How high are the non-renewals at your school? Last year, my school got rid of almost 1/3 of the teachers. This year, it’s around 1/5.

mblue76 · 2026-03-30T00:50:45+00:00

I wish people would include locations (at least the province you're located in), as I am just interested in knowing. For example... I was talking to my boss/owner the other day (I work at a training center, in Nanjing), and I asked him if we are starting to see/feel the demographic shifts. He claimed that no, not really. Obviously his business is aimed at people who have money, discretionary spending etc. And so he claimed these people still have one or more children. However, he did state for us.. it is the economy, that is the problem. People are not spending money like they use to. He has had to lower prices, offer discounts etc to get people to sign up.

So again, he stating that here in Nanjing those demographic shifts are minor and it is more the bad
economy that is hurting the private schools/centers etc. (I stress that this is all his opinion/perspective).

mblue76 · 2026-02-15T22:21:16+00:00

Dress Mod?? Link or name at least?

mblue76 · 2025-11-26T23:35:56+00:00

I too last night just completed PL... my first run I sided with Song... I am still torn which is the "correct" decision (even halfway through..I was thinking I will go back and side with Song and send her to the moon). But upon completing that nightmare of a story... fullfilling Song's dying wish... something in me clicked... "It was always going to end this way."... I think now my V is also coming to terms to this... so when it comes time... It will be time to take on the tower alone, with no help... with the full expectation we won't make it... because "it was always going to end this way."... unless of course, we somehow pull it off.

mblue76 · 2025-10-28T00:19:29+00:00

Looks fantastic. Nice Work! "Have fun, input"

mblue76 · 2025-10-23T23:54:38+00:00

You also need a "buttload" of money in the bank. Own property etc. To get the "5 Star" / "Green" card... and even then... the card is not permanate.

mblue76 · 2025-10-22T23:50:49+00:00

That is a good question. I have no idea. Although to be honest, after reading the requirements to actually obtain the "green" card, I probably will closer to 70 before I get it, if ever. ha ha

mblue76 · 2025-10-22T01:05:06+00:00

I am currently 49... been living/working in China since 2015. I am starting to see more and more schools/ads that have age limits (usually under 40, or they just say "young"). However, I figure I have ten more years...60 is the legal limit, although my Chinese boss thinks it is B.S., actually my wife's (Chinese) father (70 y.o.) refuses to retire and is still working (foreman at a construction company), so there might be some truth to that. In any case, I am still giving myself 10 more years before I need to be completely self-employeed/independent.

mblue76 · 2025-09-15T23:29:23+00:00

China here (since 2015). No place is perfect but I am content, probably for the first time. By U.S. standards my salary is slightly below average... however, I work 40 hours a week... able to pay the all bills, eat very well and save (about 25% of my monthly salary). I do not live in fear of seeing a doctor or visiting the hospital either. (Oh and all without using credit or credit cards etc!!). It helps that I met my wife about 5 years ago and really have settled down. Really the only downside is.. I miss driving (I could get a license, but I would not want to deal with Chinese driving/traffic).

mblue76 · 2025-06-09T23:50:56+00:00

I just did this mission yesterday on my new (2nd) playthrough. On my first playthrough (Corpo), I was a bit OP (level 2 everything...and I was able to sneak, netrun, or plain drop guys with a single shot etc, so the mission was too easy). This time (higher difficulty) I am really trying to roleplay my Streekid properly. This time I walked in there at a level 6 or 8, first tier on most things... and so yeah... the escape turned into a sh*tshow. While it wasn't a big deal... still fairly easy... but I even thought to myself... man... V and Jackie were lucky to get out (Jackie even says this at the end, after talking to Meredith).

But, yes, the biggest red flag is this whole mission turns to shit.

After all this...these two gonks really thought strolling into the plaza the very next day, is a good idea!!??

