Walk to spend – by Steven Choi

Hong Kong is a highly complex city, people have to travel from place to place, go working or go to school. There are seven days as a week, some people have to go working for seven days, some people have to go working for six days and some people have to go working for five days and some people have to go no where because they have no jobs. People have to walk everydays, because they have their places to go. We all have our purpose when we walk. Here we can take a look at the difference of walking on each days and we may see the difference on each days.

 

My school lesson start at ten o’clock on Monday, I will have to wake up at eight o’clock. The reason for me to set my wake up time at eight o’clock is because of my family. First, my father will have to wake up at 06:45 and he will spend five minutes in the washroom then my mother will wake up at 07:00 and she will spend about ten minutes in the washroom. When my father and mother finished using the washroom, my mother will go to make their breakfast and this breakfast will take five minutes to cook. In this breakfast, it has some baked breads, boiled eggs and cups of tea. My father like to have a few cups of tea in the morning and he really like the green tea. When my father and mother finished their breakfast and that will be the time at 07:30 and they will leave home. My father will travel by train and my mother will travel by bus. They go to a different place but they leave home at the same time. When the clock point at 07:30, that will be the wake up time for my sister. She wakes up and will spend thirty minutes for occupying the wash room till the time at 08:00. Sister will never spend her time in making breakfast at home, she likes going out to buy her breakfast and she really like drinking coffee. When sister leave home and that will be the time at 08:30. After everyone leaves home and I can start my morning. I will spend fifteen minutes in the washroom and I will spend another fifteen minutes for making breakfast and spending the last fifteen minutes for tidy up my-self. When I leave home and that will be the time at 08:45. This is the time for me to go to school. I like traveling by bus but I recognize traveling by train will save up more time and much cheaper.

 

When we walk out from our home, I have discover, it looks like that we have our purpose such as going to work or school or meet some people and to achieve this purpose, it has a requirment and this is about spending money. What is your purpose on spending money? We spend on making breakfast and buying breakfast, we spend on traveling by public transport. If you go for working, it is because you want to earn some money. If you go for school, it is because you want to get a better job and to ear some money. If you are not going to work or not going to school and you still want to go out, it is because you need to spend some money. In the society like Hong Kong, we all have to spend our money even when you are on the way to earn your money. Spend before earn. We spend the money so we can earn the money. Once we walk and so we spend. People are living for the purpose of spending money.

McDonaldization and us in Hong Kong (By Carol Yeung)

     There is a common scene during the lunch time between lessons in Admiralty. We could see long queues inside or in front of different fast food shops, for examples McDonald’s, KFC, Café de Carol and Fairy Food. Why so many people are there to choose their lunch to eat? It is because they provide fast food we need. “Fast “is what we take short time to choose and wait for. All the food is written as words or print as photo for us to choose. So it male us to save time and more convinence. But, do we just have so fews choice to choose? In fact, we could found there are many normal restaurants to choose.

     The existence of these fast food restaurants is due to the effects of McDonaldization. There are some primary components belongs to McDonaldization, one of them is efficiency, it is a word belongs to speed, which the store could have optimal method to accomplishing a task. Second one is calculability, sales priority is the quantity rather than the taste of food they provide. After, is Predictability, all the food they provided is predictable, because all the choice of food is fixed and you are expected to have standardized service. The last one is control, which they have standardized and uniform employees, replacement of human by non-human technologies. These are the components of McDonaldization and all of these fast food shops suit these characteristics. So McDonaldization has become part of our life and we could reach it almost every day of our life.     

     The existence of these fast food restaurants is due to the effects of McDonaldization. There are some primary components belongs to McDonaldization, one of them is efficiency, it is a word belongs to speed, which the store could have optimal method to accomplishing a task. Second one is calculability, sales priority is the quantity rather than the taste of food they provide. After, is Predictability, all the food they provided is predictable, because all the choice of food is fixed and you are expected to have standardized service. The last one is control, which they have standardized and uniform employees, replacement of human by non-human technologies. These are the components of McDonaldization and all of these fast food shops suit these characteristics. So McDonaldization has become part of our life and we could reach it almost every day of our life.       

