Doing nothing!

How easy it is to do nothing when life is not ruled by commitments! My weekend which is Tues and Wednesday is not full of things I feel like I have to do and there is an incredibly long list of things I'd like to do: visit Taiwan, go to Macao or HongKong, visit many famous sites in neighbouring provinces of China, plus go to the bars where home seems just that bit closer...XPats run by an Adelaidiean, La Casa (Canadian), McCawleys ( Aussie Irish)...and more.

Sunday ( equiv to my Thursday) went to the BBQ restaurant near apartments with other teachers...yummy, the facebook comments about garlic oysters originate from here!
Monday ( my Friday night) we went to a Hunnan style local restaurant ( Jacy is Chinese and can read and speak the menu which really helps!). Everything swimming in chilli or chilli doused oils... we tried frog and pigs trotters [thats Kermit and Moiss Piggy in the same sitting] , both edible but really not not worth the fuss caused by my still inadequate chopstick handling skills.. rice I can do, peanuts I can pick up in chopsticks but Mr Miyagee, I struggle with pigs trotters! That brings us to tuesday ( our Saturday)...
Sleep in, lie in bed and read....housework, washing resulting in a very EF'y balcony by the time a week and a bits worth of uniform are hanging, all navy and beige! Tuesday night drinks and dinner at La Casa - via bus/subway - good night out for some joint birthdays. There would have been photos but my battery was flat... some may eventuate through other source.
Wed (Sun) a bit of a lie in, Gym at 10.30, coffee and teh paper at "Starbucks" one of the few decent coffee options in Nanshan ... grocery shopping carted home via bicycle... more shopping for some 3/4 pants to wear to the gym in this weather - cool but not cold... and a new DVD player as the last one chewed up Sherlock Holmes and refused to ever start again ( the movie is that boring I have to admit).
Dinner was home cooked steak and mashed tatoes for St Paddy's day.

Tomorrow, really Thursday I have a reprieve on the private health training session from 6.45am - meet at 7.30am - a great psychological step, as it's not going to be hot too early, hence the reprieve. Teaching in the evening and then its Friday and all systems gooooooo till Sunday night.

Did I bore you yet??? As you can see, nothing has actually happened this week. except the news from my Australian Bank that I am a "victim" of credit card fraud via the UK. I have apparently purchased so much underwear and many DVDs that the computer picked it up. Now, to fill out all the forms and dispute the transations - just what I need.

In that light I bought myself a TIGER, a sysmbol of this Chinese Year - he's cute (and he was reduced) but I hope he's about to change my financial vibes for the year.
1 Lost wallet ( not including fraudulent credit card _ I actually have it here)
1 fraudulent credit card use
1 compromise with previous landlady ( get back half my deposit for my breach of verbal contract - what's a verbal contract in this county??? Unheard of -almost!)

Amazing to think a week ago I was in Bangkok airport on my way back to SZ. I had a window seat and for once it was clear and not hazy. I was amazed that the layout appears to have no pattern, Adelaide streets have right angles and the rare diagonal - here the right angle was rare and random directions seems to be the more usual. No wonder I can't get a sense of direction, even with a map.

I may have to change blog sites as Google is threatening to move from China, I expect that means there will be a disruption to the already disrupted.....this is through Germany today.

Wh questions -Why? (all text no photos!)

Why do I even complain about the sudden drop in temperature in Shenzhen ( Crikey [substitute another Austrlian adjective her..] - its quite cool tonight!!) when half the world seems to be affected by landslides, easthquakes, flood and hailstones? Long question, short answer - 'cos the temprature in SZ affects me, and I'm cold!! Selfish I know.

Why do I feel like Bill the Steamshovel in Mr Squiggle? Hurry up...hurry up Miss Pat. hurry up! The internet through the Greatfirewall is slow and I just encountered the initial pages in a script I couldn't read. (Apologies to those who have never had exposure to Mr Squiggle!)

why are the Oscars holding world headline news? Go the Underdogs! Go Wallace and Grommit - A matter of Loaf and Death - I use it often in my teaching!

