Wow, not just one but TWO typhoons coming in, one right after the other, big and fast. This means I'll probably not have school tomorrow and Friday (and will have to go today in the wonderful torrential rain that's already falling), so I'll have some time actually at home to write in this journal :) I was gone almost all weekend, and home late both yesterday and Monday, so I haven't had a chance to write about the weekend, which was very fun.
Oh, and today my e-mail is not working, because the whole Chiconet website seems to be down. Hopefully it's back up by later. Thank goodness for those alternate Yahoo addresses, huh?
So, catch ya'll later.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
How to Live in Taiwan on Less Than $700 US Per Month
I've been playing with my budget worksheet, since I just picked up two English students who will actually be giving me money to teach them, three times per month for two hours each time. This will bring me the whopping sum of roughly $112 US per month, woohoo! I know, this sounds like nothing, but check out what it costs me to live here (in US dollars):
Rent for a nice, three-bedroom, two-bath apartment that's bigger than my house was in the US: $465/month (note: I hear there are places here that one can rent for around $100/month US - but I don't think I'd want to live in one of them)
Phone and ADSL Internet access: $12-$14/month
Electric bill: $22/month (average - lower in winter, higher in summer)
Water: $9/month
Gas for cooking and hot water: $6/month
Elevator maintenance fee: $16/month
Transportation via MRT: $70/month
Eating out every day, breakfast/lunch/dinner: $145/month (and this is only if I spend $150NT each day, and many times I don't come anywhere close to that)
So, with the money I'll get from teaching, my basic expenses are cut down to around $650 US per month. Yeah, I spend money on other stuff, but I don't have to buy a lot of what I buy. If I get a couple more students, I'll be way happy!
Rent for a nice, three-bedroom, two-bath apartment that's bigger than my house was in the US: $465/month (note: I hear there are places here that one can rent for around $100/month US - but I don't think I'd want to live in one of them)
Phone and ADSL Internet access: $12-$14/month
Electric bill: $22/month (average - lower in winter, higher in summer)
Water: $9/month
Gas for cooking and hot water: $6/month
Elevator maintenance fee: $16/month
Transportation via MRT: $70/month
Eating out every day, breakfast/lunch/dinner: $145/month (and this is only if I spend $150NT each day, and many times I don't come anywhere close to that)
So, with the money I'll get from teaching, my basic expenses are cut down to around $650 US per month. Yeah, I spend money on other stuff, but I don't have to buy a lot of what I buy. If I get a couple more students, I'll be way happy!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
It's all in how you look at it
A very eye-opening article from the Taipei Times (do forgive the pun once you've read the piece).
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/08/24/2003268924
I think I'll try looking at things differently from now on.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/08/24/2003268924
I think I'll try looking at things differently from now on.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Movie day
Went to the 2nd run theater today with Kieko and Hiyoshi to see "Motorcycle Diaries" and "The Interpreter." The bad thing was that MD is a film in Spanish. And guess what, here in Taiwan, the subtitles ain't in English, no sirree, they're in Chinese. So, I did my best to read those, but they go by just a little too quickly for me, so I missed quite a few of the nuances of the film. It was a good movie, though, about Che Guevara in his youth, when he was still just Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, traveling with his friend across South America on a beatup 1939 motorcycle, and the scenery is simply wonderful. The most touching scenes were filmed at a real leper colony, where Ernesto and his traveling companion did a medical internship, illustrating the love Che Guevara had for his patients there. This was not Hollywood makeup, but real people with a real affliction. I know just about zip about Che Guevara, other than he was with Fidel Castro in Cuba during the Cuban revolution and that his face is very popular on t-shirts over here, so it was interesting to see some of the experiences he had that pointed him in the direction he went.
Oh, and "The Interpreter" was OK, too, but I'm glad I didn't pay more than $70NT ($2.00US) to watch it.
Next week Jet Li's "Unleashed" will start, along with the unlikely companion "The Emperor's Journey" (or March of the Penguins, I think the US title was). Looking forward to both of those and to the eventual arrival of Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" since I don't want to pay the equivalent of $8US for that one.
And hey, popcorn and other snacks are way cheap here. Popcorn was less than $2.00 (first I bought a small cup then bought a big cup for the 2nd feature, not as huge as the US, but still a lot), and sodas and candies run around $.75US, what a deal!
Oh, and "The Interpreter" was OK, too, but I'm glad I didn't pay more than $70NT ($2.00US) to watch it.
Next week Jet Li's "Unleashed" will start, along with the unlikely companion "The Emperor's Journey" (or March of the Penguins, I think the US title was). Looking forward to both of those and to the eventual arrival of Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" since I don't want to pay the equivalent of $8US for that one.
And hey, popcorn and other snacks are way cheap here. Popcorn was less than $2.00 (first I bought a small cup then bought a big cup for the 2nd feature, not as huge as the US, but still a lot), and sodas and candies run around $.75US, what a deal!
Saturday, August 20, 2005
A fun-filled week for me, which is why nothing was written earlier
On Monday after class Hiyoshi and I headed to the Yong He area for some lunch. We got off at Ding Xi station and worked our way to the shui jiao/guo tie shop, where we had a very satisfying meal of guo tie, xiao long bao, and dou jiang. Then we explored the little back alley market for awhile, and then discovered a shop that sold really nice Japanese-made T-shirts for dirt cheap (like less than $5 each), so we bought some Goddess Surf Team ones. After our purchase we wandered around the not-yet-open night market, where I spotted this "shuai" guy advertising men's fashions. Too funny :)
We both wanted to check out the night market, so we found the nearest Dante Coffee and sat sipping and chatting until it was time for the shops to open. I really enjoyed this market, lots of cheap clothing and great food, including some way cheap xue hua bing (only $25NT! less than $1.00US!). Got to see my first civet cat for sale at a small pet store. Darned thing tried to bite me. Had to head home early Monday for a lesson with Guoxi, so parted company with my faithful friend around 5:30 p.m. By the time Guoxi left on Monday, it was almost 10:00, so no journal entry.
Tuesday afternoon I asked Hiyoshi to go with me to Xinbeitou because I'd been reading about the area in a magazine & wanted to check out some of the parks. We checked the station map when we got there and headed in the direction of the one park that looked interesting, stopping to eat some "mian xian" at a little restaurant. Dang, it was good. Mian xian, called "e ah mi sua" in Taiwanese (that's the closest I can get to spelling it, sorry, and there's no way to write the nasal sound you have to make when you say it) is thread-fine noodles in a broth with tiny oysters and some other stuff. Yummy yummy - and cheap, only $35NT. Fortified by food, we continued.
And continued. And continued. By this time I was pretty sure we'd missed the park, but we kept going and found a large Buddhist temple that we checked out. It was very quiet, hardly anyone around, so we spent a little time "bai bai-ing" and then headed off again. We saw what looked like a park up ahead, crossed the street, and discovered a flood-control sluice that ran up the mountainside, with a funky imitation bamboo railing, paited an bright green. Since there was a pathway, we decided to check it out. Keep in mind that I'm carrying a backpack filled with two dictionaries, one school textbook, a notebook, some folders with papers, an umbrella, and the miscellaneous odds & ends that a girl just can't leave home without. And it was hot, full sun, no shade. By the time we reached the first set of stairs (the first of many), I was ready to toss Hiyoshi into the sluice, since he was the one who actually suggested we climb. And the stinker wouldn't even carry my backpack.
No matter, we climbed. Finally reached a spot where we could go either left or right, saw a sign indicated temples in both directions, and picked the right hand side first, since the left had a very steep set of stairs going up, while the right had a more gentle incline. We found a very small, very charming temple that had some relatively fresh water we could use to cool off (but not drink, and I did not have the foresight to bring water with me, dammit). More bai-bai at this temple, then back down to check out the other one.
Man, it was rough going up that last hill. I opted for the road since the steps were very shallow and it just seemed easier to hike the road. By the time we reached the top, I was soaked with sweat head to foot and my poor heart was letting me know just how out of shape I am. But it was worth the climb, because the view was fabulous. All I had with me was the phone camera, but I got a few shots you can check out by clicking the link. I plan to go back here again, and next time I'll leave the backpack at home and take the digital camera! http://www.pbase.com/500fan/xinbeitou_taiwan
The walk back down was much nicer, and we found a very cool park halfway down the mountainside, but we were so thirsty we didn't stop to play. Water was all I could think about at this point. The first 7-11 we found we bought water for our tortured throats and we did find the park that was our original destination on the way back. We didn't realize the children's playground we had seen was the entrance to the park. Nice place, with some very fun exercise equipment to play on, must go back again one day and act the child ;)
I was so exhausted by my day that I went to bed at 9:30 p.m., after sitting on the couch trying to stay awake enough to read my book. No journal entry.
