Well, I've made the trip to Hong Kong and started a new 60-day tourist visa. Hopefully there won't be any problems extending that in June, because the expiration date falls right around the time that Wu Bai & China Blue are having their concerts! Yup, got the news from Charlene last night, June 23 and 24 here in Taipei (well, OK, Xin Zhuang, but it's still considered part of the greater Taipei area). Charlene and I are agreed that we don't want to spend days in line this time (it's gonna be hot, hot, hot), but we don't know yet if we'll be buying seated tickets or ones for the standing area. I'd opt for seats, because I'm quite sure someone taller than me would end up in front in the standing area, and I'd be pissed off. If I end up having to leave the country and apply for a new visa, I'll just be sure to leave early enough so that I don't miss the shows.
On Wednesday we had a karaoke competition at school, and my teacher twisted my arm until I agreed to compete. So I went and made a fool of myself singing "Norwegian Forest" and, of course, didn't win anything. I guess it was kinda fun, though. Not in any hurry for a repeat performance, though.
I had a good time visiting Terry and Cheryl, even though we didn't do anything special, just wandered around close to their place in Tai Po. Had some scrumptious dim sum and some tasty pizza, watched a good movie, drank some beer, got to see some little village areas, bought some hot dog buns (can't find 'em here at all), and came back to find that DZ had actually behaved herself and didn't destroy a single thing. I hated leaving her alone, but none of my friends seem willing to come all this way to check on her, and I figured for two nights she'd be fine with a huge pan of food and a huge pan of water.
May 12 is another ABS show at The Wall, looking forward to that. This time their friend Marc should be there performing with them. Guy has a fantastic voice.
These days I feel as if my body is slowly giving up. In addition to the knee problems, I now have a serious problem in my right heel that makes every step I take complete agony. Care to read more? Here's the exact problem: Plantar Fasciitis This happened to me a few years ago in the US, and the podiatrist gave me a cotton pad to put under my arch and some Vioxx for the pain. Worked like a charm, but stupid here threw away the cotton pad when I was better. It's like a catch-22 - if I lost some weight, I wouldn't have the problems in knees and heel. However, because I have the problems, I can't do the walking I should be doing to get exercise. So, my weight is increasing, which only makes the problems worse! Aiya!
I got the new computer, after grudingly forking over the equivalent of US$821 (hey, that's a round-trip ticket to the States!). No choice, really, as a computer is essestial for school and work. I got a PC with a humongous hard drive and a nice 19" flat panel monitor for my poor old eyes. It has a few bugs, which hopefully I can have my friend help me to fix, but I can't bother the poor guy now, because his 22-year-old married sister just hanged herself last week.
I feel so bad for him, and how sad is it that a girl that young would be so depressed that she'd choose to die? Another friend said that the girl had suffered from depression since high school. Those of you who can read Chinese can visit Sheng Ying's blog, if you wish. 中和44區 I haven't been able to read it yet, because just looking at the photos and listening to the music makes me start to cry.
Other friends in the US, a married couple, are dealing with their own difficult situation. The husband suddenly discovered that he has a terminal lung disease, and that maybe a lung transplant would be the answer. However, lung transplants aren't all that sure, and he doesn't even know if he'll be accepted. I keep up on their respective blogs, but that's also heartbreaking to read. I don't know what to say to either of them, and I can't even begin to comprehend how both of them must feel. I wish I believed in miracles, but I'm too much of a skeptic for that. And I wish I could give my friend a good, firm hug in person, but I can't do that either. Cyberhugs just don't seem to cut it in these situations....
My trifling little problems are so insignificant next to the issues my friends are facing. It does put life into perspective and make me less inclined to whine. I think I have a fairly selfish nature, and I tend to focus on me, me, me most of the time. The reality is that my life is pretty damned good right now and looks to continue on in that fashion for awhile.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
But there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has struck out.
And in this instance, Casey is me. I applied for my Alien Residency Certificate yesterday and was told that basically there was a snowball's chance in hell of being approved, so I shouldn't bother paying the fee of NT$4,400 (US$135) as it was non-refundable. The Taiwan government is under the mistaken impression that studying Chinese for two years is plenty, and since I've logged in 19 months, they think that's close enough.
The good news is that my multiple-entry visa allows me to make the hop to Hong Kong and come right back, and as soon as I get back, the 60-day visitor visa starts up again, and that I can get extended twice while I continue to study. Until yesterday I did not know this! Pretty cool deal, that. So, I'm off today for a couple nights with Terry and Cheryl, once again imposing on their hospitality. The plane ticket cost me around US$55 more than the application for the ARC, so that's not too bad. And I won't have to leave again for another six months, at which point I'll once again bother my good friends (hopefully with a bit more advance notice than they received this time).
The good news is that my multiple-entry visa allows me to make the hop to Hong Kong and come right back, and as soon as I get back, the 60-day visitor visa starts up again, and that I can get extended twice while I continue to study. Until yesterday I did not know this! Pretty cool deal, that. So, I'm off today for a couple nights with Terry and Cheryl, once again imposing on their hospitality. The plane ticket cost me around US$55 more than the application for the ARC, so that's not too bad. And I won't have to leave again for another six months, at which point I'll once again bother my good friends (hopefully with a bit more advance notice than they received this time).
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
By Special Request
Scenic requested a picture of Little Miss Jealous, DZ, so here's one of her along with the object of her jealousy (and one of the few posters that she hasn't been able to mangle). More photos can be found at my pbase site: DZ Da Krazy KatShe loves getting up on the back of the office chair. However, since her spaying she's getting a little fat, and one of these days when she jumps up there, she's going to go ass over teakettle along with the chair!
Disheartening news: my nextdoor neighbor may be right. Last night there was definitely at least one of the kids home and making noise until after midnight. Granted, it was much quieter than usual, but they were there. Was it all just a cruel April Fools Day joke? Could that little girl from the third floor actually be so dense that she thought I was talking about a family that has already been gone for a long time? Why must I suffer so????
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Oh Happy Day!!!!!!!!
This has been the most peaceful weekend I've experienced at home since I moved to Taiwan. No annoying children sounds from upstairs. They woke me up at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and from then on it was quiet, figured they went away for the weekend. Could hear some little bit of normal noise from up there, doors closing, slight bumps, but really minor.
So this evening I went out to buy some fruit, and on the way back I ran into the little girl from downstairs, walking home. It's her mother who has also complained to the parents of the monsters. We started chatting, and I mentioned how lovely and quiet it was this weekend with them gone, and she said, "Oh, they moved! Everyone kept telling them they were too noisy, so they moved." I damn near danced all the way home.
When I got back, a lot of fireworks began going off outside, something to do with this week being the week to honor ancestors, burn ghost money, and clean tombs. But I felt like it was to help me celebrate finally getting rid of the one thing I hated about living here.
Now, let's hope that whoever moves in upstairs isn't one of those sort who love to sing karaoke at full volume all night long.
Edit Monday evening, 6:21 p.m.
I saw my next door neighbor when I got home, told her the kid downstairs said the 5th floor monsters moved. She said she didn't think so, saw them today, said the other family up there had moved a long time ago, and that they were also noisy. Now I'm hearing the brats running back and forth again, but I'm still holding onto a hope that they're just there cleaning up stuff and really have moved. But I have a bad feeling about this.....
So this evening I went out to buy some fruit, and on the way back I ran into the little girl from downstairs, walking home. It's her mother who has also complained to the parents of the monsters. We started chatting, and I mentioned how lovely and quiet it was this weekend with them gone, and she said, "Oh, they moved! Everyone kept telling them they were too noisy, so they moved." I damn near danced all the way home.
When I got back, a lot of fireworks began going off outside, something to do with this week being the week to honor ancestors, burn ghost money, and clean tombs. But I felt like it was to help me celebrate finally getting rid of the one thing I hated about living here.
Now, let's hope that whoever moves in upstairs isn't one of those sort who love to sing karaoke at full volume all night long.
Edit Monday evening, 6:21 p.m.
I saw my next door neighbor when I got home, told her the kid downstairs said the 5th floor monsters moved. She said she didn't think so, saw them today, said the other family up there had moved a long time ago, and that they were also noisy. Now I'm hearing the brats running back and forth again, but I'm still holding onto a hope that they're just there cleaning up stuff and really have moved. But I have a bad feeling about this.....
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Spring Break
I'm on break from school, don't have to go back until April 9. April 5 is a holiday here, commonly called Tomb Sweeping Day in the West. This is the day that families go to take care of the graves of their ancestors, sweeping up, pulling weeds, putting everything in order. Originally, the school was only going to be closed on that day, but apparently someone in the government decided he or she would like the full week off, and suddenly the schools were all closing for the full week. I wouldn't mind, except that I'm getting cheated out of one week of classes, and I paid money for those! Now I'm only getting 10 weeks of instruction instead of 11. Truly unfair!
