Orientation Week has officially started! Huzzar!
Saturday training was intensely monotonous. Sat through a bunch of randomness with a few speakers about the variety of awesomeness that the campus offers. The most enticing thing was the free food and t-shirts. Also played a game of Gladiators (which is a 4-team free-for-all capture the flag). I managed to steal a flag, at the cost of reopening my scab (ew). Running on astroturf is really cool, especially when you slide because you can see the trail of where you slid.
Sunday we helped with the move in of new students staying in residence. Such incredible cheering and clapping when a car drives up to the building; I wonder if we scared them much. The parking lot system was hugely inefficient with only one golf cart touring the place handing out exit tickets. Of note would be the omfg-this-place-is-awesome new residence building: Global Village. Even unfinished, this building is several times better than the other buildings. Each unit has two individual bedrooms with a double bed and television, as well as a bathroom / shower, microwave, and full-sized refrigerator. Beautiful common room with new Sony 40'' televisions. Large kitchen with massive refrigerators and stoves for cooking. International students have such incredible privileges (at a price of course).
Rather disappointing that I'm not leading around Science students. I honestly feel like I can't connect with these weird Communications and Culture people. It's pretty awesome that they're all girls, but it doesn't help that I don't find much in common; nor do I find them attractive. I'm also not very good at the whole 'hyping' people bit, so it's rather stale when I lead them around. The induction ceremony was rather loud and the Schulich / Haskayne rivalry is readily apparent.
This first day was rather unorganized. Hopefully it'll get better (and it will I hope).
In other news...
To date, I have obtained at least 11 t-shirts for helping out with Oweek. It is one of my only consolations for doing all this. The others would be seeing their smiling faces when I help them out. F'serious.
Finally bought my squash racquet. A Dunlop Blackmax 140g racquet. Hopefully it'll last me forever so I won't have to buy another one, provided I take good care of it without smashing it into any walls. Oh, and the whole re-stringing and re-gripping business too.
I laugh at the whole Disney obtaining the rights to Marvel Comics thing.
Still constantly drained. Also stuffy nosed. It's so awful. Can't do anything without immense effort and what not. I hope it magically clears away before classes start.
One of the new mangas that I've started to read, Bakuman, mocks me. It's basically about two people that strive to become mangaka in the dog-eat-dog world of manga business. How does it mock me? Lol. Sort of.
Finally bought the rest of my textbooks. They were rather heavy. I'm wondering if I'll actually need them, but know my study style, I probably will. An expensive study habit to be sure.
Did a little room reorganization recently. It's a tad cleaner now, although I still need to clean out all my notes from last year; that pile is rather unsightly. Perhaps when I buy binders, I'll worry about it.
The rainbow shot turned out a bit blurrier than I would've liked it, but it's still amazing. Only because the photographer was amazing. I don't get how you manage to do so much all the time. It's rather crazy. Yay rainbows!
8/31/09
8/26/09
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves
8/26/09
That's the name of this book I'm reading period On punctuation in fact exclamation mark I find it rather surreal that I'm enjoying a book talking about these random dots and lines comma but this book is actually really darn interesting period Before reading this book comma I've never really given much thought or concern to our humble friends period What would our written language be like without their help in guiding us through our written text semi colon setting out when to stop and where to begin question mark Well comma it'd be sort of like this right question mark
Marvelous.
It actually is quite a wonderful read (although I'm not done with the book yet). I do recommend it to anyone that is hoping to experience something both enjoyable and educational. We don't get much of those these days. I'm also surprised that I don't use ':', ';'. and '-' that much; the only tools I use currently are '?', '!', and 'italics'. Think of all the wonderful things I could do if I doubled my weapons!
Whether it's on msn or through whatever writing I have here, I strive to (or at least I hope I'm striving to) give whatever I'm writing a 'voice'; a way to 'hear' me speak; the proper emotions to bear when taking in this visual disturbance to mental understandation. Perhaps with these new tools, I can do that better. Perhaps.
One of my favorite lines from this book: "[...] found catharsis in an exclamation mark".
In other news...
I've been unconsciously getting myself hurt as of late due to: bikes, squash and poles.
Bikes: So while biking through the ravine on my way home from a friend's house the other day, I almost wiped out and broke something. It was basically a combination of me speeding down an unfamiliar hill, hands on the handlebars with the brakes (the bike has two sets you see), an unseen trench made out of rocks, and morning dew. Being unable to slow down then hurdling over and surviving some trench then struggling to brake before psuedo-hydroplaning does lend itself to almost hurting oneself...no?
Squash: Was trying to connect a shot but I missed. So I chased the ball as it bounced off the wall and the glass, but I end up slipping and scraping my knee along the ground. I did connect the second shot though. The ball, however, decided to not make it to the wall. Not by a long shot. Darn thing. Anyways, some skin and muscle cells gone, but all is fine (albeit rather gooey). Didn't help that I agitated it by continuing to play.
Poles: Did you know hitting it with your arms causes bruising? It does.
Apparently doing another shoot tomorrow. How exciting =D.
Summer is already rushing out of our lives as semblances of Fall is taking a foothold here. Other than the brutal sadness caused by a lot of potential (energy) dissipated, I'm also distraught over various broken promises of sorts. It is rather difficult to keep in touch with all the people that you've met over the course of your life career up to now; it's a real downer when you keep talking about how you'll meet up with each other only to have it never come true.
Of course, whether such meetings of friendship blossom or rot is based solely on the individuals involved. It could sometimes be neithers' fault as they have conflicting schedules that can't be changed: classes, work, vacations, parents, other friends. It's quite a mess. Hopefully it'll be handled in a more acceptable manner come next summer.
Ever spend a lot of time thinking about something that you want to say or present, only for it all to abandon you when the moment of action comes? I've spent all that time creating and pondering you, the least you could do is to stay in my mind long enough to be expressed. Also, sometimes, you know there's something to say but you can't extract a comprehensible line out of the mess.
Bad luck. When you buy collectable Disney Mickey Mouse Vinyl figurines for your friends... only to have 3 of them being the exact same one; being the absolute gayest one that you could possibly get. I would find it humorous if the 'Question Mark + Black' figure at the end of the list was actually just a black Mickey Mouse with a question mark on it and being not a mystery.
...would it not be embarrassing if I had some grammar mistakes in here? It would be rather embarrassing indeed..
Marvelous.
It actually is quite a wonderful read (although I'm not done with the book yet). I do recommend it to anyone that is hoping to experience something both enjoyable and educational. We don't get much of those these days. I'm also surprised that I don't use ':', ';'. and '-' that much; the only tools I use currently are '?', '!', and 'italics'. Think of all the wonderful things I could do if I doubled my weapons!
Whether it's on msn or through whatever writing I have here, I strive to (or at least I hope I'm striving to) give whatever I'm writing a 'voice'; a way to 'hear' me speak; the proper emotions to bear when taking in this visual disturbance to mental understandation. Perhaps with these new tools, I can do that better. Perhaps.
One of my favorite lines from this book: "[...] found catharsis in an exclamation mark".
In other news...
I've been unconsciously getting myself hurt as of late due to: bikes, squash and poles.
Bikes: So while biking through the ravine on my way home from a friend's house the other day, I almost wiped out and broke something. It was basically a combination of me speeding down an unfamiliar hill, hands on the handlebars with the brakes (the bike has two sets you see), an unseen trench made out of rocks, and morning dew. Being unable to slow down then hurdling over and surviving some trench then struggling to brake before psuedo-hydroplaning does lend itself to almost hurting oneself...no?
Squash: Was trying to connect a shot but I missed. So I chased the ball as it bounced off the wall and the glass, but I end up slipping and scraping my knee along the ground. I did connect the second shot though. The ball, however, decided to not make it to the wall. Not by a long shot. Darn thing. Anyways, some skin and muscle cells gone, but all is fine (albeit rather gooey). Didn't help that I agitated it by continuing to play.
Poles: Did you know hitting it with your arms causes bruising? It does.
Apparently doing another shoot tomorrow. How exciting =D.
Summer is already rushing out of our lives as semblances of Fall is taking a foothold here. Other than the brutal sadness caused by a lot of potential (energy) dissipated, I'm also distraught over various broken promises of sorts. It is rather difficult to keep in touch with all the people that you've met over the course of your life career up to now; it's a real downer when you keep talking about how you'll meet up with each other only to have it never come true.
Of course, whether such meetings of friendship blossom or rot is based solely on the individuals involved. It could sometimes be neithers' fault as they have conflicting schedules that can't be changed: classes, work, vacations, parents, other friends. It's quite a mess. Hopefully it'll be handled in a more acceptable manner come next summer.
Ever spend a lot of time thinking about something that you want to say or present, only for it all to abandon you when the moment of action comes? I've spent all that time creating and pondering you, the least you could do is to stay in my mind long enough to be expressed. Also, sometimes, you know there's something to say but you can't extract a comprehensible line out of the mess.
Bad luck. When you buy collectable Disney Mickey Mouse Vinyl figurines for your friends... only to have 3 of them being the exact same one; being the absolute gayest one that you could possibly get. I would find it humorous if the 'Question Mark + Black' figure at the end of the list was actually just a black Mickey Mouse with a question mark on it and being not a mystery.
...would it not be embarrassing if I had some grammar mistakes in here? It would be rather embarrassing indeed..
8/23/09
[I, E]Q and Benny
8/23/09
IQ and EQ. Intelligence and Emotions. Too much of one and not enough of the other can cause a lot of problems. Well, that goes without saying, balance is key most of the time.
Too much EQ and not enough IQ and you won't be able to make any intelligible choices in life. You'd worry so much about considering everyone else's feelings and not be able to make a decision. Or you'd be a liability because although you can understand so much about people, but end up causing way too much trouble because you can't grasp the basics of anything around you.
