tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62282082024-03-08T05:49:58.912-05:00ease your mind...F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-15417096736137260482011-08-25T22:55:00.001-04:002011-08-25T22:56:31.819-04:00Something cool..Facebook was showing old statuses on the sidebar and this one in particular really made me think...<br />
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On <strong><em>August 25, 2009</em></strong> I wrote:<br />
<blockquote>In NYC, interning at a great organization and a desk with a view of the Empire State Building - how did I get so lucky?!</blockquote>Wow! I'm worlds away from that experience today... not worse or better, just different. <br />
F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-72367154370798442552011-07-04T23:02:00.001-04:002011-07-19T22:30:07.667-04:00Realizing long held dreams and goals is going to be the theme for the rest of this year! <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>(hopefully)</em></span><br />
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And it starts with the trip of a lifetime later this month....I'm <strong>finally</strong> taking the train across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver...I've wanted to do this for so so so long that it doesn't seem real yet (I'm sure it will sink in once I get the credit card statement though). The trip will take 3 days/4 nights and luckily I bought a sleeper cabin so I won't go crazy from lack of proper sleep.<br />
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Anyway, I'm really excited. I don't know anyone on the West Coast but I can't wait to see what it's about. And of course, I can't wait to see the beauty that is Canada...oh man, is it July 23rd already?!F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1184942621503460502011-03-26T21:49:00.001-04:002011-04-09T22:16:34.779-04:002 pretty big milestones in 2011. <br />
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1. My 1-year mark of being at a great job just passed - I can finally say I have a 'career'! <br />
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2. In August, I'm going to turn the big 3-0! Yes, me, the girl that still looks like she is in high school! I'm excited! Never did anything special on the birthdays before, but I feel like I should do something this year....hm....F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-5254575089539381902009-12-31T23:15:00.004-05:002011-04-09T22:18:21.886-04:00Goodbye '09, I'll miss you!This past year has been <strong>amazing</strong>. Not only did I finally graduate (again) but I got to see my dream of living in New York become a reality.. Granted it was only for 2.5 months, but still..it's NEW YORK!!! <br />
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Also, another dream of working for a world-class organization like UNICEF came true. Ok yeah...that too will be rather short-lived but I did it and that's what counts, dammit :p<br />
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Even though I'm happy looking forward to the future, I can't help but think back and reminisce about the past decade. <strong>2000-2009 = the best time of my life!</strong> I graduated three times (highschool, university, college). I lived abroad in three countries (South Africa, Taiwan, USA). I travelled to a almost a dozen more countries. And through all that, I learned more than I ever thought possible.<br />
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The next decade has a lot to live up to. I would like to live abroad again doing something I love and that I'm good at. My contract with UNICEF ends next month and after that, who knows? =) Things are constantly uncertain when it comes to my future, but that's just a part of this journey called life. (haha! listen to me trying to sound deep :p.. fail!)<br />
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Happy New Year friends =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-78086898018099126322009-03-25T21:47:00.002-04:002009-03-25T22:31:10.887-04:00wooooww<strong><em>I spent the last hour or so going through the blog. It's amazing - almost like going back in time!! I couldn't help laughing at some of the nutty things I wrote :p</em></strong><br /><br />An update is in order, no?!! It has been a couple of years after all.<br /><br />Let's ignore the last whiny post and start from September '07! So in short, I worked at UofT for year (remember it was supposed to be a temporary gig, but they asked me to stay on longer..) It was a good job, I learned a lot. The pay was really good and the people were great.<br /><br />After my year at UofT was over, I applied to go back to school. Shocking, I know! But sometimes I think it's the best decision I've made in the last few years.<br /><br />As of Sep '08, I've been studying Fundraising and Volunteer Management at Humber College. It's a 1-year program, so I will be finishing my second semester in just under 2 months. In the third semester I have to take on an internship to complete my studies...that is what's keeping me preoccupied at the moment.