Covid Could Harm Your Penis and Other Horrible News

A study of Covid-infected hamsters yielded interesting results

There might be another way to entice people -- particularly men -- to get vaccinated.

If they don't and catch Covid-19, their sperm count could drop.

That's according to research from the University of Hong Kong, that says the coronavirus could damage testicles, lower sex drive, and affect fertility in men.

The findings were released on Sunday by ProfessorYuen Kwok-yung and his HKU team, based on a study on testicular and hormonal changes in hamsters infected with the virus.

Yuen led the study by HKU researchers

The fact that Yuen even has time to conduct this study while being busy inspecting the airflow and ventilation of buildings whenever there's an infection is quite impressive... and how did they even come up with this hypothesis?!

Nevertheless, it was found that infected hamsters suffered a sharp drop in sperm count and serum testosterone four to seven days after infection.

The rodents also developed chronic testicular atrophy, resulting in a decrease in the size and weight of the testicles. Again aren't those quite small to start with?!

Both Omicron and Delta variants caused similar effects.

At least this is a bit of light-hearted news after days of depressing news and more to come.

Today 6,067 infected cases were recorded, only 12 of which were imported. The Centre for Health Protection has now given up on releasing preliminary positive cases as they did not reflect the true number, but also because they are completely overwhelmed.

Hong Kong officials are throwing their weight behind battling "the enemy", as Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu says the city is in "full-on war mode" he wrote in his blog.

Lee says Hong Kong is in "full-on war mode"

"Now is the most critical time during the two years of anti-pandemic efforts. The SAR government is in a full-on war mode and will follow the important instruction of President Xi Jinping to stabilise the epidemic as an overriding priority, mobilising all forces and resources, taking all necessary steps to protect Hong Kong people's lives and health and ensure Hong Kong's social stability."

So it is under the guise of the pandemic that Hong Kong will follow instructions from Beijing because it is very evident that Hong Kong people cannot govern Hong Kong.

Meanwhile his colleague Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee warned in a radio program that social-distancing measures would be further tightened, but didn't go into details.

What does this mean? People can't even be in groups of two?

Chan says more restrictions to come

It seems the government is intent on making us the most miserable people on earth. We can't eat in a restaurant after 6pm, can't get haircuts or exercise in a gym, watch a movie, attend a concert, go swimming, go to a church/synagogue/mosque service, borrow a book from the library, and attend a wedding or funeral.

And Chan says it's going to get worse?

It's going to be a long, long spring.

Omicron and Delta Variants Found in HK

Yuen holds up the floor plan of the hotel with two infections

The Centre for Health Protection is warning the possibility that not only the Omicron virus is in Hong Kong, but so is the more serious Delta variant.

A woman who worked in a pet shop in Causeway Bay and had hot pot with friends in Yau Ma Tei, was tested for the virus and had the Delta strain. 

Chuang Shuk-kwan of the CHP says they are still trying to find the source of the virus.

Chuang (left) warns of Delta variant in HK

"There may be Delta strain circulating. So it is not only restricted to the Omicron cases we detected recently. So of course we're very worried whether there are other sources of infections that have not been detected. As for the source of [her] infection, we're still investigating," she said.

Today there are 11 recorded infections, eight of which are imported.

Another interesting case involves a woman from Pakistan who completed her hotel quarantine and tested negative throughout the stay, but five days later tested positive for the virus. She may have caught it from another hotel occupant in an adjacent room. Needless to say everybody who did quarantine in the same area of that floor will have to go to a quarantine camp for another 14 days...

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung inspected the Silka Seaview Hotel in Yau Ma Tei and believes the virus may have spread through the corridors when the doors of the guest rooms were opened.

"Tests on the spot showed it was possible the air could go from [one room to the other] through the doors," he said. "There are three air purifiers in the corridors, but there is no air purifier in the rooms. But we were told that they would be installed from [Monday].

"The air purifiers in the corridors were set to auto mode. That is, when the air is detected cleansed, the purifiers will go to sleep or not run at full power. We have advised the hotel management against running the air purifiers in auto mode."

Got the booster today, so far so good

Meanwhile a bit of good news: I got my booster shot today in Sai Wan Ho, the only location on Hong Kong island at the moment. It was fast and painless, though I'm dreading the possible side effects that may happen in the next few hours.

Another thing to cheer about: a young woman I know professionally finally got married to her long-time boyfriend today. So wonderful to watch the video of their nuptials on Facebook! 

