The Wandering Monkey

A few things going on right now. First, I am moving (again) out of my current apartment into one to be determined. My roommate from England is leaving China and going out to Australia where his sister is staying, and thence to points unknown. I'd been unhappy with the neighborhood dirtiness for some time, so I'm taking the change as an opportunity to get a new place. I'm trying to find someone now to take over the lease, so we will see how it goes. The landlord has been pretty decent overall. The only fault I can make in this deal is that I decided upon the place too quickly. I had never seen it in the daytime. I'm rather embarassed about the place, and I don't like to invite people back there. So this is why I am moving.
Dance stuff is going OK but I wish it were getting more new people. On the good news Elle magazine has decided to cover us, and we will be in the November issue. I am trying now to have a couple of promotions to bring new folks into the group. Recently two of our best leaders (men) moved out of the country, and this has made it more difficult to keep the scene going. But I am confident. We have right now three different private shows scheduled, and this will help out a good deal.
I have not been going out as much to the bar scene lately. Two main reasons. First, it's not as fun as it used to be. It's sort of the same-old-thing every time. I've seen just about every night spot. And second, there is a consensus out here that the alchohol in China has more impurities than that in America. I have heard specifically that they use a high level of formadihyde (sp?), and it really wracks your system the next day. It's fine to be drinking less, but the bar scene's a very important social network. That's where I met most all of the people I knew at first, and it's why the dancing scene grew at the beginning.
I have been rather happy the last couple of weeks. I was at dinner the other day with two of my good friends, and I said, "You know, lately I'm pretty happy." They looked at me from across the table. "Wow," one said, "I never heard you say such a thing. You are usually saying things are not so good!"
I'm thinking about what type of day job I might seek. The acting thing is interesting and fun, but it's less reliable than the dancing scene! I don't want to teach English. Most of my friends apprieciate my reasoning. Teaching English will indeed pay the bills, but it is very much a dead-end job. After doing it for a year or two, you are qualified to do -- well -- nothing more than teaching more English. Plus, it is not easy teaching. It's quite draining, and most English schools have requirements that you spend 30 hours a week at their location, even if you are not teaching. By and large, the people teaching English have a lack of energy and seem unmovtivated and have a lack of imagination. I think it's the job (not the people).
There are a lot of universities in the area. It has crossed my mind to get some sort of part-time job teaching either business or e-commerce related stuff. I did e-commerce consulting for seven years, and I know a scary amount about it. It's not the most fun topic, but it could lead to more interesting things. Plus, it is a specialist position which would carry a little prestige and hopefully some good money.
There is the idea of going into event management. When people come and ask for a swing dancing show, inevitably a certain amount of it is organized by me. I don't mind this work so much. It is interesting and it involves a lot of people and deal-making. Plus, it is relevant to the swing dancing effort. The more events I hold the more people I will know, and this can help the dancing effort.
One more thing I have considered is real estate. I took a little class back in San Jose with my roommate who was studying for the state exam. Like any profession, some of it is detail-oriented and a little tedious. But there are a lot of advantages. This job also involves getting to know a lot of people. It can be quite lucrative if you are good at it. And, I myself still do not own any property, and I think this is real important for long-term financial stability. If I were involved in the market, I would have a much better idea how to tell a good deal from a bad one. I could eventually get my own property when I saw a good opportunity.
And last, this morning I woke up early, like 6am. I walked outside down some of the more busy walking streets. Everywhere I looked, there were groups of 30 or 40 old Chinese people playing music on portable stereos and either dancing or doing Tai Chi. It was really early! The old people in China have a lot of activites to keep themselves healthy and active. I never remember seeing anything like that going on in the US.
Ah well. All for now.
-J