Browsed, Budgeted … just not Bought

In the shadows of palms (Ko Wua Talap). ©Ryan McLaughlin 2004 I’ve spent most the time since I returned from work tonight browsing Web sites and crunching numbers to give myself a clearer picture of what to expect over the next couple months. First up is to get some idea of when I’m actually going …

July 24, 2005
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Missin’ The Man

And wouldn’t you know it… I’ve got a new roommate. Honestly, it seems that my school is about as consistant as my bowels. Fortunately I lucked out and Freddy is an awesome guy to share the place with. He’s from Australia and has already given me some tips for good places to go once I …

July 22, 2005
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Happy Birthday To Me

My neighbour Matthew’s words keep going through my head… he told me several months ago that 28 is the year that you actually have to do the “When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put …

July 16, 2005
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Hello Bachelor Pad

Right, that was short-lived. It would seem that our Jinzhou school doesn’t have enough students enrolled in the summer intensive program to warrant having a teacher here… so, after not even a week here, it looks like Adria is moving out. This has caused Sherry to deliver an early morning call to me today asking …

July 14, 2005
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Goodbye Bachelor Pad

Well, if Mandy’s near perpetual presence in my apartment didn’t saturate it enough with estrogen, the arrival of my new roommate should do the job. Not that I’m complaining, this place is definitely in need of a woman’s touch. I mean, I consider myself pretty ‘in touch’ with the more feminine sides of Ryan but …

July 12, 2005
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The Elderly vs. The Persecuted

I got this e-mail from my mom today, and though its intentions are good in that it is trying to raise awareness about the plight of the elderly in Canada – it really went the wrong way about it. Here is the original e-mail, which may have landed in your inbox recently as well. It …

July 8, 2005
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Totally Beachin’

Well, I wish I could go on and on about the exciting things I’ve done in the past week or so… but really it’s just been about the beach. Last Thursday was the Future School BBQ/Beach Party and tomorrow I’m returning to the beach to even out my tan/burn. The BBQ/Beach Party last week was …

July 7, 2005
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Oh! Canada…

Right.. so I sorta missed Canada Day, but let’s here it for time zones as it’s just before 7 p.m. on my Nation’s Birthday. Like the true patriot I am, I just wanted to say happy birthday to the big red leaf, even hough the day passed here without any fan fair (even if it’s …

July 2, 2005
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Chinese Dragon Awakens

Awe crap… China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials. [Read whole article] Yeah, I know… American politics and media are full of paranoia, but still, this just makes me think back to …

June 27, 2005
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A Box Of Goodbyes

So, Thursday night was the big farewell party at The Box for all the peeps that work(ed) as English teachers at Neusoft (a Dalian university). The term has ended there, and some of the key players in the Dalian social scene have left. Most significantly are Dean (Canadian), Dan (British) and Derrick (Canadian). Next term …

June 27, 2005
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Peanut Gallery: Online

Right, so after a couple e-mailed comments from readers of the site, I got it through my rather thickset head that I should look into there possibly being a problem with my comments section – as I never get any. I’m happy to report that it’s fixed and you are all cordially invited to leave …

June 20, 2005
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Halfing The Count

So, in recent months I’ve really only had four foreign friends in Dalian that I hang out with. Lorna, Justin, Alan and Vanessa. Well, never have I had the population of my friends in a given demographic split so swiftly in half. Under the cover of darkness, in a veil of secrecy that still has …

June 20, 2005
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