November 16, 2011
I reached my 5-year post-cancer diagnosis today. I'm now among the 84.2% ovarian cancer survivors who have lived 5 years after the initial diagnosis. What a milestone it is! I felt all conflicted when thinking about how I was going to celebrate this milestone because of my pregnancy. On the one hand, it was such a bummer 'cause I wanted to drink. On the other, the (second, I might add) pregnancy itself is worth celebrating considering what we've been through. So cheers to a non-drink to my reaching the 5-year mark and another non-drink to my second pregnancy. Here's to many many more cancer-free years to come!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
On the Third Day of Chinese New Year
It's finally sunny out, so I decided to take my camera out with me on my morning walk.
This is a neighbor's dog.
She's a Japanese breed called "shibainu" (柴犬). Naturally, she's wearing a kimono in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
The entire town is deserted during the CNY holidays.
This is one of the major streets in the downtown core.
This is the entrance of Da-an Forest Park in the heart of Taipei City. An ox is guarding the entrance... with its tongue out.
Happy Year of the Ox.
Inside Da-an Forest Park
Glittering flowers
Happy birdie playing in water
Happy kitties under the sun.
When I first saw them, the one with a white belly jumped up trying to catch a butterfly. Unfortunately, my stupid camera was too slow to capture it.
Bare naked trees and a bare naked cow
At first, I thought it was "Super Cow".
However, one may wonder why "Super Cow" would be flying on a broom.
The answer was about 10 steps backward.
It ain't "Super Cow". It's a Witch Cow!
I first noticed the kid because of a warning sign on the left side of the slides.
The wooden part of the structure was waiting to be repaired, and the park had put out a warning sign asking parents not to let their kids go up there.
When I got there, the kid was already up there by himself and his parents were nowhere to be found.
"Come on down," I said to the kid. He didn't answer. His parents probably taught him not to talk to strangers.
"It's dangerous. You should come down here." I tried again. The kid was still silent.
"How old is he? He can obviously walk very well, but can he talk?"
The sun was burning my neck. I contemplated going up to get him, but I didn't want to be mistaken as a kidnapper.
"Be a good boy and come down here," I pleaded. He just stared at me from up high.
A big dude came around me with his eyes on the kid. "Come to daddy," he said, never acknowledged my existence. "Come over here," he raised his voice. "Get down here or the police are coming to get you," he threatened.
I can't stand it when Taiwanese parents use threats to get kids to behave, so I walked away.
The kid never said a word, and I never found out if (and how) he eventually came back down.
It's finally sunny out, so I decided to take my camera out with me on my morning walk.
This is a neighbor's dog.She's a Japanese breed called "shibainu" (柴犬). Naturally, she's wearing a kimono in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
The entire town is deserted during the CNY holidays.This is one of the major streets in the downtown core.
This is the entrance of Da-an Forest Park in the heart of Taipei City. An ox is guarding the entrance... with its tongue out.Happy Year of the Ox.
Inside Da-an Forest Park
Glittering flowers
Happy birdie playing in water
Happy kitties under the sun.When I first saw them, the one with a white belly jumped up trying to catch a butterfly. Unfortunately, my stupid camera was too slow to capture it.
Bare naked trees and a bare naked cow
At first, I thought it was "Super Cow".However, one may wonder why "Super Cow" would be flying on a broom.
The answer was about 10 steps backward.
It ain't "Super Cow". It's a Witch Cow!
I first noticed the kid because of a warning sign on the left side of the slides.The wooden part of the structure was waiting to be repaired, and the park had put out a warning sign asking parents not to let their kids go up there.
When I got there, the kid was already up there by himself and his parents were nowhere to be found.
"Come on down," I said to the kid. He didn't answer. His parents probably taught him not to talk to strangers.
"It's dangerous. You should come down here." I tried again. The kid was still silent.
"How old is he? He can obviously walk very well, but can he talk?"
The sun was burning my neck. I contemplated going up to get him, but I didn't want to be mistaken as a kidnapper.
"Be a good boy and come down here," I pleaded. He just stared at me from up high.
A big dude came around me with his eyes on the kid. "Come to daddy," he said, never acknowledged my existence. "Come over here," he raised his voice. "Get down here or the police are coming to get you," he threatened.
I can't stand it when Taiwanese parents use threats to get kids to behave, so I walked away.
The kid never said a word, and I never found out if (and how) he eventually came back down.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Milk
As Dr. Motormouth ordered, I started a diet journal. She wants me to do it for a couple of weeks first so she could help me adjust my diet before we start the actual fertility treatment. It's only been 5 days, but I've already become a more conscientious eater.
