Air Canada App Makes Flight Smoother

A fantastic view of the emerging sunrise

Just flew into Toronto on a redeye Air Canada flight. When I checked in 24 hours before the flight, the middle seat on the 737 was empty, but when I arrived at the gate, there were constant announcements that the flight was full and would anyone volunteer to check-in their carry-on?

The flight was cramped, a kid kicked my seat from behind (until the cabin lights were dimmed), and hardly any refreshments. I only got a few hours of light sleep, as the guy in the middle was watching movies, the woman in the window seat was staring out the window.

But I must say I was impressed with the Air Canada app.

When I checked in my luggage, my phone buzzed to say my suitcase was loaded onto the plane by Michael.

After I landed, the app told me which carousel to find my baggage, though it hadn't even started up.

Nevertheless, when it did, my phone buzzed again to say it was coming to Carousel 3 and less than a minute later I could seeing arriving.

Amazing. 

Here is the picture the woman on the window seat took for me (and the guy in the middle). Everyone else missed it!

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.

A Woman Claims She has No Friends

Ho is trying to make new friends in Vancouver

A woman in Vancouver starts her videos by saying, "I live in Vancouver and I have no friends."

Anna Ho is 23 years old and after graduating from university she finds it hard to meet people, making it sound like a chore.

"Meeting new people is very draining and it's very tiring because it's kind of like a job interview or you're going on dates," she told the CBC.

She is currently challenging herself to do 30 activities to make friends and to document it on social media. So far she's gone to an electronic music festival with people she didn't know, attended a painting class alone and tried to meet people through the app Bumble BFF.

Ho is trying to do these activities once a week but finds she is investing a lot of time and money into it.

But some experts say Ho shouldn't be trying different activities and instead stick to one so that she keeps seeing the same people regularly.

At the same time experts admit Vancouver's rainy weather also makes it harder to meet people because it takes more effort to get out. 

What's interesting is that Ho was born and raised in Vancouver but claims to not have friends... it is even harder for people who are new to the city. They say that people here have their own social circles so it's hard to break in.

Others say it's not too hard, saying they meet people wherever they go. 

The main thing is to be open to others and have casual conversations with people that could possibly lead to other get-togethers down the road. Many say taking classes to learn something increases chances of meeting others, or joining clubs where you have the same interests as others.

So far Ho is one-third of the way through her activities and says she has made one friend so far and feels her efforts aren't for nothing.

"I would hope this whole series that I'm doing just gives people a positive light and comfort," she says.

High Speed Trains for Foodies

Spend the weekend easily in Beijing or Shanghai by train

There's another way Hongkongers can escape the city on the weekends -- take the high-speed train to Beijing or Shanghai in the evening and arrive bright and early the next day after 6am; the return trip starts in the evening and arrives after 8am in the morning in Hong Kong.

It takes 12.5 hours to go to the Chinese capital, and 11 hours to Shanghai. The routes run four days a week, departing from each of the three cities in the evening.

Previously it would take 24 hours to take the train from Hong Kong to Beijing, or 19 hours to Shanghai. Now the time is basically chopped in half. 

Train staff distribute food orders by seat number

On the inaugural train ride from to Beijing, several Hong Kong reporters jumped on board and marvelled... at the food.

They soon discovered that because the train makes several stops along the route, customers can use an app called 12306 and order food two hours ahead of arriving at the stop and when the train arrives, the orders are at the platform for the train staff to pick up and distribute. 

Passengers can sample local dishes, like hot dry noodles of gan re mian from Wuhan, and cold milk tea from Changsha.

While the Hong Kong media were impressed by the ability to order food like this, for mainlanders this is nothing new. Taking trains has been the way most laobaixing have traveled in China, and the improvement in technology in food delivery apps has made this all possible.

So does this mean more Hongkongers are going to ride the trains to Beijing and Shanghai to sample the food? The possibilities are endless...

 

Word of the Day: Special Forces Travel

People like to buy a coffee and sit outside by the waterfront

The new buzzword among young Chinese mainlanders is 特种兵式旅游 or "special forces travel" -- visiting as many destinations as possible in a short period of time while spending the least amount of money.

They look to the app Xiaohongshu to help them plan their itinerary, and Hong Kong is one of their destinations.

Taking photos on the "special forces travel" list

Instead of lining up at luxury brand stores to buy the latest handbag or shoes, they are on a budget and visiting Hong Kong's various districts, though one in particular is really popular -- Kennedy Town, where I used to live.

They are descending on the waterfront, where a certain coffee shop known by its "%" sign -- Arabica -- is a super hot spot for "special forces travel".

The place was already very popular with locals who would come here on the weekends and pose with their lattes and iced coffees, and now it seems their mainland counterparts are doing the same, except in exponential numbers.

In Xiaohongshu, Kennedy Town is described as "the most romantic neighbourhood" in the city, perhaps with the waterfront scenery paired with eclectic stores and cafes, made popular by Arabica and Slowood, an eco-friendly shop that invites customers to buy food in bulk.

