Invited out to lunch by a friend, neighbor and colleague. The weather was cooperating and the temp was nice too. After a great Mexican meal, we went to a print shop to print out a white paper I wrote for the college. Even though I only had Microsoft Word to work with, I’m very happy with the way the paper printed out. It looks like a little book, which is exactly what I wanted.
Then we went to Ole, a fancy food store. They had sliced turkey again, which was great. Turkey is hard to come by here in China, for some reason. Duck, on the other hand, is EVERYWHERE. I’m getting back on the low-carb wagon and also picked up some bacon as well, plus some veggies.
After we got home, I went for my walk. I found out 15,000 steps is a little over six miles. Since I try to walk 15,000 steps nearly every day, I’m logging way more miles than I thought.
I’ve been lucky enough to avoid Americans here in China. The last one I really had to deal with who got on my nerves was back in 2021. She was so pampered and spoiled, I couldn’t believe it. It’s taught me a lesson to reserve judgment on meeting new people. I need to spend some time with them the first few weeks to really see how they are. When I saw how she treated the security guard at our school, that really soured me on her. And how she felt she needed to hire a private driver, because the Didi (Chinese Uber) drivers couldn’t understand her. What she needed was an apartment. But because she’d been living in West Palm Beach with her parents, expected deluxe accommodations in China. I thought since I was moving out she could take over my apartment, but I guess the “unfinished” (her words, not mine) bathroom and the few odd rats scurrying around the delivery boxes near the outside staircase put her off. The bathrooms here frequently are all one room. It didn’t bother me—I just put up a shower curtain and dealt with it. But it wasn’t good enough for her. The last thing I was going to do was remodel a bathroom in an apartment that isn’t even mine.
Anyway, yesterday I ran into another Ugly American. I was at McDonald’s, and I noticed him while I was waiting for my food. He was walking around the dining room. He had a big pair of headphones covering his ears. He drifted over to where I had my stuff, but he veered back over to the other side of the dining room and picked out a table.
I was waiting for my already paid-for food, but he freaked me out with his constant pacing. Had I been in the United States, I would have walked out the restaurant.
I had to wait a little bit longer for my food than normal. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, so I think it might have been lack of workers. After a longer than usual wait, I finally got my food.
An Indiana Pacer?
The pacer guy went up to the counter and was arguing about something. It was puzzling to me, because the guy was an American—I could tell by the accent and the cursing. Why he wasn’t using a translator app was a mystery, unless he didn’t want to interrupt whatever he was listening to. He was insisting the cup of fries they set on his tray wasn’t “large”. He kept saying “da! Da!” That means big. After they finally brought him a big cup of fresh out of the fryer fries, he grumbled they “always try to fucking cheat him here.”
I wanted to tell him if that was the case, he should try another McDonald’s. They are literally all over the place. There was another one a block down the street.
But I didn’t. I wanted to eat my food in peace. But the guy seemed strange to me. He looked way too old to become a teacher. He wasn’t dressed very well, so it wasn’t like he was some executive in town that wanted familiar food.
He was unnerving though. The constant pacing before he got his food, yelling at staff, ugh. In the USA, this happens every day pretty much. But in China, people are pretty calm about stuff. Even ebike/auto accidents are more civilized than this, and much more is at stake.
It made me realize how safe I feel here and how much I take it for granted. I know that when I step into a restaurant, I won’t be gunned down. I won’t be overhearing American men who seemed a bit wired, and anxious about their damn French fries.
I felt so bad for the staff I went up and told them I was sorry about the angry guy. But really, either use a translation app, or learn the language. Because yelling at someone in a foreign language is going to make you seem like an asshole. Dude had a cell phone, but maybe he didn’t have a translation app, because, being American, he probably assumed everyone in China speaks English.
So You’re an American? Bye!
It’s funny, some of my Chinese acquaintances assume I’d welcome speaking to Americans because I’m an American, but no. I’m fed up with Karens, Chads, the violence, the stupidity, and people who don’t give a shit about putting together a decent outfit. I saw a photo on Facebook of a French guy who had an effortless, but cool-looking outfit, and I’m like, YEAH!
The guy at Micky D’s had a face like a melting candle, and greasy hair, and headphones like he was a sound engineer. I don’t know why, but those made him look extra dorky. Whatever he was listening too certainly wasn’t mellow, with the way he was pacing.
And I’m not kidding. If I see someone pacing like that in a fast-food restaurant back in the states and I’ve paid for my food and I’m just waiting for it, I’m getting the fuck out. He probably didn’t have a gun, because it was China, but they still let any damn fool buy a machete here.
Another GREAT trip to Hong Kong. Train was delayed, but only by about six minutes or so. Some little kid was screaming; I went to see what was going on because she sounded awful. She eventually calmed down, but her mother thanked me for being concerned. Apparnently, mom forgot to pack yogurt! The rest of the train ride was uneventful.
Got another bag of Cheetos crunch, and nearly ate all of them. The ones they sell on the mainland are steak-flavored. I LIKE steak, but leave the snacks alone. Cheetos, should taste like CHEESE. Now, my ankles are swollen. That’s never happened before, welcome to old age, I guess.
