How China looks from Finland? At the moment it looks like another planet, because it seems so distant. The news from China have been recently focusing on rather trivial issues, such as talking about how Chinese people spent their Chinese New Year in Finland, or then they talk about tragedies or scandals happening in China.
I don't know why it is like this, because to me China seems like a nation that is going to matter, for example in the world's economical development, a great deal. Well, on the other hand, every country seems to have troubles of their own in this moment, but regardless, I'm sure there are things happening in China every day.
I can't say I could hooray for Finnish media anyways, but still, considering how big China has come, it has struck me when I'm now back in Finland, how small amount of news from there actually reaches here.
Showing posts with label Markvs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Markvs. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Asia in a nutshell
Actually the heading is a little bit misleading. I can't give you a "nutshell" experience what Asia is about, but I can give you my experiences in a nutshell, since I've just returned to Finland.
At the moment I don't miss any places in China, Malaysia or Hong Kong, but later I will. Right now I just miss few people, and especially one of them.. so much I can't explain it. However, I will give you a simple pro and con list of what was there in those countries for me. You'd be surprised how petit my list is, but honestly, the grass ain't that green anywhere.
Plus:
-Food
-Shops
-Weather
-Games
Minus:
-Apartments
-Jobs
My list contains much more plus than minus, but actually there is one big thing that puts a lot of weight to the minus list; social issues. I didn't mention it, since it might look one sided. I admit though; us Finns are not the easiest people to get along with. The question, however, is that are we Finns too close minded, or we just don't bother shallow people? I'm not saying Asians are shallow. I'm saying that material worship combined with immense discipline doesn't produce the biggest of hearts always.
At the moment I don't miss any places in China, Malaysia or Hong Kong, but later I will. Right now I just miss few people, and especially one of them.. so much I can't explain it. However, I will give you a simple pro and con list of what was there in those countries for me. You'd be surprised how petit my list is, but honestly, the grass ain't that green anywhere.
Plus:
-Food
-Shops
-Weather
-Games
Minus:
-Apartments
-Jobs
My list contains much more plus than minus, but actually there is one big thing that puts a lot of weight to the minus list; social issues. I didn't mention it, since it might look one sided. I admit though; us Finns are not the easiest people to get along with. The question, however, is that are we Finns too close minded, or we just don't bother shallow people? I'm not saying Asians are shallow. I'm saying that material worship combined with immense discipline doesn't produce the biggest of hearts always.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Stripa Faita Foor
To all my beloved fags: I was busy so I didnt write much. Now I wont write much either, but I was visiting Hong Kong and I played Street Fighter 4. Its a nice game, but the problem when going to HK arcades is that certain geeks practice daily and I just cant beat them.
After about 20 rounds I can already say that SF4 is quite OK as a game, and the game balance seems nice too. The strongest characters in the game are probably M.Bison and Blanka. Also Zangief, Abel, Ryu and Ken (the two latter ones.. sigh.. what a surprise) seem solid as well. And more probably, the Japanese tournament scene will very quickly prove my observations wrong.
Well. I play Ken as always. Akuma seems to weak to bother with, and I dont like how he works. In Street Fighter 3 Akuma was my fav char, but now, I just need to do it with Ken since he seems more stylish this time - and with him I can actually get some rounds in against those HK geeks.
If you manage to find one, and are into fighting games, then try SF4. Ill give it 3,5/5 and probably later on 5/5, but not yet. Depends how good I get in it. Lol. Moi.
After about 20 rounds I can already say that SF4 is quite OK as a game, and the game balance seems nice too. The strongest characters in the game are probably M.Bison and Blanka. Also Zangief, Abel, Ryu and Ken (the two latter ones.. sigh.. what a surprise) seem solid as well. And more probably, the Japanese tournament scene will very quickly prove my observations wrong.
Well. I play Ken as always. Akuma seems to weak to bother with, and I dont like how he works. In Street Fighter 3 Akuma was my fav char, but now, I just need to do it with Ken since he seems more stylish this time - and with him I can actually get some rounds in against those HK geeks.
If you manage to find one, and are into fighting games, then try SF4. Ill give it 3,5/5 and probably later on 5/5, but not yet. Depends how good I get in it. Lol. Moi.
Monday, November 24, 2008
More about driving
Driving really shows the true nature of people.
When I drive inside to my apartment's car park, I have to cross an opposing traffic lane. There is a bumb just before my car park's entrance on the opposing lane, so that the car's wouldn't drive so fast and let people move in and out from the condominium.
However, again today, there was an idiot who thought that HE should go before me, so he decide to speed up while approaching the access point to my condo (and the bumb). BAM! His brand new Mercedes' bottom hit the bumb, and hopefully there's at least a minor oil leak now. It was truly hilarious, and serves him/her right.
And this leads me to;
Maybe it's a bit hard to explain or prove in a blog entry, but people really are "me first" "I'm here" "me me me" etc etc. all the fucking time. One proof, however, could be that every brand or product name with letter "i" or letters "my" in the front sell ridiculously well.
People are mass-individuals. These kind of blogs are one way to trick ordinary people believe that they matter.
When I drive inside to my apartment's car park, I have to cross an opposing traffic lane. There is a bumb just before my car park's entrance on the opposing lane, so that the car's wouldn't drive so fast and let people move in and out from the condominium.
However, again today, there was an idiot who thought that HE should go before me, so he decide to speed up while approaching the access point to my condo (and the bumb). BAM! His brand new Mercedes' bottom hit the bumb, and hopefully there's at least a minor oil leak now. It was truly hilarious, and serves him/her right.
And this leads me to;
Maybe it's a bit hard to explain or prove in a blog entry, but people really are "me first" "I'm here" "me me me" etc etc. all the fucking time. One proof, however, could be that every brand or product name with letter "i" or letters "my" in the front sell ridiculously well.
People are mass-individuals. These kind of blogs are one way to trick ordinary people believe that they matter.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Kefsi
KFC. What a place. I liked it at first, but now I don't. For the food part.
The food there is worse than in McDonalds, and so is the service. I recommend you don't go to KFC. Yesterday I was really vittu kun vituttaa mood, so I went to KFC and ordered takeaway. They gave me next to none plastic bags plus I had to wait 10 minutes, because employees had a good laugh together.
When I finally received my goods, I told the KFC guy that "MARKUS WANT TAKE AWAY" and he said "take away?" ran to the kitchen and never came back. I never received any plastic bags nor shit. So I just yelled loudly some Finnish curse words and left to eat my thingie elsewhere.
Oh no, KFC must now be the most terrible place correct? Yeah well in McD they at least know how to serve, and they understand the concept of FAST food better. So I know now where my coins go in the future.
I have experience of KFC in three different countries (Poland, Hong Kong and Malaysia) so don't come nagging at me how KFC deserves justice. Fuck KFC.
