Lonely, I'm so lonely .......

Feeling a bit lonely these days :~(

Tuya went back to Mongolia almost 2 weeks ago. I've started to make some friends in Shanghai but a lot of them don't go out at all. Or they can never commit to going out again. People here seem very flaky when it comes arranging a meeting. So usually it doesn't happen.

Seems like many Chinese people are into work and family but not into social life. Or at least not into making new friends outside their immediate social circle.

Also, at my morning schools almost no teachers talk to me, so I don't even have much human contact there either. I'm stuck in an office with the art teachers who don't speak much English and I don't speak much Chinese.

So, I'm thinking of either learning Chinese next term or moving to a more sociable country. People were much more friendly in the Phillipines but with the catch of they are trying to rip you off in Manila. In Cebu, it was more of a genuine friendship without the ripping-you-off part.

Well, I'm heading to Beijing and Mongolia in about 2 weeks so I'll have time to figure out what to do with my life. I've had no luck landing a CG job in Shanghai or a better teaching job. I should be patient and keep trying though.

I think getting one more semester of teaching experience combined with one semester of Chinese at Tongji university might improve my life. I could stay busy studying Chinese and still keep my hand in as a teacher. Also, I think there could be great social possibilities as a student.

Latest from Shanghai

Things are much the same in Shanghai.

I'm teaching and starting to realise what I like and don't like. I don't like the travel. Not because I don't like travel, but I don't get paid for it. And travelling 3 hours to a school for 1 hour 10 minutes of paid work, just doesn't make sense. So I'm thinking of ways of minimizing the travel. I also prefer having a teacher's assistant in the class than not having one. Especially large classes. Who can watch 35 kids efficiently? Especially if they're naughty...

In 2 of my 4 schools, I don't have a teacher's assistant and I have to teach AND try to control the kids. That's a bit difficult at times and frustrating. Also, I'm not making any friends at that school. I'm in an office with art teachers who don't speak English and I don't speak Chinese. I wish they'd put me in the office with local English teachers.....

I'm discovering more of the city of Shanghai --- it's awesome!!!!! Especially pubs, clubs, shops and restaurants. Not so much of the tourist stuff, though. Blah! Who needs it! I've made some friends, especially at the Thursday Night Quiz at the British Bulldog pub in Hengshan Road. It's popular with foreigners and a good night out. I'm going there tonight. I'm a regular now. One of the photos is of the pool table at the Bulldog.

Tuya, my longtime on-off girlfriend, went back to Mongolia to visit her Mum who is visiting Mongolia from England. So I'm alone again which I don't like. I am hoping to go to Ulanbaatar in January after the school semester is over. It's going to be -40 degrees Celsius so that should be, uh, cool. I or we may go somewhere warm after that. I have 4 weeks off if I decide to teach in the Shanghai elementary school system next semester. I still haven't decided if I will. If I do it will be with a different timetable / schedule.

I'd really like a similar job with less travel, more money, or possibly a Computer Graphics job. They say money doesn't matter, but I'm afraid that's a lie and it does in my life, especially with my love of travel and Tuya's love of shoes.

Back to China -- this time Shanghai is my new home

Photos: (1) our flight from London to Shanghai on FinnAir (Finland's airline) who offered a super deal.
(2) Me relaxing in our hotel room, in between working and looking at apartments.
(3) Some of my kids that I teach English.

Well, in my last update Tuya and I were looking for work in London. We were interested in work almost anywhere. We didn't have any luck with jobs in London and the cost of staying in London was mounting up to a ridiculous level.

However, I did get some job offers to teach English in China and Korea. We were interested in Korea but it sounded like the time and expense of getting a visa would have caused a 2 month delay in England. You can't enter Korea on a tourist visa and convert it later. But in China you can go there on a tourist visa, start work and get a work or business visa while you work. So, Shanghai won the prize for my next place to live and work. Our plan was for me to work and Tuya study Chinese at a local university. Which is also an easy way to get a visa. She liked the idea because her best friend and some other friends live here already.