Otherwise, I feel fine. Blood pressure good. Over 28,000 steps walked yesterday, which doesn’t really surprise me, but may be the most steps I’ve ever taken in a day. Forgot to mention that S. and I went to the Formula One Grand Prix museum on Sunday. They had all sorts of interactive things to try, and since I love to drive, I had to try pretty much all of them. I plan to send $1000 USD home come payday. Had nearly $2000 HKD left, but left some money as a tip at the hostel, and then kept a few bucks to fund the next trip to Hong Kong. I have $459 HKD in total, which includes the $175 that I already had, but forgot to take with me. Can’t believe I forgot about that.
Met a nice guy from Singapore. Let’s see how long THAT friendship lasts. Added some funds to my various envelopes, so I’m that much closer to a plane ticket home and new glasses.
So… the Macau Grand Prix Museum. I’ve never been a fan of NASCAR, because I’ve always thought it was tacky. Indy cars have a very definite look, and so do Formula One cars. I’ve been to the Indy 500, but have yet to experience a Formula One race. It just looks glamourous, driving at top speed through some super-cool city. So here are some photos from the museum.
Yes, that is a genuine wax figure. Another wax figure. These were pretty damn realistic.I think this is one of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen.They had motorcycles too. I was surprised there was no tread on the tires.
S. met me for lunch and we walked around Macau for a bit. Saw the Ruins of St. Paul’s. Really bizarre to see the front of it, then look at the back and realize it’s a facade. It’s literally just the front of the church, and that’s it. Everybody seemed to be there. Everyone looks like an influencer who brought their own personal cameraman/woman.
S. found a nearby coffee shop and we stopped to have a rest. After we left, I was hoping to see a cemetery on the way back to the bus stop, but I got screwed up again with the maps. I always THINK I’m going the correct way, but I’m not. But we made it to S’s bus stop. I decided to walk back, then realized almost too late that wasn’t the best decision. I was deeply afraid I’d miss getting back to the Sands and miss One Bus back to Hong Kong.
And to add to the drama, my phone was nearly dead. And my charger didn’t seem to be working very well, and… it started raining again. Hard. I desperately needed my phone to navigate the not-so-straight streets of Macau, but somehow, I was able to juice it enough to get me into familiar territory, then I broke down and took a cab to the Sands. It wasn’t a very long ride, but knowing my luck, I would have gotten lost and missed the bus.
But I got back in plenty of time, it turned out. It was so nice to get home and take a hot shower. My room and bathroom may have been tiny, but the superb water pressure and non-stop hot water were wonderful.
I was a bit sad knowing that another wonderful trip to Hong Kong was nearly at end. There’s something about this city that I just love.
Made it to Macau just incase S. didn’t want to go Sunday. Didn’t spend a lot of time there, didn’t get as many good pictures as I wanted, but it was a good trip. Found a Daiso japan and an Aeon grocery store and I have CRAVED stores like that since day one.
Got insoles for shoes and also those blade things to trim callouses from your feet. It was like a feast for my eyes. Gambled a bit, but slots are boring. One bus is all right. Very nice and relaxing if you like riding the bus. I saved a bit of money going by bus instead of ferry. Not too bad price-wise. Weather continues to be good. Temperature is perfect.
The Sands Casino had a horse statue covered in what looked like Swarovsky crystals.
Tried again to go to the Giant Buddha. I didn’t have exact change for the bus, or an Octopus card, or WeChat. I can’t use WeChat because I’m not a Chinese citizen. Didn’t know I needed exact change ($37) until I got there. But the person took pity on me and told me to wait. she broke my $100 bill, then I was able to pay exact change. So why didn’t I use my credit card? They don’t accept them.
Finally got there to the Giant Buddha. The bus ride was almost like being on a roller coaster. Seemed like the bus was going really fast, and the plants/trees along the side of the road felt like they were rushing at me. It would have been a really wild ride if I’d been stoned.
So we get to the area, which has a fishing village not very far away, and a tourist trap sort of village with all sorts of places to eat and souvenirs to buy. You walk along this path lined with statudes of the warriors and the astrological signs they represent.
You need to climb stairs to get to the actual Buddha. It took me about a half hour, but I was stopping along the way to get pictures and prevent a heart attack.
Traditional shot of the Giant Buddha on Lantau Island.Experimenting with the “negative” filter in Camera MX.A psychedelic view using the Thermal filter on Camera MX.
Burger Cafe, despite its name, had some delicious spring rolls. They also had a decent variety of western foods, but their spring rolls hit the spot.
I wish I’d gone to the fishing village, but I wanted to make sure I got back to the bus on time. We had another adventurous run through the mountains. The Giant Buddha seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere. I saw very few houses.
I was tempted to take the cable car, which offered great views and a relatively quick 5 km trip over the mountains, but I was trying to be better about money. As it was, the bus was great fun, what with the speed and the turns, and wondering what would happen if the driver lost control. But he didn’t. I was able to get back in plenty of time, and not sure what I did that night. I think I probably took pictures because my diary entry ended with Burger Cafe’s listing of burgers, shakes, fries, calamari, fish and spring rolls. I was probably too tired to write anything more about what I did. A look at my photo information should clue me in.
Another great day with great food. Indulged in a Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse. Didn’t have a steak today, nor did I buy Bushman bread to take home with me.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 was excellent. Not as funny as the first, but I was entertained.
Back in Hong Kong! A nice man carried my suitcase up the last flight of steps from the subway tonight. That was so nice. AND my room has a bathroom!* Smallest room yet, but I have a bathroom. Took pics and walked. What a nice night!
