Well it's been a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. Life at the old school has settled into a routine of which I'm somewhat bored. On other notes living in Taiwan has provided me with a few curious situations and opportunities.
First let me share something about the living arrangements which many of you fine readers at home may not be entirely aware. I am still living in the temporary housing that my employer provides for new arrivals and for a number of reasons I have decided to stay for the remainder of my time while employed with them. It is convenient, close to my work, and most of all the best bang for my buck with a japanese style floor and working kitchen all for the tidy sum of 8000 NT less then 300CAD. Suffice to say living in the housing has it's advantages with me meeting a variety of strange and interesting people.
Which brings me to one of the reasons for my absence of witty posts and interesting observations. Aside from a general malaise and a desire to study more Chinese, I have also been working on a few projects one of them is a little website which I am working on with one of my old roommates. Baseballintaiwan.com is a website which caters to an interesting niche, as the sport is quite popular here it is only mildly surprising that there are so few websites dedicated to it that have english content. So check it out we're still working out a lot but we have an url and we're trying to post something substantial at least weekly. Hopefully we'll get som quality content this weekend that you'll get to see on our little site. Check us out BaseballinTaiwan.com
Finally on a personal note, I'll be coming back to Canada in less then a month. I've been missing all of you my friends and family hopefully we'll meet for a coffee or drink to reminisce and share stories. I'm coming back the weeks of 17th to 29th of April. Mark your calendars folks. I'm on my way.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
New Year's a time for work
In the west the beginning of January is a time for people to adopt new practices for the coming year, whether losing some weight or doing something new. Here in Taiwan the new year is a time for work. Chinese New Year's is coming up in a few weeks and people are scrambling to finish things in time for the holidays. I haven't been working as much as I'd like but I'm rather busy nonetheless, applying for grad schools is going to be a little tight for this year, I'm thinking of doing some more work on my chinese and maybe some mark upgrades here or there. I've been playing board games on weekends and practicing my Chinese here and there it's time I went to the gym tho' so here's a pic to tide things over.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
What ESL Teaching can be like
A little moment of Zen from the advertising folks at Berlitz. Courtesy of Youtube.
the lame blog/diary post
So this weekend I didn't do much of anything besides right some fairly mundane and time consuming reports. How's that for a Sunday night?! Saturday I met up with my old roommate and his girlfriend
I'm also in the process of applying for gradschools, I still want to learn more Chinese so I'm looking at another year in maybe PRC! Taiwan is beautiful but its too westernized an there is a strong dicincentive to learn Chinese, besides the foreigners I've met are all just modestly committed. The hardcore ones some of them have been here for years, if I went to China the money would be less but I could study more. Too many distractions here.
I started doing some volunteer work for Gigavox media hopefully I can spin it into an internship or reference of some kind. I'll also be studying more chinese so this already infrequent blog may drop off the Radar for a while. But I'm still alive so don't be worried.
As for things outside travel I really enjoyed this week's big ideas segment, check them out both are carrying some 'conservative' baggage but I'd say from different ranges of the field. Check it out. Click the link audio to listen.
Christopher Hitchins
Roger Scruton
I'm also in the process of applying for gradschools, I still want to learn more Chinese so I'm looking at another year in maybe PRC! Taiwan is beautiful but its too westernized an there is a strong dicincentive to learn Chinese, besides the foreigners I've met are all just modestly committed. The hardcore ones some of them have been here for years, if I went to China the money would be less but I could study more. Too many distractions here.
I started doing some volunteer work for Gigavox media hopefully I can spin it into an internship or reference of some kind. I'll also be studying more chinese so this already infrequent blog may drop off the Radar for a while. But I'm still alive so don't be worried.
As for things outside travel I really enjoyed this week's big ideas segment, check them out both are carrying some 'conservative' baggage but I'd say from different ranges of the field. Check it out. Click the link audio to listen.
Christopher Hitchins
Roger Scruton
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Getting Lost in Taipei
So I got lost one weekend and found a park in the northern half of Tapei.
Here's the YouTube embed
Here's the YouTube embed
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Christmas Alone, Going South and Journeys not Destinations
I wrote this note on my travel back from Kenting on Christmas day.
This is holiday season in what seems not only the western world but also here in the far east. Christmas has come and (almost) gone here in Taiwan. Teaching English here in Taiwan meant signing a contract for a year and due to the timing at which I arrived I ended up not being able to go home for the holdays. I'd like to wish everyone a happy holidays no matter their faith and a happy New Year to boot. Taiwan has been an interesting place to spend my 24th Christmas and I must say a little lonely.