Too much IQ and not enough EQ will make you unable to understand other people's thought processes and such, leading to relationship issues and inability to communicate one's ideas effectively. They only keep you around because you're useful. You're smart, you can figure tough scientific jargon out, but that's it. Otherwise, they despise you and talk about you behind your back because you're some crazy eccentric psycho.
During this discussion, a friend brought up how technically, with friends, isn't it sort of the same thing? You keep them around because they're entertaining and comforting right? I was kind of stumped at this. Dang.
Hey. Benny? Yeah. Go die >_>.
Why the random outburst?
So, my cousins are moving, and they got a company to help them move, and then we'd only have to help move all the itty bitty / delicate stuff. Anyways, they decided to hire this moving group owned by a man called Benny. He just helped a friend of our families' move, so we thought that we'd give them another try.
They were supposed to arrive at 9.
Much to our surprise, they didn't show up. Hey, this sounds rather familiar. In fact, the same Benny did this same crap to us last year when we moved. Except last time, we sat around all day believing them when they said that they'd arrive in an hour or two. No. No. This time, we called U-Haul right away and moved that stuff ourselves. Even if we'd only have the truck for two hours. We succeeded by the way.
No thanks to you, Benny. >_>.
In other news...
It's been about a week since I've gotten back. Finally had some of mom's cooking tonight. It's delicious. Thanks mom.
Trying to somehow stay in touch with all the people I've met while in Taiwan, but that's already proving difficult in some senses, especially if they're not good at instant messaging conversations. In another sense, it might just be because I'm not interesting enough to keep their attention long enough for them to want to talk to me.
Played poker the other day. Dropped out first, but alongside two other people, so I don't feel as bad. The three of us went all-in at some point because it was practically two hours without anyone dropping out. Saddest thing was that I didn't even win one round that night =_=".
I either have incredible jetlag or something is terribly wrong. I've been sort of sleeping more, but I'm still consistently tired throughout the day.
After moving, two friends came over to play some Scrabble. It's been the longest time since I've played that game, and we actually had quite a bit of fun playing. Except I never knew that aa was supposedly a word. Same with ex and xi and ti. Wtf xD.
Lots of games this time, also played Cranium and Hoopla for the first time. Things get pretty frantic and a lot of randomness goes around. Things also get borderline ridiculous at some points. For example: Grazilla. Probably happened after he heard someone say Godzilla and he wanted to say Gorilla.
I drove today. I haven't driven for at least 2 years now. It was rather... frightening. Or nerve wracking. Or something along those lines. It's more for me to improve on. Among other things.
Something has changed. I don't know what for sure, but it's quite apparent. Also rather frustrating. Or confusing. Vexing. Blah.
Too much EQ and not enough IQ and you won't be able to make any intelligible choices in life. You'd worry so much about considering everyone else's feelings and not be able to make a decision. Or you'd be a liability because although you can understand so much about people, but end up causing way too much trouble because you can't grasp the basics of anything around you.
Too much IQ and not enough EQ will make you unable to understand other people's thought processes and such, leading to relationship issues and inability to communicate one's ideas effectively. They only keep you around because you're useful. You're smart, you can figure tough scientific jargon out, but that's it. Otherwise, they despise you and talk about you behind your back because you're some crazy eccentric psycho.
During this discussion, a friend brought up how technically, with friends, isn't it sort of the same thing? You keep them around because they're entertaining and comforting right? I was kind of stumped at this. Dang.
Hey. Benny? Yeah. Go die >_>.
Why the random outburst?
So, my cousins are moving, and they got a company to help them move, and then we'd only have to help move all the itty bitty / delicate stuff. Anyways, they decided to hire this moving group owned by a man called Benny. He just helped a friend of our families' move, so we thought that we'd give them another try.
They were supposed to arrive at 9.
Much to our surprise, they didn't show up. Hey, this sounds rather familiar. In fact, the same Benny did this same crap to us last year when we moved. Except last time, we sat around all day believing them when they said that they'd arrive in an hour or two. No. No. This time, we called U-Haul right away and moved that stuff ourselves. Even if we'd only have the truck for two hours. We succeeded by the way.
No thanks to you, Benny. >_>.
In other news...
It's been about a week since I've gotten back. Finally had some of mom's cooking tonight. It's delicious. Thanks mom.
Trying to somehow stay in touch with all the people I've met while in Taiwan, but that's already proving difficult in some senses, especially if they're not good at instant messaging conversations. In another sense, it might just be because I'm not interesting enough to keep their attention long enough for them to want to talk to me.
Played poker the other day. Dropped out first, but alongside two other people, so I don't feel as bad. The three of us went all-in at some point because it was practically two hours without anyone dropping out. Saddest thing was that I didn't even win one round that night =_=".
I either have incredible jetlag or something is terribly wrong. I've been sort of sleeping more, but I'm still consistently tired throughout the day.
After moving, two friends came over to play some Scrabble. It's been the longest time since I've played that game, and we actually had quite a bit of fun playing. Except I never knew that aa was supposedly a word. Same with ex and xi and ti. Wtf xD.
Lots of games this time, also played Cranium and Hoopla for the first time. Things get pretty frantic and a lot of randomness goes around. Things also get borderline ridiculous at some points. For example: Grazilla. Probably happened after he heard someone say Godzilla and he wanted to say Gorilla.
I drove today. I haven't driven for at least 2 years now. It was rather... frightening. Or nerve wracking. Or something along those lines. It's more for me to improve on. Among other things.
Something has changed. I don't know what for sure, but it's quite apparent. Also rather frustrating. Or confusing. Vexing. Blah.
8/19/09
OCAC Finale part B
8/19/09
This might be rather difficult to write and become incoherent as an outcome due to lack of sleep and whatnot. The whole plan of staying awake on the plane then sleeping once I got back to set my inner clock right would've worked, had I not slept only 4 hours monday night (morning?) and 3.5 hours tuesday night (morning >_>?). My body probably thought it was a nap, then forced me to sleep later in the day. Blah.
Anyways.
I was going to make a pseudo summary of the trip. So here goes.
Places visited.
- Taipei
- Various night markets
- Tap Water Museum
- Epic Flower Garden (it's not its actual name... did I use those apostrophes correctly xD?)
- Ceramics Museum
- Glass Museum
- Taipei 101
- Random Temples
- Kaohsiung
- Xiao Ren Guo
- Fort San Domingo at Dan Shui
- Yi Lan
- Traditional Chinese Performance University place thingy
- Some Mining Town
- 2009 World Games Stadium
- Yang Ming Shan (the mountain)
- places that I missed...
Achievements / Accomplishments.
- Attained a great wealth of new friends and memories
- Probably improved my speaking / listening skills a bit
- Some understanding of Taiwanese culture
- Ate a lot of terrific food
- Learnt how to play the Chinese Yo-Yo (albeit not well..)
- Learnt how to carve stone seals
- Bought a lot of random awesomeness
- Received a super cool note from a friend
- Went ktv'ing
- Participated in a karaoke competition and a drama competition
- Started 3 new manga series (okay, maybe not an achievement... xD)
- Blogged and wrote in a journal
- 2800+ photos were taken
- Obtaining enough points that I could leave and still get my yearbook
- Not gaining that much more weight... although it could be muscle and not fat
- ... and more!
Failures.
- Probably still unable to communicate effectively in mandarin
- Didn't get a notebook thingy for people to sign in
- The journal died in the last week or so
- Developed an epic farmers tan
- The note wasn't a confession (awww xD)
- I wasted a lot of time and could've visited even more places
- Didn't get to know everyone as well as I could've
- Lack of sleep overall
- Bought more than I needed
- Getting my passport soaked
- Got drunk
- Got sick
- Already forgetting some people's names (evident in epic fail photo tagging)
- Didn't try all the food I possibly could
- Luggage being overweight and getting my shampoo and such confiscated
- ... and a lot more!
Friends. (in no particular order I might add...)
Ryan. For introducing me to this program and looking out for me throughout the duration of the trip as well as being an awesome friend.
Lorenzo. For being a badass that always speaks whatever he wants without worrying how others think of him. Oh, except for that time when I went on his fb and messed with his fb status, he was really ticked off about that for some reason.
James. For being my shopping and random work out buddy. Made shopping less awkward 'cause I wouldn't be the only guy looking at stuff. Also for helping me translate when I was getting a haircut and buying glasses.
Jessica. For ending the awfulness that was our sausage fest until we started hanging out with more people. Oh, we liked your company too =).
Henry (Chaos). For being an awesome guy to chill with due to his piercingly great sarcastic comments and humor. Also for being someone I could talk to in class when I got bored. Accompanying me on random occasions of shopping too.
Karen. For being an awesome friend in my class and providing me with entertainment so I wouldn't fall asleep. Also for creating an awesome dance for our karaoke competition and being my dance partner for salsa. And introducing me to a bunch of other people later on.
Alan. For being an incredible singer and Rubik's cube technician. Also for having developed the same pen trick that I did in grade 11. And for finishing Astrophysical Engineering in 3 years.
Suming. For being the smart guy in the class and helping take control of the mess that was our karaoke competition practice.
Toni. For an awesome last-minute script for our drama competition that made many laughs for everyone.
Michelle. For being so incredibly over the top and energetic that the atmosphere was immediately more lighthearted and fun whenever you're around. Also for not taking any crap from the counselors. And water balloons.
Hatim (the Panda Emperor). For looking out for me at the club and also being such an interesting guy to talk to. Also for having a great sense of humor and random spontaneity that I appreciate. And your awesome accent.
Cindy. For your awesome facial expressions during your translations for our auditorium bed checks. Also for putting up with me and Lorenzo's teasing xD.
Patrick. For being a The Pillows / FLCL fan and a party animal.
Erick. For being a sexy man from Mexico. Lol. Also for helping me practice my Mandarin since communicating in English was clearly no good (nor Spanish for that matter).
Katherine. For being my beading buddy and helping me along when I had zero clue what to do.
Gloria. For always having an incredibly positive attitude and bright smile. Also for being a fan of hiking.