One thing I've noticed since I started the diet journal is that I now drink a lot more milk (granted it's only been 5 days so it hardly qualifies as a permanent change in diet). However, I was never a big milk drinker. No. Let me rephrase that. I didn't drink milk at all.
I had ulcer when I was 16 (all that stress and burning the midnight oil studying for the National Senior High School Entrance Exam). After a stomach endoscopy, the doctor put me on a strict "soft food" diet and told me not to drink milk as it turns into clogs once mixed with stomach acid. Whether it was a load of crap or it actually had some scientific reasoning behind it, I was more than happy to oblige since I, like most people in Asia, grew up on soy milk or milk tea. Drinking milk by itself was just not a part of my diet back then. The only reason I buy milk is... okay, there are actually two reasons. One, Bill quite often has some cookies and milk before he goes to bed. Two, I put milk in my coffee.
So as you can understand, I've never felt the desire to have some milk.
For about 2 days now, however, I actually want milk. As extreme as it seemed, the desire to have some milk drove me to drinking two glasses of milk last night, and I just finished two coffee mugs of milk in the last hour. While it may not seem much for some regular milk drinkers, it's quite a lot for someone who didn't use to drink milk at all.
I have two cartons of milk in the fridge: one at work and one at home.
At 36, I wouldn't be surprised if my body starts to need more calcium. We'll have to wait and see how long this milk-drinking behavior lasts.
As Dr. Motormouth ordered, I started a diet journal. She wants me to do it for a couple of weeks first so she could help me adjust my diet before we start the actual fertility treatment. It's only been 5 days, but I've already become a more conscientious eater.
One thing I've noticed since I started the diet journal is that I now drink a lot more milk (granted it's only been 5 days so it hardly qualifies as a permanent change in diet). However, I was never a big milk drinker. No. Let me rephrase that. I didn't drink milk at all.
I had ulcer when I was 16 (all that stress and burning the midnight oil studying for the National Senior High School Entrance Exam). After a stomach endoscopy, the doctor put me on a strict "soft food" diet and told me not to drink milk as it turns into clogs once mixed with stomach acid. Whether it was a load of crap or it actually had some scientific reasoning behind it, I was more than happy to oblige since I, like most people in Asia, grew up on soy milk or milk tea. Drinking milk by itself was just not a part of my diet back then. The only reason I buy milk is... okay, there are actually two reasons. One, Bill quite often has some cookies and milk before he goes to bed. Two, I put milk in my coffee.
So as you can understand, I've never felt the desire to have some milk.
For about 2 days now, however, I actually want milk. As extreme as it seemed, the desire to have some milk drove me to drinking two glasses of milk last night, and I just finished two coffee mugs of milk in the last hour. While it may not seem much for some regular milk drinkers, it's quite a lot for someone who didn't use to drink milk at all.
I have two cartons of milk in the fridge: one at work and one at home.
At 36, I wouldn't be surprised if my body starts to need more calcium. We'll have to wait and see how long this milk-drinking behavior lasts.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Nuage Chillin' Out
The last few days have been cold and wet, and Nuage has been avoiding walking on the cold tiles. He spent most of the time on a blanket or my lap.
This morning, however, after playing tag with me up and down the stairs and batting a paper ball around, Nuage needed to cool down a bit.
First the belly.
Then the back.
One more shot just 'cause his mom adores him.
The last few days have been cold and wet, and Nuage has been avoiding walking on the cold tiles. He spent most of the time on a blanket or my lap.This morning, however, after playing tag with me up and down the stairs and batting a paper ball around, Nuage needed to cool down a bit.
First the belly.
Then the back.
One more shot just 'cause his mom adores him.
Happy 2009
Dorion invited a bunch of friends to spend New Year's Eve at his place because of the great view of Taipei 101 from his rooftop.
Around 9pm, almost everyone was there, and Kyle suggested a game of Catan.
Harry has never played Catan, so he was studying the rules.
Meanwhile, everyone else was getting the board and all the cards ready for the game.
Shannon and Sam were also new to this game, so Trevor explained the rules to them.
By this point, Harry had thrown the rules away. He decided to team up with Kyle.
Bill is a veteran Catan player, and he's all about "following the rules".
I was feeling under the weather and hardly had any voice, so I "benched" myself in this game.
While the game was going on, Dorion and Sharon brought plates of yummy barbecued food to the table. We had steaks, miranated chicken, and mushrooms. All of them were really good.
