Often, while I'm playing, to pause the game, I press on the "save game" button. I've found that if you leave the game in this mode for long enough, that time passes, even though it's technically paused! So, if it's daylight when I click "save game" and leave it for a while, it could be dark out when I return. And vice-versa, which is usefull when travelling at night.
Anyone else noticed this? Could this apply to the monk quest?

Anytime you press the "P" key for pause, time passes but everything else stops, even battle. You won't see time pass until you unpause the game then the clock advances to where it should be.

The most annoying thing about this game is the need to walk away and quit playing just to get the sun to come up again.

Hmm, so everything else stops... Does that count for the monk quest clock?

Hmm... from my experience, the game doesn't pause when you click on the save game button... things still happen in the small window on the screen.

I've also been walking about in the same game with the sun going up and down.

The easiest way to sort the monk quest is really to use the tree-surfing method, but get to the top of the city gates and stay there, and leave your computer for a few hours.