Hello and happy June!
The past few months have passed by in the blink of an eye and here I am, home in 20 days for the summer!! My plans include spending July in Victoria and then spending 10-14 days in Alberta doing the infamous annual tour at the beginning of August! I am very excited!
Also, I have a new address as I have moved!! We found an amazing apartment, get this... with an oven!! I know.
So, my new address is:
Lisa Ziebart
Rua de Evora
Prince Flower City, Block 1, 7A
Taipa, Macau
Please let me know if you are in Vic or Alberta for the summer so we can meet up!!
Lisa xo
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Boracay, Philippines
I find myself extremely spoiled as of late. The present case is the fact that I am in the Philippines for Easter holidays in Boracay. It is spectacular here. So beautiful beyond words. Also, the people make a place and the Filipino people are really amazing. So nice and friendly.
So far we (Cassie and I) have spent our time tanning, writing postcards, reading, eating, taking in the sunset with $1 drinks in hand, enjoying the nightlife, and island hopping. Our island hopping experience is one to remember as this was Cassie's first snorkel experience and also my first jellyfish sting and 'shipwreck' as we will call it.
For one stop we went out and saw some beautiful coral and a lot of coloured fish. I was feeding bread to the fish, having a great time. A couple minutes in I realized that the current was a lot stronger than I thought and so I looked around to find the boat a long ways away. There were 3 of us from the boat that chose to snorkel so everyone else sat on the boat and socialized, not realizing that we were pretty stranded. We tried our hardest to swim back but got absolutely nowhere. We were getting pretty tired and I was getting a little panicked as I didn't think I would need a life jacket (I have a natural buoyancy... my bum).
Our boat guide came to swim up back with us in a group but even he couldn't move!! The Ocean Ranger (think: old man in a little blue wooden canoe) came along and got me to hold onto the back of his boat- and then he proceeded to crash into another boat while I was hanging onto the back! The owners of the commercial 'sailboat' (named the Sea Monster) ordered us to hop onto the boards that balanced the boat. It was then that I felt an immense stinging on my legs!! I was sure something was there! I couldn't see a ting so I tried to swat away whatever it was to no avail. Finally I made it aboard the ship. The stinging stopped and we had no plan. By this time the Ocean Ranger paddled away. Thanks. After about 5 minutes the guys were like "hey, you can swim from here, right?" Umm. My inside voice: "If I could swim from here I wouldn't be on your boat right now buddy!" My outside voice: "Umm, maybe not yet."
Then at last our boat had a genius idea to use the rope. So, they threw the rope with all their might and sure enough, we held onto the rope and found our way to safety. Whew! Meanwhile, no one on our boat had ANY clue that we were in any sort of imminent danger. They were all like "Really? You couldn't swim back? Oh, that's what took you so long!!" Dorks.
As a side note here, the jellyfish are small and invisible. Thankfully the sting wounds were gone within a few hours and life goes on. The sunburn acquired, however, is still prevalent. The curse of the buoyant bum!! I am grateful for Banana Boat Aloe Vera gel.
More stories to come... and pictures too!
So far we (Cassie and I) have spent our time tanning, writing postcards, reading, eating, taking in the sunset with $1 drinks in hand, enjoying the nightlife, and island hopping. Our island hopping experience is one to remember as this was Cassie's first snorkel experience and also my first jellyfish sting and 'shipwreck' as we will call it.
For one stop we went out and saw some beautiful coral and a lot of coloured fish. I was feeding bread to the fish, having a great time. A couple minutes in I realized that the current was a lot stronger than I thought and so I looked around to find the boat a long ways away. There were 3 of us from the boat that chose to snorkel so everyone else sat on the boat and socialized, not realizing that we were pretty stranded. We tried our hardest to swim back but got absolutely nowhere. We were getting pretty tired and I was getting a little panicked as I didn't think I would need a life jacket (I have a natural buoyancy... my bum).
