Warren and Sandra in Taiwan

Hello friends and family,

 March came and went so quickly.  It's so hot and humid already and it's only going to get hotter! The flowers are beautiful now but still we haven't planted any veggies yet.  In fact today our plan is to go to B&Q (just like Home Depot) and see what we find.  We also want to look at lounge chairs or something to replace our wobbly wooden chairs that won't hold us up much longer.  All the rain must have damaged the wood and we are too heavy.  Warren already broke one while sitting on it. 

We played Mah-jong with some friends last night until 3 am.  The weather was so nice we sat outside on the roof with some wine, candles and music.  What a beautiful night.  We are teaching our South African friends to play.  Wa are learning as we play too.  I used to play with my family as a kid but it's been so long I needed to review rules on the internet to refresh my memory. It's a really fun game and I can see why Taiwanese people love it.  When we become a little more confident, I'd like to try playing with our Taiwanese friends to see if their rules are much different (there are many variations of the game all over the world!)

Uncle Laurie has asked us a few questions about Taiwan life and ways of doing things. These are not easy questions to answer so for today I'll start with the recycling/garbage collection question.  Well Taiwan indeed is doing an excellent job with garbge collection.  This process began about 8 years ago.  5 days a week, at around 7 pm and again at 8pm on a nearby street in case we miss the first opportunity,we hear the Beethoven tune and that is how we know it's around the corner.  It's just like the ice cream truck in Canada, you know exactly what is is... Everyone heads down to the two trucks.  One is for recycling items and the other is garbage.  But you have different days for different items.  Bottles and cans, styrofoam, household appliances, tin/metal cans, paper/cardboard.  THe man checks the bag to make sure it is the correct item.  We used to get scolded when we didn't know the correct items for that day.  They also have a composting bin. which is awesome. As for everything else that's garbage, you must dispose of it in these specific blue bags that you have to pay for at 7-11 or other convenience stores.  Since you pay for these bags, you really watch what you put in so you don't waste your money.  The recycling can go in regular grocery bags....

Anyhow, it's nice to see such accountability.  At home I used to get lazy sometimes and just throw away stuff I could have been recycling but sometimes just being in a hurry or whatever. But here you have no excuse... you must do your bit to help the environment... it's great.  ok I hope this helps answer your question somewhat!

 

Ok I'm a little late in wishing you this (Feb 18 was the first day of the new year) but still, the festivities in Taiwan continue.  Tonight I'm going out with Jo to the Lantern Festival held in and around the Chang Kai Shek Memorial.  The streets in that area have all been adorned with red and yellow colored lanterns since February.  Also firecrackers are still heard regularly.  Ever since the 17th of Feb, there have been loads of fireworks, firecrackers and all kinds of other explosives which have the objective to make NOISE,  as much noise as possible!  It was fun for the first couple of days, as we live on a rooftop apartment. We'd just go to our roof patio and watch tons of fireworks displays around the neighbourhood with a beer in hand. However it's now been almost 2 weeks and I have to say that I'm definitely over it.  We don't even flinch anymore at any kind of noise.

 In other news, Warren has finally started his new job. It's been about 3 weeks and he's enjoying it. It's a much better job than the last one, thank god for that.  His schedule is not much better but at least he's happy.  I'll let him tell you all about it sometime. 

What else is new? Not that much. The weather has been great lately, it feels like summer is here already and our winter was practically non-existent.  The coldest it got was 3 degrees I think. And that lasted about 2 weeks, not even.  Winter was more like fall. Now we've skipped spring and it's summer (at least it feels like it) So I've decided to try gardening.  I've never done it and I can usually barely keep a couple of plants alive in my apartment so... wish me luck.  THe previous tenants here obviously loved gardening because they left us a pretty nice collection of potted plants on the patio.  However due to my lack of skills I only touched it for the first time last week. (Which means 3 months of neglect) Last week I went out there for about an hour and as I moved pots and swept around them I discovered the usual garden bugs: cattepillars, worms, ants and well in Taiwan, the famous cockcroaches everyboday hates.  But my gardening fun was cut short at the discovery of a dead rat between two pots.  I finally got rid of it after days of dreading it.  Anyways, any gardenting  advice would be welcome.  We want to plant some herbs... which ones are easy? etc.

