Gotta love the Brits

Sad news emerged this morning, the death of Boyzone band member Stephen Gateley in Majorca, you know how I found out. No not the conventional methods, I got a text when I woke up from a mate of mine:

"Stephen Gately dead eh?

What a bummer..."

What I love about the British people is our sense of humour, no matter what the global disaster or death, there's always someone out there who's thinking of the funny side of things. Ok there must be tons of people out there who think we're sick and need help. But I guess humour is one of the way we get through the hard times. I mean, how much does a damn good laugh cheer you up after a long hard day. It's something that most other cultures and nationalitys will never understand. And yes i'm guilty!

Been a long weekend for me, I got my new bike on Friday, decided to bike to work on Saturday. As I was coming down a fairly steep hill, doing about 20mph, I got cocky and decided to hit the path. Hit it at the wrong angle, and sort of ploughed into a wall. My bike was in worse condition then I was, one of the brake pads was knackered, and both tyres were damaged. It's cost me £40 but I can live with that. Lucky that I haven't broken anything. Apart from alot of aches and pains today, a badly bruised shoulder and finger, i'm fairly alright. The bloke in Halfords spoke my language, he said "You were seeing how fast you were getting it to go weren't you?!", and yep yep I probably was. Maybe next time i'll not be so cocky, and be more careful.

Some good news, which is fairly scarce at the moment. I passed my security training, and am now in the process of getting my badge. This year's been weird, I know tons of people who will agree with this, it's just been full of shit, it has actually been a really crap year, very little has come or gone my way. I'm looking forward to 2010, let's hope its better than 2009. Anyway, i'm off to have a bath and sooth my aching body. Anyone want to scrub my back? Hello? Anyone?

Now she's calm, looking smart and making thousands.

The G20 protests have once again hit the press today, along with the critism of the police's handling of it. It's very interesting reading this now, after doing my security and physical intervention course this weekend, i've been taught all the procedures and techniques which the police use so in a way I look at things like this situation very differently. The PC involved in the apparently "assault" has today been charged by the CPS with assault and is being taken to court.

Take a look at the above video which around about 22 secs shows the incident starting. The unemployed, benefit seeking woman from Brighton is twice told to "Step Back", and being warned about her behaviour. She continues to swear and shout abuse at the police officer, and also pushes him at one point. You're taught in your physical intervention course that you should use reasonable and minimum force, and you're allowed to strike the first blow if you feel threatened. This woman entered the officers "intimate space" having already been warning twice about her behaviour, she continued to be aggresive, what does she think is going to happen.

The back hand which the officer uses is a technique which is an initial way of getting someone to back off, I do not think he deliberately went for her face, I think this was an accident. Even after this she continued to be aggressive and abusive to this officer, so his next option was either his CS spray or the batton, he went for the batton. At this point she gets the message.

Personally I believe this woman should be issued with a section 5 public order for her behaviour. The officer now has to explain the situation to a jury, explain why he thought that the force he used against this woman was reasonable and minimum. The woman was warned twice before force was used, and she ignored the warnings, maybe she'll think again next time. It's better to be heard by 12 than carried by 6. I'm not going to get into my opinions of this woman, I will just say that I think she should get a job and do something more worthwhile, but i'm sure she's made enough to keep her going for a few years from her stories in the papers.

On another note, why the hell is Scott Mills on Radio 1 starting to play christmas songs, I swear the next one he plays i'll be writing a complaint to the beeb. It's too bloody early, and ruins the spirit of it all.

A softy at heart

It's rare that something as heart wrenching as this makes me want to do an immediate blogpost but this quite touched me just now. I was driving back having done a few errands, when I drove past a old woman standing outside her house with what I presume was a friend of hers, clearly looking quite distressed. Lying in her arms, was this black and white cat, the cat looked quite worse for wear, in fact I'd say there was very little life in it. In a matter of seconds, i'd pretty much confidently established that this was probably a little old lady who's best friend was this little creature, and she was in the process of losing it.

I've got two cats, both of which I annoy till the cows come home, but both of which I am quite fond of and wouldn't like to lose (i'm sure they feel very differently). It is amazing how we can get so close to animals, and how we can build so many strong bonds with them, I guess when we get older, these animals are our best friends, the creatures we see on a daily basis, the ones that no matter how sad we get or how much we annoy them, they'll still come and cuddle up on your lap on a cold winters evening. For this woman, I guess it was like losing a relative. Of course, I could be totally wrong with all of this, as I say I only saw what I saw for a matter of seconds as I drove past. Hopefully I am wrong and all is well.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day for yesterday too :)

The NSPCBR called to say i'm neglecting you.

