Taiwan has a lot of earthquakes. Most are too small to notice. Some are big enough, but you don't notice them anyway. There was a 5.1 earthquake in the middle of the country last week. It was reportedly felt all over the island. I never knew about it until I read the news.
I was on a train to Taipei a few months ago. When the train started to slow down nowhere near a station, I assumed it was some kind of mechanical issue. Then I got a phone call asking me if I was okay.
“The train will get in late if it doesn't speed up,” I said. “But how did you know?”
There was a large earthquake between where I was and where I was going. The high speed train moved very slowly just in case there was damage to the tracks. I never felt any earthquake. You might think that was because I was on a train, but the high speed train is pretty smooth. Not Japan smooth. If you stand a coin upright, it will probably fall. But the cars were made in Japan. It is not a bumpy ride.
On Tuesday morning there was a 3.4 in Yilan, over 200km from Kaohsiung. That was too far away and too small for me to feel. Two hours later, there was a 4.8 off the coast of Haulien, just south of Yilan. I felt that one. It was like a large truck driving by. It ended before I even realized it was an earthquake.
At 01:06 on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, there was a 5.4 off the coast of Taitung. I felt that one. The epicenter was just over 100km away, and 5.4 is a lot bigger than 4.8. At 01:41, there was more shaking. At first, I thought it was an aftershock to the 5.4. Only this one felt much larger and lasted far longer. I never timed it, but it just kept going. It was like hearing “American Pie” for the first time. You think it is going to wind down after yet another chorus, but then here comes another verse. In the middle of all the shaking, my phone started screaming. The government sends out automated alert messages as soon as possible to warm people of the larger earthquakes. More often than not, you get the message a second before you feel the ground shake, or as it starts. This time, I got the message right in the middle. That either meant I was close to the epicenter or it was going to be a big one.
What I initially thought was an aftershock turned out to be a 6.6 earthquake in Hualien, 150km north of the 5.4 in Taitung. We get a lot of earthquakes, but a 6.6 thirty five minutes after a 5.4, in two completely different locations, is a little unusual.
The first aftershock to the 6.6 came exactly one minute later. It was a healthy 5.7. Less than a minute after that one, there was a 6.1 aftershock. The experts are still debating if that was an aftershock or its own earthquake. It was certainly large enough, but it was in the same area and came two minutes after the 6.6.
Between 01:44 and 12:26 there were at least 49 aftershocks larger than 4.0. Two of them managed to top 5.8. The tectonic plates are still angry as I type this, though the aftershocks are getting smaller. I can't feel any of them anymore.
So far, there are no reports of any serious damage or death. I have not heard about any freeway damage yet, though something along the east coast must have broken. Haulien and Taitung are the two least populated counties, outside of the smaller island groups. Not coincidentally, they take the brunt of most earthquakes and typhoons.
In the middle of all these aftershocks, there was a tiny 2.7 in Hsinchu, 150km away from all the action. Nobody is going to talk about that one. That was like Farrah Fawcett dying on the same day as Michael Jackson.
Most of this happened today. Some of the numbers above will probably change as the experts make their calculations.
Showing posts with label mother nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mother nature. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Friday, July 30, 2021
The Wettest Drought in 50 Years
Way back in May, before the rainy season started, Taiwan was struggling with its most severe drought in 50 years. The government was thinking out loud about ways to ration water. It looked like we might have to live without indoor plumbing one day each week. That would have been inconvenient. When the drought kept droughting, they started talking about two days a week without water. That sounded entirely unacceptable. Having no water does not mean no water in the bathroom only. It would have also meant no doing laundry or washing dishes. I suppose we could have used bottled water, but that would get expensive pretty fast. Outside of the home, they were going to close all the car washes. Bathing your car is not as important as bathing your body, but my car is new. The idea of not washing it felt wrong. Maybe in ten years we can let ourselves go, but we are still newlyweds.
Then the rainy season started. The drought was washed away, almost overnight. It rained enough to fill the lakes and reservoirs. And it kept raining. It rained enough to flood the lower level streets. Why there is not a better drainage system in a hilly city with annual tropical rain, I have no idea. We are on the coast. Piping rain water into the ocean should be easy. I am lucky enough to live by the river. When it rains for a month or two, all that water flows into the river. Some people live at the bottom of hills. Water tends not to go uphill.
We moved to Taiwan just before the start of the rainy season last year. It looks like it might be raining more this year, but that might only be because of the drought. There could be the same amount of rain as last year, or less, for all I know. The biggest difference for me is that I drive to work. Last year, I took the MRT to work at the beginning of the rainy season. I like rain, and recognize the good it does, especially after a drought. But taking the MRT to work during a monsoon is not ideal. I had to walk in the rain to the station, walk down the wet steps to get into the station, walk up the wet steps to get out of a different station, and walk to my building. I don't know what it is or why, but pretty much every stairway in Taiwan is wrong. They are either too narrow, too crooked, too small or too loose. Getting them wet is not an improvement. The only good thing about all the defective stairs in Taiwan is that I have ample experience with all the defective stairs in China. This is all probably a first world complaint, but falling down stairs, wet or dry, could be hazardous to my career.
Driving to work in the rain is much easier. I get into my car in my apartment building's underground parking and get out in my work's underground parking. My shoes never have to touch wet ground. In fact, I can wear whatever shoes I want, rather than my weatherproof Timberland boots. Driving in heavy rain is more dangerous than walking to the MRT station, but driving in Taiwan is inherently dangerous, regardless of weather conditions.
During the drought, my swimming pool with a gym opened a new gym with a swimming pool. But the pool was closed because of the drought. Once the drought ended, they opened the pool. But it is an outdoor pool, so they immediately closed it due to heavy rain. In July, the sun started to come out. And I say it's all right. It is still the rainy season. Blue skies can turn gray faster than the south seceded. White clouds can turn black faster than Al Jolson. But we have had a few hours here and there without rain.
My problems quickly turned from meteorological to logistical. My preference is to swim at the gym in the morning and exercise later at night. When the swimming pool was closed for the drought, I mostly rode a bicycle or ran in the morning, on the rare mornings it was not raining too heavily. When it rains, I can always ride a fake bike and run on a treadmill at the gym. But I still could not swim. When it stopped raining as much, I thought that would solve everything. But when they opened the swimming pool after the drought, they decided it should only be open from 09:00 to 18:00. That does not work for me at all. My morning ride/run/swim is usually around 05:00. I think the pool should be open whenever the gym is. They disagree. Somehow, I went from a swimming pool with a tiny gym that I never used to a gym with a pool I will rarely use.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I doubt I will do anything outdoors. But at least the worst drought was one of the shortest.
Then the rainy season started. The drought was washed away, almost overnight. It rained enough to fill the lakes and reservoirs. And it kept raining. It rained enough to flood the lower level streets. Why there is not a better drainage system in a hilly city with annual tropical rain, I have no idea. We are on the coast. Piping rain water into the ocean should be easy. I am lucky enough to live by the river. When it rains for a month or two, all that water flows into the river. Some people live at the bottom of hills. Water tends not to go uphill.
We moved to Taiwan just before the start of the rainy season last year. It looks like it might be raining more this year, but that might only be because of the drought. There could be the same amount of rain as last year, or less, for all I know. The biggest difference for me is that I drive to work. Last year, I took the MRT to work at the beginning of the rainy season. I like rain, and recognize the good it does, especially after a drought. But taking the MRT to work during a monsoon is not ideal. I had to walk in the rain to the station, walk down the wet steps to get into the station, walk up the wet steps to get out of a different station, and walk to my building. I don't know what it is or why, but pretty much every stairway in Taiwan is wrong. They are either too narrow, too crooked, too small or too loose. Getting them wet is not an improvement. The only good thing about all the defective stairs in Taiwan is that I have ample experience with all the defective stairs in China. This is all probably a first world complaint, but falling down stairs, wet or dry, could be hazardous to my career.
Driving to work in the rain is much easier. I get into my car in my apartment building's underground parking and get out in my work's underground parking. My shoes never have to touch wet ground. In fact, I can wear whatever shoes I want, rather than my weatherproof Timberland boots. Driving in heavy rain is more dangerous than walking to the MRT station, but driving in Taiwan is inherently dangerous, regardless of weather conditions.
