i putong [my] hua-king shoes...

ok, this one doesn't even make sense. maybe it's a sign that i should make more relevant titles/insert depeche mode lyrics.

before you come to any conclusions,
try walking in my shoes.

if you haven't noticed, there's no real theme to this week's post.

i went to shenzhen [pronounced shen-jen (which ruins previous blog title sadly...)] a few weekends ago and came back with arrested development and planet earth box sets and this photo of one of the central plazas:


needless to say, i'm hoping to make it farther into china next time (shenzhen seems to play a similar role for hong kong residents as tijuana does for those from southern california, except shenzhen has 13 million people).

i had my first primary school classes today and spent most of the time comparing heights with students standing on chairs. not even the coordinated clapping drills could get them to pay attention. hopefully next week i'll actually get to do some teaching.

i started teaching myself mandarin (putonghua [put-ong-wah]) a few days ago using rosetta stone which has been really fun. i've even been able to try out a few phrases on my students.

the winds have turned. shenzhen's smog has settled on hong kong. it's pretty gross.

i'm going to the horse races (the jockey club, along with hsbc, seems to own much of hong kong) this weekend. more on that soon.

song of the week: a postcard to nina by jens lekman.

so many op-shenzhen hong kong...

bad puns back by popular request. this one is particularly rough, though.

time continues to move very quickly over here. last friday we finished up orientation with a long, powerpoint heavy induction ceremony and officially became members of the faculty. on monday, i had my first classes. so far, all i'm doing are a few one hour one on one tutoring sessions, and two longer small group writing and speaking sessions. commitments will gradually increase, but this week has been very quiet. next week, i start as a TA in an experimental teaching methods class.

it's really great to see the enthusiasm these students bring in to the tutoring sessions, and i love hearing all of their varied stories on how they ended up getting to hong kong. most of the students that come see us are first years from mainland china, because their english isn't as good as those coming from hong kong.

i continue to enjoy celebrity like status on campus, due to my height and the logical next conclusion that i must personally know kevin garnett and lebron james. as of yet, i'm happy to deflect the attention, but it's just another reminder that you really don't appreciate anonymity until it's gone.

more action, less words.
- i got a six month multi entry china visa! i'm planning on visiting shenzhen this weekend.
- i went to a great beach on an outlying island this week. it was hard to believe i was still in hong kong.

hap mun bay.

- i eat a tub a week of super chunk skippy. i'm never quite sure how it happens.
- last week i sprinkled my eggs with what i thought was salt. it was msg.

yesterday sarah, matthew (a friend of sarah's stopping over on the way to dubai) and i visited victoria peak for some fantastic views of the (apparently) number one rated skyline in the world. the weather was perfect, and there was a great breeze, but 9 pm is a difficult time to take photos. these are the best two.

i'm pretty proud of this photo. precariously placed 10 second self timer...

that's all for now. hope everyone is doing well. b4n.

song of the week: other than the entire m.i.a album, i'd have to say 'the courtesan has sung' by sunset rubdown.