TGIF

Yay! It's the week-end!

Still have work to do - prepping for next week's classes, but I'm in such a good mood.

Today was great. The weather's wonderful. Very windy but super sunny and lovely. The temperature is dipping quite drastically. Mornings and evenings are cold, but mid-day is warm, almost hot.

Enjoyed class. Played a vocabulary game that took up an hour and which the students always like. There were only around twenty students, so it was nice. The ones who know how to speak, spoke, the ones who don't know how to speak stayed quiet. That's always tough. But when I try to get the ones who don't speak to speak, they don't say anything and then the rest of the class gets restless or the ones who know the answer chime in! Terrible...

But I'm in such a good mood after nine hours of sleep. I feel like a million bucks.

OK, should get down to business and start working. Finished my midterms and sent them to three important people. Made a coffee date for next week with the guy who lives above me. He's a super nice old man, who at 66 talks to me of his "girlfriend" - which is really sweet but I find it difficult not to laugh when he says "girlfriend." Sounds so high-school-ish for some reason.

This is what I do on a typical day:

my alarm rings at 6:45 AM. I used to set it at 6:30, but I like the extra fifteen minutes of sleep. I use my cell phone as my alarm - I use the "jazz melody" so I wake up to nice music rather than a clanging bell.

I go into the bathroom and wash my face and take a shower and all that. I look out the winder to see what the weather's like and get dressed.

I boil water to make myself instant coffee - it's a 3-in-1 deal with coffee/milk/sugar all in one individual package. Convenient!

I turn on the computer and read my email and Lucas' webcomic (usually the same as the night before) and James' site and the CBC website if I have time, while sipping my coffee.

I look for the class list(s) for the day's class(es) and try not to forget anything.

I make sure I have a full bottle of water (600 mL) because my throat gets pretty dry in class.

I take out 1 kwai in order to buy baoze for breakfast at the campus cafeteria.

I usually walk to cafeteria number 2 to buy 4 baoze for 1 kwai from the same lady. It takes around 5 minutes in total - the walking and buying.

I'm always on time for my class in Building #1; my classroom is either on the third or fourth floor. I turn on or off the fans, open or close the windows as I see fit.

I close the doors to the hallway when I start class. I feel better.

I teach. I try to enjoy myself.

When I get off from work I usually have lunch by myself, unless there's a student (rare) that invites me to lunch or I meet someone who's ready to have lunch themself. I often eat leftovers from the night before or an instant noodle or something I grab from the cafeteria later on (1-ish) because at noon there's way too many people at the cafeteria and I don't want to bother.

If I don't have class in the afternoon I'll most likely eat at a restaurant outside North Gate. I'll bring something to read - maybe a book or some Chinese to study or something.

In the afternoons I'll usually work or watch TV or find somebody to hang out with - someone from the French crew. Everyday is different.

We always meet up for dinner - the French crew. We talk about where we're going to eat, what we're going to do that evening. There's always something. If it's not billiard's, it's a video at someone's place, or drinks, or even KTV (kareeokee) at a bar.

And then I stress about next day's class and if it'll go OK. Usually it's OK.

That's my day. Alright, here's wishing you many happy days in your life!