The food there is worse than in McDonalds, and so is the service. I recommend you don't go to KFC. Yesterday I was really vittu kun vituttaa mood, so I went to KFC and ordered takeaway. They gave me next to none plastic bags plus I had to wait 10 minutes, because employees had a good laugh together.
When I finally received my goods, I told the KFC guy that "MARKUS WANT TAKE AWAY" and he said "take away?" ran to the kitchen and never came back. I never received any plastic bags nor shit. So I just yelled loudly some Finnish curse words and left to eat my thingie elsewhere.
Oh no, KFC must now be the most terrible place correct? Yeah well in McD they at least know how to serve, and they understand the concept of FAST food better. So I know now where my coins go in the future.
I have experience of KFC in three different countries (Poland, Hong Kong and Malaysia) so don't come nagging at me how KFC deserves justice. Fuck KFC.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Vittu ku vituttaa
Vituttaa so perkeleesti, that I'm too vitun tired to write any vitun entries for this or last week. I had a topic, but it was too diluted to post. 100 motrocyclists beat-up a car who tried to pass the mob after an accident in center of Kuala Lumpur. Whoopee. There it is anyway.
Albeit that is not what vituttaa me, but other things. Vitun vittu.
Markvs out. Vittu.
Albeit that is not what vituttaa me, but other things. Vitun vittu.
Markvs out. Vittu.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cuts and Saucers
Haircuts, flying saucers.
I have been writing about haircuts previously also in one of my blogs. But anyways, generally, haircuts in Asia are nice: Cheaper than in EU, they always wash, sometimes massage, and the feeling is overall refreshingly gay. Its not one of those overweight lung cancer mamas playing with your hair, its either your Japanese school girl fantasy or alternatively gay Kim's super-fantastic gay barber.
I had the gay alternative today, but I'm really happy with the result. "Senior Stylist" was 65 RM and considering how rarely I bother to even comb my hair, I'd say the price was fair. But definitely on the fucking expensive side when Malaysian haircutting is concerned. I think you can get a regular haircut with 10-15RM if you're not too picky nor staying in the expensive areas.
On another news, I found out that Malaysia is being stalked by an U.F.O. I'm not that scared honestly, but I can already see the mass hysteria after I post this pic so let's just do it for the fuck of it;
Picture was taken by my girlfriend. That's an obvious Nazi UFO right there. Behold!
I have been writing about haircuts previously also in one of my blogs. But anyways, generally, haircuts in Asia are nice: Cheaper than in EU, they always wash, sometimes massage, and the feeling is overall refreshingly gay. Its not one of those overweight lung cancer mamas playing with your hair, its either your Japanese school girl fantasy or alternatively gay Kim's super-fantastic gay barber.
I had the gay alternative today, but I'm really happy with the result. "Senior Stylist" was 65 RM and considering how rarely I bother to even comb my hair, I'd say the price was fair. But definitely on the fucking expensive side when Malaysian haircutting is concerned. I think you can get a regular haircut with 10-15RM if you're not too picky nor staying in the expensive areas.
On another news, I found out that Malaysia is being stalked by an U.F.O. I'm not that scared honestly, but I can already see the mass hysteria after I post this pic so let's just do it for the fuck of it;
Picture was taken by my girlfriend. That's an obvious Nazi UFO right there. Behold!
Monday, October 20, 2008
See you at the party Richter!
I watched Total Recall yesterday. It was the best movie I've seen for a while. Almost better than The Dark Knight, albeit being from the sinister 1990's. But as with all Arnold movies, Total Recall is packed with legendary one-liners, supercool violence and pure awesomeness. ALL of the special effects were flawless as well, not to mention the amazing setting of Mars and future-Earth! 5/5 easily, maybe even 6/5.
The thing about Arnold movies is that they never get old. Some might claim them repetitive when the tempo of a movie is concerned, but the dialog, setting, plot, acting, and characters make up so much that whether your watching Predator, Commando, Terminator, Running Man or Pumping Iron, you feel that the whole setting is real, and it's like watching a documentary except that it's interesting.
The most superduperawesome thing that makes Arnold movies timeless is, however, the critique they present. If you watch, say, Running Man, you can still apply the movie's message to the current state of the world very easily. I'm not going to speculate the message here, because its crystal clear and America sucks again etc, but furthermore, I don't want to spoil anyone's movie experience.
Other than spending time with my best friend Arnold, my laptop broke down. Now I gotta buy a new one. In Finland you have to wait usually for few weeks when you want to buy a computer. In Hong Kong, you have to wait 2 hours. TWO FUCKING HOURS??!! What the hell is that? That's like more awesome than awesome. So I got used to that kind of service because I bought my last laptop from Hong Kong, and now my attitude is that if I want something, I want it NOW. If I can't get it "now", I don't buy it. In Malaysia you have to wait. Shit.
... and here I went to look for laptops ranging from 2500 - 3000 RM, recommended by a friendly PC Gamer magazine. No shop so far has the models available I'm looking for, so fuck them. "We can order" is the most common answer, and "1 to 2 weeks" is the most common waiting time. However, in Malaysia you can double the promised waiting time easily, and furthermore, I'm super pissed even if I had to wait more than 1 day. I'm left with an option to go through all the computer shops until one of them has a satisfying model. This will take more than 1 to 2 weeks, but it gets me less pissed than the alternative of ordering. Ordering sucks also because if the laptop is broken for some reason and I have to return it, then I'm SUPERDUPER pissed.
Fuck slow service. This is 2000's and I'm a kid who has it all. Do something.
The thing about Arnold movies is that they never get old. Some might claim them repetitive when the tempo of a movie is concerned, but the dialog, setting, plot, acting, and characters make up so much that whether your watching Predator, Commando, Terminator, Running Man or Pumping Iron, you feel that the whole setting is real, and it's like watching a documentary except that it's interesting.
The most superduperawesome thing that makes Arnold movies timeless is, however, the critique they present. If you watch, say, Running Man, you can still apply the movie's message to the current state of the world very easily. I'm not going to speculate the message here, because its crystal clear and America sucks again etc, but furthermore, I don't want to spoil anyone's movie experience.
Other than spending time with my best friend Arnold, my laptop broke down. Now I gotta buy a new one. In Finland you have to wait usually for few weeks when you want to buy a computer. In Hong Kong, you have to wait 2 hours. TWO FUCKING HOURS??!! What the hell is that? That's like more awesome than awesome. So I got used to that kind of service because I bought my last laptop from Hong Kong, and now my attitude is that if I want something, I want it NOW. If I can't get it "now", I don't buy it. In Malaysia you have to wait. Shit.
