The End of The Olympics

16 days passed by very quickly and i only had a chance to watch several games, which was a pity. my fav games were women's v-ball and men's b-ball, both of which i also played in high school.

to make the most of what was left of the olympics, i tried to catch the men's b-ball final, spain vs u.s. it so happens that when i was walking by times square, one of the jumbotrons were broadcasting the game. so i sat down by the sidewalk and caught the first quarter with a bunch of guys who were also trying to skip shopping at times squares with their beloved other half.

it was getting hot so i went to a cafe near by to watch the rest of the game. this cafe was one of those upstairs cafes, 7 to 8 tables, owned by two young ladies. so i enjoyed the rest of the game on the minitron with my company, a glass of jasmine green tea (i would have ordered a beer but unfortunately they didn't have a liqueur license). so this was my way of bidding farewell to the 2008 olympics - watching u.s. defeat spain in the men's b-ball final.

I was a part of the Olympics

i was not there in person, but i still felt the patriotism and joy watching the opening ceremony with the rest of hk on the times square jumbotron. the original plan was to watch it in the comfort of my own living room, but then i realized that i do not have tvb nor cable tv. so after dinner, i bought a beer from 7/11 and stood in front of the levi's store to catch the last leg of the ceremony.

this was definitely an occasion that no one would want to miss and i must say that standing on the street for 1.5 hours was worth my time. when the premiere spoke, the crowd cheered. when the HKSAR team walked into the stadium, the crowd roared. when the last torch bearer flew into the sky and ran around the top of the stadium, the crowd applauded. when the torch was lid and the fireworks began, the crowd went crazy, screaming at the top of their lungs. it was an immersive experience. i felt as if i was there in person.

if my phone hadn't run out of batteries, i would have captured some photos to document this special day with everyone else. oh well... i am sure you'll catch it on youtube if you've missed it.

The 2008 Olympics - Missing out on the athletic aspect?!?

the tibet-china story has been lingering in the media for weeks, ever since the initial torch lighting ceremony. i feel sorry for the athletes that have put in so much of their time and efforts in training for this once-in-a-four-year occasion because no one is writing about their stories. what was meant to be a goodwill sporting event has turned into a political platform.

anyhow, there has been some interesting anti as well as pro china campaigns circulating in the media and web. some are quite creative while others are very extreme.

an online game developed by the americans that show their anti-china views. even if you do not feel the same as the guys who developed this game, i am sure you will get a kick out of this. http://www.addictinggames.com/olympictorchrelay.html

in retaliation of cnn's pro-tibet coverage, computerworld reported that a bunch of chinese hackers are readying an attack on cnn. however, there is always a conspiracy theory to everything, so could this be something that anti-china parties have planted to make themselves look vulnerable. you be the judge.
http://www.cw.com.hk/article.php?type=article&id_article=1444

here is a guy (i am assuming it's a guy, looking at the language used in the video) that have quite a strong view on those who don't know the facts about the china-tibet relationship, but are slashing the chinese government for their actions against anti-china protestors. this video generated 2,779,252 views over a month and numerous comments among youtube viewers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo

i am sure you know this one... the [heart] China that appears in front of the names on your msn contact list. this viral has spread like a virus and i m sure you are also seeing this on your msn. my question is, do people know why they are putting the [heart] China in front of their names? is this to show that they are in support of the olympics? or is it because they agree with the chinese government's views? by participating, they've engaged themselves in the political agenda.

so... who is stirring up all these controversies and driving the political frenzy. my guess would be those who run the united states of america and people's republic of china. lets focus back on the games and continue the political warfare after the games, shall we?

China Brushing English for Olympics