Thought for the day: It's hard to think of calendar-specific puns for titles every time.
What, you might ask, has been happening in the world of Tom? Or, then again, you might not. I presume that some of you have actual jobs with deadlines and more productive things to do than sit on the Internets all evening munching [insert popular local brand] crisps.
It's been a hot, hot, summer in Korea and I've been thankful that, unlike my heatstroked better half, I have an apartment with air conditioning instead of a concrete oven-sauna. September has brought a much-welcomed respite from the intense heat, and in a mere matter of months we'll forget it was ever summer as we huddle in our winter jackets and try to stop fingers dropping off. Such is life.
Ruth and I hopped over to HK and Macau for our summer hols at the end of July, trading the heat and humidity of Seoul for, well, even more heat and humidity. Nevertheless, a change is as good as a rest, and we had a great time sightseeing, shopping, and eating well. We took in the sights- Kowloon, the peak tram, the harbour lightshow - and managed a day-trip to Macau for a taste of casino razzmatazz and Portuguese influences. I was so taken aback by the scale of the place that I completely forgot to have even a quick flutter on the roulette tables.(though the lure of the myriad culinary delights of the food court and the shopping mall meant the casino moguls still made a few bucks from our patronage.
Highlight of the trip for me wasn't the glitz of the Venetian, or the Victoria harbour waterfront, or even the pandas in Ocean Park, but rather our quiet Friday evening in Stanley. Stanley is a 'quaint' seafront town on the south of the island. Looking out over the small harbour, enjoying a dinner of steak and chips, I could almost imagine that we were sitting in a quiet seaside town at home rather than the gateway to all of China.
The big bike trip looms ever closer. The bikes are currently in the post and winging their way from New Zealand. David has been in possession of his recumbent cycle for a month and has been racking up the miles as he gets used to its unorthodox layout. I've taken steps I swore I never would, investing in some spandex cycle shorts. Lemme tell ya, they might look daft, but the comfort factor (almost) balances it out.
Cycling over the summer has consisted of day trips here and there- Uijeongbu, Ilsan, Anyang and other points around Seoul. I was working extra classes and didn't get much midweek cycling except for my weekly visits to the rock climbing wall. The club, incidentally, has faded into obscurity, with several of the most dedicated members having moved away to pastures new or gone home for good.
I get the feeling that October and November are going to be big biking months. Ruth will be off adventuring round SE Asia with her mate Tracey so, to console myself, I'll be hitting the roads for many miles of bike-based hilarity.
Finally, our favorite thespian and party thrower, Chris, is currently engineering his imminent return to the RoK, relieving us from the worry of what to do this Halloween. Hurry up, dude! Guitar Hero hasn't been played in months and I still have two cans of your light beer in my fridge !
