Birthday

I am now 25 and am pleased to say there is no 25 panic to be found. Celebrations for my birthday started at work where I was treated to a dim sum lunch and given a cake.



I then had a dinner later that day near my flat in wan chai and after playing some drinking games we all headed out to Lang Kwai Fong where I got thoroughly drunk.

The next morning I went dragon boat racing. Sitting in the baking sun with about 15 other people and having to race against another boat whilst being shouted at by a Chinese instructor is just what I needed with a hangover.

It was my first experience dragon boat racing and it is much harder than it looks! The instructor was quite a character, he would walk up and down the boat shouting at us if our technique was wrong or we were not in unison with the other members in the boat. He also called one girl a "silly little white girl" told one guy that he looked "like a male prostitute" and told everyone to be careful not to splash a female member of the team because "she is a rich girl and will not be used to it". This made us all fall about laughing because the girl he was talking about was indeed a rich girl whose family is paying 1,500 quid a month just for rent whilst she takes part in the programme! It was a good observation.

At the end of two hours training I was in pain. I have two large blisters on my hand, my shoulders are stiff and I can't clench my right fist. I think that I will get involved in a dragon boat team one day but I will NEVER go drinking beforehand.

bx