COURTESY OF MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORLD (SHITAL)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEKAwCoCKw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw
Thursday, October 15, 2009
TO STAY OR NOT TO STAY?
The client has requested that we stay on further (after we design our fund) to take on some alternate work for the region. The work will be for the Coral Triangle, which is a region in the ocean that six governments have a stake in.
The Coral Triangle region is the most important and diverse marine region in the world. This ‘nursery of the seas’ supports millions of livelihoods across Asia and worldwide. But it is under threat - from over-exploitation, environmental degradation, poverty, and global economic recession – all compounded by severe climate change.
Overcoming these threats, while putting new economic growth on a sustainable path, requires courage, innovation, partnership and, not least, access to credit, finance and investment – often a major barrier to progress, whether sought for the purchase of circle hooks or the large-scale development of a carbon-neutral resort.
In May 2009, the six heads of state of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) www.cti-secretariat.net committed to ambitious conservation and development targets across the region through a regional Plan of Action. Delivering on this plan requires, in large part, meaningful engagement from the private sector. With the Government of the Philippines and partners, my client is hosting an inspirational international business event for the Coral Triangle making the case for sustainability as the future of economic health and profit – convening business change-makers, key marine resource industry sectors, the communications sector and the investment community to come together in partnership to start a green revolution.
The event will outline the business opportunities the CTI represents for key sectors and set out the financial support and investment available to businesses willing to commit to sustainability and green growth. We as a firm have been invited to support my client to research and assemble intelligence which will help my client make a compelling case for sustainable investment and business in the Coral Triangle. This will be achieved by focusing on market trends and demand from both, supply chain companies as well as consumers, located within and outside of the Coral Triangle Region Which can be delivered the 3 day business and industry event helping to make the case for sustainable business.
In a nutshell, our job would be to research industries and figure out what the best way to preserve the coral triangle would be – from coordinating fishing activities so they don’t deplete the region (but still be fair to all countries), to having the Asian Development Bank fund business enhancements that will make operating in the region ecologically safer. The project is primarily a research based role, but is highly interesting. The best part is that we would be interacting with a completely different side of our current organization – instead of business-heads, we’d be talking to scientists and conservationists. We would be interacting with companies who rely on the region for their economic livelihood, as well as their supply chain. Our recommendations could really make a substantial and sustainable impact!
It would require staying in the region for another month or so (which I am not convinced on.. in all likelihood it will take us through Jan) – which is where the question arises: should I stay or not? I love the work I am doing, and it’s truly fulfilling, but I also miss my friends and family. Stay tuned on my decision…
The client has requested that we stay on further (after we design our fund) to take on some alternate work for the region. The work will be for the Coral Triangle, which is a region in the ocean that six governments have a stake in.
The Coral Triangle region is the most important and diverse marine region in the world. This ‘nursery of the seas’ supports millions of livelihoods across Asia and worldwide. But it is under threat - from over-exploitation, environmental degradation, poverty, and global economic recession – all compounded by severe climate change.
Overcoming these threats, while putting new economic growth on a sustainable path, requires courage, innovation, partnership and, not least, access to credit, finance and investment – often a major barrier to progress, whether sought for the purchase of circle hooks or the large-scale development of a carbon-neutral resort.
In May 2009, the six heads of state of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) www.cti-secretariat.net committed to ambitious conservation and development targets across the region through a regional Plan of Action. Delivering on this plan requires, in large part, meaningful engagement from the private sector. With the Government of the Philippines and partners, my client is hosting an inspirational international business event for the Coral Triangle making the case for sustainability as the future of economic health and profit – convening business change-makers, key marine resource industry sectors, the communications sector and the investment community to come together in partnership to start a green revolution.
The event will outline the business opportunities the CTI represents for key sectors and set out the financial support and investment available to businesses willing to commit to sustainability and green growth. We as a firm have been invited to support my client to research and assemble intelligence which will help my client make a compelling case for sustainable investment and business in the Coral Triangle. This will be achieved by focusing on market trends and demand from both, supply chain companies as well as consumers, located within and outside of the Coral Triangle Region Which can be delivered the 3 day business and industry event helping to make the case for sustainable business.
