Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Goodbye my t-shirts

Oh man, this is hard, this is a very tough moment. I am going to throw away 2 of my thousand t-shirts (exaggerated apparently, though i do have a lot). They are 2 of my favorites. I cannot help but choose to dump these 2 because:

1) Since i started Fly, i have been taking home a great amount of samples and products.
2) I keep buying cloths.
3) Lack of space.
4) Of course, Mommy doesn't like it.


So let's take a look at these finalists.
My beloved RMIT University t-shirt. Though the quality of Gildan is not as good as the public say. It is wider and has lost its shape after a short while. The quality is just bad.
I love the Hawks, so does this t-shirt. It represents my love for ATL. Though i really have too many t-shirts that i keep buying and stacking up in my bedroom. Mom 'warns' me to chuck away some so i have picked this one as it looks a bit worn-out and got some stains on it.

Now with the old ones gone, here comes a new member to my jersey family - 'The Ambassadors'.
As many people know that i have been a member of Ambassadors of Hong Kong Basketball Sports Ministry since 2003. Though back then i was a 'part-time' team member as i was studying in Australia. So now i am back, they have finally awarded me with this jersey that i had been waiting for the last 3 years. It's a long wait man, though it is worth it because i take it as an honor and previlege.

Peace to my performance on the court.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

One of my favorite teams - Washington Wizards

The Wizards, who were among one of the worst teams of NBA last season with only 19 wins, are utterly pursuing a comeback, as well as Gilbert Arenas. I am very confident that with a healthy Agent Zero plus the additions of Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Fabricio Oberto, THEY ARE MAKING THE PLAYOFFS THIS COMING SEASON!

Okay, so let me tell you why i like them so much even though they only won 19 games last season.

Gil is one of the only few players in the L that never afraid to speak his mind. That's something i really appreciate that many players consider themselves neuturalists when it comes down to politics and stuff but Gil just tells you what he thinks and he is legitimately a very funny guy.

Apart from that, his off-the-dribble-jumpers, i-am-better-than-you attitude and stronger-than-the-post-players plays are a combination that you can barely find in other players. Plus, he was the 2nd pick of 2nd round draft. Show some respect.


One of my most favorable players - Caron Butlet aka 'Tough Juice' is arguably one of the toughest guys in NBA. Complete skill set, superb defensive mentality and overlooked court vision are all his arsenals that opponents fear every night. He has been to the jail, got traded to 3 teams in his first 3 seasons. I think these incidents definitely have toughened him up.
Antawn Jamison, one of the most underrated power forwards that is listed as 6'9, though he is never afraid of taking on the bigger guys in the paint. He is undersized yet skillful and versatile enough to outplay a lot of post players. He is also a very consistent 3-point shooter, which gives him a tremendous advantage over a lot of bigs.


This explosive and athletic Young buck - Nick Young is improving. Give him few more seasons to blossom and for now, he is an awesome reserve.
And then we have got the great pure shooter - Mike Miller in DC. He is the missing piece of the Wizards - consistency. He provides stability, leadership and underrated passing to the team along with 3-point range. MM is gonna help the team improve so much in terms of streching the defence.

Wizards 2009-10 Roster:

0 Gilbert Arenas G
7 Andray Blatche C
3 Caron Butler F
8 Javaris Crittenton G
N/A Paul Davis C
12 Juan Dixon (FA) G
15 Randy Foye G
N/A Vincent Grier G-F
33 Brendan Haywood C
13 Mike James G
4 Antawn Jamison F
34 JaVale McGee C-F
5 Dominic McGuire F
6 Mike Miller G
21 Fabricio Oberto C
2 DeShawn Stevenson G
1 Nick Young G

Let's go Wizards!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Giordano VS Esprit VS Bossini

Let me make a short analysis of what i call 'Affordable clothing' in Hong Kong. I have already been back in town for more than half a year and have witnessed some major yet positive changes of the following affordable brands:
Giordano
Esprit
Bossini

Why did i decide to do this analysis?
The evolution of these local brands have really caught my eyes. I had decided to write this as the moment i saw the Bossini x Campbell Soup campaign and i had realized that these local casual wear companies have taken different paths as they carry on their brands.