Bye for now. Miss everyone so much! Oh and congrats to all the expecting future moms! I'm very happy for all of you!

I just thought I'd upload a few pics that we haven't had the time to upload.  A random selection of a few we like the best.

Sandra and the girls on new years eve

the Shuanxi river near our house

a very common sight in Taiwan

 

near where I'll be working.  what you see is the Grand Hotel in the background

 the beautiful Sandra - look mom she's wearing her birthday sweater

 

 the Taiwan flag flying proudly in front of Taipei 101

 Chang Kai Shek memorial hall park at night

 this is a load of crap that a guy has loaded onto his bike - another very common sight here

 Every temple here is intricately decorated like this.  Dragons are very auspicious (don't know if I spelled that right)

 a grave yard in the middle of the city.  All the grave markers face different directions depending on what direction is the best for the deceased person

 Southern Taiwan near Tainan.  A giant incinerater for burning your offerings to the gods

 the temple for the above mentioned incinerator.  This is where all the gods live.

 A few of the gods that live here.

 and the last installment for now.  Check back for updates.  There are so many great pics to choose from its hard - hope I don't repeat any. 

Sandra and I are just enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Actually we just got back from a run so I guess it's not that lazy.  Later we are going to take an MRT trip and go to Beitou Hotsprings and soak our bodies for a little while.  Tough life I know.  Soon to end though when I go back to work in February so I'm trying to enjoy the last of my time off.  Right now I'm off to try some of the local cuisine - a fryed chicken restaurant that is in on the main floor of our apartment building - haven't eaten there since we first moved in here so here goes wish me luck - it wasn't bad the first time - it's very Taiwanese. 

   Take care every one!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year everyone.  Thanks for tuning to a long overdue blog update. 

The first news is that I am starting a new job as the Restaurant Chef for a restaurant in the ACC (The American Club in China, Taipei Chapter).  The club is undergoing massive renovations of their food and beverage outlets, with new kitchens and new restaurants.  I will be the chef for their biggest restaurant called Zigi's, which is  meditteranean themed with an open kitchen.  The Executive Chef of the ACC used to be the Executive Sous Chef for the Savoy Hotel in London.  It's a very well established club in Taipei having been there for over 50 years and is much better run than the last place I was working so I have a little more faith in my job security.  I will be starting my job on Jan. 22 for a two year contract - sorry guys it's keeping us in Taiwan a little longer than originally planned.

   Another new development is that we've moved.  We're now living in a very cool neighborhood with lots of great shopping and restaurants.  The new pad is a large rooftop apartment with two patios.  We're very happy with our new home.  There is a beautiful view of the nearby mountains.

one of our patios

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a nearby park - a river is right behind it

the view from our apartment

 

 a ginger bread making party in our new place with some of our South African and Canadian friends....

 

and some of our Taiwanese friends

For Christmas some of Sandra's family came to visit us.  Sandra's Uncle Arturo lives in southern Taiwan where he is a Jesuit missionary, Aunt Ligia from Toronto, and her son, Ivan, and his wife, Kate who live in Malaysia.  We spent three days in Taipei with them showing them the city, then Arturo drove us in the parish van down to Tainan where we enjoyed a catholic mass in chinese on christmas eve.   

Chen Kai Shek Memorial Park, Dec. 22

on the steps of Chang Kai Shek Memmorial Hall - Sandra, Me, Ivan, Kate, and Arturo

Christmas Eve at Arturo's parish

 Christmas Day we went to an amazing Buddhist University. 

