...things are GOOD, almost too GOOD.
ni hao!
i've been here - just a bit busy. each time i sit down to write an entry, something pops up.
- "Pop! goes the weasel!"
so, here it goes:
Family
- my parents are well in ARIZONA. my mum takes care of everyone. my sister is doing the best she can juggling work and her family. my in-law is still not working - so that has my sister working extra hard to make ends meet.
- one of my nieces ended up in the ER a few weeks back. apparently, she (14yo) attended a small HS party where a bunch of boys encouraged the girls to take shots of whatever liquor they had. my niece, along with 2 other girls, ended up consuming more than their little bodies could take and ended up in the ER!!! it was a close call that scared the shit outta everyone!!! my sister called me one morning freaking out. she was calling from the ER. naturally, my in-law took a lot of the blame. mainly because he has had a recent problem with drinking. so after this incident, he is working hard at getting employed. he even confessed to my parents that he wanted to renew his vows with Christ and take God more serious. i hope that decision will help matters.
Home
- i am still located in ZHUHAI, CHINA. i was pondering the option of moving on to another country just a month before. i really wanted to check out JAPAN, but now that the crisis has overwhelmed the country and it's people, i'm not sure if it is the best place to relocate. a friend/colleague of mine, BEAU, is planning on moving to THAILAND. it sounds like a dream, so i will rest on that idea for now: dream.
Work
- as always, work has me by the balls. i have 5 classes this semester and a club (Insights into the Navajo Culture)! we just ended our mid-terms, so that leaves us a few more weeks till the end of the term!!! hells yea!
- the ELC Department at UIC is really worked into the soil! i've heard other departments are not as demanding as ours: we have 18 hours of teaching, 4 office hours, and probably another 10-15 hours of marking homework, correcting exams, conducting English student activities (English bowls, Choral Speaking, Public Speaking, Essay Writing Contests, Debate Competitions, etc.), and other school-related duties. since it IS a liberal arts college, everything revolves around the English Department. that can be a fuckin' bummer, especially if you have other hobbies you want to pursue!!! typically, when i get home from work (about an hour long bus ride from school to home), all i want to do is inhale dinner and crawl into bed. *yawn* which is probably the reason why i've gained some flab. eek!
Money
- i recently bought a new MacBook Pro (in Macau)! i was brimming ear to ear from all the excitement, i probably needed a tranquilizer to stay calm! PENG bought my former MacBook (for an undisclosed amount of money), which allowed me some extra cash to get an entirely brand new notebook! it is a real beauty!!! i love it! i've named her Matsumiyo. :-) i have iChat (joelt928), so add me and we'll chat it up!
- i'm saving up cash to travel this summer. perhaps SWITZERLAND will be in the picture...! :-) stay tuned.
Friends
- NATHALIE is 4 months prego, so we'll have a baby in the office around August! she is soooo excited! she's cute. she's blossoming ("mutating?") everyday: she finds everything smelly; she needs the AC one minute, then a shawl the next; she is the queen of aches (head, feet, back, breasts, vagina, etc.); she's hungry every 10 minutes; she's dangerously opinionated; and she snaps a lot. ha ha ha. i just try not to disagree with her over anything.
- MARK is still here. his friend JOE, an older gay guy from the States, just moved in with him. he's a curious, funny fellow - a bit of a nervous, high-strung character. he freaks out over everything: "oh my god, that woman just pushed me!" (people push him out of the way when in line for something. in CHINA, you can't be too nice because people will push you outta the way and trample you if you don't stand your ground!) he'll learn. ha ha ha.
Dreams
- i want to learn the guitar. i made a (surprising) decision a few days ago: i want to buy a guitar. in fact, it's been something i've been wanting to do for awhile. i always walk into good intentions, then fling them out the window. this time around, i'd like to stick to my guns and purchase a guitar. then i'll try to devote the few moments i have at home after work to learn some chords and belt out a few tunes! it could be fun. :-) i need a new hobby. for reals yo!!! who knows, i may soon be one of those expats crowding foreign bars singing and trying their luck at a singing career in China! ha ha ha. there are soooo many of them in Zhuhai. a few of them make it, a few of them fall flat.
Love
- PENG (♥) and i are still having fun. to be frank, i get a little bored, but things are good - almost too good. ha ha! in the end, i know with something this good, i shouldn't mess with poison. we're enjoying life as we know it now...