During the drought, my swimming pool with a gym opened a new gym with a swimming pool. But the pool was closed because of the drought. Once the drought ended, they opened the pool. But it is an outdoor pool, so they immediately closed it due to heavy rain. In July, the sun started to come out. And I say it's all right. It is still the rainy season. Blue skies can turn gray faster than the south seceded. White clouds can turn black faster than Al Jolson. But we have had a few hours here and there without rain.
My problems quickly turned from meteorological to logistical. My preference is to swim at the gym in the morning and exercise later at night. When the swimming pool was closed for the drought, I mostly rode a bicycle or ran in the morning, on the rare mornings it was not raining too heavily. When it rains, I can always ride a fake bike and run on a treadmill at the gym. But I still could not swim. When it stopped raining as much, I thought that would solve everything. But when they opened the swimming pool after the drought, they decided it should only be open from 09:00 to 18:00. That does not work for me at all. My morning ride/run/swim is usually around 05:00. I think the pool should be open whenever the gym is. They disagree. Somehow, I went from a swimming pool with a tiny gym that I never used to a gym with a pool I will rarely use.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so I doubt I will do anything outdoors. But at least the worst drought was one of the shortest.
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Clear Water Bay 2021
I just got back from Hong Kong. Kevin's boss owns a beautiful house at Clear Water Bay. Every summer or autumn he takes his annual vacation, and almost every summer or autumn, Kevin, Lily, and I stay at the big house. We started going there in July 2011, so this is our tenth anniversary. Though I missed two years. It made a lot more sense to stay at the big house when we lived in Hong Kong, but we seem to still be doing it anyway. It also made sense for boss man to want someone to watch his house while he was away, but now that he lives in Taiwan, who watches the house full time? I have no idea, but it was ours again this summer. Sometimes he goes away in September or October, which is often inconvenient and we cannot all go at the same time. This year, it was late June/early July. That worked out for all of our schedules.
It also made more sense to stay there when we were living in tiny box apartments. The big house is huge, by Hong Kong standards, with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, an American sized kitchen with a real oven, and an outdoor pool deck with a nice swimming pool and hot tub big enough for six. Only the boss and his wife live there, but it is easily large enough to house eight comfortably.
Our current Kaohsiung apartment is larger than all of our previous tiny box apartments combined. We are three people in a space that could easily hold four. The kitchen has no oven, but it is a real, separate room kitchen; a luxury in Taiwan. Something the Clear Water Bay house has head, shoulders, and torso above our apartment is that pool deck.
I have always liked the swimming pool and hot tub more than the house itself. The big house has a better kitchen, but what we have at home is good enough. I can cook almost anywhere. Swimming requires a pool. My new gym has a swimming pool, but it is only open during the hours I am least likely to go to the gym. Plus, it was closed during the drought and mostly closed for the rainy season. All of my efforts to go swimming in Taiwan are thwarted at every turn, but the Clear Water Bay house is always there.
This is the rainy season in Hong Kong, just like Kaohsiung, but the rain behaves differently. Hong Kong and most of Taiwan are in a humid subtropical climate. Kaohsiung is tropical, though it looks nothing like Tahiti.
Almost 80% of Hong Kong's rain arrives during the summer, but it can and probably will rain at any time on any day of the year. Showers can arrive out of nowhere, last a few minutes, and disappear just as quickly. With a little experience, you can generally tell if the day might see rain or definitely will. In any event, bring an umbrella.
Almost 90% of Kaohsiung's rain arrives during the summer. During the rainy season, it will probably rain every day, though not necessarily all day. There is often a pattern of sunny mornings, gray afternoons, and rainy nights. Or sunny mornings, rainy afternoons, and gray nights. If it is raining in the morning, it will most likely rain all day. During the “dry” season, the sky is far more predictable. The clouds let you know if you can safely leave the house without an umbrella.
There was some rain during our Hong Kong trip, but not enough to keep me out of that pool. We have friends in Hong Kong who also enjoy a clean swimming pool. Most of them are just as undeterred by cloudy skies as I am. When we were younger, we threw a party or two at the big house. When you throw parties at someone else's nicer house in your twenties, they tend to get out of hand. You invite your friends and people you casually know. They invite their friends and people you have never met. Pretty soon, half the party is full of strangers. When you throw parties at someone else's nicer house in your thirties, you invite a few people over and everyone remains clothed and sober.
My personal rule in my advanced old age is to keep my clothes on as much as possible at parties, soirées, and general get-togethers. Under water, however, I have always believed that clothing is an abomination. One of the great benefits of having a private swimming pool on your own private pool deck is that you can wear whatever you want in the pool. But when friends come over, I am courteous enough to respect their customs. Chinese culture is big on modesty and not rocking the boat. Ironically, I have seen more public nudity in one year in Taiwan than ten years in Hong Kong. Political agendas aside, Taiwan is far more Chinese than Hong Kong.
Fortunately, the United States nuked the shit out of one of the Marshall Islands, which inspired a Frenchman to design swimwear that is both legally accepted in much of the world and does not have too much fabric to feel too restricting in the water. And it does not hurt that they go on sale every summer. Most of our guests at the swimming pool were Chinese, so there were more one-piece bathing suits than two-piece bikinis. And the men, for whatever reason, wore giant trunks that were longer than most shorts. Fashion has always been a strange thing to me, and I still find it odd that men's swimwear has enough fabric for a dozen bikinis, while women are legally required to shroud more of their bodies. Even more fortunately, we had no guests at the big house for most of the time we were there. That left me free to swim in the pool as naked as Salacia intended.
This trip was mostly a vacation, but the timing was pretty good. We bought a few apartments in Hong Kong a few months ago. One of them was in the final stage of construction. Kevin and I saw it before we signed anything, but it was unfinished. By the time we arrived in Hong Kong this time, it was ready for inspection, and Lily could finally see it. One of the other apartments was always ready, and the property management company found tenants while we were in Taiwan. We thought about going to see them, but collectively agreed that the family living there could probably do without a visit from the foreigners who own their home. I think never having to personally deal with us is one of the great advantages to having us as landlords.
There is a bit of a plague going around right now, which makes Hong Kong a good, though unadventurous, vacation spot. Hong Kong did exceptionally well in the beginning, especially considering the proximity of the epicenter and the ease with which people from Guangzhou could and did travel into Hong Kong, before they locked Hubei under the dome. There was a spike in July 2020, right after we moved to Taiwan. They had a few calm months before a smaller spike in December/January. The numbers have been pretty low since then. To date, around 200 people have died in Hong Kong. That is not so great for the families of those 200, but nothing compared to crime-ridden, politically corrupt third world countries like India, Brazil, and the United States.
Interestingly enough, Macau has zero deaths from this thing. They must have closed the casinos, which must have trashed the economy. I can go to Macau just as easily as Hong Kong, but without casinos, what would be the point.
It also made more sense to stay there when we were living in tiny box apartments. The big house is huge, by Hong Kong standards, with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, an American sized kitchen with a real oven, and an outdoor pool deck with a nice swimming pool and hot tub big enough for six. Only the boss and his wife live there, but it is easily large enough to house eight comfortably.
Our current Kaohsiung apartment is larger than all of our previous tiny box apartments combined. We are three people in a space that could easily hold four. The kitchen has no oven, but it is a real, separate room kitchen; a luxury in Taiwan. Something the Clear Water Bay house has head, shoulders, and torso above our apartment is that pool deck.
I have always liked the swimming pool and hot tub more than the house itself. The big house has a better kitchen, but what we have at home is good enough. I can cook almost anywhere. Swimming requires a pool. My new gym has a swimming pool, but it is only open during the hours I am least likely to go to the gym. Plus, it was closed during the drought and mostly closed for the rainy season. All of my efforts to go swimming in Taiwan are thwarted at every turn, but the Clear Water Bay house is always there.
This is the rainy season in Hong Kong, just like Kaohsiung, but the rain behaves differently. Hong Kong and most of Taiwan are in a humid subtropical climate. Kaohsiung is tropical, though it looks nothing like Tahiti.
