A is for Argentina: Part 1 - Buenos Aires

National Congress Building, Buenos Aires

I started my South American journey at Buenos Aires, also affectionately known as BA. First of all, Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, during its hey day it was known as the Paris of the South.The city has many grand building in French renaissance style, although many of them are quite run down and desperately needed a face lift, those located in the posh suburb of Recoletta are truly grand.

Secondly, it was cheap! Comparing to my first visit in July 1999 when the Argentinian Peso was pegged to the US Dollars, I could afford to do so much more this time. How cheap? Well, a good quality bottle of Malbec in a fancy restaurant cost 60 pesos, about USD20; a piece of big juicy sirloin steak cost 20 pesos, about USD7, and I love steak!

Caminito, La Boca

To really embrace what BA life is all about, I went to a Boca Juniors home game at the La Bombonera stadium (The Chocolate Box) in the suburb of La Boca. The atmosphere was amazing at the Boca Juniors v. Gimnasia de Jujuy game. What impressed me most was the 12th player, Boca Juniors fans who occupy one end of the stand and decorated the stand with yellow and navy colours of the club, they waved their flag (no.12) around and sang non-stop throughout the game. There was also drumming and trumpets from the stand.

Boca Juniors beat the visitor 3 - 1, it was no contest, Gimnasia de Jujuy was mediocre and played too defensively, there were some good shots but all were saved by Boca's keeper.

The 12th Player Stand at La Bombonera Stadium

The crowds were surprisingly orderly, although there were riot police about, there were no incidents from the 12th player stand; maybe it's because the visitor came from outside Buenos Aires and the rivalry is not as great comparing to another Buenos Aires' team - River Plate.

For those of you who are into football, Boca Juniors most famous player was Diego Maradona, and yes he is almost God here, the current most well known player is Juan Roman Riquelme (no.10), he used to play for Barçelona FC in Spain and recently returned to Argentina.

Buenos Aires street on May Revolution Day

I also took a bike tour around the city on Saturday, which took me to the middle class suburb of Palermo and posh Recoletta. We rode through some nice parks, there were the Porteños - people of Buenos Aires, city dwellers - everywhere, there were people dancing the tango, roller blading, rowing boats, or simply sat on the grass enjoying their mate (some kind of herbal tea that taste like bitter coffee).

Cemetario de la Recoletta, Buenos Aires

There were dogs everywhere too, you will often see professional dog walkers around the parks, sometimes taking up to 10 dogs in all kind of shapes for their walk. Unfortunately with the amount of dogs there is also a lot of doggies left overs, making walking on the street, particularly in the suburbs, potentially hazardous. Despite this slight drawback, BA has so much to offer I was willing to turn a blind eye and focus on its wonderful architecture and beautiful people instead!

Next: Part 2 - Córdoba

Sam the Koala, Dave the Fireman

Sam the koala was found by fire fighter Dave Tree looking bewildered in a burned bushland in Mirboo North, during the Victorian bushfire disaster. A touching moment watching Sam accepting a drink from Dave, even putting her burn left paw on his right hand for balance.

A note to Dave, koala is not a bear, as an Aussie you should had known better :)

Swimming Against the Tide

Have you been confronted with damned if you do and damned if you don't situation? Well, I have one in hand right now.

The situation, when it first happened, was supposed to make me happy but it is making me feeling very depressed as the way things progress. It is about a job.

One would think an unemployed bum like me would jump for joy to get a job offer, especially at a time like now, I do. The job itself sounded very attractive - a well known international firm which reputed to look after its employees, the tasks are what I can do and find interesting, the pay sounds good, the office is located not too far from home, and then there is the economic crisis and the recruitment agent...

Well the economic crisis came first, this firm came under spotlight and was unable to hire due to a global headcount freeze. Fine, I thought, I will just get on with life and see this as a positive turn in my job search effort, everything went back to normal after this little bump.

Two months later, the recruitment agent called and said this all may go ahead, yay I though, good things does come to those who wait, this is finally happening. I was happy until the agent called again, saying that they have managed to move around this headcount freeze road block, by hiring me as a recruitment agency staff to be contracted to the firm.

Having been on a recruitment agency's book before, I am all too familiar with the ups and downs of being a contracted staff, but if this is the only way to get me a job so be it.

The twist of this arrangement is that, the usual obligations from an employer to look after its employee does not apply. That means no medical leaves, no annual leaves, no public holidays pay, no superannuation, no employee benefits, and it sounds to me neither the two companies will look after my welfare for the duration of 12 months. Oh, there is also a 20% reduction in the pay level, which I assume will go to the recruitment agency.