I am currently on a train back to Taipei after spending a weekend travelling the south of Taiwan. I must say that the southern half of the island is quite beautiful and a lot cleaner then the crowded and smoggy streets of central Taipei. On my journey by Train, foot and minibus I saw a new side to an island which had been nothing but a series of large urban sprawls on an island far away from home.
In Kaoshuing I saw a lot of things which reminded me of home. The city of one and half millions reminded me a great deal of my hometown of Toronto. Although the signs were in Chinese and the city lacked an extensive transit system. It was refreshing to walk more then three blocks without running into a 7/11 or Starbucks. Kaoshiung is definitely less westernized then Taipei and I got a great deal more looks at my hight and appearance then in Taipei. My first day in Kaoshiung was cut a little short and I regret that I didn't go on a different day as the scenery was quite beautiful, I'd like to go back sometime. Staying there was quite cheap and I got a nice hotel room near the train station for 1000 NT. Finding activities to do at night was a little difficult and I think Kaoshiung is a lot sleepier then the bustling streets of Taipei.
After a night and morning in Kaoshiung I headed off to Kenting orignally unsure as to whether it was a good idea or bad. I must say the country side is quite beautiful although next time I'd like to take a guide or friend to share it with as Kending was somewhat lonely this time of year, and the small little beach resort town had a lot to see. It's ironic that I found more clothes to try on in Kenting then even the most bustling shopping centers in Taipei. Kenting has a lot of kitch value and had my phone battery lasted longer I would have loved to share the beauty of the small in I stayed at (only 800NT!) and the magnificently constructed Newport Beach scuba training facility. Kenting is a place to go with friends and the journey back was quite an adventure. While there I did look into scuba classes although it seemed the trainering spots were all closed and I was unable to find copies of papers in English or with any sort of pricing details.
As for my vacation on the whole I'm happy about the places I visited but it's really the journey that played the prime spot in my little adventure. I think more then the beautiful countryside and quaintness of Kaoshiung it will be the strange characters and tribulations of my voyage that I'll carry with me the longest. The first day I headed out to Kaoshiung I had hoped to get to Kenting before night fall but by the time I got to Kaoshiung the night was already approaching and I was already quite tired of sitting after the five hour rapid train journey between Kaoshiung and Taipei.
Wanting to stretch my legs I went for a little walk around Kaoshiung hoping to secure lodging for a night. After finding a place that had rooms starting at 2200 NT a night I quickly realized I'd have to find a place a little more suitable if I didn't want to blow a big chunk of my savings on a layover night. I thus wandered for an hour or so nigh falling while I searched the confusing back streets for a place to stay.
I finally settled on a small inn the name of which I now forget located close to the Train station. After seeing the plush carpeted room and unloading my bag I went off for a wander through the night markets of which I ran into an ice cream vendor who is something of a novelty and celebrity amongst travel programs detailing a journey to Kaoshiung. One final note on my journey to Kaoshiung the place was quite suitable if a little old, the staff not speaking more then a few words of English were extremely eager to see to my needs and while the offer of a female for company at 11 o'clock was somewhat appealing did shoot the seediness of the place up to a new level. I was quick to leave the place early the next day for fear of what other 'nicities' might be visited upon me should I have stayed another evening.
After an unfruitful search for the tourist center marked in my Lonely Planet book I decided it was best to hed for Kenting. The earliest bus I caught left at around 2pm and I arrived in Kenting at a little past 4pm. Tired from my early walking I was quick to settle on the Sunnyside Hotel a quaint little building that was more converted appartment housing come hotel then a five start accomodation. After wandering the main strip of Kenting I was beginning to realize that there was no bus station within easy reach and it was a story in itself on how I managed to get back to Kaoshiung in one piece. Concerned about finding a bus stop and wanting to hike the mountain in the daytime I called it an early night and slept blissfully with no midnight knocking with offers of sordid delights.
