year of the tiger

the last month has been a busy one. houseguests, winter camps, holidays, and general changes in schedule have all played their part in keeping me occupied.

jobs have come and gone in the last month as well. for the last 5 months, i have duly given up my saturdays working for a school which didn't agree with me in any way, shape, or form. in the spirit of good taste, i'll refrain from naming names, but let me give you a little background. this was a school that offered a "class" (and i use the term loosely, here) on saturdays for students who were in middle school and too busy to attend regularly-scheduled english classes. The curriculum was pretty much an outline of the grammar points, reading and writing assignments. There weren't any clear guidelines for project expectations, little in the way of testing, and absolutely no rubrics for marking students. Basically, they let you do what you want. Sounds great, doesn't it? A teacher's dream...the opportunity to open your students young minds and show them the possibilities of the world around them. While good on paper, this wasn't the case in practice...as the students only show up for 3 hours a week, parents expected bang for buck...meaning, i needed to cram in as much as i could and ensure that the students would retain it all. chronic absenteeism combined with adolescent angst and just a soupcon of general class-on-saturday malaise all made for me having my job cut out for me. The best part of the job was that all a parent had to do was air a grievance and it would squarely fall on my shoulders as my ineptitude. Heaver forbid that the school was poorly managed, the curriculum practically nonexistent and the majority of the students underachievers who never put in the work. I would leave this job every Saturday feeling angry at the school, feeling i was a bad teacher and hating my students. I would gripe and bitch to my wife during my lunch time phone call, and then again for at least an hour following dismissal as i shook off the day. Still, I went each and every Saturday to face the music and at least tried my best, even though I voiced plans to get out this situation.

It seems that the universe heard me and decided to sort me out.Winter camp was fast approaching and about a month before it came, I let the school know I was interested in having some hours in the morning. I was put off time and time again, until the last day of the semester came. Classes went as scheduled and immediately following my last class, the head teacher asked if he could talk to me. He said the school was happy with my teaching, but a big part of the job was retention and none of my students had enroled in the upcoming semester. AS such, the school had decided that the cost of my work permit outweighed my teaching skills, so they were going to let me go and cancel my work permit by the end of February. I was shocked, but told him I wasn't surprised and left without another word.

I mulled what he had said over in my head, and honestly I was depressed about it. I couldn't help but feel that what he really meant by retention could be nothing other than my teaching. I mean, retaining students would have to mean that I was a fun, interesting teacher who taught them something, wouldn't it? How could one thing not be related to the other? I continued to brood on these ideas until I found out from a co-worker that the school had axed most of the licensed teachers in favour of hiring illegal teachers, in order to save a few bucks. Needless to say, I was pissed but it just seemed to be the final piece of the horrible puzzle that is that school. They just cemented what I always thought they were...a business first and school second. I briefly considered calling immigration or firebombing the place, but thought of the karmic backlash i would inevitably have to deal with, so i opted to be dignified and do nothing.

Thus, ended my career with that hellhole. The upside is that I have my weekends back and no longer complain (as often) The ironic part is that I turned down a writing job as I had just got my schedule and money the way I wanted, only to be let go of another job a few days later. Sigh.  It's not all bad though...the magazine and I have worked out some freelancing work which should keep in the black until something else comes along. My other school has also increased my working hours, so I'm well-pleased about that (as is my bank account) Between the freelancing and the other school, plus my privates, I will hardly even notice the loss of income from the saturday job. Kind of nice to know that this won't affect me all that much and I'm working less...up yours, LC.

