Vancouver Will Have One Night of Fireworks

The city will have a fireworks show this year

What does $2 million (US$1.46 million) buy you in Vancouver?

A two or three bedroom condo in Kitsilano or downtown, or perhaps a detached house in East Vancouver.

The $2 million could be used to keep libraries open seven days a week, or give to food banks to ensure people have food to eat, fix potholes, or fund arts groups so they can hold their annual events.

But no, Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Vancouver majority have voted to spend $2 million on fireworks for an hour this summer.

The three-day Celebration of Light, a fireworks competition that was held for three decades was cancelled indefinitely last year because of the lack of federal funding, and Sim felt it was necessary to bring it back -- kind of.

He said it was a "deeply personal" issue, claiming his family had "struggled financially" when he was young, and really looked forward to free events like the fireworks.

Sim added the city had "never pulled our support" from the fireworks, and "had already committed $1.4 million to the event", so the increase is actually $600,000.

Sounds like someone is trying to massage the numbers.

His opponents on city council were not impressed, smelling smoke.

Green councillor Pete Fry, who has also announced he will run for mayor later this year, said that the event was not financially viable.

"The reality is that it was a business model that was not sustainable," he said. "They couldn't make it work, for a variety of reasons, including the lack of federal funding. We need to recognise that we are in this austerity budget. ... We're talking about the allocation of $2 million at a time when this city has talked about a zero means zero austerity budget."

In November City Council voted for a zero percent increase in property taxes, but that meant 400 jobs cut, while utility fees for water, garbage and sewer will go up 4 percent.

Meanwhile COPE councillor Sean Orr also questioned if it was worth spending $2 million on a one-hour fireworks show.

We also wondered that too. The fireworks show would be literally burning money in the sky for an hour. And then what?

While there are complaints that Vancouver is a "no-fun city", now isn't the time to put on something so frivolous. 

It's Sim's attempt at getting in voters' good books before the upcoming civic election later this year. Will voters return the favour?

So Long, Sammy's Kitchen

Restaurant was an institution for over 50 years

The latest old school restaurant to close in Hong Kong is Sammy's Kitchen in Sheung Wan. It was well known for its giant neon cow sign which was taken down in 2015 after it was deemed an illegal structure, but thankfully it is preserved at M+ in West Kowloon.

It was sad news to hear of its impending closure, but it wasn't the first time the restaurant threatened to shutter.

One could have escargots in garlic butter sauce

Back in 2017 the owners announced they would close Sammy's Kitchen and like many others I rushed over to try it, not once but twice. It was so busy before the purported closure that it actually continued operating, until a few days ago on January 31.

The restaurant was best known for Hong Kong style western food, like beef Stroganoff, escargots with garlic butter baked in cheese, beef Wellington and even Chateaubriand for two. Don't forget desserts like peach Alaska, souffle, and banana flambe.

It was opened over 50 years ago by Sammy Yip and his friends, who had experience working in hotel kitchens and decided to strike out on their own.

When I went nine years ago, the cavernous, dim restaurant was run down and tired. Tables were covered in plastic sheets with a Burberry tartan design. 

Hong Kong style western food on the menu

The menu, presented in plastic binders had so many dishes, one wondered how the kitchen in the back could produce all those items, but apparently did, arriving piping hot at the table.

Did no one think to at least edit down the menu a bit to make it easier for the kitchen and control food costs a bit more?

Nevertheless, perhaps there is a time and place for things and the food at Sammy's Kitchen is long past it's due date. 

There are many other restaurants in Hong Kong that do beef Wellington and Chateaubriand much better, though I will concede probably cost more. And in general diners are more sophisticated and expect better quality, which is why they have also moved on from Sammy's Kitchen.

At least we'll have the neon cow sign to remember it by.

End of the Line for Frozen Juice from Concentrate

Frozen juice from concentrate will be discontinued

A core memory from childhood is about to go the way of the rotary phone, the fax machine and CD player.

It's frozen juice from concentrate.

By April Minute Maid will discontinue producing frozen juices as consumer demand declines and tastes have changed.

I remember when we bought these canned juices and I would wait for them to thaw out for a bit before opening the can and turning it upside down for the bright orange cylinder-shaped slush to drop with a thud into the juice container before adding three cans of cold water and then mixing it with a wooden spoon. Voila! Instant orange juice.

Minute Maid makes not only orange juice, but also lemonade, Fruitopia fruit punch, and Five Alive juice blend.

But these days consumers don't want the hassle of having to make juice from concentrate when they can just buy it in a bottle from the supermarket, though juice consumption has fallen because of concerns of the amount of sugar in these drinks.

It turns out frozen juice has been around since World War II when food scientists had to improve food and beverage quality for American soldiers. 

