4.03.2006
Sign language 9.
After going to Hong Kong for a second time--there was lots of eating, lots of shopping, and lots of picture taking, all of which you will hear about sometime in the fairly near future--I have decided that the HK is, by far, the most Western of Asian cities. Well, cities that I've been to at any rate. Singapore is apparently very Westernized, but it's a bit too totalitarian for my tastes. I mean, I'm fine with tickets for littering, spitting, and not flushing a public toilet, but the no jaywalking law? Terrible! If living in China all this time has taught me anything, it's how to jaywalk like a pro, and they expect me to give that up because of their "laws"? As if. If I go to Singapore, I'm going to jaywalk every chance I get, tickets be damned--I got to stick it to the man!
(Side note: Promise of jaywalking in Singapore not legally binding.)
(Side note 2: Especially since we are likely going to Singapore this summer, and people who "stick it to the man" there tend to get caned, which I would like to avoid, what with the pain and the bruising and all.)
Anyway, back to my point: Hong Kong being very Westernized. How do I know? Because they have started to post pointless warnings, which is definitely an American thing. Like, for example, needing to warn people who buy a cup of coffee that the coffee they are "about to enjoy is hot." Seriously. it's coffee--it's SUPPOSED to be hot. In a perfect world, people who need this warning would spill the hot coffee on their lap and it would somehow sterilize them, thereby preventing them from bringing children--who will likely be just as or even more stupid--into the world, and saving those of us who don't need to be told that coffee is generlaly hot a lot of trouble in the future.
Sadly, however, we do not live in a perfect world, as evidenced by this picture below.
Is it just me, or shouldn't the cone be enough? Isn't the reason d'etre of the traffic cone to serve as a warning? Do we really need a warning warning us about the warning? Apparently ...
See Sign language 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 for more.
(Side note: Promise of jaywalking in Singapore not legally binding.)
(Side note 2: Especially since we are likely going to Singapore this summer, and people who "stick it to the man" there tend to get caned, which I would like to avoid, what with the pain and the bruising and all.)
Anyway, back to my point: Hong Kong being very Westernized. How do I know? Because they have started to post pointless warnings, which is definitely an American thing. Like, for example, needing to warn people who buy a cup of coffee that the coffee they are "about to enjoy is hot." Seriously. it's coffee--it's SUPPOSED to be hot. In a perfect world, people who need this warning would spill the hot coffee on their lap and it would somehow sterilize them, thereby preventing them from bringing children--who will likely be just as or even more stupid--into the world, and saving those of us who don't need to be told that coffee is generlaly hot a lot of trouble in the future.
Sadly, however, we do not live in a perfect world, as evidenced by this picture below.
Is it just me, or shouldn't the cone be enough? Isn't the reason d'etre of the traffic cone to serve as a warning? Do we really need a warning warning us about the warning? Apparently ...
See Sign language 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 for more.
