crisci's taiwanderful life

bubblewrap

2009-12-05T22:21:00.007+08:00

yey! i got THE THINGIE

and yes, as weird as it may sound i'll bubblewrap THE THINGIE so it'll reach by his doorsteps intact.

friday night...

2009-12-04T23:32:00.003+08:00

no words cannot express what i'm feeling right now...

... am just happy that i get to bond with girls.

my stand about the twilight series is still the same.

ahuh...am not one of them!!!

NT$540

2009-12-02T00:14:00.006+08:00

best buy!!!

after a year looking for a cheap pair of jeans
....tonight i was able to be a nice pair for only NT$190...

and i was able to spot a nice black loafers as well...
so comfy... i paid NT$350

love love taoyuan night market!!!

my christmas wish list!!!!

2009-12-01T00:01:00.003+08:00

i want...

...i guess that's all.

gloomy sunday and single-ness

2009-11-30T00:23:00.010+08:00

i don't like gloomy weather. for some weird reason(s) gray sky is making me emo. it's been days since i haven't seen the sun and i'm hating it... so what am so emo about?!?

the one...

...that got away
...who is taken
...who doesn't like me
...who is for me

the "picky" comments

i hate when they say... maybe "you're so picky"... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! of course, i should be picky and i have the right to be one... the person we're talking about is the ONE whom i'd be spending the rest of my life with... of course i should be picky!!!

when they say "you know when you know"

when i asked my married/taken friends howdyaknow he or she is the one... they have a common answer "you know when you know"... huh?!

the marrying type

the rudest comment ever... "maybe you're not the marrying type". what the?! eh?! i have no idea how to process that comment... but i have to admit i was shocked.i know.. am not the holiest creature in this planet...but i do believe am a good person... am not that domesticated duh?!? i managed to survive with my limited kitchen skills but i have to say am improving...anyhooo.. am running it of explanations... but you can judge me and all and throw that comment over and over again... but hey... no matter how shitty i can get i'm still the marrying type and so are you.

dating

"it is because you're not dating"...are you sure about that? should i broadcat it? sometime i keep it to myself becaue i don't want to jinx it.. and besides, some people do get it wrong ... like if i get to date guy one after another to they'd think am desperate and if am not dating they'd think i don't have a life... so where would i go? ughhhhhhhhhhhh!!! some girls are lucky they get to marry the first guy they dated... but am not one them.. so cut me some slack!

the geeky/boring-side of me...

am not a geek/boring !!! i just happen to love books.picnics.art films. zoo.museums. and tralalalala.

oh well single-ness...

papa moments

2009-11-16T23:15:00.010+08:00

(@mcdo katipunan, breakfast date last september)

eva drove me to school today, since i need to catch the 8:10 faculty bus. before getting off, i kissed her and said "thanks for drivin' me to school, be safe on your way back home"...

sarka, couldn't help it and said "what a spoiled brat" with a huge grin... i just said "oh well" and winked.

i felt a sudden jolt... and geeeeeeeez i miss papa... i just realized what i said to eva, is my line to papa, when he (and my mom) drove me to school, to work or some place else. good thing, i still have enough phone credits so...

i called home... and yes, as always he said "iloveyoubaby". it made my day!

....ohh, i miss mom, kuy-kuy and mckoy as well.

yehliu trip

2009-11-08T23:24:00.011+08:00

if you're into rock formation, love love love the sea, and you have bionic legs (for climbing up the hill)...YEHLIU GEO PARK is your spot then.

how to get there:

1.taoyuan-taipei (local train) - NTS41 (one way)
2.taipei-yehliu (bus) - NT$90 (one way)
3.park fee -NT$ 50

lovely...the climb was totally worth it!

melody and i didn't queue for the infamous queen... long line.. hell noh!
we enjoyed the see breeze by walking and walking instead...

and oh... don't forget to bring your water bottle if you don't want to get dehydrated and please wear your comfy shoes...

early december, i guess, is the best time to visit the park... cool breeze but not freeezing!!!

am actually swamped with readings and powerpoints to deal with but i guess i needed a break so i went out and enjoyed the sunshine...

