Hong Kong: what next?

[Jessiedog]

And always, lurking in the background and arriving imminently ...

My youngest daughter is arriving from the Philippines tomorrow lunchtime (23/12/22,) to stay for two weeks. I haven't seen her for four fucking years, what with the NSL and Covid and shit!

She's 30 years old.

She graduated from the top university in the Philippines, Cum Laude, in International Development Studies (she wanted to be a fucking diplomat or something, FFS!), and recently completed her three year Masters degree in International Business with a thesis in Human Resources.

Working full time (45 - 50 hours a week), in highly complex governmental and private sector positions and building a career and a reputation for her integrity, straightforwardness, attention to detail, passion, discipline, persistence, compassion, empathy and creativity - she's quite fucking something!

Highly articulate fluency in idiomatic spoken and written English, with an extraordinarily broad vocabulary.

Tested to Level Four fluency in spoken Japanese (in whatever the benchmark exam is).

And learning Mandarin for the last three years in her spare time.

Native Philippino speaker and mother tongue Tagalog.

A truly profound creature of the universe in the 21st Century.

Usually, in her spare time, to be found with her head down in a book.


And yet, she still earns less than a fucking quarter (yes, less than a fucking 1/4!) of the UK minimum wage!


How the fuck does that work!? It's a fucked up world! It's fucking unfair and not right!



Anyway ... Heh!

She's smart as a fucking button, progressive and politically engaged with a global/international perspective.

A committed feminist. Mostly quiet and studious and yet stridently vocal and intolerant of stupidity, ignorance and prejudice.

We love each other to bits and I can't fucking wait to see her.

I'm too excited for my own fucking good. It's too fucking late and I can't fucking sleep - and it'll be 3:30am-o'fucking-o'clock in the morning soon.


Anyway ...


It'll be just her, Bella and me. For a whole two weeks.


Fucking paradise! Poetry! Perfection!


Oh! And the occasional Orc on Fridays, of course, including tomorrow.

She knows him well and knows he'll be here. She understands.

She'll no doubt be shaking her head at us, as usual, and going to bed early, as usual.

A sensible girl all round. I fucking love her to bits.

Bella. Bed now. It's far, Far, FAR too fucking late.


I may be intermittent around Urban for a wee bit peeps.

Priorities and stuff must prevail.


In the meantime ...

Please be nice to each other peeps.

There's so little time left.

Don't waste it.

Blessings all.

Come Bells.

Bed.



Woof

A small correction. Apparently, the Level 4 Japanese that the youngest has been tested to, is not just in spoken Japanese. It involves passing four, separate, one-hour examinations in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

My bad.


Despite that (and on top of her Masters and everything else,) she's still working 45+ hours a week, fifty weeks a year, for less than GBP 1:90 per hour - before deductions and tax.

It's not right.


Anyway, she's gone again (I thought it was for two weeks but it was only ten days ).


We had a fucking superb New Year though!



S'just Bells and I again now.


Be nice to each other peeps.


Come dog. Piss for us both, then teeth for me and bed for all.

It's too late again.

G'night all and sundry. Blessings.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Harry on 4th Jan 2023 ...

I understand the UK's NHS is also facing problems.



Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

BREAKING! 05/01/23


In today's exciting local news, for the first time in a year (since the Great Hamster Cull when 2,400 pet hamsters were rounded up from childrens' bedrooms and put to death - and the subsequent myriad of subversive rescue missions), pet hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus,) will, at last, once again be allowed to be commercially imported for sale.

But ...

Each one must be individually PCR-tested before sale and any that test positive must be fully quarantined until testing negative.



In other news, it is reported that hamsters in The Netherlands - the previously predominant source of the pets - remain unconvinced and have established a union to fight against such exports.