*The reason I was surprised my room had a bathroom was because my card wasn’t accepted on the first booking website I used. On the Agoda website, my card worked, but it didn’t show the room I wanted as available. I figured a private room with a bathroom down the hallway was better than sharing a mixed dorm room with strangers.
But when I checked in, I had a bathroom in my room. Aw yeah!
View from my bed into the tiny bathroom.View from the bathroom.The rest of the bedroom. It’s all I need–a reasonably clean place to sleep and shower.My beloved skyline.
I haven’t been posting because I went to Hong Kong and Macau, and exhausted myself. I took my laptop with me, but after getting home each night, just wanted to go to sleep.
It was amazing. Hong Kong has such a 1980s vibe, but isn’t as dirty or crime-filled. Macau is interesting for a number of reasons. This time, part of the interest was a downpour. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get back in time for my bus back to Hong Kong. That’s right, I took One Bus over the border. It was very pleasant, because I like being driven around. The bus wasn’t completely full, so I had an empty seat beside me, which was nice.
It’s a bit cheaper to go by bus rather than by Turbo Jet Ferry, but it takes twice as long. Still, it was relaxing.
Hong Kong is, well, Hong Kong. A mixture of east and west. Cantonese food, English widely spoken, and people being polite. It’s a hold over from being a British colony, I’m sure. Great weather, great food, and seeing new sights.
I had more energy this time around, and I think it was because a health issue had been taken care of. Plus, I’ve been logging about 10,000 steps a day, nearly every day of the week. That, plus an eight-pound weight loss, has been helping.
I got lucky. When I booked the room, the site wouldn’t take my card. I switched to another site, and it did take my card, but I couldn’t get the room I originally wanted. But to my surprise, when I checked in, they led me to a room that DID have a bath, which is what I wanted. On the site that did take my card, I could get a private room, but not one with a bath. It was nice to know that I wouldn’t have to sleep in a room with a stranger, AND I wouldn’t have to leave my room in order to pee. If men have been shitty and abusive to you for decades, it’s a little scary to room with a strange man. But the male roommates I had were pretty decent, even though one of them was a Trump supporter.
But that’s how much I love Hong Kong; I’m willing to share a room with a stranger in order to experience the city. My Hong Kong diaries are coming up, so stay tuned!
So what do I have in common with the people who went to the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 April 20?
I saw it before the rest of North America did.
I was planning to see the movie before I was going to Hong Kong, then realized I’d be in town when the film came out, because here, it was released April 30, a full day before North America gets to see it.
Nanny nanny, boo boo!
I’m gonna gloat, because rarely do I have the chance to do it. But as someone who is growing more interested in fashion and developing a style for myself, I had to see this movie because I saw the first one in the theaters, and at that time, I was working for someone who had her own magazine. She wasn’t as bad as Miranda, but she did splurge on things I thought she could have saved money on. An SUV for example. She could have just as easily rented a van for the one week a year she actually needed a larger vehicle, instead of investing $10,000 in upgrades before buying the monstrosity that she HAD to use on a regular basis in order to make it a tax write-off.
Anyway. About the movie.
It was good. Not as funny as the original, but they had lots of little throwbacks to lines and scenes in the original script. They did it without making the movie feel like it was the same old thing again. The four main characters, plus the screenwriter and the original director came back, so I had hopes, and I was right.
SPOILERS!
It’s now 20 years later, and Runway is still going, but not as strong as it once was. The movie opens on Andy Sachs getting an award for her writing. Right before her name is called, she finds out she and her fellow journalists were fired. Via text. As she accepts her award, she gives an impassioned speech about the unfairness of it all.
After crying the blues at dinner (in a scene reminiscent of the original, when Andy’s phone is kidnapped by her “friends”) she is offered a job at Runway. Not having lots of other options, she accepts the job (offered to her by Elias-Clark head Irv Ravitz after her impassioned “I was fired” speech goes viral) and walks back into Miranda’s office. Miranda doesn’t remember who she is until Nigel explains she was one of the Emilys.
Speaking of Emily, she now works for Dior.
Miranda approved a glowing article about Speed Fash and how great it is, only to find out it’s a sweatshop. Andy’s first job is to do some PR damage control. Andy writes a great piece apologizing for the error. She still flounders a bit, and in a throwback to the first film, Andy has to figure out what exactly Miranda wants—and if you’ve seen the first film, you know that’s something you just can’t ask Miranda—you have to figure it out yourself.
Emily seems to hold a bit of power in this one. Dior is a big advertiser, and makes some demands of the magazine. And also turns out to be a bit of a villain.
Meanwhile, Andy scores an interview as well as an exclusive from a reclusive celebrity, and finally gets the hang of what the readers want. As she improves, Miranda (who wasn’t aware that Irv had hired her in the first place) eventually warms to Andy.
But there are twists and turns in this one. Miranda is hoping for a promotion but SPOILER ALERT! Irv ends up dying at his 75th birthday party. His son, Jay, played by B. J. Novak, has ideas for the publication, and he and his Millennial staff tell Miranda the way it’s going to be. Gutted.
It’s Andy’s nerdy assistant who drops her phone and deliberately leaves it under Miranda’s chair, where the meeting with Jay and his buddies take place in the Elias-Clark cafeteria of all places, and records everything being said, so Andy finds out what’s going on.
