Living New!!

"Long time no blog", and I'm sorry about that! But having no time AND no internet will do that to a person :o) So school is good, still loving almost all of my classes, rockin' the gym, and Lee is great!

All of last week I was consumed by The Move!! Everyday, I would walk or scoot over to the new apartment with little things to unload, a couple bags or boxes, a shelving unit, a bed!! etc. But then last Saturday was a holiday for us as part of Chinese New Year, so the plan was to completely emtpy out the dorm and finish moving - until our high school decided that they needed us! So after teaching from 9-2, we went back to the dorm and packed every single thing that we could before Lee went to work again at 3:30 leaving me alone to move everything single-handedly! AND I DID!! I got every single belonging out of the dorm, into the hallway, the elevator, down to the lobby and out into a cab all by myself! We had too much stuff so only half of it would fit; I had to go to the apartment, unload everything and take it all upstairs, then go back to the dorm and do it all again one more time! I had to move all our furniture back in the dorm to the way that it was when we moved in, have our rooms checked and inspected and okayed, and I did all of this with my own huge muscles in 2 hours!! I met Lee at 6 for one of our privates and then a night out of dinner and a movie: Thai and "Pursuit of Happiness", all good things! We ended the night by celebrating a friend's birthday; it was a busy Saturday!

Sunday was the usual, gym and groceries and laundry and unpacking, and a trip to Taipei that ended with us coming home in a horrendous rain storm...! This whole week was just filled with classes and privates and the gym and going out with friends and setting up the place, not to mention dealing with our still-not-working internet!! But the place looks great, Nate and Lee and I all get along really well as roommates, and I am just so much happier being out of the dorm! This weekend was a lot more fun and a lot less stressful! After teaching a full Saturday, Lee and Nate and I went to toast 2 more birthdays which lasted until 5am!!

And now, the countdown is on: 6 DAYS TILL JAPAN!!!

Back and Black!!

I have just arrived home from what is literally the most beautiful, breath-taking island in the entire world! Boracay is just over an hour flight away from the main city of Manila in the Philippines, but you can't fly directly there it's so remote: Lee and I flew to Manila, then took another flight to an island called Caticlan, where we then took a tricycle-cart ride to the ferry loading dock and rode on these crazy spider-like boats to Boracay, where you then have to take another tricycle to the main beach - it was quite a (worthwhile) process! The entire island is about 7km long and shaped like a dog bone; long and thin with two large chunks of land at either end, which we walked up and down almost every day. The sand is so soft and so white, the water is perectly clear sky-blue and warm, everyday was sunny and hot and the air is so clean and fresh, it was Paradise! I got a great tan, and a billion red ant bites covering my legs! Lee was an allergy-free man for a whole week :o) I ate more food than I knew was humanly possible, waking up everyday to gourmet breakfasts and fresh fruit, having smoothies and shakes and daiquiris on the beach everyday, going to a different restaurant every night for dinner of Mexican, Greek, Italian, pizza, crepes, Mongolian Grill, stir-fry...! We watched the sunset every night on the beach during Happy Hour and listened to incredible live music at the bars, and danced at the clubs, and partied with a few friends we met up with there! We got massages on the beach; we rented a motorcycle and went to the highest point on the island; Lee went snorkling; we swam and sunned and went shopping and watched the stars at night. Our resort was a bamboo straw hut style cabin, with a sun-light cut into the shower, deep in the heart of the palm trees and right on the beach. We saw wild piggies and monkeys and baby chickens, played with the local beach kids and fought off the locals who harrassed us everyday to buy things; but the people are all so sweet :o) Words can't describe something so divine, you must just go on your own to see it! All I can say is it was perfect.

Banquets, Biopsys and Boracay, oh my!