... and here I went to look for laptops ranging from 2500 - 3000 RM, recommended by a friendly PC Gamer magazine. No shop so far has the models available I'm looking for, so fuck them. "We can order" is the most common answer, and "1 to 2 weeks" is the most common waiting time. However, in Malaysia you can double the promised waiting time easily, and furthermore, I'm super pissed even if I had to wait more than 1 day. I'm left with an option to go through all the computer shops until one of them has a satisfying model. This will take more than 1 to 2 weeks, but it gets me less pissed than the alternative of ordering. Ordering sucks also because if the laptop is broken for some reason and I have to return it, then I'm SUPERDUPER pissed.
Fuck slow service. This is 2000's and I'm a kid who has it all. Do something.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hey
This post will have even less things to read than the last one. The reason for this is simply that nothing is happening. I cry about the same thing again, you might have noticed, but honestly, as Pekka once stated; routines are pretty much the same everywhere in the world..
1) Wake up
2) Go to work
3) Come home
4) Do hobbies/watch telly/eat/have sex etc.
5) Go to sleep
And the same stuff again on the next day. Boy life is interesting. Seriously though, I'm 100% sure that no-one besides my mum or my girlfriend, gives a rat's ass what I had for dinner yesterday, what hobbies I did, what tv-program I watched etc. Don't get me wrong though, I'm quite happy right now with the situation as the power of Babylon has gotten its stranglehold of me, and I don't know about better anymore. I bet that people living under extreme conditions have much more interesting lives actually, yet they're probably less happy since their lives are unstable and unpredictable.
But before this post goes too deep into analysis about the meaning of life, and how should I repent about my wellbeing and not whine about it, I tell you that I moved into a new nice home which I like very much. 650+ sq. feet just for my skinny ass. Yesterday I bought new stereos as well. They're Sony. They sound very good. I picked the more expensive model 'cause I wanted to have a good sound. Then I also bought a new miniature for tabletop wargaming, but that one's going to be painted as a showcase for a Finnish miniature painting competition. Now I'm drinking McDonalds' coffee to wash down the apple pie and a Sausage McMuffin I just had.
Bob is now 100% sure that Markus is a prisoner of Babylon, and the worst kind actually, because Markus recognizes the "problem" yet does nothing about it. But unlike Bob, Markus doesn't believe in Babylon nor salvation. Markus believes in incurable loneliness of human mind and the joys of the flesh.
1) Wake up
2) Go to work
3) Come home
4) Do hobbies/watch telly/eat/have sex etc.
5) Go to sleep
And the same stuff again on the next day. Boy life is interesting. Seriously though, I'm 100% sure that no-one besides my mum or my girlfriend, gives a rat's ass what I had for dinner yesterday, what hobbies I did, what tv-program I watched etc. Don't get me wrong though, I'm quite happy right now with the situation as the power of Babylon has gotten its stranglehold of me, and I don't know about better anymore. I bet that people living under extreme conditions have much more interesting lives actually, yet they're probably less happy since their lives are unstable and unpredictable.
But before this post goes too deep into analysis about the meaning of life, and how should I repent about my wellbeing and not whine about it, I tell you that I moved into a new nice home which I like very much. 650+ sq. feet just for my skinny ass. Yesterday I bought new stereos as well. They're Sony. They sound very good. I picked the more expensive model 'cause I wanted to have a good sound. Then I also bought a new miniature for tabletop wargaming, but that one's going to be painted as a showcase for a Finnish miniature painting competition. Now I'm drinking McDonalds' coffee to wash down the apple pie and a Sausage McMuffin I just had.
Bob is now 100% sure that Markus is a prisoner of Babylon, and the worst kind actually, because Markus recognizes the "problem" yet does nothing about it. But unlike Bob, Markus doesn't believe in Babylon nor salvation. Markus believes in incurable loneliness of human mind and the joys of the flesh.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
..of Asia
I've been having a feeling lately that I honestly don't dig Asia so much. European travelers glorify Asia, as they always have, in a way that makes me a lil' bit sick. I kinda understand the hype, because the culture is so joyful, colorful and somehow more "visible" than European. But is it only like this to "us" or also for "them"? Maybe I should make a survey one day, but frankly I don't have the energy.
Anyways, the reasons why I've been starting to slightly dislike Asia are the culture and the hype around it. The latter is not Asia's fault so much, but then, in a way it is. Who made the tourism? Who made the appealing, yet plastic and meaningless iconography for tourists? Who made the clearly tourist oriented restaurants? Who made the "work hard without a point to just to keep a role" ideal? Well yeah, some argue that the beauty of Asia lies beyond these tourism and other stereotypical issues, but what's there then? The people? Fuck yeah, the best thing in the world.. people. I prefer Space Marine Land Raiders.
It would be a lie to say that I don't want to insult anyone. I don't care. But the fact is that people are still like shit almost everywhere in the world. They do unbelievable stuff to get few bucks, they're friendly to you on a good day only, they're multiplying, pooping (multiplying + pooping is like making potential amounts of shit in the world), fighting, polluting, and not giving a shit about anything - except maybe their forced beliefs. Wow, that's something to jump about? Well no, and people are like that also in Asia. Europe is currently more clean, more exciting culturally (look under the glitter and surface please), the salaries are better, jobs make more sense, education is top notch, the nature is clean etc. Or maybe it's just me, who likes constant change and new things - bored of Asia, so to say.
Actually, I could stop talking about Europe as well. They have their fuck ups. What I mean by Europe here is Scandinavia. I've been feeling, stronger and stronger each day, that Scandinavia is the best place in the world. I want to go back someday for sure.
Anyways, the reasons why I've been starting to slightly dislike Asia are the culture and the hype around it. The latter is not Asia's fault so much, but then, in a way it is. Who made the tourism? Who made the appealing, yet plastic and meaningless iconography for tourists? Who made the clearly tourist oriented restaurants? Who made the "work hard without a point to just to keep a role" ideal? Well yeah, some argue that the beauty of Asia lies beyond these tourism and other stereotypical issues, but what's there then? The people? Fuck yeah, the best thing in the world.. people. I prefer Space Marine Land Raiders.
It would be a lie to say that I don't want to insult anyone. I don't care. But the fact is that people are still like shit almost everywhere in the world. They do unbelievable stuff to get few bucks, they're friendly to you on a good day only, they're multiplying, pooping (multiplying + pooping is like making potential amounts of shit in the world), fighting, polluting, and not giving a shit about anything - except maybe their forced beliefs. Wow, that's something to jump about? Well no, and people are like that also in Asia. Europe is currently more clean, more exciting culturally (look under the glitter and surface please), the salaries are better, jobs make more sense, education is top notch, the nature is clean etc. Or maybe it's just me, who likes constant change and new things - bored of Asia, so to say.
Actually, I could stop talking about Europe as well. They have their fuck ups. What I mean by Europe here is Scandinavia. I've been feeling, stronger and stronger each day, that Scandinavia is the best place in the world. I want to go back someday for sure.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tomorrow life is "ho best".
