1. Don’t hold money with two hands when paying for things
2. Say “Hello” and “Thank you” instead of “Ni Hao” and “Xiexie”
3. Don’t cross the street where ever I damn please in the midst of traffic
4. Don’t expect to see little kids peeing on the sidewalk and people spitting on the floor at my local deli

You know, the important stuff.

Anyway, I have had one thing on my itinerary of things to do upon my return for a very long time.  And what’s that?  Why, get a haircut of course!  It has been 2 years and 6 months since my last haircut, I think it’s about damn time.  In fact, the barber who cut my hair jokingly said I had to pay extra because I haven’t been supporting his profession properly.

So I went from this:

Yes, I am the kind of nerd that owns a Sega Dreamcast shirt. And I love it.

To this:

One goofy expression free with proof of purchase and mail-in rebate!

I’m surprised at how short it is.  It’s definitely going to take a while to get used to after having long hair for so long.  But one thing is for sure, it’s amazingly convenient to hop out of the shower and not have to worry about brushing/combing your hair.  How awesome is that!  To me it’s like a completely novel idea.  How much time I save!

Like few of the things I do, there was a reason behind me going for so long without a haircut.  The reason was so that I could donate my hair to a charity called Locks of Love.  From the organization’s website:

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

I became aware of this charity group when I was at school in Buffalo.  I participated in several 24 hour dance-a-thons to raise money for Camp Good Days and Special Times. During the course of the dance, there is a group of people who are identified as going to donate their hair. At some point they leave to get their hair cut. When they return they wear masks and caps to cover it up, and are only revealed at the end of the dance. It was such a heart-warming experience and I knew that some day I would do that.

And now I’ve done it!  I’ve donated my hair to charity and hopefully it will go towards helping a child lead a happier, more comfortable life.  At times I may miss my long hair, and I will look little silly for a while (as in, a bald spot where it was cut too short), but that single reward will always outweigh any possible negative I can imagine.

No related posts.

When I last wrote here, I was in Lijiang resting up after hiking the incredible Tiger Leaping Gorge. From there I was planning on continuing to write throughout the course of my journey, but unfortunately things did not work out that way. Dali was great but my hostel did not have the capabilities for me to write a blog post. Not a major loss, I think.

Dali is a fantastic little town and I enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing for four days. I spent a lot of time on balconies reading books and sipping beer on bright, sunny days (which was every day). And the food. Oh, the food. Dali is apparently home to an endless string of Western food, cafes, bars, and the like. Normally I don’t go in for that sort of thing when I’m traveling, but for some reason it just seemed totally appropriate in Dali. I gorged myself on Western-style food and had my fair share of milk shakes.

Unfortunately the food in Dali was my downfall. I must have ate something bad which resulted in the worst case of diarrhea I have ever had in my life. I was confined to my hostel for my entire time in Kunming (three days). I didn’t see a single thing while there; I couldn’t even make it out to view the eclipse.  At one point I tried taking some medication for it, which I must have had an allergic reaction to because it caused me to vomit twice.  Quite annoying, really.  It was a big disappointment to me that I didn’t get to go see the Stone Forest.

But on the other hand, I have seen a lot of stuff in China and I’m totally OK with passing up one or two things along the way. At this stage in the game, it’s just not as important to me anymore. Yes, I would like to see all these really cool sites, but if I don’t make it, no big deal! There’s still plenty of other things I can go see or do.

Now that I’m home in Xi’an, I am just exhausted. Coming off my latest sickness, as well as my recent bought of swine flu has left me tired, weak, and missing a few pounds (I’ve gone down over two belt loops since the beginning of the semester).  I feel like I just don’t have the energy to get out there and travel for the remainder of my time in China. And how little time I have left! I leave on January 29, only eight days from now, to return to the US for good. My one year of teaching English in China is up. I would have liked to stay longer working as an engineer, but it didn’t work out that way. Oh well, life goes on I suppose.

I will be sad to leave China, but I will also have an exciting new stage in my life to look forward to. Where I will end up, I have no idea, and that’s kind of a cool feeling.

I’m not sure what I’ll be doing with myself for my last week in China.  I’m considering taking a quick two- or three-day trip somewhere.  But like I wrote, I’m exhausted.  And I’m a bit traveled-out.  Despite my significantly slower pace of travel in Yunnan, my illnesses over the past month have really taken their toll on me.

