Storm!

No. 8 Storm Signal is in force right now! It's not so much the rain which looks more or less like regular rain. It's the crazy wind that slams around objects left outside. It's the rainwater on the road sliding across the pavement like an invisible fire hose washing down the road with blasts of water. It's the strange, displaced thumps in the night that you can't attribute to anything because it's too dark to see. Mostly, it's a bad storm in a foreign place with a storm signal system that makes it sound a helluva lot more exciting than it really is. Still, it's my first tropical storm in Hong Kong!

Weather report from the Hong Kong Observatory.

Tropical Cyclone Bulletin

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Bulletin issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.

The No. 8 Northwest Gale or Storm Signal is in force.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 63 kilometres per hour or more are expected from the northwest quarter.

At 1 a.m., Typhoon Molave was centred about 70 kilometres east-northeast of Hong Kong Observatory (near 22.5 degrees north 114.8 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 25 kilometres per hour across Dapeng Peninsula.

Molave is expected to enter Mirs Bay, and will be very close to Hong Kong in the next few hours. Gale force winds will generally affect Hong Kong and there will be heavy rain with squalls. According to the present track, local winds will turn southwesterly before daybreak. Places previously sheltered from the winds will become exposed. Members of the public should take precautions as soon as possible. In the past hour, the maximum sustained winds recorded at Tap Mun and Cheung Chau were 80 and 63 kilometres per hour with maximum gusts 115 and 99 kilometres per hour respectively.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 8 Signal)

1. Complete all precautions in your home. Lock all windows and doors, fit bars into position and insert reinforced shutters and gates if they are available. Adhesive tape fixed to large window-panes in exposed positions will reduce damage by broken glass. Storm water drains should be cleared of leaves and rubbish.

2. Do not stand near windows on the exposed side of your home. Move all furniture and valuables away from these areas. Make sure you have a safe place to shelter, should windows be broken.

3. Since seas are very rough and the current is strong with changing direction, you are advised to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

4. Flights at Hong Kong International Airport may be affected by the weather. Please contact your airline for the latest flight information before departing for the airport.

5. Please listen to radio or watch TV for the latest weather information broadcast at the 15th, 30th, 45th and 58th minute of each hour. You can also browse the Hong Kong Observatory's web site for the information.

MORE Crazy Names!

King Kong. I kid you not.

Blackie Hui. Hmm, I don't know how well that name would fly in the States.

The Gross Side of Hong Kong

I finally joined a yoga studio here and am happily finding my way back to a regular yoga practice. In class, I usually try to focus on my postures and look at my inner eye and all that crap, but it's a bit difficult in Hong Kong. It's hard to feel a sense of solitude in the city in general, but in yoga, it's especially difficult when people seem to have trouble refraining from passing gas. Loudly. In the last few days, I've been to four classes in a row in which someone has loudly interrupted my yogic peace with ripping horn-like sound. In one case, a guy declared "excuse me" in a commanding voice after his contribution to HK's toxic air.

In other things I find disgusting, nose pickers. It might be a cultural thing, but it seems that people have no qualms about absently sticking a finger and digging around for a booger nugget in public. On the subway. At the tram station. On street corners. Everywhere. At least I didn't catch anybody rubbing their genitals on subway car rails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrCs53AJVss

Really, dude?

Fire!

I'm standing outside in a gray, drizzly rain. It's 5:40 AM on Friday morning, and I just ran down 20 flights of stairs after grabbing a cardigan (I don't like being cold) and my phone (I have to call the building's 24 hour number). It's not even close to the time I have to be up, and I just went to bed 3 hours ago.

The fire alarm went off wildly at 5:3-something this morning and forced me and Stu out of bed to look around and wonder what the hell was going on. I grabbed my phone, a sweater, ran around searching for my flip flops which are supposed to be my most accessible pair of footwear, and Stu and I started making our way down the short flights - 20 of them. Stu was super calm as usual, like the time we were bobbing in fjord water thousands of feet deep after being rudely ejected upside down out of a kayak {entry in my other blog!}. He said, "it's okay" in an even tone several times, making me wonder if it was more for himself than for me.

