Saturday 21st November, 2015                   0205

Yes, silly time I know and I will regret it in the morning but in my defence I did have a kip earlier.

The biggest thing that happened to me since the last post is something I am absolutely incandescent about.

A client of the translation firm rejected two files (on medical diabetes studies) citing his American tutor saying “his” work was littered with Chinglish. Having edited the damned things myself I know full well there was no Chinglish whatsoever unless suddenly I have lost my mastery of my own language. I am unsure as to whether the student simply doesn’t want to pay (the company tells me he always has in the past) or a fracking Yank is completely incapable of understanding English. I know they don’t speak it and can’t spell it but how dare they have the audacity to say my work is Chinglish?

I could understand if  I was twenty in today’s England where “innit” and “wassup” are part of the vocabulary but really????

An eloquent email has been sent requesting any examples of Chinglish to be pointed out and it would seem the firm, having already refunded the student’s fee, are grateful for both my ire and my assistance. I am not sure any response will be received simply because there WAS no bloody Chinglish - that’s what I am there for.

Anyway, time to cool down.

I made a frittata last night, Joan was busy so I invited Dumpling, who wanted to bring a friend. She was her classmate and we all enjoyed a delicious meal marred only by the fact I used too many evil chillis in it. Well they enjoyed it, it was me who suffered!

Tonight I made my version of cottage pie, and as thick as pigshit that I am, I repeated yesterday’s error in using too many chillis! It is just that always I buy them (they come in big packs), use a few and then end up throwing most away. This time I used them all. It was the hottest cottage pie I have EVER had and Joan is not a fan of really spicy food. Anna is though. Ok the portions were large because I decided to take the lazy route to avoid washing up and bought aluminium trays to cook individual servings. Much too big but the remains of Joan’s and Anna’s were taken either to be eaten for breakfast or possibly fed to the feral animals if they were being sneaky. It WAS hot.

This weekend is going to be busier than I would like.

At eleven I am being collected for lunch. A school owner wants me to teach at his school. My co-teacher Anthony pressured me. My instant response when he asked me was an emphatic “no” and I hate him for what he did next.  “You want to stay in Chizhou? You need some guanxi (influence/sway) and the owner maybe has what you need”.

I really, really do not want to teach kids in my spare time. Sure the money is welcome but I am never going to get rich at my age so I just like to enjoy life. Of course you know I will end up doing it - on my terms - because IF he can assist me in staying here until retirement age then it is worth it. But by God I will hate every moment. So lunch it is.

Then to my surprise, Richard knocked on my door this afternoon to invite me for dinner tomorrow night. This is going to be a struggle because I only normally eat once a day. From what he told me before, he is a rudimentary cook so I was taken aback and am now wondering what the hell he is preparing.

Oh and then on Sunday I felt obliged to do two lessons in the morning for Mr Kidney Failure who is up a creek without a paddle. One of his teachers quit, hence the need for me, and I suggested my ex student Elizabeth as a replacement. The owner is many things, idiot being one of them, and he told her that because he was looking for a permanent teacher (she can only promise two months as she has yet to graduate) she would not be suitable.

The guy is short staffed and would have been in the excrement had I not agreed to do Sunday and he is looking a gift horse in the mouth?

I told him how idiotic that was and that at least he would have someone covering until he recruited a permanent teacher (plus of course Elizabeth would earn some money). She is coming with me on Sunday to help for free, at which time the owner will be left in no doubt, friend or no friend, what a blithering fool he can be at times. If he doesn’t take Elizabeth on then probably I will do him no more favours, he has rejected perfectly good candidates I put forward to teach at his school and for the most inane reasons.

And now I have typed all this I am now wondering if I am supposed to be somewhere on Sunday evening - but I can’t recall!