# HK skyline extravaganza



## vincent (Sep 12, 2002)

let's start with this lightning skyline shot (100% real shot)


















lots of water drops on the filter...









let's try zooming this time









black and white give a classic touch to it









people enjoying the light show









this shot is a bit old, but still stunning









Brand new pano shot, SCROLL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>









Using fisheye lens, SCROLL>>>>>>>>>>>>>


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## Urban Dave (Apr 18, 2004)

mg: No words!!!!! Just the best photos of the night skyline of Hong Kong I've ever seen!


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## XiaoBai (Dec 10, 2002)

These rock the casbah my dear friend..are these your own?


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## IchO (Oct 4, 2004)

We LOVED the ZOOMing...
SSC Staff.


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## hyacinthus (Nov 22, 2004)

Great find, Vincent!

Alex takes amazingly pretty pictures! He's also a Nikon user. :colgate:


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## Phobos (Sep 14, 2003)

Amazing photos.


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## [email protected] (Jun 29, 2004)

excellent


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## sts (Dec 9, 2002)

Stunning!


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## Genç (Jul 23, 2004)

OMG! INCREDIBLE!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

I saw a photo over the weekend in Ming Pao that showed something like this. It seems the weather wasn't too good last weekend.


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## Victoria (Feb 23, 2005)

Great pics, thanks for sharing.


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## Dennis (Sep 11, 2002)

Stunning pics, the greatest skyline in the world


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## hoogbouw010 (Sep 10, 2002)

More pictures from Alex Lau at his website.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Killer shots.. but that's to be expected of HK, no?


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## juan_en_el_valle (May 10, 2005)

Nice shots!


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## Rachmaninov (Aug 5, 2004)

Great pics!!!


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Created by me


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## vincent (Sep 12, 2002)

the same thread in spage forum only get 6 replies. Again, that show spage is strongly "American". SCC is much more "international" and "open mind".


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## Sonic from Padova (Nov 23, 2004)

AMAZING!!!!!!!


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## vincent (Sep 12, 2002)




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## i_am_hydrogen (Dec 9, 2004)

Unbelievable

Skybean - Nice collage, btw.


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## vvill (Sep 20, 2002)

absolutely gorgeous!


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

world's best skyline


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## scorpion (Sep 14, 2002)

what else can you say, but~~

HONG KONG!!  

great finds vincent** 
that pic of the lightning 'striking' central plaza's spire is insane...

:cheers:


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## scorpion (Sep 14, 2002)

MORE gems from the world's greatest skyline-city:














































:cheers:


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Unconventional looks.. but I thought these were too stunning not to post


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

OMFG... Taken May 22, *2005*

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:


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## vincent (Sep 12, 2002)

damn, where did u find all these top quality pics??

this shot is nice, 2ifc and the center still stand out from this residental towers madness.


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## Marcanadian (May 7, 2005)

Best skyline in the world imo


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## michal1982 (Mar 16, 2004)

WOOOOWWWW!!!!!!


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## carry_a_torch (Apr 30, 2005)

so nice


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## superchan7 (Jan 21, 2004)

Too bad HK is COMMIELAND :hilarious


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## rufi (Nov 24, 2004)

^ jealousy?


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## sean storm (Nov 18, 2004)

totally awesome, rare shots...... i'll be there this winter.


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## superchan7 (Jan 21, 2004)

Not jealousy, but sarcasm (I'm from HK). Go to the VS threads to find out =)


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## Bitxofo (Feb 3, 2005)

WOW!!
:eek2:


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)




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## [email protected] (Jun 29, 2004)

i love HK


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## TheBaseTower (May 22, 2003)

AMAZING! The colors are amazing, this is what u call The reason for living!!!! amazing again.. have to visit!


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## Labtec (Sep 12, 2002)

Amazing pictures, yup... the future is hong kong.


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## JohnnyMass (Feb 6, 2005)

wow!!! amazing pics!!!!


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

omg the lights are incredible!!!


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

very very nice pics... i love the raindrops one the best


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## tigerboy (Jun 7, 2006)

Whem the ICC is finished that harbour is going to be amazing. I simply love HK. It is unsurpassed. If Paris is the most beautiful megacity which it is and Tokyo the biggest mega on the block which it is then HK has got to be the most stunning and awe inspiring. How can you not love the greatest skyline on earth and the fact the ICC etc is coming onstream is so exciting for me as a lover of that skyline.

Thanks for these pics.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

great fuckin shots. 



there are only 4 or 5 buildings in the HK skyline that stick out.










The ones that make the skyline are 2 International Finance Centre, Central Plaza, Bank of China Tower and The Center. The rest are just boxes.


