Hi. My name is Adam. I am 31 years old. And after 20 some years of trying, I have successfully beaten Super Mario Brothers. Yes, the first one that most of you will brag about beating when you were 11. Well I never did (usually got pissed off at 8-1 and 8-2... also, I could never figure out the unlimited guy trick on 3-1 even though I knew people that could and there are instructions all over the web)... until today. After a couple of days of trying (while sitting on phone calls at night), I was able to finally beat Bowser and rescue the REAL princess. Much more gratifying as a 31 year old than a 14 year old I think. I was able to beat Mario 3 all the time. Guess now I'll try to beat Mario 2 next. Don't know anybody that has completed that one. Beating Mario??? YES WE CAN!!!
More good news - Sarah got her Resident Visa, so she's here to stay!!! She still has to get the Alien Resident Card (ARC) which will take about 10 days to process, then the traveling factor won't exist anymore. She's finishing her certification this weekend, and the kiddies start on Monday. So next week will begin to finally feel "normal" around here. As normal as one feels when they move to Taiwan. Getting Sarah official in Taiwan??? YES WE CAN!!!
I am even more Taiwanese after getting a Library Card last night. The branch near my house has about 20 books in English - even one by Stephen King (Lisey's Story which I've already read:( But there is the main branch not too far away that I will go to tomorrow while Sarah's in class. Next up for me, going to get my Taiwanese Driver's License!!! All I need is my forms, and about $7 US to process it. This way I can rent a scooter up to 50cc for when we travel around Taiwan. No, I am not driving in Taipei. I need to look into what it takes to be able to drive over a 50cc scooter. Most of the normal ones are 100-150cc, with some being even bigger!! Driving in Taiwan??? YES WE CAN!!!
Another good part was I beat my first Taiwanese person in Ping Pong. He returned the favor a little later, but i was able to beat 4 of the guys, with one employee from last time STILL beating everyone else. But I am at least no longer bottom of the rankings. Beat someone at Ping Pong??? YES WE CAN!!!
And of course the amazing speech last night by Barack. I was moved and inspired. And I predict he will win, not only because he is the stronger leader that this country needs, but because the boy can speak and sound intellegent. He knows how to make himself relate to the people who will vote for him. This was the strength of Clinton and it got him elected. Neither Gore nor Kerry had that trait. Plus Obama sounds smart when he talks. That actually goes farther than you think.... So here's wishing him the best and hoping our country does what's right. You can plan on the Republican party trying to squash the excitement (VP announcement today... surprised they didn't announce in the middle of the fireworks) then let the negative campaign begins. BTW - i will not be missing those from over here in Taiwan. Return the US to a country of leadership once again??? YES WE CAN!!!
Still hot as hell here. Still 95+ by day and only down to 81 at night. But cooler weather is hopefully on the way. Have a great Labor Day for all of my US friends and family. We don't have the day off here, but we make up for it around Chinese New Year.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Convention Time!
This is the week when all the Democrats try to unify themselves, and all the Republicans cringe when they turn on the TV only to figure out that every channel is showing the same thing. Don't worry, the roles are reversed soon enough for the "other" convention.
Yeah, I watched some of the stream online while at work:) First day thoughts?
Been a busy week for both Sarah and I. Work has had a lot of requests for me to keep up on, Sarah is trying to get everything ready for the kiddies. They come on Monday (no holiday here so you all enjoy the 3 days while we work away) and will be greeted by an Olympic theme:) I changed the Official Olympic Beijing 2008 logo to look like her school's logo! Then all the kids have their names on gold medals. See, I can help with this creative stuff for 2nd graders;) No word yet on Sarah's visa - we should hear on Friday. I have not gotten a call back from Jason Bourne to see how he gets around the legal stuff all the time.
Just got back from my regular shopping trip to Costco/Carrefor/others that are all in the same neighborhood. Take a cab there, buy everything you can (carrying it from store to store of course), then head home via cab. On my way home, I think I had the only non-aggressive cab driver in all of Taipei. Took about 10 minutes longer than it should have.
Happy Wednesday to all. US Open has started (not on TV here), and college football is a few days away!!! GO CLONES!!!!
Yeah, I watched some of the stream online while at work:) First day thoughts?
- Jessie Jackson Jr. isn't that good of a speaker... runs in the family I guess
- Michelle Obama is average at reading from a teleprompter... should have just let her talk.
- The "benediction" (probably not shown on TV but is part of the internet stream) is pretty rediculous... basically is "Dear God, support Barrack's agenda"
- Just like the Olympics - the Convention is much better without commentary!!
- The music interludes selection is very scripted... why don't they play David Bowie's "God Hates Americans"?????
- Hilary wasn't afraid to give herself a plug for her achievements
- Hilary is a B+ speaker... wait till Billy speaks tomorrow and you'll see an A speaker. For example of an F speaker, watch the last 7 years of State of the Union Addresses.
- How many times did they feel the need to show Chelsea Clinton? And why???
Been a busy week for both Sarah and I. Work has had a lot of requests for me to keep up on, Sarah is trying to get everything ready for the kiddies. They come on Monday (no holiday here so you all enjoy the 3 days while we work away) and will be greeted by an Olympic theme:) I changed the Official Olympic Beijing 2008 logo to look like her school's logo! Then all the kids have their names on gold medals. See, I can help with this creative stuff for 2nd graders;) No word yet on Sarah's visa - we should hear on Friday. I have not gotten a call back from Jason Bourne to see how he gets around the legal stuff all the time.
