Still rockin' the mustache...can't seem to shake it. Might as well do it while I can.
Thats one lame thing about my job...you really dont have much personal freedom about how you look. Well...you could do whatever you wish, but if you expect to book jobs, then you have to "look the part". I would love to just shave my head...sounds funny, right?
So in the process of looking for more HK Durians that were cheaper than $2 a pound,
I stumbled across some more Snakeskin fruits...and with the help of the lovely internet,
I discovered that these are really called SALAK fruits. These particular ones are from Indonesia. They were quite different than the Cambodian ones I had (which were imported from Thailand). Those were much sweeter and the fruit stuck to the seed more. These Indonesian ones were more bland and crispier..not sticking at all to the seed. Much easier to eat, but nowhere near as tasty. Ah...SAVOR the variety.
Another jewel? GUAVAS! Especially Hong Kong Red Guavas. Leave a few of these in your room and the whole places smells SOOOO good. I was excited to come over to Asia for the Durians and Jackfruits, but the surprise of the trip has been the guava. Probably one of the best tasting fruits I have had. And I just ordered two guava trees to grow in the greenhouse this summer. REALLY excited for that.
Here is some fresh Dragonfruit Juice we had...not very sweet, but actually really refreshing.
I usually dont have fruit juiced, but I thought Id give it a shot. Pretty nice actually.
I usually dont have fruit juiced, but I thought Id give it a shot. Pretty nice actually.
Usually you want to eat your fruits and juice (AND EAT) your veggies. Juicing fruit is going to up your blood sugar super fast...not what you want. Nature provided sugars with fiber in the form of fruits...we should take heed.
We went hiking in this little beach town on Hong Kong island called Shek-O and realized that the bus wasnt going to come for another 45 min...so what to do? Photos!
If you have a feature called "Slow Syncro" on your digital camera (check the manual mode)
play around with it and see what you can do. Its really fun and makes great pics. But you have to be in a low light area. Try it sometime, you wont regret it.
We went hiking in this little beach town on Hong Kong island called Shek-O and realized that the bus wasnt going to come for another 45 min...so what to do? Photos!
If you have a feature called "Slow Syncro" on your digital camera (check the manual mode)
play around with it and see what you can do. Its really fun and makes great pics. But you have to be in a low light area. Try it sometime, you wont regret it.
A face only a mother could love....
The only good thing McDonald's is useful for is the free bathrooms.
Thanks Ronald!
Oh right...POLITICS.
A dear reader of this blog (who I LIKE) thinks that the US Government is FOR the People,
and BY the people. Am I wrong to assume that she thinks that the super-elite have no control over what goes on in the US? That the average citizens really rule because they get to "vote"?
Like the great quote says...
"if voting changed anything, it would be illegal."
Do you want the puppet on the left...or the puppet on the right?
Either this view is painfully naive about how this world really works,
or maybe there are an employee for the Ministry of Propaganda.
The families who were in control hundreds and hundreds of years ago are still in power today. Make no mistake about it. They realized though that populations are easier to control if they can be distracted with material goods like cars and clothes and toys...instead of brute force.
And I speak out BECAUSE people have died. Wars are created by the elite...and they use the poor and brainwashed middle class to fight for them.
MOST of the soliders in Iraq are either there because:
1. - They signed up in the reserves and unfortunately got sucked into this mess
2. - They wanted the income and decided to sell their bodies to Uncle Sam
3. - They were brainwashed with nationalism and patriotism
Bring on the comments...
They are PAWNS that are being used by the RICH. WAKE UP.
Being in the mid-east for the past few decades has only PISSED THEM OFF and has led to all this mess. We need to leave the middle east (and everywhere else) and stop policing the world.
If you want to support the soldiers, I would suggest doing whatever you can to help them get home immediately and de-program them at once.
Also...Im not some American being critical of "my" country from abroad.
Im on VACATION for 3 weeks.
Just because someone was born within the US borders doesnt make them an "AMERICAN" in their soul. It takes much more than that.
I am a world citizen. And I suggest that you see yourself as the same.
Ridiculous arbitrary borders created by rich politicos should not dictate how we see ourselves and each other. Represent the World-Town.
Of course..I could be living in some brutally repressive country where I would be in prison right now for typing this, but we should wake up to the subtlety of oppression all around us.
We are capable of so much more...this is NOT the best possible life...far, FAR from it.
