Rainy days and old umbrellas

Well, the blue-sky marathon came to an end at 4am this morning when the clouds rolled in and began their day long dump over the city. On the way to work on the cold bus i was tickled by what i saw out the windows as we rolled along JinShan Rd in the jamless traffic (one bonus of starting work so darn early). It's been approximately 2 weeks of blue smiling skies, so when people left their houses this morning and grabbed their dusty umbrellas i doubt they thought about the functionability of them. 90% of the pedestrians unfortunate enough as me to be up so early (or maybe they were heading home after a night of parties - but i sincerely doubt it) had umbrellas in various states of decay; bent, broken, unattached to the frame, on the verge of flying inside-out. It really was quite a spectacle, and i was selfishly comforted by the fact that my umbrella was pristine..well my room-mate's umbrella... guilty!

The nice thing about the rain arriving, is that it justified going to a movie. I went to a really strange theatre that i've never had the (a-hem) pleasure of experiencing. The stairwell had a really low ceiling. So low i had to bend my head sideways to walk up it, it was strangley claustrophobifying (that's really a word- like sensical and strategery). The seats were also really close together so my legs were a bit cramped. Anyways. I saw Crash. I sort of had NO idea what it was going to be about or who would be in it. My co-worker suggested it..ok, has been dropping hints for a week to go see it, but the weather was always too nice. And i didn't know anything about it. And it sounded wierd. What kind of a name is that?

But i really liked it, in a way that made me appreciate the lack of discrimination here in Asia, and also the absence of violence and rage that seems so alive in America. People drive really badly here, but everyone is so patient and accepting of it, that it's pointless to fly into rages. And when it comes to people, i was feeling very alienated for a while because some people stare at (what we're called) foreigners, but at least there's no apparent anger or racism.

People-issues are so complex in the States, and it makes me wonder what the motivation behind the decision to legalise guns was..??? If anyone has an answer, i'm all ears. Population control maybe?

Ok, on another beat, i have a pic from when my friend from korea came to visit. We sort of stumbled across this statue near taipei main station, and a friend of my friend needed to pose with it.


I should send it in to Rove Live (Aussie variety show). What the...?

Freezing a bit.

Happy PNG Independence Day!!

Papua New Guineans everywhere are celebrating with singsings and mumu's, and feeling proud of their nation. Here's to a brighter future for our country!! For improved living conditions, equal rights for women, the fight against HIV aids, the identity of PNG's children, the co-existence of traditional and modern culture. We have a lot to be proud of, but a lot to do to make other nations respect us too. Happy festivities!!

Group e-mails from long-lost friends

I just got a short (both in length and feel) email from a friend back home who i have been really slack about keeping in touch with. But the thing is, i'm slack keeping in touch with everyone and she's probably just the only one who's told me to my inbox. I had sent out a group email, (not even a "this is what i've been up to" but a "help the breast-cancer cause" one, and i know it ticks people off to never receive personal one-to-one written emails (it ticks me off too) which, come on just admit it, makes us feel special. I know. I'm the same. So am going to try to be more... personal..

That said, i haven't heard from a friend who left taipei in february since she first got back to miniapolis (sorry, i have no idea how to spell american things), and today i got a chain-email, from her. But! i am glad i got it because i laughed and laughed. This, of course could be due to the fact that i went out last night despite having to be in a class at 7:30 this morning, and am reliving some of last night in flashes.. here it is, i just HAD to share.
For all the girls out there, when you drink too much:

1. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE MY PURSE IS.
2. I BELIEVE THAT DANCING WITH MY ARMS OVERHEAD AND WIGGLING MY BUTT WHILE YELLING "WOO-HOO!" IS TRULY THE SEXIEST DANCE MOVE AROUND.
3. MY EYES JUST DON'T SEEM TO WANT TO STAY OPEN ON THEIR OWN SO I KEEP THEM HALF CLOSED AND THINK IT LOOKS EXOTICALLY SEXY.
4. IN MY LAST TRIP TO PEE, I REALIZE I NOW LOOK MORE LIKE A HOMELESS HOOKER THAN THE GODDESS I WAS JUST FOUR HOURS AGO.
5. I DROP MY 3:00 A.M. SUBMARINE SANDWICH ON THE FLOOR (WHICH I'M EATING EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT THE LEAST BIT HUNGRY), PICK IT UP AND CARRY ON EATING IT
6. I START CRYING AND TELLING EVERYONE I SEE THAT I LOVE THEM SOOOOO MUCH.
7. I GET EXTREMELY EXCITED AND JUMP UP AND DOWN EVERY TIME A NEW SONG PLAYS BECAUSE "OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS SONG!"
8. I'VE FOUND A DEEPER/SPIRITUAL SIDE TO THE GEEK SITTING NEXT TO ME.
9. THE MAN I'M FLIRTING WITH USED TO BE MY 5TH GRADE TEACHER.
10. THE URGE TO TAKE OFF ARTICLES OF CLOTHING, STAND ON A TABLE AND SING OR DANCE BECOMES STRANGELY OVERWHELMING.
11. I BEGIN LEAVING THE BUTTONS OPEN ON MY BUTTON FLY PANTS TO CUT DOWN ON THE TIME I'M IN THE BATHROOM ..AWAY FROM MY DRINK.
12. I'VE SUDDENLY TAKEN UP SMOKING AND BECOME REALLY GOOD AT IT.
13. I YELL AT THE BARTENDER, WHO (I THINK) CHEATED ME BY GIVING ME JUST LEMONADE, BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE I CAN NO LONGER TASTE THE GIN.
14. I FAIL TO NOTICE THAT THE TOILET LID'S DOWN WHEN I SIT ON IT.
15. I START EVERY CONVERSATION WITH A BOOMING, "DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY BUT..."
16. I'VE SUDDENLY DECIDED I WANT TO KICK SOMEONE'S ASS AND HONESTLY BELIEVE I COULD DO IT TOO.
17. MY HUGS BEGIN TO RESEMBLE WRESTLING TAKE-DOWN MOVES.
18. I TAKE MY SHOES OFF BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S THEIR FAULT THAT I'M NOT WALKING STRAIGHT
19. I'M TIRED SO I JUST SIT ON THE FLOOR (WHEREVER I HAPPEN TO BE STANDING) AND TAKE A QUICK NAP.
20. I THINK I'M IN BED, BUT MY PILLOW FEELS STRANGELY LIKE THE KITCHEN FLOOR (er, or, the mop?).

I'd really like to know who sits down and writes these things... Of course i'm only laughing because this is what i observe when i am out, not experience...of course.

I need water.

An ode to Taipei 101

Oh tall building!

HaPPY BiRthdaY Maki

I just wanted to let my friend Maki know that I did remember your birthday today, and am sending well wishes on a taipei breeze to where-ever you're spending it this year.
The sky today was amazing, so i sat outside on a break in the late afternoon, watched the moon appear in the bright blue sky and the clouds float by and i thought of you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

What i appreciated yesterday

It's time to stop dwelling on those things i can not change, because dwelling is irritating and divert my thoughts instead to those things that i appreciate. Here's a list of yesterdays'..

1. The half-moon up in the late afternoon when it was still light
2. No waiting for buses
3. Delicious pizza from alleycats
4. A cool evening breeze (let's not talk about the heat during the day though)
5. No unwanted phone calls
6. Machines that work
7. A greeting from the fruit man downstairs
8. Patience to teach (this i don't have eveyday)
9. Discovery of a band whose music i can tolerate and even enjoy
10. Conversation with new people
11. An uncongested swimming pool


I like being positive
Peace

She's BACK!!

Hello everyone. I know it's been a good long while, but I'm back in business. YESSSS!

Have the internet connected and my Sunday's to myself. Life is a little less-stress and more-sure. I have a lot of catching up to do, and want to do it all justice.. oh the pressure

So i moved in to my new place on the first of August. That night we had a black-out. No electricity meant no fans, meant sweaty sweat and no water to shower it off. Doesn't a bad start generally mean a clear future? I hope so because it doesn't end there. Let me list the problems we endured over the first week.

