What does typhoon signal 9 look like?

About like this...
Okay, so typhoons don't show up so well on still film. ;> Yesterday, as Typhoon Nori passed over Hong Kong, signal 9 was hoisted. When wind speeds exceed 60 miles per hour, signal 8 is hoisted, and the entirety of Hong Kong shuts down (schools, stores, businesses, public transportation, etc). When the typhoon becomes a hurricane, signal 10 is hoisted, so signal 9 is the transition point.

Hong Kong is extremely good in giving its residents plenty of advance warning, so we knew this was coming the evening before, allowing us to run to the grocery store and stock up a bit (just in case). The storm hit during Friday morning, and the wind was mighty loud while the rain streamed horizontally, but we never felt like we were in any danger. (Hong Kong handles these every year and the building construction reflects it.) We were in the eye of the typhoon for a few hours in the afternoon and then things kicked back into high gear just after sunset as we watched the Olympics...


There it is: signal 9. If my previous picture wasn't very convincing, hopefully this one conveys the circumstances more effectively. ;>

Everything was back to normal by the time we woke up, so we went out for a lovely brunch at a 24-hour breakfast joint we've wanted to try for quite some time: The Flying Pan on Old Bailey Street...

Like many great restaurants in Hong Kong, you can't let the humble exterior...

...and humble interior fool you. It was packed from wall to wall for a reason - the food was quite delicious.

Our brunch, as modeled by Katherine.

Katherine chose the signature "Flying Pan" combo platter (three eggs made to order, ham, spiced apples, baked beans, bacon, a sausage patty and a toasted English muffin).


And I went with the Eggs Benedict (a long time favorite of mine, thanks to my father, which I can never resist) with grits and a grilled tomato.


Mmm. Eggs Benedict! Not so easy to find in Hong Kong, so I'm glad we know where to go!

After brunch, we went to see The Clone Wars - something the Star Wars megafan in me could not resist. It has received absolutely atrocious reviews, so I went in with very low expectations, but I came out very pleasantly surprised. In fact, I found it to be more enjoyable than the entirety of the new trilogy (which has its moments of brilliance, but was mostly a let-down for me). Unlike the new trilogy, the dialogue is not cloying and wooden, the plot isn't plagued by endless political positioning, and the female characters are extremely strong (like they should be, ala Princess Leia). It isn't Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, or the Dark Knight (easily my favorite three films of the summer), but I definitely recommend it.

Next weekend is one that I'm very, very much looking forward to: the kickoff of the 2008 college football season! You can bet that you'll be reading a post dedicated to that. :> Until then, have a great week!