But you know what?  Despite all the trouble I’ve been having over the past month; despite my terribly swollen ankle and my stomach “issues,” there’s one thing that made it all totally worth it.  Tiger Leaping Gorge:

Related posts:

1. Resting Up in Lijiang

Yep, that’s right.  I went to the provincial hospital here in Xi’an to get tested.  My results came back and I passed!  With a ‘+’!  That’s good, right?

Not so much.  All my traipsing around China has finally caught up with me.  I’ve got the swine flu.  I’m quarantined inside my apartment for a full week, after which I have to go back to the hospital to get tested again.

Swine flu isn’t all that bad, really.  It’s not unlike any other flu I’ve ever had.  However, what I’ve read is that it is particularly dangerous for asthmatics (i.e. me) because of how it affects the lungs and breathing.  So I need to be especially aware of how my breathing is.  If it becomes worse I need to go straight to the hospital.  My presumption is that if I don’t it could lead to serious complications.

So I get to spend my Christmas and my vacation alone in my apartment.  Yippee.

This ain’t a pity party though.  Rather, I think this is a great opportunity to show all of you how annoying China’s medical system can be.

I started my Monday by going to the campus medical clinic to get tested for H1N1.  They did the perfunctory exams and told me I had something like swine flu but it couldn’t be confirmed.  I had to go to the hospital to get checked for sure.

At the provincial hospital, I first walked all the way to the back (the place is like a small campus) to the foreigner’s building.  The guard at the gate said I couldn’t go in but would not explain why (in my experience you rarely get an explanation from police or security in China).  So I had to wait for 5 minutes for a nurse to come out and show me where to go.

Following her I had to walk back to the front of the hospital, where I had originally entered, to another building.  The doctors there told me I had to go register in the main building, at a window down a hallway off the entrance room.  It cost 3 RMB to register and I took the receipt back to the doctors.

The doctors examined me a little bit and asked me about my medical history and all the usual stuff.  Then they said I had to go back to the window where I registered to pay for the medicine and the tests.  So I did.  The medicine was 197 RMB and the test was 200 RMB.

First I had to take the receipt for the medicine to the pharmacy to pick up the Tamiflu and some cough medicine.  Then I brought the other receipt back to the doctors so they would test me.  Finally done!

Keep in mind that, during all of this, no one spoke a word of English.  The only way I was able to navigate this labyrinth was because I had my school’s foreign teacher liaison with me translating.  I take pity on any foreigner  that has to go through that who can’t speak really good Chinese and doesn’t have a friend/coworker with him.

At the time I was still very sick and not so steady on my feet.  My only thought was, “Geez, this is a lot of walking for sick people in a hospital.”  My translator’s response was, “Yes, it’s not so convenient.  But usually people in China have family members with them.”  To me, that doesn’t make it OK to be wildly inefficient.

So this is your little window into how screwed up things can be in China.  All the walking back and forth is absolutely absurd, especially for people at a hospital (assuming, of course, that one is at a hospital because one is extremely sick).  That’s the downside. 

Systems like this are in place in many different ways in China.  You must register with one person, pay with another, and pick up with another.  My assumption is that this system intentionally creates more jobs, which China is in desperate need of (regardless of how redundant they are).  That I can understand.  But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

On the up side: my entire visit, examinations, and treatment cost me a total of 400 RMB ($58.58).  So, China’s medical system may be very inefficient but it sure is cheap!

No related posts.

There is also another monitor in our classes.  The party monitor.  This student (we’re not supposed to know who) is responsible for reporting what we teach and talk about in class to the local CPC official.  Basically, we have a spy in our classroom so that the CPC can keep an eye on us and make sure we’re not spreading “subversive” doctrine.

Anyway, the joke is that if we all have party monitors in our classrooms, why not have a party monitor at our parties?  With that in mind, the general consensus among the teachers was that I should be party monitor (given my tenure in a social fraternity and my proclivity for partying).

This past weekend I hosted a party in my small apartment for the second time this semester.  And what better party theme is there than a toga party?  That’s right, I was determined to keep the tradition alive after co-hosting my school’s first ever toga party last semester.  And I succeeded with flying colors.

Marta and Emily

With a small donation from a fellow teacher, I was able to construct a “party monitor” badge and affix it to my toga.  I think the effect was appropriate for the occasion.

Plenty of teachers showed up, both old and young, and I believe everyone had a great time.

