Big City, Little Girl

Update

2009-04-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

So I've been long overdue for an update on my life. Honestly, I have been very much preoccupied by several things going on in my life. I am getting ready to move back to the States in about three weeks so there is a ton of little things that need to be taken care of before I can get on that plane.

I am very excited to come back home after about 9 months living here in Taiwan. This won't be good-bye but only a brief farewell. I've greatly appreciated the time I've spent here and I feel that I've grown a ton as a person as a result.

I have been studying for the LSAT almost every single night that I get a chance. My scores have been improving so that is a plus. However, every day that I count down to go home is also one day closer to the big day of the test.

I can't wait till the day I can go back and see my family and friends. Life abroad really makes you appreciate the small things that make a day: a good debate on politics, a bowl of macaroni and cheese, the sound of your best friend giving you advice, and the expectant meow of your hungry cat.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Mexican food, waffles, and basketball

2009-03-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Pictures are courtesy of my friends. My past weekend consisted of going to Danshui, a town on the coast of the Pacific ocean, to check out a popular Mexican restuarant called Eddy's Cantina. I had a really good quesadilla with surprisingly a little too much cheese, or perhaps my taste buds are getting acclimated to Taiwan's flavors. Afterwards we walked around the night market where my friend played a dart game and won me that Spongebob inflatable toy! Really random, I know. Even more random was that we were obligated to take several group pictures with Spongebob before I could stash him into my purse.

Later that night we went back into Taipei to check out a really famous waffle place called Coffee Alley in the Eastern district (an increasingly popular upscale area of Taipei). The waffles were great, I had the pictured strawberry waffles, although after I finished my strawberries, I could have used some syrup to finish off the rest of the waffles.

Anyway, the next day, a bunch of us got together to play basketball at the National Taiwan University basketball courts. For the first two hours, Yicheng and I just watched while the guys played 3 on 3 with some strangers and then afterwards we got to play 3 on 3, except it was an easy version with a 10 year old kid! It was a lot of fun, I ended up jamming a finger but I also made a lot of baskets!! So yay for random weekends of Mexican food, waffles, and basketball.

Tax Question!

2009-03-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you guys can help me out since I seem to be tangled in Taiwan's seemingly endless bureaucratic system here... but if I am an overseas Taiwanese citizen, meaning I hold a Taiwan passport but I don't have a Taiwan ID number and I have an ARC, do I still have to pay the 20% income tax that other non-citizen, non-residents have to pay?? Honestly I still haven't figured it out yet and I am sick of getting the run around when I ask about it at work. Help!

Sorry this post is so boring and probably makes no sense to the people back home! I've recently been stressing out about job prospects for when I get back to the States along with getting the LSAT blues (and trying to figure out Taiwan's tax system!) so I have been unable to post with my more upbeat personality. I will update later on my wonderful past weekend which included Mexican food, basketball, and waffles. Yes, this all happened.

What I miss most about the States

2009-03-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling reminiscent so I thought I'd make a list of what I miss most about the States, people excluded and in no particular order.

1. driving!

2. TexMex

3. people saying "bless you" after sneezing

4. speaking English

5. personal bubble space

6. living in a house (vs. apartment)

7. actual enclosed showers

8. ovens

9. air conditioner/heater

10. people saying "excuse me" when they bump into you

11. cheese! on everything!

12. sandwiches

13. Target, e.g. one stop shopping

Conversely, this is what I'll miss about Taiwan.

1. MRT

2. cheap food

3. night markets

4. all of the convenience stores

5. speaking Chinese

6. buses

7. walking everywhere

8. the close mountains and ocean

Well this is all that comes to mind right now. If you'd like to add to the list, let me know!

Spongebob!

2009-03-16T02:39:00.001-07:00

I like Spongebob, it's a really funny show that I think is great to watch when you don't need to work your brain. That, and it actually does have some pretty witty jokes mixed in with ridiculous kid humor. So because I bought a Spongebob planner and other... Spongebob-y incidents... I am now known around the office as the person who loves Spongebob.

On my birthday, my coworkers set up a small surprise lunch party for me. It was really sweet. I had delicious chocolate cake and my presents were these cute sponges that were decorated to look like Spongebob. Sure, I can't really do my dishes with them, but they're a really cute souvenior to take home with me.

After work, a group of my work friends and I went to a Mexican restaurant called Tequila Sunrise, where I had pretty good chicken quesadillas, Mexican style not TexMex (my favorite). We also ordered a pitcher of strawberry margarita where we had the option of a normal amount of tequila or extra tequila, at no extra cost! Only in Taiwan... Then when we asked what freebie I could get for being the birthday girl, I got a shot of tequila. My first, it was predictably strong and gross in my opinion but not bad with the salt and lime. Afterwards, we went to one of our friend's apartment to play Wii Mariokart. It was difficult to get the game set up in the teeny apartment but it was really fun and interesting to see someone else's home in Taiwan, excluding my family.

So that is the story of my first birthday out of the country! I guess I can report that birthdays are pretty much celebrated the same way as they are in the US. Unless there is some crazy Taiwanese birthday celebration method that I am not privy to, I'd say I had a pretty satisfying birthday. Thank you to everyone who helped me bring in year 23!

Birthday

2009-03-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow is my birthday. This is actually one birthday that I'm not that excited about. For one, I'm turning 23, which is altogether a very unexciting year. I mean it's not 21 and I'm only getting older right? And for two, this is pretty much my first birthday away from my best friends. I miss them like crazy.

Regardless, my friends here have set up a very nice night for me. After work we're going to a Mexican resturant, I'm really curious to see what Mexican food in Taiwan will taste like. No doubt it'll be different, but we'll see how good it is. Afterwards, we're going back to a friend's place to play Wii. Kind of random, I know, but I'm sure it'll be fun. Oddly enough, I think this night will be sans alcohol, but I'm ok with that.

One year older, I hope that makes me one year smarter too. Well, I'm glad to say that I was brave enough to spend the majority of age 22 living in a foreign country. This experience was definitely worth whatever I sacrificed for it. I feel that I know myself better and I definitely know the world a little better. My time here is nearly over though, I just booked my one way ticket back home yesterday and I could not be more excited. I'm scared to see where my next adventure takes me but I know the experience will be worth having.