     As all the things are standardized, it seems we could have standard food as anytime we like, but it also limited our choices for food. And also a atmosphere that all of this fast food stores dominated our society. In addition, fast food is not healthy for us, according to different health guide, we could only eat fast food once a week, and this atmosphere could cause big effect to our health. 

  

     As all the things are standardized, it seems we could have standard food as anytime we like, but it also limited our choices for food. And also a atmosphere that all of this fast food stores dominated our society. In addition, fast food is not healthy for us, according to different health guide, we could only eat fast food once a week, and this atmosphere could cause big effect to our health.

Reference:

http://web.simmons.edu/~chen/nit/NIT’96/96-171-Larney.html 

http://www.mcdonaldization.com/whatisit.shtml 

Technology from the past to nowadays (By Sean Sit)

     Progressing of technology, nowadays we couldn’t separate technologies with our life. No matter we enjoy movies in our home, do our homework or even call our friends, we need technology. It provides us convenience and entertainments. Therefore, there are plenty of digital products selling in our society. These products change in a very fast pace, there are new products release every month. Every new product there are new features included and the price are usually much higher than old products.         

     As Hong Kong is a city which has a free market. Things change time by time is a must, but technology has become commercial and having short lifetime in this free market. In the old days, we just need what we really need, and it could stay for a long time. For example the refrigerator at my home, it has been servicing for at least ten years and it could still works fine, I also think it functions as well as those new invent one. We would not change it until it does not work one day. Many elderly may have said, old technology product could last longer than new products. This is a situation that quite easy to understand. Old technologies could not release month by month. The Q.C. for every product in the past is better and the product could last longer. As the production market has been commercialized, good Q.C. is no longer the priority for every digital producer. Nowadays, product design and gimmicks are the new trends for the market today. The main purpose for the product is to attract us and earn money and let the consumers having a chance to show off their new digital products.        

     Therefore, our consuming habit has also been changed, today we don’t need a product that last long and how it functions to us but just focus on how new it is. Like mobile phones, it is one of the best selling digital products in today’s market. Large companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson release new phones month by month. I could find out that most of the products released are having similar features but having a complete different appearance. I still remember, in the past I have been using a Nokia old model phone for ten years and the model had not been out-dated in those years, but I will not do that anymore, I change my phone every half year now. Mobile phone has lost its essence as a phone we use to call when we need, it has become a fashion, which needed to be changed as you like.       

     Besides the change of the technology, our values changed also. Could we catch up the pace of new products? No, we couldn’t, because it cost much. Although the commercial market could not be changed, our values can be changed. Try to think of those hungry children living in the third-world while you are deciding to buy your new model products when your old one is still 100% work.   

Relaxation in city space (by Janette W.)

“Close your eyes and take a deep breathe. From now on, nothing can bother you. You only concentrate on your breathe, your body. Now imagine you are lying on the water hammock, enjoying sunbath. You start to become so weightless…” this is the scene of the yoga class I attended on every weekend. The teacher always leads us to relax ourselves so that we can enjoy our own time and get away from the busy world. In fact, with the Indian music played and the dim light inside the room, I could really relax my mind from the busy life of Hong Kong. This is one of my primary purposes for attending yoga class.

As a matter of fact, many people are similar to me that they are seeking rest or relief in the fast pace of life in Hong Kong. In recent year, there are many activities which help lessen stress of city dwellers exist and become so popular in HK. Yoga is one of these activities. Yoga has been popular for several years. It is a form of exercise which stresses to be a union either of a personal or a non-personal nature. Through the process, people could reach a peaceful level both physically and psychologically. With this nature of yoga, it is very suitable for city dwellers to reduce their pressure by exercising yoga. That’s why it becomes a popular exercise to do in leisure time. Another example is SPA, which is always mentioned when we talk about relaxation nowadays. 