In other unfairness news, I have learned a valuable lesson about one of the big differences between Western culture and Chinese culture, and that is called "guan xi" - 關係. I already knew that 關係 played a huge part in the business world, where it's not so much what you know but who you know that will get you a good job. Relationships between people are very important here, so it's a good idea to makes friends with as many people as possible, as one never knows who in the future may play a part in helping one with something. However, I didn't realize that 關係 extended to scholarships, which I have always assumed to be awarded based on merit. They posted the names of those awarded scholarships, and I wasn't on the list. My teacher said it was not because I'm not a good student, because I am. She said the American guy who got the scholarship has been at the school for a long time, and although he's not a very good student and I'm much better (her words!), he got rewarded for time served. She encouraged me to apply again in June, since by that time I'll have six months in and have a better chance. So, no money for me this time around. I did decide on one more year of Chinese classes before starting at the university, because if I want a scholarship for that, I need to maintain a good grade, so I'd best be good at Chinese!
I've started teaching Xiao Niu and her co-workers on Wednesday evenings, and that's fun. They're a good group, and they seem serious about learning. Right now they don't understand a lot of what I say in English, so I'm using more Chinese to explain. I was hoping to do total immersion, like I get in my Chinese classes, but they just aren't ready for it. They chose a very good book, TV English, which contains "real" conversational English, like that between friends. They also chose a much more difficult one for business English, and I'm guessing those classes, which will alternate every other week, will not be as much fun. I also need to teach them some basic grammar. This will be a long road to travel, and I hope they stick with it. The downside is getting home at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights, but I can live with that once a week.
Last Friday evening ABS had a performance at Riverside Pub, so of course we attended. We had a large group this time: Twiggy and Joel from Hong Kong, Elsa (I can never figure out if she's from Hong Kong or Taiwan!), Charlene, Caroline, Xiao Niu, Kennie (who brought a co-worker with her, a guy who looked a lot like Nic Tse), my former teacher Shannon, and the birthday girl, Natari. Nat's birthday was actually on Sunday, but we celebrated that evening, getting Dino to sing "Happy Birthday" to her and providing a ridiculously expensive cake. Charlene, I know you're reading this, and I'm never going to stop saying that that cake was so overpriced it was laughable! Folks, for a 12" cake, we ended up paying around US$54! If you want to see what it looked like, view the Ripoff Cake here. If the flavor had put us into spasms of ecstasy, maybe that would have been OK, but it was your normal, not-sweet-enough, weird-stiff-pudding-in-the-middle sort of cake, i.e., Japanese lack-of-flavor style. But, boy it sure was pretty, and I think Nat liked it, so I suppose that's the most important thing, right? But damn it, next time give ME the money and I'll make two killer cheesecakes that will make everyone swoon and still have money left over for profit.
Every time I see ABS perform, I'm blown away by the talent. Dino's energy on the drums combined with his fine voice, Da Mao's magical keyboarding (sometimes you can almost see flames spouting out of him when he gets into it), Xiao Zhu's heart-thumping bass underscoring it all, and then the fantastic technical skill of guitar players Xiao Yang and Lao Liu. It's no wonder these two guys are both referred to as Stevie Ray, because that's how good they are. When the band is covering Stevie Ray Vaughn tunes, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was the man himself come back to life. As much as I adore Wu Bai, I have to be honest and say that Dino can outsing him anyday, and Xiao Yang and Lao Liu play guitar far, far better. No, Wu Bai's pull comes from somewhere other than just skill, it's his music combined with his passion, some weird charisma that sucks you in and makes you overlook it when his voice cracks as he sings. Somehow that just doesn't matter at the time. And if Wu Bai weren't backed up by three excellent musicians like Dino, Da Mao, and Xiao Zhu, would the magic be there? I think maybe not. I think that spell requires four key ingredients, and if you leave any out, the result just isn't the same.
We didn't ever really have "winter" this year, more like a cool spring, and now instead of real spring it seems we're getting a slightly cooler summer already. It's hot and sticky, and I'm afraid when we hit June and July it will be unbearable. Damned global warming. Eh, maybe I'll sweat off some of the excess poundage. Probably not, but we all need dreams, hm?
Daily life is much the same as always, nothing new or exciting. I'm truly enjoying having the afternoon class, able to sleep later in the mornings, given that the brats upstairs still drive me nuts with their noise in the evenings. Now it stays quiet until around 9:00 or so and then the noise starts, usually up until 11:30 p.m. I find that if I'm playing on the computer it doesn't bug me as much, but if I'm just trying to read or study in the living room, I get totally fried. Sometimes now I just put on a CD of instrumental music to drown them out, and that helps. When I signed the lease for this year, I told my landlady I'd seriously considered moving, and she said she'd understand if I still wanted to. Having experienced living under this family herself, she knows how intolerable it is at times. I like her, and I like my apartment, so I'm going to stick it out.
Last night when I turned on the laptop, it wouldn't. Instead I was greeting with "disk read error, press Ctrl +Alt +Del to restart." So, I did, but got the same error. Oh no! Major tragedy! I tried three or four more times with the same result, even turned it off and back on, no go. I called Charlene to ask if one of her friends could help, and she suggested I contact Rudy. So, I sent him an SMS, and when I turned back to the computer, it had started. Whew! Funny thing is that I already have plans to go with Xuan Yi on Monday to buy a new computer, a PC. I thought the laptop was acting a bit sluggish, and the color when it first starts is now red which slowly changes to blue, so I was afraid the video card was on the way out. It's four years old and it gets a lot of use, so I figured it was time for a new one before I lost everything. I made backups last night, since last time I did it was a couple months ago, and I'm always saving new stuff. I hate to spend more of my ever-dwindling money, but I gotta have a computer for school and teaching and staying in touch. Gotta. The laptop started right up this morning with no problems, not sure what was wrong yesterday. Charlene said it was protesting the heat of the day, and that could be true. :)
And DZ.....she's gotten herself banished from my bedroom at night (she's been banished during the day when I'm not home for a long, long time). Normally she comes in late and sleeps on the bed with me until I get up, but night before last she jumped up on the dresser and attacked yet another Wu Bai poster, so she's being punished. I might let her back in after a week. What is it with that cat and my posters, my WU BAI posters, not the kung fu movie ones? And no, I'm not getting her a playmate, because that would just be destruction times two!
I'm meeting a potential student today, one of Funck's friends, named Claire. I hope she ends up being one who will actually come to class so I can make a little money. She wants Saturdays, and since Xiao Zhu says his son is too busy, I'll take Claire for twice the fee, no problems. If Vincent ever gets "unbusy" I'll try to work him in. I'm still meeting Ye Ying once a week for language exchange, and Shannon and I started yesterday meeting for that, too. It's great to have two Chinese teachers to help out with my questions, as well as enjoying their friendship. I haven't been able to meet with Ye Ying's boyfriend, Xuan Yi, for our language exchange for a long time, because he's been so busy writing his thesis. Now that he's done, maybe we'll be able to find some time.
OK, well, this was a long post. I'm done now, thanks for reading. :)
In other unfairness news, I have learned a valuable lesson about one of the big differences between Western culture and Chinese culture, and that is called "guan xi" - 關係. I already knew that 關係 played a huge part in the business world, where it's not so much what you know but who you know that will get you a good job. Relationships between people are very important here, so it's a good idea to makes friends with as many people as possible, as one never knows who in the future may play a part in helping one with something. However, I didn't realize that 關係 extended to scholarships, which I have always assumed to be awarded based on merit. They posted the names of those awarded scholarships, and I wasn't on the list. My teacher said it was not because I'm not a good student, because I am. She said the American guy who got the scholarship has been at the school for a long time, and although he's not a very good student and I'm much better (her words!), he got rewarded for time served. She encouraged me to apply again in June, since by that time I'll have six months in and have a better chance. So, no money for me this time around. I did decide on one more year of Chinese classes before starting at the university, because if I want a scholarship for that, I need to maintain a good grade, so I'd best be good at Chinese!
I've started teaching Xiao Niu and her co-workers on Wednesday evenings, and that's fun. They're a good group, and they seem serious about learning. Right now they don't understand a lot of what I say in English, so I'm using more Chinese to explain. I was hoping to do total immersion, like I get in my Chinese classes, but they just aren't ready for it. They chose a very good book, TV English, which contains "real" conversational English, like that between friends. They also chose a much more difficult one for business English, and I'm guessing those classes, which will alternate every other week, will not be as much fun. I also need to teach them some basic grammar. This will be a long road to travel, and I hope they stick with it. The downside is getting home at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights, but I can live with that once a week.
