#firstworldproblems

People in Hong Kong seem to complain to leverage something out of it...

It seems that Hong Kong people love to complain. About everything.

And many use social media as a weapon to threaten businesses to expose what they think is a massive injustice to them.

For example, a friend went to Park N Shop, a regular supermarket, to buy a bun to accompany a salad she had at home. She just wanted to buy the pork bun, but in front of her was a customer who came to return a bun with figs in it -- because it didn't have enough figs in it.

Seriously? This is Park N Shop. This isn't a famous gourmet bakery that stakes its reputation on quality.

But my friend noted that the server was very patient, helping this woman find a bun with more figs in it and got her one. The customer even demanded the staff cut it open so she could see how much of the fruit was in there.

That server should get the employee of the month award.

Another friend works in a hotel and they received a complaint from a group claiming to have contracted food poisoning after eating at the buffet. But the complaint came four days after the incident, and they said they were still unwell and they had already planned a trip to Japan. If the hotel didn't do anything to compensate, then they would take to social media with their complaint.

Food poisoning is very difficult to prove, especially when people in Hong Kong eat out so much. You also need a big group of people to all fall ill at the same time, because one or two people could be an isolated incident.

But that's not all. Another complainant said traffic in front of the hotel was so bad that it took them forever to get a taxi.

What does that have to do with the hotel? Why not contact the police and tell them to sort out traffic issues in the area?

Yet another complaint came to a friend whose company sold water filters. A customer bought one and said the water from it didn't taste good and felt the water filter was not functioning properly.

The company offered to give him a refund, but he still wanted a media expose about it and contacted a local paper to do a story. But really, if a company is already offering a refund, no questions asked, what is the problem?

How did Hong Kong people become like this?

Many of the complaints outlined here are not worth ranting over. If you didn't get enough figs in the bun then don't buy it from the supermarket anymore, or look more closely next time for one with more figs in it.

Food poisoning needs to have a big group of people -- who report it in a timely manner. Traffic issues? Call the police. And if a company is willing to refund a water filter or give you a new one, what more can you complain?

Rants like these make a mountain out of a molehill and wears down staff who have to deal with them. These people don't want to be cheated -- but out of what?

Can we please be more mature about these things and only complain when it's really justified?

And with all the things happening in the world right now -- particularly the desperate plight of Syrians trying to flee their country -- complaining about small things is really pathetic.

Time to grin and bear it.

#firstworldproblems

A Mighty Fine Temporary Distraction

Some 12,000 soldiers showing off their practiced moves in Tiananmen Square

When I lived in Beijing several years ago, we never marked September 3, the anniversary of the end of World War II with a public holiday.

So it was strange to find China was celebrating the 70th anniversary with a day off -- and Hong Kong too -- because historically it was the Nationalists who fought off the Japanese and suffered great casualties, not the Communists.

But then again massaging the facts to be compatible with the PRC narrative is nothing new.

Xi Jinping inspects the troops in his Mao suit

It also fits into Chinese President Xi Jinping's plans to prove to not only the country, but the world who is in charge of 1.3 billion people.

Like his predecessor, he too wore a tailored dark Mao suit as he inspected the 12,000 soldiers, who had been practicing for probably months for this big event. Apparently they rehearsed marching so much that they wore out 16,000 pairs of boots.

Factories were shut down, people were swept off the streets and businesses in the area were closed -- basically no ordinary citizen was allowed to witness the parade first hand and instead had to watch it on television.

Xi also had his wife Peng Liyuan attend, the first time the First Lady has been allowed to be part of the festivities. She wore the obligatory red dress and pearls, giving a bit more style to the proceedings.

In his speech, Xi spoke of China's contribution to the victor of the allied powers to remind the West of the Middle Kingdom's standing.

"With huge national sacrifice, the Chinese people held ground in the main theatre in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, thus making a major contribution to its victory," he said.''

China showed up its military might on the ground and air

"In the interests of peace, we need to foster a keen sense of a global community of a shared future. All countries should jointly uphold the international order and system underpinned by the purposes of the UN Charter," Xi continued."

He added: "China will never seek hegemony or expansion."

If China is seeking peace, then why this extraordinary show of military might? Lots of hardware was out in force to show its citizens and the world who's got power.

But while the parade was predictable, many residents were bursting with nationalistic pride -- particularly when being interviewed by foreign media.