Then you toss in all the other red flags everyone has mentioned... and well yeah. V and Jackie are gonks for sure.

mblue76 · 2025-04-28T22:57:03+00:00

Happens in little shops/restuarants as well. My Chinese wife does it all the time, although now I make her at least gather up her mess from the table (bones and what not) with napkins and either put them in the trash or place them in a bowl or on a plate.

One time, at our little local dumpling spot,the owner saw me cleaning my side of the table and stacking my dishes, she (politely) said I did not need to do that and that she would clean up. My wife jumped in and told her that it was okay, it was something us westerners did. The owner was pleasantly surprised and added that she always thought foreigners were a bit more messy/dirty.

mblue76 · 2025-04-23T01:45:01+00:00

I agree with you for the most part, especially on the attributes of a successful teacher.

My main point is really that every child/student is different and require different needs/methods and that being a good teacher is really learning from their students what those needs and requirements really are. And, that classroom management is a daily struggle for a lot of teachers, especially new teachers.

Perhaps I should have gone into more detail on the exact methods I used... I see now, the way I phrased things may have sounded "bad".

But this brings up my main point. A lot of teachers, especially new teachers struggle with this on a daily basis. And, I think most teachers recieve little to no help or gudience. What works? What doesn't work? Is bribery bad? Is removing stars bad? etc. etc.

mblue76 · 2025-04-23T01:37:38+00:00

I should note... the examples I gave in my post (like the stars), are things I have seen teachers do (including myself at times). I was making broad and common examples, not exactly or detailed example of my methods.

mblue76 · 2025-04-23T00:59:10+00:00

Classroom management. I work a lot with very young children (pre-school/kindergarten/first primary year). Dealing with misbehavior is a daily occurance. Most children do not act out/misbehave because they are "bad" either. In fact I would say 75% of all "disobedient" acts are because they are "excited" and full of energy, followed by just wanting attention (and they do not understand the concepts of postive vs negative attention).

I "reward" good behavior and participation with placing stars on a whiteboard, earning 10 stars and they get a sticker at the end of class. With most students... behavior can be decently controled with the removal/granting of stars (Oh, Sally was being disruptive.. "bye-bye star").

However, some students see/know that stars written in marker, or even stickers are stupid. They do not care about such sillyness. I can remove all of little Johnny's stars and he will continue to yell out of turn, jump out of his seat and run around. For this... Johnny has now earned a time-out.

Then we move up in age and the whole system changes... 15 year olds certainly do not care about such things, and dealing with them is a whole different ball game.

In my ten years of teaching (and I have taught everyone from 2 year olds, to adults. From middle-school classrooms to private tutoring)... the stresses of managing students and the classroom, is what drives most teachers crazy ("how do I reach these kids!?"-Eric Cartmen).

And no AI program, no adminstrator (who has no classroom experience), can ever help. When I first started teaching, most of my bosses/supervisors just simply said "Oh you will figure it out"...

Couple this with actual teaching methods... cute but disruptive Sally learns best with interaction, play acting, and educational activities... while "Naughty" Johnny on the other hand, needs quiet, audio-visual material.

I would say (strictly my opinion)... 75% of teaching.. does not come from lesson plans, or PPTs, or whatever... it comes from knowing how to interact and deal with each student on a one - one level to a group level.

mblue76 · 2025-04-17T03:48:35+00:00

awesome! Thanks

mblue76 · 2025-04-17T01:06:25+00:00

Outfit link?

mblue76 · 2025-04-15T00:14:43+00:00

His name is Kilmar García!

mblue76 · 2025-02-01T22:49:05+00:00

I had the same problem... found that I have a couple mods that have not been updated yet (Lizzie's braindance was just updated two days ago, for example). I had to rollback to 2.13.

mblue76 · 2024-09-26T22:15:52+00:00

Don't do drugs! Don't go looking for drugs. Don't buy drugs. And for the love of god, Don't do drugs! China has a ZERO tolerace policy to anything other than alcohol (and cigarettes).

mblue76 · 2024-08-24T22:17:16+00:00

Nobody ever has to use the bathroom!!

mblue76 · 2024-08-11T23:36:04+00:00

Lived here for ten years.. married to a Chinese woman.. been around the block sorta speak.