Wednesday I went with Guoxi and his English class on an outing to the bowling alley. Whoa, fun, hadn't been bowling for over a year! I did much better than I expected, too, and bowling with a passle of youngsters was a blast. Most of Guoxi's classmates are in their early 20's, with Guoxi and two others being a bit older. I got to be team captain once, too, yeah! Next week I think Kieko and Hiyoshi and I are going to go give it a try.
After bowling, Guoxi took me to the pet store so I could buy a kitty tower for DZ to play on (too big to try to carry on the MRT), then I tagged along with him while he fed a friend's dogs. Was too lazy to write anything when I got home :)
Thursday afternoon was kinda regular, just spent some time at the library with Hiyoshi, studying for the test we had yesterday, then just wandering around, having our usual Dante Coffee break. Met up with Guoxi and some of his friends for dinner at a hot pot place, drank lots of beer and had lots of fun. As usual, the Taiwanese friends ate way more than I did, still can't figure out how they do that and still stay thin. Went back to Guoxi's friends' guitar shop and saw this cute little amplifier made from a teakettle. Isn't it cute?
Another late arrival at home, somewhere close to 10:30 p.m. Had to listen to DZ scolding me for leaving her alone so much. Didn't even bother to turn on the computer before I went to bed.
Yesterday I had planned to just come home after school, but Hiyoshi invited me to go with him to his Taiwan friends' home. He goes there every Wednesday and Friday to teach Japanese, and he assured me I'd be welcomed. Boy howdy, was I! Great family, mom, dad, son, and daughter. Not that the son and daughter had anything to say....typical 20-somethings, too involved in their own things to care who's visiting....but the mom, Sherri, was great. Dad (didn't get his name) was busy working (their home is also their office), but I did discover he's a big fan of rock & roll. After Sherri, Hiyoshi, and I had chatted for awhile and eaten some pizza and zong zi, Sherri fired up the karaoke machine so we could sing some Wu Bai songs. After we ran out of Wu Bai songs, and after Hiyoshi and Sherri sang a few Japanese songs, we started on English ones. There were times when I was laughing to much to sing, and times that songs were making me cry (Puff, the Magic Dragon does it to me every time). Then Sherri dragged out all the concert DVDs they have, and I couldn't believe how many! We watched a bit of Heart on tour, Dream Theater, Journey (oh man, I used to love them so much, and their new singer sounds *exactly* like Steve Perry, but doesn't look as good), some special in England with tons of bands.
We'd been drinking tea, but somewhere in the middle of all this Sherri brought out a large bottle of sake, which Hiyoshi and I managed to polish off, with only a little of it going into Sherri's tummy. Hiyoshi is quite funny when he drinks, because his face turns bright red. Someday I'm going to see what tequila will do to him...... One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor. What, me, evil? Who says? I deny it!
And here it is, almost 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (and I've spent an hour writing this entry), and I'm still in my jammies, because I stayed up until almost 1:00 a.m. and got up late today. Gotta get dressed soon and head out to buy more gas, because my bottle is now empty. Tried to boil some water this morning, and the flames went "phhht" after about a minute. This bottle has lasted since May 8, so that's pretty good.
Here's hoping next week will be just as much fun as this one. Oh, did I mention how much I love not having a job? ;)
We both wanted to check out the night market, so we found the nearest Dante Coffee and sat sipping and chatting until it was time for the shops to open. I really enjoyed this market, lots of cheap clothing and great food, including some way cheap xue hua bing (only $25NT! less than $1.00US!). Got to see my first civet cat for sale at a small pet store. Darned thing tried to bite me. Had to head home early Monday for a lesson with Guoxi, so parted company with my faithful friend around 5:30 p.m. By the time Guoxi left on Monday, it was almost 10:00, so no journal entry.
Tuesday afternoon I asked Hiyoshi to go with me to Xinbeitou because I'd been reading about the area in a magazine & wanted to check out some of the parks. We checked the station map when we got there and headed in the direction of the one park that looked interesting, stopping to eat some "mian xian" at a little restaurant. Dang, it was good. Mian xian, called "e ah mi sua" in Taiwanese (that's the closest I can get to spelling it, sorry, and there's no way to write the nasal sound you have to make when you say it) is thread-fine noodles in a broth with tiny oysters and some other stuff. Yummy yummy - and cheap, only $35NT. Fortified by food, we continued.
And continued. And continued. By this time I was pretty sure we'd missed the park, but we kept going and found a large Buddhist temple that we checked out. It was very quiet, hardly anyone around, so we spent a little time "bai bai-ing" and then headed off again. We saw what looked like a park up ahead, crossed the street, and discovered a flood-control sluice that ran up the mountainside, with a funky imitation bamboo railing, paited an bright green. Since there was a pathway, we decided to check it out. Keep in mind that I'm carrying a backpack filled with two dictionaries, one school textbook, a notebook, some folders with papers, an umbrella, and the miscellaneous odds & ends that a girl just can't leave home without. And it was hot, full sun, no shade. By the time we reached the first set of stairs (the first of many), I was ready to toss Hiyoshi into the sluice, since he was the one who actually suggested we climb. And the stinker wouldn't even carry my backpack.
No matter, we climbed. Finally reached a spot where we could go either left or right, saw a sign indicated temples in both directions, and picked the right hand side first, since the left had a very steep set of stairs going up, while the right had a more gentle incline. We found a very small, very charming temple that had some relatively fresh water we could use to cool off (but not drink, and I did not have the foresight to bring water with me, dammit). More bai-bai at this temple, then back down to check out the other one.
Man, it was rough going up that last hill. I opted for the road since the steps were very shallow and it just seemed easier to hike the road. By the time we reached the top, I was soaked with sweat head to foot and my poor heart was letting me know just how out of shape I am. But it was worth the climb, because the view was fabulous. All I had with me was the phone camera, but I got a few shots you can check out by clicking the link. I plan to go back here again, and next time I'll leave the backpack at home and take the digital camera! http://www.pbase.com/500fan/xinbeitou_taiwan
The walk back down was much nicer, and we found a very cool park halfway down the mountainside, but we were so thirsty we didn't stop to play. Water was all I could think about at this point. The first 7-11 we found we bought water for our tortured throats and we did find the park that was our original destination on the way back. We didn't realize the children's playground we had seen was the entrance to the park. Nice place, with some very fun exercise equipment to play on, must go back again one day and act the child ;)
I was so exhausted by my day that I went to bed at 9:30 p.m., after sitting on the couch trying to stay awake enough to read my book. No journal entry.
Wednesday I went with Guoxi and his English class on an outing to the bowling alley. Whoa, fun, hadn't been bowling for over a year! I did much better than I expected, too, and bowling with a passle of youngsters was a blast. Most of Guoxi's classmates are in their early 20's, with Guoxi and two others being a bit older. I got to be team captain once, too, yeah! Next week I think Kieko and Hiyoshi and I are going to go give it a try.
After bowling, Guoxi took me to the pet store so I could buy a kitty tower for DZ to play on (too big to try to carry on the MRT), then I tagged along with him while he fed a friend's dogs. Was too lazy to write anything when I got home :)
Thursday afternoon was kinda regular, just spent some time at the library with Hiyoshi, studying for the test we had yesterday, then just wandering around, having our usual Dante Coffee break. Met up with Guoxi and some of his friends for dinner at a hot pot place, drank lots of beer and had lots of fun. As usual, the Taiwanese friends ate way more than I did, still can't figure out how they do that and still stay thin. Went back to Guoxi's friends' guitar shop and saw this cute little amplifier made from a teakettle. Isn't it cute?
Another late arrival at home, somewhere close to 10:30 p.m. Had to listen to DZ scolding me for leaving her alone so much. Didn't even bother to turn on the computer before I went to bed.