Just got back from my regular shopping trip to Costco/Carrefor/others that are all in the same neighborhood. Take a cab there, buy everything you can (carrying it from store to store of course), then head home via cab. On my way home, I think I had the only non-aggressive cab driver in all of Taipei. Took about 10 minutes longer than it should have.
Happy Wednesday to all. US Open has started (not on TV here), and college football is a few days away!!! GO CLONES!!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Happy Monday! UGH!!!
More pictures on the right side..... only 50 in this group so you don't have to give up an entire hour to view them all.
We are another step closer in getting Sarah "official" for staying in Taiwan. Unless she has a past that the Taiwanese government doesn't care for and they reject her, we're in. If they reject her..... we'll figure out a "plan B" (any suggestions???). Nothing like living on the wild side and flirting with visas, last second plane tickets.....
Sarah decided the home needed some more life, so we went to the flower market this weekend. It was simply amazing, with some great prices! We ended up with 6 plants for the deck, one for inside. We'll get some pictures up soon of our new "life" around the place. I will admit that the deck looks MUCH better now with some color. The beauty is that they will continue to bloom throughout the entire year here. Especially if they can make it through the next month of extreme heat! But since there is no frost here, we'll continue seeing flowers from these plants up until we leave. Then when we do leave, someone will get some nice flower pots as presents;) We even bought a plant of Gerber Daisies that are really beautiful! Plus the bouquet we arranged from there only cost us all of $7 US. Yeah, seriously... the one with the birds of paradise (I think that's what they're called) and the sunflowers....
Between rain storms, and checking up on the Olympics, we have made some new friends in Taipei. Alicia is originally from Kazakhstan (you like??) lived in Russia, US, and now Taipei. She made us a wonderful traditional Kazakhstanian meal that translates into "Five Fingers". Real name is "Beshbarmak" so I'll stick with the fingers... which means how you eat it, not what's actually in it. Thankfully, Costco was out of Sheep's Head (per the Wikipedia ingrediants) so we used some great tasting Lamb! The lamb here is really really good (to eat)- not used to getting so many lamb options (again... for eating purposes only!) After dinner, we played a Kazakhstanian game of Guitar Hero! Her husband Zach is a fellow techie and gave me some good ideas on networking while in Taipei that I'm working on currently.
Olympics are over - the closing ceremony was interesting to say the least. But now the focus is finally off of China and their underage gymnasts, and onto London and how they're going to get 2 weeks of Olympics completed with the amount of rain they get daily in London. At least they won't have 3 languages to translate into since English is spoken by the host country.... kind of.
Work is work.... Sarah and I are trying to plan some vacations for September and October. More details as they come!
Hope all is well in the US. My Mt. Dew arrived today from an employee that was in the US! I'm happy, plus Sarah has a new supply of Hot Tamales to savor for a while.
We are another step closer in getting Sarah "official" for staying in Taiwan. Unless she has a past that the Taiwanese government doesn't care for and they reject her, we're in. If they reject her..... we'll figure out a "plan B" (any suggestions???). Nothing like living on the wild side and flirting with visas, last second plane tickets.....
Sarah decided the home needed some more life, so we went to the flower market this weekend. It was simply amazing, with some great prices! We ended up with 6 plants for the deck, one for inside. We'll get some pictures up soon of our new "life" around the place. I will admit that the deck looks MUCH better now with some color. The beauty is that they will continue to bloom throughout the entire year here. Especially if they can make it through the next month of extreme heat! But since there is no frost here, we'll continue seeing flowers from these plants up until we leave. Then when we do leave, someone will get some nice flower pots as presents;) We even bought a plant of Gerber Daisies that are really beautiful! Plus the bouquet we arranged from there only cost us all of $7 US. Yeah, seriously... the one with the birds of paradise (I think that's what they're called) and the sunflowers....
Between rain storms, and checking up on the Olympics, we have made some new friends in Taipei. Alicia is originally from Kazakhstan (you like??) lived in Russia, US, and now Taipei. She made us a wonderful traditional Kazakhstanian meal that translates into "Five Fingers". Real name is "Beshbarmak" so I'll stick with the fingers... which means how you eat it, not what's actually in it. Thankfully, Costco was out of Sheep's Head (per the Wikipedia ingrediants) so we used some great tasting Lamb! The lamb here is really really good (to eat)- not used to getting so many lamb options (again... for eating purposes only!) After dinner, we played a Kazakhstanian game of Guitar Hero! Her husband Zach is a fellow techie and gave me some good ideas on networking while in Taipei that I'm working on currently.
Olympics are over - the closing ceremony was interesting to say the least. But now the focus is finally off of China and their underage gymnasts, and onto London and how they're going to get 2 weeks of Olympics completed with the amount of rain they get daily in London. At least they won't have 3 languages to translate into since English is spoken by the host country.... kind of.
Work is work.... Sarah and I are trying to plan some vacations for September and October. More details as they come!
Hope all is well in the US. My Mt. Dew arrived today from an employee that was in the US! I'm happy, plus Sarah has a new supply of Hot Tamales to savor for a while.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Hakuna Matata
Pictures are FINALLY up on the right side. There are a lot of them, lots of repeats thanks to having two people taking pictures with two different cameras. There are some really good ones in there of Sarah and I (my favorite is the one with the umbrellas). ENJOY!!!
Lesson Learned for the day: If someone asks you to play a game of ping pong, feel free to accept and get some good play in. BUT if this person pulls out a custom made ping pong paddle with it's own carrying case.... be prepared to get your butt kicked.
