26F, booked a timeleft dinner for women yesterday in Hong Kong, my first ever Timeleft dinner. Didn't expect to meet genuine cult members trying to recruit me. They utilized the loophole and neither of them booked through the platform (one of the original participants no show and cult member A filled in the place, she then said her "friend"(Cult member B) is nearby and asked her to join in the middle). For your information, at first 7 signed up but excluding the 2 cult members only 3 of us were there. And I personally love watching cult and true crime documentaries which totally saved me from this mess.

A was really good at getting close to people. She was friendly and seemed empathetic. She introduced herself as an occupational therapist and now studying a spiritual coach course. I asked whether it was something related to mental health or counselling, she said no it wasn't anything science-based (at the time I still thought she was just into some fengshui stuff). What started to seem like a red flag to me was when she mentioned she is living with around 10 people in a gigantic house (FYI in Hong Kong it's so rare to live with that many people given its limited space), and they have 13 cats, 4 dogs and a few birds. The 10 ish people are mostly women and they are all single. At first I only thought maybe it was like a dorm, but she said they "chose each other". They would discuss with each other in depth for literally everything, which to me seem very philosophical, like they would ask 6 why's and what each other is going through, even just after assembling a chair...(To me it was really crazy like how do you have so many thoughts for such random things in daily life?).

One more thing, both A and B do not have a legit name, they made up their name. I told A her name is very special, she said she combined two words in bible which means "Unconditional love". Now that I think about it, both using non typical English names probably is a sign. (Edit: I searched all 3 of their weird names on AI turnout their names are all very New Age style, their names are: Nam (The original participant who didn't show up), Agaphi (Meaning Agape on bible), Devi (Meaning goddess in ancient Indian language)

When B joined us, it seemed more and more apparent that it is a cult. She said that A will go through "dealth" in a few days, the table was in silence for a few seconds. We asked her what she meant for dealth, she said she has no idea but she looked enthusiastic. One girl asked B wouldn't they want to get married and have kids, B said she has "passed that phase" and she wouldn't want to meet a guy who doesn't believe in what they believe. And B said they would always challenge the social norms and walk a path less people choose. And A said "if they want to meet someone they could". I was like, if you all are just roommates why would you sound approval to them meeting a partner?

After the dinner the 2 cult members asked me for a drink, which at the time I was regretting I shouldn't tell them I wfh tomorrow. After we sat down almost immediately they started selling me their spiritual course which costs 100k HKD and said it is a journey we can go through together. They said they want me in. I asked why me? They said 1) I seem open-minded to different things 2) I have a flexible job (which I assume they think I can engage in their cult activity) 3) I look like I crave human connection (See? This is typical for a cult, they target lonely people who crave connection). But then I said I don't have that much money. A kept using the Foot in the Door tactic, saying even if I just decided to start with 1k HKD it would be fine. After A went to toilet, I asked B what does she normally do for a weekend, she said she barely steps out of their communal house. I asked, is it because the house was big enough for activities? She said no, there are already too many things going on in it, like they would be in deep discussion for just assembling a chair. At that time it gave me chills.

Hello everybody!

I am messaging, hoping that someone will be able to help my father find his lost property at Chungking Mansions.

My father went to Hong Kong but could not find the accommodation that I booked for him. He was unable to call me due to issues with his phone and thus decided to find another accommodation where he culd crash for one night. It was very late at night and taxi driver took him to Chungking Mansions and then arranged a room for him for 200 eur/night. (Could this be a scam? Seems extremely expensive for what it is and taxi driver himself took him to the room with another guy). The door to his room was partially broken and his key did not work. He went outside for a bit with his stuff left in the room (unlocked room). This is a long story, but in a nutshell, he lost his room key, could not find his way back to the room, got scared and left to the original hotel that I booked for him and left all of his belongings in Chungking Mansions in a room that does not lock.

He is unable to use his phone at the moment and does not even remember the accommodation name. Only floor number 3 is what he remembers and maybe room 314 or so. Probably floor 3, room 14 is what I gather from my research. I narrowed down the accommodations to Chungking House DE LUXE HOTEL - https://www.chungkingmansions.com.hk/ckhouse.htm which I think could be where he stayed. I tried calling but they do not speak any english and did not answer to my google translator message, just hang up. Could anyone local please call this number and ask whether they found a backpack? (852) 2366 5362.