Enough about work. February also saw us with our first houseguest in Taiwan. elisha's brother shawn decided to come and spend his vacation with us here during chinese new year. The first week was spent seeing sights and taking in markets in Taipei. The weather was great, unseasonably warm and we all hoped that it would be a trend which would continue through the 2nd week. Unfortunately, after wings @ hooters on thursday night, the weather got really cold and the rains started. This was the trend that would continue. Temperatures plummeted to 9 degrees and a relentless rain kept us in indoors between Tuesday and Friday. Finally, the rain yielded and we were able to have some beers and a house party for Shawn's last night. It was a whirlwind two weeks, but funny enough, the time trapped in the apartment keeping warm and dry went faster than anything else. I enjoyed myself and hope that he did as well.

so, it's now the year of the tiger and time to get serious about a few things again here in taiwan...chiefly among them is to get back into saving mode...had some fun spending cash, but our trip back to the old country is coming up faster than you can say international flight. just need to be a smidge more careful about how and where i spend my hard-earned cash...also need to get back into doing some design and chinese classes. leaving taipei made me realize how little chinese i actually speak...i felt like reminding some of the people i needed to speak to whilst away, "no, i ask the questions and you use the response from page 147 in the textbook."

Gonxi fa cai!

2010...so far

happy new year! time to start off the new year with a quick recap of what's being happening in my life. NYE was a lot of fun...at first, it seemed as tho it might fizzle out before the fireworks. i tried (in vain) to make some plans to include the majority, but in true NYE-style the many waited til the last minute and then decided on something else. so, we still had a few people over to watch the fireworks from our roof and then headed out to a friend's party at the sunworld dynasty hotel for a long-awaited night out. good times! great music, great venue, hung out with great people both old and new and just generally schmoozed the night away. a much needed and much appreciated start to the new year.

the new year hasn't been all fun and games so far however. after our nice, 4-day rest and recoup, it was back the grind. year-end reports were due, planning, and all the necessary things which eat away at our free time but pay the bills...thursday was my regular, mid-week respite and by afternoon i started to feel a little achey. by dinner time, i was cold one minute, hot the next and sore all over. by bedtime, i was running to the bathroom every 20 minutes and shortly after going to sleep, i was running to empty my stomach's contents. fun, fun. took friday and saturday off work to rest up and finally had something substantial to eat by dinner on saturday night. today, feeling a bit better but still fragile. hopefully one more night's sleep will put this flu to bed.

this last week also marked a very sad start to the new year...got a call on friday morning that grandma weishar had passed away suddenly. the details aren't important, but this spry, brilliant, lovable little lady has been taken away and we are all feeling the loss. it goes without saying that she will be sadly missed by those who knew her, but it always makes being away from home that much more difficult...you don't really get the same opportunity to say goodbye, or grieve, or comfort, or remember the good times with those who remain. but, that's something we have had to go through a couple of times. i wish i could say it gets easier. i also wish i could say i wouldn't have to go through it again, but i know what the truth is. it's not really a matter of living abroad...living here wouldn't have stopped things from happening...it's a matter of getting older and dealing with mortality. and that's something that will likely never get any easier.

2009

Another year has come and gone or, very nearly at any rate. Before I ring in the new year, I just wanted to stop to consider the things that have changed over the last year.


The biggest change in my life has been the fact that I am now a married man. I still can’t really believe it sometimes...it feels so, so....adult I guess. I know that may sound strange, but it sometimes feel like I am still an awkward kid, struggling to catch up to this supposed adult life I am living. Being married hasn’t really changed things with my relationship to Elisha, but it does change the way people look at you. When I was just dating Elisha (or going steady, or whatever) I can say that there were less expectations on us...no requirements to act like a married couple, such as giving up going out, or spending our time doing bathroom reno’s on the weekend. Perhaps those are just the things I thought married couples did. Anyway, I find that the same pre-conceived notions I had about married couples are now being used as weapons in judgment against me. When I tell people I’m married, their first impression usually involves me being too old to certain things. Either that or being asked if I have children or when Elisha and I will have them. Sigh. Guess a taste of my own medicine was due and I of all people should’ve expected this. It changes nothing for me...I still feel the same when I wasn’t married and love Elisha all the more. That’s what being married means to me.