Almost 80% of Hong Kong's rain arrives during the summer, but it can and probably will rain at any time on any day of the year. Showers can arrive out of nowhere, last a few minutes, and disappear just as quickly. With a little experience, you can generally tell if the day might see rain or definitely will. In any event, bring an umbrella.
Almost 90% of Kaohsiung's rain arrives during the summer. During the rainy season, it will probably rain every day, though not necessarily all day. There is often a pattern of sunny mornings, gray afternoons, and rainy nights. Or sunny mornings, rainy afternoons, and gray nights. If it is raining in the morning, it will most likely rain all day. During the “dry” season, the sky is far more predictable. The clouds let you know if you can safely leave the house without an umbrella.
There was some rain during our Hong Kong trip, but not enough to keep me out of that pool. We have friends in Hong Kong who also enjoy a clean swimming pool. Most of them are just as undeterred by cloudy skies as I am. When we were younger, we threw a party or two at the big house. When you throw parties at someone else's nicer house in your twenties, they tend to get out of hand. You invite your friends and people you casually know. They invite their friends and people you have never met. Pretty soon, half the party is full of strangers. When you throw parties at someone else's nicer house in your thirties, you invite a few people over and everyone remains clothed and sober.
My personal rule in my advanced old age is to keep my clothes on as much as possible at parties, soirées, and general get-togethers. Under water, however, I have always believed that clothing is an abomination. One of the great benefits of having a private swimming pool on your own private pool deck is that you can wear whatever you want in the pool. But when friends come over, I am courteous enough to respect their customs. Chinese culture is big on modesty and not rocking the boat. Ironically, I have seen more public nudity in one year in Taiwan than ten years in Hong Kong. Political agendas aside, Taiwan is far more Chinese than Hong Kong.
Fortunately, the United States nuked the shit out of one of the Marshall Islands, which inspired a Frenchman to design swimwear that is both legally accepted in much of the world and does not have too much fabric to feel too restricting in the water. And it does not hurt that they go on sale every summer. Most of our guests at the swimming pool were Chinese, so there were more one-piece bathing suits than two-piece bikinis. And the men, for whatever reason, wore giant trunks that were longer than most shorts. Fashion has always been a strange thing to me, and I still find it odd that men's swimwear has enough fabric for a dozen bikinis, while women are legally required to shroud more of their bodies. Even more fortunately, we had no guests at the big house for most of the time we were there. That left me free to swim in the pool as naked as Salacia intended.
This trip was mostly a vacation, but the timing was pretty good. We bought a few apartments in Hong Kong a few months ago. One of them was in the final stage of construction. Kevin and I saw it before we signed anything, but it was unfinished. By the time we arrived in Hong Kong this time, it was ready for inspection, and Lily could finally see it. One of the other apartments was always ready, and the property management company found tenants while we were in Taiwan. We thought about going to see them, but collectively agreed that the family living there could probably do without a visit from the foreigners who own their home. I think never having to personally deal with us is one of the great advantages to having us as landlords.
There is a bit of a plague going around right now, which makes Hong Kong a good, though unadventurous, vacation spot. Hong Kong did exceptionally well in the beginning, especially considering the proximity of the epicenter and the ease with which people from Guangzhou could and did travel into Hong Kong, before they locked Hubei under the dome. There was a spike in July 2020, right after we moved to Taiwan. They had a few calm months before a smaller spike in December/January. The numbers have been pretty low since then. To date, around 200 people have died in Hong Kong. That is not so great for the families of those 200, but nothing compared to crime-ridden, politically corrupt third world countries like India, Brazil, and the United States.
Interestingly enough, Macau has zero deaths from this thing. They must have closed the casinos, which must have trashed the economy. I can go to Macau just as easily as Hong Kong, but without casinos, what would be the point.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Walk Through the Fire
Taiwan is in the middle of a drought. The news is calling it the biggest drought in 50 years. But they always say things like that. Every single year, they dramatically announce that one day in January is the coldest day of the year, even though the year just started, and the coldest day of every year is always in January. If some white supremacist “patriot” assassinates Biden, it will be the biggest American assassination of the 21st century. None of the cable news channels will point out that it was also the first presidential assassination of the 21st century.
I would be amazed if the US Secret Service reads this blog, but just in case, I want to point out how ironic I would consider it if Biden were assassinated. Then a black woman would become president. That is not exactly what the white supremacists want, but are any of them astute enough to figure that out? To be safe, they could take out both the president and vice president. That would be dramatic enough to get them the attention their parents obviously never gave them as children. But then the speaker of the house would become president. All those brave patriots might want to hold off on the killing spree, at least until the next election.
Whether our drought is the most dramatic event in the history of the world or a bit of an inconvenience, it has people talking, complaining, and vowing to make changes. Though most of the country is a subtropical forest, the entire west coast was deforested generations ago. The east coast still gets more than enough rain every year, but almost everyone lives on the west coast, and for reasons a lot of people do not understand, there is no system to transfer water from east to west. There used to be a time when the large mountain ranges between the coasts hindered transportation, but 21st century technology must have a way to get water around mountains.
Taiwan is entirely responsible for turning the lush west coast into steel and concrete, but other countries, mostly China and the United States, are responsible for the lower rainfall every year. But as long as today has record profits, who cares about tomorrow, right? We moved to Kaohsiung during typhoon season, so we saw plenty of rain when we first got here, but it has rained little since. It was only when people started talking about the drought that I noticed how seldom it was raining. Since I came from Hong Kong, I liked how I could leave the house without an umbrella. Typhoon season is coming up, so people are expecting more rain soon, but it will have to pour like there is no tomorrow to flood the drought. We need a large typhoon with all of its water to hit us directly, rather than simply pass by and give us its wind.
As is often the case, there will be some changes made because of this drought. Rather than think ahead, the people in charge of this country, just like the people in charge of every country, react to the complaints of their constituents more than they anticipate a disaster and solve it before anyone threatens to vote for someone else. Taiwan has handled this virus issue much better than most countries. But not because the leaders had the foresight to expend considerable resources on a future emergency that might never come. Taiwan's leaders were fully prepared for SARS 2 because of experience gained from SARS 1. If American leaders are smart, they will learn from their current situation and prepare for the next one, just as Taiwan did. If history is any indication, one political party will show the other who is the boss, and screw over the people.
One of the best things about Taiwan is that one political party does not dismantle everything done by another party. If the people in charge now can find a way to prevent future droughts, the other parties will keep everything in place when they take over. But first, someone has to find a way to prevent future droughts.
I would be amazed if the US Secret Service reads this blog, but just in case, I want to point out how ironic I would consider it if Biden were assassinated. Then a black woman would become president. That is not exactly what the white supremacists want, but are any of them astute enough to figure that out? To be safe, they could take out both the president and vice president. That would be dramatic enough to get them the attention their parents obviously never gave them as children. But then the speaker of the house would become president. All those brave patriots might want to hold off on the killing spree, at least until the next election.
Whether our drought is the most dramatic event in the history of the world or a bit of an inconvenience, it has people talking, complaining, and vowing to make changes. Though most of the country is a subtropical forest, the entire west coast was deforested generations ago. The east coast still gets more than enough rain every year, but almost everyone lives on the west coast, and for reasons a lot of people do not understand, there is no system to transfer water from east to west. There used to be a time when the large mountain ranges between the coasts hindered transportation, but 21st century technology must have a way to get water around mountains.
Taiwan is entirely responsible for turning the lush west coast into steel and concrete, but other countries, mostly China and the United States, are responsible for the lower rainfall every year. But as long as today has record profits, who cares about tomorrow, right? We moved to Kaohsiung during typhoon season, so we saw plenty of rain when we first got here, but it has rained little since. It was only when people started talking about the drought that I noticed how seldom it was raining. Since I came from Hong Kong, I liked how I could leave the house without an umbrella. Typhoon season is coming up, so people are expecting more rain soon, but it will have to pour like there is no tomorrow to flood the drought. We need a large typhoon with all of its water to hit us directly, rather than simply pass by and give us its wind.