Then when Bing Crosby collaborated with Minute Maid on an animated commercial featuring the juice in the late 1940s, the product took off in the domestic market.

But now nearly 80 years later, only 7 percent of consumers are buying frozen juice from concentrate; more people are drinking water or probiotic drinks like kombucha.

I'm the latter category of drinking water, but it was fun making orange juice back in the day...

Review: Grit by Angela Duckworth

Want some inspiration? Read for some grit tips

What makes someone succeed? University of Pennsylvania Psychology professor Angela Duckworth believes it's a combination of discipline, passion and grit.

In 2016 she wrote the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance with lots of interesting stories backed up with research, her own and many other psychologists past and present. You could say Duckworth is passionate about the subject and determined to know everything there is to know about grit.

Some of the stories on people like Jeff Bezos when he was a child, or Warren Buffet's tips on career goals, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll in 2013, and actor Will Smith insisting he will be No. 1, one way or another, who said this in 2003:

Duckworth has numerous examples of grit

"The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is: I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked, period. You might have more talent than me. You might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me. You might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two simple things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple."

He said this long before he smacked Chris Rock on stage during the Academy Awards in 2022. This kind of dates Duckworth's book (and same with how Bezos has turned out), but their stories still show how they became successful.

In Grit, Duckworth says just because someone has talent or genius doesn't mean they have grit , compared to someone who is determined and practices relentlessly. When you have talent and add effort, you get skill. And with skill added with more effort leads to achievement.

But what about flow, the state in which athletes and artists do their sport or art effortlessly? A competitive figure skater described it like this:

"It was just one of those programs that clicked. I mean everything went right, everything felt good... it's just such a rush, like you could feel it could go on and on and on, like you don't want it to stop because it's going so well. It's almost as though you don't have to think, everything goes automatically without thinking..."

It is a state that does not have anything to do with improvement, Duckworth says. "In other words, deliberate practice is for preparation, and flow is for performance."

What is deliberate practice? She says it is a clearly defined stretch goal; full concentration and effort; immediate and informative feedback; and repetition with reflection and refinement.

In order to do that it doesn't necessarily mean endless hours of doing something over and over again, but intentional, deliberate practice with the goal of improving, which entails making it a habit, a ritual that is done daily.

With these kinds of ideas and research, readers wonder what they can do to get grit, and Duckworth addresses this in the last few chapters of the book, particularly how parents can instil grit in their children through discipline, but not the Asian Tiger Mom way, but teaching them to finish what they started and to do it well.

It also has to do with passion, because without it, why bother? Duckworth says if a child wants to quit a sport or a musical instrument or dance, they can't stop on a whim, or when they have a bad day; they should only do that when there is a natural end, like the season or school year is over. 

She also stresses that it's important to be a role model for your children, so they see that you struggle and that you are determined to finish a challenge like a marathon, or complete writing a book.

As writer Alex Martinez says: "To finish things, you have to put the work in. When I was younger, I'd meet many people who were writing stuff. They'd say to me, 'Oh yeah, I am a writer as well, but I've never finished anything.' Well, in that case, you are not a writer. You are just somebody who sits down and writes things on a bit of paper. If you've got something to say, go ahead and say it and finish it."

But one doesn't have to be a parent to try to instil grit in children -- they can be extended family, friends and teachers who encourage kids by giving them opportunities and knowing how to push them, by saying things like, "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them", instead of "I'm giving you these comments so that you'll have feedback on your paper."

The child or student realises that someone believes in them and wants to see them do well which can inspire them to do better next time. That's what Duckworth's research shows.

When it comes to work, company culture that promotes grit will also develop employees who want to work hard. Not the Chinese "996" way, where one works from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, but what Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase says in the company manual, How We do Business: 

"Have a fierce resolve in everything you do." "Demonstrate determination, resiliency, and tenacity." "Do not let temporary setbacks become permanent excuses." and "Use mistakes and problems as opportunities to get better -- not reasons to quit."

And finally, don't just finish something, but finish strong, putting in as much effort as you did in the beginning and at the end. 

Duckworth says one can grow their grit and the time to start is now.

It Can't Get More Canadian Than This

Carney asks Williams to "do the leg thing" in photo op

I was wondering when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would meet superstar Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry fame and it happened today!

They met at a gala tonight in Ottawa to promote the Canadian film and television industry, and the two men who have dominated my social media feeds in the last week finally shook hands, hugged and even had pictures of Carney holding up Williams' left leg. BFFs indeed.

Carney praised Tierney (second from right)

Carney praised the TV series on Crave, saying viewership in the first week grew over 400 percent, and one-third of those viewers have re-watched the show. The prime minister added that blueberry smoothie sales have also gone up exponentially.

