bff!

Considering that we've been good friends for about 5 years now, you'd think Andrew and I would have a slew of good pictures together. But, we don't. It wasn't until recently they we FINALLY got a decent shot of us together.


Hee-hee.

Seriously, though, it has been just recently that we got a normal shot of us...




Naw, that one is TOO normal.


That's more like it!

fur frenzy!

You know I've got to be really busy if it's taken me so long to give a single mention of my furry friends - Guinness and Eyebrow. They made the long trek from New York to Taipei back in mid-September - and luckily arrived scared as heck but all in one piece. They spent 3 weeks in a quarantine facility, which also rather fortuitously, is located right across the street from where I work, so it was easy to visit them 2-3 times a week. Also luckily, all the staff members at the quarantine facility were very friendly and competent, so I had full confidence that my girls were in good hands.

I brought them home in early October, where they quickly took to their new surroundings. They've also been enjoying the company of some occasional visitors - mainly Andrew.













Guinness even learned how to play mahjong from my student, Becca! (Though I'm afraid she didn't bring her any luck - in fact, both Becca and I ended up being big losers that night!)
And she proved instrumental in teaching Sharon how not to strangle Santa while hanging Christmas decorations,

as well as providing artistic inspiration to Jose in making snowflakes.

Brow-brow, meanwhile, has been cozying up with her new toy and has taken up a new habit of barking.

What I do appreciate about this town

Okay, so my last post kind of ragged on Taipei for being excessively humid and having uninteresting - or at least, uninspiring - architecture. However, as many of you well know, I can be a moody gal. One day I love something, the next I'm indifferent about it, the next I'm griping about it with characteristic over-vehemence.



But, one thing I keep coming back to about Taipei is the life in the lanes - it seems to be where Taipei really lives, breathes, sleeps, and eats (and poops). So, here are a few glimpses of what Taipei lanes have to offer...

i missed my frizzy hair...

Ah, life back in Taipei - replete with 90% humidity levels causing my hair to expand just like those funky little sponge toys you drop into a bowl of water to watch them grow. Instant fun!

But seriously, it was a little tough coming back this time. Not sure quite what that was about - perhaps it was because I didn't have quite enough break time (how spoiled am I? Would any normal human being complain about 6 weeks of vacation not being enough break time?) and so wasn't ready to come back and jump right back into work. I do think that's part of it, but I think a stronger part of it was my time back in the States made me realize how much I miss being around good people who just so happen to also be good friends. It further made me appreciate the unique character that each city in the States has to offer. I really enjoyed being in San Francisco, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Chicago where walking around the streets provides its own simple joy - just by looking around and admiring the houses and buildings around you. Here in Taipei, there's not much to look at other than grimy tiled or concrete crap. I found myself strolling around the streets, unable to stop myself from imagining all the ways that the city could be improved. It kind of brought me down, and so, I found myself trudging off to school to start the new fall semester in a bit of a slump.

Luckily, on my way to school, I cut through the Tai Da campus (Taiwan's version of Harvard or Yale) where every day, twice a day, I have the pleasure of passing my favorite tree. Granted, this may qualify me as being a crazy tree lady, but I do have to say, there is something about this tree that lifts my spirits every time I pass by. So, secretly, I like to wave and say hi. After all, it's a nice tree.

hometown blues

Apologies to all Chicagoans and Chicago fans out there, but those of you who know me well also know that Chicago, despite it being my place of birth, is just not my kind of town. Now, I do appreciate my parents' swank apartment with the top floor decked out like a health spa and resort, the lake, the bike path that runs along the lake, the architecture, and the increasing abundance and variety of good food to be had in this city, but, somehow home just doesn't feel like home anymore.

However, there is something that I do greatly enjoy about Chicago and that will keep me coming back for the rest of my life - friends. I loved being back and reuniting with old friends from high school and beyond.

First there was the night with Dan and Melissa, when I got to meet yet another adorable baby - Melissa's son, Max.

And then there was a trip up to Evanston for a dinner with Susie, Crissy, Brandon & Elizabeth, and Colleen (whose husband, Chris, was missed!)

the boys

New York is nothing to me without a proper night out at Johnny's with the boys - Nichol and Matt. There is simply nothing else like the cheap drinks, the jukebox music, the little Christmas lights strung up year round, Vonya, and of course, the always titillatingly scintillating conversation to be had in the company of these two.

these weary dancing shoes

Okay, so you'd think that with all the swing groups I've been working with over here in Taipei, one of the first things I'd do while back in NY is head out for a good, satisfying night of heart-thumping, slinky swing dancing. Right?

