"Throughout the years, I have not seen any narrow mindedness from your writings. "

Notes

Vacation Time!

It's that time of year where we leave Hong Kong for a sanity break.

I probably won't have much access to the web while I'm away so additions to Notes will be sporadic if any.

So take the time, if you haven't already, to visit the Archive, or check out the Site Map for all the content at BWG.

You can also head over to Hong Kong Photographic to peruse images from Hong Kong and abroad. And yes, there will be more new photos from Hawaiʻi if all goes well.

See you when I return!

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Tramburger

As wonderful as the old trams on Hong Kong Island are, they can be dangerous.

Not because they're death traps to ride, but because pedestrians take them for granted. In a city of millions it's only a matter of time before someone gets run over and killed. The bright spot is that it's a rare occurrence, perhaps once or twice a year.

Rarer still is when someone gets hit and lives to tell the tale: a woman crossing Johnston Road in Wan Chai cheated death when she realised a tram was bearing down on her and stopped herself before she walked in front of it.

Well, almost stopped. Turns out her head didn't get the message. Now there's a story for the grandchildren: "Come sit, little ones, and let me tell you about the time a tram punched me in the face."

The moral of the story: if you're daydreaming, wearing an iPod, or yapping on your mobile phone; either wake up and pay extra attention to your surroundings before crossing in front of a tram, or better yet, stay put.

No one wants to see you get turned into hamburger.

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Next Idea: Wine Weekend!

So Lan Kwai Fong is once again promoting its annual Beer Fest.

Given that the area was designed for people to drink themselves stupid, the concept is rather redundant.

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Chinglish Is Everywhere

The phrase much ado about nothing leapt to mind when I read of a small flap over the "Chinglish" used at Central Pier.

It seems some folks feel that instead of saying "Go. Cheung Chau" and "Go. Mui Wo", they should say "To Cheung Chau" and "To Mui Wo". The complaint is that the poor grammar hurts Hong Kong's image as an international city.

But Chinglish is nothing new; I've been documenting it for years:

• Waiting Will Be Prosecuted

• Flash Food

• Keep Out of Distances

• No Dog Fouling

• Becare

• Witch Room

• Government Retaining Wall

And that's just a few of many. By comparison the Central Pier signs are forgivable. In fact, English speakers might take the punctuation as understated encouragement: Go (no really, go, it's cool. Go. You'll thank me.). Therefore I disagree that it damages the Big Lychee's international reputation.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board and the city's political system takes care of that.

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My Nose, My Nose!

Here are just a few of the things I can smell during a five-minute walk through Causeway Bay:

This is the very definition of sensory overload.

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