End of the first quarter!!

Oh my gosh! It's the end of the first quarter already!!!

Sadly, I don't think my Chinese has improved as much as it should've...I don't have much of a chance to use it really...cuz I don't go out much. heh...But, in an effort to increase my daily exposure of chinese, I've started watching chinese soaps again! :) hee hee...I only wanna watch one at a time though, cuz really, the beginning of this quarter was ridiculous (watching 3) and I do not have the time anymore. I will begin the elimination process tonight (i have my eye on 3 potentials...right now). And I have to find one that's not only interesting, but also works with my tutoring schedule...so I won't have to miss a lot of episodes. Pretty tough...and I don't like the 古代 (ancient times) ones cuz they talk funny and it's hard to understand...plus, the modern times ones are more relevant in terms of learning conversational vocab. :) Like...臭小子 (Chou4Xiao3Zi), 你死定了 (You're dead!), etc. :D hee hee Yes...soaps are so very educational.

I've already picked my class for next quarter. 10am-12pm! Whew! And the book is TOTALLY in Chinese...no English and there's not even zhuyin or pinyin at all!! The explanations of new phrases is all in Chinese too! So I have to look up the stuff i don't know and actually spend time prepping before class now. But i hear it's a really good book (everyone I've asked so far has agreed on it, and the book was actually just published in 2004 i think...so very up-to-date). And hopefully, I won't get the teacher that assigns essays!!! cuz that'd be TORTURE!!

I can't wait...I'm looking forward to a busy week ahead! Tomorrow, we're wrapping dumplings for a last day of class fun activity. Then on Thur I leave for Kending!! I'm going with my mom and I won't get back to Taipei till Saturday night! Just in time to be home when my sis gets in (at like 11pm-ish probably). Then there'll be 3 hectic days of touring, eating, & shopping till she leaves for the rest of her trip. We'll be going to DanShui too, which I haven't gone to yet! After that I'll be starting the winter quarter! I can't believe vacation is soooo short! :( But at least I'm going somewhere (even though, i'd prefer to go to Thailand or the Philippines!!)...I hope I get a chance to visit an asian country while i'm here (and the airfare's super cheap).

Alrighty...so stay tuned for a super exciting post when I get back! With LOTS of pics!

Are guys polygamous by nature?

That was a question asked in my Chinese class recently...and the sole guy in the class said Yes. It is part of a guy's genetic make-up to look at, fantasize about, and be drawn to other women even after they're married (or in a serious/monogamous relationship). Like...they really can't help themselves...they have to look even if they're totally devoted to their sig other.

That seems to be the sentiments of a couple of my female classmates as well...but I tend to believe they're biased since they were both cheated on by their previous ex's (or their ex's dumped them for another woman, i'm not totally clear what happened). So anyhow...just curious what other people think...

Yay! more pics...I didn't really post many pics of myself last time, so here are lots of me. Enjoy! :)


Here's MimiT and me at Rose House (古典玫瑰園) yesterday where we had afternoon tea (with Mariko) to celebrate MimiT's bday! Looks pretty fancy huh? Don't you think MimiT's scarf is super cute? I got it for her! :) hee hee

(Dec 6) I didn't realize that the pic of DaKeng I posted before didn't show the wooden log paths. See how steep it is? And using those rickety wooden logs didn't help!

Here's my mom and uncle on the DaKeng hike we just did this past Sunday (do you see how long the trail is? It's like the Great Wall! and the part you see is like a normal hiking trail (dirt path)..but that's really few and far between...I shoulda picked another pic that showed the logs...i'll have to do that next time though. I didn't bring those with me. 

This is the super yummy 地瓜餅 (sweet potato pastry) that I got on the ShiDa field trip in oct (that totally sucked) in 大溪 (DaXi). mmMM

Here I am gleefully shopping for $88NT(<$3USD) shoes in Oct! I haven't had a chance to wear them yet though! :( 

Here's me at JiuFen (九份) from sept...ain't the view gorgeous? this is actually one of the small group members' vacation home!

here's my kitchen! (too bad there's no oven...but most Taiwanese places don't have one i don't think) 

here's the layout of my apartment...in case you're interested..i made this for myself mostly...as a souvenir so i don't forget 

DaKeng hike

I went down to 台中 this weekend to see my mom and we went on this free city tour on saturday. It was gonna be hot so i wore my flip-flops cuz I figured we'd only be walking around the city...little did I know that the guide was going to take us to this lotus pond thing where we had to walk on this rather narrow, dusty/dirt-ful pathway between the ponds...and ON that pathway there would be nasty little red ants (they bite!)...AND that the person in front of me would stop suddenly, leaving me as fish food for these ants! Ack...thankfully, they're not the ants that kill (i think they're called fire ants and they're becoming a problem in Taiwan or something...)...but their bites stung for a good hour afterwards! :( That was pretty much the most eventful part of the tour....I guess you can't really expect much from a free tour.