Urging a total national boycott of the practice, a Dutch spokes-hamster for the union was quoted as saying: "Given the recent draconian changes imposed under the National Security Law - which permitted the legally-sanctioned attempted genocide of our species in Hong Kong in early 2022 - we can no longer tolerate the risks involved in the forced trafficking of our species into the region. Any future attempts to do so will, rightly, be seen as both inhamster and inhamster-ane and a gross breach of International Hamster Rights."

(And the really fucking crazy thing is that only the second report - from yours truly - is fake news!)


Last week it was the ghost of Orwell whispering in our ears. This week, it's the ghost of Kafka murmuring: "You should have fucking listened to Orwell!"


Sigh.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

It's such a shame that I'm shit at taking photographs. If I could turn the flash off it would be better but not much better, my shaky hands and lack of balance while looking upwards are also an impediment.



(Edit: * And these on my old, 2011, iPhone Six, with the camera lens all scratched and smeared with goop. Funnily enough though, it does create a kind of grainy, edgy, haunting, vibe to the trilogy. An artist in the making perhaps? I promise I won't clean it!)



Nevertheless, please try to imagine in your minds eye the beautiful clear sky, the high clouds, the magnificent (120 ft+ tall) trees, and the moon peeking through, in colour and detail.

I'm sorry. This is a very poor representation. But, please let me assure you that in real life it was magical, mesmerising and magnificent - and the fresh, sweet air is tinged with a hint of perfumed winter flower scents.

New Territories. Hong Kong. 1:00am. 06/01/23. Truly sublime.













(* Is for the Edit. Individual commissions for this unique style of, personal, historical, photographical-artwork are welcomed and quotations are available immediately upon request by PM. Donations, in the meantime, are still desperately required for basic, day to day survival!)


Anyways, I must to bed. Orcs will be around the morrow.

Rest well peeps. Blessings all.

Come Belladog. Sleep now.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

The moon lingered for a moment that night,

Unflinching,

And as we reached for her,

Seemingly within our grasp,

Clinching,

We fell,

Another illusion in sight,

And still not real,

Yet here we clasp,

Unthinking,

As together,

We feel,

In hell.




Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Harry's on it.

Let's hope not, eh Harry?


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Oof!

Fridays.

What a fucking mess!

Though for seekers of self knowledge, if there be such a thing,

It seems to be the right place.

It's certainly The Road Less Travelled.

Peeling away the onion layers.

Burning down the house.

Again and again and again.

Raw, naked psyches writ large.

In any and every language.

What a fucking learning experience - entirely outside of the matrix.

Truly sublime.

(But harshly brutal!)

On and on and on and on ...

Deeper and deeper and deeper ...


Be nice to each other peeps.

Rest well.

Come Bells.

Bed now.

Enough is enough!


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Ten young people, aged 21 to 31, were jailed today for between four years two months and four years four months each, after previously being found guilty of rioting on the 18th November 2019.

Once again, there was no evidence that any of them actively participated or used any violence.

But they were in the vicinity.

Ten jailed for rioting in Yau Ma Tei in 2019 - RTHK

The District Court on Saturday jailed 10 people for between 50 and 52 months for taking part in a riot in Yau Ma Tei during the 2019 social unrest. Th...

news.rthk.hk

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

A note about Hongkongers protesting in the UK ... Photojournalists, please be sensitive and careful in protecting protesters identities.

A chilling excerpt from the Financial Times.

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

And in further signs of tightening censorship, the "fake news" police are cracking down.

The rewriting of history of 2019 (and 2014 and 2003 and ... ) progresses.


"Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Siu said fake news targeting the government and the police force had a huge impact on the 2019 social unrest.

He said it had caught the force unawares, but that it had learnt from this.

Siu said he's confident that fake news can now be clarified within two hours."

Police set 2-hour target for clearing up fake news - RTHK

Police Commissioner Raymond Siu said on Sunday that fake news about the police force must be cleared up within two hours to prevent confusion. Speakin...

news.rthk.hk

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

A series of superb paintings of Hong Kong by Jackson Lee, in today's HKFP.

Not to be missed ...

