And It Comes To An End

Well, tonight is my last night in Hong Kong. Today, I met up with a friend and we had lunch / dessert. I have to say that I'm a little scared by Chinese desserts. It's not the taste, which is usually quite good. It's the texture, which pretty much freaks me out. So many things have a jelly-ish consistency, kind of like jello but a bit more slimy (sorry, my Chinese friends). But I tried, and that's what counts!

Even though it's been brutally hot and humid over here, I'm pretty sad to be leaving (though excited to be going home). A month is just enough time to get one's bearings, and to develop friendships such that just going out to hang out in a coffee shop or restaurant is so much fun. This last week, I've been lucky enough to spend 3 or 4 nights just hanging out getting to know some great people. I'm going to miss everyone. Hopefully, they'll all be able to visit Boston sometime.

I hope to get back to Hong Kong sometime. But not in the summer. I think this city would kick ass during the fall / winter. And now that I've been here, I know where to stay, and where to hang out. A subsequent visit will definitely be pretty great.

Hong Kong, I'm gonna miss you. Thanks for all the good memories!

Some New Tunes

Well, I bought a couple of CDs today, both of which are really good.

First up, I bought a Puffy AmuYumi Japanese import (to Hong Kong, obviously), "Hit & Fun". Like all Puffy albums, there's a lot of overlap with their older albums, but the new songs are all really good. I'm pretty sure it's a compilation, but there weren't a lot of Puffy albums at the store, and I took the chance that I'd get some new stuff (hey, it's in Japanese. How can I tell what's on there?) My general rule is that it's ok to take a chance on a Puffy album.

Next is the new Green Day album, "21st Century Breakdown". I'm listening to it right now and I'm gonna give it a big thumbs UP. I personally think "Dookie" is one of the best rock albums I've ever heard. While I don't like the new stuff as much as "Dookie", it's still pretty awesome. I actually never got "American Idiot" because I'm an uber-patriot, but I've heard a few really good songs off that album (I also think I saw them on that tour. Rezek/Joslin, is that right?) Anyway, the new stuff is really good. Compelling story, typically good production, and excellent songwriting. Good stuff.

Man, this last month, being guitarless, has sucked pretty hard (it's been good otherwise. I just really want a guitar to play.) I asked a friend if Hong Kong music stores (there's actually really only 1) let you return stuff within 30 days. He seemed surprised at the question and said he'd never heard of that. Too bad. I thought I should just buy something and return it before I leave. You know, like I do at home all the time. What? Don't look at me like that. Sadly, no guitar this whole month. And I'm miserable because of it!

UPDATE: I've listened to "21st Century Breakdown" a few times today and it just gets better and better. This is one of those albums that really touches me. I may like this album more than I like "Dookie".

She Yelled At Me. With a Megaphone.

On my way to meet some friends for dinner, I noticed an MTR (the Hong Kong metro) worker standing at the bottom of the escalator with a megaphone. Since it was the tail end of rush hour, I guessed it was for crowd control. Since there wasn't much of a crowd around, she evidently didn't see the need to use it. Not so, her friend upstairs.

As I neared the top of hte ride, I caught a glimpse of another MTR worker with a megaphone. As I came into view she raised it to her face and said "PLEASE HOLD THE HANDRAIL". Since I was the only one there (the people in front of me were 1 step from the platform) I'm pretty sure that was directed at me.

With nary a moment before the trip ended, I grabbed the handrail, thus avoiding the harsh justice of the MTR. She gave a little laugh when I did that. I think we had a connection there.

Yup, It's Still Hot Over Here

I've been reading peoples' Facebook updates about the cool weather and rain back home (Boston). Each time I see them, I pull up www.weather.com and look up Hong Kong. The pattern is incredibly consistent. The temperature is between 84 and 90 (with the "feels like" temperature around 101 to 102), and the humidity is over 95%. Every day.

So, while I'm sorry that people back home aren't able to have their bright, sunny days, I'm really not feeling any sympathy. I would slaughter a basket of puppies to have that kind of weather here for just 1 day.

Ok, ok, maybe I wouldn't slaughter them, but I'd sternly rebuke them for pooping in the house. Happy?

That Was Kind of a Terrifying Ride

Yesterday I went to "the Peak", at the center of Hong Kong island. As you can imagine, the Peak is the top of a mountain.

There are two options in getting there. First, there is the "tram", which we i n the states call a train. Or maybe we call it a tram, I'm not sure. But it surely looks like a train to me. When I think of a tram, I think of a little car dangling precariously from a thin wire, high above the ground. But evidently the Hong Kong people and I disagree about that, and that's ok. I'll let them have this one. The other option is to just take a bus up the hill. That's the option we chose. And it was quite a scary ride (up and down).

The bus drivers over here drive a little aggressively. Full acceleration and full breaks. There's not much in between. Add in a super hilly terrain and you get what feels like an amusement park ride. Which isn't as fun as it sounds when the seats are not designed to keep one's butt firmly in place. There's a lot of sliding around and bumping against walls. So no, not very fun.

Anyway, 20 or 30 minutes of this and you're at the top! They've built quite a nice mall / terminal up there, with plenty of space to wander. Actually, there isn't that much space, but I like to be generous. It was pretty cool. There are wonderful views of the city below, with an unobstructed view of Kowloon, across the bay. With the buildings all lit up it's quite nice.

Oh, I should probably mention that I bought a monopod! Very exciting. It's really light and easy to use (it's basically a collapsable stick. I think I can figure that out). But it should make my night shots less sucky. Though I'm pretty sure that's mostly due to my lack of skill. But the monopod can't hurt, right?

So let's get to those pics, shall we?


A view from the top. You'll notice the building center-left. That's the building from Batman again.

From What I did on my summer vacation

This one's tough to see. It's actually the tram (train) departing, heading down. I didn't have the camera set to action mode (or whatever). It was still in nighttime scenery mode so it took a while to snap the pic. But it has kind of a fun effect.

From What I did on my summer vacation

Some people in the plaza at the Peak.

From What I did on my summer vacation

This guy had some hardcore camera equipment. HIS stand had 3 legs, so it's 3 times as good as mine. I wanted to tell the guy "hey, look how small they're making cameras now buddy! Get out of the 90's and get one of these little things." I can't believe people don't adopt the latest technology. He wouldn't have to carry around so much weight. Sillly man.

From What I did on my summer vacation

Another ghosting effect. I actually do like this one a lot. Not sure why. Oh, that's a lady walking her dog past where I was sitting. I know it looks like she has only 1 leg, but I assure you she's bipedal. I mean, if she had one leg there wouldn't be the ghosting effect because she wouldn't be moving too fast.

From What I did on my summer vacation

I was too lazy to get off my butt and get this whole building in the frame, but you get the idea. Because it's symetrical, you can just extrapolate what the far left side would look like. It takes like 5 escalator rides to get up there. They actually charge to go out on the roofdeck, and I'm a cheap bastard, so I didn't go. But actually, the escalators are on the far side of the building, along a glass wall, so it's scary enough riding most of the way up (which I did do). To get an idea of the scale, you can see the little people on the lower right hand corner (they're waiting to get on the tram).

From What I did on my summer vacation

This is one of the scyscrapers back down in the city. It gave me vertigo when I tried to look straight up. Actually, that was probably because the bus ride of terror on the way down made me sick first. Seriously, a horrible ride. That's just a light pole on the left there. I was steadying my camera (on the monopod!) on the base of the light pole.

