The Kids Have Spoken!

I couldn't resist doing this in class yesterday. My kindergarten class got into the spirit of the election. They did a terrific job.

From left to right: Claire, Jason, Benson (seated), Monica, Me, Stella, Wanda. These kids are a incredible. They inspire me.

Bushman's Blogtoberfest!

Last Saturday was the second installment of M.J.'s blogger get-together. It's always fun to see the authors of my favorite blogs in the flesh. Catherine and I are honored to be included in the group. M.J. (The New Hampshire Bushman), is the guy who put it all together and the party was a hit!

Had to start out the photo run with Michael and Catherine. We both enjoy spending time with Michael. He is a very cool guy and encourage all of you to check out his outstanding blog, The View from Taiwan.

Andres, purveyor of Andres in Taiwan, and his wife thankfully brought along Olivia. She is so adorable. Catherine had fun entertaining the little cutie.

The food at the party was awesome! We are hoping to make a trip back down to Hukou for some killer Thai food...I will be calling soon M.J.!

Catherine and Carrie, the architect of My Several Worlds, chatting and noshing. Carrie and her fiance' John have been great friends of ours since their arrival here in Taiwan. Cath & I value their friendship and we wish them lots of luck with their upcoming trip home to get married. Click over to Carrie's site for details, it's crazy!...lol

We were treated to some serious singing courtesy of Carrie and M.J.. Sitting towards the rear end of the table is Todd, scribe of The Daily Bubble Tea, and his soon-to-be wife, Cathy. We had the pleasure of riding the train back to Taipei with them. They are a cute couple. Their wedding day is quickly approaching. Check out Todd's blog for some stunning photos.

The man with the plan. M.J. pulled off another great shindig. Thanks pal.

An Afternoon in Sijhih

I'm back...I love this blogging stuff, just been uninspired lately. Catherine & I have decided to get back into the day-trip mode. We are going to make a concerted effort to make Sundays our day to explore. The weather has been just about perfect lately and we are ready to take advantage of it.

Here we go...

One of Catherine's co-workers suggested that we check out a place called Sijhih, it's about 30 minutes outside Taipei City. Her co-worker is a member of hiking club and highly recommended the mountain trails just outside of the city. We set off at about 1p.m., anticipating a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

We stepped off the train and Catherine went to work trying to figure out how and where to catch the proper bus to take us to the hiking/temple area.

Sadly, the bus driver told us that we were too late in the day to take on the serious trails but he would take us to the temple area. This is the starting point of most of the trails. We could mosey around the area and enjoy the scenery. It would have to suffice since we got such a late start.

Outside the temple the kids had these nifty little motor-driven animal thingies.

Not one of the prettier temples I have seen. The color scheme was a tad bit frenetic for my tastes. A bizarre mix of staid statuesque figures and finger paintings.

Preparing to make a climb up to another temple. Cath looks as cute as a bug, as usual. What's the deal with my hair?

Pondering our next move...

My attempt to be creative. Didn't nail it, but it's kinda cool. If you look closely, you can see Catherine in the mirror.

Overlooking the city. A hazy day makes for some not-so-sexy photos.

The temple area was interesting but kinda boring. We high-tailed it out of there. On our way back to the train station we came across a nice little market.

This is Catherine's territory. She loves haggling with the vendors for her coveted vegetables. It's fun to watch her wheel and deal.

This little girl was mesmerized by the fish heads. She stood there for several minutes anticipating something...not sure if she expected them to talk or perhaps sing and dance?

What a cute little kid! His mom and dad were furiously prepping and selling while he surveyed the scene.

Couldn't resist snapping a shot of these little fellers...Yuck!

We had an enjoyable afternoon. It would've been more fun if we had hit the trails, but there's plenty of time for that in the next few months!

Next week, we are heading down to Hsinchu for the annual Blogger party. I am certain it will be a good time for all. Check back soon for all the gory details...

Anne's Graduation

Anne, one of the brightest students I have had the privilege to teach, graduated from high school this past week. She is a great kid and I am very proud of her. She attended Yung Ping High School, which is located near the Dingxi MRT station in an area of the city known as Yonghe.