.... a different view... away from books, reading materials and thesis... thanks melody for going with me...

school library... not today

2009-11-07T23:08:00.007+08:00

i' suppose to stay the at the library today but i didn't........lazy

i got up just before lunch time and hurried up to dr.wei's clinic. well, the doctor advised me to take norvasc for a monthand we'll see... so i guess am officially "on" with norvasc, am not really about it but what can i do?

i grabbed lunch as soon as i got home, had a little chat with ginger and we decided to go to the city for dinner..sushi oh yeahhh! anyhooo.. i tried cleaning my room but i failed, i ended up watching himym ep.6.hehehehe!

as planned g and i had suhi, we didn't eat that much since we realized we wanna have coldstone after.. we went to tonlin first to check out some shoes then to mitsukoshi. as always coldstone also meant long line. we're both tempted to have the "gotta have it" size but we decided to "love it" size instead. i had chocolate devotion and g had cookie doughn't you want some. we didn't talk much until we finished our icecream. and yes, i reached my sugar quota for the week in one sittin' so rich.. a slice of brownie, a spoon of chocolate chip, and a swirl of chocolate syrup in my chocolate icecream.... sugar rush!!

since we had calorie overdose, we decided to walk some more.. i bought a scraf for lola,my christmas for her, hope she'll like it. on our way back to where g parked her scooter, we saw a rack full of jeans for only NTS150, i'm not really delighted since i know they wouldn't have my size. g is actually contemplating on getting a pair of skinny jeans so when she saw a good pair she hurried to the fitting room.. and it looks really good on her. so without any hesitation she bought it.

when we got home, she "modelled" her new jeans with possible tops, shoes, flipflops, and bags.. it was fun.. we were gigglin'..

*yawning*... i got to go to bed, i have to be up as early as 7 for my yehliu trip.

wan an!

thursday errands and presentation dates

2009-11-05T00:36:00.009+08:00

things to do today:

1. print reading materials for upcoming presentation.
2. work on my critique for negotiation class (week6)
3. write a reflection for cross-cultural class
(cultural challenges when doing business in china)
4. accomplish form 2 for thesis proposal (due: november 6)
5. mail birthday gift to tita beth
6. review notes: foreign affairs midterm exam (november 6)

presentation dates:

1. november 13 --> cross cutural communication (round 2, with sarka and leo)
2. november 17 --> cross strait
3. november 21 --> foreign affairs
4. december 8 --> international law
5. december 14 --> regional integration
6. _________ --> negatiation

...and deadline thesis proposal is 10 days prior my propose(d) oral defense.ughhh!!

good thing final paper for each subject is due by the end fall semester....

monday monday!!!

2009-11-02T22:44:00.003+08:00

"the teacher's bus is leaving! are you feeling alright?" - natalie

...my alarm bell obviously didn't work today. ughhhh!!! and yes, i was lucky that today the universe was on my side. the bus7 came as soon as i reached the bus stop, i was able to catch the fast train (ban-ciao and taipei) and i was able to get a sit at the mrt during monday rush... lucky me!!! since i was on my in-a-hurry mode, i didn't realize it was cold... winter (minus the snow) is already here.

since, our class today started at 9am (make up session)... am 45 minutes late...oh well.. i did my best.

we took the jiojio bus back to toayuan... went for nap.. and just when i was about to head to the city for dinner and grocery, eva texted me if wanna go to carrefour... ohh yeah!

we had dinner at this posh hotpot place near carrefour....yummy!!!

we didn't go aisle to aisle this them... but it's ok, i don't wanna get tempted and buy something that i really don't need.... hehehe

here's what i bought:

1. paper cups (for eva)
2. tea (ceylon, sri lanka)
3. my energy bar (barres cereleas -abricots et chocolat au lait)
4. rosemary and honey soap (4 bars)
5. neutrogena daily scrub
6. mouthwash
7. sensodyne - gum proection
8. wet tissue
9. 2 boxes of water (eva paid for it)

my grocery items doesn't end there... will have to go pinoy store and the big grocery nearby to complete my list. yes, i have to admit my grocery list every month got 3 columns. wahehehehe.

anyhoo... i gotta go, i need to read...

early morning fireworks

2009-11-01T22:01:00.007+08:00

last night, on my way home from apt.176-7 i saw a number of tents are being set up so i knew that that there would be an event. but i wasn't away that there's more...

since i wanted to enjoy the cool breeze i left my windows wide open, i didn't worry much about sunshine waking me up since may dark brown curtains is doing its best to keep my room as dark as i wanted... not that i don't like the morning sun.

while am enjoying my moments with my pillows, fireworks... woke me, i checked the time.. and geeeeeez, it was nine in the morning.. yes, nine! aside from the fireworks i can hear people chanting so loud.. i tried my best to ignore it hoping to get more sleep.. but nah!

it was almost after lunch when they get tired and went home.. i was happy.. for awhile.

