April 25th, 2007 pkuan
…A Medical Holiday Destination
For anyone fancying a little nip and tuck or wholesale surgery, Macau is not yet the place to patron. Not that the medical services are bad, just that Macau hasn’t ramped up the infrastructure, staff, and “holiday packages” (buy one boob job, get the 2nd free). That being said, last September I was falsely diagnosed with one of those unwanted maladies in the corporeal hinterlands. Neither the type of “positive” report card one wishes to see nor lending confidence to successfully remedying more “serious” medical concerns. Thereafter, I’ve exclusively relied on the good services of bilingual Hong Kong Adventist Hospital. Tomorrow eve at 7:30 sharp, I’m having my left arm reattached to my torso and thus dear reader, I will be away from this monitor and plucky keyboard for a few nights. Chicken noodle soup will be warmly appreciated for anyone in the area. Anyway, the bated-breath wait should be short-lived as I hope to be back next week (idyllically with both arms).
The blog contest is freshly underway and already I’ve been introduced to some good blogs: Witty, profound, and lewd. You can check them out on the sidebar to the right and also in the contest landing page. We draw first winners tomorrow. Good luck. Talk soon.
April 20th, 2007 pkuan
We’re Giving Stuff Away in a Shameless Act of Self-Promotion
So last month the entire management team of my company marched into my office…er…cubicle and announced that the company was going to start a blog and I was going to write it. Apparently I’m “just the type to relate to energetic, web-savvy, independent-travelers”.
Me: “Sir, what type of blog do you want?”
Senior Executive #1: “Listen son, I don’t even know what a blog is. But you’re just the type to relate to energetic, web-savvy, independent-travelers. We want you to get out there and connect with your people.”
Me: Blank look masking disbelief and thinking “My people?! Who is this guy?”
Senior Executive #2: “Reports show that blogs are a real force right now. We’ve got to jump on that train. We don’t care what you say, as long as people like it and come storming back for more.”
Me: “Excuse me, sir, just let me make sure I understand you. I can write anything?”
Senior Executive #2: “Take the reins jockey! You’re our blog-meister! Get the specs from Marketing. We launch in a week.”
Me: “Yes, sir.” Me thinking… “Jockey! Blog-meister!” Hahaha.
Anyway, the best job perk is I can now cruise the web and view blogs without having to hover the cursor above the minimize screen button should anyone barge into my wee cubicle.
So as blog-meister, I’ve been charged with creating a popular blog about Macau. I guess that’ll more or less come down to whether there’s any interest in the drivel that spews forth from the keyboard. Luckily there is a lot going on in Macau and defo worth checking out if you’re in the region, so I should have a pretty robust pool of topics about which I can ply my new trade (see previous posts). To lend a helping hand, they’ve given me a few resources as well; namely a load of free hotel stays that I can give away.
I’m being judged on how web traffic increases over the next months, so I’m going to start a few weekly contests to award the hotel stays. The 2 contests are…
1) Top-Dog Blog Contest
The blog that sends my blog the most click-throughs every two week period gets a free 2-night hotel stay in Macau. All my blog partners are also put into a random lucky draw contest and every other week (alternating with the click-through prize) a winner is awarded a free hotel stay in Macau. So, you have a chance to win every week.
2) King of Fortune Lucky Draw
I want to give your readers and other random visitors the chance to win something too; so a free, two-night hotel stay in Macau will be given away every two weeks for Average Joe too.
Register for the contest as a contestant or a blogger.
What I give you:
1) Link to your website in my Blog Partners section
2) Chance to win transferable two-night hotel stay prize in Macau in either (1) blog traffic contest, or (2) lucky draw contest
3) Chance for your readers to win two-night transferable hotel stay prize in Macau in lucky draw contest
What you give me:
1) Link to my blog from your blog with one of our GoMacau.com icons
Check it out and join here: http://www.gomacau.com/game/en.
I’m very happy to answer any questions: Send me a comment.
April 18th, 2007 pkuan
Last night I paid a visit to Grand Lisboa’s newest show: Rockza. After listening to a week of water cooler banter – “coiffure” this, “feathered-fan” that - it was time I saw Rockza for myself. I dragged our Product Development manager along, as well as two resident bachelors, and paraded the few blocks from the office for the 19:30 showing (there are 6 shows a day). We were graciously hosted by the executive producer and given VIP seats in front of the stage, thereafter falling hopelessly in love every five minutes for the next hour. See for yourself…
(Ms. Hayama Saki, if you read this, it would be my great pleasure to invite you out for dinner.)
Frankly, I was uncertain as to what sort of show to expect. Having been reared on the rather unrefined and tawdry peakaboo performances of the Wild Duck Inn and Marble Arch, whose origins are firmly ensconced in the Wild West saloons of a colonial continent, I was unprepared for the highly artistic erotique display that ensued.