Tiffany. For being the person that I randomly hang out with in early morning weekends when everyone is still asleep.
Jonathan. For being probably the nicest guy there possible and for being so tolerant of the Princess. Also for being a Canadian. =).
Amanda. For being a WoW player and occupying the Fang for a week. Also for being a Canadian =D.
...and whoever else that I've forgotten... please don't be offended. I'm sleepy xD. Not that you'd ever read this anyways. My greatest regret is not having hung out with most of you sooner. The latter half of the trip was just that much more fun being with you guys.
So that's the trip. Well worth it. Rather satisfying. Full of potential. And now I'm back home.
In other news...
I've been randomly falling asleep every now and then. Darn jet lag / lack of sleep. But this lack of sleep will definitely continue on since there'll be very few chances of me to get good amounts of sleep since I'll have to wake early. Unless I decide to sleep early. You know how well that goes.
Won't be able to have any actual home cooked meals until next week since mom'll be busy helping cousins' with packing and moving. I was looking forward to mom's cooking > <".
Bought a set of use Ochem textbooks the other day. The solutions manual was the same size as the actual textbook and they were darn heavy to carry for some odd reason. It's either really heavy, i'm tired, or just weak. Or a mixture of all three. But it was not fun at all the carry. Not that I enjoy carrying textbooks on a regular basis.
My chair keeps squeaking >_>.
I can't believe your sister is going to be in my Zool375 class. It's going to be fun and awkward at the same time. It'll be a great learning opportunity as she'll have 2 more extra years of experience under her belt. At the same time however, I'm concerned it might cause a distraction in some sense.
My arms and legs already ache, and the real training hasn't even started yet. Whee.
The whole skype thing today was sort of awkward. Also rather unexpected. Didn't have time to compose what I wanted to convey.. or discuss. Maybe it's better off if we don't.
Got texting and caller ID back. Except at a cheaper price. With 2350 more texts than before. What am I going to do with all those texts o_o. Which brings to attention my always almost full text message folder. I can't receive or sent 5 texts before I have to delete stuff. Of course, this is the second instance of this happening... and I know I really should delete it. All of it. But I can't bring myself to delete it all. Went through it again today to try and get rid of a few of the less important ones (probably my 3rd or 4th time doing this now), and a flood of emotion came back. I doubt that's beneficial to whatever is supposed to be happening.
Anyways.
I was going to make a pseudo summary of the trip. So here goes.
Places visited.
- Taipei
- Various night markets
- Tap Water Museum
- Epic Flower Garden (it's not its actual name... did I use those apostrophes correctly xD?)
- Ceramics Museum
- Glass Museum
- Taipei 101
- Random Temples
- Kaohsiung
- Xiao Ren Guo
- Fort San Domingo at Dan Shui
- Yi Lan
- Traditional Chinese Performance University place thingy
- Some Mining Town
- 2009 World Games Stadium
- Yang Ming Shan (the mountain)
- places that I missed...
Achievements / Accomplishments.
- Attained a great wealth of new friends and memories
- Probably improved my speaking / listening skills a bit
- Some understanding of Taiwanese culture
- Ate a lot of terrific food
- Learnt how to play the Chinese Yo-Yo (albeit not well..)
- Learnt how to carve stone seals
- Bought a lot of random awesomeness
- Received a super cool note from a friend
- Went ktv'ing
- Participated in a karaoke competition and a drama competition
- Started 3 new manga series (okay, maybe not an achievement... xD)
- Blogged and wrote in a journal
- 2800+ photos were taken
- Obtaining enough points that I could leave and still get my yearbook
- Not gaining that much more weight... although it could be muscle and not fat
- ... and more!
Failures.
- Probably still unable to communicate effectively in mandarin
- Didn't get a notebook thingy for people to sign in
- The journal died in the last week or so
- Developed an epic farmers tan
- The note wasn't a confession (awww xD)
- I wasted a lot of time and could've visited even more places
- Didn't get to know everyone as well as I could've
- Lack of sleep overall
- Bought more than I needed
- Getting my passport soaked
- Got drunk
- Got sick
- Already forgetting some people's names (evident in epic fail photo tagging)
- Didn't try all the food I possibly could
- Luggage being overweight and getting my shampoo and such confiscated
- ... and a lot more!
Friends. (in no particular order I might add...)
Ryan. For introducing me to this program and looking out for me throughout the duration of the trip as well as being an awesome friend.
Lorenzo. For being a badass that always speaks whatever he wants without worrying how others think of him. Oh, except for that time when I went on his fb and messed with his fb status, he was really ticked off about that for some reason.
James. For being my shopping and random work out buddy. Made shopping less awkward 'cause I wouldn't be the only guy looking at stuff. Also for helping me translate when I was getting a haircut and buying glasses.
Jessica. For ending the awfulness that was our sausage fest until we started hanging out with more people. Oh, we liked your company too =).
Henry (Chaos). For being an awesome guy to chill with due to his piercingly great sarcastic comments and humor. Also for being someone I could talk to in class when I got bored. Accompanying me on random occasions of shopping too.
Karen. For being an awesome friend in my class and providing me with entertainment so I wouldn't fall asleep. Also for creating an awesome dance for our karaoke competition and being my dance partner for salsa. And introducing me to a bunch of other people later on.
Alan. For being an incredible singer and Rubik's cube technician. Also for having developed the same pen trick that I did in grade 11. And for finishing Astrophysical Engineering in 3 years.
Suming. For being the smart guy in the class and helping take control of the mess that was our karaoke competition practice.
Toni. For an awesome last-minute script for our drama competition that made many laughs for everyone.
Michelle. For being so incredibly over the top and energetic that the atmosphere was immediately more lighthearted and fun whenever you're around. Also for not taking any crap from the counselors. And water balloons.
Hatim (the Panda Emperor). For looking out for me at the club and also being such an interesting guy to talk to. Also for having a great sense of humor and random spontaneity that I appreciate. And your awesome accent.
Cindy. For your awesome facial expressions during your translations for our auditorium bed checks. Also for putting up with me and Lorenzo's teasing xD.
Patrick. For being a The Pillows / FLCL fan and a party animal.
Erick. For being a sexy man from Mexico. Lol. Also for helping me practice my Mandarin since communicating in English was clearly no good (nor Spanish for that matter).
Katherine. For being my beading buddy and helping me along when I had zero clue what to do.
Gloria. For always having an incredibly positive attitude and bright smile. Also for being a fan of hiking.
Tiffany. For being the person that I randomly hang out with in early morning weekends when everyone is still asleep.
Jonathan. For being probably the nicest guy there possible and for being so tolerant of the Princess. Also for being a Canadian. =).
Amanda. For being a WoW player and occupying the Fang for a week. Also for being a Canadian =D.
...and whoever else that I've forgotten... please don't be offended. I'm sleepy xD. Not that you'd ever read this anyways. My greatest regret is not having hung out with most of you sooner. The latter half of the trip was just that much more fun being with you guys.
So that's the trip. Well worth it. Rather satisfying. Full of potential. And now I'm back home.
In other news...
I've been randomly falling asleep every now and then. Darn jet lag / lack of sleep. But this lack of sleep will definitely continue on since there'll be very few chances of me to get good amounts of sleep since I'll have to wake early. Unless I decide to sleep early. You know how well that goes.
Won't be able to have any actual home cooked meals until next week since mom'll be busy helping cousins' with packing and moving. I was looking forward to mom's cooking > <".
Bought a set of use Ochem textbooks the other day. The solutions manual was the same size as the actual textbook and they were darn heavy to carry for some odd reason. It's either really heavy, i'm tired, or just weak. Or a mixture of all three. But it was not fun at all the carry. Not that I enjoy carrying textbooks on a regular basis.
My chair keeps squeaking >_>.
I can't believe your sister is going to be in my Zool375 class. It's going to be fun and awkward at the same time. It'll be a great learning opportunity as she'll have 2 more extra years of experience under her belt. At the same time however, I'm concerned it might cause a distraction in some sense.
My arms and legs already ache, and the real training hasn't even started yet. Whee.
The whole skype thing today was sort of awkward. Also rather unexpected. Didn't have time to compose what I wanted to convey.. or discuss. Maybe it's better off if we don't.
Got texting and caller ID back. Except at a cheaper price. With 2350 more texts than before. What am I going to do with all those texts o_o. Which brings to attention my always almost full text message folder. I can't receive or sent 5 texts before I have to delete stuff. Of course, this is the second instance of this happening... and I know I really should delete it. All of it. But I can't bring myself to delete it all. Went through it again today to try and get rid of a few of the less important ones (probably my 3rd or 4th time doing this now), and a flood of emotion came back. I doubt that's beneficial to whatever is supposed to be happening.
8/18/09
OCAC Finale part A
8/18/09
. . . I don't know where to start. > <".
Maybe I'll start with a recount of the last 2 ish days before I left.
Saturday 15.
...took me a moment to remember what I did here, even had to check photos xD. And the photos didn't help much with the morning.
Basically, early morning Saturday comprised of consuming a delicious peach egg tart then later a chicken wrap, taking pictures with people that were leaving (hugs and all), watched a bit of some movie, chilled in the computer lab for a bit trying to figure out what happened to my 6th memory card photo memories, and such. I think I ate something else too, but my memory is fuzzy.
Afterwards, we decided to head out for some bowling! Awesomeness ensued. The first place we went to was really full and we didn't want to wait, so we headed off to a different one that was close by. Alan wasn't feeling well so Karen took the poor guy back. Hatim had practically new shoes since his foot was massive enough that it was effectively not on the scale of feet they provide. Played two games, scoring 95 then 82. Pretty bad actually, but meh. Lorenzo played splendidly, but was utterly unsatisfied because he didn't have his own ball and shoes there.
Split off with some of the people after bowling and I headed into the night market to make some final purchases. Lorenzo bought several (actually a whole bag full) Doraemon towels for his friends while I picked up 3 tshirts for people as well as buying a pair of Nike (finally).
