Keung To's Misadventure Brings More Questions

Keung reveals red scratches on his arms

Mirror band member Keung To is currently in Paris -- which experienced a massive rainstorm yesterday -- allowing him to escape further scrutiny following his accidental fall into the sea in Western district.

Before he left for the City of Lights for fashion week, Keung explained he had taken painkillers for a headache and drunk "a small amount" of alcohol before jogging along the waterfront.

He claimed he did not rely on alcohol to relieve stress, but rather exercise.

Keung says he's fine on his Instagram

"But I don't think these are the biggest factors [to my fall]. That goes to my own carelessness," Keung said.

The singer said he only realised he had fallen after hitting the water, and apologised for taking up public resources for his rescue.

At this point witnesses need to come forward to recall what exactly happened.

Surely Keung knew he shouldn't mix medication with alcohol... or he didn't? What a bizarre situation.

Some are peculating the stress of fame is hitting him hard, or if it's become more challenging for Mirror to stay relevant in Hong Kong, with more overseas stars coming to the city to perform or fans going elsewhere to attend concerts, and the local boyband doesn't have anything particularly new or interesting to give fans.

On Instagram he took a few pictures of himself in the mirror -- with scratches on his forearms and elbows, saying "I'm OK", while fans asked him to take care...

Mirror's Keung To Rescued After Falling into Sea

To thanks people for their concern

Is one of the hottest performers from the group Mirror OK? 

There were reports yesterday that Mirror fan favourite Keung To had accidentally fallen into Victoria Harbour in Western district, where he was apparently jogging along the harbourfront.

Hong Kong Police received a call at 4.36pm that a man had fallen into the water near the Western Wholesale Food Market. He was rescued and taken to the Central Government Pier on Man Fai Road and then transported by ambulance to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment.

He apparently fell into the water in Western

He was then moved to a private hospital, ostensibly for privacy.

Keung's manager posted a statement at 8.20pm on her Instagram on the star's behalf, saying: "It was just a small accident due to my own carelessness. I am OK, please don't worry. [I] hope there won't be any further speculation. [I'm] truly sorry for making everyone worried."

Mirror's management company, MakerVille, said in a statement that Keung felt dizzy while jogging by the sea in Sai Wan and became unwell.

"He was rescued when he regained consciousness," it said.

Keung is one of the 12 members of the group Mirror that became famous in 2018 following a ViuTV reality talent show.

We're puzzled as to how he accidentally fell in...

His ardent fans celebrate his birthday by buying giant billboard space and renting a tram and decking it out. 

As someone who used to walk along the waterfront especially around Western district almost daily, it's kind of hard to "accidentally" fall into the water as the whole waterfront has barriers to prevent people from getting into the water. One would have to actively climb over the fence to get in, and if he was dizzy, that would be hard to do...

Taipan Bakery, Inventor of Snowy Mooncakes Suddenly Shutters

Taipan Bread and Cakes invented snowy mooncakes in 1989

Taipan Bread and Cakes, most notable for inventing snowy mooncakes, has shuttered after 41 years in business.  

On its website 12 shops were listed across Hong Kong. 

12 shops shuttered, and 80 people are jobless

"Due to many unpredictable and irresistible shocks recently, our company regretfully announces that it will officially cease operations from [Tuesday]," a notice said on several chain branches.

"Thank you for your support and love for our company over the years. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."

The sudden closure caught customers with memberships off guard, as some had coupons and could not use them.

"How could you have known? They all closed suddenly. Now, my coupons are nothing but out-of-print souvenirs," said a 68-year-old woman surnamed Lee, who had a Taipan membership.

Days before Taipan shuttered, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions said on Facebook that the bakery owed salaries to its 80 staff, while landlords had taken the company to court for unpaid rent.  

The brand created chilled mochi mooncakes

The bakery was started by Kwok Hung-kwan in 1984 and became famous when it introduced snowy mooncakes, which were chilled, not baked, and covered with a mochi-like skin with various sweet fillings, like mango, red bean, and durian. At its peak, Taipan had 27 shops in Hong Kong.

Mainland Chinese media reported the son's owner supported the 2019 protests, which led to Taipan removing the snowy mooncakes from its stores across the border ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The brand was sold two years later to Vast Luck Group that was described by Wen Wei Po as "a Hong Kong brand that loves Hong Kong and the country." 

Unfortunately Hong Kong didn't love Taipan enough to keep it going...

B.C. Ferries Political Kerfuffle

B.C. Ferries put out a tender for new vessels to be built

B.C. Ferries was in a lot of hot water for its vessels breaking down, causing not only delays but cancellations of sailings, leaving passengers stranded or waiting for hours... and hours... and hours.

It finally got a loan from the federal government to purchase new ferries and put out a tender to build four of them.

Earlier this month B.C. Ferries announced China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards had won the contract to build the four vessels, overseen by B.C. Ferries staff, while the sensitive IT equipment will be procured from Canada and installed by B.C. Ferries' personnel. 

Freeland asks why China is building the ferries

No Canadian companies bid for the job.

But that didn't stop politicians from loudly complaining.

First up was BC Transport Minister Mike Farnsworth, then his boss Premier David Eby, and then federal transport minister Chrystia Freeland weighed in as well, wondering why a Chinese company -- state-owned no less -- was building these ferries considering China has imposed "unjustified tariffs" on Canada.

She wrote a letter to Farnsworth expressing her "great consternation and disappointment" with the ferry operator.

"I am dismayed that B.C. Ferries would select a Chinese state-owned shipyard to build new ferries in the current geopolitical context," Freeland wrote.

"I am surprised that B.C. Ferries does not appear to have been mandated to require an appropriate level of Canadian content in the procurement or the involvement of the Canadian marine industry."

