running slowly

following up on yesterday's post:
• no pause button yet
• phone tests added to the mix
• printing client in SA needs re-educating (insists on providing duotone bitmaps in blue - but expecting CMYK-quality grays)
• same client ("designer") expects artwork with no color and no outline to print
• new teacher is still a prima donna
• Saturday is an early work day
• 10 day warhammer trial expired without me (grumble)

but I'm not panicking anymore. popped a Risperdal and decided to take it one step at a time. if I end up late - so be it. at least I'm showing up!

whoa nelly!

would somebody please take their foot off the accelerator - I'm getting dizzy! somehow the world is speeding up and it feels like I'm losing traction... is there a rest stop next to this freeway?

ugh... I know and appreciate that I'm not in control of everything. it's just that I've secretly been dreaming up a schedule leading up to august's trip to SA. and that entire pie in the sky is threatening to flop.

Peter might not be able to go to SA anymore. and although I am thankful for his new job - the thought of having to face 3 weeks (training) without him during may (on top of august) is unsettling. to put it mildly.

time's up! at my station now, running for the bus.

press pause!

Weathering the Storm (Response to NOM Gathering Storm)

on my mind

the clouds' good friends

we had a fun lesson in kindergarten this week: cloud gazing!

granted, we had to do the lesson indoors (with posters and flash cards) because it was raining, but it was still a lot of fun to see the kids' eyes open up to a whole new world of fantasy!

here are some snaps for you:

rain-stain

memo to self: putting on and taking off the raincoat's pants might be a schlep - but it will save you from looking like you peed yourself after 10mins of driving your scooter in the rain. it takes a lot to look cool and unfazed with a wet crotch in public... grace and dignity, my dear.
grace and dignity...

good morning world!

it's been a while, but I've caught up with life and all seems to be well and set. at least for the time being.

a brief summary:
• Ben was hit by a car last Wednesday - thankfully he only picked up some scrapes and muscle aches!
• Peter came back from Japan :0)
• I sleep better now *grin*
• PoPo is practically fully grown and more fun than ever (despite having taken to peeing on my lap every chance he gets).
• Peter brought his plasma tv from his parents' place. (big, black and beautiful - must check Rambler's blog.)
• we spent Sunday buying, bulding and setting up a multimedia pc to go with the tv - hdmi rocks!
• loads of cables still need to be tidied and hidden.
• Ben is on leave this week, so I'll be working more classes (no overtime though).
• expected max for today: 30Celsius
• swetting? me? never! (perspiring profusely, yes.)

catch you on the flip side!

PS. FJ: I'll remember to measure my resting rate one if these mornings!

Susan Boyle - I get it

i think if i had tv, i would be glued to the show "Britain's Got Talent"

first they revealed the wondrous voice of Andrew Johnston, and now they uncover this fabulous voice! of course, judging the record by it's cover, nobody expects much. but you should... oh you should: embedding is disabled - so click through to the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY is that Simon swooning? you bet your ass it is!

while you're considering doing that, you can listen to her singing "cry me a river" on a charity recording made in 1999:

late, late, late

dunno why, but I've had trouble sleeping these last two days. meaning I oversleep... which sucks when you run on public transport.

a walk in the park

there is nothing quite like a beautiful day in the park. having lived in a conservancy in SA (i.o.w. being surrounded by nature), i pretty much took parks for granted. here in Taiwan, though, parks are embraced for the jewels they are. everybody comes out to play with the kids and each other, fly their (many, gorgeous) kites, walk the dogs and just have a gorgeous time in nature. it really is a magical experience - one that i should indulge in more often.

i am fortunate enough to live right next to an amazing park - the one surrounding the Kaohsiung Museum of Modern Art :0) and today i too strolled through it's loveliness on my way to take in the Andy Warhol "Pope of Pop" exhibition.

it was fantastic! i thank my patient parents' indulgence of my forays into art studies at Pretoria University (where i perfected vacillating into an expensive 3-year play-date) for the background necessary to enjoy the comedy of Warhol's genius. seeing his works up close was brilliant! i think some of my fellow exhibition-goers might've been concerned about my sanity, though. not only do i look funny (super big & tall, fair fur covering my exposed flesh) - but i also frequently chuckled and giggled for no apparent reason. (is the Campbell's Soup box with Warhol's signature on funny? crazy foreigner...)

after wandering through the other exhibits, i decided to take a different route home. the main route *lol*

and boy was it fun! all the vendors and local artists peddling their wares, wonderful and weird locals cycling, skating, strolling around and taking many, many photographs. i regretted not taking my camera earlier (i was going into the museum, after all). Kaohsiung City government really did an excellent job with the grounds - and the little café-setup within strolling distance from everything has turned into an oasis of flavors and vibes.

i did snap this with my phone. it's in Engrish, but in that moment it didn't matter:

i wish Peter could've joined me - but i'm sure Tokyo is a blast!

the IDAHO Challenge

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bristling

... that about sums up my mood yesterday. bristling - like a big brown bear with a headache. who knew that my sugar free diet of green and oolong teas was also feeding an addiction to caffeine? bugger!

to all those who got a less-than-friendly snarl yesterday, my apologies and a warning: caffeine withdrawal symptoms don't disappear over night. so although I am aware that I'm unneccesarily snappy - please take note that I feel worse today. I might very well bite.

this has been a public safety anouncement. now get busy.

tea free boi!

it ain't east being green (ribbit), erm, I mean bipolar. not that I want to go off about any Beeper symptoms today. nay, today's far more vanilla than that. today's lamentation concerns my diet...

I'm not allowed tea anymore.
*sob*

no teas, coffees or chocolates! most soda's are no-go too... baddies include caffeine, sugar, aspartemine (and a bunch of other "ines") and most chemical additives that make snacking an extreme sport these days.

*sigh*

is there a dietician out there who can give me a list of what I can have in stead of what I can't?

I'm on a maintenance regime of Depakine and Cipram, overweight (still) with a family history of cancer and heart disease. Blood type: A-, balding 30-something, Caucasian wearing a size 10 (44 or 45). me no drink or smoke no more - long time.

cheers

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

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*