Batman Begins With a Bang!
Well, this morning, I was planning on getting up early to go to Kowloon park to check out everyone doing Taiji. But I slept thru it...i was tired. I got my stuff together and took it down to the bell service so they could check it and watch over it all day. I then went and had some dim sum. I then checked out.
I headed out about 1045AM for the UA Times Square. Batman Begins at 1135AM. (you like how I did that)
That movie ruled! It was the first time in a long time that I wanted to go right out after the movie finished and buy another ticket to watch it again. I was very impressed. It was really good. Bale was awesome, Michael Cane...obviously, same with Gary Oldman. There were only 3 things I felt any sort of negativity towards, but nothing that deters from the film. 1. The beginning where Bruce is in prison and how quickly Ducard shows up and gets into things. 2. The lack of the Batman Intro Theme by Danny Elfman. Its just synonymous with Batman. They shoulda kept it. 3. The very end and how they plan to go in to the sequel.
But thats all. It was fantastic.
After wards, I contemplated buying another ticket for the 445pm show after my Sin City gets out, but that would get me out of the movie att 715pm and I prolly wouldn't make my ferry. Darn it.
Sin City was good too. Hell, I was contemplating changing my ticket, but I am glad i got to see Sin City in the theatre.
After that, I shopped around a bit more. Went to Pizza Hut for some lackluster pizza. I was disappointed. After that, got some ice cream. Headed to Tom Lee again to oogle over all the Gretsch Guitars n stuff.
Then headed back to the hotel where the internet was so I could check my mail and message some people that I needed too.
I took off from BP around 730pm and got to the ferry 10 minutes later. Took me a minute to get thru customs. Got on the boat and relaxed.
On the way home there were 2 poor souls that boarded the wrong ferry. A japanese girl and an australian man. They were supposed to go from HK to Macau, but they got on the wrong boat, and of course, the chinese/hong kong people working the boat didn't check their tickets or passport at the door like they are supposed to. They had to spend the nite on the ferry in Zhongshan port because the doesn't have a new Chinese Visa that would work. Apparently, earlier that day, they left China for HK, and then were supposed to go to Macau. They had plane tickets from Macau to Malaysia schedualed for midnite. So they missed their flight. They weren't really angry...just furstrated and I bet they felt like crap. Well, i bet they were angry. We were only about 5-10 minutes out of port when they found out their folly. The ferry boat wouldn't turn the ferry around at all. I think in that situation, only that far out, they should have turned around. I don't see a problem with being a little late to Zhongshan if its too help them. But then again, they would have still missed their ferry to Macau, but they could have taken a bus or something. I would have been pissed. But in that situation though, I don't believe they knew that it was the boat's job to do all that checking of passports and tickets and that the boat people are partly at fault. Both the travellers and boat people were at fault, and the ferry had a message in english saying that this boat was going to Zhongshan, China, not Macau. They were sitting right behind me.
Everyone gets screwed over in this country at some point or another.
I got back to the house around 1045pm. Time for bed. sleepy.
Comments
"Everyone gets scrwed over in this country at some point or another." Do you think people don't get "screwed over" in France, or Sweden or Austrailia? These people got on the wrong boat: whose fault is that? When was the last time the Hong Kong ferry turned around so that two confused people could get off? Or the Istanbul ferry? Or...? I detect a distinct paranoid sinophobia here. Yours, Jez Dobbs
Posted by: jezdobbs | June 22, 2005 12:10 PM
Never once did I mention that this stuff doesn't happen in other countries. I know it does. I was just stating fact. That was something one of the many teachers I have worked with said after I mentioned this story last nite.
The people got on the wrong boat...and unfortunately it was their fault. But I was stating that the ferry people were partly to blame becuase they have staff working the entry door where they check tickets and your passport to make sure that you have a valid VISA and an Audio Message telling you to make sur eyou have a valid Chinese ViSA to stop anything like this happening. The workers working the door failed in this respect. The audio message was working fine and the couple also failed to take action on this message, still their fault.
As for the ferry turning around after 5-10 minutes out, I would just say that would be a sign of compassion. But then it would be forcing people to that have plans in China to change them. So, I see why they didn't turn back.
Paranoid Sinophobia? get real.
Posted by: Author Phil | June 22, 2005 12:40 PM