Why am I going to Bangkok for dinner on Tuesday night ? Oh yes, I promised to meet friends Hoa and Andrew part way through their Thailand Holiday and that's my weekend.....fly out after teaching tomorrow night (Monday) and come back Wed night. Hope to catch up with Jason also if I can - maximise my trip. I spent stuff all last weekend to compensate for the coming weekend - not sure about my carbon footprint ? Yikkes ... I have two small plants in a pot ( as opposd to pot plants).

Where did all those kids come from this weekend of teaching.... strewth, they were everywhere from Friday night to Sunday night and inbetween too I think. Peak season they tell me....two twelve hour days is a bit much for an ESL teacher's lifestyle. 3 days work in 2 days....ummm that means short days somewhere else...let me reconsider that whole I'm flying o Bangkok this "weekend". Ummm sleep in tomorrow - don't anyone dare ring me - phones all on silent, Skype is off...curtains closed, gym cancelled - bet I am awake at 7am! even after a few glasses of wine

Why do I long for the smart lifts in the ANZ building in Adelaide (for me Ex DFEEST)? Cos the lifts in this bukding are dumb... all bottom or all top....amd no co=ordination.....but the Smartwhite boards in our new classrooms are soooo smart a dumb teacher like me ( and most others, especially those who can't read Chinese characters) can't work them....my class oday wanted Mr Bean... well - they got me trying to stand on the elevated stage thing ( and not fall off), work our the touch screeny thing and fancy non ink pens....woooo too hard witjout about three months of testing! SMART technology + most of the teachers = classes in fits of laughter and appeals of help!

When can I finally put away all the fleece, padded jackets and thick socks? not this week!

Where am I going to stay in HK when I go there for the HK 10's rugby ? I can't go to the HK 7's as its my peak working days so the Wed of the HK tens sounds good again to me.....plus an evening at Ned Kelly's jazz bar with Colin and Jeannie...must book asap...pending PayPal working I expect.... I want a HK credit card NOW to save teh Ozzie one from use.... I'm working on it .... and a way to transfwr electronically $$$ back to Oz ... not easy this end of the world, mainland ...HK...soon'

Why do I have soooo much marking to do????

Stay tuned for photos from BKK where connections should be faster than here and may include photos!

Love to all XXXXX Vonny

In between blogsites

This is from a blogsite I tried using while the social networking sites were/are hard to access. Some of the missing months are here. http://vonnyorient.talkspotblogs.com/