The NSPCBR being...National Society for the Protection against Cruelty of Blog Readers, and no they don't exist. Sorry, it's been like 12 days since I last updated, which in all honesty isn't that long, but even so thought I should update. Times are changing swiftly, work things are changing, I think the next few months could be very interesting, don't want to say too much in case of jinxing things, but i'm looking forward to it. Was at the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyll recently, where the above photo was taken. This amused me and got posted on twit pic, sat on the prompt desk in a box behind a glass panel which read "In case of showbiz emergency, break glass". I imagine this little friend comes out when the Chuckle Brothers and Britains Got Talent arrive, neither of which in the same show of course.

If you're on twitter then follow me, it's www.twitter.com/astreather, and if you're not, then why not? There's something about twitter, when I first joined I thought it was a load of crap and a waste of time, so shoved it to one side for nearly a year. But then it came big again and I thought i'd give it a go, and now i'm hooked, almost as though it's some kind of drug that i'm not addicted to. Love it!

Derren Brown deserves a mention for predicting the lottery. All these people coming up with stupid guesses of how he did it are seriously making me laugh, it's all over the papers and the internet. I personally don't think he did it the way he said he did, through the whole "Wisdom of the Crowds" solution. The technical person in me, having worked on a number of Brown's shows, says that all this split screen stuff is bollocks and he wouldn't have done it. A little part of me just thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might have fixed the machine and put heavier balls in place of the others. As with alot of things, I guess we'll never know, and maybe that's what makes it so great. It's got people talking anyway! This week he controls the nation, i'm away so I really hope this thing works on 4OD when I get back or I will be gutted.

Feeling pretty rotten at the moment, come down with a spout of the man flu, think i'm at the tail end of it which is good news. Haven't told many people because someone is bound to go off on one and decide that i've got Swine Flu and I shouldn't be working etc. etc. Complete media hyped bollocks as usual, which the beeb are still going on about, tonight it's their Panorama special about Swine Flu. Seriously???? I'll be watching the footie with a cold magners and chocolate covered raisins.

I'll leave you on this final note: "Don’t do anything you are not prepared to explain to a paramedic."

The Lakes, Walking Sticks, and the London Astoria

It's taken me ages to get round to doing this blog post, I haven't actually been particularly busy, I just haven't found the time to do it. I guess lazyness comes into it somewhere, but in my defence, I have just spent a week climbing mountains (evidence above to all those non believers!).

It was a good week, the weather did deteriorate, and it started to piss it down on about 3 of the days meaning I couldn't do everything that I wanted to do but achieved the most important thing on the first day, and that was Helvellyn and Striding Edge. If you're into this sort of thing and ever get the chance, you have to do Helvellyn via Striding Edge, it's a excellent thrill which does involve a certain amount of rock climbing and scrambelling towards the end of the ridge but once you get to the top you realise why you've just worked so hard to reach it, and thats evident in the photo below.

I speak alot about this climb because it was very memorable and something that I feel was a great achievement, but we did other walks during the week when it wasn't raining. I'm quite glad the rain is coming, summer gets tedious and hot by the end, there gets a stage for me when wind and rain is a welcome occurance. Many people will disagree with this, but I prefer Autumn and Winter to Summer. So about what the weather is doing now, but saying that it's gonna warm up from tomorrow.

What do you do on a rainy day? Lose at pillow fighting to a little kid, mind you, there's really not much you can do while there's a 2 year old sitting on your head!! Speaking of being a kid, ever since I started walking in the Lakes I always collected walking stick mounts. I collected a stick from the woods, carved it out and made it shine, and every time I visited a place or climbed a mountain I'd gain a little badge to go on this walking stick. To this day I've still got it, and I took it to the Lakes with me. But to be disappointment it became evident that these walking stick badges are no longer sold. You can get them on ebay, but none of any of the Lake District Mountains, if anyone has any idea where I can get these from then please let me know!!! I'd be very interested to find out whats happened to these.

On a final note, I only just learnt yesterday that the London Astoria is about to be demolished. The former pickle factory was an intermitate 2000 capacity music venue, and one my favourite venues around. It's hosted everyone from the Rolling Stones to Oasis to The Beach Boys. An absolute shame to see it go, i'm gutted. RIP the London Astoria...

I am still alive, honest.

It's been a busy few weeks, here's a quick fun update for you, full Lake District update coming soon!!!!