<br /><br />So in a nutshell: last year I was working, and this year I've been studying to become a fundraiser =) It's amazing, life is unpredictable sometimes. I never would have imagined myself being in this position..being in such an amazing program and receiving invaluable training from industry leaders. The future is bright, I'm excited by the possibilities.<br /><br />Now the blog is all caught up! see you in about two years...F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-61171082506584904482007-12-30T18:44:00.000-05:002007-12-30T19:24:13.285-05:00Life goes onI think I'm going through a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-life_crisis">quarter life crisis</a>. It sounds lame but it's true :)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-4807987238722863042007-08-26T19:30:00.001-04:002009-03-22T09:24:16.619-04:00...I don't know what to do..<br /><br />Since finishing school exactly two years ago I haven't stayed in Canada for more than two months at a time - not because I hate it here but because there have always been better opportunities elsewhere. Now I'm coming to the end of month 2 and I'm kind of freaking out!<br /><br />I have a stable job...and a plan (I plan to apply to go back to school next Aug.) but here's my dilemma...<strong>what do I do in the meantime??</strong> I have two options:<br /><br />Option 1: Stay put, live at home with the family and work and volunteer. And maybe take a course or two at UofT.<br /><br />Option 2: Go to Seoul for the year and save money for school.<br /><br />Both have their own pros and cons...and I'm really struggling with making the right choice. BTW, I'm turning 26 this week - could that have anything to do with my restlessness?? :pF.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-74154776592103374132007-08-06T13:12:00.000-04:002007-08-06T13:45:32.916-04:00Update!My Taiwan adventure has come to an end! I don't know which was more difficult...saying goodbye to my friends and students or coming back to a city with virtually no prospects for meaningful employment...(by that I mean something that would make use of the years I spent studying International freaking Development)<br /><br />Anyway, as of June/07 I'm no longer in Taichung, Taiwan... what an amazing experience that was! I met great people and had so many fantastic adventures (and some misadventures too :p). I got to travel a bit which was EXCELLENT! I visited friends in South Korea and went to Singapore and Malaysia for a long weekend. And I know a bit of mandarin now... if I want to keep it though I should study here too.<br /><br />For now, I'm doing temp work at the University of Toronto (Accessibility Services). So all I'm sure of at this moment is that I'll be in Toronto until Oct/07 working and volunteering. After that, the sky's the limit!F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-52444843124111165462007-02-20T01:42:00.000-05:002007-02-20T02:16:29.422-05:00You know the best thing about Chinese New Year? We get a week off work!! Alhamdulillah, I need a break.<br /><br />hello year of the Pig! I wonder what the year holds for me as a Rooster =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-22647034696641025842007-01-24T08:10:00.000-05:002007-01-24T08:39:14.936-05:00I'm posting this to say that i had a break thru moment yesterday when I realized WHY I had been severely underutilizing this thing for the past year...school.<br /><br />yeah, if you look back a couple of years it just so happens that a majority of my posts are about school! mostly about how it's been a pain in my ass day in day out. now that I'm out of school it's like I don't have anything to complain about. in reality I do, but those annoyances don't bother me to the extent that I feel i have to write about them.. hm. yea so that's why I haven't been posting. I'm not making excuses, I'm just saying...<br /><br />anyway, everything is great here in the R.O.C. (and by great I mean tolerable). I'm doing more work to fill in the huge amounts of free time I have. In addition to the classes, I do private tutoring. Two of my students are a dentist couple who work from 9am to 10pm, five days a week! why they choose to spend their lunch break talking with me is beyond me...<br /><br />so just to recap since that last spastic post (there really was an earthquake, first time I've been in one), I haven't been up to much. For new years while everyone was partying and drinking and maybe experimenting with drugs, I was on a vow of silence. Yep for four days not a word came out of my mouth. Why I did that I don't know but I felt like it was something I had to do. I went paintballing this weekend. I have the bruises to prove it :p it was fun. very different. there was a mishap when I kept shooting at the ref (gave him a nice whack on the neck) but that was the only blemish on the whole day.<br /><br />that's about it for now =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-6305867493850170932006-12-26T09:41:00.000-05:002006-12-26T09:43:11.639-05:00<strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">EARTHQUAAAAAAAAAKE! </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong>F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-20677373213831909642006-12-23T21:54:00.000-05:002006-12-25T11:37:17.628-05:00My housemate is going to Korea next month, she'll be staying with a friend who came to visit me in October. I won't be able to go for a couple of reasons, that's OK though. I have a plan brewing, hoping to visit indonesia or malaysia before I go home in June - we'll see how it goes!