Now the Olympics are over, it seems like visa restrictions might be loosened up again. Probably after October 17th but nobody knows for sure. So, they would only give me a 90 day, single entry (60 day per entry) tourist visa which is pretty bogus. I asked for 6-month double-entry. I'm just hoping that I'll be able to get a work visa before the 60 days expires.

So, we flew to Shanghai and a few days later I was teaching in 4 different elementary / primary schools. The good part is that the pay (per hour) is quite good, but you don't get paid for breaks, holidays or travelling. A good part of my day is spent walking between schools and stations or sitting on the underground train. I don't mind because I'm losing some of the weight I gained eating rich English food and not exercising much in England. I reckon I walk for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours every day and sit on trains for about 1 1/2 hours. But it's relaxing commuting, at least, and quite healthy.

The school kids are really varied in their behaviour, abilities, and interest level. The worst kids make my life miserable and I regularly have to remove the worst trouble makers to maintain some level of control. The best classes are full of smart, motivated and engaged kids and it makes my job an absolute joy.

So, everyday I go through a whole range of emotions from anger to pure joy. I often feel like walking out because the kids are just totally out of control. Because I try to have fun with the kids and make the learning interesting, I think the kids think I'm a softy. The Chinese teachers, on the other hand, teach with an iron fist and rarely tolerate any kind of fun or happiness. I'm aiming for something in-between :)

After quite a lot of looking, I managed to find an apartment close to 2 of my "morning schools" -- so I can walk to school every day -- and close to Tuya's university. It's a large 1-bedroom, fairly new, good views of Shanghai's skyline from the 17th floor living room window, and I got to choose new furniture with the landlords. So I'm quite happy. No internet yet, I have to go to coffee bars for that, but I have almost all the big stuff sorted. Unfortunately, I'll have to buy all the small comforts of home that aren't included in a "furnished" apartment. I had them all in Beijing but had to sell them when I left for the Phillipines. At that time I didn't expect to be back in China so quickly.

It's weird how things work out. I'm back in China with only the Summer away in the Phillipines and England. China has so many opportunities, it's hard to stay away.

Back to UK

A brief update for anybody reading this. I graduated from my English teachers class in Cebu (see photos) and headed back to the UK with my girlfriend Tuya. The teaching course was really hard work with tons of home work but I really enjoyed teaching practice where we had a group of local kids (12-18) to work with.

Once back in northern England, I spent a couple of weeks with my son who had flown from Los Angeles. It was a great time but now he's gone back again and I'm in London looking for work. I'll work pretty much anywhere in the world. I'm open to CG or English teaching jobs in the UK or Asia. So far I've had some interest in Shanghai, China and Korea.

Wish me luck.

Next Stop .... Cebu, central Phillipines

I am hoping to jump on a short flight to Cebu today. That's in central Phillipines and is about a 1 hour flight from Manila (northern Phillipines). I'm just killing time now in an internet cafe in Manila. I need to wait for my American landlord to show up so I can pay my rent. Then I'll fight traffic to get to the airport.

My reason for going to Cebu is 2-fold. First of all I want to attend an English teaching course. Called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) which roughly means you take a 1-month course and get a certificate to teach English to foreigners. The TEFL/TESOL certificate seems to be recognized all over the world and theoretically means I could get english teaching jobs anywhere. With my charm (what?), good looks (cough!), and English pedigree (that's true), I hope I can compete in the popular english teaching industry. It may become my main career or it may just be a useful backup career if I can't find computer graphics (CG) work. CG pays much better but the hours can be brutal. Teaching is a slackers wet-dream job. I'm not a slacker but the hours look tempting. Teachers usually work about 16-20 hours per week.

The second reason is I have a lot of time on my hands and I'm getting really bored. I'm not doing anything useful and haven't met many "real" people. That means people who aren't try to sell me something I don't want. I hope that will change when I go to Cebu and join a group of "teachers-in-training". This could mean my day is full of learning and my evening with social events. Cebu and the surrounding area is also supposed to be prettier than Manila and closer to nature. We'll see. Stay tuned.

in limbo (in the phillipines)

well, I've been in the Phillipines for more than 1 month now, except for a couple of trips back to Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. Check out the photos from Shanghai where I went with Tuya. She is still in Shanghai but heading for Mongolia. I'm not sure when we'll see each other again.