Beside the nature of those activities, we should back to the topic that HK as a materialistic and highly urbanized city when discussing why these activities could become so popular. In HK, being wealthy means to be success as a cultural goal. Most people are aiming at maximize their wealth. It is very common for people to spend most of their time to work so as to earn more money. Even in the non-office hours, people are still worrying about their work. It is hard to have time to relax from work. This situation is especially obvious during the time of economic downturn since 1997. Even though you may have time to relax, you may not have an appropriate place for you to do so. As we all know, HK is also named as concrete jungle. All you can see are buildings; rather, our place only contains a little green area and the rural spaces are gradually replaced by the urban landscape. So it is hard to find room to get ourselves being relaxed in HK.

But people do need to relax. Facing the limits of time and space, another form of relaxation is needed, that is relaxation in city space. As mentioned before, yoga and SPA are the examples of this new form of relaxation. People do not need to travel too far away and they could temporary put down all the things they are worried about. Therefore, these stress-lessen activities could become so popular in HK. And indeed, some argue that seeking relax to forget the busy life of city is a kind of escapism, which is defined as “habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine”. That may be true as I do enjoy the time of yoga lesson that I could really put down all the annoying things around me. But no matter it’s true or not, joining these activities would become an irresistible general trend and I believe there would be more and more of these activities to exist.

The Shopping Mall (by bruce lam)

      Today, I think everyone in Hong Kong must been shopping mall before. The concept of “shopping mall” actually is the source from the pass we call “market”, they have a common point, which is gathering some merchant in the same place. Shopping mall gave us an image that has many shops which are in different type, like fashion, food, body care, furniture etc. Those malls usually are a tall building, including some facilities like skating rink and cinema. Also there may have a good transportation, in general, it was near a KCR or MTR station, having a big bus stop or terminal and a big car park.  

        However, there is a class identify level inside the shopping mall in Hong Kong. Take an example, International Finance Centre Mall in Central, New Town Plaza in Sha Tin and Tuen Mun Town Plaza in Tuen Mun. People will develop them in a high, middle and low class shopping mall. Because of these three shopping malls, there are located in different district, and those districts represent the people’s living standard. As we know, Central is at the heart of Hong Kong, those shops inside IFC must be famous brand even the restaurant, also is high expense. Secondly, Sha Tin is a place that has lots of middle class, it cause New Town Plaza has the highest people flow rate in Hong Kong. Inside the plaza, although the shops are not famous brands, it has lots of reasonably priced shops, which a middle class family can afford it. Finally, many new arrivals lived in Tuen Mun, also the elders, so that the shops in there are lower level than the city area. Therefore Tuen Mun Town Plaza has many common brand shops in it. In between these three shopping malls, their target consumer is different; people will accord their needs to go the mall.

        Someone point out that Hong Kong people go shopping is not only for consumption. It still has five purpose, first, to be a place for reduce pressure; second, to recognize the world and new product; third, to kill time; fourth, to feel oneself exist and to ascend the ego and self-respect; fifth, to establish public relationship. The market consumes experience displays in four levels, sense organ experience, emotion experience, knowledge experience and intelligence. It means that, shopping mall is not only a place for shopping, it can let us self- increment and seeks oneself.

        Notwithstanding the shopping mall give us a place to relax; actually the mall is looks like a prison. Because of security, perhaps the mall has hundred of cameras hide in somewhere; people would be observed by observer. In this case, people are no different from prisoner. Perhaps you may say it doesn’t matter to you, but we don’t need observe by anyone. Furthermore, shopping mall can cause shopaholic (shopping addiction) and decidophobia (choice-phobia-disorder). Those are because of too many shops inside the mall and they can’t control themselves to buy or choose.

         In Hong Kong, we have many shopping mall, although the mall have ideology in it, we still walk in and consume in it. 

Reference:

http://www.hkcsm.com/info/info0611.htm

Notions of consumption in local fashion and beauty magazine (done by Kitty Fung)

It is like whenever you flip over the fashion magazine, almost half or even more than half of the pages are all advertisements. Moreover, all these fashion, jewellery and accessories advertisements we see on the magazine are of brands that are on the high fashion, images we see are all mostly Hollywood famous stars or top models in America. The trends that they have set up from what we read at the editorial fashion picks and special features articles, or the beauty special and branded clothes showcases, the fashion look highlights and promotions. All of those products in the images are served to link with revealing levels of income, class, wealth and status. Not only the style that we are consuming, but by selling branded limited edition, the shopping craze has been produced from such conspicuous consumption on expensive products, it reflected that we are certainly living in a consumer society.