The game was paused at 11:40pm, when everyone got ready to go to the rooftop for the fireworks.
We brought everything but a clock (or a radio), so we actually missed the countdown. All we saw was fireworks going up Taipei 101 and all of the sudden, it exploded.
According to the news today, the firework display this year lasted 188 seconds, longer than previous years.
However, it seemed shorter and lamer to us.
Have a fan-fabulous 2009!!!
Dorion invited a bunch of friends to spend New Year's Eve at his place because of the great view of Taipei 101 from his rooftop.
Around 9pm, almost everyone was there, and Kyle suggested a game of Catan.
Harry has never played Catan, so he was studying the rules.Meanwhile, everyone else was getting the board and all the cards ready for the game.
Shannon and Sam were also new to this game, so Trevor explained the rules to them.By this point, Harry had thrown the rules away. He decided to team up with Kyle.
Bill is a veteran Catan player, and he's all about "following the rules".I was feeling under the weather and hardly had any voice, so I "benched" myself in this game.
While the game was going on, Dorion and Sharon brought plates of yummy barbecued food to the table. We had steaks, miranated chicken, and mushrooms. All of them were really good.
The game was paused at 11:40pm, when everyone got ready to go to the rooftop for the fireworks.
We brought everything but a clock (or a radio), so we actually missed the countdown. All we saw was fireworks going up Taipei 101 and all of the sudden, it exploded.
According to the news today, the firework display this year lasted 188 seconds, longer than previous years.However, it seemed shorter and lamer to us.
Have a fan-fabulous 2009!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Looking Back Looking Forward
2008 was a fantastic year. It was a year of transition: ridding the old and venturing into the new.
Travel
One of the things that is very important to both of us and we really enjoy together. We certainly did A LOT of (and spent a lot on) traveling in 2008.
We went to Malapascua in the spring, the Pacific Northwest in the summer, and Macao in the fall. Bill took a solo trip to Hong Kong just a month ago. No wonder we never feel like we're saving a large amount of money. It's all worth it though 'cause we may never have the chance to travel like this again, especially once the little ones come along.
Bill never made it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Maybe we'll make it to the one in 2010 in Vancouver.
Health
Though the tension is still there every time I go back to my gyno-oncologist, Dr. Liu, for routine checkups, we spend the majority of our time and energy on moving toward our plan to have a family.
My latest visit to Dr. Liu was just yesterday. My CA-125 is still wobbling between 60 and 90, but the fact that it goes up and down indicates that it is not tumor growth (otherwise it'd only keep going up). Dr. Liu only schedules me to see him during his teaching clinic hours now. One reason is that there are fewer patients, and it's also because he wants the young interns to study my case. Yesterday, for example, Dr. Liu got the intern to interview me for an hour. The nervous intern was so amazed at how detailed my descriptions of my surgeries were that he burst, "How do you know what happened during your surgeries? Weren't you supposed to be under?" Dr. Liu turned around and said, "Because she wouldn't stop asking about it after she came around. She made me promise to take pictures of her insides before her first surgery."
I'm convinced that Dr. Liu secretly wishes all patients and their families are like me and Bill. He just can't admit it.
My fertility doctor, Dr. Motormouth, has got me hooked on routine exercise and healthy eating (though this holiday season has thrown me off the course a bit). She has been getting increasingly satisfied with the positive changes she sees in my shape and attitude (so has Bill and so am I). We'll continue to chart my basal temperature to track hormonal activities, and the next step is to be on birth control pills to completely shut down the left ovary. If all goes well, we'll start the injection and egg harvesting process in February. If we're successful, we'll become new parents in winter 2009.
Family
Speaking of parenthood, I certainly got a few "training sessions to new parenthood" during the trip back to North America. The one in which I was most frightened was when I got to hold Isaac in my arms at Diane's house simply because he was so soft and tiny (thank you again, Laura, for trusting me and letting me hold him). In the Redden's household where I made the couch my bed, Scott made sure that then-7-month-old Jordy was the first person I saw first thing in the morning. Lisa and Scott seemed determined to burst my bubbles of having my own kids. From the day I arrived, they threw me right into the whole shebang, including seeing and smelling infant poop.
At the end of my training, Lisa and Scott gave me the ultimate test: have me babysit 7-month-old Jordy all alone while they go on a date. Jordy and I had a great time babbling and bouncing up and down (well, he did most of it). Though I could hardly lift the coffee mug to my mouth the next morning, I thought that was quite an achievement for someone who was (notice I used past tense?) totally inexperienced with babies.