So here's to getting older! I hope everyone has a great Friday the 13th!

Seoul and Gwangju

2009-03-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

I am back from Korea! It was a long but really great trip. I chose a bottle of soju to represent and commiserate my trip because as far as I can recall, I had soju every night I was there. Soju is a great, traditional Korean alcohol that everyone drinks. It's pretty much mandatory. Anyway, Seoul was great, its a really pretty city with lots of hills everywhere. It reminded me of San Francisco because every building and apartment seemed to sit on a tall hill. There's also a large river that runs through the city that I thought gave the city a nice water-front charm. I did some typical touristy things like visiting the Gyeongbok Palace and the DMZ. My good friend Thomas, who I also went to Japan with, showed me around town and we had good food, good soju, and good company!

I also made a side trip to the city of Gwangju, about four hours outside of Seoul to see my friend Charlie. We had a good time wandering around downtown and finding the best bottle of white wine ever. I also bought a pair of purple low top Converse shoes and learned how to shoot a pellet gun! Charlie won me a little penguin with red ear muffs. Overall, it was a pretty hilarious day.

All in all, it was a great trip and I can't wait to make more of them! Below are some pictures I thought I'd share:

Seoul Tower

The view from Seoul Tower

The only normal picture of Charlie and I, from the bajillion he took with my camera.

Inside Gyeongbok Palace

A wall near the DMZ.

I think in the distance that is a gate at the DMZ.

The only picture Thomas let me take of him, judging from my entire photo album, you wouldn't be able to tell that I was with him for practically the entire trip!

BONUS:

This is still moving octopus, its pretty disgusting but apparently its kind of a delicacy (I assume anyway). It's pretty gross, it crawls off the table when you try and eat it.

Well I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Vonnegut

2009-02-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

Today Rudy and I got on the topic of Kurt Vonnegut (may he rest in peace). We both agreed that he is one amazing writer, in addition to the fact that he makes great social and political observations. I can't say he's my favorite writer since I've only read Cat's Cradle, but he is on the top of my list of authors for which I'd like to read every single work they've authored.

Since I've been really busy at work lately and I'm planning on leaving for South Korea on Saturday, I just want to leave you with some of my favorite quotes from Vonnegut. I will take lots of pictures in Korea and post them when I get back! Sorry to go M.I.A. for a while but perhaps I will be able to post once more between now and when I leave.

And here are some of my favorites (most I pulled from Wikiquotes):

"When the last living thing

has died on account of us,

how poetical it would be

if Earth could say,

in a voice floating up

perhaps

from the floor

of the Grand Canyon,

'It is done.'

People did not like it here."

— A Man Without a Country

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies — 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"

—God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

"Doesn't anything socialistic make you want to throw up? Like great public schools, or health insurance for all?"

—A Man Without a Country

"I have wanted to give Iraq a lesson in democracy — because we're experienced with it, you know. And, in democracy, after a hundred years, you have to let your slaves go. And, after a hundred and fifty years, you have to let your women vote. And, at the beginning of democracy, is that quite a bit of genocide and ethnic cleansing is quite okay. And that's what's going on now."

—Interview on The Daily Show

"If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."

—A Man Without a Country

I hope to create something for the world someday. Although I don't sing in the shower, I do sing ridiculously loud to the radio in my car. Too bad I haven't been able to drive since I've been in Taiwan.

Adios lovers, until next time.

Redesign?

2009-02-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've been told by my lovely sister that I need to redesign my blog, perhaps I need to spruce up my font choices or my colors. Maybe I could add a few more pictures. Needless to say, I never knew that blogs would actually take so much work, not to mention so much html know-how. Not that I am not up to the challenge, although I'm afraid either my work performance or my LSAT studying concentration levels might suffer the consequences. Regardless, I'll take any suggestions and I'd like to share some pictures from this weekend.

A group of friends from work and I went to stay in National Taiwan University's "dorm" up in Yangmingshan (a famous mountain here in Taipei). The dorm is basically a house that you can rent for a little under 100 U.S. dollars for a night and it can sleep up to about 12 people, possibly more. So we did some hiking and looked at pretty roses, which apparently is the THING to do right now, so it was super packed. Apparently, in Taiwan, because the political situation can sometimes be so sensitive that the news is constantly filled with pointless things about current popular attractions in Taiwan. Thus, leading to what was only slightly popular before being broadcast, to being a completely ridiculous circus over something only semi-cool.

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures of the dorm and flowers. After a year of owning my camera, I finally figured out how to take those artsy, albeit somewhat cliche now, flower pictures. And by figured out, I mean someone showed me.

A rose that I found named "Oklahoma"!

Happy, dancing, singing man!

I think he's dressed in aboriginal garb.

Bee, hard at work.

When I figured out how to use my camera...

A cool waterfall that has turned the rock behind it completely white due to its sulfur content.

Cherry blossoms, I think.

Yangmingshan.

Our dorm!

The view.

Bees!

2009-02-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

As per request, I've made an email address available on my profile for any questions or comments that you'd like me to address one-on-one. Also, welcome new followers! I'm glad to see that my blog has been generating a little interest. Although now I have an uneven number of followers and Charlie is dangling off on his own on the second line (sorry Charlie!), but nevertheless, thank you so much for your support!

So the topic of bees has been on my mind lately, especially after I saw the Bee Movie that Jerry Seinfield obnoxiously advertised for like a month straight when it first came out. It was recently playing on the HBO channel I get here, pretty much one of my few opportunities to hear some English spoken once in a while. Anyway, two main things cross my mind when I think about bees, both of which were subjects dealt in the Bee Movie, although a little more unrealistically.

One, is that bees are often martyrs. Martyrs for the protection of their hive. As I think about the "heroic" factor of our current culture, I find that it's dying. I would not characterize this as a bad thing, because we don't really need a bunch of idiots running around willing to die for any small cause, but I find the whole "knight" culture has largely disappeared. Sure people, or men specifically, are still willing to defend the honor of their lady but long gone is the neccessity for the sacrifice of life for protection. When a bee stings someone in order to protect themselves or their hive, they lose their stinger and subsequently die. I'm sure that many other animals have been equipped with similar "martyr"-like weapons, however bees seem to be the most notable.