Last Friday evening ABS had a performance at Riverside Pub, so of course we attended. We had a large group this time: Twiggy and Joel from Hong Kong, Elsa (I can never figure out if she's from Hong Kong or Taiwan!), Charlene, Caroline, Xiao Niu, Kennie (who brought a co-worker with her, a guy who looked a lot like Nic Tse), my former teacher Shannon, and the birthday girl, Natari. Nat's birthday was actually on Sunday, but we celebrated that evening, getting Dino to sing "Happy Birthday" to her and providing a ridiculously expensive cake. Charlene, I know you're reading this, and I'm never going to stop saying that that cake was so overpriced it was laughable! Folks, for a 12" cake, we ended up paying around US$54! If you want to see what it looked like, view the Ripoff Cake here. If the flavor had put us into spasms of ecstasy, maybe that would have been OK, but it was your normal, not-sweet-enough, weird-stiff-pudding-in-the-middle sort of cake, i.e., Japanese lack-of-flavor style. But, boy it sure was pretty, and I think Nat liked it, so I suppose that's the most important thing, right? But damn it, next time give ME the money and I'll make two killer cheesecakes that will make everyone swoon and still have money left over for profit.
Every time I see ABS perform, I'm blown away by the talent. Dino's energy on the drums combined with his fine voice, Da Mao's magical keyboarding (sometimes you can almost see flames spouting out of him when he gets into it), Xiao Zhu's heart-thumping bass underscoring it all, and then the fantastic technical skill of guitar players Xiao Yang and Lao Liu. It's no wonder these two guys are both referred to as Stevie Ray, because that's how good they are. When the band is covering Stevie Ray Vaughn tunes, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was the man himself come back to life. As much as I adore Wu Bai, I have to be honest and say that Dino can outsing him anyday, and Xiao Yang and Lao Liu play guitar far, far better. No, Wu Bai's pull comes from somewhere other than just skill, it's his music combined with his passion, some weird charisma that sucks you in and makes you overlook it when his voice cracks as he sings. Somehow that just doesn't matter at the time. And if Wu Bai weren't backed up by three excellent musicians like Dino, Da Mao, and Xiao Zhu, would the magic be there? I think maybe not. I think that spell requires four key ingredients, and if you leave any out, the result just isn't the same.
We didn't ever really have "winter" this year, more like a cool spring, and now instead of real spring it seems we're getting a slightly cooler summer already. It's hot and sticky, and I'm afraid when we hit June and July it will be unbearable. Damned global warming. Eh, maybe I'll sweat off some of the excess poundage. Probably not, but we all need dreams, hm?
Daily life is much the same as always, nothing new or exciting. I'm truly enjoying having the afternoon class, able to sleep later in the mornings, given that the brats upstairs still drive me nuts with their noise in the evenings. Now it stays quiet until around 9:00 or so and then the noise starts, usually up until 11:30 p.m. I find that if I'm playing on the computer it doesn't bug me as much, but if I'm just trying to read or study in the living room, I get totally fried. Sometimes now I just put on a CD of instrumental music to drown them out, and that helps. When I signed the lease for this year, I told my landlady I'd seriously considered moving, and she said she'd understand if I still wanted to. Having experienced living under this family herself, she knows how intolerable it is at times. I like her, and I like my apartment, so I'm going to stick it out.
Last night when I turned on the laptop, it wouldn't. Instead I was greeting with "disk read error, press Ctrl +Alt +Del to restart." So, I did, but got the same error. Oh no! Major tragedy! I tried three or four more times with the same result, even turned it off and back on, no go. I called Charlene to ask if one of her friends could help, and she suggested I contact Rudy. So, I sent him an SMS, and when I turned back to the computer, it had started. Whew! Funny thing is that I already have plans to go with Xuan Yi on Monday to buy a new computer, a PC. I thought the laptop was acting a bit sluggish, and the color when it first starts is now red which slowly changes to blue, so I was afraid the video card was on the way out. It's four years old and it gets a lot of use, so I figured it was time for a new one before I lost everything. I made backups last night, since last time I did it was a couple months ago, and I'm always saving new stuff. I hate to spend more of my ever-dwindling money, but I gotta have a computer for school and teaching and staying in touch. Gotta. The laptop started right up this morning with no problems, not sure what was wrong yesterday. Charlene said it was protesting the heat of the day, and that could be true. :)
And DZ.....she's gotten herself banished from my bedroom at night (she's been banished during the day when I'm not home for a long, long time). Normally she comes in late and sleeps on the bed with me until I get up, but night before last she jumped up on the dresser and attacked yet another Wu Bai poster, so she's being punished. I might let her back in after a week. What is it with that cat and my posters, my WU BAI posters, not the kung fu movie ones? And no, I'm not getting her a playmate, because that would just be destruction times two!
I'm meeting a potential student today, one of Funck's friends, named Claire. I hope she ends up being one who will actually come to class so I can make a little money. She wants Saturdays, and since Xiao Zhu says his son is too busy, I'll take Claire for twice the fee, no problems. If Vincent ever gets "unbusy" I'll try to work him in. I'm still meeting Ye Ying once a week for language exchange, and Shannon and I started yesterday meeting for that, too. It's great to have two Chinese teachers to help out with my questions, as well as enjoying their friendship. I haven't been able to meet with Ye Ying's boyfriend, Xuan Yi, for our language exchange for a long time, because he's been so busy writing his thesis. Now that he's done, maybe we'll be able to find some time.
OK, well, this was a long post. I'm done now, thanks for reading. :)
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Rainy Days and Sundays
After many days almost summer-like weather, we've had nothing but rain, rain, rain for a week. Cold rain. Cold days. I'm not complaining, you know. A little bit of cold in a hot country like Taiwan is a good thing!
I'm once again experiencing teacher frustration. Friday night Xiao Zhu called and said Vincent is just too busy these days to attend English class on Saturday and that he'd call me when his son has more time. Having experienced this excuse before (Rosa, Jennifer) to take the place of the more straightforward, "Sorry, changed my mind, don't want to study English.", I'm not holding out much hope of Vincent returning. We shall see. Xiao Zhu asked how to get me the paltry fee from the first class, which was supposed to be paid with the rest of this month's classes in one shot, and I told him I'd collect it from him on the 23rd when we go to see ABS.
I decided I'm going to apply for a scholarship at the language center, which would be NT$12,000 per month, or approximately US$365 (tuition is NT$16,000 every 11 weeks). I meet the requirements, so we'll see. Wish me luck.
Every time I think about trying to attend regular university beginning this year, I start thinking about how little I do know about the Chinese language, and I start to worry. I've only actually studied for a year and a half, and that barely scrapes the surface. I'd much prefer one more year of studying the language itself before attempting to attend classes taught in Chinese. So, at this point, I've decided to wait until 2008 to start my "real" studies. Ye Ying also advised that I look into a couple other universities that might be cheaper than Tamkang.
There's a test tomorrow, so today will be spent studying. Since it's no weather to be outside, staying in is certainly not a problem!
I'm once again experiencing teacher frustration. Friday night Xiao Zhu called and said Vincent is just too busy these days to attend English class on Saturday and that he'd call me when his son has more time. Having experienced this excuse before (Rosa, Jennifer) to take the place of the more straightforward, "Sorry, changed my mind, don't want to study English.", I'm not holding out much hope of Vincent returning. We shall see. Xiao Zhu asked how to get me the paltry fee from the first class, which was supposed to be paid with the rest of this month's classes in one shot, and I told him I'd collect it from him on the 23rd when we go to see ABS.
I decided I'm going to apply for a scholarship at the language center, which would be NT$12,000 per month, or approximately US$365 (tuition is NT$16,000 every 11 weeks). I meet the requirements, so we'll see. Wish me luck.
Every time I think about trying to attend regular university beginning this year, I start thinking about how little I do know about the Chinese language, and I start to worry. I've only actually studied for a year and a half, and that barely scrapes the surface. I'd much prefer one more year of studying the language itself before attempting to attend classes taught in Chinese. So, at this point, I've decided to wait until 2008 to start my "real" studies. Ye Ying also advised that I look into a couple other universities that might be cheaper than Tamkang.
There's a test tomorrow, so today will be spent studying. Since it's no weather to be outside, staying in is certainly not a problem!
Monday, March 05, 2007
I'm Not Getting Older, I'm Getting Better - Right?
Ah yes, once again the Birthday Fairy visited me and bestowed another year of age. Considering that the alternative to growing older is death, I'll not complain. Besides, I don't mind growing older as long as I never grow old.
Caroline, Charlene, and Shannon treated me to a lovely dinner at my favorite dim sum place, City Star. I wish there could have been more of us, but PJ had just gotten back from Korea, so Nat, Xiao Niu, and Betty were meeting up with him. Since most of the dim sum comes in servings of three, I was worried there'd be some fighting over who ate what, but it all worked out quite well, as Caroline hates mushrooms and isn't overly fond of shrimp, and I don't like the turnip cake much. We all ended up well stuffed in the end.
After dinner we stood around trying to decide if it would be worth it to brave the crowds at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial to look at the lanterns, but in the end decided no friggin' way. Caroline and I walked to Page One and spent about an hour shopping around there. I came away with four books for about $30US, which is a hell of a good price in Taiwan, thanks to Caroline having their discount card and two books being on sale. I was already packing a heavy load, with two books that Caroline had given me, two magazines with Wu Bai articles that Charlene had given me, and also my Lost Season 1 which Caroline had returned. If I'd been empty-handed, I probably would have spent more money I can't afford at Page One! Thank goodness for credit cards......which all seem to be working fine now, after much wrangling with the bank. Shannon gave me the most adorable little purple kitty that she made herself out of beads. I'd never have the patience to make something like that.
