World Cup 2018

Unlike the English media and footballing circle who are completely incensed and understandably hugely disappointed, I'm not really bothered where World Cup 2018 will be staged. I mean of course I do have a soft spot for England, but that's not the point. The mystery is, how Russia outbids England (and, for that matter, other candidates).

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Terry Venables said it all and I can't agree more with him.

"FIFA led us to believe the bidding countries would be judged on things like stadiums, IT networks, transport links, hotels, training facilities and communications. That was clearly not so. After all, who in their right mind would score Russia above England in any of those categories? To do so, would be farcical, as anybody who has ever been beyond the old Iron Curtain would tell you."
 

...

"If the aim by FIFA all along was to give 2018 to a nation that had never held a World Cup before then fine.I just wished they would have told us and the FA at the outset. It would have saved us £15 million and a lot of heartache.

Instead, the selection process became a charade - in fact a complete and utter sham.England never got the 2018 World Cup, because we were never going to get it."

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I don't believe for a minute that BBC's Panarama has anything to do with England's bid falling apart. I haven't watched the programme, but whoever thinks the prog is a scam can always provide counter-evidence to fend for himself. And if FIFA is upset because their integrity and reputation are tarnished (which are constantly under fire anyway), stand up and put their case forward.

Simple.

Why and how Russia and Qatar are preferred to England, Australia, the US or whoever is completely beyond me (or in fact everybody). I'm not all for big and powerful countries. And as Venables has remarked, it's ok if FIFA were prepared to award the hosting right to a first-timer. What's the point of all the evaluations then? It just seems, from what I've read on the news, that the England's delegation was blindsided and was made to believe that they were the favourites - only to discover they've got a meagre 2 votes, one of which was from a fellow countryman!

Now the question is - based on what criteria were these votes cast?

現代的港式婚禮

從北歐回港之後, 有幸獲邀出席幾個婚禮.

婚禮一般沒有特定的形式, 都是隨主人家的喜好/宗教而定, 豐儉由人. 不過港式婚禮都有幾個不可或缺的環節.

不知從哪時開始, 接新娘的時候有 "玩新郎" 的傳統. 記憶中小時候, 三姨四姨出嫁時, 沒有甚麼姊妹團, 都是在大門口由女親友就 "開門利是" 馬馬虎虎地議價一番完事. 而"玩新郎" 環節則在酒樓晚宴時進行.

越大越覺得 "玩新郎" 不知可accomplish 或證明些甚麼. "開門利是" 是為拿個意頭, 都勉強叫做說得過去. 始終, 中國人甚麼都講意頭. 至於 "玩新郎", 我越想越覺得不知所謂, 不知是哪來的傳統. 除了 "得啖笑", 實在的目的應該沒有, 而當中玩的遊戲部分又帶點嘔心, 常涉及一些令人難堪的舉動, 又或是以折磨兄弟團為最終目的. 近年, "玩新郎" 遊戲的製作越趨 "認真", 姊妹團在事前要開會, 絞盡腦汁為難兄弟團, 又要為遊戲準備各式道具. 恕我愚昧無知, 個人覺得有關活動勞民傷財, 卻沒有serve到甚麼purpose.

有次跟外國朋友談起, 原來香港這個 "玩新郎" 環節都頗為 notorious, 連我這個朋友都略知一二, 還語帶諷刺地揶揄一番. 我絕對可以想像到在外國人眼中, 這個所謂 "傳統" 是多麼的可笑, 因為我都有同感. 台灣朋友亦指出當地並無類似環節, 接新娘一般都是一家人熱熱鬧鬧聚在一起, 新郎新娘奉茶拍照. 香港的傳統從何而來, 不得而知.

今時今日的婚宴活像一場show, 必定會有MC. 感覺上好像扭曲了婚宴的原意, 令宴會本身變得兒戲. 當然, 我明白現今這一代希望令婚宴的氣氛輕鬆一點, 不像以往的拘謹, 但也不一定要放下底線 (可能是我思想保守), 吃一兩道菜就要抬頭欣賞新人天才表演/看片段/聽致謝辭/抽獎/玩遊戲, 實在令人吃不消. 另一個不知何時興起的指定動作是在晚宴中播放成長片段, 就是一對新人呱呱落地到長大成人的硬照 slideshow, 然後加插兩人圖文並茂的 "相識經過". 想深一層, 片段實無助賓客進一步認識一對新人, 而將一些陳年舊照供諸同好亦非我杯茶, 個人認為是另一勞民傷財之作.

近年還流行送結婚紀念品, 多是一些沒甚麼用的擺設, 或是印有一對新人照片的東西 (但很明顯不會用). 食物好一點, 吃過就算. 把紀念品留在桌上不帶走不好意思, 帶回家又要找地方安置 (最後可能都是垃圾桶) 所以說, 主人家不送紀念品又怕人說寒酸, 送了客人又未必會衷心感謝, 兩面不討好.