Oh, and we got married! It's only been... not even a full month, so we still feel a bit weird calling each other husband and wife. It's weird because we're not yet used to it.
You've also gotta understand that we're constantly dealing with at least 2 languages here. What has been happening is that, just when we thought we were used to saying "This is my husband" or "My wife would like to know..." in English, all of a sudden we'd be in a situation where we had to do it in Mandarin. Then the whole unfamiliarity occurred again. The other day I was in a cab with a very friendly and chatty Taiwanese-speaking driver. Like my cousin Karen, the driver could name every car on the street, the year they came out, and the pros and cons of all of them. Seeing that I was quiet, the driver looked from the rear view mirror and said, "You're not interested in cars, huh?!" I answered, "I don't know cars very well, but my husband does." There! Again! Saying the word "husband" in Taiwanese made me giggly.
Another thing I'm getting used to is the fact that, all of a sudden, I'm an aunt to many kids and a great aunt to a couple of them. A few days ago, I saw a picture of Laura, Daniel, Joey, and Genevieve on Diane's (Bill's older sister's) blog, and I thought, "How are Daniel and Joey related again? Diane is Bill's sister, which makes Daniel Bill's nephew, which makes Joey Daniel's uncle, which makes Joey a great uncle like Bill to Ben and Isaac." I stared at that picture, flabbergasted at the fact that Bill's little brother is a great uncle too (Joey, I'm sure you're a great [as in quality] great [as in relation] uncle too).
My Husband
It doesn't matter what year it is, I'm thankful to have Bill in my life. He constantly reminds me the importance of approaching life full-heartedly and positively. We recently went through a few rough days helping a friend out, and I couldn't have done it without him. I'm proud that my husband's got a heart of gold, and he is so loving and giving. Bill may seem aloof most of the time, but he's rock solid when he's needed the most.
Here's to a fabulous 2009.
Happy New Year, Everybody!!!
2008 was a fantastic year. It was a year of transition: ridding the old and venturing into the new.
Travel
One of the things that is very important to both of us and we really enjoy together. We certainly did A LOT of (and spent a lot on) traveling in 2008.
We went to Malapascua in the spring, the Pacific Northwest in the summer, and Macao in the fall. Bill took a solo trip to Hong Kong just a month ago. No wonder we never feel like we're saving a large amount of money. It's all worth it though 'cause we may never have the chance to travel like this again, especially once the little ones come along.
Bill never made it to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Maybe we'll make it to the one in 2010 in Vancouver.
Health
Though the tension is still there every time I go back to my gyno-oncologist, Dr. Liu, for routine checkups, we spend the majority of our time and energy on moving toward our plan to have a family.
My latest visit to Dr. Liu was just yesterday. My CA-125 is still wobbling between 60 and 90, but the fact that it goes up and down indicates that it is not tumor growth (otherwise it'd only keep going up). Dr. Liu only schedules me to see him during his teaching clinic hours now. One reason is that there are fewer patients, and it's also because he wants the young interns to study my case. Yesterday, for example, Dr. Liu got the intern to interview me for an hour. The nervous intern was so amazed at how detailed my descriptions of my surgeries were that he burst, "How do you know what happened during your surgeries? Weren't you supposed to be under?" Dr. Liu turned around and said, "Because she wouldn't stop asking about it after she came around. She made me promise to take pictures of her insides before her first surgery."
I'm convinced that Dr. Liu secretly wishes all patients and their families are like me and Bill. He just can't admit it.
My fertility doctor, Dr. Motormouth, has got me hooked on routine exercise and healthy eating (though this holiday season has thrown me off the course a bit). She has been getting increasingly satisfied with the positive changes she sees in my shape and attitude (so has Bill and so am I). We'll continue to chart my basal temperature to track hormonal activities, and the next step is to be on birth control pills to completely shut down the left ovary. If all goes well, we'll start the injection and egg harvesting process in February. If we're successful, we'll become new parents in winter 2009.
Family
Speaking of parenthood, I certainly got a few "training sessions to new parenthood" during the trip back to North America. The one in which I was most frightened was when I got to hold Isaac in my arms at Diane's house simply because he was so soft and tiny (thank you again, Laura, for trusting me and letting me hold him). In the Redden's household where I made the couch my bed, Scott made sure that then-7-month-old Jordy was the first person I saw first thing in the morning. Lisa and Scott seemed determined to burst my bubbles of having my own kids. From the day I arrived, they threw me right into the whole shebang, including seeing and smelling infant poop.