Kidnapped by my High Flyers (7-9yo). The Summer outing today was the local cinema to see Ice Age3 in 3D...almost all of the teachers went along on their day off and I was immediately pulled along by some of my HF class, kidnapped in reverse and even was treated to a coke and a share of a huge bucket of popcorn. Domestic work in the afternoon, supermarket and then relaxing on teh balcony with the breeze and a book and a glass of Italian Pinot Grigo. Not much else has hppened this week, just teaching really. FuTian Stadium - our current training ground for the SZ Celts Gaelic Football Club. Facinating that locals DO exercise,around and around and around the tartan track unless they are stopping to watch crazy people 98% foreigners running, kicking, handballing and crashing into each other. I was on the defending end of a clash with my boss's boss and she's smaller than me but she knows what she's doing and Irish too. Great to run around again after two months of sedate exercise but the legs are stiff two days later. The stadium was built for the World University Games in Sz in 2011, the facilties look excellent (and it's on a bus run from my place which helps). SZ had a typhoon cross through overnight last week and the damage was mild considering the wind and rain, the worst since 2003 I think with winds greater than 140kph. The new trees they had JUST planted blew over, not suprising with the short root stock they have. The photo is the workcrew tying things back up again. We all hoped for a day off due to typhoon alert but it blew through too early and too quickly to close the school to limit risk to staff and students travelling...still no closure for AH1/N1 virus either. It might be thought an overreaction but imagine having to treat over abillion people if you can reduce the risk of spread by quarantine it seemsto have worked but given the WHO has stopped counting the cases, the Centre for Communicable Diseases has said if you think you havei t stay home and don't mix with others and only go to hospital if its worse... still only 166 people in SZ have been identified, most at border crossings so perhaps its working - till winter when they might have developed the vaccine by then. My apartment stood up well, with an early morning inspection of the wind and rain noting the pot plant fell off the window ledge with th ewind. I'd brought everything in from the balcony but I do know of people who lost their washing in the wind. That same night I'd been at the Xpats bar (run by 2 Aussies, 1 from Adelaide) watching the rugby, was chatting to a bloke who had an IT guru break the drough for social networking sites and blogs....that's why i can do this myself - this week anyway....a suprise for dad he doesnt have to do it for me. Just remember, if you want to find my old blog site google Vonny sans freedomfriday and you should see what came before. Last night (Tuesday) went with Liz to see Harry Potter film ( half price Tuesday here too). We both enjoyed it. We then met a bunch of other teachers for a meal ( yummy noodles and shrimps /prawns from a very traditional place). Where else can you wander through back streets as a group, drinking longneck Tsing Tao beers while walking and end up with a delicious meal costing not a lot. Then onto Demon Bar at Coco Park ( lots of bars) and then, onto a night club in Lohou. Needless to say, I didnt last that long in the flashing lights, duff duff, thump thump loud loud music and smoke filled room. Taxi - home at 3am and i was only going to the 7.15 session of the movies! Lucky Wed is our day off hence all the teachers out on Tuesday night. Domestic day, housework, washing, grocery shopping and people watching. Back to school tomorrow for two full days , a light Saturday and a heavy Sunday and no roster yet for next week. Maybe next week a trip to HK, maybe even overnight so I can go to Ned Kellys????? Wait for the roster. I watched in facination today as a lady used a net to try and catch her supper (in the supermarket fish tanks)-live fish , eels, turtles....live chicken restricted since avian flu...I can just imagine a chicken getting away from the "butcher" in the supermarket! Add to this kids without nappies, splits in their pants just suddenly peeing in the trolley, kids walking in squeeky shoes with flashing lights, people with their handbag dogs , christmas carols in July and its all too easy to forget what you went out to buy! Still waiting for confirmation of some leave to drop home in late Sept, early October... will advise as soon as I know... book the table at a local pub for a veal schnitzel gravy and chips....and roast pork with crackling (and no pigs ears!) The Sun got eaten by the dragon today but in SZ we had a partial 70% which was dimmer than usual rather than dark, just as I was surfacing after the latenight out. LIFE AFTER TVSP Last week on my day off I headed out to find a geocache , the only one listed for SZ. Didn’t quite find it yet, but found a lovely Botanic Garden to wander around in relative peace a pagoda surrounded by eucalypts This week on my day off , I bought Paddington a summer outfit to replace his tatty