Christmas Day exploring the Buddist University

 

Ivan and Kate surrounded by a few of the 10,000 Buddha statues

 

The next two days Sandra's uncle drove us all around southern Taiwan, taking us to an aboriginal park, and for a very traditional Taiwanese meal in the country side.  It was a very different way to spend christmas and we all loved it.

Aboriginal dancers

the ladies really enjoyed this show - men in loin cloths throwing canoes in the air. 

 

an aboriginal village

Taiwanese instructions on what to do if your car is stopped on the train tracks

 

We took the train back to Taipei - Taiwan has a great network of trains all over the island so it is easy to get just about anywhere by train.

On New Year's Eve we joined the 300,000 people who flocked to see the fireworks shoot off of the tallest building in the world - Taipei 101.  Luckily one of our friends lives on the top floor of an apartment very close to 101 and there was a big party of the roof. 

New Years Eve with the bright city behind us

The first moments of 2007

Having had family here for Christmas was a rare treat and we're feeling a little sad and homesick since they left.  On the whole we're adjusting quite well to life in Taiwan though.   We're over the initial culture shock, and we're taking chinese classes which will help alot.  

Well that's about it for now, sorry for being so lazy and not updating the page for so long.  Keep in touch everyone and please give us some news about what's going on with you.  We wish you all the best in 2007

Love Warren and Sandra

Well quite a bit has happened since I last wrote anything here.  As you may have gathered from previous posts here, the company I have been working for has turned out to not be very well organized and quite badly run.  Eg. no general manager, no food and beverage manager, no restaurant manager.  Well now they no longer have a western chef.  Yes that means me.  Three weeks ago I was called into have a meeting with the secretary of the vice-president, and the human resources manager.  It was explained to me that I had done my job very well and that I all that they were happy with my performance but that considering the restaurant (which had been open for under two months) was not making any money, and they had already lost a considerable sum of money, by their estimations the western kitchen would not bring in enough revenue for them to justify continuing to employ me.  I was completely floored.  Not once did I forsee this happening as I had smoothly opened the restaurant for them and was in the process of implementing the necessary steps to start doing wedding banquets from the western kitchen.  But I guess seeing as how they have a completely seperate chinese kitchen they decided to cut their losses and just do chinese food.  Now lawyers are involved and I'm trying to get a decent severance package.  Guess I learned a valuble lesson the hard way.... don't gamble on new companies in Asia.  I've got Mike, Paul, and Andrew Carlisle, helping me with contacting chefs and stuff and they are definately good to have in my corner.

   Problem is now I'm jobless in Taiwan.  I've been pounding the pavement and hitting all the hotels, have even met with a few executive chefs, but at the moment there are no positions available.  My best lead is a possible position at the American Club in Taipei where the former executive sous chef of the Savoy in Londen is now the executive chef, but, if I get the job it won't start until January.  I'm pretty hopeful I'll get the job, which is the Restaurant Chef for an executive steak house, but thus far there are no guarantees.  

   Ever the positive thinking optimist, I've been trying to look at the bright side of the situation.  At least I've now had time to explore some of Taipei city and we even been to the southern part of the island to Tainan to visit with Sandra's uncle, who is a jesuit missionary and has been living in Taiwan for the past 42 years.  We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide.  He has a van and drove us around to all the important cultural landmarks and explained in explicit detail, the history behind all the places we visited.  It was a great escape from reality (which is a little scary at the moment) and we came home feeling a little wiser and a with a greater appreciation for the way things are in Taiwan. 

   Well I know how you all hate long winded blogs and I seem to have managed to give you a fair bit to read (sorry Ian) but I promise to fill you in when there is more news.  I'll include some pictures below to help break the monotomy of all this reading now:

Some good examples of the foot traffic on a typical Taipei side street

 

This picture is taken one block away from the busy foot traffic

A favorite past time of Taiwenese children.... Catching poor little live turtles with paper clips taped to their backs

 

Another favorite pastime of Taiwanese kiddies... collecting giant beetles which is what this store sells.  Look at the green sign at the top-"Starbugs Beetles".  The store was full of disgusting giant beetles and larvae for sale.  Pretty weird

This picture was taken at a buddhist university near Kaousiung city in the south of Taiwan.  They called it the temple of 1000 buddhas.  Can you guess why?