When they were allowed to kiss, they did a quick peck on the lips, but after cajoling from witnesses, they did a longer smooth to much applause. The event too out the monotony -- albeit temporarily -- from being reminded of being stuck in Hong Kong for so long...

Hong Kong Forces More Social Distancing

Carrie Lam's slogan today behind her says: "Stay Home, Keep Safe"

Today there was a shocking record of 65 new cases for Hong Kong, most of them again are residents who have come back from overseas, and still more from Lan Kwai Fong.

So Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has to come up with tougher measures to ensure more social distancing, but they are still kind of murky.

At around 5.30pm there was a collective groan in media circles when there was an announcement she would be holding a press conference in an hour... on a Friday...

She and her cabinet introduced new measures to start Saturday

All week there had been an outcry from the bar and restaurant community about her proposal on Monday to ban the sale of alcohol in establishments that have a liquor license. There was even an online petition going around with almost 5,000 signatures from the food and beverage industry against this idea.

It also turns out Lam didn't even seek the advice members from the executive council or her team of infectious disease experts, as they all preferred to use other ways of limiting social gatherings.

So she followed their advice. Describing now as a "public emergency situation", Lam announced that restaurants and bars can only have a maximum of four people per table, and each table should be 1.5 metres apart, and that these places should only hold half their capacity starting from tomorrow for the next two weeks.

In addition all staff need to wear masks, guests' temperatures need to be taken and hand sanitizer should be available.

Insomnia was one of the bars with many infections

The 50 percent capacity will put some restaurants in a bind -- can they make enough money to pay rent, staff, food and utilities? Is it worth even opening?

Many will probably continue to focus on takeaway to reduce their losses somewhat. It's a tough call.

Lam also announced the following establishments will be closed for two weeks starting from 6pm tomorrow: cinemas, fitness centres, saunas, party rooms, gaming centres and places of amusement, such as pool halls. Does that extend to mahjong parlours? Those tables are less than one-metre long and people are sitting there playing for hours...

In any event, spot checks will be carried out by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, and violators in the catering industry will be subject to a maximum fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,450) and six months' in jail. People who flout the public gathering law will be fined HK$25,000 and six months in jail.

Restaurants will have to halve their capacity tomorrow

Hope that's enough of a deterrent to get people to do some serious social distancing.

Meanwhile Lam downplayed the U-turn on her idea of banning alcohol in bars and restaurants.

"The community so far agreed that a ban on liquor is not the right antidote in minimizing social interactions under a public emergency situation," she said. "We will instead enforce two laws to enhance social distancing."

Gatherings that do not fall under the four-person rule are: weddings, funerals, government functions, and workplace meetings. Banquet restrictions will be decided later, Lam said.

While she added the government would provide financial assistance to the catering industry, she was vague on specifics, and appealed to employers not to lay off staff in the near future.

Gatherings at weddings and funerals will be allowed

Does she even know the financial pressure in running a restaurant? Many cannot afford to keep staff when there's no business...

What's interesting to observe is that Lam will float an idea, or announce a measure, and when her panel of infectious disease experts don't think it's stringent enough, they will go to the media to express their opinions.

Then a day or two later Lam follows their advice.

Why doesn't she just listen to them in the first place? Why have an expert panel and not follow their advice? She is wasting precious time in containing the virus in Hong Kong...

Pets Can Be Infected by You

The next item to buy are masks for dogs now that they can catch COVID-19

OK folks -- no more French-kissing your dog. It could catch the coronavirus from you.

This is the latest finding from the Hong Kong health authorities is that a dog owned by a woman who was infected with the coronavirus, passed on the virus to her pet.

This Pomeranian was found to be infected by its owner

A spokesman from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said today that a dog repeated tested weak positive for the COVID-19 virus, a low-level of infection.

But that still means the dog is infected. And various local health and veterinary experts agree it is likely a case of human to dog infection.

The Pomeranian's owner had visited various places around town for several days -- including a wedding -- before she had flu symptoms. She visited her doctor five times before finally being admitted into hospital.

Here's a cat wearing a mask. Cute, no?

Now the dog is under quarantine at an animal-keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

While pet owners are told not to panic and wash their hands right after handling their dogs, their pooches may wonder why their daddy or mommy don't want to kiss them anymore...

Awkwafina's Big Win for The Farewell

Big smile for Awkwafina for her Golden Globe win as Billi in The Farewell

So thrilled Chinese-American actress and rapper Awkwafina won Best Actress in a musical or comedy category in the Golden Globes for The Farewell, that I just watched on the plane the day before on the way back to Hong Kong.

