Better

Things are looking a bit better after the weekend. I got most of my work done so it won't be hanging over me this week, and K and I have basically patched things up (for now, at least). The thing is, I will be going to Japan in 2008 - so some time in the next 18 months will come a crunch point. I don't know what's going to happen then...

Saw Corin, yet another ex-JET, on Sunday, now of this parish and job hunting. I helped her out with a bit of Japanese practice, as the job is at a Japanese TV firm. I'm not sure how much help I can realistically be - one can't teach Japanese in an afternoon, after all - but one likes to do what one can for friends and acquaintances.

Had a Chinese test on Thursday and Friday, the latter half of which consisted of speaking into a microphone and recording myself, to make sure I got the tones right. I'm not 100% sure I did...it's damn hard. Luckily, the objective is not to become completely fluent in Mandarin (though that would be nice), so much as to be able to read academic Chinese and classical Chinese poetry.

I got the paper copy of my echocardiogram from a few weeks back today. Apparently I have a 'trivial mitral insufficiency' and a 'trivial tricuspid insufficiency', which terms I can make neither head nor tail of, but I think the key bit is the 'trivial'. At least, I hope so.