Greetings one and all on this fabulously warm, sunny day here in Taiwan, I am so happy to say winter is over! (Sorry I had to rub it in :o)
So this past weekend was tons of fun; Saturday night I went out with the girls from the dorm for dinner and dessert, then to see 'The Holiday' which I totally loved! It was the perfect chick flick, highly recommended for those of you who didn't see it two months ago when it came out at home! Then Sunday night was the Gloria Banquet; my staff work party!! Everyone got all fancied up and went to this Chinese restaurant where ELEVEN courses of "food" were served straight for 2 hours! I use the term food loosely because most of it was quite sketchy; I am actually one of the few people who TRIED everything (everyone is so unadventurous!!) and some of the dishes were okay, like the lobster and stuff, but most of it was quite yucky, unidentifiable and everyone left heading straight for pizza immediately after it was over! Some awards were given out to the teachers and staff - no I did not win anything! :o( After the banquet a large group of us went to this fabulous bar called Le Parc, which was filled with shmancy red sofas and candle-lit, and we all just hung out drinking and chatting until 2am! I had a really great time meeting staff members I don't ever get to work with.
Teaching is still excellent, my privates are fantastic, the gym and Chinese class fill my days until this Sunday when Lee and I leave for our one week vacation to the beautiful island of Boracay in The Philippines!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
On another note, today I booked an operating room at the hospital for the day after I arrive back from Boracay to have a biopsy done on my leg; no biggie! Just the same blood clot I have had for the past 4 months that refuses to go away, so I am having it diagnosed just to be 100% sure that I have nothing to worry about, and I promise to let you all know the good news as soon as I do!
Wishing you all a very happy Valentine's Day and a healthy Chinese New Year!! The pictures above are from the Banquet: some food, Lee and I with one of our bosses, me holding the most scrumptious little baby in the world, and my friend Brandon completely passed out at the bar; an example of what happens when a work party includes free booz!!

Three Whole Years!

Feb. 7th was mine and Lee's 3 year anniversary (gasp!) and the day was just too insane not to share it with all of you! So it started off with a little sweet gift exchange and then we quickly left for Taipei, where we had a full day of fun and adventure planned out ahead of us. As usual, it went a little off the beaten path! On the train ride there, we were trying to call a Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic to go and explore the foreign world of acupuncture! This is supposed to be a very succesful treatment towards Lee's allergies (and I was just getting it for fun!) Meanwhile, we had no such luck communicating with this place, but luckily for us a young woman overheard us and offered her help; turns out she personally went to acupuncture on a regular basis and made us an appointment at her clinic, and then she generously gave up her afternoon and escorted us there!! This place does not have any English-speaking employees, nor is it on the train line, so we would have had no way of getting there if it weren't for our new friend (named Power!!). We cabbed there and she stayed while Lee and I got treated: Lee on his face, me for my back. It was an exciting and unusual experience!! It didn't really hurt, just pinched, and we laid in relaxation for 15 minutes with needles stiking out from all parts of us! We both felt weird and tingly after, but not for very long. Power then escorted us to the nearest train station where we treated her to some Starbucks and just chilled for an hour :o)
Next on our list was something that Lee has been CRAVING ever since we left Canada; you guessed it, ice skating! We (eventually) found the one and only ice rink in Taipei and it was the funniest sight I have ever seen!! First of all, when we walked in they informed us of their mandatory glove-wearing law - weird, but okay - and their requirement of us to wear HELMETS!! I knew this was going to be funny... We both refused and had to sign a waever, stating that we understood our 'impeding danger' :o) When we walked into the arena, before my eyes was appr. 300 Chinese people awkwardly skating round wearing knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and helmets! All bumping into each other, falling to the ground, hanging onto one another for dear life and screaming as each one dropped to the ground over and over again! You can only imagine how hilarious this seemed to us, 2 Canadians who grew up ice skating, 1 who was practically born wearing a hockey uniform! The next hour and a half provided a life time's worth of hysterical memories! My only regret is not having taken a camera :o(
Around 6pm we left and walked around the city for a while before going to this highly recommended restaurant, The Cafe Onion, for dinner. Lee and I shared delicious 5-course meals for very cheap; yogurt fruit salad, chowder, garlic bread, salmon, rizotto, I got mushroom chicken and Lee had boneless ribs, with a drink and chocolate mousse cake for dessert - we couldn't walk by the end of it! Everything was delicious and the service was so fancy, I had a great time!
The rest of the evening we walked around the city exploring different areas and shopping before heading home round 11. The whole day was like a puzzle that just fit together for us; each thing we wanted to do was magically timed out perfectly, we barely made both of our train rides, we had random, kind strangers helping us with directions all day, the weather was 20 and sunny and we got to see and do everything we had wanted to! It was an awesome day and a perfect way to celebrate 3 years :o)

the mother of all birthdays!!