I was going to write a review about the film today, but even better to have Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, be the first Chinese-American actress to win in a big category. Before The Farewell, Awkwafina became famous her comedic character in Crazy Rich Asians.

Zhao Shuzhen plays Billi's grandmother in the film

On stage she thanked her co-star Zhao Shuzhen, who plays her grandmother in the film, and director Lulu Wang, who she paid tribute to.

"You gave me this chance, the chance of a lifetime, and you taught me so much. And just filming this story, being with you, was incredible," Awkwafina said in her acceptance speech.

Then she dedicated the award to her father Wally, saying, "I told you I'd get a job, Dad."

The Farewell is called 别告诉她 or "Don't tell her" in Chinese, about a family distraught about the matriarch's terminal illness, but don't want to tell her. Instead they conjure up a wedding banquet as an excuse for the family to get together to say good-bye.

The movie starts with a message that the story is based on an actual lie that happened in Wang's family that she wrote into The Farewell.

Lulu Wang (left) based the film on her family's story

Awkwafina plays Billi, an aspiring writer from an immigrant family from Changchun, China. She is struggling to get her career started when she finds out from her parents that her paternal grandmother or nai nai is dying -- but no one is to tell her that.

When they arrive in Changchun, everyone struggles to be happy to see her and to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Billi's cousin, and grandmother can't understand why everyone has long faces. It also leads to some funny scenes that break up the sad atmosphere.

What I like about The Farewell is how it cleverly weaves things together. There are themes of identity, family, life and death, and the cultural differences between east and west. Through Billi, the viewers begin to understand Chinese culture, why the family is so adamant nai nai must not know the truth, while she, having grown up in America thinks this is outrageous.

In the film everyone struggles not to tell nai nai the truth

Billi speaks much like other immigrants who moved when they were very young, or second generation -- slowly and with a limited vocabulary. The film is mostly in Mandarin, but when she talks to her parents, it's in English, and her mother and father give context and explanations not only to Billi but to the audience too.

There are also scenes of how China has changed so much in the last few decades with better living standards, and people can quickly become millionaires, so why do the Chinese send their kids to study in the United States? It was interesting to see this issue addressed.

Some of my friends who have seen the film cried their eyes out because The Farewell touches on the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, especially when the grandparents raise the children in their first few years. They also felt The Farewell was their immigrant experience, portrayed accurately on the screen.

Awkwafina thanked Wang for the opportunity to be in the film

For me it was a thoughtful, sentimental look at the challenges families face in dealing with the impending death of an elder, and the different reactions to it. What also made it complex was the layers of lies -- nai nai also lied to her husband about his diagnosis -- does she really know what her situation is and is lying to others about what she knows?

Backstage after Awkwafina's big win, she admitted the role was very challenging for her, because she did not speak Chinese well. But she felt the script was too important to pass up.

I hope there are more films like The Farewell, that tell a more nuanced story about Chinese people and their immigrant experiences, or what it's like to grow up in the west. There are too many stories out there that need to be told.

Old School Chiu Chow Cuisine

The decor in Lok Hau Fook hasn't changed in over six decades!

This evening my relatives and I headed to Kowloon City to eat at one of their favourite haunts, Lok Hau Fook, a Chiu Chow restaurant that dates back 65 years. The decor inside has hardly changed, one of the walls features a giant dragon and phoenix, with a double happiness sign in between them for weddings, though probably no one celebrates their nuptials here anymore.

I heard some Hong Kong films have used this restaurant as a setting for scenes involving triads -- who knew they liked to hang out in old school Chiu Chow restaurants?

In front deep-fried crab mousse and shrimp balls in rear

On a Friday night, the restaurant is almost full and we take our seat -- we get cold very fast from the air conditioning and the fans blowing the cold air.

There's a lot of dishes to choose from, and my uncle already has in mind what he'd like to eat. He hasn't been here for many years and reels off some of his favourites to the waiter.

Pretty soon the lo sui duck arrives with some vinegar and it looks overcooked by it's not -- very tender and juicy, and flavourful from the master sauce. Underneath the thin slices of marinated duck are pieces of tofu that are equally delicious.

We also order some seasonal vegetables and choose chun choi, a Chiu Chow vegetable that is a skinny version of choi sum that was cooked in a broth together with chunks of radish and pork rib bits and ginger for flavour.

