ONEBUBBLE

Ni Hao! Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Blogging is hard work. Just thinking of a catchy title takes hours. Since we got here we’ve been “out on the town” almost everyday. There’s plenty to blog about but I don’t know how interesting it will be. In any case, Andy is out doing his mission work (what a guy) for the next two weeks so I should have more time to blog. Be on the lookout for more updates in the next few days and feel free to hit us up with ideas and suggestions. In the mean time, a few random thoughts on the trip so far:

• I find it easier to spend foreign money mainly because it doesn’t look real. It looks like monopoly money to me. Also, the difference in exchange rate here (30:1) makes me less aware of how much I’m actually spending sometimes. In other words, I’m broke…
• In celebration of 4th of July, we went to see Hancock. One thing I’m not yet accustomed to, or like, is seats assignment for movies. We bought our tickets more than an hour in advance and still got the crappiest seats. Here’s our view. As for the movie, I thought it was better than MIB but not quite as good as ID4. My suggestion for going to movies in Taiwan: Buy tickets a day in advance especially if you’re watching it on the weekends.
• Speaking of movies, I don’t know why but I really don’t want to see WALL-E. In fact, I’m sick of all the trailers and promos for it. I’m sure it will be another great Pixar movie, but right now, I’m just overloaded with too much of this, this and this to watch some cutesy animated flick…

• I’m, however, very looking forward to this new epic (above) by John Woo. Now, this is the kind of movie that I don’t mind dishing out NT$300 for (sounds cheap no?). Growing up, I was a big fan of Romance of The Three Kingdoms and love anything that had to do with military strategies. If you’re still not pumped up about Red Cliff yet, here’s a more hyped-up version of the trailer with voice-over by who else but Don LaFontaine (that’s obviously not him).
• Playing basketball in Taiwan is very tiring. It’s hot and humid and it’s nonstop. Everyone here plays 3-on-3 which actually requires more energy than 5-on-5 because you are constantly moving and fighting for positions. There’s only three of you so you can’t slack off – not if you want to win. Also, there’s very little rest time in between games. The next team waiting is always ready to go. In any case, we’ve played twice so far and the competition is fairly decent. I’ll blog more about it later.
• By the way, I really miss Gatorade. For some reason, you can’t buy it here! Hey, I don’t mind drinking Super Supau or Pocari Sweat, but if you drink them too much, it will start tasting more and more like sweat. I kid you not.
• I love how creative kids get when they are bored. Seriously, give a boy a ball and he’ll find a way to entertain himself for hours. Here’s my first taste of competitive basketball in Taiwan. It might have looked like I lost 2-0 but I was en fuego right before Andy started recording.
• I picked up this magazine at JFK Airport for my flight here. From cover to cover, it’s the best magazine I’ve read in a really long time. Go get a copy (mine is issue 011 – the travel issue) and see for yourself. Trust me, it’s a good magazine.
• I’m no travel expert but here’s a tip for those planning a long-term trip abroad: always underpack.
• Lastly, let me dispute the rumor that both me and Andy have lost weight during this trip. Well, it’s not entirely inaccurate. Andy has indeed lost a few pounds since we arrived…