I decided to dig an old draft from the depths of infinite bit-space, and finish it , to commit to our blog in somehow, since I've been recently very lazy with my posting. This is excusing myself, but I tend to do that sometimes, so deal with it or go cry to momma. Anyways, the post.. ;
Malaysia has been criticized by some because of its "tomorrow" culture. Simply put, it means that in Malaysia everything is done "tomorrow" - nothing happens today, now, very soon, or currently. There is just "Today I'm having this and that, but TOMORROW everything is fixed." Sounds great until you realized that this applies to every single thing on every single day, so virtually nothing is ever happening.
In work life this is quite annoying; boss is pushing me to push projects through, and then I have to explain him every day, today and TOMORROW that why the fuck nothing is happening today. Luckily enough, he seems to be quite accepting to the concept of tomorrow as well. I've learned, however, that telling him "next week" is way worse. If you tell "next week", he says "ALWAYS THE NEXT WEEK! CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE!", despite its possible/happening/etc or not. 'Tomorrow' answer, however, makes him smile despite the thing happening or not. Strange.
Well. Anyways, I guess the main thing to pick from this post is that making a successful business is quite difficult in Malaysia if you depend on contractors or other outsourced elements, because I'd claim that managing them takes a lot more effort here, than in Hong Kong for example, where everyone is more than eager to work. Culture and motivation issue then, so to say.
Malaysia has been criticized by some because of its "tomorrow" culture. Simply put, it means that in Malaysia everything is done "tomorrow" - nothing happens today, now, very soon, or currently. There is just "Today I'm having this and that, but TOMORROW everything is fixed." Sounds great until you realized that this applies to every single thing on every single day, so virtually nothing is ever happening.
In work life this is quite annoying; boss is pushing me to push projects through, and then I have to explain him every day, today and TOMORROW that why the fuck nothing is happening today. Luckily enough, he seems to be quite accepting to the concept of tomorrow as well. I've learned, however, that telling him "next week" is way worse. If you tell "next week", he says "ALWAYS THE NEXT WEEK! CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE!", despite its possible/happening/etc or not. 'Tomorrow' answer, however, makes him smile despite the thing happening or not. Strange.
Well. Anyways, I guess the main thing to pick from this post is that making a successful business is quite difficult in Malaysia if you depend on contractors or other outsourced elements, because I'd claim that managing them takes a lot more effort here, than in Hong Kong for example, where everyone is more than eager to work. Culture and motivation issue then, so to say.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
More for me
Fasting month has just begun in Malaysia, and for muslims it means denial from each thing that is good for man - like sex, alcohol and cigarettes. It also means no eating before... was it... before 19:00 I think, or something like that. Fasting month means, however, nicer lunching for me because halal restaurants aren't filled with hungry Malaysians. They have to starve and worship. How very sad.
Furthermore, this season since 1st of September should mean a big bunch of incoming public holidays, which I'm of course very excited about. Malaysia has the 2nd most amount of public holidays in all of Asia, if I remember correctly - this is naturally due to various ethnic and religious groups represented in the country, and each want their share of free days. Actually it creates a bit of a mess for companies to manage all, since some holidays only consider muslims etc. Simply put - each holiday is lost revenue to some. But guess what? I don't give a flying fuck 'cause all the more for me.
On another subject, OP pointed out last week that our blog doesn't have _that_ many readers actually, so I decided to change the Bruce Lee picture to something more appealing. Enjoy!
Furthermore, this season since 1st of September should mean a big bunch of incoming public holidays, which I'm of course very excited about. Malaysia has the 2nd most amount of public holidays in all of Asia, if I remember correctly - this is naturally due to various ethnic and religious groups represented in the country, and each want their share of free days. Actually it creates a bit of a mess for companies to manage all, since some holidays only consider muslims etc. Simply put - each holiday is lost revenue to some. But guess what? I don't give a flying fuck 'cause all the more for me.
On another subject, OP pointed out last week that our blog doesn't have _that_ many readers actually, so I decided to change the Bruce Lee picture to something more appealing. Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Deadline
Oh boy. I'm sure people have talked about deadlines since someone invented them. I hate deadlines, and Dilbert and Garfield and etc. hate deadlines too. And mondays. Luckily it's tuesday, and unluckily I have a pressuring deadline.
My boss just told me yesterday that I have to move during this week, 'cause my old apartment is "due". I know the nice areas in Kuala Lumpur where to look at, and believe me, I've been looking at them. It is just that with my budget it isn't the easiest task to find a good value for the money - especially as a white boy, where every agent sees a potential for exploit. Well fuck that.
Regardless, I gotta move to a new home this week *snap* just like that. While it may sound hasty, hassleish, stressing or pressuring, it is all of those three lumped together and tripled. Vitutuksen multihuipennus, as we say in Finland.
I'll get back to you next week once this is sorted out.
My boss just told me yesterday that I have to move during this week, 'cause my old apartment is "due". I know the nice areas in Kuala Lumpur where to look at, and believe me, I've been looking at them. It is just that with my budget it isn't the easiest task to find a good value for the money - especially as a white boy, where every agent sees a potential for exploit. Well fuck that.
Regardless, I gotta move to a new home this week *snap* just like that. While it may sound hasty, hassleish, stressing or pressuring, it is all of those three lumped together and tripled. Vitutuksen multihuipennus, as we say in Finland.
I'll get back to you next week once this is sorted out.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Mess
Today I'm going to whine about dress code. My company has one, and I'm quite sure a great number of companies in Malaysia do also. Dress code custom is ridiculous, it's just like the old rule of taking one's hat off when eating. On a practical level you DON'T need to wear a suit when typing and making phone calls nor you need to take your hat off while eating, because there is no practical reason behind either of those.
Does everything need to be practical? Well certainly not, but how about letting me mind about my hat and my dressing and my practicalities? Dress code has been invented by someone sometime and the reason is "because". For example, last week I poured coffee on my pair of trousers which I've just picked from a dry clean service. Today, I poured melting butter from my toast on my other trousers (also dry cleaned last week). If I had jeans, I couldn't care less - wipe n wash. But now, I have to went again through all the trouble to bring both of my trousers to dry clean service, open my wallet, hand them money, wait one (1) day, and then I can mess my trousers with some other funky stuff again (;)). Just because my boss wants me to look professional. People who have no real problems have great talent of making their life harder in some other ways.
Hopefully it's something really permanent next time when I mess my trousers again, like epoxy paint or superglue, so I need to spend more fucking money to buy more fucking ridiculous suits and trousers to be allowed to work in this company 'cause I fucking need to look fucking professional. I mean, in army I understand the dress code because they actually DO have some practicalities behind it, but on a real life. What the FUCK?! Maybe you, dear reader, think that I'm whining about the slightest things - sod off to you too.