Well, that would've been the case if I hadn't stupidly gone out and gotten my feet all full of blisters from salsa dancing, only to be followed up by some mystery bruising from a night of debaucherous bar dancing.

So, my poor swing partner, Spencer, had to settle for a visit from me to his office and some yummy eats at a Cuban/Chinese joint. Next time I will be more careful with my feet - I promise!

roomie reunion

One of the highlights of my time back in NY was meeting up with my roommate from Kenyon, Jane, and meeting her little man, Sotiri. Yet another adorable baby! This little tyke sticks his tongue out for his happy face, thereby quickly capturing the admiration and hearts of all around him. I was also pleased to see that Jane is as full of vitality, beauty and good food as ever - the homemade jam she gave me was scrumptious! This kid is going to grow up being very well fed.

city swap

This is my friend, Connie. We worked together at ASA. She's Taiwanese, working and living in NY. She also gave me my Chinese name, Jiang Ming Jie. Seems we had to swap countries to find opportunities - go figure.

Shortly after taking this picture on E. 19th St., we saw Ric Ocasik coming out of his abode on the same street. What's NY without a celebrity sighting?

ah, tranquility

All right. So most folks might consider California as a tranquil haven of American life. As much as I enjoyed my time both in NoCal and SoCal, I must say that my return to NY was refreshing and reinvigorating. For me, when it comes to the States, NY just fits - provided that I don't have to pay rent....

I am a bit ashamed to say that my time in NY, while it consisted of my longest leg in the US, also yielded the fewest pictures. Perhaps this is because I consider NY my true US home and so therefore treated it more mundanely? Anyway, it was extremely refreshing to be back again in the energy and vitality of good old New York City. I have yet to find another locale on this earth that can consistently compare with the intellectual and creative impulse of this city.

I was more than pleased to stay in "Hotel Maria" set up by my old and dear friends, Nichol and Sarah. Their home is one of comfort and welcome, of course aided by the cutest of little dogs, Stella. In addition, I was blessed with the company of several lunches and nights out (though not in any particular order) by Nichol, Sarah, Matt, Phoebe, Matt (yes, that's a second one), Connie, Chris, Spencer, Sean, Jeremy, Seth, Alex, Arwen, and others.

My departure from NY was more than bittersweet. This return to the city for me was a reminder of not only what I love about the city itself, but more importantly of all the people I've come to appreciate and love for all the good times, support, and inspiration they've provided throughout the years....

I remember you when you were yay big...

Another happy coincidence threw me together with my former employers in Geneva, Switzerland, the Rabens, together in San Diego. They now live there after many years in the US foreign service.

Now, it's important to know that I worked for the Rabens as a nanny right out of college back in '94-'95. At the time, my charge, Michael, was an adorable toddler of 3-4 years old. So, the majority of my memories of him consist of his uncanny ability to recognize both the make and airlines of planes flying over head, as well as more typical toddler activities of going to the pool and the park, picnics in the yard with Siri and Paul, play dates with friends Catherine and Sophie, and making up songs about ghosts. Needless to say, it was quite a reality check to meet him again as a grown young man of 16 years - first in Taipei in April and then more recently in San Diego in early September. Talk about feeling old! But on a more serious level, I have to say how impressed I was with what a polite, considerate and patient young man he's turned out to be. So, kudos to Ron and Joyce for raising a most respectable, worldly individual.

I also want to hand it to Ron and Joyce for their consistent efforts in staying connected and to always being there for me, not only as employers, but more lastingly as mentors and friends. I cannot deny that my experience with their family has had a lasting and positive impact on my life.

The SoCal Kelley's

From San Francisco it was time to head south to San Diego to stop in on brother, Matt, his fiancee, Fatima, and my (not-so-) little niece, Corinna.

Corinna is not quite a year and a half yet, but she's a rather healthy baby girl, full of vitality, curiosity and affection. Some of her favorite things seem to be traipsing about the living room, pointing out any 1 of 4 of their cats by announcing, "Gato," as she passes by. Another favorite thing is going from Grandpa to Grandma to Aunt Maria to Mom to Dad, giving everyone a "bacietto," which is Italian for "kiss."