Didn't get the chance to see if the new approach to teaching Vincent would work, as his dad called to cancel the class on Friday night. I'm still a bit unclear as to why, since Xiao Zhu was calling from a very noisy place, and I'm not good at understanding Chinese spoken over a cell phone. I chatted a bit with Dino on Saturday morning, and he said that although Vincent is a bit shy at first, once he gets to know a person, you can't shut him up. We'll see if he actually makes it to class next week.
One of the best birthday presents I got was the almost total silence from the upstairs neighbors last night. It was almost eerie. I'm not sure if the monsoon-like rain that was pouring down was so loud it was drowning them out or what, but it was soooo peaceful between 10:00 and midnight. Wish it would stay like that, but likely won't.
Errrr, I'm supposed to be preparing for a role-play exercise at school today. Best get going on that now.
Caroline, Charlene, and Shannon treated me to a lovely dinner at my favorite dim sum place, City Star. I wish there could have been more of us, but PJ had just gotten back from Korea, so Nat, Xiao Niu, and Betty were meeting up with him. Since most of the dim sum comes in servings of three, I was worried there'd be some fighting over who ate what, but it all worked out quite well, as Caroline hates mushrooms and isn't overly fond of shrimp, and I don't like the turnip cake much. We all ended up well stuffed in the end.
After dinner we stood around trying to decide if it would be worth it to brave the crowds at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial to look at the lanterns, but in the end decided no friggin' way. Caroline and I walked to Page One and spent about an hour shopping around there. I came away with four books for about $30US, which is a hell of a good price in Taiwan, thanks to Caroline having their discount card and two books being on sale. I was already packing a heavy load, with two books that Caroline had given me, two magazines with Wu Bai articles that Charlene had given me, and also my Lost Season 1 which Caroline had returned. If I'd been empty-handed, I probably would have spent more money I can't afford at Page One! Thank goodness for credit cards......which all seem to be working fine now, after much wrangling with the bank. Shannon gave me the most adorable little purple kitty that she made herself out of beads. I'd never have the patience to make something like that.
Didn't get the chance to see if the new approach to teaching Vincent would work, as his dad called to cancel the class on Friday night. I'm still a bit unclear as to why, since Xiao Zhu was calling from a very noisy place, and I'm not good at understanding Chinese spoken over a cell phone. I chatted a bit with Dino on Saturday morning, and he said that although Vincent is a bit shy at first, once he gets to know a person, you can't shut him up. We'll see if he actually makes it to class next week.
One of the best birthday presents I got was the almost total silence from the upstairs neighbors last night. It was almost eerie. I'm not sure if the monsoon-like rain that was pouring down was so loud it was drowning them out or what, but it was soooo peaceful between 10:00 and midnight. Wish it would stay like that, but likely won't.
Errrr, I'm supposed to be preparing for a role-play exercise at school today. Best get going on that now.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Good Things, Bad Things
Good things:
1. Got a 92% on my test yesterday. Surprised the hell out of me.
2. Got my visa extension today without a hitch. Surprised the hell out of me.
3. Met with Xiao Zhu last night to discuss his son's classes. Discovered Vincent is not actually a child but is a small adult and should be treated as such for best results. Duly noted, and this Saturday will attempt to teach him to play poker and chase women instead of giving English lessons.
4. Tomorrow is a holiday.
Bad things:
1. Without Cheryl here the noise from the monsters above is all too clear. Must teach DZ to talk so said noise will be less noticeable.
2. Stupid US bank has an irrational fear that my Visa card "may have been compromised" which "may result in counterfeit cards being made and used" so they have issued a new one that, of course, has not arrived yet. And the old one "will no longer be valid as of March 2, 2007." Idiots.
Well, hey, there are more good things than bad, so no worries.
1. Got a 92% on my test yesterday. Surprised the hell out of me.
2. Got my visa extension today without a hitch. Surprised the hell out of me.
3. Met with Xiao Zhu last night to discuss his son's classes. Discovered Vincent is not actually a child but is a small adult and should be treated as such for best results. Duly noted, and this Saturday will attempt to teach him to play poker and chase women instead of giving English lessons.
4. Tomorrow is a holiday.
Bad things:
1. Without Cheryl here the noise from the monsters above is all too clear. Must teach DZ to talk so said noise will be less noticeable.
2. Stupid US bank has an irrational fear that my Visa card "may have been compromised" which "may result in counterfeit cards being made and used" so they have issued a new one that, of course, has not arrived yet. And the old one "will no longer be valid as of March 2, 2007." Idiots.
Well, hey, there are more good things than bad, so no worries.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Return to the Real World
Chinese New Year holiday is over, back to school tomorrow, and a test. Yippee skippy. Cheryl left at 5:00 p.m., after a food-filled visit that doubtless left us both a few pounds heavier. I'm sure she's not looking forward to returning to the less-than-pleasing Hong Kong food. Taiwan food rules! I know she's already planning her next visit, making out the list of foods that are a must.
This visit was a fairly laid back one, more of an eat, drink, and watch movies trip instead of a see-the-sights one. The day she arrived we hit Carrefour for an infusion of junk food and alcohol and spent the evening watching movies. Cheryl brought me three Shaw Bros. films that I'd asked for (and wouldn't let me pay her for them, the stinker), along with my very own specially made copy of the best of Little Britain that Terry had put together for me (yay!) and a copy of Castle Cagliostro. The first night we watched the Bollywood film Dhoom 2, which had us alternately laughing at the ridiculousness of it and drooling over Hrithik Roshan's very, very fine body. Damn, that is one fine-looking man. I kept trying to picture Wu Bai's face on Hrithik's body, which I think might just be the perfect look, but I couldn't hold the vision in my head. 'S OK, cuz I kinda like Wu Bai's slightly chubby body anyway. It suits him.
We met up with Natari, Charlene, and Betty for dinner at Niko Niko on Thursday night, always a pleasure because of the good discount we get, complemented by the freebies PJ sends our way. Funck took us to a nice hotpot place in Tian Mu last night, and we filled out the rest of the time with some niu rou mian, local vendor french fries and fried chicken, Ge Ba Fu Fu mixed nuts, pistachios, Sushi Express, French toast made with raisin bread from Ginno Pasco, my homemade tiramisu, and lots and lots of raspberry vodka and beer - and corn dogs, how could I forget the wonderful corn dog I had at the zoo? Oh my, been so long since I'd had one, it was pure heaven. I think it's a good thing Cheryl only spent a few days. We're really each a bad influence upon the other. Then again, we did an awful lot of walking over the last few days, so maybe we balanced it out a bit. Maybe.
I shouldn't be online. I should be practicing writing characters and studying for the test tomorrow. But my eyes were starting to cross and my hand was hurting, so I decided a short break was in order. However, it's getting late, so I suppose I'll be a good girl and get back to studying. At least Wednesday is another holiday!
This visit was a fairly laid back one, more of an eat, drink, and watch movies trip instead of a see-the-sights one. The day she arrived we hit Carrefour for an infusion of junk food and alcohol and spent the evening watching movies. Cheryl brought me three Shaw Bros. films that I'd asked for (and wouldn't let me pay her for them, the stinker), along with my very own specially made copy of the best of Little Britain that Terry had put together for me (yay!) and a copy of Castle Cagliostro. The first night we watched the Bollywood film Dhoom 2, which had us alternately laughing at the ridiculousness of it and drooling over Hrithik Roshan's very, very fine body. Damn, that is one fine-looking man. I kept trying to picture Wu Bai's face on Hrithik's body, which I think might just be the perfect look, but I couldn't hold the vision in my head. 'S OK, cuz I kinda like Wu Bai's slightly chubby body anyway. It suits him.
We met up with Natari, Charlene, and Betty for dinner at Niko Niko on Thursday night, always a pleasure because of the good discount we get, complemented by the freebies PJ sends our way. Funck took us to a nice hotpot place in Tian Mu last night, and we filled out the rest of the time with some niu rou mian, local vendor french fries and fried chicken, Ge Ba Fu Fu mixed nuts, pistachios, Sushi Express, French toast made with raisin bread from Ginno Pasco, my homemade tiramisu, and lots and lots of raspberry vodka and beer - and corn dogs, how could I forget the wonderful corn dog I had at the zoo? Oh my, been so long since I'd had one, it was pure heaven. I think it's a good thing Cheryl only spent a few days. We're really each a bad influence upon the other. Then again, we did an awful lot of walking over the last few days, so maybe we balanced it out a bit. Maybe.
