so i lost the weight that i had gained last year, when i wasn't so happy and was homesick and trying to adjust to life in a new country, and now everyone wants to know my secret. people ask me if I changed my diet, or am eating less.
More exercise?
For the record, this is what I know:
-when i went home to Canada, over the summer, my stomach went through three weeks of unhappy, which might have been some sort of stomach bug, but I left it untreated and it went away. However, that seemed to be the big kick-off to lose the 10 or so pounds I had added in the previous year.
-in the last two weeks of my trip home, my appetite was sort of lacking, but I was a bit out of sorts, emotionally, so maybe that had something to do with it.
-my diet hasn't changed all that much, but I do eat meals at school on the weekdays, all Chinese food. (Really good food, actually!)
-since September I have slightly increased the amount of exercise that I do, but not consistently. I am no doctor, but I truly believe that my body is just working better this year because I am more comfortable and happier.
There is still plenty of stress in my days I don't know what to say to people when they ask me, so I usually blurt out some remark like "well, I have upped the amount of dark chocolate I eat and white wine I drink", which only leaves them wondering if a diet of dark chocolate and wine might be of benefit to them.

Or does it?

happy birthday to my maternal Grandmother --> 姥姥

although it is already Tuesday here in China, I gave my Grandma a call last night before i went to bed to ensure that timezones didn't make my call late.

hopefully, back in Canada, where it still is Monday, the weather is pleasant.

as for me, yesterday I bought a new "ducky" down duvet to replace the cheap-y one that the school supplied my apartment with.

I guess, I am planning to stay awhile.

Having slept under my new duvet, for one night, I would like to give it a rating of 10 out of 10.

in the last few weeks, I have had this smile plastered on my face that does not dissipate no matter what the day or Beijing or China or life in general throws at me.

am i ever on an upswing!

Friday night I dined and had a drink or two with my newest partner in crime. We were at a restaurant that had a model industry party happening, but because we showed up for din before invite only was enforced , there we were sans invite.

we quickly discovered that hanging with young slim giraffe-like models, does not do much for self esteem.

so we took our party elsewhere, met some interesting people traveling through china and laughed and danced the night away.

my weekends have been so fun lately, I never want to leave this place

a real post coming tomorrow -

stay tuned.

going for lunch, must leave, no time.

it is Friday morning in China, and since I already know that I will be unavailable to post a blog tonight, I thought I would post something quick now, before I jump into the shower.

Last night I went to the gym with two fantastic women I work with. It made me feel like a million bucks! (or 6.83 million yuan :) Which is good.

Then on my way walking back to my apartment, I ran into my favourite, delightfully cute security guard and we conversed for 10 minutes in small pieces of English and Chinese.

He was good about pronouncing the Chinese tones in the phrases, so I could practice.

It helps that he is a nice looking man, too.

Maybe I can have more than one language partner?

i have plenty of fun weekend plans in the making, which make this whole "working my ass off to get things done" pace extra abrasive.

not that I am complaining.

(ok, I guess I am a little)

but really! reminding myself to stay present is difficult with so much on the go. I am writing myself notes to look at the to-do notes that I am writing myself.

THAT is how busy I am.

I am a tad worried cause the end of the month is birthday heavy and I don't want to forget to contact my loved ones and good friends who will ring in another year.

regardless, I had a fantastic day today. The grade twos and I read A Color of His Own. It is a fantastic story about chameleons.

people erroneously believe that because I am from Canada I, therefore, like cold weather.

Incorrect.

I do not like cold weather.

Like that is ALL Canada has to offer.


Also, yesterday was 11.11.08 and in china, all those "ones" are a reason for single people to celebrate their single status.
How do they celebrate? They go out and try to find a mate.

Less of a day to honour your status, rather a reverse Valentine's Day.

i have been encouraged to recount my "saturday afternoon at the mall" story.

i met up with two other foreign teachers on Saturday at the mall, so we could have some shopping time together.
and we did, but even more exciting was the Baileys Promotional tent , complete with couches and tables and chairs, we ran into as we were heading over to a different mall.

"Let's check it out" was my urging.

Which resulted in a solid hour sitting and consuming free Baileys samples, having my photo taken no less than 700 times, having three separate videos shot of myself enjoying free baileys samples.

after the sixth sample (apparently there was no one sample limit), my one friend insisted that the photographer show her the photos, which turned out to be ok. A lot of close-ups. Some with strategically placed Baileys.

Three foreign women enjoying Baileys.

I wonder if I will become a part of their next advertising campaign?

yesterday while getting dressed, I heard the lyric that I used above for my post title. I thought " well, that sounds like me, i should write that down".

those who know me well. know i listen to music by "listening" to the words, more than instruments. Unless there are hand claps, i will tune into hand claps, also!

in china, and maybe more so in Beijing, consumption of consumer goods (as I have written before) is alive and well. We are certainly not under the doom and gloom many are facing on the North American continent.