Super plump baby oysters in a rice soup with pork

Then came some deep-fried items -- a ball that was a combination of shrimp mousse mixed with finely diced water chestnut, and the a rectangular package of crab meat mousse. Both were so lightly deep-fried that their texture was very soft inside, the hot oil obviously fresh.

Probably one of my favourites is the baby oyster congee. The plump oysters are practically poached in the rice soup along with chunks of minced pork, Chinese ham and mushroom. We each had seconds of this giant tureen.

Another interesting Chiu Chow specialty are dumplings where the wrapper is actually made of a very thin fried egg white, and inside the filling is diced chicken, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, and tied  together by a thin piece of chive topped with shrimp roe. This is such an interesting dish especially in terms of execution; interestingly it tastes of butter, and the bamboo shoots inside are a nice textural highlight.

Dumpling wrappers made of fried egg white are impressive

We were almost full -- but not before we tried some desserts. First up was wok-fried taro covered in sugar -- this is very difficult to execute, as the taro needs to be constantly moving in the hot wok otherwise the sugar on top will burn. Here the slices of taro were practically white with some scallion bits.

Another was a soup of green beans with some translucent jelly cubes. Not a favourite, but a fantastic finish was a taro pudding, again constantly stirred in the wok which is challenging because the grounded taro is so sticky. The end result is a very smooth and sweet hot pudding that's practically screaming to be called comfort food. The small bowl looks deceiving, but really one or two spoonfuls are all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

In the end our bill came to just under HK$1,000 for four. We will surely be back again as my uncle already began thinking about what to order next time...

Stir-fried slices of taro covered in sugar is difficult to make

Lok Hau Fook
1-3 Hau Wong Road
Kowloon City
2382 7408

Walking Around Houhai

Gorgeous views of Houhai that show a very serene-looking lake

New York has Central Park, Vancouver has Stanley Park, and Beijing has Houhai, 后海, or literally the "back lakes".

After a giant meal of Peking duck and other delicious dishes, we walked it off by heading to the Drum and Bell Towers, but got there minutes before they closed so we couldn't go up the towers. We lingered a bit to watch a middle-aged woman perform a ribbon dance before we walked west along Gulou Road to find a way into Houhai.

One bride getting ready for her close-up

It took a while to finally find an alleyway in and then we wandered along a side street before finally getting into Houhai. We had a pleasant stroll around as it was relatively quiet and we did lots of people watching.

One couple was taking pre-wedding pictures and the groom had trouble hoisting his slightly overweight bride up onto the railing. We also came across a mother and daughter feeding ducks some bread, and an older woman who had a large cylindrical trap that she caught some really small fish in.

For the most part we hardly saw many people at the back of the back lakes, and once in a while there were exercise areas with grannies to young people working out. One man in his early 50s was really buff and showed off by walking around shirtless and doing some tricks on the handlebars. We also saw a stray tabby cat hanging out and didn't care for humans.

Another woman catching small fish in the lake!

Finally after walking for what seemed like ages, but apparently Houhai is only 6km long, we managed to walk to the entrance of the back lakes. It used to be bustling with lots of restaurants and bars blaring music, and even a Starbucks at the front. But these shop spaces were all boarded up and looked very sad.

The area around the lake isn't as boisterous as it used to be -- which is a good thing -- but its local flavour is not so edgy anymore. Or is it me just being nostalgic?

Picture of the Day: QE Park

Such a nice treat to see the park in full bloom in the summertime

After my friends and I had an early dinner on Main Street, I suggested we head to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Park to walk around and digest our meal.

It was still bright outside and I hadn't really visited the park in ages. Turns out all of us needed a refresher.

The 130-acre park was named after Queen Elizabeth, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, and it's the highest point in Vancouver at 152 metres above sea level.

Succulents line the bases of these trees and giant plants

It has sunken gardens because it used to be a quarry, and the landscapers definitely made good use of the land. The gardens are well maintained and it's a favourite place for wedding photos in the summer.

While some parts of the park are the same, there are others that have been upgraded or modernized. One section featured mounds of trees where the bases are decorated with lots of succulents! Talk about creating more colours and textures!

There's also another section that has three metal sculptures where happy couples can demonstrate their love by putting their lock on the three dimensional figures.

Apparently it's inspired by Pont des Arts in Paris, where couples seal their love for each other, but the sculptures here are hardly covered in locks, though there are many. And it's not just couples showing their love, but also grandparents and grandchildren too, some in different languages like French and Chinese.

