Well, this will be a short update.

Just been so busy with bdays, kris kringle shopping and work. The days fly by faster by the minute. Only 10 more days til Xmas!

All Kris Kringle pressies have been bought. Can't wait to give them to my friends~

Still no plan for xmas yet. Will most prob spend the day with my family before heading out to see friends at night and then getting ready for a claustrophobic boxing day sale shopping run.

BUT, I did want to give everyone a surprise though!

For those who have read Twilight, then you will completely understand when I say that Edward Cullen is a TO DIE FOR SWOON WORTHY character <3 He is the only character that I love from the whole series. Belle, the main heroine is completely hopeless. I don't like her at all in the first three books. She only comes as a stronger character in the last book. But Edward...MmmMmMmmm.....I wish he was a real vampire who lusted after my blood to a point of loving infatuation *sigh*

WELL, Lyn sent me the following link. It contains a few chapters of Edward's side of the story!! Apparently, S Meyer wrote Twilight again but from Edward's perspective and somehow 12 chapters leaked onto the internet and she stopped writing! BOOOO. I WANT MORE EDWARD NOW NOW NOW!!

So here is the link:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partialdraft3.pdf

I'm only half way through reading it and I'm already sad because I don't want it to stop. I think every female fantasizes about a man who is as devoted, invincible and so terribly caring and romantic as he is. Must watch movie this Sunday~

Carrie totally fell for Edward as well. She didn't read the book first though. Now she is lol

Happy Reading!

...:::ciaozzz:::...

Just a quick update to let ppl (if anyone actually still reads this blog) know that I'm still alive and well over here in Taiwan. In fact, everything is so settled that Taiwan is def feels like a second home. I just love the food here and the fact that it is EVERYWHERE, lil food stalls and vendors just around the corner with almost anything you could want. BUT i do miss a good steak, foccacias and Gloria Jeans caramel lattes *sigh*  I'm no longer homesick and if anything, I will be back in Syd for a week in April for my second graduation. Time is flying by and next thing you know, I will be back in Syd for good.

I guess I will always miss home but I've learnt to deal with it and I've been extremely lucky with the people I have met and the friends I have made, who keep me busy and happy. The people in Taiwan are also extremely friendly and helpful. They really take an interest in you if they know you are from overseas and make an effort to help you out.  For example, there is this totally awesome Pearl Milk Tea place where Shatan and I always goto because they have the best pearl milk tea I have ever tasted (apparently, Pearl Milk Tea originated from Taiwan). But since we can't read the menu, we always order the same thing. The first time we went there, the workers freaked out because they couldn't speak English, so after drawing things out on a piece of paper and explaining things with sign language, they finally understood what we wanted. Every time after that, they started speaking more and more English "hot or cold? little or big?" etc NOW, they actually have an english menu which they made especially just for us! I will be sad to leave when the time comes because the friends I have made here are so cool and easy going...and Americans are so funny and I get teased constantly by them about my aussie accent and slang as well. But I was watching my friends video on facebook this morning and I just realized that they sounded incredibly aussie! How strange is that?

Well, overall, work has been cool. I picked up kindergarten in the morning and my lil class of 6 are soooo cute!!!! I love them to bits even though they are germ infested lil plague rats...like when they sneeze, long slimey green snot dangles from their chin, sticking to their cheek and wherever else it may attach itself to...asking me to wipe their butts for them...I see lil penises on a daily basis...but they are totally cute. I will take pics of them and post it next time~ Along with kindy in the morning and teaching the older kids in the evening, it will help me save some money finally. At least try to save for Japan in Oct/Nov and fingers crossed for HK in April for the weekend as well~

The weather is starting to get warmer now and that is huge relief since it's been SOOO cold. The cold here in Taiwan is diff from Syd, its like a coldness that numbs you to the bone, the wind bites, ur fingers and feet are completely numb, no matter how many layers of clothes you wear, its still damn cold. SO, I am glad that it is finally warming up.

kk, thats it for now~

...:::ciaozzz:::...

p.s.  I'm so lazy to post up pics on LJ since any pics I have are all uploaded straight away onto facebook.

