Bookspotting and Scuba Diving

Island in Malaysia where I once did a trial scuba dive on Christmas Day.

A few days ago I saw a Western woman on the train reading The World of Suzy Wong. She had her hand over her mouth and a somewhat distressed look on her face, so I'm pretty sure I know what part she was reading. Yesterday afternoon, I spotted a young Chinese woman reading a Sophie Kinsella novel. Based on the cover (and some quick Amazon research), I think it was I've Got Your Number. Later, I saw a woman with a big textbook on her lap called Economics Demystified. I only spotted one Chinese book this week, and it looked like non-fiction.

I've spent almost every evening this week working on the online PADI scuba diving course and attending training sessions at a pool overlooking the Jumbo restaurant in Aberdeen. This weekend we'll do our first two open water dives (Saturday's session has been cancelled due to a typhoon warning). We will hopefully finish our open water certification in time to go scuba diving on our honeymoon this August.

Do you have any big plans for the summer? Have you tried scuba diving before?

Bookspotting and Wedding Planning

My grandparents' porch, utterly devoid of stress

Over the last few weeks, I've been wrapping up my work responsibilities, finishing the edits for the Expat Women in Asia anthology, and doing a little bit of writing when I can squeeze it in. I'm trying to get all these things out of the way this month because I am getting married in July! 

Planning a wedding from abroad has not been nearly as difficult as I expected, though I'll have a lot to do in the three weeks between my arrival in the US and the actual ceremony. We are getting married in the seaside town in Oregon where my grandparents live (I've visited them there every summer since they retired from their own expat life in Asia). Because it's a small town, we have the huge advantage of not very many choices: only two florists to choose from, one photographer, two reception-compatible restaurants, etc. The disadvantage is that folks in the town prefer to make arrangements over the phone and take a long time to respond to emails. Fortunately, my mom has been calling people when necessary and I'm sure all the details will fall into place. 

Have you planned a major event long distance before? Did you find it more or less stressful than being there in the thick of things?

In bookspotting news, I saw a woman reading a book called Women Beyond the Wire on the train. A young man had what looked like a textbook called Power System something or other. Another man was carrying Thinking Fast and Slow under his arm in Kowloon Bay. This morning, a group of teenagers standing in the MTR station were discussing a textbook called Science Mysteries. This week I also spotted one Hong Kong guidebook (Lonely Planet version), a handful of Chinese books, and one novel with flames on the cover. What are people reading in your town this week?