Type in the following and write the first description found.... Be honest, don't just pick one out to be funny!
1: Type in "[your first name] needs" in the Google search:
2: Type in "[your first name] looks" in Google search:
3: Type in "[your first name] hates" in Google search:
4: Type in "[your first name] goes" OR "[your first name] has gone" in Google search:
5: Type in "[your first name] loves" in Google search:
6: Type in "[your first name] eats" in Google search:
7: Type in "[your first name] has" in Google search:
8: Type in "[your first name] works" in Google search:
9: Type in"[your first name] lives" in Google searh:
10: Type in "[your first name] dies" in Google search:
11. Type in "[your first name] does" in Google search:
12: Type in "[your first name] will" in Google search:

Here goes:
1. Adam needs to Shower Petition
2. Adam looks like Heath Ledger
3. Adam Hates Megan Matthews (Sorry Megan, whoever you are?!)
4. Two ready to arrive as Adam goes
5. Adam Loves Beer
6. Adam Eats Whole Pack of Big League Chew (:S)
7. Adam has the most amazing rock voice I've ever heard
8. Adam Works on Jennifer's Body (no further comments on that one)
9. Adam lives in theory
10. Adam dies in freak accident
11. Adam does the devil!
12. Adam will win it all.

Okay - Now go to images.google.com - type your first name, save and attach the first image that comes up to your note. This image is above

This makes a bit of sense....

Just took this test here: http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy.

How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You like privacy very much because you enjoy spending time with your own thoughts. You like to disappear when you cannot find solutions to your own problems, but you would feel better if you learned to share your thoughts with a person you trust.

I won't go near Liverpool after this post.

Firstly, before I start this, in no way do I mean any offence in this post and I do send my best wishes to the family of the boys involved, despite what I am about to say, it is a dreadful tragedy from which three familys in the North West are suffering at this time. Take a read of this story before reading further.

I think the photo in this story says it all. What idiot climbs on top of a freight train in a secured depot where there is live electricity wires above your head, all depots have indications of this, and common sense usually provails? Not only did he climb on top of this train, he then grabbed hold of the overhead electric cables. Seriously, what are parents and schools teaching kids these days. When I was 13/14, my brain would have told me that doing this was dangerous and I would get in big trouble for doing it. Yes there is a certain level of thrill about doing it, but I would have thought at that age that doing this would seriously injure me and it wasn't a wise idea.

Liam's teacher Emma-Jane Percy, head of Year 9 at St Benedict's Catholic College, said: "Liam was a wonderful, bright young man. Clearly not that bright if he was standing on top of a freight train having broken into its depot.

It's amusing that now the parents and local residents of Allerton are blaming the depot for not putting enough safety measures in place to keep kids out. I guess they probably think that they should install 30ft high electric fences and a no fly zone around the depot too. Mind you, someone would probably ignore all signs and risks and try to climb the electric fences. At the end of the day, these kids had broken into this depot, they were tresspassing at their own risk, they then climbed on top of a parked up freight train and grabbed the electric wires above the train. I mean what on earth do you think is going to happen? The schools and parents need to take blame for this, why were their kids allowed to get into this depot, why were they not taught of the dangers of doing so? 25,000 volts would cause a little tingle don't you think?!

From Hong Kong to Hastings

Home safe, tired, going for a bath, sort of missing Hong Kong...Hastings just isn't the same. That was an easy blog for today, catch you later. Have a joke in the meantime:

Want to talk to someone about drugs?

Talk to Frank.... .... He's the black guy at number 7 with the Range Rover on the drive. That guy can get his hands on just about anything.

Hong Kong Day Seven - Last Day!!!

So, that's my last full day in Hong Kong finished. Don't leave until 23:55 tomorrow, so technically have all day tomorrow but need to pack, so we're hanging round the local area tomorrow, probably wonder down to the markets, and get all my stuff ready before I fly back. Final Typhoon update for you, Severe Tropical Storm Goni actually missed Hong Kong, we got the edge of it, and it took down a few posters and boards but nothing major and it was all over night anyway. Looking out the window now, weather is worse than last night, thunder and lighting and torrential rain.

It's been fairly rainy and grey all day, perfect for a museum, plus Wednesday is free admission to numerous museums in Hong Kong. So we headed over to the Museum of History just across the water from Hong Kong Island. History has always interested me, and I think it's important to find out how this place got to where it did, and the stages it went through. Hong Kong has a very interesting history, from the Japanese Occupation during World War II to the Opimum wars and the Chinese Dynastys hundreds of years ago, the museum has some great live size displays that covers everything. It even adds in bits of China's history so you get to read up on that. If you're around, and get the chance, check it out, but make sure to see it in order. You can easily skip stages, but it's important to get all the story. It's like being in chapter 11 of a book and going straight to chapter 19, you miss out on chapter 12 - 18. And it's not like Eastenders, you can't catch up after having not watched it for months.

Today has, however, been fulled with slow walking chinese people who I did find quite rude in the museum. They seemed to like standing in front of you while you're either trying to read something or take a photos. It is known that there can be a certain amount of rudeness in Hong Kong, but this is understandably down to the speed of life they lead. And plus people who walk slowly standing in a line blocking the pavement do my nut, even in England. Even so, i've found them quite pleasant this week, at times a bit rude, but mostly quite pleasant and they can't half cook some good grub!

