New Year's Day 2020 1500

Time was, I'd have been partying until the wee hours. As it was, I was fast asleep by 2230! Is that age or the fact I really don't have anyone here I want to celebrate with?

So I woke up this morning and switched my phone on. In Chizhou I would have been deluged with texts, they used to annoy me because of the time and expense of replying individually. What did I get here? One last night from (I assume) a student who never even gave their name and lo and behold, this morning I received a text. It was from Bank of China informing me they had deducted 2¥ from my account, the monthly fee for receiving texts when there is any movement in or out of my account!

So no, it hardly seems as though it is a new year.

And my new decade may just have gotten off to a dreadful start. Joanna just told me her firm are not moving to Taiwan as first thought, but Malaysia. I am unsure just how big a spanner in the works for summer that represents and right now I have no idea if she is going to relocate with them. My advice to her when we thought it would be Taipei was to grab the opportunity and if she asks I shall say the same about Malaysia but that may not appeal to her. Every time I plan something there's always a stumbling block.

1600

She's moving with them but she has no idea where they are moving to in Malaysia.

Problems in the making.

My contract stipulates reimbursement for flights to my home country and from here to a major hub. In China. We all know what accounts departments are like.

That's a battle I shall fight if I have to, I was, and still am, so excited about taking her to England. I just hope that with my track record on plans it still actually takes place. It would involve considerably more logistics and expense but still possible. And of course I still want to get my Shanghai visit in afterwards.

Why the hell does my life have to be so complicated? I'm not married. I should be able to book a TUI package holiday to Greece or Tunisia for three shillings and sixpence, half board for two weeks and here I am staring down the barrel of a £5,000 gun for a week in the UK.

When I was at sea I actually had a little (only a little, I should emphasise) envy for 9-5 office workers who knew exactly when their holidays would be and they could plan their hi-jinks abroad. Now the green monster doesn't even poke his head above the the parapet, I can go wherever the hell I like except this time someone I care about wants to go to my country.

I think I shall stop announcing my plans until they are cemented. Something always goes wrong.

Isn't life full of surprises?

I suppose, looking on the bright side, if I can afford it, next winter I now know where to go to get warm again!