🌊 Harry Harrison takes over

21.5.21 | Today's High Tide is a Hair(ry) of the Dog.

May 20, 2021

I’m a freelance illustrator and cartoonist and it’s my honour to be “Leader of the Week”, not to be confused with a governmental position which would be “Leader of the Weak”, given the current cabinet. Hey, just kidding!

Anyway, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so we’ve managed to cajole Harbour Times into promoting my new book by way of payback.

Although I have all the prerequisite Twitter and Instagram accounts, I never get ‘round to using them, but I’m a regular user of Facebook, so not completely living in the dark ages, but near enough.

— Harry Harrison

PSSST! You can get 10% off of Harry’s new book, Add Ink: Cartoon chronicles of life in Hong Kong with our code HARBOURTIMES10 – just use it at checkout!

SCMP does not pay us to share this code with you, nor will we make any commission if you do buy it – we just love Harry’s work and want to share the laughs!

Get 10% OFF 'Add Ink'

News

They say “Better the devil you know”. They're wrong, whoever “they” are...

Taking a taxi in Hong Kong, who hasn’t been loudly honked by an impatient bus driver? Rather than politically motivated intimidation, I think it’s probably just their way of warning you that you can’t argue with an accelerating 26,500kg lump of metal on wheels.

Hong Kong’s PolyU has developed a cutting-edge camerato assist with China’s Mars Rover mission. Having seen the footage, I’m wondering how they got the camera up there ahead of the rover in order to film the landing or did the Martians send a camera crew? Whatever the answer, it’s a relief to know that Mars’ national security will now be protected.

AllRightsReserved, the company who brought us the large rubber duck and the papier-mache pandas, will not be bringing their latest installation, a 42-metre hot air balloon depicting Kaws’ Companion character, to Hong Kong. “It’s possible there are concerns that that much hot air would attract too many nominations for next year’s Chief Executive “election”…

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On another note:

hongkongrocks

A post shared by @hongkongrocks

Does anyone remember live music? Sadly, one casualty of the pandemic has been The Wanch, arguably Hong Kong’s best live music venue. There is talk of resurrection but in the meantime, you can relive classic moments from The Wanch and other Hong Kong venues by trawling the archives of Hong Kong Rocks, a site dedicated to our live music scene, past and future.

Check out Hong Kong Rocks

Visit

Anyone not currently under arrest or investigation might be interested in a meander (not march or assembly) around the police museum before it closes for refurbishment at the end of the month, hopefully not to eradicate all reference to their colonial heritage, or to install an interactive exhibit on excessive teargas usage.

Visit the Police Museum

Listen

Notable for its absence for the second year running is the Cantonese Opera on Lamma. Love it or hate it (I actually love it, although I usually struggle with the plot), it transforms the atmosphere of Yung Shue Wan for a few days and fills the main street with happy families and moaning, embittered gweilohs who prefer “dance music”. I spotted this on YouTube, which hopefully caters for both worlds:

Listen to Operatics

Although it’s no substitute for the general festive air, the magical bamboo structure that rises from the football pitch, or the delicious barbecued dried squid brushed with chilli oil that they sell outside.