From What I did on my summer vacation

And the building with the white skeleton, from down low.

From What I did on my summer vacation

On the way back to my room, I saw this girl (woman?) taking pics and I thought "hey, I should take pics, too". I thought it was weird that she was taking closeups of the people in front of here, but it turns out that they were together.

From What I did on my summer vacation

This is a pretty typical view alongside the escalator ride up to mid-Central (where I'm staying). Everyone runs a/c at full bore, with the side effect of blowing hot air outside... Right towards the escalator. It's kind of a hellish ride because there's very little air moving because it's between buildings, and the air that IS moving is from the a/c units. Hot and sweaty!

From What I did on my summer vacation

In between a/c fans blowing hot air on us, there are some side roads. This is a pretty typical one.

From What I did on my summer vacation

Another typical scene on the way up the escalator.

From What I did on my summer vacation

I'm actually surprised those last few came out not too bad because it was on a moving escalator and I kind of just pointed and clicked. Hey, they should call these little cameras "point and click"!

And I'm Now Retired From Law

The internship is now officially over. Actually, Tuesday was my last day. Yesterday was a holiday over here (Handover Day, or something. Celebrating the British relinquishing possession. See? Another country who managed to throw off the yoke of British oppression.)

The internship was up and down, but all in all I'd say it was worth it. There was certainly some boring work which I really was not happy about. I won't go into details, but let's just say that in my opinion, some of the assignments weren't exactly what I felt a law student intern should be given. We're paying a lot of money for law school, so we really shouldn't be focusing on general clerical work. I understand that it's part of running a law firm, but with limited time, let's focus on legal things, shall we?

I was given some interesting assignments so I won't really complain, though. I'm mature that way. One month is a pretty short time, really just enough time to start getting your bearings. I'll miss is a little.

But yeah, it feels good to finally be able to retire. All of my hard work has paid off.

I Really Hope I'm Not Flying Home On An Airbus

What the hell is happening with those planes? Another crash, yesterday?? Note to ITA: Let's look at a way that customers can purchase tickets based on aircraft type. Personally, I'd be looking at that option right about now.

You know, I used to really dislike flying. I guess I didn't really worry about flying when I was a kid (mom, is that true? Was your boy always a brave little trooper?), but for some reason that all changed when I grew up (whatever growing up I've done). Maybe it was because I didn't do so well in college physics and as a result, I didn't truly trust the concepts of "lift" and "aerodynamics"? I'd like to blame the public education system for not properly preparing me, but let's face it: I was just lazy.

Anyway, I remember my first flight as an adult, back when I was working for Lucent (those were the days!). I was flying from Manchester, NH to Detroit. It had been several years since I'd last flown, and I admit to being a little bit nervous on the ride to the airport. Nothing major. Sitting in the terminal saw a marked increase in nerves, though. By the time I boarded the plane, I was having serious misgivings about this trip. It actually got to the point where I was about ready to stand up and walk off the plane, but lucky for me, the door thumped close right beforehand. I managed to maintain my dignity and didn't freak out in front of everyone.

I think the scariest thing about flying, for me, is the total lack of control and lack of any meaningful information. Slight turbulance? Panic! The initial deceleration on approach? Panic. The plane banking into a turn? Panic. Those first few flights were not fun for me. And don't even get me started about those horrible landings, with the plane shifting side to side, and bouncing up and down. Why, if I wasn't flying first class all the time, with free wine, I don't know how I would have gotten through.

But that's all in the past. I'm fine with flying now. Of course, before my flight to Japan a few years ago, I was really wondering how I'd handle a 14 (or 17?) hour flight. I survived. The only problem now (aside from bad turbulance. I'll never enjoy that) is that I get incredibly bored and fidgety on planes. I just don't want to sit there for so long. But the actual flying is no problem anymore.

Of course, after reading about a string of Airbus... incidents? maybe flying will be just a tad more worrisome. On the other hand, it's totally out of my control, so why worry? It's not like I can just not come home. I mean, it's way to hot over here for me to stay. Too bad about that.

Please, No More People Trying to Avoid Taxes

Seriously, the lengths people will go through to avoid giving anything back to society is really amazing. I'm not naive. I've known for a long time that people can be totally self-interested and blind to any possible chance that maybe they're the beneficiary of not simply their own Herculean efforts and superior intellect, but perhaps also the efforts of anyone else in the world. But time and again I'm reading about how unfair it is that people have to pay these crushing taxes, which serve only to deny these paragons of hard work their rightful due. It's their money! How dare the government, which provides them absolutely no services or benefits of any kind, STEAL their property!

The issue is always framed the same way. It's never about trying to find a responsible way that these people can contribute to society. It's always about how they're so virtuously providing jobs for everyone else, and working so much harder for everyone else.

I just want to sit down in talk to some of these people and ask them a few questions. Specifically, I want to know why they think that the rest of us should ensure that their investments are legit, and that the companies they're investing in aren't just ripping them off (not that that would ever happen). Or why the rest of us should help pay for basic medical or scientific research which will inevitably lead to some breakthrough that will save their lives. Or why the rest of us should ensure there are police so that the rich are able to walk down the street without some thug taking his wallet? Or why the rest of us should pay to maintain roads, which benefit them in innumerable ways?

Basically, I just want to ask these assholes why they feel entitled to reap all of the benefits of our society while doing their darndest to avoid contributing to the costs in any way? If they spent as much money and effort trying to help things as they do trying to avoid pitching in with their goddamned share instead of whining, I'd be amazed. And honestly, thankful. Wouldn't that be worth it, rich people? Wouldn't it be worth paying just a few dollars to help out society, if it got you a "thank you" from me? I bet it would.

Please, I really don't want to read any more "articles" (in quotes because half the time, it's written by some barely literate blogger pumping some scam) about peoples' efforts to avoid paying ANY taxes. Luckily, tomorrow's my last day so I should be ok. Thank god.

Transformers Review

As always (i.e., the one other time I reviewed a movie), I'll try to limit the spoilers, but no promises.

First off, let me say that in spite of all the negative (NEGATIVE!) reviews, I actually thought this movie wasn't too bad. I mean, what were those reviewers expecting? In my opinion, the only way a person should be disappointed by this movie is if it didn't have enough explosions. And it did, so mission accomplished Mr. Bay!

Now, to the review.

Pro's:
Megan Fox. I noticed they covered her tattoos. I guess they didn't poll well? Anyway, she's not the worst actress in the world. It's good to see a beautiful woman being given a chance in a movie. So many times, beautiful women are forced to stay out of the limelight, almost shunned by society. I was glad they gave her the chance to say "Here I am, and I'm not ashamed of my looks". Good for you Ms. Fox!

A lot of action. I feel that they could have cut about 95% of the dialogue and the plot would have moved along just fine. Especially all of those little one liners from the military guys. Now, I'm not anti-military at all. I appreciate their sacrifices. It's just that in this context, they should really stick to their strenght, which is shooting things. Of course, the parachute scene in the transport jet was quite well done. Probably reckless endangerment, but cool, nonetheless. I know Michael Bay is criticized for so much camera motion, which is probably fair. But it could have been worse.

