It’s official, New York City has been voted sixth and Hong Kong eighth in the Top 29 Cities For Men To Live In. The survey was compiled by AskMen.com editors, the largest online men’s magazine. Section was based on a statistical formula that was applied to eight lifestyle categories that included, among other factors, cost of living, economic stability, ratio of single women to men, and the cost of a pint of beer. Chicago topped all cities on the list as the best city in the world for man to reside. Surprisingly, Hong Kong and Tokyo were the only two asian cities that made it on the list.

The top cities for men to live in:

1. Chicago
2. Barcelona
3. San Francisco
4. London
5. Sydney
6. New York
7. Berlin
8. Hong Kong
9. Copenhagen
10. Paris

Head over to Askmen.com for the complete list.

[Via AskMen.com]

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Creative Commons launched in Hong Kong last Friday (24 Oct 2008) at Hong Kong University with a very informative and inspiring presentation from CC founder Lawrence Lessig. It was followed by an inauguration with Professor Lessig (see video) on the following day at HKICC in Kowloon. CEO Joi Ito (see video) was also on hand to discuss the direction of Creative Commons, publicly release his new book FreeSouls, as well as meeting with local photographers, musicians, and content creators.

One thing worth mentioning was the launch of a Creative Commons Registry. It’s a central repository for authors and artist alike to list their works licensed under creative commons, but who’s to say that I can’t list others’ work as my own. Will there be any form of authentication before registry of works? Probably not.

On a brighter note, Ella Koon was also on hand to announce her new photo gallery and desktop/mobile wallpaper are published under the Creative Commons Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

In addition to the above, there were plenty of workshops and mingling opportunities. Big thanks to the people who made this event possible: Edmon Chung, Ella Koon, Charles Mok, Rebecca Mackinnon, Lawrence Lessig, Joi Ito, Alice Lee, Yahong Li, Pindar Wong, Chitat Chan, Peter Ma, and the many gracious volunteers.

If you are still curious about Creative Commons, visit their website and check out the embedded video:

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Microsoft Research Asia Innovation Forum conducts the most cutting-edge fundamental research in computer science. It is Microsoft’s premier research lab in Asia Pacific and it aims to drive the usage of computers and the Internet to foster more healthy knowledge economies in the Asia Pacific region.

The heavily sought after tickets for the “Microsoft Research Asia 10th Anniversary Innovation Forum” celebrated the lab’s efforts on “turning ideas into reality” for the past decade. More importantly, it brought together some of the best visionaries in our time to explore new avenues for us to make a contribution to the world.

I was on hand last night at the HK Convention & Exhibition Center for Bill Gates keynote speech. He spoke very little about what Microsoft Research Asia Labs was doing, instead he gave a motivational speech encouraging the students within Hong Kong to embrace innovation, think outside the box, and challenge traditional procedures to create more green, efficent, and effective lifestyle centered around technology.

In addition to Bill Gates keynote, there was panel discussion that consisted of Bill Gates and three of Hong Kong’s top University Presidents, Professor Paul Ching-Wu Chu, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Professor Lawrence J. Lau, Vice-Chancellor and President, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Hong Kong. Dr. Hsiao-Wuen Hon, Managing Director, Microsoft Research Asia served as the moderator to their discussion.

The discussion amongst the panelist was very much centered around education and was fueled by very generic questions, nothing that you may not have heard answered by Mr.Gates already; however, I still felt  the forum was a success. The presence of Mr. Gates and our fellow University Presidents has inspired me (and possibly my fellow classmates) to innovate and not give up on what we want to achieve.

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“This is a once in a life time thing~ Fiona & Joyce MINI CONCERT 08″

I am sad to say I won’t be here to attend the concert, but for all of you that are in HK, don’t miss out.

What you should expect for the night:
1) Fiona and Joyce’s will perform solo and duet pop pieces in Canto, Mandarin and English
2) Get a tastes of Joyce’s very own composition (BTW very awesome stuff)
3) Hopefully live music from various artists (depends on availability of musicians and preparation time)
4) The entrance fee of $132 per person is merely for the dinner buffet provided from the cafe (NOT FOR OUR OWN PROFIT)
5) Laid back mood, good food and great music!
6) Opportunity to meet some new friends

Have a taste of Joyce’s music
http://hk.geocities.com/joycetoyikyan/

Want to know more about how Fiona & Joyce prepare for their Mini Concert, Blog here!
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!9kCP6vWYHw7MOqMyz8Xdk26s2RFJ

You are welcome to bring friends along.

