Locky's English Playground: 10/01/2013

Thursday 31 October 2013

Food & Dining: The Night Market

The Bar and Tables
Image from Locky's English Playground

If you are working in Central, you should not be a stranger to this highly popular Taiwanese restaurant. Located on 6-7/F, 11 Stanley Street, it is one of the quickest restaurants to be filled at lunch. Usually by 12:15pm, the hungry queue begins to appear.

7/F panorama
Image from Locky's English Playground

The Night Market is loved by the Centralians for a number of good reasons,

Old Central looking out through the huge windows
Image from Locky's English Playground

1) It has got a pretty decent environment. It's not as grand as a 5-star hotel lounge for sure, yet it is not shabby at all! On 7th floor, the contrast between the blue surroundings and the brown background, the shadows cast by the comfy, warm ambient light through a generous number of glass mug-ceiling lamps, the white marble tables together with the plain white eating utensils, all seems to have blend amazingly well with each other.

So packed!!!
Image from Locky's English Playground

2) The brilliant food, of course!!!

Kung pow prawns lunch set
Image from Locky's English Playground

There are quite a few selections on the lunch menus, but those who come here often order just 3 of them, Kung Pow Prawns, Fried Pork Chop and Beef Noodles.

Close-up on the Kung pow prawns
Image from Locky's English Playground

Although it is called Kung Pow, the Kung Pow sauce is in fact not spicy, rather, it has a sweet-and-sour tomato with slight fragrance of chili. The prawns are as crunchy and as juicy as a plum, with taste of freshness in every bite. Surely the ingredients are nothing but the best.

Thick and tender
Image from Locky's English Playground

The fried pork chop is gorgeous to look at, marvellous to have. It is not the richest taste of pork around, but the thickness and tenderness help pull the overall score.

The whole fried pork chop set in ceramic plate
Image from Locky's English Playground

The side dishes differ day to day, one day it is scrambled egg, pickled turnip and carrots, sauteed beans, another day they are all changed.

Image from Locky's English Playground

What is really good about the side dishes is that they are always very colourful, what do you think? It just makes you want to take photo after photo.

Iced passion fruit tea (left), iced jasmine milk tea (right)
Image from Locky's English Playground

Each lunch set comes with a drink of your choice,

Paper coaster
Image from Locky's English Playground

A roaster on mug
Image from Locky's English Playground

no extra charge for putting it on the rocks.

Sunlight makes shadow
Image from Locky's English Playground

Old-ish office buildings in the background
Image from Locky's English Playground

With the warm sunlight shining in from the massive windows and cool air-conditioning in the restaurant, it gives me a feeling of being on an exotic holiday, having a really nice meal in a small cafe by the beach.

A roaster in the bowl
Image from Locky's English Playground

3) Last but not least, the price is not exactly that expensive! For every cent that you pay, you get the mood, the comfort, the quality that you are paid for. For roughly $125 in total, in a central business district like Central, this is considered as one of the best place for lunch with no compromise in the food quality.

My wife shared some pork chop with me
Image from Locky's English Playground

Yes, there might be one too many old-ish office buildings outside the windows, but instead of ruining your appetite, it spices up the meal with history. I can't avoid but think, "it mustn't have been easy to run a restaurant as such". The view and the atmosphere -- the whole package, makes this meal extraordinary.

Without the view, the air-con, the decor, the lighting and the sunshine, the same plate of food may very well be a delicious version of a more-than-usual lunch box, but it will not even cost half as much. So yeah, you are paying for the entire experience, and yes, it is definitely worth it.

Why is the rating so bad on Openrice? I guess I wouldn't want to make this place too famous either, because selfishly I want to keep this place all for myself!

Vocabulary:

shabby -- (adj) looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for:

Resources:
The Night Market @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=46265&tc=sr1

Monday 28 October 2013

Technology & Opinions: My Tesla Model S Hands-on Review

Tesla Model S
Image from Tesla

Tesla Model S
Image from Locky's English Playground

In the last episode, Science & Technology: Fun Facts About Electric Cars We All Should Know, we have found out quite a lot about the Tesla Model S, this cannot be avoided as Tesla is the world's leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer and their EVs are exceptionally cool looking. Talking about it is nice, but getting your hands on it is so much better! Today I'm going to share with you my Hong Kong test drive experience and why a person like me who doesn't really like cars suddenly have a dream car!