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## Pax Sinica (Dec 10, 2005)

> The rest are just boxes.


To be honest, you only know 4 or 5 buildings in HK.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

take those 4 out...you have a cluster of neon boxes, with nothing standing out. much like Miami or Honolulu. meh, just my opinion. not everyone buys into the tacky 'elegance' of VH.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)




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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Pacific Place, Lippo Center, AIG Tower, 1IFC? These are all not boxes. Even Foster's HSBC is not really a conventional box. Most of these buildings are over 600 ft in height, they would stand out in any skyline.

Hong Kong is also not only Hong Kong island. There are 400 buildings over 40 storeys in the New Territories.

What is wrong with boxes though. Every cities has them and they are beautiful.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

dont get me wrong, i love the skyline, but for what reasons? its geography mainly. i dont want to have wear sunglasses when crossing VH at night. it is too tacky, and 90% of HK is bland residentials projects. Id pick Shanghai over HK, even tho HK may be more extensive, that doesnt matter to me. Shanghai looks better, especially when WFC is done. I dont really understand the dazzle behind HK, its alot like Honolulu in terms of scenery and buildings.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

im just being honest here. im not hating on the skyline, im just tellin it how it is.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> dont get me wrong, i love the skyline, but for what reasons? its geography mainly. i dont want to have wear sunglasses when crossing VH at night. it is too tacky, and 90% of HK is bland residentials projects. Id pick Shanghai over HK, even tho HK may be more extensive, that doesnt matter to me. Shanghai looks better.


Actually Shanghai may be more extensive in terms of numbers than any other city on the planet. Shanghai does look good.

Sunglasses? Sure if you have some eye condition. 

90% bland residentials.. isn't that generalizing too much? There are more residential buildings than all of the highrises in NYC and I doubt you or I have seen everyone of them.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Lippo is the red and blue towers right? Theyre different.


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## Arpels (Aug 9, 2004)

beautiful :drool: no more words!!


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

more residentials than all of NYC? thats really pushin it. I doubt everyone has seen every building in NYC. it gets pretty spread out. enough about that. This isnt a city vs city. This is somethin I always thought of when seeing VH. 

Im going to find the pano of HK that was put up a few days ago.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> more residentials than all of NYC? thats really pushin it. I doubt everyone has seen every building in NYC. it gets pretty spread out. enough about that. This isnt a city vs city. This is somethin I always thought of when seeing VH.
> 
> Im going to find the pano of HK that was put up a few days ago.



Well I highly doubt that there are over 1000 commercial highrises in Hong Kong. The vast majority of buildings are residential. 

7000-1000 = 6000 residential highrises

BTW: The tower with red signage and blue light is part of Pacific Place.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

that is where NYC and HK differ. NYC is made up of mostly office space surprisingly. i cant find that pano. if you took out all the residentials in HK and NYC, NYC would have 1,000s more office left. just an assertion.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

the rest of HK is just residentials. VH is the only part worth looking at. I can point out about 8 buildings that stand out from the rest. I always see people complaining about glass boxes. The thing with HK is that its overdone with the glass boxes, and gets very blocky, which I find very tedious. Its supreme modern architecture but to me, a little too much. No diversity, only in style of buildings, not types.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> the rest of HK is just residentials. this is the only part that shows the true downtown area. again, to me, there are maybe 8 at most i can point out that stand out


HK island is definitely the financial centre of HK, but there are many commercial towers on the other side of the harbour in Kowloon as well. There are also buildings hidden from view. 

A casual observer might only be able to pick out a few buildings... because they are amongst the tallest in the world (you have obviously seen them on the Top100), and these are so strategically placed, as to create a dynamic and utterly breathtaking skyline. It's these buildings that should be front and centre and HK has mastered building placement very well.

Lippo towers are just behind that golden tower "Renesas" (can't recall the name)



Spooky873 said:


> the rest are green,pink boxes. weirdest colors of buildings ive ever seen.


Some people might call that "variety" or even "beautiful" :cheers:


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Lippo is in my opinion the 2 best looking in HK.


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

*lol,I am sure NYC got 1000 more glass boxes than HK.*


















*dark box,grey box and depressing box.Before 911,the tallest building of NYC were two boxes.if you took out all the residentials in HK and NYC, NYC would have 1,000s more boxes left.*


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## kentan8 (Oct 7, 2004)

To be honest, I really don't see the beauty of the N.Y.'s skyline. All I could see is grey and brown square boxes.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Each to their own I guess.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

New York's 'beauty' is in it's density and classic architecture.

