Jaxiecracks's Blog
Reliving vacation time
At long last, I have uploaded my pictures from my trip to Hong Kong (with a day in Macau). I didn't really end up taking that many pictures, mostly because going to Hong Kong was more about meeting up with my family and reminiscing on my old life there, rather than sightseeing. I actually moved to Hong Kong when I was 5, and moved back to the US just before middle school, due to my mom's job, and now my mom's company has relocated her out there yet again, so it was a good excuse for a little holiday. It was my boyfriend's first time in Hong Kong, though, so we did hit up a few tourist attractions.Here are some highlights:
The weather overall was cloudy, hot and humid. I was glad for the clouds though, instead of blazing sun. This is the view from my mom's hotel/apartment; I love the way the grey and fog make it moody and atmospheric:
Sadly, the greyness also meant less than stellar views from that most necessary of all Hong Kong tourist stops, Victoria Peak:
But luckily, all the buildings lit up at night cut through the fog a little better:
The other, somewhat tourist-y attraction I visited was the Mid-Levels Escalators, the longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world. This is the view looking down on the escalators:
The escalators only go up the hill (except for in the morning, when they run descending, to bring all the residents down the hill), so we had to walk back down. We took a little rest to admire the masses of soaring apartment buildings -- in Hong Kong, it's not uncommon to live on the 20+ story (and it's a sight to see some of these tall, skinny towers swaying in the typhoon winds):
We also ran into some... public art? Designer public seating?:
Hong Kong is lots of urban concrete masses, so it's nice to encounter amazing flora like this, purely by chance:
The island of Macau is just a 1 hour jetfoil ride from Hong Kong (although we probably spent about 40 minutes waiting with everyone else from the jetfoil in immigration). Macau used to be a Portuguese territory, and the European influences abound, especially in all the little churches that dot the island:
Of course, native temples predate even the colonial churches; here's some incense from the A Ma Temple, which dates back to 1488:
Not that Macau isn't hip with the modern times... (note the McDonald's on the right and the Starbucks on the left):
Macau is steadily making a name for itself as the "Las Vegas" of Asia, but the Grand Lisboa was here well before any of the new, glitzy casinos. Here's a shot of the iconic casino from the top of the St. Paul ruins:
Speaking of the St. Paul ruins:
But after all the running around, the real highlight of my trip was hanging out with my niece and nephew:
That's all for now! I'll post more pics from the other camera once I get them.
The weather overall was cloudy, hot and humid. I was glad for the clouds though, instead of blazing sun. This is the view from my mom's hotel/apartment; I love the way the grey and fog make it moody and atmospheric:
Sadly, the greyness also meant less than stellar views from that most necessary of all Hong Kong tourist stops, Victoria Peak:
But luckily, all the buildings lit up at night cut through the fog a little better:
The other, somewhat tourist-y attraction I visited was the Mid-Levels Escalators, the longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world. This is the view looking down on the escalators:
The escalators only go up the hill (except for in the morning, when they run descending, to bring all the residents down the hill), so we had to walk back down. We took a little rest to admire the masses of soaring apartment buildings -- in Hong Kong, it's not uncommon to live on the 20+ story (and it's a sight to see some of these tall, skinny towers swaying in the typhoon winds):
We also ran into some... public art? Designer public seating?:
Hong Kong is lots of urban concrete masses, so it's nice to encounter amazing flora like this, purely by chance:
The island of Macau is just a 1 hour jetfoil ride from Hong Kong (although we probably spent about 40 minutes waiting with everyone else from the jetfoil in immigration). Macau used to be a Portuguese territory, and the European influences abound, especially in all the little churches that dot the island:
Of course, native temples predate even the colonial churches; here's some incense from the A Ma Temple, which dates back to 1488:
Not that Macau isn't hip with the modern times... (note the McDonald's on the right and the Starbucks on the left):
Macau is steadily making a name for itself as the "Las Vegas" of Asia, but the Grand Lisboa was here well before any of the new, glitzy casinos. Here's a shot of the iconic casino from the top of the St. Paul ruins:
Speaking of the St. Paul ruins:
But after all the running around, the real highlight of my trip was hanging out with my niece and nephew:
That's all for now! I'll post more pics from the other camera once I get them.
Quickie question: Stats?
Here's a quickie question for the masses: How important is it to you to see someone else's contribution stats (accepted, rejected, pending submissions)? Do you think this should be private info, only available to the contributor?
Vacation!
Sorry I haven't blogged much lately, but when I come back from vacation in Hong Kong next week, I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share 
I'm gone April 4-14 -- in the meantime, Danmod and nilla_chelle01 will be here as usual if you need anything.
I'm gone April 4-14 -- in the meantime, Danmod and nilla_chelle01 will be here as usual if you need anything.
Blogs? Faves? About Me?
Hey all,
So we're throwing around some ideas and starting some casual discussions around here, and I was wondering: what is (or should be) the most important aspect of your TV.com profile? Obviously, we currently put a heavy emphasis on blogs -- that's pretty much what you see when you currently go to a user's profile. But would you rather see something else? Would you rather see something like Facebook or MySpace's standard model, where all your "about me" info is front and center, and you can click on links to see blogs? Or do you like the blog-centric profile? Or do you have something completely different that you'd like to see on your profile -- a greater emphasis on your submissions or reviews or emblems or editorships perhaps. What does YOUR ideal TV.com profile look like?
So we're throwing around some ideas and starting some casual discussions around here, and I was wondering: what is (or should be) the most important aspect of your TV.com profile? Obviously, we currently put a heavy emphasis on blogs -- that's pretty much what you see when you currently go to a user's profile. But would you rather see something else? Would you rather see something like Facebook or MySpace's standard model, where all your "about me" info is front and center, and you can click on links to see blogs? Or do you like the blog-centric profile? Or do you have something completely different that you'd like to see on your profile -- a greater emphasis on your submissions or reviews or emblems or editorships perhaps. What does YOUR ideal TV.com profile look like?
Vote!
Seeing as it's Super Tuesday in California, home of CNET headquarters,
GO VOTE!
(and if you're not registered to vote, go register to vote now!)
Oh yeah, and then come back here for our perennial Valentine's Day Hookup feature, and relive some of this year's awesome Super Bowl Commercials. I'm partial to the Pepsi – Magnetic Attraction and Planters Peanuts – Instinctively Good, myself.
GO VOTE!
(and if you're not registered to vote, go register to vote now!)
Oh yeah, and then come back here for our perennial Valentine's Day Hookup feature, and relive some of this year's awesome Super Bowl Commercials. I'm partial to the Pepsi – Magnetic Attraction and Planters Peanuts – Instinctively Good, myself.
I, too, have a dream
I, too, have a dream,
... that the struggles of the civil rights movement, the example of peace and tolerance and legacy set by Martin Luther King, Jr. will never be forgotten, will never be diminished by time nor distance, but will rather inform the achievements of the future.
... that the memories and pictures of water hoses stripping peaceful protestors from the streets will never cease to disgust.
... that while the majority of us go about our comfortable lives, we do not forget:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968
... that the struggles of the civil rights movement, the example of peace and tolerance and legacy set by Martin Luther King, Jr. will never be forgotten, will never be diminished by time nor distance, but will rather inform the achievements of the future.
... that the memories and pictures of water hoses stripping peaceful protestors from the streets will never cease to disgust.
... that while the majority of us go about our comfortable lives, we do not forget:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968
