The derecho hit on a Monday afternoon. I didn’t know what a “derecho” was, aside from human rights in Spanish, until suddenly I did. A hundreds-of-miles-long storm of hurricane winds tearing across the midwestern plains. Here: two hours of darkness, and winds, and rain, and trees falling across the city, onto cars and houses, blocking... Continue Reading →
Returns
After moving to Chicago in August, I am currently on a three week vacation in Hong Kong, where I obviously spent the previous two years. I'm enjoying HK again in all its overcrowded, overpriced, beautiful glory. People walk the pace of a terrapin, ads assail all your senses, and you can take the bus to beautiful... Continue Reading →
Chinese Opera at the Sunbeam Theater
The Chinese Opera is feared, mocked, and sometimes reviled. Everyone will tell you not to go, they’ll get a look of terror in their eyes, and say, “Why?! It’s awful!” You should ignore them. If they have seen it, they have an experience you lack, and if they haven’t seen it, they are just speaking... Continue Reading →
Dragon Boat Festival
On Monday, we spent the hours from 8AM to 9PM in Stanley, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, most of it in the sun on the beach. It was a public holiday, this time in honor of the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Last year I took off to Taipei, but this year I... Continue Reading →
Rugby sevens
Every March Hong Kong turns into a rugby haven, with tons of extra foreign tourists. Last year I could only go to a couple of games, 10s matches before the big weekend, but this year P managed to acquire tickets to the finals of the sevens. Getting tickets is actually moderately difficult because they are... Continue Reading →
Phoenix
At 2:30 PM I realized I had forgotten the tickets. We were just finishing a 7k hike with some friends on Lantau, having a snack at a picnic table. The Phoenix concert was at 7PM at the Asia Expo Center, also on Lantau, near the airport. Now we were going to have to go back... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year
We got back from the UK Tuesday afternoon at 4 after leaving London at 7am Monday. Our flight had been delayed from Mumbai, so we spent 3 hours playing cribbage, eating KFC and drinking pints in the airport. Then I slept the entire flight home, and on the bus ride back to our apartment. Then... Continue Reading →
Holiday Catch up
With visits, traveling, work, deadlines, and imminent holidays I neglected my blog. I decided to allow myself to take a break. But now I shall make moderate reparations. In December: We went to 3 nights of Clockenflap, Hong Kong's annual music festival, which started in 2008, had 1500 people and was free. It is now... Continue Reading →
Macau and Family
My family visited: big brother and parents going around the city. It was great to show them around the city, take them to good restaurants and force them to try strange foods, even if they didn't like dim sum as much as I do. We did all the normal Hong Kong things, even did the... Continue Reading →
Two Peaks
My legs hurt. It has been more than 48 hours. I am going to have to do something about it. Possibly go on a long walk or take up yoga. On Sunday morning at 8 AM, P and I started running. The race started in Tung Chung on Lantau, roughly sea level, and the course... Continue Reading →
jamielynnwaters 