The Diary
of
Anne Ku

10 November 2000 Friday

TOO COLD FOR COMFORT

It's not quite 7 am - unusually early for a late bird like myself. The central heating was set for 6 am - so the slight change in room temperature and movement of the pipes woke me up.

Compared to last year, this winter came early. Since I was away for 5 months out of the year, 1999 was bearable. The previous year 1998 was supposedly one of the warmest in the UK. In 1997, I had delayed my departure from Houston until I was sure London was warm enough for my arrival. But the day I arrived (late June 97) was a record cold day - the sudden spike in gas prices must have bankrupted at least one company.

So now I face a winter that is too wet and cold for comfort. In 1990, I lived in someone's basement. It was cold and damp, but the contrast from the endless summers of Singapore was welcoming. This winter, however, I'm not sure I want to face the grey bleak days that are too short my vitamin D intake. From now until the winter solstice, every day will just get shorter and shorter.

No wonder I've been attracted to the travel sections recently. Exotic places tempt me to no end. Yoga holiday in India with vegetarian diet and no electricity. Snorkeling in the Maldives. Boogie board surfing in Maui. Perhaps I'm just tired of the weather forecast which consists of a little bit of everything but nothing of what I want to hear.

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