I took a bus up to the base of Tai Tam mountain, and hiked to the summit. The path isn’t too treacherous, but can be quite narrow and has no railing on the sides to prevent falls. The ground is mostly covered in uneven footing, making the trek hard on the ankles if one doesn’t have proper footware. People young and old alike make the trip, because it’s one of the cheapest and healthiest pasttimes available. The mountainside has very fresh air, something that the concentrated Hong Kong metropolis has lost from the height of the buildings and the diesel tanks of the automobiles. The peak offers a great view of the more sophisticated side of Hong Kong, such as executive golf courses, beaches, and luxury living. Being able to see so many things from one point gives one a a tremendous feeling of magnificence.

I got the chance to go to the Hong Kong Jockey Club country club today, which was quite a privilege. They own the only two horse tracks in Hong Kong, which is home to quite a popular gambling habit. It’s the cheapest country club to be a member of, but also the most exclusive. There’s a maximum of 200 voting members (one has to be a horse breeder to be a voting member), and each voting member can only sponsor two people every year. To be accepted into the club, one needs two sponsors, which my uncle was lucky enough to have many years ago. The treadmills in the workout room all have personal television sets with headphones and cable. Just from parking at the clubhouse, there were tons of Mercedes, Porches, and Audis.

I had some rib eye roast there for lunch. It was the most tender, most juicy, most savoury piece of meat I have ever eaten, well worth the tab I ran on my uncles account. The Cabernet Sauvignon was decent, with a light taste and mellow finish. I thanked him for the meal, and promised him that I’d take him out for lunch one day when I had a job. He looked at me as if such a thing was unnecessary, and that he was simply glad that I had such a pleasurable lunch.

Bought an absolutely perfect leather jacket today. I’ve been looking for one for more than a year now. The Canadian stores never sell leather jackets that are built for my frame, so making the decision to buy one here was fairly easy (that and the fact that it was 35% off, yet still cheaper than anything I found in Canada before the discount, especially for long jackets). It’s a nice quality leather, fits my shoulders well, and goes past my knees, so it’s exactly what I was looking for. I dare someone to call me frugal. I double dog dare them.

I met a man who was born in Ireland and grew up in England, currently teaching at one of the universities in Hong Kong. He’s been here for three years, can understand quite a bit of Cantonese, and can even speak bits and pieces although he can’t hold a conversation. I found it funny that he tones down his British accent so that people can understand what he’s saying. He’s very enthusiastic about living here; he’s lived in several other countries and thinks that Hong Kong is the best to live in. Even though I’ve always believed that I could never live in Hong Kong due to the humidity, but his reasons for living here definitely outweighed the reasons against.

His wife, a Chinese woman who grew up in Hong Kong and studied at Cambridge, spoke English very well with an elegant British accent, and I must admit that it is very, very shexshay.

Priscilla took me shopping around Tsim Sai Tsui yesterday with her boyfriend Thomas. I had no idea they were a couple until later on in the night when they slipped a kiss when they thought no one was looking. I was totally comfortable before I caught it happening, but afterwards, it was hard to not feel like a third wheel. It’s so weird that everything is fine before one knows, but as soon as one gets that extra bit of information, everything turns awkward.

I ended up buying a pair of Docs, which are similar to the pair that I have now, except they’re more square at the toe and have a much thicker sole. They’re very cozy though, even before working them in. The UK stopped shipping Docs to Canada a few years ago, due to a cost imbalance, and I managed to get a pair before they were all gone. I didn’t need another pair of Docs yet (I still wear the other two pairs that I own), but I figure that I might as well since I won’t have an opportunity to buy them any time soon.