Tesla Model S -- absolutely a beauty
Image from Locky's English Playground

Image from Car and Driver

First, there is no reason not to be mesmerised by the appearance of the Tesla, it is so smooth, so streamlined, so aerodynamically smart! There is no grill, because there is no need for engine cooling like a freaking hot petrol or diesel guzzling vehicle does, so the air simply glides above the sleek top and below the flat battery-pack bottom for an excellent stability and minimum drag caused by air-friction.

Kid in the front trunk, door handles embedded
Image from lctmag.com

Second, I knew there is no front engine like ordinary cars, but I was still amazed by the size of that front trunk, aka the portmanteau 'frunk' in Tesla's slang, it is big, big enough to sit 2 adults or 4 kids inside! It looks incredible on photos, but you'll have to see that with your own eyes to feel the emptiness of that frunk. You can put a spare wheel or all that shopping in it. The best part is, the trunk doesn't get hot because there is no engine, so you can be sure that your food doesn't get cooked or even warmed by the time you get home.

4 kids in the front trunk
Image from automotive

The boot is also as spacious as it can get, big enough to put 3 to 4 huge 40" luggage bags, or a bicycle perhaps.

Model S Car Key
Image from Engadget

Third, the car key! I like the cute Model S-looking keys, it's like, you buy the car and you buy the smaller toy car too! You open the front trunk by pressing the front trunk of the car key, you open the boot by pressing the boot of the car key! How cute! It just goes to show how careful and caring the designers at Tesla are! Every car owner is a kidult, and they definitely got this point!

Auto-handles extend upon sensing the door key's proximity sensor
Image from Engadget

Fourth, the door handles actually extend from the door upon walking near the car or a press on the car key, that's the way the Model S says "Hello and welcome" to her owner. How cool is that?

All 3 back seats!!!! I love that!
Image from blogcdn.com

Fifth, inside the car I love the absence of the irritating transmission box that practically turns the passenger in the centre back seat into a curled up fetus! Since the Model S doesn't use the same gear changing system as an ordinary car, you get all 3 back seats with 3 spacious leg rooms. Legs no longer need to be wide opened for the guy in the middle.

The Tesla Model S is a 7-seater!!!!
Image from EverydayDriver

Because this car doesn't have a gas engine, no gear box, no oil tank, no physical buttons, no exhaust pipes, what it has is a lot a lot of space, with 2-extra seats at the back, you can fit 7 people in it!!!

Web surfing, checked
Image from Locky's English Playground

Sixth, as an IT guy, the massive touchscreen is a joy to behold. Everything apart from driving itself can be controlled from this Tesla pad. From changing driving modes to checking emails online, it's is fabulous to look at and enjoyable to use.

Rear camera and web-surfing at the same time, checked
Image from Locky's English Playground

The rear view camera especially, looks really cool on the multi-app screen, sorry for my shaky hands when taking this photo above.

GPS, checked
Image from Locky's English Playground

Not cool enough, how about having GPS and web browsing at the sake time? Yeah, it's dangerous, but the person next to the driver won't feel bored for sure.

Seventh, the sun roof, you can choose with or without glass roof, but the All-glass panoramic roof is simply irresistible. If I can only upgrade one thing in this car, it'll surely be this All-glass panoramic roof.

3 types of sunroof
Image from thetruthaboutcars

Dad on the wheels, torque demonstrated uphill
Image from Locky's English Playground

Most people are afraid of the electric vehicles because of the lack of horsepower, acceleration, torque, drive range, charging stations and lengthy charging time, but I was never afraid of any of these, and I'm not. Why not? Because I actually do know how electric motor works and the advantage it has over the gas engines.

One of the biggest advantages of the electric motor is that electricity-driven motors are spontaneous because the motor parts activates immediately as soon as electricity gets to them, whereas gas engines will need oxygen to be sucked into the combustion chamber, fuels to be ejected into it, ignited, burned to create energy and then create push to the car. The process is much much slower than the speed electricity travels, and that's why the acceleration really lags, and that's why you can't drive a gas vehicle even at slow speed at high attitude where oxygen is deprived.

