Sunrise in Hong Kong

What it’s been? A couple of months?

I’m back. Sort of.

Where have I been? Here and there. Everywhere and nowhere.

After 3.5 years of blogging I was a little tired. Seeing what some bloggers had done in the name of making a buck made me sad. Tired and sad, I opted for a little time away from Asian Ramblings and the travel blog scene.

That and I’ve turned a page or two in the book that is my life. A whole new chapter, you might say.

• A new job, as I mentioned previously. Out of the classroom and into the boardroom.
• We (Mrs. Stevo and I) bought a condo. I have been busy rolling in plaster dust and trying to remember the cuss words my father was fond of saying while doing DIY projects.
• Mrs. Stevo is expecting. That’s right, there’s a bun in the oven. The stork is circling. I’m happy and frightened.
• I’ve taken a shot or two since I last posted here. I’ve been playing around with black and white.
• Asian Ramblings has been nominated again for the Bloggies. Head on over and vote for your favorite blogs.

That’s all for now. I’ll be around with a story or a photo to share as time permits.

The start of things always sets me back: It use to be the start of a school year or term. So much to do, so little time. Now it’s a “real” job (there are some who believe that teaching overseas is not a real job. News Flash: It is.). A desk covered in cameras, flashes, and odds and ends, emails, blog posts, memos, instructions, and a hard drive full of JPEGs.

My posts here have been erratic. I’m not only trying to transition to a new career but this place too. I have no new humorous classroom tales, no stories of drunken foreign teachers, no deep insights. But, I can tell you about the AV/USB jack on the new Canon 7D.

Some random tidbits instead of anything meaty:

1) I now have hot water in my second apartment. Drawback: I have to stand with one foot on either side of the “squatter” to shower. A small price to pay for a hot shower. I had a blog post written about my DIY shower project, to avoid the “shower in the bucket.” I waited too long to post.

2) I also have a fridge. Now I have the ability to keep beer cold instead of drinking it right after buying it.(Come on, like that will happen.) I may use the empty fridge box to build a fort of some kind.

3) I’ve gone back to the gym after a one month absence. Pain is now my constant companion.

4) In an average week I am fed six pounds of rice over three days at the factory cafeteria. (That estimate is conservative.)

5) My translator/assistant is a fresh-faced 22-year-old. She stands too close to me and makes me uncomfortable.

6) One of my co-workers has an infectious laugh. Imagine Eddie Murphy’s laugh, combined with Helium and crystal meth.

7) My Chinese has expanded beyond vulgar things to say to wayward taxi drivers.

8 ) When I use to work until 8:30 pm I dreamed about a job with normal hours. Now, I’m incredibly bored and go to bed early.

9) I don’t like sleeping alone. My stuffed pig was lost in my last move.

10) I’ve watched both seasons of True Blood and am upset I have to wait for more.

11) My battle discussions with Mrs. Stevo about getting a dog are not progressing well.

12) To kill the time I’ve considered having a Qipao (see photo at right) tailored and taking a series of self-portraits in drag.

13) I thank the universe for Facebook and Twitter although I really hate both of them.

14) The Chinese dentist I went to was 1000-times better than any dentist I ever saw in Canada. I can’t say the same for the doctors.

photo credit: Marc van der Chijs

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein

Mrs. Stevo chillin’ on Saturday afternoon. In other news: My camera is suppose to be ready today (the operative phrase being: Suppose to).

For Robin and Bibliomom.

My first sunrise in China, unemployed.

As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, as of June 30, 2009 at 10:19 am (GMT +8) I joined the ranks of the unemployed. My contract ended, they school paid me off and gave me the official release letters. No more will I be hailed with the moniker, “Teacher.”

No more students, no more books, no more boss’s dirty looks. For me, as Alice Cooper said, school is out forever. No more teaching English in China, no more being el instructor grande of English as a Second Language.

Okay, I’m only temporarily unemployed.  I have a job to start in a few weeks, after the return of Mrs. Stevo and perhaps a bit of travel. What is that job? A few of you have asked, in comments and by email. When all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed I’ll let the cat out of the bag.

Every day is a new beginning. It’s easy to get mired in what seems a daily grind, the proverbial rut. Sometimes you need to take a step back and see each day for what it is: A new start. Here’s to a fresh start and new beginnings. For today, it’s a 6:15 pm flight to Shanghai and the Interphoto & Digital Imaging Shanghai (Show) from July 2-5? Visit me at the Phottix booth at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center. I’ll be easy to spot: The smiling white guy.

aside: I recent lamented to Norm that China has weak clouds. After last week’s typhoon the sky has been filled with big puffy monster clouds (see above). It’s a pleasant change.

ESL Teachers and a student take part in a basketball game as part of a school charity event in Shenzhen, China.

When I worked for a newspaper I loved shooting high school sports. The weather this day didn’t agree with me. This image looked much better before the JPG conversion. And, I’m way out of practice.  Michael at Expatriate Games has a great description of basketball in China (the nation is crazy for it). I recommend reading it.

The two weeks of sunshine were a tease. I spent most of the weekend inside thanks to torrential downpours. June 1 signals the start of the Pacific typhoon season. A school day canceled because of a typhoon is always welcome. Five weeks and counting…

I haven’t had much to say lately. Things have been busy. Finishing one phase of your life, and planning for another, is not an easy task, especially when government bureaucracy is involved. Such is life in China.

Random Conversation

As I sat on the 777 from Beijing to Shenzhen, a small boy, maybe six-years-old, climbed into the aisle from the bank of seats to my front.  The lad’s eyes opened wide when he spotted me. There was a brief consultation between the boy and his father before he walked over to me.

“Good morning,” he said.

It was 6 pm.

“Good morning,” I replied, my young-learners happy face prominent.

He stared at me, concentrating.

Finally, he said, clearly and loudly, “Snake.”

“Yes,” I parroted, “Snake.”

“Snake,” he said again.

I nodded. “Snake.”

Then he ran back to his father and I returned to Michael Palin’s Himalaya on my iPod. I am willing to bet that good morning and snake are the only English words he knows. I wonder about the curriculum of his kindergarten.

The Stevo eats Beijing Roast Duck. Yes, it is tasty.

Random Thoughts

Beijing Roast Dusk is as tasty as you have heard. Consuming it with 26 bottles of beer makes it more so. I wonder if Madame Donna can make it?

Don’t be in Tiananmen Square while experiencing distress in your lower GI tract. The square is 40 acres, and it is a long hike to the facilities.

Real men eat chili peppers, even if it leads to abdominal distress (see above).

The woman on a street corner that offers you a massage at 1:30 am is not really offering you a massage.

Don’t ever take a Hong Kong MTR train at 6:00 pm on a Friday afternoon. If you must, lube up first to increase your chances of  getting in and out of the train and station.

Half-asleep dreams, where your wife is so close you can touch her are sweet, but few and far between.

Watching three dogs try to mate is funnier after consuming too many beers than it would be sober.

Yogurt can be an almost adequate substitute for mayo when making tuna salad.