As is often the case, there will be some changes made because of this drought. Rather than think ahead, the people in charge of this country, just like the people in charge of every country, react to the complaints of their constituents more than they anticipate a disaster and solve it before anyone threatens to vote for someone else. Taiwan has handled this virus issue much better than most countries. But not because the leaders had the foresight to expend considerable resources on a future emergency that might never come. Taiwan's leaders were fully prepared for SARS 2 because of experience gained from SARS 1. If American leaders are smart, they will learn from their current situation and prepare for the next one, just as Taiwan did. If history is any indication, one political party will show the other who is the boss, and screw over the people.
One of the best things about Taiwan is that one political party does not dismantle everything done by another party. If the people in charge now can find a way to prevent future droughts, the other parties will keep everything in place when they take over. But first, someone has to find a way to prevent future droughts.
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Pros and Cons of Short Hair
I have had long hair my entire life. Maybe not as a baby, but I don't remember that. One of my mother's rules was that girls do not have short hair. I could cut it as short as I wanted, as long as it reached below my collar bone. At the same time, butt length was considered unacceptable. Crystal Gayle was just as extreme in my house as Twiggy.
Eventually, I got old enough to make my own decisions, as most of us do. When I was finally free, I could do whatever I wanted with my hair. I could chop it off, dye it purple, get a heavy metal perm or go full Amidala. My hair was entirely up to me.
So I kept it the way it was. I tried different styles over the years, but nothing radical. There was an unfortunate period with bangs, which is something most of us put ourselves through for whatever masochistic reason, but the length was always shoulder to waist, or somewhere in between. I never went blonde or red. Or purple.
Seven months ago, they shaved it all off. In an instant, I went from the familiar to something completely unlike anything I had ever known. I was balder than Britney. I thought almost nothing about it for the first couple of weeks. I had better things to worry about. Having your head shaved without your permission might be a first world problem, but it is a drastic change. Eventually, I noticed how alien I looked to myself. Your hairstyle really can alter your appearance. Look at Zooey Deschanel without bangs or Superman without the little curl. When you have seen yourself with silky hair below your shoulders your entire life, that chrome dome is a shock.
Practically a different man
The good news is that hair grows back. Male pattern baldness is not an issue here. The bad news is that it takes a long time. Day to day, you don't notice any change whatsoever. After three months, my scalp was completely covered, but too short to do anything. I looked like I just got out of basic training. And my hair color was lighter than usual, almost ash blonde. If I wanted to dye it its natural color, I would have to go with golden walnut or chestnut blonde. I have always thought I had brown hair. L'Oreal disagrees. The scar was still obvious, but I had already made my peace with that. If you have to have a large scar, the scalp is not the worst place to put it. Sooner or later, enough hair covers everything.
At five months, I could comb it around in one direction or another and part it slightly, but it was still far too short. I'm not a big fan of gender stereotypes. Women and men can have whatever hair length they want. It takes a lot more than hair to make someone feminine or masculine. But I looked like a boy. And you know what Bart Simpson said about blond boys.
At seven months, I finally look like a girl again, but with Audrey Hepburn's Sabrina returning from Paris hair. It looked a lot better on her. She could make anything look fashionable. I was not blessed with that superpower. On the bright side, it is finally getting darker. It's practically the color I recognize.
In China, no one really cares about your hair length. Girls in junior high routinely cut their hair short. I don't know why. Everyone I have ever asked gave me a different answer, citing tradition, safety issues, conformity and good old fashioned control over women. Some adults keep their hair short because they think it makes them look young. It does not. Put a 50-year-old in a school uniform and she will never look 15. But when you are conditioned that short hair equals school age, it's easy to see the logic.
In the United States, a lot of people would assume I'm a lesbian. Hair length has just as little to do with sexuality as it does with age, but we Americans love our baseless stereotypes. If an American woman has a buzzed head, she is either a lesbian or recovering from chemotherapy. There cannot possibly be any other reason. In China, no one ever assumes anyone is gay. It's just the opposite. I have met quite a few people who insist there are no gay people in China.
I don't know if the statistic that 10% of the population is gay is accurate or considered offensive these days, but 10% of China is 150,000,000. That would mean there are more gay people in China than the entire population of Russia. That has absolutely nothing to do with my hair, but if it's even close to true, it would be insane to assume no one around here is gay.
The best part about having very short hair is that I can wash it in a minute and it dries on its own before I know it. It's pretty amazing the first few times. Anyone with waist length hair knows that it takes a long time to wash and will not air dry anytime that day. I have not put a towel on my scalp since September. It's all very liberating, in its own meaningless way.
Similarly, I can get out of bed and my hair is ready to go. It is long enough that I can comb again, but short enough that I don't really need to. For months, there was nothing to comb. When it's that short, it looks the same no matter what you do. When it's long, you look like a crazy person if you leave it as is.
Then there is summer. It does not technically begin until June, but Hong Kong goes straight from winter to summer. I have always thought it was lucky that I was bald in winter because wearing hats in summer would have been torture. But now that it's hot again, I'm thinking it would have been better to have shorter hair in summer. Putting your hair up in oppressive humidity is nothing compared to having genuinely short hair. Whether you have a ball of hair on top of your head or down your back, it gets hot around here. Walking around with extremely short hair is like having your own personal fan everywhere you go. By the time my hair can cover the back of my neck again, the temperature will be as high as it gets.
It took a while, but I have come to accept my short hair. I really had no choice. But when it finally grows back to its normal length, I doubt I will ever cut it short again.
Eventually, I got old enough to make my own decisions, as most of us do. When I was finally free, I could do whatever I wanted with my hair. I could chop it off, dye it purple, get a heavy metal perm or go full Amidala. My hair was entirely up to me.
So I kept it the way it was. I tried different styles over the years, but nothing radical. There was an unfortunate period with bangs, which is something most of us put ourselves through for whatever masochistic reason, but the length was always shoulder to waist, or somewhere in between. I never went blonde or red. Or purple.
Seven months ago, they shaved it all off. In an instant, I went from the familiar to something completely unlike anything I had ever known. I was balder than Britney. I thought almost nothing about it for the first couple of weeks. I had better things to worry about. Having your head shaved without your permission might be a first world problem, but it is a drastic change. Eventually, I noticed how alien I looked to myself. Your hairstyle really can alter your appearance. Look at Zooey Deschanel without bangs or Superman without the little curl. When you have seen yourself with silky hair below your shoulders your entire life, that chrome dome is a shock.
The good news is that hair grows back. Male pattern baldness is not an issue here. The bad news is that it takes a long time. Day to day, you don't notice any change whatsoever. After three months, my scalp was completely covered, but too short to do anything. I looked like I just got out of basic training. And my hair color was lighter than usual, almost ash blonde. If I wanted to dye it its natural color, I would have to go with golden walnut or chestnut blonde. I have always thought I had brown hair. L'Oreal disagrees. The scar was still obvious, but I had already made my peace with that. If you have to have a large scar, the scalp is not the worst place to put it. Sooner or later, enough hair covers everything.
At five months, I could comb it around in one direction or another and part it slightly, but it was still far too short. I'm not a big fan of gender stereotypes. Women and men can have whatever hair length they want. It takes a lot more than hair to make someone feminine or masculine. But I looked like a boy. And you know what Bart Simpson said about blond boys.
At seven months, I finally look like a girl again, but with Audrey Hepburn's Sabrina returning from Paris hair. It looked a lot better on her. She could make anything look fashionable. I was not blessed with that superpower. On the bright side, it is finally getting darker. It's practically the color I recognize.
In China, no one really cares about your hair length. Girls in junior high routinely cut their hair short. I don't know why. Everyone I have ever asked gave me a different answer, citing tradition, safety issues, conformity and good old fashioned control over women. Some adults keep their hair short because they think it makes them look young. It does not. Put a 50-year-old in a school uniform and she will never look 15. But when you are conditioned that short hair equals school age, it's easy to see the logic.
