The Typhoon and the Aftermath

Well, the tropical storm named LSAT has passed. I apologize for not blogging more as of late, but I've been quite preoccupied. Let me comprise the last 2-3 weeks for you in a few brief paragraphs.

May 20 - CSB/SJU Alumni Dinner, Hong Kong
Ryan and I went to HK to absorb some English and some Johnnie pride. This lavish dinner was presented by Canning Fok (SJU '76) who is No. 2 to the wealthiest man in Asia, Li Kai-Shing. It was classy. C-L-A-S-S-Y. Classy. Crab, lobster, steak, curry and white rice. Wow. I was able to meet many many Alumni from HK (about 50 were in attendance). All very nice people who were happy to talk. After the dinner, Dave, Kevin (friends through Maryknoll) and I stayed around to have a talk with Bro. Deitrich, President of SJU. Of course, his main mission was to get these 'lost alumni' to make generous contributions to SJU. Despite Deitrich's speed about how many pennies he needs the HK alum to contribute, it was overall a very nice night.

I was also able to finalize my travels to London and MN this summer. A HK SJU alum who manages Priceline.com.hk hooked me up PHat. He is a nice guy. See me in MN on July 11, ya'll. It will be keen.

May 22-26 - Hank and H.J. Shea visit HK, Zhongshan.
It was very special to have my uncle and cousin come to visit me and de-mystify Zhongshan and China. They were very impressed and shocked to find out that I was not, in fact, teaching in the boondocks of rural China, but in a wonderful city with malls and electricity and all. They acted as teachers in my classes, which was a nice break for me and a great thing for they and my students to engage in. I have a feeling that they learned as much as they taught.

We also hoofed all over the city and took in some of Zhongshan's beauty while having deep converstations with my friends and students. Again, it was great to see them and I hope that they genuinely enjoyed their stay in ZS and in China.

Flash ahead to June 7 - The LSAT, HK
The good people at Maryknoll were invaluable to helping me get to the test that I've been stressing about and studying for over a month for. The testing crowd was very interesting. There were a handful of teachers or young ex-pats living and working in China like myself. Then there were the super-driven Chinese and Hong Kong people who's parents have whispered "Harvard Law... Harvard Law" in their ears everynight before bed since they were 2 months old. Interesting.

I believe the test went well, but it's hard to tell. There were some sections that felt really good - I was firmly in 'the zone.' Other sections were challenging to finish in 35 minutes. I felt prepaired and nervous, yet confident going into the test, so I believe that I tried my best. We'll find out in 2-3 weeks if this is the case.

Today, June 11 - Zhongshan.
I had to check the date on my computer because it totally evaded me. Such is the life now. I woke up at noon. I smell terribly. No more LSAT to prep for. Final exams all week. There is little to consume my time other than reading, writing and watching Star Wars in it's entirety. Then watching Lord of the Rings in it's entirety. Then watching Back to the Future, in it's entire glory. "Marty, don't! You'll tear the fabric of space -time continuum!" Freakin' sweet. Expect a few blogs devoted to how poor B2F Part II is... it's the Pearl Harbor of the trilogy. Yup, it's really that bad.

Some might say that this is laziness and sloth in it's prime. I say, you bet.

And you better believe that I've earned it.

take care ya'll. peace. paul.e.s.wegerson, esq.