Headed back to Shi Da area where we dined on steamed and fried dumplings for the last time before returning to the university. Once we returned, people made a mad dash to finish packing and signing out so that they could both get a yearbook/CD thing and go out clubbing. Some fine juggling of loopholes and such occurred. At this point, Ryan returned, and he was high. Off coffee. That he drank at 9 in the morning. I don't know what kind he drank, but to be on a coffee high for 12+ hours is completely insane.
So, two firsts happened for me tonight. Going to a club and getting drunk. Slightly ashamed that it happened, but I think it's something that I should experience for once in my life. But things you should never try would include drugs, murder, rape, stealing candy from babies. First club we went to for the sole reason of getting Karen's passport wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts. Vexing thoughts occurred to me because women wearing much much less were given entry while I was rejected. Well, the reasoning is obvious, but I still find it rather ridiculous.
Babe18. 400nt admission for females and 600nt admission for males. Great, more discrimination. But apparently, you have unlimited (probably watered down) drinks with your entry.
I miss caller ID, whoever just called me... it's 1 am yo xD.
...moving on. The place was dark, flashing lights, pulsating music, smoky, and sort of crowded. I attempted to dance. Um... dance? Lol. You could hardly call it dancing. I'd say something like an octopus flailing in futility in a furtive field of fiery flowers. Anyways, I somehow became Hatim's drinking buddy because Karen wasn't up for drinking that day.
Sunday 19.
3 shots, 8 cocktails, and a few hours later...
I apparently wasn't very stable in walking, and talked in circles. o_o. Anyways, headed to McD's since the club closes at 4 and the university doors don't open till 6. I don't remember much of the taxi ride, but once we reached McD's, I headed upstairs and collapsed at a table. I woke up 2 hours ish later and puked. I don't remember when was the last time I did, but this wasn't as worst as I remembered it (but by no means am I saying I'd want to again..).
Hatim stayed in my room afterwards and rather than sleeping, we had an unexpected H2H and also ranted about The Fang and The Princess. Gotta love ranting. Fell asleep but woke up 3 hours later. Good thing I did, because people were leaving again =/. More pictures, hugs, and good byes.
Stomach was hurting, but apparently it was just from hunger, and not anything bad. Headed to the American food place for one final burger rush. We went around the dorm scrounging for dinner tickets by asking people, then we splurged when we got there. Consumed various burgers and fries, also ordered chicken strips and fries since we had extra. Our greatest folly was not knowing that the chicken strips came with fries. So we basically had 4 large portions of fries and 2 portions of chicken strips. It was a rather excessive.
Headed back to the university, showered, said more good byes, and headed off to Yang Ming Mountain because it was supposed to be one of the spots you should visit while in Taiwan. The ride on the bus up was interesting because we saw a lot of small town like things, which is weird because it's rather seamless with the actual city, like it's part of the city and not part of the city at the same time. Really glad we went there because the scenery was pretty awesome and we spent a lot of time mocking RPGs saying things like "the boss would appear at this moment when we try to light the fire pit" or "we had to turn these statues to the right orientation to open the gates" and such. True nerdiness never dies.
The trip back down the mountain was unexpectedly longer because of some sort of tragic jam. Ended up being slightly late back to the university, which was not a good thing since we were supposed to meet up with Ryan's Taiwan friends (just Nick and Tony this time) for dinner before we headed off. I was sort of worried the whole ride because it wouldn't be good if we were late for our flight. Also being on the mountain made me regret not visiting even more places around the area. Sadness.
Anyways, Lorenzo, Henry, and Niko decided to accompany us as well (also to find out where they'd be taking the bus) to the Taipei Main Station. For dinner, because we were slightly pressed for time, we had delicious fried chicken + iced black tea, then I bought some dumplings and my final milk tea from Taiwan. I'm going to miss Taiwan food =/.
At the airport, we made final calls home and Ryan to his Taiwan friends before heading in. To our surprise we bumped into Patrizia and Cindy. Random photo moment and talking before we made our separate ways to the terminals.
Managed to stay awake during the flight and watched a total of 4 movies: Coraline, Adventureland, X-men Origins: Wolverine, Ghost of Girlfriends Past. I particularly enjoyed Coraline and GoGP. Coraline I think used claymation, and although being a kids movie, had a very dark and sombre tone that sucked you into the story and world portrayed. Adventureland I sort of fell asleep for 30 minutes and didn't understand what the rest of the movie was about, I didn't really like it though. Wolverine was kind of cool, lots of action. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was hilarious and I enjoyed it generally because I enjoy chick flick / comedies (yes, I enjoy them no mocking please).
A short stay over in Vancouver city with them confiscating my shampoo / conditioner, body wash, and such. Oh, apparently my luggage case was overweight. 53.5 lbs. Anyways, headed home afterwards!
Monday 17.
I missed my parents very much, and seeing them again was pretty darn awesome =). Talked with them in the car, talked with them and my brother once I got home, discussed lots of random stuff, showered, then had slight trouble sleeping (which is ridiculous considering how little sleep I've had in the past few days plus getting drunk and hiking and whatever else).
Woke pretty early. Went downstairs for some cereal. We were out of milk D=. Made some toast + Nutella instead and proceeded to listen to Eason's 2007 concert again while going on fb and unpacking everything into a display on the dining table for picture taking.
Lounged around. Relaxed. Read some more manga. Went over to cousin's house (which is.. as of today, just across the street) to remove the locks and get them rekeyed (or whatever the term is). Biked over to Short's house to chat for a bit. Went to Superstore to replace the confiscated items and some vegetables for dinner, bumped in her there and chatted for a bit before her supervisor started looking for her...
Home. Ate dinner. Laptop. The Pillows. Present.
Originally this post was going to include some type of succinct summary of what I've done this whole trip, thoughts, the people and whatnot. But evidently, it's getting quite late and I have to wake in 4 hours.
...so I now rechristen this post... OCAC Finale part A.
Time to crash.
Maybe I'll start with a recount of the last 2 ish days before I left.
Saturday 15.
...took me a moment to remember what I did here, even had to check photos xD. And the photos didn't help much with the morning.
Basically, early morning Saturday comprised of consuming a delicious peach egg tart then later a chicken wrap, taking pictures with people that were leaving (hugs and all), watched a bit of some movie, chilled in the computer lab for a bit trying to figure out what happened to my 6th memory card photo memories, and such. I think I ate something else too, but my memory is fuzzy.
Afterwards, we decided to head out for some bowling! Awesomeness ensued. The first place we went to was really full and we didn't want to wait, so we headed off to a different one that was close by. Alan wasn't feeling well so Karen took the poor guy back. Hatim had practically new shoes since his foot was massive enough that it was effectively not on the scale of feet they provide. Played two games, scoring 95 then 82. Pretty bad actually, but meh. Lorenzo played splendidly, but was utterly unsatisfied because he didn't have his own ball and shoes there.
Split off with some of the people after bowling and I headed into the night market to make some final purchases. Lorenzo bought several (actually a whole bag full) Doraemon towels for his friends while I picked up 3 tshirts for people as well as buying a pair of Nike (finally).
Headed back to Shi Da area where we dined on steamed and fried dumplings for the last time before returning to the university. Once we returned, people made a mad dash to finish packing and signing out so that they could both get a yearbook/CD thing and go out clubbing. Some fine juggling of loopholes and such occurred. At this point, Ryan returned, and he was high. Off coffee. That he drank at 9 in the morning. I don't know what kind he drank, but to be on a coffee high for 12+ hours is completely insane.
So, two firsts happened for me tonight. Going to a club and getting drunk. Slightly ashamed that it happened, but I think it's something that I should experience for once in my life. But things you should never try would include drugs, murder, rape, stealing candy from babies. First club we went to for the sole reason of getting Karen's passport wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts. Vexing thoughts occurred to me because women wearing much much less were given entry while I was rejected. Well, the reasoning is obvious, but I still find it rather ridiculous.
Babe18. 400nt admission for females and 600nt admission for males. Great, more discrimination. But apparently, you have unlimited (probably watered down) drinks with your entry.
I miss caller ID, whoever just called me... it's 1 am yo xD.
...moving on. The place was dark, flashing lights, pulsating music, smoky, and sort of crowded. I attempted to dance. Um... dance? Lol. You could hardly call it dancing. I'd say something like an octopus flailing in futility in a furtive field of fiery flowers. Anyways, I somehow became Hatim's drinking buddy because Karen wasn't up for drinking that day.
Sunday 19.
3 shots, 8 cocktails, and a few hours later...
I apparently wasn't very stable in walking, and talked in circles. o_o. Anyways, headed to McD's since the club closes at 4 and the university doors don't open till 6. I don't remember much of the taxi ride, but once we reached McD's, I headed upstairs and collapsed at a table. I woke up 2 hours ish later and puked. I don't remember when was the last time I did, but this wasn't as worst as I remembered it (but by no means am I saying I'd want to again..).
Hatim stayed in my room afterwards and rather than sleeping, we had an unexpected H2H and also ranted about The Fang and The Princess. Gotta love ranting. Fell asleep but woke up 3 hours later. Good thing I did, because people were leaving again =/. More pictures, hugs, and good byes.
Stomach was hurting, but apparently it was just from hunger, and not anything bad. Headed to the American food place for one final burger rush. We went around the dorm scrounging for dinner tickets by asking people, then we splurged when we got there. Consumed various burgers and fries, also ordered chicken strips and fries since we had extra. Our greatest folly was not knowing that the chicken strips came with fries. So we basically had 4 large portions of fries and 2 portions of chicken strips. It was a rather excessive.
Headed back to the university, showered, said more good byes, and headed off to Yang Ming Mountain because it was supposed to be one of the spots you should visit while in Taiwan. The ride on the bus up was interesting because we saw a lot of small town like things, which is weird because it's rather seamless with the actual city, like it's part of the city and not part of the city at the same time. Really glad we went there because the scenery was pretty awesome and we spent a lot of time mocking RPGs saying things like "the boss would appear at this moment when we try to light the fire pit" or "we had to turn these statues to the right orientation to open the gates" and such. True nerdiness never dies.