In the United States, a lot of people would assume I'm a lesbian. Hair length has just as little to do with sexuality as it does with age, but we Americans love our baseless stereotypes. If an American woman has a buzzed head, she is either a lesbian or recovering from chemotherapy. There cannot possibly be any other reason. In China, no one ever assumes anyone is gay. It's just the opposite. I have met quite a few people who insist there are no gay people in China.
I don't know if the statistic that 10% of the population is gay is accurate or considered offensive these days, but 10% of China is 150,000,000. That would mean there are more gay people in China than the entire population of Russia. That has absolutely nothing to do with my hair, but if it's even close to true, it would be insane to assume no one around here is gay.
The best part about having very short hair is that I can wash it in a minute and it dries on its own before I know it. It's pretty amazing the first few times. Anyone with waist length hair knows that it takes a long time to wash and will not air dry anytime that day. I have not put a towel on my scalp since September. It's all very liberating, in its own meaningless way.
Similarly, I can get out of bed and my hair is ready to go. It is long enough that I can comb again, but short enough that I don't really need to. For months, there was nothing to comb. When it's that short, it looks the same no matter what you do. When it's long, you look like a crazy person if you leave it as is.
Then there is summer. It does not technically begin until June, but Hong Kong goes straight from winter to summer. I have always thought it was lucky that I was bald in winter because wearing hats in summer would have been torture. But now that it's hot again, I'm thinking it would have been better to have shorter hair in summer. Putting your hair up in oppressive humidity is nothing compared to having genuinely short hair. Whether you have a ball of hair on top of your head or down your back, it gets hot around here. Walking around with extremely short hair is like having your own personal fan everywhere you go. By the time my hair can cover the back of my neck again, the temperature will be as high as it gets.
It took a while, but I have come to accept my short hair. I really had no choice. But when it finally grows back to its normal length, I doubt I will ever cut it short again.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
The Rainy Season
Summer is indisputably the rainy season in Hong Kong. We get more rain between June and August than in every month of winter, fall and spring combined. Between May and September, it will rain at least half the month. Guaranteed.
Summer is also typhoon season. But it's not that all the rain comes from typhoons. Summer will be rainy whether any typhoons come close or not. Typhoons form over the ocean every year, but they don't always hit us. Most will hit the Philippines, some will hit Japan or Taiwan, and pretty much every typhoon that is headed west will hit somewhere in China. But it's pretty hard to hit Hong Kong.
Whoever decided to build this city was smart. You have the natural harbor and mountains that make it interesting, and all of the economic advantages of international trade and opium wars, but two of Hong Kong's major advantages are the Philippines and Taiwan. Without them, we would be hit by multiple typhoons every year. I doubt Hong Kong would be the city it is today without that protection.
As it is, typhoons have to squeeze through a tiny passage to get to us. Almost every typhoon that collapses near here has already made landfall somewhere else. That makes them much weaker.
This typhoon season has been a little different. We have already had two tropical storms that slammed directly into us, Merbok and Roke, and one that landed close enough, Pakhar. That happens from time to time. Tropical Storm Roke slipped through our Philippines/Taiwan blockade. Pakhar slammed into the Philippines and slowed down before hitting us. Merbok was a little sneaky and formed west of the Philippines. It headed north, so there was nothing to protect Hong Kong.
But those were tropical storms. They bring a lot of rain, but this is the rainy season anyway. Hong Kong is not subject to flooding the way the Philippines and low lying parts of Mainland China are. Tropical storm winds are 75 mph or less. In a typhoon, it's the wind that really causes the most damage. We get tropical storms every year. Something we don't always get are typhoons.
On August 23, Typhoon Hato crashed right over Hong Kong and Macau before landing in Jinwan. It was the first time Hong Kong issued its highest warning system since Typhoon Vicente. That one caused a lot of damage. The streets looked exactly as you would expect streets to look after a super typhoon. Somehow, no one died.
Typhoon Hato was a little smaller, and not nearly as dramatic. At least in Hong Kong. I would like to say that the government learned from Vicente and made improvements to protect us, but we probably just got lucky.
Macau and Guangdong were not as lucky. Hato was Macau's strongest storm in 50 years. The army had to clean up debris. Government officials resigned. Ten people died. In the rest of China, a few hundred thousand people were left homeless and 19 people died. The damages were about US$3 billion.
You did not hear about Typhoon Hato on CNN because at the same time, Hurricane Harvey was hitting Texas. CNN is an American company, so obviously anything happening in the United States will always take precedence over anything anywhere else, and Harvey was definitely a newsworthy event. But it would be nice if CNN finally recognized that more than one news story can take place at the same time. They spent four straight days talking about nothing but Harvey. There was some information in there that most of us would have never known otherwise, but one of CNN's biggest problems is talking about the same thing over and over, even when there is nothing new to report. They will repeat everything they said five minutes earlier. In between updates, they could acknowledge that there are other countries besides the United States. If you get all your news from CNN, you probably have no idea that most of the people on this planet live nowhere close to Wall Street.
Typhoon Hato 2017
Typhoon Vicente 2012
Summer is also typhoon season. But it's not that all the rain comes from typhoons. Summer will be rainy whether any typhoons come close or not. Typhoons form over the ocean every year, but they don't always hit us. Most will hit the Philippines, some will hit Japan or Taiwan, and pretty much every typhoon that is headed west will hit somewhere in China. But it's pretty hard to hit Hong Kong.
Whoever decided to build this city was smart. You have the natural harbor and mountains that make it interesting, and all of the economic advantages of international trade and opium wars, but two of Hong Kong's major advantages are the Philippines and Taiwan. Without them, we would be hit by multiple typhoons every year. I doubt Hong Kong would be the city it is today without that protection.
As it is, typhoons have to squeeze through a tiny passage to get to us. Almost every typhoon that collapses near here has already made landfall somewhere else. That makes them much weaker.
This typhoon season has been a little different. We have already had two tropical storms that slammed directly into us, Merbok and Roke, and one that landed close enough, Pakhar. That happens from time to time. Tropical Storm Roke slipped through our Philippines/Taiwan blockade. Pakhar slammed into the Philippines and slowed down before hitting us. Merbok was a little sneaky and formed west of the Philippines. It headed north, so there was nothing to protect Hong Kong.
But those were tropical storms. They bring a lot of rain, but this is the rainy season anyway. Hong Kong is not subject to flooding the way the Philippines and low lying parts of Mainland China are. Tropical storm winds are 75 mph or less. In a typhoon, it's the wind that really causes the most damage. We get tropical storms every year. Something we don't always get are typhoons.
On August 23, Typhoon Hato crashed right over Hong Kong and Macau before landing in Jinwan. It was the first time Hong Kong issued its highest warning system since Typhoon Vicente. That one caused a lot of damage. The streets looked exactly as you would expect streets to look after a super typhoon. Somehow, no one died.
Typhoon Hato was a little smaller, and not nearly as dramatic. At least in Hong Kong. I would like to say that the government learned from Vicente and made improvements to protect us, but we probably just got lucky.
Macau and Guangdong were not as lucky. Hato was Macau's strongest storm in 50 years. The army had to clean up debris. Government officials resigned. Ten people died. In the rest of China, a few hundred thousand people were left homeless and 19 people died. The damages were about US$3 billion.
You did not hear about Typhoon Hato on CNN because at the same time, Hurricane Harvey was hitting Texas. CNN is an American company, so obviously anything happening in the United States will always take precedence over anything anywhere else, and Harvey was definitely a newsworthy event. But it would be nice if CNN finally recognized that more than one news story can take place at the same time. They spent four straight days talking about nothing but Harvey. There was some information in there that most of us would have never known otherwise, but one of CNN's biggest problems is talking about the same thing over and over, even when there is nothing new to report. They will repeat everything they said five minutes earlier. In between updates, they could acknowledge that there are other countries besides the United States. If you get all your news from CNN, you probably have no idea that most of the people on this planet live nowhere close to Wall Street.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
First World Problems
No air conditioning. In Hong Kong. In August. Nothing could be worse.
Our air conditioning went out yesterday. The building has central air and heating, so it is not as simple as changing an air filter or replacing a unit. When it goes out, someone has to figure out where the problem is. It could be one of the big machines on the roof or one of the big machines in the basement. It could be one of the connections between one of those machines and our apartment. It could be a million different things.