We also delighted in a stroll about the courtyard where Corinna took turns holding hands with everyone and showing us all the way. Finally, it was time for a rest, so I took off my shoes and showed her the joy of going barefoot in the grass, while also laying back and gazing up into the sky.

For dinner, Corinna was introduced to the indulgence of cheeeeese - mmmmm. This little girl is a true Italian!

labor day in the 'burbs

So much for fun city life with friends - it was now time to retreat up in the suburbs with family. My cousin, Colin, was getting married on September 2nd, so my parents and I headed up to Mill Valley for the festivities. This was the first time in years that I had seen all of the California Kelley's together - and am rather ashamed to say that I almost didn't recognize my middle cousin, Tucker! The rehearsal dinner gave us all a chance to marvel over how much we've all grown and developed and prospered... and then it was a night of toasts like I've never experienced before - all kicked off by my aunt Liz who made a wonderful introduction of all the guests, and later included an original ballad by Liz's brother Tucker and a pseudo CIA bust of the groom by my father.

The wedding itself took place in the evening on Labor Day, so my parents and I took advantage of our free day in the area to drive up to Sonoma and Napa Valley, take in the fresh air and hills, and of course, partake in the delights of wine tasting. One of our stops was an out-of-the-way place in Sonoma which boasted a colorful yard outside and quite a unique interior replete with an old-fashioned organ. While I enjoyed cruising around both areas, I have to say that in the end I preferred Sonoma over Napa for its more rustic, gentrified country feel.

That evening was the nuptials of my cousin, Colin, and his new wife, Meeghan (whose mother is a real hoot), giving the Chicago Kelley's (minus my brother and his family) and the California Kelley's yet another chance to indulge in how wonderful we all are.

pink ladies

A lucky happenstance had both Liz and I in San Francisco at the same time. We worked at Dekker together back in my publishing days. Funny how we've both opted for the expat life since - with her in Montreal and me in Taipei. It was great chatting over lunch - it felt like we were simply on a lunch break together and as if no time had passed at all since our last meeting.

P.S. Liz, this lavender color type is for you!

The baby tour begins...

While in SF, I of course made a date to meet up with my old friends, Sam and Alex. Not only did I get to visit their beautiful home, but I also got to meet their adorable son, Nathan. This little tyke has the most amazing blue-gray eyes and makes the most engaging and amusing facial expressions I've ever seen. I was impressed to the point of being nearly speechless as I watched Nathan get absolutely spoiled as his father gave him a full body massage (we should all be so lucky!) and then his mother gave him a bath.

After bath time, it was time to kiss little Nathan goodnight and to let the adults share in some wine and conversation. Alex's mother was staying with them, so I also had the chance to chat with her and get to see what an endearing and interesting woman she is. With a mother like her, no wonder Alex is so cool! And, I must say that I was very, very impressed with Sam's ability to speak French. He chatted away almost like it was his mother tongue. I kept my French practice mainly to listening, since just about every time I tried to open my mouth to speak French with Alex's mother, the only thing that wanted to come out was Chinese. Luckily, Alex's mother is multilingual, so we were able to enjoy our conversation by bouncing around between languages. Oh, and by the way, le poulet etait delicieux!

SF - a city of vistas

My friend, Adam, went all out on my visit to SF - even dropping off a little welcome goody bag complete with candy and maps highlighting severals spots of interest around the city. Now, most of those spots were his favorite bars, along with several parks offering expansive views of the city. As we talked about his life in SF, he dubbed it as a "city of views," and after visiting his recommended spots on the map, I'd have to agree.

Oh, and he also organized a day of bike riding across the Golden Gate and up to Sausalito and Tiberon. We duly ignored the directions of the cute Spanish girl at the bike rental place, whose enchanting accent sent us both into space, and got lost. But all in all it was a grand day of biking, sightseeing, and of course enjoying a few beers at the end - all topped off with a ferry ride back to the city.

Ah, America

I recently had the pleasure(?) of returning Stateside for a few weeks at the end of August/early September. My trip was a bit of a whirlwind tour, including San Francisco, San Diego, New York and Chicago, so it will likely take a few posts to really get through it all.

But first things, first. I arrived in San Francisco on August 28 and duly headed straight for Mountain View, where, rather than looking for a job at Google, I desperately searched the streets for a pay phone while carrying all my stuff and wondered if I had really left Asia, since most of the storefront signs were in Chinese.