The climax comes at a fashion show in Milan, where some favors had to be called in. Lady Gaga provides the music, or else she won’t get another cover. Andy shared her plan with Miranda, and phone calls are made. In a sort of “passing the torch” moment, Miranda realizes she can’t be in two places at once, and, nudged by Andy, asks Nigel to give the speech she had intended to give. Miranda claims Nigel won’t do it, but realizes that in her treacherous fashion world, Nigel is her rock. He’s always put up with her shit and never said anything, was loyal to the core—and he’s finally, finally rewarded.
There’s another twist at the end, but despite fast fashion, Wish, Temu, Shein, and technology, the good guys win. Andy turned down a $350K book advance about working at Runway (even the book deals aren’t seven figures anymore) to not hurt Miranda, but of course, Miranda knows about it and encourages Andy to write the book anyway—the resulting warts-and-all memoir might actually buy Miranda a few more years at the top.
The film closes with an exterior shot of Miranda, Nigel, and Andy all in their individual offices, all on the same floor.
Yes, I cried. If the first one was a coming-of-age story, this one also deals with jobs and what you sacrifice for them, and if those sacrifices are worth it. Andy has better friends, this time around, although Tracie Thoms (Lily) still likes free handbags, but at least she offered Andy a job at her gallery. Andy has a budding romance with a contractor, but thankfully, it doesn’t take precedence over everything else that’s going on in her life. Miranda is on husband number whatever, but they seem to be happy. The movie showed happy endings are possible, especially at the expense of outwitting villains.
Looking at you, Emily.
My jacked Prada frames. Six months after I bought these, they started falling apart. I’ve fixed them so many times, I can’t remember how many times I’ve glued bits of wood to keep the side pieces tight enough on my head. $1,400 for these, but the two pairs I got in November 2024 for $100 broke within a couple of months. Three eyeglass places said they couldn’t do anything. And neither could I.
I got a pleasant surprise when I checked into my room tonight. I wanted a room with bath, but my credit card wasn’t working on a particular booking site. I went to another site and was able to book, but the room with bath was no longer available. That’s fine, at least I didn’t have to share my room with strangers like that one time.
So when they took me to my room, I saw that it had a bath! Aw yeah!
But it is the smallest room I have ever had here at Ashoka Hostel. There’s maybe 16 square feet of floor space, not counting the bathroom.
But I don’t care. I have a tiny private room with a bath.
And some kind stranger carried my suitcase up the last flight of steps to street level.
I love Hong Kong.
This is what you see when you first open the door.The view from my bed looking into the bathroom.From the bathroom looking out.The rest of the room.
It was a good day for a walk, and just generally a good day overall.
Still getting in my 10,000+ steps per day. I’m seeing some results too, which is nice.
Some good things are starting to be habits now. I don’t know how or why they are sticking, but they are sticking. I might skip a day, but it’s rare. I guess it’s not striving for perfection, but consistency.
Today, through one of my school contacts, I got to meet the dean’s son, and to have breakfast at a place near my apartment.
My contact warned me the place wasn’t too elegant. But I said I didn’t mind; there were lots of Mexican places that didn’t look great back home, but the food was really good.
The dumpling place was very popular; people lined up to get either pork or veggie dumplings. You had to walk through the kitcthen to get to the dining room, so that was interesting. The dining room was a bit deceptive; there was another dining room off to the side, so it was much bigger than I expected it to be.
The dean’s son was a very pleasant young man. He spoke about some trauma he had experienced in the past. After breakfast, my contact took me back to my apartment and I told the young man to keep in touch. He explained he wasn’t very social, and I said I understood.
The whole experience was really nice on a beautiful day.
I think it was on Facebook recently, that I saw a short video that summed up dating now as well as in the 1700s.
Whoever did this video had a sense of humor. It showed two guys sitting on a couch, one saying to the other, “I wish to fornicate.” A footman (servant? butler?) brought oil portraits of young women, where one of the guys dismissed them for some reason or another. Of course, the woman with large breasts was chosen.
So a raven was summoned to send a message to the fair maiden. Took months. And when she unrolled it, all it said was, “hey.”
I had to laugh, because every so often, I get messages from men that have the stunning range of, “hey,” “hello,” “hi,” and occasionally, “what are you wearing?”
No joke. Here’s a string of messages I got from some guy years ago:
I hope we can video chat soon
hey gloria
how are you
I’m sorry to hear that
I’m sorry to hear that what are you doing today
That’s nice. Can I ask what are you wearing
Hello
hey
hey
What are you doing right now
Hello
good morning
Good morning
Of course, if you talk about sex, it doesn’t get much better, but it seems that once you get guys on that topic, they can string more than two words together.
Why aren’t people into dating anymore? Well, it’s kind of obvious.
So Friday’s English corner was held tonight, and at least I didn’t cry. But someone else did. We tend to play card games that have questions on them. The EC coordinator has a bunch of games, and we played Talking Hearts couple’s edition. These kinds of games are good to get people talking, but on the downside, it can feel like group therapy.
Every so often, I’ll go to Sixth Tone, an English-language paper that has interesting features about China.
For example, a few years back, there was a student who tried living for free for about a month. She hung out in fancy hotels and made do with sneaking into places. She faked being rich. Not surprisingly, this was an art student’s project.
Another article was about elderly people getting into video games.
And a more recent article was about how divorced Chinese women are searching for other divorced Chinese women for support. They share chores, cooking, child care duties and basically provide a safer, cohabitive space for themselves and their children. I had my students read this article and also Judy Syfer’s satirical essay, “I Want a Wife,” written back in 1971.
