If you received any strange e-mails from me; no, I did not make an unexpected trip to Europe, get robbed, and ask you for money. I have lost access to facebook and my hotmail accounts. If trying to reach me, I guess you can use the same name at yahoo instead of hotmail.
Hopefully, that gets resolved soon.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Birthday
I aged another year. 36 is aooarently a moderately interesting birthday here, as it means it's the same zodiac year as when I was born. In other words, I'm a tiger, and it's the year of the tiger. Seems a flimsy excuse to celebrate, but flimsy excuses are better than no excuses.
Spent Saturday at work. hardly exciting, but useful, as i tend to spend money on things like food, rent, and toothpaste (need to buy toothpaste, preferably mildly offensive toothpaste, later today).
At night, a friend came by to cook. Of course, being a female friend of mine generally means you can't cook, so I cooked for us and a roommate.
After that, went to Friends Bar. A night of drinking was planned, but kind of derailed by Karen. her gift to me was to buy tickets for some wargaming thing Sunday. She didn't think to ask the time, which led to us having to be there at 8:30 on Sunday. Good news for my liver, as most people opted for the simpler "let me buy you a beer/shot for your birthday" plan. Kudos to Robert for successfully making Dr pepper using booze.
Sunday started early. Karen popped up to make sure i could get there. coincidentally, she arrived hungry as i was cooking. Christ says to feed the hungry. he never said there'd be paintball involved as a result. More people probably would if he had.
Due to her expert guidance and detailed knowledge of her hometwon, we arrived only 25 minutes late, missing most of the safety demonstrations and other useless nonsense. We were not there too late for the pre-shooting activities:
first, climb a tower about 7 meters high. Once there, jump out and catch a trapeze bar. This does require a harness, as most missed the bar. This was awkward, as I am deathly afraid of heights. Climbing up 20 feet or so seems like torture to me, much less leaping out into the air. having travelled with me and been on mountains and cable cars, karen is well aware of this, so she set out to explain the problem. Or rather, tell the guy in charge i was too fat and would probably not be able to climb up. I can recognize shameless manipulation when i see it, so I'm not sure how i wound up on top of the thing. Making the leap was easier for me than for some I guess in that I did it with insane laughter, while some cried.
Next up was wargames. Well, not exactly the wargame part. More like dividing into teams and choosing a captain. This was followed by choosing a name, a slogan, and a competition to see who could sing revolutionary songs better. I was at a slight disadvantage, in that I had never heard most Chinese revolutionary songs before, but really, it was a slight disadvantage, as no one else seemed to know any either. Once my suggestion i teach Clash songs was rejecte, i kind of tuned out.
next up would be the killing, except it was lunch time. karen has a slight speech problem, in that she told the team I'm a good cook, so i wound up doing about half the cooking. Inexplicably, I was able to give good advice on fish steaming. I have never cooked a fish in my life. the veggie stuff was ok.
After lunch and a brief nap, our fearless band headed over to the staging area, where we .... played some sort of game that involved standing is a circle spouting gibberish. losers were required to sing songs mocking their own posteriors. I swear every word of that is true.
from there, we moved to place involving an odd balance challenge. trying to move the entire tema through a filed stepping on little stones and not touching the ground. Karen has unusually small hands and feet. I'm about 8 inches taller than her and don't have unusually small feet. She thought this was challenging. I may have used bad words more than once.
next we headed over to the building where the guns were stored. we went there to use the rope tied toa tree to o something where you need to swing the team from a platform to a tire. First step was getting the rope, which was hanging in the middle. I suggested we tie our shoelaces together and tie them to a shoe, then swing the shoe until it cathes on the rope and pull it in. karen refused to translate, as it was a dumb idea. which in the end is what we did. Uncoordinated people + rope swing=comedy gold. The easiest thing to do was have someone lift people up on the rope, then they get flung acroos, where someone on the other sidecatches the rope and they hop down. This leads to the tallest and strongest person needing to swing over near the end, when the tire is packed full of people. My first attempt was not too different from bowling
Finally, we went out on the field and shot each other. Being the biggest target leads to getting shot a bit. Karen earned a timeout by removing her mask, and we both got one for shooting our team. repeatedly. in her case, at close range. I at least had the decency to snipe at her from behind a tree for a while. In the end, we lost at capture the flag, which i believe is because the team rejected my suggestion that we dig trenches and scrounge for barbed wireOr maybe it was that the other team had a few cops and our team was mostly salesman. Or maybe the ammo we wasted shooting each other would have been better spent onthe other side. Who knows.
