counting down...

So, here it is. Finally. Preparing for my much anticipated 3 week trip to the Philippines is, as it seems, some indication that I have managed to get through the first semester of school-- almost 5 months of work! I am looking forward to the time I'll get to spend with... myself, on this trip and am truly hoping that I'll get to all of the places that I want to. Speaking (or I suppose, "writing") of which, here's the general plan for my trip (starting on January 26th and ending on February 16th):

1) Palawan (7-10 days): Puerto Princessa, Honda Bay, Sabang (Subterranean River) and Port Barton.
2) The North (3-4 days): 8-10 hour bus ride to Banaue and Sagada; rice terraces and hanging coffins (likely the part of my trip that I am most excited about!).
3) The South (7-10 days): Cebu (City), Bohol (The Chocolate Hills) and beaches!

It may seem ambitious, but I figured I would try to see as much as the country as possible because really, when am I going to have 3 weeks to myself to explore another country again? You only live once.

... consider me excited!

just another day at the office...

word-less.

These guys, I tell you. Perhaps, I'll write more later? Right now, I am feeling way too overcome by awesomeness. Just kick-ass musicians, period.

a sun-day trip.

Today, we went to a city named Daxi (pronounced Da-Shee). It was about 40 minutes away and the drive was so nice. It's good to get out, so that I can remind myself just how lucky I am and just how beautiful this country is.

We found a store that sold everything for $100NT (about $3CDN). So, we spent a big chunk of the day there! Besides this gem of a store, we got to walk around the streets of a pretty historically rich and architecturally impressive little downtown.

I have posted some photos from the day on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emeliza

finally!

I've been waiting 2 years to see this movie, and although it has been at my disposal for the last week (thank you, housemates!), we finally had the chance to sit down and watch Where the Wild Things Are tonight. All in all, I would say the wait was well worth it and I certainly did not feel let down in any way.

I felt genuinely involved in the film; the characters, the story line and of course, the soundtrack. I will watch it again, I am sure, and go to sleep tonight with the hopes of running into Carol, KW and the rest in my dreams...

happy new year!

I love me a song with a banjo.

a Hsinchu Christmas!

If I think about the last Christmas that I spent away from home and away from my family, I am taken back to Vietnam. It felt nothing like Christmas where we were but we made calls home from some internet cafe, anyway, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas even though it felt a bit surreal to be saying those words to anyone when it was surely 40 degrees outside without any Christmas music or movies to accompany the festive season.

Aside from the blow-up snowmen we had seen the day before, the real feeling of Christmas was just not quite in the air in Vietnam. This time around, however, it has felt a bit more Christmas-y; lights strewn all around our neighbourhood, our school's winter performance on Christmas eve, wine, mamosas, soju (!), food, friends, dancing, presents under the Christmas tree, Home Alone and lots of christmas music, of course! It truly has been a great Christmas, despite being away from home, I was incredibly lucky to spend Christmas the way that I did.

Here is a picture of my students performing "If All The Raindrops". They were adorable!

another day, another 'quake.

In case I had forgotten, for a second, where in the world I was living these days, I would say that big time earthquake that happened last night was enough of a reminder. We've had a few little ones here and there, but none that made me feel nauseous (and a bit scared for my life?).

I was only slightly nervous because Beth and I happened to be shopping at the time this was happening, and we also happened to be in an aisle where a LOT of large items could have fallen on our heads had they wanted to. It was... interesting, looking to the top shelves of these aisles to see all of the giant boxes wobbling back and forth. We found comfort, however, in seeing all of the other people going on with their business, as if nothing was happening...

To help paint a better picture(at least of this earthquake's magnitude), we came home to Beth's bathroom ceiling partially collapsed-- but fixable, and the water from our fish tank splashed half way across the living room floor. Luckily, no fish were injured (or humans, as far as I know!).

brrrrrrrr!

... it's 12 degrees in Hsinchu today. Perhaps the coolest it's been so far this year? It feels like -70 (okay, okay, I'm exaggerating). But we've been extremely spoiled thus far, so this is a bit of a shock!

I am learning that is helps to wear your jacket at ALL times (no heating in our school...), and borrow the kids' napping blankets if you get really desperate! Also, I was given some "Little Hotties" hand warmers which I think will be coming in hand-y (pun, totally intended!) prettttty soon!