Sampling Treats at Lee Tung Avenue

Love it or loathe it -- Lee Tung Avenue from Queen's Road East

This afternoon I met a food writer friend visiting from Vancouver and after a very good traditional dim sum at Hoi King Keen in the InterContinental Grand Stanford, we went over to Wan Chai where he was taken on a tour of Lee Tung Avenue.

The coffee here is expensive, but expertly made

The are area used to be known as "Wedding Card Street", where shops would help couples get their invitations printed up. They were moved out so that a massive residential/commercial development could come up. In the end it's a pedestrian-only strip that tourists think is neat, while others think it's a gentrification exercise gone totally wrong.

Nevertheless my friend sampled the Japanese coffee at Omotesando Koffee and said it was spot on, very smooth. He admired the clean minimalist design of the place, as well as nearby Japanese bakery Yoku Moku, appreciating the preciseness of how all the cakes were made and presented.

We even tried Calbee, a Japanese potato chip shop that is a nostalgic favourite for Hong Kong people, something I was unfamiliar with. At this place, people can order freshly made potato chips in various combinations, including with soft serve ice cream, or topped with chocolate sauce or cheese sauce.

Typhoon shelter spicy chips with soft serve ice cream

Curious, we tried the limited edition Hong Kong typhoon shelter one that featured spicy chips with soft serve ice cream (HK$38). Just a few minutes later came a large paper bowl filled with the spicy waffled chips with soft serve in a small cup. It was a nice presentation, and there were no broken chips at all -- they are all sorted out during the production process.

The chips themselves were mildly spicy and so when they were paired with the ice cream, the spiciness was dulled, tasted sweet and salty, and there were the textures of crunchy and soft, hot and cold.

At first my friend was indifferent to it, thinking it was bizarre, but interesting. After trying a few more he admitted they began to grow on him.

Previously I didn't understand why people lined up to buy these chips, but now I do, because how can you beat having freshly-made chips? Not that I will specifically go and order these myself, but now I know what all the fuss is about.

Our strawberry-passion fruit rose gelato

We also tried some gelato by Givres and the gelato is scooped up flat and then arranged around a cone like a rose. My friend had never seen this before so we ordered one to try, in strawberry and passion fruit flavours (HK$66 two flavours).

He was very impressed. I had tried it last year in Paris thought not as artfully arranged as this one. The two fruit flavours were delicious and not too sweet. While the amount of gelato isn't the same as other ice creams you'd get in places like Haagen-Daz, at least it's pretty looking!

True Love Conquers All

Victor and his now fiancee posing for pre-wedding pictures in Iceland

People are still talking about Victor and Stephanie BB's wedding proposal from last weekend, gobsmacked that he spent HK$400,000 ($51,590) on a 1.5-carat diamond ring, a hotel suite with a view and a helicopter flying by with a banner that had the proposal written on it.

Many are wondering if it's a publicity stunt and if the media who reported it were paid to cover the story.

But we'd like to contrast this with two other couples.

A couple in Turkey got married near the Syrian border and celebrated the nuptials by inviting 4,000 Syrian refugees to eat with them. The bride and groom even spooned out food for the less fortunate.

A Turkish newlywed couple dishes out food for refugees

It was the idea of the groom's father, who was glad the couple began their married life "with such a selfless action".

The bride admitted being shocked at the idea at first, but then she was so happy she was able to help others in need.

The groom added, "Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the Syrian refugee children is just priceless. We started our journey with making others happy and that's a great feeling," he said.

And in Anhui province, a 30-year-old man paid for a 12,000 yuan ($1,932) diamond ring in coins to give to his former childhood sweetheart.

Liang Liang wheeled a tricycle loaded with 150kg of coins into bags to a jewellery shop in Fuyang. The highest denomination coin was 1 yuan.

Staff counting the coins Liang used to buy a ring

It took four employees half a day to count all the coins, that were neatly wrapped in newspaper.

Liang said he was fulfilling a promise he made to his fiancee made 20 years earlier when they were children.

"Do you remember 20 years ago I said I would earn money and marry you?" Liang was quoted as saying. "Now I've earned enough to buy you a ring, please marry me!"

His fiancee accepted and was reportedly so moved by his proposal that she burst into tears.

Liang had said that several jewellery stores turned him away when he asked if he could pay for the ring in coins. But the manager of the shop that sold him the ring said staff were touched by his story and would put the coins on display as "the best evidence of true love".

We hope this brings everyone back to reality, that there are some people out there who are celebrating their love with true hearts.

A Very Public Proposal

Interested in shooting your pre-wedding photos in Iceland?

