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Report from ***Taiwan*** May 9th 2000

Wow! Has it really been that long since I wrote last? Yup the last time was just before my 30th which really went down well. I couldn't believe we could cram so many people into our place as we did. 

So, you may ask, what's with the apathy in writing? Not at all my dear friend, it's making the time to do anything that's been my problem! In March I started my new Chinese lessons at The Chinese Cultural University which luckily for me is slap bang next door to where I work at Hess. I wanted to study there for a few reasons, one - to actually have some recognised accreditation of my studies, two - location, and three - I hear it's a good university. It is and the teacher is really good. Mrs. Hsieh (Xie) has been a great teacher these last few weeks and I really see my Chinese improving but she gives us a fair whack of homework. Even though I'm only working 18 hours a week (or sometimes less) I still don't have enough time to do everything I want to, and the thing is I have so many other things to do at the moment.

I approached a magazine about writing an article about living in Taiwan in February and they're keen for me to do it but I haven't done anything about that yet. I've had an  idea in my noodle for an excellent comic strip that's been floating about up there for about ten years now but so far I've not done anything about that (mainly as I think my art isn't good enough to make it as good as it could be - and the worse is that that reason has slowed my down even to practise.) Recently I've made the effort to start practicing again but yet again, that takes time. Also a friend from Head Office, Eleanor, was giving away a ton of Japanese course books and Christie told her I'd like to study Japanese so Eleanor kindly gave them to me. This also would help me so much with my comic strip project but it's going to be slow. Then in January I bought membership to the Taipei Gym but I've not used it in about three weeks just because I've not found the time to go.  None of this includes the time I should spend updating the website. 

Aaaaaargh!! I've always been this way but it seems that now I'm only working so few hours and still I don't make the time. I know about A, B, C prioritising- I've done scheduling my time and to no avail! There are just not enough days in the week, hours in the day for all I want to do. So now I bare myself to all and if you'd like to write me to tell me to pull myself together and kick myself into shape - I'd be glad of it.

Weather's lovely, wish you were here.... So after a fairly miserable winter the weather in the last couple of days has improved dramatically and as for all the people here in Taiwan who were complaining yesterday was too wet and cold, you can bet your bottom New Taiwanese Dollar that they'll be complaining tomorrow of it being too hot and humid! Me, no such fear! Every day I'll stick a smile on my face and say,'I love hot weather!' whether I do that particular day or not!

After an emergency (all's fine now - nothing to worry about) when I should have received a message about six hour before I actually did I was spurrred on to buy a mobile phone. (It was in the news recently that Taiwan is the first 'territory' in the  world to have mobile phones surpass the number of landline telephones - not a lot of people know that!) This is something that I'd been thinking about for a while so I shopped around and found a place next door to the other branch of Hess I work for that gave me a good deal. Then approximately five days after I bought it (the first two days I couldn't use it because they forgot to fax my details through to the telephone provider until I went back and asked why my phone still wasn't online!) I got caught in a real downpour and lo and behold the phone got soaked and ceased to work. So for that past three weeks of going back and forth telling the shop owner that my getting soaked is not grounds for calling me negligent and that the phone should be under warranty has yielded not so much in my favour. They tell me that acts of nature are not covered and Siemens will not fix it because the chip has been ruined. My only option, rather than buy another whole kit and caboodle was to buy a second hand phone from the same shop. Definitely in the future I'll just buy second hand and that way I'm sure I'll not be disappointed. Please note I've included the number below.

It's not been a total downer this last month or so, for one thing in April there was a concert called Spring Scream in Kending, in the south of Island, which was totally excellent - well so I hear. I did go to Kending but only went to the concert one night and even then didn't really listen to the music. Pretty much everyone I knew in Taipei went down to Kending so it wouldn't be unusual to walk down the street and bump into two of three people you know from 'Roxy 99' (my usual). Basically it's like going on holdiay with all your friends. I will put up photos (sometime) in the future but I should direct you all to one particular page.

This concerns being on the beach with Christie and meeting by chance Dan, Ben and Marina. Dan, I know from the Happy Family, Ben is his brother whom I work alongside and Marina is a friend of theirs. After lying on the beach awhile we decided to take a dip and once in the water Dan decided to go 'au natural'. Not a great idea when I'm around as I whipped his shorts out of his hand and threw them up onto the beach. When dared to bring 'em back Dan was not going to sit in the water like the 'itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini girl' and faced the crowds at Kending with gusto and bravado. You can see that picture here. (For those of you who aren't in the know the guy with the little head is Dan, the guy with the big head is Ben. All will be reavealed!) Don't say I didn't warn you! 

Wherever you are, 
have fun!

Rob.
 

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