~*~
lots of love from this end...
j.
i've been here - just a bit busy. each time i sit down to write an entry, something pops up.
- "Pop! goes the weasel!"
so, here it goes:
Family
- my parents are well in ARIZONA. my mum takes care of everyone. my sister is doing the best she can juggling work and her family. my in-law is still not working - so that has my sister working extra hard to make ends meet.
- one of my nieces ended up in the ER a few weeks back. apparently, she (14yo) attended a small HS party where a bunch of boys encouraged the girls to take shots of whatever liquor they had. my niece, along with 2 other girls, ended up consuming more than their little bodies could take and ended up in the ER!!! it was a close call that scared the shit outta everyone!!! my sister called me one morning freaking out. she was calling from the ER. naturally, my in-law took a lot of the blame. mainly because he has had a recent problem with drinking. so after this incident, he is working hard at getting employed. he even confessed to my parents that he wanted to renew his vows with Christ and take God more serious. i hope that decision will help matters.
Home
- i am still located in ZHUHAI, CHINA. i was pondering the option of moving on to another country just a month before. i really wanted to check out JAPAN, but now that the crisis has overwhelmed the country and it's people, i'm not sure if it is the best place to relocate. a friend/colleague of mine, BEAU, is planning on moving to THAILAND. it sounds like a dream, so i will rest on that idea for now: dream.
Work
- as always, work has me by the balls. i have 5 classes this semester and a club (Insights into the Navajo Culture)! we just ended our mid-terms, so that leaves us a few more weeks till the end of the term!!! hells yea!
- the ELC Department at UIC is really worked into the soil! i've heard other departments are not as demanding as ours: we have 18 hours of teaching, 4 office hours, and probably another 10-15 hours of marking homework, correcting exams, conducting English student activities (English bowls, Choral Speaking, Public Speaking, Essay Writing Contests, Debate Competitions, etc.), and other school-related duties. since it IS a liberal arts college, everything revolves around the English Department. that can be a fuckin' bummer, especially if you have other hobbies you want to pursue!!! typically, when i get home from work (about an hour long bus ride from school to home), all i want to do is inhale dinner and crawl into bed. *yawn* which is probably the reason why i've gained some flab. eek!
Money
- i recently bought a new MacBook Pro (in Macau)! i was brimming ear to ear from all the excitement, i probably needed a tranquilizer to stay calm! PENG bought my former MacBook (for an undisclosed amount of money), which allowed me some extra cash to get an entirely brand new notebook! it is a real beauty!!! i love it! i've named her Matsumiyo. :-) i have iChat (joelt928), so add me and we'll chat it up!
- i'm saving up cash to travel this summer. perhaps SWITZERLAND will be in the picture...! :-) stay tuned.
Friends
- NATHALIE is 4 months prego, so we'll have a baby in the office around August! she is soooo excited! she's cute. she's blossoming ("mutating?") everyday: she finds everything smelly; she needs the AC one minute, then a shawl the next; she is the queen of aches (head, feet, back, breasts, vagina, etc.); she's hungry every 10 minutes; she's dangerously opinionated; and she snaps a lot. ha ha ha. i just try not to disagree with her over anything.
- MARK is still here. his friend JOE, an older gay guy from the States, just moved in with him. he's a curious, funny fellow - a bit of a nervous, high-strung character. he freaks out over everything: "oh my god, that woman just pushed me!" (people push him out of the way when in line for something. in CHINA, you can't be too nice because people will push you outta the way and trample you if you don't stand your ground!) he'll learn. ha ha ha.
Dreams
- i want to learn the guitar. i made a (surprising) decision a few days ago: i want to buy a guitar. in fact, it's been something i've been wanting to do for awhile. i always walk into good intentions, then fling them out the window. this time around, i'd like to stick to my guns and purchase a guitar. then i'll try to devote the few moments i have at home after work to learn some chords and belt out a few tunes! it could be fun. :-) i need a new hobby. for reals yo!!! who knows, i may soon be one of those expats crowding foreign bars singing and trying their luck at a singing career in China! ha ha ha. there are soooo many of them in Zhuhai. a few of them make it, a few of them fall flat.
Love
- PENG (♥) and i are still having fun. to be frank, i get a little bored, but things are good - almost too good. ha ha! in the end, i know with something this good, i shouldn't mess with poison. we're enjoying life as we know it now...
~*~
lots of love from this end...
j.