At the end of my training, Lisa and Scott gave me the ultimate test: have me babysit 7-month-old Jordy all alone while they go on a date. Jordy and I had a great time babbling and bouncing up and down (well, he did most of it). Though I could hardly lift the coffee mug to my mouth the next morning, I thought that was quite an achievement for someone who was (notice I used past tense?) totally inexperienced with babies.
Oh, and we got married! It's only been... not even a full month, so we still feel a bit weird calling each other husband and wife. It's weird because we're not yet used to it.
You've also gotta understand that we're constantly dealing with at least 2 languages here. What has been happening is that, just when we thought we were used to saying "This is my husband" or "My wife would like to know..." in English, all of a sudden we'd be in a situation where we had to do it in Mandarin. Then the whole unfamiliarity occurred again. The other day I was in a cab with a very friendly and chatty Taiwanese-speaking driver. Like my cousin Karen, the driver could name every car on the street, the year they came out, and the pros and cons of all of them. Seeing that I was quiet, the driver looked from the rear view mirror and said, "You're not interested in cars, huh?!" I answered, "I don't know cars very well, but my husband does." There! Again! Saying the word "husband" in Taiwanese made me giggly.
Another thing I'm getting used to is the fact that, all of a sudden, I'm an aunt to many kids and a great aunt to a couple of them. A few days ago, I saw a picture of Laura, Daniel, Joey, and Genevieve on Diane's (Bill's older sister's) blog, and I thought, "How are Daniel and Joey related again? Diane is Bill's sister, which makes Daniel Bill's nephew, which makes Joey Daniel's uncle, which makes Joey a great uncle like Bill to Ben and Isaac." I stared at that picture, flabbergasted at the fact that Bill's little brother is a great uncle too (Joey, I'm sure you're a great [as in quality] great [as in relation] uncle too).
My Husband
It doesn't matter what year it is, I'm thankful to have Bill in my life. He constantly reminds me the importance of approaching life full-heartedly and positively. We recently went through a few rough days helping a friend out, and I couldn't have done it without him. I'm proud that my husband's got a heart of gold, and he is so loving and giving. Bill may seem aloof most of the time, but he's rock solid when he's needed the most.
Here's to a fabulous 2009.
Happy New Year, Everybody!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
... and we're BACK!
I'm terribly sorry if you had to sign up for a gmail account in order to read this blog. I had to take down the blog for reasons I cannot discuss here... Don't worry. Everything was and is fine.
Last night I thought I'd try out this "permit invited readers only" thing, but very quickly I realized it wouldn't work 'cause I don't have everyone's email address. Long story short, I've changed the permission setting back to "public". Everything's back to the way it has always been.
I'm terribly sorry if you had to sign up for a gmail account in order to read this blog. I had to take down the blog for reasons I cannot discuss here... Don't worry. Everything was and is fine.
Last night I thought I'd try out this "permit invited readers only" thing, but very quickly I realized it wouldn't work 'cause I don't have everyone's email address. Long story short, I've changed the permission setting back to "public". Everything's back to the way it has always been.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
X'mas Mad
I'm determined to celebrate Christmas properly this year for two reasons. One, Bill and I are celebrating our first Christmas as a couple this year. The second reasons is that I didn't get to celebrate Christmas in the past two years 'cause I was in the hospital.
The problem is, I only have a vague idea of what is involved in Christmas preparation. The last time I did any preparation for Christmas was almost 6 years ago in Vancouver. Even then, all it means is that I got a tree from Home Depot, decorated it, and put empty boxes of fake gifts on the bottom. I can't do the same thing this year. I've got to do it properly.
Desperate, I did what I usually do whenever I'm lost on the path to becoming a real home-maker: check out Martha's website.
The school term ended on Thursday, December 11th. I checked out Martha's website the day after. However, I felt defeated as soon as the front page appeared. It said "100 Days to Christmas -- your holiday planning guide". ONE HUNDRED days?!?! Martha sure knows how to be organized.
Since it was way too late for me to follow Martha's planning guide, I sought out alternatives. I went to the bookstore and quickly scanned the covers of all the home-making magazines. A few minutes later, I found the perfect one: "Simply Joyful: 249 Easy Ideas for the Holidays". Easy is good. Easy is all I can do at this point. Not to mention there are two hundred and forty-nine of these ideas.