So, 8:30 -5:30 had roughly an hour of actual fighting, and I got to cook three times for other people, including a group of ten. it was a lot of fun, though k was worried I'd be annoyed by all the non-shooting stuff. She took me out to dinner, and continued her amazing streak of choosing awful restaurants. Do not ever go with her to try somewhere new. I think she was served cat food.
The highlight of that day? Going to sleep around 8:45 at night
Spent Saturday at work. hardly exciting, but useful, as i tend to spend money on things like food, rent, and toothpaste (need to buy toothpaste, preferably mildly offensive toothpaste, later today).
At night, a friend came by to cook. Of course, being a female friend of mine generally means you can't cook, so I cooked for us and a roommate.
After that, went to Friends Bar. A night of drinking was planned, but kind of derailed by Karen. her gift to me was to buy tickets for some wargaming thing Sunday. She didn't think to ask the time, which led to us having to be there at 8:30 on Sunday. Good news for my liver, as most people opted for the simpler "let me buy you a beer/shot for your birthday" plan. Kudos to Robert for successfully making Dr pepper using booze.
Sunday started early. Karen popped up to make sure i could get there. coincidentally, she arrived hungry as i was cooking. Christ says to feed the hungry. he never said there'd be paintball involved as a result. More people probably would if he had.
Due to her expert guidance and detailed knowledge of her hometwon, we arrived only 25 minutes late, missing most of the safety demonstrations and other useless nonsense. We were not there too late for the pre-shooting activities:
first, climb a tower about 7 meters high. Once there, jump out and catch a trapeze bar. This does require a harness, as most missed the bar. This was awkward, as I am deathly afraid of heights. Climbing up 20 feet or so seems like torture to me, much less leaping out into the air. having travelled with me and been on mountains and cable cars, karen is well aware of this, so she set out to explain the problem. Or rather, tell the guy in charge i was too fat and would probably not be able to climb up. I can recognize shameless manipulation when i see it, so I'm not sure how i wound up on top of the thing. Making the leap was easier for me than for some I guess in that I did it with insane laughter, while some cried.
Next up was wargames. Well, not exactly the wargame part. More like dividing into teams and choosing a captain. This was followed by choosing a name, a slogan, and a competition to see who could sing revolutionary songs better. I was at a slight disadvantage, in that I had never heard most Chinese revolutionary songs before, but really, it was a slight disadvantage, as no one else seemed to know any either. Once my suggestion i teach Clash songs was rejecte, i kind of tuned out.
next up would be the killing, except it was lunch time. karen has a slight speech problem, in that she told the team I'm a good cook, so i wound up doing about half the cooking. Inexplicably, I was able to give good advice on fish steaming. I have never cooked a fish in my life. the veggie stuff was ok.
After lunch and a brief nap, our fearless band headed over to the staging area, where we .... played some sort of game that involved standing is a circle spouting gibberish. losers were required to sing songs mocking their own posteriors. I swear every word of that is true.
from there, we moved to place involving an odd balance challenge. trying to move the entire tema through a filed stepping on little stones and not touching the ground. Karen has unusually small hands and feet. I'm about 8 inches taller than her and don't have unusually small feet. She thought this was challenging. I may have used bad words more than once.
