March 22, 2013

I hadnt realized it had been so long since I posted the last update.  I guess life here has been pretty busy.  Its easy to see how Americans get sucked into life here in the states and dont have time to travel or do other things.  Between trying to afford the cost of living and all the things that are on offer in your spare time, there isnt enough time in the day to do everything here let alone save to go other places to play.

Since I have been here I have only been in the water twice, snorkeling and surfing once each.  Time has been really hectic.  As soon as I get settled or find some kind of routine it has been disrupted and thrown out of whack.  I stayed a month in the hotel in Waikiki, then found a house with some pretty cool roommates.  However, after settling in, we were notified that the landlord was taking possession of the house at the end of the lease (end of March) for some family relation and we were given 20 days to find a new place to live.  This sent us scrambling since every other real estate agent said they should have given at least 30-45 and we assumed the same so expected the lease to roll month to month.  Anyway, a couple weeks of constant house searching, a few hopes dashed from early rejections and we finally got a real nice place.  Well not yet, going to sign papers tomorrow, but it should be all done, finally.

Also sold the car and bought a 2000 GSXR-600 Suzuki.  Passed my motorcycle license test for the first time, only took 3 tries.  Guess you really should real the manual.  And have been spending some time bringing the bike back to form.  Overall it runs pretty well.  There is a rattle that I cant figure out, hoping its the cam chain or tensioner, but going to take it for a safety inspection on Monday and hoping to finally get the registration sorted.  Spent the better part of an hour trying to change the rear brake pads today, but can get the damn pins out of the caliper so I am going to have to leave that to the shop on Monday as well.  So defeating to go in and hand them the parts and tell them that I couldnt do it.  But, I dont want to waste any more time on that damn caliper.

Work has been going well.  Now that I am into the flow planning classes is really easy.  I have been making the morning run to Starbucks to get breakfast and plan class.  The coffee situation is pretty strange in the house.  A combination of make shift coffee makers and dangerous grinders.  I ordered new stuff but it is still in the mail.  Once that is here it should be much better and can breakfast at home in the new place instead of at the school.

Since I got the motorcycle I have not ridden my bike.  Between the house hunting, running the half marathon, and going to kickboxing I am pretty run down.  Add to that the new class semester for the masters program and a few other things on the side and I dont have much left.

I have been offered to take part in a smoker (amateur kickboxing event) in April and hopefully will be able to fight in that.  I really wanted to go to boxing today, but just am feeling really run down and want to try and rest. Tomorrow may be the first day that I can sleep in in a while.

Also started teaching my first Muay Thai student.  So now I also am doing private MT lessons, twice a week.  Maybe can get lucky and pick up a few more students, it would be pretty cool to be able to make some nice cash working in the gym.

What else can I update... My roommates are pretty cool and the house seems to have a really good vibe to it.  I am looking forward to the new house a lot.  One it has an amazing view, and two I am looking forward to having a place that I can feel is my house instead of living in a room in someone else's house.  One roommate is very into her garden and plants.  A nice stream of fresh lettuce, herbs, and other vegetables are always around the kitchen.  While the other has more energy than a sane person should and is entirely too happy.  But together the house is nice.  Its really good not having a TV in the house but instead having things centered around the foosball table.  somehow I become one of the better players in the house and the group.  Could only imagine if I was still playing at the level I was when i was living, i mean often at, the stadium playing for drinks.

Beyond that I just need to find some Chinese people to hang out with occasionally so I can keep my Chinese up.  I have been meeting with a tutor, but really need some more regular conversation.  Our new house is next to the University, so I am thinking of going by and trying to see if I can do some work with overseas students.  Maybe tour guide or just English/Chinese conversation partners.