In a nutshell, our job would be to research industries and figure out what the best way to preserve the coral triangle would be – from coordinating fishing activities so they don’t deplete the region (but still be fair to all countries), to having the Asian Development Bank fund business enhancements that will make operating in the region ecologically safer. The project is primarily a research based role, but is highly interesting. The best part is that we would be interacting with a completely different side of our current organization – instead of business-heads, we’d be talking to scientists and conservationists. We would be interacting with companies who rely on the region for their economic livelihood, as well as their supply chain. Our recommendations could really make a substantial and sustainable impact!
It would require staying in the region for another month or so (which I am not convinced on.. in all likelihood it will take us through Jan) – which is where the question arises: should I stay or not? I love the work I am doing, and it’s truly fulfilling, but I also miss my friends and family. Stay tuned on my decision…
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
NON-PROFITS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
First let me provide a recap of where we are on the project. We finally began writing the prospectus for the investment fund, and during a meeting today I cautioned our client that my colleague and I were in many ways working in a vacuum and we were designing the fund on our own without the level of organizational participation that would be ideal. After she responded, it became clear that the entire time we were acting like consultants, rather than investment bankers. Consultants typically want to ask questions, gain consensus and build the right thing from the start. Bankers are more transactional, and less concerned about marketing the fund, administering the fund, and the long term performance of the fund. Still, given the choice, I’d much rather be a consultant than an investment banker (never thought I’d say that in a hurry!)
Okay, on to another issue that came up in some informal discussion. When discussing the figures behind a business case, it was clear that there is a diverse view between the non-profit’s head office, and the regional leadership. This is not uncharacteristic, but I found it interesting to highlight here.
The issue lies with the non-profit partnering with an airline. After every online ticket purchase, the airline asks if you would like to make a contribution to the non-profit. If you elect yes, it gets added on your bill, and the non-profit realizes the gain in funds. It’s cleverly put together, and the pitch for funds on the airlines website is directly linked to a conservation project – that is to say, the airline asks “would you like to donate X pesos to help conserve the biodiversity in x,y,z swampland”. The description is actually more prescriptive, but you get the idea. Most of the money goes directly to the conservation effort, and 30% of the donation is termed as “unrestricted”, meaning it can be used for anything other than the conservation (such as marketing, or paying salaries, etc).
Here’s the catch: The global headquarters in Switzerland frowns upon doing business with airlines. In truth, from an environmental perspective, the only thing worse than setting a forest on fire is flying. Here’s where the divergent view comes in: while the local office recognizes that flying contributes to pollution, they are realistic in the fact that there is no viable alternative to flying. Additionally, they partner with corporations to help them reduce their carbon footprints. So while the airline may be a huge polluter, if the region can help them use paper cups on every flight instead of plastic cups, that’s seen as a win. I have to say that I side with the regional offices in this instance, but it does make you pause when it comes to these gray areas. Other companies, however, are still bad business (tobacco companies is everyone’s favorite example). Another example of the regional offices working with unlikely companies is with fishing companies. The organization works to teach them to fish in smarter ways, using more appropriate hooks that don’t harm dolphins, etc. Incidentally, the non-profit does not seek donations from corporations it consults to (so as to avoid a conflict of interest). This one is pretty self explainatory: If I give you a better carbon report, you'll donate more, or vice versa - If I give you a horrible carbon report, you're more likely to solicit more of my services to figure out how you can be a better corporate citizen. Interesting stuff indeed.
First let me provide a recap of where we are on the project. We finally began writing the prospectus for the investment fund, and during a meeting today I cautioned our client that my colleague and I were in many ways working in a vacuum and we were designing the fund on our own without the level of organizational participation that would be ideal. After she responded, it became clear that the entire time we were acting like consultants, rather than investment bankers. Consultants typically want to ask questions, gain consensus and build the right thing from the start. Bankers are more transactional, and less concerned about marketing the fund, administering the fund, and the long term performance of the fund. Still, given the choice, I’d much rather be a consultant than an investment banker (never thought I’d say that in a hurry!)