HKFP Lens: 'Set sail again' - Jackson Lee's hyper-realistic paintings embody wishes for Hong Kong in 2023 - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Award-winning artist Jackson Lee has shared with HKFP his series of hyper-realistic paintings, depicting scenes from across Hong Kong. His work will be showcased in an exhibition running from Saturday to January 15 at the Central Library Exhibition Hall 2-3. Born in the city, Lee studied art and...

hongkongfp.com

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Oh!


And I forgot, my computer is fucked up and the Orc will be taking it away on Saturday in order to try and render it up under a Master Watchmaker's eye and poke it about and stroke it throughout. The prognosis, however, remains uncertain.


Nevertheless ... If my contributions are intermittent and diminishing over the next week, it's likely because the computer, increasingly, says: No!

So don't panic! I really don't think I'm at (or near,) the top priority of most lists at the moment.


And there's likely to be a couple of/a few weeks of, almost complete, "radio silence" from Saturday until well after Chinese New Year (I'll try to send a "Woof" from my mobile, or something!).


But ... If if you don't hear from me by early February ...


... Fucking panic! Okay?


In the meantime, have a good start with your Rabbit; let's see what the Lagomorph brings.


And, for fuck sake, be nice to each other peeps!


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Ach well.

The dug's been oot fer a gud wander aroond, many gud sniffs and a gud piss, here and there.

We're aff ti bed noo. It's a braw nicht but the morra's on it's way.




So, I just want to leave you with a reminder, again, that I strongly recommend that ...

... As you drift off to sleep, please listen to the first fifteen minutes of this nonsense (make sure you skip the adverts first so you get a clean 15 minute run), I do it every night - it's Belladog's and my sign that we're in bed for the night now. We can snuggle down and rest and melt away together.

Have a good few weeks peeps.

Rest well.








Come Bells.

We're done here for now.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

There's propaganda.

There's Gaslighting.

And then there's this.

Do they not understand how utterly, fucking stupid they sound?

I mean ... Really?


Woof

 

[ice-is-forming]

Be safe Jessie & Bella, I'm glad you got your 10 days with your girl. Enjoy the new year... In my mind it's now going to be known as the year of the hamster x

 

[Jessiedog]

This is a very good essay from Eunsong Kim.

He discusses his correspondence with a young university student, imprisoned in Hong Kong for five years for "rioting", she was in the vicinity and was one of ten arrested that day (2019,) out of the thousands of people at her university at the time. She took some of his classes in Literature.

He criticises the USA "Tankie" leftwing and ponders the power of truth and of language itself.

He also (with her permission,) transcribes some of her letters from prison.

A longish but worthwhile read.

Letters from Inside Hong Kong

<p>From well-studied psychologists to fitness influencers we hear repeated iterations of: language is power, so be careful how you speak. Thus, relationship coaches advise creating google docs full of goals and reading it to yourself every morning while your unconscious is most impressionable...

offshootjournal.org

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Be well Peeps.

Be nice to each other.

Come Belladog. Pisses all round and then bed.

(It's going to be really cold next week.)

Blessings everyone.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

A thread on the prison "de-radicalisation programme", aimed at young Hongkongers imprisoned after the 2019 protests.

I think the article requires registration but the thread gives a good flavour.





Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

There's a very common refrain from among pro-CCP types that, pre-handover, colonial Hong Kong never enjoyed democracy. While we did get very close to a fully democratic legislature in 1995 (completely undone by Beijing at midnight on 30th June 1997), it's true that the Governor was never democratically elected. The argument is that Hong Kong is more democratic under the CCP. (Hint; it's not.)

The UK intended to introduce full democracy from the 1950's and 1960's onward, with a view to moving HK towards self rule. But every time this was mentioned to the CCP, the CCP effectively threatened to invade Hong Kong.

For anyone who has yet to read the below article (originally published in Oct 2014), it's a very good, historical summary of some of these exchanges.

