Taipei

Thanks for all the well wishes, guys! I'm not in Japan yet. Am nearing the end of my Taipei layover and taking advantage of the free internet. Flying China airlines was interesting. I've never seen the stewardesses have to bodily enforce the seatbelt rule so many times. I was nice and switched seats so a family could sit together which put me in one of people with baby rows, which actually wouldn't have been so bad since hte bady her(him?)self was very well behaved but her 4 year old sister was a little brat who was seceptible to my child charm (TM) so she spent a lot of time bugging me (like pressing random keys on my laptop when i had it open and stealing my water bottle etc). I noticed also that none of them had a sense of personal space so I got knocked into a lot when I was trying to sleep. Earplugs and face mask definately came in handy even if the sleep I got was interupted quite regularly and really not enough. I have that constant no sleep headache atm.

The food was both good and bad. The first meal was horrible, the second was great, and I really can't complain about the fact that they gave us instant ramen as a snack (it had tiny naruto in it!). I watched some One Piece and Jon Stewart at the Oscars (just his bits basically). Read The Rift a ST:OS novel by Peter David since I figured you can't go wrong with Peter David. It's funny since he reused some of his themes later, but his humour's still there. Am a couple of a hundred pages into Aztex which is nicely hisotricaly, though a ibt over done in the sensationalism department.
（ｅｒ，　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｘｔ　ｉｓ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｗｅｉｒｄ　ｎｏｗ．　ｓｏｒｒｙ．）

Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　Ｉ’ｌｌ　ｐｏｓｔ　ａｂｏｕｔ　Ｔａｉｐｅｉ　ｌａｔｅｒ．　Ｉ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｂｅ　ｇｌａｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　Ｊａｐａｎ．　Ｉ’ｄ　ａｌｓｏ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｍｙ　Ｍｏｎｄａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　２０＋　ｈｏｕｒｓ　ｉ　ｓｐｅｎｔ　ｏｎ　ａ　ｐｌａｎｅ　ｂａｃｋ　＊Ｌ＊　

Taipei

Thanks for all the well wishes, guys! I'm not in Japan yet. Am nearing the end of my Taipei layover and taking advantage of the free internet. Flying China airlines was interesting. I've never seen the stewardesses have to bodily enforce the seatbelt rule so many times. I was nice and switched seats so a family could sit together which put me in one of people with baby rows, which actually wouldn't have been so bad since hte bady her(him?)self was very well behaved but her 4 year old sister was a little brat who was seceptible to my child charm (TM) so she spent a lot of time bugging me (like pressing random keys on my laptop when i had it open and stealing my water bottle etc). I noticed also that none of them had a sense of personal space so I got knocked into a lot when I was trying to sleep. Earplugs and face mask definately came in handy even if the sleep I got was interupted quite regularly and really not enough. I have that constant no sleep headache atm.

The food was both good and bad. The first meal was horrible, the second was great, and I really can't complain about the fact that they gave us instant ramen as a snack (it had tiny naruto in it!). I watched some One Piece and Jon Stewart at the Oscars (just his bits basically). Read The Rift a ST:OS novel by Peter David since I figured you can't go wrong with Peter David. It's funny since he reused some of his themes later, but his humour's still there. Am a couple of a hundred pages into Aztex which is nicely hisotricaly, though a ibt over done in the sensationalism department.
（ｅｒ，　ｔｈｅ　ｔｅｘｔ　ｉｓ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｗｅｉｒｄ　ｎｏｗ．　ｓｏｒｒｙ．）

Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　Ｉ’ｌｌ　ｐｏｓｔ　ａｂｏｕｔ　Ｔａｉｐｅｉ　ｌａｔｅｒ．　Ｉ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｂｅ　ｇｌａｄ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　Ｊａｐａｎ．　Ｉ’ｄ　ａｌｓｏ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｍｙ　Ｍｏｎｄａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　２０＋　ｈｏｕｒｓ　ｉ　ｓｐｅｎｔ　ｏｎ　ａ　ｐｌａｎｅ　ｂａｃｋ　＊Ｌ＊　

Japan - ze first time, et Taiwan

I am currently in the smallest hotel room I've ever been in, but it has a free broadband LAN cable in it so it's damn cool. I'll be here for the next couple of days at least so will have internet since I believe it will take a few weeks to set up at my apartment. In case you hadn't guessed, this room is in Japan, specifically in a small town which I suspect I will be fond of.