Thank you Mr. Dress Code Inventer. You ruined my day today again, as you have done for oh so many days before.
Does everything need to be practical? Well certainly not, but how about letting me mind about my hat and my dressing and my practicalities? Dress code has been invented by someone sometime and the reason is "because". For example, last week I poured coffee on my pair of trousers which I've just picked from a dry clean service. Today, I poured melting butter from my toast on my other trousers (also dry cleaned last week). If I had jeans, I couldn't care less - wipe n wash. But now, I have to went again through all the trouble to bring both of my trousers to dry clean service, open my wallet, hand them money, wait one (1) day, and then I can mess my trousers with some other funky stuff again (;)). Just because my boss wants me to look professional. People who have no real problems have great talent of making their life harder in some other ways.
Hopefully it's something really permanent next time when I mess my trousers again, like epoxy paint or superglue, so I need to spend more fucking money to buy more fucking ridiculous suits and trousers to be allowed to work in this company 'cause I fucking need to look fucking professional. I mean, in army I understand the dress code because they actually DO have some practicalities behind it, but on a real life. What the FUCK?! Maybe you, dear reader, think that I'm whining about the slightest things - sod off to you too.
Thank you Mr. Dress Code Inventer. You ruined my day today again, as you have done for oh so many days before.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Everybody Poops
In Malaysia there are two types of toilets; the NORMAL one (yes, the porcelain seat is for normal people) and the-hole-in-the-ground-surrounded-by-a-porcelain-frame. The latter one is supposedly more common in India and China than in Malaysia, but it sucks nevertheless. If your knees aren't made of steel, that is.
Regardless of the toilet format however, Malaysians have a tendency to wet the WHOLE BLOODY TOILET when they take a poop. This is very annoying. When I have to go for the big second one, I don't like to do it in a fucking swimming pool. The thing why the toilet is wet, is because some people wash their assess instead of/in addition to wiping them. Maybe this sounds very nice to someone who likes to be a goddamn hippie, but on the other hand, excessive amounts of clean water is wasted in the process. I'm not an expert enough to tell which solution is more tolling for the environment, but both of them are that for sure. The fact is that there are too many poopers in the world, rather than people are pooping in a wrong way.
Imagine yourself having a stressful day, stressful meetings, tons of coffee, some quick lunching etc. This all means that a grand grand snake is building up during the day. Then after your work, when the mental pressure is relieved, the physical one in your intestines begin - and it usually comes fast as hell, so you gotta find the closest toilet 'cause normally you haven't reached home yet. You can probably imagine how FUCKING NICE it is to go to take a poop in a tiny all wet cabinet with the pissy shopping mall piano tunes mixed with farts , everyone else doing the same pooping thing next to you inside other cabinets, and the whole place stinking like there's no tomorrow.
This post is a direct traveler and expat tip; don't use public toilets, observe your snake build up, and time the sinking operation. Starhill Gallery in Bukit Bintang has excellent and clean toilets by the way. They're dark, silent and peaceful , and although a little bit costly, its definately worth to pay RM 1 for a good ol' stress relieving peaceful shit.
Regardless of the toilet format however, Malaysians have a tendency to wet the WHOLE BLOODY TOILET when they take a poop. This is very annoying. When I have to go for the big second one, I don't like to do it in a fucking swimming pool. The thing why the toilet is wet, is because some people wash their assess instead of/in addition to wiping them. Maybe this sounds very nice to someone who likes to be a goddamn hippie, but on the other hand, excessive amounts of clean water is wasted in the process. I'm not an expert enough to tell which solution is more tolling for the environment, but both of them are that for sure. The fact is that there are too many poopers in the world, rather than people are pooping in a wrong way.
Imagine yourself having a stressful day, stressful meetings, tons of coffee, some quick lunching etc. This all means that a grand grand snake is building up during the day. Then after your work, when the mental pressure is relieved, the physical one in your intestines begin - and it usually comes fast as hell, so you gotta find the closest toilet 'cause normally you haven't reached home yet. You can probably imagine how FUCKING NICE it is to go to take a poop in a tiny all wet cabinet with the pissy shopping mall piano tunes mixed with farts , everyone else doing the same pooping thing next to you inside other cabinets, and the whole place stinking like there's no tomorrow.
This post is a direct traveler and expat tip; don't use public toilets, observe your snake build up, and time the sinking operation. Starhill Gallery in Bukit Bintang has excellent and clean toilets by the way. They're dark, silent and peaceful , and although a little bit costly, its definately worth to pay RM 1 for a good ol' stress relieving peaceful shit.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Super Duper Management
I don't even know what a good management means nowadays, but I'm pretty damn sure what super duper management means. Super duper management = make your sub-ordinates bust their assess off from every penny you pay them, and then.. Don't pay them! The plan is perfect until you realize that all of the subordinates have resigned and there is no-one to actually do the work anymore.
Two statements;
-Paying minimal or no salary is a great way to save money and use it on something less useful instead.
-Finding employees with good spirit is easy, but after 2 months the spirits can be brought down irreversibly.
I don't know yet how costly it is to a company to lose an employee, but I'm sure the idea of "lets make him work his ass off until he quits" may become cheaper than the normal way of paying decent wage to an efficient employee. However, this requires a steady supply of blue-eyed employee's to be taken in and tossed out of the company.
Human Resource Management has billions of aspects, and I believe that normal levels, principals and customs of salary is just a small thing needed to be done right. Doing the salary dance in a proper way results in less de-motivation, as stated by Frederick Herzberg in his theory of job motivation. Everywhere. People care about the money, and its a bit sad to all the noble employers in the world who just would like things to be free and everyone be happy for free.
I'm not saying this is the style of management in some particular area of the world, but you can draw your own conclusions from this Blog's area of focus.
Two statements;
-Paying minimal or no salary is a great way to save money and use it on something less useful instead.
-Finding employees with good spirit is easy, but after 2 months the spirits can be brought down irreversibly.
I don't know yet how costly it is to a company to lose an employee, but I'm sure the idea of "lets make him work his ass off until he quits" may become cheaper than the normal way of paying decent wage to an efficient employee. However, this requires a steady supply of blue-eyed employee's to be taken in and tossed out of the company.
Human Resource Management has billions of aspects, and I believe that normal levels, principals and customs of salary is just a small thing needed to be done right. Doing the salary dance in a proper way results in less de-motivation, as stated by Frederick Herzberg in his theory of job motivation. Everywhere. People care about the money, and its a bit sad to all the noble employers in the world who just would like things to be free and everyone be happy for free.
