Mom: why haven’t you answered my emails recently?
Me: the number one reason i’ve been busy with is staying in a relationship. maybe it’s because we have lots of culture differences between us, maybe because we use chinese, a second language, to communicate, or maybe because we both are very stubborn and independent and still getting used to being with each other day in and day out. there’s a lot of things i haven’t been able to do because either a lack of time or interest. to tell the truth we’ve argued to the point that we don’t want to argue anymore. we want to get along well with each other and make each day better than the next. it wasn’t easy for us to get where we have.

so, over the past year now, i’ve neglected a few things. i’ve wrote less on my blog, wrote less emails to friends and family and this semester neglected my finances. what’s done is done. from here on out things are only going to get better. i’ll take that hit in credit for making it through what we have. a film or two could’ve have been made out of our story. i’ll have to write about it. making a relationship work, and work well, i believe has got to be one of the hardest things to do.

i’m not complaining. i’m looking up.

文宇AKA Money：你有甚麼打算改善你的經濟狀況？有季也快走了，有甚麼打算了吧？

自：不是發財但是要賺。首先，要打工。還要準備下一步的，我要學日語，要完整我四年在中國的日誌，也要做好心裡準備的，前面的路可不像近幾年那麼輕鬆。呵，我是認真的。

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Money: How you gonna improve on your current financial situation? Aki’s going home soon, what you got planned?

Me: I’m not planning on striking it rich but I’m gonna make some money. First, I gotta get some work on the side. Then, I got to start preparing for the next step. I got to study Japanese, finish documenting my four years of life in China and also get ready for the road ahead, mentally. It’s not going to be as easy as it has been these past few years. I’m not kidding.

經濟狀況不佳不佳。。為了過有意義的日子，四年前我來到中國開始實現我的夢想了。我冒了N次險，騎摩托車遊山玩水了，長我尋找的見識了，把中文學會了。但是在這個充充實實過程當中我欠了不少錢，3萬美金確切的。夠嗆。 不要緊。你會沒事的。你馬上要過渡到下一個階段的工作，下一個階段你的的人生。繼續幹你自己覺得有意義的。

money’s tight these days.. i wanted to do something meaningful, to have an adventure, so four years ago i came to china. i’ve travelled all over on my motorcycle, learned quite a few things a long the way about life and can proudly say, i’ve learned chinese. but in the process i’ve racked up a mighty debt. 30Gs to be exact. dang..  stay positive, kid. you know how to hustle. take your time to make the right choices. the next stretch of the journey is up ahead. keep dreamin’.

[my written chinese needs help. corrections are welcomed. it’ll help me get a head start publishing my book. that would be nice wouldn’t it.]

我喜歡現場學習，我的朋友門討厭，説跟我說話很累。i like to do my learning on the spot. that is, when i’m chatting with my chinese friends. they hate it. hehe.. they get tired of me always asking what’s this and what’s that mean. but sometimes they are patient. like last night. 李哥教我的..

籌劃 (v.) make plans; plan and prepare; design
運作 (v.) operate; function; put into action
知己知彼，百戰不殆 know the enemy and know yourself, and
you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat
勞逸結合  a proper balance of work and play [rest]
微妙 (adj.) delicate, subtle