The trip back down the mountain was unexpectedly longer because of some sort of tragic jam. Ended up being slightly late back to the university, which was not a good thing since we were supposed to meet up with Ryan's Taiwan friends (just Nick and Tony this time) for dinner before we headed off. I was sort of worried the whole ride because it wouldn't be good if we were late for our flight. Also being on the mountain made me regret not visiting even more places around the area. Sadness.
Anyways, Lorenzo, Henry, and Niko decided to accompany us as well (also to find out where they'd be taking the bus) to the Taipei Main Station. For dinner, because we were slightly pressed for time, we had delicious fried chicken + iced black tea, then I bought some dumplings and my final milk tea from Taiwan. I'm going to miss Taiwan food =/.
At the airport, we made final calls home and Ryan to his Taiwan friends before heading in. To our surprise we bumped into Patrizia and Cindy. Random photo moment and talking before we made our separate ways to the terminals.
Managed to stay awake during the flight and watched a total of 4 movies: Coraline, Adventureland, X-men Origins: Wolverine, Ghost of Girlfriends Past. I particularly enjoyed Coraline and GoGP. Coraline I think used claymation, and although being a kids movie, had a very dark and sombre tone that sucked you into the story and world portrayed. Adventureland I sort of fell asleep for 30 minutes and didn't understand what the rest of the movie was about, I didn't really like it though. Wolverine was kind of cool, lots of action. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was hilarious and I enjoyed it generally because I enjoy chick flick / comedies (yes, I enjoy them no mocking please).
A short stay over in Vancouver city with them confiscating my shampoo / conditioner, body wash, and such. Oh, apparently my luggage case was overweight. 53.5 lbs. Anyways, headed home afterwards!
Monday 17.
I missed my parents very much, and seeing them again was pretty darn awesome =). Talked with them in the car, talked with them and my brother once I got home, discussed lots of random stuff, showered, then had slight trouble sleeping (which is ridiculous considering how little sleep I've had in the past few days plus getting drunk and hiking and whatever else).
Woke pretty early. Went downstairs for some cereal. We were out of milk D=. Made some toast + Nutella instead and proceeded to listen to Eason's 2007 concert again while going on fb and unpacking everything into a display on the dining table for picture taking.
Lounged around. Relaxed. Read some more manga. Went over to cousin's house (which is.. as of today, just across the street) to remove the locks and get them rekeyed (or whatever the term is). Biked over to Short's house to chat for a bit. Went to Superstore to replace the confiscated items and some vegetables for dinner, bumped in her there and chatted for a bit before her supervisor started looking for her...
Home. Ate dinner. Laptop. The Pillows. Present.
Originally this post was going to include some type of succinct summary of what I've done this whole trip, thoughts, the people and whatnot. But evidently, it's getting quite late and I have to wake in 4 hours.
...so I now rechristen this post... OCAC Finale part A.
Time to crash.
8/14/09
OCAC12: 48
8/14/09
hours ish until my flight for Vancouver leaves.
6 weeks. Blink. 48 hours. o_o.
So we got back today from the "graduation trip" trip. Although to call it a graduation trip would give one the idea that it was something so incredibly exciting and excitingly incredible that finding out it's true nature would leave one mildly disappointed. Just mildly of course. It was still rather fun =D.
The whole graduation trip thing felt more like an extended field trip of what we've been doing on our regular field trips than like some "awesome super travel somewhere exciting" thing. We woke early on saturday morning and went on the tour bus to a glass museum of sorts. The exibit somehow ended up being less captivating than the ceramics museum. I'm not sure how that's possible since glass is just so much cooler than ceramics. The art presented was pretty intense as usual. I honestly don't understand how they can make such minature thingies.
After lunch at a shady place with subpar food, we went to some random tourist place with a few temples and a bunch of stalls. Ended up buying a set of beads, because I have some sort of attachment to those. But then again, this attachment might not be anything that incredibly since I seem to have an attachment to watches, tshirts, backpacks / sidebags, and sneakers.
We stayed at a pretty sweet hotel that night. The bathroom was separated from the shower! Omg! We haven't seen one of those in ages. The decor in the building was generally one notch higher on the scale of exquisiteness compared to everything else, and the garden in the back was also nice. Exploring the area was in order since the garden and recreation area was kind of cool. We however did get in trouble for climbing on the roof. I'm not sure why anyone would get in trouble for doing something like that. The garden is just that much more interesting in the dark without lights.
The next day we headed to some temple-ish thing on the top of this pseudo-mountain. Well, not exactly a temple since it was only a small bit, with the other part being an exhibit on Darwin. I'm surprised I didn't read more about it. But I think I was just tired o_o. Took a lot of random pictures there, including some where we were on the wave breaking thingies. But apparently we're not supposed to do that since we got in trouble. xD.
Then left to the stadium of the 2009 World Games. Sort of ridiculous since all we got to do was look at it from the outside. More random picture taking. Went to the night market afterwards. Um, I call it a night market, but technically it was just in the afternoon. I can't think of a more apt term. Basically walked around by myself checking out sneakers everywhere. So expensive =/. But so nice. Sadness. Was also tempted to buy a new wallet and this really nice leather pouch thingy that's practically a murse of some sort. So nice. So. nice.
The hotel we stayed at that night was noticeably down a few notches on the scale of exquisiteness. Not to say it was a bad place to be at, but just not as comfortable or welcoming. Quite cramp, I might add. We went to ktv after dinner at the hotel, but didn't wake Ryan because he was sleeping in the room. That was a horrible idea. After an enjoyable bout of ktv'ing, we headed back, and realized that we couldn't get in the room. Because Ryan had the key. He also didn't return till well after bedcheck.
...apparently, waking up, and realizing that no one was there, he decided to go on an adventure of his own. Then got lost. And messed with by the taxi driver. =/. Oh Ryan...
On the last day (that's today), the only place we went to was "Little Person Land" (that's a direct translation. I enjoy basking in how incoherent these are). That place, other than being an amusement park, was also home to a lot of miniature scale replicas of famous places, and it was pretty fun to look at those, mainly because of how detailed these replicas were. Looked after bags while people went on this uber log flume ride that sent waves flying at least 3 stories high, leaving everyone soaked. Posed by a giant inflatable Doraemon. Went on some weird mini rollercoaster inside a dark room with crazy seizure inducing flashing lights. Bumper cars! In the middle of all of this, Ryan managed to disappear without any of us knowing where he went. >_>.
And we're back in Taipei.
In other news...
It seems kind of surreal how all of this is over in less than two days, and that some people are leaving already. I'm afraid that I've become attached to a few of them, especially since I'll never see them again (or rather, very slim chances). Ridiculous.
Forgot to mention that we watched a few movies on this trip. There was Ice Age 3, Pink Panther 2, 17 Again, Escape to Witchmountain, part of Transformers 2. Ice Age 3 was surprisingly not as good as Ice Age, humoring, but not as good. Pink Panther 2 was just full of stupid laughs. I think I lost brain cells watching that movie. I enjoyed 17 Again, not just because Zac Effron is so utterly hot, but because I enjoy those types of stories. Yes, I do enjoy a good dose of cheese every once in a while. Didn't watch Escape because it seemed stupid, and I was sleepy. Ignored Transformers 2 because I've attempted to watch it twice, and fell asleep everytime. So utterly hot. Lol.
My wallet is utterly empty right now. Finally bought some Bape shirts today! Whee. I'm glad I held out because that shop I look at had some really cool looking new ones. I need to exchange my last bill tomorrow o_o. Which should be enough to cover for a pair of sneakers, a few more tshirts, possibly a racquet bag (I still don't know right now), and maybe clubbing. Yes, I said clubbing. o_o. I have no idea how that's going to end, but apparently I might be going tomorrow night. o_o.
..o_o.
Can't run away forever... can I?
6 weeks. Blink. 48 hours. o_o.
So we got back today from the "graduation trip" trip. Although to call it a graduation trip would give one the idea that it was something so incredibly exciting and excitingly incredible that finding out it's true nature would leave one mildly disappointed. Just mildly of course. It was still rather fun =D.
The whole graduation trip thing felt more like an extended field trip of what we've been doing on our regular field trips than like some "awesome super travel somewhere exciting" thing. We woke early on saturday morning and went on the tour bus to a glass museum of sorts. The exibit somehow ended up being less captivating than the ceramics museum. I'm not sure how that's possible since glass is just so much cooler than ceramics. The art presented was pretty intense as usual. I honestly don't understand how they can make such minature thingies.
After lunch at a shady place with subpar food, we went to some random tourist place with a few temples and a bunch of stalls. Ended up buying a set of beads, because I have some sort of attachment to those. But then again, this attachment might not be anything that incredibly since I seem to have an attachment to watches, tshirts, backpacks / sidebags, and sneakers.
We stayed at a pretty sweet hotel that night. The bathroom was separated from the shower! Omg! We haven't seen one of those in ages. The decor in the building was generally one notch higher on the scale of exquisiteness compared to everything else, and the garden in the back was also nice. Exploring the area was in order since the garden and recreation area was kind of cool. We however did get in trouble for climbing on the roof. I'm not sure why anyone would get in trouble for doing something like that. The garden is just that much more interesting in the dark without lights.
The next day we headed to some temple-ish thing on the top of this pseudo-mountain. Well, not exactly a temple since it was only a small bit, with the other part being an exhibit on Darwin. I'm surprised I didn't read more about it. But I think I was just tired o_o. Took a lot of random pictures there, including some where we were on the wave breaking thingies. But apparently we're not supposed to do that since we got in trouble. xD.
