Life is pants

Friday 23 March
Finally some time off to play. I met up with an old friend who came over from Singapore.
I first met Ella while doing star jumps in a fitness class at the gym in the City of London. She moved to HK with her then boyfriend, they broke up and she wrote Life is Pants. We spent the evening having a typical 'chick' conversation in the spirit of her book. A fellow entrepaneur she set up an Asian version of Anne Summers www.oohtique.com

We hit the bar zone aka LKF (Lan Kwai Fong). Many of the bars had a really seedy atmosphere with pissed up ex-pats feeling up scantily clad Asian women young enough to be their daughters.
Thankfully the HK pioneers found a great bar in the LKF hotel, with a 5 star interior but prices to match.
In the early hours we hit the clubs which can often be found inside office buildings. We ended up at Club No 9. The dance area is circular and at the very top of a 30+ floor building with a V-DJ plying mainly MTV hits.
It took a while for the crowd to warm up, it seems that HK-ers are self conscious about dancing.

bare foot in Hong Kong

Friday 23 March

The key part of the Digital Pioneer Programme is the mentor scheme. We have been eagerly waiting to meet and get to know our assigned people. I'm working with the MD for Ion Global in HK. IG are an international interactive web development and online marketing firm with many of their HK clients in the hotel industry. One of them being The Peninsula the epitome of the HK high life, with its fleet of Rolls Royce limos. We spent the whole day reviewing all my business areas and I've had lots of questions answered but also lots of new ideas to explore. At lunchtime we went to Victoria Park to expereince the walk of pain. On every street there are salons offering so called reflexology actually they just hammer your feet until they are numb. Although walking on these pebble paths are just as sadistic.

In contrast to the millionaires that cruise the highways of HK in their Ferraris there are signs of poverty if you care to look. According to a report by Cap Gemini & Merrill Lynch & Co the number of millionaires in Hong Kong they rose by 18.8 percent to 67,500 for 2004. ''China is generating wealth for a lot of people in Asia,'' said Stephen Corry, Merrill Lynch's vice president for regional equity strategy.

Frozen Tea

We've spent several days with the HK pioneers and today we got a chance to see where they work.
This is VIP's office at Many Many. Not only can he produce high end animation he has a great interior design eye.

Next stop Jidou (in Japanese Jidou means automation and in Chinese self-empowerment) where Amy works for CEO Alexander Wong, an eccentric boyish looking creative entrepreneur who originally trained as an architect.
He has amazing amounts of energy fulled by a strictly controlled diet of only one small portion of carbs per day and no alcohol.
He has a truly unique approach to marketing and brand concepts.

Alexander recommended that we visit Dragon-I to eat. Thankfully they do serve carbs and booze in fact I had a fantastic sashimi. The interior has had no expense spared with hand stitched leather seating giant birdcages and mirror tiled bathrooms. David Beckham was a guest during his visit to HK. Desert was green tea ice cream.

I would like to thank...

Wednesday 21^st March

Today was award day – lots of photos, smiling and cringing when they played my video piece in the huge presentation area at Cyberport. It was bad enough having a banner with my face looming at me while I ate my lunch but I had to listen to myself over loud speakers. I should have brought my ear plugs from the airplane.
During the rest if the day we attended the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF). We got to listen and mingle with some very distinguished speakers here are some of them;

Scott Ross CEO of AWOL Pictures, Founder and Former Chairman and CEO of Digital Domain (Apollo 13, I Robot).

Warren Franklin CEO of Rainmaker (De Vinci Code, Garfield).

Paul Wang Imagi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Edward Jones The Light Exchange (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Witches of Eastwick, Happy Feet etc etc)

Michael Stephens who is a leading film and entertainment lawyer from NZ - WingNut.

Stef and Scott Ross:

I agree with Stef's comment , 'The Digital Pioneers programme is all about challenging our preconceptions and our business models.' Read his blog for a much more in depth viewpoint of the Digital Leadership Forum.

Cyberport arranged for a behind the scenes tour of Happy Valley racetrack.

A surreal experience because the race track was floodlit with a backdrop of the HK skyscrapers.

Multicoloured race pages are frantically studied by a strange mix of ex-pats drinking Pimms and locals eating noodles. This man told me to put a bet on number 10...it came first. If you know who this man contact me we have some race tracks to visit!

A stinging of a starter

Tuesday 20^th March
Another United Nations breakfast and possibly yet another 12 course lunch means I force myself to the gym. However it is located in another block to the hotel and the walk seems a workout in itself! The pool and health suite are on the 11^th floor. I am beginning to forget what ground level looks like.
The morning was spent at the very nice building for the British Council in HK. They have free internet access – hoorah I miss my email. There has been no time to check it as the schedule has been so packed. It has been strange having your day planned and being taxied around.

We were given a talk and advice by 3 of the people that were on the interviewing panel for the HK pioneers.

