Love Actually is All Around

Happy holidays everyone!! I hope you all had a happy Chanukah and a merry Christmas and a wonderful day off work no matter what or how you celebrate this season! The point above all is to laugh with family and friends, and most importantly eat chocolate until you don't think you can eat anymore! I know I did (and am still doing so until New Year's!) :o) Even though I am away from my family and friends at home right now, I have been having one of the best Chanukahs here in Taiwan ever! Lee and I received a menorrah in the mail thanks to his generous family and we lit the candles every single night. All week I had Christmas parties in every class, teaching my students carols and how to decorate a tree and the joy of giving via Secret Santa! We ate pizza and candy and popcorn and on Friday I was Santa Claus! I rocked it! Saturday evening Lee and I went out for a delicious Mexican dinner and then came back to the dorm and exchanged gifts! Everyone in the dorm did Secret Santa as well, and the girls couldn't wait any longer so we exchanged a day early :o) I got a beautiful red purse and some bath products from my Secret Santa, and Lee went all out on a huge box filled with amazing gifts for me! Then Sunday we built a gingerbread house (which didn't exactly turn out right!) and Lee and I joined all our fellow Canadian friends, teachers and fellow bowlers for an indescribable pot luck FEAST!! There were 3 turkeys, 3 kinds of mashed potatoes, potato salads, veggie salads, 2 kinds of stuffing, wine wine and more wine! Not to mention the mouth-watering brownies and other desserts; the evening ended with a guitar session and Lee and I took off early b/c we had to teach early Christmas morning (yea, that's right!). Monday night we went to visit our friend Mychal who was spending her Christmas in the hospital having arm surgery, and then saw the movie Babel which was sooo intense and gripping! I continue to spend my days baking lots of goodies! Chinese class is getting better than ever, the gym has proven to be a fabulous excuse in eating more and more holiday sweets, and teaching is a breeze! The winter weather is still holding out, hopefully until after New Year's so that I can wear a skirt! I wish you all the happiest of holidays this year, I love you and miss you and look forward to sharing more stories in the New Year!

I am Queen of the Latkes!!

HAPPY CHANUKAH, to one and all!! I know it's been so long since I wrote, but that just makes this entry so much more fulfilling! So to back-track, last week I had tooth surgery and it was a huge success! Pain-free, 2 hours from start to finish, and I now have a new strong tooth to show for it, yay! (I also got the hook-up to teach my ortho's kids English once a week!) In other news, Lee and I officially booked our Chinese New Year's trip to one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Boracay, in the Philippines! Whooo! More recently, this weekend was INSANE - Friday night hosted a new club opening here and it was by far the most lavish club I've ever been to! Huuuuge, on the 7th floor of a building and dress-code enforced; amazing hip-hop; a big bar and tons of private tables with lush couches and a slammin' dance floor! This is obviously where I spent most of the night, except when the hired hoochies took centre stage and shook up a storm in their undies!! This was also the first night of Chanukah here and Lee and I are currently without a menorrah until Monday, so I bought tea lights and we have been lighting them every night! Lee left the club early due to an allergy attack, I stayed until 2am because I had to get up the next morning bright and early to teach at a school half an hour away. I didn't get to bed until after 3, making the next day unbearable. I was so exhausted and grouchy that everything just HAD to go wrong - missing the bus in the rain, spending money on a cab, taking 2 buses home in more rain, only to teach again! But it was the funnest hour and the kids put a huge smile back on my face so it was worth it :o) Then Saturday night a bunch of us went to my friend Neil's restaurant, where he was hosting a wine-n-chocolate party! I KNOW!! Truffles, truffles and more truffles, all to be enjoyed while some co-teachers sang tunes on their guitar all night - it was great! Today was a wonderful RAINLESS day, full of grocery $hopping, baking-goods $hopping and presents $hopping! And I MADE LATKES!!! For the first time ever, and they were PERFECT if I do say so myself! Complete with apple sauce, I'm quite proud :o) We bought a gingerbread kit to make one on Christmas, and I have all the ingredients necessary to start baking up a storm! All this week I have Christmas parties in every class, and on Friday I have to be Santa! They pick the little, Jewish girl to play Santa Claus at school, can you believe it!? What can I say, I love the holidays! I have attached 3 pictures, one from the club, one of a cute little boy who was helping serve beer at Neil's restaurant, and one of Lee and I because a few people wanted to see me with straight hair... enjoy!

I love Wufen Pu!