Hong Kong's 'beauty' is in it's visual effects (Symphony of Lights), geographic setting (Victoria Harbour + mountains) and density.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Also, surprised no one's posted this beauty so far:

*HONG KONG ISLAND PANORAMA*









*And here's an old shot of Kowloon panorama:*


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> great fuckin shots.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cheung Kong, despite being just a 'box', its a rather large box and hence sticks out. And since the AIG covers most of BoC and Cheung Kong, it sticks out too - and the AIG building is certainly no 'box'.

And I don't know about you, but to me the HKCEC also sticks out quite a bit, despite being so low - as does the HSBC building which is just pure genius.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Aboveday said:


> *lol,I am sure NYC got 1000 more glass boxes than HK.*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh please, not another HK VS. NY battle


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## mannix_10 (Apr 5, 2006)

HK is amazing at night...never been there but it looks stunning!


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

sigh... let those like spooky, who has never been to HK nor has seen any of the buildings that rarely get covered by these pictures, continue their biased judgements... 

afterall, HOMEtown is still the #1 reason for affected neutrality.


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

someone from the king of the boxy cities blamed that hk is too boxy, wahahaaaa

JEALOUSNESS!


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## Castle_Bravo (Jan 6, 2006)

The HK night pics are stunning!! One of the best I've ever seen, the NYC pics too


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

most of the buildings built before 1960 are not boxes. take a gander.

ie; the ESB and Chrysler are two prime examples. 

New York is limestone, brick, and glass, Hong Kong is white, glass, and sometimes pink and green! oooooh!


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

lets not turn this into a city vs city. lets just simply compare the two, can you's handle that?

for comparison sake everybody.




















the majority you see are buildings that get thinner as you get to the top, especially the classic brown highrises with the water towers.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

if you fail to see that, then i cannot help you.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

*UNMATCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* 

:cheers:


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

that my friends is the difference between Hong Kong and New York.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Aboveday said:


> *lol,I am sure NYC got 1000 more glass boxes than HKdark box,grey box and depressing box.Before 911,the tallest building of NYC were two boxes.if you took out all the residentials in HK and NYC, NYC would have 1,000s more boxes left.*


I highly doubt NYC has more glass boxes than HK. The buildings in NYC that were built up to 1950 were not boxes, take a look at the old nyc pics thread.

The thing with HK is that the numbers of highrises is oversaturated AND inflated by group projects. 

You got one design, times that by 6, or 8, or 10. Theres your skyline, hence the group projects.

thank god the majority of those in NYC are in the outer boros, you will not find buildings in Manhattan that are identical to eachother like HK.


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

for comparison sake ,pls stop posting 1930s photos of NYC ,many of those classic architecture in NYC are replaced or blocked by much taller modern glass boxes *TODAY*.

I want to emphasis that it was not me the first person trying to compare NYC *skyline* and HK *skyline* in this thread ,it is never my style to compare two different style cites which is 10000 km away from each other.it is your personal choice to like or dislike a skyline,but if someone from NYC,blaming buildings in HK skyline are boxy/most of them are boxy ,I am going to show him that NYC did a great job ,much better than HK in building boxy tower as well.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

I would leave a message for Spooky but it would involve a lot of expletives so I'll leave it out


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

by all means go ahead, i can go all day/night.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Aboveday said:


> for comparison sake ,pls stop posting 1930s photos of NYC ,many of those classic architecture in NYC are replaced or blocked by much taller modern glass boxes *TODAY*.
> 
> I want to emphasis that it was not me the first person trying to compare NYC *skyline* and HK *skyline* in this thread ,it is never my style to compare two different style cites which is 10000 km away from each other.it is your personal choice to like or dislike a skyline,but if someone from NYC,and blaming buildings in HK skyline are boxy/most of them are boxy ,I am going to show him that NYC did a great job ,much better than HK in building boxy tower as well.


NYC is not all boxes. see for yourself, visit the old pics of nyc thread. if you refuse, then dont talk please. HK is one dimensional and its modern glass boxes, as opposed to NYC, every era put up something different. Its obviously got its fair share of boxes as well, but not nearly as many as HK. 

Talking about boxes, im just bein stand up about it, im not doing it for shits n giggles. If I were you id be proud of your city too, because I know damn well I am proud of mine. Lets compare and contrast instead of sitting around being boring and not speaking up. Theres gotta be SOMETHING you dont like out there. Lets talk, please, make shit interesting. 

There are most of you who dont understand the so-called 'majesty of NY', and there are most who dont understand the 'majesty of HK'. I love the HK skyline but lets talk about the two for what they are or else you can continue putting up your smilie faces and being boring about it. I know there are many in my position who wont say anything, so lets talk. 