 In addition, we just as well might felt like we are surrounded by objects and the power to purchase seems like everything to what we are all striving for. As we look through the products on advertisements and on special features, they are most probably priced up to somehow aproximately the amount of a regular middle class person’s one month salary. However, we are still very much desiring for luxurious and glamourous objects that can give us a sense of superiority. Somehow, we are just attracted to buy objects that we don’t neccessarily need to purchase, but the magazine tells us what is new, and what is outdated, so there is always a set of limited edition, or the latest version, and the new arrival of goods. The idea of buying is emphasized frequently, and with obsessional objects constituted with a general consumerism of sign.

 We have reached the point that needs are not so much directed at objects, but it is actually unconsciously adhered to values. It is sort of like we want to fit in to the consumer society’s lifestyle and conform to a such a way of life by grasping on a position in the community. The possession of goods is considered to be a celebration of affluence. The advertisements are thought to be adjusted to the industrial system. Galbraith says that they appear to place a significance on goods only because it is important for the system, and that they secured the importance and prestige of the technostructure from the social point of view. Through studying advertisements from the magazine, the discovered that the system appropriates social goals for its own gain, and imposes its aim as social ends and ultimate goals. Consumption  objects become a surface reality of desire, and that is something that can never be satisfied, it therefore signifies itself in a succession of defined needs and the social logic of desire. Such a paradigm with the symtoms of hysteria is considered to be an illness, because the system of consumption will then be defined as an exclusive of pleasure, but built on the foundation of denial of pleasure, which is constrained and institutionalized. To conclude, consumption is a collective and active behaviour integrated with a system of values by social controls.

MK fever (By Ron Chan)

Mong Kok (MK)-a place that crushes up with people by 24 times 7 hours per week in Hong Kong. It pays a lot effort in helping Hong Kong to practice out the image of “Shopping Paradise”. Many teenagers love shopping in MK at weekend as it is a hotspot which conglomerates plenty of fashion shops and malls. As a result, MK has rear a special culture which affects Hong Kong people deeply. In time, people have given a nickname to such culture-“MK culture” and also the one who follow this trend is called “MK guy”.

The genesis of “MK culture” is around 1996. Those people are being called as “MK guy” probably under two conditions: their clothes are obviously bought in MK and always appear in MK. There are some features of the “MK guy” that people used to define who are consider as “MK’s group” and who are not. For example, people who wear the bell-bottoms trousers are considered as “MK”. People who dye their hair in red and gel it in an echinus-shape are considered as “MK” also. Besides, it is not only the wearing style makes one become consider as a “MK guy”, but the temper and character play the most important role in delivering a “MK look” image to others. The one who overconfidence in presenting their appearance and always gazing others with animus are the most serious reasons leads them to be a “MK guy”.

“MK guy” often create a powerful and aggressive temper towards others, in order to keeps people away. “MK Look” in most of the time act like the body language, people usually has an ideology that ones with “MK Look” must get relate to the triad society. Therefore, people are afraid to get a rise out of them. As a result, they gain satisfied feeling and happiness base on others fear.

The outbreak of such “MK fever” is mainly due to a movie called Young and Dangerous (蠱惑仔1996). In Wikipedia: “Young and Dangerous is a 1996 Hong Kong movie directed by Andrew Lau. It is about a group of Triad members, detailing their adventures and dangers in a Hong Kong triad society.” The images of those main characters have a chemical effect on teenagers and brainwashing them in such a way of act, dress and think. It indeed makes part of the teenagers dream to be one of the members of triad society. In this case, it shows how such a film constructs a specific culture and a large population be infected in many aspects.

However, when the film become outdated, and the furious criticism of the “non-MK” people in many media, it is a decline of the “MK culture”. When one of our cultures that nearly disappear in our city and there must be another raise of culture will appear after the fade out of the original one. It is the specific culture of Hong Kong – rush in and then rush out.