It is not only that consumption happens but it seems to happen without any of that "Adbusters" induced guilt I feel when I shop too much at home.

Case in point, yesterday I upgraded to a much more exciting cell phone. It cost four times what my original phone cost. However it is North American compatible, and it has a pretty decent dictionary, which was important to me.

I could not believe how good it felt to sit in a cafe with my new found shopping pal and play with my new purchase. I actually felt more sophisticated having that bells and whistles phone in my hand.

strange what i value somedays.

today i am off to attempt to find a cell phone which has a english to chinese pinyin translator/ dictionary.

i think this will be useful in my renewed interest in learning to speak chinese, plus i have a new friend, who I am having language exchange with.

but despite his vast english knowledge we struggle with some phrases. but mostly i struggle to understand.

much on the go. report cards and parent teacher conferences a week today. Must finish up course outlines for the end of the month.
Been booking up time in my Google calendar, quickly.

I don't want to say the good times are killing me, but I wouldn't mind easing back on the throttle a bit.


a personal issue i have (and would like to make some headway solving, or dealing with in the near future) is expectations. more specifically, my expectations.

oh, great expectations. but who wants to live in the future. let's keep one foot firmly planted in the present. simply, expectations are beliefs about the future.

how pithy, how fleeting this intangible concept is. But how often, my expectations make my own life difficult.

I have HIGH expectations of myself, the people around me, my students, anyone I see in daily life. I pull all those around me into my dangerously, unrealistic expectations.
Most often, the expectation/belief is not fulfilled for a whole variety of reasons. This upsets my little apple cart and I must reevaluate my expectations.

I had to reevaluate, I think because I am a bit controlling.....and what is seen as failed expectations, unfulfilled expectations can cause stress.
An upset apple cart, may on occasion be water off a duck's back, but more likely, considering my personality, will be stress. Stress without a foreseeable change in expectations.


But, nonetheless, i think I will have to up either the amount of exercise or meditation that I do, as those two things will most likely be the most advantageous to rid me of my troublesome expectations.

i would like to reign it all back in. expectations are fine, the more realistic (flexible, lenient), the better.

thoughts that have crossed my mind in the last 72 hours.

- i should book a december weekend getaway for myself

-goose and duck meat can not be mistaken for each other

-i am my own worst enemy

-i am in a very good frame of mind. proof of this is my commitment to improve my spoken mandarin. Language deficient, no more, I will be!

-Obama has a big job ahead of him.

-It is easier to keep a blog that I update irregularly.

i was daydreaming of baking soda toothpaste, last week, which I like from time to time. Currently I am using Bamboo Salt "Refresh Eucalyptus" flavor.

i came across this photo of 23 tubes of toothpaste, from this blog, on my google reader.




i'd also like to report that i took a suggestion from another blog I read and straighten up my apartment, while I brush my teeth at night. My teeth get brushed for longer and the place is spic and span every morning!!

kanye west @ workers stadium, beijing - November 1st.

1. i ran into a friend of a friend outside the venue. which probability-wise was probably next to impossible.
2. but also sat two rows away, from said friend of friend, maybe 5 metres total, crazy coincidence!
3. kanye wore red pants.
4. my new teacher friend and I sang when we knew the words, which was about every third song.
5. my camera died three-quarters of the way through the show.
6. Kanye didn't swear, even during the parts when he normally would have. Maybe it was considered an all ages show?
   
7. The energy wasn't really there.
8. The "glow in the dark" part of the glow in the dark tour was absent, in my opinion.
9. Kanye makes my heart flutter simply by standing, but also by dancing, moving, smiling, and posing.
10. for a major show like Kanye here in the People's Republic, I was totally impressed, but somehow it was painfully obvious that the show was abroad. It wasn't the audience, they were mostly expats. Hard to put your finger on exactly what it was.
    

it is early Monday morning here in China.

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend of fun.

On Saturday, the internet blessed me with some new music.
One band and track I have had on repeat since is The Republic Tiger's Fight Song.



From Kansas City, Missouri.

i am so happy, i feel like i could burst.

i guess, maybe that sounds gross.

Oh well, I am currently hydrating after a long and fun and exciting night out.

i think i'll write about my kanye experience tomorrow,

still too excited!

i did not expect to have had such fun last night. Celebrating Halloween at Happy Valley, an amusement park here in Beijing with a new friend I made last weekend.
People in costumes, pumpkins, spiders and even a haunted house. We even rode some of the rides, after a long and chilly wait in some chinese-size queues. (This country has no shortage of people!)

Tonight I have tickets to see Kanye West at Workers Gymnasium. Imagine that eh? Kanye in China.

I have a pretty big crush on him.
Hope to take a whole bunch of photos.

not sure why, but i woke up so happy this morning.

maybe it was having the right amount of sleep.

maybe i had pleasant dreams, that I couldn't remember once I woke up.

maybe I wasn't worried about the day ahead.

not sure if it matters what the reason was.

glad to have had it.