Here we go an update on happenings in my life in Taiwan:

1) My chinese classes are going well despite all the drama that occurs given that my classmates are mostly 18 year old kids who are on scholarship and not serious at all. Could be the added years I have on them or maybe the fact that I work every spare second to simply afford tuition that makes me much more serious a student... but I have decided that I am going to learn something despite all the wasted time that occurs in my class. also got 100% on my midterm so... rocknroll.

2) My real chinese language practice occurs in taxis. Taxi drivers (especially older ones with serious beetlenut teeth) are always keen to chat with me in chinese and often ask me out on dates (in strange related news... Ive also been asked out by a buddist monk on the subway).

4) My only chances to spend time with friends is on the weekends and on monday and wednesday nights (where work ends at 8:30pm instead of 10:30pm). Weekends are more often than not are spent in the company of Sam and Anne being silly and laughing at ridiculous things. Point in fact last night was spend eating dinner at a riverside restaurant and then recording music videos at their apartment. We did the super un-p.c. calypso song The Big Bamboo (chorus: "she wants the big bamboo gets up big and long, big bamboo gets up big and strong, big bamboo rise up great and tall and it pleases one and all" complete with bamboo, a bongo and other related props), and we did Abba's Fernando (whih included coconut bombs and my leg getting blown off by a land mine). Wednesdays are reserved for Barb, a bottle of red wine, heart to hearts, movies and theater company conversations.

5) Our theater company is gearing up for murder mystery dinner theater and I will be techie again since I dont have time for line memorization. Last week was auditions and soon we will be doing our training workshops. This show is going to be very technologically savvy and I get to do some film work on top of sound and gore.

Otherwise, I keep dreaming about home and thinking about all of you. I am eagerly planning my february (Chinese New Year) visit and cannot wait for the opportunity to snuggle a new niece and the nephew who has in my absence grown into a walking and talking little boy. And of coure I am yearning for all the new adventures I can have with all of you at home!

Will write again once something mildly interesting occurs!