more helpful signs featuring doraemon

I noticed this collection of escalator etiquette signs today (on an escalator I use almost daily -- how did I miss this?!). They happen to feature everyone's favorite robo-cat from the future, Doraemon (or Xiao Ding-dong, if you know him by his Chinese name). I might have to go back and take some better shots of this, because it's hard to make out his facial expressions in some of these. However, I'm pretty sure he's doing a winky-smile in the top-left sign. And I'm almost certain I see a winky-frown (just like this one) on his face on the top-right sign.

hop on

I pass this shop on the minibus every time I go to HKU, and yesterday I walked down the hill from the campus just to take a picture of it. "Hop On" is of course a great name for a bicycle shop. But in this case, I think the fact that the English name has any relevance at all is purely coincidental. The name "Hop On" is just the romanization of the Chinese name, which means "cooperation and peace."I'm sure there are plenty of other "double meaning" signs like this in Hong Kong. I wonder if anyone has created a website/book about this phenomenon...probably. But if not, maybe I will...

dear i love you cafe

This picture probably doesn't need much explanation. The name of the cafe is obviously quite memorable, but I think I like the sign underneath the best. "When she looking you eye. Don't lie please."

I actually got off the minibus a stop early to take this picture today... that's how much the cafe intrigued me.

Oh, and for anyone interested in going to the cafe, it's in Mongkok, near the KCR tracks. Yeah, I know that's not very helpful... I could probably come up with an address and directions if necessary.

miniature football clinic

I walk by this sign in Mong Kok quite a lot. It's on the way to the minibus that I take to HKU, so without fail, a few mornings a week I find myself wondering, "What is a miniature football clinic?!" And unfortunately, the Chinese characters don't offer much help. I think the larger characters just say "small football clinic"... but then I could be wrong.

So, any ideas? All I can think of is foosball, or maybe a HK version of little league...

tagging

I came across this sign in the stairwell of a building yesterday, and am still not sure what it means. All I can think of is that they've had problems with obnoxious children chasing each other up and down the stairs and screaming, "YOU'RE IT!!" If any Chinese readers out there can fill me in on other possible interpretations, I'd be much obliged.

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Update: My friend Kristi informs me that "tagging" can refer to graffiti, or a special style of graffiti. Thanks, Kristi!

something for your senses...

I noticed this huge sign outside of a mall in Kwai Fong the other day. You can have a sense of humor, a sense of style, and now a sense of... shopping. I guess it makes some sense (oops... hehe) in HK, which is probably the only city in the world with its very own shopping festival.

trip to lantau with the kite master

Last Tuesday I went with Jon to Lantau, for a day trip to Sunset Peak. Here's the view from the Central ferry pier -- what a clear day!



We went to Wellcome for some supplies and "luxury drinks" (pocari for me and diet coke with lemon for J Lo). Here's Jon with his ridiculously small backpack.


On the trail.

It keeps going...

I think that's HK island and Kowloon that I'm pointing to off in the distance...

A nice view of Castle Peak and Tuen Mun. I did't remember this particular view from other hikes up... was it just never clear enough before? Or am I just unobservant? Probably the latter...

We went over to Cabin 2 and had lunch on the roof.
Me enjoying the view before the clouds rolled in.

The Kite Master hard at work.
As you can see, the kite we selected was either a hawk or a kite (the bird variety). We couldn't decide whether to call it Kitey the Kite Kite or Hawkney.

Look at that thing fly!

Kitey/Hawkney's downfall... literally.


Saying goodbye to Cabit 2.


A nice sign at the bottom of the trail. I thought the little panic-stricken stick figures frantically running away from the landslide were a nice touch.


This was a sign we spotted on the ferry, on our way back to Central. I guess sometimes we all need a little reminding...

what's your sign?

Here's a collection of funny (and thought-provoking) signs from my recent trip to Beijing.

I didn't use this particular restroom in the Forbidden City, but maybe I should have. It was possibly the first and last 4-star toilet I'll ever come across.


The huge Olympic count-down clock in Tiananmen Square.
It seemed like there was Olympics stuff everywhere in Beijing, even in 2001 when I was studying there. Well, now that the Olympics is only 2 years away, you'd be hard-pressed to walk a block in the city without being bombarded with Beijing Olympics 2008 slogans. We visited a secondary school in Beijing, and they'd actually worked the Olympics into their curriculum. I noticed a list of the day's classes written on a blackboard in one classroom, and was surprised to see "Olympic" as the final subject, after English and Politics. This is a sign board right outside of that school. In case you find the picture difficult to read, the message is written below:

Excercise an hour a day. Work in good health.

Taste the joys of the happy life all your life.

Affection with the Olympic Games.

Accompanied with civilization and courtesy.

I found this sign on a railing around a statue in the Summer Palace.

The infamous speaking cellphone.

A little known fact that smoking is prohibited on the Great Wall. I say "little known", because I came so close to getting a shot of a guy smoking right in front of this sign... would have been funny, but not exactly unusual in China.

After descending from the heights of the Great Wall, many in our group enjoyed a serving of refreshing mashed snow cream.
Stay tuned for some non-sign pictures very soon!