T8 Again!

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So it’s been a long while since I posted, my apologies! I had to update a blog-ish type of thing for my internship (since it’s through a school program), so that was my priority for a while. And once you get behind it’s overwhelming to think about what to write to catch up!



As you can tell by the title of this post, it is a T8 again! That means there’s a typhoon. The scale runs from T1 to T3 and then jumps to T8, outright typhoon. Everything shuts down and everyone goes home because windows blow out and AC units fall on people. So everyone goes home and has a T8 party with their neighbors and drinks -- it’s the equivalent of a snow day, but not just for kids!



It’s not very windy where I am because we’re at a sheltered area on Hong Kong Island, but a tree limb has already fallen on my host mom’s car and another entire tree came down in the same section. So I’m holed up in my room in the basement -- probably a little safer? But it’s also where I keep my computer and stuffs.



Anyway, this would be very exciting weather if my wonderful partner wasn’t supposed to be flying home tonight! Since I’m staying with her family I get to pick her up from the airport if her flight isn’t cancelled... she’s coming in from Seoul, so I think that would be alright, coming in from the north. The typhoon is projected to make landfall just south of Macau (and therefore south of Hong Kong), but still pretty close to here. Hopefully by the time her flight is scheduled to arrive late tonight it will quiet down a bit... unfortunately several other flights to Hong Kong from Seoul (run by different airlines) have cancelled already....



So what have I been up to! At work we’ve had a number of studio rentals, but I also got to see my boss in action. He shot some catalogue stuff for Fera, an outdoors and activewear company (whose stylist gave me her business card!). They don’t have anything in stores right now although the sell to the USA, and I’ll bet they would be immensely popular back home!! All the samples were of very good quality with little tricks and surprises in what seemed like every seam. Hiking shorts had a comfort waistband and special pocket lining to reduce cellphone radiation. Rain jackets could fold up into their own chest pockets. And this beautiful trench coat was very stylish and fashionable, while also being very practical and also able to fold up into a small pouch like a clutch. To photograph the items folded up into their pouches I learned a new studio set-up, so that my boss could take macro shots of the pouches and clothing details on a tabletop. So now I know how to do inventory-type photos too!



Prior to the Fera shoot (which was the most recent), my boss also did similar work for another outdoor and activewear company. Sorry I couldn’t say who! I don’t remember the name.



As for the rentals, one was by a young photographer who went to the same high school as my partner! Although a year younger, I think. But it was really cool that he knew her. He’s currently studying business at Parsons, but some magazine in Finland asked him to do an artistic shoot for some high fashion clothing, so he came to us to use the studio. They did some really neat stuff with fancy clothes, experimental lighting (gelling some lights, using a purple and later a scarlet background), and masks. There were two models - both seemed kind of shy (I thought all models were not shy!). One was Asian, and the other was Polish and she must’ve been like 6’2”. She was too skinny, in my opinion, but that was the choice of whoever cast her for the shoot. She could really do with some Hong Kong french toast!



....Which I tried for the first time, and let me tell you it was BAD. Not bad like bad, but bad like baaaaaaaaad. As in awesome and I’ll never have to eat it again. As in incredible and you shouldn’t eat anything for the rest of the day. It’s just white bread with peanut butter spread between two slices, pressed together into a sandwich, and cooked/fried in butter and honey. Simple, easy, and BAD.



There is also a Subway sandwich shop across the street from where I work! My boss’s assistant loves Subway as much as my partner loves Starbucks (that is saying something)! The selection at Subway for breads, cheese, and veggies isn’t as expansive as the ones in the States, but something has more flavor. I got a tuna melt and Gawd, it was good. My host dad also said I should try the McDonald’s here because they serve local foods. OK I’M SOLD. Next time I’m downtown I’m going to go to McD’s. Starbucks doesn’t really have (many) local drinks here, but they DO have one iced green tea frappucino thingy with red beans. I wish I could bring some home because it sounds like something my mum would like.



Unfortunately, some of my health issues have come up, and after eating a Subway sandwich became pretty obvious. When I get home I’ll get tested for thyroid stuff. But aside from the general sleepiness and neck looking different, I’ve found in the last few months that if I eat starchy carbs I get EXTREMELY tired afterwards. So I had my amazing Subway sandwich for lunch at work, left to come home an hour later or so, and crashed. When I woke up my host family said I looked pale and puffy. Again, this seems to be a more recent development; I didn’t really notice anything until I got home from school (where salad and Grape Nuts are aplenty) and had a bagel for breakfast -- I was cloudy and sleepy the rest of the day. So I’m trying to stay away from starchy carbs; the only carbs I’m taking in now are from fruit (the fruit here is amazing, and the pineapple is the best I’ve ever had... so far!), whether fresh or dried and in my salad. I’m trying to also limit the amount of fruit I have because I was worried about the carbs, but... darnit, I love fruit! I just won’t have bread, rice, or potatoes. For protein I’m getting plenty of chicken and nuts in the salads, though!