I'm not saying this is the style of management in some particular area of the world, but you can draw your own conclusions from this Blog's area of focus.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Decisions
In life, there are decisions. Always. Lately for me they have been whether to buy Warhammer 40 000 Daemonhunter Miniatures or continue with Tau Empire. Now, however, I have a new smaller decision ahead concerning a bit different subject; Where should I live? Basically I have three options; Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong or Finland. Each have their sides, but right now I'm sick of jumping from one place to another so I'd prefer staying in Malaysia.
So the decision has been already made? No. I have to consider social relations. Fuck. Life without social relations eventually ends to apathy, but on the other hand, it is so much easier to "jive" when you don't have any family or other than personal and work-related responsibilities to take care of. General consensus is that the latter option is naive, but I don't really know. I'm just tired of the hectic of "traveling" and moving. I've moved all my life as far as I can remember, mainly due to my parents.
The thing about working abroad is that eventually (sooner than you think) you want to settle down. I don't know why the hell running around the globe appeals to some people, but for me, if you haven't settled down for at least a while, you never experience the small details which really makes life worth living. Yeah, you can enjoy some parties, exotic girls, diarrhea and all the other crap related to traveling in not more than just few months. But what about the local communities, "underground" food culture, small shops you can't find in any other way than by luck and knowing at least 20 people. Those are the things I travel and work abroad for. And right now I'm getting into them slowly already in Malaysia, so moving again doesn't appeal a damn bit to me.
Funny enough, right now the decision about this seems to be entirely in my hands. No matter what will be my choice, some people will get pissed or unhappy in some way, but I don't know if I'm actually up for such humanity anymore - to try to please everyone else. Would be best to think about myself for change, big time.
If one thinks this post was too personal, get a grip. Everyone's pissed about moving, and anyone who was required (or opted) to move constantly can relate and feel how stupid it feels. You can't get anything nice & permanent cause you're about to move, neither can you waste your money on partying or passing time 'cause you need to save for your new settlement.
"Moving! Fuck yeah! Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah. Moving, FUCK YEAH! Freedom is the only way yeah!"*
*sang in a tune of "America, Fuck Yeah" from the Animation; Team America: World Police.
So the decision has been already made? No. I have to consider social relations. Fuck. Life without social relations eventually ends to apathy, but on the other hand, it is so much easier to "jive" when you don't have any family or other than personal and work-related responsibilities to take care of. General consensus is that the latter option is naive, but I don't really know. I'm just tired of the hectic of "traveling" and moving. I've moved all my life as far as I can remember, mainly due to my parents.
The thing about working abroad is that eventually (sooner than you think) you want to settle down. I don't know why the hell running around the globe appeals to some people, but for me, if you haven't settled down for at least a while, you never experience the small details which really makes life worth living. Yeah, you can enjoy some parties, exotic girls, diarrhea and all the other crap related to traveling in not more than just few months. But what about the local communities, "underground" food culture, small shops you can't find in any other way than by luck and knowing at least 20 people. Those are the things I travel and work abroad for. And right now I'm getting into them slowly already in Malaysia, so moving again doesn't appeal a damn bit to me.
Funny enough, right now the decision about this seems to be entirely in my hands. No matter what will be my choice, some people will get pissed or unhappy in some way, but I don't know if I'm actually up for such humanity anymore - to try to please everyone else. Would be best to think about myself for change, big time.
If one thinks this post was too personal, get a grip. Everyone's pissed about moving, and anyone who was required (or opted) to move constantly can relate and feel how stupid it feels. You can't get anything nice & permanent cause you're about to move, neither can you waste your money on partying or passing time 'cause you need to save for your new settlement.
"Moving! Fuck yeah! Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah. Moving, FUCK YEAH! Freedom is the only way yeah!"*
*sang in a tune of "America, Fuck Yeah" from the Animation; Team America: World Police.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Dark Knight
If Hellboy, Batman, Hancock, Hulk, and Iron Man were to have last man standing in the Coliseum with no other ways out besides victory or death, who would win? Joker. Previously played by Jack Nicholson, the greatest actor of all time, and now played by a seemingly lousy wimp, Heath Ledger. But before jumping and screaming, hear me out; Ledger actually outdoes Jack Nicholson! When I saw The Dark Knight yesterday, the moment Joker appeared and started to talk I went all like "This is the best thing ever, in all of chaos' endless possibilities, this is THE best fucking thing!". The new Joker is more sinister, more chaotic, more intelligent, more cold, and without an identity, which by the way does a lot good to the character . Something that Tim Burton didn't earlier realize, albeit I admire his works, was the fact that if one drops a villain to "normal people's level" even temporarily, the character loses a lot of its grimness and power. Seemingly Burton thought the completely opposite.
Actually one could easily argue how Jack Napier (earlier Joker) was far more clear and stylish character when played by Nicholson, and how Ledger's version without an identity was just more chaotic, but not necessarily better. However, when the original Batman movie came out, the Joker was a rather normal person just gone crazy - and albeit at that time he may have seemed like a real scary and paranormal character, nowadays a traditional lunatic just won't do. Enough madmen in the movies alright. When I heard about the blasphemy of sequel being made to Batman Begins, and Joker being re-enacted, I thought that the new guy must look like a ridiculous B-class villain, unless he is at least 10,0000 times more sinister and mysterious than Jack Nicholson's masterwork. But, again, he really made it.
SPOILER! There was one little flaw in the new Joker however. He seemingly showed a small sense of humanity when he started to explain his traumatic childhood, and how he got his scars. However, later in the movie, he has a different explanation to those scars, which made me hope , and I still hope, that those explanations about his scars were just lies all the way. /SPOILER! I don't want villains to be "abused children" or crap alike, I want them to be genuinely logical, intelligent, sinister and just plain crazy for the sake of it. That's primitive, that's brutal and that's like the way it should be. In other words, villains with no traumatic childhood etc. are just far more fascinating. I hate when there needs to be an explanation in the movies for people's "bad" behavior. It really is a spit in to the face of audience, when everything is readily chewed for them. Just open your mouth and swallow.
This is the point which makes Batman movies so great; There is a morality game all the way throughout the movies, where you really can't say most of the times if Batman himself is doing any good. And if the thing with new Joker was really how I hope it to be, that he has just gone berserk through logical reasoning , it is really how "good and bad" should be done in every movie. Not in the way that you have in most movies "Ooh, his dog died when he was 12, and now he is killing everyone." For most people the quoted is just fine, and thus, they can go safely home after movie without fearing of becoming killers themselves 'cause their dog didn't die when they were twelve.
The Dark Knight is a best movie of all time for me, currently. Movie-wise it's maybe not that great to some, but I really don't mind about minor details if the overall feeling of the movie is great and entertaining. Just like in music, the main point in movies for me is the atmosphere. The Dark Knight has a brilliant atmosphere, and although Gotham has too much daylight, it is only a minor "mistake" in my books. Go and see it, it outdoes Batman Begins, Batman the Movie, and Batman Returns. Those two other movies including Batman are not to be spoken of. They suck.