1. Black out on first night
2. No water on first night
3. Typhoon flooding in room-mates room on third night
4. Cockroaches the size of credit cards in swarms
5. Dodgey toilet seat that flings up with a BANG - obviously designed by men for men
6. No water pressure in bathroom basin
7. No internet or phone
8. Noise polution despite being on a quiet street
9. Early sun rise hitting directly between eyes and the need for sunglasses in kitchen

..ok, i don't think i need to add any more. 10 would be pushing it.

Since then things have gotten better. Of course, not including the typhoon last week, which only flooded my room, the living room/kitchen (it's one room) and as i was trying to prevent the fridge cord from frying us all, i only electrocuted myself. Wow, never want to try that one again. But we're (obviously) connected, have a nice new phone, are used to the toilet seat, invested in a lot of poisons so have scared away the flying credit cards and it's amazing what a bit of greenery can do to a place too. Now my room-mate and i are a little worried we're going to get too settled. We don't plan on staying in Taipei forever so...

On less-domestic fronts: I've been getting myself out of the city on more regular basis'. We went to Hualien two weekends ago, and celebrated the harvest moon with the local aborginal people. I don't have any pics of myself (yet) but just to get an idea of the color and vibrancy..

We stayed with my bosses friend, and her mother had outfits for us all too! And we looked GOOD! hehe. We also visited Taroko Gorge, or i should say Tai Lu Ke, I don't know why it's been anglicised, it just alienates us from Chinese speakers because it makes no sense to them. The gorge is beautiful, i will have to go back with more time to see more of it.

I think the most amazing thing about it, is the road all the way to Taichung pretty much on the edge of a cliff.

I've also been swimming a lot (actually i was busy during summer so not as much as i'd have liked) to prepare for a non-competitive swim across Sun Moon Lake (Re Yue Tan) which will take place on October 2nd. It was scheduled for September 11, yesterday, so i went down with my friend on friday after class (which means a 9am departure) and we camped by the lake. Here's the view we had. To.Die.For.

Sorry, my video camera doesn't take very clear pictures, but i guess the visibility was in preparation for a typhoon too, so multiple faults at play. We discovered that the swim had been postponed but decided to stay and get a nights lung-full of fresh air. In Taiwan you never know when the oportunity will arise again, so we made the most of it. The typhoon was forecast for saturday afternoon, so we packed up our tents, hitched a ride to the bus stop and then split up in a town called Puli. That town is famous for being severely damaged in the big earthquake 5 or so years ago, and ever since, the government has been pumping money into the area to attract tourists.. My friend went on to Taichung, but i headed back to Taipei because a friend from Korea was coming to town, so i wanted to catch up with him.

The typhoon ended up going north to Japan, and it was only a tropical storm in the end, Taipei had a few showers, nothing worth taking a day off work for, but i guess it all turned out because i could see my friend and not miss the swim.

I can't wait to go back to the lake in October.

In international news: my sister Cat is coming to visit at the end of October and I'm taking my vacation in Novemeber, so there's a lot to look forward to. I guess i'm allowed to announce too, that Cat is going to be a mother come February, which means, Amanda's gonna be an Aunt!! OOh, i feel faint... That's very exciting, and I plan to go the the Torres Straight Islands for the birth.

I have gone cross-eyed. Time to end todays update. Appropriate to say it's HOT! so stay cool.

Well, have you?

Happy 18th Birthday Davita

As I had no access on her actual birthday, i am sending this retrospectively, but you needn't be aware i guess..

Wow, Davita turning 18 is a huge deal. The baby of the family reaching adulthood really means our childhoods are over. I felt like i could always go back in time with her as the worm-hole, the travel vessel to our youth, but now she's one of us. An adult. I can't use her anymore to go on the merry-go-round, or to go see a kids movie in a theatre (ok, maybe i still can).

Well she's starting off on a good foot, winning a trophy in her (final..boohoo) school performance evening for being the star she is. Maybe we can send her off to drama school! Maybe we can start training her for the olympics. The opportunities are endless, and i'm sure she'll take on adulthood with as much vigour as she's done her whole life. Encouraging us to be grateful for what we have, cheering us up with her jokes and reliving those hilarious experiences she remembers so acutely, and playing her favourite tunes for us at full ball.

Happy Happy Birthday Davita. Have an unforgetable year!

We all love you