New Years is Coming...

... so I am planning on getting more sleep tonight. Because of course, there is school so I must get up at 6:20 or earlier as usual... and I plan on staying up at least until 1:00 AM, 2005. This guy at school said there were 40 000 people at Taipei City Hall last year, so I want to go to there for a countdown. Also got a nice invite to the Zhang house for dinner. yay

Taking care of business: Anyway, apparently, Nicola did not actually die. It was a reference to some sort of game. Hooray.

As for Wednesday, well culture class was random. They told us we were knitting, but we actually made some bead bracelets. It took a while to figure out how to do, but once I was done I taught some others. Celia made a much better one though. Still it took me like 30-45 min, and then after that, we all just played Worms: Armageddon (Scott brought his laptop)... Alex & I teamed up again, but Anna didn't play so sometimes we faced Fabio &/or Kyle. Once again, we kept giving each other stupid suggestions and the atrociously misplayed moves outweighed the flawless brilliant ones.

While Scott was burning a CD for American Claire we hacked for a while. Turns out PP Water knows how to hack or can do the Taiwanese equivalent. Lunch was good, and then off to the school. Chinese class was o.k., we seem to be moving a bit faster now, but not much. I am doing o.k. on my own, but sometimes I try to memorize too much at once and it doesn't stick well. But the children's books are working.

Afterwards, I went to my class to give Xie Renjie her birthday card & present (both handmade by me)... guess what the present was? You actually don't get to guess; 'twas the bracelet I just made. Also since her English is really good & she said she likes to read Byron, I wrote "She Walks in Beauty" into the card, just because it's an awesome poem.

Scott & I took the bus to Gongguan and then MRT to my house (of course with the accompanied walking through night market & day market). He had to check with Amy to make sure she could & would make food he can eat every day. And then after that we played more Worms Armageddon~ :) Subsequently, there was dinner, a very Taiwan-mom-cooked setup, kind of like Chen or Zhang mama but slightly different style. Then I had to rush off to Guting for choir.

Just let me say one thing about choir: I'm glad this is the last practise... it's so late, no warm-up (what is she thinking?), and not NEARLY enough prep. time for concerts. I mean, you're performing at one of the TOP venues in your country, for the freaking President... and we start not one but TWO new songs--which we will be performing--4 days before. That's just a little odd, I know the Catholic choir group as a whole don't like their "elected leader" (finger quotes theirs), but show some professionalism. Mreh. It'll be cool regardless.

Today, had a fun, fairly productive Living Technology. Then, Domestic Science (should be translated as Home Ec., but not really the same concept) turned really weird. We went to the activities building and had a two-hour "coffee tasting class" by Starbucks... l'America des corporations, bienvenue a Taiwan! I didn't like the coffee too much, but there was really good cake, and I learned a lot of words too.

At lunch, Kate was talking to me (wearing my gift, seems it went over well) about the difference between jazz & blues... then suddenly 4 people from our class came in and 'pied' her face & head (ran out of room on the face) with plates of shaving cream. Then gave her a cake, which she enjoyed after washing her head. Slackers were a day late though, they all suck. In the friendly, Foo sense of the phrase. Afternoon classes were ok I guess, in Civics we went to watch a stupid movie of these two comedians that weren't funny, so I kind of slept/listened. P.E. was good badmintonage.

Got home in 35 minutes, now just internet & MSN. Taught my host mother some French (turns out I *do* remember stuff) as she was writing an email to someone in the language. This post has taken me a long time. Tomorrow is New Year's w00t. I think I will go to dinner at the Zhangs, come home to have a shower, and then go out. Hopefully it will be mad fun with crazy numbers of people. Happy New Year if I'm too tired to post again soon. K out [2 hours 5 minutes]

PS Check out the music of Greg, the other guy from Canada. You have to register though.

PPS I got in the paper, I'll show you all later.