Ho Ho Hong Kong

#65 - Simon Wilson, the mastermind behind The Grounds and The Lawn, HK‘s biggest events during Covid

Like many others, Simon Wilson lost his job due to Covid, and unlike many others, he didn't "wait it out", he went on to create Hong Kong's biggest and most successful event in HK since Covid started, The Grounds then The Lawn. He sits down with Vivek and Mohammed to tell them all about his insane journey, from launching food festivals and taking TV shows like MasterChef and Top Gear Live on the road, to managing sponsorship operations at each of the stadia used for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

#64 - Andy‘s final episode

Andy's on the pod for one last time, he hands over the podcast to Vivek and Mohammed as he talks about his reasons for leaving the pod, why he left HK and what his new gig is, his plans for the future and some of his favorite moments on the podcast. 

#63 - The stories of HK‘s traditional tradesmen with Sunset Survivors author Lindsay Varty

Lindsay Varty, author of Sunset Survivors and former professional rugby player sits down with Vivek and Mohammed to talk about why she embarked on a journey to document Hong Kong's last tradesmen and women. From the story of a face threader to a Shanghai-style barber, Lindsay had a great journey talking to people empowered by their love of their crafts.

Lindsay also has had an amazing career as a professional rugby player as well and she got to represent Hong Kong at the Rugby World Cup in Ireland, and she tells our hosts all about it.

You can buy Sunset Survivors here: https://www.sunsetsurvivors.com/

#62 - Lebanese food, life and reality with Beyrouth Bistro‘s Charbel Assaf

If you've ever partied in Hong Kong, you've definitely walked by Beyrouth Bistro or ordered food at 3 in the morning there.

Listen to one of Beyrouth Bistro's partners Charbel Assaf talk about his life growing up during war times, his move to Hong Kong and the nitty gritty of what's going on in his home of Lebanon. We also discuss how he and Vivek became certified fitness trainers at one point in their lives (what?!).

#61 - The magic business, with mentalist Anson Chen

Anson Chen's a world-class illusionist and mentalist, reading minds all over the planet.

He explained his journey from Taiwan to HK to Shanghai. How he learnt from the world's top magicians. And the challenges of performing magic vs comedy.

#60 - Behind the scenes at a comedy show

Mo and Vivek spilled the beans on what it takes to run a comedy show. What exactly happens back stage? What's all that noise at the back of the room? How do they handle all the egos?

And most importantly, what happens when the heckler gets booted?

#59 - The world of food, with Jen Balisi from Indulgent Eats

Jen Balisi is a proud Filipina-American based in HK, and a legit trail-blazing food influencer.

We talked about her journey from blogging in New York, to pursuing her passion of dining, travel and recipes. And what she does when she has to review food that stinks.

#58 - Andy‘s break and the latest on the standup scene, with Mohammed Magdi

Mo joins the pod to announce he is taking over hosting duties with Vivek for the next little while.

The standup scene is pumping along at the moment, and the guys talked about some massive shows coming up.

#57 - Sustaining Hong Kong, with sustainability expert Dr Merrin Pearse

Hong Kong's got an unreasonable amount of people living in unreasonably small spaces. And Dr Merrin Pearse's on a mission to make the metropolis continue.

Pearse was described as an urban vigilante for HK sustainability. He's an advisor at Purpose Business, and chair at the Living Islands Movement (a local group dedicated to the sustainable environment of the outlying islands). He also founded a consultancy helping companies achieve their sustainability goals.

He told us what the city's doing well, the biggest challenges it faces, how we can help, and which part of recycling is full of literal gold.

#56 - The neutering of Hong Kong, with author Antony Dapiran

Antony's (@antd) become the resident podcast voice on all things political.

Since he last visited, the crackdowns on Hong Kong have been unrelenting and severe. Including vast arrests, mass bail denial, the gov claiming Jimmy Lai's assets, and 7,000 officers deployed to Victoria Park to crush any whisper of a vigil for the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Dapiran is a Hong Kong-based writer and lawyer, and wrote two HK books City on Fire and City of Protest. He's appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Quartz, the whole shebang.

Check out Ant's work: https://www.antonydapiran.com/