As we all sit, chugging along at work, on a given Wednesday, we get word from Judy, our office administrator from HK, that they are likely to issue a typhoon warning. And when they announce they plan to make the warning, they are almost always right. Exactly on cue, the clouds roll in and the rain lets out. It was instantly torrential rain with the prospect of only getting worse. I suppose we are here in late July, peak of typhoon season! We were quickly told to leave work due to the weather before it got even worse (and become a No. 8 storm). I still don’t have a good grasp on the rating system and I’m pretty sure it jumps from nothing, to a No. 3, to a No. 8, but still, a No. 8 sounds intense. Scooted back to the hotel on the shuttle and hunkered down in my hotel room to wait out the typhoon. It came and went in bursts, but when it rained it rained! It was so gray that you couldn’t see out our office window to the other side to see the HK skyline.

A true highlight of work now is the nearby food court! Since I still haven’t been cooking much, it’s been nice to explore/take a break/ go for lunch near the office. Found this place called the Silvercord foodcourt, which has such a wide variety of options and is super cheap. My typical lunch there is 50HKD which is ~6USD. Not bad! I like the Korean bowls, a stir fry sizzle plate from Pepper Lunch, or beef rice noodles.

On Friday night, we decided we needed to see the Lion King live action in theaters. There is a theater in the iSquare mall right near work, so we left a bit early to catch the movie. We obviously got large sodas and popcorn, but sadly the popcorn wasn’t quite like the saturated US movie theater ultra deluxe butter I know and love. Well anyways, the movie was great! It had Chinese subtitles the whole time, and we needed to double check we picked a time where they were showing the movie in English (and not Cantonese). I’m sure the music would have still bumped, but not quite the same. Movie was great! I saw a NatGeo ad on my computer later that night for some Planet Earth type movie of lions and truly thought it was a Lion King ad for a solid 10 seconds.

On August 3rd, I got my apartment keys alas! I worked with a broker I found on 28hse or squarefoot, two of the better sites to find apartments in Hong Kong. I don’t think I will ever meet or know my landlord since the broker handles really everything. Some issue came up with the washing machine before I moved in, and he tried to propose some solution that involved me buying a new washer and getting a free extra week of rent (which logistically did actually match up and cost the same), but it felt a little bamboozly so I put my foot down and he bought the new washer for ~4,000HKD. So, I spent a full day Saturday waiting for one group to deliver the washer, and another group to install it. (of course, they were each 3 hour spans back to back, so a total of 6 hours). It was totally smooth, I felt bad for the guys who had to carry the new one up my 4 flights of stairs but it was ultimately fine. Update: my washer is SO LOUD. It spins and sounds as if there is a medium sized earthquake. Still trying to maser the optimal speed setting for getting clothes as dry as possible without shaking my building down. It was actually nice to spend a few hours hanging at my apartment- I got general cleaning supplies and tidied up. I would never tell my mom this but I got some window cleaner and even cleaned all the windows. (side note: during my 6 hours to explore, I ventured nearby my apartment around the neighborhood. I stopped at my local grocery store 1.5 blocks away and got said cleaning supplies. the bathroom cleaner spray and the window cleaner spray were in the same type bottle (in chinese), but just appeared to have different scents. After actually comparing them in the store, I deliberately picked the purple lavender one. After I got back to my apartment and started using it on the windows, I noticed it was kinda streaky. So, I reviewed the bottle and saw that the description /picture I saw on the blue bottle was NOT the same as the one on the purple bottle. So, a few hours later, receipt in hand, I go to try and swap the cleaner for the proper glass one. After a confusing hand gesturey conversation indicating I wanted to swap the cleaners, I took the new one home proudly. The instant I opened up my backpack, I was delighted to see the same purple bottle still in my bag. Classic.

That night, to enjoy the last few days of the hotel in Hung Hom, I went with Abbie and Angela to Whampoa. We saw this shopping mall that is designed to look like a cruise ship, and it truly does. It’s just placed in the middle of this square and it is fully equipped with lifeboats and levers and ropes. Why did they design this? No one knows. But it’s still pretty cool. There’s a decent bit of shopping to do in Whampoa, so we stopped at Fortress and JHC to scope out appliances. I got a kettle (to boil water for my apartment) and a UK plug hair straightener (since even though my US one claims to be compatible, I know it is certainly lying and would combust here). Got a yummy dinner at this place where I grilled my own wagyu beef on a hot plate in front of me. Sunday, went to Ikea. Everyone here pronounces it (eee-kay-uh). I got a glass pan for cooking in my oven, some dishware, towels, sheets, comforter, pillows, chopsticks. Turns out these things are VERY HEAVY WHEN COMBINED IN ONE MASSIVE TOTE BAG. Angela and I split an uber back to Sheung Wan, and it wasn’t a pretty sight lugging around our new purchases.