Ah... I guess there's not really anything else for this category. I mean, this is the Transformers movie we're talking about here.

Cons:
Dialogue (as mentioned). As anyone who's seen the movie can attest, the dialogue was horrible. Especially the strained romance scenes. Actually, I though the mother and father were probably the best. Sure, they were total caricatures of parents, but I kind of enjoyed them.

It was a little long. Of course, this could have been addressed by removing some (most?) dialogue, though that would only save a bit of time. I did find myself glancing at my watch now and again.

Typical movie plot holes (e.g., why do the Decepticons seem so inept in almost everything?). But actually, for this movie, the subject matter is so far out there, I don't even worry about these things. It's just about looking nice, so what's the point of caring? So, this one didn't really negatively impact the experience for me.

Uh, maybe not enough Megan Fox?

All in all, I thought it was a fun movie, and frankly, I'm surprised that the critics panned it so. Again, I have no idea what they were expecting. It's Transformers, for god's sake! Let's keep everything in perspective here. Well, I guess there's probably some sort of credibility issue involved there. If a critic actually admitted that maybe, just maybe, this movie isn't supposed to be "theater", and just something fun to watch, so maybe it's ok, that critic would probably be shunned from (in? by?) polite company. Or not. What do I know?

That Was Informative

Today I had the pleasure of joining a bunch of workmates for lunch. We went to this crowded, noisy, local restaurant. Very Chinese. They didn't even have any English menus. So you know it's authentic (I imagine. How could I tell? The menus are in Chinese. These are the jokes, people.)

Lunch was fantastic. Obviously, I had no voice in ordering, but I trusted my compatriots to get good food. Just no intestine, please. I've been told several times that it's great, but I'm not sure I can do it. We'll see, though. But I'm not responsible if I hurl all over the table. If that ruins everyone's meal, I'm not taking the heat!

As I said, lunch was fantastic. And I like to think that I impressed everyone with my chopstick-fu. Of course, Dennis (whom, incidentally, was wearing a shirt almost identical to my own. And come to think of it, the pants were similar, too. Thank god we had different ties on or else everyone would have been speaking to me in Chinese, as it'd be like we're twins!) had to show off an take double the amount of noodle that I took, but that's ok. he practiced with marbles as a kid. Really, that's how he was taught to use chopsticks. I thought it would be enough to just, you know, eat with them. But apparrently I'm not a set of Chinese parents. Who am I to judge?

The thing that really had an impact on me, though, was that everyone at the table was just casually speaking Chinese. As we would expect they would. This was the first time I've ever really been in a group of folks and been totally unable to follow the conversation. And honestly, that was kind of something I was looking forward to on my trip. Back home, it's never the case that everyone else is speaking a totally foreign language, so I'm always able to follow along. I may not be interested in anything that's being said, but I can at least follow. This experience was great because it's such a different perspective.

So, now I know what all of my Chinese / Japanese friends are going through when we're in a group, and everyone is speaking English at full speed, using all of our idioms and quirky Boston phrases. I've always tried to be aware of that, but I'm very happy that I've been able to experience it from the other side. At one point, Dennis turned to me and asked how it was for me, with everyone speaking Chinese. I told him it was quite an experience.

It's one thing to be sitting in a restaurant by myself, while everyone around me speaks Chinese. But being in a group, yet not really a part of it in some way is pretty interesting. Hopefully, this will just help me be more understanding of my Chinese and Japanese friends, and maybe Ill show a little more consideration. Who am I kidding? Is it even possible for me to be more considerate? And if you want to hear someone speak fast, talk to my brother Mark. Jesus, does he go.

One Of My Favorite Places

is, surprisingly, a chain of bakeries here called Maxim's. It's not that the food is particularly special, because it isn't. Maybe it's kind of comfort food? I usually get a "sausage bun" which is basically a hot dog backed into a bun, or the sweat bun, which not exactly what I expected. It's only sweet on top. But it's so good. I don't think the food is great, but I do love it. Weird.

Anyway, they're all over the place in Hong Kong. Very popular. I have to admit, I hit the one in the building at work at least once, usually twice, a day. A snack when I go in, and then something for the walk home. Yes, I have no self-control.

I was talking about this place with a friend of mine last week. After I told him I loved it, he said "you really like that all the girls are pretty, right?" Yes, I admit that I do. But I really love the food! It's good stuff.

It's So Cheap!

One of the best things here in Hong Kong (maybe THE best thing) is that food is really, really cheap. But the quality can be really, really great! Same goes for the clothes (though I really have no idea as to the quality. What do I know? I just wear it and look good. Real good. Hello, ladies.)

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with new friend from work, Dennis, and his friend Iris. I actually asked Dennis where I could pick up some new shirts (he's a dapper one) and he said he'd ask his friend who makes his "fashion" decisions for him. Evidently, that person is Iris.

In my quest for new clothes, we went to some place called G2000, and it's as swanky as you'd think. A little trendy, but hey, so aren't I. Right? Right?! I ended up buying a couple of dress shirts (have I mentioned that I wear a tie to work?) as well as a new pair of dress pants. I have people working on those now because evidently, people her are extremely tall and thin. I don't get it. How can a size 33 waste (I'm a tubby now) have legs that are like a 40? You know, this just reinforces gender stereotypes that say that men have to be tall and thin. How am I supposed to live up to that? I'm just as god made me, sir (anyone know what movie that line is form?) Anyway, they're working on the pants (for free!) and I'm gonna pick them up later this week.

Oh, we all had a laugh because I'm buying these new clothes, but my internship ends this week. But before I came here, I said I'd buy some new clothes, and buy them I did. It's good to accomplish one's goals.

Anyway, back to the food. After a little shopping, Dennis and Iris took me to this awesome Shanghai-ese / Chinese restaurant. This place is located in a fancy mall (there's ton's of malls here. Which is good because they're huge, and you can get around large swaths of town while staying in the a/c), and we were seated at the window overlooking the harbour (look at me, I'm British!). Beautiful view, with the lights across the bay (that'd be Kowloon). The plates were small portions (similar to tapas), and we ordered about 5 or 6. Spicey noodles, dumplings, prawns, hot pot. SO GOOD.

The restaurant had a simple, modern ambiance, great for hanging out and talking (we were there for like 3 hours). And that beautiful view. It would have been so lacking had we been seated across the way, near the kitchesn, or anywhere out of sight of the harbour.

The price? HK$317! Divide that by 7.8 (as we're all aware of the Hong Kong dollar to US dollar rate) and that's only $40.64! Total! That's like $13 a piece! How awesome is that??

Really, some of these restaurants here are such great deals. The food is amazing. The ambiance is great. And the prices are so cheap. Amazing.

Odd...

You know, any time I try to watch a youtube clip about politics (e.g., a Sunday talk show) I get an error. This seems weird because if I'm watching other youtubes (maybe a live concert or some such. Nothing bad. Hey, it's youtube, so how bad could it be?) things usually work fine.

I don't want to go all conspiracy theory here, but is this some sort of systematic thing? I've done absolutely no research on this, and I have no idea what's up. But it just seems odd that I'm always blocked from political clips.

Which sucks because I actually do like to follow politics. Oh well. At least I can still watch Dweezil Zappa clips (don't ask. I had a song stuck in my head.)

Hong Kong Park

Today I visited the Hong Kong Park. It's not particularly big, but it is beautiful.