Quite interesting that the above photo is of Hong Kong island, only about 90 years ago, pre-world war I, amazing how much it has changed. Also amazing how much land has been reclaimed in the past 100 years, and they're still reclaiming it now. Just started building new on Hong Kong Island. Had a lovely home cooked curry tonight, and just watching Slumdog Millionairre.

It's been a fantastic trip, as I've said before it's another box ticked off my "Thing's to do before I die" list, thoroughly loved every bit of this trip visiting this amazing city, there's no single item I can pick out as being my favourite, just everything has been great. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend you visit this city, it is unique in so many different ways, every corner you turn is something different, and usually something you don't see in every city. Back to England tomorrow, back to normality. But only for a short period, then it's off with the family for a week in the Lake District. I guess life isn't all that bad!

Hong Kong - Day Six

Evening! That's day six over with, typhoon update for you first. Despite it going off track and the fact that Hong Kong will not be taking a direct hit, the Hong Kong version of the met office are due to issue a T8 warning in the next half an hour, T10 is hurricane force winds! However its going to pass overnight so i'll probably sleep through it, all very exciting! Mind you, if they're anything like the met office, then it'll probably be a light wind with the occasional shower, and even then they'll get the day wrong.
Went and rode on the largest series of Outdoor Escalators in the world today. Another excellent idea from the Hong Kong transport industry. From 6am to 10am they go downhill, and from 10am onwards they go up hill. So that people going home from work can get there easily. It takes you up, past around 10-15 streets, up to Mid Levels. An excellent invention! The above photo amused me, this was in a lift in the Bank of China building where we went to take a look out on Hong Kong from their Observatory deck. Take your choice of floors....43 or 1?

It was nice to see the above cenotaph memorial for the people who died in the two World Wars in Central Hong Kong Island. This was obviously placed during the British Colonial times, and has never been moved. When you think about the value of this land, it's truly brilliant to see its still there. Speaking of British Colonial times, we took a walk from the Mid Levels Escalators to Hong Kong Park today, this took us past all the British built buildings, and it was quite fascinating to see the strong British resemblance still in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Park was truly special. It's beautiful in it's own little weird way, set smack bang in the middle of Central Hong Kong, it really is a chance to get out of the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's financial district into a peaceful green retreat. There's alot of these in Hong Kong, and in a way it's what makes Hong Kong so different to all other cities.

Finally went along to Temple Street Night Market. It's one of these world famous places that i've heard so much about and really wanted to go and see. It's one of these places where you really can spend hundreds of pounds on absolute junk. Bought a fair few things there, most quite useful, these include: x4 Fake DVDs, all of fairly decent quality ( Angels and Demons, Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince, Slumdog Millionairre and Valkyrie), all cost me around about £8! Also bought a new multitool, new torch, 2 new pairs of sunglasses, and numerous gifts for family.

Had a really good day, was alot cooler today which was lovely, and had a nice breeze. Off to do the historical bit tomorrow, as it does quite interest me, so off to visit the Hong Kong Museum of History, as long as the winds aren't too strong. 48 hours till I come home, had a great time in Hong Kong, another box ticked for one of those things to do before you die!

Hong Kong - Day Five - Typhoon Warning!!!!

Bring in your children the typhoon is coming!!! As of 15:15 today, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a stage one warning for a typhoon, on path to give a direct hit to Hong Kong on Wednesday. Rain and storms have already arrived! T1 is the current warning, T10 is full blown Hurricane. Watch this space, quite fancied a typhoon and looks like I might be getting my wish. On another note, some hacker with nothing better to do with their time has spammed by Twitter and now it's been suspended. Still waiting for Twitter to reply to my support request, all very frustrating. These people really need to get out more.

Luckily we've managed to get our day done with before the T1 was issued and the rain & storms appeared. Views over HK are not so good at the moment. It's been a very different day today, instead of heading into the hustle & bustle of the Hong Kong metropolis, it's been out in a different direction to the countryside and lovely scenic views of Ngong Ping.

By far the best way to get there is the 25minute ride on the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. Some absolutly fantastic sights from these cars, most of which i can't upload to here but will be uploading to facebook. The whole reason for heading up there was to see the impressive Tian Tan Buddha. This is the largest outdoor seated Buddha in the entire world. At 110 feet tall, it can be seen from miles away and is a brilliant sight. 200 odd steps to the top but some great photo ops when you're there. It was really nice today to see a different part of Hong Kong, and to be able to get out into the country side. It never ceases to fascinate me just how green this city is.

I have to give a mention to the excellent Octopus System in place around Hong Kong. It's main use is very similar to the Oyster Card on board London Transport Systems, but the Octopus card can also be used in shops and other stores to pay for items. It's an excellent system and very well though through, does make like easier, especially for residents. You can even get your change from purchases put onto this card.