Suddenly, the job doesn't sound so exciting anymore.

I felt that the recruitment agency was working for me but now against me, by listing all these conditions which seem to me is quite unfair. I can't help but feeling quite angry and cheated, and at the same time, this job offer is becoming more of a moral burden than anything else. I understand that I have nothing now so I am not losing out by taking the job, but at least I choose nothing, I didn't choose to be treated to the above conditions.

Do I take the job and accept the conditions as they are, and work as a disgruntled employee, or continue living as I am? When will such opportunity arise again? When it does, will it be better than this - I believe it will be. If I do not take this job will the people around me be disappointed? Will I be letting the people supporting me down? Does working as a disgruntled employee better than living as an unemployed bum? Do I want to be taken advantaged of? Will I kill my career by not taking this job (actually, I believed my career has been killed off already)?

Argh, it is damned if I do, and damned if I don't...

Farewell 2008!

It's time of the year again, raise your champagne glass, watch a firework display, follows by a loud cheer when the clock struck midnight. It's a routine most of us know too well, but does it mean anything other than a bloody good excuse to drink yourself silly? Hmm...

I have been through a few New Year's eve events over the years, as time goes by they are becoming blurred images in my mind now, some are more memorable than others.

I still think Sydney's firework display is the most awesome I've seen so far, a house party thrown by some leftists (with a giant Ernesto Che Guevara's portrait at its door) in a Melbourne suburb was the most unforgettable, and serving drunken ravers behind a bar at an Auckland New Year's Eve dance event was the funniest.

The last day before the New Year is now just another day to me now, I've grown tire of the crowd and the drunkenness, and then the mess. I think the celebration of a New Year should fall on one's birthday, it is more meaningful for the individual but on the other hand, I guess celebrating birthday lacks a sense of togetherness when everyone can celebrate together on a common New Year. The cleaning up on New Year's day will continues.

To sum up, 2008 has been a roller coaster ride for me to the highest of high and lowest of low. It was an intensive and exhilarating ride with exhausting slow climbs, breath taking bends, unforeseen drops, followed by quick lifts to the top, and again. I was lucky not to suffer a heart attack in the process!

Tonight, let me bid my farewell to 2008. Adios!

Sad Teddy

You will never look at your teddy bear the same way again.

The funniest and probably the most disturbing clip I've seen from the hit TV show Supernatural, to share with you.

Enjoy!

Employment, or the Lack of, in Hong Kong

Or rather, in my case, the lack of it. Given the current economical outlook, with downsizing and redundancy both on a vengeful path towards crisis point, I think I'll get to keep my current job title (as an unemployed bum) for a bit even though I've came quite close to losing it twice.

The first one took place about 5 months ago, my very first job offer in Hong Kong, needless to say, I was very excited. I was also naive enough to believe the company would be open to contractual negotiation, well, apparently not in this case (or place)! I was shocked by the company's quick rebuff to my counter proposal, the initial disappointment has worn off but has left a bad taste in this experience.

I guess in a densely populated place such as Hong Kong, there must be hundreds of hopefuls out there who would be grateful for this opportunity. I also imagined the person-in-charge probably sneered at my effort and thought what a fool I am! Ho hum!

The second one happened just a few weeks ago. The role itself sounded very interesting and is in line with what I've been desperately seeking in a job, the company is a globally known firm and everything else look very good - they like me and I like them, except that I will need that in writing. It never came.

Well, I received news after a brief delay that the company is currently facing a recruitment freeze, meaning they are not able to make the hire. It also mentioned that the company will have a policy review early next year on this matter but nothing is certain.

That was a real disappointing blow. When I was told about the offer verbally, it was the best news I've had for a long time; I imagined how my life style would change for the better, I imagined all the things I will be able to achieve, I imagined all the freedom I will have, and I imagined how proud my loved ones would be of me. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Being an unemployed bum hasn't exactly been a cruise for me. No matter how hard I've tried, I still find myself swimming against the tide, not quite winning my fight with the griefs of unemployment - boredom, stress, lack of financial freedom, and loss of self-esteem. Unlike fine cheese and wine, unemployment don't age well, one just don't forget about unemployment, it is always at the back of my mind gently reminding that me I am not supposed to be unemployed.

The morale of the story for me is: employment is good, unemployment is not.

Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! Things People Say

Everyone give them and everyone get them, excuses are like little white lies, except excuses are usually less creative.