Briefs of these companies
Giorodano (http://www.giordano.com.hk/web/HK/index.html)was established in 1980's and is arguably one of the most commonly known, worn and seen brands in & of HK.

Esprit (http://www.esprit.com/)was established around late 60's. This manafacturer is always known for its quality of products and is nowadays a well-known fashion brand at afforable prices.

Bossini (http://www.bossini.com/bossini/html/eng/regional/common/hklanding.jsp)is probably not on the same level as the 2 companies above from what i see. Though if HK people are looking for some casual yet quality wear at slightly cheaper price, Bossini is a go.

How did they become successful (Marketing point of view)?
Giordano - i honestly think that more than 50% of Hong Kong male have worn/currently wear Giordano underwears. For me personally, its underwears are comfortable, fashionable, afforable and most imporantly 'branded'. I am not sure how do you see this, but i would say Giordano underwears are good branded products but i would not wear Giordano jeans becasue they are not exactly 'branded'. There is a difference between their products from my fashion perspective.

Even though HK people do not see Giordano as a luxury brand, though its reputation overseas is spectacular. Westerners in, for instance, Americas and Australia, view Giordano as a top brand for casual wears and is in fact quite popular.

Having said that Giordano is not seen as a luxury brand by HK people, it is diversifying its product lines and trying to get a share in high-end men's and ladies' clothing through Giordano Concepts and Giordano Ladies. You need to get rid of the old image in order to establish better product image. That's pretty smart.

Esprit - i do not know much about Esprit's history, though i assume it has started its global selling strategy from the very beginning. Esprit has established its franchise stores all over the world for at least 30 years. It is building a global clothing empire with the concept 'global fashion brand with comtemporary lifestyle image'.

Just like what its concept suggests that its product image is very fashionable at a fairly afforable price and leaning towards the high-end fashion brands. I would say Esprit is now on top of the middle-class brands.

From what i see from its website, Esprit updates its products very quickly, has intact loyalty program, fantastic global image (that's a plus, i think its franchise strategy has greatly contributed to that) and outstanding product lines.

Bossini - i am so glad that Bossini has changed its logo and made a major development from its original brand image. It was old and unfashionable. It had the image kind of like 'only older people would browse Bossini stores'.

The new logo, green circle with initial B inside like a tree, is sharp, eye-catching and perhaps environmental friendly. When you walk past the stores, you can't help but go in for look. A quick look at least. And i am pretty sure Bossini has improved its products as well, at least with a change of logo.

I assume Bossini knows where it is at in the market, it has quite a lot of fantastic collaborations with other companies this year such as M & M's, Monopoly and Campbell Soup (Check it out here: http://www.bossini.gig.hk/). It seems to have gotten a lot of attention and i think this is absolutely awesome in raising its brand status. It should continue its Asia focus.

Regardless of their market shares, they truly represent HK.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Judy's Birthday Party Special T-Shirts

Fly received an order to manufacture a set of t-shirts for a birthday girl about a month ago. Take a look at some of the photos taken from the party.
Designed by Fly's Junior Designer - Belize X
Here is the lucky girl, Judy.

Demonstrated by some hot babes.
They made the t-shirts look even better!
Fly has gotten a large amount of positive feedbacks from Judy and her friends. Fly really appreciate it.

Friday, September 25, 2009

My NBA Fantasy Team

Just like last year, The Captain is playing NBA Fantasy on Yahoo! Sports with 9 of my friends.

http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/95255/14

My league, 'Dynasty', is a 'Keepers League' in which we have set to keep 7 players from last year's roster. And my keepers are:

Jason Kidd
Devin Harris
Gerald Wallace
Andrei Kirilenko
Kevin Garnett
Paul Millsap &
Marcus Camby

And this year, i have chosen the following players:

Ben Gordan
Ron Artest
Tyson Chandler
Jermaine O'Neal
Hasheem Thabeet (Rookie)
Johnny Flynn (Rookie)
Jamal Crawford
Andray Blatche
Channing Frye &
Ty Lawson (Rookie)

Same old, i have special favor towards defensive stats (look at my keepers), so i have chosen Ron Ron, Tyson Chandler and Jermaine O'Neal for steals and blocks. The reason i chose JO is because reports suggest he is working extremely hard during the offseason so i am putting my chip on him.

