Red Rain

We made it through our first "T8." That's the signal from the Hong Kong Observatory when gale or storm force wind is expected or blowing generally in Hong Kong near sea level, with a sustained wind speed of 63-117 km/h from the quarter indicated and gusts which may exceed 180 km/h, and the wind condition is expected to persist. There was also a "Red Rain" signal. That's not quite as bad as a "Black Rain" signal, which is very heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 70 millimetres in an hour, and is likely to continue. We apparently had black rain a couple of weekends ago when I wrote about the wine walk. It supposedly broke records for the most rain in HK in 147 years and there was a crazy amount of lightning strikes in the hundreds or thousands - if I remember where I read it, I'll provide details.

They posted the signal last night and it ended late morning, around 11. People are supposed to stay home from work when there's a T8, but they lowered it to a T3 (it jumps from 3 to 8) by 11, so Paul went to work then. It didn't seem too bad to me, but it mostly occurred overnight and I was inside. I guess it came from the same tropical storm that caused the sinking of the ship in the Philippines a few days ago. It looks like rain for the next several days. At least we get a reprieve when we head off to Bali tomorrow.

It's true; our first local beach experience was quite disappointing. I hoped for something better because it's so easy to reach, but if I even just went there to soak in the sun (between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. when I regrettably lack pool access) I would end up staring at the water like the Little Rascals standing outside the sweets shop without any money. What good is it if you can't jump in to cool off? Praises for the NJ Shore and its comparative cleanliness.

And it's also true that there are some bizarre methods of pool-time organization here. Of course, there are the hours. Then there's the unavoidable water stream that everybody sprints through to protect their towels and other items, even though it's supposed to encourage you to shower first, and there's the second sprint on your way out. There's the hotfoot dance once you get onto the flaming tiled surrounds until you reach a cool puddle to stand in since you must leave your shoes at the entrance. There's the exact number of eight loungers for residents from a potential 381 apartments, and if you're lucky enough to get one, the other minor annoyance is that they only fully recline - you can't sit up. Well, one of my English friends said her pool has the same forced shower. She dodges it also.

And if management ever sees this blog, they might shut me down since there's apparently a no photography rule. I very openly took my photos and the two lifeguards (yes two lifeguards for a four foot deep pool) didn't say a word. A manager just happened to walk in later as a group of Chinese residents were posing for a group photo. They might have been Mandarin-speaking because they didn't seem to understand Cantonese and they only understood when the chief said, "No photography." Let's just say the two lifeguards don't seem much like enforcers of J Residence Pool Law.

Well, the positive thing about the pool is that it's a pool. I'll take whatever happy aspects I can get. It is quite scenic also. If you click on the second photo from Paul's last post, you can see a cruise ship in the harbor in the background.

Yesterday I went with a couple of other tai tais to a mall that's 28 stories filled with furniture and home furnishings. I procured a flower vase I really love, but that's all. The important thing is that Paul was spared the mega-mall trip. We almost went over the weekend, but I ended up nearly killing him on Bowen Rd. on Saturday and then dragging him to the beach on Sunday instead. Maybe he'll beg to just go shopping next weekend.

My YWCA group is going to Macau for our session this upcoming Monday, but I will miss it because we'll still be in Bali. They're also doing a Sex and the City outing tomorrow, which I will also miss, but I suppose there will be other times for eating, drinking, and seeing movies. At least I saw the movie already.

So you won't hear from us until next week when we're all relaxed and tanned and massaged and back from Bali. Sooooo looking forward to it.