absolutwillie

Category: Migrations

  • honey, I'm home!


    remember Fred Flintstone and his joyous declaration at the front door?well, those of you who do, would’ve been excused for thinking that was him coming home from school last night :0)

    I nearly jumped out of my skin when I opened the door and found Peter smiling on the other side! he’d prepared dinner (an improved version of Sunday’s recipe) and topped it off with my current favorite oolong beverage. now what could be better than being met with a beautiful smile on the face of your loved one – and a gastronomic feast to boot? nothing that I can think of right away, that’s for sure!

    I’ll post some photos when I get home tonight. meanwhile, have a glorious Wednesday!

    xoxo

    Posted by ShoZu

  • styling

    ‘sup y’all…

  • Housewarming

    facebook
    Willie Knoetze
    05 April 03:29 nm.
    Housewarming
    To absolutwillie’s “enjoy your life café”

    Here’s a link to Joanne’s pictures
    of Saturday’s visit ;0)

    Willie has shared a link to an album with you.
    To view the album or to reply to the message,
    follow this link:

    http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=705880526&k=3YC6Y2R3VW3M5DLDXB42T4

  • a knight in shimmering armor

    y’all know this week was not the easiest I’ve had in a bit. but thanks to scheduling requirements for my a/c installation, I got to take a day’s leave from school on Friday :0)

    and Peter did not let the opportunity to sweep me off my feet slip by! Friday afternoon he bundled me into his car and whisked me off past Cishan mountain, to track down the first peaches of the season. (and he says he isn’t romantic!) en route, we checked out a place called ‘Holy Mt Zion’ – this is their gate:

    from the looks of it, Mt Zion is what you’d call a faith based, self reliant, semi-autonomous community. (see how i didn’t say sect? oops…) very impressive and very big – it really takes up a biggish hill. but a bit creepy, so no other photos to share.

    yesterday, the girls from the buxiban came ’round to “warm” our apartment. Peter had made a reservation at our favorite Japanese BBQ for all of us – no dishes for me! *lol* to top it all off, he took me to see ‘the reader’ after everyone went home.

    and today he’s taking me to a mulberry farm to pick the first mulberries of the season!

    every day, I thank God for Peter. is it dificult to see why?


    update: on the drive home, we stopped and got some pineapples next to the road. back in Kaohsiung we stopped at a market for fresh chicken and an (as yet) unidentified vegetable. when we got home, Peter started dinner: Chicken and Pineapple soup!

  • Monday and Tuesday

    … were crazy. here’s a summary of the rest of Monday:
    • brand new student (first timer, not a word of English) enrolled 4 months before the end of the school year,
    • Joey fell during playtime – bit through his lower lip! stitches for lunch…
    • co-teacher freaked out about the speeches.
    • GEPT private student postponed after I’d been waiting for 15mins
    • finished the speeches at 7am, Tuesday.

    Tuesday:
    • my schedule at kindergarten was inverted – two strenuous classes ended up back to back…
    • co-teacher freaked about the speeches; too long/difficult,
    • asked to record (butchered) speeches,
    • mountain of communication books dumped on my lap,
    • t i r e d
    • printing orders from SA bouncing through mailboxes.

    overslept this morning. still haven’t recorded or written the communication books. did what I could about the orders. still tired.

    c’est la vie, n’est-ce pas?
    *grumble*

    Posted by ShoZu

  • MRT musings, take two

    alright, so the spectacular post I tapped out on the underground this morning… is lost. neat as this Shozu app is, it does have some drawbacks. no autosave being one. I attempted to tap the ‘save’ button, but must’ve hit ‘clear’ or something.

    anyhoo. these things happen.

    yesterday was a whirlwind. it started with a simple To-Do list:
    • pick up April bus ticket (save NT$400),
    • buy black cartridge for printer,
    • send postcard to US, get stamps for SA mail,
    • change scooter’s oil,
    • pollish resume,
    • contact schools with advertised vacancies for next semester.

    I forgot about the speeches for my primary school class at the buxiban. there’s a reading and speech contest on my birthday – and 5 of the girls from my TCE class are participating.

    I realized that I’d forgotten the speeches as I woke up on the bus to Donggang. then I realized that we’d already passed the town!

    the bus dropped me next to the road. I had to walk back! very Indie plottish, I’m sure.

    Monday started.

    Posted by ShoZu

  • @!!#!

    I typed up and lost an entire post just now… AAAAARRRGGH!!!

    should I have stayed in bed this morning? we’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.

    Posted by ShoZu

  • note to self: socks

    one should never underestimate the aesthetic value of socks.

    (to the lady in the leather tights and mocks: even ugly, mismatched socks would be an improvement when your bare skin looks like a mock-up of the Plague.)

    Posted by ShoZu

  • Squirreliciousness

    yep – that’s a mischievous sparkle in his eye!

    he’s still on the formula – and BOY does he get excited when he grabs hold!
    he still needs some ‘encouragement’ to empty his bladder (wet earbud substitutes mommy squirrel’s licks) – but when he lets go, you can see the relief on his face! haha – i suppose boys will be boys ;0)

  • mobile snapshots

    clearing out the cobwebs in my head also means clearing out the cobwebs in daily life :0)
    one of the areas that needed some desperate cleaning was my mobile phone’s memory card. here are some of the better shots that were liberated from the old dear:


    my first night in Taiwan saw me attending a celebration of some sorts. methinks it was a birthday, or something. this is a shot of the principal of my (then new) school and her family. thank Heavens Ben was there as well! Nobody else really spoke any English. 

    i snapped this one for my Dad – who’s a land surveyor back in SA. at home, he needs a big 4×4 to get to all the places he needs to work – here in Taiwan, a 50cc scooter seems more than adequate!
    PoPo (pronounced Puwo-Puwo, not pawpaw) sleeping like a baby – literally!

    a note from one of my students’ communication books. it always tickles me when i see my name – but nobody tells me what it says… so yeah – any ideas?

    for those of you who can read sheet music, this is the tune for “Hansie Slim”, believe it or not! 
    i love some of these signs’ use of English!