Okay, on to another issue that came up in some informal discussion. When discussing the figures behind a business case, it was clear that there is a diverse view between the non-profit’s head office, and the regional leadership. This is not uncharacteristic, but I found it interesting to highlight here.
The issue lies with the non-profit partnering with an airline. After every online ticket purchase, the airline asks if you would like to make a contribution to the non-profit. If you elect yes, it gets added on your bill, and the non-profit realizes the gain in funds. It’s cleverly put together, and the pitch for funds on the airlines website is directly linked to a conservation project – that is to say, the airline asks “would you like to donate X pesos to help conserve the biodiversity in x,y,z swampland”. The description is actually more prescriptive, but you get the idea. Most of the money goes directly to the conservation effort, and 30% of the donation is termed as “unrestricted”, meaning it can be used for anything other than the conservation (such as marketing, or paying salaries, etc).
Here’s the catch: The global headquarters in Switzerland frowns upon doing business with airlines. In truth, from an environmental perspective, the only thing worse than setting a forest on fire is flying. Here’s where the divergent view comes in: while the local office recognizes that flying contributes to pollution, they are realistic in the fact that there is no viable alternative to flying. Additionally, they partner with corporations to help them reduce their carbon footprints. So while the airline may be a huge polluter, if the region can help them use paper cups on every flight instead of plastic cups, that’s seen as a win. I have to say that I side with the regional offices in this instance, but it does make you pause when it comes to these gray areas. Other companies, however, are still bad business (tobacco companies is everyone’s favorite example). Another example of the regional offices working with unlikely companies is with fishing companies. The organization works to teach them to fish in smarter ways, using more appropriate hooks that don’t harm dolphins, etc. Incidentally, the non-profit does not seek donations from corporations it consults to (so as to avoid a conflict of interest). This one is pretty self explainatory: If I give you a better carbon report, you'll donate more, or vice versa - If I give you a horrible carbon report, you're more likely to solicit more of my services to figure out how you can be a better corporate citizen. Interesting stuff indeed.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
AT THE MOVIES…
Last night we went as guests of our client to a movie premier for “The Age of Stupid”. The movie was (as you would expect) about the climate change, and was pretty good. It was, of course, a star studded affair (at least when it comes to the non-profit world). The president of the Philippine’s climate advisor, along with a couple of senators and zero presidential hopefuls (no surprise there) were in attendance. A couple of other honchos were also around (OxFam’s head of the U.K., etc)…they even had the customary red carpet (though, it was green in this case).
The movie was crowd funded, which in itself is a cool concept. I believe the first premier of the movie was in a tent, and the projectors were powered by solar energy. The real point of the movie was to raise awareness of the importance of the Copenhagen Climate conference this year on Dec 12. The conference is where world leaders will be given one more chance to reach an agreement on reducing carbon emissions by 30% - a number that all scientists agree on. A number of countries have already taken steps towards this figure, but major countries have failed to meet the standards set by science.
Another message that resonated with the movie is the need to act now. Climate change is a lagging indicator, and so the effects of polluting today won’t be realized for years to come. For that reason, it is imperative to act now and begin reducing emissions by 2015. The movie also stressed the generally accepted point that if the earth heats up 2 degrees more than the historic variance, the effects will compound and the earth will in essence have a self fulfilling prophecy (that is, if the earth heats up two degrees, more carbon is released from plant/animal life, which compounds the effects and things spiral out of control from there).
I will also mention how ridiculous some of the mainstream media (by some I mean the far right, and in particular Matt Drudge!) portrays climate change to be a hoax. On any given day, you’re likely to see articles on the drudgereport that talk about the coldest temperatures on record for a particular area, and he mocks the idea of “global warming” by citing those examples. What he does not realize is that the cold temperatures are a result of climate change, which is caused by… you guessed it, global warming. I could go on and on about this, but the point is simply that there is no longer a debate on whether humans are responsible for climate change. About 60% of the general population is doubtful as to whether climate change is caused by humans. In the scientific community, that percentage is about 1%. Pretty convincing.