Fortunately, we never use the heater. It has never been cold enough here.
The day without air conditioning was a nightmare. Opening some windows is not an option. Just one open window would bring in every mosquito in the country. They lie in wait, ready to pounce in an instant. Just opening the door to the balcony is tempting fate.
Fans exist, but we only have a tiny little fan that is more of a joke than anything else. We don't really need any fans because we have central air.
I would have left the apartment for the day, but I had things to do indoors. You can't always spend the day at the mall.
While sitting in my own private sauna, I was fully aware that millions of people in the world deal with genuine hardships every single day. I have shelter, plenty of food and more than enough clean water. But it was still terrible.
When the air conditioning came back on, it was the greatest thing in the world. Maybe it's sad that I'm so dependent on such a modern convenience, but that cool air feels much better than the oppressive humidity.
Our air conditioning went out yesterday. The building has central air and heating, so it is not as simple as changing an air filter or replacing a unit. When it goes out, someone has to figure out where the problem is. It could be one of the big machines on the roof or one of the big machines in the basement. It could be one of the connections between one of those machines and our apartment. It could be a million different things.
Fortunately, we never use the heater. It has never been cold enough here.
The day without air conditioning was a nightmare. Opening some windows is not an option. Just one open window would bring in every mosquito in the country. They lie in wait, ready to pounce in an instant. Just opening the door to the balcony is tempting fate.
Fans exist, but we only have a tiny little fan that is more of a joke than anything else. We don't really need any fans because we have central air.
I would have left the apartment for the day, but I had things to do indoors. You can't always spend the day at the mall.
While sitting in my own private sauna, I was fully aware that millions of people in the world deal with genuine hardships every single day. I have shelter, plenty of food and more than enough clean water. But it was still terrible.
When the air conditioning came back on, it was the greatest thing in the world. Maybe it's sad that I'm so dependent on such a modern convenience, but that cool air feels much better than the oppressive humidity.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Typhoon Nida
Typhoon Nida was the second typhoon of the season and the first to hit Hong Kong. Typhoon Nepartak was larger, and brought plenty of rain, but hit north of us in Fujian.
As usual, the authorities issued their warnings and everyone braced for impact. As usual, it was a tempest in a teapot. There was some rain, but this is the rainy season. We will probably get a foot of rain this month with or without any typhoons. There was some wind that knocked down a few trees, but we have all seen worse. Hong Kong is a pretty strong city. It takes more than heavy wind to bring any of these buildings down. It is usually the Philippines and Mainland China that gets hit the hardest. Thankfully, I have not heard about any deaths from Nida yet.
When I first moved here, it bothered me when it looked like everyone was panicking and then nothing really happened. It's not that I wanted to watch a catastrophe, but I did not understand why everyone was so worried about a little wind and rain.
Now, I'm glad that the government takes each typhoon so seriously. Most of the typhoons since I have been here never warranted shutting everything down, but it is better that they take the precautions than ignore it and get hit by a bigger storm than anyone expected. As it is, even the smallest typhoons will close down government offices, schools and most transportation. I used to find that frustrating, but now I appreciate getting a day off work. My apartment balcony is an especially nice place to watch a typhoon whirl by.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Mint Condition
I have a small pot of mint on the window. I got it for a few reasons.
I love mint. It is a great herb that can be used a million different ways. You can put it in cookies, brownies or anything chocolate, really. You can add it to potatoes, tomatoes, rice and noodles. It is great in soups and stews. It tastes good, smells good and looks good sitting on the window sill.
Someone gave it to me. Fresh mint is difficult to find around here, but I know a few people. One of my friends gave me a tiny pot with a sad little sprig of mint poking out. I assumed it would die right away, but I gave it water and light and waited to see what happened.
When it grew, I cut off a few stems and put them in water. I'm no gardener, but cuttings are the easiest thing in the world. When the roots filled the small jars, I put them in a larger pot and that is what I have now. I could easily do more cuttings and build up more pots, but I think one is enough. I don't want to spend all day taking care of plants.
Mint scares away mosquitoes. Supposedly. Everything I have ever read and everyone I have ever talked to agrees that mint is a natural mosquito repellent. But something about these mosquitoes or my mint is not working. Maybe they don't know they are supposed to be natural enemies. Maybe it is the wrong kind of mint. But it smells and tastes like mint. It is currently raining, so the mosquitoes are hiding wherever they hide when it rains, but I have no confidence in my mint keeping them at bay once the sun comes out. Maybe I need more mint.
I love mint. It is a great herb that can be used a million different ways. You can put it in cookies, brownies or anything chocolate, really. You can add it to potatoes, tomatoes, rice and noodles. It is great in soups and stews. It tastes good, smells good and looks good sitting on the window sill.
Someone gave it to me. Fresh mint is difficult to find around here, but I know a few people. One of my friends gave me a tiny pot with a sad little sprig of mint poking out. I assumed it would die right away, but I gave it water and light and waited to see what happened.
When it grew, I cut off a few stems and put them in water. I'm no gardener, but cuttings are the easiest thing in the world. When the roots filled the small jars, I put them in a larger pot and that is what I have now. I could easily do more cuttings and build up more pots, but I think one is enough. I don't want to spend all day taking care of plants.
Mint scares away mosquitoes. Supposedly. Everything I have ever read and everyone I have ever talked to agrees that mint is a natural mosquito repellent. But something about these mosquitoes or my mint is not working. Maybe they don't know they are supposed to be natural enemies. Maybe it is the wrong kind of mint. But it smells and tastes like mint. It is currently raining, so the mosquitoes are hiding wherever they hide when it rains, but I have no confidence in my mint keeping them at bay once the sun comes out. Maybe I need more mint.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Attack of the 12mm Vampires
Mosquito season is roughly between March and December around here. We don't have zika, or anything worth worrying about, but those little creatures are still annoying.
I have been in this apartment for two years and never had any problems with mosquitoes. Until now. I don't even remember seeing any in the apartment last year. This year, they have invaded. I don't know what changed. The weather is the same as always. The windows and doors are well insulated. This is a newer building, so it does not have those old style sliding windows with huge gaps that any insect could easily get through. I would be surprised if they are coming through the windows.
What mosquitoes like more than anything else are puddles of standing water and people, or animals, with warm blood. The little puddles that form out on the balcony when it rains dry up pretty quickly in the sun. I don't know of any place around here for them to lay their eggs. And, supposedly, white people have slightly lower body temperatures than Chinese people. That is probably not the least bit true, but I have heard a lot of Chinese people say it is.
Oddly enough, Japanese people are supposed to have lower body temperatures than white people. That is probably also untrue, but someone should do some research. Let loose some mosquitoes in a room full of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans and see what happens.
So we have an apartment full of white people with colder blood than our neighbors and everything is dry outdoors. There is no real reason for mosquitoes to come in here, especially if they have been ignoring us the last two years. But they are here. And they are driving me crazy.
I have been in this apartment for two years and never had any problems with mosquitoes. Until now. I don't even remember seeing any in the apartment last year. This year, they have invaded. I don't know what changed. The weather is the same as always. The windows and doors are well insulated. This is a newer building, so it does not have those old style sliding windows with huge gaps that any insect could easily get through. I would be surprised if they are coming through the windows.
What mosquitoes like more than anything else are puddles of standing water and people, or animals, with warm blood. The little puddles that form out on the balcony when it rains dry up pretty quickly in the sun. I don't know of any place around here for them to lay their eggs. And, supposedly, white people have slightly lower body temperatures than Chinese people. That is probably not the least bit true, but I have heard a lot of Chinese people say it is.
Oddly enough, Japanese people are supposed to have lower body temperatures than white people. That is probably also untrue, but someone should do some research. Let loose some mosquitoes in a room full of Chinese, Japanese and Europeans and see what happens.