He also credited the series creator Jacob Tierney for making Heated Rivalry in Canada despite the smaller production and marketing budget because he was given more freedom to produce it the way he wanted.

"So Jacob did the right thing. He did the smart thing. He came home to Canada," Carney said. "He came home to a nation that celebrates what makes us different."

It's proof that despite limited funds the show has been a massive success mostly due to Tierney faithfully bringing author Rachel Reid's book to the small screen. He used unknown actors as the two leads, while many online have pointed out how the camera shoots focus on the characters so there is no need for a lot of extras. Others say it's shot like a movie, with the colours reflecting the characters' inner feelings. 

The Canada fleece will be available "soon"...

Today the Mayor of Ottawa declared it was "Shane Hollander Day", which is kind of weird naming it after a character, but it seems Mark Sutcliffe was determined to claim him first.

Nevertheless, Carney got the biggest prize -- the coveted fleece jacket that Williams actually wore in episode 2. Yesterday it was announced that the Team Canada fleece will be commercially available soon.

All over social media people are buzzing today about seeing Carney and Williams together and how proud they are to be Canadian.

It's crazy!

 

Celebrating Failure as a Sign of Progress

There's a new exhibition -- in a Vancouver shopping mall -- that most people can probably relate to.

Called The Museum of Personal Failure, it's a collection of artefacts from the public, from a dead plant to a wedding dress and a spilled can of paint with anecdotes to explain why they were not successful.

It's the brainchild of Burnaby resident Eyvan Collins, who started it when a relationship of his fizzled out.

"I felt like a failure. It was a heartbreak," Collins told the CBC. "I just needed to do something with it -- and this is what I did."

He made posters saying, "Failures Wanted" and plastered them around Metro Vancouver. People responded with offers of all kinds of items signifying their failures.

Collins says failure is an essential part of life. 

"It's part of making an attempt. Sometimes it goes the way you want it to, sometimes it doesn't," he said.

There's also a "Wall of Reject", featuring firing notices and rejection letters.

I'm sure many people would have some of these lying in the back of their desk drawers.

His mother, Jennifer Campbell donated her wedding dress for display.

"I wanted to sort of tell a story about a failing that occurred in my marriage, and how we were able to move on," she said.

"I've called it Threads of Innocence, because it's about the innocence of false fairy tales or things that you think are going to happen when you're young... and it doesn't happen."

The dress is even shown in a cardboard moving box to signify her being able to move on from it. 

Meanwhile, bladesmith Casey Vilensky submitted a knife he can't be sharpen because he made mistakes while making it.

"Failure is a step forward. You don't go forward until you fail. You have to be able to look back at your failures, figure out why they failed and change the process and move on. I don't harp on them... I put them in the bucket," he said.

If I were to submit something to the Museum of Failure, I'd probably donate my empty sketchbooks.

I keep meaning to get back into drawing, but have left them blank, too terrified to make a mistake. A fear of failure.

But it's totally unfounded!

Or probably some jewellery from failed relationships... 

What would you donate to the Museum of Failure?

The exhibition is on until February 3 at Kingsgate Mall.

Anne Frank's Story Still Resonates Today

Thinking of Anne Frank on Holocaust Remembrance Day

When I was in elementary school, my mother gave me a copy of The Dairy of a Young Girl and got to know Anne Frank this way, and was impressed by her deep, sophisticated, thoughtful observations and feelings at a young age. This was also how I got to learn about the horrors of the holocaust.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I just saw a traveling exhibition in a school in Vancouver called "Anne Frank: A History for Today."

Presented by Anne Frank House, there are several large panels that document what was happening in Europe in the 1930s with the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany and how these big historical events coincided with those of the Frank family.

Anne was born on June 12, 1929 and had an older sister, Margot, her mother Edith, and father Otto. Anne writes that her father was 36 years old when he married her mother who was 25 in 1925.

The stock market crash in 1929 which led to the Great Depression resulted in growing unemployment, and Hitler of the Nazi party promised jobs, promoted antisemitism, and criticised communism. When his party was voted into power, Hitler began doing as he promised, and began making life difficult for Jews, attacking Jewish people and businesses in Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass.

Germans were told not to patronise Jewish businesses, or associate with them, and later Jews were forced to give up their businesses to the government. Nazis didn't like gypsies, Blacks or the disabled either.

The Franks were uneasy with the situation and in 1933 they moved to Amsterdam where Otto set up a company that sold spices and pectin to make jam. 

But the Nazis weren't satisfied with just controlling Germany. In 1939 the Nazis invaded Poland and the following year entered the Netherlands, which surrendered in a week. 