As you can see it's along way home! I have to say that it is kind of weird being one of the taller people on the underground, usually i'm one of the shortest. Anyway, i'm off to research typhoon shelters and track its path, it's all very exciting, never been in a typhoon before. I bet after all this it won't happen. Still planning the next few days, tomorrow we're off to visit Hong Kong Park, the Hong Kong Museum of History and then the world famous Temple Street Night Market! Ciao for now!

Hong Kong - Day Four

Let me paint you a picture, imagine sitting in a Sauna for 3 1/2 hours, full clothed, watching a football game, this is how we felt this afternoon. I'm actually surprised i was still sweating, don't think I had any more sweat to sweat out. Saying that, a shower was thoroughly enjoyed when we got home after the game. Fair to say it was one of the hottest days of the year yet, especially with the humidity, maybe not great weather to watch football. I can't even imagine to think what it must have been like to play in it, Tottenham Hotspur players did seem to be struggling, the scoreline shows that.

Final score today - South East China 2 Tottenham Hotspurs 0. I don't think it was so much South East China were brilliant, more of the fact that Spurs were shockingly bad, even when they brought on Keane, Defoe and Lennon. I do get the feeling that they felt the heat, as did most of the crowd. Even so it was a very good game, and a well deserved win by the Chinese. Their first goal was a cracking volley, one of the best goals i've seen in a while. Also nice was the fact that even though we were 5000 miles away, every member of the crowd and teams stood in a one minutes silence to remember the great late Sir Bobby Robson (see above pic).

One thing that has fascinated me recently is the Chinese Scaffolding. There's no metal poles or clambs, it's all entirely made out of Bamboo (see above pic). And there's all these little blokes climbing all over it. How it stays up is amazing. Just shows what you can do with natural products. I don't think the reaction would be great if this practice was used back in Health & Safety gone Politically Correctness mad Britain!

Forgot to mention last night the crazy Pakistanis who pester you constantly in Nathan Road asking if you want to buy watches or have a suit made. Even when you say no they still don't get the point. Figured out though that if you give them a firm no, and then they keep on, just ignore them and they swiftly get the message. I'm not one for being rude to people, but sometimes ignorance is the best idea.

Anyway, hopefully tomorrow won't be as warm. Heading further outside of Hong Kong for a change tomorrow, off to see Tian Tan Buddha which is the largest outdoor Buddha in the world. Got to get on Ngong Ping cable car to get there, which takes about 25 mins, but apparently some cracking views from it. Then a traditional chinese meal tomorrow night. Bedtime now for me, night!

Hong Kong - Day Three

As you stand on Victoria Peak, from one side you see a busy metropolis of high rise skyscrapers to turning around and looking over to the other side where it is a green national park type region with beaches and the occasional apartment block. No city in the world is like this one.

It was warm today, around about 33oC with the sun high in the sky which made it slightly toasty, especially when walking along the promenade on Hong Kong Harbour or up on the peak. The peak is the place to go in Hong Kong for without a doubt the best panoramic views, of not only Hong Kong city, but the rest of the island and also the rest of the new territories. On a clear day it's an amazing sight, and this is what we got today. It was absolutly beautiful, slight treck in the heat up to the Peak tram which takes you up to the summit. The Peak Tram has been in operation since 1888, it takes you up 800 metres over Hong Kong island at times with at degrees of 27. Got an excellent video of us coming back down it which i'll upload to youtube in time.

I'm doing this blog a bit back to front, but I guess it doesn't matter. As we emerged from the Hong Kong underground system beside the Space Museum you get a sense of just why it's one of the most famous and recognised views in the entire world. Streching for what must be a few miles, no number of photos can really put into words just how amazing it is, it really is a case of, you must come and see it to understand just how immense the view is. It's almost more breathtaking than the view from the Peak, but in different ways.

Before I got here, I imagined Hong Kong to be like any normal city e.g. London, New York etc. but it isn't at all. Even if you don't love cities, you can spend a day in the city, but spend another 6 days out in the wilderness treking up mountains. It's like an english summer around November and December time, so quite pleasant. I've got tons of photos, and will be uploading the best ones to Facebook when i get back to the UK and have the time. Up until then its just the tasters on here.

We finished the day with a nice meal in the famous Nathan Road, you may not have heard of it but you'd recognise it in the photos. This was followed by us returning once again to the waterfront for what is officially the biggest permenant Sound and Lighting Show in the world. 44 buildings participate in this dazzling display of the areas culture and technology. Containing 16,594 dynamic light fixtures, the nightly show is programmed and co-ordinated through the internet using a custom built show control system installed in all the buildings (can I have their internet speed please?) A truly amazing show, especially for someone as geeky about the whole this as I am. And very busy on the waterfront too.