I've been getting lots of really lame excuses lately. One advise, please, don't take me as a gullible fool when comes to electronic communication matters, having worked in the e-commerce sector for 5 years, I really don't believe the system the mother of all woes. System glitches? Come on, even I don't use that line back in my customer service days.

I think honesty is the best policy, I always try to be real when I give excuses; like, why wasn't there a single entry in FULL ECONOMY CLASS 14 DAYS RETURN in the month of November? It was because I was lazy! It is true that I had a few more things going on than usual, but procrastination was more fun, it still is!

The lamest excuse I have received so far goes something along the line of I was out of the country when I quizzed the quoter about a non-urgent but reply is required email (the quoter was already back in the country for some time too). I was almost shocked when I heard it. Er, isn't that what emailing is for? Emails usually sit patiently in the Inbox until the user hit the delete button, to top it up, it was a social utility email too!

The second most lamest excuse was I have no time. I have only two words to say - make time! In this case, I'd rather be given I-didn't-because-I-can't-be-bothered as an answer instead.

So, the moral of the story is, give it more thought when giving excuses, think about how the other party would feel. Be considerate, if you can't, then, at least be creative

A World of Pain: Story of an Unwanted Puppy

Puppies awaiting adoption at HKDR

When the word pain is mentioned, many will immediately think of their experience of physical pain, while some will say pain comes from within. Pain is often one of the main factor that has prevented people to do things, like taking up martial arts, snowboarding, rollerblading, Brazilian waxing.., just to name a few.

My most physically painful experience so far came from receiving 3 stitches on my scalp, while the emotional one came from the ending of a relationship. Nonetheless, none of my experience matches the last hours of a little puppy called Pinky.

Pinky was mauled to death by his kennel mates and left to die alone.

I am writing about an abandoned dog whose short life was filled with more pain than happiness. Pinky was a 6 months old puppy whose name came from his distinguish pink nose, along with his nose he had a beautiful cream coat and dark eyes, he could had been an animal actor in the film "Babe". In another word, he was a very cute puppy.

Before ended up being an abandoned pet, Pinky had a home, however his owner's constant absence prompted the owner's sister to give him up to Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). The role of the AFCD is to house a surrendered animal for approximately 4 days and then promptly destroyed by administrating euthanasia, this practice applies to all domestic pets including dogs.

Pinky had his lucky escape when he was rescued from the AFCD by Hong Kong Dog Rescue (HKDR) during one of its scheduled visits; there he was given a semi-permanent home, along with 200 other abandoned dogs, while waiting for a permanent one.

I was one of the fortunate ones who have met little Pinky, he was such an unassuming little dog who was happy and liked to play with his fellow kennel mates, also puppies around his size. Sadly, the last time I saw Pinky was 3 days before he was found lifeless, with bites all over his little body at another kennel for larger puppies. The reason why he was moved was unknown, it doesn't matter now anyway.

I suspect Pinky was first picked on by larger puppies in the new kennel, there were at least 4 of them in a field of approximately 20 puppies. Little Pinky was known to be feisty, he must had tried to defend himself but was outnumbered, the exchange probably stirred up bad air within the kennel resulting a fight.

It must had happened in the dark of the night, where there were no humans around to hear his distress cries or to protect him from the horde of puppies who ganged up upon him. Poor little Pinky died alone in a world of pain, watched on by his aggressors, it must had been a very slow and lonely death.

Pinky's story is just one of too many among the abandoned dogs in Hong Kong. There are of course happy endings where the dog is adopted and welcomed as part of the family, however the chances of re-homing for an abandoned pet is slim, particularly for mongrel and older dogs. The rate of pet abandonment is high in Hong Kong, according to statistics, there were approximately 3,700 abandoned dogs last year, a rise from 3,000 from the previous year.

Without a proper pet ownership policy from the AFCD, ie. licensing or sterilizing, owning a pet is an easy process; furthermore, there are plenty of pet shops in Hong Kong, with at least one on every street, buying a pet is easier. While there are many responsible pet owners out there, it is those who treat their pets as commodities that are the ones who are getting away with the crime of animal cruelty by abandonment.

The irony is that in Hong Kong, it is an offense for littering but abandoning pet is not. Meanwhile, there will be more pets to be destroyed at the AFCD and animal welfare groups such as the HKDR will struggle to house more dogs due to overcrowding and funding issues, until the government of Hong Kong put its foot down, there will be more stories similar to Pinky's.

RIP Pinky.