Greetings from your older (and not much wiser) friend!! How are you all!? I hope you are not suffering too much from the weather and that school, work, family and everything else is treating you well!
For my birthday on Saturday I worked all day, 8 hours - but it was great! I awoke to many phone calls from friends and family (thank you, you know who you are!!) And then at school I received birthday cards from my students and co-teachers, the kids sang to me, and then the head staff all signed a card and got me a piece of yummy cake! Then Lee and I went to one of our privates where, at the end of the lesson, they turned out the lights and lit a whole cake and sang to me, and bought me beautiful M.A.C. make-up! I felt so touched that these people opened up their homes to me as a friend, not just a teacher, it really made my night special. Then we went home and I opened a gift from Lee's family: AN MP3 PLAYER!! They bought me the fabulous Samsung player in black, without even knowing how obsessively I've been looking to buy one here! Then I opened a home-made calendar from Lee, commemorating our last 3 years together plus pictures of all my friends, family; he had other people in on it, helping to send him pics and dates and it is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever made for me! After that a bunch of us went to this bar for dinner and drinks, and more friends and co-workers came so it was a really good time, and then at round 11:30 we took it to the club! We had booked a VIP table for 12, which meant we were really livin it up! Bottls and bottles of booz kept flowin as we drank in this lavish curtained-off table with couches, and before I knew it there were more than 30 people all out to wish me a happy bday! One girl even bought me red roses :o) I spent the entire night on the dance floor, it was soooo much fun!!
The next day, Lee and I went downtown and walked around, I treated myself to new blonde hair streaks (and now my hair is straightened), then Lee took me out for a deelish dinner and dessert! It was so much fun, and all in all a truly unforgettable birthday! I was feeling rather anxious and extremely fearful for this birthday, having a quarter-life crisis all week, missing all of you so much - and I do wish that I could have shared it with you, but there is not anything else I could have asked for here to make me feel more at home or loved by the people around me, it was truly one of the best times I've ever had! Even going back to work on Monday was okay, another student bought me an adorable picture frame, and I have another package coming from my family at home soon!! All I can say is that looking in the mirror and saying "I'm twenty-four" is a very surreal experience!

Wild Times!

How are you all! I'm great, thanks - just decided to share an update with you, as it's been a while. Everything here is great, teaching and Chinese class and even the weather! This Wednesday Lee and I had the day off so we spent it in Taipei, it was awesome! We went shopping, explored the richest mall inside 101, went to this foreign grocery store to get a few things that remind us of home :o), got a couple things at the massive bookstore and then went to Chili's for an incredibly divine dinner! We didn't get back until 10 at night, and then just went right back out to bowling - not my finest hour! Last week I had my top score of 131, so I can only go down from there... but it was still tons of fun! Then around 1 we all moved it to the bar where I proceeded to win the next 7 games of pool in a row; I was unstoppable! We stayed there until after 4 in the morning, and then attempted the ultimate move in Taiwanese travel: 3 on a scooter. This is not even close to the ultimate move, to be honest, which actually involves 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog!! However, we did it the Canadian/Taiwanese way and it was the scariest 10 minutes of my entire life! Lee driving, with our friend Nate on the back and me, crouched down in the very front screaming for my life! It was a sight to see, I'll tell ya that right now! But no worries, we made it home safe and sound and it was actually kind of fun, but I still vowed to never ever do that again. It's not worth the risk. Meanwhile, we have been expecting the most recent arrival to the dorm, a guy named David, and found out this morning that he is not coming! All we know is that he missed his flight, and is no longer to be expected! I can only imagine what happened at the last minute to make him change his mind about coming here...!
All in all it was a long and crazy day followed by an even crazier night! This only leads into my next long and crazy day; my birthday is in 2 days....

