Hey, you're always asking me where I find stuff...
Friday, August 22, 2008
Typhoon Nuri
Hello Typhoon Nuri - welcome to Hong Kong! At 1.40pm today Nuri is very close indeed and looks increasingly likely to hit us. The wind has picked up a lot here - the view of the harbour from our place is mostly obscured by rain and cloud, but the seas are the roughest I've seen. There were a few cruise ships moored nearby earlier today, but they've moved further into the harbour for shelter. All buses, ferries, and trains have been canceled. We're sitting back enjoying the sound of the wind. I wonder how much stuff will go flying off people's balconies if the typhoon gets any closer?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A couple of things I enjoy
Since beginning a new job, I've spent a bit more time traveling through Hong Kong, which has reminded me of a couple of things that I really like about this city.
The past couple of weeks, every time I went for a walk or a bus ride, I invariably encountered people crouched by the side of the street burning hell money and arranging offerings for the Hungry Ghost Festival. This fascinates me - why that particular piece of the street? And how do they know it's their job to set up the offerings in that spot? Watching someone intently setting up delicate china cups of rice wine in the gutter, oblivious to the double-decker buses racing past their heads is one of the simple things that make this city come alive for me. I'd post a photo, but despite the public nature of the activity, there is something about it that seems quite private as well, and so I've never taken a photo of it.
The second thing I've been reminded of is the semi-illicit thrill engendered by the imminent arrival of a Typhoon. At the moment Typhoon Nuri is heading directly towards the city. All around my office people have the Hong Kong Observatory website open on their computers, hitting refresh every once in a while to see if the typhoon has gotten any closer, and whether the Observatory is going to Signal No.8. A Signal No. 8 of course means that we'll all have to go home, and work for the day will be over. We all want a Signal 8, as long as no-one gets hurt of course.
The past couple of weeks, every time I went for a walk or a bus ride, I invariably encountered people crouched by the side of the street burning hell money and arranging offerings for the Hungry Ghost Festival. This fascinates me - why that particular piece of the street? And how do they know it's their job to set up the offerings in that spot? Watching someone intently setting up delicate china cups of rice wine in the gutter, oblivious to the double-decker buses racing past their heads is one of the simple things that make this city come alive for me. I'd post a photo, but despite the public nature of the activity, there is something about it that seems quite private as well, and so I've never taken a photo of it.
The second thing I've been reminded of is the semi-illicit thrill engendered by the imminent arrival of a Typhoon. At the moment Typhoon Nuri is heading directly towards the city. All around my office people have the Hong Kong Observatory website open on their computers, hitting refresh every once in a while to see if the typhoon has gotten any closer, and whether the Observatory is going to Signal No.8. A Signal No. 8 of course means that we'll all have to go home, and work for the day will be over. We all want a Signal 8, as long as no-one gets hurt of course.
Monday, August 04, 2008
On being a Dad
So recently my wife and I had a little boy - I don't really want to say too much about that here, except to say that being a father leads you to some surprising things. For example, this Japanese device which you can use to remove the snot from your infant's nasal passage. Hint: you have to suck it out with your mouth using a tube...
This device was prescribed by our paediatrician!!!
This device was prescribed by our paediatrician!!!
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