outback singlet and baggy shorts. Note the PB size “crocs”. Needs the bush hat and sunnies now. He was happy to sit on the balcony and view the kids in the pool. Still looking out for a Chinese style outfit for him, might have to get one made? Looking for strange things here’s a few signs… this one attached to a fence post (condoms?) car wash/detailing … automobile beauty Macdonalds delivery bikes very posh compared with most and the riders wear helmets (not necessarily strapped up but it’s a start) Maybe Ronald McD could do the pedaling? This morning on the footpath outside the apartment you could buy fruit/ veg/ eggs/ get your knife, axe or whatever sharpened, buy some noodle dish, tonight it was DVDs, plants, furniture, fruit, veg …the sharpening man must not work nights – no lights? The constant is the recycling, the people who collect card, bottles, wires, building bits n pieces and effectively salvage anything worth something… hard living, but nothing goes to waste. A spelling “game” That’s it for now, I have an “observed” lesson to plan , the 1/4rly assessment for performance management . Thanks to Don for the interface with a blog for now. Oddities in SZ Sorry dear readers…. Social networking and blog sites are all in a state of disarray here, no facebook except through a proxy which you can’t write to, intermittent access to some blog sites… Posting off the original of my acceptance letter, story in itself – posting is a half day chore….. I’m in disarray too, adjusting to my life after TAFE, as I have just divorced from the SA Government after 30 years, taking a package offered in late June. Now all the dilemmas of best investment of my “nest egg” as I am officially unemployed in Oz, and never sure how long this current work will remain ( or my patience/passion for it). taken by Luke in a crazy moment, yes it’s upside down as taken. Teaching is now into Summer, that crazy season where we work 6 days a week and collapse for 1 ( called a day off). It’s all daytime teaching though so we get to see the evening… nicest light between 6.30 and 7.30pm ( viewed from the balcony through a G’nT with a book). Friday night has a new meening unless you have parent teacher meetings scheduled for 9am. ( mine so far are pm) so we went out for a “few” beers last Friday to Window on the World, bar street. Von and Riley ( from NZ) Liz (UK)and Lindsay (NZ) Last year I was itching to get to HK on a day off, now it’s not so urgent but I will need to go soon to chase down some new paperback releases. I’m currently reading all the Sherlock Holmes stories, quite a read and very proper English I must say. Von with a glass of red, sitting next to Jacques (EF Foreign teacher from Sth Africa) and on my other shoulder sat "Sharkey "(NZ) - roll on the Tri-Nations! We are three rugby fans too. It turned out that many of the EF teachers were there for a night out and we naturally "hung out together" - so it was more than just the three of us from our school amongst the Xpat crowd. The comedy was as expected, very standup, while we were sitting in theatre style described as feeling like a wedding...after the comedy we all moved to the VBar for more beverages ( 1 included in ticket) to listen to the live band Boz (Aussie) - not bad. The venue was the Crowne Plaza - rather posh, I wish I'd been able to take a photo of the pool area near the VBar-really swanky. At least being a posh hotel, getting a taxi home was easy. Tody then was a slow start, a gentle treadmill session at the gym and a hour relaxing in Starbucks reading the Sth China Post...trying to decide if I should go down for a short refreshing swim ? Note to self....mind the floor rug .....the day the floor has been polished! I inherited Hannah's IKEA floor rug which suits the apartment quite well and absorbs some of teh dust that gets trekked in from the balcony...but the floor was polished today by someone organised by my landlady which makes it slippery under the mat! Today was a stay at home tidy up day waiting for the floor man to come so I decided to order the bulk drinking water too (that came almost as soon as Alan had sent a TXT to tell me it was ordered....can't do that on my own... mayo (no) Chinese good enough to get the message through. I can order Eggplant, dumplings, ask for chopsticks because they all have the same sound (DZA ending which I seem to be able to pronounce!). Counting is helped by fingers and calculators. I bought a plant and have no idea what it is except that it was only 10RMB and smells pretty.... I bought it from the mobile garden shops on tricycles which Jen dubbed treecycles....does anyone know what a cyclamen looks like? I'd like to buy a cyclamen plant from the treecycle..... check the photo and let me know.... One thing about living in China where reading material is mostly not in English, the urge to read lends itsself towards books long since forgotten or never read like The Jungle Book and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles, roll on the next pay month and a day trip to HK bookshops. I have been told the photo is of an Anthurium plant (cheers Sandi) What does a cyclamen plant look like?

