Officially the end of my 1st week in Taiwan

Wed.

Well, today was a hot day, so I didn't spend too much time outside. I woke up pretty late,

around 11:30 I think. I didn't do much besides stretches and exercises until about 4 p.m. I

really needed to get into shape after losing at bball :( PErsonally, I bet it was the shoes,

everyone else on the court had Nikes, I had some Reeboks :( Anyways, I left the house around 4

p.m. in search of breakfast, and due to the heat I took the drink I had bought yesterday with me

from the fridge. It was actually the freebie carrot juice I had got from buying the soya milk.

It tasted pretty bad, just like a real carrot :P, but I figured it must be pretty healthy as it

was 100% Carrot juice, or so I assumed so from the numbers 100% in big lettering and the giant

carrot on the side...and it made me feel like Bugs Bunny, so it really must've been carrot juice.

Well, I got to the breakfast place at about 4:10 p.m. and naturally they were closed, I guess its

not all-day breakfast over here :P Well instead I went over to the bakery, and surprisingly they

had this giant egg sandwhich for 20NT?, good price, only 80 cents canadian, and it was very

filling. Well, I ate that on my way to the grocery store. Again they had the watermelon pre-cut

for 80 cents, but I already had breakfast. I bought some more hangers and moth mall clones as

well as a drink. It was really hot today, I heard it was like 12 degrees in Toronto, hahaha

sucks to be them. Well, after shopping I headed over to where place Pete was at, as I wanted to

get the basketball in his trunk, so I could practice some more. It was quite convenient as it

was across the streeet from the grocery store. After I got the ball I headed back home, because

it really was too hot to just be hanging outside. After some time of playing computer games, I

decided around 7:30 p.m. to go get some dinner at a restaurant. I didn't want to go alone, so

tried to invite my roommates. Naturally, considering there is 4 of them, I was sure one of them

would be interested. I tried Ted first, he did help me get internet cable afterall. Boo, no

such luck, not home. Than I tried Allan's door, than Richards, and than Viona and Chris's.

Amazing, no one was home. I than rhetorically asked if anyone wanted to chill with me, but

naturally I was greeted with silence.

Its like, when I need to use the bathroom, EVERYONE is home, but when I actually NEED them, bah

they all "out". Anyways, I decided to go to the bakery instead, but when I got there, I couldnt

figure out what didn't have meat in it, that actually looked tasty. I tried asking the shop

keeper, I pointed to some buns and asked vegetable? pork? cow? beef? She gave me a blank look,

than started talking to me in Chinese....I remembered how to say the 2nd phrase that I know (I

only know 2 phrases in Chinese, Shu Shie for thank you and Wo Chih Su for I am a vegetarian), I

used the 2nd phrase and she finally gave me a non-catatonic look. I felt like a surgeon bringing

a patient out of a coma, LOL. Anyways, she indicated that everything was no good for me, except

for some tray of sweets, and this other tray. I took the "other" tray which had apparently

(after eating it), curry buns. They were actually pretty good, and for 20NT a fine dinner price

:) Well, I took the bun back to my house where I ate it with the soya milk I had bought.

What a fine day its been, and I still needed to meet up with Sheldon at 9:30. l8r.

Ok, I met up with Sheldon at this big giant mall, that looks like a GIANT golf-ball. Its biggest

selling point is that its open 24 hrs, but the stupid thing is most of the stores there close

after like 9 p.m., except for the movie theatre and the bar and night club on the top floor.

Gee, that doesn't make the mall that special. Its weird though cause as it was closing at 9

p.m., the mall was empty, but all the store owners lined up outside their door. This was scary,

cause I would be walking down the mall (think of something like Fairview or Yorkdale Mall), and

all these shop keepers are staring at me...and I was the only guy there.....very weird. Oh, I

forgot to mention that the MRT subway doesnt even go up to the mall, I had to take a taxi there.

Naturally the taxi driver didn't know english, so I called up a friend on my cell and gave the

taxi dude the phone...LOL, who says U need 2 know mandarin, just need friends that know mandarin

:)

I met Sheldon and his friends in the mall, and we went to this bar called Coyote Ugly. It was

good because they had a live band, but their drinks were pretty expensive, like Toronto's prices

and the drinks were pretty watered down. Even their food sucked. At least the live band was

good, they were quite talented as they were chinese but singing spanish and white songs. Naturally, since the food and drinks sucked, we left after an hour or 2 i think. Anyways, one of Sheldon's friends had a car, and they were nice enough to take me home. When I got home, I slamed the front door a little too loudly, it woke up Richard, my roommate. Oops, he was nice enough about it, but wished I would stop. I better remember in the future, my roommates all work and its 1:30 a.m. right now....ooops. Soon I'll be working ...ewwwww. Vacations are fun :)

Well nothing planned for tomorrow, hopefully it will be relaxing and boring :)

l8r.

p.s. maybe I should check out this place Saturday nite :) http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.2493.html#top

p.p.s Wow, I can't believe I have only been here for a week, it seems like months. I feel like I really know the city now, just need to know the language and I;m all set :)