next we headed over to the building where the guns were stored. we went there to use the rope tied toa tree to o something where you need to swing the team from a platform to a tire. First step was getting the rope, which was hanging in the middle. I suggested we tie our shoelaces together and tie them to a shoe, then swing the shoe until it cathes on the rope and pull it in. karen refused to translate, as it was a dumb idea. which in the end is what we did. Uncoordinated people + rope swing=comedy gold. The easiest thing to do was have someone lift people up on the rope, then they get flung acroos, where someone on the other sidecatches the rope and they hop down. This leads to the tallest and strongest person needing to swing over near the end, when the tire is packed full of people. My first attempt was not too different from bowling
Finally, we went out on the field and shot each other. Being the biggest target leads to getting shot a bit. Karen earned a timeout by removing her mask, and we both got one for shooting our team. repeatedly. in her case, at close range. I at least had the decency to snipe at her from behind a tree for a while. In the end, we lost at capture the flag, which i believe is because the team rejected my suggestion that we dig trenches and scrounge for barbed wireOr maybe it was that the other team had a few cops and our team was mostly salesman. Or maybe the ammo we wasted shooting each other would have been better spent onthe other side. Who knows.
So, 8:30 -5:30 had roughly an hour of actual fighting, and I got to cook three times for other people, including a group of ten. it was a lot of fun, though k was worried I'd be annoyed by all the non-shooting stuff. She took me out to dinner, and continued her amazing streak of choosing awful restaurants. Do not ever go with her to try somewhere new. I think she was served cat food.
The highlight of that day? Going to sleep around 8:45 at night
change
I haven't been much, as I've mostly been looking for work. finally worked out a pretty good deal with a university here. i'll get a place to live, decent money, a fairly light work load, easy classes, and can continue teaching elsewhere, so long as it doesn't interfere with their classes. so i'll be making pretty good money by continuing some of the part time gigs. it's moe hours than i worked before, but i like most of my classes a great deal, so i don't mind.
one of the best things about the job is that it's in Zhongshan. The last frustrating month or two was made way better by friends. In particular, people like Wendy, Lucy, Norm, Mark and probably a few others tried to help me find students, while Karen, Yolanda and Sandy helped by tracking down people at schools where no one spoke English. It was encouraging watching people try to keep me here. Thanks
one of the best things about the job is that it's in Zhongshan. The last frustrating month or two was made way better by friends. In particular, people like Wendy, Lucy, Norm, Mark and probably a few others tried to help me find students, while Karen, Yolanda and Sandy helped by tracking down people at schools where no one spoke English. It was encouraging watching people try to keep me here. Thanks
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
confusion
I've had a few people over the last few months suggest I move on. Apparently, when you get stabbed, it seems like life isn't going according to plan.
I initially rejected the idea for a simple reason. This is my home, and the place I waited years to come back to. One person was able to arrange for a group of men to attack someone, with the end result that I was hurt, and left with some scars. Not much I can do about that now.
I didn't lie to my emplyer, and they chose to go the route of dishonesty and confrontation. Not much I can do about that now either. I decided to leave instead of battling them all year, which was expensive, but good for my mental health.
What I need to decide is whether or not I want to lose the good parts of my life here. I don't see much danger here, so that's not a reason to leave. I planned on transitioning to freelancing, and wound up doing it way ahead of schedule. I expected it would be difficult, and it is. One thing that's helping so far is the support of friends. People are trying to help me find students and part time work, and buying me drinks or food in order to lure me out of my house.
I expect I'll leave ZS at some point. I haven't seen most of the world, and would like to see a bit more. But I want to leave when it feels like time to move one, not because i'm being chased out. With the various headaches I have, I still am generally quite happy when my alarm goes off and it's time to begin my day, because I love my life and love what I do. I've known very few people who make that claim. I couldn't imagine putting a price on that feeling.
When I was in Hunan, Karen and I bought a kite to set on fire. It's an odd custom. You write wishes on the kite, then light a candle inside it. The flame heats the air, and it takes off like a small blimp. Ideally, it burns up, sending your wish into the next world. I don't know what she wished for, but I was kind of stumped. There seemed to be nothing I really wanted.