Two, is the dying of bees. Although Bee Movie did not address the dying of the bees, it did address the consequences of the removal of bees from the process of pollinization. Before I left for Taiwan, I remember a very poignant commercial done by Haagen-Dazs concerning the declining population of honey bees and what that means to us. You can watch it here:

As a person who is very concerned about environmental issues, this seems to be one of the many problems that plague our generation. Sure we could figure out a way to artificially pollinate plants after the bees are gone but we all know that losing even a small component in our very intricate and dependent ecosystem can lead to unseen and probably worrisome troubles. Haagen-Dazs has developed a very cute website for the cause where you can learn more about why the loss of honeybees would be detrimental to many of the ingredients that they use in their ice cream (strawberries, almonds, and peaches to name a few) as well as what they are doing to help the cause. You can visit it here. Apparently, you can help by planting certain flowers that attract and can maintain bee populations (if you don't mind having bees hang around your home!). I know that earlier, Burt's Bees had a similar "save the bees" campaign and were giving out free packets of bee-friendly seeds online. As an avid fan of their chapstick which uses beeswax as a main ingredient, I'm sure Burt's Bees and I would both like to see the survival of honey bees!

So this is my promised post on bees! I hope it lived up to the expectations.

Pictures I took today

2009-02-18T04:29:00.001-08:00

So this post is not the post I promised about the bees but I promise I am not a chronic liar. I just wanted to share these pictures I took today when I decided to take the day off to take care of my permit issue and ended up wandering around with a camera.

These are pictures of a leftover display of lanterns from the Lantern Festival. If you look closely you can see that they are decorated by local kids.

I love the vibrancy of the colors all together and I particularly liked the textures and colors of this lantern. I was thinking that these pictures could make great desktop backgrounds. What do you think?

Self-portrait shot, also I'm going to have this double as the picture of my new hair cut that I promised back in January.

I'm not quite sure what this building is, but I found it while wandering Taipei's governmental area so I want to say it's something official. I believe it is left over from the Japanese colonial period, as many Taiwanese governmental buildings are, you can tell by the psuedo-Western style architecture that the Japanese were fond of using during the Meiji and Taisho eras.

Hope you enjoyed my endeavor into some photography!

Too many thoughts in my head!

2009-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so minus the travesty that was my last post, I hope that my blog might make some more poignant observations of life but alas sometimes too much time on the internet can lead to discoveries such as that which I posted yesterday. Honestly, I was too embarrased to remove it once I had posted it but nevertheless have been cringing ever since it's been published.

I've also noticed that I've been getting a couple of new visiters lately. WELCOME! I know this is only a very small blog but it would be greatly appreciated, if you read my blog regularly, to become one of my followers/lovers. The button is on the right-hand side and you can just click the button that says "follow this blog"! I'm glad that there are people out there who might be interested in what is going on in my tiny little world here in Taiwan.

Also, as a thanks to my friend Charlie who mentioned my blog in his last post, I'd like to direct y'all to his blog here. It's beautifully called "Into the (Korean Hagwon) Wild," and it details his experiences as an expat teaching English and playing in South Korea.

And after being reprimanded by my sister about my links, I've gone ahead and fixed many of them. Sorry! I had no clue! I only discovered linking a little bit ago but now I love linking things (hehe), as well as posting music from Youtube, if you couldn't tell.

Today, I get/need to take a half day to deal with Taiwanese bureaucratic mumbo jumbo. Apparently, because I entered Taiwan using my Taiwanese passport (which I needed to do in order to apply for my residency card), I have to leave using my Taiwanese passport. But since I'm technically not a citizen of Taiwan, I need to apply for a re-entry permit so that I can leave and come back to Taiwan. I'm not too clear on the details, but needless to say, it's really annoying. So because of this hassle, today's post is incredibly mish-mash BUT I will promise that my next post will be more interesting. In fact, I will go so far as to tell you that my next post will be what I've been musing over for a while. I will give you a hint, it will be about BEES. So until next time!

Kittens! Inspired by kittens!

2009-02-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Please don't judge!!

SK!!

2009-02-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

So, I promised not to read more while I was studying for the LSAT, but I lied. What can I do? I love to read. I recently finished "The Invisible Man" by H.G. Wells. Another great! This book is also one of his famous ones and has been adapted to movies many times. I actually just recently saw Hollow Man on a movie channel here. Of course it had been altered quite a bit but the main story line was still there. Kevin Bacon was creepy.

I think H.G. Wells really does a good job of using his knowledge of the sciences to create a completely believable setting for an invisible man to take hold and create a real "reign of terror" on the reader. I would definitely recommend it. If you can't tell, I'm a big lover of more "classic" books and one day I'll be able to say that I've read them all!

Anyway, in other news, as expressed earlier, I have now made definitive plans for a trip to South Korea! I'll be going at the end of February for five days and I am way excited! I'll mostly be in Seoul but I'll also be making a side trip to Gwangju to see an old friend. I will of course take many pictures and post them when I get back.

It is really lucky that living in Taiwan has made it so convenient to visit all of these different countries. I have always been envious of Europeans that could whisk away to another country so quickly and I now have realized that the same can be done here in Asia too!

Note: Today I found out that Rudy sent me flowers for Valentine's Day!! I'm not sure how he ordered them and for some reason I haven't received them yet, but the florist let the cat out of the bag when she called to verify my address. I am so lucky!!

What I was listening to while blogging: "Blackout" by Muse.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Here is my obligatory note on the current holiday, Valentine's Day. This picture I found is actually great. It was the first picture that showed up on Flickr when I searched Valentine's Day. It's very well suited for a blog I guess. I found it on this guy's Flikr.

Since Rudy and I are doing the long distance thing, we had a chat date tonight. We had wanted to webcam a bit but since his computer is still broken along with other computer complications we settled for chatting a little. Overall, a good Valentine's. I've never been completely sold on the holiday anyway. I hope everyone else has a great holiday and gets lots of sweets and kisses!