In the meantime Otto tried to apply for visas for the United States, Cuba and Britain, but they were either granted and he didn't receive it on time, or their applications were not approved. In July 1942 the family began living in the secret annex behind his office, which is where Anne recorded her innermost thoughts for two years, until they were suddenly arrested in August 1944.

Anne and her sister Margot died days of each other of typhus in a concentration camp, mother Edith died on the way to the camp, and Otto was the only survivor of the family, when he and others were liberated by the Soviets in January 1945.

Watching a documentary about the Franks and Nazism immediately drew parallels with the ICE raids in the United States, in particular what has happened in Minneapolis these last few weeks. Immigration Customs Enforcement agents are violently taking down and arresting who they think are illegal immigrants, detaining them and sending them out of the country.

They are doing President Donald Trump's bidding, as he claimed these undocumented people are violent drug dealers, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, gang members, and terrorists who need to be removed from the country.

The US Department of Homeland Security reports to have removed over 670,000 people, and over 2 million self-deportations.

Now two American citizens are dead after trying to protect these alleged criminals.

It is eerie and shocking to see how this is happening today just south of the border from us. 

How is it that history is repeating itself in 2026!

Review: Rental Family

Fraser plays a token white guy trying to help Japanese people

An unemployed American actor in Tokyo is desperate for work and stumbles on an opportunity -- to play the part his client is paying him for -- a journalist, a second gamer, a groom, a father.

That's the premise of Rental Family, starring Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg as the aforementioned gaijin, or foreigner in Japanese. It seems the part is made for him until you see that he executive produced the comedy-drama, which is not particularly hilarious, but sweet at times during the 110 minutes.

Phillip connects with an actor with dementia

At first Phillip is confounded with the idea of playing a character in real life, but his boss Shinji (Takehiro Hira) says this is what clients want, to be seen, or he is a means to an end. 

In the case of single mother Hitomi (Shino Shinozaki), she needs a "token white guy" to be the father of Mia (a very cute Shannon Mahina Gorman) so that she can get into a prestigious school, and for adult daughter Masami, Phillip is a journalist to jog her father Kikuo's memories, a famous elderly actor (Akira Emoto) with dementia.

Being told her father disappeared, Mia is angry when she first meets Phillip, but soon she grows attached to him and draws him pictures; he feels hey, this is a job I can do. The same could be said with his relationship with Kikuo, who feels comfortable around the American, even though he doesn't act like a journalist taking notes or recording interviews.

However, Phillip's initial reluctance becomes real when the situations he's in become more complicated, or don't go according to plan, and that's when Shinji tells him to cut the cord and extract himself from the client.

Phillip plays a dad to 11-year-old Mia

But is is that easy? As Phillip accuses his boss of running a soulless company that claims to help clients make personal connections, but they are really fake.

Most heartwarming was the "jailbreak" that Phillip and Kikuo make to go to the latter's hometown, but viewers can sense what will happen next.

The ending seems to be neatly tied up in a bow, but Rental Family is not meant to be too deep either. Nevertheless it brings up the theme of loneliness and how people yearn connections with others. Fraser is thoughtful in his role and respectful of Japanese culture, even if his character doesn't completely understand it.

Rental Family

Directed and co-written by Hikari

110 minutes

Canadian Cities Fight Over Heated Rivalry Star

Williams' star has blown up and everyone wants a piece

It's funny how some Canadian cities want to own a piece of Hudson Williams, one of the co-stars of Heated Rivalry.

Tourism boards are using whichever angle they can to promote their city's connection with the hottest TV show at the moment.

The 24-year-old Williams is a BC boy -- born in Kamloops, British Columbia, and studied Film Arts at Langara College in Vancouver.

His last job before he was chosen to act in Heated Rivalry was being a server at The Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster. Williams admits he was terrible at serving.

In the show, his character Shane Hollander is the captain of the fictional Montreal Metros, while his dad David was a graduate of McGill University, which is why Montreal is claiming Hollander, the fictional character.

Meanwhile Ottawa boasts being the "birthplace of Shane Hollander", which is amusing, when Kamloops says it is the "birthplace of Hudson Williams."

Perhaps even more stranger than fiction is that it has been announced that Williams and his co-star Connor Storrie will be two of the torch bearers for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics!

Will they smooch before lighting the cauldron to fan the flames of passion?

Unbelievable.

 

Popularity of Heated Rivalry Spawns Numerous Tangents

Heated Rivalry has blown up as the hottest show now

This week my social media has blown up with either clips of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's decisive, call-to-action speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, or of scenes from Heated Rivalry, the Canadian TV series that has turned the two stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie into celebrities overnight.

In real life and in fiction, both are pushing back against angry men who want to aggressively take over the world and demand subordination from trad women.

