Approximately fifteen years ago I was sitting in my house playing the game "Duck Hunt" on my Nintendo Entertainment System. For those who don't remember, instead of the traditional rectangular controller, Duck Hunt had a special controller that was actually a gun, or the "NES Zapper."
Showing posts with label armageddon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label armageddon. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Baby, it's cold inside!
This month marks my completion of 2 years in Taiwan. I was going through my blog archives, starting from the beginning, and got a little nostalgic. In particular, I found my expectations of the weather prior to my arrival pretty interesting:
Saturday, December 19, 2009
That was a doozy!
On December 19, 2008, I said to Dave, “Dave, convince me to go to Taiwan with you.” And he did.
This year on December 19, I was talking to Dave on Skype and he said, "Holy shit, there's an earthquake!" And he was right.
On the anniversary of our college commencement, Taiwan was jostled to the tune of a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Yikes.
That's two years in a row I've felt like the world was spinning.
This year on December 19, I was talking to Dave on Skype and he said, "Holy shit, there's an earthquake!" And he was right.
On the anniversary of our college commencement, Taiwan was jostled to the tune of a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Yikes.
That's two years in a row I've felt like the world was spinning.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
H1N1
First SARS, then the tsunami, then Typhoon Morakot, and now H1N1. When will God stop using south-east Asia as his personal punching bag?! The humanity!
At the first sign of the H1N1 virus, the world was in a craze. Until Michael Jackson died. Then we pretended to mourn him. Then Kanye totally burned Taylor Swift at the VMAs and we all were upset with him. So on and so forth, the big wheel keeps on turnin'. Only H1N1, or what was informally and formerly known as "swine flu," has not rolled off the ducks' backs quite yet.
I honestly thought that we, the collective global population, were over H1N1. That is until I began to hear my kids talking about. "If you have H1N1 then you will be dead already." Temperatures are now screened at the front door of the school, and each teacher has been issued a large spray bottle of alcohol hand-wash with instructions to "fire at will." Sure enough, H1N1 has crept its way out of hiding and back into our lives.
These days, H1N1 is a sort of lingering fear. Almost teen thriller-esque, with each person wondering who is going to get it next. And just when I was starting to get used to handfuls people on the subway and students in my class wearing surgeon masks on occasion, maybe to be polite if they have the sniffles, the masks become an accessory rivaling the abundance of watches or pants. Instead of students, I have a class of bandits.
"Hmphllo Teaschr Jshon," I hear through the mask. Before a kid answers I have to motion to my mouth to have them pull their mask down so I know what they are saying. Literally, every kid in one of my classes was wearing a mask one day.
On that note, however, my kindergarten class that has 21 kids enrolled in it, averaged 10 students for all of last week. A kid gets sick and they are doctor sanctioned to take 5 days off from school, probably for both recovery and prevention. My class was apparently a day behind the prevention part.
As a vaccination for H1N1 is hopefully around the corner, the struggle to contain the virus continues. For now, I'm safe, but I've instructed Mike to send out an email/post should I get infected and quarantined.
At the first sign of the H1N1 virus, the world was in a craze. Until Michael Jackson died. Then we pretended to mourn him. Then Kanye totally burned Taylor Swift at the VMAs and we all were upset with him. So on and so forth, the big wheel keeps on turnin'. Only H1N1, or what was informally and formerly known as "swine flu," has not rolled off the ducks' backs quite yet.
I honestly thought that we, the collective global population, were over H1N1. That is until I began to hear my kids talking about. "If you have H1N1 then you will be dead already." Temperatures are now screened at the front door of the school, and each teacher has been issued a large spray bottle of alcohol hand-wash with instructions to "fire at will." Sure enough, H1N1 has crept its way out of hiding and back into our lives.
These days, H1N1 is a sort of lingering fear. Almost teen thriller-esque, with each person wondering who is going to get it next. And just when I was starting to get used to handfuls people on the subway and students in my class wearing surgeon masks on occasion, maybe to be polite if they have the sniffles, the masks become an accessory rivaling the abundance of watches or pants. Instead of students, I have a class of bandits.
"Hmphllo Teaschr Jshon," I hear through the mask. Before a kid answers I have to motion to my mouth to have them pull their mask down so I know what they are saying. Literally, every kid in one of my classes was wearing a mask one day.
On that note, however, my kindergarten class that has 21 kids enrolled in it, averaged 10 students for all of last week. A kid gets sick and they are doctor sanctioned to take 5 days off from school, probably for both recovery and prevention. My class was apparently a day behind the prevention part.
As a vaccination for H1N1 is hopefully around the corner, the struggle to contain the virus continues. For now, I'm safe, but I've instructed Mike to send out an email/post should I get infected and quarantined.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Brace Yourself!