...after doing some kitchen stuff, i heard a drilling noise. crap, i ran into my room and looked at the window. geez, a construction was going on. i was annoyed...big time.

since i couldn't sleep, i ended up watchin' sex and the city (season 3) with handee.

i think it was almost 5ish when i curled up with my blankie and enjoyed the cool breeze.

i guess living steps away from the district office is not always fun...

wednesday's unknown feeling

2009-10-28T23:33:00.006+08:00

we had our graduation picture(s) taken today... to early huh?! but yeah, we had a blast.

it suddenly dawned on me that what happened this afternoon-- the perpetual click of the camera is a sign... that we'd be graduating soon and it'll be all over.

by next year, when we all get to wear IT again...
it'll be the REAL THING.

thesis propsal and other school work random-ness

2009-10-24T00:20:00.001+08:00

the weather is not helping me at all... bed weather. studying at home, where i can see my bed and the fact that i can turn the tv on, is not for me. good thing i live near school that i can always go to the library and study.

was able to submit finish the outline for cross strait and foreign affairs.. yeaaaaaabah!

still way behind with my readings for negotiation. good things we don't have a class this coming tuesday so i can catch up on my readings... whew!

sarka, leo and i will be presenting again for emily (2nd round).whoa that was quick.

after printing out school readings and likes, borrowing number of books, and other hand-outs my room is starting to look like a photocopy center. grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

was able to replace my super old pencil case for only NT$25... nothing fancy

books, from taoyuan campus, about labor migration migrated to my room weeks ago and i'm proud that i managed to read and put colorful tabs in between my lazy mode days.

i was able to google some useful articles and will keep looking.

3 hours and beggin' for more

2009-10-20T06:42:00.004+08:00

tossin' and turnin'
milk
three pillows
warm blankie
starin' at the ceiling
imogen heap
raffe and leon
humming
counting until whatever
reading

...and

...after days of consistently fulfilling her duty... my sleep fairy decided to be a party freak last and didn't show up.hmf!

160/120

2009-10-10T22:25:00.010+08:00

160/120 my test scores.... nah!!!! how i wish...

i was feeling so weak during the past few days... i even skipped my chinese class this week since my body is glued to my bed.

yesterday...

as planned we went to eva's for dinner and while waiting for the others to arrive eva took her digital blood pressure monitor to check my blood pressure.. and crap.. it was 150ish/100ish... and she looked me at said "we're going to the hospital tomorrow."

i didn't enjoy the dinner, not that i didn't the like the food but i have to control myself.... it was hard... baby back ribs staring back at me... i hate hate hate it when i can't indulge.

and oh! i made carrot cake.. according them it's goood.. yey! another talent.

...today

eva picked me up and on my way downstairs i bumped with ginger and she decided to tag along.

my "moment" with the doctor didn't last long... here is our conversation (as i remembered)

dr: what can i do for you?
me: we checked my bp last night and the numbers were high.
dr: are you feeling sick?
me: yes... feeling dizzy...

the nurse took my bp and when she said 160/120, our faces dropped and there was silence...

my face went blank... and it took me 30 seconds to collect myself and listen to what trhe doctor was saying...

your blood pressure is really high for your age... try sleeping early, don't stress yourself and low soduim diet. check your blood pressure every morning and drink this medicine-norvasc . he also handed my score sheet to keep track of my blood pressure.

as we made our way out to dr. wei's eva confronted me and told me that my condition (my diastolic is high) is something that is something "seriuos" and shouldn't be disregarded...

i need to have a eating lifestyle overhaule.

no more...

mcdonald's and other fastfoods
coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
spam and the likes
sleepless nights
stress... stress.. stress..

and the list goes on and on.....

fall semester 2009

2009-09-20T23:18:00.000+08:00

vacation is sooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooover... ughh..

here is my schedule:

monday -> globalization and regional integration

tuesday -> international law and international organization
-> cross-taiwan strait affairs
-> international negotiation: theory and practice

friday -> cross-cultural communications

saturday-> seminar on foreign affairs

i decided to take mandarin for beginners.. yup, every wednesday and thursday, from 8:30 to 12:30..whew. 8 hours a week.. actually it's 16 hrs. but i'm just had sitting in the day(s) that am free...

and ohh.. deadline for thesis proposal: november 6... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

first week of classes is same old.. giving out syllabus, course requirements, and of course picking out dates for the presentation...