There is so much analysis of Heated Rivalry that it's pretty crazy how everyone has fallen for the two characters, Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, who are hockey players on rival teams and are smitten with each other.

Analysts opined why the show appeals to women

Aside from the sensual sex scenes, many say female viewers are so obsessed with the show because the two actors are gorgeous men who play a very physical game, but when it comes to their relationship, they are very sensitive -- which analysts like psychologists say is what women want in men.

There is the yearning in the dialogue as well as subtle body language to hint their intentions which female viewers love picking up in the show.

Heated Rivalry was inspired by the book of the same name written by Canadian Rachel Reid in 2019, but it turns out there was a real heated rivalry story many years earlier between two female hockey players, Canadian Caroline Ouellette and American Julie Chu, who faced off against each other in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Both were team captains and both wore the number 13. While they were fierce rivals on the ice, Chu and Ouellette became friends and then lovers, but kept their relationship private for many years. After they were both played in the Olympics four times, they hung up their skates and have two girls and live in Montreal. Ouellette is the assistant coach for the Canadian women's hockey team for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics next month.

Storrie and Williams became celebs overnight

Another tangent is that the phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry the show, is not new in Asia. As pointed out in Lingua Sinica's Substack, BL, or "Boys' Love" has been going red hot for years in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and China.

The shows appeal mostly to women and some men, with storylines that range from mutual love without physical touching to those that include sex scenes. Thailand has the most mature BL scene, which generates a lot of revenue not only from the shows but also from meet-and-greets with the fans.

These events in Thailand can last five to six hours, where tens of thousands of fans from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, fill stadiums to see their favourite stars in person. The fans snap up all kinds of memorabilia, which means lining up for an hour just to buy them. General admission to these fan events alone costs HK$2,600 (US$333), and together with airfare and hotel, means these fans are around 30 to 40 years old, and mainly female.

So in a way the West is finally discovering BL, which is already hundreds of miles ahead in Asia. And with Shane Hollander the character and Hudson Williams the actor both half Asian, Heated Rivalry has gained a huge fan base across the Pacific.

Fog That Wraps Around Vancouver

There's been some dramatic photos of Vancouver these days

Vancouver has had over a week of fog, a very unusual occurrence, and hopefully tomorrow evening will be the last day. Environment Canada has issued fog advisory warnings for pedestrians and motorists to be careful on the roads because at times there can be zero visibility.

The fog is caused by a ridge of high pressure, trapping moisture; one meteorologist explained it like steam trapped in a pot covered with a lid. In the past several days there has been hardly any wind to blow the fog away.

The Lions Gate Bridge enveloped in fog

As a result Vancouverites have been hearing a lot of foghorns, as ships depend on them to navigate waterways when there is limited visibility.

"In restricted visibility situations, such as on foggy days, these international regulations require anchored ships to sound their horn every minute and transiting ships to sound their horn every two minutes," explained Port of Vancouver spokesperson Sarah Matek.

Driving around the city enveloped with fog can be daunting at times, with some areas where you can hardly see anything, and others are clear. By evening the fog rolls in again and driving in the dark without cars in front of you can also be kind of scary. 

Last night an Uber driver told me of other motorists crossing the road lines into incoming traffic because they couldn't see where they were going!

The fog may dissipate by Thursday night

That said it's been a boon for photographers, both amateur and professional to take some dramatic shots of Vancouver.

Cantopop Group RubberBand in Vancouver

Mau of RubberBand performed in Vancouver

A Hong Kong friend had an extra ticket to see the Cantopop band RubberBand so I watched them perform tonight at the Vogue Theatre downtown.

The venue was pretty much sold out, with lots of eager fans to see their favourite band live.

Singer Mau Hou-cheong, guitarist Clement Fung Ting-ching, bassist Lee Siu-wai, and drummer Lai Man-wang are celebrating the band's 20th anniversary with a North American tour of San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto and New York City.

Hong Kong fans embraced the band at the Vogue

During the set with an intermission in between, Mau told the crowd he had lost his voice a day earlier, but he sang as much as he could without straining his voice. The fans were appreciative of his call-outs to Vancouver, and sang the lyrics to many of the songs.

While the band formed in 2005, RubberBand didn't sign with a label until the following year. In 2018 they became independent and started their own music label called R flat. 

The indie band became particularly popular during the Umbrella Movement in 2014, as they supported the protesters occupying the streets calling for universal suffrage.

In January 2022, RTHK blacklisted 10 local groups and singers, including RubberBand together with Denise Ho, Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, Kay Tse and Charmaine Fong.

A year later RubberBand toured around Europe, performing to Hongkongers who emigrated overseas. Coming to North America is an extension of the tour, with RubberBand making its United States debut.