The last thing I will say about the movie is that most people are genuinely concerned about the environment, but human nature is such that it’s impossible to act drastically for events that are seemingly years and years into the future… we’re just not built that way. Think fight or flight, etc. all those responses are geared towards acting immediately. Plenty of life forms have experienced extinction in the past. The thing that makes our current situation different is the irony that we are the ones who are responsible for our own extinction if this happens. We’ve come so far as a species only to almost commit suicide. Scary thought indeed – I think that was the point of the movie.
Last night we went as guests of our client to a movie premier for “The Age of Stupid”. The movie was (as you would expect) about the climate change, and was pretty good. It was, of course, a star studded affair (at least when it comes to the non-profit world). The president of the Philippine’s climate advisor, along with a couple of senators and zero presidential hopefuls (no surprise there) were in attendance. A couple of other honchos were also around (OxFam’s head of the U.K., etc)…they even had the customary red carpet (though, it was green in this case).
The movie was crowd funded, which in itself is a cool concept. I believe the first premier of the movie was in a tent, and the projectors were powered by solar energy. The real point of the movie was to raise awareness of the importance of the Copenhagen Climate conference this year on Dec 12. The conference is where world leaders will be given one more chance to reach an agreement on reducing carbon emissions by 30% - a number that all scientists agree on. A number of countries have already taken steps towards this figure, but major countries have failed to meet the standards set by science.
Another message that resonated with the movie is the need to act now. Climate change is a lagging indicator, and so the effects of polluting today won’t be realized for years to come. For that reason, it is imperative to act now and begin reducing emissions by 2015. The movie also stressed the generally accepted point that if the earth heats up 2 degrees more than the historic variance, the effects will compound and the earth will in essence have a self fulfilling prophecy (that is, if the earth heats up two degrees, more carbon is released from plant/animal life, which compounds the effects and things spiral out of control from there).
I will also mention how ridiculous some of the mainstream media (by some I mean the far right, and in particular Matt Drudge!) portrays climate change to be a hoax. On any given day, you’re likely to see articles on the drudgereport that talk about the coldest temperatures on record for a particular area, and he mocks the idea of “global warming” by citing those examples. What he does not realize is that the cold temperatures are a result of climate change, which is caused by… you guessed it, global warming. I could go on and on about this, but the point is simply that there is no longer a debate on whether humans are responsible for climate change. About 60% of the general population is doubtful as to whether climate change is caused by humans. In the scientific community, that percentage is about 1%. Pretty convincing.
The last thing I will say about the movie is that most people are genuinely concerned about the environment, but human nature is such that it’s impossible to act drastically for events that are seemingly years and years into the future… we’re just not built that way. Think fight or flight, etc. all those responses are geared towards acting immediately. Plenty of life forms have experienced extinction in the past. The thing that makes our current situation different is the irony that we are the ones who are responsible for our own extinction if this happens. We’ve come so far as a species only to almost commit suicide. Scary thought indeed – I think that was the point of the movie.
Monday, October 12, 2009
PLUGGING AWAY AT WORK…
Today we spent time with our advisor fine tuning our model, and confirming formulas we used. Our advisor runs his own Private Equity fund of funds, and started a fund in Malaysia at some point as well. He heads FS Strategy for our firm in this region, and was helpful, but not as helpful as we would have liked. In the end, he left us with a lot of decisions, which we gladly took the responsibility for. With final decisions nearly done, today we finally cracked the whip and started writing the prospectus. We also received a request from the client to stay until the end of the month, which we will do (if we can’t finish before then).