EDIT: He can not physically come back to that hotel, his phone does not work, he has no maps, his card does not work, does not remember directions and can barely answer my calls so me talking him through directions is not an option. (He is older, 65 and I noticed a very strange behaviour from him lately: getting lost often, unable to use his phone, forgetting short term memories, etc.)

Many thanks!

There are quite a lot of eccentrics in HK which I think is great as long as no one is being harmed. One of the most common is people obsessed with hygiene. Not saying there's anything wrong with it but some people make me a chuckle to myself.

One I noticed growing in popularity in my office is colleagues bringing their own sponges to work to wash their dishes after lunch, instead of using the one provided.

We also have someone who wears latex gloves almost all day long.

Did you notice any quirky hygiene habits?

A woman suffered head injuries after being struck by a falling banana while exercising at a recreational ground in Po Pui Court, Kwun Tong, on Sunday morning.

Salutations, brothers and sisters.

I work in IT and I often fix locally abused computers and laptops.

To do my work I sometimes go further than just replacing ram, storage, display, beattery etc.

I sometimes have to flash the bios chips directly to the chip on the motherboard using clips and an external flasher. These are actually my own tools that I bought from Taobao which I use at work. My boss suggested that I should buy a set of these tools for work as well. The issue with that is that I can't claim anything bought from Taobao as a business expense but I can use local platforms besides 2nd hand market places instead.

++++The technical bit+++

Now these tools i use consit of soic8/sop8 clips and an SPI chip flasher.

I went to Sham Shui Po and had a gander but I couldn't find any shops selling these nieche products.

Does anyone know where I get these things?

Hi, I'm doing an art project on Hong Kong overcrowding and urban expansion issues. I'm sure everyone who lives in Hong Kong gets how dense it is... I'm looking for some examples of the overcrowding or intense expansion pressures you've noticed in daily life, or any personal comments on Hong Kong living pressures.

Here are some things off the top of my head that I feel is quite representative of this issue:
- chungking mansions
- the neon sign boom (though most are torn down now)
- the grids of posters on the walls in streets
- cage homes and subdivided flats

Feel free to come up with anything, it's all helpful to me!

While traveling in HK I might be in a situation where I need a refill of my blood pressure medication. I have a copy of my Canadian prescription and doctor’s letter along with the original medication and packaging. How hard would it be to get a refill in HK and how much would I expect to pay for a basic doctor’s consultation, if unavoidable?

Hello is anyone selling tickets for the joji:solaris tour in hk? please dm!

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m currently working on a research project and having a bit of a hard time finding the right people to do some user testing with. I specifically need to speak with people based here in Hong Kong, so I figured I’d try my luck asking this community.

I’m looking to do a quick, casual user testing session to get your feedback on what I'm building. I'm hoping to find two types of people:

1. Graphic Designers / UX / UI Designers
2. Small Business Owners (specifically if you manage bookings or take shop orders)

To say thank you for your time and help, I’m offering 150 HKD and I’ll also treat you to a coffee/drink during our session!

If you fit into either of these groups, live in HK, and have a little bit of free time to help out with some research, please drop a comment or send me a DM! I’d really appreciate it. 🙏

Thanks so much in advance!

there is a mass disinformation and smear campagin going on across reddit / twitter against HKers, and quite often seeing the same names.

these people are ruthless and will try anything and want us to be on their level.

watch out and call it out.

*edit - added image below for even more context for the constant slander and hate against hkers that a certain group claims they never do but are the only group ever to do so. talk about being rude? what a joke (source: twitter/x)

Processing img uas2b48powxh1...