I have chosen BG and Jamal Crawford because of their scoring ability since my roster is lacking points and a bit too defensive stats-oriented.

Rookies? I like this class and i really like Ty Lawson and Flynn. They are both lightening quick and i am hoping they can give me some surprise. Nonetheless, good to keep them for next season. Hope the investment pays off.

I am satisfied with my picks and i love my team! Let's see what i could do with them!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

New Additions


Simply love the graphic! Magnificent! Thanks Carmen!

Finally got this 4 rings t-shirt. Thanks Lo & love it!

Monday, September 21, 2009

MMA T-Shirts


Montanasa t-shirt

I Love MMA (Melbourne Music Academy)

Friday, September 18, 2009

A Letter to God

Dear my Lord,

It's me, Lok. I am not going to ask you typical, usual questions like 'How are you today?' nor even dare to say 'What's up?'. Instead, i am going to ask you what's wrong with me or did i do something that is not good in Your eyes?

I know You know what i am talking about. Don't get me wrong, my Lord, i am not writing to challenge you whatsoever. I am humbled by you. I am a son of Yours. But with what have been happening around me, all these events seem like You have turned Your back on me.

All these unfavorable incidents are pretty much touching all aspects of my life. My love relationship, my brotherhood, my ball club, my career, my business, my health, my future and my family. So what's going on here? I feel like i am so agile, i am so vulnerable that any event could break me down now.

God, why?

I know a lot of people, thousands of people ask the stupid question 'Why me?' I am not putting myself on the bandwagon of stupidity. But what are the reasons and intentions and purposes for You, my dear God, to create these incidents for a tiny me? You are not making one incident happen but you are making everything happen all at once!

I am soft? I thought i was soft.

But now i thank You. I thank God for giving these tests. Thank you for testing my endurance, durability, tendency and patience. I praise You for all these. I know and believe that You want to toughen me up, You want to make me stronger, You want to build my mind up, You want to prepare me well and You want to equip me well.

Why all these happening at the same time? I believe i have passed the previous tests that the incidents all happened one at a time and now i am ready for a bigger challenge and You want to prepare me for tougher tests in the future.

Life is tough sometimes, that's why we treasure the good ones. This is what i have realised for a long time. One option down, you look for another. This is what i have just realised. Today, i have lost a large amount of money, that's ok, seek for other options, work harder and sell more and will surely gain it back.

If i could not go through these hurdles, how could i take down the taller ones in the future?

Thank you God, i praise you faithfully for that. I am blessed, i am soulful.

May Your force, strength and wisdom be with me at all times as always. I pray with faith in Your name.

Amen

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Get to Work y'all


You can wear it whenever you want.
On the court balling? Check.
Off the court hanging? Check.
100% cotton comfortability? Good.
Off court fashionability? Good.

Get to Work, before winter comes!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Michael Jordan's HOF speech

I just finished watching the whole MJ's speech (It's actually about 25 minutes). What i can say is this is one hell of a speech. He is such a competitor. He even won the stage, won the hearts of billions.

Friday, September 11, 2009

An Interview with an employee at HK Jordan Store(In Chinese)

今日有點空閒時間, 想起已經一段時間沒有去旺角Nike Basketball - Jordan Store走走, 於是由紅墈坐火車過去看看有什麼"新貨到港"!