Taking out all the boxes in NYC, well, we have many commercial glass boxes, mixed in. Youd be left with the limestone buildings from the early 20th.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

this building is currently u/c. it is supposed to look old, to fit in with the buildings around it. you find this type of construction all over. 

its not very pink or green is it?


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

aboveday, there are a million of old buildings still standing, not replaced by 'glass boxes.'

one of the faves in east midtown.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

that is the difference between NY and HK. simply objective standpoint.


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> I highly doubt NYC has more glass boxes than HK. The buildings in NYC that were built up to 1950 were not boxes, take a look at the old nyc pics thread.
> 
> The thing with HK is that the numbers of highrises is oversaturated AND inflated by group projects.
> 
> ...


wow so interesting, u compare the manhattan to the whole hong kong, y didnt u say the buildings in the central of hk are identical to each other? huh?

yes the rest of hk is saturated by group projects and THAT is the unique of hk. hk is different and there is no other city is like hk, so as ny, hk is truely a skyscrapercity as even the residential area is full of skyscrapers......y u americans always like to judge others by ur own standard? silly! 

our world is not only usa, u thank god that ur nyc is blahblahblah....sorry, i also thank god that hk is not a grey or blown or whatever like ny and o thank god that hk is much much more peaceful with oen of the lowest crime rate in the world cities


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

well if you like seeing 10 buildings of the same design, so be it. if you actually use that as a defense, im kinda shocked. im not pushing co-op city in peoples faces just as an example. it looks hella ugly if you ask me.

how is NYC any different in being a skyscrapercity sir?


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## spicytimothy (Dec 10, 2003)

Can everyone just stop? Everyone is entitled to their opinions! Just get along... 

and Spooky, if you don't like Hong Kong thaz fine, but don't u have anything better to do than to respond to every single comment in a thread about HONG KONG? yeesh... Your comments are heard and duly noted. Thank you. Now everyone let's just move on.


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> well if you like seeing 10 buildings of the same design, so be it. if you actually use that as a defense, im kinda shocked. im not pushing co-op city in peoples faces just as an example. it looks hella ugly if you ask me.
> 
> how is NYC any different in being a skyscrapercity sir?


firstly, y didnt u ans me that y u compared the manhattan to the whole hk, y didnt u just compare manhattan to the central that's the cbd of hk?
when did u see that there is 10 buildings of the same design in the central? well just show me if u can

u think hk style is ugly, that is ur choice, sorry i dun like ny's grey and blown color too, n that's my taste, i like futuristic city like hk and tokyo, that's it, not old fashion, come one, dun keep repeating u dun whatever blahblahblah, that's ur choice, nth more, say it once is enough, just imagine how a person digusting he is that he keeps saying apple is bad when many ppl gather together to enjoy their apples

*
we like our style*


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> aboveday, there are a million of old buildings still standing, not replaced by 'glass boxes.'
> 
> one of the faves in east midtown.


You're a fucking tart and a half aren't you?

No one's denying New York's got beautiful buildings - it would take a fool to do so.

But the hypocrisy involved comes when you claim Hong Kong is merely a 'box' town. Firstly, New York has it's fair share of boxes too, and naturally has it's large selection of beautiful buildings, just like every other city on this planet - yes...even Hong Kong.

Secondly, how exactly do you expect houses in Hong Kong to be built then? All Chrysler building ornated style? How much do you think that will cost? It's a practical solution.

And finally...



> that is the difference between NY and HK. simply objective standpoint.


"That" being that New York's skyscraper boom came about 40-50 years before Hong Kong's did, when 'art deco' buildings were popular? It is safe to many buildings back then looked very similar to each other, just as in today's glass facade boom where many buildings look similar. When Hong Kong's skyscraper boom came along, it decided to stick with the flow of glass skyscrapers - the majority of which are dull boxes yes; but even amongst those boxes you'll find some delightful buildings - the Cheung Kong is a sight to behold at night. Or are you one of those hypocrites who despises boxes but loved the World Trade Centres? 

And boxes aside, the Bank of China and IFC are gems. The Centre isn't half bad too


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> NYC is not all boxes. see for yourself, visit the old pics of nyc thread. if you refuse, then dont talk please. HK is one dimensional and its modern glass boxes, as opposed to NYC, every era put up something different. Its obviously got its fair share of boxes as well, but not nearly as many as HK.
> 
> Talking about boxes, im just bein stand up about it, im not doing it for shits n giggles. If I were you id be proud of your city too, because I know damn well I am proud of mine. Lets compare and contrast instead of sitting around being boring and not speaking up. Theres gotta be SOMETHING you dont like out there. Lets talk, please, make shit interesting.
> 
> ...