Actually one could easily argue how Jack Napier (earlier Joker) was far more clear and stylish character when played by Nicholson, and how Ledger's version without an identity was just more chaotic, but not necessarily better. However, when the original Batman movie came out, the Joker was a rather normal person just gone crazy - and albeit at that time he may have seemed like a real scary and paranormal character, nowadays a traditional lunatic just won't do. Enough madmen in the movies alright. When I heard about the blasphemy of sequel being made to Batman Begins, and Joker being re-enacted, I thought that the new guy must look like a ridiculous B-class villain, unless he is at least 10,0000 times more sinister and mysterious than Jack Nicholson's masterwork. But, again, he really made it.
SPOILER! There was one little flaw in the new Joker however. He seemingly showed a small sense of humanity when he started to explain his traumatic childhood, and how he got his scars. However, later in the movie, he has a different explanation to those scars, which made me hope , and I still hope, that those explanations about his scars were just lies all the way. /SPOILER! I don't want villains to be "abused children" or crap alike, I want them to be genuinely logical, intelligent, sinister and just plain crazy for the sake of it. That's primitive, that's brutal and that's like the way it should be. In other words, villains with no traumatic childhood etc. are just far more fascinating. I hate when there needs to be an explanation in the movies for people's "bad" behavior. It really is a spit in to the face of audience, when everything is readily chewed for them. Just open your mouth and swallow.
This is the point which makes Batman movies so great; There is a morality game all the way throughout the movies, where you really can't say most of the times if Batman himself is doing any good. And if the thing with new Joker was really how I hope it to be, that he has just gone berserk through logical reasoning , it is really how "good and bad" should be done in every movie. Not in the way that you have in most movies "Ooh, his dog died when he was 12, and now he is killing everyone." For most people the quoted is just fine, and thus, they can go safely home after movie without fearing of becoming killers themselves 'cause their dog didn't die when they were twelve.
The Dark Knight is a best movie of all time for me, currently. Movie-wise it's maybe not that great to some, but I really don't mind about minor details if the overall feeling of the movie is great and entertaining. Just like in music, the main point in movies for me is the atmosphere. The Dark Knight has a brilliant atmosphere, and although Gotham has too much daylight, it is only a minor "mistake" in my books. Go and see it, it outdoes Batman Begins, Batman the Movie, and Batman Returns. Those two other movies including Batman are not to be spoken of. They suck.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mit Gas
Having a car in Kuala Lumpur is a necessity. Having said that, having a car in Kuala Lumpur is nowhere near as useful as one might think. If anyone has ever experienced Kuala Lumpur traffic jams, I'm sure one knows what I'm talking about. I'm not sure if the traffic here is extremely bad in comparison, but it still is bad nevertheless. Any situation where you would be better off with a bicycle than a car, is an extremely bad use of car for me.
The traffic problem is two-way; public transportation sucks 'cause the jams are huge (and to be honest, the whole system is under development), and the jams are huge cause public transportation is not used. Rise in gasoline prices has (surprisingly) added to this problem a great deal. One of the worst traffic jams I've ever experienced was the day prior to adjusting gasoline prices. People were queuing to gas stations like it was free money for free (practically it was) and sucked them dry. This was just one day's problem however.
The real problem at this moment, which is more persisting, is that rise in gasoline price caused demonstrations in the roads in Malaysia (as well as in other countries). If these demonstrations weren't hassle enough, police decided to set up road blocks to control the security threat these demonstrations posed to people. The Star is a rather objective newspaper in KL, you may wanna check it out to get a better view of the current situation (the picture in the article gives a very good impression how a traditional KL traffic jam looks like);
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/15/nation/21822758&sec=nation
Anyways, knowing that there are traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur is not very useful, but "the local tricks" are. After few months of driving around the city I've found out some very common useful tricks;
- Avoid the most direct routes. If you choose a longer road in distance, you get only about 50% or less of the cars than on the main roads, and can arrive from 15 minutes to even 1 hour earlier.
- Be rude. This is probably the main reason behind traffic jams anyway (or the city's road "design"...), but believe me, without being arrogant you will get the shortest stick. No matter how noble or polite you want to be on paper, it is easily forgotten when you're still stuck for the third hour in a normally fifteen minute trip.
- Avoid driving during the rain. I don't know if water is forming the extra cars or what, but for some funny reason the amount of cars in the roads during rain is at least tripled from normal. I guess Malaysians are made out of sugar.
- Abuse the jumpers. If you see a driver jumping in a queue, or using any other masterful traffic jumping/switching lanes tactic, and slowing down everyone else - copy that and do it for him or her. They usually regret their own rudeness, so you can freely exploit that more than often 'cause they let you in front of them more easily.
- Traffic light stop. Every single moped in KL are already going when they see the crossing traffic light turns to red, and soon theirs will be green. Thus, I don't understand why people still go during a yellow one. So be careful. But here's one trick to "pay back" if you're bored and the car behind you is annoying; look for a blinking green, stop, and you hear a horn. When the blinking green turns to yellow, press the pedal and leave the sucker standing stupidly with his red light. Works every time, but better be sure the driver is not fit for vengeance.
Seriously, I don't want to recommend rude, arrogant and plain awful driving to anyone since it is the major reason behind traffic jams. But the fact still is that a lot of people think "eye-for-an-eye" in the traffic, and you should too. Nice people always end up with nothing and thats the rule of (urban) jungle forever and ever. And always remember to blame either the government or the gas prices on bad traffic and your bad driving.
The traffic problem is two-way; public transportation sucks 'cause the jams are huge (and to be honest, the whole system is under development), and the jams are huge cause public transportation is not used. Rise in gasoline prices has (surprisingly) added to this problem a great deal. One of the worst traffic jams I've ever experienced was the day prior to adjusting gasoline prices. People were queuing to gas stations like it was free money for free (practically it was) and sucked them dry. This was just one day's problem however.
The real problem at this moment, which is more persisting, is that rise in gasoline price caused demonstrations in the roads in Malaysia (as well as in other countries). If these demonstrations weren't hassle enough, police decided to set up road blocks to control the security threat these demonstrations posed to people. The Star is a rather objective newspaper in KL, you may wanna check it out to get a better view of the current situation (the picture in the article gives a very good impression how a traditional KL traffic jam looks like);
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/15/nation/21822758&sec=nation
Anyways, knowing that there are traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur is not very useful, but "the local tricks" are. After few months of driving around the city I've found out some very common useful tricks;
- Avoid the most direct routes. If you choose a longer road in distance, you get only about 50% or less of the cars than on the main roads, and can arrive from 15 minutes to even 1 hour earlier.