Another weekend come and gone in the blink of an eye! I guess that's what happens when you only get Sundays off... But it was definitely a jam-packed day and a half! I worked all Saturday afternoon in 3 great classes, and then came home to a wonderful surprise: Lee had hung blue X-mas lights in our room and it looks so beautiful! On top of that (and this is purely for you all to gush over lol) he had bought me some georgous pink roses :o) Needless to say, I'm one happy girl!
At night we all went to the bar here and had some drinks while rockin out to a live acoustic band, it was super chilled. Sunday I went to Taipei with two girlfriends and Lee to this awesome Chinese homecraft show, a building full of ancient art and decorations and everything you can imagine, from wall hangings to clothes to sculptures, it was so cool! Then we went to this area of the city called Wufen Pu, the ULTIMATE clothing market!! The hugest space that you can imagine, street after street just packed to the rim with super-nice super-cheap clothes! I bought a georgous American Eagle button-up for $12 :o)
Unfortunately, Lee wasn't feeling very well (too much shopping!) so he went home, and the ladies and I made our way to an area of the city called Warner Village, the equivalent of Toronto's Yorkville, as in bling bling!! Every major brand name store lined the streets with bright lights and holiday music, and cutely painted backgrounds on walls (hence the photo op!). After a long day full of shopping, we were starving! Our destination was Chili's restaurant and the hour it finally took us to get in and be seated was worth every minute of the wait! We pampered ourselves with delicious appetizers of quesadilla nachos, over-flowing dinner plates of burgers and salads and fries, and then an outlandish dessert - chocolate molten lava cake with ice cream; my mouth is drooling in memory! I haven't eaten a meal like that in Who Knows How Long, and it felt goooood!! I didn't get home until late at night and then had to shower and get ready for the week - lesson plans, Chinese class practices, and Tuesday I have my tooth surgery - wish me luck!

Good times!!

Let the good times roll!

Hi to all, how are you!? 'Tis the season for joy and good cheer! Last I wrote you all about my tooth situation was almost two weeks ago, when I first found out about it - a lot has happened since then, mostly bad! I've had approx. 5 dentist appts since then, all involving pain and tears and operations - a long and unhappy process. Trying to spare you gory details, the cavity has been removed and I was told that I need a post and cap: you know, those shiny silver things in the mouths of old people! Aside from being ugly and painful, this is going to be ridiculously expensive and so I have been quite stressed out over the whole thing... until today!!

It's hard for you all to get as excited as I am over a dentist, I know! But with my history and all, attaching a happy story to the word dentist is a miracle! A co-teacher recommended me her dentist as a second opinion in the whole thing, so I went and was given an early Chrismanukah miracle :o) Not only is this man nicer and smarter but his technology is so much more modern and advanced (believe me, that's a big deal when you're in a foreign country!) and CHEAPER! I don't even have to get a cap put on my tooth, just a ceramic filling so my tooth will be white and strong and normal! The whole thing takes an hour and is pain-free :o) If you're really bored then you can check this out: http://www.cerec.net/forum/index.php?act=portal&site=5
So all in all, I'm one happy girl!

My week has been awesome, I've picked up a few more hours of teaching $$ and I did not completely suck at bowling on Wednesday! Chinese class is getting better and better each week, and every weekend this month I am booked for some serious holiday fun! I hope you are all enjoying this time of year as much as I am!
Love always

The best night yet!!

Happy December everyone! The holidays are upon us and I for one could not be more excited! I have a billion recipes on-hand for baking holiday treats, and everyone in the dorm is doing Secret Santa! If it weren't for the cold, windy, non-stop rain, life would be perfect :o)

This weekend was by far one of the best times I've had here yet. I worked Saturday morning but had the afternoon off to relax, go shopping and just chill out. Then at night we went to a good-bye house party for a fellow teacher who is going back to Canada; every single white person in this city was there! A lot of the teachers and everyone I bowl with, along with a few others all joined together to drink and wish well to one another! There was about 40 people in total and we partied until 3am, then headed over to a bar/club here called Desire - we danced until 5 in the morning! It has been so long since I've had a really fun night out with friends and then went dancing, to REAL music, too! It felt a bit like home...!

In the midst of all the drinking/partying, Lee lost his cell phone :o( I called it but there was no answer, and I called the bar but it wasn't there, so we left a text msg for the finder to please call me back - and she did!! One of the girls from the party found it on the ground outside of the club and saw the Canada flag sticker so proudly placed, and called me Sunday morning! Talk about luck!

Sunday was spent sleeping-in and then a few of us from the dorm went out for brunch, which also reminded me of my weekends at Western after partying with all of my friends :o) I went grocery shopping and then enjoyed the rest of my night - it was the most fun I've had in a while! This week includes many more trips to the dentist, Chinese class, and all the rest - with the familiar sounds of Christmas carols filling the background!

I have posted a few pictures from my day at the Taipei Zoo last week for your amusement :o) Ciao for now!