Lakeshore Hsinchu

... will happen more than once – I am sure. Next up - oyster pancakes.

This is not your typical pancake. It doesn’t have a batter. It is oysters, spinach, eggs, and some gelatinous binder with a pink and brown sauce. It actually tastes good. The oysters are not all that great though. While we are eating that Irene’s brother gets stinky tofu and then we get peanut covered mochi. Mochi is a ball ...

... needed some basic items (eggs, milk, bread, etc...). I put on my work-out pants...my hoodie and flip flops (I think wearing running shoes would have been a silly thing to do). I was just about to head out when Meghan came out of her room and asked me if I would mind waiting around an extra 10 minutes for her to get ready cuz she wanted to come with me. I gladly said that I would. It's always nice to bring a friend along when you have to brave a Super Typhoon ...

... along with someone who had walked out of the clinic. We return to the doctor, and they have me lay down while he checks my pulse and blood pressure while a nurse goes to fetch water. It turns out everything was okay. I just hyperventalated from "nervousness." I'm still thinking WTF since I've never been nervous about shots (I just don't like them). My mom thanked the doctor, the nurses, and everybody who ...

... and parents come together in the later afternoon for some activities. In the village I find a grocery store which 'files' all goods in filing cabinetts with glas front - also a first. In the same shop the driver of the garbage truck talks to me in perfect English. In a small local restaurant I eat Won Tong soup, vegetables and rice with meat sauce. Later the evening it becomes very foggy and a few rain drops fall. See you again on my walk tomorrow.

... soon! The festival came from the old 'lover's day', a day when young people were accompanied into the streets with matchmakers busily trying to pair them all up. The brightest lanterns signified good luck and hope. Solving riddles is popular too. So, there you have it, a quick intro to Chinese New Year. In a nut shell, it's a time to be with your family to welcome good fortune and good luck in the new year. But my favourite part? I get a week off work!

... more teriyaki like. You hand it to the chief and he cooks it and gives it back to you and you eat. It is like a buffet style so I was quite bold on my selections. Well then it was night fall and we went to the lingshan temple of manka, a Buddhist temple. I was really amazed. They had like a huge waterfall in there but the top was all open to the temple which I really liked. There were so many people there and they were all ...

... to say the least. Today is ITRI's 33rd birthday and it's a day's worth of celebration and festivities. My work load today consists of standing in the off-stage area and taking care of any emergencies that arise during the performanes (highly-unlikely). It's a big day with employees bringing their families and many of the interns don't even have to work today! Lots of jealousy, but after all, I am in PR... In the evenings the interns and ...

Which brings me to the people. If they do understand English(no, even if they don't) they are very friendly and helpful but to be very honest(and everyone that has been there knows itse true),especially if you're white. The Taiwanese can be very racist. In their way of doing business its all about relationships. You build up trust from other people and then the favours start and things get done. The most important realtionship to have is with the ...

... flick with watermelon(yes the tasty watermelon juice enjoyed by all through the unhumanely heated Taiwanese summer was never quite the same after that). A friend who went to see the same movie in the cinemas ended up sitting next to an old Chinese man with his hand down his pants, enjoying the excitement of the watermelon just a little too much...Chinese culture? More to come, keep your eye on this space. Right now I have to go and fetch the ouma from the hairdresser. Cheers Lindie

... to phone my dear Mum back home to find out the result of the England game. The old dear gave me a detailed run down of the afternoon's dramatic events (how long before Posh and Becks officially replace the monarchy?!!). After she had finished her report, the four of us set off. The first event of the journey back involved a drunk local woman getting on the back of Julie's scooter and hitching a lift to the top of the first hill. The second event involved my tent ...