Okay.

Let's hear it out then - what don't you like or what do you dislike/hate about NYC?


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## pookgai (Oct 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> well if you like seeing 10 buildings of the same design, so be it. if you actually use that as a defense, im kinda shocked. im not pushing co-op city in peoples faces just as an example. it looks hella ugly if you ask me.
> 
> how is NYC any different in being a skyscrapercity sir?


Can we please ignore this socially challenged individual and either get back to the topic or lock this thread =D


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## HKT (May 17, 2003)

silly thing said:


> someone from the king of the boxy cities blamed that hk is too boxy, wahahaaaa
> 
> JEALOUSNESS!


This is my comment from this so-called best pano...

Boxes and Commies:


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## Kaitak747 (May 13, 2006)

HK is small in terms of its total land area, so it's conceivable that most of HK skyscrapers are preety closed to one another, but I don't think they are identical.........


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## trueapprentice (Aug 12, 2005)

Why the need to argue, when we can let photos be the judge ??

*These are pictures of NYC Skyline:*





































*And, these are pics of HK skyline:*






































So, which is more blocky or square - that's not the main focus - the main focus should be, which is what is visually more stunning & architectural 

Let all the readers be the judge, the Winner is quite obvious


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## Liwwadden (Nov 12, 2005)

great! m))


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## Kaitak747 (May 13, 2006)

I don't really think they are identical, on the contrary, many of those are quite aesthetically pleasing.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Honestly, I do not understand why people equate boxes with "ugliness". I look at Cheung Kong and I can only see beauty. Toronto is like the box capital of the world, I think it looks okay. Don't forget that the world's tallest boxes were once in NYC as well.

@HKT... hah well pointed out. NYC is much the same as HK in that sense. 

I found this thread to be rather interesting:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=352449&page=4
Sure, you may be uncomfortable with cities building up and catching up to NYC, but this is a natural part of city growth. I don't think anyone really thinks negatively about NYC, but I'm sure most HKers are tired of hearing the same box, gaudy neon comments. Fine, we've heard it, no need to repeat again and again. nygirl makes a valid point though, in that everyone has their own tastes. 

--------------------------------------------------
Fortunately SSC has not turned out to become SSP. This thread at SSP is the reason why I don't bother joining that forum:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=106826&page=5


northface @ SSP said:


> _
> eww hong kong is ugly....really...its like a bigger vancouver. GROSS_


The ignorance seems to be incredible. Seems to me like many people refuse to accept new things. The only ones that bothered to argue against the trolling were the people who have actually been to HK or non-Americans including staff, Anton (Xiaobai) and Lucky24, among other SSC regulars. Perhaps pictures do not convey such a good sense of any city. 

I guess at SSC we get a better picture of the world, not just a US centric one. The question is whether these comments are made just in spite or due to ignorance. My guess is a combination of both.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

i have to go but ill be back with my responses ppl. :-D


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

trueapprentice said:


> Why the need to argue, when we can let photos be the judge ??
> 
> *These are pictures of NYC Skyline:*


This is *ATL*


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## Mosaic (Feb 18, 2005)

Very extravaganza as its title for HK.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

if you took out all the commie blocks in HK, how big would the commercial district be? If you wanna know about NYC, just look at downtown and midtown, there are residentials there but an extremely small percentage.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> 2,000 sq. miles would be L.A. times 4.
> 
> NYC is 309 sq miles. 800 km2.
> 
> Ive heard that HK is 386 sq miles or 1,001 km2, with only 1/3 of all that available for land use, hence the highrises.


If HK had more land then we wouldn't have that no. of high-rises. Back in the 1990s, most residential flats were built around 20-40 stories, now it's 60-80


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

*SECTION 2*

*The Start of the New Towns* (where most of the mass residential projects are)

During the late 70s, HK was developing quick as an industrial -turing business centre, big flows of immigration continued. Govt survey suggested that majority of the population lived within the urban areas which cover less than 30% of the total land mass of HK, therefore the govt proposed to build up "new towns" in order to spread the population and the density. The first new town was Shatin, where the government built a lot of public housing to house the lower-come residents, and the govt attracted developers by low-cost of land. This is when the revolutionary residential-architechtural change came by. Before the early 80s, most private apartments were low to mid-rise, usually with only up to 3 blocks, with big balconies and high efficiency rates. However during the time when these new towns were established, there was a huge economic boom in HK, multi-national firms, banks set up businesses in HK, rapid growth in both population and opportunities, the real-estate business became really commercial and competitive. Developers want to maximize profit, in order to do that they maximise the number of buildings they could build on a piece of land, esp. when they are cheap in new towns, investors saw it as a huge opportunity, therefore you get all identically designed high-rised(usually up to 30/F which at that time was tall) apartment blocks x 10 on the same piece of land and they usually form its own society within it with parklands, facilities such as pools, supermarkets etc. and at that time it was seen as an ideal place to settle a family as majority of urban dwellers lived in packed areas in downtown HK. They were also cheaper from the city therefore attracted a lot of people and this caused a high-demand for the apartments. Therefore developers were out there building again earning big money. This mass-estates building continued in all the new towns, and government does the same to maximise cost and minimize amount of land. They just get higher and denser.