When in a bookstore, one must read a few lines of the newest books and test-write the latest pens. Yes, pens. That's another thing that is really good in Asia. Pens in Asia are cheap (less than a buck) and they are silky smooooooooth. While I was enjoying the 4-color ball point pen and trying to justify paying NT$160 (US$5) for it, I experienced flashing images of Shellee's "Krissmas card" before my eyes. Of course! A light bulb moment (In Jack Nicholson's voice please): How could we forget Christmas cards and how could one write many many many X'mas cards without a pen one truly enjoys?
With MY new pen in hand, I headed to the card section of the bookstore. There was a large table with all kinds of X'mas stuff on it: apple cinnamon candles, incense, and soap mixed with red, green, gold, and silver bows, balls, and stars. A-Ha! Among those shiny knick-knacks lay boxes of Christmas cards. I picked one up and put it down. Then I picked another one up and put it down. They were all Hallmark cards imported from the States, and they cost an arm and a leg! Not that I don't want to spend money on our family and friends, it just didn't make sense to me. Why would anyone spend money on X'mas cards that were imported from the States in the first place and send them to friends and family in the States? If I wanted to do that, I could just ask you to pick up a Hallmark card for yourself at Safeway.
Anyway, I didn't buy them. I can't tell you what I ended up buying here because it's more fun for you to find out when you receive yours.
Back to the 249 easy ideas for the holidays... most of them require more preparation that we don't seem to have time for. Last weekend, Bill and I tended to the house and the patio, getting them organized (see the previous post below). When Monday rolled along, Bill went back to his 8-hour working schedule, and I started writing X'mas cards. I didn't know how time-consuming it was to write these little cards! It also took a bit of time for us to get addresses from people. Aside from writing cards, I also had marking to do 'cause I had to finish teaching an academic writing class at another university last Tuesday and Thursday. In other words, the only X'mas-related thing I did in the first 3 weekdays of this week was that I put up little X'mas bows here and there, which was entirely my own idea and not from the magazine.
After the writing class on Thursday, I stopped by the "Taipei Pot Plant Auction" (It's not a typo. It is exactly what it says on the front of that building in Taipei) and picked up a few pots of Poinsettia. Bill and I had planned to shop for X'mas decoration that night, but we ended up going to IKEA and picked up a few more things for the apartment... non-X'mas things.
It is exactly one week to X'mas, and I'd just finished all the X'mas cards. I'm not sure if you will all get yours in time for Christmas, but this is our first time doing X'mas as a couple and we tried. We still have to decorate the apartment, and I really need to start baking cookies. Oh, did I mention that we still don't know what we're going to make for the X'mas dinner that is going to take place in our apartment this coming Thursday? Aaahhhh~ I'm. not. freaking. out.
I'm sure next week Martha's front page will change to "Last Minute X'mas Ideas: what to do when you're out of time". Maybe she'll have a recipe for instant turkey.
I'm determined to celebrate Christmas properly this year for two reasons. One, Bill and I are celebrating our first Christmas as a couple this year. The second reasons is that I didn't get to celebrate Christmas in the past two years 'cause I was in the hospital.
The problem is, I only have a vague idea of what is involved in Christmas preparation. The last time I did any preparation for Christmas was almost 6 years ago in Vancouver. Even then, all it means is that I got a tree from Home Depot, decorated it, and put empty boxes of fake gifts on the bottom. I can't do the same thing this year. I've got to do it properly.
Desperate, I did what I usually do whenever I'm lost on the path to becoming a real home-maker: check out Martha's website.
The school term ended on Thursday, December 11th. I checked out Martha's website the day after. However, I felt defeated as soon as the front page appeared. It said "100 Days to Christmas -- your holiday planning guide". ONE HUNDRED days?!?! Martha sure knows how to be organized.
Since it was way too late for me to follow Martha's planning guide, I sought out alternatives. I went to the bookstore and quickly scanned the covers of all the home-making magazines. A few minutes later, I found the perfect one: "Simply Joyful: 249 Easy Ideas for the Holidays". Easy is good. Easy is all I can do at this point. Not to mention there are two hundred and forty-nine of these ideas.
When in a bookstore, one must read a few lines of the newest books and test-write the latest pens. Yes, pens. That's another thing that is really good in Asia. Pens in Asia are cheap (less than a buck) and they are silky smooooooooth. While I was enjoying the 4-color ball point pen and trying to justify paying NT$160 (US$5) for it, I experienced flashing images of Shellee's "Krissmas card" before my eyes. Of course! A light bulb moment (In Jack Nicholson's voice please): How could we forget Christmas cards and how could one write many many many X'mas cards without a pen one truly enjoys?