Prof Desmond Hui with whom I share a gardening interest , he told me I must visit a place called Miaoli in Taiwain where he has a holiday home.

Bee-Leng Chua director of the Centre for Entreprenuership at the Chinese University of HK

Dr Gino Yu is Head of the Digital Entertainment Association of HK and a man who knows everyone. I am to seek out a man called Bobsee who owns the Life Café in HK and likes to plant trees,

More interviews on video are given – I really prefer being behind the camera especially when there is no hair and makeup artist on hand.

A lavish lunch was given at The Meridian and Vernie Yueng joins us but sadly I didn’t get a chance to ask him about what it was like working with Kylie Minogue.
Adventurous dish of the day is jelly fish. I‘m use to beating them with stones and burying them in the sand in Greece. They look just like noodles and if I had not been told what they were I would never had known that they were actually a stinging sea creature.

Tonight we visited the Asian Film Awards.

It’s a bit like the Oscars for Asian cinema. Lots of screaming fans (female) with illuminated boards saying I luv u! and waving them at the male actors up for nomination.

The event was held in the conference centre next to our hotel with amazing views of the harbour. They previewed lots of films I can’t wait to see. Hope I can get them back in the UK. Best Film was The Host from South Korea.

Do fish have balls?

Monday 18 March

In the evening we headed for MongKok Kowloon for something to eat and a chance to see street life in HK. MongKok means flourishing or busy corner in Chinese. Well every district we have been to fits this name.

There are so many places to eat that you can become overwhelmed with what to choose. Many of them are curb-side food stalls. Most of them sell traditional snacks such as fish balls, fried tofu and various dim sum

Following my own rule of a colour co-ordinated interior design must mean a clean kitchen I dragged the guys into Aberdeen Fish Ball Noodles. I only found it was called this from Amy the next day as there were hardly any signs in English. But if you are trying to find it yourself look out for the black and white décor.

Stafford and Stef looking very apprehensive about where I have dragged them into.

I must admit I am a little nervous when I see what is on the menu.

Don’t worry guys they serve beer...

San Miguel and according to the waiter it is local beer!

There is supposed to be a flower market in this district but we did not find it – one for the next visit.

Hello Kitty Love

Monday 18 March
The final company visit today was to Outback and Outblaze based in Cyperport. They produce webdesign and multimedia content for one of my favourite asian characters Hello Kitty. One of the highest consumers of the Hello Kitty product are OL’s, office ladies. Not children, as the content and colour scheme appears to be aimed at. Proof of this adult interest is and I kid you not a Hello Kitty wedding in HK: MTR Love

Green eggs

Monday 19th March
Today we had a whirlwind tour organised by the British Council of some of the top CGI and broadcasting companies in HK.
Menfond Electronic Art and Computer Design was our first destination. Entering the labyrinth of shopping malls that is underneath Menfond offices, we meet up with a delegation from CanadaUS who are going to join us on our tour. Ken Bautista from Rocket Fuel, Tom Dodd of Fision Media Group and a delegation from the BANFF Centre.

MEA is owned by Victor and Eddy Wong. Victor studied computer art in the US and Eddy fineBeijing. Their company has produced the SFX for Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Die Hard IV, Ultra Violet and lots of battle scenes for Chinese films. Due to the shortage of skilled animator in the APAC region the company set up their own training course.

It is the first time that I have seen behind the scenes of an animation/CGI SFX studio. I was reminded of my days as a photographic printer. Where you spent all day in subdued light not knowing what time of day it was. These guys (yes hardly any women) sit in near darkness all day looking at a computer screen. Painstakingly adding for example 1000’s of arrows into a battle scene when the original footage shows half a dozen. Each VDU has been customized by the operator with asian style toys and mascots. I really wanted to take a photo but we were forbidden as much of the work is highly confidential and I would get shot – in a CGI kind of way with arrows, ‘Flying Daggers’ style!

Next stop was the Hong Kong Design Centre. The asian equivilant of the Design Council in the UK. Therer current display was for the Design Awards for Asia.

For lunch we are taken to the famous and oldest restaurant in HK Yung Kee.
It is only when the first of about 12 courses (I lost count) arrives that we discover what it is famous for; a very tasty roasted goose but not so edible are the 1000 year old eggs.

Various suggestions are given for what is used to age the eggs and we conclude either urine or a man made chemical. The revolving table comes in very useful when I spot them heading towards me.

Next stop on our tour is to a cable TV company owned by a couple of guys in the 60’s.

More exchanging of business cards, will I have enough to last the whole trip?
Robert Chua pioneered Hong Kong's first terrestrial TV station in 1967 as one of the first executive producers at Television Broadcasts (TVB,) now HK's dominant TV station and a powerhouse in Southern China. In 1979 his company became the first media business to sell foreign TV advertising directly into China. In 2004 he founded Asia first 24 hours interactive channel (TIC) and test broadcast over Hong Kong CableTV with 680,000 households.