So in a rematch of US vs Taiwan, Taiwan won 2-1 (best of 3... he actually took the first 2 but lightened up a little bit to give me game 3. I did actually play a little better though in the 3rd. Maybe next time;) ). But I continued to remind them that the US beat Taiwan in the Olympic baseball 4-2. No wonder nobody was talking about the game this morning!!!
Sarah and I enjoyed the production of "The Lion King" here in Taipei. It was extremely well done despite our seats in the upper levels. The only bad part of the show was the fact that the seats were only about 25% full. Only the "cheap seats" that were one section over from us were full. LOTS of empty seats on the main floor. When the lights dimmed, we tried sneaking down about 10 rows (as were a lot of people) but then the usher started yelling at everyone (even with the show starting) to move back. A dad and his two young girls had to even move back up about 10 rows. So that idea to sneak closer was out of the question. Thankfully we brought our binoculars!
The costumes were amazing! I loved the giraffes and elephants in the opening scenes as they came from the back of the crowds and made their way onto stage. Sarah was singing along most of the show - I remembered a lot of the songs from the movie days. There was indeed a split second of fear about 10 seconds before the first words were sung that this thing would be entirely in Chinese. Thankfully, it was in English! But as with the rest of my entertainment here, the TV screens show up close but with Mandarin subtitles! The crowd (that was actually there) enjoyed it and the kids were laughing throughout. If you've never seen the musical version of Lion King, you should. I also liked Scar - the guy threw in an occasional Chinese word or two to get the crowd excited. "How about a simple Ni Hao??"
I think Sarah's still singing throughout the day today!
Sarah's school seems pretty sweet! Most of her peer teachers are from the MidWest, with a few from Canada. She's enjoyed getting out of the house for longer period of times, but is still nervous to see what these 2nd graders are like. I told her to call my nephew to find out since he's already started the 2nd grade;) The best part of her teaching is that she brought me home a present from work already!!! One of the teachers from last year left a guitar before returning to the US. So since nobody else there wanted it, guess who ended up with a new used guitar???? ME!!!! It's not bad, it's not something Dave Matthew would use... but it will do for now and I'll spend some time learning to play FINALLY!!! Any requests?
Speaking of DMB - did you see his saxophone player died? Wow....
Ok - that's enough for today. It's a wonderfully clear day in Taipei thanks to the Typhoon to the south of us. No, we'll be safe this week but we're going to enjoy the nice view while it lasts.
Lesson Learned for the day: If someone asks you to play a game of ping pong, feel free to accept and get some good play in. BUT if this person pulls out a custom made ping pong paddle with it's own carrying case.... be prepared to get your butt kicked.
So in a rematch of US vs Taiwan, Taiwan won 2-1 (best of 3... he actually took the first 2 but lightened up a little bit to give me game 3. I did actually play a little better though in the 3rd. Maybe next time;) ). But I continued to remind them that the US beat Taiwan in the Olympic baseball 4-2. No wonder nobody was talking about the game this morning!!!
Sarah and I enjoyed the production of "The Lion King" here in Taipei. It was extremely well done despite our seats in the upper levels. The only bad part of the show was the fact that the seats were only about 25% full. Only the "cheap seats" that were one section over from us were full. LOTS of empty seats on the main floor. When the lights dimmed, we tried sneaking down about 10 rows (as were a lot of people) but then the usher started yelling at everyone (even with the show starting) to move back. A dad and his two young girls had to even move back up about 10 rows. So that idea to sneak closer was out of the question. Thankfully we brought our binoculars!
The costumes were amazing! I loved the giraffes and elephants in the opening scenes as they came from the back of the crowds and made their way onto stage. Sarah was singing along most of the show - I remembered a lot of the songs from the movie days. There was indeed a split second of fear about 10 seconds before the first words were sung that this thing would be entirely in Chinese. Thankfully, it was in English! But as with the rest of my entertainment here, the TV screens show up close but with Mandarin subtitles! The crowd (that was actually there) enjoyed it and the kids were laughing throughout. If you've never seen the musical version of Lion King, you should. I also liked Scar - the guy threw in an occasional Chinese word or two to get the crowd excited. "How about a simple Ni Hao??"
I think Sarah's still singing throughout the day today!
Sarah's school seems pretty sweet! Most of her peer teachers are from the MidWest, with a few from Canada. She's enjoyed getting out of the house for longer period of times, but is still nervous to see what these 2nd graders are like. I told her to call my nephew to find out since he's already started the 2nd grade;) The best part of her teaching is that she brought me home a present from work already!!! One of the teachers from last year left a guitar before returning to the US. So since nobody else there wanted it, guess who ended up with a new used guitar???? ME!!!! It's not bad, it's not something Dave Matthew would use... but it will do for now and I'll spend some time learning to play FINALLY!!! Any requests?
Speaking of DMB - did you see his saxophone player died? Wow....
Ok - that's enough for today. It's a wonderfully clear day in Taipei thanks to the Typhoon to the south of us. No, we'll be safe this week but we're going to enjoy the nice view while it lasts.
Monday, August 18, 2008
SCHOOL DAZE!!!