Great song about love, by one of my favorite artists, "Samson" by Regina Spektor.

You are my sweetest downfall

I loved you first, I loved you first

Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth

I have to go, I have to go

Your hair was long when we first met

Samson went back to bed

Not much hair left on his head

Ate a slice of Wonderbread and went right back to bed

And the history books forgot about us and the Bible didn't mention us

And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall

I loved you first, I loved you first

Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads

But they're just old light, they're just old light

Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed

Told me that my hair was red

Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed

Oh I cut his hair myself one night

A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light

And he told me that I'd done alright

And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light

And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light

Samson went back to be

Not much hair left on his head

Ate a slice of Wonderbread and went right back to bed

Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down

Yeah we couldn't destroy a single one

And the history books forgot about us

And the Bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall

I loved you first

Postsecret

2009-02-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

I usually visit Postsecret every Monday or Tuesday to get the latest secrets. I suppose there is a voyeuristic quality to the website, to be able to read people's deepest secrets displayed on the internet. I wanted to share one that I find 1) incredibly sad and 2) probably true. I feel the same way. Here it is:

I'm not saying that I'm secretly gay or something. But I find it horribly depressing that because I am not a devout Christian, and I don't go to church every weekend, I may never get even the smallest chance to become president one day. On top of the fact that I'm a woman and I'm Asian. Who knows though, I'm only 22! But the fact that this person can't be himself and for fear of his own sexuality might be denied his dream of becoming president. Anyway, what do you think?

And for my song today, I've posted one of my favorites from Youtube, its the talented Imogen Heap singing "Just For Now" live, its truly amazing and worth a watch in my opinion! Also, if you watch closely, you'll see Zach Braff!

Do I look pregnant?!?!

2009-02-10T23:50:00.000-08:00

Even though this is so utterly embarrasing, I'll still share the story anyway. You guys can all have a good laugh at my expense.

It is generally known that subway etiquette requires that people give up their seat on the subway or train if there is someone who is either elderly, pregnant, or holding a small child. So this morning, I was kindly offered a seat by a very maternal middle-age woman. To my horror, she was offering me the seat because, to her, I looked pregnant. Just to get this image for your head. I am wearing a white fitted t-shirt under a blue spaghetti-strap dress that ties and bells out at the waist. It's very cute, trust me. And paired with that, I'm wearing my sort of sporty off-white walking shoes. I say walking shoes because they're sort of flats, but not quite. But they're also not really tennis shoes, although I can run in them if I want to. ANYWAY, when she offered me her seat, I was a little confused, I'm neither old nor pregnant nor do I have a small baby attached to my side. So when I refused the seat, she actually says to me "You're pregnant aren't you? You should take a seat." To which I laughed, out loud, and politely corrected her. Then she got really embarrassed (not as embarrassed as I was!!) and admitted that she thought I was pregnant because I was wearing "tennis shoes" with a dress.

What a nice lady, she was so nice to offer me her seat and then save me face by blaming my shoes for her apparent mistake. Ironic, I thought I would lose weight with all of the walking I do here but apparently I just look pregnant!

Also, yesterday was the Lantern Festival (so Happy Lantern Festival Day?), which apparently is the 15th day of the first month after Chinese New Year, and also when the moon is at its fullest. This day was just like Chinese New Year, lots of fireworks! This will sound familiar if you've been following the news about how some CCTV staff set off some fireworks for the festival and then accidently burned down a 40 floor luxury hotel next door. Oops, at least they said they were sorry. But, to be serious, that was a tragic and deadly mistake. On a lighter note I just found a pretty video of a Lantern Festival in Taiwan from 2007 that I'd like to share.

And as always, here is a song! "Paranoid" by Kanye West. Sorry I can't find a video for this, and I didn't like the live performances I found either.

Flashmob!!

2009-02-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

So I'm perusing CNN.com as usual and I find that on the top ten list of most read articles, there is an article featuring a hugely successful flashmob in London. For those who don't know, and I was unaware of the exact definition as well, a flashmob or flash mob according to urbandictionary.com, is "a group of people who appear from out of nowhere, to perfom predetermined actions, designed to amuse and confuse surrounding people. The group performs these actions for a short amount of time before quickly dispersing. Flash mobs are often organised through email and/or newsgroup postings."

Apparently, in imitation of this popular T-Mobile commercial:

... in which, spontaneous "flash mob" dancing occurs in the Liverpool Street Station, some guy organized a similar flash mob at the same station, except this time its silent dancing, with each person listening to their own Ipod. Anyway, in the CNN article they linked to a similar, albeit, smaller flash mob that happened in Taipei!! during Chinese New Year. Read it here:

Needless to say, I'm sad that I missed out on the fun but I'm glad that Taipei gets recognized for even the silliest of things.

Also, in other news, I've been helping Rudy look for a new apartment for next year in Providence, which has been super fun! I love looking for new places and Providence is teeming with cute remodeled Victorians, some of them older than the state of Oklahoma! (Not that that's very difficult to accomplish!) Anyway, that's whats going on in my life! Please comment to say hi or if you're stopping by, leave me with your blog so I can check it out!

"Fidelity," by Regina Spektor.

LSAT Update!

2009-02-08T18:41:00.001-08:00

Alright, so as you know, I've been preparing for the LSAT and I just took my second practice test last night. Let's just say, it did not go very well. On top of not finishing it because I took too long and it was way past my bed time, I am also pretty sure I bombed the reasoning section. This stinks because there are two reasoning sections (half of all the questions) on the actual test.

So tonight I'll have to finish the last section and then grade it! Well, hopefully when I get my new study books in, I can get better at the reasoning section with more techniques and then other than that I think I really just need to work on my timing. I want to score at least a 160, so we'll see how that goes!!

In other news, thanks to the generosity of the Taiwanese government, I was able to receive a sort of "tax refund" that the government handed out in efforts to stimulate the stagnating economy. Everyone here has been pretty appalled that as a foreigner, I was able to cash in on some of their country's money. BUT, I would like to point out that as a foreigner I pay 3 times as much in taxes as they do in the same pay scale. And if you knew how much I was making, you'd be annoyed too.

