Christmas   2004-12-27

We're alive and well. Thankfully, the recent disasters that struck most of Southeast Asia did not strike Taiwan.

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Well, Christmas has come and gone and another year is drawing to a close. It's hard to believe another year has slipped by. This time last year I was thinking about morality, logic, and the ideal constitution. This year I'm thinking about ways to discipline lazy and/or disruptive students. Wha' happened?

We had a great Christmas. Although we're far from home, we have enough laughs in our fun bank to tide us through the times when it's nice to be surrounded by friends and family.

We spent Christmas day with Rene, a friend from Victoria who's also teaching in Taipei, in Jinguashi and Jioufen, a couple of small villages in the Keelung mountains about an hour and a half north of Taipei. Jinguashi is a former gold mining town and the site of one of the most infamous prisoner of war camps in Taiwan during WWII. Jioufen is also a former gold mining town, and notable for the fact it boasted the first movie house in Taiwan. Sadly, all that remains of the movie house today is a shattered collection of creosote soaked beams and a nearly intact marble staircase.

After spending the day wandering around the villages' narrow lanes and drinking tea in a cozy tea house in Jioufen, the three of us met Brian and Juno that evening for Christmas dinner in Taipei. It was Brian's first ever Christmas dinner and little did he know about the dehabilitating effects of tryptophan. He was looking a little glassy eyed by the end of the meal.

Afterwards, we all trooped down to an MTV and watched Moulin Rouge. Needless to say, yet another viewing has only further confirmed that this is one of the most spectacular, spectacular films ever made.




It's no secret Marlene likes shopping for presents.




No peace on earth, but some very stylish Puma's. Eat your heart out, Darc.

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