If you’re interrested in reading the articles, the Sixth Tone one is available here:
Tuesdays go by very quickly, and today was no exception. It was interesting to see how the exercise in instructions turned out. Students had to fold a piece of paper as per my instructions, without knowing what it was going to be. Most of the classes got it, especially after I went throught the process again, with visuals.
But my last class of the day got it right from the start.
I’m sure a few of them thought by the size of the paper I handed out it was going to be some origami animal, but no, just an ordinary paper airplane.
That air raid siren during my first class this morning was a bit of a shock though. A student sent me a message saying it was just a practice drill. But with the war in the Middle East, anything could happen. It made the last half hour of class a bit of a problem. Lecturing was impossible. And they didn’t give precise times for all of the air raid sirens. It would have been nice if they had said they were going to go off at 9:43, 9:55 and 10:00, but no.
I know it was practice, but still a bit unnerving.
I go to English corner, a twice-weekly gathering where students have an opportunity to practice their English skills. One of the students is in charge of it, and usually brings games to play. The icebreaker last night was to take a card from Talking Hearts, which includes a thoughtful question on one side, and a fun one on the other.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer the “fun” question. It was, “what was the craziest thing that ever happened on a night out?”
I hardly ever go out. And when I do, it’s usually for dinner with one of my colleagues. And nothing crazy happens.
But the flip side of the card had the question, “what are you most afraid of?”
I answered, but started to cry. I felt bad about it, but the question definitely touched a nerve. My time in China hasn’t turned out the way I planned it to be. Of course, some things were out of my control, but it makes me so mad when I have plans that seem rational and doable, and they don’t happen. It’s not like I say to myself, “within five years of living in China, you’re going to get down to your ideal weight and become a model/influencer by the time you’re 56.” No, I never had ambitions like that. I never said, “I’m going to be an astronaut/cowboy/movie star.”
What I wanted to save was a good chunk of money before I had to leave.
I’m nowhere near the amount of money I would like to save.
So my answer was, “I’m afraid of not having the energy to try anymore when things don’t work out.”
I’m afraid of other things too, but I feel that time is running out to achieve my goals. For all my education, I’m dirt poor, and very upset about it. And the biggest regret I have? Good thing that question didn’t come up, because the biggest regret was my master’s degree. What a colossal waste of time and money.
So yeah, I’m afraid I’ll get tired of trying because nothing works out.
My cuticles are ugly, and I have little shreds of skin surrounding the nail. Hangnails, I think they are called. On the occasions when I wear pantyhose, I run the risk of snagging the hose on the little bits of skin that stick out around my nails. At one point, I carried a nail trimmer on my keychain so I wouldn’t pick at the hangnail, or bit of skin, or whatever and have it start bleeding. The trimmer was to cut that shit.
I peel my nails away, I don’t bite them. So since childhood, my nails have always looked awful. I try to grow them from time to time. The last time was in August 2024, when I was under intense time pressure because I needed paperwork in order to stay in China. And my school claimed they weren’t going to help me. But thanks to the Xiamen Entry/Exit bureau, they got into gear and came up with the necessary paperwork at the last minute. I don’t EVER want to go through that again.
And the nails I was growing at the time got peeled away.
I haven’t bothered to grow them since.
But I’ve noticed that my nails are getting tougher. Especially my toenails. I’d like to have long, elegant looking fingernails, but maybe that is never meant to be.
I’m starting to do that lately, accepting things that may never be.
I make snarky remarks about the things I see at Disney, then I am brought to tears by riding Hyperspace Mountain. Why did I cry? Because it is almost like being in the battle scene from Star Wars (1977). It is THAT. GOOD. Wish I had some onboard footage, but I don’t.
Our tutor cancelled out on us one night, so we go to my apartment to practice on our own. Let’s just say, our pronunciation sucked, but the translation app spat out some truly epic, off the wall poetry.
A giant bag of Doritos in the shape of a horse, because it’s the Year of the Horse. Decades ago, someone got me an inflatable La Choy horse, because it was also the year of the horse. Sometime in the 90s, I believe. I think I still have it. I went through a phase of collecting inflatable toys, for some weird reason.
Why is this pipe even here?
Talk about shitty eyeshadow colors…
Mr. Hankey without his Christmas getup. I think this was at a Walmart.
Cookware by Fisher Price. Seen at Ole, a fancy grocery store. How fancy is it? It’s in the same mall as a Van Cleef and Arpels store. And yes, they have a Cartier, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton.
I’ve noticed that after April 8, summer begins. It happened again this year. It seems that starting on April 8, the weather becomes summery. And this year, it was no exception. Wednesday was nice, Thursday was friggin’ hot, and today was hot too. The sunset was just a red ball in the sky. And the mountain was in the perfect position to eat it.
The photo quality isn’t so great. Sorry about that, but I had to zoom in to get more detail.
But my Christ, what a mess I had to clean up yesterday. I made the mistake of going without underwear, and on the way to the bathroom, I exploded from both ends. Probably the first time I had actual shit in my living room in my entire life.
I cleaned up though. Still felt a bit woozy today, but in a bizarre twist, my back has felt the best it’s ever been. Go figure.
I remember last Friday, and how I went swimming and had a huge meal before going home, showering, and getting ready for bed. I woke up early for me the next morning, and since I couldn’t get back to sleep, I got up and got quite a bit done.
Today, I was soooooo lazy. I don’t understand it. The early part of the day was sunny, but when I finally got up and got out for my walk, it was windy and had cooled off.
