I seem to having an insatiable thirst these days for any kind of sport available. I've been ranting about not getting the chance to go wakeboarding but it is an expensive sport so I've gotten creative: yesterday Dionna and I made our way down to Shatin in the New Territories of Hong Kong to rent a bike (HK$15 an hour, about 1 british pound!) and ride around, taking in the scenery of a place at once so near to and so far from the bustling centre of Hong Kong island that people assume characterises the entire SAR. However, cycling around the little streets, going mad with my bicycle bell to warn off old people and young kids alike, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of the more relaxed, residential and friendly new territories. When we went to return our bikes, our bike rental guy kindly helped us take a picture, while his shy daughter ran away from my imposing camera lens. Strolling across to the fruit shop, I loaded up on fresh mangoes, durian and japanese grapes. It was a real treat!

Today, on the other hand, I threw myself into the unchartered world of street hockey with some of the other PCLL-ers and we had some interesting, tiring games of 3 on 3. After that, I took a sprint around the track with Ro, played an hour of tennis with jeremy and with the humidity, I think I'm about ready now to down a can of diet coke and crash out on my bed.

And seeing as it's Fri night, I still have to hit the alcohol! Time to get prepared. Peace x

It's REALLY pissing me off that my blog header picture has disappeared on me and the images on my site refuse to behave. I never professed to be an expert with these things and for the time being I can't be arsed, so I'll solve things the old-fashioned way: hope.

Days pass here happily but as far as my course goes, with a certain level of discomfort: I'm either doing sweet fuckall for my work and find myself bumming around for 4 days straight, or stressing in the library for 7 hours on end looking through [legal documents the details of which I won't even bore u with].

I watched Pan's Labyrinth yesterday which depressed me loads; ironically the older I get the more sensitised I get to sad, violent and tragic movies. In particular torture scenes just fucking kill me. Considering I come from a family of 4 doctors, my intolerance towards blood and pain is so laughable; I still remember running out of Passion of the Christ to sob my lungs out while my mercenary doctor brothers sat there without even flinching.

Not that Pan's Labyrinth is anywhere near that; in fact, the violence is mild relative to the horrible stuff these filmmakers seem to think we enjoy watching these days. I guess it's good to know that I'm not a total monster (maybe a wimp - still the lesser of two evils).

I've been throwing around promises of a grand July trip to London and NY to see everyone I love in those parts of the world and I really can't wait to make it happen. Some of the people who mean the most to me are there and dearly missed. I'm even being ambitious and entertaining stopovers at other locations - Paris, Belize, Bristol, Warwick, but clearly I won't have time for it all.

I can't wait to see everyone, but aside from that I think I miss Europe, MY Europe.

I miss Bristol cobblestones shiny with rain. I miss Rue Mouffetard in Paris lined with fresh Pain au Chocolat and spit-roast chicken. I miss coming fresh out of a tube station in London to marvel anew at a city at once so old and so cosmopolitan. I miss Venice, particularly when we'd hit a small quiet street and the sounds of the tourists disappeared. I miss free Paella and sexy tap-dancers in Barcelona. I miss weed and museums (everyone forgets that there ARE museums, and good ones) in Amsterdam. I miss lakes and rivers and morning jogs up the hills of the lake district. I miss people who kissed me unabashedly on both cheeks, anytime, every time.

Got my exam results today...I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems I haven't updated at all since Paul packed up his life in Beijing, arrived in HK airport and landed himself in my humble flat. The company was well-anticipated and is wonderful; aside from late nights out, cheap as well as fancy dinners and plentiful shisha, we are whiling away hours watching Prison Break and making a concerted effort to gym regularly. I have run 15km this week and will be running 10 more, and as a reward I went out and bought a new pair of sexy Pumas to replace my old dying Adidas', which hopefully will be great motivation for me to keep this up till I start to become thin for a change.

I have been bad with March birthdays...I wish I could celebrate your birthdays with you, my March babies. First up, my girl Julia (2 Mar), the crazy olive, I haven't celebrated either of our birthdays with you in years and years, happy birthday! To Jax (8 Mar), the birthday humbug, I do hope you find happiness in your heart this year; wish we could do a repeat of that fab night at the Park on the triangle, with the shisha and your gorgeous braids and all that glorious booty-shaking. To my dear friend Nick (5 Mar): sorry this is coming late, but I really wish I could be back home so we can have a proper chat over some red wine on Dempsey Road - u'd better not be working too hard!

In the library and gotta work now - peace.