First off, I updated our address labels on my blog page. For any of you who "saved" it before, you might want to delete that one and use this new one. The old one got mail here, but it was missing our "alley" information which is now on there. Hard to explain, but it's there now. This one is more exact and could possibly make the mail delivery a little faster. And in case you were wondering - it costs Sarah and I about 33 cents (US money) to mail a letter from Taiwan to US. Granted it takes a little longer, but it's still cheaper for me to mail something to the US from here than it is in Rochester. I also mailed a package to the US - about 2 pounds and it cost around $5 US which is probably cheaper than sending it from Rochester. Gotta love that math! So if you're coming to visit us and have a lot of things to mail, bring 'em on over!!!
Sarah starts school today (actually, her first day will be complete by the time most of you read this)!! As are most teachers in the US. And the part where teachers/kids hate going back to school after a relaxing summer... that part is a global hatred expressed by all cultures I've noticed!!
Friday night Sarah and I went for Japanese grilling near our house. We have met someone in our neighborhood who is working in Taiwan, originally from Russia! She joined us as did some of my coworker friends. Sarah was courageous enough to try Octopus (raw Octopus legs - tentacles and all.... but no "ball" of Octopus) that was grilled over the coals. I passed on that one - I've tried Octopus before and didn't really care for it. I do enjoy the pumpkin, sweet potatoes, pork, beef.... very fun meal (takes usually 2 hours to fully appreciate the meal... that includes the 2 bottles of wine we went through).
We had a wonderful weekend with our first visitors, Jeff and Claire. It was also one of the most humid weekends yet - so we got in as much walking as we could and just about melted the entire time. We have a ton of pictures to filter though, but they'll be up by tomorrow! We got some sight seeing in between rain showers. Mainly places I've been before, but still new to Sarah and definitely new to our guests. We did go up Taipei 101 at night which was BEAUTIFUL!!! Nothing like it in the world:) Plus we used the bathroom so I considered it "pissing on top of the world". Grand Hotel, Martyr's Shrine, lots of good Taiwanese food!!!!
Michael Phelps is simply a stud. Granted we don't have the over hype here on TV with Bob Costas practically worshiping him, but you still get enough of a feeling to realize that what Phelps did was remarkable. Did you see the Brazilian guy who won the 50m sprint? The best part was how emotional he was for the next 30 minutes. Pretty neat to see his whole Brazilian swim team come out and celebrate with him. Other sports we've been able to see - ping pong, both singles and doubles.... doubles is FUN to watch. I've honestly never seen doubles in Ping Pong on TV before:) Tennis (Nadal continues to kick the world's ass in 2008... potential to do the "golden" slam like Agassi did.
Tuesday is Sarah and my trip to Lion King here in Taipei. Yes, it's in English. No, Elton John will not be making a guest appearance. Yes, Sarah will be singing along I'm sure. No, I will not be sitting next to her in the 2nd half if she does sing.
Probably the funniest part of the weekend was finding a Japanese show on TV that has a monkey walking a dog around.... here's one of the clips:
Sarah starts school today (actually, her first day will be complete by the time most of you read this)!! As are most teachers in the US. And the part where teachers/kids hate going back to school after a relaxing summer... that part is a global hatred expressed by all cultures I've noticed!!
Friday night Sarah and I went for Japanese grilling near our house. We have met someone in our neighborhood who is working in Taiwan, originally from Russia! She joined us as did some of my coworker friends. Sarah was courageous enough to try Octopus (raw Octopus legs - tentacles and all.... but no "ball" of Octopus) that was grilled over the coals. I passed on that one - I've tried Octopus before and didn't really care for it. I do enjoy the pumpkin, sweet potatoes, pork, beef.... very fun meal (takes usually 2 hours to fully appreciate the meal... that includes the 2 bottles of wine we went through).
We had a wonderful weekend with our first visitors, Jeff and Claire. It was also one of the most humid weekends yet - so we got in as much walking as we could and just about melted the entire time. We have a ton of pictures to filter though, but they'll be up by tomorrow! We got some sight seeing in between rain showers. Mainly places I've been before, but still new to Sarah and definitely new to our guests. We did go up Taipei 101 at night which was BEAUTIFUL!!! Nothing like it in the world:) Plus we used the bathroom so I considered it "pissing on top of the world". Grand Hotel, Martyr's Shrine, lots of good Taiwanese food!!!!
Michael Phelps is simply a stud. Granted we don't have the over hype here on TV with Bob Costas practically worshiping him, but you still get enough of a feeling to realize that what Phelps did was remarkable. Did you see the Brazilian guy who won the 50m sprint? The best part was how emotional he was for the next 30 minutes. Pretty neat to see his whole Brazilian swim team come out and celebrate with him. Other sports we've been able to see - ping pong, both singles and doubles.... doubles is FUN to watch. I've honestly never seen doubles in Ping Pong on TV before:) Tennis (Nadal continues to kick the world's ass in 2008... potential to do the "golden" slam like Agassi did.
Tuesday is Sarah and my trip to Lion King here in Taipei. Yes, it's in English. No, Elton John will not be making a guest appearance. Yes, Sarah will be singing along I'm sure. No, I will not be sitting next to her in the 2nd half if she does sing.
Probably the funniest part of the weekend was finding a Japanese show on TV that has a monkey walking a dog around.... here's one of the clips:
Friday, August 15, 2008
Helluva Game
While you were all sleeping, still thinking about Michael Phelps snagging his 6th Gold Medal (and 6th World Record), or the US women taking 1-2 in Gymnastics (Des Moines girl got silver:( ).... we had quite the day here in Taiwan watching the Taiwan Baseball team take on China. You think Boston vs Yankees rivalry is bad? This one goes a little deeper in passion than the US can provide.