Just a note: As in all places, young newlyweds visit the local park to take pictures. No different here, except for the hellish heat and drenching humidity. I saw a couple of couples out there today. It did not look fun for anybody. I guess the brides looked ok, but those poor guys in their black tuxes.

Anyway, on with the slide show (not really, but I like how that sounds.)

This building isn't really in the garden, but it's next door and it's pretty awesome.

From What I did on my summer vacation

Turns out you're not supposed to swim here. Well excuse me! I'm sorry was hot!

From What I did on my summer vacation

And, from a different angle. It's like I'm a doctor taking x-rays, isn't it?

From What I did on my summer vacation

At first I thought, "maybe I should wait for that cleaning lady to get out of the shot?" Then I realized that she's a person too, and why shouldn't she be in the shot? And then I realized I was so hot that I really didn't care who or what was in the shot (but she's still a person).

From What I did on my summer vacation

Huh, I guess that last blurb was kind of meaningless, huh?

From What I did on my summer vacation

This is a little Olympic... uh, monument? ... in the park. It's cute. It's a mini coliseum.

From What I did on my summer vacation

This is a shoreline they have at the edge of the pond. It's cute, too.

From What I did on my summer vacation

It's kind of like a turtle mexican standoff. Everyone was standing really still, waiting for the other guy to move. No one did. Cowards.

From What I did on my summer vacation

This was kind of nice. I was hoping it'd be a little cooler underneath (there's a path). It really wasn't.

From What I did on my summer vacation

Everyone's always walking away from me! Except that cleaning lady above. She's not ashamed to be my friend.

From What I did on my summer vacation

No One In the World Knows the Suffering I'm Going Through

except, maybe, the other 10 million people here in Hong Kong. Seriously, it is so frigging hot and humid it's unreal. 90 degrees, feels like 99? Feels like at least 102 to me.

Just standing in the escalator (see earlier post about the way cool escalator running up part of the island) it's like being in a sauna. And you know what? That'd be ok if I was allowed to wander Hong Kong wearing only a towel. But I don't think anyone would appreciate that. And I'm shy.

I think Hong Kong must be really wonderful (temperature wise) in the winter, when it's more comfortable. The summer? Brutal. And no one knows the suffering I'm going through!

She Said I Speak "Good Chinese" (her words, not mine)

I was in a little shop today. It doesn't matter which one. The little old lady spoke barely any English, but since this is Hong Kong, I can't really hold that against her.

After I made my purchase she handed me the bag, and after a moment's thought, I said "m'goy" (or something similar). She said "you speak good Chinese".

It's almost like I'm a local...

That Was Pretty Ghetto

but at the same time, awesome.

Just went to dinner with my friend Lin. He's a student at Hong Kong U, and been here about a year and a half. He knows a few places, and when deciding where to go tonight, I said I wanted something authentic. We're in Central Hong Kong, which is kind of a pricey area. Because of that, there are a lot of over-priced bars/restaurants populated with drunken ex-pats. Not exactly my scene.

We went to a place, like an open market, which during the day is a food market and at night, is a bunch of places serving food. It's pretty low-tech there, but evidently authentic.

This place was grimey, smoke-filled and loud. There were some less than savory characters around. Pretty awesome.

Thanks, Lin, for a great authentic experience.

Oh, at one point a police wagon (paddy wagon, we call them at home) rolled up and everyone started yelling, and pushing some guy forward. I think they were joking that he was wanted by the cops. But yeah, pretty awesome. I managed to make it out of there with my watch and wallet, though, so it's all good.

Shanghai-ese Food is Good

Today was intern-Catherine's last day (boo), and to celebrate, us interns had lunch at a very night Shanghai-ese restaurant. It was so good. Dumplings, and some sort of short ribs, and some fried rice with shrimp. It was all so good.

The food has been pretty good here in Hong Kong, but nothing super great. I mean, there's only so much noodles / soup I can eat (I won't even mention getting sick. Dammit, I just mentioned it!). Today's lunch was fantastic.

It was a little pricey, though, so not a place I'd go on a regular basis. But it was a great choice today.

Yay, Shanghai-ese food!

Why Pay for LexisNexis?

This is kind of an inside topic here, but is it really necessary for people to pay for Lexis (or Westlaw, for that matter)?

To explain to the rabble, Lexis and Westlaw are research services, which give access to pretty much any printed information. They allow you to search any legal matter, as well as pretty much all newspapers and journals. Quite powerful. But the thing is, many (most?) jurisdictions are at least getting their information online. And that means that you can search.

I haven't seen Lexis in this firm. Nor have I seen Westlaw. It's all Google and the applicable jurisdiction's site (e.g., the Hong Kong government has their laws and cases online and searchable). If you need to know a particular Hong Kong Ordinance, you log on and search. Similarly for cases.

I know Lexis and Westlaw are super powerful, but they're just not quite as valuable as they once were. After all, if all this information is free, why pay the huge costs for those services? Aggregation aside, of course.

The Lighter Side of Working At a Law Firm

This might sound kind of weird, but one of the things I kind of like about this is reading the case files. It's like reading a novel. Now, usually these stories don't have happy endings, and it's not that I enjoy the fact that these folks are going through tough times. It's just that it's kind of interesting to see how things play out.

Reading divorce cases is probably the most interesting. You really see the underside of humanity here, because so often people act like such bastards. Some of the vindictive and mean things people do are pretty crazy. And reading the case files, which usually include emails from each party, let's you experience the crazy as it builds up, and as each side reacts to the other.

The worst part about reading these cases is that you can just imagine the poor children involved. Like kids who are forced to jet from the UK (that's in England, right?) to Hong Kong for 4 weeks in the summer, and then again in the fall. Those poor kids spending all that time in a jet/airports. How miserable must these kids be? Always bopping around meeting mom or dad. And the emails make it pretty clear that the parents bad-mouth each other in front of the kids. So now the kids getting these horror stories of the other parent. I imagine kids are pretty resilient, and they probably see through this stuff to a point, but it obviously has an impact. It's quite sad.

Then there are the personal injury cases (PI cases, as we say in the biz. Hey, that $100k I'm spending is coming in handy, huh?). Frankly, these don't bother me as much, unless there's cutting involved. I don't like to read about knife injuries. You see, I cook a lot and that could be me. Dear God, please don't let that be me. But aside from the knife-related cases, they're not too bad. Though I sympathize with the victims in these cases, I don't really feel as much of a visceral reaction as I do when reading about some poor kids being jerked around by their parents. For the PI cases, I guess I concentrate more on the sequence of events, and what I'd stress or downplay (depending on what side I'm on) if I was arguing the case. So it's more of an intellectual exercise there.

Hm, what else? Oh yeah. Never read an opinion from the British House of Lords (should I capitalize that? Didn't we fight a war to shuck the yoke of their tyranny?) Oh my God are they long-winded. They go on and on and on. And they're so pretentious. But what would I expect? They're noble and better than the rest of us. Why didn't I choose to be born to nobility? (yeah, I know they're appointed now, but remember: yoke of tyranny.) Anyway, those opinions are so looong.

But, I did read the coolest case today. It was KK Downing, founding member of Judas Priest fighting his now ex (I'm assuming) girlfriend, who claimed half of his estate. The particulars aren't important. What is important is that I read a court case about a guy in Judas Priest. I think he won. It doesn't really matter.