Then left to the stadium of the 2009 World Games. Sort of ridiculous since all we got to do was look at it from the outside. More random picture taking. Went to the night market afterwards. Um, I call it a night market, but technically it was just in the afternoon. I can't think of a more apt term. Basically walked around by myself checking out sneakers everywhere. So expensive =/. But so nice. Sadness. Was also tempted to buy a new wallet and this really nice leather pouch thingy that's practically a murse of some sort. So nice. So. nice.
The hotel we stayed at that night was noticeably down a few notches on the scale of exquisiteness. Not to say it was a bad place to be at, but just not as comfortable or welcoming. Quite cramp, I might add. We went to ktv after dinner at the hotel, but didn't wake Ryan because he was sleeping in the room. That was a horrible idea. After an enjoyable bout of ktv'ing, we headed back, and realized that we couldn't get in the room. Because Ryan had the key. He also didn't return till well after bedcheck.
...apparently, waking up, and realizing that no one was there, he decided to go on an adventure of his own. Then got lost. And messed with by the taxi driver. =/. Oh Ryan...
On the last day (that's today), the only place we went to was "Little Person Land" (that's a direct translation. I enjoy basking in how incoherent these are). That place, other than being an amusement park, was also home to a lot of miniature scale replicas of famous places, and it was pretty fun to look at those, mainly because of how detailed these replicas were. Looked after bags while people went on this uber log flume ride that sent waves flying at least 3 stories high, leaving everyone soaked. Posed by a giant inflatable Doraemon. Went on some weird mini rollercoaster inside a dark room with crazy seizure inducing flashing lights. Bumper cars! In the middle of all of this, Ryan managed to disappear without any of us knowing where he went. >_>.
And we're back in Taipei.
In other news...
It seems kind of surreal how all of this is over in less than two days, and that some people are leaving already. I'm afraid that I've become attached to a few of them, especially since I'll never see them again (or rather, very slim chances). Ridiculous.
Forgot to mention that we watched a few movies on this trip. There was Ice Age 3, Pink Panther 2, 17 Again, Escape to Witchmountain, part of Transformers 2. Ice Age 3 was surprisingly not as good as Ice Age, humoring, but not as good. Pink Panther 2 was just full of stupid laughs. I think I lost brain cells watching that movie. I enjoyed 17 Again, not just because Zac Effron is so utterly hot, but because I enjoy those types of stories. Yes, I do enjoy a good dose of cheese every once in a while. Didn't watch Escape because it seemed stupid, and I was sleepy. Ignored Transformers 2 because I've attempted to watch it twice, and fell asleep everytime. So utterly hot. Lol.
My wallet is utterly empty right now. Finally bought some Bape shirts today! Whee. I'm glad I held out because that shop I look at had some really cool looking new ones. I need to exchange my last bill tomorrow o_o. Which should be enough to cover for a pair of sneakers, a few more tshirts, possibly a racquet bag (I still don't know right now), and maybe clubbing. Yes, I said clubbing. o_o. I have no idea how that's going to end, but apparently I might be going tomorrow night. o_o.
..o_o.
Can't run away forever... can I?
8/11/09
OCAC11: Boom.
8/11/09
Was a constant phrase that was accompanied by an intense hipthrust during our drama skit competition entry. Yes, there was a drama competition. And there were hipthrusts. Basically, we kept dragging the preparation, clinging onto the hope it would be cancelled because no one wanted to do it. In the end, it was postponed till tuesday due to the arrival of the typhoon.
Anyways, our skit was something along the lines of "12 Ways to Die". Basically in each 'scene' we would have one person die, then have another say "oh, it doesn't matter, I didin't like them anyways", then the person saying that would die in the next scene, of which their death would be caused by those that died prior to them. Dying methods include pk'ing, bit by a mosquito, squished by an elevator (that was me), struck by lightning, crushed by garbage truck, devoured by a dragon, crushed by furniture due to earthquake, burned in a fire, drowning, caught in a typhoon, trampled by shoppers, and such. As morbid as this seemed, it was quite enjoyable. The final death scene included a mockery of Class10 because they're probably going to win just because they're class10 (and they did, lol), then we beat that person to death. The very final part ended with us reciting poems and doing push ups... for some reason.
Speaking of the competition, the counsellors did some Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" and danced to "Sorry Sorry". Awesome. Possibly the thing that made my day, when the BB song ended, people in the crowd continued to sing it xD.
In other news....
The graduation trip location has changed because the place we're going to is completely flooded due to the typhoon. Except I don't know where we're going now either. Clueless much?
Our final assessment exam took place on tuesday. James and I thought that it would be at 2:10, like regular class time. But it was actually at 1:30. We came back to the school at 2:05...at which point I realized that there were people inside the room. So, we thought, whatevs, might as well eat our lunch first xD. WIth food consumed, we entered the exam room at 2:15, apparently we missed the listening portion. Lawls.
Anyways... I finished the exam at 2:40. We were allowed to retake the listening portion later though, but that epicly failed because I couldn't hear any of it above the din of the other students in the room. Oh well.
Bought a duffel bag today along with shirts for my parents, bro's gf, and another friend. Also a jacketish type thing for myself. I think I'll need to exchange my last 100 sometime if I want to buy a pair of sneakers before I leave. Bah.
Went to KTV the other day. Finally! Although it was disappointing that we could only sing for 2 hours, and we ended up coming back late. Slight amounts of alcohol was consumed, but I'm quite sure I can't hold my alcohol that well. Some of the songs that were sung included I'm All of Love, Colors of the Wind, A Whole New World, some Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne and whatnot.
My glasses have been fixed! My initial difficulties with the glasses proved not to be my fault. Upon first acquiring the glasses, I thought that the dizziness 'caused and lack of focus was because I wasn't used to the glasses. But by the end of the day, this proved to be somewhat odd because I couldn't focus on anything with my right eye (I tested this). I resorted back to my previous pair and went back to the store.
At the store, they examined both my glassesn and the numbers came out such that my left lenses were both quite similar whereas the right lens was completely different. Now this started raising questions because my examiner told me that my prescription has not changed drastically. Came back again the next day with my prescription from the doctor. They copied my prescription wrong. Rather than -1.75x__ they copied down -4.75x__. Yeah, no wonder my right eye was completed screwed up.
Anyways, the lenses are fixed now, and I also paid to get the lenses on my old pair changed, since I doubt switching between two pairs of glasses with slightly different prescriptions would be good for more.
..oh, getting kicked out.
Anyways, our skit was something along the lines of "12 Ways to Die". Basically in each 'scene' we would have one person die, then have another say "oh, it doesn't matter, I didin't like them anyways", then the person saying that would die in the next scene, of which their death would be caused by those that died prior to them. Dying methods include pk'ing, bit by a mosquito, squished by an elevator (that was me), struck by lightning, crushed by garbage truck, devoured by a dragon, crushed by furniture due to earthquake, burned in a fire, drowning, caught in a typhoon, trampled by shoppers, and such. As morbid as this seemed, it was quite enjoyable. The final death scene included a mockery of Class10 because they're probably going to win just because they're class10 (and they did, lol), then we beat that person to death. The very final part ended with us reciting poems and doing push ups... for some reason.
Speaking of the competition, the counsellors did some Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way" and danced to "Sorry Sorry". Awesome. Possibly the thing that made my day, when the BB song ended, people in the crowd continued to sing it xD.
In other news....
The graduation trip location has changed because the place we're going to is completely flooded due to the typhoon. Except I don't know where we're going now either. Clueless much?
Our final assessment exam took place on tuesday. James and I thought that it would be at 2:10, like regular class time. But it was actually at 1:30. We came back to the school at 2:05...at which point I realized that there were people inside the room. So, we thought, whatevs, might as well eat our lunch first xD. WIth food consumed, we entered the exam room at 2:15, apparently we missed the listening portion. Lawls.
Anyways... I finished the exam at 2:40. We were allowed to retake the listening portion later though, but that epicly failed because I couldn't hear any of it above the din of the other students in the room. Oh well.
Bought a duffel bag today along with shirts for my parents, bro's gf, and another friend. Also a jacketish type thing for myself. I think I'll need to exchange my last 100 sometime if I want to buy a pair of sneakers before I leave. Bah.
Went to KTV the other day. Finally! Although it was disappointing that we could only sing for 2 hours, and we ended up coming back late. Slight amounts of alcohol was consumed, but I'm quite sure I can't hold my alcohol that well. Some of the songs that were sung included I'm All of Love, Colors of the Wind, A Whole New World, some Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne and whatnot.
My glasses have been fixed! My initial difficulties with the glasses proved not to be my fault. Upon first acquiring the glasses, I thought that the dizziness 'caused and lack of focus was because I wasn't used to the glasses. But by the end of the day, this proved to be somewhat odd because I couldn't focus on anything with my right eye (I tested this). I resorted back to my previous pair and went back to the store.
At the store, they examined both my glassesn and the numbers came out such that my left lenses were both quite similar whereas the right lens was completely different. Now this started raising questions because my examiner told me that my prescription has not changed drastically. Came back again the next day with my prescription from the doctor. They copied my prescription wrong. Rather than -1.75x__ they copied down -4.75x__. Yeah, no wonder my right eye was completed screwed up.
Anyways, the lenses are fixed now, and I also paid to get the lenses on my old pair changed, since I doubt switching between two pairs of glasses with slightly different prescriptions would be good for more.
..oh, getting kicked out.
8/6/09
OCAC10: Typhoons
8/6/09
A typhoon has landed in Taiwan! So all of our friday classes get cancelled and our drama competition is pushed till next tuesday (would've been better if it was completely cancelled because no one really wants to do it). Conversely, we are not allowed to leave campus either, in case we get blown away or hit by flying trees. My biggest problem with not being able to leave is that I won't be able to pick up my glasses. Sadness.
In other news..
Forgot to mention how at the old mining town we got to send up these balloons into the sky. It was really cool because each class got their own balloon thing to write whatever they want on (wishes and what not I 'spose). Then we lit up the base and sent them flying! It would've been a grander sight if we sent them all (all 10 of 'em) in one go, but it was still pretty cool to see some exothermic reactions at work.
