15 more sleeps to go....

 In celebration of going home I decided to dye my hair. I usually go to Jar, a local hairdresser where I can get my hair washed, blowdried and a head, neck and shoulder massage for 180nt($8nz) What a bargain! Anyway I rocked up Saturday night and came out 3 hours later a red head.

 
For those of you who haven't seen me in a while - I have short hair again!

  
Jona also gets his hair washed and braided there - its 180nt too! We were laughing how in NZ it would cost a couple of hundred dollars to get his hair braided and about 4 hours!
I am going to miss the bargains of Taiwan!

Taipei

Damianne and her mother dropped in to Taiwan en route to India to visit Nick. Today we spent the day in Taipei. We travelled to Taipei on an Aloha bus from
Tai Chung-it's like a luxury tour bus. You have your own tv screen and gaming console, and a huge comfortable lazy boy recliner with in-built massager. Here is the safety sign on the bus, and the thought on my mind was - Where do I run?

 
Spent time at Taipei 101, and Page One (fabulous bookstore)- where I bought some books to read in Fiji.

 
At the top of 101 there was a really interesting display of finely carved gold pieces by a Taiwanese Artist.

  

  
I have to reccommend 'Les Suites Taipei'! What a fantastic hotel! The decor and service was great. As you can see from the lobby - it was wellstocked and beautiful.

 
 

I am going to miss living in a country with huge sprawling, populated cities. I was thinking today how the Christmas rush in NZ, or going to the mall will seem really small and unimpressive after living here.

Wellington......

I am returning home to Wellington in 17 days. I guess I should be ecstatic to be returning to the "best little city in the whole world".
Wellington has received a great rap for being a "hip, energetic city" with a "thriving cafe and entertainment scene, and serious dedication to the arts" in the latest edition of the Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand
Accolades for the Windy City from the travel publishing giant continued in November with the release of Lonely Planet's Lonely Planet Bluelist 2007. The annual guidebook is the company's annual guide to the upcoming year's best journeys, travel trends, and coolest emerging destinations.
The 2007 edition names Wellington as one of the world's top 10 'Cities On The Rise,' and had this to say about our capital city
"One of the world's cold-yet-cultural cities, New Zealand's capital is gaining in reputation as a place to be in the southern hemisphere. Why does this windy city foster an artistic culture? Maybe because it's somewhat isolated, sitting at the southern end of the North Island with a contemplative view over Cook Strait.
Maybe, due for New Zealand's next big earthquake, it's busy living for the moment. Whatever the ingredients, youthful energy abounds - hip-hop dance-offs, plenty of live music and cafes, fashionable bars and bookshops. More beautiful than Seattle or Melbourne, the starry night is clearly young here."

Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw says the Lonely Planet's glowing review reveals what Wellingtonians have known all along - this is the best little city in the world.

Just call me Martha Stewart....

On Sunday, I admired my friend Mylee's beautiful new handmade scripture covers. I decided to give it a go, and asked Mylee to help me.


Mylee and I met in the rain and got my supplies. The hardest choice was the material to cover my scriptures with. I really wanted red Chinese silk but of course there was none. So, I decided on some black silk with chinesey looking patterns on it. I was a bit unsure about how it would look - as the patterns and things were in different colored embroidery and looked a bit over the top. But I bought it anyway.


Under Mylee's patient tutelage I measured, cut and glued my new scripture covers. I was hoping that she would just volunteer to make them for me...but she just directed the whole affair. Thanks Mylee! She is a talented woman! I will miss her when I go home.


My workspace


I think they look fabulous! So, I am feeling like quite the little homemaker......


I have never considered myself good at making stuff like this - but this evening made me think - I can cover anything!!!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

I can't sleep.

For the past couple of weeks I have been up
until the wee wee hours of the morning watching
horrible TV, surfing the net or just sitting.
Generally, I have fought sleep...but I am
beginning to look and feel like crap. I haven't
been able to pinpoint if its nervousness,
anxiousness or just all the things I am trying
to get done keeping me awake...but this lack of sleep
makes for a short tempered, grumpy teacher and a
junk food powered, pimply skinned woman.

Reunion

Saturday night hailed the arrival of one of the "old" Taiwan gang - Manu Hunter.

So we had a bit of a "do". We ate, laughed and ate, and mocked everything and everyone and ate, just like in the old days. We also planned my bye bye party - which is shaping up to be quite the affair.

Pj

Nick

Fran

The only one missing was Flea...however even if she was here she would have been asleep on the couch.

It made me think how Taiwan has become my home largely due to the people who I have been around and who have become my "family". Particulary the kiwi's - McCluskey's, Nick, Hunter's, Matthew's, Mike and Chris Cammock, Rose, Mylee and of course my bro and sis Jona and Anna - our talks, movies, feeds, trips, ktv nights, games nights, scooter adventures, laughs and general comraderie made this foreign place a home away from home.

Xie-xie ni men! I love you!

Saying Good bye

Time is passing really quickly now...

Thought I would start to take pictures with people, just in case I forgot to! Here are some of the members of the Tai Chung 8th English Branch.