Early last week over the choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean, the weather conditions aligned perfectly to form a tropical depression for the eleventh time this year. Although still hundreds of miles off the shores of Taiwan, a frenzy had already stricken its residents. Weather websites starting compiling hit after hit as viewers constantly refreshed their browsers to see the latest animations of the projected path.
Every colleague and every passing friend became an amateur meteorologist, each with their own speculation on top wind speeds and anticipated landfall dates.
Only one thing was certain: This swelling, rotary cloud mass was headed straight for Taiwan.
Most news channels and weather experts showed the eye of the approaching storm, that has earned the rank of a Category 2 Typhoon (which, to clear things up, is only another word for "hurricane"), passing over Taipei City at some point on Friday August 7th.
Would it be enough to close schools? The only thing we could do is wait, as the tempest known as "Morakot" surged onward with northern Taiwan in its cross-hairs.
We got the call Thursday evening; Our school was included in the list of government mandated school closings. The anticipation was building, and although I was sporting sunglasses and a sweat-bead mustache on my walk to school that morning, my walk home was wet with foreboding rain.
Taking the necessary precautionary measures for typhoon survival, Mike and I headed out to stock up for what we were expecting to be 2 days of weather induced house-arrest. We returned home in mild, rain-filled winds with 24 Taiwan Beers, 4 DVDs, and just enough Doritos and ramen noodles to keep starvation at bay for the duration of the treacherous storm.
As Thursday night quickly ticked its way to early Friday morning, the wind speed increased, sending the rain in what seemed like every direction but straight down. The wind, which seemed to be amplified being 23 floors from the ground, howled through the night.
Friday continued with the same routine, although it was nothing too crazy. Mike and I braved the elements and went out for lunch. Then, during the brunt of the storm, I, in my mesh shorts, and Mike in his board shorts, went out for pizza.
With the pizza, beer, and chips, we yawned our way through the rest of the Morakot. I woke up Saturday morning to chirping birds and blue skies. Life in Taipei County returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
Apparently some people died and places got flooded other places in Taiwan. For me, it was a nice day off from school, but otherwise an unimpressive excuse for a typhoon.
Every colleague and every passing friend became an amateur meteorologist, each with their own speculation on top wind speeds and anticipated landfall dates.
Only one thing was certain: This swelling, rotary cloud mass was headed straight for Taiwan.
Most news channels and weather experts showed the eye of the approaching storm, that has earned the rank of a Category 2 Typhoon (which, to clear things up, is only another word for "hurricane"), passing over Taipei City at some point on Friday August 7th.
Would it be enough to close schools? The only thing we could do is wait, as the tempest known as "Morakot" surged onward with northern Taiwan in its cross-hairs.
We got the call Thursday evening; Our school was included in the list of government mandated school closings. The anticipation was building, and although I was sporting sunglasses and a sweat-bead mustache on my walk to school that morning, my walk home was wet with foreboding rain.
Taking the necessary precautionary measures for typhoon survival, Mike and I headed out to stock up for what we were expecting to be 2 days of weather induced house-arrest. We returned home in mild, rain-filled winds with 24 Taiwan Beers, 4 DVDs, and just enough Doritos and ramen noodles to keep starvation at bay for the duration of the treacherous storm.
As Thursday night quickly ticked its way to early Friday morning, the wind speed increased, sending the rain in what seemed like every direction but straight down. The wind, which seemed to be amplified being 23 floors from the ground, howled through the night.
Friday continued with the same routine, although it was nothing too crazy. Mike and I braved the elements and went out for lunch. Then, during the brunt of the storm, I, in my mesh shorts, and Mike in his board shorts, went out for pizza.
With the pizza, beer, and chips, we yawned our way through the rest of the Morakot. I woke up Saturday morning to chirping birds and blue skies. Life in Taipei County returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
Apparently some people died and places got flooded other places in Taiwan. For me, it was a nice day off from school, but otherwise an unimpressive excuse for a typhoon.
Monday, August 3, 2009
About that hard drive...
This is kind of depressing. Two days after I said my good-byes to everyone knowing that my next vacation will be in about 1 year, my hard drive crashed and took with it many memories. After 5 years of wishy-washy service, my computer flat-lined without any warning (unless you consider having a 5-year-old computer warning enough).
Being a "writer," it would have made sense for me to have all my files backed up. You know, everything I've ever written over the past 5 years. Pictures I've accumulated. (This seems like a good situation to use the word "alas.") Alas, my files dissipated into digital hell, with only a nanobyte of hope of being recovered.
But hey, it was really awesome to see everyone again! Thanks for making my vacation fun!