Other big changes in the year have meant 2 major moves; first, deciding to move from the West coast giving up yet another apartment, sparse furniture, jobs and saying goodbye to friends. Not that we had a big life out there, but it still gets more difficult to say see ya later every time we decide to move on. When we do decide to move on, it’s usually a combination of something not working and something missing. In the case of Nanaimo, it had a lot to do with money. I was stuck in a job that was supposed to be temporary, living a life I had left behind 4 years previously, only to find myself back in it with a different backdrop. Location had little to with it...the island itself is a beautiful place and given time, I think I could’ve adjusted to all the naturalness but the life itself wasn’t what we were hoping for. I guess I just hoped that the West would be full of promise for us. If and when I do settle back in Canada, I think B.C. would be top of the list.

But things change and I would be remiss to say that I don’t thrive on change. The other big upheaval in my life over the last year was to return to Taiwan. It also hasn’t turned out exactly as planned, but you know what they say about best laid plans going to waste. I can safely say that Taiwan has held true in one regard and that it being a place to expect the unexpected. While life hasn’t worked out as hoped, it has still worked out over the last few months and I’m very happy to be back. In just a few short months, finances have improved, we’ve met some new people and are just generally enjoying life that much more. All in all, the decision to return was a sound choice and I’m looking forward to handling all the curveballs this place can throw at me in 2010.

So here’s to yet another year and looking forward to what lies ahead.

The Life and Times of Macy Grey

Throughout Asia it is impossible to walk more than 5 feet without seeing, hearing, smelling or nearly being run into by that most ubiquitous of transportation, the scooter. They come in all shapes, sizes, makes and models but they remain an affordable and simple way to get around crowded city streets. Our little scooter, Macy Grey, has recently found its way back to us. Even though I have only had her back for 4 short hours, I can already say that I really feel like my long lost child has come home at last.
Macy Grey is nothing short of a miracle.She is not so much a scooter as she is a wizened old soul, housed in her metal and plastic casing. She knows the streets of Taipei like the back of her tires and almost seems to guide her driver to his or her destination (or that could be the shaky steering column) Macy was given to us in 2006 by a friend who was leaving Taiwan. Macy had been given to our friend by a friend of hers, who had also had Macy given to her by another friend (original owner) Ms. Grey (Macy to her friends) had actually sat for about 6 months prior to our friend giving her to us. Our friend randomly decided to try to start Macy one day and she worked! When we became her owner, Macy was rough and ready...well-worn, but with a few miles to go. Or at least that's what we thought so we didn't sink any money into what seemed like a lost cause. Now, I'd like to say I took care of Macy but truth is, I didn't exactly rotate her tires and give her an oil change every 1,000km. Instead, she was pushed to her limits; speeding from light to light, slamming on the brakes, etc. Repairs were slapdash and involved a toolkit consisting of a roll or packing tape and scissors. If memory serves, the only real repair that involved a mechanic was an oil filter which likely hadn't been changed since Macy's birth.
Time rolled on and about a year after we'd come to call Macy our own, it was time for us to saddle up and move on from the beautiful isle. But, what to do with Macy? We couldn't just leave her there, shivering and rusting all alone on some lonely Taipei alley. Both of us felt we owed it to this little scooter who could (and as a matter of good karma) we passed Macy on to another friend of ours. We kept tabs on, thinking about her from time to time and all the fun we'd had racing through the streets of Taipei together.
More time passed and so did our friends' tenure in Taipei. To keep the karma flowing, she also passed Macy onto yet another friend. He had her for a short time before he too left Taiwan. Not wanting to break the karma chain, he passed it on to another friend. That friend also passed it on to yet another friend of ours, who really never took to Macy and driving in these crazy streets. So, Macy sat, waiting for someone to come and claim her.
Fast forward to august 2009; our triumphant return to Taipei and it wasn't long after that I inquired about Macy. I feared the worst for her, but turns out she was just downstairs collecting parking tickets. Our friend said Macy had been sitting once more for about 10 months and offered her to us again. At first, I was hesitant, but after a couple of months relying on public transit I gave in. So, today was the day. I got the keys and thought, what the hell? I'll see if she starts. Surprisingly, the battery still worked and Macy tried and tried to turn over, but just was too sleepy from her long rest. A quick push down the street to the local mechanic, 15 minutes and $500NT later (including helmet) Macy breathed life once again. I carefully put her through her paces and treated my thirsty girl to a new tank of gas. Tomorrow, I'm going to get a new muffler and possibly a new handbrake but shhh! Don't tell her...it's a surprise.
Here's a picture of the old girl...sure glad she's back in my life again. Here's to you Macy and the automotive adventures we'll be having.

