Balance-

Since moving to China, I have been faced with the overwhelming challenge of balancing work with play. I spent the greater part of the last two months, getting settled, floating between home and work, cooking-sorta, reading, watching mediocre movies and dreaming about returning to New York. Don't get me wrong, I love my work and being in China...but when things aren't perfect, I tend to focus on that one point that is dragging it down. For me, thats not having New York here in China. While in the Big Apple, I had a daily social life that often accounted for what most people did in a week (a month even!). I would pack 4 or 5 parties in one night, meet tons of people, make new friends...and enjoy the hell out of the city. My location in Shenzhen is not ideal and often hinders my ability to get around easily. There is a subway, but I have to take a bus to get there...very annoying..and when it gets late, I have to take a taxi back...taxi travel wouldn't be that bad, but I find it a waste of money and usually 40 wasted minutes in a car. I may need to accept the fact I won't go out like I used to during the week (thats ok because I have yoga)...but when Fri, Sat and Sun roll around...I need to embrace those days with a little more vivacity than I have been doing.

Today is the start of Maddy getting back on track.

Expected social calendar:

Today:
Lunch with Hiromi
Dinner with new French girl I picked up (you all know how i make my some of my best fem friends via this method)

Tomorrow:
Thanksgiving-
1) party and dinner with my 20-something friends at LaFrance
2) dessert at another party with Jewish friends
3) possible hitting of the bars after

Friday:
Yoga
dinner
partying at the bars with my friend Long

Saturday
work
Lunch
meeting up ranajit to go cantonese opera
dinner
possibly hitting wine tasting party
def hitting the party at Ibiza

Sunday
yoga
shopping with new Chinese girlfriend
dinner
Party at my house

Am making plans for a weekend trip to Japan in the next few weeks

Am making plans to stay in HK during New Years...