The Holiday Inn's Open Buffet and Dining Area

I snapped this on our way out from the balcony; there is a lot of good food down there! Almost all the major hotels here have buffets like this, and they're really expensive in most cases. 

The Skylight Top of the Holiday Inn Atrium

After our lovely evening, Connie and I walked home in the rain to try to work off the large meal we'd just had. It was a fun time, and I thank our host Rotary for inviting us, although we weren't really part of the company, and there was a language barrier (for me anyways) they did their best to make us feel welcome! I look forward to teaching them again in the New Year! 

My Friday Night Writing Class at ShiLin

At the beginning of December I was asked to teach a writing class at the ShiLin branch of KoJen on Friday Nights from 7-9. The class consisted primarily of teenagers with a few lovely "big sisters" coming to the class as well in order to improve their writing skills. This class was a lot of fun, and I have enjoyed teaching them very much. Each of them was a creative person with their own unique styles, and it was fun to read what they wrote each week because it always made me smile. From left to right they are John, David, Elaine, Jenny, Sally (in red), Ivy and Vivian. Missing from the picture is David Huang, Paggie, and Benson. I wish each and every one of them good luck in the future, and hope they keep writing and practicing! 

Alright, everyone say V!

Vheeeeeee!

 

One more for the road! Sally, open your eyes!

And thus ended our last class of the year, it's just too bad we were missing about four students who didn't come for one reason or another. Shin Nian Kuai Le, everyone! I hope I get to see you all again next year! 

You say Hot Pot, I say...I have no idea...

Tonight Team Lien and I set out to enjoy a good old fashioned Taiwanese Hot Pot dinner. (Actually, they told me this style of eating comes from Northern China, and was later adopted by the Taiwanese.) Now, what is a Hot Pot Dinner, you ask? We translate this style of eating as "Hot Pot" from the Mandarin "Huo Guo", but the truth is there is just no English term for this Chinese style of eating. A boiling pot of soup in the middle of the table in which you dump various meats and veggies to cook and then pluck them out at your leisure to eat when they're done. A soup is made and you can have it at the end of the meal, or not if you're already too full from all the food you've cooked. This is a traditional New Years meal here in Taiwan, so it's appropriate that this was a Lunar New Years party!

Rob ala Hot Pot

Rob poses next to the boiling hot pot while everyone else makes a run for the sauce cart. As you can see in this picture, the pot itself is actually a ring filled with water around a charcoal pipe with the smoke coming out the top. The heat rises inside the pipe, boiling the water, and that little lid at the top is used to control the heat. If you open it more, it burns hotter and heats faster, if you close it completely the fire will go out. A great portable pot system. 

Smile for the camera, ladies!

Rob amushes Jasmine and friends at the sauce cart! Each of those ceramic jars has different spices in them that you use to make your own sauce to dip the boiled vegetables and meat in. Mr. Lien opted for a little of everything, Rob on the other hand cautiously put together a very basic onions and garlic soy sauce. Good thing I'm sleeping alone tonight! 

Team Lien shows off their trial faces.

The one in the middle, if you knew why she was smiling...you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Team Lien, the final chapter?

And here, after many many attempts by our poor hostess, is the best group picture we got of the class. (Plus our two cute assistants hiding in the background who became honorary class members for the evening.) This was our last class, and I will definitely miss my time teaching at Lien and Associates. Robert, Jasmine, Cynthia and Mr. Lien have become more like friends to me, and I enjoyed spending each Wednesday evening with them very much. I wish them all the best in the future, and hope we can meet again someday. Thanks for the great times guys! I hope the new year brings winning cases and rich clients! 

A lazy Sunday afternoon with nothing to do.

So, this past Sunday afternoon Connie was busy studying, so I went and worked out and then decided to go wandering around Taipei taking pictures. This was the first picture I took after I walked past the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall MRT station. I took it because this structure, a television broadcast station, just looked so cool and futuristic. 

Another shot of Science Patrol Headquarters...I mean, the futuristic looking television station.

Because you can never get enough pictures of Taipei's resident phallic symbol... 

Taipei 101 as I walked onto the SYS Memorial Hall grounds. 

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

There are two major memorial halls in Taipei, one to Chiang Kai-Shek which I have taken pictures of before for this blog, and another to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen who is regarded as the founding father of modern Taiwan. This is one shot of the side of the hall's main entrance that faces out onto a huge park that is almost always bustling with activity as people try to get out of their homes on the weekend.

The Entrance to the Memorial Hall

Here's the hall's front entrance, inside is a rather large museum and I believe a concert hall as well, and some statues. I have been inside (without camera) before, and didn't have a chance to go in again this time. If the opportunity arises, I will wander inside to get some good pictures about Taiwanese history and it's leaders. 

Wanna buy some dried squid? Cheap?

Outside the memorial hall they had set up a tent market wherein sellers were selling all manner of mostly dried and bottled goods. There were more than a few carnival games for the kids, and lots of people shuffling around in their winter coats in blustery 10 degree weather. 

Sellers tents. 

Another shot of the hall entrance. 

Marketplace.

A distance shot of the tent marketplace in the hall grounds, quite a busy place for such a cold wet unplesant day. I admire the seller's spunk. 

The man himself, Sun Yat-Sen!

A nice gentlemanly statue of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, founding father of modern Taiwan. 

The SYS Hall side entrance Name Plaque.

I just couldn't seem to get a good picture of this, they all came out fuzzy.

Let me tell you a story...

Another statue of Sun Yat-Sen, looking very fatherly. I really like this one.

A journey of 100,000 rocks...

Behind the Memorial Hall is this interesting stone trail which is meant to be walked on barefoot as a form of accupunctural therapy. According to some beliefs, you can access all the major organs and lines of energy in the body through the feet and putting pressure on certain points can bring health and correct illness. I have yet to try this trail myself, it looks...painful. 

Stone Trail Closeup I

I decided to try and capture the texture of the theraputic stones, so here's one I took without the flash...