Going Ons...

Hello All!

    It's been a while, but really....nothing really exciting to blog about from here. I have been keeping busy with daily activities such as going to the gym, reading, housekeeping (light), and activities with the other expat ladies. I am thinking about taking some more classes on line. I am seriously considering taking some ESL( English as a second language) instructor  courses. This may be very helpful in a job search. I am getting extremely ansy and find myself wanting to work and be a bit more productive while here. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely loved my free time and taking a break from working and school. It's been a nice break. I can honestly say, it's a break...not a lifestyle for me. I enjoy living here , being with Mark on a daily basis, but the tai tai/ housewife thing full time is NOT for me. I just need to find something I enjoy that occupies some time.
     Mark has been extremely busy at work which means working late and coming home and working more! The conference calls and Webex meetings never end! I have said it before, my husband works WAY TOO HARD! I am looking forward to the Christmas holiday in England and him getting away from work, seeing his family;  and enjoying  some much needed downtime.  I have been very busy with the EAS activities and gearing up for the Charity Bazaar (Dec. 1st.) and the Christmas party( Dec. 8th.). I also have a Poker Club party on December 12th. So, lots of activities and things to prepare for to celebrate the holidays before people jet out of here to go home or on holiday. There is also a big Open House one of the ladies holds at her home that is scheduled for December 3rd. It's a huge get together/pot luck with lots of food, wine and camaraderie! It is a really fun party and I am looking forward to it.  
     Here are some pics from last year's party at T's house. A lot of ladies...and a whole lot of fun that afternoon for sure!

       So, that is pretty much what has been happening on my side of the world. The weather is quickly changing and it is starting to get cold. I did take my winter coat to the tailor and got it altered so now...it FITS! Yeah! So, now I am prepared for the cold damp winter here. Although it is short, it does get cold here and now I am ready for it!

Nov 1st...Where did the month of October go?

   Wow, October pretty much flew by! It's been filled with different activities and adventure. The EAS held a charity event last week-end that was a "Casino Night." We raised a lot of money for charity and people who attended said they had a really great time.
  Mark and I even won one of the 50/50 raffles! Nice...it was the biggest one of the night. There was a lot of casino games being played as well as dancing and enjoying a cocktail or two. A fun night for sure.
    I also went to Ikea store in Wuzi with a couple of other expat ladies. It was fun to go, it almost felt like being back home again and meandering around the Ikea in Canton! (except the signage and price tagging was also in Chinese.) I found a couple of things to buy and use while here. Oh...and hello meatballs! I forgot you can buy the frozen meatballs that they sell in their restaurant. YUMMY! I actually used them in some spaghetti sauce and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.  I have to remember about those meatballs.

    I have also been keeping pretty busy with the EAS organization. The craft Christmas bazaar is December 1st so the craft group has been busy making things. I am not at all crafty or talented in that area, but I do find things helpful to do and have fun visiting with the ladies as well. The Christmas party is December 8th. It's been a big task of the EAS to get things organized and done for that as well. That should be a nice dinner and dancing. Mark and I attended last year and we had a very nice time.
     I have a couple of dress choices. It will either be a print or a navy dress. I had them both made at a tailor at the fabric market in Shanghai.  Great...the photo uploaded in the TOTALLY wrong place...{see above} I can't seem to upload the other. Oh well! At least one of them uploaded. I will try again another time.
   We are still planning to head to the UK for Christmas and see Mark's side of the family. I also hope to touch base with my friend Valerie that I met here in Suzhou and she left to return home before I returned to Suzhou. I will be so happy to see her! So, I am looking forward to seeing my English family as well as one of my BFF's that I have not seen since last February. It will be wonderful to see her and catch up!
    Poker has been kicking my a$$ lately. I have been taking some pretty bad beats and have been discouraged, but I continue to play and try to push through it. I have fun...but the competitive side of me hates the continual bad beats and the losing! I shall continue in my quest for a win...
   So, that is what is going on in my life on the other side of the world.  I will try to stay a bit more current and try to post once a week. But, no promises. I have the best of intentions, but you know what people say about intentions...Till next time.....