Reference:
http://hk.geocities.com/mklookcom/

A Well-Developed Music Industry? (By Michael Yeung)

Nowadays, Hong Kong has many of singers and divide into different groups, such as teenage (青春派),  idolize (偶像派), potency (實力派), etc. Seems Hong Kong owns a well-developed music industry, but in fact, is this represent the reality? Or it is just an illusion?

Seems there are many different singers and different songs have been released, but in the meanwhile when we focus on the composers and lyric writers, we can recognise that they are almost the same group of people, for example Ronald Ng (伍樂城), Lin Xi (林夕), Peter Kam (金培達) and Mark Lui (雷頌德) are the famous composers;  Wyman Wong (黃偉文), Erica Li (李敏) and Christopher Wong (黃凱芹) are the famous lyric writers. It is undeniable that they create many marvelous pieces, but the gnere of Hong Kong music hasn’t change for over twenty years that they create a kind of ideology about the music culture in Hong Kong. This Kind of so-called “karaoke songs” take a huge porcession in Hong Kong music industry, and there have no many kinds of another style of songs we can choose to consume.

Although some people say that audiences can be choosed not to listen on such kind of music and force them to create another types of music, but in my opinion this kind of mind is an unilateral willingness. After the development of Hong Kong music in the last twenty years, the ideology of canton-pop have been deeply planted into the mind of people. We have already been accepted the pattern of canton-pop that what kind of music they provide to us then we tend to choose them, at last “karaoke songs” become the main trend and ideology of canton-pop. They tell the people that “karaoke songs” are good for the industry and good for them, even to avoid another types of music to consolidate their authority in the industry.

In the last few years we can see different styles of music invented in Hong Kong, such as rap (representatives: LMF and Edison Chan) and another folk songs (representative: The Pancakes), but obviously they cannot survive because of the acceptance of the audiences. Since the audiences in Hong Kong have been addicted by “karaoke songs” and they do not know how to appreciate another style of music, also the ideology of idol an pop stars have been deeply influence the culture of music, people will only enjoy with those songs performed by their idols, hence another styles of music cannot be invented in Hong Kong music industry, and the culture of music in Hong Kong become a monopoly of “karaoke songs” and this is a very unhealthy circumstance. People are addicted by such kind of “karaoke songs” and make them to have no choice of another style of music, so they will blindly choose those “karaoke songs” to comsume. This kind of circumstance states that why those foreigners think that the songs in Hong Kong are all be the same and without aby variation. In order in have a breakthrough of the music culture in Hong Kong, another styles of music must be invented and developed freely, so the music culture can be developed in a direction of diversification.

《HERO》& Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉) by Carol Yam

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉, Kimura Takuya, nicknamed Kimutaku; born on November 13, 1972) is a member of a Japanese idol group SMAP. Many of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan.

Born in Tokyo, Kimura lived in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture until he was six years old. He attended elementary school and junior high school in Chiba. One of his relatives sent in the application to the Johnny & Associates talent agency, which specializes in young male teen idols, and he became a member of Johnny’s Juniors, a group of trainees, in 1987. Then he became one of the 12 members in a unit called “Skate Boys”. Skate Boys used to be backup dancers of Hikaru Genji, which at the time was a very popular group.

In 1988, SMAP was created, and he joined. The group then consisted of six members: Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Katsuyuki Mori, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Shingo Katori; Katsuyuki Mori later left SMAP to pursue an autoracing career in mid 90s. After SMAP was formed, each member pursued an individual career by starring in B-list dramas. Their first single “Can’t Stop!! ~Lovin.” was released in 1991, but it received mixed reviews. When SMAP had their first concert, the hall was almost empty, too.

1993 can be considered to be a breakthrough year for Kimura and SMAP. After years of starring in low-budget dramas, Kimura played a leading role in the teen drama Asunaro Hakusho (あすなろ白書) as Osamu Toride, a college freshman in love with a friend Narumi Sonoda. The series, based on a then-popular manga of the same name, quickly became a hit. SMAP also released their hit single $10. In 1994, a phrase “Kimutaku Syndrome” started to be observed in some media. The term refers to a phenomenon in which some young boys copy his fashion.