Also, the other day we went to Shi Ling (I think i'm spelling that wrong) station to visit their night market, some incredibly awful occurred. It saddens me that it happened. We were split off on the MRT when we headed there because apparently one group was waiting for someone and we didn't know. After arriving there, we waited till they arrived before we up and left. When we left.... we forgot to make sure everyone was with us. As in.... Ryan was still asleep on the ledge. It was only 3 minutes later that I realized he was gone, and when we headed back across the street he was already gone. Luckily he's still alive and well and unkidnapped, but darn it you had me worried >_>.
Somehow, without noticing, I had bought a pair of size 9s for my Converse, not 8s. I'm not sure how I didn't notice when I was trying them on. But they fit, so whatevs xD.
I think I've finally finished buying things for people. I'll need to double check the list, but I'm quite sure I'm done... with the exception of mom / dad (I'm planning to get them one of those pair T's or "情女T" and this other tshirt for another friend.
I'm still sick, but mostly it's just a cough now more than anything else.
You're sick, as is your brother. Please get well soon =D.
To the photographer. August is here, and soon it'll be over before you know it. Things keep piling up, and there's no end in sight! But if you preservere (which I'm entirely sure you will), you'll like back with a sense of satisfaction and hopefully not do it again (which I'm sure you will >_>). In any case, please be careful =D. Also, about being materialistic, I think everyone is entitled to a bit of it once in awhile. I mean, unless i'm mistaken, you haven't been for the past 18 years of your life, live a little! Let some of these things help you relax rather than add to your stress. Of course, hopefully you won't let it grow into a shopaholics sort of thing where you resort to buying to relieve you of your problems.
Apparently the emergency number here is 119. Weird sauce.
I had an incredibly awkward / fml moment the other day. Basically, a friend from my class that's leaving the program early. Anyways, I bumped into her on the way back to the university, and after a bit of talking, we were within hugging distance. So she moves in for a hug, and I did my regular good bye move which is to raise my hand in a salute of some sort. She thought I wanted to high five... but then I started waving my hand. =_=". I didn't really understand the awkwardness or epic fail of that moment until after the ordeal. But man, I failed hard there. Sigh.
Sigh, more people down here, also sitting around me, I'm feeling self concious about what I type now. Blah.
I'm going to mention The Pillows again. Their music is just so upbeat and awesome. Apparently they've just released a 20 anniversary album and there's a newer version of Funny Bunny up. I really liked that song. It's bouncy and very happy. If only I understood what they're saying.
Did I ever mention how a lot of people here play SC and DoTA? It's actually kind of scary. Well, not really since they are asian and male. Only difference between them and the one's back home is these guys go drinking.
Something else I've forgot to mention for a long time. Escalator etiquette! It's quite simple really. If you're going to stand, you stand on the right, if you're in a rush, you walk up the left. Everyone gets what they want! It was in HK and I've found it here as well. It's a very simple habit, and it actually speeds along eerything for everyone. If only it'd be employed in Calgary. Of course... some people are too well... big for that.
Too much extra time to think. Again. More wandering mind. Again. Blah. Although it does seem that I'm slowly getting more accustomed to this idea. There might be awkwardness. It might hurt. But it is necessary, is it not? I've been spending time wondering how I'm supposed to approach you after I get back to Calgary. Maybe it'll work itself out. Maybe it won't be that awkward. Maybe you'll refuse to see me. I don't know. I don't believe I'm dealing with this correctly. But who is to say what is correct and incorrect? If i'm having difficulties dealing with this now, it'll only get worse when I'm actually confronted with it. But's not something I can avoid. Mainly because I'd need to give you stuff that I bought for you... and also because I'll be seeing you on campus at some point or another.
Called my mom this morning. I can't recall how long we talked for, but I did use half my call card. She sounds healthy and she's also doing very well. As is the rest of my family. Got some more news about what's happening with kf and such. Apparently another two people quit. =_=". It's only going to go downhill with that whatever performance thing coming up in September. I dislike performances because it wastes a lot of time focusing on untraditional stuff, and there's a lot of stress and frustration everywhere. And I'll be dropped right into the middle of it very soon. Blah.
Oh. I'm still not in NANS yet. I think something is wrong with the registrar.
In other news..
Forgot to mention how at the old mining town we got to send up these balloons into the sky. It was really cool because each class got their own balloon thing to write whatever they want on (wishes and what not I 'spose). Then we lit up the base and sent them flying! It would've been a grander sight if we sent them all (all 10 of 'em) in one go, but it was still pretty cool to see some exothermic reactions at work.
Also, the other day we went to Shi Ling (I think i'm spelling that wrong) station to visit their night market, some incredibly awful occurred. It saddens me that it happened. We were split off on the MRT when we headed there because apparently one group was waiting for someone and we didn't know. After arriving there, we waited till they arrived before we up and left. When we left.... we forgot to make sure everyone was with us. As in.... Ryan was still asleep on the ledge. It was only 3 minutes later that I realized he was gone, and when we headed back across the street he was already gone. Luckily he's still alive and well and unkidnapped, but darn it you had me worried >_>.
Somehow, without noticing, I had bought a pair of size 9s for my Converse, not 8s. I'm not sure how I didn't notice when I was trying them on. But they fit, so whatevs xD.
I think I've finally finished buying things for people. I'll need to double check the list, but I'm quite sure I'm done... with the exception of mom / dad (I'm planning to get them one of those pair T's or "情女T" and this other tshirt for another friend.
I'm still sick, but mostly it's just a cough now more than anything else.
You're sick, as is your brother. Please get well soon =D.
To the photographer. August is here, and soon it'll be over before you know it. Things keep piling up, and there's no end in sight! But if you preservere (which I'm entirely sure you will), you'll like back with a sense of satisfaction and hopefully not do it again (which I'm sure you will >_>). In any case, please be careful =D. Also, about being materialistic, I think everyone is entitled to a bit of it once in awhile. I mean, unless i'm mistaken, you haven't been for the past 18 years of your life, live a little! Let some of these things help you relax rather than add to your stress. Of course, hopefully you won't let it grow into a shopaholics sort of thing where you resort to buying to relieve you of your problems.
Apparently the emergency number here is 119. Weird sauce.
I had an incredibly awkward / fml moment the other day. Basically, a friend from my class that's leaving the program early. Anyways, I bumped into her on the way back to the university, and after a bit of talking, we were within hugging distance. So she moves in for a hug, and I did my regular good bye move which is to raise my hand in a salute of some sort. She thought I wanted to high five... but then I started waving my hand. =_=". I didn't really understand the awkwardness or epic fail of that moment until after the ordeal. But man, I failed hard there. Sigh.
Sigh, more people down here, also sitting around me, I'm feeling self concious about what I type now. Blah.
I'm going to mention The Pillows again. Their music is just so upbeat and awesome. Apparently they've just released a 20 anniversary album and there's a newer version of Funny Bunny up. I really liked that song. It's bouncy and very happy. If only I understood what they're saying.
Did I ever mention how a lot of people here play SC and DoTA? It's actually kind of scary. Well, not really since they are asian and male. Only difference between them and the one's back home is these guys go drinking.
Something else I've forgot to mention for a long time. Escalator etiquette! It's quite simple really. If you're going to stand, you stand on the right, if you're in a rush, you walk up the left. Everyone gets what they want! It was in HK and I've found it here as well. It's a very simple habit, and it actually speeds along eerything for everyone. If only it'd be employed in Calgary. Of course... some people are too well... big for that.
Too much extra time to think. Again. More wandering mind. Again. Blah. Although it does seem that I'm slowly getting more accustomed to this idea. There might be awkwardness. It might hurt. But it is necessary, is it not? I've been spending time wondering how I'm supposed to approach you after I get back to Calgary. Maybe it'll work itself out. Maybe it won't be that awkward. Maybe you'll refuse to see me. I don't know. I don't believe I'm dealing with this correctly. But who is to say what is correct and incorrect? If i'm having difficulties dealing with this now, it'll only get worse when I'm actually confronted with it. But's not something I can avoid. Mainly because I'd need to give you stuff that I bought for you... and also because I'll be seeing you on campus at some point or another.
Called my mom this morning. I can't recall how long we talked for, but I did use half my call card. She sounds healthy and she's also doing very well. As is the rest of my family. Got some more news about what's happening with kf and such. Apparently another two people quit. =_=". It's only going to go downhill with that whatever performance thing coming up in September. I dislike performances because it wastes a lot of time focusing on untraditional stuff, and there's a lot of stress and frustration everywhere. And I'll be dropped right into the middle of it very soon. Blah.
Oh. I'm still not in NANS yet. I think something is wrong with the registrar.
8/5/09
OCAC9: Cohesivity
8/5/09
If that's even a word. o_o.
Although I've already been with my class for almost 5 weeks now, I find that it's really hard to relate to them. Except for ...2 of them? Most of them are random party goers that drink for the sake of drinking, don't pay attention in class, and have way too much pride. Blah.
Of course, I play a part in this lack of cohesiveness because I choose not to partake in such festivities. Except for that very first one, which I didn't know about. Generally, I just find an excuse and not go, because I know it'll inevitably end up in drinking. Which is bad. Right?
In other news...
Recently spent quite a bit because I realized I didn't have much money left when I reached into my wallet. Lol. How'd that happen? Went to some really sweet / pricey xiao long bao place, bought a load of shirts for people, went up Taipei101, regular everyday expenses. It really does add up.
On shoes. I've finally found a pair of shoes that I like and for the right price. In fact, including today... two. Awesomeness. Got a pair of low top Converse for 490NT (less than $20) and a pair of high top Vans for 190 NT. That's right, 190, even the counsellors were asking us where we got such a sweet deal xD.
I've also been really tempted by Adidas jackets that I've been seeing everywhere.... they're just so... tantalizing. Sigh.