I shouldn't be online. I should be practicing writing characters and studying for the test tomorrow. But my eyes were starting to cross and my hand was hurting, so I decided a short break was in order. However, it's getting late, so I suppose I'll be a good girl and get back to studying. At least Wednesday is another holiday!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Death Wish
My cat apparently desires to die. You remember back on January 23 I wrote about coming home to find that she'd clawed my Li Hai concert poster? Well, what I didn't write was that the very next day she did the same thing, but this time she totally destroyed the poster, as well as tearing up corners of two other ones. I didn't get a photo of the destroyed one.
I was so pissed at her, and her butt got beat hard. I ended up completely rearranging the dining room and kitchen, moving the cabinet she'd jumped onto into the kitchen and making it impossible for her to to reach those three posters (Charlene gave me a new Li Hai concert poster to replace the destroyed one). So what does the little shit do? She jumps up onto the cabinet in its new location in the kitchen next to the fridge, up onto the fridge, and
proceeds to rip my Wild Day Out poster, which is irreplaceable! Again, the butt is beaten, and this time she's tossed onto the balcony, where she stays without food for about five hours. Did that stop her? No, the next night she was back up there, again ripping the poster in the same place I'd taped it. Another beating, and no food, exiled to the balcony. But wait - this cat is so stubborn that she did it yet a third time! And each time she knows she's wrong, because as soon as I wake up, she runs and hides because she knows I'll find out.
OK, fine, I took the poster down and moved it to a wall with no access to save us both some grief, and we have a couple of days of no trouble. Until this morning.
I walked into the living room to find my Two-Faced Man remix poster with one corner detached from the wall and claw marks. That little shit! She jumped up onto the TV stand and from there up onto the shelves that go along the top, then up onto the bookcase and across to the little DVD rack and got my poster! What the fuck is she doing? Why is she on a mission to destroy every one of my posters? Then in the bedroom I find that she'd gotten to the Two-Faced Man
poster over my bed, who knows when. She'd already long ago torn up the corner of the D
NA Lounge poster that Carol sent me, but she's been working on it even more lately.So, I guess DZ will no longer be allowed in my bedroom at night. She's already banished from there and my office during the day when I'm not home, because she destroys things. Her world is getting smaller and smaller, and soon she'll find that the balcony is all she has. I'm moving everything I can, but it seems almost impossible to keep things out of her reach. She jumps up onto every cabinet all the time (I find her footprints, so I know), and no matter how much I spank her - even using the toilet brush! - she keeps going back and doing the same things, knowing that she will get in trouble for it. I have never in my life seen such a stubborn cat.
Anyone want a cat?
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Ugh
I've been sick all week. It started last Sunday evening, when my throat began to hurt. Monday I felt awful, but I still had to go to school, because it was the first day of the new semester. I got my final exam - and it was 99%, wow! I was amazed. I got a final grade for the semester of 90%, which I assume is based on tests and homework completed. It's high enough that I am eligible to apply for the scholarships they give out, so I think I will.
After the first session with the new teacher, I knew I wasn't going to be very happy. Boring, boring, boring. This teacher seems like a nice person, but no spark of life in her at all. Perhaps her mind is on her upcoming wedding in March, but all of us were in danger of falling asleep.
Tuesday I was so very sick that I did stay home, feeling chilled all day despite the warm weather outside, even my skin hurting when my clothes slid across it. I dosed myself with some Theraflu and spent most of the day sleeping. Dragged myself to school Wednesday and Thursday, still feeling like crap, but if I don't go to school, then I have visa problems. The bright point was that the teacher, Chen Laoshi, decided that it wasn't worth her time to teach a class of only four students, so on Friday we split, with my three Indonesian classmates joining Chen Laoshi's 8:00 a.m. class and me going into Deng Laoshi's 1:00 p.m. more advanced class.
I like Deng Laoshi. She was the one who gave me the placement test, and I thought at that time she was pretty cool. Even though she's one of the older teachers, she's not stuffy and rigid, she's funny and lively. I was still half out of it on Friday, doing a lot of coughing, but I enjoyed her class, and it's obvious the other students really like her, too. I'm now on a two-week break for Chinese New Year, and I'll be spending a lot of time reviewing things I've forgotten. The book we're using in the new class is called Taiwan Today, and when I was at CLD we had studied up through lesson 4 of this book. Thankfully, a lot of it isn't brand-new stuff, but reviews what we learned in the Practical Audio-Visual Chinese Book 2, Part 2, and that's the one I've forgotten most of.
Today is another book-signing event, two actually, and Charlene, Natari, Xiao Niu, and I are going. Charlene and I went last week to the one at the book exhibition, but there were so many friggin' people there that I didn't think it was worth standing in line. Besides, my lower lip was blossoming with a huge cold sore, and I certainly didn't want to stick that in Wu Bai's face. It's better now, despite two smaller ones that popped up over the course of this rotten cold. Since I am sick, I might wear one of the face masks folks here use to prevent germs from running rampant (popularized by the SARS epidemic). I already have my book signed, but I need to get Alice and Caroline's signed, if possible, which means standing in line twice.
Oh gosh, I don't think I've written about my first lesson with Xiao Zhu's son, Vincent. Well, I consider it less than a success. His mom dropped him off last Saturday, and I spent two hours trying to get the kid to say more than "yes" or "no" to anything! I think he was just so shy that he didn't know what to do. I finally discerned that he liked Harry Potter and brought out my Harry Potter books. Vincent picked up each one, opened it in the middle, stuck his face in, and inhaled deeply. I have never seen a kid smell books before. Very strange. He also enjoyed playing with DZ and wandering around my house as if he lived there. I need to sit down and talke with Xiao Zhu and Du Du and find out what makes the kid tick, what he's interested in. I can't spend two hours just talking at him, he has to talk back. This week my voice is so bad that I told Xiao Zhu no way could I teach, so hopefully during the next week I'll be able to meet with the folks and form a plan. If anyone has hints on how to get a shy kid to talk, let me know. I even plied him with chocolate! He's either 13 or 14 (Dad says 13, kid says 14), and he's as tall as me, maybe a little taller, and he's pretty chubby, which surprised me. Xiao Zhu and Du Du are both rail thin, like most of the people here. So at least Vincent and I have one thing in common - a love of food. :)
Hm, I think I'm still a little loopy from the Theraflu. Sadly, last night I downed the last packet, and I don't think I can buy it in Taiwan. It's about time to make up a shopping list and impose on the folks back in the US to shop for me. I'll bet I can twist Dad's arm a little bit, ha.
After the first session with the new teacher, I knew I wasn't going to be very happy. Boring, boring, boring. This teacher seems like a nice person, but no spark of life in her at all. Perhaps her mind is on her upcoming wedding in March, but all of us were in danger of falling asleep.
Tuesday I was so very sick that I did stay home, feeling chilled all day despite the warm weather outside, even my skin hurting when my clothes slid across it. I dosed myself with some Theraflu and spent most of the day sleeping. Dragged myself to school Wednesday and Thursday, still feeling like crap, but if I don't go to school, then I have visa problems. The bright point was that the teacher, Chen Laoshi, decided that it wasn't worth her time to teach a class of only four students, so on Friday we split, with my three Indonesian classmates joining Chen Laoshi's 8:00 a.m. class and me going into Deng Laoshi's 1:00 p.m. more advanced class.
I like Deng Laoshi. She was the one who gave me the placement test, and I thought at that time she was pretty cool. Even though she's one of the older teachers, she's not stuffy and rigid, she's funny and lively. I was still half out of it on Friday, doing a lot of coughing, but I enjoyed her class, and it's obvious the other students really like her, too. I'm now on a two-week break for Chinese New Year, and I'll be spending a lot of time reviewing things I've forgotten. The book we're using in the new class is called Taiwan Today, and when I was at CLD we had studied up through lesson 4 of this book. Thankfully, a lot of it isn't brand-new stuff, but reviews what we learned in the Practical Audio-Visual Chinese Book 2, Part 2, and that's the one I've forgotten most of.
Today is another book-signing event, two actually, and Charlene, Natari, Xiao Niu, and I are going. Charlene and I went last week to the one at the book exhibition, but there were so many friggin' people there that I didn't think it was worth standing in line. Besides, my lower lip was blossoming with a huge cold sore, and I certainly didn't want to stick that in Wu Bai's face. It's better now, despite two smaller ones that popped up over the course of this rotten cold. Since I am sick, I might wear one of the face masks folks here use to prevent germs from running rampant (popularized by the SARS epidemic). I already have my book signed, but I need to get Alice and Caroline's signed, if possible, which means standing in line twice.
