public figure THE cost of getting married has never been cheap and we are not talking about the bride and groom. Eastweek magazine claims Urban councillors were canvassed by colleague Wen Choy-bon as to what the going rate for 'gifts' was for her daughter's marriage. The councillors came back with a $500 figure for attendance and a $300 figure for non-attendance. The Urban council was charged with collecting the cash from colleagues and decided to standardise the rate at $500, regardless of guests attending or not.
chauffeur, so good ANY thoughts that being the chauffeur of top Canto-pop stars would be a nice little earner should think again, writes Next magazine. Some chauffeurs of the rich and famous make a decent living driving, others make a more decent living selling juicy titbits to the gossip magazines. Not so if you are about to drive for the great crooning couple themselves, Sally Yeh and George Lam. According to a recent recruitment ad from the couple, any prospective driver would have to sign a confidentiality clause vowing not to spill the beans about their private lives. If they agree they will receive a handsome monthly salary of ... wait for it ... $10,000.
getting burned SPARE a thought for shopkeepers in Kowloon whose premises were gutted by fire recently, reports the Apple Daily. The brave retailers tried in vain to douse the blaze but had to wait for the firemen to come to their rescue and finish off the job. What did the shop sell? Top-of-the-range fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment. Ever heard the phrase, 'Those who help others don't know how to help themselves?' expensive game THE Hong Kong public has a knack for sounding out new investment opportunities - be it gambling on the stock exchange, hoarding rare and sought-after trainers or speculating on stamps. Now it seems local entrepreneurs are speculating in computer games, or more specifically the state-of-the-art Tamagotchi computer game from Japan. So popular is the new palm-sized game that youngsters queue up in droves to snap it up. Now, it seems, older speculators are joining the queue. Why? Because demand so exceeds supply that the $100 toy sells outside the shops for $1,000.
southeasterly wheeze ANYONE who lives southeast of a cemetery take heed. With the coming spring and summer breezes residents are being warned to shut their windows to stop any 'yin' blowing into their homes and adversely affect their homes. Next magazine advises residents to replace their southeast windows with mirrors or simply buy an air-deoderiser to neutralise the negative niff.
II commuter FOR some illegal immigrants sneaking into the territory is just like going to work, says the Apple Daily. The report comes after cops in Kwun Tong nabbed an II so skilled in creeping across the border 'they had lost count how many times they had arrested him'. According to one policeman, the villain is more 'familiar at the police station than the paperwork'.