Slung back into the work zone with a thud this week, Cass and I have been very busy. The middle school play is on again and Cassy is in charge of makeup, necessitating many after school meetings, a Friday evening and all day Saturday at school for a dress rehearsal. Suffice to say it is not her favourite time of year! I had to give one of my talks to some visiting teachers from Taichung Teachers’ University on Friday. They had traveled from Taichung that day, quite a long trip and just for this presentation so I felt a bit of pressure. All seemed to go quite well and they presented me with some exotic plums in bottles as a thank you!
It was my birthday on Friday and some of the boys here arranged for us to go and have a few drinks after school. This extended into the evening and I was a little slower than usual on Saturday. Cass wasn’t here so I took the opportunity to get well reacquainted with the lounge and watched LOTS of football! I was stoked to get some nice cards from my fellow teachers and some of the kiddies, although I don’t know how they ever discover it is my birthday unless the other teachers tell them. Chris and Val sent a card and a gift which I’ll have fun spending and Mum also sent a card and gift: hmmm what to buy?! My aunt Virginia and family also sent a card for me and Cass, which we were delighted to receive, and I heard from a couple of other people (thanks Hel and Wayne)
Still downloading torrents and enjoying some marvelous Australian trash at the moment. That Biggest Loser show is horrendous really, but I must admit, I can’t stop downloading it to see what happens next! The only blessing is we don’t have any ads. We’ve watched the new show “Thank God You’re Here” (bit of a fizzer don’t you think?) and continue to get the Chaser, which is fresh and funny. Just watched the latest episode of Lost, I’m getting it just hours after it airs in the U.S. and a similar situation with the fantastic House MD. So, as you can see, TV has come a long way from the early days of watching CNN. That used to be the best we could do… All praise the internet! We’re on tenterhooks here waiting for the Knights-Cowboys clash to come on. Should be a ripper: we watched the Knights carve up St. George courtesy of a torrent, the NRL site being very stop-start at the moment.
On a more academic note, I have 4 more credit points to reach the holy grail of 40 credit points above a Masters’ degree. That will be 76 credit points in 5 years, with a year off in the middle. As anyone knows who studies and works, it’s been very awkward, but at least I’ll be rewarded for it in the end. Just got to get those last few assignments in: I’m having lots of trouble getting motivated to finish it all off! (i.e. should be doing them instead of writing this!!)
Carl is on a massive fitness campaign at the moment and although I’m continuing my boxing and weights, he makes me look positively sluggish in comparison. I’ve barely seen him for months as he is always out on some huge bike ride, pounding the treadmill, or in some other exercise task. He doesn’t even seem to go surfing much anymore. I’ve told him he’s becoming a little obsessive, and although I think he knows it, he’s still going. Good luck to him though: he’s a changed man.
Photos: Dave at local beach, Lunch at Murray House, Stanley in HK, Cass at the ubiquitous jeweller’s window! and HK apartment buildings (with pools!)