Lynne's Line from China

Hi Jlynne. Sorry you had to put so many hours in at the office. Sounds like what my 23 year old daughter is going through. A lot of companies will walk right over people if you let them. I hope you can resolve this quickly, because one of the first thing that goes when that happens is our health.
 
It's Sunday evening here. Been a fast weekend and I've done quite a bit of work, though I also tried to take some breaks. My mom and I went shopping, since she loves to get out and see some new location in China. I was good about exercising, (no elliptical), but I'm a little bit sore.

For the past two weeks I've been using my new Homedics scale which gives me not only my weight but also my body fat, muscle mass, hydration, etc. I am not certain how accurate this really is (reading via electrical impedance) but it is very consistent. So I think I can use this to determine any progress or any potential negative numbers in the future.

Interestingly, my body fat reads much higher via this mechanism than the simple math of height, weight. Here are the numbers today:

Weight: 142.8
Body Fat: 30.9
H2O: 50.4
BR: 131.5
MM: 30.9

Now that I've lost my first 20 pounds (give or take a few ounces!) I'm going to start thinking about body fat and hydration levels. I know that losing weight can also cause you to lose muscle mass vs. fat, but given that my focus has been on following a solid meal plan and exercising consistently I'm not too worried about muscle loss. In my pea-brain maybe I can only take in so much at one time. :) Now that my weight is getting closer to goal, I can take next steps and my FIRST next step is Body Fat. I'm going to go out and "google" that tomorrow to read up on reducing body fat while building lean muscle. Any good URL's would be appreciated!

I think I'm winning the battle with my cold, and hopefully one more night of sound sleep will eliminate the remnants.
 
Had to change my avatar. I was whining to my mother-in-law, I've got a bad cold, my iPod is broken, yada,yada, yada. Honestly, I'm sick of me too! But my 88 year old mom-in-law sent this back to me. Is it any wonder I love this woman????
 
Not bad for an 88 year old :). Getting along with the mom-in-law is a big plus. I'm sorry work has been so stressful, but I hope that it picks up for you soon.
 
Ni Hao Peng You!

Hey jlynne,

Finally catching up with your diary. Seems things are pretty tough up in GZ. I should really send you an address of a fantastic 5 star sauna that I like there. Nothing but pure comfort and relaxation. Actually it was my first trip to a sauna ever in China. I even made the 1 hour train ride a couple times with the family to go since. But now that I have found a comparable place in SZ I havent been in some time.

Work sounds pretty crazy, though not out of the ordinary in China I guess. I am so lucky now. Most of my coworkers I suspect sleep under their desks at night and wake up several times in the night to type in a little more. Heaven help me if I ever become an accountant.... I honestly feel guilty about being the only one in the office that leaves at 5:30 everyday. Luckily I am the only English teacher in the company and the only "white guy" so I am generally left alone when not teaching. And as head of my own department I set my own class times, therefore I can Always be done after 40 hours a week.

Hopefully work slows down a bit soon so you can take a break. If you have the time I HIGHLY reccomend a quick 4 day weekend to Phuket Thailand. Gorgeous beaches, great food and hotels, and SOOOOOO cheap from here its freaking amazing!! Cheaper to go from GZ to Phuket than to go to Beijing or Shanghai!!! Even though I am saving up to take the family back to Canada for a couple weeks this fall I think I am going to slip away for a 4 day jaunt again. And from the sounds of it you could use it more than me!!

In the meantime, go get yourself some foot massage and a good shoulder rub. I am not sure if you even speak Chinese or not, but not really necessary. There must be a footie place nearby where you live (it is China after all!). Hmmmm..... I may just go tonight myself. Been typing like crazy at work so the shoulders are all bunched up and the poor feet.... they have been tirelessly running in this heat and rain for weeks without attention. Will be the best 25rmb I spend this week.... (and thats for 90 minutes in my complex!) WooHoo!!!

Glad to have found your diary, now we can share some tips and tricks about living in the PRC.


sirant
 
Hi Tom! My Avatar says: Put on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT! This just cracks me up coming from my mom-in-law. She is fantastic lady.

Cannon - Have to agree. I'm fortunate that I have great in-laws both with parents and siblings. Makes it much easier to remain happily married!