看了兩個圈, 果然多了很多新貨. 見有點時間, 便找了個售貨員做做"市場調查".
LC - Fly Sportswear, NB - Nike Basketball Employee

LC: 唔該, 想問一問你對新返Kobe 4(Navy/Red)多唔多人買呀?
NB: Kobe實多架!
LC: 咁又係! 不過我個人就覺得呢隻色唔係咁好睇, 比起其他個D.
NB: 顏色呢D好主觀既. 不過呢對特別在後面腳踝位有星星印花同埋鞋跟位係寫23號.
LC: 咦, 係喎! 我都無留意, 點解會寫23號呢?
NB: 因為呢對係費城特別版以紀念佢爸爸 - Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. (佢以前著23號)
LC: 哦, 咁呢件Kobe新波衫好唔好賣呀?
NB: 唔, 都OK呀, 白色好賣過黑色囉.
LC: 正常既, 白色同紫色對比得突出D. 咁你係咪Kobe Fan呀?
NB: 都OK架, 不過唔係瘋狂個隻囉.

(我地行去對面架)
LC: 咁呢4對Steve Nash呢? (Nike Cradle Rock Low Supreme)
NB: 乜佢地係Nash著架咩?
LC: 係呀, 佢話下季會著呢對, 呢幾對係亞洲特別版.
NB: 哦, 不過好低筒喎.
LC: 係呀, 而且似Nike SB多過似籃球鞋. 呢對泰國版最正, 出街一流!
NB: 係囉, 呢隻色幾正.

LC: 咁對Hyperize同Zoom BB 2 - White Men Can't Jump特別色呢? 多唔多人買?
(另一位職員突然過黎, 叫佢EM啦)
EM: 兩個字 - 核突.
LC: 係囉, 襯得唔好睇.
EM: 係啦, 加上今次對Zoom BB 2入面加左橡巾(括緊腳掌).
NB: Zoom BB 1係鞋套架嘛!
LC: 我個人反面鍾意有橡巾. 不過呢對整係岩室外, 太快蝕.

LC: 咁對LeBron - Cancer Version呢? 多唔多人買?
NB: 梗係多啦! 粉紅色喎! 咁少有, 好多男仔買!
LC: 係咩? 我都有見到對"Irish", 個對仲靚! 好啦, 唔阻你做野啦!
Zoom BB 2 - White Men Can't Jump
Nike Cradle Rock Low Supreme - Thailand

Monday, September 7, 2009

Religulous


"Movies are not only entertainment but also education" This is what i have been telling people about why i watch billions of movies of all sorts. I have seen low budget movies, short films, movies produced in Greece, India, German, Russia, Spain, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, etc, etc and of course, blockbuster movies.

Though a documentary type of movie like this one? Not so often.

This is a very different, bold, courageous yet risky and funny documentary. I am not going to explain what movie it is here. To get an idea of what this movie is about in Chinese, check this link here - http://hk.movies.yahoo.com/movie.html?id=mcl_religulous

But i want you to know how i feel after watching this documentary.

Bill Maher, the 'main character' of Religulous, has seemingly done a thorough research on the backgrounds of certain religions, Christian (including Catholic in this content), Muslim and Islamic in particular. He criticizes the stupidity of believers of religions and the contradictions of 'stories' and 'miracles' in the holy books such as The Bible & Koran.

Honestly speaking, if i wasn't a Christian myself (i wouldn't say i am solid but that's my belief, no one can move me), i would have been talked into an atheist by Bill Maher's 'evidences' and 'proven figures'. His sarcasm and questions towards clergymen, the priests and ministers (of different religions) have made them all speechless and answerless. And in order to solidify his there-is-no-God belief, he has invited a few well-known experts to back him up.

The style of film is well-controlled. Frequently insert fragments and extracts of other films to complement the dialogues is cool and makes it even funnier. Though i don't think his way of mocking the ministers and making fun of the religions would please a lot of people.

When i was watching it, i took it as a documentary, i did not take it personal. I know Bill Maher just wanted to make fun of the religions that he thinks ridiculous. Though we are all human beings, we are not saints, we all make mistakes in the modern world and the time has changed. Re-think yourself.

I strongly recommend it to Christians, it's a good challenge and see if you could answer any of the questions raised by Bill Maher.