Note: That picture is the first picture that popped up on Google pictures when I searched "sad," haha. "You Don't Know Me," by Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor.

Obasans

2009-02-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I've been lucky (that's sarcasm) or just have a big arrow pointing over my head that says "I'm a nice person, I'll help you out!" but I have been accosted by two obasans (Japanaese/Taiwanese word for "old lady") in these past two days in the subway station. Now, I say obasan just means old lady, but really I feel that it means, middle-aged/old, crazy, entitled lady. Usually they are the kind of old lady that comes up to strangers and reprimands them like they're your mother or they're the crazy ones that charge onto the subway cart only to shove you out of the way just to get a seat (I was going to stand anyway, thanks). While I enjoy a little crazy, once in a while, I don't appreciate it when they make me miss my train. Twice. In a row.

Both times, they asked me obvious questions about where to go, when we were both looking at the same signs, telling them exactly where to go. I think that is part of their craziness, their inability to read a sign that is obviously written in their mother tongue. Also, they feel entitled to stop you, even though you're already running late for work and are practically powerwalking through the station, and grab you on the arm to ask inane questions regarding the perfectly navigable subway station. Well, thats my rant for the day.

This may be my last song from "Twighlight" that I post. But I enjoy posting songs, so I may do more in the future, not necessarily from a movie. "Eyes On Fire" by Blue Foundation.

An Introduction

2009-02-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

I found LOVE in Taipei yesterday!

I realize that most of the people that read my blog already know who I am, but since this blog is published on the internet and therefore accessible by the public, I feel compelled to introduce myself, finally, after three months of blogging.

This actually reminds me of when I was younger and tried to keep diaries, with each new diary I would write something along the lines of, "Dear Diary, my name is Stephanie. I am 11 years old and I just got you!" But really, I'm 22 years old and I recently graduated from college with a degree in East Asian studies. What did that major do for me? Not much, hence, why I'm currently living in Taiwan and editing for living... currently anyway.

My plans are to move back to the states soon and take the LSAT so that I can go back to school again! I'm not particularly a person who loves to be in school but I have also been backlashing against the nine-to-five routine.

Besides being completely consumed with work and LSAT studying right now, here are other little tidbits of information about me. (This is sort of like that 25 Facts note that has been floating around on Facebook!) I'm a Texan with a boyfriend living in Rhode Island, a fat, orange cat named Yoshi, and an obsession with books. I say that sums it up pretty well. Haha, anyway, here's the real reason why I wanted to post: "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

2009-02-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the "Island of Dr. Moreau" after much procrastination as well as with reading "Twilight" in between. Let me just say, that H.G. Wells was a fantastic writer in that he is able to convey the greatest fears of humanity as reflected in a true to life nightmare. If you're looking for a short and insightful read, take your pick among many of Wells' psuedo-futuristic science fiction novels from "War of the Worlds" to "Invisible Man."

Next on my list to read is "Invisible Man," but I'll have to take a break to concentrate on studying for the LSAT, hence my new "currently reading" selection.

Also, to touch on "Twighlight," since I also recently read it; I would categorize this book as a fairly addicitive, easy to read, rated G romance novel. Basically, as a woman, the book makes you fall in love with the perfect man, Edward Cullen, except that he's not a man, he's a vampire. Hence, making it impossible for any young teenage girl who reads this book to ever find a man that will be up to this fictional character's standards. Thank you, Stephenie Meyer.

On a different note, I fell in love with several of the songs from the movie reproduction of "Twighlight," that I will post in my next several blogs to share. Enjoy!

Full Moon by Black Ghosts

Fireworks

2009-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

I said I wouldn't post until I got back from this long vacation but since I do have access to the internet I thought I would make a small post anyway.

Basically during this long vacation, I've been hanging out at my grandparents in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. The weather here is a lot warmer than it is in Taipei, which has been nice. The only requirement of my presence here is that I eat every meal with my humongous family and not leave to go anywhere else. This has been fairly easy to accomplish but it has also made me feel really cooped up and sluggish lately. I'll be glad to go back to being a little bit more active once Chinese New Year is over with.

One fun thing I did get to do was set off fireworks. I had never set off fireworks until this week. I've usually lived in places where it was illegal, aka. not the country. So my cousins and I got some fireworks to set off in celebration of the new year and they were so much fun! We set off little tiny ones that buzzed like bees and then big ones that shot off five times by themselves. Eventually, apparently someone called the cops on us and they came to warn us to be more quiet. The cops didn't really care very much about us setting off fireworks since apparently its a very common thing during new years and they pretty much just overlook it in the spirit of celebration. They probably thought this person was a lame-o for calling them, which I agree wholeheartedly.

So anyway, that's my story about my first experience with fireworks and Taiwanese cops!

I'm an Awful Person!

2009-01-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

Am I such a horrible person, in that I am not in the slightest, interested in pregnancy pictures. Honestly, I don't really see the beauty in seeing someone's humongous bare belly, whether or not there is life brewing inside. Perhaps I only feel this way because I have yet to become pregnant or maybe I'm just really insensitive. But I DON'T CARE about you and your expanding uterus, sure I'm excited that you'll have a beautiful baby soon, but right now, it just looks gross, stop posting pictures of it everywhere.

Ok, bring on the haters, but that's just my 2 cents.

Anyway, I will probably be going on a hiatus for about a week during Chinese New Year since I'm not sure I'll have time to get on a computer during the holiday. Apparently, there are a lot of family time obligations... it's like Asian Christmas! But anyway, I'll take this time out to say thanks to everyone who reads my blog, I know sometime it can be way shallow (like all the time) but I enjoy writing it and if you like, you should become a follower or tell other people! Let's spread the love :).

Ok peace out lovers.

Sick

2009-01-21T23:54:00.000-08:00

So I've caught some bug going around and now I'm sick. Yesterday began with a little sore throat which turned into me getting really dizzy around lunch time. My skin began to get really sensitive and all my muscles were sore like I had just gotten back from snowboarding. After work, I went to a doctor and it turned out, I also had a fever. But thankfully, I got me some medicine and I'll get to sleep it off with my week off for Chinese New Year!