So, it's kind of up and down. Some of the work is more taxing, some less. Some is more fun, some less. Do I really want to be a lawyer? I don't know. I do know that I'd like to get paid for what I'm doing. I'm sure that would sway my opinion, at least a bit.

In Which I, Surprisingly, Defend Law School Professors

Well, maybe not defend, per se. But at least in law school they tell you exactly what they want. "I want you to research IIED, and pass in a research trail next week" (yeah, IIED. All the cool kid law students know what that means... What does that make you? Answer: smart enough to not enroll in law school. Congratulations.) My point is: when they give you an assignment, they pretty much give you alll of the relevant information. That's good because you kind of know what angle to take, and how the research should go. That's very useful.

Now let me describe a conversation I had with the principal partner yesterday (see how I insinuate how important I am? I'm not just dealing with any lawyer, I'm dealing with the principal partner. Look at me, Ma!).

Her: I want you to research which commonwealth (capital 'C'?) jurisdictions recognize same sex common-law partnerships

Me a while later: Here you go. It looks like New Zealand and Australia are the most progressive, with Canada following.

Her: Well, what about property division? They're splitting up.

Me: Oh, I guess I can go look that up.

Me a while later: Ok, it looks like blah blah blah...

Her: Well, what about child support? One partner has 2 kids.

Me: Huh. Ok, that's another piece of the puzzle. I'll check it out.

Me a while later: Well, it looks like blah blah blah...

Her: Well, the kids are actually her grandkids, so does that make a difference?

Me: Huh. Well. Is there anything else?

Her: Yeah, they're almost at 2 years. I'm pretty sure there's a time limit for dividing property and such.

Me: Ok (walk out).

Me a while later: It looks like our client is going to be paying a lot of money for a while.


It's just that all of this information would have been really relevant this morning (yesterday morning, actually, since that's when I started). But like a good TV show, each piece had to fall into place at just the right time. I could almost hear the mood music when she was about to give me another piece of info.

Oh well. I guess this is what life is like when you're wearing a tie. Yeah, I wear a tie to work becuase I like to look professional. AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO. What's wrong with me?

The Most Depressing Letter I've Ever Written

Without disclosing any details, my latest substantive assignment was a little depressing. For a couple of reasons.

I was assigned the task of writing to a deceased's parents, in another country, because they have an interest in the deceased's estate, and are also entitled to joint administration of his estate. I won't bother you with the details and legalese here, so you'll just have to trust me.

Have you ever had to write a letter to parents telling them that they can have a say in how their child's estate is divied up? How does one even start such a letter? And not to mention, in the best of times the recipient probably doesn't want to read these obscure legal terms. How does it feel when the letter isn't even in a language that you understand well?

But I put all that aside and gave it a shot. I had a vague idea of what I was supposed to do, but not a strong idea. And that was borne out when I received my first draft from the responsible attorney and the red ink covered about 3 times the space that the black ink covered. I guess I missed a few details?

One of the keenest insights into law school I've heard was from a friend, I think after first year. He or she said, basically, that so long as you don't mind being embarrassed in front of a hundred and thirty or so people, you'll be fine in law school. That is, if you don't mind responding "I have no idea" to a question in front of all those people, you'll be fine. In law school, when you're asked a question, you have to understand that there is probably no answer that will elicit the response "absolutely correct". Professors generally want to focus on the reasoning as opposed to the final answer. So even a technically correct answer will result in the professor slightly tweaking the facts so that you've got to analyze every little facet of the issue. It turns out that interning has kind of a similar element: you'll pass in a draft, and just wait for the attorney to tell you how much you've missed.

It's not the worst thing. The criticism is usually pretty neutral (they just want you to write what they want written), but it's sometimes a little disheartening when I think I've done a good job and it comes back so marked up. But it's not a big deal. It's usually either simply stylistic or just something that I couldn't have known.

I obviously don't know much about intestacy law in Hong Kong, so it doesn't really bother me when I miss some elements. Or if I don't know the exact format for citing a Hong Kong Ordinance in a letter. I figure, so long as my writing is pretty close, I'll be fine.

Much like law school, you just have to roll with the punches. It's usually nothing personal, and like writing a paper in school, you've just got to figure out what the person in charge wants to read. It's as simple as that.

See how much I've learned already?!

I Swear, the Lady Made Me Do It

I decided to stop by the local Wellcome (yeah, two l's) market after work. The astute reader will note that I've been eating a little better (have I mentioned that? Maybe I didn't...). I've been making a lot of salads (simple ones) and apples. I don't know why but I've been digging apples a lot the last couple of weeks.

Anyway, I went to the register, with my salad fixings and milk, and single container of ice cream. I've been trying to not snack too much but I do love me my ice cream. I figure I deserve it. After all, I am working for free over here (man, I better get a great recommendation). As she was ringing me up she said I could get another ice cream for free. I didn't notice any sale sign at the cooler, but who am I to argue? That would be rude, and I am never rude. As you know. I actually felt kind of bad getting all this ice cream, and I even actually said I didn't really need all that much more. But for some reason, she seemed kind of insistent, like she couldn't bear to let me miss out on that kind of a deal. I guess I should thank her.

So, I scampered back to the ice cream freezer and got myself a second pint. I kind of feel bad about having all this ice ceram in the freezer, but not that bad.

This might not be too exciting to you, dear reader, but if you were here in this scorching heat and drenching humidity, you'd be excited, too.

My ice cream to freezer ration is pretty high right now. And that's exactly how I like it.

I Bought a Kinfe!

I've actually been pretty much lacking in kitchen utensils the last couple of weeks. Since I don't have a kitchen here, I've been relying on frozen meals and restaurants. But man cannot live on frozen foods and restaurants alone! At least this man can't.

Until now, I've only had a spoon in the house, for breakfast. And pretty much anything you can eat with a fork, you can eat with a spoon, though spaghetti would be difficult. Not an issue, though, since I have no kitchen. But I finally got off my ass and got some implements.

Last night, I... liberated... some chopsticks from a restaurant. I never like those plastic ones because they always seem so slippery. Last night we had some higher quality wooden ones, so I helped myself to a pair. Come to think of it, I should have taken two pairs. Hey, don't judge me. I'm trying to survive here! If I have to steal some chopsticks, so be it. Sure, I could buy a pair, but that's not very economical, now is it?

In addition to the new chopsticks, I just bought myself a knife. Nothing fancy, just a basic 8" chef's knife. My new plan is to start buying some fresh veggies and making myself salads for lunch. Sandwiches, too. I'm going old school.

Tonight, to celebrate my new utensils, I made myself a salad, my first in several weeks! It was very basic, just lettuce, radish and carrot mix. I bought some carrots so I went a little heavy there. With my new knife, I'm able to peel them and add some slices to the salad. I also bought some pre-cooked duck, which I'm gonna add. Look how fancy I am! Add a little thousand island dressing (99% fat free, of course) and I'm pretty happy.