As land-bidding(ie selling land) is one of the biggest thing in HK and biggest source of income for the govt.(income tax in HK is only avg. 15% which plays a minor role in govt income) therefore the government can't really reject the developer's proposals moreover they too are doing the same with public housing. It has somehow became a common thing in HK now, yet a lot of the newer ones (esp. the private ones) are actually very nice, certainly much better than they look in pictures, with high quality living spaces, fittings, facilities, open areas and they are usually very modern, convenient and has great transportional links and they still attract lots of young couples and professionals today as it is still cheaper in the new towns than in the city or the tradional residential areas in the city (usually higher-class).

Afterall, it is all about money.

hence that's why it is different from what you see in Manhattan, but arguably I could see lots of mass-residential blocks esp. in Brooklyn and Bronx, but I agree, there is no where as near the amount in HK, but all I wanna show here is, they have totally different cultures and history, and I respect both of them. Afterall we all live on earth. 



Spooky873 said:


> if you took out all the commie blocks in HK, how big would the commercial district be? If you wanna know about NYC, just look at downtown and midtown, there are residentials there but an extremely small percentage.


As I have mentioned, it is just not fair to compare that as both cities are in a completely different setting, background and history. I hope I have explained well. cheers!


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

youll prolly find the most commie blocks in the bronx, i could be wrong though. there are plenty in queens and brooklyn, and there are many u/c. most of queens and bk are rowhouses, brought in by the dutch.


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

Spooky873 said:


> youll prolly find the most commie blocks in the bronx, i could be wrong though. there are plenty in queens and brooklyn, and there are many u/c. most of queens and bk are rowhouses, brought in by the dutch.


exactly, I just wanna say every place has different influences, lifestyles and history to its build-up, to me HK and New York are both amazing for travelling in terms of the cultures, food, people and the whole urban experience, and they are both great and important cities from the East and West.


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

This is nothing personal, but i just don't like it when people refer apartments as "commie blocks" as they are not communist buildings, in fact some of them are very pleasant and have very nice interiors. If you look at apartments in North Korea, then u can refer them to "commie blocks", and they are far from apartments in HK.


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

And my last point is that people in HK has accepted this lifestyle (although less than half the population live in these estates) but it has grown to a part of her culture, in fact it is accepted in most Asian societies such as Singapore, Japan; it is also certainly very different from the western perception of "living in flats" as my English fds tell me that all flats are "dirty, dangerous and for the lower-classes". But I understand that to you they may look very unattractive (as I agree to a lot of them) but I hope you can understand the culture and know the reason why they exsist


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> Here you go twisting shit around. Theres a big difference between what you read, and what you WANT to read. I have stated that I am a fan of the HK skyline, and never ever ever ever said NYC didnt have commie blocks, numbnuts.
> 
> Believe it or not, this is what Hong Kong is to alot of people, like myself. Many residentials, some even pink and green, with ONE SUCH DESIGN, times 5, or 8, or 10. Much like Co-Op. Sound familiar? It should, since to many of you, NYC is just grey, and black depressing boxes.


hey this is tseung kwan o, the suburb of hong kong, huh, u said ur mamhattan is not like this, wow, come on, AGAIN THIS IS NOT CBD OF HK, how come you would use manhattan to compare with hk's suburb

if u like to compare, u should use ny's commie blocks to compare with hk's, well hk's commie block projects are all well designed, each with individual swimming pool, tennis court, sauna, gymnasium, library, garden, children playground....etc

last but not least, compare manhattan with the central, not hk's residential towers


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> so touche my friends.
> 
> Now, the majority of what HK is, are these 'projects'. Your commercial district/region, seperate from your residential, seems no bigger than Chicago (the neon extravaganza).
> 
> ...


haha, ur statement is just hk looks the same, y didnt u ans me u just compare the whole hk with manhattan? dare not?when do u see the central looks the same?

be honest, i dun like grey city, one grey or more buildings are ok, but not the majority of the whole city and this is my choice and taste, y u american like to force others to accept ur standard?


