Joy (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

Funny but true: When I'm feeling good, I often describe myself as feeling happy, elated, exhilarated and even ecstatic but I don't usually talk about feeling joyful, joyeous or just being imbued with a sense of joy. Of course this is not to say that the word is not alien to me. After all, I'm familiar with the Joy to the World phrase and hymn.

Still, the plain fact of the matter is that I tend to associate the word less with a certain feeling and more with a particular person. For Joy happens to be the name of a good friend I made at college (and who I know -- from e-mails she sends me from time to time -- does occasionally (or is it regularly?) check out my blog! ;b).

Although we've remained in touch (thanks largely to the wonders of the internet), I've actually not seen Joy for years, decades even. I've not given up hope though of our meeting up again some time in the future. This especially with it being so that since moving to Hong Kong, a number of friends from the American phases of my life have come visiting -- including, one November day last year, a mutual friend of Joy and myself from our Beloit days.

Kathleen Adams may now be a Loyola University of Chicago professor but I -- and, I'm sure Joy too -- tend to think of her still as one of my favorite Beloit profs... and also a professor who actually became a good and fun friend. (Among other things, even when I was an undergraduate, Kathleen and I would do stuff like be part of an informal anchovy pizza eating cabal, go drinking together -- and also played for the same intramural indoor soccer team one year! (And for those who are wondering, this kind of student-professor relationship wasn't that unusual... Beloit was/is that kind of place!))

So I was really happy to play host to Kathleen and her family for a day when they came sailing into Victoria Harbour on what looked like a very nice cruise ship-turned-floating college courtesy of the Semester at Sea. Since they were conveniently docked next to the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry pier, one of the first things we did was to take the Star Ferry over to Central. After arriving in Central, we caught a bus up to The Peak -- where we lunched at a Tsui Wah, then did one round of the Victoria Peak Circuit (whose northern side offers up particularly splendid views of Hong Kong).

All in all, I think a good time was had by all. So Joy, if you're reading this, here's offering to take you on the same -- or similar -- excursion should you come over to Hong Kong for a visit, okay? And in the meantime, here's offering up some photos to you (and other visitors to this blog) from that day to enjoy -- courtesy of this Photo Hunt entry. (And on the subject of Photo Hunt, I am glad that it is being continued after all, albeit with a new host(ess) and, consequently, meme button! :b )