I spend this week watching the classes I'm taking over. My employers are very nice, and we've been chatting about all kinds of things - mostly history and religion oddly enough. I think they'd forgotten I speak a bit of Japanese cause they seem rather thrilled by it. *L*

Taipei was weird. It kinda reminded me of the Bahamas in looks, only taller (building wise) and with rice paddies, temples and people in coolie hats. The half day tour was free, even if I nearly missed it due to my plane being late in (not that i noticed the extra hour after the 18+ before it). I had to argue the immigration officer into letting me out (he couldn't seem to comprehend that it didn't matter which terminal I left from since I could just come back to whichever terminal I needed to leave by), and just made it in time. There were about ten of us and we got brought around... you know, I really should get some sleep and type this up tomorrow.

Last note will be that the flight to Japan was excellent since we had one of the newer planes which gives you your own personal tv you can start and stop at will, play games etc. I watched a few random things, played Mahjong and taught myself how to count to 100 in Mandarin (neat eh?). The food, as I suspect will soon become a regular occurence, was completely unidentifiable. I could have sworn I asked for the chicken and rice, but I was handed the seafood and rice instead (I am always wary of seafood on airplanes. stupid movie) which turned out to be salmon, a mushroom, a tiny egg (I have no idea which bird...), something yellow that was shredded and sweet, tiny strips of sardines(?) mixed in with the rice and a large naruto.

Anyway, am off to bed. Have arrived and am safe, but will most likely be busy for awhile as I settle into the new job and try to remember all my Japanese. *sweatdrops*

Japan - ze first time, et Taiwan

I am currently in the smallest hotel room I've ever been in, but it has a free broadband LAN cable in it so it's damn cool. I'll be here for the next couple of days at least so will have internet since I believe it will take a few weeks to set up at my apartment. In case you hadn't guessed, this room is in Japan, specifically in a small town which I suspect I will be fond of.

I spend this week watching the classes I'm taking over. My employers are very nice, and we've been chatting about all kinds of things - mostly history and religion oddly enough. I think they'd forgotten I speak a bit of Japanese cause they seem rather thrilled by it. *L*

Taipei was weird. It kinda reminded me of the Bahamas in looks, only taller (building wise) and with rice paddies, temples and people in coolie hats. The half day tour was free, even if I nearly missed it due to my plane being late in (not that i noticed the extra hour after the 18+ before it). I had to argue the immigration officer into letting me out (he couldn't seem to comprehend that it didn't matter which terminal I left from since I could just come back to whichever terminal I needed to leave by), and just made it in time. There were about ten of us and we got brought around... you know, I really should get some sleep and type this up tomorrow.

Last note will be that the flight to Japan was excellent since we had one of the newer planes which gives you your own personal tv you can start and stop at will, play games etc. I watched a few random things, played Mahjong and taught myself how to count to 100 in Mandarin (neat eh?). The food, as I suspect will soon become a regular occurence, was completely unidentifiable. I could have sworn I asked for the chicken and rice, but I was handed the seafood and rice instead (I am always wary of seafood on airplanes. stupid movie) which turned out to be salmon, a mushroom, a tiny egg (I have no idea which bird...), something yellow that was shredded and sweet, tiny strips of sardines(?) mixed in with the rice and a large naruto.

Anyway, am off to bed. Have arrived and am safe, but will most likely be busy for awhile as I settle into the new job and try to remember all my Japanese. *sweatdrops*