Well I've gotta go (meeting some friends to go to a climbing wall).  I'll put more pics up soon.... It just takes so long for them to upload. I wanted to put more buts it's taken like 45 minutes just to get these ones uploaded.  So TTFN and hope to hear from y'all with some news of your lives.

 

Here's a crazy story.

About two weeks ago we were sitting at home and it was getting late.  Suddenly Warren started yelling "What is that? Oh my god, there's a bat flying in our living room!" and he rushed into the kitchen and slammed the door.  We both watched through a small opening as the bat flew back and forth in our living room, hallways, bedrooms.  We were kind of freaked out but mostly stunned.  How does a bat get into an apartment? 

 We never open the windows but there is a small opening under our front door, which has since been fixed.  So we opened our front door wide and the living room windows, waiting for it to leave.  But we waited an hour and it wouldn't leave.  I had to go to bed so poor Warren had to deal with the bat on his own.  THe bat ended up going into the light fixture in the living room.  It wouldn't leave and kept making noises everytime Warren would tap the ceiling with a broom.  So just so we could at least get some sleep, he taped all the holes in the light fixture and trapped it inside the ceiling.  The next evening Warren saw it trying to get out so he taped a garbage bag to the ceiling and waited until the bat flew in and he trapped it in the bag. Then he went out and let it outside, back into freedom. 

I actually like bats (from a distance) and i've sat at the window at sunset, watching them eating bugs and flying all over the place.  There's tons of them around our building.  It seems our apartment attracts all kinds of creatures.  We've had a huge flying cockroaches, small beetles, moths, ants, geckos and even a centepede once.  It sounds gross I know and there's many nights I haven't slept well, knowing there's creepy crawlies around but I've gotten used to it now.  And we only find something every week or so (not that bad)

The weather is cooling down a little now, so hopefully the bugs will disappear with the summer....

 We actually have somewhat of a life now.  Warren still works long hours but is now getting regular days off and I see him much more.  He's getting used to the way of life here and is more adjusted and happy.   We've been able to explore more of Taipei together and have discovered some cool spots to hang out and eat.   There are soooo many restaurants and eating establishments here, it's crazy.   I say eating establishments because some places are just street vendors or a garage with a kitchen  in it and a couple of tables.   I wonder how they make money with so much competition.  

 And there's hundreds of  beetle nut stands.  Beetle nuts are small green nuts that have a red liquid inside and turns your mouth bloody red.  It's chewed all over Taiwan and gives a mild high apparently, a bit stronger than caffeine.  It's pretty gross because you must spit out the liquid so there are red stains all over the sidewalks!  Warren's boss got him to try some a while back.  He said you have to try it once, just to know.  I have no desire to make my mouth and my teeth stained red.  Since there's so much competition between stands, some of the girls selling them dress in skimpy outfits.  The whole thing is just strange.

We will post some pictures later of our first party.  We had a housewarming/birthday party for me.  We invited our co-workers mostly and a few friends I've met at some other parties.  About 20 people came and there was a good mix of taiwanese and foreigners.   We got to know some really cool people and hopefullu will go out with them again soon.   It was tough at times not understanding conversations though.  Warren and I are finally going to start some real chinese lessons.  Learning with a book/cd is not so easy to get motivated by.   My friend Kara recommended her really good chinese teacher.   I've heard Kara speak chinese, she's very good so we'll see if we can manage the basics at least.