We had a conference room full of employees watching the 4+ hour game. Taiwan was up 2-0 for most of the game (bad umpire call prevented it from being 3-0.... dang umpires) but China came back in the 8th to go up 3-2. Taiwan was down to their final out in the 9th and they delivered (barely) to send it to extra innings. Lots of excitement in the 10th and 11th, finally Taiwan went up in the 12th by having a huge inning.... 7-3.... but that wasn't it. China filled the bases, then won 8-7 in 12 innings. Bragging rights to China:( The US plays Taiwan next Tuesday night. I would wave my US flag if I had one here. The funniest part is listening to the game in Chinese, my peers speaking in Chinese, but when something goes bad, they swear in English. I heard plenty of "shit" or "damnit".... and no, they did NOT learn that from me. At the end of the game came a loud "f***".
Sarah and I are having our first visitors to our Taiwan home!!! Claire and Jeff will arrive Saturday to spend the weekend in the hottest place on Earth right now. But heat/humidity aside, we plan on an exciting weekend around Taipei and enjoying our friends!
I also finished Duma Key by Stephen King. A very good book and fun read, although far from my favorite by his. For the Stephen King faithful, you'll want to read it, but it stays in line with his newer works, not the works of the 80s.... I'm just glad he's still writing - another book planned for 2010. And for SK fans, there is a movie version of Cell planned for 2009 by Director Eli Roth (of Hostel direction fame) so expect some gore in that one!
I also missed that Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac died.... that was out of nowhere. Bernie Mac was pretty funny (his TV show was not good though), but CHEF?!?!?! The Southpark world is in mourning....
Sarah and I celebrate 1 YEAR together this weekend. Wish us luck for year #2!
We had a conference room full of employees watching the 4+ hour game. Taiwan was up 2-0 for most of the game (bad umpire call prevented it from being 3-0.... dang umpires) but China came back in the 8th to go up 3-2. Taiwan was down to their final out in the 9th and they delivered (barely) to send it to extra innings. Lots of excitement in the 10th and 11th, finally Taiwan went up in the 12th by having a huge inning.... 7-3.... but that wasn't it. China filled the bases, then won 8-7 in 12 innings. Bragging rights to China:( The US plays Taiwan next Tuesday night. I would wave my US flag if I had one here. The funniest part is listening to the game in Chinese, my peers speaking in Chinese, but when something goes bad, they swear in English. I heard plenty of "shit" or "damnit".... and no, they did NOT learn that from me. At the end of the game came a loud "f***".
Sarah and I are having our first visitors to our Taiwan home!!! Claire and Jeff will arrive Saturday to spend the weekend in the hottest place on Earth right now. But heat/humidity aside, we plan on an exciting weekend around Taipei and enjoying our friends!
I also finished Duma Key by Stephen King. A very good book and fun read, although far from my favorite by his. For the Stephen King faithful, you'll want to read it, but it stays in line with his newer works, not the works of the 80s.... I'm just glad he's still writing - another book planned for 2010. And for SK fans, there is a movie version of Cell planned for 2009 by Director Eli Roth (of Hostel direction fame) so expect some gore in that one!
I also missed that Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac died.... that was out of nowhere. Bernie Mac was pretty funny (his TV show was not good though), but CHEF?!?!?! The Southpark world is in mourning....
Sarah and I celebrate 1 YEAR together this weekend. Wish us luck for year #2!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Weekend Pictures
Nothing makes one more proud to be an American than watching the 4x100m relay where the US beat France in an amazing finish.
go Phelps - what a machine and only 23 years old?!?!?! Makes me feel A LOT older thinking about that.
Happy belated Valentine's Day (last Thursday in Taiwan) and belated Father's Day (last Friday in Taiwan). Here's the story on Father's day. It's yearly on 8/8 here in Taiwan. The Chinese for "8" is pronounced "ba" (like a sheep) so on 8/8 it's "ba ba" (black sheep have ye any wool). The word for father in Chinese is "baba" (kind of like dada) thus why August 8th is Father's Day every year no matter what day of the week it is on. As for our Valentine's Day... Sarah and I went to a bass recital that was ok. I was a little disappointed (the player wasn't as good as I had hoped) plus the music was all 20th century composed stuff which is FAR from my favorite era in classical music. So I did not enjoy it like I had hoped.
Friday we had an organizational outing in the mountains for a nice lunch. Pictures on the right of course to share with everyone. It was very hot, but the view made up for it (plus a decent breeze in the mountains). After lunch all were free to do whatever. Most went home (it was Baba Day) but a handful of us went to Karaoke for the afternoon! Sarah's first trip to the KTV - and she LOVED IT! For someone who was insistent that "I don't like to sing", she sure did enjoy singing for everyone. Everyone does it, and yes... some of them are BAD singers, but doesn't matter - they sing anyways. This one is close to our house plus has a LOT more English songs than the other place from my birthday gathering. So any visitors to Taiwan will get the pleasure of joining Sarah and I there!!!
Saturday we had a guest from work join us for some sightseeing. I also think it was the hottest day yet in Taiwan. (More pictures to share on the right as well) We went to Chang Kai Scheck Memorial but this time there were hundreds of kids and families there. The reason why was because they had a HUGE exhibit on Mammoths going on. Kids always like extinct things like Mammoths and Dinosaurs. We avoided the Mammoths but enjoyed the tour. Walked down to the electronics haven (thus the 3D glasses), then out for dinner and drinks. A big day for walking and sweating.
