Sumatra on fire etc

This is the view from our deck today with a smoky fog blanketing the city. A stark contrast to the brilliant blue sky we usually see when we aren't on the tail end of a thunderstorm. The source of the smog is the forest fires and the seasonal brush burning in Sumatra. According to NewsAsia we're in for another three days of this as fires are expected to continue if not worsen before they are extinguished. While it looks bad it doesn't really smell that bad (it's nothing compared to the smoke we had in Fairfax when Napa was on fire) and the air quality readings are not great but not in a particularly troubling zone. I guess I won't be able to use this as excuse for not going to the gym tomorrow.

In other news the Philippines were hit by Typhoon Magi and China is bracing for the end of that storm. We appear to be pretty safe thus far here. Our big rainy season is yet to come though we do get small thunderstorms in the afternoons that last a short time. Yesterday I was caught reading by the pool under a sun umbrella as the sky opened and deposited buckets of water seemingly just on our building. The storm blew over in ten minutes. My favourite part of these storms is the moments after, when all the tropical birds start calling from the trees. Even on the top of an apartment building you like you are very much in the tropical jungle that these buildings replaced.