The secret history of Hong Kong’s stillborn democracy

Declassified: Britain mulled granting Hong Kong self-governance in the 1950s and '60s—and the Chinese government threatened to invade.

qz.com

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

The marauding Orc will be trying to get into my home the morrows night.

I fear my Orc-deflection defences may, once again, be overrun and an intrusion is possible, even likely, even highly likely, almost inevitble.

Nevertheless, the dog is done and the locks are wrought.

Let's see what happens.

And my computer will be gone on Saturday.

So, in the meantime, have a jolly fine weekend good Urbanites and remember ...

... Be nice to each other.


And, of course, don't forget to indulge yourselves with five minutes of beautiful bliss ... live from Ronnie Scott's in 2007.

The whole thing is exquisite and the young woman on bass is a masterful foil.

Thank you Jeff, for your contribution to this fucking Universe!









Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Hmmmmmm ...


A Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has told the SAR authorities to revise local legislation to keep it aligned with the national security law (NSL).

"When provisions of local laws in the SAR are inconsistent with [the NSL], the national security law should be applied first. The SAR should take the initiative to amend and improve local legislation, so that it is kept in organic unity with the national security law," Xia said.

Xia said education and promotion of the NSL must be stepped up, especially among young people, to cultivate their awareness of national security and patriotism from an early age.

Beijing tells HK to put local laws in line with NSL - RTHK

A Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has told the SAR authorities to revise local legislation to keep it aligned with the national security...

news.rthk.hk

One Law to rule them all,
One Law to find them,
One Law to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them,
In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

It’s going to even worse than I thought. A catastrophe of monumental and epochal proportions is underway on the mainland, the full extent of which will never be revealed.

We are at the start of something so brutal it’s almost inconceivable in 2023. CNY is almost upon us and the Rabbit will be savage.

I’m stunned. I’d assumed we’d left this behind. I feel physically sick.

Capitalism is a cunt but Fascism is far, far worse.

Be nice to each other peeps.

Come Bells, we’re done here.

Blessings all.

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

This is good thread from Holmes Chan, covering the Stand News editor’s NSL trial. Chung makes very powerful points in his defence but somehow I’m not sure that logic and reason are necessarily useful tools in such trials.




Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Oof.

Come girl. Piss and teeth then bed Belladog.

Be nice to each other peeps.

Blessings.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Wow!

That was something.

An extraordinary exploration.

The Orc has died on the sofa.

Friday is as Friday does.

Be well peeps. Be nice.

Come Bells. Rest now.


Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Even Belladag can’t resuscitate the beast. So I guess we’re safe for tonight at least.






Leave it alone now Bells, it’s late. To bed we must ...

G’night peeps.

Woof

 

[Jessiedog]

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Happy New Year good gentlefolk of Urban.



Woof

 

[Dystopiary]

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Happy New Year good gentlefolk of Urban.



Woof

Kung Hei Fat Choy Jessiedog and Bella.

 

[Yossarian]

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Happy New Year good gentlefolk of Urban.



Woof

Happy New Year, Kung Hei Fat Choy, and Fuck Xi Jinping.

 

[Jessiedog]

Poor Belladog.

She doesn’t like CNY.

All morning she was, as ever, blasted with the sounds of fireworks - and especially those chains of mega-loud firecrackers - capped off with the usual trailing train of dragon dancers dissecting the village and culminating with a trawling traipse past my place accompanied with deafening decibels of drumming and ear-crushing clashing of cymbals.

Truly terrifying!

She’s been clinging to me all day, shivering and trembling and refused to even venture out to the garden until hours after silence again prevailed.

She’s calmed down again over the last few hours but will occasionally snap awake from a nap and come over for another cuddle.

It’s 9:30pm now and much more relaxed and while quite funny and sweet, in some ways, is also quite torturous going through her process with her.

She’ll be right as rain tomorrow (assuming no more firecrackers!) but she certainly finds it an annual ordeal.

Tread warily along the path of the Rabbit.

Look after each other.



Woof