Also, to continue with my complain-a-thon, I bought two LSAT prep books yesterday on Amazon which were at the time priced at $64.00, only to find out today that their prices were both lowered to $40.00! So basically with the extra $40.00 I could've saved, I could have bought a third book. Oh, the injustices!

In other news, I've found a dress that I really want to get from Urban Outfitters, when I get home and lose the appropriate amount of weight of course.

I love it, it has the same vibe as that dress Carrie wore in the Sex and the City movie.

Inauguration Day

2009-01-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!!

I warmly welcome the next president of the United States of America, thank goodness he's a good speaker, that was one great inauguration speech!

My Japanese Twin

2009-01-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

My friend Thomas says that he's found my Japanese twin, what do you think? See if you can guess which girl it is...

I wish I knew how to post a youtube video to my blog. But here's a picture for quick reference.

Sorry this picture is so big, I'll fix it when I'm not so tired.

Edit: Figured out how to embed the video but still too lazy to fix the picture. Haha..

Vladstudio

2009-01-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

I found the cutest website for moniter backgrounds. This guy, Vlad Gerasimov, from Russia creates these amazing backgrounds that apparently I can't find the right words to describe so here is a small picture of the one I'm using right now called "Google Library." Check it out!

In other news, I just found out that on top of the new clothes, hair cut, and clean house that you need to have to bring in Chinese New Year, you also have to have new money. When people send those little red envelopes full of money to their families, they can only be filled with brand new money. So today at work, one of our conference rooms was turned into a tiny little bank where everyone could (and did) trade in all of their money for brand spanking newly minted notes. I don't think I had ever seen that much cash in my entire life. It's really interesting to learn about all these cultural affinities that I missed growing up in the U.S., although it seems a little over the top obsessive with new-ness.

Tonight, I have my appointment to get my hair cut! Hopefully it will be nice and I won't be left with an awful mullet-like 'do. I will post pictures if I approve, if not then I'll leave you to your imagination!

New Year

2009-01-13T23:28:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year is coming up and the entire country is winding up for the big moment. It is way bigger than Christmas and "regular" New Year here and its very exciting to finally get to celebrate it for real. In the past I would just get a call from my mom telling me that it was Chinese New Year and to expect a red envelope with some money in it whenever I got a chance to get home.

Chinese New Year is a time for new beginnings so everyone here starts to clean everything and everyone gets new haircuts and new clothes to wear on the first day of the new year. I also have an appointment to cut my hair on Friday so I'm excited about that. The last time I got my haircut in Taiwan, I was not pleased, so hopefully this time will be much better!

Rudy left today, it was sad but now it just means that I have to study everyday for the LSAT. My new beginnings will be hopefully to concentrate more on applying for law school and such, as well as doing more reading and excercising.

I'm excited, with Chinese New Years, I get two New Years, so hopefully that means twice the amount of hope for a fresh start. My life needs a makeover!

Taipei 101

2009-01-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

So Rudy and I spent New Year's Eve with some of my friends at Taipei 101!

It's really difficult to take pictures of fireworks, especially since I haven't bothered to learn how to use my camera properly.

This is a gajillion people trying to make it back into the subway station after the fireworks. It took us about 45 minutes just to make it from here to that big "2."

So this is how I spent my New Year's Eve in Taiwan, a full 14 hours ahead of my friends at home! I hope eveyone else had a great New Year's and may we keep all the resolutions we've made for '09! *fingers crossed!*

2009!

2009-01-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

First up, some pictures from my trip to Japan!

This is me in front of the Hiroshima A-bomb Dome.

Pretty picture of the dome, this was one of the few structures still standing near the epicenter of the bomb.

I saw geishas (maiko) in Kyoto!

So as not to overload blogger, I'll make another post with pictures from my New Year's night at Taipei 101. Hope everyone likes the pictures!

JAPAN!

2008-12-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

I just got back from snowboarding in Japan yesterday and I am exhausted! I loved Japan, their cities are super clean and they have just the right amount of mix between old and modern architectural styles. The people there are really cute and they are way too curteous for their own good. Besides getting a small cold and getting held up in immigration on my way back, this was such a great trip!

I went to Osaka, snowboarded in Hiroshima, and toured a little bit in Kyoto. I went to go see my friend Thomas, and he was so great to show me around the country! We ran around and pretty much owned whatever town we were in. It was refreshing to get to speak fluent and coherent English pretty much the whole time I was there.

Snowboarding is ridiculously hard but I sort of figured it out on the second day. I managed to beat myself up learning so I've got several big bruises on my legs. Thank goodness our hotel had great hot springs so we could unwind every day afterwards.

Food-wise, I had great okonomiyaki in both Osaka and Hiroshima but I do have to say that I preferred Hiroshima style better. I also had amazing sukiyaki in Kyoto and I finally got to eat conveyer sushi! Now to plan my next trip... Korea anyone??

Pictures to come soon!

Hualien

2008-12-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend, a bunch of my coworkers and I went on a biking trip to Hualien. It was great to go to a new place in Taiwan since I feel like I've been to Taiwan every other summer for my entire life but really have never been outside of three cities! We biked around a ton and basically just enjoyed the scenery, sadly, it was probably the most exercise I've gotten in the past three years.

I met some Americans there, since this place is a favorite spot for tourists, and I realized how rusty my English has gotten! I kept second guessing myself when I spoke, which is weird since my job requires me to read and write English all day, but I guess without speaking it every day, you can loose that fluency really quickly. Obviously, I can still speak English fine and without a crazy accent or anything like that, but I think that sometimes I couldn't talk as quickly and as fluently as I usually do at home.

Anyway, now I am trying to figure out how to get myself to the airport early Thursday morning so I can go spend Christmas in Japan! It can be difficult to be without a car. I never realized that I liked driving so much until now. I can't wait to go skiing, it'll be perfect to see snow for Christmas.

Well, I will leave you with some pictures from the trip for now. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!!

P.S. I just noticed that my Chinese Word of the Day application hasn't posted a new Chinese word since I've put it up. Sort of defeats its own purpose ... I will have to look into it.