Today we spent time with our advisor fine tuning our model, and confirming formulas we used. Our advisor runs his own Private Equity fund of funds, and started a fund in Malaysia at some point as well. He heads FS Strategy for our firm in this region, and was helpful, but not as helpful as we would have liked. In the end, he left us with a lot of decisions, which we gladly took the responsibility for. With final decisions nearly done, today we finally cracked the whip and started writing the prospectus. We also received a request from the client to stay until the end of the month, which we will do (if we can’t finish before then).
BACK IN MANILA…
Coming back to Manila after Hong Kong was a bit rough. Partially because the new direction that we received in Hong Kong set us back about two weeks, and partially because it’s been so long since I was away from home. I knew it was going to be a shitty week when I started getting sick again. I also lost my ATM card to a machine that ate it, rendering me broke, sick, and frustrated with work. By Tuesday, I was back in top form. I managed to find a Forex desk that I sold some cash and HK dollars to get some more pesos. I also went to a clinic and got some antibiotics to get over my cough, and by the end of last week I was back to normal.
I spent this past weekend doing the touristy stuff in Manila. We went to an old Spanish fort that was amazing. We also went to a park that’s akin to the central park of Manila (and has a rich history). After that we went to the harbor for a drink and to watch the sun set. It was amazing. For dinner, we went to Malati and watched a traditional Filipino show. I’m not really a fan of Filipino food, but it is what it is. After dinner we headed to a local spot to watch this band play (who we’re now “in” with), and also meet up with some of our American friends who are here doing a semester in Public Health. We wrapped up the weekend going to a museum, which was also really cool. Got a crash course in Filipino history, which is pretty interesting, and definitely sheds a lot of light on some of the influences here. Very cool.
Coming back to Manila after Hong Kong was a bit rough. Partially because the new direction that we received in Hong Kong set us back about two weeks, and partially because it’s been so long since I was away from home. I knew it was going to be a shitty week when I started getting sick again. I also lost my ATM card to a machine that ate it, rendering me broke, sick, and frustrated with work. By Tuesday, I was back in top form. I managed to find a Forex desk that I sold some cash and HK dollars to get some more pesos. I also went to a clinic and got some antibiotics to get over my cough, and by the end of last week I was back to normal.
I spent this past weekend doing the touristy stuff in Manila. We went to an old Spanish fort that was amazing. We also went to a park that’s akin to the central park of Manila (and has a rich history). After that we went to the harbor for a drink and to watch the sun set. It was amazing. For dinner, we went to Malati and watched a traditional Filipino show. I’m not really a fan of Filipino food, but it is what it is. After dinner we headed to a local spot to watch this band play (who we’re now “in” with), and also meet up with some of our American friends who are here doing a semester in Public Health. We wrapped up the weekend going to a museum, which was also really cool. Got a crash course in Filipino history, which is pretty interesting, and definitely sheds a lot of light on some of the influences here. Very cool.
A PARTING GIFT…
When leaving Hong Kong, the client presented me and my co-worker with these AWESOME Baby Tree trinkets. It’s basically a tree (that looks like a real tree in a small glass container). It’s also a seed that you water, and the tree grows. You can even transplant it to the ground once it gets big enough. The gift is actually part of a new merchandising program they are launching, which plants trees in a conservation site. Every purchase of this item comes with a certificate, as well as the latitude and longitude coordinates of where your real tree is planted at the conservation site. You even get uploaded to Google earth, so everyone can see exactly where your tree is planted. I thought this was the coolest, and most creative gift ever. It’s not yet commercially available, so I couldn’t get it for all my faithful readers… but who knows, someday. I haven’t downloaded all the software to see it myself, but here’s the coordinates:
Sector: 105 WWF HK
Tree ID: WWF 2805
Latitude: -8.46481
Longitude: 116.56558
When leaving Hong Kong, the client presented me and my co-worker with these AWESOME Baby Tree trinkets. It’s basically a tree (that looks like a real tree in a small glass container). It’s also a seed that you water, and the tree grows. You can even transplant it to the ground once it gets big enough. The gift is actually part of a new merchandising program they are launching, which plants trees in a conservation site. Every purchase of this item comes with a certificate, as well as the latitude and longitude coordinates of where your real tree is planted at the conservation site. You even get uploaded to Google earth, so everyone can see exactly where your tree is planted. I thought this was the coolest, and most creative gift ever. It’s not yet commercially available, so I couldn’t get it for all my faithful readers… but who knows, someday. I haven’t downloaded all the software to see it myself, but here’s the coordinates:
Sector: 105 WWF HK
Tree ID: WWF 2805
Latitude: -8.46481
Longitude: 116.56558
TRANSPORTATION & FLYING BACK
A noteworthy thing about HK is the taxi drivers. They are the most efficient drivers on the planet. Their cars are fast, they know exactly where they are going, they drive like the wind, and they don’t mess around at all - it’s all business as soon as you step into their house. The rest of the world should model itself on these guys. Hats off to them for sure, and a welcome change to the guys who run the streets in Manila.. You’ll be lucky if they get above 30mph.