Our boat guide came to swim up back with us in a group but even he couldn't move!! The Ocean Ranger (think: old man in a little blue wooden canoe) came along and got me to hold onto the back of his boat- and then he proceeded to crash into another boat while I was hanging onto the back! The owners of the commercial 'sailboat' (named the Sea Monster) ordered us to hop onto the boards that balanced the boat. It was then that I felt an immense stinging on my legs!! I was sure something was there! I couldn't see a ting so I tried to swat away whatever it was to no avail. Finally I made it aboard the ship. The stinging stopped and we had no plan. By this time the Ocean Ranger paddled away. Thanks. After about 5 minutes the guys were like "hey, you can swim from here, right?" Umm. My inside voice: "If I could swim from here I wouldn't be on your boat right now buddy!" My outside voice:
Then at last our boat had a genius idea to use the rope. So, they threw the rope with all their might and sure enough, we held onto the rope and found our way to safety. Whew! Meanwhile, no one on our boat had ANY clue that we were in any sort of imminent danger. They were all like "Really? You couldn't swim back? Oh, that's what took you so long!!" Dorks.
As a side note here, the jellyfish are small and invisible. Thankfully the sting wounds were gone within a few hours and life goes on. The sunburn acquired, however, is still prevalent. The curse of the buoyant bum!! I am grateful for Banana Boat Aloe Vera gel.
More stories to come... and pictures too!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Macau Madness
Hi!
It has been a really long time since I last posted. Since the beginning of January we have had yet another holiday: Chinese New Year. I spent my holiday in mainland China with Cassie's incredible family. I spent time in Shenzen, Tianjin, and Beijing. I experienced REAL Chinese fireworks, made authentic delicious dumplings, saw the sights of Beijing, and even walked along the Great Wall (from the Simatai entrance).
On February 22 I ran my 3rd half-marathon in Zhuhai, China- right across the border from Macau. It was the very first run organized and a really great, easy route. I also achieved a pb of 1.59
Last weekend I jumped from the highest commercial bungy jump in the world right here in Macau! I jumped off of the Macau Tower, a drop of 233m. It was incredible and scary and everything all in one.
This week was 'experience week' and since the trip I was supposed to chaperone was cancelled, I took my grade 9 stragglers under my wing and we had a great week. Yesterday we spent time with children with disabilities and it was fabulous. Disabilities are really swept under the rug here, not really acknowledged, so it was fantastic being immersed in their daily routines in school. We did some art activities and played games in the afternoon. I think we all took something from the experience.
Tomorrow I am heading to Hong Kong with a group of teachers here to go on a hike and experience some parts of Hing Kong that I haven't seen yet. Speaking of things that I haven't seen yet, I am also going to Coldplay this week in Hong Kong!! I am so so excited because FINALLY it works to see them live. I can't wait!!
Here is the video that I made from the jump... enjoy!!
Youtube video- bungyyy!!
It has been a really long time since I last posted. Since the beginning of January we have had yet another holiday: Chinese New Year. I spent my holiday in mainland China with Cassie's incredible family. I spent time in Shenzen, Tianjin, and Beijing. I experienced REAL Chinese fireworks, made authentic delicious dumplings, saw the sights of Beijing, and even walked along the Great Wall (from the Simatai entrance).
On February 22 I ran my 3rd half-marathon in Zhuhai, China- right across the border from Macau. It was the very first run organized and a really great, easy route. I also achieved a pb of 1.59
Last weekend I jumped from the highest commercial bungy jump in the world right here in Macau! I jumped off of the Macau Tower, a drop of 233m. It was incredible and scary and everything all in one.
This week was 'experience week' and since the trip I was supposed to chaperone was cancelled, I took my grade 9 stragglers under my wing and we had a great week. Yesterday we spent time with children with disabilities and it was fabulous. Disabilities are really swept under the rug here, not really acknowledged, so it was fantastic being immersed in their daily routines in school. We did some art activities and played games in the afternoon. I think we all took something from the experience.
Tomorrow I am heading to Hong Kong with a group of teachers here to go on a hike and experience some parts of Hing Kong that I haven't seen yet. Speaking of things that I haven't seen yet, I am also going to Coldplay this week in Hong Kong!! I am so so excited because FINALLY it works to see them live. I can't wait!!
Here is the video that I made from the jump... enjoy!!