Yesterday I had planned to just come home after school, but Hiyoshi invited me to go with him to his Taiwan friends' home. He goes there every Wednesday and Friday to teach Japanese, and he assured me I'd be welcomed. Boy howdy, was I! Great family, mom, dad, son, and daughter. Not that the son and daughter had anything to say....typical 20-somethings, too involved in their own things to care who's visiting....but the mom, Sherri, was great. Dad (didn't get his name) was busy working (their home is also their office), but I did discover he's a big fan of rock & roll. After Sherri, Hiyoshi, and I had chatted for awhile and eaten some pizza and zong zi, Sherri fired up the karaoke machine so we could sing some Wu Bai songs. After we ran out of Wu Bai songs, and after Hiyoshi and Sherri sang a few Japanese songs, we started on English ones. There were times when I was laughing to much to sing, and times that songs were making me cry (Puff, the Magic Dragon does it to me every time). Then Sherri dragged out all the concert DVDs they have, and I couldn't believe how many! We watched a bit of Heart on tour, Dream Theater, Journey (oh man, I used to love them so much, and their new singer sounds *exactly* like Steve Perry, but doesn't look as good), some special in England with tons of bands.
We'd been drinking tea, but somewhere in the middle of all this Sherri brought out a large bottle of sake, which Hiyoshi and I managed to polish off, with only a little of it going into Sherri's tummy. Hiyoshi is quite funny when he drinks, because his face turns bright red. Someday I'm going to see what tequila will do to him...... One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor. What, me, evil? Who says? I deny it!
And here it is, almost 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (and I've spent an hour writing this entry), and I'm still in my jammies, because I stayed up until almost 1:00 a.m. and got up late today. Gotta get dressed soon and head out to buy more gas, because my bottle is now empty. Tried to boil some water this morning, and the flames went "phhht" after about a minute. This bottle has lasted since May 8, so that's pretty good.
Here's hoping next week will be just as much fun as this one. Oh, did I mention how much I love not having a job? ;)
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Blog comments
If people aren't leaving their names, I can't figure out who is leaving comments, so I've changed the settings. You now need to be a registered user in order to leave a comment. Once you register and log in, you can stay logged in so that you don't have to sign in each time.
The Gates of Hell are open
Last Friday marked the beginning of Ghost Month here in Taiwan, which will continue until September 3, with the highlight coming on the 15th day (I'm looking forward to that). To ensure that wandering ghosts will not disturb the peace and prosperity of the living over the next year, many Chinese burn enormous amounts of paper money, sometimes called "hell money," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_money) so the dead can have money to spend on the other side, and set up tables laden with food and alcohol during this time. Chinese people really believe in taking care of the ancestors.
There are many "no-no's" for Ghost Month. Our teacher was telling us about a few of them, such as no flute playing, no whistling, no opening umbrellas inside the house, no hanging your laundry outside to dry in the evening, no surgeries, no burials (and boy, are you ever unlucky if you die during Ghost Month). Also, you don't call them "ghosts" - you call them "little brothers" so they don't get offended. I also read that children don't stay out late during Ghost Month, because parents are afraid a ghost will possess them.
You can read more about Ghost Month at the following link.
http://www.festivals.com/00-10-october/afterlife/ghostmonth.cfm
There are many "no-no's" for Ghost Month. Our teacher was telling us about a few of them, such as no flute playing, no whistling, no opening umbrellas inside the house, no hanging your laundry outside to dry in the evening, no surgeries, no burials (and boy, are you ever unlucky if you die during Ghost Month). Also, you don't call them "ghosts" - you call them "little brothers" so they don't get offended. I also read that children don't stay out late during Ghost Month, because parents are afraid a ghost will possess them.
You can read more about Ghost Month at the following link.
http://www.festivals.com/00-10-october/afterlife/ghostmonth.cfm
Humdrum life
You haven't seen a post for a week, because last week didn't have much of note, just the usual going to class, hanging out with Hiyoshi and Kieko, etc. I did have quite a good time Wednesday evening going with Guoxi to see the Air Force band perferm at the National Music Hall at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. When Guoxi invited me along, I didn't expect that I would enjoy it as much as I did. The band's best performance, for me, was the Nutcracker, which I love.
And then on Friday night Caroline arrived! I met her in May 2002 when I came here for my first Wu Bai & China Blue concert. She's from Scotland and was here studying and was also a Wu Bai fan. We've kept in touch ever since, and she'd gone back to Scotland in December 2002 to complete her studies there. Now she's taken a job with Hess English school and has returned to the home of her heart. She got in quite late on Friday, but even after a flight (with two stops/layovers) of almost 24 hours, she still wanted to get out and about a little. We ended up going to Danshui and walking around. The wind was pretty fierce, due to another tropical storm that was whipping things up, but at least it was cooler than usual. We missed the last train (midnight) and had to take a taxi back to my place, where we stayed up chatting and watching some Wu Bai & China Blue music videos :)
Last night Caroline and I met up with Katsu, one of her friends from her school days. He's half Japanese, half Taiwanese, and he was working at a great little restaurant (might actually be part owner of it) called Kushiyaki. Katsu treated us to some yummy food, chunks of beef and lamb and whole prawns on skewers, tempura squid, bell pepper chunks filled with savory meat, pao cai (similar to kimchee but not quite Korean), and something I couldn't give a name to but was incredibly tasty. All this food, along with many, many bottles of Taiwan beer made for a fun evening.
What made me happiest was that I actually understood 99% of the Chinese conversation going on around me, and I understood it when people talked to me! I've been worried that I still don't usually understand people when they start talking to me, thinking I'm just not doing very well with the language, but this was a piece of cake. And the Chinese speakers at the restaurant (Katsu, the cook, a girl whose name I've forgotten, some of the customers) all understood me just fine. When I first asked them to speak just a little slower for me, they told me the reason they were speaking so quickly was because I was, so they figured I was fluent. Once they slowed down just a tad, no problem. So hey, yeah, I'm getting it! I think maybe it's just when people speak to me unexpectedly that my brain refuses to process it, like in the stores and such. Or if they're going at it a mile a minute and peppering their speech with Taiwanese words as well as standard Mandarin, like so many of my friends do. I think that will take more than five months to get used to.
And guess what? No hangover this morning, despite the beer ;)
And then on Friday night Caroline arrived! I met her in May 2002 when I came here for my first Wu Bai & China Blue concert. She's from Scotland and was here studying and was also a Wu Bai fan. We've kept in touch ever since, and she'd gone back to Scotland in December 2002 to complete her studies there. Now she's taken a job with Hess English school and has returned to the home of her heart. She got in quite late on Friday, but even after a flight (with two stops/layovers) of almost 24 hours, she still wanted to get out and about a little. We ended up going to Danshui and walking around. The wind was pretty fierce, due to another tropical storm that was whipping things up, but at least it was cooler than usual. We missed the last train (midnight) and had to take a taxi back to my place, where we stayed up chatting and watching some Wu Bai & China Blue music videos :)
Last night Caroline and I met up with Katsu, one of her friends from her school days. He's half Japanese, half Taiwanese, and he was working at a great little restaurant (might actually be part owner of it) called Kushiyaki. Katsu treated us to some yummy food, chunks of beef and lamb and whole prawns on skewers, tempura squid, bell pepper chunks filled with savory meat, pao cai (similar to kimchee but not quite Korean), and something I couldn't give a name to but was incredibly tasty. All this food, along with many, many bottles of Taiwan beer made for a fun evening.
What made me happiest was that I actually understood 99% of the Chinese conversation going on around me, and I understood it when people talked to me! I've been worried that I still don't usually understand people when they start talking to me, thinking I'm just not doing very well with the language, but this was a piece of cake. And the Chinese speakers at the restaurant (Katsu, the cook, a girl whose name I've forgotten, some of the customers) all understood me just fine. When I first asked them to speak just a little slower for me, they told me the reason they were speaking so quickly was because I was, so they figured I was fluent. Once they slowed down just a tad, no problem. So hey, yeah, I'm getting it! I think maybe it's just when people speak to me unexpectedly that my brain refuses to process it, like in the stores and such. Or if they're going at it a mile a minute and peppering their speech with Taiwanese words as well as standard Mandarin, like so many of my friends do. I think that will take more than five months to get used to.
And guess what? No hangover this morning, despite the beer ;)
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Feeling a little regretful
Yesterday I had had plans to go to Fulong with Natari for the Ho-Hai-Yan Music Festival (http://hohaiyan.com/2005.htm) but, for the second time, a typhoon canceled it http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/08/05/2003266544. So, my day was freed up to do other things.