There’s a train that takes you from Hong Kong to the Airport. It’s the most comfortable train I’ve ever been on. It’s fast and fairly cheap as well. Hong Kong has amazing public transportation. In addition to busses, they have electric cars, trams, an underground subway, taxis, and ferries. How many cities can you name that have a network like that?
Although I loved Hong Kong, I was reminded that I am still in Asia when I tried to book a flight back via the Manila airline (who shall remain nameless). First, it’s impossible to get through to the Airline reservation system via phone. If we did get through, we’d get cut off, or the service rep was unable to help us because our request was off script. They are so scripted, that I asked about changing a flight, which the response was 5,000 pesos plus the difference in fare. When I asked her how much the new ticket was she said it was considerably less. I asked her why she didn’t recommend I buy a new ticket entirely, rather than spend a few thousand extra pesos to change my existing reservation. She was stumped! Anytime you ask them to confirm something, they confirm the ENTIRE reservation… including spelling your name out (Bravo, Hector, Alpha, Victory, Indigo….. painful!!!). We were also unable to book the ticket via their website. It would crash, or would not take credit cards. They also do not take American Express, and my visa cards have their security number rubbed off. This is a perfect time to ask Visa why they still print that security number on the strip… seriously! Makes no sense. I need to find a credit card suggestion box, or fire off a letter to the CEO of Visa. But.. I digress…so we were unable to change our flight – rather, we figured we’d just purchase a new “one way” ticket. Trouble is they don’t’ sell those to foreigners unless you show them proof of a return ticket out of Manila. In the end, we had to purchase the ticket at the airport on our way out, which was an event in itself. You can’t purchase it at the same counter, so we had to run from counter to counter to verify that we had another return ticket, then verify that there was space on the flight, then purchase the ticket, then go back to check in.
Finally, we were on board and on our way home…
A noteworthy thing about HK is the taxi drivers. They are the most efficient drivers on the planet. Their cars are fast, they know exactly where they are going, they drive like the wind, and they don’t mess around at all - it’s all business as soon as you step into their house. The rest of the world should model itself on these guys. Hats off to them for sure, and a welcome change to the guys who run the streets in Manila.. You’ll be lucky if they get above 30mph.
There’s a train that takes you from Hong Kong to the Airport. It’s the most comfortable train I’ve ever been on. It’s fast and fairly cheap as well. Hong Kong has amazing public transportation. In addition to busses, they have electric cars, trams, an underground subway, taxis, and ferries. How many cities can you name that have a network like that?