...anyway.. here is the recap of my busy week:

monday:

i (we) hate the fact that we have classes in taipei (monday and saturday)... i mean, waking yup early in the morning to take the train and all that crap for a two hr. class is insane...

we took the faculty bus going back to taoyuan so comfy... i passed by the mandarin learning center and bought the book... hehhehe. this is it.. am sooo learning mandarin...

tuesday:

what a long day?! the school is as busy as ever.. students here and there.. and they're like tonsssssssssssssssssssss! oh well.. students are eager beaver during the first few weeks.. after that lazy bone kicks in.. wahahahah.

after having 3 classes, i went to the see fennie & mimi (mandarin gurus) to get some hand-outs (mond. and tues. sessions) and homeworks...

flora saw the assignments that i had to submit, and she just said "waaaaaaaaa, you're teacher is evil" with a silly grin.. and just smiled back..

i went to see melody to discuss what did i missed in the first two sessions of chinese.. and geeeeeeeez it was a lot..

after having dinner at thai with nat and sarka i went home, made tea and started working on my chinese homework..after spending 2 hours and am still not half away it came to my mind that flora is right... whahahahahahaha.

wednesday

i survived four hours of learning mandarin with minor injuries..WOOOOT!!

went straight to the ulrich's... seeing sophia and julia made me realize how much i miss them..

yes, made it to dinner hosted by eva.. fast train rocks!!! we got home by midnight.. over flowing food and stories... it was just lovely.

thursday

i managed to get up early and go to chinese class... thanks to coffee. i had so much fun today... mervin joined us and so as jojo (he said his class was boring, so he went out and joined us)... the the funniest thing is that mimi (our teacher) thinks jojo's chinese is so foreigner-ish.. whahahahaah. what the?! i mean jojo is sooo taiwanese... classic!! i had lunch with joseph at subway... then stayed at the library until whatever... whahaahha. i walked home and i just realized winter is gonna be sooooooon.. can't wait to wear winter jackets...yeabbahhh!

friday

after emily's class, sarka and i ate at thai... yes, early dinner is my first meal of the day... i got up just in time for class... so wasn't able to grab anything... not even a slice of bread. went home changed bags and went to their place and picked up molly (nat's puppie)... went to eva's place since i promised his son--josh that we'd take molly for a walk.. it was fun...

saturday

uhmmm... nothing fancy..i mean commuting for a three hr. class is no fun...

busybeeeeeee!!!

ARC, Trixie, and Meteor shower

2009-08-12T23:44:00.008+08:00

i went to the immigration office to claim my ARC (alien resident certificate). so yes, another item crossed out in my things to do list.

since i was google-ing some stuff for my next assignment i came across the news about the perseid Meteor shower , i asked for Regine's help to check about the time. and oh yeah!! aug. 12 10pm and aug.13 1am.. sweeeeeet. as soon as i saw natalie online, i buzzed her and invited her if she wanna meteor shower watching with me.. both of us prayed that the rain will stop so we can stay at the rooftop umbrella free.

before going home, i had dinner with trixie, she's a bit upset since still no luck about her job hunting. we hated the fact that she couldn't get a job as an english teacher because of her passport and her skin color. grrrr. to all the buxibans/cram schools out there the Philippines have 2 official languages - filpino and english.

i made it to natalie's twenty minutes before ten. as always molly- natalie's pupp licked my toes.

we decided to go to the rooftop for a good view. as our neck started to hurt and seeing 4 airplanes we decided to wait for fifteen more minutes. and by 10: 24 we saw ONE!

sweeet. something different. and i get to have a WISH...

sunday mad-ness

2009-08-09T23:49:00.000+08:00

i took the 4ish train to taipei since i'm anticipating that it'll take me like uhmm.. light years to figure out on what kind of tea should i buy as pasalabong.. ah yeah.. me being fickle minded at times. i was expecting for an annoying train ride since it's sunday but nope... luck was on my side that i was able to get a decent seat.yeeebaaaaaaaaah!

i was lucky that the guy gave me a good price and a freebie--a box of tea since i bought 12 boxes and of green tea...good deal!

Malcolm and i met at Dunhua exit 2 since we planned to have dinner at my fave indian/pakistani for dinner-- aaleja. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!high five!! it was drizzling when got out from the station.. good thing he has an umbrella good enough for both of us so i don't have to use mine.

we ordered palak paneer, beef biryani and chicken kebab. sooooooooo happy... he's not into dairy products i get to finished all the cheese in palak paneer...oh yeah! so so lucky!

we enjoyed the food as we chatted. we talked about him running for office few years back, as an independent candidate and what he felt when he didn't make it. yada yadah!!!

he waited until i finished my milk tea. sorry man, aaleja equates to milk palaak paneer and milk eat *wink*.

good thing that rain had stopped so we decided to take a walk. we went to the famous eslite bookstore at dunhua exit 6. we browsed english books, magazines and even checked out chinese books... huge bookstore. the funny thing is.. he stopped me from going to the notebook section since he knew i'll go crazy and might ended up buying overprize notebook(s).

since Malcolm, is dying to buy a kettle so we went to sogo ... he didn't see anything that fancy his eyes so we checked out another mall at fuxing. we walked by the underground mall to avoid the busy street.

his a bit frustrated since almost all stuff from night markets and underground malls are mostly for girls. ah eh? Malcolm, i think you forgot that idea that women, in general, are born to shop!!!

it was a long walk and we're both feelin' tired so we decided to call it night... and yes. it was indeed a night...

thanks malcolm!!

typhoon

2009-08-07T20:44:00.010+08:00

NO work today!