立法會一個委員會今（26日）討論拓展公務員視野機會，公務員事務局局長楊何蓓茵表示，預計今年安排約40名中高級公務員，前往澳洲、法國、新加坡等地修讀公共行政、國際關係等課程。議員葉傲冬關注，當局花了資源讓公務員到海外培訓，若回來不久就離職，會否變相做了跑道幫人「起機」；選委界何俊賢則擔心若公務員被調派到「敏感國家」，或會被套取港府情報。

楊何蓓茵指出，政府各部門有恆常機制借調公務員到不同國際組織短暫工作，最近5年已有約120人到國際組織任職，自2019年共17名青年公務員參與聯合國初級專業人員方案，以中國人員身分到聯合國位於不同地區的辦事處出任不同職位。

海外培訓方面，公務員事務局過去一直有安排中、高級公務員到澳洲、法國、新加坡、西班牙、瑞士及英國等地的著名院校，修讀高級行政管理。

新界東南議員葉傲冬關注，政府花了資源讓公務到海外培訓，若回來一段時間就離職，到不同私人機構工作，「就變成政府做了條跑道幫人『起機』，我最不想見到這個情況」。楊何蓓茵回應指，培訓後回來離開政府的是非常少數，「如果培訓時間是超過一定的長度、金額超過一定的金額，我們亦要同事與我們簽約，要留在政府工作一定年數」。她表示借調國際機構獲得的工作經驗，適合在公共行政多於私人機構。

選委界何俊賢則擔心，若公務員調派到「敏感國家」交流或培訓，或會有人「埋身」套取國家情報，會否在出發前加強講解和教育，「那些情報不會是金庫匙放在哪裏，可能是上級的喜好、某局長最常去哪間酒樓、用哪款護膚品等，你有沒有做這些需要小心一點的教育」。

楊何蓓茵指出，局方會要求到海外交流或接受培訓的公務員帶「清水機」，即沒有任何資料儲存在內的電腦，「不見了或給人拿走，都不會洩漏政府機密、洩漏資料等… 我們對於國家安全、保守政府機密的培訓，其實是滲入我們不同培訓環節，不只是特別一堂要求他們去之前上的」。她續指，即使在香港工作的公務員亦會接觸不同介別的人，若有風險亦有相關培訓，「可能更大，因為在香港利益更多，同事在這方面日常已習慣有警惕」。

Hi everyone,

I was chatting with a friend who coaches tennis, and he mentioned something surprising: apparently a group of “hackers” are using bots and scripts to grab all the public tennis court bookings on the Smartplay app right at 7 AM. After that, they resell the slots to coaches for 200 HKD or more.

I’m not sure if this is true or just a rumor, but I’d love to hear what others in the community think.

Has anyone else come across this?

It was fun, there were a lot of cool cars. The best part was definitely the end when they all started up and we got to hear their engines.

Hey HK runners, staying in mid levels for a month and wanting to get some hilly runs in, wondering if running up old peak road is safe at night (ie lighted, no wild dogs, etc). Thinking probably 10 pm or so based on schedule. Also if there’s any late night run clubs in the area would love to join!

Carl Cox, now in his 60s and still headlining marathon techno sets worldwide, is frequently asked by journalists when he plans to hang it up. His standard reply is classic:

"Techno has no age limit. The kick drum doesn't care what year you were born, it only asks for your energy."

Serious sound systems, heavy basslines, and just dancing hard. There are two killer electronic gigs happening over the next couple of weeks:

1. Bellissimo Halloween (Secret Warehouse), Sat, 31 Oct

Raw industrial warehouse energy, live sets, heavy techno, and bass running from 23:00 till late. Let's meet at the MTR once the secret location drops, grab a quick drink, and walk in together around 11:00 PM. (RA Event)

2. Shi Fu Miz 10 Year Anniversary, Sat, 14 Nov

Tai Tong Ecopark in Yuen Long, open air, noon till late. Grabbing an Early Access pass (entry before 3:00 PM) to catch the daytime sun and outdoor sets. Down to split a cab from Yuen Long MTR, grab a cold drink, and hit the grass. (RA Event)

Looking for gig buddies:

Most of my original rave friends have either emigrated or hung up their dancing shoes, but I still love driving techno, proper sound design, and being on the floor. I'm a Gen X female, and while rolling in solo is fine, catching sets with people on the exact same wavelength hits completely different.

If you have another solid underground night on your radar, let me know. If I'm free and the sound is right, I'm down to join.

Strictly about the music, good company, and dancing hard. Zero drama, no creeps.

Drop a comment or send a DM if you're heading out.

Bus driver refused him on board due to possible threat (?)

Hi all,

Selling one standing ticket for the Weeknd on the 31/10 as I can no longer travel for the concert, reach out if interested.

Thanks,