Hong Kong Smog

I don't know if I've ever done an update specifically about the smog problem that Hong Kong has, but something I saw this morning inspired me to write one.

I haven't seen the moon in a month. That is to say, I haven't seen the moon since leaving the US for this last stint in Hong Kong. At first I assumed it was because the winter is typically Hong Kong's rainy season and, in true form, it has been overcast-to-drizzly about seventy-five percent of the time since our arrival (NOTE: I emphasize "drizzly" because, as I've said in the past, it seldom really rains in Hong Kong in any manner recognizable to the rest of the world). During my morning run, however, I looked up and, through an extremely thick veil of what looked like smoke, I saw a faint but familiar pale, illuminated disc in the sky. Oh, so Hong Kong does have an excuse for calling it "Lunar" New Year.

Now, you might ask: "Well, Colin, how do you know that the sky didn't just clear up for a change? Why assume what you were peering through was smog instead of cloud cover?"

Look, I'm not an expert nephologist (yes, there actually is a science that studies clouds), but I can tell the difference between artificial and non-artificial haze. If the facts that the air smells of diesel and that I feel like my lungs are on fire every morning aren't clues enough, the HK EP reports (no doubt biased but, even then, still dire) provide sufficient evidence of the problem. Hong Kong is blanketed in a smog composed of countless pollutants, many of which have significant deleterious effects on both organic and inorganic structures alike, including the human body. Frankly, you couldn't pay me enough to stay in Hong Kong. That's saying something, as I may or may not be about to face a serious financial dilemma upon completion of my master's degree here. I'm not about to cut my lifespan any shorter for the sake of money.

Naturally, this might beg the question of why anyone bothers to stay in Hong Kong, and I answer that their priorities clearly differ from mine. Consider this quote from HK CEO, Bowtie Tsang:

"The life expectancy in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world ... you can come to only one conclusion: we have the most environmentally friendly place for people, for executives, for Hong Kong people to live."

BEEPBEEPBEEP!

Oh, I'm sorry, that's the sound of my BS detector. It goes off all the time in Hong Kong, so it might be giving me a false reading but, wait, no, I'm pretty sure it's dead-on for this one. The fact is that some people really do just cling to lies like this. For what? For the sake of making money...but not just money, a $#!*-ton of money! Well, that's great, they can use that cash to buy up artificial body parts...just as soon as they approve human cloning.

I know it's nothing new to report on the atrocity that is Hong Kong air pollution, but it's just been so bad lately that I couldn't help but bring it up. Also, if you haven't figured it out, this is me responding personally, and after much consideration, to all the suggestions that I remain in Hong Kong if my PhD applications don't pan out: No, we're not staying. That's my decision and, frankly, it's non-negotiable. Everyday I can literally feel my body decaying at an accelerated rate. It's not a pleasant feeling. Even if you converted me into a cyborg I probably wouldn't stay, if for no other reason because the living conditions and social scene here are abysmal. I'm sorry, it's just not worth it; no amount of money is.

Anyway, that's the topical update for now. I'm meeting with Chris again today to hash out some paperwork for my thesis submission. It turns out you need to submit a submission to submit...to submit the thesis. We're going to try to get around that as much as possible, I think. More bureaucratic rubbish, a different kind of smokescreen.

Cheers,

Colin