Ordinary Gweilo

It's not big and it's not clever, it's just a Brit in Hong Kong writing (mainly) about Hong Kong

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Month: Jan 2009

  • English? I’m sure it’s here somewhere

    How difficult can it be to have Chinese as the default language on your website whilst providing easy access to the English version? Well, www.samsung.com.hk starts off promisingly with a front page that has both English and Chinese, but then dumps you on to a page that is entirely in Chinese.  If you hunt around…

  • Let’s blame it on the economic crisis

    More poorly thought-out “news” from the SCMP: Residential construction at lowest level since 1997 Flats being built drop to 8,000 as economic crisis takes toll Yvonne LiuJan 24, 2009 Construction and completion of private residential units in Hong Kong last year slumped to the lowest since records began in 1997, underscoring the severe impact the…

  • Alltop Hong Kong

    I know portals are ten a penny, and it's easy enough to create your own, but since someone has gone to the trouble of setting up one that lists Hong Kong news and blogs you might as well take a look.   Alltop

  • We need a 1500 word article and a couple of charts…

    Today’s Sunday Morning Post has an article about the way banks rip you off with a “currency-linked deposit” account.  These are widely available in Hong Kong because the interest rates on a standard local currency deposit account are almost zero. The article has a small chart which is supposed to show how the Australian Dollar…

  • Beware of the zebra

    As far as I am aware, there aren’t any zebra crossings on public roads in Hong Kong. There are lots of crossings with lights, and some places where there is a central refuge and you can take your life into your hands, and many, many, pedestrian bridges and tunnels.   But the only zebra crossings are…