Thanks everyone for sending us emails and keeping us in touch with your lives.  We love hearing your stories too.  Keep them coming! Talk to you later.  S and W

 sandra and I enjoying a brewsky on a patio

 

 

 

 

 typical traffic

motorcycles on the sidewalks everywhere

 

our neighbour hood

 

 

some cool architecture and landscaping

near where I ate lunch today

sandra's school

candid of sandra's kids

view from our apartment

token food shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is the first thing I've written on the blog page.  I set it up and got Sandra started and since then I've been way too busy to actually write anything.  I know this is a poor excuse but I've really only had 7 days off in total since arriving in Taipei two months ago and I've been working an average of 11 hours a day with way too many frustrations for my poor overworked mind to handle.  Meltdown has commenced. 

   Good news is I've got the restaurant open for dinner service and the completely unexperienced cooks trained a little and I've hired an Australian sous chef who is also Taiwanese so I'm finally able to take a day off and actually keep the restaurant open.  Before if I wanted to have a day off the restaurant had to be closed because nobody had a clue what to do - including the front of the house staff.   I'm sure the place is in a shambles tonight but I need a day off.

   Now I'm working on getting lunch and and afternoon tea established, then a kitchen renovation so I can do banaquets and then get the banquets (mostly weddings since Grace Hill is after all an all inclusive wedding facility) up and running.  At the moment the only equipment I've got available to use for the restaurant are 8 burners, a flat top and 3 ovens.  There are also 4 deep fryers ( about 3 more than I need) and 2 jet engines (the wok burners) that are so loud you have to yell to be heard over them.  

   Things move incredibly slow here and since this company is brand new, nobody can forsee the communication difficulties I am coming up against.  This is totally the toughest thing I've ever done and I've only scratched the surface of all the things that need to get established.  There's no infrastructure set up for food ordering or monitoring of purchases for myself - they've got it all in chinese so I don't understand a thing about it and I have had to make a list of absolutely everything I will be ordering or can forsee myself ordering and then get it translated into chinese so that I can show them what it is I want to order.  I can't just say to them - I'd want 10 g truffles, 500 g white asparagus, etc, - they don't understand what I'm saying or writing because no one in purchasing speaks english (there are people in the company that do speak english just not in purchasing.)  So for everything I require I need to find someone to translate it for me then find the person I need to communicate my needs to and then have what they say translated back - and believe me a lot gets lost in the translation.  I've recieved so many things I had no interest in recieving from gigantic sheet pans that won't fit into  the dishwashing machines to 5 bottles of truffles that will take me months to use up.  Lot's of safety nets need to be set up.   Sales, HR, service, stewarding, the whole food and beverage in general are staffed with unexperienced people, including the managers, who understandably make gigantic mistakes daily. 

 I have had a chance to explore a little but no where near as much as Sandra - she's my tourguide whenever we go out but I have managed to get out and explore a little here and there.  I'll write more about the cultural side of things next time sorry to bore you all with my work stuff.  It does feel good to vent a little but I'll try to keep it to a minimum.  We finally got our shipment that we sent from vancouver two months ago - it took us 3 weeks to get it to clear customs and just recieved it the day before yesterday and so now have the computer set - this site isn't very mac friendly - watch for more strategically place photos in the near future.  Hope everyone is doing well and man do I ever miss ya'll. 

drop me an email sometime - I could sure use some news from the other side.  A couple tidbits of gossip would be theraputic.

 WAWA

After two weeks of hassles trying to get our boxes delivered to our apartment, we finally have our stuff! The company lost the original Bill of Lading and kept sending us copies of it but the Taiwanese customs here wouldn't accept it and after many phone calls and emails, Warren resolved the situation. It's good because he got the chance to release all the tension he's been feeling lately, as he yelled and lectured the shipping company clerk. While our boxes sat at the port wating to clear customs, they charged us a storage fee for each day it sat there. In the end though, all we care about is that we have our clothes, bedding, a few kitchen things, some cookbooks and a few necessary teaching things. I've been unpacking and doing laundry all day but it feels good. I'm happy to be wearing my favourite slippers and my comfy housecoat.