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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Category: Life in Hong Kong

  • Netflix arrives in Hong Kong, followed by House of Cards

    Netflix has indeed launched in Hong Kong – and most of the rest of the world (apart from China). Initially, House of Cards wasn’t available.  Yes, that’s right – the series for which Netflix is best known wasn’t available on Netflix.  Along with a lot of other shows. The good news is that Netflix Hong…

  • I can believe it’s not butter

    It certainly looks like butter – and the shelf label says “salted butter plus vegetable oil”, though apparently the official name is "President’s Ambassador Salted Culinary Fat Blend" (which really sounds delicious, doesn't it).  What is the first ingredient?  Hydrogenated vegetable oil.  There is some butter, but it’s the third ingredient, so probably less than…

  • SCMP–any sub-editors left?

    OK, it’s Christmas, but the Sunday Morning Post is supposed to be an English language newspaper. Debate over MPF protection rages on Jennifer Ngo | Sunday Morning Post | Sunday, 27 December, 2015 The row over the Mandatory Provident Fund’s offsetting mechanism continues as civil society criticised the government’s lack of commitment in dealing with…

  • Maths test

    From scmp.com Doctors make mistakes on maths tests because they are exhausted?

  • Lei Hou

    I was amused by this story in the Economist: Long live Cantopop – about the University of British Columbia (UBC) offering a course in Cantonese. I have been listening again to Naked Cantonese (RTHK Podcast), in which Cecilie Gamst Berg tries to teach us to speak like Hong Kong people.  One of the many tricks…

  • Hong Kong not so good- HKIA North Satellite Concourse

    There’s not too much wrong with Hong Kong International Airport.  Apart from the North Satellite Concourse, that is. It was opened more than 5 years ago (for smaller planes such as the Airbus A320 / A321), and yet the only way to get there (or back) is by taking a shuttle bus across the apron….…

  • Closed shop

    The SCMP reports that Page One in Causeway Bay has closed (Bookshop at end of last chapter in Times Square), though it seems possible that it may re-open if space can be found.  So not really the end of the last chapter, then. The one in TST moved recently and became a “concept store”.  At…

  • Thanks Cable TV

    Thank a lot, Cable TV, I really wanted to see the latest ISIS beheading video.  It’s not available on other media outlets (who have this strange idea that showing these videos only gives ISIS more publicity), and no need to search for it on the old Interweb thingy. Just exactly what I wanted to watch…

  • This is your bank calling

    It’s bad enough receiving unsolicited sales calls on my mobile (though I find that either ignoring them until they hang up, or saying “Hello, who’s calling?” usually work quite well), but I get seriously annoyed when my bank keeps calling to sell me stuff. Yes, “my bank”. I have had an account (and a credit…

  • Hong Kong people love typhoons

    Mike Rowse seems to be a rare dose of common sense on the opinion pages of the SCMP, and today his subject is the craziness that descends on the city when there’s a bit of rain and some strong winds: T8 typhoon signal is no holiday Joy at time off thanks to weather is misguided…