(Left to Right): Puii, Mary, Frank, Johanna, Ralf, and Amar

(L-R): Sarah, Mike, and Lena

By the end of the night things started to get a little silly.  The fact that I was taking my “party monitor” duties somewhat seriously–”I am the party monitor!  You have to party if I say so!”–didn’t really help the situation.  There was some mildly inappropriate … touching.  But it was all in good fun and judging by the state of my apartment the next day (it was a huge mess) I would have to say that it was a really great night.

Andrew and Meg. Bad touches!

I think capping the toga party at once a semester is a good idea.  You don’t want to overuse a great idea; it will lose its novelty.  I do look forward to hosting at least a couple more parties by the end of the semester and I certainly hope that someone carries on the tradition of the toga party after I’m gone.

And remember: Toga!  Toga!  Toga!

Related posts:

1. Ending the Semester with a Bang!
2. Party: On
3. Toga! Toga!

You don’t drink the tap water in China.  Ever.  Though I have heard of people drinking it and not getting sick, I certainly wouldn’t take that risk.  It’s bottled water or boiled water for me and most everyone else.  In many, many places throughout China you can find water machines that dispense safe drinking water.  It’s really not difficult to find them and it’s usually not a problem (unless your water machine is broken for 3 weeks, like mine was).  Many people also use tea kettles, either an electric kettle like the one above, or the old-fashioned kind you have to heat on the stove.

What I would like to bring to your attention is the gunk at the bottom of my kettle.  Clearly the bottom is not shiny, relfective metal like it should be.  What you see is the deposits left behind after boiling water in this contraption for about one month.  As you can see, there is definitely something in the water, and that something is not good.  About once a month I have to scrub the inside of my kettle with steel wool to get rid of these deposits of …. whatever the heck it is.  I’m not sure if ignoring the problem would be bad for you, but I am provided a certain amount of peace of mind knowing that my kettle is (relatively) clean.

Related posts:

1. The Terrible Results of Pollution

So where should I be?  In Kashgar, that’s where.  In the wonderfully not Chinese province of Xinjiang.  And where am I now?  Still in Xi’an.  Damn it!  So why am I not there?  Because I missed my flight.  In the US, airlines are somewhat flexible about check-in times and all that.  Not so in China.  Check-in is closed 30 minutes before any flight, and that’s final.  I found that out the hard way because I showed up 20 minutes before the flight.  I tried to explain that I wasn’t going to check any bags and that I could get through security in time.  No dice.  Unless you have serious guan-xi (sort of translates to relations), which naturally I don’t, then you are screwed.  They offered to put me on a later flight, costing over 600 RMB more and causing me to land in Kashgar after midnight.  That’s a no go.  After a long phone conversation with the very nice people at eLong I will be able to reschedule my tickets for up to a year and only have to pay the difference in cost.  Not a bad deal, I think.  Still, I would much rather be in Xinjiang right now.

Though part of me thinks that this turn of events is a blessing in disguise.  My health has taken a turn for the worse in the past week shortly after booking my tickets.  Without going into the details, I will say that I was left nearly incapacitated for a full two days after it happened.  On the day I was supposed to leave I was still not 100% recovered.  I think backpacking around Xinjiang for 2 weeks would not improve things.  So now I have some extra time to lay about and recover.  At the moment I’m a bit too paranoid about Chinese doctors to go see one and so I’m left to self medicate (which I know is a really bad idea, but what’cha gonna do?) until I return to the states.

That being said, writing here and reading other blogs has dropped a lot on my list of priorities.  I may not be commenting a lot, but I’m still reading here and there, just very slowly.  My motivation is just completely sapped at the moment.  Between ending the semester, working hard on my blogging and writing, having dear friends leave my life (probably forever), and now this, I feel completely drained.  Fortunately, I have a few things pre-written in anticipation for my trip to Xinjiang, so there’s not much work I have to do for the coming week.

Speaking of working hard on writing, I had my first and second guest blog posts published within a day of each other.  The first is about my trip to Nanjing over at Asian Ramblings.  Originally I promised Stevo an article on a particular topic, and ended up writing something completely different.  He was kind enough to publish it anyway.  The second is an article I wrote about spending 48 hours in Xi’an over at My Several Worlds.  Both Carrie (at MSW) and Stevo have been incredibly supportive of me and always ready with advice and sound counsel.  I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to give something back to them.  Thanks guys!  I hope my work helps.