B.C. Ferries says no Canadian firms put in a bid

May we remind the politicians that there were no Canadian shipbuilding companies that put in a bid. None. Nada. Zip. 

And if B.C. Ferries had looked to Europe, it would have cost many times more.

B.C. Ferries defended its choice. 

Jeff Groot, executive director of communications with B.C. Ferries, said Weihai Shipyards was chosen following a rigorous and transparent procurement process.

"It was the strongest bid by a significant margin," he said in a statement.

He added Canadian companies have acquired around 100 vessels built at Chinese shipyards over the last decade.

Touche.

"Globally, only a few shipyards have the capacity to deliver complex passenger ferries on the timelines and budgets required."

With the tight budget B.C. Ferries has and the fact that it desperately needs new vessels as soon as possible, this is the best solution. In the meantime, by all means build up the Canadian shipbuilding industry, but really, it's hard to compete with China when it comes to price.

Steveston Treats

Fish and chips served in a cone at Pajo's 

Yesterday I was in Steveston, the southernmost tip of Richmond, and decided to check out Pajo's Fish & Chips, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. It was started by two women, Patricia Branch and Joan Wettlaufer in 1985, making battered fried fish from the catches made by Branch's husband Larry, who was a fisherman.

Since it was overcast and a weekday, I figured I should take the opportunity to check out Pajo's, as it's quite popular and there was no lineup.

Picnic tables have holes to place your cone

Located down on the waterfront, customers need to walk down the gangplank to the shop on the water. The menu is extensive, with fish and chips made from wild rock snapper, cod, sockeye salmon, and halibut, and burgers, tacos and hotdogs.

I got one piece of the cod and it was presented in a cone with fries at the bottom. At first I wondered how I was going to eat it when I quickly realised there were holes in the picnic tables for people to place their food! How ingenious.

However, when you're eating outside, you need to beware of others keen on having some of your food. I had two crows eyeing my fish and chips. They paced along the railing and at times came closer. I looked them in the eye and put an arm around my cone to show I wasn't sharing.

The fish was a thin fillet that was bland and under seasoned, though the batter created a thin casing around the cod. The fries underneath were a bit on the soggy side, but again appreciated they weren't too salty.

Another cone... of ice cream!

For dessert I headed to Sally's Homemade Ice Cream and had a scoop of the passionfruit sorbet, a deep golden colour and tasted slightly tart and not sweet. As I was eating my ice cream cone, one local came for ice cream and admitted he was swinging by there twice a day!

Jimmy O. Yang the Greatest Influencer for HK

Yang is enjoying the view and raking in the dough in HK

The Hong Kong Tourism Board pretty much hit the jackpot when it invited Chinese-American comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang to come to the city to perform and see the sights.

People were madly scrambling for tickets to his five shows -- at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom -- but the website kept crashing but somehow all the seats were snapped up.

Only Cantopop stars get to perform at the Coliseum, but Yang was the exception -- as he was invited by HKTB and by extension, the Hong Kong government.

He had five sold out shows in the Coliseum

While he was in his hometown, Yang visited the sights, like Man Mo Temple, and hung out in cha chaan tengs, ate stinky tofu on the street, showed viewers how to eat chicken feet, got a chop made in the lane in Sheung Wan, and even went to Chow Sang Sang's original Castle Peak Road store where he checked out their gold necklaces and apparently bought some bling bling.

"I spent my childhood in Hong Kong and have always felt the city's unique vibrancy. It's a place where tradition and innovation merge, allowing you to traverse between a century of culture and natural beauty in a single day. Every journey is full of surprises, revealing Hong Kong's diverse urban landscape," he said.

Sounds more like that's what the HKTB wrote his script.

Which makes us more curious about how much he was paid to perform and visit some requisite places to promote Hong Kong as a cool travel destination. From his video it looks like he stayed at The Peninsula...

Yang visited Man Mo Temple

With over 2.46 million fans following Yang on Instagram, the HKTB certainly got a lot of eyeballs on Hong Kong and it's a natural fit really. 

But since they figured it out, does he know he lost a lot of Hong Kong fans' respect after selling out?

The tourism board invited 650 KOLs or "key opinion leaders" in the first quarter of 2025, more than the total for all of last year. But that's not all. There will be another campaign called "Seeing is Believing", where Hong Kong will invite more than 100 international influencers in July and August.

Bringing in KOLs seems to be working. In the first four months of this year, Hong Kong welcomed 16 million international visitors, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year.

Man Arrested in Stealing Second-Hand Luxury Goods

The alleged thief was caught in Bangkok, and sent back to HK

When the economy is faltering, there are criminals who turn to stealing to make some money.

Robberies in Hong Kong are rare, and if they happen it's usually in jewellery stores. But recently one thief got creative and hit a store selling second-hand luxury goods.

Some of the 14 stolen Hermes handbags

On Wednesday a mainland Chinese man entered a shop on Hart Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui where he allegedly rendered a female store employee unconscious and tied her up. 

He then allegedly made off with 14 pre-owned Hermes bags, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, and two mobile phones totalling almost HK$3 million (US$382,170).

One wonders how he managed to carry 14 Hermes bags outside on the street without attracting attention.

The robber then fled to Bangkok and was held in custody by the Thai authorities before he was sent back to Hong Kong. Most of the stolen goods were recovered. 

This is not the first time a store selling pre-loved luxury items was robbed.

In November last year, thieves broke into a shop selling consigned luxury brand goods in a grade A office building in Central. They stole 66 Hermes handbags worth a total of HK$10 million in five minutes.

Last November HK$10M in goods was stolen

The store had to compensate all the clients whose bags were consigned were either stolen or damaged.

While selling second-hand luxury goods is a good business, the threat of thieves stealing expensive merchandise is not for the faint-hearted.