The big story trending in Hong Kong now is the guy who spent HK$400,000 ($51,588) to propose to his girlfriend.

Thirty-seven-year-old Victor Tang spent HK$200,000 on a 1.5-carat diamond ring, then book a corner suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong for HK$26,000, and hired a helicopter for HK$150,000 to carry a 100kg red banner that read: "I love you! Stephanie BB, will you marry me?"

A public engagement complete with helicoptered proposal

Oh yeah and another HK$15,000 for a video crew to film it all.

What did his girlfriend Stephanie Cheung of one year say?

Well, yes.

Once this over-the-top proposal was reported, people managed to find out online that the couple had already taken their wedding photos in April -- in Iceland.

From the documentary-style video, it seems like a wedding photographer called Muse Chan persuaded the lovebirds to fly all the way to Iceland to take some dramatic and romantic photographs despite the below freezing temperatures.

Stephanie & Victor ~ Iceland Pre-wedding (冰島拍攝花絮 ) from Muse Muse on Vimeo.
Stephanie & Victor ~ Iceland Pre-wedding (冰島拍攝花絮 )

不知不覺MUSE MUSE的冰島之旅以經一個月了！
回想每一步的足跡都是經歷，都是難能可貴的。
感謝Stephanie 和Victor，也和我們一起留下美好的回憶～
同時極端驟變的天氣也是最考驗一個團隊的拍攝技巧和默契！
大家一起來感受冰島拍攝的點滴吧〜：]

Video & Edit by Man Ho @ Muse Muse Cine

** More about this Trip :
Muse Chan X Profoto - The Extreme Iceland
https://vimeo.com/125996091

Muse Muse ~ Iceland Trip Showreel 2015 ~
https://vimeo.com/125427732

Sure there are some amazing shots -- her in a strapless floor-length red dress lying on a block of ice, or her in a wedding dress and veil hugging him from behind in a barren landscape -- but there are some odd ones too like posing by the carcass of a crashed airplane? How is that romantic?

It just seemed like the shots were taken there just because they could, but not because the couple had always wanted to visit Iceland or had some mutual interest in the country.

A dramatic picture of the couple on an airplane crash site...

And yes the photographer did give out his secret of using a Pentax for the shoot...

So the media was totally had by the couple, who were totally had by the photographer.

It seems like a total publicity stunt for everyone involved while the media were duped into thinking this was an interesting story on a very slow news day.

Lots of people commented on how outrageous so much money was spent (this was before the wedding photo shoot was discovered), and mocked how Tang said, "I'm not a rich guy but I control my budget".

In the end he must have spent way more than HK$400,000 on wooing Cheung... God knows how much. But was it really worth it?

We'll find out after the wedding - if it happens... or maybe they're already hitched and they're doing everything backwards...

Chinese Super Travelers Conquer Poles

Two Chinese tourists pose for pictures on Antarctica

When we talk about travel, someone always mentions mainland Chinese tourists. And these days it looks like they have pretty much conquered the entire planet.

More of them -- well the wealthy ones -- are going to far-flung locations like the Arctic and the Antarctic. There were only 99 Chinese tourists who visited the Antarctic in 2005-2006, but the number has risen to 3,042 in 2014-2015, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).

One of them was Zhang Mengying, a 31-year-old manager from Guangzhou, who had always wanted to visit the Antarctic, the Arctic and the equator.

She took a more than 30-hour flight from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires, transited in Dubai and Rio Janeiro. After a night's rest, she took another flight to the Argentinian town of Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of South America to embark on a week-long cruise of the Antarctic.

"The most impressive thing was the impact it had on my soul," Zhang said. "Seeing the magnificent, breathtaking beautiful scenery and animals around me, I couldn't help thinking that nature was so great that all big and small disputes in our society were meaningless."

The trip also made her more conscious about global warming, but traveling such far distances surely doesn't help the carbon footprint situation...

A pair of penguins captivate some Chinese tourists

Apparently trips to the North and South Poles make up one-third of tours Chinese "super travelers" took last year.

The Hurun Chinese Luxury Traveller report polled 291 such travelers, defining them as those with at least 10 million yuan and had spent at least US$30,000 on travel in the past 12 months.

"The recent popularity of Antarctica with the Chinese luxury traveler shows how much experiential travel is now on the cards," said Hurun Report chairman Rupert Hoogewerf.

Based on travel numbers, to the Antarctic, China is ranked fourth, after the United States, Australia, and the UK.