(Madeline called me just to let me know that work has been cancelled due to the typhoon)

productive day?

grease freeeeeeeeee kitchen. it took me an almost an hour to clean the stove and the kitchen floor.
sorted out the trash.
did my laundry.
changed my sheets.
sorted my bags and shoes.
cleaned my room.
i made pasta for dinner.

so, i guess i have to say it was a productive day.

sunday randomness in bullets

2009-08-02T20:55:00.000+08:00

warning: this post is a written compiltation of what's running in my brain at the moment, hence, nonesense.

i slept around 3ish and am surprised that i was up by 8.i hate the fact that my sleepfairy left me... alone and 3 hours short of sleep.so i made breakfast and drunk my meds since i was hoping that it'll make me feel drowsy so i can drag myself back to my bed... but nah, i didn't... so i went to the morning market instead.

am feeling way better now. thanks to the new set of meds. i guess i have to show up at the office tomorrow.

am glad that yesterday i manged to "clean" the living room and deal with the trash... yeeebahh!

still not over with THAT Benetton bag... i just have to control myself since i'm waiting for this month's RL purchase to come here to Taiwan.

am excited to go home. i can't wait for my parents to HUG me so tight... for my father to ask me to tell all my taiwan stories... for me and to my younger to watch movies, eat out and talk about nonesense stuff.. to see my older bro's other side- him as a family man and for my mom and i to have chika-sessions hopefully over coffee.

can't wait to see the GURLS.. oh please... i just can't wait!!!! 1 year worth of stories. can't wait... i need it to let it from my system since it's making me overweight. ehehehehe.

am way behind the readings for my thesis.

greenbelt and mall of Asia here i come!

am hoping that WORK will grant my remaining leave request... oh pleaasseeeee.

been listening to the song take it from me by the weepies over and over.. and am likin' it more and more.

still not done with my things to bring/things to do/peeps to see LIST.

will go to carrefour and do my grocery... yeyeyeyeye!

i'm missing sarka, the couple, and natalie.

am i really excited for the fall semester to start?

don't forget to claim the ARC on Aug. 12

wondering what's on TV later.. pleassseee.. something good.

i havn't been running since since... come on' whatdya expect??? am dead tired from commuting.. and don't need another activity!

i hate the fact that our internet connection at home is sooooooo slow.. and i have no idea why??? lame lame lame. i wonder you're wondering am complaining since im at the office almost the entire day.. so why bother. simple: the FACT that am having a hard time connect.. it annoys me. and i believe that am "paying" for it so i deserve to have it.

dinner bell is ringing but im still not hungry... how weird is that?

will buy green tea (s)...

am still here at the public library... sweeeet.

magic bagel and something else

2009-07-23T23:01:00.003+08:00

rush hour is part of my summer life ever since i started my internship. am NOT complaining in fact am getting numb about it.

my body started to complain after 5 days of waking up early and commuting so i gave up my cereals ritual in exchange for 20 more minutes in bed and ended up re-united with glorious take outs.

yamazaki, 7-11, family mart, moss burger and magical bagel are my sources of energy it depending on what am i craving for on that specific morning.

so this morning i went for bagel.

anyway... i thought it will be usual morning but it turned out to be different... WAY DIFFERENT.

i ordered the usual- bacon and egg and a latte. while waiting for my take-out a guy(not taiwanese) ordered the same thing (not that i care or something) and smiled at me. i was in good mood that moment so i smiled back... after a long pause he approached me and started a conversation. it's the usual flow of conversation nothing special... yet!

my bagel was calling me so the conversation was cut short. i was smilin' when the lady handed me my breakfast i mean who wouldn't smile with bagel and coffee for breakfast.. who? who? who?

i turned to mr. b and said " gotta go, time to work" and smiled...

... he smiled back and said "KEEP SMILIN, YOU HAVE A PRETTY SMILE"

i can feel my cheeks turned so i made a half baked smile and turn away.

didn''t want him to see that my face turned red so i didn't look back.

anyhooo ... i actually enjoyed my breakfast in a different way.

oh well.. sometimes rush hour can be annoying but this morning's rush hour is something else... a sweeeeeeeeet something else.