婚嫁習慣隨時代演變, 但變成現在這個樣子不知是好是壞. 我自己傾向追求簡單的儀式, 繁文縟節可免則免. 畢竟, 我希望賓客好好享受整個過程, 而不是要為求婚禮 "符合既定的程序" .

Scandinavia / Baltic Afterword

1. You can definitely get around with no problem using English in Scandinavia even though they all have their own languages. Swedish (and Danish) are pretty similar to German so if you know some German, you can sometimes relate. Finnish is always the odd one, as is the country itself. (Bless them!) We didn’t have much problem in Tallinn with English either though you gotta be prepared that shopkeepers in the kiosks usually don’t speak English. In Riga, I’ll have to say its 50-50. Even in the Old Town or city centre… don’t expect they speak English, especially older people. The younger generations are often ok though. It’s quite a funny experience now that I come to think of it - that you can understand absolutely nothing on the streets in any one of the places we’ve been to. We’ve become illiterates. Now who says English is an international language?!
   
   
2. Euro is a no go, whether in Scandinavia (apart from Finland of course) or the Baltics. In Tallinn’s Old Town, about 90% would take Euro, apart from a few street hawkers. It might be helpful to have some spare Estonian Kroons just to be sure. But you might just get by with Euro there. Riga? Absolutely not. I haven’t seen anywhere in the whole city that takes Euro. And since Latvian Lats are not exactly the most popular currencies in the world, you might need to exchange it in some bank or exchange shop. I would imagine souvenir shops and bigger restaurants in Sweden and Denmark to take Euros, but the conversion rate would probably be hugely inflated. So it would be better to have the respective currencies ready or otherwise rely on your plastics (which I did especially in Sweden when I ran out of cash).
   
3. Our trip this time was literally flooded with daily lattes and hot chocolates. The late Sep/early Oct weather was not exactly warm. What’s better than enjoying a cuppa in a nice cosy café to keep yourself warmer? I don’t think I have ever intensively had hot choc every day for 3 weeks in a row. And sometimes even more than one in a day! (Hopefully not gonna be reflected on my weight! LOL) Gaz has become the latte expert and me the hot choc expert. He came to the conclusion that the best latte came from a little bar/cafe in Riga (where we only went out of our desperation for the free WIFI available) I haven’t made up my mind for the best hot choc mainly becos I didn’t pay too much attention. But the one in a Helsinki café called “Java” was quite nice. Another one served in a tiny back alley café near the Tallinn City Museum tasted good too.
    
4. After the whole trip, I went through googlemap again to re-learn all the names of the sights/places we’ve been to. Reading maps is a sign of masculinity – or so I found out! Never doubt a guy’s map-reading skills even though you’re sure he’s wrong and don’t ever try to offer to take a look at the map even when you’re lost. Since I wasn’t the one reading the maps during our journey, I only have a vague orientation of the cities we visited. But it’s really fun to be able to point at places on the googlemap and think “been there, done that!”
   
   
   
   
   That’s a wrap - the trip of my life so far :) Not really possible to put down every single thing we've been through, but the memory stays - in my head :)

Danmark /København/ (II)

Apart from getting properly smashed, another first in CPH was cycling in town. If we don’t count the lame cycle tracks in Shatin, I really can’t say I’ve ridden on a bike properly as a means of transport.

Of course, if it weren’t for Kev, I would NEVER dare to risk my life like that. I mean seriously, CPH residents are all pros when it comes to cycling. While I was shakily navigating my way, hoping not to bump into anybody (or anything for that matter), they just whished passed me like a gasp of wind! And one thing I don’t understand is how they can balance themselves without sitting on the saddle. That’s probably how they avoid a painful bum with all the cobbled streets. The bumpy roads didn’t go too well with my butt I have to say!

I also got confused as to which way to look at. I mean first thing first, we’re cycling on the WRONG side of the road, as is the whole of Europe apart from Britain :) That’s Challenge No.1. No.2 was I didn’t know which light to refer to. I don’t understand how sometimes we could beat the light and sometimes we must wait patiently for it to go green. Again, if it weren’t for Kev, I would probably be dead meat.

Something funny happened while we were choosing a bike for me at the shop. I was shit scared and had to make sure my feet could touch the ground whenever I wanted to. But the fact that most Danes are quite tall meant that all the bikes I tried on were too high for me. In the end, the only one that suited me was a bike for kids, which was indeed a bit embarrassing (and the shopkeeper and Kev were like… you serious? You really want that?!) 

 

It was actually quite a fun experience minus the backside discomfort (and in perfect sunny weather even!) A whole different angle to enjoy a city. Just gotta look out for yourself and not get run over by the traffic! Ha :)

Danmark /København/ (I)

Finally came to our last stop *sob* Time always flies by quickly when one’s on holiday. I have to acknowledge, though, that my trip ended in a high because of this wonderful city (and company of course!). To come to Copenhagen again after 4 years has completely changed my impression on the Danish capital.

The Friday night out in Copenhagen was madness. (Remember the previous night we were out in Malmö for the Balkan music night until 3!) I gotta put CPH in my top 3 night out – not that I have too many to start with!
 

