Monday 3rd September, 2012       1800

I am not joking when I say I found this morning a struggle. It was hard to get up so early and harder to get some vim into myself, but I was in class with plenty of time to spare. You would think after a couple of months holiday the students would have had plenty to talk about in my class seeing as it was also their first one back as well as mine. But no, just as stolid as they were last term. Yes, a few such as Bessie and Jazzy offered tales but only after prompting by me. Thank God I won’t have them for too long now. My calculations are that they have 12 double lessons, one we just had and the final two I will spend doing their final tests which leaves nine. To my surprise we do have a book this time, not a particularly good one but I will get through it. Well I say “we” but I haven’t been given one! Somewhere in my flat I have the same one from a year ago so I will try and find it.

The last thing I needed today was an unresponsive class when I had a job to motivate myself, so when we finished at noon I sagged with relief. I went to have a drink and chat with Kevin at the shops and although I got a cold one swiftly by simply taking one from the fridge, he wanted a bottled coffee drink from the supermarket. He had to wait for half an hour until there weren’t queues at the checkout a mile long. All the cafes were mobbed and the freshmen haven’t even arrived yet! I am told this term we will have 15,000 students and that will strain the facility infrastructure yet more - we really could do with another shopping/eating centre on site. As it was, I have always tried to time my shopping/dining for when lessons are taking place or after the rush hours but I can envisage even that becoming a pain. I suppose at least with the bike I can always whizz  outside, especially if the new cafes opening up are comparably priced.

My cat litter arrived a short time ago and on the promise of a 15y tip Kiki persuaded the lad to deliver it to my door. Because Lottemart rarely stock it lately it is becoming a monthly thing and weighing 20kg it is a fair weight to carry even for a young chap. Tonight’s consignment arrived in a box instead of the usual sack but as I knew there would be two bags of 10kg each, while he stood there I opened it and showed him so next time it will be easier for him.

Tuesday 4th      1330

Tried and failed to have a kip yesterday, the result of course being that unwelcome lethargic feeling all day. I would have bought my dinner on campus but the problem with making bread is that even the smallest loaf  is far too big for one person - no matter how hard I try some always gets thrown away. I had to have bread to save waste and treated myself to some Heinz baked beans on toast.

I feel a little more human now and will go to town later to shop and get my dinner. I want fresh flour so I can dump the “live” stuff, plus a container to keep it in. I wonder if Kevin has checked his because that has stood for two months opened!

Patrick is returning here in October. Not as a teacher but to get his money. Because his visa expired before his contract (a situation we all have but which is not a problem as long as you aren’t leaving) they wouldn’t reimburse flight expenses or provide a release letter until expiry. He therefore had to leave the country early. When Kevin told me my immediate comment was it was absolutely disgusting and why the hell couldn’t the school pay it into his account? It turns out it IS in his account but he has the same account as me, one with a book. I just learnt something - I can only withdraw money in this city! I am glad I didn’t find that out a year ago in Shanghai when I missed my flight. Ages ago I opened a card account and somewhere in a cupboard I have the box with a computer thingy and a book of Chinese instructions. It seemed pointless to get someone to set it up for me seeing as unless I got the uni to start paying my salary into it I still had to go to the bank to withdraw from one and pay into the other. I think it’s time I took the trouble.

1900

Seems a bit of a shame really to go all the way into town just to buy duck, flour and a bin to put the latter in, but then I did have dinner there and now - unless I particularly want  to - I don’t have to go again until the weekend. If I decide to do another lasagne I will have to, or get Kevin to buy the bits for me, he teaches kids downtown three evenings a week anyway.

My rides were interesting though, outbound I thought there was something odd by the lake. There was, the pleasure spot with the big batwings looked decidedly bare because the “wings” have disappeared. I thought perhaps they may have taken the fabric down for cleaning or something but when I got closer it looked as if the canvas (or whatever it is) had been ripped off. We haven’t had really strong winds recently so I have no idea what’s going on there.

On the way back I was approaching the Peninsular hotel on the lake. Right by the entrance to the place the road forms an S bend, and on the way back the first part of the S is a completely blind bend until you are a few feet from it - regardless of which direction you are travelling. Right on the entrance there are two sets of speed humps. Approaching the bend I heard a car horn but never accorded it any significance because if I went five minutes on the road without hearing one here I would think the world had ended.  Two cars came out of the curve on their side of the road, but a split second later a third hove into view on my side! He had decided to overtake in a place I would think cannot be topped for lunacy. Maybe his horn sounding was along the lines of a favourite Chinese driving motto - if I can’t see you then you can’t  hit me - and was supposed to guarantee no opposing traffic to collide with. It takes a lot here now on the road to render me incredulous but that did. Certainly I could have swerved off the road, hit a tree a injured or killed myself  if I wanted - I might also just have been able to scrape past the culprit and still stay on the road - but instead I simply stopped, slap bang in the middle of my lane, forcing him to do likewise. I won’t write what I said (or rather, bellowed) here, suffice to say my gestures left no doubt as to my thoughts. The only consolation I got was seeing the cars he was overtaking end up in front of him because I very much doubt the driver paid any notice or indeed realised his utter stupidity. Give me a .44 Magnum.

2230

I forgot to mention that on my return the mother of the noisy kid (she’s fine, hubby never speaks and it’s granddad that incites the little one to be loud) looked on quizzically as I took my shopping off the bike. I think it astonished her that a man would buy flour, for she asked what I used it for. Looks like I will be making her a loaf shortly then.

I’ve just got back from taking the dogs out, Robin to do her thing and Pepsi to hide and shiver as usual - I wonder if dogs can be agoraphobic? Anyway, when we came home, because I have no intention of going any great distance tomorrow instead of charging up I parked outside the entrance. I did vaguely register the rubbish bin for our block had been toppled but it is hardly my concern.

However, my guess is that there was waste food in a bag inside and the “black gang” pushed it over to get at it. I don’t think I am wide of the mark because although I couldn’t see them in the dark they were still there. Now everybody hates these dogs, including Kevin and me. They tried it on with Piggy but when he was old enough and big enough they had the sense to leave him alone. They used to gang up on Robin when she was younger but lately as I think I said in a previous post, she has taken delight in approaching them, barking to annoy them and then making a run for it.

Only this time, it was HER territory! I don’t know how many there were at the start, but when the blonde bombshell arrived at the speed of light just two had stuck around, foolishly as it turned out to my immense pride and joy. A black male son and the matriarch, a Vietnamese pot-bellied ugly pig of a canine which I would destroy without hesitation. Fur flew everywhere and there could be only one victor. Two black things fled in terror and a triumphant blonde dog stood tall on “her” mound where she normally waits for my return. I have to say I lavished praise on her……..

Extra portion of duck for her tonight methinks!