Charles Wang, in charge of tours to the Antarctic and the Arctic for HH Travel, an upmarket brand for travel website ctrip.com, says, "Over the last two to three years, our Antarctic clients have been doubling by the year.

"One interesting phenomenon is that in the past, only entrepreneurs, gold-collar workers and retirees went to the Antarctic. But now, the tourists are becoming younger," he said.

HH Travel offers two trips: a 12-day trip to the Antarctic Peninsula for almost 200,000 yuan ($32,221), and a more than 20-day trip to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island for 300,000 yuan ($48,331).

Isn't it cold taking wedding photos in the Antarctic?

And how do Chinese tourists behave on these trips?

There have been reports of them charging at groups of penguins, chasing them or getting to close to take pictures. Some even take wedding photos there...

Beijing retiree Yang Yuan, 50, went to the Antarctic in January. "I was stunned by the pure scenery and was moved by the service of my American cruise operator, who spared no effort in protecting the environment," she said.

While it's great to have the Chinese appreciate practically pristine environments, do they understand the importance of protecting them as much as possible, wherever you live?

Getting Hitched to Reality of Marriage

The documentary looks at what happens to couples after they get married...

When people get married, do they really know what they are getting themselves into? Do they know what challenges they will face and how they will deal with them? With 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce, why do people still tie the knot?

Those are the kinds of questions New York-based documentary filmmaker Doug Block asks in his film 112 Weddings.

I had read about the documentary in a newspaper article almost a year ago and was curious to actually see it. And on the flight back to Hong Kong I had that opportunity.

Documentary filmmaker Doug Block

Block is an award-winning documentary filmmaker (The Kids Grow Up, 51 Birch Street, The Heck with Hollywood!), who funds his passion by being a wedding videographer.

He started doing it over 20 years ago and in that period has shot 112 weddings. He narrates the documentary by saying, "I found it unexpectedly thrilling to be a wedding videographer. We're always struggling to gain access to our subjects, and here I was being granted a front-row position as an ordinary couple experience perhaps the most extraordinary day in their lives (and being paid well for it, no less!).

When his 25th wedding anniversary came around, it prompted Block to go and find the same couples again to see how marriage had affected them, if it was what they thought it would be, and how they fared.

He tried to track down some of his favourite couples; a few may have moved away and he lost contact with him, while others had divorced and didn't want to talk on camera.

In the film each interview starts with footage from the wedding, and then the couple is interviewed. Even though they are trying to present the best side of themselves, their body language and the words they choose are more telling.

Wedding #71, Block says, Jenn and Augie's was one of the most joyful he had ever witnessed. After eight years, they were still in love with each other with one child, but financially things were tight and admitted they were fighting more than when they had gotten married.

Augie said that after a fight one would want space, but in reality they are in this together because of the child and so they have to work hard to make things work. "My wife and I agree 95 percent of the time. But that 5 percent, we're just at each other's throats."

Olivia and Dennis were Wedding #49, with Olivia wearing a kind of pearl-encrusted crown that made her look like a medieval princess walking down the aisle. After they got married, the couple moved to Tulum, Mexico for her to be a massage therapist, and him a scuba diving instructor.

When their daughter Lily was born, they moved back to New York, but when she turned three, Lily was diagnosed with a brain tumour which threw their lives into turmoil.

The two parents completely focused on their child, with the constant fear of losing her at anytime, which put their lives into perspective as well. They needed each other to help Lily get better, and as they are interviewed, Block pans up above the casual white shirted-couple on the couch to reveal an elaborate gold-framed portrait of their daughter, who looks sad.

Dennis says, "There is no real book on how to take care of a child who maybe taken from you at any moment, and dealing with that fear. You're thrown into a living nightmare that never ends."

However, Block reports on his website that Lily is now 10 and her parents say is "kicking ass".

Tom and Yoonhee looking back on their wedding day

There was one mixed-race couple in the documentary, Yoonhee and Tom, Wedding #43. They met on a plane and Tom wouldn't give up pursuing her, even though she was supposed to finish her masters degree in music, and her father back in Korea had already arranged a teaching job for her there.

But she fell in love with Tom and decided to give up her career for him, much to the chagrin of her father, who at first refused to come to the wedding, but did come in the end. Yoonhee and Tom now have two children.

Block asks them if he thinks it was fate for them to meet on the plane. While Tom immediately dismisses the possibility, Yeehoon, who seems very bubbly and optimistic, looks out into space and says, "Life can be funny. Life can be very funny because, I mean, why did it happen, you know?"