P.S: to mr. b, thanks for the compliment
i hope you enjoyed your bagel in as much i enjoyed mine.

am not adventurous

2009-07-15T23:23:00.003+08:00

i can't wait for dior and the girls to be here.. and yes, we're working on our things to do and places to go list any chance we get. and so i did ask if she wants to try stinky tofu.

crisci: are you willing to try stinky tofu?
dior: nope
dior: hahahaha!
dior: am not adventurous

i don't blame her for not wanting to try it, i myself haven't tried it. why? i guess my tummy doesn't have any room for it... YET! but i have to admit am getting use to the distinct smell so i guess i'm almost ready to try it.

burger anyone???

2009-07-09T11:08:00.010+08:00

AN Burger
(02)2100-2862

do i need to say more?

i have a pretty huge appetite for burger so i guess you know what happened...

and yes, two cups of hot green tea helped my ballooned tummy to get back its normal state.

taipei international food festival

2009-07-05T23:54:00.001+08:00

me and natalie @ taipei international food festival '09:

***

in as much i would want to tell you what happned and what we ate BUT my mom thought me not to talk when my mouth is full...so i just posted the pictures... hehehehe

summer thoughts

2009-06-19T22:27:00.008+08:00

whew!i survived another semester... summmmmmmmmmmmerrrrrrrrrrr vacation!!!!

as soon as i started working years ago i haven't had or used the term summer vacation... so now i love love the term and the fact that i'd be having one. cheers!

i really wouldn't have much of bumming around moments since i'd be starting my internship by july 1... not that am complaining.. to be honest i miss working and the peeps at 9th flr. and "our" adopted crew.

anyhooooooo..

aside from commuting almost everyday (taoyuan to tienmu,taipei) and be an office slave once again... i have gazillion things that i wanna do but i guess i need to narrow it down so its not just gonna be my "wannabe" list.

well, yesterday was good start. i got to be outside outside taipei for the first time. good thing i can stand being on a train for a long time. thanks to my previous trips to indonesia (jakarta-yogyakarta) and thailand (bangkok-to samui) that made me sat on a train for like more or less 13 hrs doing anything juist for me not to go mental..and yes, i survived. so i guess i wouldn't have to take HSR, which is very expensive, if id go around, unless am really press for time.

been here almost a year and i have to admit my chinese is poor... and am not proud of it. my business chinese last semester did helped me but i have to exert more effort. the hardest part in learning the language is the characters. i mean i think i can easily pick up some words and can construct sentences but the characters... ughhh. but yeah, no more excuses.. i should learn! yey! melissa will be tutoring me this summer since she's not going back to taichung. thanks melissa!!!

after sorting some papers, i just realized how much trees i have killed, but hey i can't read an article online it's because of my eyes...so i don't have any choice but to print them. uhmm... most of the files were printed back to back so i wouldn't feel as guilty.

well, i thought this summer would be "non-academic" in nature, where i can read the books that i like, be online just because. and no deadlines... but nah!!! i have/need to read and collect materials for my thesis.. waaaaaaaaa!

FulonG

2009-06-18T23:52:00.007+08:00

class trip huh?! well THEY didn't show up at the train station so it was just US--the couple, natalie, sarka, claudio + lenka and me.

we took the early/fast train since we're pressed for time and camping out is not part of the game plan. we all didn't get any decent sleep from last night's party so we're all like sleeping panda during the 2 hrs.train ride.

the day was super fun....simply because it's outside from our usual school day life. bikinis, floral shorts, summer dresses, sun glasses, endless conversation/laughing... and us getting a tan... PERFECT!!!

P.S. natalie hurt her knee.. bigtime
P.P.S. lenka got stung by a jellyfish

baby sarah!!!

2009-06-16T01:54:00.004+08:00

welcome to earth sarah marie...

and congrats to my kuy-kuy and ish...

i called home as soon as i got the news...

me: hey papa, i heard sarah is such an adorable baby... but uhmmm i just wanted to know if am still your princess (insecure tone).

papa: yes, am now a grandpa...and of course honey your still my princess, your picture is still posted at our frige (laughing).

yebbbbbbbbbbbbahh!!!

dragon boat festival

2009-05-28T23:44:00.002+08:00

while waiting for the bus...(pic from teddy ni)

row row row your boat! (pic from teddy ni)
go go go!!!

break time

nothing beats resting/ having fun under THE TREEE...

the couple's bundle of joy

2009-05-27T03:20:00.008+08:00

....yeY! the couple is having a baby!!!
congrats merv and she...

the good news came 2 weeks ago. it was tru facebook... i think and it was midnight. when they told told me that they're having a baby...i was dying to go their place and hug them both but then again it's way past midnight so i didn't-ughh. that moment i can only imagine... pregnancy kit stick, huge smile on their faces and yes, tears of joy...

...congrats merv and she!!!

suprise!!!