Not much good news from Manila. The job I came here for seems to be in doubt now. So I have no income and I'm spending way too much money. That's not helped by the fact I'm in the heart of the tourist zone of Manila, called Makati City.

I got a cheap room which is actually in a fairly well-known hotel. So I step outside and street vendors instantly try to sell me massages, viagra, weapons, fake rolex, or any help with anything I might need. It's really annoying actually but there's nothing you can do. Just keep saying "no thanks, no thanks, NO THANKS". My problem is my english politeness which really prevents me from being rude. Also, I really stick out here amongst the locals. I come out of a fancy hotel in the middle of sin city so I must be rich, right? Wrong. What these people don't understand and don't believe is that they make more money than me because I don't have a job.

So I may be going to England soon to meet my son. He will fly to the UK from Los Angeles, USA and I will fly from here most likely. That will be in August, so in the meantime I may do an english teachers class. This is mainly to fill my time with something constructive, getting some practical experience for the day I open a school and also a chance to meet people who aren't trying to rip me off. I'm looking into doing a class in Cebu, central Phillipines where the cost of living should be less expensive.

I'm determined to get out of this rut that I'm in now. I'm really not enjoying life very much now. I hate not to working and the lack of human contact with normal people is getting me down. The local phillipinos are nice but almost 100% of them are trying to get as much money out of me as possible. It makes me rather unfriendly to them and I am keeping myself to myself a lot.

New Country, New Job, New Life

Photo of my last day at work. Had a very small going away party. Pictured are Nichole (translator), Joy (lighting lead), Me and Steve (producer)

Hong Kong disneyland photo by Tuya.

Hong Kong disneyland photo by Tuya.

I am embarrassed to say that I haven't written anything for a long time. Many months, I believe.

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. I quit my job in Beijing after the main project I was working on finished ("Food Fight" movie). My girlfriend and I moved down to Hong Kong and then went to check out Manila, Phillipines for a possible job and new business opportunities. We spent time in the city and went to the beach for a few days. I like it a lot.

I liked Beijing generally but towards the end there were a lot of problems with visas (due to the Olympics) and my job was becoming too demanding for ridiculously low pay. Let's just say that my work style and chinese work style is not very compatible.

Our plan had been to go the Phillipines for a week then go back to Hong Kong, then fly to the UK for a couple of months. Then probably return to the Phillipines. Well the plan didn't survive and we broke up. With respect to my ex-girlfriend, I won't talk about the details because I know it makes her upset. I still love her very much and I don't want to hurt her unnecessarily.

So, she went off to Shanghai and I went back to the Phillipines. I haven't started the job yet, but it looks promising and 95% probable I'll be the lighting supervisor on another all-cg film. Basically the same kind of job I had in Beijing but in a very different kind of company, different culture. The best part is I will only need to work 20 hours per week. So I'm hoping I have time and energy to start the CG-school which I've been dreaming about for years. Everybody speaks english here, so a CG-school shouldn't have the problems with language that a Chinese one would have had.

I'll try to post more photos, but I gave the camera to Tuya and haven't bought a new one. I'll probably need to wait for my next trip to Hong Kong before I get one. They are too expensive here in Manila.

Hong Kong Week-End

Just after the Chinese Spring Festival holiday, Tuya returned from Mongolia and I really wanted to go away from Beijing for a few days with her. Preferably somewhere warm. I checked the airline prices for one or two possibilities in southern China. Flying to Shenzhen and then taking the TurboJet ferry looked like the most cost effective option.

So we left on Friday and returned Monday. We walked around Hong Kong Island quite a bit. Went to a couple of nightclubs in Lan Kwai Fong. Went up the tram to Victoria Peak. We also took the TurboJet to Macau. We enjoyed it all but Macau was a bit boring because we aren't into gambling.

Good deals and bad deals in China

After a few months in China you start to figure out what products and services are good deals and vice-versa. I only get paid maybe one third what I received in the USA and maybe one fifth what I got in London, so it's important to know.

