This is the place where random thoughts and observations are posted. Usually I don't have enough material to expand what are written here into articles. (In most cases, it is probably a good thing that I don't). Usually I make a post whenever some interesting notions hit my head.
Be warned! This may (and probably does) look like an on-line confessional and the things I post here may be even more confusing than my articles and can be quite depressing. So for the sake of your mental health, please set aside your faith in others and optimism before reading these posts.
Enjoy these "short" musings. Hopefully they won't make your head spin or drive you sleepless or confused.
October 5, 2026
The owner of a $100 million villa found shortened steel bars under the floor during renovations. While contractors have been caught using shortened steel bars to build buildings at housing estates (resulting the affected buildings being torn down and rebuilt), it is shocking to learn that contractors are using shortened steel bars to build houses costing 9-figures. Did the developer provide the contractors the budget to use material that meets construction standards? Did the contractors use substandard material and pocketed the "savings"? Did the inspectors properly check whether the villas meet building standards before declaring them safe for occupacton? (Perhaps the inspectors are of the same ilk as those who inspected Wang Fuk Estate during its renovation before the fire.) The developer and the estate's other owners biggest fear are not the steel bars themselves or whether they would make the villas unsafe, but whether the value of the villa would plummet. (Good luck trying to sell a unit in the near future.)
September 30, 2026
Football's worst kept secret is out when the English Premier League found Manchester City guilty of 114 counts of financial regulation breaches, by "disguising" the owners' direct funding as those from sponsors, between 2009 and 2018. During this period the club went from a mid-table side to a front-runner. While the club will appeal, it is unlikely that all charges will be overturned. (Yes, my bias as a Liverpool fan is showing.) The next question, naturally, would be the kind of sporting punishment to be handed down. (Other clubs would certainly demand financial compensation.) Would the titles won by Manchester City during that time be awarded to the runner-up or vacated altogether (similar to what Italy did to Juventus 20 years ago)? Or would all matches involving Manchester City be declared 3-0 wins by the opposition (as is the case for international matches when one team commits a violation)? Since Manchester City's title haul during the period played a large role in attracting talent and maintaining its status as a title contender since then, how far would the punishment be applied? The Premier League probally can't directly relegate the club since it and the lower leagues are separate entities. The Premier League, however, can impose a points deduction penalty (80 points?) that guarantees the club would be relegated.
September 26, 2026
A district councillor representing the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Estate, among others, has resigned for health reason. She has been absent from recent district council meetings, after it was revealed that she and her team collected proxy forms from owners' relatives (instead of the owners themselves), including several in the name of deceased owners, on how the renovation which caused the deadly blaze was awarded. She has not appeared in public since the news broke (other than attending a dinner gathering). In addition to being a district councillor, she had served as a consultant to the owner's association. So she likely has knowledge (or even influence) on how the renovation was awarded. Since the fire she has made few public appearances, which makes one wonder if the authorities are keeping her from the public to keep her from revealing anything untoward. (The committee investigating the fire never summon her to testify.) Perhaps she is now under the same "key figure" protection programme as Chan Tong-Kai.
September 15, 2026
The government and its sycophants often defend its "National Security" law by claiming that there are similar laws in western countries and that any independence movement there would be quashed in the same way it does. The first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have stated that the three nations should have the right to hold a referendum on whether to separate from the United Kingdom. (Scotland had held such a referendum in the 2010's.) No official (or any mainstream figure) in Britain screamed for the first ministers' arrest (and indefinite detainment) for inciting separation. Sometimes one may wonder why media outlets in Hong Kong would report such news " wouldn't such news considered seditious for leading locals into thinking that asking for the right to choose whether to separate is legally allowed?
September 9, 2026
A unnamed legislator has lamented that the new legislators only read from their scripts and that there is little debate in the legislature. So much so that they wish to fall asleep during debates. Their solution? To cancel the debates. Isn't a legislator's main job is to debate legislations pesented to them on how to improve them, instead of passing them in record time? Meanwhile, other legislators stated that new legislators should be given a year or two to "learn the ropes" (while receiving full wages and benefits). (Of course the comments are made anonymously.) And now they want to give themselves a raise? Perhaps that is why the legislature was expanded when it was "improved" — to create more high-paying "jobs" to loyalists. The government would never consider it, but the legislature should be shrunk as there are a lot of legislators who wishes to have their workload/duties reduced or treat it like an entry-level job.
August 22, 2026
Three members of the Tiananmen Masscre vigil's organizer were found guilty of inciting subversion, to no one's surprise. Before the hearing, police officers confiscated "sensitive" items (keychains from the journalists' association, clippings from old newspapers) carried by those wishing to watch the proceedings without explanation. Did the officers consider the keychains "seditious" because they are from an association their boss wishes to "nail to death"? Would the newspaper clippings remind people that the vigil was held for 30 years without anyone (including the most zealous pro-Beijing figures) questioning its legality (before "realizing" that after the "national security law's" enactment)? Would one be apprehended if officers take notice of such items (or something similar) while on the beat or find them during spot checks, as I did on June 4 (after officials denied the vigil from being held for "health reasons") a few years ago?
