Another gender sensitivity training workshop yesterday morning. This time the participants are all "middle managers" in the civil service, and they were markedly more enthusiastic and have much more to say than those in the previous sessions.

It went pretty well, I thought. A few of them came up to me afterwards to say how interesting my talk was, etc. I thanked them. After that I was supposed to meet C for a pre-race run in Tai Tam. The weather was nice. Sun was out.

At the last minute, she rang to say very sorry ah, but all my colleagues are saying it's nuts for us to run around the reservoir and on the trails just on our own! It's dangerous, they say. Hikers have been robbed and tied to trees with knives pointed at their necks and stuff.

So I said, I don't think it's that dangerous. We'll be running, not walking, so it should be okay. Whoever it is out there aiming to rob will not go for us, it'd be obvious we are not carrying anything valuable.

But it seems so dangerous! My colleague said he is a man and even he won't go there by himself.

A man, is he? Sure, trying to scare a woman into not doing something he wouldn't do himself. Very manly. Has he actually ever been there himself?

No he hasn't, he said it is too dangerous ma!

This is two in the afternoon on a weekday, there will be NOBODY there! No robbers or rapists would be there. It will just be us! Us and the country park rangers patrolling the place to ensure our safety!

.....How about we just run around the peak a few times?

But I don't want to run around the peak, I want to run the race route!

How about we go shopping instead?

It was dire. So I met up with B for a few beers in After 5 instead, and then headed home for a nap.