Youtube video- bungyyy!!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Happy 2009!
Hello!!!
Happy New Year! May the year 2009 find you happy, healthy, and full of love, as always.
My trip to Indonesia was excellent, and I am happy to be back in Macau (believe it or not!).
Highlights include:
1. The temples of Borobudur, and Prambanan (including the 'hidden' temples) in Yogyakarta. Tip: wear sunscreen and watch out for the paprazzi, because as a foreigner EVERYONE wants a picture.
2. Ubud, Bali. The beautiful countryside and open-air markets make Ubud a definite must. Cheap wood carving, jewellry, art, and spa treatments are everywhere.
3. Legian, Bali. Though the beach is quiet and up the road from crazy Kuta, Legian is a nice getaway. Legian/Kuta is good for shopping and buying everything faux including dvd's, clothing, sunglasses, watches, you name it. Massages/pedicures/manicures are offered everywhere, even right on the beach for next to nothing. Reasonable and nice places for accommodation can be found, but book ahead (2 months) if you are going during a peak time- like Christmas/New Years!
Next times include: Sanur and Tulamben because I did not get in any snorkelling or scuba this time around!
Tomorrow is back to the classroom and I am excited to see the students and hear all about their adventures. In 3 weeks time I leave on the next holiday: Chinese New Year! I know. Life is hard. I am so lucky as I get to experience a tru CNY with Cassie and her family from Northern China. We will also spend some time in Beijing doing all the good old touristy things.
Happy New Year! May the year 2009 find you happy, healthy, and full of love, as always.
My trip to Indonesia was excellent, and I am happy to be back in Macau (believe it or not!).
Highlights include:
1. The temples of Borobudur, and Prambanan (including the 'hidden' temples) in Yogyakarta. Tip: wear sunscreen and watch out for the paprazzi, because as a foreigner EVERYONE wants a picture.
2. Ubud, Bali. The beautiful countryside and open-air markets make Ubud a definite must. Cheap wood carving, jewellry, art, and spa treatments are everywhere.
3. Legian, Bali. Though the beach is quiet and up the road from crazy Kuta, Legian is a nice getaway. Legian/Kuta is good for shopping and buying everything faux including dvd's, clothing, sunglasses, watches, you name it. Massages/pedicures/manicures are offered everywhere, even right on the beach for next to nothing. Reasonable and nice places for accommodation can be found, but book ahead (2 months) if you are going during a peak time- like Christmas/New Years!
Next times include: Sanur and Tulamben because I did not get in any snorkelling or scuba this time around!
Tomorrow is back to the classroom and I am excited to see the students and hear all about their adventures. In 3 weeks time I leave on the next holiday: Chinese New Year! I know. Life is hard. I am so lucky as I get to experience a tru CNY with Cassie and her family from Northern China. We will also spend some time in Beijing doing all the good old touristy things.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Macau International Half-Marathon! (Half #2)
Hello! Happy December!
This month has been so busy at the school. The time has gone by so quickly and in one week we will be out for Christmas holidays!
Last Sunday I completed my second half-marathon (second in my life and second in 2008!) here in Macau. It was an incredible run. The day was perfect: slight breeze with a bit of sunshine at the end. I ran with 2 ladies from the school, Mona and Yvonne. In comparison to my first half in February I can honestly say that there was a huge difference running with others rather than alone. The motivation is so much greater and the time goes by because you have someone to talk to. In February my finishing time was 2:28:01. This time around my finishing time was 2:03:35!! Crazy! So now I have a new personal best to try and beat. Next on the horizon is a 10k challenge in Hong Kong in February so I am going to try and do more speed training to get under 50 mins. Is it strange that I find all of this so addictive and even... fun?
(again, with food in my mouth. A trait I inherited from my Mother)
Indonesia is just around the corner! I fly out on Sunday into Jakarta. I will then work my way down to Yogyakarta for Christmas and finally, Bali for one week. It will be great to relax, but I often find that 'holidays' are tiring in themselves because there is so much to see and do!! But please, don' take pity on me :)
I am really loving my grade 9s. They are really meeting my high standards as I continually push and challenge them. This past week they presented incredible debates in Language Arts, and carried out running their own businesses at the Christmas Bazaar for our Social Studies project: the ApprenTIS (Play on words for The International School of Macau... I know). On Monday we are giving Booktalks and then I am letting them relax a bit as we compare mediums: The Grinch Cartoon vs. Movie. Busy times, but incredibly fun times!