Nyhavn in daytime

Kongens Nytorv

We started off with a drink at Nyhavn. It is a lovely spot to chill – both during the day and in the evening. A bit quiet though for a Friday night. Perhaps we were too early and people were still having supper. After a light sample of alcohol by the harbour, we proceeded to a posh restaurant/bar where Kevin works. It was packed with people (Welcome to Friday night in CPH!) We had to settle for a drink outside in the cold (away from the heater – as the tables round the ONLY heater were all occupied!) Andreas brought us some coffee (with a high dose of Bailey in it) and we ordered some drinks.

 

                                      Delicacies @ Victor Cafe
 
Finally got offered a table inside at around 10. By then we were starving and were desperately in need of food after all the alcohol consumption. Food arrived (very delightful food I must add!!) and more drinks. I am trying to recall when I had – some cider, white wine, 2 Fernet-Branca (an Italian mix which tasted like disgusting Chinese herbal medicine cum mouthwash, oh YUCK!), some more coffee with (excessive) Bailey, some beer (maybe?). I’m sure the guys had a few more than I did. It was all a bit of a blur anyway because Kevin’s workmates kept bringing us drinks and more drinks.

CPH is sooooo pretty

By the time we stepped out of the restaurant, it was maybe 1-ish and I could hardly balance myself. And I really mean it when I say that. My head was spinning and I had to hold onto the guys to walk. (The guys seemed to cope not bad but were obviously a bit tipsy too!) We entered the sports bar (same owner as the restaurant in which Kevin works) next door and I said to the guys I was done for the night. No more drinks for me. I faintly remember bumping into a random guy in the Ladies Room. And then somehow, Kevin managed to get me home (with a lot of dragging and balancing I presume!) He even told me to climb up all the stairs to the top of the building when he only lives on the 1/F. He is one cheeky monkey! My mind was lucid the whole way but I could hardly control my legs. They just went all wobbly. And the last thing I remember was dropping dead in bed with my head still spinning…

That probably sums up my first night in Copenhagen. But truly, we all had a blast!

Sverige /Lund + Malmö/

Lund, located in southern Sweden, is a university town. Half (or even more) of the population is students so I can imagine it being really quiet during summer.

To be honest, there is not much to see in Lund. If it wasn’t for Gary’s friend 

Lund's city library

who's doing his PhD there, we probably won’t bother to make the 5-hour train journey from Stockholm. Interestingly, the nearest (proper) airport to Lund is Copenhagen. I guess a lot of people see Lund as some sort of a stopover between CPH and Stockholm, just like us.

The only time it rained during our 3-week journey was in Lund. Other than that, we had really wonderful weather every day.
 

Lund Cathedral

On our last night in Swedish soil, we went to Malmö (about 20 mins by train from Lund) for some uni event – a Balkan Music Night. Basically an excuse for live bands and cheap(er) booze. It was a bit wild. Since everybody there was uni students, we felt completely over-aged and out of place! HAHA… uni seems such a distant concept to us! We hang out until 2-3 ish and that was our first late night during the whole trip (more to follow in CPH =.= )
I wish I could see Malmö properly. After all, it's the third biggest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg. Heard it's meant to be famous for some constructions and shopping! Now my impression of Malmö was some Iraqi driving school and middle eastern carpet repair centre. It's kinda vague after all the alcohol consumption!!

Sverige /Stockholm/ (III)

Gamla Stan Subway

Gamla Stan: Gamla Stan, literally means “Old Town”, is a really cosy little place for a pleasant walk. It feels a bit like Tallinn’s Old Town, but not as medieval. All the narrow pathways bring you surprises round the corner every time. For some reason, we always thought there would be a never-meant-to-be market in Gamla Stan, so we’ve been pretty much walking back and forth.

Kungliga slottet: The Royal Palace - nothing much spectacular. I remember some cannons and an inverted flag. That’s all. And it was super quiet for a Sunday morning!

 
Kaknästornet: A TV Tower in Stockholm where you can pay to go up to the top for a city view. Not bad, but very very windy!

                           Some amazing views up Kaknästornet

Skansen: The first open-air museum in Sweden. Somewhat similar to the old 集古村 in Ocean Park – meant to show the way of life in different parts of Sweden. Since we were there on an Autumn weekday, it was pretty quiet. A few tourists here and there, but not much of the museum bits were opened. Bear fights and reindeers available.

 Skansen and bear fight!

Nobel Museum: One of the museums I really love. 
We picked the day and time (Well, it picked us - Tuesday 5pm free of charge) to be there when the press release of Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was freshly printed out! Watched some old interviews of Nobel laureates. I was particularly impressed with the awardee (sorry, forgot his name) who discovered laser in the 60s talked about how laser could be widely used in different fields in the future – exactly how we’re using it today!

Visiting the Nobel Museum is definitely a very humbling experience – starting from Alfred Nobel himself, who selflessly used his wealth to establish the Nobel Prizes, to all the modest laureates who dedicated/dedicate themselves for the well-beings of mankind.