Rounding the bend

8 more days.

That's all I have to wait before I finally, finally have substantial enough cash in hand to fully lead the life I remembered and have longed for so long here in Taipei. And I have to say that it has been a long road towards the white light at the end of the tunnel. Since I've arrived, it's been nothing but budgeting and belt-tightening...actually, it's been more like 2 years and 3 months of budgeting, as well as saying 'almost there' to myself over and over again. I finally arrive at the seemingly mythical place of 'almost there' December 10^th and it's going to feel...it's going to feel...well, actually, I kind of forget how it feels so I'll let you know. Top of the list to buy/do are some new clothes, a couple of choice dinners and of course, heading out on the town for some serious dawn til dusk debauchery.

So before I round the bend on almost there, I thought I'd share what I've done to pass the time. Wasting time, biding time, or whichever label you want to put on it, I've been doing lots of it. Lots and lots. Many times lots. The bottom line is that I feel I've done a pretty good job of entertaining myself with low to no-cost activities. I've literally read, watched, listened, downloaded, planned, organized, cleaned, emailed, photographed + learned about all I can handle at the mo'...so much so, I feel bored. To tears. I really just need an evening of drunkenness to keep my brain in check. It won't do any good if my brain gets a swelled head with all the neurons I've recovered during the last few months of financially-induced sobriety.

Things have improved over the last few months. While I still have a bit of hostility towards the job sitch, I have given in and secured gainful employment with a new school. The hours round out the sched quite nicely, and the best part is that I didn't have to give up too many hours at my old job to get the new one. I did have to give up one class, loosening my dependability on the shack of lacklustre learning, but gained an additional 2 hours at the new school instead, so a fair trade as far as I'm concerned. The differences between the two schools couldn't be more removed. L.C is, in a nutshell, disorganized, lacks materials, cohesive curriculum and staff who really care whether the school succeeds or fails. CELP is on the other end of the spectrum: hyper-organized, extensive materials to the point of obscenity and one of the most painstakingly-planned syllabi I've ever encountered. Hmm...wonder which job I'll keep when my contract is up?

Job juxtapositions aside, another new happening is the book club is finally off the ground. At last check, the Taipei Book Club has 34 members and growing day by day. We had our first official meeting on Sunday with only 9 of our members showing up, but it was still a great introduction to something which none of the members (myself included) has ever part of before. The group seems to pull people in from different walks of life and is split pretty evenly down the middle between expats and locals. This should give the meetings an interesting flavour and I'm looking forward to the next meeting already. For our first book, we decided on Blindness by Jose Saramago. Looking forward to it at any rate.

Another thing to look forward to is that Shawn is coming for viz here during CNY. We've been trying to come up with as many activities, sights and other points of interest to jam pack into his holiday. I'm working most of the time, but that's fine as we aren't planning on going anywhere except a day trip, or maybe an overnight or two here in Taiwan. We figure that this is where we live and while a sun+surf holiday to would be great, we should really show him why it is that we live here. Not too sure when his dates are yet, but he will be here for around 2 weeks or so. Leesh is off during that time, so they can do the touristy stuff around the city during the day while I'm at work, and I can show him the night-side of things.

Speaking of night, I just glanced at my clock and realized it's time for bed. I also realized that it's now only 7 more days til 'almost there.'

And only 7 more days before I remove 'almost' from my vocabulary.