Alexander and Janice just after finishing their own vows

Another loving couple was Janice and Alexander, Wedding #111. Both their parents were very displeased to find out the couple did not want to have a "wedding", as it involved ownership, right of lineage, and possession, values they did not believe in; instead they had a three-day "partnership ceremony", and Block shows a scene of them right afterwards, so excited, and Alexander saying, "We did it! We did it!"

Thirteen years later they still seem happily together, with two daughters, and the older one keenly aware that though they are her parents, they are not legally married.

When Block contacted them, though, Janice and Alexander decided it was time to really get married, and was lucky enough to record their very small ceremony in their living room, which was just as emotional, if not more, with their children as witnesses.

The documentary managed to dissect a few marriages that had gone sour. Janet and David, (Wedding #83) had beautiful wedding, but seemed strange for the groom to reveal how many meds he was taking -- was this to calm his nerves or was he always like this?

After seven years and a child later, the marriage was over, and David, with disheveled hair, sitting in a small apartment is honest about what happened. He was a struggling screenwriter and didn't get too far, while it seemed Janet wanted her husband to grow up and take responsibility of looking after the family.

Block wasn't able to get Janet's side of the story, but David is not malicious at all, taking complete blame for the end of the marriage and admires her for being with him throughout that time.

However the same could not be said of Sue and Steve, Wedding #1. When Block contacted Sue about doing the documentary, she said she had just filed for divorce the day before. She had recently found out her husband had been cheating on her and had another woman, which was a complete shock to her.

The filmmaker was able to get Steve's side of the story, where he says the marriage became lifeless, particularly when three children were in the picture, and things were very routine.

In the end there is a scene with Sue looking back at her wedding photos. She says she can look at them because it's a different person in the picture.

One sad couple was Danielle and Adam, Wedding #90. Block remembers Danielle as a radiant bride, but when he met them again five years later, she was severely depressed, something she had before, but the sadness was magnified after taking hormone pills to get pregnant.

With the two of them together, she looked despondent and very pessimistic, saying how she could not contribute as much as she wanted to the family because she was tired all the time.

But her husband was so stoic and even said on camera: "I personally feel like you're completely worth waiting for, for this to fix itself one day. And even if that's never, I still think that I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else, you know?"

Wedding #112: Heather and Sam after their ceremony

To add more depth to 112 Weddings, Block also interviewed a lesbian couple who were also wedding photographers. Anna and Erica have been together for four years and are keen to get married, to be recognized legally as a couple.

And then as a counterpoint to the previous weddings, Block follows Heather and Sam, Wedding #112, and both are very articulate in talking about their hopes and dreams of what they want their marriage to be like. The film ends with the end of their wedding ceremony, and they begin walking literally into the sunset, into the unknown.

112 Weddings makes you realize that there are a lot of things people don't necessarily consider when they get married, but by the same token, you don't know how you will deal with a situation until it happens, and it requires teamwork. Love and communication are essential, but also can the relationship sustain through time? No one knows until they actually go through with it...

An App to Crackdown on Corruption

The public can now use a new app to crack down on corrupt officials in China

It's getting harder for Chinese officials to get away with robbing from taxpayer coffers and spending it on themselves.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has just launched a smartphone app that allows the public to anonymously upload pictures and videos they take of officials who may be misusing public funds or government vehicles, or breaking Communist Party rules on lavish entertainment.

Not only is it a way for the public to help the CCDI root out bad elements from the Party, but also perhaps instill some confidence in the people that the government is trying to tackle the problem.

CCDI says the public can anonymously upload text (432 characters), pictures and videos (up to 5MB) that denounce what the Communist Party says are "the four decadent tendencies" that include "hedonism and extravagance".

Wang Qishan (centre) heads the CCDI to root out corruption

Violations that could possibly be lavish spending on entertainment, expensive holidays in China or abroad, handing out funds or gifts that violate Party rules, extravagant wedding banquets, parties or funerals.

According to the Communist Party, some 100,000 people have been punished for disciplinary violations in the past two years, though many received minor disciplinary punishments to avoid going to court.

While some members of the public thing the app is a fantastic idea, even praising anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan as a "great man", others are cynical and wonder if the CCDI has enough manpower to catch all the corrupt officials on the app. Others pondered online if these officials would really be brought to justice, or that others may take revenge through the app...

Nevertheless, it will be much harder for officials to think themselves different from the rest of the people.

In China these days, appearances really are everything.