They parroted phrases about how the parade showed how great the country is. They seemed to temporarily forget the stock market is on the fritz and there are still no answers as to what caused the massive explosions at a warehouse in Tianjin that has left at least 160 people dead.

And for Xi to say that China is not seeking hegemony or expansion is intriguing considering what's happening in the South China Sea. China has practically reclaimed land on a set of disputed reefs, even building an airstrip. If that's not expansionist, I don't know what that is.

China's party is over for now, though in less than a month there may be more celebrations with National Day on October 1.

It probably won't be as grand as it was today, though many residents may be glad giving the appearance that all is perfect in the Middle Kingdom is over, and now they can go about their daily lives again...

Fact of the Day: Increased Parking Tickets

Some people block the roads just so that they can get into their own vehicles

There have been many complaints about how the police don't do enough to ticket people who are illegally parked, resulting in lots of traffic congestion.

Just look at Chater Road in front of Prince's Building, or Lee Gardens in Causeway Bay during rush hour, where chauffeurs are picking up their masters and mistresses.

But now the police claim they have stepped up their work and are now issuing a parking ticket every 26 seconds.

That means they are issuing 3,379 a day, which projects to about 1.23 million this year.

This is a 15 percent increase compared to last year, where 2,930 tickets were issued daily on average, or 1.06 million tickets, while compared to 2013 it is a 21 percent increase, as 2,795 tickets were written per day or 1.02 million tickets in total.

In the first seven months of this year the police have issued 723,129 fixed penalty tickets.

Not only that, but the police are also supporting a suggested increase in the fixed penalty for illegal parking from HK$320 ($42) to HK$448. While it doesn't seem much, it is a 40 percent jump from 1994 levels when the penalty was last increased.

"This has to do with deterrence. If you get a ticket, and you think 'it is not a lot of money, I can afford it', then it is not achieving anything. That is wasting the time of the traffic wardens," says Mark Steeple, a superintendent from the transport branch.

"We want the traffic wardens to issue a ticket so that person can learn a lesson. I think it can increase, but it is not for us to say how much," he said.

While lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai of the NeoDemocrats and a member of the Legislative Council's transport panel said more carparks were needed, Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Tang Ka-piu, vice-chairman of the panel, said if the city's public transport system was better, fewer people would use their own cars.

Excuse me? If the public transport system was better?

Tang gives the impression of not using the public transport system at all. What more needs to be improved? The MTR is already one of the best in the world as it's clean, fast and efficient, buses are not bad and quite frequent, and there are also minibuses and taxis, and trams for those who are not in a hurry.

People buy private cars because they don't want to sit with the rest of us riff raff who can't afford it. That is their prerogative, but they must also pay the consequences if they park illegally. It's that simple really.

We say bring on the increase -- double it, or triple it even -- because these people who purchase vehicles can definitely afford even an HK$800 or HK$1,200 fine. Why not?

Then maybe we'll finally get rid of congestion on the roads...

Saving Lives or Not?

The patient's wife sits in the hospital hoping for a liver donor for her husband

A male patient at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam has days to live after his liver transplant was stopped because it was found the new liver had early stages of cancer.

The operation was aborted, despite the low chances of the patient getting cancer, and now he has slipped into a coma. While his condition is described as "stable", it could change at any time.

The incident has resulted in a debate about the ethics of the medical procedure -- should surgeons still have gone ahead with the transplant? He seems to be in a worse state than he was before he went in for surgery.

However medical professionals said the surgeons did follow the correct protocol, but it seems nothing is being done to rectify the situation and try to find a right match as soon as possible.

Dozens of people have called the hospital to see if they are possible matches, and some have complained to the media that the hospital either didn't get back to them in a timely manner, or don't seem to treat this situation as an emergency.

Hopefully this issue has made people more aware of the importance of organ donation and possibly give them an incentive to live healthy lifestyles.

The patient's wife is terribly distraught, and the family has appreciated the public's interest in helping him. They are strong Christian believers, saying this is "in God's hands" and hope a suitable liver donor will come forward soon.

Is this really how this incident should end? By the same token, there are many patients who die waiting for an organ donation too. There are 94 people currently waiting for a new liver, and only 19 liver donations from deceased donors, 10 from live donors.

It's a sad state of affairs, but we hope an organ donor will save this man's life soon.