2009-05-22T23:39:00.018+08:00

class meeting...NOT

got an email last night from melissa that there'll be a class meeting. my mind went... is this it???

ok.. i know.. somehow i felt that it might be their surprise for me. so assuming huh?? oh well, it's been a class tradition that we greet/we wish our birthday boy/girl "happy birthday".
there's a legit agenda. the class bbq will be the on the week after the dragon boat festival. after some comments, melissa just said "the day after tomorrow is crisci's birthday... and there... they started singing... and arthur carrying my bday cake...when the cake reached infront of me… i took a quick peak… and there i went crazy… why?? the cake’s theme: a girl giraffe… love love love the cake.

of course birthday isn’t complete without gifts. ah eh??! the guess the gift part went a li’l green (i think it started last year… halloween party).

birthday song...greetings...hugs..kisses....gifts... and laughter… made my day.

thanks guys... i really appreciate the gesture.

movie night!

2009-05-02T23:42:00.014+08:00

we marked our calendars weeks ago and made a smooth plan of watching x-men after the TOP (sherry and sarka's mandarin proficiency exam) and yes we're COMPLETE + 1(michael- the polish guy from sherry's mandarin class).

we're so into the movie that no one said a word except for us girls- throwing comments once in awhile about hugh jackman's pretty face and toned body- hahahahaa

after the movie we decided to have thai for dinner. while on our way michael got a phone call and had to leave. i (we) enjoyed the food and while chatting and chatting.

since we live outside taipei (except eddie) we hurried up to catch the train but we're not fast enough to catch the last bus.

while standing at the train station... tryin' to get a cab. we decided to get some dessert... mcflurry! and we did and killed some time until our body decided it's time to go home.

"the couples" place

2009-04-24T23:57:00.002+08:00

just got home from the "couple's place", since our washer is still no use, i went to their place and did my laundry and it turned out to be a laundry bonding. and oh, tonight pheobe (their dog) is surprisingly not annoying *wink*.

i love going to their humble abode. they never fail to serve brewed coffee and snackie everytime i pay a visit.

aside from the coffee chats that we usually have during my "visit/s" what i really like about being around them is that i can feel that they have this overflowing love for one another. i know, they're not perfect, like any other couple i bet they have fight as well. but i know there is something.

they take care of me as if am 10, really sweet eh?!. like tonight, my laundry detergent spilled over my laundry bag (how stupid can i get?!?!). you know what they did? the couple just cleaned the bag without saying a word. i know its not a big thing as what they'd always say" no biggie". but for me simple things/gestures makes me weak.

...having them around makes my life a lot easier and sweeter.

not this year...

2009-01-02T21:19:00.007+08:00

happy new year!!!

i welcomed the new year in a different way... i spent it with the ENGLISH editor.

just before the last stop of the brown line he handed me the a map... the TAIPEI ZOO map. i gave him a big smile and said thank you. i couldn't stop smiling... come on... ZOO. nice nice.. not my typical "date".

before enduring the long walk and the cold weather we discussed which animals we're dying to see since it's impossible for us to see everything.

after walking for 4 hrs. we decided to get a snack and breathe.

kids with a happy face holding balloons, cotton candy, ice cream and other zoo trinkets made us smile and made us talk about our kiddie moments.

we strolled some more but the coldness didn't help us so we decided to leave and get dinner.

we had peking duck for dinner at his favorite restaurant. and something sweet-strange happened. when we're about to get our bill the lady asked him a cheezy question... in chinese.

L: is she your girlfriend?
E: smiled.
L: she's pretty.
E: (looking at me) yes, she is pretty.
C: *blushed*

we made our exit with a huge smile on our faces. how strange was that ... the girlfriend part.. we're not even holding hands not even a hint of sweetness so i (we) wonder what entered her mind and asked that question. oh well, it migt not be the "physical" geture- public display of affection... i guess E was right maybe the lady saw something... the way we look at each other. yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! and abou the pretty part, i just have to take it as a compliment. i don't get that kind of compliment everyday so i just have to take it and enjoyed it...

the day ended how (i) we imagined it. we have the same feeling of we don't want the day to end but at the same time we want IT to end so we can look forward for the next one...

merry christmas!!!

2008-12-26T01:49:00.007+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

lovely dinner...
(btw, it was handee who took the photo.. i need a tripod)

when nat and i "forced" honza to wear the santa hat..

honza and bejamin: trying to trick us in playing UNO by speaking german. ughhhh.

honza singing... in english!!! how cute.

i couldn't remember why we're laughing so hard..

good food...
...nice conversation
singing..
...uno

warm hug, kisses, and greetings....