Christmas Cow

2008-12-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

This picture was just too great to pass up sharing. I'll definitely miss being in America for this Christmas holiday. Being away from it all makes you really miss the hyper-commercialized yet hyper-traditional and uniquely American holiday. On what other holiday can we enjoy not only great food, great family, great friends, AND great gifts? Possibly a wedding but that's only fun for two people. Now, I've already shared what I'll be doing for Christmas, so now I'd like to know that YOU're doing for Christmas!

I Got a Catfish

2008-12-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

Before, I think I had been having a hard time transitioning to life in Taiwan. After all, as an editor, my best asset is my command of the English language which is difficult to take advantage of in a social situation here in Taiwan. But as of now, I have found friends at work and many other things for which to be thankful for, which makes life in Taiwan much easier, although I still get homesick now and then. And I still can't be happier that I'll be moving back to the states around May.

Things for which I am thankful for.. currently:

1) I got a small catfish for my tank. Its super cute and works as a miniature janitor in my tank. I'm considering letting him work in my coworkers' tanks too... although he's a pretty pricy fellow ;).

2) This weekend I'm going to Hualien with my coworkers. Hualien is a beautiful part of the country where people go out to hike and bike around. It'll pretty much be an outdoorsy sort of merriment.

3) Christmas will be spent in Japan with other Americans. I'm thankful for this opportunity to not only visit Japan for my very first time but also to spend Christmas with friends. I think that Christmas would be disappointing at the office and in a country where people only celebrate Christmas because its trendy.

I, of course, have many other things to be thankful currently. But I mostly am glad that I have found my bearings here. I know that four months seems like a long time to finally get used to a place, but thats where I am right now!

P.S. This experience has not only made me appreciate how other people live around the world but I really think that it has allowed me to appreciate how much one can become fond of their "home."

Biking Around Taipei

2008-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I totally had a "Now and Then" moment. For those that don't know, "Now and Then" was a great childhood movie for me. It's a 1995 film about four women who get together and reminisce about their days as childhood friends growing up in suburbia in the 1970s. For me, its particularly iconic moments are when the four (as preteens) bike around their suburban town in search of adventure. So yesterday when I experienced such a vivid "Now and Then" moment that I thought I would share it.

In Taipei, it is difficult to get around with a car even if you have one, due to the lack of parking spaces. So yesterday when a couple of friends and I decided to go shopping around town, we decided to bike. Obviously biking around a large city is very different from biking around a 1970s suburban movie set but while biking I felt the wonderful euphoria that comes with the joy of feeling wind rush past your face and the vivid impression that I, myself, was placed inside my favorite childhood film.

Although I am completely out of shape and nowhere near athletic, I feel like biking can be a great way to explore a city, its a bit faster than walking and its definitely more convenient than driving. Its unfortunate that most suburban towns like the one I grew up in can be very inconvenient for sightseeing by bike -- maybe only for biking as a means of excercise. This I find disappointing since in the movie the girls all seemed to have a ton of fun biking around their neighborhoods. Maybe I'm too old to remember what childhood is like, but I don't remember biking around Allen, Texas with my best friends to raise money for a tree house!

Perhaps this newfound inspiration to bike around will take hold and the next time I travel will be by bicycle... we shall see. Until then, here is a picture that I thought best describes how I felt. Enjoy!

Business Etiquette

2008-12-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today I had an awful meeting with my boss and I've learned through these wonderful bi-monthly meetings with her, some helpful lessons of Taiwanese business etiquette that I must abide by, although they make me angry.

Business etiquette #1: Although I'm not an intern or assistant, I or another one of my coworkers must pour tea for our boss.

Perhaps I have been blessed with jobs and internships in the past that did not require me to be a coffee girl but I find this ritual to be an unecessarily degrading aspect of the job. It's not that bosses in general are incapable of pouring tea or getting coffee for themselves or that they are so incredibly busy that they can't take that one minute out of their time to do it for themselves but perhaps this is a general perk that they get for having made it to the top. In any case, I find it incredibly unnecesary and I also feel that this was not part of my original job description.

Business etiquette #2: We must all report directly to our topmost boss.

There is a business word for this and it's called micromanaging. Not only is it a waste of our time, it's a waste of our boss's time. The fact that I have to list even the smallest articles that I have edited these past two weeks to my boss's boss seems unnecessary. Because she is so far removed from my work it is difficult for her to assess how hard I work and what exactly it is I do or even if I am good at what I do. Therefore, it is difficult for me to plead my case twice a month to someone that I don't even see on a weekly basis.

Business etiquette #3: Courtesy is upheld most, even above the truth.

In my boss's interest in micromanagement, she often likes to ask us what we think of the work we're doing or whether we enjoying doing certain projects. There was one assignment to which I was tasked with for which I disdained with great fervor. So during one of our bi-monthly meetings I thought that I would enumerate my distaste for the task due to several valid reasons I had for its inappropriateness, but I was quickly shut down by my coworkers who thought it would be unwise and discourteous to confront the boss. But if everyone remains tight lipped on issues then how does a work place function smoothly?

You may say that perhaps these are not particular to Taiwan but only particular to my boss but I suppose I think otherwise due to the fact that I am the only one that seems to be shocked by these proceedings when discussing these issues with my fellow coworkers.

After a nice in depth discussion with one particular coworker, she came up with the conclusion that perhaps Taiwan is not as far along in worker rights as the U.S. so here, boss's have much bigger scope in power to do what they please. When I return to the U.S. I will gladly welcome my rights as a worker and as an individual and my hope is that Taiwanese citizens will begin to receive the same.

The Purple Gang

2008-12-11T01:52:00.001-08:00

So here is my office all dressed up for our purple party!

Wow, I know this is an odd thing to say but looking at this picture makes it all the more acutely obvious that I now live in an area where I am surround by Asians. Because I grew up in Texas and went to school in Oklahoma, it was rare to find myself surrounded with people that looked similar to me. And even though I'm constantly surrounded by Asians now, its not really something that I think about everyday. It is sort of refreshing but at the same time, I'm used to what I grew up with... which is to say that I am used to being "unique" or as "unique" as an Asian American is living in the U.S. Does that mean my friends who are Caucasians living in America feel somehow not unique at all? It's a curious thought that I'm not confronted with really until I'm here in Taiwan where I'm not "unique" at all.

