I suffered my first rain-related injury last night. Coming back from a successful trip to Tai Po in the sudden torrential downpour, I slipped crossing the road to my hostel. Naturally, I was wearing flip flops, so I've taken some of the skin off my toe and I have a bruised knee. When I got back to my room, El Gecko was patiently waiting for me - on my bed. He greeted me shyly before scampering off across my pillow and hiding somewhere in the vicinity of my desk.

Yesterday, all said and done, was uneventful. Cantonese class was cut from 3 hours to just 2 and even so it still seemed long and difficult. Those tones! I cannot do tones! I struggle to hear them and even more so to produce them in conversation. Part of the problem is that I have to change the way in which I study this language in comparison to the way I studied French/Spanish/Latin. I could pick up the vocab with relative ease...but each word is tonal, and and and that just makes it difficult.

Anyway, after class, I read a Philip K. Dick novel. I enjoyed about the first half. *shrug* I went into Tai Po for the strategic reason of purchasing light weight shorts/capris. We have a walking tour of the New Territories tomorrow, and I'd rather not do that in jeans. I found a section of the mall that I didn't know, which is odd, for I feel that I've been all over that mall with people looking for things. This was an almost sketchy section...it reminded me more of a temporary set-up with small stores crammed full of whatever can and cannot fit. I got a pair of capris and shorts...I'm such a sucker for a decent price. *sigh* But they look fine and now I won't roast every day! I went into a few places that I saw to see about getting a hair cut, but unfortunately no one spoke English. I think I'll have to go into Central for that, which is fine; it will prevent impulse hair cuts. :)

Class in half an hour. No idea what is happening tonight. Tai Po? Sha Tin? Kowloon? Oh the possibilities......