Readjustments

Jet-lag is a pain in the keister. I guess that's why I keep two different schedules for when I'm on home soil as opposed to Hong Kong asphalt (because, as we know, there is no soil in Hong Kong). At home I usually sleep from 10PM-6AM with flexibility on days off. Here I sleep from around 8PM-4AM, then nap after my morning workout. That significantly reduces the number of hours I have to adjust by. Of course, crowd density and temperature in the morning hours are also significant reasons to wake up early in HK, but I wanted to open with the topic of jet-lag because it's something that anyone moving to Hong Kong from the US has to deal with.

That and the damp.

Numerous people have said that the winter is one of the worst times to visit HK. Barring Lunar New Year (dragons represent, woot-woot!), there really isn't much to do in HK from January-February. Of course, I don't think there's much to do in HK at any time during the year, so that's not really a good point of warning. What is worth being wary of is the fact that it's so freaking moist here. 

In the non-winter months, heat and humidity are oppressive. They form a smothering blanket that will just make your life miserable. Winter wetness, however, is a whole different monster. Although staying cool is no problem, keeping warm and dry can be. Since no one uses a bloody dryer in Hong Kong, it's virtually impossible to completely dry your clothes without getting creative. To that end we've set up a fan and a makeshift clothes rack in our room to expedite the (semi-) drying process. It's not very effective, but it's better than waiting a week for your clothes to dry and praying that it doesn't rain.

Speaking of the rain, it has been pouring here for the past two days. It begs the question of where all of this water is during the hot months. You know, when it would actually be nice to have around. I don't think I need to tell you that I'm not exactly looking forward to going out in this weather, especially not with one pair of shoes already soaked from my morning run. I hope that fan can at least dry those out at a reasonable rate...

Clothes aren't the only thing to worry about, though. The moisture seeps into everything. You cannot leave anything near a window, as there is no insulation in these buildings; it's just plaster. I learned this last year with some papers I had resting near the window. When I found them melded together one day I knew I had reason for concern (good thing they weren't important).

Of course, having no insulation also brings us back to the point about keeping warm. Although I'm still walking around in my boxers, I have taken to wearing my jacket around the apartment in the mornings just to put a layer between myself and the air. We've even been able to use real blankets at night which is a pleasant change. There's just something satisfying about being able to curl up under a comforter and sleep at night...even if it is a little moist. Note to self: do not wash any of the sheets until late February/early March. Also, do not wash all jackets at the same time. We made that mistake last winter...

The only other thing we've really been readjusting to is cooking in HK, a challenge that I actually enjoy to a degree. Although we lack a good kitchen, we supplement our deficiencies with creativity. I'm back on the quest to perfect my signature pasta sauce and I've made some interesting developments in oil-free/minimal oil cooking. I know, blasphemy, but give it a shot sometime and see if you like it. Carina also attempted to make veggie burgers the other night and, although they weren't quite burgers, they were delicious open-faced sandwiches. Also: peanut butter, yum.

This week HKU opens up for its students again and it's the first semester where there aren't any classes that really interest me. I'm going to audit what I can, but I'm not expecting much aside from the senior seminar. I'm not TA'ing this semester either, so that's even less to occupy my time. The good news is that Chris has assured me he will be getting back to me with comments around the end of the month. That's good, but we really need to be on top of things right now. I'll be having lunch with him on Thursday and I'll try to make it clear to him that when I say "May 17th deadline," I mean it. I really can't afford to do things any differently. No, literally, I can't afford it: we don't have the money!

A quick blurb about Carina (who has largely abandoned this blog since she writes her own which is probably far superior to this one): She's doing pretty well. She's been sick for the past few days but I think she's getting past it nicely. She even started working out again today and looks  great. I think she's really dedicated to getting into a healthy routine and I'm happy about that. I just hope she can keep it up and not get worn down by this weather, let alone her boss and schoolwork.

Oh, that's more good news: she's getting her contract renewed and pay raise today. That means we'll have more income and that means we can eat more (always a good thing). We'll also be having coffee with our friend and colleague Alex today and find out if she still needs a position filled. I think the best part is that Carina seems to have a pretty good deal of control over her workload now, so hopefully she'll be less stressed-out and able to get her schoolwork done in a way she finds suitable. That's particularly good since I think she's really going to enjoy her current class.

All right, that's thirty minutes of blogging out of my day. Back to...whatever it is I do.

Stay in school...and never leave,

Colin