Fengshen

From our friends at the Hong Kong Observatory:

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Tropical Cyclone Bulletin

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

The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 was issued at 4:40 p.m.

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

At 5 p.m., Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen was estimated to be about 200 kilometres south-southeast of Hong Kong (near 20.8 degrees north 115.2 degrees east) and is forecast to move north or north-northwest at about 16 kilometres per hour in the general direction of the Pearl River Estuary.

Fengshen continues to edge closer to Hong Kong. Local winds are expected to strengthen gradually and seas will be rough.

According to the present forecast track, Fengshen will be rather close to Hong Kong in the early morning tomorrow. The possibility of issuing Gale or Storm Wind Signal No.8 cannot be ruled out.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 3 Signal)

1. You are advised not to delay in taking all precautions to protect your home or property. Make sure now that all loose objects are secure. Porch furniture, flower pots and other objects likely to be blown away should be taken indoors. Check again and make sure all windows and doors can be securely locked.

2. Storm water drains should be cleared of leaves and rubbish, this applies particularly to dwellers in low-lying areas.

3. Engineers, architects and contractors are again reminded that all scaffoldings, hoardings and temporary buildings should be secured.

4. Fishing vessels not yet in typhoon shelters should seek shelter without delay. Check again that all deck fittings are firmly fastened. If available, heavy anchors should be prepared and used in addition to regular anchors.

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So, the severe tropical storm (a lesser type Typhoon) Fengshen is coming our way, and will pass us very, very close. It is highly likely that we'll get the Typhoon Signal 8 which is the highest in its scale - meaning that everyone should stay indoors and pray for the best.

Well, I called my girlfriend to let her know of the development (not long ago it seemed that Fengshen would pass us by safe distance) and that we might get Signal 8 this time - and her comment was "Oh, nice."

However, her main concern was that Fengshen would probably pass us by so quickly that it doesn't get to affect our work-life. It will be closest-by around 2-3am, so by 9am it might be far away enough to drop the warning signal back to 3, which means we have to go to work.

So, whereas everyone else in Asia is afraid of Typhoons for the devastation they bring, people in Hong Kong are afraid typhoons pass too fast - and they can't stay home for a few extra hours, or a day.

Such is life.

Mob and mobility

In my last post I mentioned getting a new phone. Even after one week I still play with it like a child with a new toy. It's not a toy, however, but sadly I must admit that I have very little use for its many, many, many functions. If I worked in a proper company where being reachable 24/7, carrying a portable office with me, and having all sorts of meeting schedules was important, this would be the best thing ever. As it is not so, most functions are just "cool", "interesting" or "fun".

Well, in any case, it's nice to have all those funky functions and adjustable settings at hand. It'll take some time for me to actually utilize all it can offer, but I'm getting there.

There are a few things about the phone that bother me a bit, though. First thing is the battery life, which isn't really anything to brag about. I'm happy if I can go one day without charging. Of course, I'm probably using functions that take much processing power too much, leading to fast depletion of battery. In stand-by mode, the phone is like any other, and takes practically no power to run.

Other thing that bothers me is the alarm clock. My phone runs with Windows Mobile 6.1 OS, and while being really good and fast (surprisingly so!) otherwise, for some reason it doesn't allow for custom alarm sounds. So, I got crappy pre-set alarms to choose from, none which I'd like to wake up to. There are ways to go around it, but it's too troublesome and without any good result. I also checked for 3rd party alarm software to my phone, but most I have to pay for and the free ones are even suckier than the original.

With those two aspects that annoy me aside, the phone is perfect. I like it. I've never had a phone more complicated than the absolute basic functions, and it's a funny feeling carrying a phone like this around - something with more processing power and functions than my early PC's.

That's about that. No more will I say about my phone.

Below is a random picture taken in Wan Chai. American Restaurant with Peking Food... So which are you getting? Chinese or American? It's kind of like the "Real American Bacon from Finland" that you see in some Finnish grocery stores. I don't know.. just random.


I was going to write more stuff today.

But it won't.

Black Rain

Black Rainstorm Warning Signal Special Announcement issued by the Hong Kong Observatory at 6:40 a.m.

The Rainstorm Warning Signal is now Black. This means that heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 70 millimetres in an hour, and is likely to continue.

Because of seriously flooded roads and inclement weather conditions, you are advised to take shelter in a safe place and stay there. Parents, students, school authorities and school-bus drivers should listen to radio or television announcements on schools. Do not attempt to travel until the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is no longer in force and traffic conditions have improved.

Please listen to radio or watch television for traffic conditions and further announcements on the rainstorm.

Yep, I noticed. It kept me awake for good part of the night. Thunder and Lightning! So, finally around 10am when I could be arsed up my bed, I decided to take a few pictures.

The warning says "take shelter and don't go anywhere". Well, I never really understood the big fuss over some little rain. But then, we rarely get rain like this in Finland.

Chi got a call earlier this morning not to go to work untill weather calms down. Good for her, can sleep later.

For me, the awake-keeping thunderstorm, really wasn't all that great. I had only 4 hours of sleep from previous night as I had to wake up at 5am to go for a business trip in China, and I got off from work around 22:30 (got back to Hong Kong around 19:00 and still had to go to office to finish up some stuff). So, having a long day behind me, I kind of wanted to sleep plenty and late today. No such luck.

Stupid weather.

Oh, and Chi bought me a € 500 mobile phone. Nice. Just out of the blue she bought that thing. I had been looking at the phone for several months already, but never really thought I could buy it. I really wanted it, but a bit too expensive. Or so I thought. Well, now I go it! I need to pay back a bit to Chi, however, since I can't just accept her spending that much on a surpise present.

Info here.

It's a nice phone. I know it comes with Windows, but it seems to be working fine so far.

Below pictures from today, from my balcony.