So I'm confused by the suggestion I should move on. I'm confused as to why others don't come here. It wouldn't work for everyone, but knowing what I gained, I'm surprised more don't try it.
I initially rejected the idea for a simple reason. This is my home, and the place I waited years to come back to. One person was able to arrange for a group of men to attack someone, with the end result that I was hurt, and left with some scars. Not much I can do about that now.
I didn't lie to my emplyer, and they chose to go the route of dishonesty and confrontation. Not much I can do about that now either. I decided to leave instead of battling them all year, which was expensive, but good for my mental health.
What I need to decide is whether or not I want to lose the good parts of my life here. I don't see much danger here, so that's not a reason to leave. I planned on transitioning to freelancing, and wound up doing it way ahead of schedule. I expected it would be difficult, and it is. One thing that's helping so far is the support of friends. People are trying to help me find students and part time work, and buying me drinks or food in order to lure me out of my house.
I expect I'll leave ZS at some point. I haven't seen most of the world, and would like to see a bit more. But I want to leave when it feels like time to move one, not because i'm being chased out. With the various headaches I have, I still am generally quite happy when my alarm goes off and it's time to begin my day, because I love my life and love what I do. I've known very few people who make that claim. I couldn't imagine putting a price on that feeling.
When I was in Hunan, Karen and I bought a kite to set on fire. It's an odd custom. You write wishes on the kite, then light a candle inside it. The flame heats the air, and it takes off like a small blimp. Ideally, it burns up, sending your wish into the next world. I don't know what she wished for, but I was kind of stumped. There seemed to be nothing I really wanted.
So I'm confused by the suggestion I should move on. I'm confused as to why others don't come here. It wouldn't work for everyone, but knowing what I gained, I'm surprised more don't try it.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
D&D
Seems this thing is acting funny again...
Most gaming groupd struggle with scheduling conflicts and a lack of players. Meanwhile, I've had to start a second game in order to satisfy player demand. I'll probably be coaching a new DM soon, as ours is getting too big and we might split in two. Which means i might be a player.
4th edition is growing on me. Netw players seem to like it. Every round people seem to have something cool to do,which was generally not the case with low level spellcasters in older editions. I still prefer 3rd (or pathfinder) but 4th is definitely better than I first thought.
I'm running Keep on the Shadowfell and just beginning Age of Worms, which is being adapted from 3rd edition. The group is happy they have stuff to kill. They were hired to map old ruins as part of a project by a young king. They promptly began making plans to ambush other surveyors to steal their maps and sell them. Then one seduced a surly elf (that's when the guy rolls a natural 20?) who has since turned againsthem, and they wish to kill all the kobolds. Apparently they see the kobold ability to shift a square as a personal affront.
If using the D&D character making program, make sure to equip items before printing. Characters do better with weapons and armor.
Choice quotes
R: Shift back here and let me stab you!
C: I'm happy to work for the king
S; Or kill him
C; Both are ok
R; I can't believe I got that elf chick.
S; Now we should kill her.
stunned silence
R: Is that your policy at the clubs here?
B; Would explain the screams at night
C: and the smell here
M; Being the Dm seems like a lot of work. Why does anyone want to do it?
S; For the ladies
M&K: We want to join
R: I think there's a rule against women gaming
S; They don't have the hand eye coordination to roll dice
K: I'm gonna stab you in the neck!
H: Kobold? like bald? like where you're losing hair?
R" dude, you are losing hair!
5 minutes later
S: Why are the kobolds attacking me? Those two called you bald
B; so because they can shift around easily, you feel the need for genocide?
all: YES!!
Most gaming groupd struggle with scheduling conflicts and a lack of players. Meanwhile, I've had to start a second game in order to satisfy player demand. I'll probably be coaching a new DM soon, as ours is getting too big and we might split in two. Which means i might be a player.
4th edition is growing on me. Netw players seem to like it. Every round people seem to have something cool to do,which was generally not the case with low level spellcasters in older editions. I still prefer 3rd (or pathfinder) but 4th is definitely better than I first thought.