Tomorrow is a bit of a quieter and easy day, it's off to support Tottenham Hotspurs....I never thought i'd see the day. Well it's either them or South China, and I should support the english team! More photos and blogs to come, along with hopefully some more vlogs! Watch this Space!

New Vlog: Sunrise in Hong Kong

Morning all, just added my first ever vlog to youtube, a good one to start on...sunrise in Hong Kong. Check it out below:

Hong Kong - Day Two

**Having some issues with uploading photos at the moment, will fix this tomorrow for the next blog**As with most things, no matter what quality or size of the photograph, it will never show you just how amazing this place is. I still can't believe how 10 mins from the centre of Hong Kong, you can be sitting in the middle of a forest in pretty much silence. I'm beginning to see why this city is so popular with tourists, and am yet to set foot on Hong Kong island. Two photos above, the first one is Hong Kong by night, you can just about make out the lights of Hong Kong island in the distance. Second one is the view from my bedroom window in the apartment. Woke up at 4 this morning, went back to sleep and then got up at 10am. My body clock is a bit all over the place but that's jet lag for you. Hopefully when I go to bed at 11pm Hong Kong time tonight it'll sort itself out. Today has been a nice day of relaxing and seeing the local area. Have been looking at Hong Kong island all day but haven't quite made it there, that's what tomorrow's all about. After a late start, food shopping was needed, nothing special really to talk about there...the best bits about shopping in this sort of country is the markets. Everything is available on the markets, even cats and turtles! Though i'm not sure these are to be eaten... It was meant to be a traditional chinese lunch tonight, instead we ended up in a Japanese restaurant...minus the Sushi. Was very enjoyable, looking forward to a proper Chinese dinner when we get round to it. Cost was only £14 for the 3 of us. Heading to the tourist area tomorrow so that'll be a bit more pricey. This was followed by a short walk down to the the sea, took the above photo of my dad looking out of the South China sea there. Headed up to Nina tower which is the 33rd biggest building in the world, originally it was planned for the tower to be made the biggest building in the world but due to its close proximity to Hong Kong airport at the time, they were restricted to its height. This towers, as does most of Hong Kong, among tons of greenery and hills. My Dad described it very well, it's like something out of "Sim City", it very much is like one of those cities you build with everything in it.

Once we'd headed back to the apartment, got a drink and cooled down it was decided to head over to a viewing point which looks over Lantau Island in the direction of Hong Kong International Airport. Lovely weather to jump on a motorbike for a quick drive through both city and countryside to check out the views out to see and over the surrounding islands. Some excellent photos from there, but can only really upload one without me being here all night, so tried to add the best one.

Just chilling out tonight, watching the footy. South Asia cup final tonight...Tottenham Hotspur vs. Hull City, very eastern I know! Tomorrow is gonna be a good day, going to take the short tube ride to Kowloon, take some photos of Hong Kong island, and then head over for the first time and explore. Keep Posted!!

Hong Kong - Day One

**Photo not taken by me, i've only been here 6 hours!**

I guess this is day one, we'll class it as that for the purpose of this post. It's currently 22:30 here on the South Eastern Coast of China, it's quite strange because i've pretty much lost a day. I left Heathrow at 22:30 last night and got to Hong Kong at 17:25. Slept very well on the plane, which is a huge change, I can usually never sleep but this time I managed about 4 or 5 hours so for me its about 3:30pm and i'm not really tired. Even so going to try to head to bed soon or i'll just make the jet lag worse. Landing at HK airport is a bit scary, because it's on an island all you see until about 5 secs before landing is water getting closer and closer!

The good news is that the view from my Dad's apartment is pretty good, 62 floors down...well minus the number "4's" because apparently in China the number 4 means "Death" or something similar, so you don't get a floor with a 4 in it. Floor 40 to 49 is non existant...you figure it out"! As I say great views, can just see Hong Kong island in the distance and saw bits of the lights show tonight, see the full thing on saturday.

Managed to get tickets to South China vs. Spurs at the Hong Kong stadium on Sunday so that'll be quite good. Very weird driving into Hong Kong from the airport because its nothing like what you imagine, all very hilly and green, until you reach the city. It's like a metropolis jungle, surrounded by a totally green jungle. Probably one of the most unique cities in the world from what i've seen so far.

Tomorrow's a quiet day, see the more local area before it's off to Hong Kong Island on Saturday, lots more photo ops there!

I'm Swine Ridden

...well at least my house it anyway. Apologies for the lack of updates, one is coming prior to my Hong Kong trip, I may even post a brief itinerary for anyone in Hong Kong so they can stalk me. Ay just think of that all you freaks out there. My mum has had Swine Flu, she's at the tail end of it (it's a pink and curly tail) so i'm desperatly avoiding that. In between hiding from the swines and organising my holiday I came across this video. It's by the Amateur Transplants, who i've always been a fan of, I think some of the stuff they do is absolutly hilarious, and I thought the same about this video. It's definitly only for over 18s and if you're easily offended then i'd recommend you avoid it. Enjoy!!