Sunday night, a group of us went to Shilin Night Market which is the biggest one in Taipei. Lots of unusual foods (but good), lots of random things for sale, and LOTS of people... even on a Sunday night.
Hope you enjoy the pictures... have a good Tuesday!!!
go Phelps - what a machine and only 23 years old?!?!?! Makes me feel A LOT older thinking about that.
Happy belated Valentine's Day (last Thursday in Taiwan) and belated Father's Day (last Friday in Taiwan). Here's the story on Father's day. It's yearly on 8/8 here in Taiwan. The Chinese for "8" is pronounced "ba" (like a sheep) so on 8/8 it's "ba ba" (black sheep have ye any wool). The word for father in Chinese is "baba" (kind of like dada) thus why August 8th is Father's Day every year no matter what day of the week it is on. As for our Valentine's Day... Sarah and I went to a bass recital that was ok. I was a little disappointed (the player wasn't as good as I had hoped) plus the music was all 20th century composed stuff which is FAR from my favorite era in classical music. So I did not enjoy it like I had hoped.
Friday we had an organizational outing in the mountains for a nice lunch. Pictures on the right of course to share with everyone. It was very hot, but the view made up for it (plus a decent breeze in the mountains). After lunch all were free to do whatever. Most went home (it was Baba Day) but a handful of us went to Karaoke for the afternoon! Sarah's first trip to the KTV - and she LOVED IT! For someone who was insistent that "I don't like to sing", she sure did enjoy singing for everyone. Everyone does it, and yes... some of them are BAD singers, but doesn't matter - they sing anyways. This one is close to our house plus has a LOT more English songs than the other place from my birthday gathering. So any visitors to Taiwan will get the pleasure of joining Sarah and I there!!!
Saturday we had a guest from work join us for some sightseeing. I also think it was the hottest day yet in Taiwan. (More pictures to share on the right as well) We went to Chang Kai Scheck Memorial but this time there were hundreds of kids and families there. The reason why was because they had a HUGE exhibit on Mammoths going on. Kids always like extinct things like Mammoths and Dinosaurs. We avoided the Mammoths but enjoyed the tour. Walked down to the electronics haven (thus the 3D glasses), then out for dinner and drinks. A big day for walking and sweating.
Sunday night, a group of us went to Shilin Night Market which is the biggest one in Taipei. Lots of unusual foods (but good), lots of random things for sale, and LOTS of people... even on a Sunday night.
Hope you enjoy the pictures... have a good Tuesday!!!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olympics.... 100% Bob Costas Free
The games have begun. While you all were waking up and going to work last Friday, I was out at a bar called "THE BRASS MONKEY" (that funky monkey) watching the Opening Ceremonies live on many big screen TVs. It was all in Chinese, which was fine since the countries names were displayed in English. They had the sound turned up a little so you could hear the English accents on the announcers, but at least they weren't Bob Costas telling us every sappy story that he can find. How the flies on the nose of the drummer guy are decedents of the first Olympic Game flies. I really can't stand that guy. And the Olympics are on three different channels here - all in Chinese. And yes, they focus on the Chinese participation, not the US participation. So it's hard to see the stuff you want. But some of the local bars are showing some Satellite feed with more US focus (not NBC) events so we can go somewhere to see the US participation sports.
The Opening Ceremony was pretty sweet. Like someone noted, this is proof that given enough people, the Chinese can pretty much do anything. And if you weren't impressed, then you're smoking something. I loved the technology that was involved with the scrolls and even inside the stadium. What I didn't enjoy was the 4 hours it took from start to torch lighting:( We were home and Sarah was already asleep for an hour by the time the torch was lit (midnight our time).
When the Chinese Taipei team came out (rather early too), the place jumped out of their seats with joy. Lots of excitement (from us too.... 3 Americans and 1 Taiwanese) for many minutes. Then after what seemed like forever, when the US team came out, we cheered (along with a great deal of others in the bar.... of both US and Taiwan origins)... until Bush was shown - then the Boos came out and in large numbers (including from me). There really wasn't any booing till they showed him.
Sarah and I watch the Olympics whenever we can (like the rest of the world). They have shown a lot of weightlifting and Archery which is the stuff I enjoy... the sports they don't show the rest of the year on TV. Even some Badminton! I don't think the US team will ever win a medal in Badminton. Archery is pretty sweet to watch. There are camera's everywhere showing the slow motion flight of the arrows, etc. Plus the one match had to finish in the pouring rain.... not sure how many events continue through the rain like this one did.
We did some sightseeing this weekend with some guests from IBM US. I'll post the pictures and stories for tomorrow. Sarah has enjoyed her first week in Taipei, and the best news of today is.... SARAH GOT A JOB!!! She will be teaching 2nd graders 4 days a week here in Taipei. The location is about 20 minute walk is all (probably a bus route that we're looking into - then maybe a 5 minute bus ride). So soon she'll have her permanent visa soon and this means SHE CAN STAY HERE!!!! So thanks for the prayers - it all came through. The contract is signed, now to just complete (and wait) for all the paperwork.
Hopefully this week won't be so hectic as last week and I can get some more blogs in for everyone. Lots of pictures to upload for tomorrow!
Have a great week!
Happy Belated Birthday to Edwardo!!
The Opening Ceremony was pretty sweet. Like someone noted, this is proof that given enough people, the Chinese can pretty much do anything. And if you weren't impressed, then you're smoking something. I loved the technology that was involved with the scrolls and even inside the stadium. What I didn't enjoy was the 4 hours it took from start to torch lighting:( We were home and Sarah was already asleep for an hour by the time the torch was lit (midnight our time).