This has got me wondering: cool-ish temperatures with no heating? or snow with fireplaces and heating? Not that I have much of a choice at this point, really. It looks as if I best be nuttin' up!

dang.

I guess links don't work on my blog anymore? I did, however, find out how to "embed" links so that videos will be able to play right from my page! Oh, how exciting is MY life?!

Sweet beard. Sweet tune.

flickr: updated!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emeliza/

'tis the season...

I've heard that it is Winter and almost Christmas elsewhere in the world? Could have fooled me. Last week-end I went downtown to do some Christmas shopping. I felt warm all day and this sign helped me figure out, why, perhaps, I was feeling so hot... in December! It's been silly here; way too nice. These temperatures, however, do not help me get into the Christmas spirit at all, but thankfully there are lots of Christmas lights hanging off of surrounding balconies and people (like the guards at our apartment building, who wear Santa hats) help us to remember what time of year it is! We are also quite proud of our $6 artificial Chritmas tree... proudly displayed in our living room, without lights on it or gifts underneath, but we're getting there. Baby steps...

a venus fly trap garden?

When my students were asked "what kinds of things would you like to grow if you had a garden?", some of the responses were as follows: carrots, corn, cabbage and turnips. Sure, these were the answers I was looking for BUT they were all a bit "safe", too. However, one student had to throw VENUS FLY TRAPS into the mix... likely just to see what my reaction would be? It is worth mentioning that this was the same boy who said that magma was a resource that we could not live on this earth without--enough said.

there's no such thing as a cuter song than this one.

so romantic; in love with the lyrics/music/video/band...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKuB85EgnI

overwhelmed!

It seems as if I keep stumbling across all of these really great songs lately. I am not complaining, of course, but how is a girl meant to keep up? Seriously!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKXujEphWS8

(the real video is something else, but's it's not PG... so, just playin' it safe!)

a first...

I got to experience my very first "American" Thanksgiving, and what better place to do so than in Taiwan! Now that the week-end is over and the eating has come to a hault, I can say that my first American Thanksgiving was very similar to the Canadian Thanksgivings that I have celebrated in the past.

On a related note, at the second Thanksgiving meal that I attended, we were asked to write something that we were thankful for. I decided to take a less serious route and write: "I am thankful to be swine-flu free, naturally". H1N1 is all of the rage in Taiwan right now, which is also why earlier in the day we were forced to wear these masks as we volunteered at an event with our school. They are just not fun to wear in any way (but we certainly did a good job faking it for a picture!).

the long way round.

I am so thankful to have remembered my sister telling me about this documentary. It has taken over my life-- for the time being, and I have no complaints or regrets. I could watch these two guys travel around the world on their motorcyles all day/night long (it's sort of what I have been doing, actually!). I am quite envious of their friendship, their adventures, but hope that one day I will find that perfect travel mate to also travel around the world with (maybe not on a motorcycle, maybe so?).

If you can, watch Long Way Round (the first trip, where the two lads travel from London, England to New York in about 3 months). Then, you could always get into Long Way Down (their second trip, that takes them from Scotland to Cape Town).

In a nutshell, their journeys are truly inspirational and "real". I won't waste time writing because there are certainly no words to express how I feel about the whole thing. But, I will say, what a world we live in!

Watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk_Qkz_5ti8&feature=related

just try!

This song is so contagious. Just try to dislike it... impossible!
(thanks for coming through again, Trent!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyU7udQhBr8

how to name your kids... the asian way.

While outside on recess duty today, a little girl introduced herself to me. I have been in Asia long enough to know that kids' names can be interesting from time to time. I had a boy named Rock, in Korea, and now a  girl named 'Tree', in Taiwan. I said, "Tree?", and the little girl pointed to a near by tree. I thought "right...". She said there was one difference between her name and the tree she was pointing at and that was, HER name was spelled with a capital letter 'T'... to which I replied "of course it is, because that's your name!" (I could have gotten into a whole lesson about proper nouns at this point, but held back! It was recess after all).

Although my intrigue began in Korea with 'Rock', this incident has made me wonder how on earth do parents come up with names for their kids in this part of the world? I am going to go ahead and say, some parents must have their child, look out a window and name it after the first inanimate object that they see. There is just no other explanation (of the logical sort), in my opinion!