Friday was a very interesting day, to say the least!  First I had to finish preparation on the exam for Finance so that photocopying could begin - two versions always means a bit more work.  After running that over and coming back to the hotel, I needed to call the Philippines to set up my flight to Manila.  The website does not accept US credit cards but a phone call costs $0.198 so I am set to go.

YES - I need a break (laughing!), but seriously I do want to SCUBA dive.  A year ago we dove Roatan, Honduras and so I have missed diving recently.  What better time that just before going skiing back in the US!  Also, I have Thursdays and Fridays free (sometimes) but that will most likely not be true after break as there are only two weeks left of class.  Also we have a dinner on Jan. 18 (we have to prepare a skit for the dinner!), so that means next week or not until late March!  Cebu Pacific flies down to Manila for $211 and that is now booked (I am still awaiting the e-ticket but not worried).

Then I had a Department of Economics meeting at 10 am - on the way, Sally Gong, the Vice President and head of SILC here in Shanghai, stopped me to let me know that my reimbursement had arrived for the Advertising Conference at which I presented "The Economics of Mobile Marketing."  The taxi rides over and back were quite expensive so the reimbursement is very appreciated. 

My paper that was published in the Journal of Economics also arrived!!   Copies for SILC's research department, etc.  The Department of Economics (and SILC's) year end assessment of research also was on the agenda - what's the plan for next term?!?  Now I need to look back and forward at what is next for research too.  (Besides SCUBA and Skiing, of course!)

Then I ran back to the hotel to change clothes quickly and travel down to the Yan Chang campus and the hotel there, Le Hu.  I met Keith on the way, so he joined me and Murray for a beer, Murray was my Secret Santa recipient!  Murray met us on the way into the lobby with a couple of beers, the tequila was already upstairs ... but that's another story.  We awaited a friend of Keith's from Beijing who arrived to jokes, pistachios and peanuts.

Murray had decided on the perfect gift, a foot massage (90 yuan, which was lower than the 100 yuan maximum so quite cool).  As Murray is leaving on Jan. 24, the issue of what to get him became real as he wouldn't want to carry anything extra back to Sydney.  AND THIS WAY WE COULD ALL ENJOY!!!  We ate, walked about Da Ning (a large mall in the US sense very near SHU (Shanghai University) had a Starbucks.  Then we decided on a beer on the Bund during the evening so off we went in a taxi!  Beer on the Bund involves practicing Chinese (especially "Bu yao,"  I do not want it!) - the gadget of the evening was a kind of small set of wheels for your heels.  So we had fun watching the boats go by on the Huang Pu river, the TV screens on the buildings change, the lights on the Pearl tower, engaging others in conversation (that is practicing our Chinese), etc.

Then we were going to head up Nanjing Pedestrian Road but decided to go to Henry's Brewpub instead!  Played foosball, drank Pale Ale (yum) and then said goodbye to Dan as we headed back to SHU for our foot massage.  Now I must tell you that I wasn't sure WHAT to expect, except that we would also get a back massage (they always do the back as well).  For two hours, we had a back massage, our feet soaked, washed and trimmed, and then massaged until we hurt!  I recommend the foot massage to anyone - others have done the full body massages, "cupping," etc. but that will have to wait until another time for me!  (wink)