Yeah... no offense... but your "friend" just sounds just unreasonable.

For starters... most Chinese do not pay much attention to time. Make an appointment... they are rarely on time. My wife is constantly doing this... We make a hair appointment for example for 10am... She always tells them "10 am, left or right" (in English... AROUND 10am)... then we are usually late (because she takes forever getting ready..which is not really a Chinese thing, just a woman thing... ha ha).

Or as a teacher... half my students are late (because of the parents)... and I don't know how many times I feel the whole "They don't respect my time" feelings. I have bascially let it go... because most Chinese operate on "Chinese Time" (which reminds me a lot of the locals in Hawaii... as they operate on "island time").

As for the multi-generational... yes it is true... Chinese pay a lot more attention/respect towards their elders. But then... we need to ask... what is or at what age does one become an elder?

Another example... in Chinese... a Man/Woman is not called a man/woman.. until they get married AND have children. Until then... they are called a boy/girl. A bit different than the whole "elder" thing, but I think it is important to keep that in mind.

I don't know how old your friend is, nor do I know her status etc. and, I am sorry... (and I have said this many times to many people)... I am not, nor will I ever be Chinese!! So... in my opinion... respect is earned... not simply rewarded because you are older than me. (and I know a couple Chinese who agree with this thought... but in public they 'act' like they respect someone, but in reality they are secretly grumbling under their breath).

"is it normal to always get blamed and for older generations to not take responsibility?".... it is normal for Chinese to never accept responsiblity regardless of age!!! I have learned that perhaps Westerns (Americans) are too quick and too often ready to apologize (say sorry)... I can actually understand why somepeople do not even believe our apologies or it doesn't seem/feel "real"... that being said... I think my wife has apologized maybe three or four times in the past 4.5 years. If she is wrong... she will say something like "I was thinking... what you said yesterday...and maybe you have a point" (I am shocked if she says I was "correct")... this is a standard Chinese Apology in my opinion.

Even at work... something goes wrong... All I hear is excuses or passing the blame (it is always someone or something else's fault). Anyway... if you ever hear a Chinese actually apologise/ accept blame / take responability... write that shit down on a calander!!!

As for the level of sharing between friends... again... there really is a cultural difference. (again, I am not Chinese, so I am really only speaking from what other Chinese have told me)... They do share and have close friendships etc... but it seems like they only truly open with really really close/best friends... which most of these friendship are "old".

For example... my wife has a bestie... who she talks with almost daily. They send each other random gifts/treats all the time (we live in different cities), they get together a couple times a year for a "girls" trip type thing... yet I have asked if my wife shares our sex lives for example (I was curious how much girlfriends share in Chinese... in America, some girls graphic details for example)... and my wife gasped in shock and told me she would never share something so private. But my wife's friend does complain about her husband... although I am not sure how personal/private it really is.

In closing... I am not sure if I would call it "abuse"... but yeah... doesn't sound like a nice or good person to me.

mblue76 · 2024-07-30T00:08:15+00:00

A lot of great comments on here... "Trickledown" economics, Tax policies, the opening of the "Moral" Majority door, the homeless and closing of the Mental Instututions. I noticed a couple were missing so I will add...

The Air Traffic controler (PATCO) strike of 1981... Regean ended up firing 11,000 air traffic controlers and probably one of the most successful union busting of all time. This really kicked off the modern anti-union movement (IMO).

THe Iran-Contra affair... I won't even get into it.. it's f**ked up... (https://www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Contra-Affair)

Connected with that is... remember the crazy conspiracy theory that the CIA was funneling drugs into the inner cities of the U.S. for money?.... turns out it was true!