Date: Saturday 30th Aug 2008
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Musical Studio Rm.201, 2/F.,
23 Hillwood Road. Tsim Sha Tsui
音樂人家 尖沙咀山林道23號二樓
RSVP: $132
(Dinner Buffet & Drinks Included)
Walk In: $132
(Have a seat)

RSVP By Facebook
Click “Attending” under RSVP

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In American, we always get the bad rep for being the most unhealthy individuals in the world and although that may be true, look at what our counterparts in Asia are eating. The promotional McPepper is not just a Big Mac, but 2 Big Macs with a lots of black pepper sauce. With all the heat that the Big Mac has gotten in the States for its spread on health concerns, I’m guess the Mega McPepper is not good for you.

BTW I had one the other day and their not too bad, but you don’t to be having these on a regular basis.

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Only the 1,500 lucky preregistered customers, which were chosen randomly will be able to get an iPhone 3G in Hong Kong; thats is at least until Three is able to get more supply (I’m guessing it will take at least 2 months).

There are no long lines for the iPhone 3G in Hong Kong due to the pre-registrations process they have setup. The 1,500 iPhone 3G owners will get a special gift pack that includes a limited iPhone 3G case.

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No reason for me to complain. Fortune has done the analysis and it turns out that Hutchison Three in Hong Kong and Macau is the cheapest way to get your hands on a iPhone 3G with a plan.

Some comparisons (all expressed in U.S. dollars for the equivalent of a 2-year contract):

• Hutchison in Hong Kong: $955 (500MB voice and data) to $1,532 (2,200 min., unlimited data)
• O2 (TEF) in the U.K.: $1,698 (75 minutes, unlimited data) to $3,588 (3000 min., unlimited data)
• AT&T (T) in the U.S.: $1,879 (450 min., unlimited data) to $3,318 (unlimited voice and data)
• T-Mobile (DT) in Germany: $1,366 (500MB data) to $3,374 (5GB data)
• Rogers (RCI) in Canada: $1,624 (150 min., 400 MB data) to $2,932 (800 min., 2GB data)

[Via Hong Kong Phooey]

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MegaBox, hailed as a western style mall in Hong Kong (whatever that means) has been generating a lot of buzz so I had to see what the fuss was all about. I paid my visit there yesterday (4 March 2008) and I wasn’t all that impressed. The only thing Mega Box has going for it is its “new factor” and the IMAX theater, which is the largest in Hong Kong.

Mega Box is located in a developing industrial area along Kowloon Bay. It is basically a no-man’s land without much in the way of scenery or sidewalks. To get there I took the MTR to the Kowloon Bay station and from the station, a free 15min shuttle.

The shopping center is design to mimic a huge box with bright, shining lights and multi-colored facade. A porthole is at the center of design, which adds interior visibility from blocks away. Inside the mall are many banks of elevators and long-haul escalators that whisk you up to the shopping center’s many levels. The floors are divided into sections: Entertainment & Restaurants; Family & Lifestyle; Home Improvement; and Fashion.

Mega Box is home to B&H, a home furnishings store similar to Home Depot in the States; an “international-sized” ice-rink, which is the largest in Hong Kong; a comprehensive dinning offering; and a sports facility on the 18th floor. However, none of these shops are interesting enough to make me flock to this shopping center. The many shopping center that are accessible at mass transit hubs makes Mega Box not worth the trip however with many old industrial buildings still taking up space in the Kowloon Bay area, look for this to be an up and coming hot spot.

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Celebrating China National day was amazing. It was my first time, but I can really get use to this. Thousands of locals and visitors packed the TST pier to catch a glimpse of the highly anticipated event of the year. The event consisted of a light show, projected on various skyscraper along the Hong Kong side followed by 30 minutes of pure fireworks. The video embed was the view that I had from the ferry side of the pier, directly opposite the central area.

Pics from the event can be found HERE

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We finally made good use of those Barbeque pits by the sea side on the HKUST campus. The students of the MSc IT program had a BBQ get together to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It was lots of fun. My first BBQ experience in Hong Kong and one that I wont forget. Big thanks to XX to organizing it and to all the people who went to buy the food.

More pics from the event HERE

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