That’s all I got for now.  I just wanted to let you all know what’s going on and why I’ve been relatively quiet.  I feel like I should be more active than ever considering my two articles being published, but I just don’t have the energy.  I’m tired.  I’m filled with ennui.  I know I need to do something, to get outside and see some cool stuff.  I just can’t motivate myself at the moment.  On the flip side, there will be a 4th of July barbecue this weekend hosted by my Hash Run friend, which should be a lot of fun.

Have a happy 4th of July everyone!

No related posts.

The birthday group: (left to right) Brittany, me, Kay, Elva, and Divendra

We had a big party to celebrate the large number of birthdays and also as a send-off for the foreign teachers.  It was a big success with almost all of the teachers coming out to celebrate.  We had plenty of delicious homemade food and some catered by local restaurants.  It was a total blast and I ate almost to the point of being sick.  It’s not every day we get Western food!  The ones who were celebrating invited some of their students and friends to join in the fun.  Brittany’s birthday was actually that day, so many of her students and friends from the museum came out.  A trio of my best students, Uighurs from the Xinjiang province, came out to party with me.  Very much unlike me, they don’t drink alcohol (it’s forbidden) so I was left to drink with my fellow expats.  I think they enjoyed themselves regardless; they told me a few times that the party reminded them of a Uighur wedding.  I’m not exactly sure if that is a good thing or not.

My Uighur students and I: (left to right) Ralph, Tommy, and Roy

The revelry continued until the older folks retired for the night.  After that the younger crowd settled on making an excursion to one of the many clubs throughout Xi’an.  I don’t remember the name of the place we went to but it was really nice.  And, of course, really expensive.  I didn’t bring my camera along, so no pictures unfortunately, but we did have a great time chatting, drinking, and enjoying the beautiful night.

The after-hours group: (top) Reto and friend, Mark, me, Andrew; (bottom) Vera, Brittany, Puii, Carolin, Divendra

We wrapped up the night with some dancing at Salsa, a popular nightclub here.  I am totally done with Salsa.  Never again.  Never!  Every time I go there, it’s about 80-90% guys.  This time was no different.  And the thing about nightclubs in China is that the drinks are ridiculously expensive.  And to actually get them you need to get a table, which requires you spend at least 400 RMB on a bottle of liquor.  Our usual modus operandi is to pregame at home with the cheap stuff, then go out to party and not spend a lot of money.  Maybe it’s just me, but getting drunk and then going to a huge club sparsely populated with women is not exactly my idea of a good time.  This has been my experience almost every time going to Salsa and other dance clubs in Xi’an.  So yeah, I’m done with that.

Despite another lame adventure in Salsa, the night was a huge success.  We had a great party with good friends and delicious food.  There was cake.  I made hamburgers like my Mom always makes them (which were a big hit, thanks Mom!).  Drinking at the club afterward was a lot of fun as well.  I’m glad we could have one last big party to end the semester and send off the people who won’t be coming back in the fall.

Expat communities seem so transient; it’s kind of a downer.  People are always coming and going.  You never know exactly how long people will be staying.  Some stay for years, others for a single semester.  It’s hard to form serious connections with these people in this environment.  True, we see each other almost every day, so bonds and friendships form quickly.  But whether or not they are strong enough to stand the test of time is yet to be seen (by me at least).

At some point I will leave China.  Maybe I will not return.  When will I leave here?  I have no idea.  One thing I do know is that after I spend one year teaching English here, I want to get a proper job as an engineer.  I wouldn’t mind staying in China doing this.  Staying in Xi’an with all of the friends I’ve made would be even better.  But the most likely scenario is that I will have to return home to the US and find a job there.  That’s certainly not a bad thing.  But the life I’ve carved out here is a good one.  The friends I’ve made are now important people in my life.  I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to give that all up and move on with my life.

I’m glad I could spend one last big night with my friends to celebrate not just birthdays and the end of another semester, but the time that we’ve all spent together.  I will be back next semester, but some of them will not.

To all of the great friends I’ve made this semester: I will miss you and hopefully someday I will see you again.

Related posts:

1. Reflections on a Semester Past
2. Party: On
3. The Party Monitor Strikes Again

Thank you for showing me what the important things in life are.

Thank you for encouraging my interests and my passions.

Thank you for catching me when I was down, and helping me back up.

Thank you for supporting me towards reaching my goals.

Thank you for pushing me when I was too afraid to do it on my own.

Thank you for helping me to get my life on the track I wanted.

Thank you for putting me through school and onto another continent, even when I know you wanted me to stay.

