What's Hot

Hong Kong, that's what's hot. It's been a constant 33°C these days. I was really counting on getting myself tanned this summer. But the sun's been barely able to shine through the giant bubble of polluted air over the city. Not to mention the sneak previews we've been getting of the monsoon season.

Back when I was in Toronto, rumor had it that when people spent summers in Hong Kong, they return slimmed down, presumably from the rigorous shoppercise they have to do under the sub-tropical climate.

Being the princess that I am, the chore of shopping rarely makes it on my to-do list. Instead, I get to stay in the comfort of our window-free, air-conditioned* editorial room for long hours everyday. And there's really no better time than June to September in Hong Kong to indulge in a serving or two, or three, of ice-cream everyday. Or better yet, my new crave, Apollo durian popsicles.

So as natural a phenomenon as it sounds, slimming down in the summer just does not apply to me.

As if the bubble of polluted air doesn't kill you quickly enough, the climate also brings with it a constant surge of various mixtures of foul odors. There's the si-lai-with-her-groceries scent on the bus, which, with or without fish, always smells of seafood gone bad. Then there's the insurance-salesman-in-a-suit who only keeps the suit on as an attempt to cover up the smell of sweat mixed with Speed stick and the sweat stains on the shirt underneath. And, of course, there's always the smell of typical "ma lud lows" brought to a whole new level by the heat.

Having a floral-fanatic mother, I get to immerse myself in the fragrance of fresh flowers every Monday and Wednesday night when she returns from her floral arrangement classes. Unfortunately that also means waking up to garbage-truck-like scent every Tuesday and Thursday morning. The flowers themselves aren't rotten; they just smell rotten after spending a night outside the fridge. Anything fresh is bound to rot within 12 hours here.

It really takes some getting used to, especially ideas like being able to work up a good sweat being nothing more than a couch potato. For these and other reasons, I've again had to retake Summer in Hong Kong 101.

*Definition: the thermostat says 25°C but the air temperature never feels higher than 12°C. And the wind chill factor is a whole other story.