Don't believe me? Here's a video from Topgear.

This Model S has a lot of torque, going uphill felt no difference from driving on flat ground, the acceleration is instant, absolutely zero lag in response. The best part? The Model S was really really really really quiet!!! I hate engine sounds, I like the sound of nature, I like songs of birds and breezes, with the Tesla's, you get all that back because this car simply doesn't burn fuels!!

As for the speed, well, neither my dad nor I could really determine during the test drive, that's because the test Model is a left-steering US import and it requires a license to drive and only on a designated route. But the video below has the answer I want.

Not enough? Here are the 3 of the very best reviews I have found,

As for charging points, here's the map for your reference, there is a need for many more, but surely you don't need to worry about running out of electricity during your drive if you have somehow charged it before driving. The great news is, the charging only needs a standard power socket.

View Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points in HK in a larger map

Awards and Awards
Image from Tesla

Lastly, this beauty has already swept a whole bunch of awards this year, namely,

So, experts have also recognised the excellence of this car, any more questions?

If you are an environmentalist like me and you care about the world and the animals, you will love this car! This is a subtle futuristic-looking family sedan of a sport car performance with the space of two hatchbacks, for goodness sake!!!

US$40 to US$194 in 6 months!!!
Image from Yahoo Finance

Why do I always miss out on the IPOs of the biggest and best tech stocks? I knew I was right since the Tesla Roadster, I always know! But why do I always act so slow? It was US$40 in April 2013 and US$194 in September 2013!!!! That's almost 5 folds in 6 months!!! Damn it!!!! Another one of my investment setback after missing out on Samsung!

What should I do now? Work much much harder (times a million) and earn that money for the one car I will buy!!!

Vocabulary:

mesmerise -- (vb) (UK usually mesmerise) [T often passive] to have someone's attention completely so that they cannot think of anything else:

guzzle -- (vb)[I or U] informal to eat or drink quickly, eagerly, and usually in large amounts:

sleek -- (adj) (especially of hair, clothes, or shapes) smooth, shiny, and lying close to the body, and therefore looking well cared for; not untidy and with no parts sticking out:

drag -- (n)[S or U] the force that acts against the forward movement of something that is passing through a gas or a liquid:

frunk -- (n) [C] (portmanteau) front + trunk

deprived -- (adj) not having the things that are necessary for a pleasant life, such as enough money, food, or good living conditions:

Resources:

Science & Technology: Fun Facts About Electric Cars We All Should Know @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/10/science-technology-fun-facts-about.html

Tesla Official Website
http://www.teslamotors.com/models

Tesla Model S: The 2013 Yahoo! Autos Car of the Year @ Yahoo!
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/tesla-model-2013-yahoo-autos-car-165907072.html

Tesla Model S @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S

Top Gear : Scaling the Guallatiri volcano - Top Gear - BBC @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/qRruKBfN70c

Tesla Model S vs BMW M5 Drag Race @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/vvHTN0Yi1t4

Car and Driver: Tested : 2013 Tesla Model S - Review - CAR and DRIVER @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kCG-WqpVnI

Tesla Model S Driving Review -- Exotic Driver @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vwJ-12xOfU

Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) @ Yahoo! Finance
http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=TSLA+Interactive#symbol=tsla;range=5y;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

2013 Tesla Model S Video Review -- LA to Vegas the hard way @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OWhAJz90tg

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mesmerize?q=mesmerize
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/guzzle?q=guzzle
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sleek?q=sleek
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/drag_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/deprive?q=deprive

Wednesday 23 October 2013

News & Opinions: HKTV and the Hong Kong People

Image from Locky's English Playground

Hypothetical situation:

If you are invited by an important staff of a university to apply for their research program, that staff promised you that as long as you have done your research proposal well enough, you will be admitted. There is no limit to the number of intake. Would you do it?

Let say your answer is 'yes'. You spent your own time and truckloads of hard-earned money for your research, submitted your proposal and then you waited.

While you waited and waited, you continued to produce excellent research results and earned city-wide support and recognition.