TIME MARCHES ON...October 13th, 2012

Wow...it's been a while since I have blogged an update. Sorry, I sure was hoping to be a bit more on top of things now that I have completed school. Oh, but planning and hoping are not the same as doing.
  I have continued with attending the Powerhouse Gym pretty much every weekday. The only time I have not gone is if I have to be somewhere early, or the holiday(s) when they are closed! So, this past week was a full week of workouts at the gym. It has been a good feeling getting back into a routine and "getting my sweat on." Last week the gym was closed, and I was NOT happy. I did ride my recumbent bike and did a few different DVD workouts. At least I got some form of purposeful exercise in during the holiday week.
  The weather here has been absolutely lovely. In the mid to high 70's and sunny! I have been enjoying walking around the city to get to places. It makes for a much more pleasurable experience when the weather is nice.
   I have been playing in my poker league twice a week, and unfortunately; my poker slump continues. I have made a couple of final tables....but not in the money. Hopefully, that will change soon and I can report some winning! :) Mark and I will also attend a "Casino Night" next Saturday, October 20th that is sponsored by the EAS (Expatriates Association of Suzhou) and all proceeds go to charity. The EAS does a lot in the community here for the local orphanages and other charitable organizations. It's nice to work on these events and do something positive for charity. There are many generous people involved that not only give monetarily, but their time as well.

   I went on a Tai Tai trip on Wednesday that took us to Tong Li. Here is a great link for information on this city:  http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/jiangsu/suzhou/tongli_town.htm
Here is a few photos as well:

            It was a fun trip and I met a few new expats. I am certainly glad that I got to go and enjoy a different city for the day. We toured a garden,  did some sight-seeing and shopping; and even went to the Chinese Sex Museum! An interesting and fun-filled day.
       This week Mark will be working on Saturday (tomorrow) so I will be on my own and will probably just be a tad bit lazy and do some leisure reading and catch up on some TV shows through my Slingbox and ON Demand. I want to watch a couple shows that I missed this week. So, that's what's going on in my world. Till next time...

Always interesting ...never dull!

     So, the weekend was fantastic! Mark and I headed out around 10:30am on Saturday (after we both hit the gym!). We went out on the new subway. The first stop attempt was a bit off. We went a bit too far and ended up past old town/ downtown. That was Mark's pick for the stop. We headed back onto the subway and I picked the next stop. SCORE! It's the right one! We walked over to Walking Street and decide to just amble around. We see a new Costa coffee that has opened, and decide to stop and have a coffee.
     We walked around a bit, and headed over to PingJiangLu Street. I just love that street. It's old, and real China; with some hokey tourist things thrown in! Okay...here is where I tried to insert photos...can you say EPIC FAIL? I don't know how to get photos to post. I will have to play around and see how I can do it. Sorry, at this point, Facebook will have to suffice for photos right now. We walked the whole day...in fact I logged almost 9 miles according to my Fitbit. It was a great day and the weather was awesome too! It was actually sunny with a blue sky. That does not happen often here so when it does, I like to get out and bask in it! :) We were back at the apartment by late afternoon and dinner was at Jack's Home a restaurant about a mile or so from the apartment.
     Sunday was a rest and relax day. Mark made me pancake for breakfast. YUMMY!  It was weird not having homework, reading, or a paper to write for school! I would usually spend the first half of a Sunday finishing up school work. Not anymore!  WOOT! My time is mine! We watched Mad Men season 5. We had left over Indian for dinner (I
had ordered in earlier in the week when Mark was away). There was plenty left over for our ritual Sunday night dinner! :) It was yummy. After dinner, we walked over to Mark's music teacher's apartment to give him a book of sheet music he wanted to borrow. We then stopped off at Starbucks for a coffee and sat outside and people watched and relaxed. It was a very enjoyable weekend.  

