Spending Spree Options

In case you're not on Facebook and haven't seen the 100 photos uploaded from the weekend to know what I've been up to...I played in a local tourney down in Banciao with the Renegade team. Saturday was really windy for our round robin. We beat all 3 teams, the toughest being the Old Eagles for the first game of the day. We bagelled the last team, and Craig attempted 3 pies before completion (by Mitch)...which was funny for us to watch, but heartbreaking for the other team (sorry Other team).

Sunday we returned to play some of our regular teammates - including Geoff, Tommy and Stewart, who combined with the Kaohsiung and other extra folks. The two women playing, Joann and Van, were super hot, but didn't take advantage of their speed over my slow defense...resulting in our win. We played another team (maybe Taichung B) before going into finals against the Hunters (Taichung A). I played the first half of the game, but then decided to sit out the rest of it, from pure annoyance with their captain, Michael. It was a co-ed tournament with no gender requirements - so even though he had two women on the team, one of them being a kickass player who has single handledly broken our zone before, he wouldn't let them play. Their men are just plain faster than me, and I couldn't keep up with any deep cutters. It was a shoddy display of Ultimate spirit and I hope the Frisbee gods find justice at Asia Oceanic Worlds this December.

Surprisingly, they had a few observers for the finals - one of them even shook my hand after watching me struggle to keep up with the men and try to understand why a perfectly able woman was forced to put on a sweatshirt on the sideline instead of play. He said he agreed that the women should be allowed to play, but there wasn't anything he could do about it since no one had set a gender rule for the tourney. There was also an awards ceremony at the end with medals. Kaohsiung-Taipei took 4th, with Joann accepting the medal and making a short speech in Chinese about how women should really be involved in the game. I was the lucky one to receive the Taipei 2nd place trophy...and guess who went up for the 1st prize!? The woman who wasn't allowed to play. Oh, the irony.

Saturday night we had a team dinner at Kunming Restaurant (the one I tried going to on Typhoon Day) and then heard a great band at some bar on XinYi Rd near DunHua. Sunday we went up to the hot springs in XinBeitou again. All of this left me with no time to study any Chinese...except for when Noah whipped out his book on the MRT and read a dialogue with me - he's in the intensive class and already on Chapter 23! He also said the teacher kicked out one of the students.

Monday I had an interesting discussion with a friend of my classmate's about Yi Guan Dao. God, soul, reincarnation, Truth, Destiny. I also checked out the dumpling place Dan's been raving about with Geoff - can't remember where it is though - one alley north of RenAi and east of LinSen maybe? Near the climbing gym. They're open late, but not for lunch.

Today I participated in a listening study. I was going to buy a new pair of shoes (my Tevas are pretty raggedy) or some new clothes (I hardly brought any and most of them are falling apart)...but this morning I read Emily's review of Taoranting...and am now tempted to get a group to go get some Peking Duck.

I also tried Little Shanghai 小上海 today - just a bowl of niu rou mian $110 NT - but I really wish I had room for the steamed baozi and the zong zi. I think I will return for lunch soon. The noodles were very good (a bit chewy) and the soup had a little spice to it, but not overly so. On the negative, the soup was a bit oily and the beef was just good, not great.

68 Minsheng E Rd, Sec 4 (East of DunHua)
(02) 2718-5783
lunch: 10am-2:30pm
dinner: 4pm-9pm