Exercise at last

So much for going out at 10am as A Wu had mentioned last night, though I wasn't going to plan my day around a drunken suggestion. However, I had no other plans so noticed that the 49ers v Packers game was on so found a decent stream and realised other than ping pong I'd done no exercise for over a week so managed to get my way through a dumbbell session during the second half.

After a shower and some nuts and a yoghurt I walked through the cold drizzle down to A Xia's shop to pick up two pairs of leggings for Tan and drop off a box of Naproxen as is becoming normal for each trip. On the way I picked up some local dried beef as I realised I'd not had a proper meal and should really try to bulk up after doing the weights.

Awl rang WhatsApp just as I got home but although my phone showed the call I guess the actual answering or voice protocol that is used is currently blocked. But my laptop was still connected to the VPN so at least I could answer on that. Annoyingly I found the expensive beef (37 kuai for 102g) was many tiny bits of meat each individually wrapped in truly typical style, and they were slightly too spicy for my liking. But hey, it's protein. Luckily I'd left over some protein powder and creatine from last summer so I had that as well. The chat with Awl descended into a couple of beers for me, so after the call and a couple more I finally managed a siesta around 5.30-7pm.

Strangely I'd not been invited out and it was a weekend. I wasn't complaining though, and at 9.30pm went to pick up my cleaned Converse, and on the way back popped into the local medicine shop where they were drinking tea and beckoned me in when they saw me passing. We were talking about Bangxu as one of the women was from there. She mentioned a festival that was to take place next month. I asked if it was the same one Lin Hong had conscripted me into and indeed it was. Oh dear. Tan had called earlier and said it was a massive event for all of Guangxi, and I would be singing in the equivalent of Trafalgar Square to "thousands". Now Tan is one to exaggerate at times but now I was really nervous. Erjie has been practising dancing for months for this event and I'm going to be on the agenda now too.

Other than that it was a nice chinwag for half an hour or so, and I quite enjoyed the segments of oranges they put in warm water as they don't tend to like consuming cold stuff when the weather is too. I popped opposite to pick up some bin bags and beer and got home where a bit later had a chat and a quiz with the lads and finished off the spicy beef. I'd not had a proper meal all day and got to sleep well after 2.30am.