Ordinary Gweilo

It's not big and it's not clever, it's just a Brit in Hong Kong writing (mainly) about Hong Kong

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Month: Mar 2010

  • Lost and found

    Appropriately enough, it was while waiting to travel in cattle class that I read this article in Newsweek about flying in a first class suite on the new Airbus A380 (A Room of One’s Own). What really horrified me was this part: From the moment you arrive (generally in a dedicated hall decked out like…

  • English or HD, not both

    Another year goes by, and we still have the same old problem.  TVB are apparently unable to provide an English language commentary for the Rugby Sevens on Jade HD.  You can choose TVB Pearl, but with a fuzzy picture, or HD with no English. What really puzzles me about this is that the picture quality…

  • Red alert

    Yesterday, all package tours from Hong Kong to Bangkok leaving in the next few days were abruptly cancelled after the government raised its first “red outbound travel alert” Large gatherings of people and protests are expected in [Bangkok] in the coming days. The Security Bureau said Hong Kong people intending to visit [Bangkok] should adjust…

  • Extreme Makeover – Castle edition

    Watching BBC Lifestyle last night produced a bizarre juxtaposition. First there was Extreme Makeover – Home Edition in which a few hundred contractors appear as if by magic to build a brand new house in less than 7 days, and there are nice touches such as a brand new truck being dropped in by helicopter.…

  • Prudential – bold or barmy?

    A year or so ago, Prudential (a British insurance company) apparently tried to buy 49% of AIA (an Asian insurance company based in Hong Kong and owned by AIG). This seemed doomed to failure for at least three reasons: they didn’t offer enough; they didn’t have the money; and how was it going to work…