		© 2010 vonny in the orient

Return to Deep-Blue

Room with a view -


lounge area before Tv couch. fridge provided
View from bedroom - tallest in background is opposite school
Lounge after moving in

Well, after 12 months in my palacial apartment, I decided to save some money and downsize. Prompted by a 20% increase in my rent...after some indecision, saved by the fact we hadn't signed a new contract yet....I took the opportunity to find something smaller and better value.
So, I'm in a one bedroom apartment, very similar to teh 2008 apartment only brighter with a functional balcony. same place as 2008 - a 20 minute ramble to school or 8 minute bike ride.

I moved via bicycle and taxi...friends offered to
help but we had opposing rosters of work so I can proudly say I did it my way! Nelson from NY our newest teacher is my downstairs neighbour.

There are a lot of restaurants around here, not western style so eating close to home is so much more interesting and cheaper generally. I can use my random vacabulary of Chinese words, mostly related to eating, or just pint and guess.

Good classy DimSum/Yum Cha restaurant very near by where I had my first Chicken's feet
( well, it was classy so I decided to give it a go.
You can't really tell so you'll have to take my word for it!


Yesterday I went to Hong Kong to sort out some banking, visit Dymocks Books, Fuel Coffee Bar, and the MarketPlace ( Hardy's Rose and Villi's Pies the target here). Headed back in time for BBQ dinner at a nearby restaurant with teaching friends...garlic with evrything! Oysters, chicken wings, lamb shaslicks, corn, eggplant, green stuff like grass, noodles - yummy , beers, beers and did I mention the garlic? It was 40RMB each (Thats not even $A10.)

Oh, then we went bowling ( DON"T LAUGH!) it seems to be popular here - except that when we got to the place tucked away inside an anonymous looking building we were the only customers at 9.30pm (Tuesday). I was clearly making my dislike for the pastime well aired but still, it was something to do , when they sold it to me as drunken bowling, I understood and participated ( a bit like pizza quiz nights!). The things you do when surrounded by strange things.

Anyway, the New Year's firecrackers seemed to have finished, relative quiet returns. the desire to wear a flack jacket (under many layers of warm jackets as it was cold) has subsided. The icy cold 6 degrees has been replaced by 22 and high humidity. The cold inside, meeting the moist warm sea air has resulted in amazing condensation inside the buildings ( floors and walls looking like they've been washed but in fact are moist with condensation) should be a short term issue as he waether settles but the ShenZhen Daily (English Paper) article was headed MOIST SEA AIR SOAKS CITY APARTMENTS, inside the rooms is not too bad for me but the washing might take an age to dry.

Anyway again... time to brave the slippery corridors and venture out for some food.

back to the gym tomorrow
A month of teaching winter program + Spring Festival week means I havent had time to visit during the days when my membership is valid ( off peak before 5pm). I'm sure Michael will put me though my yoga paces to improve balance ( necessary with the slippery Chinese floors!)....then school in the afternoon/evening.

Hungry tummy. I'm going out....to be continued

Sorry, took longer than expected as I accidentally ordered enough dumplings to feed quite a few people (not sure where my poor pronunciation indicated four serves eg about 48 dumplings!!) and they were hurridly making them but it was a chance to watch how fast they can work. Flatten the dough ballls, roll out the small palm sized dough, fill with porkmince and green veg stuff, fold and pinch closed and steam. I paid about $A7.00 for my ordering error so it's hardly a financial disaster. I gave one box of dumplings to the begger and he seemed grateful. One to eat, one for tomorrow so still a dozen dumplings left - anyone??? As nothing goes to waste I am sure my "leftovers" will be utilised. If I was sure the pork hadn't been frozen before I'd freeze it
but as I got the order wrong I'd hate to try and complicate things by trying to ask!

I'm looking forward to the day when it's safe to pack away the winter coats and fleeces, the bulky winter quilt/doona into plastic crates and hope that the landlady does organise for teh airconditioners to be installed in lounge and bedroom before it's too uncomfortable.

Have you watched the film "Sherlock Holmes"? I thought it was horrid and boring and my DVD player blew a power input while it was still in the machine - so the computer came in handy to watch "Up in the air" with the smile of George Clooney... yes, wehad a cold, damp boring week off over Spring Festival - so cold the heaters came out and most if not all foreign teachers from school hibernated over books and DVDs.

I went for a bike ride and lost my wallet so spent teh nex two days cancelling cards, ordering new cards....with new passport numbers and address change to complicate everything! Banking in Mainland China is an experience for all but as it holidays the banks were quiet once they opened so the waitiung time was short , the number of forms to fill in was seemingly neverending. Not again please.... don't be toooo relaxed its not conducive to functioning brain! But it was a cold, mundane and slack week - what a waste - there are only so many ways to reorganise a new apartement. At last I have a reasonable range of cable TV so i was very uptodate with world affairs, and footballers affairs and golfers affairs!!!

Time to put this post to bed.
Bye for now - Year of the Tiger or Tigger bounce bounce.

6 months in the wilderness , I think I'm back on line!

