Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal, and other illustrious names of the stage....

So this is a note on the English language television that is available in Taipei.
There are about 5 movie channels--I say about not only because my counting gets fuzzy after three, but because sometimes they show "the making of" some crappy movie that I have no intention of ever watching, or random TV shows like LOST, CSI or "Guiness Book of World Records" featuring REALLY...um, interesting feats like "most marshmallows stuffed up one's nose" and narrated by some guy who is ALMOST as entertaining as Bob Saget. Now, I don't mean to complain, because who says there has to be ANY English-language programming. It's just that the stuff they show here...If this was the extent of MY exposure to Western culture, I would stare at foreigners too. I believe that the complete works of Steven Seagal are now the cultural property of Taiwanese broadcasters. At any given moment, one may find a film of his being shown on one of the English channels. (How can one follow the complex plotline without FULL mastery of the English language, I hear you ask. There are, of course, subtitles. This is fun for me, as I am trying to learn some characters, but they do go by awfully fast.) Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren are also favourites. Wil's excitement at seeing "Universal Soldier" was both cute and embarrassing. ("It's awesome!" he has just exclaimed...)

On a more personal note, WE HAVE COFFEE!!!! We bought a bodum-type thing and we have a kettle, but we have yet to make any that tastes.....well....ideal....also, for some reason I felt the need to have TWO types of kim chi, so our fridge is developing a pungent rankness, despite the best efforts of our charcoal deodorizer. I have started my new job, which I must confess I totally regret taking. Rather, I regret leaving the little cuties that are pictures somewhere on this blog. The class set-up at my new school gives me two classes a day (and three on Saturdays--starting at 8 o'clock--GAA!) one being 2 1/2 hours, and one being 3. At my old job I had the same group all day, every day. The other teachers seem pretty nice, though, and the schedule is definitely more accomodating as far as my Chinese classes go. I have put in my application for an ARC and all that, so I don't need to worry about my tenuous visa situation....

Perhaps when the apartment is a little neater (because there are clothes strewn everywhere at the moment) we will post some photos of it. Maybe when "Bloodsport 19" is over.