Aha!!!!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Doom!
Oh man - a night of total agony. My throat is swollen practically shut, and I've got the worst sciatic nerve pain I've EVER had. I was awake all night and totally miserable.
And since I didn't get much sleep the night before either, due to the couple having a screaming Chinese domestic in the street right outside our building (until the cops came), I'm now having visions.
Trying to think of something else to put so this whole post isn't doom...
My money worries are a bit better. I've finally been paid a whole paycheck and my other boss is back from holiday and has backpaid me everything he owes me. I'll start paying off debts and getting myself back on-track.
What else? Well, I picked something truly alarming out of the shower drain this morning. Had to entomb it in a plastic bag in case it drew nutrition from the rest of the rubbish and managed to asexually breed. Ew yuck!
And since I didn't get much sleep the night before either, due to the couple having a screaming Chinese domestic in the street right outside our building (until the cops came), I'm now having visions.
Trying to think of something else to put so this whole post isn't doom...
My money worries are a bit better. I've finally been paid a whole paycheck and my other boss is back from holiday and has backpaid me everything he owes me. I'll start paying off debts and getting myself back on-track.
What else? Well, I picked something truly alarming out of the shower drain this morning. Had to entomb it in a plastic bag in case it drew nutrition from the rest of the rubbish and managed to asexually breed. Ew yuck!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
No Need to Send Troops, I'm Fine
Okay, I've been told that people actually read this thing and an update is overdue... My bad! Sorry. I've been having a pretty crappy time of late, and I didn't want to bore you with the details. However, here's the barest of stripped bones.
I'm broke, and some of the people at work are probably cutting up their dried squid treats with scissors, since their knives are still stuck firmly in my back.
Anyway, I've talked to my boss and picked up about 8 more hours a week. So the broke thing won't last for too much longer!
I've also made partial peace with the work thing (meaning, I sneer at the main perpetrators, and go out of my way to annoy them) and I'm just trying to remember the fabulousness of my real friends!
Doings of late...
I've been babysitting Oliver, who is DELICIOUS. Look how cute!
I've been eating ridiculous amounts of dan-ping (which is essentially a little scrambled egg with a tortilla on top, then stick some plastic cheese in the middle, roll it up, cram it in a box, cover it in thick sweet soya sauce and go) which has made little impression on my rather pleasing weight loss. Finally found some working scales the other day, and I've lost 9kgs! Eeek. I thought those articles about alcohol being fattening were just someone having a laugh...
The weather is finally perking up, thank goodness. Who would want to live on a freaking tropical island?
I'm currently sharing my batcave with Rachel, another teacher from work. She's leaving soon and her lease has expired, and for some reason my well-hidden soft side came out and I couldn't bear the thought of her sleeping in the ball pool at school.
So here we are, very snug! She grinds her teeth a fair bit, but I'm willing to forgive.
What else? Well, last week I went on a bit of a hike up a mountain. I know what you're thinking - "Jody? The world's laziest trollop?" but you have to remember that Taiwanese don't really DO the outdoors. This mountain is almost fully paved with little walkways and ornamental roses and crap.
Overall impression? Meh. It's no New Zealand. Although it did have a hot-water river, which was kind of cool! Here 'tis.
Oh, and I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but I swear this is a statue of the God of Paprika. It was so weird, and DEFinitely covered in paprika!
And that's about it for now. I've got a new adults class starting this morning, for which I have prepped nothing, and about which I have thought very little. Bad Teacher Jody. Oh, and now that I type "Teacher Jody", I remember that I also have to try and get the whiteboard marker stains out of my hoodie. Bloody kids! I must have looked particularly miffed about it, because they came up one by one to assure me they were not to blame. "Teacher, not me!"
I'm broke, and some of the people at work are probably cutting up their dried squid treats with scissors, since their knives are still stuck firmly in my back.
Anyway, I've talked to my boss and picked up about 8 more hours a week. So the broke thing won't last for too much longer!
I've also made partial peace with the work thing (meaning, I sneer at the main perpetrators, and go out of my way to annoy them) and I'm just trying to remember the fabulousness of my real friends!
Doings of late...
I've been babysitting Oliver, who is DELICIOUS. Look how cute!
I've been eating ridiculous amounts of dan-ping (which is essentially a little scrambled egg with a tortilla on top, then stick some plastic cheese in the middle, roll it up, cram it in a box, cover it in thick sweet soya sauce and go) which has made little impression on my rather pleasing weight loss. Finally found some working scales the other day, and I've lost 9kgs! Eeek. I thought those articles about alcohol being fattening were just someone having a laugh...
The weather is finally perking up, thank goodness. Who would want to live on a freaking tropical island?
I'm currently sharing my batcave with Rachel, another teacher from work. She's leaving soon and her lease has expired, and for some reason my well-hidden soft side came out and I couldn't bear the thought of her sleeping in the ball pool at school.
So here we are, very snug! She grinds her teeth a fair bit, but I'm willing to forgive.
What else? Well, last week I went on a bit of a hike up a mountain. I know what you're thinking - "Jody? The world's laziest trollop?" but you have to remember that Taiwanese don't really DO the outdoors. This mountain is almost fully paved with little walkways and ornamental roses and crap.
Overall impression? Meh. It's no New Zealand. Although it did have a hot-water river, which was kind of cool! Here 'tis.
Oh, and I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but I swear this is a statue of the God of Paprika. It was so weird, and DEFinitely covered in paprika!