A lack of working pay phones led me to the offices where my old and good friend, Nandita, works. I know Nandita from a TESOL certificate program we both took in Zhuhai, China, in January 2003 (in fact, she and I took a little side trip to Hong Kong at the time of the SARS breakout - we both survived).

Nandita has traded in an exciting life as an ESL teacher to stay in Mountain View with her beau, Boris. But luckily they do still get out and travel the world together - in fact, he just took her home with him to Bulgaria to meet his family. I look forward to seeing you again next year, Nandita!

drenched

The Friday before Sepat hit, I awoke to find blue skies and reasonable temperatures (i.e., not in the 90s and humid). I thought to myself - yes! It's the calm before the storm - I can squeeze in my walk along the riverfront before being holed up in my apartment for god-knows how long until the storm passes. So, on with the sneakers and out the door I went. As I headed out, I noticed some clouds beginning to swirl over Taipei, but they didn't look like they were threatening rain, so I continued on. However, as I approached my turn-around point, the skies grew more threatening. I turned back a touch early and picked up the pace. Fairly soon after I started heading back, a light drizzle began to fall. I thought, well, I can handle this. I was still about an hour out and knew that if the rain really began to fall, I was just plain up shit's creek. The drizzle dissipated, leading me to believe I would make it back in time after all. However, the drizzle soon started up again, and this time rather than fizzling out it only grew stronger. And when rain falls in Taiwan, it really falls. It's like the heavens unleashing a watery wrath upon the island. I was still at least a 30-minute walk from home. So at this point, with the rain pouring down and quickly soaking through my clothes, what else could I do... but sing! (Yes, I really am this cheesy - especially when I'm completely by myself on a lonely bike path being drenched by an outer rain band of a typhoon.)

Unfortunately, my lonely walk was not to remain lonely forever. As I neared the top of a short hill which ran underneath a bridge, I came upon a man. Now, it's not unusual to see people hanging out under the bridge, especially if it's raining. They wait there for the rain to subside. However, this man was unusual in that he was wearing no pants. That's right. So it was me, the rain, and the pantless man. I hurried on, careful not to look at him too closely as to give him any ideas and also careful to glance over my shoulder after I passed to make sure he wasn't following me. Luckily, he turned out to be just a harmless man standing under a bridge in the rain without his pants.

Needless to say, I was just a little wet by the time I reached home.

almost an island paradise

After a work-filled semester and summer, it looked I was finally going to get a break - relaxing on the beach, admiring the stars while bathing in hot springs, snorkeling, scootering and hiking around Green Island, a local popular vacation destination. Unfortunately, Typhoon Sepat brewing in the Pacific off the coast of the Philippines had other plans. After carefully watching the weather report for a few days (since typhoons often switch courses unexpectedly), my friends Andrew, Nick and I were forced to face the reality that Typhoon Sepat (category 4) was indeed heading for the eastern coast of Taiwan. So, our island paradise getaway got shortened to just over 24 hours in the idyllic environs of Hualien, where Andrew lives (and near where the eye of the storm is currently predicted to hit). We had fun tooling around the coastline for a couple of days. Day one took us south of Hualien to Cow Mountain, where Andrew and I dipped our feet in the Pacific. Nick kept a good distance from the water, what with this being ghost month and all. (Taiwanese believe that ghosts roam the earth during this time, the spirits lingering in water, lying in wait to pull unsuspecting swimmers under.) The beach was part of an aboriginal tourist attraction which also boasted unique and odd wood carvings boasting exaggerated gentilia - think large phalluses and hanging breasts, so it seemed only appropriate that our visit included witnessing two dogs going at it. Although I don't know if getting stuck from doing it factored into the aboriginal sense of sensuality, but that proved to be the case for these two unfortunate canines.

Day two took us up to Qi Xing beach, just north of Hualien, on a pristine, sunny summer day. Despite all the talk about the typhoon, it was hard to believe that such a colossal storm lay it wait off the coast judging from the pure azure skies. The waves, however, did provide some indication as we could see them growing bigger and the ocean growing rougher as the afternoon progressed, not that you can tell from the picture, though.
Come evening time, though, it was time for Nick and I to retreat back to Taipei and to leave Andrew to face the full effects of the typhoon on his own. So much for our special island paradise getaway.

lasting impressions

Finally! The summer session has drawn to a close, which means no more teaching for me for the next 6 weeks. While I'm certainly overdue and eager for some good r&r, I would also like to say that working with these students has been a true pleasure. Once again, I managed to be blessed with a vibrant, energetic, creative and witty group of students. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and getting to watch them get to know and bond with each other over the course of the summer.

