holidays

finally found some time to update my blog...just got back on monday from a 10-day christmas vacation in canada, and this first week back has been hectic and didn't really go as smoothly as i had hoped for. i'll elaborate more on that later, but here's a timeline of our awesome holiday.

dec.23rd we boarded the plane at 7:30 p.m. for our 13-hour, direct flight to toronto. everything was smooth as silk in terms of boarding, immigration, and all the usual pre-flight routines. the flight was comfortable as it wasn't fully booked, and we were one of the lucky ones who had an empty seat beside ours. what a world of difference those extra 15 inches of seat space can make to cramped up limbs. landed safely, got a text from justin (who was chilling with a $12 heineken at the pearsons terminal 3 bar...ouch!) to say he was waiting for us, then on our way to london to spend the night. arrived kind of late but was feeling wired from the trip.to remedy this, melissa poured caesars and ordered domino's just the way i like it. all that gusto within such a few short hours was enough to put us to sleep.

dec.24th - up early thanks to the effects of jet lag, but we took our time with a leisurely breakfast of peameal bacon BLT's (my favourite!) followed by a long overdue shower, starbucks run, and then home to hanover. i have to say, for the first time in a very, very long time, i was excited to go to hanover. we arrived at my mom and dad's to lots of hugs, a few tears, and a very home for the holidays atmosphere. we spent a few hours just talking and catching up, wrapping a few last minute presents, before heading out to elisha's house to spend the night. it was great to see everyone and together we ate, drank and were merry.

dec.25th - woke up at 8:30, hung out with the weishar clan for a bit of brekkie, then i went back into town, got showered up and went to durham to see my grandma campbell. she unfortunately had a stroke about two weeks prior, so she couldn't have a long visit, but she seemed happy that we were there and it felt good to see her again. after that, we headed back to my parents place and awaited elisha so we could open our presents. now, how things used to go in the campbell household was me waking everyone up at a ridiculous time to open presents....this year we didn't open presents up until 1:30! unreal, but it certainly made christmas last a lot longer than it normally does. everyone was spoiled rotten with loot.

around 3:00 p.m., the rest of the family started to arrive and dinner followed suit. we were not disappointed by the table laid before us. i know i keep talking about the food, but man, it had been a while since i had eaten so well and so much. a great day.

dec.26th - boxing day - decided to hit up some of the sales down in london. got some awesome deals and came away with a full work wardrobe. managed to get home around 6:00 p.m., had a quick nap and then had the weishars and a few friends come over for some christmas drinks and snacks. ended up being another late one, but finally called it a night around 3:00.

dec.27th - finally, after 3 full days of feasting and festing, it was time to relax and hopefully eat some salad or something instead of the rich repast i had been gorging myself. didn't do much else but lie around and start to make some plans for NYE. went back out to the weishars and spent the night as the sib-in-laws were planning on leaving the next day for home.

dec.28th - our admin day; time to do some banking, drivers' licenses, etc. not my favourite day by any stretch of the imagination, but always necessary when you're at home.

dec.29th - another glorious day to do nothing...just relax in the afterglow of christmas

dec.30th - see above

dec.31st - our final day in hanover. we started to say our farewells early as elisha's mom had to work...after that, it was elisha's father as he dropped us off at my parent's place. we hung out for the afternoon, drove to london and said our goodbye's as they drove back to hanover. we decided to spend NYE with justin and melissa and their friends and it turned out to be a lot of fun. got to bed around 4:30 a.m. which was a little scary considering we had to be in toronto later that same day, but fun nonetheless.

jan.1st - spent the day lounging and attempting to relax, but in fact becoming increasingly anxious about the long day ahead. eventually, it was time to go and catch the robert q airbus to pearson int'l. said our final goodbye's of the trip and then a few more hours wait before boarding the plane for a grueling, 15-hour flight back to taipei. add the trip time + the fact that we technically left on jan.2nd + losing 12 hours to int'l date line means we got back on jan3rd. painful, but worth it.

that was the trip. great time visit with fam+friends. the first week was a little rough. we were meant to head back to work the day we arrived but decided upon touchdown that wouldn't be happening. returned to work on tuesday and wednesday, but then i got sick on thursday and ended up having to take off at lunch and also friday. not really the productive work week i had in mind, but my body just had enough.

it is good to be back, but i have to be honest when i say that for one reason or another, it was a lot harder to leave this time than previous visits home. i'm not sure why, but it has spurred me to reevaluate my 'indefinite' timeline here in taiwan. in short, it's time to get focused up and set out what i came here to do. this by no way means that i'm done with taiwan, but that it's time to stop messing around and get serious about crossing a few goals off the list.

speaking of goals, i guess i did make some new year's resolutions for this year, or rather, a new year's mission statement. my theme for last year was 'grow', so this year it's going to be 'improve.' while this might seem pretty generic, it has two advantages; 1) i can apply this principle to everything i do currently in my life ex. diet - improve eating habits by eating organic and 2) it's simple and easy to use without having to come up with elaborate plans as to either keep or implement lofty resolutions. this idea of the mission statement really worked for me last year....i managed to improve my working situation, financial situation, health and eating habits, met some new people and even achieved a few other things unlooked for. this year, i just want to enjoy what i have but improve upon them; professionally+personally.