No rest for the wicked -- after finishing the performance around 10.40pm, the band held a meet-and-greet after the show for VIP ticket holders and then fly to Toronto tomorrow. 

 

China's Birthrate Continues to Fall

China's birthrate made a record 17 percent drop last year

China's birthrate has dropped for the fourth consecutive year, despite government efforts for couples to have more children.

Last year registered births fell to 7.92 million, down 17 percent from 9.54 million in 2024, the biggest drop since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was quoted in The Guardian that births in 2025 were "roughly the same level as in 1738, when China's population was only about 150 million."

The government's incentives aren't enough

The falling birthrate is not news the authorities were hoping to hear after years of trying to encourage couples to have more kids.

One of its initiatives that begins this year is 90 billion yuan (US$12.9 billion) poured into the first nationwide childcare subsidy program for children under the age of three. There are also plans to expand national healthcare insurance to cover all childbirth-related expenses, including IVF treatment.

But when the economy is slowing down coupled with high unemployment -- particularly among fresh graduates, people don't feel it's the right time to have kids, who have also become a very expensive investment.

The average cost of raising a child in China until the age of 18 is 538,000 yuan -- more than 6.3 times as high as the country's GDP per capita, compared to 4.11 times in the United States, and 4.26 times in Japan, according to a Chinese population think tank.

It's also a big problem when companies frown on young women getting married and having children, overlook them for career advancement, and society still expects women to do the household chores.

Instead women are pushing back, choosing either to remain single and childless, despite calls from the government, including Xi Jinping, for Chinese people to "actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing and strengthen guidance on young people's view on marriage, childbirth and family."

The drumbeat has already begun, with women receiving calls from community workers asking about their plans to have children. But dangling 3,600 yuan ($500) a year for families with children under the age of three is hardly much of an incentive, particularly for those living in cities. 

So... perhaps a re-think on how women are treated before coming up with plans on bumping up birthrates?

Picture of the Day: Magical Light

When the sun hits fog among the trees

Sometimes the forest inspires some amazing photographs and today was one of them.

This morning it was foggy, but with the forecast promising it would be sunny with a high of 10 degrees Celsius.

It was around noon when the sun hit the fog and created exciting lines of sunshine to dramatic effect.

Not Quite the Real Thing

The Williams Sonoma plate at Alouette Bistro

I went to Alouette Bistro in downtown Vancouver for lunch today with a friend.

When I sat down I was surprised to see the plate on the table looked like the Canton Rose pattern that was popular in the late Qing dynasty; it was named after the southern Chinese city (now Guangzhou), when it was the only Chinese city exporting china.

The Canton Rose design refers to the pink roses that were hand painted on the plates along with butterflies, birds, and other flowers.

A Canton Rose platter at Yuet Tung China Works

These colourful plates, decorated with gold paint, were called guangcai, and one of the last factories that make and sell these kinds of porcelain is Yuet Tung China Works in Hong Kong.

Its office/shop/studio is located in Kowloon Bay, and visitors need to be very careful walking through the rooms that are piled high with plates, bowls, tea cups, vases and platters -- if they break anything, they have to buy it.

Back at the restaurant I couldn't help but turn the plate around to see where it was made and saw Williams Sonoma printed on the back. This design is called Green Famille Rose.

Here's the description on the Williams Sonoma website:

"Fanciful, festive and inspired by Chinese porcelain, our hand-finished salad plate comes in eye-catching colours. Each gold-rimmed porcelain piece features a unique design embellished with flora and fauna, including multicoloured butterflies. It layers beautifully with the rest of the collection for both everyday dining and special occasions."

Stacks of bowls in the Canton Rose pattern

While we appreciate the nod to its Chinese origins, a bit more historical context would have been appreciated. That said these plates pale in comparison to the originals.

Just Checking -- Are You Dead?

People living alone can check in with the app every two days

The most downloaded paid app in China at the moment is the morbidly sounding, Are You Dead?

Its name is a play on a popular food delivery app, "Are You Hungry?" with "Si le ma?" [Are you dead?] sounding like "E le ma?"

While the app launched last May, in the last few weeks, tens of thousands of young people have downloaded the app because, well, it's practical.

It has become the most downloaded app in China

The app is straight forward: every two days you need to check in with it, otherwise it will send a message to your emergency contact, informing them that you may be in trouble.

For many, this seems like a useful solution if you are living on your own, young or old, and is a good way to notify others in case something happens to you.

"People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations," posted one user on Chinese social media.

"There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?" said another.

Research institutions have projected there will be some 200 million one-person households in China by 2030 -- four years from now.

The app's founders, young developers who were born after 1995, say they want to expand the app's reach to seniors, particularly those in the rural areas, saying, "we would like to call on more people to pay attention to the elderly who are living at home, to give them more care and understanding. They have dreams, strive to live, and deserve to be seen, respected and protected."