The next day I arose early and ate a quick bite at the breakfast shop outside the hotel run by the owner and his wife. A sandwich with bacon and eggs combined with a glass of Orange juice had me fuelled and ready to go in search of a bus station. Realizing there would be no time to hike the mountain I headed east in what was logically the location of the bus station. I reasoned that not seeing it on the way in I must have gotten off the bus too soon as I had come from the Northwest the day before. Hiking a good km I ran into a bus that said it was headed from Kaoshiung to Kenting. The driver spoke very little English but we were able to establish that he was not going back. I asked him in English where I could go and after waving in the easterly direction I assumed my original presumption was correct. After hiking another 2 km to the next small town I came to realize first hand the Chinese propensity for providing help (and in this case erronius) help.
Frustrated and realizing I would not be getting into Kaoshiung at the time I had hoped I began the slow hike back to Kenting. I was quite frustrated, isolated, my phone out of battery power and a little homesick I got back to Kenting in a little less then 45 minutes. It was at this point that fortune smiled ironically upon me with a Christmas present of questionable safety. A middle aged woman on a scooter asked me in stuttering English if I was headed to Kaoshiung and quickly wisked me away to her husband's minibus only 5 minutes up the road. I was greeted by a gap toothed betel nut stained grin and against my better judgment decided against looking for a more reputable form of transportation. We stayed in the nearbye vicinty for a good part of a half hour and it was just at the point that I was ready to jump out and hitch hike back that my friendly driver pulled over and offered me what he called 'Taiwan Whisky' but tasted like sour strawberry fresca. Determined to get back to Kaoshiung I decided to sip his alcoholic brew out of courtesy then get out and hitch hike back. I was half way through the drink when my driver and his wife finally climbed into our rig and sallied off to Kaoshiung.
Having passed through another small town on the way to Kaoshiung I know realized what my guidebook had neglected to mention. That being that the bus terminal was actually located in the town to the north of Kenting and was not even marked on my empty map of Kenting. Shooting our way back to Kaoshiung our ride picked up an odd assortment of characters and my time getting back to Taipei from Kaoshiung are all the topic of another story.
Happy Holidays. I miss you all!
This is holiday season in what seems not only the western world but also here in the far east. Christmas has come and (almost) gone here in Taiwan. Teaching English here in Taiwan meant signing a contract for a year and due to the timing at which I arrived I ended up not being able to go home for the holdays. I'd like to wish everyone a happy holidays no matter their faith and a happy New Year to boot. Taiwan has been an interesting place to spend my 24th Christmas and I must say a little lonely.
I am currently on a train back to Taipei after spending a weekend travelling the south of Taiwan. I must say that the southern half of the island is quite beautiful and a lot cleaner then the crowded and smoggy streets of central Taipei. On my journey by Train, foot and minibus I saw a new side to an island which had been nothing but a series of large urban sprawls on an island far away from home.
In Kaoshuing I saw a lot of things which reminded me of home. The city of one and half millions reminded me a great deal of my hometown of Toronto. Although the signs were in Chinese and the city lacked an extensive transit system. It was refreshing to walk more then three blocks without running into a 7/11 or Starbucks. Kaoshiung is definitely less westernized then Taipei and I got a great deal more looks at my hight and appearance then in Taipei. My first day in Kaoshiung was cut a little short and I regret that I didn't go on a different day as the scenery was quite beautiful, I'd like to go back sometime. Staying there was quite cheap and I got a nice hotel room near the train station for 1000 NT. Finding activities to do at night was a little difficult and I think Kaoshiung is a lot sleepier then the bustling streets of Taipei.
After a night and morning in Kaoshiung I headed off to Kenting orignally unsure as to whether it was a good idea or bad. I must say the country side is quite beautiful although next time I'd like to take a guide or friend to share it with as Kending was somewhat lonely this time of year, and the small little beach resort town had a lot to see. It's ironic that I found more clothes to try on in Kenting then even the most bustling shopping centers in Taipei. Kenting has a lot of kitch value and had my phone battery lasted longer I would have loved to share the beauty of the small in I stayed at (only 800NT!) and the magnificently constructed Newport Beach scuba training facility. Kenting is a place to go with friends and the journey back was quite an adventure. While there I did look into scuba classes although it seemed the trainering spots were all closed and I was unable to find copies of papers in English or with any sort of pricing details.
As for my vacation on the whole I'm happy about the places I visited but it's really the journey that played the prime spot in my little adventure. I think more then the beautiful countryside and quaintness of Kaoshiung it will be the strange characters and tribulations of my voyage that I'll carry with me the longest. The first day I headed out to Kaoshiung I had hoped to get to Kenting before night fall but by the time I got to Kaoshiung the night was already approaching and I was already quite tired of sitting after the five hour rapid train journey between Kaoshiung and Taipei.