On Sunday, we woke up extra early (5:30am!!!) to go on a hike to DaKeng...a nearby mountain...and the trail is definitely not like any other i've ever been on! The trails are mostly on the mountain's crest (not the peak, but the pointy parts that lead up to the peak) and it was all made of logs!! And some points, the logs were spaced out pretty far and you could see a big drop below you. Quite freaky. And we hiked for a good 5 hours!!! It was sooo tiring cuz it was a lot of climbing (pretty much like stairs) and my calves and butt were SOOOOoooooo unbelievably sore on Monday. heh...but I justify it as making up for these past 3 months of no exercise (unless you count the daily walking...which is nice, but isn't really much cardio)...

Oh yeah...I registered for next quarter's classes. And I was debating whether or not to pick 8-10am class again or go for the 10-12pm slot...at least I had been a month ago, but now, I know there's no way I'll survive another quarter of late nights & early mornings! And I know I should change my schedule to sleep earlier, but it just doesn't happen...so the result is later and later nights, but the same 6:30am wake up call!! Yup. So I think I made a smart decision...and I'm soooooooo happy about it! :) I should be able to get the class & time I want since I'm a continuing student. So whew!

I always have so many observations but by the time I sit in front of the computer, I don't remember most of them! I did see a SUPER skinny girl on the street today. I mean...she's so skinny, I really don't see how she has the muscle to support herself & walk and stuff. But surprisingly, I don't see that many super skinny girls around...she's the first I've really noticed. And plus, the girls here aren't as super skinny as I thought they'd be...and there are plenty of normal and even overweight girls too! (I thought they didn't exist in Taiwan! haha) The thing I DO notice about Taiwanese girls though is that they're sooooooo pale! I mean, sometimes, from faraway...I can't tell if they're Caucasian or Chinese! And every cosmetic thing is whitening! haha I feel VERY dark in comparison. Oh, and about the fashion. You know? I think it grows on you! I find myself drawn to some of the Taiwanese clothes that i KNOW i wouldn't ever have DREAMED of wearing in CA. The thing I like best about the clothes though is that it's very conservative...none of those plunging necklines and stuff that I assumed I'd see lots of. I thought the clothes would be like the stuff in Forever 21 and the like, but not at all, if the neckline's even a little bit revealing, there's sure to be a piece of cloth built-in (in a different color, etc) to make it more modest. :D

And as an added bonus! I have more pics to post! Lucky lucky you!
I can't believe there's less than a week of class left!!

3 earthquakes & 3 typhoons in < 3 months!

We had yet another earthquake last night right before midnight...small..but lasted for like a minute (which is pretty long!) I don't understand it...but I'm way more freaked out by the past 2 (weak) earthquakes than of the LomaPrieta one!! I think it's really got a lot to do with the fact that i'm not on ground level...cuz it's really quite freaky...and it's not like i have all that much trust in the architectural soundness of these old buildings! scary!

Another thing...I was nearly attacked by a roach on the street the other day. I was turning the corner, heading home, and all of a sudden i saw it (HUGE, UGLY ROACH) coming towards me. 嚇了我一跳! I must admit it startled me into letting out a tiny little shriek. eek

What else have I been up to? Nothing much...I might have found another tutoring job, her name's Tiffany, she's an adult and wants to learn conversational English. But her English is a little rusty, so it'll take some work I think. And right after the first class, she said she'll be out of town for 2 weeks on vacation and she'll contact me when she gets back...hrm...hope i'll hear from her again! But even so, I still can't quit the dreaded tutor job...cuz that's the most steady income i've got right now! I made her cry on Friday cuz I wouldn't let her play. "Play! Play now!" And I had to be really harsh and try to persuade her to work. What a pain. But, on the bright side, that left less time to play so I didn't have to come up with different ways to amuse her. I am Soooo not cut out to be an elementary school teacher I don't think. Maybe older kids...She's 8 years old. Ain't that 5th grade or something? I don't remember being such a brat at that age!!

I went to 天母 (TianMu) on Saturday with MimiT...it's the expat community, so there's supposedly a lot of international stuff there. But i didn't see anything really. There was this nice little outlet of A&F, AE, etc brand name stuff (not fake...the real stuff) that was really awesome...but it was a street vendor type thing and a cop came and made them pack up. So I didn't get a chance to find anything I wanted...which is a good thing since I'm on a budget and promised not to buy any more till Mimi comes! :)

And I made lunch for my relatives on Sunday! Um...I had very limited resources...but I made New England clam chowder (from the can..heh), with french bread (i wanted bread bowls, but couldn't find it ANYWHERE), and a ham, cheese, mushroom omelette....the omelette was pretty much the only thing i really made. heh...and it wasn't that great either, cuz i put too much cheese so it was way salty. hee hee...but they ate it and claimed it was good (but only after i asked them, so i don't think they meant it). I think i'll probably have to cook something asian next time. they're too old to 接受(accept) stuff they're not used to...

I can't believe the quarter's almost over! About 2 weeks left. And registration for next quarter is on Thur! Wow. Time really flew after all. Ack! I really need to get a move on the MAIN reason for me coming here!!! Ok. I've gotta stop watching TV, reading and goofing off in general and get down to business. No more time to waste!