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

WANCH said:


> Ok peoples, this is becoming a city vs city
> 
> :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock:


coz a silly and stupid person here doesnt know what are called respect and personal taste


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> much like the lofts in NYC that started when the new immigrants first came. the lower east side of manhattan was ridiculous.


loft??? huh, it is known of full of crime
hk's public housing is successful and known by providing a peaceful environment and reasonable living standard, most people who got rich when living there but still dun wanna move out since it's cheap in rent that is good for capital and fortune accumulation


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> if you took out all the commie blocks in HK, how big would the commercial district be? If you wanna know about NYC, just look at downtown and midtown, there are residentials there but an extremely small percentage.


haha , nyc has 18 mil in its metro, while hk has only 7 mil and u blame that hk's commercial district is too small???? should hk's commercial area be as big as nyc's with only 38% of ny's population? use ur brain instead of ur ass to think


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## silly thing (Aug 9, 2004)

hk's residential towers are not just for lower class, most of them are luxurious
some of them can be sold more than 3850usd per sq


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## Pax Sinica (Dec 10, 2005)

"The rest are just boxes"....and cranes. :hahaha:


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## jose_kwan (Apr 5, 2005)

but honestly ... 
i dun see any problems with boxes ... or commie blocks ...
repetition of modules ... or pre-frab are good ideas ...
they are cost effective ... 
n thats wat architects do ...
make the most out of the limited budget n time ...
this is not the age of art deco anymore ...


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Silly thing - incredible images from the ARch


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

actually some residential towers in Hong Kong looks gorgeous at night.










bought to you by fatshe from dcfever.com


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

jose_kwan said:


> but honestly ...
> i dun see any problems with boxes ... or commie blocks ...
> repetition of modules ... or pre-frab are good ideas ...
> they are cost effective ...
> ...


I don't have problems with it either as long as you have the icons like The BoC, The HSBC Building, Lippo Centre or The 2-IFC


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## Castle_Bravo (Jan 6, 2006)

>


:eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2:
Living here must be something...special


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Yea. That apartment unit cost US$25m or thereabouts.

And as you can see from the pictures, that Skypool is from the same building (the Arch)


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> im game. im just wondering what exactly 'dun' and 'sth' are.


And I'm wondering why you don't use apostrophes...


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

i dont understand what the streets of NY and HK have to do with anything though. Thats not up for debate, its purely skyline/architecture. I dont get many ppl who speak highly of HK's citylife, other than skyscrapers.

cities like London and Paris architecturally cant really be compared to NYC and HK. both pairs are in 2 different leagues, BUT you will find architecture in NYC from Europe.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

_00_deathscar said:


> And I'm wondering why you don't use apostrophes...


you wanna get technical i see,

lemme ask you this, what difference does it make if i use them or not?

is my lack of apostrophe usage keeping you from understanding my statements? 

hno:

whether i type im or i'm you get the fuckin picture.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

why bother asking such a silly question sir? you wanna get defensive, why wont i?


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

Kaitak747 said:


> By the way, I have heard that a lof of companies in SH are forced by the authority to open all the lights at night even though there is nobody in the offices, but SH is one of energy-strapped cities in China, I don't think it's environmetally friendly.



sure its not:










definitely not my cup of tea. :hahaha:


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

A picture is worth a thousand words...blah blah blah ....


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## Aboveday (Aug 8, 2003)

maybe two thousands words?


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Spooky873 said:


> you wanna get technical i see,
> 
> lemme ask you this, what difference does it make if i use them or not?
> 
> ...


You were the one getting technical you f*cktard.

And I suggest if you are to get technical at his phonetics use, then you be a perfectionist in spelling and grammar, else I shall rip into you at every opportunity I get.

For the record, I don't condone Ricz use of phonetics and his sometimes incoherent sentences, as they are difficult to decipher, but at least if I were to rip into him for that, I'd make sure my own spelling and grammar were flawless.


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## ricz (May 4, 2006)

Spooky873 said:


> i dont understand what the streets of NY and HK have to do with anything though. Thats not up for debate, its purely skyline/architecture. I dont get many ppl who speak highly of HK's citylife, other than skyscrapers.
> 
> cities like London and Paris architecturally cant really be compared to NYC and HK. both pairs are in 2 different leagues, BUT you will find architecture in NYC from Europe.