It's not that I'm particularly proud of this salad. There's really no skill, creativity or effort involved. I'm just happy that I can eat salads again. Please note that the sickly green colored tray is what I've got in the room. Not my choice of presentation, but we work with what we've got (the bowl is mine)

From What I did on my summer vacation

Wandering the New Territories

I'm not 100% sure about this, but evidently the New Territories are a part of Hong Kong that the British took over after they had possession of the island. I think the term "New Territories" is a translation of the Chinese character, or something. If I wasn't totally lazy, I'd look it up, but really, would the truth be any more interesting than my explanation? I agree, it wouldn't be.

Anyway, my co-interns, Catherine and Brian, decided to do a little hiking today in the New Territories. Unfortunately, fortune did not smile kindly upon us. On the way there, it started raining pretty good. We met a local friend of Catherine's up in the mountains somewhere. But we had a decision to make. Go out on a mountain during a thunderstorm, or find something else to do. Well, as discretion is the better part of valor, we decided to head down to a coastal town and get something to eat (notwithstanding the fact that we all had a little food on us, since we figured we'd just eat on the trail).

The little coastal town was ok. I've included the following for your viewing pleasure, and because I've been lazy about pictures this last week.

Here's LuLu (Catherine's friend), myself and Brian outside a little noodle shop / seafood place

From What I did on my summer vacation

And here's Brian, myself and Catherine. Wouldn't you want this crack team of soon-to-be (maybe) lawyers representing you?

From What I did on my summer vacation

Here's me in an "action shot". Man, I really look horrible in pictures. Is this really what I look like? Why has any girl ever gone out with me, again? Man, I must be funny

From What I did on my summer vacation

After hanging out at this little seaside town, we sent Lulu off on her way, and the three of us went to another town (frankly, I really can't keep these towns' names straight), close by Catherine's hometown. This location is near the coast, in kind of a sheltered cove, where there are some nice places to wander.

From What I did on my summer vacation

I'm pretty sure this one's blurry, but I'm not 100% sure. I kind of feel like there's something in focus in this one. I was just walking along snapping pics. I guess vision stabilization doesnt' work as well as I'd like. You're telling me I have to stop to take a picture?

From What I did on my summer vacation

This is a nice little jetty... Uh, jetting? out into the water.

From What I did on my summer vacation

A little wider shot, similar to that last one

From What I did on my summer vacation

Very nice walkway

From What I did on my summer vacation

I actually wanted to get a shot of this little dog, but he kept running back and forth. I think this guy thought I was taking his picture. Should I not have winked when we passed?

From What I did on my summer vacation

Our destinatio was this little dock. It was surprisingly sturdy, considering it looked like a strong breeze would knock it down. That's Brian near the end there

From What I did on my summer vacation

Looking back. Those are our backpacks

From What I did on my summer vacation

Catherine in her favorite spot. She's an avid runner, and often comes to this place to relax

From What I did on my summer vacation

And here's Brian joining Catherine for a rest

From What I did on my summer vacation

Dueling cameras. You taking a pic of me taking a pic of you (actually, I was taking a pic of the dock)

From What I did on my summer vacation

Looks solid, doesn't it?! That woman looked up after I took this pic, and didn't seem happy. What? I'm on vacation!

From What I did on my summer vacation

And on the way back, I wanted to get a pic to show some crazy apartment density. This is just an example of a part of a cluster of apartment buildings. That's a lot of people. Strangely, the train (forget the line) was mostly empty. I guess they're all taking the bus?

From What I did on my summer vacation

Even though we couldn't hike our intended route, it was still a fun day hanging out with my co-interns (plus 1 honorary intern. I think Lulu's a low level accountant type, so she can be one of us). Of course, it's still insanely hot and humid, which kind of sucks. Oh well.

Star Trek Review

Spoilers? Maybe. I'm going to try to avoid any substantive plot points in this post, but no promises I won't write something that you'd rather wait to find out on your own. You've been warned.

[Edited: Per Aaron's notes, I've misspelled Uhura as Ahora. Sorry]

I just got back from seeing Star Trek. I'll start by saying I thought the casting was great, and the visuals were fantastic. I thought they really did a great job expressing the frantic pace of the battles while still allowing the viewer to see what was happening. In some movies there's so much happening on the screen that it all kind of goes by without letting the viewer (me) really see all that's happening. Glad to say that wasn't the case here.

What surprised me most was the level of humor in this film. I really thought they were going to go the super serious route, and make everyone stuffy and serious. I was kind of expecting a slightly improve Startship Troopers. I know, how low is that expectation? I was pleasantly surprised when the writing turned out to be, with a few exceptions, quite fun. While the characters were almost charicatures of the originals, I guess that can't really be avoided. They were playing to well established types, so they had to work in the cliche lines we all expect. I thought they were a little heavy with the "I'm a doctor, dammit!" lines, but other than that, they did a great job. Not unexpectedly, they did stumble with the whole bad guy soliloquy explaining his dastardly plans. But that's not too big a deal.

One thing that kind of went over my head was how Kirk figured out the whole emerging from the black hole thing. I guess he's heard the story about his father a bunch of times, but it seemed a little fishy to me.

There were, however, some week spots. First off, the Romulan ship. For an interstellar mining ship, it seemed to have an inordinate amount of places from which people could fall into oblivion. How about some handrails? And with everyone jumping from one level to another, how long can it be until someone twists an ankle or worse? Really, that ship seemed designed to ensure a lawsuit.

Then there was the classic alien life form that somehow seemed adapted to torture humans. That's quite an evolutionary coincidence there, now isn't it? (I know, this is totally unoriginal. But it's true.) And did anyone else expect something about waterboarding during that scene? Why the hell was that guy strapped to a board in the middle of a huge puddle? I was expecting him to be either dunked under or electrocuted. Of course, with Niro standing in the water with him, electrocution seemed like a bad idea. I'm glad Niro thought of that as well.

Let's see... I kind of thought the Hoth scene was a little random. I know they had to do the introductions, but come on. Oh yeah, it was also strange that they had no one above the age of about 25 on the ship. I don't know about you, but when the captain steps out, I'd kind of like the guy driving the bus to have some relevant experience. Hey, let's give the keys to the guy who (whom?), like 2 hours ago, we were going to kick out of the academy! Even though he's shown massive insubordination, wasn't even supposed to be on the ship, and has zero experience doing anything remotely related to fighting in space. There had to have been someone on that ship who'd actually been to space before, and who maybe would have been a little less shoot-from-the-hip. Oh, and did anyone notice the tall, awkward guy from Legally Blond, before he got booted from the listening post by Uhura? He got a line, and good for him. I was afraid we'd be seeing him typecast, but obviously not so. He didn't obviously die (though I could have missed it), so hopefully we'll be seeing him in the next one. Of course, since Ahora showed him up in front of everyone, he'll probably request reasignment. Not cool, Uhura.

Another things was how Uhura was able to immediately recognize the Romulan transmission. She listened, with a single bluetooth earbud no less, for like 3 seconds and she's sure of what she heard. I guess the languages may be distinct enough, but frankly, Niro sounded just like everyone else on that damn ship (except Scotty!) so how could they tell? Come to think of it, EVERY Romulan sounded like he came from the midwest or something. Yet Uhura could tell they were Romulans... Convenient. All I can say is, I remember The Hunt for Red October, and the sonar guys in that movie (which was awesome) had those big Bose noise canceling headphones on, and even then they had to concentrate for a while before deciding what they were hearing. I guess, as Ahora said, she's got good ears. Or something. I wasn't really paying attention. Come to think of it, wouldn't there be software that could recognize Romulan? Aren't already like half way there now? It what, two hundred years in the future and we still haven't gotten voice recognition working? That's not encouraging.