Wanting to stretch my legs I went for a little walk around Kaoshiung hoping to secure lodging for a night. After finding a place that had rooms starting at 2200 NT a night I quickly realized I'd have to find a place a little more suitable if I didn't want to blow a big chunk of my savings on a layover night. I thus wandered for an hour or so nigh falling while I searched the confusing back streets for a place to stay.
I finally settled on a small inn the name of which I now forget located close to the Train station. After seeing the plush carpeted room and unloading my bag I went off for a wander through the night markets of which I ran into an ice cream vendor who is something of a novelty and celebrity amongst travel programs detailing a journey to Kaoshiung. One final note on my journey to Kaoshiung the place was quite suitable if a little old, the staff not speaking more then a few words of English were extremely eager to see to my needs and while the offer of a female for company at 11 o'clock was somewhat appealing did shoot the seediness of the place up to a new level. I was quick to leave the place early the next day for fear of what other 'nicities' might be visited upon me should I have stayed another evening.
After an unfruitful search for the tourist center marked in my Lonely Planet book I decided it was best to hed for Kenting. The earliest bus I caught left at around 2pm and I arrived in Kenting at a little past 4pm. Tired from my early walking I was quick to settle on the Sunnyside Hotel a quaint little building that was more converted appartment housing come hotel then a five start accomodation. After wandering the main strip of Kenting I was beginning to realize that there was no bus station within easy reach and it was a story in itself on how I managed to get back to Kaoshiung in one piece. Concerned about finding a bus stop and wanting to hike the mountain in the daytime I called it an early night and slept blissfully with no midnight knocking with offers of sordid delights.
The next day I arose early and ate a quick bite at the breakfast shop outside the hotel run by the owner and his wife. A sandwich with bacon and eggs combined with a glass of Orange juice had me fuelled and ready to go in search of a bus station. Realizing there would be no time to hike the mountain I headed east in what was logically the location of the bus station. I reasoned that not seeing it on the way in I must have gotten off the bus too soon as I had come from the Northwest the day before. Hiking a good km I ran into a bus that said it was headed from Kaoshiung to Kenting. The driver spoke very little English but we were able to establish that he was not going back. I asked him in English where I could go and after waving in the easterly direction I assumed my original presumption was correct. After hiking another 2 km to the next small town I came to realize first hand the Chinese propensity for providing help (and in this case erronius) help.
Frustrated and realizing I would not be getting into Kaoshiung at the time I had hoped I began the slow hike back to Kenting. I was quite frustrated, isolated, my phone out of battery power and a little homesick I got back to Kenting in a little less then 45 minutes. It was at this point that fortune smiled ironically upon me with a Christmas present of questionable safety. A middle aged woman on a scooter asked me in stuttering English if I was headed to Kaoshiung and quickly wisked me away to her husband's minibus only 5 minutes up the road. I was greeted by a gap toothed betel nut stained grin and against my better judgment decided against looking for a more reputable form of transportation. We stayed in the nearbye vicinty for a good part of a half hour and it was just at the point that I was ready to jump out and hitch hike back that my friendly driver pulled over and offered me what he called 'Taiwan Whisky' but tasted like sour strawberry fresca. Determined to get back to Kaoshiung I decided to sip his alcoholic brew out of courtesy then get out and hitch hike back. I was half way through the drink when my driver and his wife finally climbed into our rig and sallied off to Kaoshiung.
Having passed through another small town on the way to Kaoshiung I know realized what my guidebook had neglected to mention. That being that the bus terminal was actually located in the town to the north of Kenting and was not even marked on my empty map of Kenting. Shooting our way back to Kaoshiung our ride picked up an odd assortment of characters and my time getting back to Taipei from Kaoshiung are all the topic of another story.
Happy Holidays. I miss you all!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Banking Nonsense
Its been over three months I've been here and I must say by far the worst thing so far has been the shoddy Banking services provided. No admittedly I don't speak Chinese and this is a big one which if one thinks its a clincher I'll seed the point but that being said service was atrocious. Firstly, I must say that banking hours are nothing short of ridiculous here, in a society where 12 hour days is the norm banks ALL close at 3:30pm. That's right 3:30pm. So getting a visa bill is next to a nightmare. Thankfully I've got a great family at home that's been really helpful with making sure that the VISA corp. doesn't send one of its goon squads to repossess my meager possessions.
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