There was another big event happening yesterday, but it was in Gaoxiong. Originally I told Charlene I wouldn't go, because I had the prior plans with Natari. When I realized there was a good chance the typhoon would wipe out those plans, I began to consider the trip to Gaoxiong, a long bus ride and an expense of around $50 US (remember, I still don't have a job). I thought about it for a long time, vacillating between yes and no, weighing the pros and cons. What was the event? Oh, it was a Wu Bai & China Blue autograph session. Apparently ticket sales for the September 10 concert in Gaoxiong haven't been good, so the guys headed down there for some promotion.
My ultimate decision was not to go. I know, most of you think I'd do anything to get close to Wu Bai, right? Well, you're wrong. I love the concerts, but I'm not too keen at standing directly in front of the man and having his undivided attention. And with this horrible "Little Dutch Boy" haircut I'm currently sporting, I'm even less willing to plant myself in his line of sight! At least by the September 10 show my bangs might actually be down to my eyebrows again, or at least close to them.
Charlene got all our tickets signed by Wu Bai, Xiao Zhu, and Da Mao. Dino wasn't there, because he's still in the US. I'm sure his absence caused a lot of sadness for the fans, because he truly is well-loved here, probably the most popular of the group besides Wu Bai. I'm a tiny bit sorry that I didn't go, but at least now my fantasy Wu Bai will stay intact and not melt away because I got close enough to realize he smells like an ashtray from all the smoking he does.
There was another big event happening yesterday, but it was in Gaoxiong. Originally I told Charlene I wouldn't go, because I had the prior plans with Natari. When I realized there was a good chance the typhoon would wipe out those plans, I began to consider the trip to Gaoxiong, a long bus ride and an expense of around $50 US (remember, I still don't have a job). I thought about it for a long time, vacillating between yes and no, weighing the pros and cons. What was the event? Oh, it was a Wu Bai & China Blue autograph session. Apparently ticket sales for the September 10 concert in Gaoxiong haven't been good, so the guys headed down there for some promotion.
My ultimate decision was not to go. I know, most of you think I'd do anything to get close to Wu Bai, right? Well, you're wrong. I love the concerts, but I'm not too keen at standing directly in front of the man and having his undivided attention. And with this horrible "Little Dutch Boy" haircut I'm currently sporting, I'm even less willing to plant myself in his line of sight! At least by the September 10 show my bangs might actually be down to my eyebrows again, or at least close to them.
Charlene got all our tickets signed by Wu Bai, Xiao Zhu, and Da Mao. Dino wasn't there, because he's still in the US. I'm sure his absence caused a lot of sadness for the fans, because he truly is well-loved here, probably the most popular of the group besides Wu Bai. I'm a tiny bit sorry that I didn't go, but at least now my fantasy Wu Bai will stay intact and not melt away because I got close enough to realize he smells like an ashtray from all the smoking he does.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
It's a holiday!
Just got the word that there's no school tomorrow, because another typhoon is whipping up the wind and rain here. The eye won't even make landfall, but they're expecting some high winds tomorrow, so schools are closed. Darn, have to stay home and play, ha. That's fine with me, because tomorrow is a military exercise at 2:00 p.m., and I would have had to remember to be underground or in a restaurant, because no one will be allowed on the street from 2:00-2:30. Like being in the underground mall will save anyone's butt if the Chinese decide to bomb us.....
It's been a quiet week, not really much going on. My "better-than-a-boyfriend" chum Hiyoshi returned from Japan on Tuesday, but didn't get back to class until yesterday. He graciously consented to go along with Guoxi (who also falls into the "better-than-a-boyfriend" category) and me to Carrefour to buy stuff. I hope the women these two guys end up marrying will thank me for all the husband training I'm doing by taking them shopping with me. I know Guoxi is doing it because he feels he owes me favors for the help I'm giving him with his English, but I'm not quite sure why Hiyoshi is willing to tag along after me through a crowded supermarket! I guess life way out in Wan Li is pretty boring and almost anything is preferable to being stuck out in nowhere alone. Anyway, I finally got a cute little vacuum cleaner and a blender - and a full-length mirror. No more kidding myself about how I look, because now I'll be able to see the full picture.
Today, since it was raining so hard, Kieko, Hiyoshi, and I headed for the underground shopping mall to have lunch and wander around. I like listening to the two of them chatter away in Japanese, even though I don't understand it. I get a completely different view of Hiyoshi when he's speaking his own language. His Chinese is better than his English, but it's still difficult to converse with me, because my Chinese isn't as good as his, so he can't really express himself well. I knew he was good at making jokes, but the way Kieko laughs when they talk, I can tell he's funnier than I imagined. She thinks he's pretty strange, and we constantly tease him that he's an alien from outer space, not a real Japanese, because he seems unfamiliar with so many popular Japanese things. I think he's just led a rather sheltered life.
After Kieko took off for work at 3:30, Hiyoshi and I went up into the rain to get to our favorite coffee hangout, Dante Coffee. It was, for once, very quiet in there, no obnoxiously loud music playing, so we sat drinking iced coffee and talking in English to give him practice until 7:00. We kept hoping the rain would let up a bit, but it didn't, so we just decided to hell with it and got wet. By the time I got back to Zhuwei, it was a downpour that had water three inches deep in places. Of course, as soon as I got in the door, the rain stopped. Figures, huh? Hasn't been too bad since then, and the wind is pretty minor, and it's nice and cool in the apartment, yay!
So tomorrow, play with the new vacuum and put the mirror together. And make a smoothie with the new blender. And maybe read the last of the four new books I got. Heck, who knows, maybe I'll even study!
It's been a quiet week, not really much going on. My "better-than-a-boyfriend" chum Hiyoshi returned from Japan on Tuesday, but didn't get back to class until yesterday. He graciously consented to go along with Guoxi (who also falls into the "better-than-a-boyfriend" category) and me to Carrefour to buy stuff. I hope the women these two guys end up marrying will thank me for all the husband training I'm doing by taking them shopping with me. I know Guoxi is doing it because he feels he owes me favors for the help I'm giving him with his English, but I'm not quite sure why Hiyoshi is willing to tag along after me through a crowded supermarket! I guess life way out in Wan Li is pretty boring and almost anything is preferable to being stuck out in nowhere alone. Anyway, I finally got a cute little vacuum cleaner and a blender - and a full-length mirror. No more kidding myself about how I look, because now I'll be able to see the full picture
Today, since it was raining so hard, Kieko, Hiyoshi, and I headed for the underground shopping mall to have lunch and wander around. I like listening to the two of them chatter away in Japanese, even though I don't understand it. I get a completely different view of Hiyoshi when he's speaking his own language. His Chinese is better than his English, but it's still difficult to converse with me, because my Chinese isn't as good as his, so he can't really express himself well. I knew he was good at making jokes, but the way Kieko laughs when they talk, I can tell he's funnier than I imagined. She thinks he's pretty strange, and we constantly tease him that he's an alien from outer space, not a real Japanese, because he seems unfamiliar with so many popular Japanese things. I think he's just led a rather sheltered life.
After Kieko took off for work at 3:30, Hiyoshi and I went up into the rain to get to our favorite coffee hangout, Dante Coffee. It was, for once, very quiet in there, no obnoxiously loud music playing, so we sat drinking iced coffee and talking in English to give him practice until 7:00. We kept hoping the rain would let up a bit, but it didn't, so we just decided to hell with it and got wet. By the time I got back to Zhuwei, it was a downpour that had water three inches deep in places. Of course, as soon as I got in the door, the rain stopped. Figures, huh? Hasn't been too bad since then, and the wind is pretty minor, and it's nice and cool in the apartment, yay!
So tomorrow, play with the new vacuum and put the mirror together. And make a smoothie with the new blender. And maybe read the last of the four new books I got. Heck, who knows, maybe I'll even study!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
I'm a good girl
Since I sat on my heiny all day yesterday reading, I forced myself to go for a walk today. I took the MRT to Danshui and walked back on the bike path, about one hour. It was frickin' hot today, and there's precious little shade along the path. I was soaked when I made it back to Zhuwei, and I ducked into the grocery store for a six-pack of diet Pepsi. Unfortunately, the peanut M&Ms were screaming my name, so I picked up a small package of those, too, just to shut them up. Ate 'em all when I got home. So much for the walk, huh? Perhaps I should consider getting my lips sewn shut.
Time for a bitch session
I don't want my friends to think I've morphed into someone completely different, so I guess it's time to air some of my gripes about Taiwan life. Nothing is major, nothing makes me hate it here or hate the people, but I do tend to get annoyed a lot. It's still better than driving in the US! And since I'm not alone in my observations, I thought I'd share.
