Highlights of 2009- March.

"It that really one year ago now?"
Scrolling through the photos from March 2009 I get the feeling that this could have been just recently, but it is not and we just have to get used to it, get used to that the time flies.
March 2009 was a mix of certain highlights. From Japan we got a visitor, whom we had not seen since the Dresden days, More accurate; Catriona had not seen since back then. Kimiko came to stay for a week or so, so that was a good excuse to go out and get some nice food -and take some pictures of it.
March is also the month of one of the biggest and most popular sport events in Hong Kong. Not that the crowd in a completely sold out Hong Kong cares so much about the thing going on, on the pitch, this is more just about being there, be seen and act silly and drink a lot of beer. It is the "Hong Kong Rugby Sevens" and there is truly a fantastic atmosphere in Hong Kong and around the stadium in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, in the three days this competition takes place, and because we are heading towards it again at the end of the month, here some impressions from 2009.





















I think Hong Kong stadium is turned into the worlds biggest pub for that event, and if anyone doesn't know what "Rugby Sevens" mean, I can tell you that it is rugby teams consisting of 7 players each, playing each other for 7 minutes each half, and then it is a tournament running over 3 days, with the most popular and interesting games happening on the Sunday with all the deciding games and the Final.
This year we will get another visitor at the time of the "Sevens". Mr. Stiffanelli -alias our best man - will finally come to visit from Toulouse, where he is living now. We are really looking forward to see him again as it has been over 3 years now, but I'm sure you will see more from this when he arrives.
The ice cold Vodka bar at "Ivan the Kozak". It was also in March 2009 that we discovered this little friendly and good Russian Restaurant somewhere in the mid levels in Central district, and coming in to this little cozy location from the severe Urban environment of Central, was -or is- like stepping on to a farmers house some where in the Russian country side, and what can be better than finishing a good meal with an ice cold quality Vodka from Russia.

Saturday music.

Bands starting with a "E" is at the moment at the top of my Itunes most played list. You've had some "Eels" songs here recently, today it is "Elbow" and their "Grounds for divorce" live on the Jonathan Ross show on the 22nd of February 2008.

And also a live acoustic version from somewhere in Manchester.

If someone should have any interest in seeing a fantastic live performance by Elbow in the legendary Abby Road Studios in London, then here is a chance. There is more great songs from this venue on youtube, and a link to where you can download some mp3's. Great isn't it?

Is there anything out there, else then humidity?

The weather. Everybody talks about it but can't change anything. After the cold weather a bit over a week ago, it is now again warm, but humid. Back then in the cold we didn't enjoy our view as it was too damn cold out there to even try. Now it is fine and we can go out direct from bed in a t-shirt and scratch the tommy and stretch in the morning, but still can't see anything out there. A thick gray haze has been covering the bay of Sai Kung for over a week, like the clouds just lie on the surface. Once we couldn't even see the road down there, just about 100 meters away.
In the house the dehumidifier is running 24 hours a day and every 4 to 5 hours we pour 20 liters of water out out in the sink, without that machine the 20 liters would have been in our books, clothes, CD's and furniture. After 3 years in one place it starts to be a circuit and you adapt to it. funny how we humans get used to things like this, as if it has always just been like that.
We can await a couple of weeks with fine clear warm weather in March before the rain starts pouring; the wet season with rain almost daily until the end of July, followed by -what i use to call the European summer- the amazing and fantastic dry season from mid August to about Christmas time.
The circuit is here: 10 months -or so- in shorts, t-shirt and flip flops, 1month in jackets and boots and one month in coats, fleeces, sweaters and hats.