In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero, which set a record with its high TV ratings of about 36.8%. Hero is a Japanese drama series that aired in Japan on Fuji TV in 2001.

Kuryu Kohei is a young public prosecutor who gets transferred to a division in Tokyo. Unlike a typical prosecutor, Kuryu dresses casually and ignores standard procedures, but his brilliant instincts and determination make him well-suited as an investigator. He espouses a very strong sense of justice, and his idealism has a big impact on his colleagues.Amamiya, his assistant, is aiming to be promoted to the position of a prosecutor. At first, she and Kuryu get along very poorly, but working together eventually leads to a relationship that borders on romance.

Hero achieved very high viewership ratings in Japan, with an average rating of 34.3% and a peak of 36.8%. It also won the Elan d’Or prize for best drama of the year.

Kimura enjoyed more success in string of many hit series after Hero, such as Sorakara Furu Ichiokuno Hoshi, Good Luck! Pride, and “ENGINE.” “Good Luck” topped 2003’s TV view ratings at 37.6%.

In July 2006, Fuji TV aired a 2 hour long HERO special. Along with the original cast, he revived his role as prosecutor Kuryu Kohei. Additional big name stars were also seen in this drama, including Socrates in Love star Haruka Ayase.

 In 2007, the movie sequel to 2001’s HERO was released, continuing the story from where the last episode on TV in 2006 left off. It has proved a major success, sparking rumours that a sequel will be produced. 

sports in Hong Kong (by Regina.T.)

In the recent years, Hong Kong spring up a new trend which is alternative sport. When we study physical education in primary and secondary school, teacher would lead them to play football, volleyball, basketball or simple gymnastics. However, In the lately years, Hong Kong rise and develop some sport which we have not play before. For examples, yoga, Latin dances, break dance, bodybuilding, golf, war game, orienteering and outdoor shooting. Someone might argue that Hong Kong people would like to play computer games more than do the exercises. However, on the other hand, fit and possess a slim body is fashionable in Hong Kong and the government exerts the great effort to promote the healthy body. Hence, some sports become popular progressively.

Yoga is an India spiritual sport. Hence, most of the people think that slim body equal to beauty and charming, also Yoga is one of the quick ways to consume calories. Besides, yoga could do individually or in a group. People could practice and play yoga in any places, as it does not need any special tools or area. Therefore, female would like to do yoga and keep an ideal body. In addition, a movie “愛君如夢” and a television program “舞動全城” is base on Latin dance to develop a story, also people know more about Latin dance again and open a new way to see Latin dance, it make as much as people learn Latin dance. Not only the adult would dance, but also the child would dance it very well. Break dance is one of the hip-hop dance styles, it is very popular and well-known for teens. It is because the teens think that break dance is cool and high difficulty, so they were highly praise someone who dances the break dance. Besides, some artists have performed break dance in the show, it makes the teens more like to dance and follow. Yoga, Latin dance and break dance are the most popular sport in this few years.

Aside from the sport that is above-mentioned, people would like to do bodybuilding and golf too. Due to the star be a spokesman to the fitness company and they always have a special offer to promote, people would make an attempt. For example, their special discounts “ Just $8 per day!” paid for the lowest price could get an unbalance services, people would please to try. Besides, people may think that golf is a high cost sport, not everyone can afford it and only the rich can play it. However, it’s not, as golf become popularize and the golf charges is lower than before, also people have a mind that “the rich should learn golf, golf is the first step to be the rich”. On the other hand, there were war games, orienteering and outdoors shooting should also popular in Hong Kong in this few years. Except the physical strength, those of this sport would also need brainpower and communication skill. People like to play war games, as like to play the computer games and they simulate the game. Therefore, they would replace the game character and himself.

In fact, Hong Kong people pay attention to their health and keep doing the exercise is good news. In addition, if more sport develop, people could get more choice and they would enjoy doing the exercise.