When the Chinese Taipei team came out (rather early too), the place jumped out of their seats with joy. Lots of excitement (from us too.... 3 Americans and 1 Taiwanese) for many minutes. Then after what seemed like forever, when the US team came out, we cheered (along with a great deal of others in the bar.... of both US and Taiwan origins)... until Bush was shown - then the Boos came out and in large numbers (including from me). There really wasn't any booing till they showed him.
Sarah and I watch the Olympics whenever we can (like the rest of the world). They have shown a lot of weightlifting and Archery which is the stuff I enjoy... the sports they don't show the rest of the year on TV. Even some Badminton! I don't think the US team will ever win a medal in Badminton. Archery is pretty sweet to watch. There are camera's everywhere showing the slow motion flight of the arrows, etc. Plus the one match had to finish in the pouring rain.... not sure how many events continue through the rain like this one did.
We did some sightseeing this weekend with some guests from IBM US. I'll post the pictures and stories for tomorrow. Sarah has enjoyed her first week in Taipei, and the best news of today is.... SARAH GOT A JOB!!! She will be teaching 2nd graders 4 days a week here in Taipei. The location is about 20 minute walk is all (probably a bus route that we're looking into - then maybe a 5 minute bus ride). So soon she'll have her permanent visa soon and this means SHE CAN STAY HERE!!!! So thanks for the prayers - it all came through. The contract is signed, now to just complete (and wait) for all the paperwork.
Hopefully this week won't be so hectic as last week and I can get some more blogs in for everyone. Lots of pictures to upload for tomorrow!
Have a great week!
Happy Belated Birthday to Edwardo!!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Nothing Really Special
Note to self, when you go get a SIM card in Taiwan and want to get a contract (better rates for those staying a year).... take TWO forms of picture ID, not just one. So Sarah's cell phone number will wait till tomorrow now.
Had a good workout at the club this morning. Very humid in there though despite having the air cranked. Some wonderful equipment (all new... within past 2 years I would guess) and in abundance. Might even try a step class sometime, not sure if it's in English or Chinese, but an "A-Step" or "Knee Step" or "Helicopter" move has to be easy enough to figure out despite the language difference.... right?
I think we found our Big Screen TV for Friday's Olympic Opening Ceremony. Of course it's at a bar called "Brass Monkey".... so in it's honor (sorry, the best I could find):
We've entered the College Football radar for 2009.... and that radar has to be HUGE in order to include Iowa State. But that's the ISU football we're used to! Let's shock them all and pull a Kansas (only this time beat Missouri). Looks like Missouri is heavily favored, but then again... what do they know? I manage some guys who studied in USC, UCLA, Stanford... you know, schools that win on a regular basis:)
And of course seeing Brett officially leaving Green Bay camp leaves a lot of questions to be answered. Like will he run the option better than Daunte did in Minnesota, or can Brett handing the ball off to AP as well as pass help the Vikings offense? No, I'm not saying he'll come to Minnesota, but anything is an improvement over Jackson.
Had a good workout at the club this morning. Very humid in there though despite having the air cranked. Some wonderful equipment (all new... within past 2 years I would guess) and in abundance. Might even try a step class sometime, not sure if it's in English or Chinese, but an "A-Step" or "Knee Step" or "Helicopter" move has to be easy enough to figure out despite the language difference.... right?
I think we found our Big Screen TV for Friday's Olympic Opening Ceremony. Of course it's at a bar called "Brass Monkey".... so in it's honor (sorry, the best I could find):
We've entered the College Football radar for 2009.... and that radar has to be HUGE in order to include Iowa State. But that's the ISU football we're used to! Let's shock them all and pull a Kansas (only this time beat Missouri). Looks like Missouri is heavily favored, but then again... what do they know? I manage some guys who studied in USC, UCLA, Stanford... you know, schools that win on a regular basis:)
And of course seeing Brett officially leaving Green Bay camp leaves a lot of questions to be answered. Like will he run the option better than Daunte did in Minnesota, or can Brett handing the ball off to AP as well as pass help the Vikings offense? No, I'm not saying he'll come to Minnesota, but anything is an improvement over Jackson.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Random Taiwan Things
It's been a busy week (not to mention outrageously hot.... 95 degrees and at least 50% humidity) with the newest guest to Taiwan! Sarah loves it so far! She's even worked out 2 times at the California Fitness near our house and loves it! I'm still using my foot recovery as an excuse but we're going tomorrow morning.
Today I finally made it to one of the Suppliers in Hsinchu (about 75 minutes by car). I was where Drew ate his Thanksgiving Dinner last year;) Meetings went well, had spicy beef and rice for lunch, enjoyed the air conditioning.....
I've posted some pictures of Sarah and my first couple of days in Taipei. Her jetlag is minor at this point, she's learned how to say "hello" (Ni-Hao) and "thanks" (shie-shie) already!
Plans for this weekend include visiting some of the nice memorials in town. Possibly some kTV (Karaoke) with a large group from work....
For Olympic preparations.... Taiwan is actually competing as "Chinese Taipei" (don't ask if you don't understand). Here is an explanation of the events we (yes, I said "we" since I'm part Taiwanese now) will be competing in. Main one will be baseball!! Interesting to see Tennis will be participated by Taiwan.
Going to Barbados anytime soon? Beware the world's smallest snake (smaller than a quarter) that looks uglier every time you look at it.