I wouldn’t mind if going carb-free drops a few pounds too, although I’m not sure whether that’s really happening or not. Regardless, my legs are INSANE. I’ve never had so much calf definition in my life, and I was the crazy kid who ran the 1600m and 3200m in spikes in high school (the only shoes narrow enough for me not to get blisters...). Could be from all the hiking uphill and downhill and up stairs and down stairs... there are a LOT of stairs and hills here! Little, steep, cobblestoned hills in the alleys between streets; you’re on the bus and you look down one alley and it’s like a wall. I want to do more hiking in general, but that depends on the weather of course -- generally the chance for rain is earlier in the day. I don’t mind hiking when it’s hot, but if it says the chance of rain is 60% all day... I don’t want to hike in a rain jacket. Even though my rain jacket is lovely. THAT would be too hot for me.



But I must be turning into a real Hong Konger because the other day I went out in the evening in long pants (jeans)! And I’ve been wearing jeans around the house the last few days. I’ve also been wearing a sweater around the house.... That could be a thyroid thing, but who knows; the AC hasn’t been changed or anything. But it’s nice to wear more of the clothes I packed (before I came I was told the AC here was freezing, but it really isn’t that bad. So I have some jeans and sweaters that I hadn’t been wearing, and now that I’m feeling cooler -- sometimes outright cold -- I can bring them out).



Where have I gone sightseeing?



I went to the IFC (International Financial Center or something), and walked around the mall there. The window shopping is UNbelievable. Yeah we have malls in the US (they’re kind of far from my house). And yeah, we have Prada in the US (probably farther from my house). But Prada, Armani (Jeans and Exchange), a. testoni, Burberry, BVLGARI, Chanel, Coach, Dior, Gieves & Hawkes, Hugo Boss, Lanvin, Massimo Dutti, Roberto Cavalli, Rolex, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co., Valentino, Victorinox, and Wellendorff ALL IN THE SAME PLACE??



THERE’S EVEN A LEICA STORE (high-end cameras -- don’t ask $$) AND A CARAN D’ACHE (high-end pens -- want one that costs as much as a house in the USA, or a parking space in HK??).



They also have some other shops mixed in that aren’t so high-fashion but still considered designer labels like Affliction, Brooks Brothers, Juicy Couture, True Religion, etc.



And outlets like L’Occitane, Pandora, Estée Lauder, Escada... (except for Pandora, I’m familiar with their perfumes and stuff. Pandora is jewelry, of course).



So walking around that was incredible. And taking pictures at the roof garden.



After the IFC, I walked to Upper Lascar Row, which was down the street and an alley from my usual bus stop. It wasn’t as busy and hopping as I thought it would be (a little “antiques” market tucked away, and yes “antiques” is in quotation marks). But I got to do some souvenir shopping for gifts to bring back for people at home. And I got to negotiate prices.



Another place I went to (on a full day trip) was the Hong Kong Wetlands Park. It wasn’t as big and sprawling as I’d expected, but it was still quite nice! There were a LOT of fish... and I loooove fish! They were pretty excited and probably thought I was going to feed them or something. I just wish I could’ve put my hand out and patted them, but there were people around. There were also these funny little fish that looked like salamanders, but they were mudskippers! They were really cool because in first grade I did a presentation on them... who’d have thought I’d see some in real life! And there were a ton of them. They were living in the mud with a lot of crabs too, who dug little holes in the mud and defended their territory sideways.



For birds, I saw several kinds that we see around my host family’s house. But I also saw two white egrets or storks. Very beautiful. Unfortunately, they were a little too far away to get good pictures with the lens on my camera... all these locals with telephoto lenses put me to shame! And of course there were more Golden Orb Spiders. There were also plenty of butterflies and flowers. AND ANTS, DAMMIT! So many ants... I think someone had dropped food but they were swarming. Big black ants.



When I got back to the visitor’s center (which is gorgeous) of the Wetlands Park, I bought a souvenir t-shirt (probably my favorite type of souvenir to get these days) and an ice cream to cool off. In the cafe there were some younger kids doing what looked like homework, which was kind of surprising -- hope they’d gotten good use out of their admission ticket (just under $5 USD) walking around already!



So things will be pretty slow this week but I will be going out with my partner to see all her favorite places. We have some major shoots coming up June 30, Aug 1, 2, and 3. Other than that, pretty slow business because it’s summer and everyone has left the city.



Until later!



For photos, please see (and “Like”) my photography page: http://www.facebook.com/PantheraPhoto

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