No more pencils, no more books...

No more students' vacant looks.  :)  Just kidding, I love my students and was very sad to say goodbye to them today and yesterday.  Many of them asked me to pose for pictures with them, which I thought was totally adorable.  I had planned to take a class picture of my Level 0's, since they're my first class ever, but only half of them showed up today.  I guess the pressure of all their other exams outweighed the fun of a class party.  Either that or they were too embarrassed because I was showing their commercials in class.  Some of them are insanely shy.

But the point is - school's out for the semester and consequently I can't get this song out of my head.  (Kind of a goofy version, but a video that includes Sweetums is always a bonus.)  Being my overachieving self, I already have a list a mile long of things I want to do during the break, so I'll have to write it all out and prioritize, cause that's what Virgos do best.  But first, I'm going to spend a few days in Hong Kong with A, B, and C to relax.  Therefore, don't expect another post until Monday night.

By lucky chance, tonight was a scheduled massage night - what a great way to end 14 weeks of hard work.  When she was finished tonight, Jaja was commenting on how much "progress" she's made with me.  She said something to the effect of "When I first come here, your shoulders can barely move.  But now I can move them around much better, not so many stones."  I love being told how stone-like I am.  Reminds me of the time my Berkeley acupuncturist tried to release my shoulder muscles the quick and dirty way - with a needle.  I bent two of them before she succeeded.  (sigh)  It also reminds me of the time the adorable Katia Luke (age 7) snuggled up in my lap and laid her head on my chest and told me that it very comfortable because she liked to lay on hard things.  "What do you mean?", I asked.  She said, "You know, like rocks."  I tried to take this as the compliment I'm sure it was intended to be.

But now I feel great and I've got my heater on for the first time, so my room is nice and toasty and relaxing.  It turned cold yesterday and I got to try out my winter coat and have started looking much more seriously for fleece pajamas.  I found a pair for 600MOP, which is about $75USD, and although they look very warm, they're hideously girly.  I can find something hideous for much cheaper than that, I'm just sure of it.  I'll have to add it to my HK shopping list.

Beth and I went to look for Christmas decorations after work today.  We got some lights but haven't put them up yet.  We decided some cheap paper snowflakes might be the way to go, and I'll probably bust out the window markers from my folks and do up the sliding glass door.  It'll be just like the window painting competition we had every holiday season in high school.  Only better, because high school is long gone.  Macau is getting ready for the holidays too.  Here are a few shots of Christmas-type stuff I've noticed around town.

At the Park-N-Shop grocery store.

There are all kinds of these lantern-type decorations going up around town. 
All still in plastic.

Another grocery store display.

Outside the New Yaohan department store.

And inside the New Yaohan.  Hello Kitty stockings - of course.