Taiwan people have this weird way of walking. It seems to be completely impossible for them to walk in a straight line. And they apparently have zero peripheral vision, because they are constantly veering into me when I'm walking alongside them. My Japanese friend, Kieko, relates the same experiences. We laugh about it a lot as we're walking together, trying to avoid the people who are so intent on crashing into us. And they will come out of a store without bothering to check the sidewalk for other people (and there are always other people), but will just walk right in front of me (I'm usually charging along pretty rapidly) and proceed to mosey along at a snail's pace.
Their speed of walking is the other thing that bugs me. I can't walk that slowly if I try. I just can't. My normal pace leaves most of them in the dust, and if I'm trying to exercise and walking at my three-mile-per-hour stride, it's like I'm running compared to them. This is probably my biggest frustration here, trying to get somewhere fast and being unable to because I'm in a traffic jam of slow people. I'm pretty good at weaving, but there are parts of town that are so clogged at lunch time that I just have to grit my teeth and slow down a bit. I'm hoping that in time I'll be adopting more of this lazy, I-don't-have-to-be-anywhere-soon way of walking.
Apparently Taiwan people drive much the same way that they walk, because I hear the guys who ride scooters to school complaining about the way the cars just veer from one lane to the next without looking. I guess my friend drives like that, too, but it's not so noticeable inside the car, and she's a darned good driver (anyone who can navigate their way through Gaoxiong traffic deserves a medal, in my opinion). I still can't figure out why it can take 8 hours to drive to Gaoxiong on a weekend, when it's only the same distance as from Chico to San Francisco, a drive I could make in 3 hours, no sweat. Granted, the roads here aren't quite as wide as California highways, but 8 hours??!! Sheesh.
My final gripe of the day is reserved for the people at the convenience stores who don't seem to understand the concept of a line and the person who got there first being served first. It's kind of funny that this very polite society can be so pushy and rude at a 7-11! It just doesn't fit with the rest of the place. You gotta be quick here to get your items rung up, because if you hesitate for an instant, looking for your wallet, someone will barge in front and get their stuff paid for before you have a chance to say, "Hey! I was here first!" And heaven help you if you aren't fast enough to get out of the way after you paid for your things, because whoever is behind you will push. That seems to work at the other stores, too.
So, why are these people who are in such a hurry at the stores unable to walk a little faster to get to their destinations outside the stores? It's a mystery.
None of the above makes me love Taiwan people any less. I prefer their company to that of any other place on earth and will gladly put up with these minor annoyances to live here. At least here I don't read the headlines every day to see that a child was murdered, a family was killed by the father because the wife wanted to leave, police officers were shot at while on a simple domestic disturbance call, etc. Yes, we have crime, but not on the same scale as the US. It was a complete shocker last week that a teenager was kidnapped and killed because the kidnappers grabbed the wrong kid. That's an infrequent occurrence here, not a daily one. And when they catch the perps, it's likely they'll be executed, not stuck in a posh jail for a few years.
Taiwan people have this weird way of walking. It seems to be completely impossible for them to walk in a straight line. And they apparently have zero peripheral vision, because they are constantly veering into me when I'm walking alongside them. My Japanese friend, Kieko, relates the same experiences. We laugh about it a lot as we're walking together, trying to avoid the people who are so intent on crashing into us. And they will come out of a store without bothering to check the sidewalk for other people (and there are always other people), but will just walk right in front of me (I'm usually charging along pretty rapidly) and proceed to mosey along at a snail's pace.
Their speed of walking is the other thing that bugs me. I can't walk that slowly if I try. I just can't. My normal pace leaves most of them in the dust, and if I'm trying to exercise and walking at my three-mile-per-hour stride, it's like I'm running compared to them. This is probably my biggest frustration here, trying to get somewhere fast and being unable to because I'm in a traffic jam of slow people. I'm pretty good at weaving, but there are parts of town that are so clogged at lunch time that I just have to grit my teeth and slow down a bit. I'm hoping that in time I'll be adopting more of this lazy, I-don't-have-to-be-anywhere-soon way of walking.
Apparently Taiwan people drive much the same way that they walk, because I hear the guys who ride scooters to school complaining about the way the cars just veer from one lane to the next without looking. I guess my friend drives like that, too, but it's not so noticeable inside the car, and she's a darned good driver (anyone who can navigate their way through Gaoxiong traffic deserves a medal, in my opinion). I still can't figure out why it can take 8 hours to drive to Gaoxiong on a weekend, when it's only the same distance as from Chico to San Francisco, a drive I could make in 3 hours, no sweat. Granted, the roads here aren't quite as wide as California highways, but 8 hours??!! Sheesh.
My final gripe of the day is reserved for the people at the convenience stores who don't seem to understand the concept of a line and the person who got there first being served first. It's kind of funny that this very polite society can be so pushy and rude at a 7-11! It just doesn't fit with the rest of the place. You gotta be quick here to get your items rung up, because if you hesitate for an instant, looking for your wallet, someone will barge in front and get their stuff paid for before you have a chance to say, "Hey! I was here first!" And heaven help you if you aren't fast enough to get out of the way after you paid for your things, because whoever is behind you will push. That seems to work at the other stores, too.
So, why are these people who are in such a hurry at the stores unable to walk a little faster to get to their destinations outside the stores? It's a mystery.
None of the above makes me love Taiwan people any less. I prefer their company to that of any other place on earth and will gladly put up with these minor annoyances to live here. At least here I don't read the headlines every day to see that a child was murdered, a family was killed by the father because the wife wanted to leave, police officers were shot at while on a simple domestic disturbance call, etc. Yes, we have crime, but not on the same scale as the US. It was a complete shocker last week that a teenager was kidnapped and killed because the kidnappers grabbed the wrong kid. That's an infrequent occurrence here, not a daily one. And when they catch the perps, it's likely they'll be executed, not stuck in a posh jail for a few years.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
How I Spent My Saturday
Got up at 8:30 a.m. Made coffee, turned on the computer. Answered massive amounts of overdue e-mail while drinking coffee. Didn't get entirely caught up, but managed to cut the in-box down to 28 messages. Figured I should take a shower just in case Kieko called about going to the computer expo. Ate some cereal. Started reading The Twelfth Card. Finished reading The Twelfth Card.
Yup, I sat my ass on the couch all afternoon and read, except for 40 minutes I spent on the phone with Nat when she called. Never heard from Kieko, so never stirred out of the house.
I consider today to be a rousing success!
Yup, I sat my ass on the couch all afternoon and read, except for 40 minutes I spent on the phone with Nat when she called. Never heard from Kieko, so never stirred out of the house.
I consider today to be a rousing success!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Just in time for the weekend
When I left for school this morning, I discovered my box of books from Amazon.com - yay! Would have been nice if the delivery person had actually buzzed my apartment yesterday when he/she dropped them off, because the box wasn't there when I got home in the afternoon, so I must have been here when it arrived - but I didn't go out again last night.
Already read one of the books this afternoon - Eleven on Top, the latest Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. I love Stephanie and her adventures in bounty hunting. Just wish I knew how she can eat so much cake and donuts and still retain her figure. Oh, maybe it's because she's a character in a book and not a real person......
So, although I have tentative thoughts about getting out and doing something constructive this weekend, I may get sidetracked by The Twelfth Card (the latest Lincolm Rhyme novel by Jeffery Deaver), Broken Prey (the latest Lucas Davenport by John Sanford), or Long Time Gone (the latest JP Beaumont by J. A. Jance).
I will try to go to the computer expo at the Taipei World Trade Center, because I hear they give away a lot of cool stuff to the people who attend. We'll see if Kieko gets up early enough tomorrow to make the trip.
Already read one of the books this afternoon - Eleven on Top, the latest Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. I love Stephanie and her adventures in bounty hunting. Just wish I knew how she can eat so much cake and donuts and still retain her figure. Oh, maybe it's because she's a character in a book and not a real person......
So, although I have tentative thoughts about getting out and doing something constructive this weekend, I may get sidetracked by The Twelfth Card (the latest Lincolm Rhyme novel by Jeffery Deaver), Broken Prey (the latest Lucas Davenport by John Sanford), or Long Time Gone (the latest JP Beaumont by J. A. Jance).
I will try to go to the computer expo at the Taipei World Trade Center, because I hear they give away a lot of cool stuff to the people who attend. We'll see if Kieko gets up early enough tomorrow to make the trip.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
OK, when do I see the results?