All in all, a fun movie to watch. They did a good job not taking themselves too seriously, and they provided a lot of action. I'd recommend seeing it (and you all know that my recommendations are like another man's orders).

Have I Mentioned That I Don't Like Smokers?

I'm not saying they're bad people (but I might not not be necessarily saying that), but seriously, I think there is a very clear message being sent when people smoke in crowded areas. And that message is "screw everyone else. I want to do this and it doesn't really matter that everyone else hates it". And I'm surely not saying this is unique to Hong Kong. It's everywhere, even back home (though, not as bad back there).

I get that you have the right to smoke, and I don't really care if you do smoke. But the issue isn't whether people should be allowed to smoke (they should be). It's about not being a dick about it. In what universe is it ok to stop on a crowded sidewalk, light up a cigarette, and blow a puff of smoke at head height, into a crowd? Seriously, how did that ever become the least bit socially acceptable? Do smokers really think that that's cool? Do they even care in the slightest that they're doing that to people? And then, they just continue on walking, spewing little clouds at head height, on a crowded sidewalk as they go.

Really, this strikes me as just about the most asshole-y behavior that we accept in normal society. How in the hell did that ever become ok?!

Now, I know smokers. Some of my best friends smoke. I'm not saying they're bad people (at all times, and in all places). But please, just for a second, stop and think about what you're doing to everyone else. And let's all just be honest. It really does come down to you really don't give a shit that you're doing that to other people. At least just admit that.

More Quirks at the Law Firm

Yesterday, I finally got my password to use the printer. Yes, a password. Evidently, there's an issue with people making too many copies. Or something. I'm not really sure.

You know, with the advent of the computer, we were told that paper would become a thing of the past. No reason to print out all those pages when you can just zip them around the intertubes. Alas, they lied! We print more than ever. And evidently, someone is watching who makes all those copies.

I find this interesting, though not surprising considering the tight control over office supplies. But I have to wonder what the point is. Tracking peoples' printing? The only people that print are the underlings (like me!) who are doing the direct bidding of our superiors. If someone is printing too much, isn't that just as likely to mean that the superior is the one at fault?

The printers are right out in the open, so it's not like we can sneak in there and get an ass shot. So what's the issue? I'm really not used to this Big Brother watching over me thing. If we can't all be treated like adults, and trusted not to make too many copies or to take too many pens, then there are bigger issues.

And, do you know how long it's been since I've had to punch a time card?! Really? A time card? It's like we're doing piece-work on the assembly line. Can't we be treated like professionals (and adults!), at least a little??

All that said, I've been lucky to be getting some interesting assignments. Even though my computer can't run email and a web browser at the same time (I'm almost not even joking there), where it is running, I'm actually enjoying writing to clients and opposing counsel. Finally, I'm allowed to embrace my combative side. I wish I could say I was getting paid to embrace it, but that's sadly not the case. Sometime!

Well, That Was a Pleasant Surprise

I kind of about to run out of cash. I've gone through money a little faster than I had planned (that should be "planned", because I didn't really plan very much. I just picked a round number and bought that much Hong Kong dollarige), and this morning, I had HK$10 (ten Hong Kong dollars. Get with the program people) in my wallet. Plus about HK$28 in change, but I needed that for laundry. Since the exchange rate is about 7.8 HK$ to 1 USD (I'm not going to spell that one out for anyone), HK$38 is not a lot of money.

Now, when I was in Japan, and Europe, my debit card worked just fine. I just assumed it would work in Hong Kong. It is the finance capital of the East, right? Imagine my surprise when I tried to get cash and the machine said 'no'. Maybe I tried the wrong bank? Well, I tried HSBC, which is a pretty large international bank, and that didn't work, either. Bummer.

Luckily, I do have a couple of credit cards, but I'm not sure they even take AmEx over here. I could look it up, but I'm lazy. I know they do take MasterCard, so I just use that. But I'd really prefer to use the AmEx, because it's that cool clear/bluish tinted card with the chip. Yes, I embrace all of the latest technology (from the early 2000's). Of course, most restaurants are cash only, so that presents something of a problem. I guess I'll be eating more sandwiches for the next few weeks...

Well, the fortuitous part is that as I was putting some stuff away this afternoon, I found HK$1000. Although that's only about US$128, it does give me a little breathing room for the next few days. I'll have plenty for the metro, as well as a few meals, if I want to go out. I am, however, trying to make more things at home (though, without a kitchen, I'm extremely limited. Sandwiches, frozen food, salad, cereal), so I shouldn't burn through it too quickly. I'll see about the debit card early next week.

It was a very pleasant surprise finding that cash. See? I knew if I just sat back and waited, something good would happen.

The Iron. It Does Not Work

I managed to borrow a travel iron from a friend before leaving. When she gave it to me she said "you probably want to test this first. I have no idea if it works". Well, it does not work. Now, we have to consider the possibility that I'm just not using it right. But still, you fill it with water, plug it in, press the money and put it on top of something (preferably an article of clothing). I did those things, and all I got was a tie with water all over it.

Sure, maybe this was pilot error (probably?). But it's also a slight probability that the iron just doesn't work very well. But let's face it, what were the chance that I was really going to iron my clothes that often, anyway? I did buy wrinkle-free shirts for just this occasion. And pants? Do I really care if they're not perfectly creased? I figure, it's so hot and humid here, just walking to work should do the trick. Or something. I don't really know how all that ironing works.

Ana, if you're reading this (and I know you are), you were right. I should have tried it first. I guess I'll pack it up when I leave, but if I'm going to accidentally forget anything, let's hope it's the iron and not something that works.

Ruling With an Iron Fist

This one will be short and sweet. But kind of an awesome story, nonetheless.

Today I needed a pen, so I approached the people who control such things and asked for one. The woman unlocked a file cabinet (normal procedure so far) and removed 2 pens for me. She then took down a 2" binder and make an entry for 2 pens! And made me sign it!!

Really? I have to sign out 2 pens? Are they going to extradite me if I don't return them? Am I not allowed to leave the country until all office supplies are accounted for?

I can understand having supplies under lock and key, but this seemed like a bit much. Dare I ask for a CDR? A DVDR? Some more yellow post-its?? When does the madness end?

You can't see it, but I'm shaking my head in disbelief right now. I'm sure you're shaking right along with me.

Some of the Work I've Been Doing

I'm obviously not going to discuss any specifics here, but I thought I'd share some thoughts on what I've been working on. Just in general terms, of course.

I've actually worked on a few personal injury cases here. My work has usually entailed reading the file and writing letters to people. If it's a letter to opposing counsel (see how professional I sound?!), it's usually to say why they were wrong in their previous letter. If it's a letter to a client, it's usually to update them on the case, let them know where we stand. The really fun ones are the letters to opposing counsel.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I really enjoy taking someone's argument, thinking about it, and then poking holes in it. It's not that I want to be mean. Rather, I just like the mental exercise of trying to find different ways to look at things. On one personal injury case (PI, as we say), I've gotten to spend a good amount of time formulating some ideas and arguing them. My favorite part is when I get to write "your client's denial notwithstanding, they are still liable because a, b, c". And it's really fun when they've cited a case that I can go through and say why it either 1) doesn't apply, or 2) actually helps us! It's all about how you frame the issue.