But I don’t know why I was so tired this morning, and had additional naps.
And I got a bit done today, at least enough to feel more relaxed about the coming week, which is good.
YouTube is basically my television here. I don’t have a television, because the uni hasn’t provided one. But that’s okay.
So no, I haven’t seen Love Story, about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. I’m sort of interested in the story, but not really. I watched one of those “Watch Mojo” videos that compared the story to the actual details. I noticed a song playing. I recognized the tune, but wasn’t sure of the name or who sung it.
So I looked up the soundtrack to see if I could recognize the name of the song, or the group, hoping that would jar my memory. And it did. The tune I was looking for was “Name” by the Goo Goo Dolls. And yeah, I’d liked their stuff back in the day.
I just wanted to play a few seconds of it to see if it was the right song, because I knew if I played the whole thing, I’d probably burst into tears. I didn’t even get far. Someone had posted a really sad story as the topmost comment, and I burst into tears.
But I ended up listening to the whole song. I’ve seen many people refer to YouTube as the closest thing we’ll get to a time machine. I was surprised to see so many sad comments. Some people talked of dead relatives; one said her mother listened to this song and commented on how pretty it was, then she died. Another spoke of a brother who was deaf, and couldn’t deal with the bullying at school, and abuse from a father. He turned to booze and drugs to ease the pain, and yes, he died.
That being said, the song is a great one. But yeah, it’s hard to listen to that stuff. I think of where I was then, and the people who were in my life. I felt like I was an adult, but still a kid. My parents were alive, to catch me if I took a major step and fell. I published my own ‘zine. Scraped along on a journalism job that paid $5.05 after taxes. Resented having to work Saturday mornings to get a photo if something was going on. It was one thing to drive 45 minutes round trip for an eight-hour day, it was another thing to be exhausted from work knowing I didn’t even have my weekends free to have to go in and take a picture at an event.
What hurts, I think, is knowing how I was at the time, and looking into the future and wondering what would happen, vs. looking back now. I’ve done all right, compared to some people. But I’m still not where I’d like to be, and I’m no closer to accomplishing my goal that I had when I moved to China a little over seven years ago.
I just wish I hadn’t been so afraid.
I hate the people I went to school with that caused me to be fearful.
I miss my mom and dad, who were around back then.
I miss how my niece and nephew used to be. Back then, they thought Aunt Gloria was cool. They liked doing things with me, or so I thought.
Now, they don’t speak to me anymore. I haven’t heard from my nephew in years. Maybe even a whole decade.
I also miss the general attitude of the country. Things seemed good. There was employment if you needed/wanted it. People seemed happier; less uptight. Yeah, the president was fucking around with an intern, but even my mother was willing to overlook that because of the way things were.
And isn’t this line from “Name” so true: “And scars are souvenirs you never lose.”
I look at my knee surgery scar. It’s still there, after 53 years.
I’m not sure what the point of this post is. I think I get why people get nostalgic about stuff, the past, people.
But I feel like the 1990s were my golden years. Didn’t seem like it at the time, but they were.
And now, looking back, they really seem like they were.
So admin wants recordings of the oral exams I did back in January, nearly three months ago. I DID have them, but had to go looking for them. Turns out they were on an external hard drive I had. I didn’t want to burden my laptop with over 60 videos, so I moved them.
So of course, I about had a heart attack when I clicked on the folder that said IOE final videos and nothing was there. I remembered how I recorded them, and how much I worried I wouldn’t have an SD card big enough to hold them. I’d recorded them to my laptop, then moved them later. I also had the AOE final exams too, and I’ve copied those.
We had a meltdown with technology. A recording room was supposed to get all these, but the tech broke down. So we did what I’d done before: told the students to record the videos on their phones, then send them via WeChat. I remember painstakingly tranferring them from WeChat to computer.
But geez, this was not something I thought I’d have to deal with tonight after English corner. I thought they were all on my computer, until I remembered I moved them. Then, figure out which external hard drive had them.
WordPress reminded me it was my seven year anniversary today.
I’ve been in China a wee bit longer though.
I suppose I should make another Chinaversary video. Those are actually pretty easy to make. Collect some photos from the past year and set them to music.
Oh, and I also got my taxes done yesterday. Damn, I woke up early (for me) couldn’t get back to sleep, finally got out of bed and got stuff done. So weird, but nice after feeling sooooooo tiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrred for the past year or so.
Anyway, got done what I wanted to get done tonight, so now I can relax and enjoy what’s left of my THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And no, it’s not even a holiday. It’s just how my schedule worked out this semester.
Spoke with a former co-worker today. I feel a little bit better about things, but just a little. I’m kinda happy that I have a lot of time to take care of a situation that may not arise anyway. But that’s me, worrying endlessly.
I went swimming last night. The water was too cold, and the locker room was freezing, and the shower water wasn’t nearly hot enough, but I must have had a good night’s sleep. I stuffed myself at McDonalds, and no, I should NOT have done that, but I swam 24 laps and also got more than 10,000 steps in. The pool isn’t very far from my apartment, and there were maybe four other people in the pool. The weather has been warm and cold, warm and cold. The pool is in the basement, so no windows, but as the weather warms up, hoping the pool will, too. The big draw is hardly anyone using the facilities.
