Typhoons yet again

Currently an early typhoon is battering Hong Kong, subjecting the population to wet and windy weather for htis weekend. My dogs are not very happy, since their weekly outdoor walk has been cancelled and all they can do is watch the rain pelting down, dreaming of sunnier times. The weather hasn't changed my plans thought, since I'm under orders by Mother Superior to studying 24/7, without rest, food & sleep.

However the local media are treating the typhoon like a rare phenomenon. Even though this is the first typhoon of this year and it is early by about two weeks, Hong Kong does encounter roughly six to eight typhoons per year from May to September. It is nothing new but the opening five to ten minutes of the news is given to the typhoon. Just tell me if any services are affected or when the typhoon really starts to hit Hong Kong, then put it on the TV. Other than that just report that there is a typhoon close to Hong Kong. Stop putting pictures of a reporter outside the harbour just showing the water being a bit choppy, citizens walking through the streets with their umbrellas being blown inside out or surfers using this chance to catch some waves.

It is remarkable how different populations treat rain. I used to live in UK, where it rains nearly every single day. Whenever there is a little drizzle, most people don't even bother putting up their umbrellas. They acknowledge that most rain is small and fleeting and won't harm you. Compare that with Hong Kong, where it rain most of the time but not as often as UK. I granted that the rain here usually pelts it down rather than trickles but still people encounter rain all the time. Yet when the slightest of trickle starts, people immediately start to put the umbrellas up expecting a monsoon, which rarely ever comes.

People of Hong Kong - a little rain doesn't harm anybody. It will not bring your colds and flus. It will not cause your skin to burn or melt away. It will not ruin your clothes to the point you will have to throw them away. It will not wash away your make up (because most ladies in Hong Kong don't wear make up). Stop being afraid of a little rain!