Thank you for always being there for me when I needed help or just someone to talk to.

But most important of all…

Thank you for being you.

Happy birthday and happy Father’s Day.  I hope you enjoyed it.

Oh yeah, and thanks for having a wacky sense of humor.

No related posts.

The group in Xi’an meets approximately once every 2 weeks for a 1.5 to 2 kilometer run through some area of the city. Fengqing Park is free to the public so we had the chance to run through that beautiful venue this last time. Granted, there was plenty of Chinese staring at us, pointing, laughing, cheering, and encouraging us along the way. How often do Chinese get to see a group of laowais running through the park?

The quirky aspect of these Hash runs is that finding the correct path through the course is part of the challenge. 2 kilometers doesn’t sound like much, but when you are trying to find your way and end up backtracking a lot (as I did last weekend) then you will add quite a bit to the distance. Normally the course is set with small arrows on the ground. More often than I would appreciate, the arrows split off in multiple directions. Andrew and I were designated to run off in the different directions to see which was the right way. Either we would encounter an ‘X’-the wrong way-or more arrows, which would result in a resounding yell of, “On on!” It is quite a bit of fun trying to figure out which is the correct path, even when you end up taking the wrong route more often than not.

After the run, everyone grabs a beer and circles up. The head of the group, The General in this case, leads us off on our toasts. Every week there are different toasts, but we always drink to the one who took the time to set the course. This past week, Andrew and I were toasted for doing the vast majority of backtracking, which was nice. Also, people are given Hash names based on, as far as I can tell, whatever The General decides at the time. So far I have seen Foot Fetish and 69 as names given. I’m sure there will be plenty more to come.

Once the toasts are done, that’s when the real fun begins. Yes, we are all hot and sweaty and tired from the run. But we come to drink. And drink we do. Saturday ended being a very long night for Andrew and I, as well as some other members with whom we went out drinking after the festivities. Seriously, the group bills itself as a drinking group with a running problem and it is totally true. And it is loads of fun. Not to mention the great people you get to meet. Especially living as an expat, it’s nice to get out and meet a bunch of other foreigners and party with them purely on the basis that we enjoy running and drinking, one after the other. I know it sounds like a horrible mix but you get used to it and it becomes all part of the fun. On top of that, we also have some local Chinese who like to come out to join us in our running and partying. It’s a great mix of foreigners and locals; a very diverse group from all different walks of life.

Hashing started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1938 by a group of British soldiers and expatriates whom began meeting on Mondays to go running so as to recover from drinking the previous weekend. And no, Hash does not refer to the marijuana-based drug. It refers to the particularly bad food at Selangor Club Annex where the members originally met to begin and end their runs. By 1950, the Hash House Harriers had the following constitution:

* To promote physical fitness among our members
* To get rid of weekend hangovers
* To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
* To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

The club pokes fun at itself as much as it takes itself seriously. When we all circle up, the toasts are called “down-downs” and are sometimes done on a completely made-up basis. It’s all in good fun and everyone has a great time, though one thing is for sure: drinking is not optional, it’s mandatory. For example, one odd rule is that if you wear new shoes to a Hash, you have to drink beer out of it after the run. The rules are not really enforceable but it’s all part of the spirit and the fun to comply with them, no matter how weird they may seem to be.

There are over 1900 hash groups in 1238 cities in 183 countries. Chances are there is a group near you, no matter what part of the world you are in. If you enjoy both drinking and running, and would like the opportunity to hang out with a group of people who will promote a welcoming, care-free, fun-loving environment in which to relax and socialize, I highly recommend this group. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You don’t have to run if you don’t want to, but you do have to drink!

Next hash we will be running around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and will end with a barbecue at a member’s house. I can’t wait!

If you’re interested, you can check out this link for more information and find a city near you with a hash group.

Related posts:

1. Ending the Semester with a Bang!
2. Party: On
3. First Snow of the Season

Over the past week or two I have been really trying to get down to the root of this question?  Really, where does my time go?  What am I doing when I’m not teaching or preparing lessons?  This question arose because I was thinking that I wanted to post here more often.  I want to write more quality posts that hopefully all of you (or at least most of you) will enjoy.  Then this past Saturday I realized the answer.  The vast majority of my time is spent reading.  I am reading all the time and spend hours a day sitting in front of my computer just reading. I suppose it’s better than sitting in front of my TV all day, but it is still a problem.  I want to pursue other things, especially seeing more sights around Xi’an (which has taken a serious downturn over the past few weeks).  For example, I went to Nanjing two weekends ago and I still haven’t even begun to think about writing about.  There’s just not enough time!