With MY new pen in hand, I headed to the card section of the bookstore. There was a large table with all kinds of X'mas stuff on it: apple cinnamon candles, incense, and soap mixed with red, green, gold, and silver bows, balls, and stars. A-Ha! Among those shiny knick-knacks lay boxes of Christmas cards. I picked one up and put it down. Then I picked another one up and put it down. They were all Hallmark cards imported from the States, and they cost an arm and a leg! Not that I don't want to spend money on our family and friends, it just didn't make sense to me. Why would anyone spend money on X'mas cards that were imported from the States in the first place and send them to friends and family in the States? If I wanted to do that, I could just ask you to pick up a Hallmark card for yourself at Safeway.
Anyway, I didn't buy them. I can't tell you what I ended up buying here because it's more fun for you to find out when you receive yours.
Back to the 249 easy ideas for the holidays... most of them require more preparation that we don't seem to have time for. Last weekend, Bill and I tended to the house and the patio, getting them organized (see the previous post below). When Monday rolled along, Bill went back to his 8-hour working schedule, and I started writing X'mas cards. I didn't know how time-consuming it was to write these little cards! It also took a bit of time for us to get addresses from people. Aside from writing cards, I also had marking to do 'cause I had to finish teaching an academic writing class at another university last Tuesday and Thursday. In other words, the only X'mas-related thing I did in the first 3 weekdays of this week was that I put up little X'mas bows here and there, which was entirely my own idea and not from the magazine.
After the writing class on Thursday, I stopped by the "Taipei Pot Plant Auction" (It's not a typo. It is exactly what it says on the front of that building in Taipei) and picked up a few pots of Poinsettia. Bill and I had planned to shop for X'mas decoration that night, but we ended up going to IKEA and picked up a few more things for the apartment... non-X'mas things.
It is exactly one week to X'mas, and I'd just finished all the X'mas cards. I'm not sure if you will all get yours in time for Christmas, but this is our first time doing X'mas as a couple and we tried. We still have to decorate the apartment, and I really need to start baking cookies. Oh, did I mention that we still don't know what we're going to make for the X'mas dinner that is going to take place in our apartment this coming Thursday? Aaahhhh~ I'm. not. freaking. out.
I'm sure next week Martha's front page will change to "Last Minute X'mas Ideas: what to do when you're out of time". Maybe she'll have a recipe for instant turkey.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
It ain't home, but it's close enough
We live in a rooftop apartment on the 7th floor of a 6-story building in the heart of Taipei. From the apartment, it's a 20-minute walk to where we work. It takes about half the time for me to get to the gym. There is an elementary school and a high school on two sides of the apartment complex, so we hear kids playing and the occasional echo of school announcements. Our apartment building is on the left of a one way lane, and there is a security booth at the entrance way a hundred meters from our front door. I've chatted with Mr. Yo the most because he's on duty in the evenings when I come home from work.
Ready for the tour? Please keep in mind that we're still in the process of putting the place together, so some areas may still look somewhat raw and bare.
As you walk up the flight of stairs from the elevator, this is the foyer leading to our apartment. The Chinese characters on the red paper on the bamboo sieve literally mean "Rats bring fortune". My mom bought it for us for Chinese New Year in the beginning of the year because Bill and I were both born in the year of the rat. The set of stone lantern belongs to the landlady. Originally there were some floaty water plants in the basin but they were all infested with some disease that formed this layer of white foam on top of the leaves. I replaced them over the weekend, and I'm quite happy with the result.
The character on the door is double happiness. It's a Chinese custom for newly weds to display the character on the door.
As you come inside the apartment, the first thing you'll see is "the coat room". There is a rack on the right (not shown in the picture) for coats.
Now if you take a right from the coat room, you'll see the bathroom ahead of you. Yes, we took the fuzzy ducky with us every time we moved. A bathroom door is not a bathroom door without him.
If you're facing the bathroom, the den/study is on your right. This is the darkest room in the house. Bill and I have our work desks and computers here.
Outside of the Japanese windows is a small and well ventilated area where we can hang our clothes. As you can see, Mr. Octopus takes his job very seriously. He'd salute if he had a free arm.
Come on back in. Let me take you to the areas that make this apartment unique.
*************************************************************************************
A fireplace in the living room of an apartment in Taipei!!!