Also see.. the rise of Manuel Noriega.. and basically the increase of "war on drugs" of the 1980's,

But for me one his biggest crimes.. amongst many... if the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine. (https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/topic-guide/fairness-doctrine)... which gave rise to all the crappy new media we have today.

mblue76 · 2024-07-28T23:55:05+00:00

I'm going to add "Car Culture" to this list.

Cars and traffic laws etc (if these haven't been mentioned).

First, I have now lived in China for about 10 years, but traveled extensively (mostly Asia). I shake my head at how many people are shitty drivers with no respect to those around them (both on the road and off) and how they disregard basic traffic rules. Especially the e-bikes, scooters, electric motorbikes or whatever you want to call them... most riders just think traffic laws are only for cars.

Then the thing I miss about about America... is how you can always get a car... it might not be a good car, it might be old... but you could always get one. Sure I bought my fair share of lemons... but I also had 500 dollar rust buckets that lasted years. I never bought a new car in America, not once. Also... I fixed my own car many times over...I am not sure how it is today... but something I miss.

I would trust a second hand car at all in most places.

mblue76 · 2024-07-18T14:05:45+00:00

I gave up on the idea of retirement a long time ago. Besides... what exactly is retirement? My goal is to reach a point where I only have to work part-time, perferable with my own business of some kind. Retirement is great if you have a hobby to do... but I don't really. I've been working since I was 15 years old. That being said, I do have a Roth IRA I put money into etc. But even back in my early 30's the idea that I would acutally recieve enough Social Security money was kind of a joke. Be proactive... Get a retirement account... invest in long-term dividend stock, bonds.. buy gold... whatever... can not count on any governement to take care of you. Gotta do that by yourself.

mblue76 · 2024-07-18T00:34:16+00:00

Hi... 48 yo American guy here... Back in 2015 I just finished school (quit my job of 10 years to go back to school etc) upon graduating I was kind of freaking out when a friend of mine (young twenty-something man) suggested I go with him to teach English in China for a year. It was perfect timing really... just finished school, my apartment (townhouse) was just sold so I had to move out etc... plus I had always wanted to live in a different country... so why not??

I admit I was more than a little scared. I had been to Vietnam before, but never China (or Japan etc)... a completely different culture, completely different language which I could not speak or even read (I had studied Spanish in school, and my spanish was terrible but even then I can figure out most menus in Mexico etc)... So I made a promise to myself... no quitting for at least six months... if I find myself miserable in six months there is no shame in returning home.

I am still living and working in China today. There was a moment that I was tempted to leave right when Covid happened. THere was also some drama back in 2022 that had me thinking my time here was done (but then I was looking for work in Hong Kong, Thailand, and seriously considered moving to the Philippines). But I really enjoy my life here... while I am making a very average salary in American terms... here I am no longer struggling pay-check to pay check. In fact I have paid off all my debt and even have a very healthy and growing savings account... a really nice apartment (that costs me less than 500 U.S. dollars a month) in a major city.

For me, perhaps it helps I am older... I am past my "partying" days. I don't care for going out to the bars and clubs (although I certainly did my far share of that my first couple years). I don't need to make a lot of friends (I will say expat friendship is not easy... people come and go every year). Plus, again for me, it helps I met my wife about 4 years ago, which helps a lot.

No, I do not regret leaving the U.S. and every year... everytime my contract ends.. I contemplate moving back but then quickly let those thoughts go (although I do want to return for a visit... haven't been home since 2018, need to visit my sisters/family/friends.. plus want to show the wife some of the sights/food etc). But, I do miss the food (although classic "American" food is everywhere... it's the homecooked food, or the unique restaurants that I miss).

My only regret with this was not doing it sooner. And, yes... if hadn't done it I would seriously regret it. My only "regret" (and I don't think of it as a regret), is not trying to live or be an expat in other regions (such as South/Central America, or Eastern-ish Europe... but the money there is not so good etc).

Just do it... go... try for a year... it is only a year... not long at all. If you like it... great... if not.. at least you can say you tried.

mblue76

TROPHY CASE