There’s a storm brewing…
The ripping sound of masking tape used to freak me out a little, but it’s standard background noise before any potential T8 – and yesterday morning when this picture was taken Typhoon Megi was expected to register a T9 or 10 on the weekend…
All the shade umbrellas, tables and chairs that used to reside in the area the workmen are in have been kept up… But all around us, mums, kids and helpers are still picnicking happily on the grass.
I wipe Rockstar’s (still runny) nose and realize I can’t find a bin to throw the soggy wet-wipe in, everything not cemented or bolted down has been cleared out oh-so efficiently. Then I realize Cyberport is all steel and – glass.
I notice 2 picnicking mums walking all over the compound like I am, their hands filled with used papercups and plates. We troop back indoors for trash bins before I herd a reluctant Rockstar back home for lunch.
There are elaborate storm instructions pasted in Rockstar’s daily parent-teacher diary (additional days off for younger schoolkids, etc), but other than that it’s business as usual.
There’s a warning that ships should come in to dock. I glance out the window – there’s a boat bobbing about merrily in the choppy sea that doesn’t seem very bothered by the whole thing.
(And I seriously never got seasick til I came to Hong Kong – and got stuck on a boat a few years back with a bunch of my relationship managers’ China clients. They’d distributed the pills while I was busy dealing, and I took mine too late…
The harbours are so busy even in calm weather it’s often choppy around peak hours – and every time the boat pitched, the exuberant clients were cheering rowdily away <total nightmare>)
Some cab drivers have told me they remain out to make extra money, typhoons don’t phase locals very much – they’re very in tune with when the stock markets and schools have to be closed (especially during exam time), and when they remain open. Bet some people download elaborate weather forecast apps onto their iPhones (like I did) for a similar reason…
Rockstar’s ever-vigilant father texts me a reminder not to let him outdoors in the evening (when the winds are expected to get stronger) for fear of flying debris. (Fair enough, I remember a T3 few years ago when my mules were almost blown right off my feet.)
(Yes Rockstar, life is not fair – some other regions have a death toll from this storm.
When Mummy used to work she felt Typhoons should only ever hit on weekdays. Now, she doesn’t even have work days anymore. Like she said, life is not fair. And it reminds her to be grateful…)