One Chinese guy was wildly running back and forth from the lobby to a storage space outside where the controls for the alarm was located. Another Filipino guy was bringing out one umbrella. We were the only guests of our serviced apartment building standing outside. I swore to Stu that I had seen other tenants the other day. Hmm, maybe they were just visiting the apartments. Fifteen minutes passed, and still no sign of a fire truck. Not good.

The Chinese guy said it was a false alarm (something about the rain triggering the alarm somehow), but the alarm was still ringing insistently. There was no sign of fire or smoke so Stu and I went back up.

So sleepy. Too much excitement for one day. Must give more thought to building's safety codes later when I'm more awake...

Long (And I Do Mean LONG) Weekend in Beijing - Part I

Aside from our very pleasant and fun travel companions, Sofia and Cenk all the way from Londontown, Beijing was not quite the exciting getaway I had in mind. In a nutshell, it was exhausting. It drained the life and fun out of me.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. It wasn't all horrible. For instance, the entirety of Saturday was spent away from Beijing and at the Great Wall. That was a good day. And I liked the brand spankin' new architecture which was definitely impressive. I'm sure there were charismatic neighborhoods and splendid sights I didn't get a chance to explore. I'm willing to give Beijing another shot.
Our trip to Beijing in some photos and commentary.
The first highlight of leaving Hong Kong for the weekend was discovering Popeye's at the airport. I have been disappointed to find a plethora of KFC all over the world, in every country and city I've visited in the last several months. But no sign of fast food for the gourmand like an Arby's or Popeye's where the fried chicken is undeniably superior (it's the batter). But at last, mecca:


Not sure of what to expect on a semi-domestic 3-hour flight to Beijing, I made sure I was well-fed and full before boarding the plane. Turned out to be a mistake. I should have known that I'd be taken care of on an Asian airline. Asian airlines deserve every bit of their current reputation - fantastic and friendly service, very decent food, and general cleanliness. We flew Dragonair, and with the exception of a worn and a mildly unpleasant-smelling interior, our flight was very nice which is more than I can say for any airline in the States.

My surprisingly nice sole fillet with tomato sauce and vegetables.

Stu got dim sum!

We had perfect weather in Beijing that weekend, albeit dampened by the dirty haze hanging over the city like a sour expression on an otherwise decent face. Some aerial shots just before landing in Beijing:


More from Beijing to come...

Cooking My First Meal in Hong Kong

It had to be simple. There's no way you can go gourmet (not that I can cook gourmet) in a kitchen with one burner, especially an electric burner with which you have absolutely no control of the heat. Plus there is no counter space. It feels crowded when I'm the only one there. Nevertheless, I managed to whip up a few Chinese dishes. When in Rome...

Remember Fish?

From the The Chinese and Their Names post? Well, here's the entire story behind that name.

Because of unforeseen circumstances, we were forced to ship one of our bags separately from Heathrow as we were checking into our flight to HK. We were told by the shipping company that our bag would arrive in a week for pick up at Hong Kong International Airport, subject to taxes and fees on HK's end. A woman from the receiving company called to inform us of the bag's arrival and that an email would be sent with pickup details. A few hours later, I received an email from a Fish Wu. In an attached invoice, I found charges for a bridge toll and directions to an office in Kowloon.

Well, as you can imagine, we were indignant. On top of handling and unloading fees (fine), we were being charged for an unauthorized move from the airport to a random office . These fees added a whopping 25% to our already steep shipping charge.

I wrote back to Fish's email with questions on the invoice, addressing it to a "Dear Mr. Wu". I was later informed that Mr. Wu was actually a Ms. Fish Wu. I don't know, Fish sounded too informal, especially after I was addressed as Ms. Sandra Hong, and shoot, "Fish" sounds masculine to me!

Stu and I discussed the charges, deciding to schlep over (it's about 15 minutes away by taxi, but it looks far on the map) to this random office and pick up our bag. We also decided to bring up the matter of the aforementioned charges with Fish, or as Stu declared without a hint of jest, "I will tackle Fish while you run off with the bag!"

Be careful what you name your child. It's a great responsibility.