Felt ambitious today, and walked from school to Shilin Station, approximately 7 kilometres (4.35 miles). This time I was bright enough to buy two bottles of water before leaving Shuang Lian Station, and I stopped to rest a couple of times, so I didn't feel as if I were going to pass out from heat exhaustion. The temperature today is around 33.5C (92F), but the humidity is way down, only around 57%, so it doesn't feel as hot as it did yesterday. Plus, there's a decent breeze blowing. All in all, it was a pleasant walk, and I discovered two new parks and found out where the fine arts museum is. Check out the route on the map (it's the lime green line): 
Me, tired? Why do you ask?
I just want to know when the weight will start coming off. How many hours of walking do I have to do each day, huh? What's that? I need to stop eating so much, too? WAAAAAHHHHH!
Me, tired? Why do you ask?
I just want to know when the weight will start coming off. How many hours of walking do I have to do each day, huh? What's that? I need to stop eating so much, too? WAAAAAHHHHH!
Nothing like a good book
On Tuesday I got ambitious. On the way to school, I got off the train at Yuan Shan Station and walked all the way into Taipei. Took about 45 minutes, felt pretty good. After class I got the bright idea to walk back, go across the river, and go all the way to Jian Tan Station. Note to self: next time you decide to walk in stifling, humid weather for over an hour, bring a bottle of water with you. By the time I got to Jian Tan, I was parched and feeling dizzy, so I walked even farther, to the 7-11, and bought a bottle of Pocari Sweat. I don't like the stuff, but when you've been sweating rivers, it's a good idea to replete the body of all the crap you just sweated out. I gulped that down and staggered to the train, gratefully collapsing in an empty seat.
As I dragged my poor, exhausted self up to my front door, I spied a box on the ground by the mailboxes - my Amazon.com order! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Oh joy joy joy! I'd assumed I'd get a notice in the box and have to hoof it to the post office to pick up the package, but I forgot that this is Taiwan, a country where the mail can be left out on the steps and no one will touch it, because it's not theirs. Even the letter boxes have openings wide enough that I can fish my mail out from the outside sometimes. Can't do that in the US because someone would certainly steal your mail. Ah, this is a great place! I'd ordered the book from Amazon, because even with the shipping charges, it was cheaper than buying it here. So funny that it was shipped to me from Germany - but it got here fast, that's for sure.
Of course, I immediately plunked down on the couch with the book and managed to get a couple hours of reading in before I headed back to Taipei and dinner with Betty. I walked more, from Taipei Main Station to Xi Men Ding. Not really that far, but after the walking from earlier, I was pretty wiped out when I arrived. Some damned taxi almost killed me in the crosswalk (note to travellers - just because the little man is green does not mean that cars, especially taxis, will not try to run you down when you're crossing - this is not Hong Kong), and I was so angry that I thumped his trunk HARD with my fist as he barely avoided running over my toes when he passed in front. I hope that shook him up, at least for a second, thinking he'd actually hit someone. Probably not, but one can dream.
I didn't get home until 6:00 last evening, and as soon as I fed the cat and started my laundry, it was back on the couch with Harry and the gang. I finished the book at 11:00. There's always a little bit of a letdown when one wraps up a good read, and with Harry Potter it's rough, because I know it will be a long time before the next one. I know this series will have to end someday, and I dread that! Yeah, I'm just a kid at heart, I know, but I could cheerfully read about Harry's adventures for the next 20 years.
Ah well, am now awaiting the next Amazon order, four new books from some of my favorite authors. The package has been shipped, and let's hope it's arrival is a timely as Harry was.
Question for today: do I walk or not? The knee that I injured the week I got here is still not healed, and after the exertions on Tuesday, it was complaining loudly yesterday. I was nice to it to hush it up, but I think today I need to get my fat self back out there for some serious exercise.....
As I dragged my poor, exhausted self up to my front door, I spied a box on the ground by the mailboxes - my Amazon.com order! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Oh joy joy joy! I'd assumed I'd get a notice in the box and have to hoof it to the post office to pick up the package, but I forgot that this is Taiwan, a country where the mail can be left out on the steps and no one will touch it, because it's not theirs. Even the letter boxes have openings wide enough that I can fish my mail out from the outside sometimes. Can't do that in the US because someone would certainly steal your mail. Ah, this is a great place! I'd ordered the book from Amazon, because even with the shipping charges, it was cheaper than buying it here. So funny that it was shipped to me from Germany - but it got here fast, that's for sure.
Of course, I immediately plunked down on the couch with the book and managed to get a couple hours of reading in before I headed back to Taipei and dinner with Betty. I walked more, from Taipei Main Station to Xi Men Ding. Not really that far, but after the walking from earlier, I was pretty wiped out when I arrived. Some damned taxi almost killed me in the crosswalk (note to travellers - just because the little man is green does not mean that cars, especially taxis, will not try to run you down when you're crossing - this is not Hong Kong), and I was so angry that I thumped his trunk HARD with my fist as he barely avoided running over my toes when he passed in front. I hope that shook him up, at least for a second, thinking he'd actually hit someone. Probably not, but one can dream.
I didn't get home until 6:00 last evening, and as soon as I fed the cat and started my laundry, it was back on the couch with Harry and the gang. I finished the book at 11:00. There's always a little bit of a letdown when one wraps up a good read, and with Harry Potter it's rough, because I know it will be a long time before the next one. I know this series will have to end someday, and I dread that! Yeah, I'm just a kid at heart, I know, but I could cheerfully read about Harry's adventures for the next 20 years.
Ah well, am now awaiting the next Amazon order, four new books from some of my favorite authors. The package has been shipped, and let's hope it's arrival is a timely as Harry was.
Question for today: do I walk or not? The knee that I injured the week I got here is still not healed, and after the exertions on Tuesday, it was complaining loudly yesterday. I was nice to it to hush it up, but I think today I need to get my fat self back out there for some serious exercise.....
Monday, July 25, 2005
Now that's what I call getting your hair washed!
Wow, just back from my first visit to a Taiwan hair salon, and it was nothing like the US! I'm used to a quick wash with the back of my head hung uncomfortably over a sink, then a cut and a blow-dry. Usually doesn't take more than half an hour for the whole thing. It's a teeny bit different here.
First came the cut, with me trying to convey to the stylist what I wanted done. I can say "haircut" and "just a little" in Chinese, but she was asking me stuff I didn't understand. Oh well, go with the flow. Instead of hanging me over a sink to wet my hair, she began spraying it from a spritzer bottle and cutting a section at a time. I was leafing through the hair magazines, being envious of all the cute little Asian girls with their perky smiles and tiny figures. When I finally looked up, I realized my hair was waaaay shorter than I'd wanted! Yikes. OK, it will grow back. Then we got to the bangs, and I stressed "just a very little."They got chopped pretty short, straight across. Ugh, not a good look. OK, they will grow back.
Then it was time to wash my hair, so I got up to go to the sink. "No, no, wait there." Huh? OK.... A different girl came over while the woman who cut my hair started on the next client. The girl put a towel around me and then proceeded to squeeze a watered-down shampoo onto my head, being very careful and working up a lather. Ooooohhhhhh, magic fingers! This was not just a hair washing, this was a full-on head massage! The wash took much longer than the cut, with the girl using her nails to systematically scratch all over my head a few times, scraping from neck to top and face to back. Then she started massaging the very back of my neck, then my temples. Then she repeated everything. I thought I was gonna melt. Now I see why Doris from Hong Kong always goes to get her hair washed when she visits Taiwan!
When she finally done working my head over, then it was time to lay down with my head over the sink, but it was far more comfortable than the US style, more flat with the head over a drainboard and supported. And the water pressure, yeah! You can't get water pressure in California because of the water conservation gadgets but here, oh my. The rinse took quite awhile, too, and felt mah-velous.
Now it's time for the blow-dry, back to the woman who cut my hair. And by the time she finished, I looked kinda cute. The cut is almost flapper-like, probably better suited to a younger gal, but not too bad. I think I can get used to it. And it's sure a lot cooler without all that hair on my neck. It's all about chin length now. The whole process took just over one hour.
And the cost? $250NT for the cut, $120NT for the wash (yes, you can do just one or both here), which is about $11.60 US. Dealio! I'm going back to the same salon (it's a couple minutes walk from my house) to get re-highlighted, since the cheap-ass Revlon color I used has already mostly washed out. Back to blonde highlights in time for Wu Bai's next concert on September 10!