Being an engineer, I am usually very organized and deliberate.  I swear I have at least a little OCD.  So after spending pretty much all day Saturday reading, I decided to make a comprehensive list of all the blogs and news sources I am currently following to see how much I am actually subscribed to.  I was surprised by the results.

1. ABC
2. Almost Fearless
3. Asian Ramblings
4. CNET News
5. CNN
6. Craig Ferguson Images
7. Digital Nomads
8. Exile Lifestyle
9. Expatriate Games
10. Flying Ready
11. Foodie Calls
12. Fluent in 3 Months
13. Free Pursuits
14. From Redwoods to Red China
15. Get Paid to Write
16. Get Rich Slowly
17. Green Tech
18. Hot Chicks with Douchebags
19. I Will Teach You to be Rich
20. Jet Set Citizen
21. Life Through the Lens of Bryan
22. Live Uncomfortably
23. Location Independent
24. Lost Laowai
25. Mark’s China Blog
26. Messin’ With Texas
27. Mine Your Resources
28. Muselife
29. My Several Worlds
30. Nomadic Matt
31. Off the Grid and On the Map
32. One Giant Step…Is All it Takes
33. Our New Office
34. Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist
35. Penny Arcade
36. Rundown in Progress
37. SHE in China
38. Soul Travelers 3
39. Simple Productivity
40. Tales from Technomadia
41. The 9 to 5 Alternative
42. The 4 Hour Work Week
43. The Art of Nonconformity
44. The China Blog
45. The Longest Way Home
46. Thrilling Heroics
47. Traveling to Live
48. USA Today
49. Vagablogging
50. Wall Street Journal’s China Journal
51. Wandering Why
52. Web Worker Daily
53. Xinjiang: Far West China
54. Yahoo! News

On top of all this, I am also currently in the middle of reading two books.  I have no idea how I let this list get so long.  I think it just snowballed from the first few blogs I started reading.  Those blogs would post articles about what other people were doing and writing about, so I would read those and subscribe to their stuff.  And those people would make similar articles about more people, and so on and so forth.  I’m not sure how this list measures up to most bloggers out there, but I feel like this is a heck of a lot of reading.  I am nearly at my limit, I think.

The problem is, I enjoy all of these sites.  Each one has unique and interesting content.  It’s not always spectacular, but the vast majority is interesting and done well enough to warrant taking the time to read it.  I feel that as I continue to read more and more from different people and services all over the world, I am informing and empowering myself.  Information is power these days, right?  Also, by following many different writers, I can identify what styles and techniques I think will work for me.  Not only am I learning about the world and its many different facets, I am also making myself a better writer. And that, in turn, is a benefit to all of you.

But there is always a limit to self improvement.  You have to put a cap on it at some point.  Or else the effort to improve yourself replaces the original motivation.  When you lose sight of why you started in the first place, and all you have left is the compulsion to keep going.  I started reading more so that I could bring informed insight to my own blog, and to make myself a better writer.  But now I’ve taken on so much reading that I write far less than when I first came to China.

I need to reevaluate how much time I spend reading and why I am doing it.  Do I really enjoy all this reading?  Or am I simply doing it because I feel the obligation to read as much as possible?  Where do you draw the line and say, “This is enough”? Really this applies to any path to self improvement you choose to take.  While it is not certain that it will happen, the possibility is definitely there that the drive to become better at whatever it is you are doing becomes all-consuming.  You find a path that you hope will enable you to enjoy life a little more.  But then you find yourself spending so much time on that path that life passes you by.  And you’re left with no goal or destination in sight; you can’t even remember why you started but the only thing you can think to do is keep going.

Maybe I’m being a bit too extreme.  But I think it’s easier to make a point and illuminate the argument by taking the situation to an extreme conclusion.

What I’m saying is that I’ve reached a point where I need to cut back on what I’m doing because I’m losing sight of my original intentions.  I think everyone should be aware of change like this and should be prepared to take a step back and put it into perspective.  Self improvement is by no means a bad thing, but taken to an extreme it can be unhealthy for you and for those around you.

Of course, I suppose I could just learn how to read faster.  I wonder what kind of blogs a Google search would turn up….  Damn!

Related posts:

1. Did You Miss Me?
2. Reporting From Where I Shouldn’t Be