Here is an article showing that my coming here was a good example of "striking while the iron is hot."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/work/overseas-teaching-jobs-a-lesson-in-supply-and-demand/article1232903/
Being a "writer," it would have made sense for me to have all my files backed up. You know, everything I've ever written over the past 5 years. Pictures I've accumulated. (This seems like a good situation to use the word "alas.") Alas, my files dissipated into digital hell, with only a nanobyte of hope of being recovered.
But hey, it was really awesome to see everyone again! Thanks for making my vacation fun!
Here is an article showing that my coming here was a good example of "striking while the iron is hot."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/work/overseas-teaching-jobs-a-lesson-in-supply-and-demand/article1232903/
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Chapter 2: Xizhi
I guess it's about time I let all 7 of my faithful followers know whats been going on in my life for the past week or so.
Little known fact: about 2 weeks ago I looked up the price for a plane ticket home. When we got here, we found out that the Global Economic Plunge, or GEP if you will (yeah, I just made that up), had apparently taken its toll on Taiwan just weeks before we landed. Due to the GEP, there have been many language school closings, leaving a surplus of Unemployed English Teachers, or as I like to call, UETs, a population of which I was recently representing. As many of you know, as a UET, I've spent the majority of my time going to door to door to any places that appeared to be language schools, distributing my resume and warning the unaware of Armageddon, which the GEP is sure proof of. Don't deny truth.
Little known fact: I have an agent. After seeing my hopes and dreams in a gutter in Taipei, she took my floundering fledgling of a teaching career into her own hands and vowed to end my affiliation with the UET. She started calling me (I didn't have time to get a manager to take these calls) and setting me up on interviews all across Taiwan. Taichung, Hsinchu, and Shijr. I also had two interviews that I got without her help. I nailed all the interviews; wow'ed them with my English speaking skills, my storytelling voice, my knowledge of grammar, and my ability to write in script. No teaching experience? No problem. I went 4 for 5 getting job offers on the spot (I started off 0-1, then caught fire.) That's 80%, people. To put it in perspective, Sidney Crosby only makes 13.7% of his shots, and most golfers only sink about 18 shots out of like, 70+ strokes (~25%). Heck, even LeBron is only shooting 48.7% from the floor this year. Needless to say, I was a sought after person, partially thanks to my agent, who showed me the money and helped put me in a position to be picky. Which is why I chose the best offer: a competitive salary, decent working hours, and free accommodation, 5 minutes walking distance from my school, in a town called Xizhi (or Shijr), which is a 17-23 minute, $21 NT train ride to/from Taipei City. Check out my pics of the new pad and the view from my balcony on the 23rd floor (score 1 for panorama assist! click for a better look).
On Monday, I begin two weeks of boot camp (training/observations) before I officially become a teacher. Boo-yah, GEP!
Little known fact: about 2 weeks ago I looked up the price for a plane ticket home. When we got here, we found out that the Global Economic Plunge, or GEP if you will (yeah, I just made that up), had apparently taken its toll on Taiwan just weeks before we landed. Due to the GEP, there have been many language school closings, leaving a surplus of Unemployed English Teachers, or as I like to call, UETs, a population of which I was recently representing. As many of you know, as a UET, I've spent the majority of my time going to door to door to any places that appeared to be language schools, distributing my resume and warning the unaware of Armageddon, which the GEP is sure proof of. Don't deny truth.
Little known fact: I have an agent. After seeing my hopes and dreams in a gutter in Taipei, she took my floundering fledgling of a teaching career into her own hands and vowed to end my affiliation with the UET. She started calling me (I didn't have time to get a manager to take these calls) and setting me up on interviews all across Taiwan. Taichung, Hsinchu, and Shijr. I also had two interviews that I got without her help. I nailed all the interviews; wow'ed them with my English speaking skills, my storytelling voice, my knowledge of grammar, and my ability to write in script. No teaching experience? No problem. I went 4 for 5 getting job offers on the spot (I started off 0-1, then caught fire.) That's 80%, people. To put it in perspective, Sidney Crosby only makes 13.7% of his shots, and most golfers only sink about 18 shots out of like, 70+ strokes (~25%). Heck, even LeBron is only shooting 48.7% from the floor this year. Needless to say, I was a sought after person, partially thanks to my agent, who showed me the money and helped put me in a position to be picky. Which is why I chose the best offer: a competitive salary, decent working hours, and free accommodation, 5 minutes walking distance from my school, in a town called Xizhi (or Shijr), which is a 17-23 minute, $21 NT train ride to/from Taipei City. Check out my pics of the new pad and the view from my balcony on the 23rd floor (score 1 for panorama assist! click for a better look).
On Monday, I begin two weeks of boot camp (training/observations) before I officially become a teacher. Boo-yah, GEP!
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