Sirant - Yes, we should definitely share tips! I'm glad you found my diary. I've been in Guangzhou for about a year now, but I've travelled much of Asia. I have not been to Pukhet but I think I will do that in October during National Holiday. Do you know anything about a city in Thailand called Chung Mei?? (sp??) Quite historical, I understand. Considering visiting this location in Thailand again. (Anything to stay out of Bangkok!) Please do send your sauna info.........I don't have one locally. I do have several foot massage places. I was living here for a good few months driving past the neon signs that say: Washing Foot, Keep Health. Now since this is right next to the Police Station, I'm thinking it's some kind of public health place........right. Took a while for the light bulb to go off, I'm embarassed to say! If you are in GZ in the future, let me know. I would love to personally meet your skinny self!!! Since we are both happily married, I think you wife will allow it!
Perhaps we'll have to join forces to create the travel itinerary for Tom & Marlene. They can visit us as part of the BIG 60 Birthday!

Lastly, a decent day at work. Overall, I find it crazy here from the office perspective. One of the reasons I never miss my workout is because I must get out of there for a few hours. Hopefully this trend continues!:)
 
Cannon, give it up. Why is Phuket your current favorite?

Well, my hubby arrived in GZ on Wednesday evening. He was hours late getting in from South Korea, but somehow you just come to expect this. ANYWAY - he brought me a new iPod! YIPPEE!! WOO-HOO!! YEAH!! So now I have a little black one, 30gig, which has a color screen. I can actually read the damn thing! So my cardio this week was in high gear as I exceed my goal for Woman Challenge and even my personal goal. I've been enjoying my workouts.........which is new for me. Now that I have hated to exercise, but to say I enjoyed would have been a stretch. Well, the past 4 days I've enjoyed cranking up the tunes and just hitting the machines.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day for June 2 lbs. a week challenge. I will be surprised to hit the 2 lbs per week (because I've not lost weight like this), but I feel pretty confident I will see some decline. So another 1.5 pounds would make me pretty happy.

Oh yeah, my hubby is in China with me. Yippee!! Woo-Hoo! Yeah!
 
JLynne, so happy things are looking up for you. I'm envious about your new iPod. I've reached the capacity of my mp3 player with all my Cardio Coach workouts, so I don't have any room for music -- bummer on the steady state cardio days! You sound glad to have your hubby back too! Now, all you need to do is get your situation at work straightened out and you'll be in great shape.
 
Cannon, give it up. Why is Phuket your current favorite?

I'm sure its pronounced differently, but that is a fun name :)
 
jlynne said:
Do you know anything about a city in Thailand called Chung Mei?? (sp??) Quite historical, I understand. Considering visiting this location in Thailand again. (Anything to stay out of Bangkok!) QUOTE]

It's called Chiangmai. The South East Asian Games were held there many years back. This year she is hosting again.
Pretty relaxing place. They have nice waterfalls too!

And avoid the south when you travel Thailand. For your safety sake.:)
Click to expand...
 
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Good morning!

Well, first off, let me say I don't know anything about any other places in thailand, other than Phuket and I LOVE Phuket!!! Utter and total relaxation! Beautiful beaches, relaxed lifestyle, great food and lots to see and do. I went 2X this year already as it is literally cheaper to fly to and stay in Phuket than it is to visit Shanghai or Beijing! Plus the snorkelling is like living in a National Geographic Special. Far superior to anything I experienced in hawaii. I even swam (in the wild) with several sharks that were literally bigger than me! Scared the crap out of me and amazed me all at the same time. Definitely one of the higher points of my life to date. I am brining out the mom and sis next spring festival to go back to phuket with the whole fan damily next time.

I will find you the card for that sauna. Its about 135rmb, but really, its sooooooo worth it. Mountains of fresh fruit, snacks and drinks for free, saunas, hot tubs, and every type of massage possible. Even an ice room (with a GIANT block of ice in the middle) for us Canadians to feel at home in. Movie theatre, to die for buffet, gym, hair salon, etc etc etc... And being a 5 star sauna, it is very clean and snazzy looking. I felt like Julius Caeser himself. I scanned a copy of the business card somewhere. Once I find it I will post it here or email it to you so you can just print it and show it to the taxi driver. It is family friendly too, so bring the mom, hubby and anyone else..

Otherwise, good to hear you are rocking with a new ipod. I am so tempted to buy one, but I cant really justify it. I have a nice little USB Stick MP3 now and a PDA with all my chinese lessons on it, so any more would be just spoiled.... Not that I don't deserve to be spoiled!

Not sure what kind of work you are doing, but in the past the company I have been working for was looking for a teacher for a cushy job in GZ. If that has any interest for ya, let me know!

Anyhow, have fun rocking on the eliptical! I am still running outside everyday like a fool, but I just can't seem to stop....

sirant
 
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