P.S. i miss home ...our christmas celebration but being with lovely people makes me feel like am home...

different faces...same feeling....HAPPY-ness

DOT exam

2008-12-18T23:44:00.004+08:00

mooner
earthling
acbde
12345
safe zone
danger zone

i really don't know how i managed the to answer the DOT exam but yeah i did.

atm-less

2008-12-05T22:34:00.006+08:00

i lost my atm card today...

how stupid can i get????

no classes!!!

2008-09-29T20:53:00.001+08:00

it wasn't the alarm clock that woke me... it was the strong wind and the heavy rain that made me get out from bed. as i hit the shower i was battling with the thought of me not going to school. well i hate commuting under the rain.. who does anyway?

well good thing the universe was on my side.. just before i wear my flipflops i got a message from natalie, telling me that the class is suspended due to the typhoon. so i went to back to bed...

after hours of sleeping... i managed to get to gain my senses by lunch time. i made pancakes for brunch since i really don't feel like eating.

after eating i pulled out some readings and TRIED my best to deal with the readings. but after reading a couple of pages my sleepfairy showed up so i there i buried the readings and went to bed.

what can i do... today is a bed weather..

.... so i guess i have to cram later.

matter loading

2008-09-23T09:47:00.000+08:00

and the matter loading begins...

thai.... land!

2008-09-19T17:13:00.008+08:00

haaaaaaaappppppppppppppppppppy!

yey! am going to thailand next month!!!

7-11 and MCU Jihe Campus

2008-09-15T23:36:00.023+08:00

before leaving my place, i made sure that i have the directions with me...i don't want to get lost in taipei and be late for school.

1.) take the TRA- taipei,
2.) the MRT redline (beitou) get off to Jiantan
3.) jiantan exit 1, cross the street, look for a 7-11 and the building across is the jihe campus.

easy... right?? well, it is... sort of. as i got off from jiantan exit 1, i cross the street and in less than 100 steps i saw a 7-11 but not the school... grrr!

where the hell is MCU-jihe campus??? i asked the guy from 7-11 but the language barrier prevailed. and walked out frustrated.

i just decided to walk further.... starting to get worried when i saw a 2nd 7-11... and across it, is the jihe campus...what the?? no one even mentioned that there are two 7-11.. hmf!!

2008-09-10T22:20:00.004+08:00

yey! am taking business mandarin!!!

jhongli apartment

2008-09-02T23:56:00.001+08:00

for the first time id be LIVING in a building...
hopefully our elevator is heavy duty... 15 floors = huge number of steps.

my new surroundings... so different from HOME

day one!

2008-09-02T07:08:00.003+08:00

welcome to taiwan!!!

it was drizzling, good thing i signed up for the "pick-up" form so i wouldn't have any problems.

as i wait for my baggage i had this image of what will transpire moments later. someone is standing in the arrival area he/she is holding a name plate and id approach him/her and we'd bid our hi and hellos... but its not what happened.

i waited for a couple of hours but no one showed up. i was so upset and teary eyed. yes, i was teary eyed why? i was trying to get some help but no one speaks english.

how did i regain my composure?

after having NT$, i grabbed a quick snack then bought a taiwan sim..

...and suddenly an angel appeared-hehehehe. apparently, the lady from the TW mobile kiosk speaks english.

the angel figured that i was worried, so she offered help...

she helped me phoned the school, i didn't understood the first 3 minutes of their conversation except for my name -ughhh then the angel handed me the phone.i was annoyed by the train conversation i had with the lady from school. instead of her being concern and all she argued instead with a tone that i didn't ticked the "pick-up" box... what the?!?

i sounded so annoyed and upset that the angel another help... getting a taxi.

i showed the uni's addie to the cab driver (good thing i have the taiwanese version!)and geeez NTS$800 (US$25) is the asking price since im harassed i gave in without any questions.

as i reached the international students advising office (isao) a lady with a tone approached me (obviously it's her) and argued all over again. grrrr. i wanted to yell her... "shut up". seriously, it's my first time in your country, 2/10 speaks english and the school didn't pick me up...uhmm the least thing that she can do is asked what want wrong and discussed the matter, rationally and calmly but of course she didn't.

ms. yvonne, the lady to whom i submitted the forms and the like hurried up to me and apologized, there was a misunderstanding in their end.

i took a cab from taoyuan to jhongli, ms.betty helped me to get a cab. i couldn't remember how much it cost it me... but am sure it was a lot. and yes, i believed that cab here is way expensive than home.

i waited for an hour to holly (my housemate) at starbucks... after some tralalaalala. she showed me "our" home and my room. i wasn't even paying attention since the only thing that's running to brain was rest..rest.. rest..

i was so tired that i didn't even unpacked my stuff.