We're Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!



Thursday, 24 May 2007

Waiting for an update...?

Hi!
If you're logging on and hoping for something new to read...
I'll put you out of your misery.

Since our last posting I (P-J) caught the flu...or perhaps it was pollution sickness (symptoms include smoggy head, short-sightedness ["The building over...where?"], colour-blindness ["The sky's not really blue is it?"], nasal traffic congestion or blocked nose and a felt need to stay indoors).

But thankfully I recovered in time - to report right here for all of you that Michelle now has the same thing. Can't keep a good thing to yourself right?!

So instead of lots to report...there's not. No weekend get-away or trips to forbidden cities...
...just coughs, sneezes, runny noses and tissues full of...

Sorry, there's not any need to elaborate is there.

But we've somehow mangaged to keep working/studying/going to interviews (all that good stuff!) with only one offical sick day taken between us. Michelle gets the credit for that one.

Just about any job I go for is an easy walk-in, but one aluded me last week which I was really hoping to get. Apparently they're looking for someone older and wiser. How I don't fit that description beats me.


Well I've changed my tactics. I've started going for positions at Kindergartens - teaching English to pre-schoolers! One interview is today (Fri), the last was Monday. Michelle thinks I'd be a natural. Don't know if that's a compliment or a sign that my balloon-modelling skills are better used somewhere other than in the hallway to keep away intruders.

Actually it hasn't been all coughs and sneezes come to think of it. Last Sat we did manage to go out for lunch at an out-of-town place called 'The Orchard' to celebrate one of Michelle's workmates' birthday. Let me just say that the food was Mmmmmmmx2! This is how the reviews described the full dining experience...(by the way, I had snapper!)...READ AT RISK OF COVETING...


'Far away from the chaos of Beijing and set among a small orchard, this classy European/California inspired venue is apparently an expat institution in Beijing. With an organic menu and many ingredients grown on site, the food at The Orchard is beyond healthy. The settings are magnificently tranquil making use of recycled wood and intricate wrought ironwork. With a small pond, lawn and large patio, its serene and well manicured settings, it's easy to overlook The Orchard's menu. Don't. Perfect for escaping Beijing in style. “Its gorgeous and peaceful surroundings on a summer evening are the loveliest in Beijing,” particularly as the flowers bloom, and the “beautiful and tranquil gardens” come into their own. Its “isolated” location can make for a “very pleasant drive out of town,”.
Equally attractive is the “indoor space, which allows you to feel as if you are dining outdoors even if you are not.” The mellow light can be a perfect accompaniment to a Sunday morning brunch. Whether you’re “sitting at one of the big windows” and contemplating the lake, or going for a “refreshing” “walk in the gardens after a meal,” The Orchard is tops at providing a “calming” and “peaceful” dining experience in the fresh air.'


Note those last two words. I'm there already!

Now just let me brag. About my wife.
She is getting glowing reports about her work and is doing a mighty fine job across the road (that's where she works) after just 5 weeks in the position. Can I just say - I reckon she's a natural and made for it. I'm a lucky man I am. Yes siree. By the way, next week it's 3 YEARS! (29th). Time flies when you're having fun!

Enough said.

Tonight we're going for dinner with my classmates (all two of them) and their partners and our teacher and her husband. A little tangent: We were all going along so well as a class that we booked in another months worth of lessons, when today our teacher gave us a shock announcement that she's leaving to go in search of another job - something to do with Marketing and the Olympics. She was the best Mandarin teacher we ever had!... Tears all round. Well today we'll be meeting her replacement and we're crossing our fingers for someone just as wonderful. I'm enjoying learning Chinese and hope to use it one day. Hehe.

Anything I left out?
Sunday - went to church @ the cafe.
Tues - Spiderman 3. $10 between us at 5star cinema. Crazy.
Wed - I spat on the footpath. I'm crossing off that list! (see below).

Hope to post more pictures next time. If you're anything like me, the more pics the better!
Check out the sidebar for more extras... Check out videos featuring shopping in Beijing, Markets in Beijing and what people get up to in Parks around Beijing!),


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