Well, next Saturday will be my 24th birthday. Most of the time, I'm in denial that I'm 23...I keep thinking that I'm 22. Sometimes I wonder what I have accomplished in my life up until now. If I really think about it...there hasn't been much really. I've finished my degree...thought through my options and decided to take the Diploma in Secondary Education...finished that and didn't want to face reality just yet and jetted off to Taiwan to teach English for a year. I left behind my life in Sydney, along with my bf of almost 5years, family and friends. But after that...what comes next?  I'm still deciding should I go back to Sydney and start working properly and get settled down OR travel more and spend another year teaching in another country. I don't know. So many choices but then not.

Apart from that, Taiwan has been good to me so far. I'm not homesick anymore altho I do miss Lyndon, my family and friends. Work is fine, I finally got a kindergarten contract, so I will start teaching kindy, these tiny lil 2-3yr old in Feb after Chinese New Year! Can't wait! It will be so much fun and on top of that, more money coming in as well~ If I reflect upon the 2 months I have been in Taiwan so far, I really have been very fortunate in all that has happened. I met people who have become fast friends and I am never completely lonely if I think about it. But I do realize that I admire those who are single more now. To do things on ur own and not rely on someone, is an admirable thing to do.

Well, for my birthday, I have decided to head up to Taipei to spend it with some friends from training group. I'm really glad that our training group was pretty tight knit and we still keep in contact. So I can't wait to see everyone then. I don't think we will do much tho apart from meet up to have a chit chat really, but I prefer that to going out and getting smashed off my face. These get togethers are always heaps of fun because there is so much gossip, like who hooked up with who, who broke up with their partners coz long distance wasnt working out or coz they found someone else etc. For the past 3 birthdays, I have been overseas. My 21st was the last time I spent it in Sydney. My 22nd was in Malaysia with Lyndon, my 23rd was spent in China and now, my 24th will be in Taiwan. I wonder where my 25th will be...but gosh, I don't want to think about 25 yet, its like the point of no return!! Five more years and I will be 30 *sob*

I was bored yesterday afternoon after work coz Shatan wasn't feeling well, so she went for a nap. Craig was in Singapore for a week for winter Camp. Everyone else was doing other things. So I went and got my hair cut along with getting reddish brown highlights. Luckily it turned out all well and I'm happy with the end result. I was actually really scared that they wouldn't understand me and cut my hair really short coz the Victoria Beckham bob is really in now. Pretty much most of the Chinese Teachers at work (98% all female) have their hair permed or the bob. But the hairdresser spoke a lil bit of English and gave me a trim =) After that, I did a bit of shopping with Shatan and I bought a pair of boots and a white scarf. I haven't shopped all that much since I've been in Taiwan. But considering I'm not earning that much in the first place, I shouldn't really be shopping haha But I have managed to buy like 6 pairs of shoes already and many more to come!

Ok, time for some piccies!

One of the outfits from the studio pics that I took. It was like a cabaret/moulin rouge type of thing. They will send the complete album n CD with my piccies mid Feb. Can't wait!!


Wish I was skinnier tho.


Two of my workmates. At work, there are only 5 foreign teachers including myself. On the left, Craig Dickey who cracks me up and has been heaps nice by introducing me to his friends and including me in what they do. They are super cool. The one of the right, is Matt, who is the HNST (Head Native Speaking Teacher) altho sadly he is leaving Taiwan in Feb after teaching here for 3 years already. Matt is the perfect British gentleman. Well spoken and polite and I can totally imagine him in a Pride and Prejudice scenario. They are both such cuties lol


Some peeps from training group. We were at the annual HESS Banquet. Free booze and food, what more could one ask aye? But I have NFI who the guy in the middle is...

Some of my workmates, the CT's (Chinese Teachers). Trust me, u will end up doing the peace thing regardless of whether u want to or not.


Judy who is the bestest person I have met in Taiwan. From California. Tom from Canada who is so funny that every time we see him, he makes us laugh so much that our stomach muscles hurt. It was Judy's birthday today, so we went to Taichung (south of Taipei) to see some other friends. I feel bad that we didn't do something more exciting for her =(


...:::ciaozzz:::...

I finally have internet at home but once again, a bit lazy to update because there is so much to say, but so much has happened as well and it's hard to remember everything. But be warned, this will be a long post, with no pics (coz I'm not on my comp atm). It's really more of a way for me to vent and ponder about issues in my life. So here goes...

