I'm thinking big

Managed to roll out of bed about ten minutes ago and I'm already covered in sweat. Too late for church obviously. Again!

Right now the kids are glued to the TV watching Disney Channel. They are watching a show by the name of "Martin Mystery". I don't have too many objections to most of the Disney shows they watch. Some of them are quite funny. "That's so Raven", for instance, is quite a cracker. What bothers me, a bit, is not the shows but this interlude thing they often have, where they show you a random clip from any old Disney show and invites the kids to find "hidden mickeys". Meaning three circular shapes formed into the shape of a mickey mouse head. Could be three grapes, three bubbles, three pies, or a combination thereof. That is just outright brainwashing and does not seem right.

Last Wednesday saw my last film for the film fest. The movie is "Snowcake". Starring Alan Rikman and Sigourney Weaver. Plenty of laughter from the audience. The Chinese woman sitting next to me kept saying "shit!". It's not a comedy. It's not a disaster movie. Sigourney Weaver plays an autistic mother whose daughter just died in a car accident, in Alan Rikman's car, that is. Rikman just got out of prison for manslaughter. Nothing very funny about any of that really. The Hong Kong audience is a bunch of nut jobs and I bet there's no shortage of hidden mickeys in there too.

After that I met up with B to a place in Tsimsi called "King Ludwig's Beer Hall" (part of the "King Parrot group" - there is another one in Stanley). For roasted pork knuckles and sausages and wheat beer. Food and beer both pretty good. Nice clean tables and chairs, plenty of space. Interesting thing is, they have a Filipino band in there, playing every night from eight till closing. Live music and premier league football on the big screen, at the same time. Can't really figure what kind of "business model" they are going by there. The place was half empty (half of the main dining area is non-smoking) and the clientele seems to consist of office workers and the odd touristy couple. It's a pretty big place too, easily hold a couple of hundred people.

How do/could they break even? Is my question. I was thinking of bringing the kids next time - the band played all their favourite songs. All the rock pop "classics" like Bohemian Rhapsody, Dead or Alive, Walk like an Egyptian, 1999, et cetera. They could have a go at re-marketing it as a kids' place on weekend afternoons. Say charge them $50 per head one drink included (watered down ribena or yakult) for each 2 hour session. Clear out the tables and turn it into a dance floor. Show "School of Rock" on the big screen projector.

(O just popped his head round to annouce that he wants a triple deck grilled cheese sandwich, and that "To me, discos are kinda geeky". I said, "No, it's you that is geeky".)