So, am I having a good time? Am I enjoying myself here in my new life? Sure, I guess. Not everything in life is exciting, regardless of where you are. Vacationing is one thing, working is another. When you're on vacation in a foreign land, everything is new and entertaining. When you're working in a foreign land, you take things in slightly differently. You care less about some things because curiosity doesn't knock as often at your mind's door.

On Friday night, I was taken to an all-u-can-eat Taiwanese hotpot place in 永和(Yonghe). It was kind of like the A.U.C.E. sushi places where you pick sushi and whatever else off the conveyor belt - except that what came around on the little train of small dishes were things to go into your boiling pot of soup: beef/pork/lamb slices, meat balls, clams, tempura, dumplings, etc. It was fantabulous. All for only 200nt. After eating 便當s (lunchboxes) during the week, going back to Taipei is always a treat. I think I'll have to do that more often. Not to say that the 便當s are bad; on the contrary, they're quite good - usually consisting of rice, some veggies, perhaps an egg, a fillet of meat, and some other stuff. But everyone has warned me that while I still enjoy them now, I'm going to detest them soon enough. I guess that's something to look forward to.

I also picked up a new toy this weekend. Got a mobile phone over the weekend, much fancier than my last. It's a Motorola C650, which I chose because it was fairly affordable, has tri-band GSM, has a built-in camera with zoom, and all the polyphonic fun one can ask for. The color scheme isn't as nice as the black top, but I'll live. So far, I can only complain that the case is shut too tightly (or jammed), because I haven't succeeded in getting the darn thing off. If you think you might want to call me here, just ask me for my number. It's no secret.

So it was a short return to Taipei, and I was back here in Hsinchu by early Sunday. Came back with lots of good things too, including a hot plate. I actually cooked in my room for the first time, which was nice. It was noodles (which I took from an instant noodles bowl), some added condiments, some beef balls (different from bull balls), some fish paste things, and made myself a simple meal. Would have been better if I checked the instant noodles' instructions before making it because I ended up putting the sauce in the soup instead of draining the soup and adding the sauce afterwards. Ah well. We learn.