Hey everyone

Life here's pretty chaotic.

I just submitted my applictation to reed college, to the detriment of my mential health and my families. I'm glad to have it done none the less.

This weekend has alot going on. I'm doing Cooking for fun on saturday (a voulenteer program where supposedly we teach children to cook for fun though i've seen neither anywhere near the program) Saturday night i'm meeting my host father's friends.

Sunday is my host brother's birthday. we are going to cinderella the musical theater version. and i'm cooking pizza again.

This week Cantonese lessons started again. I'm excited to get back to learning at least a little of the language. I honestly doubt that i'll be anywhere near fluent by the time i leave... In fact i'd be supprised if i could understand more than 3 sentences. but hopefully i'll be better when i leave than now.

thursday saw me going to the AFS office to meet up with some other kids. AFS Hong Kong is turning 25 this year and there is a big party. Of course they wanted us exchange students to do something and so i'm part of a group that's supposed to sing at the "gala dinner".

More chaos will insue i'm sure.
I'm busy running around. I need to buy a different uniform for winter. I'm not sure why they have a maditory day for you to change uniform's but alright...

I realized the other day that my classes have finials.. that are suppoesed to be mega tough. They are the second and third weeks of december and each finial is 3 hours long. so now i have to study,(sigh), becasue they don't actually bother to teach you in school you have to teach your self or (as all my classmates do) go to turtorial (a tutor class)

If your ever in Hong Kong you will find some English newspapers. The two i see on any regular basis are the South China Morning Post, and the Standard. The SCMP costs money, the standard is free. I subscribe through my school to the SCMP daily, that was a waist of money... that paper is trash...

Get the Standerd it's handed out at 7:30 am daily across hong kong. be there when they are handing them out because they dissapear quick.

one of the thing's i love about the standard is a colum that comes out daily called Dissident's Diary. It's usually quite funny.

here's the link

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_sec.asp?we_cat=5&d_str=20081114

I hope you are all doing well

please email me with your comments and updates
Patrick