    Monday is here and Mark has to fly to Beijing this AM. He has to leave about a half an hour earlier than usual. He is leaving at 6:45am instead of 7:15am. I am walking over to the gym because I will get dropped off before the gym opens if I go with Mark and Mr. Shen. So I bid him goodbye, and off he goes. I head to the gym around 7:00. I get back and do a few chores. Mark then calls to inform me the administrative assistant booked him on the wrong flight!  She had booked him to go somewhere in the opposite direction! So, no Beijing trip for him. By the time he can get on another flight, the meeting he is supposed to attend will be over. So, he is swinging by the apartment to pick up his computer/attache bag for work, he is going to head into the office. Perfect...I can hop a ride to the coffee meet up at Starbucks! I have to meet up with M.K. to go to the Renaissance Hotel to put my name on the Treasurer books for the EAS funds. I forgot to mention, at the Meet and Greet coffee the Tuesday after I arrived, I told a few folks that I would be willing to help with the EAS (Expatriates Association of Suzhou) now that I have completed school. Well, that's all it took! There has been an opening for a while for a co-treasurer and I was voted in by the board the very next day! So, I now am on the board as a co-treasurer. I like the other co-treasurer so i think we will work very well together.
      I made dinner at home, and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. Mark has conference calls and I finish up some laundry. 
     Tuesday is mahjong day and poker night! I went to the gym in the am. I weighed myself this AM and I have lost 6.5 lbs. the last two weeks! YEAH!!! My clothes are feeling looser as well. Continuing my quest for health and fitness is paying off! :) I came home from the gym, did a few chores around the apartment, made lunch, and then it's off to mahjong. I had a good time at mahjong and walked home from there. These are the times I really miss my good friend Val. We used to walk together there and back, and usually played mahjong together. I am looking forward to seeing her in December when we are in England for Christmas.
     In the evening, Mark is coming home later than usual because of a team conference call being held at the office. He got home around 7:20PM and we head over to Ollie's for burger night and so I can stay and play poker. My poker game has been sucky to say the least since I got back. Not my poker league, my playing! I think I am in a bit of a poker slump! It's not been good. I hope it turns around soon.
   The real crazy thing that happened on the way home. I always get a taxi home. It's not a problem because they are lined up outside the Li Gong Di area on the street waiting for customers. I only live about 2.0-2.5 miles away from Ollie's so it takes all of 5 minutes to get home for 10Yuan (about $1.50). What I didn't expect was my taxi driver to get into a screaming match with another driver on the road!! I must first say, the driver I had was in need of lessons! We drove like a crazy man, too fast, on the wrong side of the road, and hit the brakes WAY TOO HARD! So...I was just hoping and praying to get home in one piece. Thank goodness it was after 11:00PM when the streets of Suzhou are pretty much deserted...except around the corner from the entrance to my apartment where the taxi driver precedes to cut-off and nearly side swipe another vehicle! Well the traffic light was red at the intersection, and the driver of the other vehicle started yelling out his window at my taxi driver. So I am directly in the line of fire of the screaming match, Oh...and I am in the front seat! I sit in the front  a lot, because it is easier to hand them the card with an address on it and to pay. Then, the driver of the other vehicle gets out of his car! OH NO....so I start saying "stop, just go, stop yelling, etc..." but of course they are both yelling and screaming extremely loud, like I am not even there! Finally I decide I will end this; so, I roll up the window of the taxi and yell at the taxi driver ZHI ZOU (Straight ahead!) and off we went. Oh my, road rage is a universal condition I have unfortunately discovered! It's extremely uncommon here...because if it wasn't, people would be having screamimg matches in the middle of the streets and intersections all the time! Drivers don't follow the lines on the road, let alone traffic laws! Traffic is just plain NUTS here! I am utterly amazed that there are not more traffic accidents then what I have seen.  Oh, the wonders of living in China. That was enough excitement for a Tuesday night! I arrived back at the apartment to tell my tale to my husband, who just smirked and said " You obviously have acclimated to living here if you didn't freak out or get out of the taxi and walk the rest of the way!" The funny thing is....he's right! :)