What’s weird is that I swear I went to this hotel last fall and asked if they sold pool memberships. They said no, but they also didn’t mention there was a gym in the basement of the hotel, WITH a swimming pool. This is part of the problem with living in China. I would have been THRILLED to find out there was a gym WITH pool in the basement. It could be that maybe I asked about the pool before the gym started up again. I’m thinking the gym that used to be there was the same one I was told about, when I walked up and down that block wondering where this gym was. My map said I was in the right place, but couldn’t find it. When I first moved here, that’s what I wanted. A nearby swimming pool. But maybe the gym closed, and they didn’t get it started back up again until last fall. And maybe I asked the front desk before the new gym management decided to take over.
But I’m happy the gym employee put a hang tag on my door advertising the gym, complete with his WeChat QR code. WeChat has a translation feature, so I got a tour of the gym, and also a free try at the swimming pool. I wired more money home this month than usual, which explains why my emergency fund keeps getting lower.
I told him I’d be back in April. I have no idea how much a pool membership costs, but swimming makes me happy. Not having to dodge people in the pool really makes me happy. And I didn’t see a little kid in sight, which means the pool will probably be cleaner. The water looked nice and clear last night.
I still wasn’t in a good mood last night, so I treated myself to McDonald’s, then chocolate after I walked home. I thought about doing some work, but I thought, “no.” I gave myself a break.
And it turned out to be a good move. I went to bed early (for me) and woke up before noon this morning, and actually thought I could start on getting some work done. Of the nine things on my list, I got four done. That’s amazing, especially for a Saturday morning/early afternoon. Usually, when I wake up early, I usually go back to sleep. But not this time. I watched mindless YouTube content, and never went back to sleep. Getting stuff done feels good.
The moon must be in a weird phase or something. I was told about a last-minute event an hour and 15 minutes from the start time. I told one of my students that I had other plans. This is the SECOND time I have told him to PLEASE let me know 48 hours in advance if something is going on. He apologized, but just reinforces my belief that no one listens to me.
I’m also a little suspicious that my co-worker didn’t tell me the event was going on tonight, as he and I usually preside over these events. We have each other’s WeChats and he saw me today.
He’s starting to act like a former friend of mine. In private, he’s civil, but in public, he goes out of his way to make me look dumb/stupid.
And it bugs me that my life in China hasn’t turned out the way I wanted it to. I have these plans, and these plans seem simple enough and feasible, but they never work out.
Felt a bit better today. It’s just hard not knowing. Depending on what I can get on my pension refund, that will let me know what I will do if I can’t find another job in China.
I feel like it took me years to get into the swing of things, and it’s over way too early. Or maybe it’s not going to be over as early as I think.
I’m just really upset that my plans in China haven’t worked out like I thought they would.
Or maybe I’m worrying for nothing. It certainly doesn’t help my stress level or blood pressure.
And nothing really bad happened! It’s messed up, but I think I was thinking about the pension fund they give to expats when they leave China. Unless I can convince someone to hire me once I hit 60, I’ll have to leave. And I would LOVE to stay in China for a few more years. I’ll teach little kids, I’ll teach adults, I’ll teach any age, really. I feel like I’m at a place where I am hitting my stride, and it terrifies me that I’ll have to leave in a year and a half.
I’m hoping that my current uni will keep me around. Or a nearby uni will hire me.
But I cried.
A good thing that happened today is that I found a gym with a swimming pool. The guy who works there put a door hanger on my apartment door, and I noticed there was someone swimming on it. His WeChat QR code was on there, so we chatted last night. Today, I went over to check it out, and the pool looked clean and not crowded at all. Best of all, the pool is within walking distance of my apartment. I’ve literally walked past the place dozens of times, but didn’t know it existed because it’s in the basement of a hotel.
But the guy showed me the pool and I took a look at the locker room, and I think I’ll go there either tomorrow or Friday because he said he’d give me a trial run/swim. I’m basically interested in swimming, as that’s my favorite form of exercise.
I haven’t been swimming for months, because it isn’t relaxing. I’ve been going to the Straits Olympic facility. The pool is crowded at all times of the day it seems, and I’ve either been sideswiped, or people swim up so fast behind me I end up accidentally kicking them in the face. It’s not the relaxing experience I want.
And since I have a bit of flexibility with my time during the week, I think I can fit in a Wednesday afternoon swim before going home after my morning classes.
So that was a good thing that happened. I hope that the membership fee isn’t too expensive.
But yeah, I have no idea of what sort of pension refund I’ll get. Expats are supposed to have a certain amount of their paycheck paid to the government, like social security tax in the states. Since I won’t be retiring here, I should get some money back. But if my employer hasn’t paid into it, then I won’t get much back. And when I went to the local social security office, they couldn’t find me. It could be that the delay was because my employer hadn’t paid me yet. I got some information for the city I spent the most time in, so maybe I can call, or someone can help me call and I can see if I’ll get anything back. But I’m thinking I’m too old; I was already too old when I arrived, and I won’t get zilch, except what I get from my current employer, which might be $56 a year. Times three is not very much.
I cried because it seems like nothing I do works. I had high hopes for saving a lot of money here in China, but that hasn’t worked out, and what’s worse, I don’t know why. It’s not like I showed up drunk, or hungover, or continually late to classes or anything like that.
I shouldn’t believe in such things, but it would be nice if I could have my astrology chart read, or an actual fortune teller who could tell me, “yeah, this isn’t going to change no matter what you do,” because then I could stop trying so hard to bring positive change to my life, and I could just say, “fuck it, nothing’s going to work, might as well have fun” and do all the irresponsible things I should have done as a teenager. Even then, I was Miss Goody Two Shoes, and I should have raised a LOT of hell instead of behaving. If there’s a chance that things might change for the better, I’ll keep trying. But if this is a no-win situation for the rest of my life, let me know NOW.