Oh gosh, I don't think I've written about my first lesson with Xiao Zhu's son, Vincent. Well, I consider it less than a success. His mom dropped him off last Saturday, and I spent two hours trying to get the kid to say more than "yes" or "no" to anything! I think he was just so shy that he didn't know what to do. I finally discerned that he liked Harry Potter and brought out my Harry Potter books. Vincent picked up each one, opened it in the middle, stuck his face in, and inhaled deeply. I have never seen a kid smell books before. Very strange. He also enjoyed playing with DZ and wandering around my house as if he lived there. I need to sit down and talke with Xiao Zhu and Du Du and find out what makes the kid tick, what he's interested in. I can't spend two hours just talking at him, he has to talk back. This week my voice is so bad that I told Xiao Zhu no way could I teach, so hopefully during the next week I'll be able to meet with the folks and form a plan. If anyone has hints on how to get a shy kid to talk, let me know. I even plied him with chocolate! He's either 13 or 14 (Dad says 13, kid says 14), and he's as tall as me, maybe a little taller, and he's pretty chubby, which surprised me. Xiao Zhu and Du Du are both rail thin, like most of the people here. So at least Vincent and I have one thing in common - a love of food. :)
Hm, I think I'm still a little loopy from the Theraflu. Sadly, last night I downed the last packet, and I don't think I can buy it in Taiwan. It's about time to make up a shopping list and impose on the folks back in the US to shop for me. I'll bet I can twist Dad's arm a little bit, ha.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Feeling Testy
Today was the last day of my first semester at the new school. Next week I begin a new class with a new teacher, and I'm so sad. I love Wang Laoshi! I wish I could continue on with her, but she'll only be teaching the very first book next semester, and I must move on. I've heard a couple of bad things about the new teacher, Chen Laoshi, but I'll wait to form my opinion until I've actually experienced her teaching. I sure hope she's not one of those extremely strict teachers, ewwww.
So because today was the last day, we had our final test, which covered the seven chapters we've studied over the last 11 weeks. I began studying yesterday around 2:00 p.m., and I kept going until 8:30 p.m., mostly practicing writing characters, because that's my weak point. Man, was I tired! I think it paid off, though, because I felt I did pretty good today. Won't know until Monday, of course, but I have a good feeling. As I was coming home on the MRT, it hit me that I'd written the entirely wrong answer for one question, though. Duh...
This semester marked my first experience with a test that's very common in most Chinese classes, but not at the school I previously attended. This is called a "ting xie" which means "listen write." The teacher reads a sentence, and we have to write the correct characters, as well as the pinyin spelling (or bo-po-mo-fo) with the correct tone marks. Luckily, we only had four of these, the first two being full sentences, and the last two being just words or phrases. On my first test, I scored 92%, on the second 93%. The third was 100% correct, and I'm confident that today's will also turn out to be 100%. For the other tests at the end of each chapter, I'm happy to say that I always did pretty good. My scores were as follows:
Chapter 1 - 95%
Chapter 2 - 99%
Chapter 3 - 98%
Chapter 4 - 98%
Chapter 5 - 98%
Chapter 6 - 100% (finally! I was tired of the 98% rut.)
I'm hoping for 95-98% for today's test, but since the final portion was writing a small essay, I'm not so sure I'll get that many points. When I can write at home, I do quite well, because I can type it first and then I have something to look at to help with characters I don't remember how to write. But on the spot like that, I can only use words I remember, which makes my composition read like a child wrote it. Argh.
Update: Wow, I got 99% on the end-of-semester final! Shocked the hell out of me, that's for sure. I got a final grade of 90% for the semester, which I assume is based on both homework and tests. Me so happy....
In other news, Xiao Zhu called to say he can't bring his son tomorrow, because he has to go to Tainan for a show, so his wife, Du Du, will bring the boy. I like Du Du, she's very energetic and happy whenever we see her at ABS shows, seems like quite a character. I must make sure the house is spotless tomorrow to make a good impression!
Tomorrow evening a new student named Donny will come for his first class. I hope that works out, because I sure can use the money. I think it will be only about a one-month class, because he's taking his IELTS test in March, and if he passes, he won't need me anymore.
Sunday Charlene and I are going to the International Book Exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center to see Wu Bai. I went to his book forum on Monday at the Eslite store, and it was quite fun. He looked particulary handsome that day, and I was so happy that I understood about 75% of everything he said. Plus, he remembered my name, when I brought my book up to be signed. I like his photographs very much, and I hope one of these days he publishes a book of his drawings, too. Quite the talented fellow, that Wu Bai is. Music, photography, art, cooking - the man does it all.
One more week of school, then we break for two weeks for Chinese New Year, and Cheryl comes to visit! Yay!
So because today was the last day, we had our final test, which covered the seven chapters we've studied over the last 11 weeks. I began studying yesterday around 2:00 p.m., and I kept going until 8:30 p.m., mostly practicing writing characters, because that's my weak point. Man, was I tired! I think it paid off, though, because I felt I did pretty good today. Won't know until Monday, of course, but I have a good feeling. As I was coming home on the MRT, it hit me that I'd written the entirely wrong answer for one question, though. Duh...
This semester marked my first experience with a test that's very common in most Chinese classes, but not at the school I previously attended. This is called a "ting xie" which means "listen write." The teacher reads a sentence, and we have to write the correct characters, as well as the pinyin spelling (or bo-po-mo-fo) with the correct tone marks. Luckily, we only had four of these, the first two being full sentences, and the last two being just words or phrases. On my first test, I scored 92%, on the second 93%. The third was 100% correct, and I'm confident that today's will also turn out to be 100%. For the other tests at the end of each chapter, I'm happy to say that I always did pretty good. My scores were as follows:
Chapter 1 - 95%
Chapter 2 - 99%
Chapter 3 - 98%
Chapter 4 - 98%
Chapter 5 - 98%
Chapter 6 - 100% (finally! I was tired of the 98% rut.)
I'm hoping for 95-98% for today's test, but since the final portion was writing a small essay, I'm not so sure I'll get that many points. When I can write at home, I do quite well, because I can type it first and then I have something to look at to help with characters I don't remember how to write. But on the spot like that, I can only use words I remember, which makes my composition read like a child wrote it. Argh.
Update: Wow, I got 99% on the end-of-semester final! Shocked the hell out of me, that's for sure. I got a final grade of 90% for the semester, which I assume is based on both homework and tests. Me so happy....
In other news, Xiao Zhu called to say he can't bring his son tomorrow, because he has to go to Tainan for a show, so his wife, Du Du, will bring the boy. I like Du Du, she's very energetic and happy whenever we see her at ABS shows, seems like quite a character. I must make sure the house is spotless tomorrow to make a good impression!
Tomorrow evening a new student named Donny will come for his first class. I hope that works out, because I sure can use the money. I think it will be only about a one-month class, because he's taking his IELTS test in March, and if he passes, he won't need me anymore.
Sunday Charlene and I are going to the International Book Exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center to see Wu Bai. I went to his book forum on Monday at the Eslite store, and it was quite fun. He looked particulary handsome that day, and I was so happy that I understood about 75% of everything he said. Plus, he remembered my name, when I brought my book up to be signed. I like his photographs very much, and I hope one of these days he publishes a book of his drawings, too. Quite the talented fellow, that Wu Bai is. Music, photography, art, cooking - the man does it all.
One more week of school, then we break for two weeks for Chinese New Year, and Cheryl comes to visit! Yay!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Comet McNaught Glory
Guoxi sent this photo of Comet McNaught that one of his classmates at pilot training school (they're in Adelaide, Australia) took the night before last. Guoxi said that this was the first time he'd ever seen a comet.Sometimes I miss Magalia's whole sky full of twinkling stars on a dark, dark night. It's too bright here in Taipei, so even if there were no clouds (rare), we still couldn't see many stars.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Not Too Politically Correct
I've just now remembered this little story that I had intended to write here but forgot.
The last time I did recording for that cram school, I was working with a guy named Roger. Instead of reading a conversation as we sometimes do, we just had to clearly and slowly pronounce words on a list, and we were alternating. Well, you know that many words have two different pronunciations, one for if it's a noun, one for if it's a verb, like research, subject, reject, etc., with the accent on the first syllable for nouns and the second syllable for verbs. We weren't sure if we should read noun or verb, so we were just winging it. So it's Roger's turn, and he reads "REtard." A moment of silence as our eyes meet, then both of us burst into hysterical laughter, pointing at one another and yelling, "Retard! Retard!" while the two guys in the sound booth stared at us with puzzled looks. I had snot coming out of my nose and tears flowing down my face. It took forever for us to calm down, because we'd read a word or two and then start the whole laughter thing again. The Taiwanese guys just didn't get it, even after Roger explained to them what retard means. Some humor just doesn't translate well.
The last time I did recording for that cram school, I was working with a guy named Roger. Instead of reading a conversation as we sometimes do, we just had to clearly and slowly pronounce words on a list, and we were alternating. Well, you know that many words have two different pronunciations, one for if it's a noun, one for if it's a verb, like research, subject, reject, etc., with the accent on the first syllable for nouns and the second syllable for verbs. We weren't sure if we should read noun or verb, so we were just winging it. So it's Roger's turn, and he reads "REtard." A moment of silence as our eyes meet, then both of us burst into hysterical laughter, pointing at one another and yelling, "Retard! Retard!" while the two guys in the sound booth stared at us with puzzled looks. I had snot coming out of my nose and tears flowing down my face. It took forever for us to calm down, because we'd read a word or two and then start the whole laughter thing again. The Taiwanese guys just didn't get it, even after Roger explained to them what retard means. Some humor just doesn't translate well.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Finally, Something to Write About!