I'm running Keep on the Shadowfell and just beginning Age of Worms, which is being adapted from 3rd edition. The group is happy they have stuff to kill. They were hired to map old ruins as part of a project by a young king. They promptly began making plans to ambush other surveyors to steal their maps and sell them. Then one seduced a surly elf (that's when the guy rolls a natural 20?) who has since turned againsthem, and they wish to kill all the kobolds. Apparently they see the kobold ability to shift a square as a personal affront.
If using the D&D character making program, make sure to equip items before printing. Characters do better with weapons and armor.
Choice quotes
R: Shift back here and let me stab you!
C: I'm happy to work for the king
S; Or kill him
C; Both are ok
R; I can't believe I got that elf chick.
S; Now we should kill her.
stunned silence
R: Is that your policy at the clubs here?
B; Would explain the screams at night
C: and the smell here
M; Being the Dm seems like a lot of work. Why does anyone want to do it?
S; For the ladies
M&K: We want to join
R: I think there's a rule against women gaming
S; They don't have the hand eye coordination to roll dice
K: I'm gonna stab you in the neck!
H: Kobold? like bald? like where you're losing hair?
R" dude, you are losing hair!
5 minutes later
S: Why are the kobolds attacking me? Those two called you bald
B; so because they can shift around easily, you feel the need for genocide?
all: YES!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Timing
Since moving back to China, I have missed one day of work do to illness. I missed a lot of work due to stabbing, but, again, injury and sickness are different. So now that I'm freelancing and have no sick days, i came down with the worst flu I've had in ages. The last time I was this sick was wehn I had the whooping cough.
The good news is that my schedule is relatively light, so I've been able to make every lesson. i think I've even done an adequate job of teaching, though they were far from my best classes. The bad news is that I've been too ill to hound people about more hours. This could be an expensive illness.
For those who have never heard my frequent complaint, most conversations i have with schools follow a similar pattern.. they ooh and ahh at finding out I'm experienced. When they see I'm a certified teacher, they're in rapture. They say they're thrilled, as i'm the most qualified applicant they've ever had. Then they offer me the same salary they'd offer a high school grad who has never taught a class in his life. When questioned, they explain that this is the starting salary they pay everyone.
The two exceptions so far are the Radio and TV College (no connection to the one in GZ) and Capital, both of which seem willing to pay more for someone who seems a good teacher. So they are my priority. Th downside with Capital is that they charge the same rate to students irregardless of what the teacher is paid. So if i am paid more then someone else, it makes sense for them to use the cheaper guy.
It's the first month doing this, and Iexpected it to be slow. That I'm spending most of my time on the sofa coughing and drifting in and out is making it worse. but it seems my fever has broken and i should be able to resume talking to schools today. More to come...
T
The good news is that my schedule is relatively light, so I've been able to make every lesson. i think I've even done an adequate job of teaching, though they were far from my best classes. The bad news is that I've been too ill to hound people about more hours. This could be an expensive illness.
For those who have never heard my frequent complaint, most conversations i have with schools follow a similar pattern.. they ooh and ahh at finding out I'm experienced. When they see I'm a certified teacher, they're in rapture. They say they're thrilled, as i'm the most qualified applicant they've ever had. Then they offer me the same salary they'd offer a high school grad who has never taught a class in his life. When questioned, they explain that this is the starting salary they pay everyone.
The two exceptions so far are the Radio and TV College (no connection to the one in GZ) and Capital, both of which seem willing to pay more for someone who seems a good teacher. So they are my priority. Th downside with Capital is that they charge the same rate to students irregardless of what the teacher is paid. So if i am paid more then someone else, it makes sense for them to use the cheaper guy.
It's the first month doing this, and Iexpected it to be slow. That I'm spending most of my time on the sofa coughing and drifting in and out is making it worse. but it seems my fever has broken and i should be able to resume talking to schools today. More to come...
T
Thing i learned in Suzhou
Suzhou has a museum devoted to firefighters. Chinese people should not be allowed unsupervised access to a bell. one month later, my ears are still ringing
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