Then after precisely 3 years, that is May 2013, you finally heard some sort of a follow-up phone call from the university, asking you,

"If we intend to change our intake/ proposal marking scheme, that we might choose 2 applicants out of 3, what are your opinions?"

You gave your personal views on that, the university thanked you, and you hanged up.

Five months later, that is October 2013, you heard from the university that they have decided to pick 2 applicants out of 3, however, they did not reveal any details of their new proposal marking scheme or allow any amendments of the proposals.

After five more months, the results were out, and you failed to qualify for the program.

Naturally, you want to know why you failed and which parts you have not done enough, but the university simply said,

"The details of the intake/ proposal marking scheme is strictly confidential; the panel has had serious discussions over a bundle of considerations. In general, we can tell you that your competitiveness is not as strong as the other two."

And your name is... Ricky Wong.

I don't usually talk about politics and I don't want to rephrase every argument to pretend that I have written something new, I just want to share some useful English which appeared in this ordeal with those of you who seldom read English newspapers.

ordeal -- (n)[C] a very unpleasant and painful or difficult experience:

Here's what you can learn if you do read newspapers,

Tens of thousands of protesters march down the streets of Hong Kong. Scores of people protested against the government's decision to not grant a broadcasting license to HKTV, in a move which they say will hamper the city's creative industry. (AFP/AARON TAM)

Caption and Image from AFP

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to protest against what they see as a lack of government transparency and accountability.

Police put the turnout at 20,000, while organisers said 120,000 were there.

The controversy was sparked last week when the government declined to grant a free-to-air licence to Hong Kong Television Network.

Critics of the government have urged officials to give a clear account of why the licence was refused.

-- BBC News

take to the streets -- When people take to the streets, they express their opposition to something in public and often violently:

transparency -- (n)[U] the quality of being done in an open way without secrets:

accountability -- (n)[U] Someone who is accountable is completely responsible for what they do and must be able to give a satisfactory reason for it:

turnout -- (n)[C] the number of people who are present at an event, especially the number who go to vote at an election:

spark -- (n)[S] a first small event or problem that causes a much worse situation to develop:

free-to-air -- (adj) Free-to-air television or radio programmes are broadcast to everyone and can be watched for free.

critic -- (n)[C] someone who says that they do not approve of someone or something:

The demonstration reflects concerns that Hong Kong’s policies favor big business, lack accountability and may undermine freedom of speech in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. A record wealth gap has spurred popular discontent and driven down poll ratings for Leung, the city’s last leader to be chosen by a committee of business and civic groups before full democracy promised in 2017.

-- Bloomberg

undermine -- (vb)[T] to make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually:

autonomous -- (adj) an autonomous organization, country, or region is independent and has the freedom to govern itself:

spur -- (vb)[T] to encourage an activity or development or make it happen faster:

discontent -- (n)[U] (also discontentment) a feeling of wanting better treatment or an improved situation:

poll -- (n) [C] a study in which people are asked for their opinions about a subject or person:

democracy -- (n) [U] the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves:

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang with HKTV staff
Image from SCMP

Thunderous applause greeted footage of crime thriller The Borderline and infotainment show The Challenge at the protest, a continuation of Sunday's rally against a government decision to leave HKTV out of the free-television market while issuing licences to i-Cable's Fantastic Television and PCCW's HK Television Entertainment.

......

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, newly elected member of the Arts Development Council, said the incident had affected at least 60 students from the Academy for Performing Arts, where he was chairman of the alumni. "This is clearly a black-box operation."

-- SCMP

thunderous -- (adj)[before noun] extremely loud:

applause -- (n)[U] the sound of people clapping their hands repeatedly to show enjoyment or approval of something such as a performance or speech:

infotainment -- (n)[U] (in television) the reporting of news and facts in an entertaining and humorous way rather than providing real information:

rally -- (n)[C] a public meeting of a large group of people, especially supporters of a particular opinion:

Gregory So Kam-Leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (left)
announced the refusal to Ricky Wong (right) and HKTV's license application
Image from SCMP

The Hong Kong government last week gave in-principle approval for Fantastic Television and HK Television Entertainment Company’s applications for free-to-air television broadcast licences, but denied HKTV’s application, as it was deemed the weakest applicant of the three.