Good Ruler, Bad Person

Bernie Ecclestone has today been forced to apologise after his comments about Ex German Dictator Adolf Hitler, Ecclestone commented that "the leader had a great ability to get things done". He was subsequently rapped, Jewish Chronicle editor , Stephen Pollard described Ecclestone as "either an idiot or morally repulsive". The full Sky News story is available here.

I can see where Bernie Ecclestone has gone wrong here, I think its a simple misunderstanding. Hitler was a very evil person who persucuted thousands of jews for no crime, however despite this Adolf Hitler was a very charismatic and intelligent bloke. He managed to convince the majority of the German population to follow him and his destructive policies. In the 1930's Germany was in a similar state to what the world is today, it faced a deep economic crisis and it's industrys were in turmoil. Hitler came in and rebuilt the economy and did alot for Germany. But he did alot wrong. Hitler had a strong personality, a personality and the strengths that could have been put into doing so good, unfortunatly through his own doings he used it for evil, an evil which will never be forgotton.

I think Hitler was a ruler, not a leader. He ruled his people well by bringing them to power, but he did not lead them to be decent humans. Nor did he bring himself to be a decent human being. Despite what history says, you have to admit to what a great ruler he was, and the huge amount of charisma and political talent he possessed.

Politically Correct Controversy

Numerous people have commented recently on my controversial facebook, twitter and blog comments. I'm sure people by now do realise that I say what i think, and I don't hold back, and unfortunatly it's one of my strengths but also one my weaknesses. If I don't like you, then why should I spend days kissing your arse and acting like we're great mates, instead if I get it out in the open we can move on. This is not to say that I can develop working relationships with these people, sometimes it is a nessecity and it needs work from both parts, but if I think you're talking out of your arse than i'll damn right tell you. There are alot of people I don't like in this life, people who I think are complete arseholes and I have no time for, however I have a working relationship with these people and we can get along, saying that i'd never consider going out for a beer with them. This is my exact feeling on Politically Correctness, taken from urbandictionary.com:

Something that started out as a sort of moral common sense - actually not a bad idea, eg. saying 'black person' instead of 'god-damn cotton-pickin' nigger'. However, the whole thing got utterly out of hand in the early 90s to the point where a lot of people will say 'Afro-Carribean' or 'Afro-American' because they think it's racist to say 'black'! It gets even more ridiculous when you consider that in some parts people think it's offensive to 'blackboard' or 'black coffee'.

What began as a force for good (considering the number of people who really are racist, sexist and homophobic) has since become a laughing stock beacause of the ridiculous extremes to which certain neurotic ultra-liberals took it - cf. a person being 'vertically challenged' rather than short. This has actually undone a lot of progress made in changing bigoted attitudes (as bigot can claim any offence taken at their views is 'political correctness gone mad), whilst making people feel guilty for enjoying anything but the blandest, most anaemic humour for fear of being 'offensive'. I mean, seriously, what's funnier out of 'Friends' and 'South Park'? (Or 'The League of Gentlemen' for the benefit of any Brits out there?)

At the same time as straight white able-bodied men are going out of their way to talk about 'ethnic people' (who ISN'T ethnic!?) and those of 'different sexual orientation', there are blacks calling themselves niggas (which has been going on for years), gays calling themselves (and eachother!) poof, queens and queers, and so on - the real way to neutralize a term used as as an insult is for those to whom it was applied to use it themselves.

AT its worst, political correctness is nothing different form Orwell's - an attempt to change the way people think by forcibly changing the way they speak. So let's have a backlash against the nannying, interefering, cotton-wool Stalinism 'ploitical correctness' has become - not to placate bigots, but to speak the truth and enjoy outrageous humour like we're meant to. Remember, the next time someone says they don't like Harry Potter because Hermione is a stereotypically sensitive girl, the relevant word to call them is 'cunt'.

And yes, that is exactly how I feel about politically correctness. There's too much other shit happening in this world and in other peoples lives, for our government and the current nanny state to tell us what we can or can't say. If I want to say Michael Jackson is a kiddy fiddling Gary Glitter wannabe then I will (I don't agree with all this statement), if I want to call a vertically challenged person a bloody dwarf then I will. This is everything that is wrong with this world, so much of the "oh you can't say this cause you'll upset this person", or "you can't say that cause that person will get annoyed"...well fuck them.

