community referendum to gauge the public’s view on who should be the next chief executive would undermine Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s credibility”

In other words, if someone else gets “elected”, which is possible, then the presumed lack of support for Donald Tsang would undermine his role as chief executive when someone else should be there instead. Well gosh – isn’t that the point of elections? In a democratic society you pick the leader and they lead with the mandate of the people. That Hong Kong people should be denied the right to pick their leader is insulting enough – that Beijing should then complain about a non-binding poll taking place is just ludicrous.

Cyd Ho Sau-lan, organiser of the project, was quoted to comment that:

“…the best way for them to get an acceptable result would be to convince the public that the person Beijing supports is good”

- I couldn’t agree more. It would be far more constructive for Beijing to try and gain support for the candidate they’re fielding than to waste time complaining about opposition figures. Granted some may see the poll as a pointless exercise that would achieve nothing except create discontent, but I believe instability won’t be easy to come by in Hong Kong and that on the contrary such a poll would send a strong signal to the government.

Of course some may fear that the poll would give a mandate to Donald Tsang, should he win. But, if this is the case then I say congratulations to him – and likewise to the democrats, they should try harder next time to win the support of the people.

Having spent most of my life in Hong Kong, I have grown to love the city skyline. Although I have admired many others on my travels, I still believe that nothing compares to that at home – the hills in particular. It’s nice to see i’m not the only one who thinks this.

The bottom of Luigi’s page also has a link to a more impirical ranking of the world’s skylines.

I myself am not much of a tea connoisseur, but i’m not sure i’d want to order a drink associated with pantyhose. In any case though, I certainly hope it’s not used pantyhose!

“This is a major issue. You cannot say, `oh it’s game over, let’s do it again’. This is not on.”

Mr Tsang believed the olive branches extended by Beijing in recent months – such as inviting all lawmakers to visit the mainland – would not be forthcoming again in the near future.

“You cannot bully people and not expect them to get angry.”

Wait… who’s bullying who here?

“The outcome cannot be swept aside as if it has never happened. It’s not child’s play”.

I can say for sure that the outcome will not be swept aside – the democrats certainly have no desire to do that. They will, of course, continue to fight for a fair solution to electoral reform. And why Donald would even hint at the suggestion elections are child’s play is beyond me – the problem in Hong Kong is that the government thinks the electorate are children.

Granted, a certain portion of the people do act childish at times – but sometimes I question whether the real toddlers are the electorate or the government.