Although I loved Hong Kong, I was reminded that I am still in Asia when I tried to book a flight back via the Manila airline (who shall remain nameless). First, it’s impossible to get through to the Airline reservation system via phone. If we did get through, we’d get cut off, or the service rep was unable to help us because our request was off script. They are so scripted, that I asked about changing a flight, which the response was 5,000 pesos plus the difference in fare. When I asked her how much the new ticket was she said it was considerably less. I asked her why she didn’t recommend I buy a new ticket entirely, rather than spend a few thousand extra pesos to change my existing reservation. She was stumped! Anytime you ask them to confirm something, they confirm the ENTIRE reservation… including spelling your name out (Bravo, Hector, Alpha, Victory, Indigo….. painful!!!). We were also unable to book the ticket via their website. It would crash, or would not take credit cards. They also do not take American Express, and my visa cards have their security number rubbed off. This is a perfect time to ask Visa why they still print that security number on the strip… seriously! Makes no sense. I need to find a credit card suggestion box, or fire off a letter to the CEO of Visa. But.. I digress…so we were unable to change our flight – rather, we figured we’d just purchase a new “one way” ticket. Trouble is they don’t’ sell those to foreigners unless you show them proof of a return ticket out of Manila. In the end, we had to purchase the ticket at the airport on our way out, which was an event in itself. You can’t purchase it at the same counter, so we had to run from counter to counter to verify that we had another return ticket, then verify that there was space on the flight, then purchase the ticket, then go back to check in.
Finally, we were on board and on our way home…
MORE ON THE CITY…
The general population does not speak English, yet tons of Ex-Pats live here.
If you’re ever here, take the tram to the peak, and play in the clouds. We waited forever to get a clear view of the city, which we finally did. The skyline is on my laptop’s desktop. Pics to follow at the end of my trip.
Also, go to SoHo. Great nightlife, and awesome food. Same in Lan Kwai Fong.
You should also go to the Golden Buddha statue, which unfortunately we did not get to see.
Since our hotel was booked only until the middle of the week, and we had to extend our stay over the national holiday, we ended up switching hotels to this part of HK that was very much how I imagined Asia to be. From the sights and sounds (and smells!). The hilarious part was when our client described the area we were staying in as “traditional in the sense that old guys walk around with their shirts off”.
The general population does not speak English, yet tons of Ex-Pats live here.
If you’re ever here, take the tram to the peak, and play in the clouds. We waited forever to get a clear view of the city, which we finally did. The skyline is on my laptop’s desktop. Pics to follow at the end of my trip.
Also, go to SoHo. Great nightlife, and awesome food. Same in Lan Kwai Fong.
You should also go to the Golden Buddha statue, which unfortunately we did not get to see.
Since our hotel was booked only until the middle of the week, and we had to extend our stay over the national holiday, we ended up switching hotels to this part of HK that was very much how I imagined Asia to be. From the sights and sounds (and smells!). The hilarious part was when our client described the area we were staying in as “traditional in the sense that old guys walk around with their shirts off”.
FIREWORKS!
We celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Chinese communist party. It was a national holiday, and I dutifully celebrated by working all day. At night, we went to the harbor and saw fireworks. Two things were immediately apparent:
- The Chinese know how to put on a fireworks show. I’m telling you, the show was RIDICULOUS! They were spelling letters with fireworks. I was truly impressed. The show was fired off of four ships and synchronized – you wouldn’t believe it if I told you how much fireworks they burst. After all was said and done, I said a prayer for the ozone layer… you should have seen the level of smoke.
- The Chinese are incredibly skilled at disbursing crowds with amazing speed. There was a sea of people where we were, yet we were able to get to the other side of the island in fifteen minutes. It was shocking. After that episode, I noticed that this was the case with wherever we went. They have unbelievable crowd control.
Some other thoughts: when we got back to the hotel, we had to present some revisions to the client, which we stayed up until 3:30am doing. While working, I had the TV on and caught up on what the parade looked like during the day. It’s fascinating to see the military march with their power. They polished their missiles and marched with them, along with their tanks, and other displays of their military might. They even had two jets refuel in mid-air. You’ll never see something like that in the west, and it was almost surreal, since most of the images of this sort of propaganda lends itself to the 70s or early 80s. Very cool. After exhausting ourselves, I went to bed with my model in perfect shape.
Waking up in the morning, I started creating some slides on explaining the revisions and results of the model. To my surprise, something didn’t quite add up and the model was not yielding the results I thought. After frantically spending 15 minutes trying to figure it out, it turned out that all was well, and that it was working. Scary none the less, since we were presenting first thing in the morning.
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