Ni hao 2011!

Greetings from the future!  I rang in 2011 thirteen hours before my eastern standard time loved ones.

I spent the day struggling with the decisions of where to go.  The options were:

1. A warehouse party with half of the Concordia students whom we will call the "drinkers"
2. Prive in the Bund (high-end, Westernized part of downtown) for a hint of class with the other Concordia students
3. Drop, also in the Bund, with my new Euro-friends.

Drinking, classy, and Euro?  How could I go wrong!  Well friends, much to your surprise I ditched the drinkers and had a night out on the town with my alcohol intolerant friends (I tolerate it, oh yes I do).  This was my original plan and I am glad I stuck with it and with my real friends. I learned this lesson in Hong Kong that some people value a good party over good friends.


Will pay 500RMB for a spray tan. Thats my supervisor (this wasn't the first time I act like a fool around her), Jenny and Samantha.




This is why I wanted to go to the Bund.  For an awesome photo shoot like this.  But guess who missed it :( me.



My lovely friend/dance partner/babysitter Samantha and I were the only ones dancing when we got there!

2010 ended in a disaster with me losing my camera, coat, and dignity. The coat has been recovered by amazingly awesome Josh but the rest is still gone forever.  Consequently, 2010 has been downgrade from a B+ year to a B. I've convinced myself that all of these events happened before midnight and I can start fresh in a new year.  While my students would be satisfied with this grade I see room for improvement.

Resolutions:

1. Improve correspondence turnaround time.  This was my New Years resolution last year and I failed at it.
2. Be healthier.  Alcohol and I are no longer friends.  Great Wall 21 kilometer 1000 stair race training starts now.  I'm going to learn how to do a pushup too. Maybe try to sleep more? Don't let the students give me grey hair (that shit's been going around!).
3. LEARN SOME CHINESE.  My shortage of Chinese skills and complete lack of confidence in speaking Chinese is appalling. I'm going to start acting like I live here.

I am lucky that I get to celebrate New Years twice this year:  Western and Chinese. Do people make resolutions for Chinese New Year.  I don't think so but they do give each other money.  We should start doing that.  And they take a month off... we REALLY need to bring that custom over to America.

Well Happy New Year to everyone who helped make 2010 average.  Let's try harder.

I survived! I highly recommend all revelers to wear their keys around their neck; matched my tiffany's necklace just fine.