And 5, 6, 7, 8….

I learnt some dance routine the other day just out of pure stupidity. Some of the guys purposely took dance aerobics classes at uni just to check out girls. Little did they know that they would be asked for do a performance next month.

So I went to watch their first practice run and instead of laughing at them, I ended up moving to the groove as well. Due to the non-availability of spare rooms, we just practiced in a court yard near one of the crowded cafeteria's. So engrossed in a difficult maneuver we were that we did not notice a whole group of girls which we knew were walking past.

'Move the arms.. now spin the body.. ahh shit!… errr.. we're just chatting'

Somehow I don't think that worked. I'm expecting some ramification next time I see them.

Anyways, moving further up the mountain from Jiu-Feng we head towards Jin Gua Shi. This was the gold mine I was talking about before. These photos were taken on the way up.

They say this is meant to look like a pregnant lady… kinda.

Apparently being high up is good Fong-Sui,
so that's where they bury their dead.

Working to repair damage from a rockslide.
Most likely due to soil degradation and earthquakes.

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Wonders of YouTube

I've known that YouTube is one of the new phenomena's available on the Internet that's making a huge buzz that rivals MySpace and Google. However it only hit me how good it really is when I first saw the video about Britney's latest stupid act before I saw it reported on The Age. I guess when you have the whole world working for you, there's no competition.

In other news, the US government has just announced that it might be throwing away US$13M worth of new computers, just because they're made in China. Well, they might just have to resort to pen and paper because they're all made in China nowadays. Guess they'll just have to give them all to me.

And lastly, for some reason I find this photo amusing.

 

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I love Firefox

You know you can't live without Firefox when it stops working and you would rather reformat than put up with Internet Explorer again.

It's weird when the Central Weather Bureau has issued a typhoon warning and it's a nice sunny day. Perfect weather for a picnic.

Still at Jiu Feng… this time a glimpse of the buildings.

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I’m drunk

Just got home from some club near National Taiwan Normal University (Shi-da), next to Roxy 99. It was pretty good..  they played some good music and the crowd was just right as it isn't the usual skank and hardass type you get in the Xinyi district. This crowd is more students due to the close proximity of the university.

So Wednesday, ladies night…   bringing enough eye-candy to satisfy any male, even if they are called Jason (yes.. you know who you are..)  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera.

Anyways..   it took me ages to type this properly..  I'm going to bed.. 

Good thing I finished the take-home exam for Technology Innovations and Marketing that is due tomorrow.   Otherwise I would be royally screwed…. 

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You’re number one!

After leaving a trail of destruction in the Philippines, the first typhoon of 2006 is heading towards Hong Kong. Typhoon Chanchu may swing back east and head towards Taiwan, and I hope that it does.

Typhoon days in Taiwan means that everybody gets the day to play mah-jhong, go karaoke or just sleep.

Here's the food that you would typically find at Jiu Feng.

The man is preparing the sweet potatoes.

The end product. Purple is yam, yellow is sweet potato, and the dark brown is another kind of yam. It's dipped in a sugary syrup and is chewy.
Hmm.. I want some now.

Free to try are different types of nuts and seeds,
you can get green tea flavoured nuts!

Some sort of fruit jelly… eaten cold… refreshing!

Fish balls!!

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I am now a dot com

Just activated my very own www.chazchop.com domain name which allows me to join the ranks of the tech-savy Generation, where words such as google and leet are as common as hi and bye.

In the mean time over the next couple of posts, I'll be showing some shots from Jiu Feng a small village north-east of Taipei which exists due to the now exhausted gold mines in the area. It's now just a touristy place with a traditional market that specialises in certain deserts such as glutenous yam and sweet potatoes. It also has places to drink tea and look out at some nice scenery.

Start off with just the market.

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A little bit of green

I figured after seeing the metallic forest of steel at work in the modern wonder that Taipei has to offer, I should show some green flora. Some trees, maybe a flower here or there… but some grass would be terrific!

Below is a patch of tea leaves, surrounded by trees that look like coconut trees but are actually betel nut trees. Betel nut, or Bin Lang as they are known in Taiwan is an icon of the Taiwanese hick (Tai Ke) and is responsible for painting the road with red spots. It also helps people develop a healthy red smile and the amazing Betel Nut Girls!

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