I hope this time of year finds everyone happy and healthy. Thanks so much for keeping in touch, it means a lot to me! :)
Lisa xo
This month has been so busy at the school. The time has gone by so quickly and in one week we will be out for Christmas holidays!
Last Sunday I completed my second half-marathon (second in my life and second in 2008!) here in Macau. It was an incredible run. The day was perfect: slight breeze with a bit of sunshine at the end. I ran with 2 ladies from the school, Mona and Yvonne. In comparison to my first half in February I can honestly say that there was a huge difference running with others rather than alone. The motivation is so much greater and the time goes by because you have someone to talk to. In February my finishing time was 2:28:01. This time around my finishing time was 2:03:35!! Crazy! So now I have a new personal best to try and beat. Next on the horizon is a 10k challenge in Hong Kong in February so I am going to try and do more speed training to get under 50 mins. Is it strange that I find all of this so addictive and even... fun?
(again, with food in my mouth. A trait I inherited from my Mother)Indonesia is just around the corner! I fly out on Sunday into Jakarta. I will then work my way down to Yogyakarta for Christmas and finally, Bali for one week. It will be great to relax, but I often find that 'holidays' are tiring in themselves because there is so much to see and do!! But please, don' take pity on me :)
I am really loving my grade 9s. They are really meeting my high standards as I continually push and challenge them. This past week they presented incredible debates in Language Arts, and carried out running their own businesses at the Christmas Bazaar for our Social Studies project: the ApprenTIS (Play on words for The International School of Macau... I know). On Monday we are giving Booktalks and then I am letting them relax a bit as we compare mediums: The Grinch Cartoon vs. Movie. Busy times, but incredibly fun times!
I hope this time of year finds everyone happy and healthy. Thanks so much for keeping in touch, it means a lot to me! :)
Lisa xo
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kinabalu, Chris Brown and 2-7
I know that I haven't posted in awhile. Again! Here's the update...
At the end of October we had our end of term break where I went to Malaysian Borneo. I do recommend it to anyone! The people are lovely and it really is a beautiful area. I went first to Kota Kinabalu and hiked Mt. Kinabalu with another teacher, Cassie. This was the experience of a lifetime!! The mountain was over 4000 meters and we hiked over 2000 meters of it. It was fantastic! So inspiring! I am doing a write-up for my friends website. It is not up yet, but check out www.travellingbackflip.com
Last weekend was a busy one as Chris Brown was in Macau, and it was my birthday celebration. Chris Brown was a great concert (believe it or not)!! He is a very good entertainer and wow, the boy can dance!!! We had a lot of video ops and it was a teenage-fest, filled mostly with students of mine. 'Highlight' of the night (sarcastic) was having to kick one of my students out of the Bellini Lounge after the concert. Um... 15? Yea, don't think so. She wasn't too happy- but she obliged.
The next night was my birthday party... a Bond 00(2)7 Birthday. It was a great night and everyone dressed up and looked great! There were copious amounts of martini mix and other alcohol and plenty of olives to spare. I give the best dressed award to Foxy Cleopatra, aka Christine.
In other news:
- Saw my first Macau movie, the new Bond. So good! Though I must say I like the first Daniel Craig Bond movie better. Lack of Bond-love perhaps?
- The half-marathon is coming up!! December 7th! Training is going well, and there have been some tough runs. I am looking forward to the challenge.
- I have also registered for the 10k run in Hong Kong in February!! The half was already full. Should be fun!
- Made my first slip up in-class today. Was about to say 'the next class' but in my mind was 'the second class'... and what came out was 'THE SEX...' and that's where I stopped. My kids thankfully have a good sense of humour and we just laughed it off. And my face turned bright red. I do have to give props to my one student who said 'what happens in that class?'. Oh the love of junior high.