First came the cut, with me trying to convey to the stylist what I wanted done. I can say "haircut" and "just a little" in Chinese, but she was asking me stuff I didn't understand. Oh well, go with the flow. Instead of hanging me over a sink to wet my hair, she began spraying it from a spritzer bottle and cutting a section at a time. I was leafing through the hair magazines, being envious of all the cute little Asian girls with their perky smiles and tiny figures. When I finally looked up, I realized my hair was waaaay shorter than I'd wanted! Yikes. OK, it will grow back. Then we got to the bangs, and I stressed "just a very little."
Then it was time to wash my hair, so I got up to go to the sink. "No, no, wait there." Huh? OK.... A different girl came over while the woman who cut my hair started on the next client. The girl put a towel around me and then proceeded to squeeze a watered-down shampoo onto my head, being very careful and working up a lather. Ooooohhhhhh, magic fingers! This was not just a hair washing, this was a full-on head massage! The wash took much longer than the cut, with the girl using her nails to systematically scratch all over my head a few times, scraping from neck to top and face to back. Then she started massaging the very back of my neck, then my temples. Then she repeated everything. I thought I was gonna melt. Now I see why Doris from Hong Kong always goes to get her hair washed when she visits Taiwan!
When she finally done working my head over, then it was time to lay down with my head over the sink, but it was far more comfortable than the US style, more flat with the head over a drainboard and supported. And the water pressure, yeah! You can't get water pressure in California because of the water conservation gadgets but here, oh my. The rinse took quite awhile, too, and felt mah-velous.
Now it's time for the blow-dry, back to the woman who cut my hair. And by the time she finished, I looked kinda cute. The cut is almost flapper-like, probably better suited to a younger gal, but not too bad. I think I can get used to it. And it's sure a lot cooler without all that hair on my neck. It's all about chin length now. The whole process took just over one hour.
And the cost? $250NT for the cut, $120NT for the wash (yes, you can do just one or both here), which is about $11.60 US. Dealio! I'm going back to the same salon (it's a couple minutes walk from my house) to get re-highlighted, since the cheap-ass Revlon color I used has already mostly washed out. Back to blonde highlights in time for Wu Bai's next concert on September 10!
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Day trip to Taoyuan
On Saturday, July 23, 2005, I went with my friend Betty and her co-workers on a trip to Wei Chuan (Wei Quan in pinyin) Amusement Park. Betty works for a computer company in Taiwan, and they took all their employees on a day trip to show their appreciation. Each person could bring a friend for free, and Betty picked me (because her boyfriend works on Saturdays, ha). I've posted the photos here: http://www.pbase.com/500fan/weiquan so have a look as you read about the day. There's a website for the place, and it's in Chinese, but you can still go have a look around. Just keep clicking stuff :) http://www.weichuan_ranch.com.tw/home.htm
The bus ride was about one hour, and we got to see most of the new animated movie, Madagascar, on the way. Unfortunately, they had the sound turned way down, and I had to resort to trying to read the Chinese subtitles to know what was going on. I finally gave up and fell asleep, so I missed a lot of the movie.
We arrived at Wei Quan at 9:00 a.m. First order of business was getting some iced coffee to keep us awake (I'd gotten up at 5:00 a.m.), so we hit eCoffee for some of the best and cheapest "bing ka fei" that I've had in Taiwan. Only $35NT per cup, what a deal! That's around $1.10 US, and compared to what Starbucks charges, cheap cheap cheap.
The company-sponsored BBQ wasn't scheduled to begin until 10:30 a.m., so Betty and I started wandering around to check things out. Thankfully, the weather was relatively cool, lots of clouds, low humidity, so we didn't suffer too much. We noticed a place where we could rent bicycles and determined to return there in the afternoon.
There were loads of families there with their kids, but it still didn't seem very crowded. People were cruising around on tandem bicycles, regular bicycles, motorized scooters pulling carts, in horse-drawn carriages, and on a cute little train. As usual in Taiwan, the cars, small trucks, and motor scooters were trying to run over the pedestrians but at least there weren't many of those.
We wandered first through a nice garden area that had some cute little fountains and some statuary, along with some bamboo sculptures (including a huge peacock that one could walk through). We then found a path along a little stream, teaming with koi carp. And, oh joy, they had a fish food vending machine! Now, you know how much I love to feed the fish and watch them scramble for the pellets :) I sat on a rock right down at the water and was even able to pet the fish as they came up for the food, tumbling across each other in their frenzy to grab that little snack. As soon as they see people on the shore, they make a beeline (fishline?) for them, knowing the chances of food are pretty good.
Right before it was time to head to the picnic area to start barbecuing, we found a nice little lake that had paddle boats for rent. Cool! Another thing to add to our list of what to do after lunch. OK, time to eat, save the rest of the park for later.
The picnic area was huge (and one of the few places I didn't photograph, sorry). Loads of tables and a grill for each. Taiwan people use REAL charcoal to BBQ, not those manufactured briquets used in the US, and no nasty charcoal lighter fluid. They have lighting a BBQ down to a science, and before long the coals were bright red and the food began to sizzle. We had been supplied with bacon wrapped around green onions and skewered, sliced pork, chicken chunks, steak with black bean sauce, some small fish, sausage (Taiwan sausage is yummy, kinda sweet), squid balls (no, not THOSE kind of balls), green peppers, bean sprouts, and corn, along with sliced white bread, which is what Taiwan folks use sort of like a hot dog or hamburger bun. Betty loves to BBQ, so she jumped in and started cooking. Since I still don't feel my Chinese is very good, I didn't have much to say to the rest of the group, which consisted of three guys and three girls, so I just watched Betty cook and listened to the karaoke (some good, some quite awful) going on over at the play area. During the BBQ the company had all sorts of games for the families to play, which was great because there were so many little kids. And all of them extremely well behaved, I might add.
After lunch we cleaned up and then Betty and I headed back to the lake to rent a boat. We had to wear life vests, which made it a little hotter and a little uncomfortable, but since I can't swim I didn't mind too much. We paddled off and quickly realized that both of us would be sorry the next day because our legs would hurt! That was when we decided drifting was preferable. We only had a half an hour, and it went by fast. While on the boat we spotted a little pavilion that looked inviting, so after pulling back into shore we walked over there for a rest. There was a lovely rock garden called "Stone Forest" at the back, so pretty. If I ever manage to own a house here in Taiwan, I want a garden like that. The pavilion was cool, with a great breeze blowing off the lake, and we actually fell asleep for about 15 minutes.
Time to stretch the legs again, so we walked the path around the lake, discovering more beautiful gardens and bridges and streams. So peaceful, could have just sat with a book and read for hours. But, too much to do and see! So we headed for the bicycle rental area, on the way deciding not to stress our poor legs anymore by renting something we had to work at pedaling and opted for the motorized scooter with cart. We took turns, first Betty driving and pulling me, and then I got to drive. Woohoo, look out! Can't go too fast on those things, but it sure was fun, and maybe I can actually learn to drive a real motor scooter, huh? We made a brief stop so Betty could go feed the calves (did I mention this was some sort of diary farm? It is...), then we drove up past the lake and found an absolutely incredible garden that looked like something out of a Greek myth, very out of place in Taiwan. OK, we gotta come back on foot to explore this. Our half hour on the scooter was over too quickly, and then we headed back for that garden.
All this traipsing around made me suffer from thoughts of ice cream, since I'd already seen it at the little store and also at the various vending stands. After we finished checking out the Greek garden, we went back to the BBQ area and got ice cream for me and Coke for Betty. She was tired of walking by that time, so we sat at a table to eat/drink. We were close to an area where there was some sort of show going on, but we couldn't really see it, just heard the music. Eventually we moved closer to see what it was. Turned out to be a group of four foreigners (and for some reason they looked Russian to me) doing acrobatics and gymnastics. One girl was so amazing, lying on her back and spinning a cylinder with her feet, then spinning two pieces of carpet with her hands while kicking the cylinder all over, then adding hula hoops to her arms - she was going four different actions in different directions at the same time! Jeez, I can't even chew gum and walk. And the thighs on this chick, my lord. I wasn't close enough in my first photos of her to see her clearly, but when they all came to bow, I got a good one she's the one in the red. Proof positive that one doesn't have to be the size of a stick to look marvelous! If my legs were as powerful as hers, I wouldn't care what size they were. Hen li hai!