So we have an apartment full of white people with colder blood than our neighbors and everything is dry outdoors. There is no real reason for mosquitoes to come in here, especially if they have been ignoring us the last two years. But they are here. And they are driving me crazy.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
No Rain
Before we went to Taipei last weekend, there was talk of a typhoon hitting the Philippines. That was nothing unusual. The Philippines gets hit by typhoons more often than politicians take a vacation. If not for the Philippines, most of those typhoons would hit Hong Kong. So those of us who live here should be grateful it is there.
When we landed in Taipei, the typhoon went from a category 1, which is the smallest, to a category 4, which is pretty high. It turned out to be bigger than the experts expected, but it kept its course and hit the Philippines. There was no evidence that a typhoon was anywhere nearby when we were in Taipei, other than a little wind.
After we went back home, the typhoon swerved north and headed for Taiwan. It should be rainy for the next few days, but most of the storm has died down.
When we landed in Taipei, the typhoon went from a category 1, which is the smallest, to a category 4, which is pretty high. It turned out to be bigger than the experts expected, but it kept its course and hit the Philippines. There was no evidence that a typhoon was anywhere nearby when we were in Taipei, other than a little wind.
After we went back home, the typhoon swerved north and headed for Taiwan. It should be rainy for the next few days, but most of the storm has died down.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Typhoon Matmo
It's typhoon season once again. Japan got hit by a big one earlier this month. It weakened just before it hit Japan, so it was not as bad as everyone thought it would be.
Right after that, Typhoon Rammasun slammed into the Philippines. They will probably see a dozen more large typhoons before the year is over.
Now we have Typhoon Matmo crashing through Taiwan and heading straight to Fuzhou. Since it went through Taiwan, it's not supposed to be as big when it hits Fuzhou, but they will have plenty of rain and wind. Ryan has been hit by more typhoons in Fuzhou than we will ever see here in Hong Kong.
A lot of people died in Taiwan, but that was because of a plane crash. I don't know why anyone would fly a plane in the middle of a typhoon. You would think the people in charge would never let that happen. Taiwan must have some version of the FAA. They seriously dropped the ball.
A lot of people are criticizing Malaysia Airlines for flying over war zones, but flying in a typhoon has to be a million times worse. Flying 30,000 feet over a conflict is potentially dangerous, but the odds are, nothing will ever touch your plane. Someone has to really want to shoot your plane down. Flying in a typhoon is like putting a loaded gun to your head and pulling the trigger.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Ryan in the Rain
The timing of Ryan's trip to Hong Kong was pretty good. There was a big hail storm while he was here, but he arrived before it all started and left after it was over. The hail storm delayed some flights, but he did not have to deal with any of that.
There are too many times when you have to plan your air travel carefully around here. During Chinese New Year, everything is just insanely crowded and expensive. I would avoid the airport as much as possible that entire month. During the summer, you have to consider the rain. Most days are just rainy, but sometimes it rains enough to cancel flights. During typhoon season, you have to think about typhoons. They give you plenty of warning before they hit, and they rarely hit Hong Kong, but if you plan a flight a week or more in advance, you can easily get stuck because of a typhoon. Now we have hail storms wreaking havoc at the airport when it should be perfectly safe to travel.
I still live in my tiny apartment, so we stayed at a hotel while Ryan was here. I picked the Regal Kowloon on Mody Road, between Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom. It was a little expensive, but definitely worth every penny. This is a nice hotel in an area full of nice hotels. It is not close to any MTR stations, but that also means it is not as close to all the crowded tourists spots. This is the kind of neighborhood where you can go out and walk around without walking through a million other people. But it is not in the middle of nowhere. The hotel is a block from Salisbury Road and the beginning of the Promenade.
There is another hotel between the Regal and Victoria Harbour, but they are not right on top of each other, so some rooms have views of the harbour. Even if you don't have a view, it is only a block away. The hotel is also close to the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Science Museum.
A lot of hotels don't have any outlets to plug anything in unless you unplug one of their lamps. This hotel had plenty of open plugs on the walls that were easy to get to and readily available. I don't know why all hotels don't do this. I don't have a bunch of smart phones and ipads and tablets, but most people have things they need to charge. Usually when I stay at a hotel outside of Hong Kong, I have a cellphone and camera to charge.
With the hailstorm, we spent most of our time in the hotel. The easiest things to walk to are the Promenade and Avenue of Stars. We have seen all that a million times. Even in perfect weather, we would not have gone there. This was a good hotel to spend more time indoors. Some hotels are good for sleeping and little else. I would not recommend that anyone who comes to Hong Kong just stay in their hotel all day, but if you do, this is a pretty good place to do it.
There are too many times when you have to plan your air travel carefully around here. During Chinese New Year, everything is just insanely crowded and expensive. I would avoid the airport as much as possible that entire month. During the summer, you have to consider the rain. Most days are just rainy, but sometimes it rains enough to cancel flights. During typhoon season, you have to think about typhoons. They give you plenty of warning before they hit, and they rarely hit Hong Kong, but if you plan a flight a week or more in advance, you can easily get stuck because of a typhoon. Now we have hail storms wreaking havoc at the airport when it should be perfectly safe to travel.
I still live in my tiny apartment, so we stayed at a hotel while Ryan was here. I picked the Regal Kowloon on Mody Road, between Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom. It was a little expensive, but definitely worth every penny. This is a nice hotel in an area full of nice hotels. It is not close to any MTR stations, but that also means it is not as close to all the crowded tourists spots. This is the kind of neighborhood where you can go out and walk around without walking through a million other people. But it is not in the middle of nowhere. The hotel is a block from Salisbury Road and the beginning of the Promenade.
There is another hotel between the Regal and Victoria Harbour, but they are not right on top of each other, so some rooms have views of the harbour. Even if you don't have a view, it is only a block away. The hotel is also close to the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Science Museum.
A lot of hotels don't have any outlets to plug anything in unless you unplug one of their lamps. This hotel had plenty of open plugs on the walls that were easy to get to and readily available. I don't know why all hotels don't do this. I don't have a bunch of smart phones and ipads and tablets, but most people have things they need to charge. Usually when I stay at a hotel outside of Hong Kong, I have a cellphone and camera to charge.
With the hailstorm, we spent most of our time in the hotel. The easiest things to walk to are the Promenade and Avenue of Stars. We have seen all that a million times. Even in perfect weather, we would not have gone there. This was a good hotel to spend more time indoors. Some hotels are good for sleeping and little else. I would not recommend that anyone who comes to Hong Kong just stay in their hotel all day, but if you do, this is a pretty good place to do it.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Rainy Day
It's been raining a little in Hong Kong. That is nothing new. Hong Kong has somewhere around 150 rainy days every year. May to September are especially wet months. We get more rain in June than October through April combined.
The difference is the hail. That is not something Hong Kong sees with any amount of regularity. There have been fewer than 30 hail storms in the last 50 years.
This weekend's hail storm freaked a lot of people out. It has been a colder than usual winter, at least cold by Hong Kong standards, with some unusually hot days in between. Now we can add hail to the list. Fortune tellers are predicting a turbulent year of the horse.
The hail did not affect me at all. I was mostly indoors this weekend. It did some serious damage to one of the malls close to my apartment, but this is Hong Kong. There are always a hundred other malls within walking distance. Despite, or because of, all the competition, this one will be repaired in record time.
The difference is the hail. That is not something Hong Kong sees with any amount of regularity. There have been fewer than 30 hail storms in the last 50 years.
This weekend's hail storm freaked a lot of people out. It has been a colder than usual winter, at least cold by Hong Kong standards, with some unusually hot days in between. Now we can add hail to the list. Fortune tellers are predicting a turbulent year of the horse.
The hail did not affect me at all. I was mostly indoors this weekend. It did some serious damage to one of the malls close to my apartment, but this is Hong Kong. There are always a hundred other malls within walking distance. Despite, or because of, all the competition, this one will be repaired in record time.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Winter Wonderland
People in Hong Kong have been complaining about the cold all winter. That makes sense since it is usually hot and humid in Hong Kong. This winter seemed colder than the last, but it still stayed around 15 Celsius. That is pretty cold for Hong Kong, where it usually hovers around 32C most of the year, but nothing compared to winters back home.