GONG XI FA CAI! - Happy New Year to all.

Same job, new apartment - new year...new experiences.

IF this link holds open then stay tuned for the return of the comments on life in Shenzhen China...the mundane, the everyday and the occasional bizzare...all with bad keyboarding and lax spelling. Stay tuned or tune out - your choice. xxxx Vonny

Summer - Qingyuan Hot Spring Resort Trip

Almost like a photographer's convention as the big guns came out

Hot stepping it through the bamboo poles at the entertainment Water feature ? at the hot springs

Reading instead of attempting to understand the "lecture" about deer products for medicinal and other weird purposes.

Grass skiing, not quite the adrenelin buzz of snow skiing and not quite the excitement of skiing in Chile in 2008 - but it was fun anway, even if it was hot!

A 3 hour minibus ride from ShenZhen and we were in the "resort" area. We went rafting in a mix of man made and natural environment, concrete "canyons" and a dammed wall of water ensures a 365 day activity , it just means you have to wait for the river to fill up at the launch end.

Helmets doubled as bailers and one paddle per boat indicated there would not be too much paddling.

We we set afloat when there was enough water! and hurtled towards the unknown through tunnels and "drains" and some flat areas where I could get the little camera out of teh waterproof box to take some shots.

It was quite good fun but sometimes previous experiences ( Kicking Horse River in Canada or North Island NZ, or the Borneo washing machine) overshadow what is still a good day out.

Must go, it's time to teach...hopefully this latest fix will work at home too, speeding up the uploading time to reasonable. It's a big business finding fixes around teh Great Firewall.

Cheers

A week flies by...

Well, it was great having friends from home visit. Apart from the really yummy cargo they carried, i also doubled my wardrobe with tracksuit, rugby jumper, T shirts, sports stuff for my "active" life here in SZ. Add to that a package of novels, and some great story books and Cd of kids stories that I can use here in extension activities. Thanks again to all ....

It's strange how you can get excited about normal things like socks and undies, moisturiser and insect repellent!

Not to mention how nice it is to talk about all things familiar without having to watch the language or slow down the speech.

After a couple of hectic days in HK, we headed to SZ. Easy trip really, staying at Tsim Sha Tsui (dodgy looking but cheap and our guesthouse was clean if not tiny), the journey involved an underground walk to the East TST station to board the train to LoWu on the mainland.

After arrival here Jen and Deb had to get SZ visas ( 5 days for SZ only), assuming a lengthy process we were treated to a turnaround of less than 15 minutes and 160RMB for Aussie passport holders. (Much more for Brits)

We then walked to the Metro to catch the Underground to the end of line 1, then te 72 bus to a drop off at my doorstep. See, told you it was easy.

Late lunch (as usual) of dumplings and a supermarket trip then home to the aforementioned balcony feast.

Day 2, trek on bus/Metro to Dongman to shop for Polo Shirts, home in time for me to work briefly. Then home for a dinner prepared by my guests - yummy.

Day 3, borrowed Luke's bike with my mountain bike and my original and uncomfortable China Domestic Model we set off for Seaworld at Shekou via Decathlon Sports. Nearby, we noticed the Olympic drums from the opening ceremony and Deb and I were invited to have a go. Wow, I've played the Olympic drums!

Lunch at TexMex, a bike ride to the old sea port of SZ, and the fish market near the luxurious apartments at Shekou, providing an amazing contrast of lifestyles.

Sore butts and knees once we got home a dinner at local BBQ place where I had my 50th dinner. Hannah joined us, we later adjourned to 3D bar and caught up with Luke and Lei.

News from the balcony - the POOL is full, not sure when it opens for residents use, I'll find out.

After visitors, life returns to normal except that the apartment has been dusted and swept and the kitchen is spotless - cheers. Teaching a full weekend and a split shift Monday the the "weekend" begins.

Thanks Jen and Deb for coming, thanks to China for teh May Day holiday and to Luke for the carefully rostered week, thanks to Tara, Sandy, Jen, Deb, Mum and Dad for the gifts and contributions ... love Vonny