We all do, really. And the app is also a reminder for us to check on our loved ones to make sure they're OK.

Ming Pao Closes in Canada

Ming Pao will print its last edition on January 17

The media landscape in Canada continues to shrink with Ming Pao announcing it was winding down operations in Vancouver and Toronto due to financial reasons, with the last day of publication on January 17.

My dad was very upset to see the headline stating this on the front page of the Ming Pao paper on January 12.

Sing Tao (below) is available online

That was the same day employees based in the two cities were given termination letters that were sent by the parent company in Hong Kong.

"Staff in Canada were informed by management that the decision to cease operations and halt publication was made by the Hong Kong headquarters," the notice said. Sixty employees are affected.

Ming Pao was the only Chinese-language print newspaper after Sing Tao ceased printing its Canadian edition in August 2022, though a digital version still continues. 

Started in 1993, Ming Pao also published a weekly magazine that covered Hong Kong's entertainment scene, and a food publication featuring recipes from the city's well-known Chinese and western chefs.

For many Chinese immigrants, Ming Pao and Sing Tao were papers they depended on for news from a Hong Kong and China point of view. They also covered stories that were focused on Asia that would rarely make it in western media, and gave practical advice on settling down to newcomers to Canada.

Ming Pao's food magazine

People like my dad are newspaper readers, so used to touching newsprint, and in his case, likes to cut out articles in the paper, and sometimes shares them with friends. 

We used to subscribe to both papers and when Sing Tao stopped its print edition, he was encouraged to read it online, but that it is not something he is comfortable doing. 

It's a pity to see fewer media outlets operating, which means less information being disseminated and fewer opportunities for the media to hold others, particularly governments to account. And with Ming Pao closing, that means only Sing Tao is left to be the voice of the Chinese community in Canada.

Nostalgic Tomato-Flavoured Lunch

Straight from the oven, baked fish fillets in tomato sauce

Today we headed to Vancouver's Chinatown and to our usual eatery for lunch -- The Boss Bakery & Restaurant.

It's categorised as a cha chaan teng, with its extensive menu filled with all kinds of dishes from Hong Kong-style borscht soup to pork chops with cream sauce to fried rice. Wash the meal down with yuen yeung (mixture of coffee and tea), milk tea or Horlick's, and finish with egg tarts or cocktail bun.

I ordered the baked fish fillet with tomato sauce, a stainless steel shallow round pan filled with rice mixed with bits of scrambled egg, a few spinach leaves and two small fish fillets that are smothered in a kind of Campbell Soup-flavoured tomato sauce and baked.

Because it's in the oven for a while, it is a test of your patience, while everyone else at the table is already tucking into their plates of food.

Finally it arrives, piping hot, but after blowing a spoonful to cool it down a bit, it's comforting to eat, a reminder of when I was a kid and after school made Campbell's Soup from a can and added instant noodles. But this version is healthier with the fish and spinach.

No way can I finish this serving -- the portions at The Boss are huge and we always bring food containers to bring them home.

The Boss Bakery & Restaurant

532 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

604 683 3860

Review: Last Boat Out of Shanghai

A riveting history book

Several years ago I interviewed a woman who was doing research on her grandmother who had lived in Shanghai during the Chinese revolution and mentioned a book I should read: Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia.

She didn't give any hints on what the book was about, just that it was a really good one.

I finally got around to requesting it from the library and after waiting for my turn I finally got a copy to read.

Chinese residents forced to bow before Japanese

It brings history to life, focusing on four children from different families in Shanghai, one chapter dedicated to each "character", from when they were between two and 13 years old when the Sino-Japanese War caused havoc in China. We learn about each of their family backgrounds, what their parents and siblings were like, and how they each navigated life under Japanese tyranny.

There's one boy whose father is a Japanese collaborator, another from a landowning class, a girl whose impoverished father sells her to a family, and another girl whose father was a Nationalist official. Their childhoods contrast each other economically and politically, and the family dynamics are also fascinating to read, including details of what they ate, how they dressed, and their living arrangements.

After the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, World War II was over for everyone else, but civil war continued in China, with the Communists fighting against the Nationalists. The book follows the four now teenagers and their circumstances when it is clear Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT are retreating to Taiwan, while the Communists peacefully take over Shanghai.

Each time these young people and their families wonder what is best for them and their futures, is it time to leave, and if so where?

As I read Last Boat Out of Shanghai, I couldn't help but think about my great aunt who was born in Shanghai and left on a boat to go to San Francisco to meet my great uncle to marry him. They had only corresponded by letters and exchanged pictures. 