Well, now the day was done and it was time to go back to the bus. The movie on the ride back was a recent Hong Kong flick titled House of Fury, starring Stephen Fung (who also directed), Anthony Wong, and Daniel Wu. Didn't get to see the beginning, and we got back before the end, so now I have to go rent it, because it was darned good! And they had the sound turned all the way up for this one, humph. It was dubbed in Mandarin, so I got some practice listening and trying to understand. I was able to get quite a bit of it, reading the Chinese subs along with listening to the dialogue. Hey, I'm learning!
The bus dropped us off at 6:00, and I got back to my place around 7:20 (bus ride from Neihu to Yuanshan Station, then MRT back to Zhuwei), and I was pooped. I managed to stay awake until 10:15 then gave it up and hit the sack. And slept until 9:00 this morning, too!
The bus ride was about one hour, and we got to see most of the new animated movie, Madagascar, on the way. Unfortunately, they had the sound turned way down, and I had to resort to trying to read the Chinese subtitles to know what was going on. I finally gave up and fell asleep, so I missed a lot of the movie.
We arrived at Wei Quan at 9:00 a.m. First order of business was getting some iced coffee to keep us awake (I'd gotten up at 5:00 a.m.), so we hit eCoffee for some of the best and cheapest "bing ka fei" that I've had in Taiwan. Only $35NT per cup, what a deal! That's around $1.10 US, and compared to what Starbucks charges, cheap cheap cheap.
The company-sponsored BBQ wasn't scheduled to begin until 10:30 a.m., so Betty and I started wandering around to check things out. Thankfully, the weather was relatively cool, lots of clouds, low humidity, so we didn't suffer too much. We noticed a place where we could rent bicycles and determined to return there in the afternoon.
There were loads of families there with their kids, but it still didn't seem very crowded. People were cruising around on tandem bicycles, regular bicycles, motorized scooters pulling carts, in horse-drawn carriages, and on a cute little train. As usual in Taiwan, the cars, small trucks, and motor scooters were trying to run over the pedestrians but at least there weren't many of those.
We wandered first through a nice garden area that had some cute little fountains and some statuary, along with some bamboo sculptures (including a huge peacock that one could walk through). We then found a path along a little stream, teaming with koi carp. And, oh joy, they had a fish food vending machine! Now, you know how much I love to feed the fish and watch them scramble for the pellets :) I sat on a rock right down at the water and was even able to pet the fish as they came up for the food, tumbling across each other in their frenzy to grab that little snack. As soon as they see people on the shore, they make a beeline (fishline?) for them, knowing the chances of food are pretty good.
Right before it was time to head to the picnic area to start barbecuing, we found a nice little lake that had paddle boats for rent. Cool! Another thing to add to our list of what to do after lunch. OK, time to eat, save the rest of the park for later.
The picnic area was huge (and one of the few places I didn't photograph, sorry). Loads of tables and a grill for each. Taiwan people use REAL charcoal to BBQ, not those manufactured briquets used in the US, and no nasty charcoal lighter fluid. They have lighting a BBQ down to a science, and before long the coals were bright red and the food began to sizzle. We had been supplied with bacon wrapped around green onions and skewered, sliced pork, chicken chunks, steak with black bean sauce, some small fish, sausage (Taiwan sausage is yummy, kinda sweet), squid balls (no, not THOSE kind of balls), green peppers, bean sprouts, and corn, along with sliced white bread, which is what Taiwan folks use sort of like a hot dog or hamburger bun. Betty loves to BBQ, so she jumped in and started cooking. Since I still don't feel my Chinese is very good, I didn't have much to say to the rest of the group, which consisted of three guys and three girls, so I just watched Betty cook and listened to the karaoke (some good, some quite awful) going on over at the play area. During the BBQ the company had all sorts of games for the families to play, which was great because there were so many little kids. And all of them extremely well behaved, I might add.
After lunch we cleaned up and then Betty and I headed back to the lake to rent a boat. We had to wear life vests, which made it a little hotter and a little uncomfortable, but since I can't swim I didn't mind too much. We paddled off and quickly realized that both of us would be sorry the next day because our legs would hurt! That was when we decided drifting was preferable. We only had a half an hour, and it went by fast. While on the boat we spotted a little pavilion that looked inviting, so after pulling back into shore we walked over there for a rest. There was a lovely rock garden called "Stone Forest" at the back, so pretty. If I ever manage to own a house here in Taiwan, I want a garden like that. The pavilion was cool, with a great breeze blowing off the lake, and we actually fell asleep for about 15 minutes.
Time to stretch the legs again, so we walked the path around the lake, discovering more beautiful gardens and bridges and streams. So peaceful, could have just sat with a book and read for hours. But, too much to do and see! So we headed for the bicycle rental area, on the way deciding not to stress our poor legs anymore by renting something we had to work at pedaling and opted for the motorized scooter with cart. We took turns, first Betty driving and pulling me, and then I got to drive. Woohoo, look out! Can't go too fast on those things, but it sure was fun, and maybe I can actually learn to drive a real motor scooter, huh? We made a brief stop so Betty could go feed the calves (did I mention this was some sort of diary farm? It is...), then we drove up past the lake and found an absolutely incredible garden that looked like something out of a Greek myth, very out of place in Taiwan. OK, we gotta come back on foot to explore this. Our half hour on the scooter was over too quickly, and then we headed back for that garden.
All this traipsing around made me suffer from thoughts of ice cream, since I'd already seen it at the little store and also at the various vending stands. After we finished checking out the Greek garden, we went back to the BBQ area and got ice cream for me and Coke for Betty. She was tired of walking by that time, so we sat at a table to eat/drink. We were close to an area where there was some sort of show going on, but we couldn't really see it, just heard the music. Eventually we moved closer to see what it was. Turned out to be a group of four foreigners (and for some reason they looked Russian to me) doing acrobatics and gymnastics. One girl was so amazing, lying on her back and spinning a cylinder with her feet, then spinning two pieces of carpet with her hands while kicking the cylinder all over, then adding hula hoops to her arms - she was going four different actions in different directions at the same time! Jeez, I can't even chew gum and walk. And the thighs on this chick, my lord. I wasn't close enough in my first photos of her to see her clearly, but when they all came to bow, I got a good one she's the one in the red. Proof positive that one doesn't have to be the size of a stick to look marvelous! If my legs were as powerful as hers, I wouldn't care what size they were. Hen li hai!
Well, now the day was done and it was time to go back to the bus. The movie on the ride back was a recent Hong Kong flick titled House of Fury, starring Stephen Fung (who also directed), Anthony Wong, and Daniel Wu. Didn't get to see the beginning, and we got back before the end, so now I have to go rent it, because it was darned good! And they had the sound turned all the way up for this one, humph. It was dubbed in Mandarin, so I got some practice listening and trying to understand. I was able to get quite a bit of it, reading the Chinese subs along with listening to the dialogue. Hey, I'm learning!
The bus dropped us off at 6:00, and I got back to my place around 7:20 (bus ride from Neihu to Yuanshan Station, then MRT back to Zhuwei), and I was pooped. I managed to stay awake until 10:15 then gave it up and hit the sack. And slept until 9:00 this morning, too!
What the hell is that sound?
Since I finally got to see one of these things when I was at Wei Quan, I thought I'd bump this post up to the top. There were quite a few dead on the ground, so here's a photo with Betty's finger to give you an idea of the size.
Every day, from my office window or from the kitchen, I hear a noise that sounds like large sprinklers, the kind that pulse out water back and forth across a lawn. It goes on all day long, and I knew it couldn't possibly be sprinklers, because there aren't any lawns to water! There is, however, a forested hillside a short way down the street from me, but I didn't think anyone was watering that. Just couldn't figure out where that sound was coming from.....
When my friend Li Hua was here on July 2, I asked her if she knew what the sound was. Turns out it's an insect! Must be a type of cicada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada), and the little buggers (well, maybe these are the big ones, I haven't seen any yet) are incredibly loud. It's not really an annoying sound, because it's easy to tune out, and I'm happy to finally discover the source!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Hm, so that was a typhoon.....
I'm sure if I was living on the eastern coast or in central Taiwan, where they really got pounded, I'd feel differently, but this typhoon in my area was (thankfully) rather ho-hum. Nothing of any note happened in Zhuwei last night, and today it just rained all day, not even hard, more like a good, steady sprinkle. I hear the south is still going to be having heavy rain through tomorrow, but we're scheduled for just light rain. Nice to have it cooler, though, that's a huge bonus. It's about 78F (25.7C) now, and I'm sure feeling sorry for the folks back in Chico who are sweltering in 106F (41C) heat!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