Tuesdays are my longest days. But it’s fine. The hard part is done, and it’s still early in the week.
Today, it was overcast. My midday nap came easily. During my last class, I looked out the window and saw it was raining. The rain turns the mountains hazy, they become a very light gray. It was a bright overcast; it actually seemed as though the clouds were about to let the sun shine through, but no.
Tuesdays are difficult, but satisfying. It’s very pleasant to climb on board the bus at the end of the day and be driven home. I could get home quicker if I took a Didi, but it’s very nice to relax on a bus. The rain had stopped, and despite a chock-full backpack, I walked home. Gotta get my steps in! I’m averaging nearly 10,000 steps a day, and I’m proud of that. Last week, I took a Didi home once the bus got back to campus. But I didn’t feel as tired today, and walking home was good.
But it’s my last week of sleeping late on Wednesday. My last two classes start next week. But after I’m done with those classes, I’m free to go home if I want. I love my work/life balance now.
I felt like I didn’t get much done today, but I did manage to go for a walk, grab lunch, go grocery shopping, finish some grading for a class, and prepare what I want to cover in my classes this week, PLUS I edited and uploaded a video.
But I don’t know what I expect since I sleep until noon on the weekends.
I’ve been averaging over 10,000 steps a day for the last seven days, which is good. But today I just didn’t feel like walking back with a grocery bag full of food. It was a little over $21 in USD, and that got me a bag of chicken breasts, 10 eggs, a big bag of Spanish peanuts, some celery, and cherry tomatoes.
I’ve not been eating well lately. I still want to lose 20 pounds, but I’m not sure how badly I want it.
My back has been bothering me, and I was concerned. A CT scan at the hospital (around $42 USD or so) revealed nothing serious, just age. But the doctor did point out that the spare tire I have around my waist wasn’t helping. A day or two ago, I grabbed my belly and held it, and it was surprisingly heavy. So I can understand why she suggested getting rid of my belly. So I’ve been doing some core exercises. But I really need to do more than that.
Anyway, the video has to do with marshmallows. I got to grill some the other day during a trip, and decided it was time to bring out the two packages of marshmallows I’ve had for months. One was “vanilla ice cream flavored” the other was “barbecue.” Both packages taste like your standard, off-white marshmallows.
I felt lazy so I grilled them in my living room. But I won’t explain why or how. You’ll need to see the video. Click here: https://youtu.be/7_V6luESmlY
Here are a few of my other videos. I think I’m getting a tad better at editing these things, but I’m realizing how much goes into making a video. Props to my favorite content creators for creating videos I come back to time and time again. You entertain me, plus you lull me to sleep a lot of nights. It’s not to say that your videos are boring; it’s like falling asleep to the television. You keep my mind from dwelling on stuff that keeps me from sleeping.
Hong Kong Disney as viewed by a cynic： I make fun of the commercialization of Disney, get humbled by one of the best roller coasters EVER, and experience a bit of joy courtesy of lasers, fireworks, and some tear-jerking music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B69_gn2-V08&t=2s
So my back has been hurting pretty constantly for months now. Sometimes the pain is worse, sometimes it’s better. Today I went to the hospital to see what was going on.
A CT scan was suggested, and it cost me around $39.20. And yes, it was a real scanning machine made by GE. Something up with my lumbar disks. Pretty common in people my age. So I started doing some exercises tonight, and will probably increase those reps frequently. I’ll also throw in some yoga.
It was also suggested I do something about my big, saggy stomach. It’s going to be difficult, because I love carbs so much. But I have no one to blame but myself. I KNOW what I should be eating, and I know that I have those ketone strips so I can see if my body is burning fat or not.
But at least I know what this back pain is. So I’ve joined the club.
I didn’t know I’d ordered three small bottles of Dawn dishwashing detergent in addition to the two and a half liter one that came yesterday. The three smaller bottles came today. I gave one to my next door neighbor.
I get super tired on Tuesdays because it’s an all day thing, and I’m not used to working full days, but today went really well. Didn’t eat so well for supper, but whatever. I have to come to terms I may never lose this “last” twenty pounds.
But I’d like to. I just don’t know how hard I’m willing to work for it.
The clutter in my apartment is really starting to piss me off. I’ve ALWAYS had a problem with clutter and it makes me so mad. I tried to find some papers tonight, and I looked in all the logical places, but I couldn’t find them. I have updated replacements I can print out, but still.
It’s frustrating. I don’t know how to make it stop. It’s not like I even go out shopping for junk anymore. The bulk of my money is spent on food, transportation, utilities, and medicine. I haven’t bought new clothes in almost two years. I haven’t bought new shoes in a year and a half. I buy magazines maybe once a year. I can’t remember the last time I bought an actual, real physical book. I think it might have been in 2024.
Anyway, that’s today’s gripe. Junk, junk, junk, junk, and clutter all over the fucking place.
I needed/wanted to get some stuff done, so I put off blog posting. Now I’m ready for bed, so here I am. A productive day and good weather. So I’m happy with what I got accomplished today. Hope your day was good!
I’m rewatching it, and I’m always inspired by Rollergirl kicking the shit out of that guy from her high school class. I also like the fact it took three guys to subdue her.
No Way! Laowai! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.