There's a Chinese saying 舊的不去﹐新的不來 - if the old doesn't go, the new doesn't come. Well, in the case of English students it appears to be true.
Today I was on the MRT on my way home when my phone rang. It wasn't a number I have programmed into the phone, so I thought it might be one of the girls Ye Ying gave my number to, a couple of prospective students. I answered (in Chinese, of course), "Hello?" A man's voice replied (the whole conversation takes place in Chinese), "Hi, is this Marla?" As I said yes, I was thinking maybe it was Kitty's brother or father calling me with an update on her whereabouts, which would sure be nice. But it wasn't. To my profound surprise, the voice said, "Hi, it's Xiao Zhu." A couple seconds of silence while I processed this information. Xiao Zhu? Wu Bai's bass player Xiao Zhu? Huh? OK, a phone call from Dino would not be totally unexpected, but Xiao Zhu?? Wah.... When I recovered my wits, I asked him how on earth he could be calling me.
It appears that Xiao Zhu's thirteen-year-old son, Vincent, is in need of someone to speak English with him, as there is no one at home who can do this, therefore he's not making much progress in his lessons. Xiao Zhu knows that I taught Guoxi English, so I guess he asked Dino for my number so he could see if I was interested in teaching his son. I told him of course I would do it, as it would be very convenient, living so close to them as I do. I'm even giving him a huge discount, because a hot (and I'm referring to his skill, not his looks, although he certainly is a cutie) bass player like Xiao Zhu deserves it. So, in a couple of weeks, on Saturday, I'll start working with Vincent.
I'm wondering how I'm going to feel about Xiao Zhu seeing my apartment, with posters and photos of Wu Bai all over the place. I think perhaps I might be just a teeny bit embarrassed about that! What can I say? I'm a fan....not just of Wu Bai, but of the whole band. It's just that photos of the rest of the guys are few and far between.
And speaking of these posters, DZ lost one of her lives this afternoon after I discovered she'd jumped up onto the cabinet, on top of the little oven, and had shredded one side of my Li Hai concert poster! That little shit, the worst she can do is fuck around with my Wu Bai stuff. Last week I found another poster from above the same cabinet on the ground when I came home, but I assumed the sticky stuff had just worn out and that it had fallen down. Now I know she'd been up there playing with it. Perhaps after her spanking today she'll think twice about jumping up there next time. She's going to find herself shut up on the balcony while I'm in school if she keeps this up.
Today I was on the MRT on my way home when my phone rang. It wasn't a number I have programmed into the phone, so I thought it might be one of the girls Ye Ying gave my number to, a couple of prospective students. I answered (in Chinese, of course), "Hello?" A man's voice replied (the whole conversation takes place in Chinese), "Hi, is this Marla?" As I said yes, I was thinking maybe it was Kitty's brother or father calling me with an update on her whereabouts, which would sure be nice. But it wasn't. To my profound surprise, the voice said, "Hi, it's Xiao Zhu." A couple seconds of silence while I processed this information. Xiao Zhu? Wu Bai's bass player Xiao Zhu? Huh? OK, a phone call from Dino would not be totally unexpected, but Xiao Zhu?? Wah.... When I recovered my wits, I asked him how on earth he could be calling me.
It appears that Xiao Zhu's thirteen-year-old son, Vincent, is in need of someone to speak English with him, as there is no one at home who can do this, therefore he's not making much progress in his lessons. Xiao Zhu knows that I taught Guoxi English, so I guess he asked Dino for my number so he could see if I was interested in teaching his son. I told him of course I would do it, as it would be very convenient, living so close to them as I do. I'm even giving him a huge discount, because a hot (and I'm referring to his skill, not his looks, although he certainly is a cutie) bass player like Xiao Zhu deserves it. So, in a couple of weeks, on Saturday, I'll start working with Vincent.
I'm wondering how I'm going to feel about Xiao Zhu seeing my apartment, with posters and photos of Wu Bai all over the place. I think perhaps I might be just a teeny bit embarrassed about that! What can I say? I'm a fan....not just of Wu Bai, but of the whole band. It's just that photos of the rest of the guys are few and far between.
And speaking of these posters, DZ lost one of her lives this afternoon after I discovered she'd jumped up onto the cabinet, on top of the little oven, and had shredded one side of my Li Hai concert poster! That little shit, the worst she can do is fuck around with my Wu Bai stuff. Last week I found another poster from above the same cabinet on the ground when I came home, but I assumed the sticky stuff had just worn out and that it had fallen down. Now I know she'd been up there playing with it. Perhaps after her spanking today she'll think twice about jumping up there next time. She's going to find herself shut up on the balcony while I'm in school if she keeps this up.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Welcome to the World, Kimi Tuominen Ng!
Congratulations to my Singaporean friends, Tona and David, on the birth of their first child, a boy, born January 17.
Make sure you raise him right, as a proper Wu Bai & China Blue fan!
Make sure you raise him right, as a proper Wu Bai & China Blue fan!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Completely Abandoned
I am now studentless. Funck came for his lesson this evening and said he wants to quit, because running his website is taking too much of his time.
Kitty is still MIA, went to Shanghai for "a week" at the beginning of December and has not been in touch since. Oh, her father called me the week after she left, said she'd be in Shanghai through the end of December, so sorry. What, they don't have e-mail in Shanghai?
Jennifer said she was too busy September through December doing her wedding consulting and would start up again in January, but she hasn't gotten in touch, either.
Rosa quit a few weeks ago, because she's just too tired on the weekends after her long and stressful work week. I can understand that.
So here I am, making no money at all. I suppose it's time to seriously look for new students, but I'm so fed up with the way people just cancel all the time or aren't all that serious about the lessons. I'm not sure it's worth it, and I'm spending more time on my own lessons this time around anyway. Hm, have to think about it, I guess.
Kitty is still MIA, went to Shanghai for "a week" at the beginning of December and has not been in touch since. Oh, her father called me the week after she left, said she'd be in Shanghai through the end of December, so sorry. What, they don't have e-mail in Shanghai?
Jennifer said she was too busy September through December doing her wedding consulting and would start up again in January, but she hasn't gotten in touch, either.
Rosa quit a few weeks ago, because she's just too tired on the weekends after her long and stressful work week. I can understand that.
So here I am, making no money at all. I suppose it's time to seriously look for new students, but I'm so fed up with the way people just cancel all the time or aren't all that serious about the lessons. I'm not sure it's worth it, and I'm spending more time on my own lessons this time around anyway. Hm, have to think about it, I guess.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
2007 - So Far, So Good
Once again I begin with an apology for not writing much. I wish I had more excitement in my life to share with you all, but.....I don't.
So, the party on 12/23 was a success, we had fun, ate lots of good food (including some homemade hot and sour soup that Ye Ying and Xuan Yi made), I drank lots of beer, my Korean friend Kayun drank too much pear cognac and fell asleep on the couch for awhile, and the tiramisu was awesome. So awesome that I made a second batch, which turned out not quite as good since I used too much espresso. Next time I'm experimenting with making my own invention, Kahluamisu.
Kayun stayed with me for a few days last week. She had to give up her apartment on Wednesday, so she showed up at my front door Wednesday a.m. with her huge suitcase in tow and stayed until she left yesterday at 5:00 a.m. Silly girl had booked an 8:30 a.m. flight back to Korea! So, she had to take a cab to Yuanshan MRT station to get the airport bus. I hope she made it on time, haven't heard from her yet. I'm really going to miss her.
Oh, getting the visa extension was a bit of a kerfuffle this time. My visa was due to expire on January 2, so I went to the Taipei County police department in Banqiao the week before, on Wednesday. The last time I went there, there was no MRT, just a bus, so taking MRT I wasn't sure if I needed to go to the police station close to the Banqiao station or the one at Fuzhong (they are very close), so I tried Banqiao first. Nope, the folks there said I needed to go to the one close to Fuzhong, so Kayun (who kindly accompanied me) and I walked there. After arriving at that police station, they said, "Nope! You need to go to yet another station." Well, OK, we don't mind walking, finally got to the place I'd gone to before, and I got a form and started to fill it out while Kayun went to get a number. They had a sign posted there, only in Chinese, not in English, telling foreigners that if their visas expire after 12/29, they have to wait until January 2 and go to a new office to get their extensions. Kayun was trying to figure out what the sign meant (we both read Chinese pretty darned well but this was complicated), but she didn't quite understand it all and finally asked a clerk, and he told her. She was shocked that they would post such an important notice only in Chinese and expect foreigners to be able to understand it, and she proceeded to tell them how stupid that was (not exactly the best thing to do, but she was right). I didn't know any of this was happening; I was still filling out my form. We were very confused, and the clerk drew us a little map and told us to go to the new location. OK, so we walked a little way, went past number 168, which looked like a police station, looking for number 166. There was a brand-new office being worked on, still not open, and we asked the workers if that was number 166. They pointed back the way we came. We returned to 168, where we found a police officer. Asked him where 166 was, he pointed back at the workers. WTF? Finally, we just walked back to the police station and told the guy there that the office at the address he gave us wasn't open yet. "Right," he says, "you have to come back on January 2." "But that's the day my visa EXPIRES. Isn't that cutting it a bit close? What if I'm sick that day? Can't I apply for the extension today?" He goes and asks some other guy, who finally explained to me that the government was moving the handling of visa extensions to the immigration department, and that the police department will no longer be responsible, and that there is simply no way I could apply for the extension until January 2.