And that's about it for now. I've got a new adults class starting this morning, for which I have prepped nothing, and about which I have thought very little. Bad Teacher Jody. Oh, and now that I type "Teacher Jody", I remember that I also have to try and get the whiteboard marker stains out of my hoodie. Bloody kids! I must have looked particularly miffed about it, because they came up one by one to assure me they were not to blame. "Teacher, not me!"
Thursday, February 21, 2008
40 Days and 40 Nights
... of ever-lovin' rain, that is. Today was the first day in literally 40 days that it did not rain. It was weird - I woke up with this strange sensation on my face, and it took me about 5 minutes to realise it was sunshine!
Sorry the posts have been a bit thin on the ground - I'm having an extended period of "life is poo" and I didn't want to waste valuable internet space barking on about it all.
I'm trying really hard to think of some good things, just to provide a bit of balance.
Oh! I know. I went to the Lantern Festival tonight with some of the work girls. It was great - amazing paper lanterns (mostly shaped like rats, since it's Year of the Rat) made by various local schools, and they covered Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in red and gold paper. Plus there were fairy lights everywhere and puppet shows. Taipei is actually reasonably pretty at night. I guess everybody and everything looks better in the dark...
I did catch yet another stupid bumpkin taking a video of us (this is the 3rd time, that I've noticed) and when he saw me glaring at him he quickly moved on. Honestly!
(good things good things good things)
I'm really enjoying listening to one of Kevin's fav Canadian bands - Wide Mouth Mason. Might have to steal all the albums that he has!
Sorry the posts have been a bit thin on the ground - I'm having an extended period of "life is poo" and I didn't want to waste valuable internet space barking on about it all.
I'm trying really hard to think of some good things, just to provide a bit of balance.
Oh! I know. I went to the Lantern Festival tonight with some of the work girls. It was great - amazing paper lanterns (mostly shaped like rats, since it's Year of the Rat) made by various local schools, and they covered Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in red and gold paper. Plus there were fairy lights everywhere and puppet shows. Taipei is actually reasonably pretty at night. I guess everybody and everything looks better in the dark...
I did catch yet another stupid bumpkin taking a video of us (this is the 3rd time, that I've noticed) and when he saw me glaring at him he quickly moved on. Honestly!
(good things good things good things)
I'm really enjoying listening to one of Kevin's fav Canadian bands - Wide Mouth Mason. Might have to steal all the albums that he has!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
1991
Ah yes, 1991. The year I was fifteen, and high school consisted of classes, interspersed with angsty crap about boys, whispering about other girls, and in-depth discussions about who was best friends with whom. Thank goodness those days are over.
Or are they?
I feel like when I go upstairs to teach, the Teachers Aids and their manager are staring daggers at my back, and aren't quite as genuinely friendly as one might expect, considering I'm a reasonably nice person and haven't had any run-ins with any of them. And it turns out I'm right.
They HATE me because I'm friends with a male teacher who used to date one of them. She's not over it, she is jealous of me being friends with him, and now all the rest of them are indulging in this little flashback to simpler times by acting like a bunch of hormone riddled sharp clawed harpy teenagers.
What can I say?
Or are they?
I feel like when I go upstairs to teach, the Teachers Aids and their manager are staring daggers at my back, and aren't quite as genuinely friendly as one might expect, considering I'm a reasonably nice person and haven't had any run-ins with any of them. And it turns out I'm right.
They HATE me because I'm friends with a male teacher who used to date one of them. She's not over it, she is jealous of me being friends with him, and now all the rest of them are indulging in this little flashback to simpler times by acting like a bunch of hormone riddled sharp clawed harpy teenagers.
What can I say?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Birthday Noods
I've been having one of those "Everything is coming up Milhouse" sort of days. Went down to the shops for a few last minute things before everything closes (it's New Years Eve of course) and got some excellent bargains from people itching to close up and start their holidays.
Then I was feeling peckish so I stopped at this little noodly place (where they regarded me with horror, so I rang Teresa for translation...) and had the most kick-ass brown noodles in saucy stuff with crunchy I don't know whats on top and coriander and chilli and mushrooms. It was FANTASTIC. This weird old man decided to sit at my table, so I had company. He eventually slipped his face mask on and conked out with his head resting on the fridge, so I guess he didn't find me threatening.
Then I bought a jacket (also on sale) because it's freezing at the moment and nowhere in Taiwan has heating.
And now I am snuggled up in my bat cave, feeling full and happy and content. I bought nice snacks (some of which I'll send to Tracy) and I'm going to have a ginger tea. Oh Jody! You are so Taiwanese!
Oh yeah (just re-read my title) Teresa tells me that the character and pronunciation of the word for those noodles means that if you eat them on your birthday you'll have a long life.
Then I was feeling peckish so I stopped at this little noodly place (where they regarded me with horror, so I rang Teresa for translation...) and had the most kick-ass brown noodles in saucy stuff with crunchy I don't know whats on top and coriander and chilli and mushrooms. It was FANTASTIC. This weird old man decided to sit at my table, so I had company. He eventually slipped his face mask on and conked out with his head resting on the fridge, so I guess he didn't find me threatening.
Then I bought a jacket (also on sale) because it's freezing at the moment and nowhere in Taiwan has heating.
And now I am snuggled up in my bat cave, feeling full and happy and content. I bought nice snacks (some of which I'll send to Tracy) and I'm going to have a ginger tea. Oh Jody! You are so Taiwanese!
Oh yeah (just re-read my title) Teresa tells me that the character and pronunciation of the word for those noodles means that if you eat them on your birthday you'll have a long life.
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