On the Jackson topic, I know alot of people have been annoyed with some of my comments about the late great Michael Jackson. Allow me to make it clear how I feel about Michael Jackson: "I'm utterly bored of all the news being full of it now. Yes he changed the music industry, yes he was a phenomenally talented bloke who could dance and sing like noone ever known. But in my opinion he was a very ill man, who fiddled kids. And yes I have compared him to Gary Glitter because there are similaritys. His Child Abuse charges were never help up, but who pays out $22million in an out of court settlement if you're entirely innocent." That's where I will leave it, as I think its time Michael Jackson was left to Rest In Peace. Let's change the record, some new news please, how is Hazel Blears's husband's porn collection lately anyway?

I'll never change, i'll always be the person I am, and I quite like me, I have a sick sense of humour, but its time this world lightened up and I know that people smile when they see my facebook and twitter updates. In this current climate, making one person smile a day can't harm. Let's all lighten up and tell the nanny state exactly where they can shove their politically correctness.

Midge Ure playing "Vienna" Live at HBMF 2009

Check out this great video of Ultravox Bassist and Live Aid co-producer Midge Ure at this years Hastings Beer and Music Festival. The crowd just loved it when he kicked off with this song. A true legend.

If you get the chance, check out some of the other videos that the creator of this has done. Andy has some great vlogs on his page, some very interesting topics. So check that out while you're on there.

How much for a pair of sunglasses???

You know how festivals are, you're always going to lose something, this year I lost my sunglasses. I don't even remember them falling off my head, which is quite surprising cause they were quite well fitted and i don't have much hair to hide the feeling.

So anyway I decided to go into town to get a new pair. Walked into Boots, how much???? £25 were the cheapest pair...for a pair of sunglasses?! Went to a few other shops and found them no cheaper. I couldn't believe how expensive sunglasses were. I remember a colleague of mine buying a pair when we were in Scotland, these were a designer pair and cost him about £160, and I was actually shocked. I don't think I could ever bring myself to buying a pair of sunglasses for that price. I just want a cheap £10 which will do the job and look reasonably good. As always Ebay saved the day and I got a nice reflective pair for £7.99 which will be arriving in the next few days. I mean, why spend stupid amounts when you can get a fairly decent pair cheaply. I did notice that there were numerous ones on ebay going for about over a grand....seriously, who buys these?

On another note, finished another Hastings Beer and Music Festival, this year was my 4th year mainly because of my love of the event. I think its a great festival and an event that Hastings would miss if it weren't there. As always some great acts, and we got some hilarious texts on the big screen on Saturday Night, some of which I may post here in a later blog for pure amusement purposes. We also had Ultravox Bassist and Live Aid producer Midge Ure there on the Friday Night, this was a cracking night and i'll post the video in a second. If you couldn't be there then you missed an amazing event, make sure you come to the 2010 event...which I'm already looking forward to.

Alcoholic Monkeys

If you, like me, are bored of everyone talking about Michael Jackson, and bored of Heart playing Michael Jackson songs every 15 minutes then here's a video to lighten the mood. Remember seeing this on TV, hilarious stuff.

National Fall Awareness Day

This is not another one of those "we have too many days" blogs, even though we do have a day for every stupid little thing. This is a blog once again to raise the awareness of politically correctness gone a bit wrong and continuing to spend public money on common sense issues.

The following story appeared on the Hastings Observer website today:

Pensioners to get advice to prevent bus falls

Pensioners in Hastings are to be given expert advice this week to cut the number of falls on buses.

As part of National Falls Awareness Day (Tuesday June 23) local people are being invited to head down to either outside Debenhams in the town centre or Sainsbury's supermarket in St Leonards.

Now correct me if i'm wrong, yes there is an issue of elderly and frail people falling over on buses and seriously injure themselves, and i'm not saying lets play down the issue and not support these people. But is it really nessacary to hold such an event, payed for out of the NHS budget which is public money for something which you could basically put an advertisement on the bus saying "Press the bell but Don't stand up until the bus stops"...simple as that job done. What need is there for there to be a special day for it, and then spend what is probably hundreds pounds on getting experts down, paying these experts to tell everyone something that should be common sense and could be done with cheaper and easier ways.

Especially when today it was revealed that after the success of the Hands of the Conquest Maternity campaign, we now risk losing our A&E Department. How about putting the money into that. This government and country have gone politically correctness mad, and they're spending money on the little issues rather than trying to sort out the bigger picture.

Last Teenage Years

Thanks to all for their birthday wishes today, where did the last year go? Yes at 11:59am 19 years ago today, the world changed...things were never the same again. So much has happened, and now i'm into the last year of my teenage life, the future is ahead of me, and i'm gonna live it to the full!

I have to say I am highly amused at the amount of people who have falled for the whole "Michael Schumacher is the stig" stunt by the BBC's Top Gear. He isn't, it's just the beeb trying to put an end to the speculation, in fact I think the stig should always be a secret. It's one of those great things in life.

Anyway, a longer update is due soon, in the meantime i'm off to enjoy the rest of my birthday with a curry.