2011 Almost Finished

Today's weather: High = 12 Low = 7
Cloudy

I really like this time of year as once we pass the Christmas threshold with a genuine 3-day weekend, then it feels like the worst of the workload is over with, and there is a nice break in sight.

The beginning of November and December, as I’ve mentioned several times already, are the worst two months for the type of teaching work I do as it feels like there is no end in sight to the relentless workload. But there is an end in sight, and Christmas is the indicator for that.

Interestingly, the weather has taken a turn for the warmer and this winter is already a lot milder than the same time last year. Hopefully this global warming trend will keep up, as it means my scooter went out of hibernation and I've been enjoying the fun of blasting around town on it recently.

Overall I was quite satisfied with how this year 2011 has gone, and I would rate it as a great year, one of the best experienced so far. A huge reason for that was the simple fact that I spent it living in Asia. It seems the majority of good news and positive experiences came out of Asia this year, while there was a whallop of bad news out of the west.

On the global stage, we heard of the death of 3 dictators / terrorists within the same year, namely Bin Laden, Gaddafi, and Kim Jong Il. Not only that, but two long-time authoritarian regimes of Egypt and Libya experienced sudden collapse, and one would hope making a path towards democracy. Economically, East Asia and SE Asia did very well this year, which has also greatly benefited me personally. Things weren’t all rosy in Asia, as Thailand experienced severe flooding, of which I experienced a bit. But taking a holistic view, it was quite evident that Asia shined brightly as a star this year, with tons of good news coming out of this continent

At times like this I feel very happy and privileged to be living, working, and traveling in Asia for yet another year, and this is clearly the place to be, and at the right time. It’s not always peachy, especially as Asia demands a hard work ethic and long hours. I wouldn’t exactly recommend this continent if your cup of tea involves lots of play and laziness.

Even so, despite the job stress, it’s been a damn fine year. It has also been an extremely productive year for me, the best of my entire life. Highlights would include the trip to Indonesia in winter and Thailand in summer, some of the best travel to date. Also beginning a math masters degree online and teaching AP calculus at school for the first time. Other things included getting a motorcycle license officially back in Canada, moving apartments twice in Shanghai, and selling off my old motorcycle for a scooter. A lot of other things happened also, and it was a very good year socially to say the least.

What made it possible to do so much was the comparative lack of traveling around in China. The fact of the matter is that China travel is a bitch. It is no fun, always exhausting, frustrating, and draining. My goal for 2011 was to avoid it like the plague. which was more or less accomplished. As a result, I felt more established in this city.