At the end of October we had our end of term break where I went to Malaysian Borneo. I do recommend it to anyone! The people are lovely and it really is a beautiful area. I went first to Kota Kinabalu and hiked Mt. Kinabalu with another teacher, Cassie. This was the experience of a lifetime!! The mountain was over 4000 meters and we hiked over 2000 meters of it. It was fantastic! So inspiring! I am doing a write-up for my friends website. It is not up yet, but check out www.travellingbackflip.com
Last weekend was a busy one as Chris Brown was in Macau, and it was my birthday celebration. Chris Brown was a great concert (believe it or not)!! He is a very good entertainer and wow, the boy can dance!!! We had a lot of video ops and it was a teenage-fest, filled mostly with students of mine. 'Highlight' of the night (sarcastic) was having to kick one of my students out of the Bellini Lounge after the concert. Um... 15? Yea, don't think so. She wasn't too happy- but she obliged.
The next night was my birthday party... a Bond 00(2)7 Birthday. It was a great night and everyone dressed up and looked great! There were copious amounts of martini mix and other alcohol and plenty of olives to spare. I give the best dressed award to Foxy Cleopatra, aka Christine.
In other news:
- Saw my first Macau movie, the new Bond. So good! Though I must say I like the first Daniel Craig Bond movie better. Lack of Bond-love perhaps?
- The half-marathon is coming up!! December 7th! Training is going well, and there have been some tough runs. I am looking forward to the challenge.
- I have also registered for the 10k run in Hong Kong in February!! The half was already full. Should be fun!
- Made my first slip up in-class today. Was about to say 'the next class' but in my mind was 'the second class'... and what came out was 'THE SEX...' and that's where I stopped. My kids thankfully have a good sense of humour and we just laughed it off. And my face turned bright red. I do have to give props to my one student who said 'what happens in that class?'. Oh the love of junior high.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Adventures...
I haven't posted in awhile so let me bring you up to speed...
* I booked my Christmas flight to Jakarta, Indonesia. I plan to work my way down to Bali for New Years. Soooo excited. Hoping to visit Yogyakarta and maybe one more stop one the way down, but who knows.
* Tomorrow I leave for Malaysia Borneo where I am going to hike Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia! The last couple days of the trip will be spent in Kuching where I will indulge in some much needed beach time. Stay tuned for pictures!
* I am trying to take advantage of most of the entertainment that comes to Macau or Hong Kong. Chris Brown is coming to Macau in November so some of us are going to see him, cannot wait!!
* In other news: I found a hair stylist which is so wonderful (well, Cassie did!), I also discovered that the 'import' grocery store sells Happy Planet juice (fresh from Vancouver) so that makes me happy, I have given in and am reading the Stephanie Meyer 'twilight' series which is turning out better than expected, the half-marathon training is going really well (6-week countdown), AND I am loving surfthechannel.com for providing me with the newest Grey's Anatomy episodes (for free!).
Life is sweet, no complaints!
xo
L
(Happy Halloween!!!)
* I booked my Christmas flight to Jakarta, Indonesia. I plan to work my way down to Bali for New Years. Soooo excited. Hoping to visit Yogyakarta and maybe one more stop one the way down, but who knows.
* Tomorrow I leave for Malaysia Borneo where I am going to hike Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia! The last couple days of the trip will be spent in Kuching where I will indulge in some much needed beach time. Stay tuned for pictures!
* I am trying to take advantage of most of the entertainment that comes to Macau or Hong Kong. Chris Brown is coming to Macau in November so some of us are going to see him, cannot wait!!
* In other news: I found a hair stylist which is so wonderful (well, Cassie did!), I also discovered that the 'import' grocery store sells Happy Planet juice (fresh from Vancouver) so that makes me happy, I have given in and am reading the Stephanie Meyer 'twilight' series which is turning out better than expected, the half-marathon training is going really well (6-week countdown), AND I am loving surfthechannel.com for providing me with the newest Grey's Anatomy episodes (for free!).
Life is sweet, no complaints!
xo
L
(Happy Halloween!!!)
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