Minneapolis is usually below freezing from November to March. December to February regularly dip below 10F. That's -12C. It never gets anywhere close to that in Hong Kong. In fact, the lowest I have ever seen Hong Kong would be a typical October back home, around 45F/7C.
This year has been special for the United States. It has been a colder than average winter, but what everyone is talking about is the wind chill. A lot of arctic air has been coming down and freezing people's butts off. I find that funny because we get that every year in Minnesota. Cold air from the arctic hits Alberta and cuts through Minnesota before it warms up and makes its way across the eastern United States. Only this year, it is hitting most of the Midwest and East coast.
By 0F, Alberta clippers knock it down to -15F. That is unnaturally cold for places like New York, but typical winter in Minnesota. People see the -45F in Minnesota with the wind chill and get alarmed, but we are used to it. It does not stay that cold all winter. That's only for a few days. We also build our houses for the cold and have plenty of warm clothes. Cold is only cold when you are not prepared.
If it ever got to -45F in Hong Kong, there would be a state of emergency. A lot of people would die because no one here is prepared for that kind of cold. Hong Kong houses are built for the heat. Winter clothes here are mostly pretty weak, and the boots are a joke. I have never seen a true parka here. People buy big coats that they think look warm but would not help you at all in a blizzard. It makes no difference because it never gets that cold in Hong Kong.
Hongkongers always ask me how I can go outdoors in winter without a coat. The answer is simple. I don't think it's very cold. That does not make me stronger than they are. I'm simply used to much colder weather. I'm still getting used to Hong Kong summers. While everyone else is wearing sweaters at night, I'm boiling in a t-shirt and shorts. It is not even the heat, really. It's the humidity. I have been here three years and I'm still adjusting to the humidity.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Cold Weather Warning
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a Cold Weather Warning. People are being told to take precautions and do what they can to keep warm. The daytime temperatures are around 15 Celsius/59 Fahrenheit and just under 10C/50F degrees at night.
I'm from Minnesota. 50F is autumn weather to me. It's not winter, and it is definitely no reason to be alarmed.
What I have to remember, and what other people who do not understand why anyone would complain about such a warm winter have to remember, is that in this part of the world, anything even close to freezing is considered alarmingly cold. In Minnesota, we have heating systems in our homes, heavy coats, plenty of blankets and houses with lots of insulation to protect us from the cold. No one has heaters in Hong Kong. You can buy a little portable heater but it is not the same. Hong Kong houses are designed to protect people from the humid summers. Everybody has air conditioning. I have never been to a house in Hong Kong with a heater. The insulation here is terrible. If I stand next to the living room window, I can feel the wind from outside.
There is also very little difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. In Minnesota, it is always colder at night. In Hong Kong, it is generally about the same, just not as sunny. People from Hong Kong are not used to being warm in the day and getting chillier at night. Right now, they are just cold all the time. Especially at night.
It's easy for me to say this is a very mild winter, but that is only because I'm used to blizzards and plenty of snow every winter. For people who are used to 90% humidity 90% of the time, this is a very cold winter.
I'm from Minnesota. 50F is autumn weather to me. It's not winter, and it is definitely no reason to be alarmed.
What I have to remember, and what other people who do not understand why anyone would complain about such a warm winter have to remember, is that in this part of the world, anything even close to freezing is considered alarmingly cold. In Minnesota, we have heating systems in our homes, heavy coats, plenty of blankets and houses with lots of insulation to protect us from the cold. No one has heaters in Hong Kong. You can buy a little portable heater but it is not the same. Hong Kong houses are designed to protect people from the humid summers. Everybody has air conditioning. I have never been to a house in Hong Kong with a heater. The insulation here is terrible. If I stand next to the living room window, I can feel the wind from outside.
There is also very little difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. In Minnesota, it is always colder at night. In Hong Kong, it is generally about the same, just not as sunny. People from Hong Kong are not used to being warm in the day and getting chillier at night. Right now, they are just cold all the time. Especially at night.
It's easy for me to say this is a very mild winter, but that is only because I'm used to blizzards and plenty of snow every winter. For people who are used to 90% humidity 90% of the time, this is a very cold winter.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan tore through the Philippines on Friday. It's supposed to be one of the largest typhoons ever. They said Usagi was going to be the largest typhoon of the year. Haiyan is a little bigger and, unlike Usagi, is actually causing damage.
Usagi was supposed to slam into Hong Kong. It did not. It veered north and hit a less populated area of China. Haiyan went straight into the middle of the Philippines. It has killed about 200 people so far and left about a million homeless. They are saying as many as 10,000 are dead, but that is not even close to confirmed. One of the areas it hit had an earthquake two weeks earlier.
People talk about typhoons in Hong Kong, but they rarely hit us directly. It is the Philippines that gets hit several times every year. They protect us from whatever the Pacific Ocean throws at us, thankfully. This time, they protected us from a massive super typhoon.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Typhoon Fitow
Ryan and I have been talking about seeing each other in China. He says it's my turn to go to him since he came here a couple of months ago. Before that, he came to Hong Kong for the cruise. We also went to Mainland China on the cruise, so on that trip, he came to me and I came to him.
He is right about it being my turn. He took time off work and came to Hong Kong. Now I should go to Fuzhou.
Then there was Typhoon Usagi. It was supposed to be the biggest storm of the year and they said it was going to hit Hong Kong directly. Obviously that was not going to be a good time to go to the airport. Usagi turned out less impressive than anyone expected and it did not hit Hong Kong at all.
So we waited for that storm to come and go. I could always go to Fuzhou afterward.
Then there was Typhoon Fitow. It never posed a threat to Hong Kong, but it was headed straight for Fuzhou. It ended up hitting north of Fuzhou, but it still delayed flights and caused all the usual transportation problems.
Now there is Typhoon Danas. It is headed toward us, but is supposed to turn north and go to Japan. Sometimes these typhoons go where they are supposed to go and sometimes they go wherever the mood strikes them. I don't want to book a flight to Fuzhou only to have it canceled because of some typhoon that refused to do as it was told.
After Danas, who knows. It is still typhoon season, so you never know when another one will show up. We usually have a few days' warning, but it also takes a few days to book a flight. If I book something tomorrow, there could easily be another typhoon by the time I'm supposed to leave. If I wait, there will probably be another typhoon sooner or later.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Typhoon Usagi
When Typhoon Usagi started making its way toward Hong Kong, the authorities issued their storm warnings and told everyone to batten down the hatches. They told us this was the largest storm of the year and it was coming straight for us. Government offices and some businesses closed their doors. Schools told students to stay home. Airlines announced canceled flights.
Then the typhoon hit the Philippines and Taiwan. Those islands took a lot out of it and changed its course from Hong Kong to Guangdong. We got some rain, but no direct impact.
Usagi killed a few people, mostly in the Philippines and China. That’s also where most of the damage was. Not coincidentally, places with stronger buildings and better infrastructure, like Hong Kong and Taiwan, suffered far less damage.
In Hong Kong, there was a lot of warning but very little action. For people in Northern Philippines and Southern China, it was the largest storm of the year.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Typhoon Soulik
Typhoon season started off with a bang this year. The first reports were that a super typhoon was coming toward Hong Kong. Then came the good news that it would slam into Taiwan before hitting Hong Kong. Good news for us, at least. Not so good for Taiwan.
Then the typhoon turned north and they said it wouldn't hit Hong Kong at all, but it was still going to slam straight into Taiwan.
After it tore through Taiwan, it went straight for Fuzhou. Ryan said he saw people preparing like never before, which doesn't really make much sense since the storm lost most of its power after it went through Taiwan. It hit near Fuzhou, but it was much weaker by then.
Hong Kong got a lot of rain, but it's been raining off and on for about a year anyway.
Then the typhoon turned north and they said it wouldn't hit Hong Kong at all, but it was still going to slam straight into Taiwan.
After it tore through Taiwan, it went straight for Fuzhou. Ryan said he saw people preparing like never before, which doesn't really make much sense since the storm lost most of its power after it went through Taiwan. It hit near Fuzhou, but it was much weaker by then.
Hong Kong got a lot of rain, but it's been raining off and on for about a year anyway.
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