Though, I do have to admit that looking at pictures and medical reports of injuries is a little rough. Luckily, most of them aren't too graphic.

And I'll also admit that sometimes, even though my first reaction is "why is this person suing?", after thinking about it, it's usually the case that there kind of a valid reason. I mean, when someone is injured, there's gotta be someone paying the costs; hospital, lost wages, pain and suffering (though I'm not too happy about those, to tell you the truth. But money is the only way we (society) can compensate someone, so we just try our best). And the fact is, usually someone did something wrong. Driving recklessly, not providing safety devices to workers and demanding they still work. If someone has been injured, really through no fault of their own, why should they be stuck with the bills?

I agree that there's too much litigation going on. But the fact is, unless we allow people access to the courts, there will be so many people with no recourse when they've really been wronged. It's a pretty inefficient and bad system we've got, but it's better than the alternatives.

The view from the inside is pretty interesting.

Somehow, I Become Even MORE Cynical

I know, hard to believe. But it's true.

So, the big boss at the firm tells me (most of them don't ask, they tell. Yeah.) that he wants me to write a short blurb about crackdowns on offshore holding companies as they relate to investments in China. Yeah, I bet you didn't know I know about that. Well, I bet you also didn't know that I wrote a blurb about Hong Kong's preferential treatment of employment rental reimbursement benefits (not allowances). See? There's all these things that I know... For some value of know.

Anyway, he asked me to look into writing the blurb, so I started doing some reading. Since the reading is from things like the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, you can imagine the slant towards all those righteous, hardworking business folk who just can't get a break these days. It's so tough that they're no longer allowed to hold these lucrative investments without having to pay any taxes.

Not to get too ideological here, but one thing that really pisses me off is when people and business expend so much effort avoiding taxes. They claim that it's so unfair that they have to pay such a high rate in the US or the UK or elsewhere, and it's just forcing them to "low tax" countries, where the market is allowed to "work". See, the thing that just drives me nuts is that it's such a race to the bottom. And once the shit really hits the fan, who are these people and corporations gonna cry to? Those horrible high tax first world countries.

I remember this article a while ago:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html

I feel for the guy getting brain cancer; that's really horrible. And I'm not glad either he or his wife are suffering. What makes me not really care about her situation, though, is that fact that she describes it as this "adult Disneyland" where you "pay no taxes". I know it's just one little element of the story, but when I was reading about those tax dodges today, my mind immediately jumped to this story. This story about how they wanted to live the high life without having to give anything back to society at all. Living tax free. Well, there's a reason that the tax free countries so easily turn into hellholes for people. Taxes truly are the price we pay for civilization (Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes, right?).

The more I read today, another thing popped out to me. Everyone referred to these tax avoidance scams as tax "management" or "planning". The only thing that mattered to these people was avoiding as much tax as possible. And frankly, that attitude is so f'ed up. It's basically just them saying "I've got mine, fuck everyone else".

Where do they think innovation comes from? Where do they think research happens?

Man, I really hope I can just go back to working on divorce, or personal injury cases. They drive me less crazy.

This One's For the Lawyers (and Wannabes)

I've finally been able to do some substantive work over here, and I kind of like it. Those of us in law school, or practicing, know how painful the citation system is in the states (look how international I am!). There are so many jurisdictions, so many reporters. The Blue Book is an exercise in anality (I just made that up!). Things are much simpler in Hong Kong, because they've got 1 jurisdiction and like 4 courts.

A typical US citation is like 244 N.E. 2d 421, 22 (1995) or something. Hey, I'm in Hong Kong and I didn't bring my Blue Book.

A typical cite in Hong King is like XXX 150/2008. That's it. I think there are a handful of substitutions for XXX, but not many. Awesome.

Anyway, here I am writing letters to opposing counsel saying why they're wrong. Aside from a simple citation system, office to office letters are pretty much like "this guy in another case hurt his leg and got $200k. We think your client's injury is less so we'll offer $100k". That's it. None of this crap we have in law school about laying out precedent, stating the holding, facts, reasoning. No spelling out exactly what negligence is, and giving a 2 page history. Evidently, in practice, they assume that the guy (or gal. We're equal opportunity on this blog.) reading the letter has also gone to law school, so why waste time with all the bullshit from law school.

As all of you who know me know, I enjoy arguing, and telling people why they're wrong. Now you may not think I'm right all the time, but that's ok. You're entitled to be wrong. Just kidding. I freely admit that I'm wrong sometimes. But I still enjoy the argument.

I admit to being a little down on the internship last week, as I was doing simple clerical work. And I could do clerical work without spending the $100k+ I'm spending on law school. So yeah, a tad frustrating. But as I've been doing some real work, it's getting better.

But I'm still stuck on that damn PIII 700MHz 256M RAM "computer". Today, the girl who used to own this machine was complaining about not being able to access some files she kept on the old machine (mine). Gentleman that I am, I turned and said "I will gladly swap this machine for that new Dell on your desktop". She missed the sarcasm, and said "no, no, it's ok. Ed (IT guy) can help me". Heh. I wasn' t really being polite there. But hey, I came off as polite! That's good. Oh, speaking of which, I've won over almost everyone (that matters. I'm not trying to befriend higher ups for obvious reasons. So long as I get a good recommendation, I'll be happy). There's just one hold out, but I'll wear him down. Maybe if he sees me laughing with the others, he'll want to join in. Hmm, maybe I have to isolate him. But that's another post.

I'm Still Here

The last few days, I haven't really felt like posting much. Work has actually been much better this week, actually working on legal stuff, as opposed to simple clerical work. I think the best thing I did was work on a response to a counteroffer for a personal injury settlement (in the biz, we call that PI). The counteroffer cited to a couple of cases, so I got on the trusty intertubes and downloaded them. As an aside, Hong Kong has a much simpler citation system than back home. Very easy to use. Probably because they've got a very small number of jurisdictions. Anyway... I found the cited case and proceeded to demolish their points.

You know, it really is true that so much of what we do in law school is bullshit. I mean, I was asked to write a quick memo about a new case. When I asked what format I should use, the lawyer said "oh, just give me bullet points". That's funny. In school, they make such a big deal out of writing this paper with the facts laid out this way, and the rule laid out that way, and then do the discussion, and then followup with a summary, blah blah blah. And here in the real world (and this is common, from what my friends working in other law firms have told me), they just want a bare outline, simply put. Law school is such a rediculous waste.

Back to Hong Kong law. The other big thing I've noticed is that in none of the documents that I've seen is there any real deep analysis. I know this is just lawyers going back and forth, and not an appellate brief or anything, but it's interesting to see that the letters are as simple as "the guy in this case was really hurt and received $x. We think we should get the same". Am I the only one who goes through the case and debunks their point by actually stating some relevant facts? Am I going to become a monster tort lawyer in Hong Kong because of my superior analytical skills? Eh, I doubt it. I'll probably receive a response tomorrow showing how all of my supposedly clever points were just wrong.

But at least work has been much better this week. I was a little concerned last week, because it was just clerical work. Now that I'm actually doing something a little more interesting, it's much better. But I'm still not happy with that PIII 700MHz machine they've got me on. I mean, come on! 256M of RAM?!