I speak out to spread ideas, and to hopefully help others improve their own lives.
Swallowing the submissive & supportive citizen bull-crap
will lead to a life of quiet desperation.
What do you think?
Like Thoreau..."That Gov't Which Governs Least is BEST"
We cant confuse the USA of the 1770s and 1860s and 1940s with the USA of today.
Some VERY evil people are in control. Not the people. The people have always spoken out, and they want peace. We have war. Obvious, no?
And...just to add for some fun...
Gotta end with a laugh hopefully.
Next up...pissing off the Durian Gods...
17 comments:
Ouch, so much hatred for the rich in this post. The reason the rich usually play a bigger part in politics is twofold in my opinion: A more comprehensive education (which richer families can afford) gives richer folk greater interest and ability in politics. Secondly, when you have more money you spend less time surviving and more time philosophising and thinking about politics amongst other things.
When a person from a humbler background wants to get involved in politics, providing they have the ability, they can. There's no big conspiracy. British MP Jack Straw grew up with a single mother on a council estate (communal housing provided by the government); he's now the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
and Secretary of State for Justice.
Things were different in the days when kings and queens had more power, but you'd be kidding yourself if you think that these days the big bad rich are conspiring against the vulnerable weak poor.
that first picture is great - sky diving on the high street : )
I haven't tasted a guava - glad you are enjoying them though!
Citizen of the World---I dig that.
Alec...look up the WTO and the IMF. Corporations and Banks control the politicians and everything they do. Big pharma, junk food, you name it. These are the masters. There are the exceptional few of course, but I know who really makes the decisions.
Google the video called "The Fourth World War".
Watch the movie "The Corporation" as well...come on...we cant still be this naive.
There are many rich people that do good for society, but all the individuals doing severe harm to us and our planet are usually old rich men.
Even if democrats get into the white house...its still the whole "business as usual" i.e...destruction of the environment and the wage-slave system. They don't want REAL change...we have to take it ourselves. Self-reliance and community is the key. Less dependence on govt - the better.
Hey Tony,
Nice chatting with you last night...well, morning for you. I agree with alot of your points as you might well know, politically, but there is one thing that i wanted to mention. This is my opinion....you want "smaller government" and i know why. I agree with you in alot of ways. The only thing is, it goes against what you protest as far as the political families staying in power. If we had a smaller government with less programs to help people out that dont have the $$ for college, etc, you are just going to see more of the same families in control. ALthogh alot of people take government help for the wrong reasons and dont use it for their benefit in the future...a smaller government would rid us of alot of government help. I do believe that anyone can be anything if they really try but i am also realistic....alot of people dont use the help to further themselves and until we are not human, that wont change. You and I both know that me and my family have benefitted off of government programs while my wife was/is going to college and I was/am trying to keep us above water at the same time. We are not leaching the government and i can also say that without the help, we might not have made it to where we are. Kala just got her career job before even being done with school and we are the grateful recipients of a government home loan that has helped us tremendously. We are finally feeling our lives changing for the better and i do have family and gov't programs to thank in part. Just a little different look into it. We, as Americans, have so much to be thankful for..one, for being born in this country or living here. The thing that i have a hard time with is alot of people in this country feel like we are owed all of these privelges that we have and people who live in other countries shouldnt come here and get the same benefits as us. We did not choose to be born here, we are just that lucky. And what would i do if i was living in a poor country with the opportunity to live in the US? I would move here. Thing how those immigrants feel...they are just trying to better life for their family. We could go without alot of things and still be more lucky then most of us know.
"Ridiculous arbitrary borders created by rich politicos should not dictate how we see ourselves and each other"
Anthony, I always thought I was all alone to think like that, that I'm a citizen of the world because nobody around me think this way. I'm so happy to see I'm not alone!
Let's create a new world then! ;)
Karine
That last picture is great. I hope that's not some guy's name, though. Ouch.
And shaving your head? Doesn't sound funny at all. If it weren't for your job, you could get away with it; you'd probably look good. I've thought about doing it recently, but 1) I'm a girl, so the Britney comparisons would be inevitable, and 2) I'm not that good-looking to begin with, so I'd probably end up hideous. LOL
I'm not even going to wade into the politics debate, except to say that Alec is comparing apples to oranges. The British political system isn't like the American political system. If you don't have money, you're out of luck.