It's easy to get to too via tram, MTR and bus.

Slowood is an eco-friendly shop drawing visitors

Some believe young mainlanders traveling on budget is a sign that China's economic recovery hasn't come to fruition as hoped, and the property sector seems to be teetering to the brink with Evergrande Group and Country Garden having deep financial problems.

Other say post-pandemic they want to go out and experience life outside as much as possible to make up for lost time.

While it's good that money will be going to local businesses instead of multinational conglomerates, visitors should be careful while taking pictures at Kennedy Town's waterfront! There's a lot of traffic there that doesn't stop!

Regina Ip on Yellow Economic Circle

Ip says the five arrested were "supporting illegal activities"

Convenor of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is adding her voice in condemning not only the eight pro-democracy activists and lawmakers who have a HK$1 million bounty on their heads, but also the five who were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday for allegedly assisting them.

She said sending money or food from Hong Kong to the eight with arrest warrants was akin to "supporting their illegal activities."

Mee app featured yellow businesses

When a TVB host asked Ip if the arrests of the five men signalled the government was cracking down on the "yellow economic circle", she said "maybe not only the yellow economy, but the activities that involve sending money overseas."

The five reportedly worked on the app Mee which directed users to support shops and restaurants that were sympathetic to the democratic cause and supported exiled politician Nathan Law Kwun-chung financially in the UK. 

"As far as I know, some of the wanted people are very active in the UK," Ip said. "They hold tea parties in areas where many Hongkongers live. On the surface they are Hong Kong-style tea parties, but actually they are designed to brainwash and confuse politicians and to encourage them to condemn and sanction China."

Interesting accusation from Ip without any evidence.

The eight with HK$1M bounties on their heads

"Sending food to the wanted people for their tea parties may also be supporting their illegal activities and the police should investigate thoroughly and stop these activities," she added.

How far the Hong Kong police can investigate these allegations without going to the UK remains to be seen...

Saving Donuts from the Dumpster

Colourful and saccharine donuts from Punk Rock Pastries

A friend of mine has a relatively new hobby -- picking up food for cheap that would otherwise go into the garbage.

He is constantly checking a Danish-based app called Too Good To Go, which promotes businesses that have leftover food items that can be purchased at a cheaper price and picked up the same day.

I asked if the deals were mostly towards the end of the business day, but he said they were posted all the time and even snapped up quickly if your fingers aren't fast enough to secure the deal.

With the price of food up 10 percent in Vancouver, people are looking out for deals to fill their stomachs.

The other day my friend picked up two boxes of donuts from Punk Rock Pastries in Burnaby (he lives in East Vancouver). I don't know how much they cost, but they were definitely a colourful (and very sweet) treat.

The toppings were saccharine, while the donuts were fluffy, they were quite sweet too. 

Although my friend likes the concept of not wasting food, he also looks at it as an opportunity to sample something new relatively cheaply, and if he likes it he'll go back and maybe pay full price for it.

Perhaps the most ironic thing is that he has been picking up mostly cakes and donuts when his previous mantra was to invest his calories in alcohol than desserts...

Canada Bans Tik Tok on Govt Phones

Canada follows the EU and US in Tik Tok ban

The Canadian government has followed the United States in removing and blocking the video-sharing platform Tik Tok from all government-issued smartphones due to security reasons from February 28.

In an email sent to Global Affairs employees said the Chief Information Officer made the decision following a review which found that Tik Tok's data collection methods could lead to cyber attacks.

"The Government of Canada continuously works to ensure the cyber security of our networks by identifying threats and vulnerabilities, including those on social media platforms," the email said.

Parent company ByteDance stores data in China

"The government will continue to monitor the situation and will work with partners to keep the information on our systems and networks secure."

But why would anyone install Tik Tok on a government-issued phone in the first place? How many would have done so?

If anything Tik Tok is a time suck -- getting viewers to watch endless 30-second videos about a whole range of subjects, mostly mindless. And it is this monitoring of users' watching habits and their information is the data that Tik Tok's parent company ByteDance wants, and that it is stored in China.

Nevertheless hopefully this will be a wake-up call to people using Tik Tok to understand they have no control over where their information is extracted from and kept, and perhaps they should think twice about having Tik Tok on their phones.

Canada is following the European Commission and European Council, several American state governments, and most US federal government employees in barring the app on government-issued phones.

Trudeau says this ban could be the first step

While the US Congress is debating a bill which would ban Tik Tok across the country, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau hasn't said whether Canada would do the same.

"This may be the first step, it may be the only step we need to take, but every step of the way we're going to be making sure we're keeping Canadians safe," he said. 

"Certainly, I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees they can no longer use Tik Tok on their work phones, many Canadians... will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence."

So does this mean Trudeau is finally coming around to possibility of Chinese interference in Canada and that it must be stopped in every possible way?