- Be rude. This is probably the main reason behind traffic jams anyway (or the city's road "design"...), but believe me, without being arrogant you will get the shortest stick. No matter how noble or polite you want to be on paper, it is easily forgotten when you're still stuck for the third hour in a normally fifteen minute trip.
- Avoid driving during the rain. I don't know if water is forming the extra cars or what, but for some funny reason the amount of cars in the roads during rain is at least tripled from normal. I guess Malaysians are made out of sugar.
- Abuse the jumpers. If you see a driver jumping in a queue, or using any other masterful traffic jumping/switching lanes tactic, and slowing down everyone else - copy that and do it for him or her. They usually regret their own rudeness, so you can freely exploit that more than often 'cause they let you in front of them more easily.
- Traffic light stop. Every single moped in KL are already going when they see the crossing traffic light turns to red, and soon theirs will be green. Thus, I don't understand why people still go during a yellow one. So be careful. But here's one trick to "pay back" if you're bored and the car behind you is annoying; look for a blinking green, stop, and you hear a horn. When the blinking green turns to yellow, press the pedal and leave the sucker standing stupidly with his red light. Works every time, but better be sure the driver is not fit for vengeance.
Seriously, I don't want to recommend rude, arrogant and plain awful driving to anyone since it is the major reason behind traffic jams. But the fact still is that a lot of people think "eye-for-an-eye" in the traffic, and you should too. Nice people always end up with nothing and thats the rule of (urban) jungle forever and ever. And always remember to blame either the government or the gas prices on bad traffic and your bad driving.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown
The title is a song by a band called Burzum. Magnificent song, but doesn't have much to do with the subject I'm about to write.
Food. I have very limited experiences from a food in Asia in general, but that's mainly because I don't have too much variety in my diet. If I find a meal that is safe, reasonably priced, tasty and healthy, I'll stick to that. 'Cause especially in Malaysia the available dishes are virtually limitless. And then, I sadly have to say that Hong Kong doesn't offer many options. Sorry, yes the options are many, not that the food isn't safe, healthy nor reasonably priced, but the tastes are sub-par in Hong Kong. There. I said it.
If anyone of you has ever tried traditional cantonese cuisine prepared in a more-moder-way-than-normal, then that's Hong Kong food. I'm missing something about the Roast Duck, Duck Rice, Dim Sum etc. since all that stuff what Hong Kong food culture is famous for, doesn't appeal to me at all. Some individual dishes are good, and the food is not hopeless. I just don't understand what is the hype for in tourist leaflets etc. I've spent quite a bit of time in Hong Kong, and after countless meals, the western and japanese food are the best ones Hong Kong has to offer. I gotta give props for the japanese food in Hong Kong though, since sushi is relatively safe to eat compared to many neighboring countries, due to active and strict government on food regulations. Sadly I don't like raw fish.
The moment you exit the Hong Kong border, wether it is the Sezchuan Kitchens in China, Dim Sum in Taiwan, all the food of Malaysia etc. you have totally different world. Heck, I dare to say that even the airline food tastes better once you cross the Hong Kong border.
From one thing to another, what really bothers me in Asia sometimes when eating is the way of cooking the meat. You have all the wide variety of diseases available from foodstuffs, namely Grand Master Food Poisoning, and yet some cooks (even in high quality restaurants) refuse to cook the meat properly. Seeing a pinkish chicken or pork meat isn't that rare, and boy it gives me aggro nowadays, cause I want to enjoy my meal and usually eat too late so I'm angry to boot with when I'm eating. Medium vs Rare vs Well Done with steaks is another subject, and I'm not going to cover it yet, but until you know where to go to have a steak, I'd suggest to take well done 100% of the time. Especially outside Hong Kong where the food regulations and hygiene might be not so strict.
As a conclusion I'd like to state that Malaysia has the best food. Period. Go there and try Nasi Lemak, Teh Tarik, Satay, Roti Jala, Naan (Indian), Chicken Tandoori, Kampung Fried Rice... etc. Spicy/Mild/Hot you have all the shit, but in general everything tastes great, doesn't cost a dime, and is more than often available 24 hours any weekday (especially Indian kitchens). Malaysians can cook, they complain about food easily (easier to maintain quality), they use spices in a proper way, and they combine different kitchens with great results.
Food. I have very limited experiences from a food in Asia in general, but that's mainly because I don't have too much variety in my diet. If I find a meal that is safe, reasonably priced, tasty and healthy, I'll stick to that. 'Cause especially in Malaysia the available dishes are virtually limitless. And then, I sadly have to say that Hong Kong doesn't offer many options. Sorry, yes the options are many, not that the food isn't safe, healthy nor reasonably priced, but the tastes are sub-par in Hong Kong. There. I said it.
If anyone of you has ever tried traditional cantonese cuisine prepared in a more-moder-way-than-normal, then that's Hong Kong food. I'm missing something about the Roast Duck, Duck Rice, Dim Sum etc. since all that stuff what Hong Kong food culture is famous for, doesn't appeal to me at all. Some individual dishes are good, and the food is not hopeless. I just don't understand what is the hype for in tourist leaflets etc. I've spent quite a bit of time in Hong Kong, and after countless meals, the western and japanese food are the best ones Hong Kong has to offer. I gotta give props for the japanese food in Hong Kong though, since sushi is relatively safe to eat compared to many neighboring countries, due to active and strict government on food regulations. Sadly I don't like raw fish.
The moment you exit the Hong Kong border, wether it is the Sezchuan Kitchens in China, Dim Sum in Taiwan, all the food of Malaysia etc. you have totally different world. Heck, I dare to say that even the airline food tastes better once you cross the Hong Kong border.
From one thing to another, what really bothers me in Asia sometimes when eating is the way of cooking the meat. You have all the wide variety of diseases available from foodstuffs, namely Grand Master Food Poisoning, and yet some cooks (even in high quality restaurants) refuse to cook the meat properly. Seeing a pinkish chicken or pork meat isn't that rare, and boy it gives me aggro nowadays, cause I want to enjoy my meal and usually eat too late so I'm angry to boot with when I'm eating. Medium vs Rare vs Well Done with steaks is another subject, and I'm not going to cover it yet, but until you know where to go to have a steak, I'd suggest to take well done 100% of the time. Especially outside Hong Kong where the food regulations and hygiene might be not so strict.
As a conclusion I'd like to state that Malaysia has the best food. Period. Go there and try Nasi Lemak, Teh Tarik, Satay, Roti Jala, Naan (Indian), Chicken Tandoori, Kampung Fried Rice... etc. Spicy/Mild/Hot you have all the shit, but in general everything tastes great, doesn't cost a dime, and is more than often available 24 hours any weekday (especially Indian kitchens). Malaysians can cook, they complain about food easily (easier to maintain quality), they use spices in a proper way, and they combine different kitchens with great results.
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