Winter Wonderland

Winter is a very weird time of year, when the days are shorter but seem to last forever at the same time. One moment it is sunny and bright out, the next it is dark, cold and uninviting - the weather has such a huge effect on our moods; I vow to only live in a place that is warm and sunny!
This weekend was loads of fun! After a work-filled Saturday, I joined friends at a bar for a few drinks and then around midnight we took it to the club, dancin our booty's off till 4am! Then on Sunday Lee and I spent the afternoon shopping and followed it up with an evening of baking cookies and a movie; my perfect weekend! Monday was back to work with the kiddies and a week of Chinese class, trips to the gym, bowling and all the usual excitement in Taiwan!
In ten days I will be celebrating the day of my birth, 24 years ago, and for some reason I am having a hard time dealing with this fact. That's an under statement: accepting this truth is like believing that I am a quarter century old, that I have graduated from university, that I am working as a teacher and living with my boyfriend in another country on the other side of the world - and that's just ridiculous.

Trips, trips and more trips!

This is what it's all about folks: the travel. The journey. The adventures. The trips!! Lee and I are officially booked in our flight and hotel for one week in the world-renound Philippines in February, AAAANNNNDDDD we just set up a 4 day trip in March to JAPAN!!! TO SEE THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS!!!
I can't even believe it, in a matter of minutes the next couple months of my life have completely changed! The resort in the Philippines is like a hotel/cottage, an island hut right in the centre of the main White Beach, featuring the social hotspot bars for Night Life. The night before our trip, Lee and I are spending a traditional Chinese New Year's dinner with one of the families we teach, and then the next morning we fly to the main city on the island for a day, then take an overnight ferry ride to fabulous Boracay! Where we will spend the next 7 days suntanning, snorkeling, swimming, drinking and everything else imaginable under the sun!
Then in March we have officially booked our RHCP concert tickets and flight to Japan for 4 incredible days of sight-seeing through one of the most culturally rich and sound islands in SouthEast Asia, not to mention the world! The process and a half it took to get these tickets, however, was unbelievable! After trying every non-English website, and every non-English phone number, we finally paid a visit to our travel agent: it was not her, however, that got us the tickets, but her Taiwanese friend who had moved to Japan that asked HER husband to go to the stadium and personally buy us the tickets himself!! They are currently being mailed to us as we speak :o) We will be spending 4 days in Japan, 3 in Osaka and 1 trekking out to Mt. Fuji, Japan's highest mountain and dormant volcano. Day 3 of this trip includes my first (and Lee's third!!) time seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers; I CAN'T WAIT!!!
On an unrelated note, my family rang in my New Year with an amazing Chanukah slash birthday package!! It was filled to the rim with sweaters, hoodies, pj's, food, toiletries and more, and simply receiving it was the best present I could have asked for!! To help ease the pain of my inevitable aging process, impossible to avoid and approaching closer with each passing day... oy.

Happy 2007!!

Hsin Nyen Kwai Lur!! Happy New Year to one and all!! 2006 came and went, taking with it some of the most momentous experiences of my (almost 24-year long!!!) life. Graduating from University in New Zealand and now teaching in Taiwan has all accumulated into some very adventurous and very exciting memories! I hope that you can all look back on the past year with the same pride and enthusiasm :o) Just think what crazy journeys lie ahead...!
Sunday afternoon was spent at the gym and grocery shopping, accompanied by my homemade chocolate peanut butter truffles! As the evening rolled round, Lee and I debated joining our fellow white friends at the club near where we live or not, and as we were getting ready (dressed and sufficiently pre-drunk!) we made a last minute game decision to ring in the new year in Taipei! A few co-teachers had reserved a table at the lavish club Mint in the basement of Taipei 101 and offered us an invitation to join them, which we happily accepted! So Lee, my friend Nate and I took a cab to Taipei and met them there around 11, just enough time to get in and have a few drinks before the festivities began! Having a table is the only way to party at a club here; you buy one for the evening for a set price and it provides luxury couches to chill on and put your stuff safely, while having all of your night's alcohol provided for you! Bottle after bottle of vodka and whiskey and Red Bull, Coke, orange juice, soda and champagne flowed through our hands as we danced the night away! At midnight, the whole club ran outside to join the thousands of other people anticipating the huge fireworks display! Taipei 101 lit up as everyone counted down, and then exploded into a roaring show of fireworks bursting from all sides and the roof of the building! It was incredible! Then everyone hurried back inside to rip up the dance floor; the music was awesome and I had the best time! I left with the girls around 3 but we couldn't get a cab until almost 4, and it was 5 by the time we all got home! It was without a doubt a night to remember! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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!