When I used to live in Hong Kong I spent my last 6 months living in Shek O. To me it was the furthest place I could get from the hub-bub of HK without truly going out into the sticks... A convenient 'remote' village.
And you've been there! Not only that, my brother was there not so long ago! All this freaks me out, I thought it was so out of the way....
How I miss going for walks around the countryside near Shek O!!...
Speaking of destruction of the environment...I've noticed you using styrofoam in two separate pictures while abroad. Is this because you are on vacation or are you not concerned with using styrofoam? I keep a tupperware container (for leftovers), and a coffee mug in my car at all times and refuse to use styrofoam at all costs, but that is obviously not practical while traveling. Your thoughts on styrofoam?
don't be too hard on him. he's only 18. when i was 18, i saw rainbows and flowers and peace signs everywhere too.
i'm with ya. the odds are stacked against your everyday joe. things have not changed much since the days of kings and queens. and our healthcare system is a joke. even if everyone WERE covered in this country, that would only be half the problem. did you see the article in the new york times yesterday about how they are concerned that AIDS treatments cause patients to suffer ailments worse than their original condition? sad times indeed.
i could write a book...
I have for a long time believed I am a "citizen of the world" born in the U.S. by random drawing, and I appreciate your feelings on that as well Anthony. And it blows my mind how many Americans feel their "patriotism" is threatened by that notion. I mean people get literally offended by it. I could go on a whole rant on the subject but I'll refrain. I feel like you and I at least are on the same page regarding that subject.
And for some reason I can't see the photos on this post and it's frustrating as hell!
xo
Bella
I was in the Navy for six years (they let me join when I was twelve, so I'm only 18 now ((jk))). Anyway, I joined way before 9/11, the Iraq mess, recent embassy bombings etc. And the reason I joined was to get outta town! I thought it was a great ticket to see the world, I had just spent a year in France as an exchange student and loved traveling, so I thought riding around on a boat while getting paid was a genius idea! Well, then 9/11 happened and my plan fell to crap. But, what is really sad is that many young men joined the army to go fight the Taliban and find UBL hunkered down behind a rock in a cave. I think many Americans had this American pride for a short while after 9/11. So, the sad part is that all of these young men who joined after 9/11 were sent to f***ing Iraq and killed, maimed, neurologically injured, etc. So, thanks Bush, why didn't ya just kick in in the nuts while they were boarding the C130s too? I spent some time at Walter Reed hospital in DC where a lot of the injured soldiers come for repair and it BROKE my HEART to see all of these 18 year old boys with their cute little buzz cuts and no legs! The looks on their faces, it still makes me cry.
Anyway, I was just trying to help with the perspective of why some people join the military. I spent my time in the US (seriously, I joined to see the world and spent a lot of time in Texas! Karma, whats up?).
I hope you enjoy the rest of your adventure, I hoped you picked up some nice souvenirs from the Fuck Lee Store!
Two quick comments...
Alec,
Why does impassioned criticism equal "hatred"? I didn't get a hateful vibe from Anthony's post at all.
And secondly, go and get David Cay Johnston's new book "Free Lunch" and it will be an eye opening experience for you. Or at the very least go to npr.org and listen to his recent interview. (Anthony - you should go get the book and listen to the interview as well. You'll be very impressed).
Bella
Wait, who's only 18?
Hi Anthony,
It seems like you are a having a great time there. Thanks for keeping us updated, its great to see you doing great things and not just talking about it.
btw, I can't see any of the pictures on this particular entry. The newest one comes up fine though.
Carrie
Not really sure about the photos not coming up...I use firefox (internet explorer = OLD NEWS) and it seems to work fine.
I can post it all again though...just in case...
Bring it on, Ant.
I totally agree with everything you've said.. it's interesting seeing the US from an American's point of view because honestly I have a skewed cynical view about your government. But seems like I'm not too far wrong.
Just because we live in relative comfort, it doesn't mean we shouldn't question the powers that be and push them to answer for their actions. That's the danger of living in countries that are too comfortable- you become too content and live in a shell, thinking things are too good to complain/ criticise. There's a fine balance of course between whining masses who take things for granted and those who appreciate their position but also realise that there is a lot more to be done.
Those red durians look amazing! Shameful that I'm Malaysian and still dont' know my own country very well!
Safe travels.. pop over to Malaysia mainland if you have time, more great fruits to be had!
Peace
M
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