There is a String Bass recital (2 bass players) on Thursday of this week. Sarah and I have our tickets to attend! I will of course provide an analysis later this week! Not often do you get to attend a bass recital ANYWHERE, let alone in Taiwan. Sarah is VERY excited to attend her first bass recital with me.... or not so much. It is Valentine's Day in Taiwan on Thursday so this is how we are celebrating. I bought Sarah a new cell phone for her Valentine's Day present. No use for a shovel here!
Today I finally made it to one of the Suppliers in Hsinchu (about 75 minutes by car). I was where Drew ate his Thanksgiving Dinner last year;) Meetings went well, had spicy beef and rice for lunch, enjoyed the air conditioning.....
I've posted some pictures of Sarah and my first couple of days in Taipei. Her jetlag is minor at this point, she's learned how to say "hello" (Ni-Hao) and "thanks" (shie-shie) already!
Plans for this weekend include visiting some of the nice memorials in town. Possibly some kTV (Karaoke) with a large group from work....
For Olympic preparations.... Taiwan is actually competing as "Chinese Taipei" (don't ask if you don't understand). Here is an explanation of the events we (yes, I said "we" since I'm part Taiwanese now) will be competing in. Main one will be baseball!! Interesting to see Tennis will be participated by Taiwan.
Going to Barbados anytime soon? Beware the world's smallest snake (smaller than a quarter) that looks uglier every time you look at it.
There is a String Bass recital (2 bass players) on Thursday of this week. Sarah and I have our tickets to attend! I will of course provide an analysis later this week! Not often do you get to attend a bass recital ANYWHERE, let alone in Taiwan. Sarah is VERY excited to attend her first bass recital with me.... or not so much. It is Valentine's Day in Taiwan on Thursday so this is how we are celebrating. I bought Sarah a new cell phone for her Valentine's Day present. No use for a shovel here!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Apartment For TWO!!
Sarah has made it safely to Taiwan! Her first day was VERY BUSY and she is currently napping on the couch. Not too bad for jet lag yet but we'll see what tomorrow brings! Thanks for all the prayers on her safe arrival! Have a good weekend!
Friday, August 01, 2008
Good News/Bad News
Good News: Sarah has successfully taken off from Los Angeles - next stop TAIPEI
Bad News: Still 12 hours away from getting her here
Good News: There was a total solar eclipse (not eClipz:) ) here in Asia (mainly in China) that's actually going on as I type this and like some of the early people in the US, I am watching it on TV/internet. You should watch the coverage of it though, someday I'd like to be able to see this thing in person.
Bad News: The sun has already set in Taipei... it sets at 6:30pm here so there's really no hope in seeing this one here
Good News: My stitches are 100% removed
Bad News: Still a little swollen but another week and I should be 100% normal on my foot. I'm about 90% right now.
Good News: I played Ping Pong today for the first time in a while and held my own against a work colleague
Bad News: the room was rather warm and I had to go back to my desk rather sweaty.... need to take a change of shorts/t-shirt to play pingpong in while at work.
Good News: The movie Goonies is just starting on HBO
Bad News: I wish I could record the Chinese translation of "DO THE TRUFFLE SHUFFLE" to share with all of you
Good News:This article from MSNBC on "8 Cool Attractions of the Future" is actually pretty cool for the skyscraper lovers or archetect lovers.
Bad News:The thrill of Taipei 101 will not be for long as it's passed by others for "tallest building"
Good News: I'm 1/4 of the way through the newest Stephen King book and it's pretty good.
Bad News: I still have some 450 pages left as it's a very long book and only out in hardcover. The other kids at work make fun of me carrying around such a huge book on the train, etc.
Good News: It's the weekend for ME!!
Bad News: It's still one day away for most of YOU!!
Plans for this weekend are pretty loose but I plan on showing Sarah the highlights of Taipei. Of course there should be some pictures next week to share with all of you!
Bad News: Still 12 hours away from getting her here
Good News: There was a total solar eclipse (not eClipz:) ) here in Asia (mainly in China) that's actually going on as I type this and like some of the early people in the US, I am watching it on TV/internet. You should watch the coverage of it though, someday I'd like to be able to see this thing in person.
Bad News: The sun has already set in Taipei... it sets at 6:30pm here so there's really no hope in seeing this one here
Good News: My stitches are 100% removed
Bad News: Still a little swollen but another week and I should be 100% normal on my foot. I'm about 90% right now.
Good News: I played Ping Pong today for the first time in a while and held my own against a work colleague
Bad News: the room was rather warm and I had to go back to my desk rather sweaty.... need to take a change of shorts/t-shirt to play pingpong in while at work.
Good News: The movie Goonies is just starting on HBO
Bad News: I wish I could record the Chinese translation of "DO THE TRUFFLE SHUFFLE" to share with all of you
Good News:This article from MSNBC on "8 Cool Attractions of the Future" is actually pretty cool for the skyscraper lovers or archetect lovers.
Bad News:The thrill of Taipei 101 will not be for long as it's passed by others for "tallest building"
Good News: I'm 1/4 of the way through the newest Stephen King book and it's pretty good.
Bad News: I still have some 450 pages left as it's a very long book and only out in hardcover. The other kids at work make fun of me carrying around such a huge book on the train, etc.
Good News: It's the weekend for ME!!
Bad News: It's still one day away for most of YOU!!
Plans for this weekend are pretty loose but I plan on showing Sarah the highlights of Taipei. Of course there should be some pictures next week to share with all of you!
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