After two weeks of closing out the most epic cycle tour that I can remember in my life, I get to go back to Pattaya for a few more extra days.  The buyer for my condo arrives over the weekend and the paperwork is planned in advance, so all I have to do is fly down for a business trip and close the deal on Monday. 

This opportunity is not to be taken lightly.   

The adjustment back to life and work in Shanghai has been absolutely brutal.  Besides the workload, there has been the exceptionally bad weather.  Every single day has been dreary, rainy, cloudy, and with a damp chill so pervasive it seeps into your bones and you never warm up.

I haven't seen the sun, literally, for days.  After the few glorious days in Shenzhen with sunshine and 20-25 degree weather, that continued for a brief Sunday afternoon while the plane touched down in Shanghai.  The very next day it went cloudy, the cold came in, and the sun never came back.

At most I rode a bike to work twice since coming back.  When it's drizzling and near 0 degrees with a damp cold that never goes away, who even wants to ride?  So it has been taxis and subways against my will.  Even that is very difficult and inconvenient.

The key to survival has been taking on a fitness challenge that spans two group fitness gyms and lasts two months.  Every day involves sticking to a calorie deficit and 5-6 workouts a week of hybrid training (resistance and cardio).  The express purpose is losing as much body fat as possible while retaining muscle.  To that end, every meal is tracked and I've drastically cut down the alcohol.  The motivation for this goal is to transform my body shape and to live out the truth that summer bodies are made in the winter.  Before June, I want to look so good as to take up modeling.  Having this motivation allows me to re-focus my energy so that the shitty weather and overall negative vibes of Shanghai have less of an impact.  Otherwise, it would easily cause me to spiral into depression which is happening all around me anyway.

On a related note, my colleague and I teamed up to run a fitness club after school.  We teach students some of the basic principles of proper fitness and nutrition as well as how to keep journal entries of success.  There needs to be some outlet in order to channel out all the negative energy that builds up in this city, and fitness is the perfect way to make it happen.

It was also quite fitting that a friend from one of my connect groups last night said, "I don't even know why I went back to this country (China) after my time in Taiwan.  While at the border in Xiamen I was dreading it the whole time."  She has it completely right.  Head down, don't look forward, just survive.  Life has no meaning in a place like this. 

With this backdrop, the fact that I get to go back to Pattaya for a few bonus days is unprecedented.  This time, I'm going to plan every detail and make the most of every second outdoors because the sunshine cannot be taken for granted.  On the other hand, this is going to mean a serious test of self-discipline for the fitness challenge.  Already I have seen some incredible results which came at a high cost.  Is all the hard work going to be ruined by a few nights of debauchery in Pattaya?  We would certainly hope not.  This test is something I'm well prepared for and am very confident that my fitness can survive this weekend. 

All that's really left to do is pack a minimal amount of stuff and head to the airport.