Went to an old mining town outside of Taipei today. The area was really rustic and had a very calming vibe. I prefer the countryside here to the one's in Canada because it doesn't feel as lonely. It's quite lush with trees everywhere you go, and the downtrodden homes are a nice touch to the landscape (was that a bad thing to say o_o?). Scariest thing though? I took 250 photos while I was there. I'm so glad I started on a new memory card because it was completely wasted after that trip back.
Made a really cool firecrackery thing in beads class and also made two straw seahorses in paper art / straw art class. I'm really not good at cutting things, so I don't think the seahorses will turn out that good =/.
..10 minutes really isn't enough to post what I want to, but I apparently don't get lab time to use after 10pm today =(. I'll talk about it next time. The photographer advises it.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I have a fever? Well, it's sort of gone now, but the runny nose is present and the cough seems to be taking a turn for the worse. As per assimilating into the culture, I'm wearing one of those sanitary mask things. It's not too bad except it irritates my ears after awhile.
Oh! I also got new glasses! =D. I can pick them up on friday =). So cheap too. 1300NT including frame and lens. That's $56 Canadian. That's usually 1/5 of a pair of frames at Lenscrafters >_>.
Also... a haircut! A lot of people didn't notice it because length wise, it really is not that different. It's just a lot less dense to it can be easily styled for asian ness.
... better head off or I might be late for bed check. Hopefully I can find time to write about other stuff.
Cheers.
..also, don't let the stress get to you! If I recall correctly, you have a laptop right? Maybe you can do the translating and such in the living room o_o?
Although I've already been with my class for almost 5 weeks now, I find that it's really hard to relate to them. Except for ...2 of them? Most of them are random party goers that drink for the sake of drinking, don't pay attention in class, and have way too much pride. Blah.
Of course, I play a part in this lack of cohesiveness because I choose not to partake in such festivities. Except for that very first one, which I didn't know about. Generally, I just find an excuse and not go, because I know it'll inevitably end up in drinking. Which is bad. Right?
In other news...
Recently spent quite a bit because I realized I didn't have much money left when I reached into my wallet. Lol. How'd that happen? Went to some really sweet / pricey xiao long bao place, bought a load of shirts for people, went up Taipei101, regular everyday expenses. It really does add up.
On shoes. I've finally found a pair of shoes that I like and for the right price. In fact, including today... two. Awesomeness. Got a pair of low top Converse for 490NT (less than $20) and a pair of high top Vans for 190 NT. That's right, 190, even the counsellors were asking us where we got such a sweet deal xD.
I've also been really tempted by Adidas jackets that I've been seeing everywhere.... they're just so... tantalizing. Sigh.
Went to an old mining town outside of Taipei today. The area was really rustic and had a very calming vibe. I prefer the countryside here to the one's in Canada because it doesn't feel as lonely. It's quite lush with trees everywhere you go, and the downtrodden homes are a nice touch to the landscape (was that a bad thing to say o_o?). Scariest thing though? I took 250 photos while I was there. I'm so glad I started on a new memory card because it was completely wasted after that trip back.
Made a really cool firecrackery thing in beads class and also made two straw seahorses in paper art / straw art class. I'm really not good at cutting things, so I don't think the seahorses will turn out that good =/.
..10 minutes really isn't enough to post what I want to, but I apparently don't get lab time to use after 10pm today =(. I'll talk about it next time. The photographer advises it.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I have a fever? Well, it's sort of gone now, but the runny nose is present and the cough seems to be taking a turn for the worse. As per assimilating into the culture, I'm wearing one of those sanitary mask things. It's not too bad except it irritates my ears after awhile.
Oh! I also got new glasses! =D. I can pick them up on friday =). So cheap too. 1300NT including frame and lens. That's $56 Canadian. That's usually 1/5 of a pair of frames at Lenscrafters >_>.
Also... a haircut! A lot of people didn't notice it because length wise, it really is not that different. It's just a lot less dense to it can be easily styled for asian ness.
... better head off or I might be late for bed check. Hopefully I can find time to write about other stuff.
Cheers.
..also, don't let the stress get to you! If I recall correctly, you have a laptop right? Maybe you can do the translating and such in the living room o_o?
8/1/09
OCAC8: Deductions
8/1/09
of discipline points has occurred. In some ways, it only matters because I wouldn't get a memory book / CD along with going on the graduation trip, and then at some point, getting kicked out of the program. Otherwise, I honestly hardly care xD.
It was rather the way that I lost the points. You start with 15, at 10 you don't get the book thingy, at 7 you're kicked out. I've been gaining points for being a good little boy and also participating in a bunch of different stuff. I lost 3 points because they found cigarette butts on our balcony. o_o. Because we're not supposed to smoke and such, but honestly, whoever was doing it, you'd think he would've been smart enough to just throw it off afterwards. Also lost 0.1 of a point last night because we came home late from Taipei 101.
In other news...
Visited a ceramics museum the other day! It was pretty cool because they went through the history of ceramics, its uses in the past, present and future, and a bunch of ceramics art. The art was incredibly varied and there was some pretty odd stuff there. I'm sure you art people out there would've enjoyed it.
At one point during our visit, we were to construct an ice cream cone out of clay, and without thinking about it, I actually followed what we were told... until I added ears, eyes, and an antenna. Other people were way more imaginative and creative and their works were utterly brilliant: flowers, their last names, bears, buildings, monsters, it was quite fantastical.
Thank you to the artsy one for helping me store my photos since I ran out of space the other day, and at the museum, I took more than 2/3 worth of another memory card. Most excellent.
... lapse in memory, I think I went somewhere else the other day.
Somewhere in between, I dropped that watch I bought, and the thing is now cracked, but only around the edges. Huzzah for cheap night market watches. But it's alright since it looks cool anyways.
Also bought a pair of jeans and one of those pre-done ties for lazy people. But only because the tie would go nicely with some of the stuff I have, not because it's pre-done. I can do my ties very well.
Oh right, I remember now, I went with a bunch of people (quite a large bunch actually) to Sogo the other day. I did not buy anything because everything there is ridiculously expensive. However, we did take numerous photos, screwed around on their computers, window shopped a bit. However, I did buy another phone strap ish type thing and crackers. Because someone requested crackers. Funny story to how the crackers got destroyed though.
Yesterday went out with Ryan's friend's again because one of them is off to Europe and we won't be seeing her for the rest of out stay. We ate at a place called Momo's Paradise. The all you can eat shabu shabu there was so incredibly good. So much meat. So much tofu. So many mushrooms. So much vegetables. Such delicious fun.
Afterwards we went up the Taipei 101 tower. Fastest elevator in the world (currently) going at 1010 m/min. 1010 m/min. Snap. The view there was pretty awesome and there were many many lights in every direction. We were also allowed to see the wind dampener that they used. That thing is not only heavy but incredibly massive and spherical. I wonder how it works xD.
Anyways, we left that place at 10, which was not that good.... only because bed check is at 10. But we made it back in time in the end, so we only got 0.1 deducted rather than a full point. Whee.
I've been running and jumping around a lot whenever I go out with people. Crashing full speed through the streets and dodging people is an incredibly fun experience. I recommend you all try it sometime.
It was rather the way that I lost the points. You start with 15, at 10 you don't get the book thingy, at 7 you're kicked out. I've been gaining points for being a good little boy and also participating in a bunch of different stuff. I lost 3 points because they found cigarette butts on our balcony. o_o. Because we're not supposed to smoke and such, but honestly, whoever was doing it, you'd think he would've been smart enough to just throw it off afterwards. Also lost 0.1 of a point last night because we came home late from Taipei 101.
In other news...
Visited a ceramics museum the other day! It was pretty cool because they went through the history of ceramics, its uses in the past, present and future, and a bunch of ceramics art. The art was incredibly varied and there was some pretty odd stuff there. I'm sure you art people out there would've enjoyed it.
At one point during our visit, we were to construct an ice cream cone out of clay, and without thinking about it, I actually followed what we were told... until I added ears, eyes, and an antenna. Other people were way more imaginative and creative and their works were utterly brilliant: flowers, their last names, bears, buildings, monsters, it was quite fantastical.
Thank you to the artsy one for helping me store my photos since I ran out of space the other day, and at the museum, I took more than 2/3 worth of another memory card. Most excellent.
... lapse in memory, I think I went somewhere else the other day.
Somewhere in between, I dropped that watch I bought, and the thing is now cracked, but only around the edges. Huzzah for cheap night market watches. But it's alright since it looks cool anyways.
Also bought a pair of jeans and one of those pre-done ties for lazy people. But only because the tie would go nicely with some of the stuff I have, not because it's pre-done. I can do my ties very well.
Oh right, I remember now, I went with a bunch of people (quite a large bunch actually) to Sogo the other day. I did not buy anything because everything there is ridiculously expensive. However, we did take numerous photos, screwed around on their computers, window shopped a bit. However, I did buy another phone strap ish type thing and crackers. Because someone requested crackers. Funny story to how the crackers got destroyed though.
Yesterday went out with Ryan's friend's again because one of them is off to Europe and we won't be seeing her for the rest of out stay. We ate at a place called Momo's Paradise. The all you can eat shabu shabu there was so incredibly good. So much meat. So much tofu. So many mushrooms. So much vegetables. Such delicious fun.
Afterwards we went up the Taipei 101 tower. Fastest elevator in the world (currently) going at 1010 m/min. 1010 m/min. Snap. The view there was pretty awesome and there were many many lights in every direction. We were also allowed to see the wind dampener that they used. That thing is not only heavy but incredibly massive and spherical. I wonder how it works xD.
Anyways, we left that place at 10, which was not that good.... only because bed check is at 10. But we made it back in time in the end, so we only got 0.1 deducted rather than a full point. Whee.
I've been running and jumping around a lot whenever I go out with people. Crashing full speed through the streets and dodging people is an incredibly fun experience. I recommend you all try it sometime.
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