Peh Shing Huei takes in the heat a day before the opening ceremony.

In Beijing

OFFICIALS here are worried sick that a thunderstorm may hit Beijing tomorrow, covering the Olympic Games' opening ceremony with a wet blanket.

But really, some rain and winds may not be such a bad idea.

You see, Beijing is a very sweaty city now. With temperature averaging 35C, perspiring is a favourite past-time among the millions of locals and foreigners here.

And that is before the athletes, the ones who really should be sweating, have even started their running, kicking and punching.

There is no better way to experience the sweltering sauna than to squeeze yourself into a tiny space with lots and lots of people – like, for example, witnessing the torch relay.

While it is perhaps to be expected that watching the sacred fire would be a hot affair, one would think that it would be the runners who feel the heat more.

Instead, it was the spectators who were the far sweatier ones as they squeezed and squashed with each other, exchanging body fluids to catch a glimpse of the fire.

Alas, along the stretch of Chang'an Avenue to the east of the Tiananmen Square, the perspiration was for nothing on Wednesday morning.

After waiting for more than three hours, the tens of thousands of drenched Beijingers were told that the torch has gone west from Tiananmen.

But no matter. The local men have devised sexy ways to beat the heat in public, by rolling up their tops to reveal smooth tummies and also rolling up their pants to reveal not-so-smooth legs. The local women are not known to show as much skin in public.

In fact, the only way to avoid the heat in Beijing is to hope for a bigger devil – the smog. Its appearance usually tempers the warmth of searing sun.

As one Singaporean who has been in Beijing for almost a year says: "Give me the smog any day".

I'll take the thunderstorm... And a shower too.