When we arrive they are in the middle of a live broadcast called Home Away From Home for Philipino viewers. Stef pretends to be a viewer and posts an sms comment to the show

Ken the wannabe presenter sits in the hotseat.

Altitude Sickness

Sunday 18 March

Hotel Renaissance – Harbour View

Woke up to vertigo. This is my view:

I have renamed the first meal of the day The United Nations Breakfast Buffet. Pancakes and waffles for the Americans and dumplings for the Asians. Somewhere in between was a continental breakfast. Naturally I had to try dumplings.

Thought I’d check out the spa facilities. Wow the ladies sauna has a floor to ceiling window. I sat looking over the harbour, trying to sweat off the dumplings yet hoping that the window really did have mirror glass as there was a building site 10 floors below the sauna window.

Café Deco Peak Galleria

To get to The Peak you can take a taxi or the venicular train. There is also a bus but you might not fancy a trip up a mountain round hair pin bends in a double decker.

There are fantastic views from The Peak – if the pollution is not being blown from mainland China. Despite the name of the restaurant I could not see any art deco influence, more like a 5 star TGI Friday’s.

We met the HK pioneers and had our first introduction to networking Asian style. Business cards are passed with two hands with the card facing the recipient. You must reciprocate the exchange of cards. It is the equivalent of a handshake and the formality is different from western networking.

Amy Tsang is the Assistant General Manger of Jidou Limited. Amy joined Jidou Limited, a digital entertainment powerhouse in Hong Kong in 2001, and has played a major role in creating Jidousports, the first international sports animation brand from Hong Kong.

Kwai Bun started his adventure as a flight attendant and world traveller. Inspired by his journeys, he continued his enthusiasm in computer graphics, and founded ManyMany Creations Ltd. His short film, "A Robot's Worth" has won several animation awards globally. His name means a V.I.P but he does not have the arogance of some of the so called VIP's I have met. This might be because he started his company from humble beginnings , with 2 PCs in a village house. ManyMany has grown rapidly and Kwai Bun has transformed himself from an artist into a business leader.

Wallis Wong is actively involved in the IT and wireless industry in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region. He has successfully developed and launched more than 20 mobile games and services including two award winning games, 3G Mopas and Hong Kong War. His company is 3G Dynamics.

Perhaps it is the altitude of the restaurant thats has made me go a little spaced out, but I sense that we will become not just business associates but good friends. We share many things in common. Not just a desire to succeed in business but a curiosity for life.

McFoot

Saturday 16^{th March}

Nathan Road, Kowloon

Our first night in Hong Kong and despite the 12+hour flight we head straight to the Star Ferry which is just by our hotel.

We end up eating in what we affectionately term Chinese McDonalds, Fairwood.
I have a set meal of satay pork, steamed spinach and rice, green tea and a soup with large unidentifiable floating objects – apart from the chickens foot. Hurrah we have arrived!

At midnight Nathan Road is as bright as day thanks to the huge amount of neon and florescent lighting. The huge illuminated advertising signs hang over the street just above our heads and they seem to be bigger than the building they are attached to. This all adds to the sense of claustrophobia and seedyness - not helped by shops called Wanko.

Tonight is St Patrick’s Day, reluctantly we find an Irish themed pub. The place is packed with people wearing plastic green hats. We are greeted by the owner, a Malaysian lady wearing an oversized Guinness pint glass shaped hat. The Irish band keep asking the audience ‘Who is from Ireland?’ – silence… Well my great-great grandmother was. Does that count?

Digital Pioneers

I’m about fly to Hong Kong as part of a project called Digital Pioneers with the British Council.

Last year there was a call for ‘entrepreneurs’ working in Digital Media interested in establishing links with Hong Kong. I was shortlisted, interviewed by a panel of high profile judges and then picked as one of the three people from the UK to be ‘digital pioneers’. We are going to HK for networking, research, mentoring, business development, company visits, exhibition visits and if there is time, shopping. Three people from Hong Kong are doing the exact same thing in reverse. Hopefully we will become an international network of digital creative professionals around the world.

The two other people from the UK are Stef Lewandowski and Stafford Sumner. The HK pioneers are Amy Tsang, Kwai Bun VIP (I’ll explain later) and Wallis Wong.

White Russian and Red Princess

Sadly not a new cocktail but a book launch by the writer Sofka Zinovieff. however there was planty of vodka on ice but I was officially working. Several of the people portrayed in the book were at the launch at The Arts Club London. Including Kyril Zinovief pictured here with SZ.

Also present was the colourful Carlolinda Tolstoy and Zinovy Zinik novelist and broadcaster.

I am still reading my copy of the book but here is good review by Sara Wheeler in The Guardian