on the road (again)

we're off! started our 9 day trek back to ontario and have spent it so far driving at a leisurely pace, seeing the sights, and soaking in all things canadian. it goes without saying, but this time around shit is a whole lot better. no grueling 10-hour driving days. no relying on the breeze to keep us cool (a/c is the most) and just a whole lot of other pluses.
update again in a couple of days and i will be sure to post some pics.

big improvements

what a change these last few weeks have brought. the last 10 months living in small-twon exile have finally come to an end...no more hanover, no more living with my parents and no more circling the airport of life. we're on our way to b.c to a brand new start and and a new life. i'm full of excitement and anticipation of what's to come, but before we arrive at the destination we mustn't forget the journey...
day 1 - june.28.2008.
3:15am - awoke to rainy skies. a hasty goodbye before jumping in the packed to the hilt car and a 2-hour drive to tobermory. the crossing to manitoulin island was tranquil. calm, cobalt blue waters were broken lightly by a gentle rain. had a bit of a slow time once we made the landing due to a faulty swing bridge. soon enough, we were on our way once again with a staggering 1200km to drive to thunder bay. the landscape changed dramatically the further we pushed along highway 17. i finally see whay ontario is the land of lakes beacause we passed countless bodies of water surrounded by rocky, pine-covered hills. i can also see why people who live in northern dislike southerners...we are spoiled rotten in almost every way: infrastructure, convenience and amenities. northern ontario has none of these things yet has some very striking scenery...those who live there must consider it a trade-off where you take the good with the bad.
the drive went smoothly as we rocked through sault ste. marie and communities so tiny they were little more than rest stops. around wawa the fog started to roll in from lake superior slowing our pace. still we drove on and on until we reached marathon, the last stop before the final leg. here the fog evaporated as the rain began. the further we drove the bigger the increase in rainfall. luckily the light held allowing us to keep watch for moose crossings (which were more frequent after dark) finally, we pulled into thunder bay and quickly found the campground. the elements were against us as the rain soaked us and the wind howled at us. by this point patience was in very short supply so we angrily albeit hurriedly put the tent together. after our grueling 15 hour drive we collapsed into our damp, wind-blown haven and fell into an uneasy sleep. the wind continued through the night threatening to blow us away. it also created unusual shapes sounds near the tent. as i fell in and out of sleep i swear i could hear the following.
a) eerie laughter, fun-house styles.
b) hands brushing over my tent a la blair witch
c) someone repeatedly opening and closing my car door, stealing all my belongings.
none of these things happened and after i managed to get some sleep we were feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.

day 2 - june.29.2008.
the mission is to get to winnipeg, a mere 7.5 hour drive and exactly half of yesterdays torturous exercise in stupidity. my hip and ass are so sore i think i'll need replacement surgery by trips' end. actually, it wasn't so bad but still took a while to get out of ontario...man! what a whopper of a province. we set off fairly early and passed the day watching the rocks and pine trees, pines trees and rocks go by, hour after hour when suddenly the way opened up, the trees and rocks became fewer and we entered manitoba. at last, the biggest leg of the journey was over. continued onto winnipeg where we spent the night.

day3 - june.30.2008.
got another early start today which was good because we made a few wrong turns while trying to leave winnipeg. the map was no help either. even the locals we eventually asked for directions told us it's one of north america's most difficult cities to navigate.
agreed.
we found our bearing and shot off west once more. the day started off cool but gradually grew warmer and warmer. by the time we stopped for lunch, it was 33 celsius without a cloud in the sky. elisha and i positively cooked in our car but our spirits were high knowing we had only a short jaunt of 6 hours drive. dan found a nice campground with a pool which was pure bliss. now, just waiting for this guy and his laptop to go to sleep so i can smoke a cannon before bed. tomorrow, we're off to calgary and to see barry.

day5 - july.2.2008.
happy canada day! finally got to spend the national holiday in my home country and what better way to celebrate it by driving across this great nation. the drive was pretty uneventful but thankfully cool due to cloudy skies. there were some impressive landscapes of dark, foreboding weather against yellow, green and brown fields of crops. sped our way past grain elevators which soon gave way to the perpetual motion of oil derricks and at the same time matching the pace of trains taking containers across the neverending plains. before we knew it, calgary loomed ahead on the horizon and after getting a tad bit lost, we met up with barry where we'd be spending the night. it was great to catchup with him over a few beers and bongs before crashing into sleep. the next morning, we sleepily said our goodbyes with promises of plans in the near future.
the drive from calgary soon saw the stoic rocky mountains looming before us. they are so impressive they almost seem to good to be true. a very humbling experience and a great reminder of why we decided to see this country. we continued on down the transcan, making our way past kamloops when we decided to camp for the night at logan lake.

day 6 - july.3.2008.
last day of our cross-country caravan. mixed bag of feelings as i am happy not to drive, but sad there's only a little more to go. at the same time, excited to see our new place and the start of something new.