<br /><br />other than that, everything is going fine. I really need to start eating better tho. yea yea we could all use a better diet, but mine's pretty damn messed up. I eat crap most of the day and after work (9:00) I'll get a pang of hunger that I can't ignore - and in a frenzy of intense need, I'll grab and eat the nearestā¦edibleā¦thing, which, when I'm lucky, is not a human. Next thing I know, thirty minutes will have passed and I'll be lying on a pile of 150NT worth of 'food' from McDonald's. It is at these times when I am at my weakest, and I hang my head in shame - knowing that all I need to complete the scene would be a huge pot belly covered with condiments from my spoils.<br /><br />I've heard eating small meals is the best way to go. and I'm going to work on eating big breakfasts...first tho, I'll work on getting up early enough to eat breakfast in the first place. after that the sky's the limit! I figure I'll be fine if I just keep eating little healthy things before I get too hungry to resist that damn McDonalds.F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-58385213420519673532006-12-12T00:19:00.000-05:002006-12-12T00:38:30.742-05:00My friend in Korea is damn hillarious..<br /><blockquote>From time to time i have some elderly person push me in a shocking way (for no reason) in subways or in busy streets and not say sorry. "Sorry"?? what's that? Especially when people are trying to get off from elevators or trains, the "normal" thing to do would be to step aside and let them off first before you enter, right?!! *beep* wrong!! the way we mostly do it here is, as soon as you see the sliding doors opening, just PUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH push your way in, baby!! push, kick if you have to, damn it!! Just find yourself in the train or elevator before those suckers from behind you find the good warm seats that these suckers who're getting off the trains or elevators left. <br /><br />A while back, I got pushed by this old man who was carrying a big load on his back. He pushed me with his hands and i remember going "excuse you, sir!" and quickly glanced at those hands he pushed me with ('cause it kindda hurt). And ya i remember thinking where the hellllll is he going with clenched fists like that? a boxing match. a boxing match with a poor ethiopian who wanders the streets of seoul and mind her own business? :))))) ya sometimes, seriously, seoul subways and crowded areas are just big boxing rings. And darn it, you definitely have to put on your boxing gloves!! Quite frankly, i'm starting to push a little myself. When i'm in a crowded place or i'm in a hurry and don't feel like waiting for people to get off trains or elevators, i pushhhh. i push and i push. when in korea, do as the koreans do, baby!! <br /></blockquote><br />hehe, no pushing in Taiwan fortunately :)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-84172330314772283492006-12-06T00:49:00.000-05:002006-12-06T01:00:19.583-05:00the power of the blogAfter reading the last post I was like "wait a minute?!" and I got off my ass and did something...<br /><br />As of this Monday, I started subbing for a kindergarten in Taiping and I started doing more regular private tutoring...I work at kindy from 930 to 1130 so I don't have much free time ANYMORE! that's good and bad. good because I make more money (way more money!), bad because I don't HAVE FREE TIME ANYMORE!! I miss my free time but thankfully I'll get it back after two weeks when the regular teacher comes back..<br /><br />I tell you this thing is better than therapy...F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-87056212442402979872006-11-27T00:54:00.000-05:002006-11-27T12:21:11.174-05:00how exciting?change is good, no? =)<br /><br />well everything is still going smoothly here. getting better and better at this thing they call teaching. I'm getting a little restless though...seems like everyday is like the day before. and the day before was like the day before that, and so on and so on.<br /><br />so to illustrate my litte predicament here's a quick rundown of an average day (which is to say EVERYDAY)<br /><br />9:00 - Wake up<br /><br />9:00 to 3:00 - Kill time running errands, shopping, watching tv, picking my nose, staring into space, etc.. if i'm lucky I'll spend a couple of hours tutoring uni students here and there.