Free wine!

I went to the grocery store to get stuff to make coffee (I bought a french press yesterday- which was not any easy find) and because I spent over $300 HK, the cashier gave me a free bottle of wine as I was checking out! How awesome?! Plus now I can make coffee :)

Now we have a monsoon warning!

Strong Monsoon Signal

The Strong Monsoon Signal is now in force.
Strong winds with mean speed exceeding 40 kilometres
per hour are expected from the east.Gusts will occasionally reach gale force.

1. If you are not well sheltered from the east, you are advised to
take precautions against strong gusty winds. Flower pots and other objects
likely to be blown away should be taken indoors.

2. Those planning for water sports activities and operations
at sea should take special care against high winds and rough sea conditions.

Back to work

The typhoon has moved on and we were back at work today. Saw some down trees this morning. We created a lesson for the boys today about typhoons. And now it's the weekend! Tomorrow is a national holiday- National Day (China's birthday I believe) so there's fireworks tomorrow night. Should be exciting.

Typhoon 8

The typhoon warning finally went back down to a "3". It's been an "8" all day- which means a lot of shops were closed, as were all the buses. We didn't have to work today. Luckily the movies were still open, so I saw a movie today. It was really rainy and windy out, but our neighborhood was fine. Here's what I did see while I was out:

Broken glass


They advise you to tape up your windows in case they break- these were at the mall.




Downed Trees

Lots of umbrellas and rain....


All the shops were closed. It was like a ghost town outside- the normally busy areas completely dead.

Typhoon-Day!

Similar to a "snow-day" I am at home this morning waiting for the typhoon warning to change from an 8 to a 3 so we can go into work... It's warm, windy and rainy outside but not as stormy as it was all night. Drinking instant coffee, listening to music and finishing up a book on the Kindle. Kind of cozy like a snow day, but I'll probably have to catch a bus to work soon.

Took these shots yesterday on the way home from work as the storm was starting to get worse. Last night I had trouble sleeping with all the wind!

Typhoon Warning

Tropical Cyclone Bulletin

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

The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 is in force.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per hour are expected.

It's really windy outside and the typhoon warning went from a "1" to a "3". Apparently "8" is the next warning (I don't know what happened to the numbers in between). Things really start to shut down at 8. I'll keep an eye on the forecast.

A good day

Took a walk to the beach after work (it's right next to my bus stop)... Beautiful, warm night. Good day at work.

As I'm typing this, I'm a little jumpy because I just saw my first lizard run across my wall in the apartment. (I had been warned they make appearances, but this is the first one I've seen).

Monkeys..?

So there ARE monkeys in Hong Kong- across the water on the Kowloon side (not on Hong Kong Island where I'm living) and Angela and I are going to make a mission out of finding them! Apparently this park is a good place to spot them.

A view from my bus ride home

There are the most amazing grave yards here. I just have to go in one some time soon and get some better pictures. For now, here's a view from the bus.

Congratulations Temma and Dave!!

At this very moment I am missing the end of Adam's sister's wedding. Adam's in Maine right now and I really really wish I could be there!!! I hope it was a beautiful ceremony, I wish them the best and I can't wait to see pictures.

Highlights of the Summer (2011)

I meant to do this post before leaving for Hong Kong.... I had such a great summer, here are some of the highlights!

Backpacking Third Beach in the Olympic National Park with Adam. We had beautiful weather the first 2 days- a real treat in the Olympics!

Turning 30 with Hannah. We had a few different celebrations- but this was the best cake!!! (Thanks mom)

Hiking Eagle Creek with Adam and his mom. This is one of my favorite places in the whole world. I have yet to have a bad time at Eagle Creek and it was great to share it with someone new!

Callie's Bachelorette Party at Doe Bay Resorts. Truly a beautiful location for a bachelorette party- lots of relaxing in the soaking pools and eating!

And then Callie and Nuri's BEAUTIFUL wedding!!! I felt so grateful to be a part of this special occasion!

Birthday backpacking trip: Staircase in the Olympic National Park. Again, lucking out with the weather. It was the most RELAXING backpacking trip I've ever had. We hike about 1 mile in and then set up hammocks and didn't move until dinner.

Pickathon 2011! Saw great music, hung out with great friends and ate great food! Can't wait until next year....

Bamboo Scaffolding

Bamboo Scaffolding is everywhere here. There's so much construction all over the place...

Hong Kong Fun Fact

Did I mention I live on the 13th floor? Well, apparently in Hong Kong, the 4th floor is actually the unlucky floor (Angela lives on the 4th floor of her building).

Fun Friday!

Today's highlight was a lesson on water molecules and diffusion (and comparing food coloring drops in hot, cold and warm water). The kids ate it up. The love anything "special" which makes them super fun to teach. It's friday and I'm home with a almost-sore throat... (3 of the 4 kids have been sick with a cold this week). I think there's different germs in Hong Kong than I'm used to....
So it'll probably be a restful weekend.

Happy Birthday Heather!

In honor my my cousin's birthday, I am posting a picture of these awesome collapsible colanders that she designed! I found these at the major department store- "Wing On" and it made me think of her.... Also, the great thing about being 15 hours ahead of Pacific Time, is that you can remember it's someone's birthday late in the day and they are not even awake yet! :)

Aviary

I went to the Kowloon Park over the weekend where there is a (free) aviary. Some of it was open-air and some where cages. I haven't seen any super impressive or exotic looking wild birds here yet (sorry mom) but then again, it's a major city. And there's birds in cages in the park....

Cooling down

Today the weather broke and it was finally cool and comfortable and warm. It was 29 degrees when I checked- felt about 75 with a breeze. The perfect temperature. I walked over to the beach after work and took some photos. It was a good day today. I like our school schedule on tuesdays.

Skype with Hannah

Although Skype is totally frustrating and always stops working after about 10 minutes, the first 10 minutes are pretty fun. I got to talk to Hannah and Seth for a bit this weekend.

Snowflake Origami?

Everyday after lunch, the boys get to play "brain games" for 30 minutes (contingent on doing a good job at lunch). We've been playing a lot of banana-grams (which I brought). They can choose any game from a shelf of games, but today they wanted to do Origami.

Doing a good job at lunch means: washing hands before, waiting for others to sit before eating, asking to be excused before getting up, keeping conversations appropriate and once you are dismissed- actually leaving the dinning room to do something else appropriate with your time. They have a 1 hour lunch break- which we all eat together, and boy has their behavior been improving!

Lunch is cooked and served by the 2 "helpers" (domestic helpers) and there is usually 10-15 different options on the table- mostly Indian and Japanese food. Lots of tofu and lots of vegetables! Some things are spicy but not everything. It's definitely a perk of the job.