Shanghai emigres made new lives in the US

I also thought about my dad, who was born at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War, and how his family hardly had anything to eat, constantly on the run. They left Canton (now Guangzhou), but after the war went back there, unaware the Communists were coming and had to flee again.

We have been taught to believe that we are masters of our own destinies, but in the case of those living in China, there was such massive upheaval because of war and political ideology and instability, these factors dictated millions of people's lives. 

Everyone did what they thought was the best way to survive, be it collaborating with the Japanese, fighting with the Nationalists, or literally trying to ensure a roof over their heads. 

Author Zia has done an astounding amount of research on this book, starting with her own family, and then interviewing as many people as she could about their personal experiences and weave them into the book. 

Zia captured her mother's story in the book

The acknowledgements alone go on for pages with hundreds of names, including the likes of former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, famed chef and restaurateur Cecilia Chiang, and journalist Frank Ching, along with the four main people in the book.

She also gives a lot of historical context and details that give a nuanced picture of what life was like for Shanghai emigres in the United States and Hong Kong, how their experiences were different from those from southern China. 

Zia explains how the Shanghainese are so much more sophisticated than other Chinese in terms of fashion and culture, as the city was known as the "Pearl of the Orient," and apparently was more modern than many cities outside of China. As a result, many found it difficult to establish themselves elsewhere and it required humility and flexibility to not only stay alive, but also fit in.

There's also more background information on the tensions between the Nationalists and the Taiwanese, how the former controlled the island with an iron fist, despite thinking their stay was temporary, while the latter felt their rights were trampled on.

Zia did a lot of research, interviews

Last Boat Out of Shanghai was a page turner and almost read like a novel -- with real characters.

So grateful for Zia for interviewing these people, documenting their personal experiences in English so that we can have a better understanding of life during this turbulent period, and see how history continues to repeat itself even today. 

She also hopes the book will encourage readers to have greater empathy for refugees who are faced with heart-wrenching decisions, in the hopes to have a better future for themselves and the next generation.

Convenient Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kremes are easier to get in Vancouver

Fans of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Metro Vancouver were excited to see it open a second store in a convenient location -- Cambie and Broadway. 

The first location, which opened in 2004, is all the way out in Delta, about a 29km drive that would take about an hour and a half. 

For many who work and live in Vancouver, this location will be convenient for those who take the Canada Line, or bus along Broadway. 

This box needs some love handles!

Krispy Kreme has 24 locations across Canada, with nine locations in Toronto alone! Going head-to-head with Tim Horton's...

This latest Krispy Kreme location opened just before Christmas and hardcore enthusiasts of the American brand of doughnuts were willing to line up 12 hours before the shop opened at 7am on December 16.

This busy intersection also has a Jollibee across the street, making it, as one person commented on social media, "a deadly combo," with doughnuts and fried chicken steps away from each other.

Yesterday I happened to be in the neighbourhood and wandered to Krispy Kreme to check it out in the afternoon. I was surprised to see the shop is actually quite small, but it turns out the doughnuts are made in Delta and transported over twice daily.

The customer in front of me just bought one original glazed doughnut, while I was admiring all the other flavours: maple glazed, strawberry iced with sprinkles, glazed lemon filled, raspberry cheesecake, and caramel kreme crunch to name a few.

In the end I got three: the original glazed, chocolate ice custard filled, and glazed raspberry filled. They were placed in a box for half a dozen doughnuts and I carefully carried it home on the bus.

As soon as my dad saw the box he got all excited and ready to try them!

Following the recommendation on the box, I microwaved them for eight seconds, though nine or 10 seconds would have been OK too.

The original tasted the same, though if it was fresh, it would have been even better. 

I didn't have a chance to try the others because my dad ate the entire chocolate ice custard one, and late ate the raspberry doughnut too!

Krispy Kreme

519 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC

236 466 5433

Taking Public Transit in HK will be Safer...

Soon there won't be so many phones in cars

New year, new regulations.

People who ride buses in Hong Kong will have to buckle up from January 25 or face a fine of up to HK$5,000 and three months in jail.

This regulation isn't just on large buses, but also mini buses, school buses, and anyone sitting in vehicles delivering goods.

This regulation will be hard to enforce at first, and passengers won't be used to the idea of buckling up on a bus.

Also happening on January 25 is a regulation requiring all drivers to limit having a maximum of two electronic devices -- smartphones or tablets -- while behind the wheel.

The screens must not be bigger than 19cm in size and cannot obstruct the driver's view of the road or mirrors.

Any driver who violates these requirements will be fined a maximum of HK$2,000.

Gone will be those taxi drivers with several phones all over their dashboard... 

Someone taking all their toys to work everyday

A friend used to take snaps of taxi dashboards, but perhaps there should be a crackdown on decorations?