I believe that monkey was talking about the architectures you see from the street, which is often how most people see the buildings, from the street levels, therefore it is reasonably mentioned right? 
you havent heard ppl speak highly of HK's citylife? u must be joking, HK was famous for its city life and ultimate urban experience before anything else. The bustling streets, markets, neon lights signs, huge shopping malls everywhere, biggest flagship stores, all kinds of restaurants, bars, clubs and nightlife; have u not heard of the term "shopping paradise" and "culinary capital of the world" referred to HK before?
If you insist on the size of the commercial districts, as I said New York was developed way before HK, with its skyscraper boom during the art-deco period (which I absolutely adore, my favourite aspect of NY), and most of HK's skyscrapers u see in HK 2day r built in the late 80s-90s, of coz ur gonna get glassy buildings instead of art-deco concrete/bricks. Wall street was there when central juz had colonial low-rise. People who commute and work in New York could choose to live far from the city-centre, move out to the greater metro, but as I said HK is restricted, people have to live within the territory of the city, they cant move over the boundaries and for HK ppl over 30mins ride is a long journey that's why the apartments have to go vertical instead of all the houses in the surburbs in the outskirt of NYC.


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Eh?


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> i dont understand what the streets of NY and HK have to do with anything though. Thats not up for debate, its purely skyline/architecture. I dont get many ppl who speak highly of HK's citylife, other than skyscrapers.


Of course you "don't get it". 

Why don't you just say that you are from New York, have never been to Hong Kong and thus have a personal bias. This is why you won't "get" many things.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Not that I dont understand it.........


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

ILL TYPE IN CAPS SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.

I DONT GET MANY PEOPLE A.K.A. I DONT MEET/TALK TO MANY PEOPLE WHO SPEAK HIGHLY OF THE CITYLIFE. NOT THAT I DONT UNDERSTAND IT. 

Seems you dont get it sir. hno:


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

_00_deathscar said:


> You were the one getting technical you f*cktard.
> 
> And I suggest if you are to get technical at his phonetics use, then you be a perfectionist in spelling and grammar, else I shall rip into you at every opportunity I get.
> 
> For the record, I don't condone Ricz use of phonetics and his sometimes incoherent sentences, as they are difficult to decipher, but at least if I were to rip into him for that, I'd make sure my own spelling and grammar were flawless.


what the hell does that have to do with absolutely _anything_?

If he wants to talk to me, he better learn how to spell. Im not looking for a fuckin english teacher. wow.

his words are nonsense. if he wants to debate on something...I suggest he learn how to convey himself better, so the person whos debating WITH, can understand. whether the **** or not i use a period or an apostrophe, what difference does it make so long as you understand what is being said?


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## antonyj11 (Nov 11, 2004)

Hong Kong is awesome; this thread highlights it


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Spooky873 said:


> ILL TYPE IN CAPS SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.
> 
> I DONT GET MANY PEOPLE A.K.A. I DONT MEET/TALK TO MANY PEOPLE WHO SPEAK HIGHLY OF THE CITYLIFE. NOT THAT I DONT UNDERSTAND IT.
> 
> Seems you dont get it sir. hno:



Caps locks will not change anything. The bias is still there. 

Judging by your reply in another thread, one person that you spoke to about HK was ("Mason from Honolulu" -- if this is even a real person...) and he said it was like "Paris Hilton" and you actually take his word as being _factual._ I'm guessing that the people that have talked to you (if you are being truthful) don't know a whole lot.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

whether or not hes a real person is not up for debate, you can speculate all you want, and i can even give you his personal contact info if youd like. 

You have no idea what I take factual so I suggest you stop deciding for me. My statement was nothing more than an opinion in a skyline debate thread. You all pass judgement on people very quickly.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

deathscar, im not asking for perfection, im asking to understand. sth? dun? ans?

and you want me to use an apostrophe? hno:

casting out on my grammar is rather weak defense on your part.


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## Spooky873 (Mar 2, 2005)

Skybean, you gotta realize, even if he did enjoy his time, which he said he did, you cant please everybody. I suggest you take his opinion with a grain of salt. Youre getting really defensive. I should see you pop up more often around here when I see such things happen. What does it matter to you if someone said HK wasnt all that impressive, by means of citylife? It was a stupid analogy on women and cities, and why do I have to admit im from NY, ive stated it numerous times, i dont put it in my location for nothing.


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Why bother making these claims in the first place then if you really have no idea? Why bother posting useless information from "Mason from Honolulu" if it is inaccurate?

Clearly the "Mason from Honolulu" description was not necessary and not factual in any sense.

The "citylife" (vague term) of Hong Kong is quite fine. In fact, pedestrian traffic in quite high in Hong Kong. 

When people have no idea, they should not be putting up opinions pretending that it is factual. Just because a few of the "people" you spoke to didn't mention "citylife" it doesn't mean anything.


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