Okay, it's more for decoration than practical use, but it certainly changes the feeling in the livingroom. Oh yes... it's dark marble on the mental piece.
To the right, there's a flight of stairs leading to the second level of the apartment. Our bedroom is up there.
The picture on the right is opposite the fireplace where a leather love seat sits. I took this picture right above the love seat because of the Christmas window stencils. We're getting ready to host this year's Christmas potluck dinner, so I've been coming up with ways to make the place more Christmasy.
Let's head up to the bedroom real quick.
Ta-da~~~
The mosquito net makes us feel as if we're camping.
Okay... let's go back downstairs and let me show you the kitchen.
Looking at this picture, you would never think this is an apartment in Taipei.
This is the kitchen/dining room area. Pardon the mess. We haven't found a place for everything yet.
Let's head out to my playground: the patio.
Isn't it cute? Forget about the fireplace and the fact that we don't have to climb the stairs anymore, I wanted the apartment as soon as I saw the patio. I cleaned it up and trimmed the plants on the weekend, but it still needs more work and more plants. I'm happy with what we've got so far though. Bill and I are going to the flower market this coming weekend, and we plan to put some patio furniture and maybe buy a barbecue before summer comes.
Nuage woke up from his morning nap just in time for a recent photo. Isn't Mr. Sleepyhead the cutest cat ever?!
We live in a rooftop apartment on the 7th floor of a 6-story building in the heart of Taipei. From the apartment, it's a 20-minute walk to where we work. It takes about half the time for me to get to the gym. There is an elementary school and a high school on two sides of the apartment complex, so we hear kids playing and the occasional echo of school announcements. Our apartment building is on the left of a one way lane, and there is a security booth at the entrance way a hundred meters from our front door. I've chatted with Mr. Yo the most because he's on duty in the evenings when I come home from work.
Ready for the tour? Please keep in mind that we're still in the process of putting the place together, so some areas may still look somewhat raw and bare.
As you walk up the flight of stairs from the elevator, this is the foyer leading to our apartment. The Chinese characters on the red paper on the bamboo sieve literally mean "Rats bring fortune". My mom bought it for us for Chinese New Year in the beginning of the year because Bill and I were both born in the year of the rat. The set of stone lantern belongs to the landlady. Originally there were some floaty water plants in the basin but they were all infested with some disease that formed this layer of white foam on top of the leaves. I replaced them over the weekend, and I'm quite happy with the result.
The character on the door is double happiness. It's a Chinese custom for newly weds to display the character on the door.
As you come inside the apartment, the first thing you'll see is "the coat room". There is a rack on the right (not shown in the picture) for coats.
Now if you take a right from the coat room, you'll see the bathroom ahead of you. Yes, we took the fuzzy ducky with us every time we moved. A bathroom door is not a bathroom door without him.
If you're facing the bathroom, the den/study is on your right. This is the darkest room in the house. Bill and I have our work desks and computers here.
Outside of the Japanese windows is a small and well ventilated area where we can hang our clothes. As you can see, Mr. Octopus takes his job very seriously. He'd salute if he had a free arm.
Come on back in. Let me take you to the areas that make this apartment unique.
*************************************************************************************
A fireplace in the living room of an apartment in Taipei!!!
Okay, it's more for decoration than practical use, but it certainly changes the feeling in the livingroom. Oh yes... it's dark marble on the mental piece.
To the right, there's a flight of stairs leading to the second level of the apartment. Our bedroom is up there.
The picture on the right is opposite the fireplace where a leather love seat sits. I took this picture right above the love seat because of the Christmas window stencils. We're getting ready to host this year's Christmas potluck dinner, so I've been coming up with ways to make the place more Christmasy.
Let's head up to the bedroom real quick.
Ta-da~~~
The mosquito net makes us feel as if we're camping.
Okay... let's go back downstairs and let me show you the kitchen.
Looking at this picture, you would never think this is an apartment in Taipei.
This is the kitchen/dining room area. Pardon the mess. We haven't found a place for everything yet.
Let's head out to my playground: the patio.
Isn't it cute? Forget about the fireplace and the fact that we don't have to climb the stairs anymore, I wanted the apartment as soon as I saw the patio. I cleaned it up and trimmed the plants on the weekend, but it still needs more work and more plants. I'm happy with what we've got so far though. Bill and I are going to the flower market this coming weekend, and we plan to put some patio furniture and maybe buy a barbecue before summer comes.
Nuage woke up from his morning nap just in time for a recent photo. Isn't Mr. Sleepyhead the cutest cat ever?!
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