Phuket Days

Sunset over Kata Beach

The saying every bum needs a holiday is true, everyone needs time out, even for those who doesn't do much. Thanks to my 8 long haul flights accumulated over a period of 2 years, I finally earned enough air miles to get a free flight to Phuket. For an unemployed bum, free is good and any destinations in the Land of Smiles is even better!

I stayed at Kata, which is located on the southwest side of Phuket island, just south of the more popular Karon. Kata is a quiet and convenient base if you are looking for a relaxing beach holiday - the beach is blessed with soft fine sand and clear blue water, the wave is gentle enough for swimmers yet creating enough swell for surfers or body boarders to catch the breaks.

Although Kata is quieter comparing to Patong or Karon, it still has its fair share of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping arcades, tour operators, convenience stores, massage outlets, tailors, chemists, etc, just so the tourists don't run out of touristy necessities. For a fancy night out, rowdy Patong is only a 15 minutes ride away and Phuket town is not far either for shopping excursions during the day. As for me, I hang around Kata during most of my stay, coming from crowded Hong Kong, hanging out on the beach is just the relief I needed.

During the high season which runs from October to March, Kata can be swamped by visitors from Scandinavia, creating a little Viking colony. In Kata and Karon, it is not uncommon to see sign boards advertising in Swedish or Swedish cuisine on restaurant menus.

The low season on the other hand, Phuket gets the occasional thunderstorms and patchy rain, with low hanging clouds constantly shielding the sun. My experience in September wasn't too bad with some rain but mostly sunny days, even though it poured down hard when I was out snorkeling near the Phi Phi islands, the downpour did not last long.

My holiday was what I imagined it to be - relaxing in a rural and quiet environment, even better because Phuket is in Thailand, my favourite country. I must add that the best thing about travelling in low season is a relatively empty beach with plenty of vacant deck chairs, uncrowded bars with free pool tables, and most importantly, special deals being offered by hoteliers and tour operators!

Noise Pollution in Hong Kong

I think NOISE POLLUTION is the forgotten sibling of the more popular air pollution issue in Hong Kong. Ever since the approval of the West Island Line, apartment units have been selling like hot cakes in the vicinity of the 3 new stations.

I am unfortunately a victim of this transaction since the end result of all successful settlement is essentially NOISE POLLUTION, because the first thing landlords to do their new acquisition is to knock down walls and send in the power drills! The noise generated the renovators conveniently does not bother the landlords but their poor new neighbours.

Noise pollution is unlike air pollution where people can pretend it is not there. Sure you may not be able to see across Victoria Harbour on a smoggy day, so what? People are usually sitting inside their air conditioned offices, homes or shopping malls, or travelling from one air conditioned room to another, always in an air conditioned transport. So, as long as you are not outdoors long enough, air pollution is not a nuisance. It is different with noise pollution, it follows you everywhere in Hong Kong.

Any outsider will agree that Hong Kongers are probably one of the loudest people on the planet, I swear almost all of them were born with the lungs of a Drill Sargent in order to create that kind of volume. Press Play on the below clip to experience an everyday public transport ride in Hong Kong.

On top of that, add the following factors to the equation:

• Traffic noise - double decker buses, goods trucks, mini buses
• Pets - small dog syndrome (I believe small dogs are planning a secret invasion of Hong Kong)
• Street noise - a nuisance when generated by human loud speakers
• Constructions - building buildings
• Renovations - always involving power drills
• Road works - always digging somewhere and involving (power) drills

An average household in Hong Kong have to live with the above noise factors day-to-day, the locals are either numb to it or they are part of the culprits, blocking out one kind of noise with another.

As for me, I have been plagued by the sound of power drills in the past 3 months. Beside the constant street noise, noise from renovation is my biggest bitch. In the beginning, it was renovation being done on the 3rd floor of my building, I thought it was just a temporary thing, how wrong was I when I heard power drills and hammering noises escaping from my next door neighbour's wall. Imagine my pain for the past 2 months as the whole unit being re-designed all over and my joy when the renovators finished painting the place.

To my dismay, the noise is not going away as it is now 8th floor's turn to create havouc, with 2 power drills going off at the same time, echoing each other. One may think renovations done on other floors should not affect my unit, but the noise generated by power drill is so powerful that it ricochets across the building via the walls, taking away all sense of peacefulness and quietness.

By the way these units are selling, the noise of the power drill is hanging around like a curse. My home used to be my sanctuary from noisy Hong Kong, but it is only an illusion. Hello air pollution, welcome to my nightmare.