I was really worried about having to wait until the last day, because one other person told me that when her friend waited until the final day, he was told he had to leave the country and apply for another visa! But I had no choice but to wait until the 2nd and was afraid they might tell me "no" when I went. I thought about buying a plane ticket to Hong Kong on Tuesday just in case, but then decided I should just hope for the best. Everything turned out fine. Kayun and I went bright and early because we figured there'd be a crowd. The office was a madhouse, tons of others who had had to wait all piled in, the poor workers hadn't been provided with essentials, like calendars, so they had to count on their fingers to figure out dates for visa extensions, and the woman helping me kept her cool despite being so overwhelmed.
So now I'm good until March 3, when I will be applying for the Alien Residency Certificate (ARC) to avoid having to keep leaving the country. That will also propose a problem, since I have to apply two weeks before my visa expires. Here's the hitch: school closes February 10 through February 25 for Chinese New Year. They, and all government offices, will also be closed February 28 for a national holiday. So the week before my visa expires, there are four working days. I have to have all the paperwork from the school before I can apply for the ARC. I have to wait three days from the day I ask the school for the paperwork before I can get it. So, if I ask on 2/26, I can't pick them up until 3/1, which would again be cutting it way, way close. But applying before the holiday closure is probably too soon, so who knows what I'll do? Not me, that's for sure.
Taiwan finally got some cold wintery weather. We went from balmy days in the upper 70s to upper 40s, low 50s. It's still not super cold, especially inside the house, but I now need to wear a jacket. Been a bit rainy, too, which always makes it feel colder than it is. The long-range forecast says we'll be back to high 60s, low 70s by the 13th. Maybe, we'll see. I just hope it's nice in February when Cheryl comes to visit.
Doris from Hong Kong arrived Thursday, and Nat, Charlene, Betty, Xiao Niu, and I joined her for a wonderful dinner at Shanghai Dumpling. I love that place, especially since we get such a great discount, as it's owned by the company Nat and Charlene work for. I passed on going with Nat and Doris to Miaoli yesterday. They were going to go to the hotspring, and I don't do hotspring, plus they were spending the night. I can't afford to spend much money now, since I'm not making any. What I have in the bank has to carry me through four years of university, so I'm saving the bucks for Wu Bai & China Blue related stuff!
I managed to waste all of my Saturday yesterday, doing absolutely nothing except dinking around online and reading, with a tiny bit of timeout for meeting with a young lady named Vivi who wants some help with English. Her family owns the convenience store by my house, and I've chatted with her off and on since I moved here. She truly wants to study English but can't figure out how to pronounce words she doesn't know, so she gets intimidated. I told her I'd try to find some phonics stuff online to help out, because I don't understand the method they use here in Taiwan to try to teach the kids English pronunciation.
Need to get my hiney in gear and accomplish something today, so zai jian, see ya, toodles, ta, and all that.
So, the party on 12/23 was a success, we had fun, ate lots of good food (including some homemade hot and sour soup that Ye Ying and Xuan Yi made), I drank lots of beer, my Korean friend Kayun drank too much pear cognac and fell asleep on the couch for awhile, and the tiramisu was awesome. So awesome that I made a second batch, which turned out not quite as good since I used too much espresso. Next time I'm experimenting with making my own invention, Kahluamisu.
Kayun stayed with me for a few days last week. She had to give up her apartment on Wednesday, so she showed up at my front door Wednesday a.m. with her huge suitcase in tow and stayed until she left yesterday at 5:00 a.m. Silly girl had booked an 8:30 a.m. flight back to Korea! So, she had to take a cab to Yuanshan MRT station to get the airport bus. I hope she made it on time, haven't heard from her yet. I'm really going to miss her.
Oh, getting the visa extension was a bit of a kerfuffle this time. My visa was due to expire on January 2, so I went to the Taipei County police department in Banqiao the week before, on Wednesday. The last time I went there, there was no MRT, just a bus, so taking MRT I wasn't sure if I needed to go to the police station close to the Banqiao station or the one at Fuzhong (they are very close), so I tried Banqiao first. Nope, the folks there said I needed to go to the one close to Fuzhong, so Kayun (who kindly accompanied me) and I walked there. After arriving at that police station, they said, "Nope! You need to go to yet another station." Well, OK, we don't mind walking, finally got to the place I'd gone to before, and I got a form and started to fill it out while Kayun went to get a number. They had a sign posted there, only in Chinese, not in English, telling foreigners that if their visas expire after 12/29, they have to wait until January 2 and go to a new office to get their extensions. Kayun was trying to figure out what the sign meant (we both read Chinese pretty darned well but this was complicated), but she didn't quite understand it all and finally asked a clerk, and he told her. She was shocked that they would post such an important notice only in Chinese and expect foreigners to be able to understand it, and she proceeded to tell them how stupid that was (not exactly the best thing to do, but she was right). I didn't know any of this was happening; I was still filling out my form. We were very confused, and the clerk drew us a little map and told us to go to the new location. OK, so we walked a little way, went past number 168, which looked like a police station, looking for number 166. There was a brand-new office being worked on, still not open, and we asked the workers if that was number 166. They pointed back the way we came. We returned to 168, where we found a police officer. Asked him where 166 was, he pointed back at the workers. WTF? Finally, we just walked back to the police station and told the guy there that the office at the address he gave us wasn't open yet. "Right," he says, "you have to come back on January 2." "But that's the day my visa EXPIRES. Isn't that cutting it a bit close? What if I'm sick that day? Can't I apply for the extension today?" He goes and asks some other guy, who finally explained to me that the government was moving the handling of visa extensions to the immigration department, and that the police department will no longer be responsible, and that there is simply no way I could apply for the extension until January 2.
I was really worried about having to wait until the last day, because one other person told me that when her friend waited until the final day, he was told he had to leave the country and apply for another visa! But I had no choice but to wait until the 2nd and was afraid they might tell me "no" when I went. I thought about buying a plane ticket to Hong Kong on Tuesday just in case, but then decided I should just hope for the best. Everything turned out fine. Kayun and I went bright and early because we figured there'd be a crowd. The office was a madhouse, tons of others who had had to wait all piled in, the poor workers hadn't been provided with essentials, like calendars, so they had to count on their fingers to figure out dates for visa extensions, and the woman helping me kept her cool despite being so overwhelmed.
So now I'm good until March 3, when I will be applying for the Alien Residency Certificate (ARC) to avoid having to keep leaving the country. That will also propose a problem, since I have to apply two weeks before my visa expires. Here's the hitch: school closes February 10 through February 25 for Chinese New Year. They, and all government offices, will also be closed February 28 for a national holiday. So the week before my visa expires, there are four working days. I have to have all the paperwork from the school before I can apply for the ARC. I have to wait three days from the day I ask the school for the paperwork before I can get it. So, if I ask on 2/26, I can't pick them up until 3/1, which would again be cutting it way, way close. But applying before the holiday closure is probably too soon, so who knows what I'll do? Not me, that's for sure.
Taiwan finally got some cold wintery weather. We went from balmy days in the upper 70s to upper 40s, low 50s. It's still not super cold, especially inside the house, but I now need to wear a jacket. Been a bit rainy, too, which always makes it feel colder than it is. The long-range forecast says we'll be back to high 60s, low 70s by the 13th. Maybe, we'll see. I just hope it's nice in February when Cheryl comes to visit.
Doris from Hong Kong arrived Thursday, and Nat, Charlene, Betty, Xiao Niu, and I joined her for a wonderful dinner at Shanghai Dumpling. I love that place, especially since we get such a great discount, as it's owned by the company Nat and Charlene work for. I passed on going with Nat and Doris to Miaoli yesterday. They were going to go to the hotspring, and I don't do hotspring, plus they were spending the night. I can't afford to spend much money now, since I'm not making any. What I have in the bank has to carry me through four years of university, so I'm saving the bucks for Wu Bai & China Blue related stuff!
I managed to waste all of my Saturday yesterday, doing absolutely nothing except dinking around online and reading, with a tiny bit of timeout for meeting with a young lady named Vivi who wants some help with English. Her family owns the convenience store by my house, and I've chatted with her off and on since I moved here. She truly wants to study English but can't figure out how to pronounce words she doesn't know, so she gets intimidated. I told her I'd try to find some phonics stuff online to help out, because I don't understand the method they use here in Taiwan to try to teach the kids English pronunciation.
Need to get my hiney in gear and accomplish something today, so zai jian, see ya, toodles, ta, and all that.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
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