Thats enough for now, Ill try to get back into a more regular spread once we get settled into the new house.

march 9, 2013

A few updates and maybe when I have some more time i can expand a bit.  it has been a busy week.  I have started teaching one person here private muay thai lessons, doing a couple hours a week and hoping that he can help to spread the word that I would like to pic up others.  work is going, not really exciting, but paying the bills.

i sold my car.  got exactly what i paid for it, minus a few administrative costs and an oil change.  I am hoping to change it into a motorcycle.  I passed the license test for the first time, tried twice in CO and failed both times.  after the second time i got on my bike and drove home and figured i didnt need it anyway.  but now i have cash and am ready to buy a bike, but they go so fast.  will be heading out to look at another GSX-R that hasnt sold yet, who knows the last one went right before i arrived to another buyer.

but the real bitch of the week has been finding out that we are getting kicked out of the house.  the landlord informed us that they will not be renewing the lease which expires at the end of the month.  only giving us 24 days notice to find a new place.  besides the short time crush, the place is really nice.  It is going to be hard to find anything that comes close in the same price range and anything near the amenities and convenient shopping that is nearby.  went with the roommates to see 2 places today.  one was a bust, the other doable, but just not quite good enough and not worth the step down for a slight step up in price.

tomorrow is the hapalua half marathon.  so i am also getting ready for that.  I have not been running as much as i would like to be ready for a race.  but with cycling to work and boxing i dont have a lot left for running.  i told my student, i run to improve my boxing, I dont box so I can run.  that being said it would be nice to know that my conditioning is improving and i might be able to move toward a 90 minute 21k.

and my classes open for review this weekend and formally start on monday.  its a busy week.  i submitted a writing assessment to see if i can place out of the 0-credit writing seminar, the remedial writing for grad students who cant write.  since i have been an english teacher i would hope that i can pass out of the class.  i didnt opt for any help on this one since i wanted to see if i could do it on my own.  but at the same time having to take a remedial writing class for no credit is not really on my list of things to do.

March 4, 2013

Been a busy week with starting work and what not.  Completed the first week as an ESL teacher here in the US instead of in China.  Its a little different having a such a mix of students instead of everyone from one place.  It presents a lot of different challenges in the same class instead of having a more homogeneous mix with all the same problems.  But the students are good and the classes have been pretty easy to get through.  The only real problem I have run into is that some of the students know the grammar rules better than I do, or at least the formal names and what not for these things.  I am more of a know it when I write it and microsoft word kinda writer.

The other real bright spot that has come out of this last week was being asked to teach private Muay Thai classes.  One of the fellow students from M-1 where I have been training asked me if I was interested in doing private classes with him to help get his level up to the sparring class.  If I can get a few more students who want to do private workouts I could have a nice little side gig going on.  First I have to get a place to train, most likely back to the UFC gym and see if I can get something really cheap going through them so I can have a place to train with people and maybe start making some side cash.

Tomorrow I am going to the DMV to try and get my license transfered over to an HI license.  I am also going to sit the motorcycle license exam and see if I can pass that test for the first time.  My plan right now is to sell the car as soon as I can after the license change over and then by a motorcycle.  there have been a couple decent bikes for sale and it looks like my roommate and the people who live below us are great with vehicles and could help me to tune up anything that I would need to take an older bike and clean it up a bit.  I would really like to get something in the older street bike style and take it down more like a streetfighter and maybe get the exhaust tucked up under the seat with no fairings and what not.  something that would at least hold its value for the work put in or maybe be worth a little more.

Next week is going to be the Hapalua Half marathon.  I think some of the students are going to come out and run with me.  There is one student who hopefully will be running about the same pace so it could be nice to have someone to run with.  although I have not been running much since the GAR two weeks ago.  between biking to work and boxing, going to boxing and the occasional trail run, i have not had much time to put down the miles running.  have to see how that plays out, i really would like to break that 100 minute mark that i have come close to but not been able to cross yet.

Only i really have to get now is to get out surfing.  was going to head out with the roommate, but he had national guard work that came up so hopefully we can get some time out in the water after the half-marathon or something.  too many activities and what not to be able to do everything and work and study...easy to see how people get tied down into their lives and never get to travel.  overseas there is just so much less to do, less options and variety.  here there is something every week and with the price difference you have to work as hard as you play just to pay for it.  in china you dont have to work that hard because there is nothing to do, you end up a little bored but lots of time to focus on something when you can find it.