<br /><br />3:30 - leave for work<br /><br />4:00 to 10:00 - At work, preparing, teaching, marking homework<br /><br />10:30 - come home, eat dinner (and by dinner I mean candy)/watch movie<br /><br />?? - sleep whenever<br /><br /><strong>THEN I GET TO START ALL OVER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY! EXCITING STUFF OR WHAT?! </strong>F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1163833647664059982006-11-18T01:37:00.000-05:002006-11-18T03:22:57.536-05:00yea so the irony of Taiwan is neverending...every day it's something new. The other day I was at a night market with a friend (african american from chicago) and we were approached by a group of hardcore goth teens - head to toe in black and metal studs - they asked if they could take pictures with us....and here i was thinking THEY were the odd ones. If my Ethio friend from Korea was still here she would've shouted something like <span style="color:#cc0000;">"nigga please! I should be taking a picture of your ass. Freak!"</span><br /><br />I guess it's all about perspective lol!F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1163092399058055842006-11-09T11:04:00.000-05:002006-11-09T12:13:19.176-05:00Chinese class was interesting today, our teacher asked me to say "<em>The teacher wants to take a cup</em>" so I did, or I thought I did. instead I said, "<em>the teacher wants to take the child</em>." Taken literally that shouldn't mean much right?? Haha but noo, lucky for me there's a special meaning to that - abortion. The teacher laughed for a good minute and finally topped long enough to explain why she was laughing. heh, good times! we say some crazy things in that class. <br /><br />it's pretty cool though to be almost, kinda, semi-functional in a new language. I'm getting better each day and even though I know I'll never master the writing or anything it's still cool to understand words here and there!<br /><br />zai chien =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1162794647662152782006-11-06T01:20:00.000-05:002006-11-06T01:47:23.333-05:00IT'S TRUE! IT'S TRUE! I heard a lot of ish about foreigners in Taiwan and how they can get away with a lot of crap on the road but it's trueeeee, and I found out the hard way...<br /><br />I got stopped by a police officer couple of nights ago: I was coming home late and I made an illegal left turn - which EVERYONE does, in the beginning i followed the rules but since then I found it easier to follow the crowd (sometimes it's more dangerous to follow traffic rules)<br />Anyway, he stopped me and I took my helmet...after taking one look he motioned for me to go on. I thought he meant get off the scooter and he was like 'bye bye!" so I got back on and sped off like a bat out of hell!<br /><br />I was told that's what would happen. it's hard to believe it actually happens tho. shoot i'm so lucky, I had at least three infractions on me (the illegal turn, my scooter doesnt have the emission sticker AND I was wearing my mp3.) that could've been a lot of money in tickets...F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1162400536811682832006-11-01T10:42:00.000-05:002006-11-01T12:02:16.886-05:00sooo obviously I hadn't stuck to my word since it's been well over a week since my last post. that shows what my word is good for - <strong>NOTHING, NADDA, ZIP</strong>. yep yep. so for future reference, if I make u a promise, take it with a grain of salt ;p<br /><br />anyway, nothing new to report 'cept that I have a wicked cold. teaching is same ol' same ol'. they say that no two classes are the same, but dammit I beg to differ! damn the Man. what? I don't know why I said that.<br /><br />moving on...the weather is getting cooler eh. bad news for us scooterists (i love making up new words. it's so supacious) really bad news for the gazillion stray animals out here. poor creatures. hope the elements are kind to them this year, cause I know that they won't get any kindness from 85% of the population here. I was thinking about joining an animal rights volunteer group or something. we'll see how that goes..<br /><br />oh and a friend passed me her new Justin Timberlake CD and as much as it pains me to say this...I actually like it?? what has Taiwan done to me? my wardrobe is changing too, the other day I was eying a pair of bright coloured wooly leg warmers (eighties style) shoot :F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1161535714701532702006-10-22T12:10:00.001-04:002011-01-16T23:15:57.856-05:00interesting day today. I met up with an American teacher whose been here for a little over a year. and I found a really cool diner (FM Station) which I plan to frequent in the future. it was refreshing to actually, really talk about meaningful things. worthwhile conversations is the one thing that's been severely lacking during my time here. I can count on one hand the number of ppl I've met here who are sincerely interested in what's going on in the world and are in tune with things outside of their own experience.<br />
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I have to admit, I love to debate. and fyi <strong>that is not the same as arguing</strong>. I love looking at an issue and trying to break it down from all possible perspectives. I remember my last year of uni my good friend Roger and I always getting into debates about everything and anything. somehow we were always on the opposite side of the spectrum with all kinds of issues but it was awesome to just talk like openly without worrying about offending anyone. dude I so miss that! it was funny coz we always ended our talks with 'OK, let's just agree to disagree!" heh.<br />