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It sure didn't feel like Christmas in Taiwan and most def where I'm living. No Christmas cheer, decorations, people frantically rushing around buying presents etc I also missed my family and Lyndon terribly. Just wasn't the same without them. I ended up hanging out with a work mate and his friends, who were very cool and nice as well. But I still couldn't help feel a lil bit sad. But better than being alone I guess.

As for work, it has already become boring. I got the procedures down already and the material/curriculum to teach is boring and annoying. There are so many grammar mistakes in the text books that it isn't funny! Along with the strict teaching methods and steps that we have to adhere to, which don't really benefit the students in the long term. I guess I have some personal issues with HESS, once I've done all the training and initial culture shock and seeing HESS for what is really is. It is just another big money making business which embellishes all it's it's achievements and glosses over the finer details. They are also dodgy. They have connections with government officials which turn a blind eye to the many dodgy shit HESS does.  It's disappointing really. But I'm tied down to them with a one year contract, whereby if you break it, you will have to fork up a big fine. Unless I break it and do a runner back to Sydney and never goto Taiwan again. But I really don't want to do that unless I am completely miserable and feel like there is no other choice.

But if I REALLY think about it, I have only been in Taiwan for 6 weeks and honestly, it feels like 6 months already. Maybe I'm not as independent and strong as I thought I was afterall and I'm disappointed in myself as well. So many times in a day I would either doubt my choice of doing this OR be completely fine with it. I know that if I was back in Sydney, everything would be the same. My friends and family would be there, doing what they were doing when I there anyways. But I can't help but miss the routines and sense of familiarity, especially knowing that at the end of the day, Lyndon was there to hug me to sleep at night.

I guess what doesn't help make things better is that once again, I am sick. As expected and informed by everyone from work, due to the fact that I am teaching germ infested children, I am bound to get sick OFTEN. Shatan (from training group and working at the same branch) has been so sick the last week, but she still had to work. I felt so sorry for her. I have either caught it from her, from the kids, or getting use to Taiwan or a combination of everything put together. Once again, when I get sick, I become emotional.

Lyndon called me not long ago, while I was sad and feeling yuck all round and of course, I couldn't help but have a cry. I know my sister will read this, roll her eyes, and proceed to leave a comment telling me to just go back to Syndey coz I'm such a cry baby. But, to continue my train of thought, It had upset him to hear me cry. Since I have kept so many things bottled up inside, it was the right thing to do by letting it out and consoling myself to the only one who knew me best, my best friend and love. Only he could offer me words of comfort and advice. Next to Lyndon, it would have been my parents. I felt a bit better afterwards, but of course, our conversation had to end because it was costing him a  small fortune to call me from his mobile and he had to wake up in a few hours to goto work.

If I think about it, I maybe very selfish in just thinking about me all the time. I know that it has been hard for Lyndon as well. He has been doing his industrial training, which is like work experience. I know that he has been working extremely hard, in terms of back breaking manual labour because that is what is required of him in order to learn the basics of civil engineering. But I have the uttermost confidence in everything he does because he is extremely competent when it comes to most things. He is someone I can always count on. I believe in him 100% and will support him so long as I agree with whatever scheme he comes up with. I can forsee the man he will become and I know he will achieve it. I have most probably doubted him in the past, but as time has gone by in the 4 and 1/2 years we have been together, and especially during this time for me to figure things out, I know that we are right for each other indefinitely. To all the other chicky babez with bf's, I'm sure you feel the same way about ur bf's as well~

If anything, I really need to think about my own life and what direction it will take. After wondering if teaching is for me after all this time, I still don't know if it is something I want to do for the rest of my life. Maybe this whole Taiwan thing really was just a way for me to escape reality and responsibility. I don't know what I want to do with my life afterall and maybe this one yr away is just a way to delay/prolong myself from making any serious decisions. It's scaring the daylights out of me. I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE! Can I simply just go with the flow and wait for things to fall into place? The answer is most prob not...*sigh*

Oh wells,  I think that this is enough for one night. Should try to get some rest considering I'm going to have studio pictures taken in the next 6 hours and I look nowhere near rested and well. I hope they do a good photoshop job, that's all.

...:::ciaozzz:::...