She invited me to her graduation. Although the ceremony took place at 9 a.m., I agreed to come and cheer her on. You see, I usually don't function too well in morning but I knew it would mean a lot to Anne if I showed up. I managed to drag myself out of bed and make it to the MRT station at the time we agreed upon. The plan was to meet Amy, another former student of mine, and we would head over to the big show together. As I have come to learn over my many years, women and schedules just don't jive. Amy was, shall we say, VERY LATE!...lol She climbed out of the bus about 40 minutes late with a cute smile on her face and seemingly endless apologies. I gritted my teeth and we set off.

The following are some of the photos from the school. After leaving the ceremony I walked around the campus and took some pics.


The auditorium was big and dark. Not a great atmosphere for shooting photos from a distance.

It was really difficult to get a tight shot of the action on the stage. My camera just ain't that powerful.

We were sitting miles away from the stage. A typical Taiwanese graduating class, thousands of students. I was happy to attend the ceremony even though I couldn't understand anything because it was entirely in Chinese. You can see that the balcony is virtually empty. This is because it was early on a Friday morning. How can they expect parents to come and enjoy this great moment on a work day?...very odd.

Amy and Anne with a friend in the standard pose mode.

Anne is a super kid. She is really excited about going to college. She is currently learning Japanese because the college program she is in requires it...yikes!

On the playground. Gym class in Taiwan must be awkward because Taiwanese people are certainly the most athletically challenged group on Earth!

Warming up for a performance. I would've snapped a few more but the teacher leading this group gave me a dirty look, so I moved on.

Wandering around and gazing in to the classrooms.

A little closer look at a class in session.

And really close. The teacher in action. About 40 kids in this class. This was a June morning, already getting hot at about 10:00 and no air conditioning. I can't imagine what it's like to sit in a crowded classroom throughout a good bit of the summer with nothing more than a breeze to circulate the air.

Dragon Boat Festival 2008

Catherine & I headed over to Dajia Riverside Park for the annual Dragon Boat Festival (端午节). We took the MRT to the Yuanshan station and headed to a part of the city that we have yet to explore. The bus situation was a bit questionable so we jumped in a taxi and NT$100 later, we arrived at the park.

It was overcast and toasty warm early in the day. The photos below are evidence of the gray tones. It took us several minutes to get to the area where the races were taking place, a big park!

On our way to the festivities, we both agreed that we don't check out enough cultural activities in Taiwan and vowed to work to change that.

We had a great time and I hope you enjoy these photos of our day.

Ready to brave the muggy day at the park.

The celebration from a distance.

This is the dragon display at the entrance.

My sweetie pie.

I, reluctantly, posed for several photos. She is so photogenic. I, on the other hand, think photos do little more than accentuate my not-so-encouraging hairline...lol.


Off to the races! The boats were pretty far from the shore so good shots were tough to get.

Watching the rowers and seeing how long a race lasts gave me an appreciation for the athleticism of the teams.


Most of the races were closely contested.

A victorious team returning to shore. The TV cameras were busily interviewing many of the participants.

A cool look at the intricacy of the boat design.

The female teams garnered a lot of excitement and attention from the media.

Not sure what belly dancing has to do with dragon boat racing, but they were nice to look at.


Another fun day with Catherine. It turned out to be a rain-soaked afternoon but we managed to see the sights regardless. Next year I plan on getting a better spot on the shoreline in order to capture the boats in action up close...stay tuned!

Goodbye & Good Luck 1424

Last week I had to say adios to class 1424, a group of exceptional kids that I had the privilege to teach for the past year. The class completed the entire program that we offer at my school. This group was great, they were fun each and every class period. I hope they continue to work on their English and have fond memories of their time with Teacher David.

Roger, Jack, Henry, Arthur, Me, Candy, Sandy and Cindy. These young people are destined for greatness.

Cindy's ear-to-ear smile was a constant in the class.

Candy & Sandy. Two very quiet and talented young ladies.

I can't express in words how much I enjoyed leading this class. If I could bottle their spirit and discipline, I would be a rich man.