For anyone who might be curious to see some of what I did with the students and to see what they're capable of, you can check out the website I set up for our class at myspace.com/room712. (If you're curious to see the article I wrote for the blog, you'll have to go through the older blog archives - I believe mine was the very first post.) There are also some class pics on there, as well as a rather embarrassing video of me.

Farewell, Cannon!

This is Cannon, my star swing student. He originally came to swing class because his roommate, who was supposed to come but didn't really want to, sent Cannon in his place. Well, Cannon picked up the steps quickly and really took to the dance in general, blossoming into a good, clear lead. In addition to being a good dancer, Cannon proved to be a priceless member of my little swing group, often helping explain the moves to others in class, staying after class to continue to practice with people and even meeting up with people outside of class to help them work on steps. Before I knew it, I found myself reaching for him whenever I needed a demonstration partner in class.

However, Cannon was a senior this past year, which meant that he'd be graduating and therefore would likely be unable to continue with swing. So, you can imagine my delight when he told me he'd been accepted into a master's program at NTUST - that meant two more years of dancing with Cannon! I was thrilled at the prospect of him sticking around, thinking I could cultivate him into a real dance partner. So, you can perhaps also imagine my extreme disappointment when he recently informed me he'd be doing his military service before starting his graduate studies (all males are required to do a year's military service here in Taiwan). Even though I know he'll be back after a year, he will be greatly missed in the interim :-( So, here's a big salute to Cannon for all of his help and enthusiasm - we'll miss you, Cannon!

summer swing

Seems I just can't stop these feet from dancing! This summer I stayed true to my mission of bringing swing dance to the peoples of Asia and ran some beginner classes during the summer session. The downfall was that I had different students coming each week, so it was difficult to build on anything and had to stick to single step the whole time. But the upside is each week I had a decent turnout and may have found a handful of kids who'll keep coming back for more once the semester starts up again. Plus, those who did come had fun!

Yangming Shan, take 2

Exactly a week from the day of my previous excursion to Yangming Shan, I found myself on the bus heading back to the mountain - this time in the company of my long-time friend, Andrew, and my student-turned-friend, Nick. This time Nick took us to the path heading up to the highest peak at Yangming Shan, and reaching it was no easy feat. The path was pretty much a straight set of stairs all the way up. Though the path itself was shaded and the day itself was cloudy, I sweat about 5 times more than I had on my previous trip to the mountain. The top was truly other-worldly, though. With the heavy cloud cover, it felt like we had reached another plane. However, after all those stairs, I've found myself much more partial to elevators than I ever could've imagined...

Yangming Shan, take 1

In the spirit of being more socially active and getting out to explore the city and its environs, the day after lunching from a bathtub, I decided to take to the mountains with my friend, Sharon, and her best friend since junior high school. Yangming Shan is a popular destination for Taipei residents looking to get a bit of fresh air, and now I know why. Sharon and her friend took us up to the grasslands at the top of one of the mountain ridges, which afforded us not only plenty of fresh air, but also plenty of midday Taiwan sun and an expansive view of the city. Despite the Chinese penchant for covering their hiking trails with stairs, it was great to get out and get some good summer activity exercise. Plus, I think I managed to sweat out every last drop of any toxin that may have entered my body in the past 20 or so years.

Okay, so it's taken me until the throes of the humid Taipei summer to get this going, but finally here it is! My time here in Taipei has gone by rather quickly, most likely due to the constant demands on my time from my job. But now that summer is here, I've finally had a chance to get out and about a bit more.

For starters, a couple of weeks ago I went out on a class outing with my summer students. Our fantastic entertainment coordinator, Ariel, arranged for us to lunch at a place called Modern Toilet - a fun restaurant in which the decor and even the serving plates all revolve around a bathroom theme. We then went on to the National Palace Museum where I was eager to see Taiwan's version of the crown jewels - a cabbage. That's right, Taiwan's prized possession in their national museum is a piece of green and white jade carved into the shape of a bok choy cabbage. While cute, I can't say the cabbage was nearly as impressive as the excessively intricate ivory carvings. Though in the end, I think I may have been the only one truly interested in any of the exhibits at the museum, as the students were all eager to head out for a night of dancing on the sofas at a karaoke joint.