This is the crazy hair style that my girl coworkers fixed me up with. Lovely isn't it?

Well, that is all for now friends. Until we meet next time!

Purple Thursday

2008-12-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

So my entire office thought it would be fun if everyone could pick one color and see who could wear the most purple. The loser gets to buy the winner a drink from Starbucks. I know.. I'm in Taiwan and here we are drinking Starbucks.. whooo globalization.

So, I came prepared, my ensemble consists of:
1) purple dress
2) purple nails
3) purple eyeliner/eyeshadow

Anyway, that doesn't sound like a lot, because it isn't. One of my coworkers came in a purple dress, with purple shoes, hair pin, scarf, gloves, nail polish, and eyeshadow. She is definitely going to win today. Consolation is that I probably won't lose either. Although its been decided that the loser gets to pick the next color for the competition so that they can pick a color that better suits their wardrobe. I'm hoping its red so we can all look Christmas-y.

Oh right, cultural "shock" moment: my coworkers thought it would be fun to play with my hair and style it for me. They have now proceeded to tie my hair in a large knot above my right eyebrow and then put several small braids throughout my hair. When I saw myself in the mirror, I thought I looked like a Japanese anime character but they thought it was the cutest look ever. This is a look that would get stares on the streets of America but I guess this is exactly indicative of the aesthetic differences between different cultures. My hope is that I can remove the braids and knot before my hair gets stuck with a wave-like pattern, however this will have to wait till the end of the competition during lunch. Somebody save me!!

Pictures to come shortly!

Veggie Tales

2008-12-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

Haha.. I'm so clever with my titles.. ok just kidding. On a serious note, I recently read a very interesting article on my beloved New York Times regarding new solutions to curb global warming and climate change. As you can see (from my climate change badge on the right), climate change is an issue that is very dear to my heart.

Anyway, this article discusses the impact of an ever increasing worldwide penchant for eating meat. Apparently more meat=more pigs/cows=more released methane=more greenhouse gases. Now, I grew up in Texas, so I know that more than anything else, Texans love their meat. I, myself, am more of a chicken and turkey girl, although I do crave the occasional burger. However, recently on top of this article and on top of an awful PETA-like show of how chickens are slaughtered, I witnessed, here in Taiwan, on our lovely little street markets, a chicken slaughtered. It was the most awful thing I have ever heard. It's sort of similiar to a desperate cry for help that is only heard in a thriller movie, when some girl is about to get the axe.

Do animals feel pain? Sure. Do they cling to their own life? Of course, survival is key, is it not? So although this isn't an advertisement for PETA or for animal lovers and vegetarians everywhere, but this is my own personal resolve to cut back on meat. I'm not saying I want to go full vegetarian or even vegan, but for my love of the planet and my desperate wish to not be the cause of another chicken's screams... I hereby pledge myself to eat smart. Besides, studies show that Americans eat more meat than is even healthy! How about that? Here my mother was always telling me to eat more meat to be healthier. I suppose its a relic from those days when only the wealthy had meat and the poor had to subside on vegetables and grains. Perhaps many of us will revert back to a less meat-hearty meal if the economy continues down this current path. I will gladly take this challenge on. Will anyone join me?

Fishy Business

2008-12-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

So around my office, fish are all the rage. Almost everyone has a small little tank set up next to their computer with some fish. I, of course, had to get in on the trend, so when I came here one of the first things I did was buy a tank and some fish. Most people here raise guppies, most of them come from the same family. They breed so quickly that you can't give them away fast enough.

Well I wanted to break the trend a little, so I bought neon tetras and cardinal tetras. They're beautiful. But I also have two little boy guppies that a friend gave me. No females, I don't want a litter a baby guppies in two weeks. Also, I'm pretty sure these two guppies are in love with eachother, they won't leave eachother alone, it's precious.

Anyway, last week I thought that I should add some more fish so I bought an Endler guppy, which is so gorgeous, he is orange, black, and green. He looks sort of like an old 80s jazzercize ensemble. Anyway, little did I know, the cute little thing has started schooling with the tetras, which I'm pretty sure is out of its character but I love it anyway. I also want some of those fish that suck on the glass so it can clean some of my algae away. I've found them at a store but I've been too lazy to make my way to the store before work. That would require me to wake up at 6 a.m. which I'm still unwilling to do.

I'll have to post some pictures of my tank when I remember! For now, here is a picture of the tank when I first got it back in September, keep in mind it has changed a ton since then.

Life So Far

2008-12-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

I suppose I should make a first post since I've been living in Taipei for over three months now. Life is good, I like my work and my coworkers. Taipei is a good city, everything is fairly convenient as long as you're not too opposed to walking for a little while or spending some money for a taxi ride.

The subway system is wonderful here, although its odd that everyone seems to like to either sleep on the subway or conciously avoid eye contact by any means possible. My general consensus is that people here are afraid of strangers and as a stranger to me, they'd like to keep the status quo of the relationship.

I went to go see a play last week with some friends, it was in Chinese so I'm pretty proud of myself for understanding most of it. My language skills have definitely improved here. The play was called "Speaking in Tongues," a play originally from Australia, I think, but reproduced by the National Taiwan University theatre club. It had a good plot line that was well written and well performed, which delved into the issues of marriage and extra-marital affairs.

The end of this month should be a lot of fun. A bunch of us from the office are taking a hiking trip in the storied Hualien area of Taiwan. We'll be hiking and bike riding around the mountainous area that is a favorite nature area of Taiwan. Hopefully I'm not too out of shape...

Then for Christamas I'll be heading to Japan to go skiing with a friend from back home who is living in Kyoto right now. I've never been skiing before so that should be entertaining. I've always wanted to go to Japan so this will be a fun way to get a taste of it. Although I'll only be in Japan for five days, it should be enough for now.

Then New Years will be spent with Rudy! He's coming to visit for about two weeks so I can't be more excited. I'll have to show him around Taiwan and its a trip that I'm really looking forward to.

Note: Picture is of a mountain area north of Taipei that my cousin took me to.