Summer comes to a close and school year under way

With my last post being back on June 30th I have a lot to cover this time but will try to keep it brief.

I barely did anything for two weeks in Shenzhen.  When I did go out it was for meals, coffee, or exercise.  I visited my favorite cafe, Gaia Cafe, a couple of times.  I got food there twice but was not impressed.  I do really enjoy their coffee however.  I took some walks around Sihai Park where I saw some cool birds. I also checked out a bar, the name of which I cannot remember, that I had not been to yet that had a cute pupper. 

After a couple weeks of lazily lounging around in my apartment, and barely going outside in the Shenzhen summer heat, I wrapped up the summer with a quick solo trip to Bangkok from August 6-9.

I stayed in the Mercure Bangkok Surawong, a different hotel than I usually stay in, because I got a good price and it was worth the new experience.  I spent my time there relaxing and walking around. The only things of note were that I went the Bangkok Float Center where I did a sensory deprivation tank and saw the new Naked Gun movie.

The sensory deprivation tank was a cool experience.  The weightlessness made me feel a little nauseous toward the end but I was able to get into deep 15 minute cycles of meditation where I completely disconnected from the world.  It also worked wonders on my back and neck pain. 

The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson as Frank Dreben Jr., is a hilarious sequel of the original films which featured the late great master of deadpan humor, Leslie Neilson.  I was chuckling and laughing for the entire film.  

I flew back on the 9th and had a couple more days of lazy relaxation before work started on the 11th. 

The first week of work was just onsite training, meetings, and preparing for the school year.  

Work hosted a banquet for the staff on August 15th.  It was at the Aden hotel and there were some nice views of Nanshan while we ate. 

I went to George and Dragon afterward and they played tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

I cooked beef paprika on August 17th and Faye and I ate that all week.

Students started on August 18th.  It has been a whirlwind of a school year already.  We have a lot more students.  As such more new hires were brought in.  There are now three honors bio teachers.  I am responsible for planning the bio courses and they implement my planning.  I like the additional responsibility but also am frustrated that it does not come with additional pay.  As such, I did not take on any extra work beyond what I am asked to do as part of my assigned responsibilities.  For example, I am not advising any clubs even though those positions are compensated.  The compensation just isn't enough and I spend enough time at work without that added responsibility. 

On the 27th I went to the gym and was surprised that my friend Felix's face popped up on the facial recognition screen when I checked in.  Apparently we look enough alike to confuse facial recognition software.  

My birthday was on the 28th and was uneventful.  Faye got me some rare, and very cool, Ozzy shirts.  I haven't had an occasion to wear them yet. 

Faye and I went hashing on the 30th.  It was my first hash with the Shekou hash in months.  It was her first one in much longer.  It was nice to reconnect with the old hashers and meet the new ones that joined in my absence.  I almost passed out going up the mountain but survived and made it to the end of the trail only to be iced in circle for taking a nap on a rock.  Since I enjoyed laying down so much they made me lay down on the ice.  It was quite refreshing.

On Sunday August 31st Faye treated me to a massage as a belated birthday present and we went out for dinner. 

It has been a hectic week of work since last weekend.  I finally had a chance to sit down and post this blog today.  

Tomorrow, Monday September 8th, is meet the teacher night at work.  This means another late evening working.  Let's hope the pattern of working late, as I have for the last three weeks, does not continue for the rest of the year.  I am still getting to the gym but I have had to shift my schedule around to make sure I am getting at least three days of exercise each week.    

Faye and I will go to HK from September 20th-21st so she can interview again for the US B2 tourism visa.  Wish her luck. 

I have off from Sept 27th to October 7th and Faye has off from October 1st-8th. We already have our October break planned.  We are going to Tokyo and Izu in Japan from Sept 29th-Oct 6th.  Flights, hotels, and some of our activities are already booked. 

My next post may not be until after our trip.  To close off this post I will share a picture of me snacking on my favorite Chinese snack, GuoKui （锅盔), which is a crispy flatbread with spices, meat, and other deliciousness. It comes in many flavors but I prefer the spicy beef.