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anyway, that's enough bellyaching for one night. eid mubarak!F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1160797875632381212006-10-13T23:28:00.000-04:002006-10-13T23:51:15.646-04:00hello again! wow back so soon eh :)<br /><br />I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging. once upon a time it was something I did every couple of days. slowly it turned into every couple weeks until I stopped altogther.<br /><br />but i want to get into it again. for a couple of reasons. i've been out of school for a year now; I've been a lot of places and I've done a lot of things. ideally my blog would've reflected that but nope.<br /><br />so this is my pledge to you blog: I promise to write in you at least twice a week, every week. if I don't hold up my end of the bargain, I give you permission to shut down and erase the past three years of posts and mindless ranting. THREE YEARS??! has it really been that long? wow.F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1160674392038400752006-10-12T13:17:00.000-04:002008-01-19T13:17:45.749-05:00The other day a kid in one of my younger classes called me 'chocolate teacher'<br /><br />awww! how stupi- I mean cute :)<br /><br />ramadan kareem y'all. I hope it's been a blessed one so far.<br /><br />I'm so excited, I found a mosque last week, it's beautiful - you can see it <a href="http://www.taipeimosque.org.tw/mosque/pages/othermosques.html"><strong>here</strong></a>. planning to go back today for the Friday prayer!<br /><br />Oh and a good friend of mine from Toronto came to visit from Korea for a week. good times! weird crap happening left right and centre. guess that's what happens when two crazy black girls are walking around the streets of Taiwan like they own the place. I got a much needed holiday from work. man I still can't believe I'm a teacher, somebody pinch me.<br /><br />heh my family asked me if I'm getting used to Chinese food.<br /><br />short answer: NO.<br /><br />long answer: are you sick, do you know what kind of ungodly, depraved sorry excuse for food I have to put up with here. if you've never smelled 'stinky tofu' count your lucky stars. they don't call it stinky for nothing! If it wasn't for McDonalds' I'd be starving right now. oh and I saw toasted cockroaches the other day. COCKROACHES FOR GOODNESS SAKES.. yeah so to answer your question...no I have'n't gotten used to Chinese food. never want to either. <span style="font-size:78%;color:#666666;">(p.s. no offense to any Chinese ppl reading this, I don't mean no disprespect but for the love of bob what were you thinking??!)</span>F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1157597367471002252006-09-06T22:30:00.001-04:002011-01-16T23:18:12.378-05:00Yeah...soo it's been a while.<br />
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So I've been in Taichung for two months. 9 more to go! it's still a little surreal that I'm here. I'd be walking down the street and I'd realize that I don't understand a single word in any of the shops or signs. That's starting to get a bit tiring.<br />
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oh and you know what else is starting to get tiring. people doing double takes everytime they see me.<br />
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Anyway, to sum Taiwan up so far: the food sucks, the people are nice, it's too hot and humid (that's winding down tho thankfully,) teaching is strangely easy and hard at the same time, and I need to learn some mandarin asap =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1152757922418038662006-07-12T22:20:00.000-04:002006-07-12T22:39:28.606-04:00Hello hello, greetings from Taichung, Taiwan!!<br /><br />All is well here, I came to Taiwan on the 1st of July and spent the first week in Taipei doing training. Training for what you say?? well...I actually decided to become an English teacher for a year...<br /><br />I'm now in Taichung in my new apartment (hehe) and I've started teaching. Crazy how things turn out sometimes. a month ago I never would've thought that this is what I would be doing to jump start my career.<br /><br />Anyway, things are going great so far. Taiwan is an interesting place. It's kind of like the best of two worlds - sometimes I feel like I'm in some super developed country (the buses are insane! imagine huge leather recliners with massage capacity, built in speakers in the head rest, own monitor to watch movies or to play video games??) Other times though it feels very much like a developing country.<br /><br />alright, that's all for now. Luckily the apartment came equipped with internet access so I'll be updating this thing more often.<br /><br />cheers!<br /><br />oh and I added some pics of Taiwan - it's on the link section incase you want to have a look =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228208.post-1151287373269378132006-06-16T22:01:00.000-04:002006-06-25T22:02:53.286-04:00I'm going to Taiwan!!!<br /><br />details are pretty sketchy at this point so more to come later =)F.O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06462935845006098174noreply@blogger.com0