August 14, 2026
Nigel Farage resigned from the British Parliament amid investigation by its standards commission and running in the by-election to regain the seat. The other major parties have refused to field candidates, but instead of asking their supporters not to vote (as a certain government once did), they indirectly endorsed Count Binface, a comedian/self-proclaimed space warrior. While Farage is a large favourite, it would be fascinating to have Count Binface winning — presumably he would have to remove his bin to take his seat in Parliament. Farage claimed that the by-election pits "the people versus the establishment", but he is now part of the establishment. Strangely local media, particularly the Beijing mouthpieces have not commented much on the election, particularly how this is an example of the western world's "low-quality democracy" (as opposed to Hong Kong's "high-quality democracy", where candidates are heavily-vetted, so much so that it takes years to hold a by-election).
August 10, 2026
Record-breaking temperature was observed in Hong Kong yesterday, with temperature nearing 40 degrees in some areas. Yet the heat stress warning for workers, which set out guidelines (not mandates) on the amount of rest and whether work should be suspended, remained at yellow, the lowest of 3 levels — the other being red and black. (In fact, higher level warning had never been issued before.) This makes on wonder what is the threshold for triggering higher level warnings. (40 degrees for red? 50 for black?) There is indeed a formula for calculating whether warning would be issued and at what level, but what is the point of having such a warning system when record-breaking temperature triggers the lowest warning level? Is it, as a former Observatory director stated, a "decorative piece"?
August 2, 2026
Manchester City and Inter Milan played an exhibition match yesterday, with most of the former's biggest stars not suiting up due to their participation in the World Cup (and their teams' advancement to the tournament's later stages). There was no mention of whether there was hydration break about the halfway point of each half, as was the case during the World Cup (for all but one match, which had a two-hour half time due to thunderstorms). Given that the temperature was below 30 degrees for the entire day, there was no need to have one. (I guess there was no mention of it because there wasn't one.) Good thing that the mandatory commercial hydration break for all matches was applicable for the World Cup only and not all matches. (It was an exhibition match, so there would have been little, if any, interest from advertisers to buy spots during the break had there been such a break.)
July 28, 2026
A legislator resigned earlier this month after he was arrested on drunk driving charges. When asked of the timing of the by-election to fill the vacated seat, officials stated that the 3 scheduled elections (election committee, Chief Executive and district council) in the next 18 months take precedence. The resigned legislator was elected through the election committee, so having the seat elected by the new committee members. However, holding the by-election after the next district council elections means the seat will be vacant for at least 18 months. (This is not without precedence — a seat was left vacant for 3 years in the last session.) It appears that officials have little concern of not having a full legislature. (Why should we be surprised? Every member is in the pro-government camp.) Perhaps officials are keeping the seat vacant longer to reduce costs on salary/staff/expense reimbursement. Maybe they should consider reducing the number of legislators, particularly those elected through the election committee to save more money (or divert the money for better use).
July 20, 2026
Red paint was thrown at the storefront of a shop selling Taiwanese drinks last week. This is commonly regarded as an act of intimidation. After reporting the case to the police, its "professional advice" to the owners is to shut the shop down to prevent future paint throwing. The owners decided to follow the police's "professional advice" and end the business on Sunday to "protect" themselves. Given the police's response, one may wonder if they considered the shop a "yellow store" and wishes it to shut down. Since the store is located in Yuen Long, it is natural to ask if police know the identity of the perpetrators but decided not to investigate the case because of their background. The police was basically screaming "we can't protect you. You are on your own" to business owners in the area (unless, of course, they are friends of "local forces".)
July 15, 2026
Police raided two bookstores (one of which is to be closed down in August) and arrested five people in suspicion of "doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention". Officials claimed that the bookstores had display and sold items with seditious intent, whose contents could stir hatred for the Hong Kong government. As usual, officials did not reveal which items are considered seditious. The police acted after custom officers found "seditious items" in packages to be imported to the bookstores. Despite top security officials claim of the contrary, there is indeed a list of "banned books", except that the list itself is a "national secret" (or, more accurately, a personal secret) privy only to themselves. For everyone else, the only way for them to learn whether an item they own/sell/buy is "seditious" is the moment they are arrested.
July 7, 2026
American footballer Folarin Balogun received a red card in a World Cup round of 32 match, meaning he would be banned (as a starter or substitute) from this morning's match with Belgium, which the US lost. Before that match, FIFA suspended (not overturned) the ban. (He would have to serve the suspension in this World Cup anyways the US won the match he was supposed to miss and he received another card during that match, but it's a moot point now.) FIFA has suspended match bans of star players before (late last year Cristiano Ronaldo had a ban effectively reduced from three matches to one, after FIFA suspended the ban after his first suspended match), the timing is suspicious. Moreover, Donald Trump stated that he "asked" FIFA to "review" the punishment. (He might have asked for something more than a review, but given FIFA's president eagerness to please the US president, there is no doubt the punishment would have been reconsidered even if the US president did just ask for a review.) On the day before an English defender was sent off (and thus suspended) in a match against Mexico. Perhaps Prime Minister Starmer should ask FIFA to ask for a similar review. (On second thought, FIFA's president would ignore him as he will soon be former Prime Minister Starmer. King Charles or, better yet, Prince William, the patron of the English FA, should be the one doing the asking.)