It seems like anything involving human services is a great deal but any imported goods cost a lot more. Also, name brand goods that are original versus the counterfeit versions are just as expensive as the USA/UK. So here's a list of good deals and bad deals that I've encountered so far.

Good Value
- foot massage. Because this is labour intensive and local labour is in strong supply here in China, you can get a great foot massage for about 50RMB for 70 minutes. That's about US$7 or 3.4 British pounds. It also usually includes a back, arm and leg massage (fully clothed) while your feet are soaking in salt water. Sometimes I'll take my girlfriend and one of her friends and we can sit in the same room and relax. It really is a great deal and affordable as a weekly treat.

- local beer. Tsingtao or Yanjing beer bought at the local stores used to be about 2.5 RMB or US$0.30 for a big 600ml (20 ounce) bottle. Now it's almost double perhaps because of winter, I don't know, but still a good price. The same thing in a bar is about 15 RMB or US$2.00 for a pint which is a bit less than America, but not such a good deal. Of course, imported beers are more and not really worth it because the local stuff is good. Just like every other country, the wise person will drink a few store-bought beers before they leave home, and go easy when they go out to a bar or club.

- chinese restaurant food, and to a lesser extent, Korean food. The food is cheap, good quality, and tea and service are included. So the price on the menu is what you pay, unlike the USA where the extras are tax and tipping which can easily add 30% to the total. So eating out is affordable and most people will do it fairly regularly. Even those with modest income.

- taxis and public transport. Taxis are an awesome deal until you get stuck in a traffic jam. I use taxis a great deal at night because at 2.5 RMB per km ($0.29), it's very cheap. But for big cross city hops or during rush hour, the underground at 2 RMB for any distance or bus 1 to 2 RMB ($0.13 to $0.26) for any distance makes more sense. You just have to be prepared to stand up and not worry too much about personal space. I'm fine with that. On the bus, if you travel far enough you can usually get a seat.

Bad Value
- imported medicine. I used to take protein powder because I'm a vegetarian and do weight training. Without it I would never gain muscle. The stuff is quite cheap in the USA, but here it probably costs double or triple because it is made in the USA or Germany. So I haven't bought any so far. I'm trying to rely on natural dairy, tofu, and egg products but my cholesterol levels may skyrocket, so we'll have to see how that goes. Other imported meds cost the same as the USA and that makes them a poor deal for ex-pats getting paid local rates.

- name brand / designer clothes. Again the same price as in the USA and Britain. That should not be the case because rent is lower here. But it is the case, so personally, I'm happy with counterfeit / knock-offs or even no-name goods. Some stores like the American giant Walmart actually have name brands at reasonable prices so that's always worth looking into.

- international airplane travel. Same price as other countries, so sticking to train travel where a soft sleeper is a comfortable, affordable compromise, makes good sense. Unfortunately, most trains are still very slow here but more and more high speed bullet trains are being added to inter-city routes. I took the Hong Kong / Beijing slow sleeper train for about US$90 one way. I also tried the Beijing / Qingdao bullet train for about US$30 one way.

Christmas and New Year in China

I haven't had a Christmas or New Year in my own country (England) for about 23 years. Even when I lived in England I often went away for Christmas. So, I am always celebrating the holidays in a foreign country. Just for example, I've spent Christmas in Austria, Morocco, USA, Mexico, and China.

My Chinese Christmas and New Year were really more like Mongolian style than Chinese, because our apartment was full of Tuya's Mongolian girlfriends and her brother. Some friends live here, some visiting from Mongolia and one from Shanghai. They cooked some amazing food and we drank lots of alcohol (wine, beer and vodka) and sang songs. My god, mongolian girls can drink amazing amounts! Not as much as me, but they are half my size.

New Year's eve was similar to Christmas but we had a few less guests. A couple of days later we had a second New Year party at a friends home. Bayaarma and Frank are a Mongolian girl and Canadian born chinese guy. We have become pretty good friends and have gone out to clubs as a foursome a few times. It's nice to speak to somebody who speaks native english occasionally. We had some great food again and drink. I had to go to work the next day, so we went home maybe by 2am.

Photos coming soon.