   

     


   

Friday, September 14,2012

Well, Mark is back from South Africa.  We had a lazy start to the day this morning. Mark arrived late (after 1:00am), so he gave himself a break and went into work at 11:30. He still had a 8:30am conference call that he did from home! My husband works WAY TOO HARD!
  I had a pretty uneventful day. I did not go to the gym...I have a horrible blister and area on the back of my left heel that is raw from my shoe rubbing. I don't know why... I have been wearing the same shoes I had worn at home to work out in. It's annoying to say the least! I have other athletic shoes..but they all seem to irritate that sensitive area. I hope taking a break today helps it to heal.
   We are going to head down to old town via the new subway (metro) line tomorrow after we head to the gym in the AM. I hope to take some photos, enjoy the surroundings, and just enjoy the day with my husband.  
  Check this out...http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/visit/suzhou-guide-459550 . It is a great overview of the city of Suzhou. I hope to post some pics and antecdotes from the weekend. Have a wonderful weekend...I hope to!

Mid-week, September 12, 2012

   I finally awoke AFTER the sunrise today! It probably helped that I went to bed after midnight. I went and played poker last night, I got home around 11:00, skyped Mark, and put some laundry away. I forced myself  to stay up later to try and get my body adjusted to this crazy time change! It hasn't been going well. With Mark out of town, it was way too easy for me to fall asleep WAY TOO EARLY...thus; waking up WAY TOO EARLY! Hopefully, that cycle will be broken.
   This week has been fairly busy so far. I went to Monday AM coffee over at Starbucks by the new Metro line. I finally got to see Susanna my friend from Finland.  I had lunch with a lady who had arrived in late July while I was back in the US. It was nice to sit and visit and get to know a new friend. It's been a bit weird feeling like a "newbie' all over again. There are many new faces and I just need to jump in and get to know more of the ladies. I  joined the EAS board. That is the Expatriates Association of Suzhou. I am co-treasurer along with another one of the ladies I already know. I had not been involved with the board previously because of my obligations with Grad school. I figured I should get a bit more involved and give back now that I have the extra time to devote to it. So, the opening was for a co-treasurer...an that's where I was placed. I am meeting with M.K. on Thursday to go over roles and responsibilities of this position.
   The gym schedule is going well. I did have an issue with my new shoes causing a  really ugly blister on the back of my right foot. I am hoping it heal quickly and it stops bothering me. I am taking a break from the gym today, and will ride my exercise bike, and do the rowing machine. I want to be able to go to the gym the rest of the week. Mark will be home late Thursday...so that is what has been going on in my life on the other side of the globe. I am laying low today and going to organize my closet...h it m
needs it!
  Till next time.....
     
 

Start of the week-end...September 8, 2012

      It's way too early on Saturday morning! I have been up since 3:45am after falling asleep around 9:00pm. This jetlag is kicking my a$$!
      Mark left VERY early yesterday morning for a week in South Africa. I am once again...on my own in China. I am gong to go to the gym in a bit...it is not open till 8:00am on the weekends. I will also do some organizing and rearranging of my belongings since arriving and unpacking. I will be busy doing that over the weekend.
      I went to Shanghai yesterday with a few of the expat ladies via the high speed train. We went to the fabric market and did a bit of shopping. I like going to Shanghai via the train and being able to use the metro system to get around the city. We had a mad dash to catch our train home! You have to purchase your tickets in advance to secure a seat. We had purchased out tickets the day before and knew we needed to be back in Suzhou before 5:00pm. We were scheduled to be on the 4:11 train and barely made it with 3 minutes to spare! It was a mad dash through the train station I'll tell you...but we made it!    Crisis averted.
      I hope to go to Monday morning coffee and then after that, venture onto the new metro line in Suzhou. So far, one line is open an I haven't checked it out yet; as it opened in April when I was back home in the US. I am looking forward to the adventure and heading downtown for some leisurely walking and checking things out. I hope the weather cooperates with my plans.
      Time to go and start the day...