If you’re looking for porn, poles, and ping pong balls then you’ll have to head to Pattaya. If you’re not, rest assured your view won’t be blocked by some ogling punter bellowing, “Oi, get yer kit off, love!” Rockza is a playful show that delightfully celebrates the female form in all of its glory – uncensored and in plain view. The dancers are highly-skilled and stunningly beautiful. The stage and theater are intimate and specially-designed for this show. Finally, in addition to being wildly sensual, as a Westerner, the accompanying music and videos are a crazy cultural excursion into exotic Asian erotica. It’s not like home and so it shouldn’t be. Unless you’re an ultra-conservative or under the tender age of 18, Rockza is a must-see event if you’re coming to Macau. It’s a great beginning to the permanent shows that are in the works for hotels and casinos across Macau. Full stop.
April 9th, 2007 pkuan
Showgirls and Chardonnay
My innocuous dinner plans for Saturday night on Macau’s Thai Street seemed harmless enough in retrospect. However, Singha lager - in its infinite wisdom - deftly muted reason and clarity. Next I knew I was debating the virtues of vatted malt whiskey over our own bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label at Whiskey Bar on StarWorld Hotel’s 16th floor. FYI, a bottle of Green Label is a steal at 500 MOP. From there we migrated to Wynn’s Tryst, where at the stroke of twelve one of Macau’s troupes of showgirls paraded in to the excitement of about 50% of the crowd. (After a year in Macau, I’ve developed a keen affinity for Macau’s talented dancers and special insight into their lives here. I promise to devote a post to them in the not so distant future.)
Anyway, when Tryst’s free promotional shooters came our way, it was more-or-less predetermined that I would end up at DD’s, Macau’s most infamous late-night spot. It’s pretty-much the only late-night destination with a crowd. Its licentious nature and eclectic crowd top-off a big night out. It’s not swanky, but it sure is something to behold. Rumor has it that DD’s is one of the establishments set to be shut-down. Though it probably doesn’t fit most people’s vision of the New Macau, most nostalgic ne’er-do-wells will be sad to see it go.
Piling out of DD’s at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning reminds me of that scene in The Bourne Supremacy when the Russian assassin leaves the Moscow disco and walks out into full sunlight and a busy street scene. At that point in the “night”, it seemed right to get dim sum and then hit up a private party in one of the Wynn’s huge executive suites for chardonnay and a view of the city. Home and in bed before 10 a.m. Ugh.
Route: Thai Street à Whiskey Bar at StarWorld Hotel à Tryst at Wynn Macau à DDs à Red 8 in Wynn Macau à “early morning private party” at Wynn
April 2nd, 2007 Fox
My big weekend regret was missing out on the exclusive GoMacau preview of Japan’s famed Rockza (ロック座) show coming to the Grand Lisboa. A few of my colleagues checked it out and one of them wrote this blog to give you the….er….inside peep.
When comparing Macau to Las Vegas, one could easily argue that Macau is now a formidable contender, certainly as far as gaming — nightlife and entertainment is a different story however. Until recently, gaming was the pretty much the only thing visitors came for — and also pretty much the only thing here. With Macau now attracting a broad range of visitors from around the region, a variety of new options are starting to appear. Apart from shopping and dining, most of the new hotels and casinos along the Cotai Strip will feature arenas and theatres housing a great array of entertainment, most notably to date, a permanent Asian base for the Cirque du Soleil, and we’ll certainly begin to see a lot of touring shows and performers.
Now, before I continue, I need to clarify something. Regulations here prevent Macau businesses from advertising certain things as what they actually are. This explains why you never see advertising here promoting gambling (oops, I mean gaming). A “strip show” becomes a “sexy show”, and so on. So as a business here you have to be inventive to work around the regulations, but visitors here also need to learn to read between the lines in order to have a more enjoyable visit.
The Grand Lisboa Casino, which opened less than two months ago, has just opened a new mini-theatre on the upper first floor, and last weekend several of us were invited to attend a preview performance of their debut “sexy show”, Rockza . Nearly an hour and a half long, featuring several lovely Japanese girls, it was very well choreographed and entertaining. Each of the carefully coiffured girls was featured in her own vignette, covering the entire gamut of Japanese female stereotypes, from geishas to school girls. Although perhaps tame by Las Vegas standards, I would say the girls were as talented and dedicated as their Vegas counterparts, and they put a lot of effort into giving us their best performance.
The theatre itself was excellent — non-smoking, comfortable seats, great lighting, and provided every audience member a close and intimate view of each girl on stage. Perhaps that accounted for the introductory announcement reminding the audience to “refrain from coming into contact with the performers, or their clothing”. My only minor complaint would be the overly loud sound system, and the fact that I was seated in the row housing the toilets at the end, where my viewing was regularly interrupted by men visiting the gents throughout the show.
At MOP250, the show may seem pricey, but you can surely lose a lot more than that in a single hand at the “gaming” tables, so by comparison, it’s a fantastic deal.
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