Authorities had on Saturday reiterated that “political considerations” played no part in their decision to deny HKTV a broadcast licence, pointing out that the decision-making process was “fair and followed proper procedure”.

-- Channel News Asia

in principle -- If you agree with or believe something in principle, you agree with the idea in general, although you might not support it in reality or in every situation:
deem -- (vb) [T not continuous] formal to consider or judge something in a particular way:
reiterate -- (vb)[T] to say something again, once or several times:

HKTV staff union chairman Yeung Chi-ho told a phone-in program they had asked the government to explain its decision within seven days.

"The refusal of a license has shattered our dreams, but we don't want to cause chaos," he said. "We only want to express our opinions in a peaceful manner."

-- The Standard

shatter -- (vb) [T] to end or severely damage something:
chaos -- (n) [U] a state of total confusion with no order:

Pan-democratic legislators will raise a motion to invoke the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance to pressure the government to disclose more details into its decision not to grant a free-TV license to HKTV.

The Labour Party's Cyd Ho Sau-lan said she has sent a letter to information technology and broadcasting panel chairman Raymond Wong Yuk-man asking to raise the non-binding motion at the panel's special meeting on November 8.

......

The Democratic Party's Sin Chung-kai said it is unfair for the government to cite confidentiality to avoid explaining the issue, which is of great public interest.

-- The Standard

motion -- (n)[C] a formal suggestion made, discussed, and voted on at a meeting:
ordinance -- (n)[C] formal a law or rule made by a government or authority:
binding -- (adj) (especially of an agreement) that cannot be legally avoided or stopped:
cite -- (vb)[T] formal to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something has happened:
confidentiality -- (n)[U] the state of being confidential:

Image from TVB.com

"It could not be a case of all comers being welcomed," Leung said. "We had to evaluate whether the applicants fulfilled specified criteria and to what extent they meet the requirements.

"Our consideration was comprehensive. We definitely had no political agenda, no political consideration."

He added: "We knew that in making the decision, it would be hard to please everyone."

Referring to Wong's move to seek a judicial review, Leung said the government was ready to present its rationale for the rejection of HKTV.

Leung also said the government wanted to increase the number of free- to-air TV licenses in an orderly and progressive manner so there would be healthy competition rather than excessive rivalry.

"We don't want to see a flash in the pan," he said. "We want to see that the progress made is persistent and lasts long term."

......

And Executive Council discussions had to be confidential, he said, adding: "When government Cabinets in other countries hold meetings they are confidential too, no matter what is on the agendas."

-- The Standard

judicial -- (adj) involving a law court:
rationale -- (n) [C or U] the reasons or intentions for a particular set of thoughts or actions:
progressive -- (adj) developing or happening gradually:
rivalry -- (n)[C or U] a situation in which people, businesses, etc. compete with each other for the same thing:
a flash in the pan -- (idioms) something that happens only once or for a short time and will not be repeated
cabinet -- (n) [C usually singular, + sing/pl verb] (GOVERNMENT) (usually Cabinet) a small group of the most important people elected to government, who make the main decisions about what should happen:

Ricky Wong
Image from TVB.com

Wong said the government told it any amendment to its application would be seen as a new application. "You change the rules, but ban me from making changes?" Wong asked.

"It was known then that the licenses would not be issued at the same time."

Wong said that it was only a notice and not a request for more information. He said that any change in the number of licenses to be issued would be regarded as a policy change and, hence, a public consultation was required.

"Does the law override policy or does policy override the law?" Wong asked. "Or is the chief executive above all?"

Wong said that in 1988, the government decided to open the broadcasting market and stated clearly there would be no limit to licenses.

What the chief executive-in-council did last week was to override that decision without any public consultation.

Wong said he refused to accept suggestions that HKTV ranked third behind i-Cable's Fantastic Television and PCCW's Hong Kong Television Entertainment. No government official has contacted him since rejection of his application.

"The government should not only explain to me, but also to all Hongkongers," Wong said.

He added: "I was not angry and have been calm. But don't infuriate me ... my psychological state has reached the tipping point."
-- The Standard