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

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.

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!!!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!!

October 12th... big shout out to Miss Sarah Kelman who is celebrating a birthday today!! Happy birthday Sarah!!!

Also a happy belated birthday to my Dad as he celebrated his birthday on October 8th. Happy birthday Dad, it was great to talk to you!!! :)

Thanksgiving is always a time to reflect on the important things in life and I am definitely feeling an overwhelming sense of being grateful, thankful and happy etc. all at once. I have had a few months to reflect on all of my experiences from last year and I do see that everything was necessary in order for me to be sitting here today. Things do happen for a reason and thoughts do become things. The law of attraction has an enormous power on us so in saying that it is always good to check-in to ensure that what is being attracted is really what you want most. I do feel as though I am living a completely different life here in Macau, but it is so much more positive and productive in every sense. I feel as though I am exactly where I need to be right now and I just hope the same for YOU.

Above all, I am so thankful to have wonderful people in my life who make the effort to keep in touch, even if it is in small ways, it still matters! My endless efforts of becoming a better long-distance friend are somewhat paying off, but I know I need to try harder. So, thanks to all of you for being you! :)

Lisa xo

Typhoons, Avril, cooking and Greys!

Helllooooo and happy almost-October!

Once October hits then that really is the first half of the school year gone! Before I know it, it will be Christmas and after that it is pretty much game over. I am having a lot of fun in the classroom so that might be a reason why everything is going by so quickly as well.

Last week we had a typhoon warning on Tuesday. The weather looked blustery and somewhat windy, but not bad. Some people were getting excited, predicting a 'typhoon day' but that had apparently never happned at TIS before so I wasn't holding my breath. That night the typhoon really kicked in... signs fell down and smashed, trees were down everywhere, fences, plants, everything possible was in ruins. I wish I got it on video!! The next day we got a phone call at 7am saying there was no school, and at that point the weather was quite bad still but not deadly. It's funny how quickly weather can change because by noon everything was opening and life was as usual. Regardless, we still got the whole day off- but I think that will be our 'free' card used up and from now on we will have to a least come in for a half day or something. The typhoon made for a very short week because we had a PD day on Friday- so we still had to be at the school just not teaching.

Also on Friday my roommate Pamela and I went to see... wait for it... Avril Lavigne!! Yes, she had her concert in Macau. The arena was fairly full which was good, but the crowd didn't really know how to be at a concert. Like when the singer puts the mic to the audience, you have to sing... and loudly! So the atmosphere was interesting because the audience was generally sitting down, clapping with glow sticks. There were a few good songs though where mostly everyone was up having a good time. The songs were censored but were cute. Even her husband from Sum 41 came out and sang. Overall I liked the concert- Avril's performance was good, she sang well live which is always a must!

Lastnight I was feeling as though I needed to attempt cooking. Believe it or not the only thing I have 'cooked' at home so far is oatmeal once and toast twice. And those do not count, really. It just happens that the restaurants are good and reasonable enough that I don't really eat dinner at home. So I went out to the supermarket and bought all the ingredients to make homemade spaghetti with meat sauce, with bread, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious. I definitely need to make a point of cooking more often. Also, I really miss baking so I made cookies as well: peanut butter, oatmeal, raisin and cinnamon (I know, no chocolate... the no-dairy thing kills me sometimes!). I used our toaster oven and the only fitting pan I could find was more suitable for banana bread... so it turned out more like cookie loaf... and now cookie bars. But they are still tasty!

And... might I just say... thank you Internet. I was able to find the full season premiere for Grey's and now I am so excited for the upcoming season! I missed it. SO excited. Yes, I am addicted to Grey's, still. No spoilers...

In one month I will be hiking Mt.Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Apparentl Gingko Biloba helps with altitude sickness so I will have to pick some up (thanks Bro-inLaw!)

I hope all is well for you!!! Take care and talk soon!

Lisa xo

Runners amnesia?

I think I may have some form of amnesia because I have just registered for another half-marathon. It is the Macau International Marathon on December 7th. Now I figure I am in better position to do well this time because I am already training whereas last time I really only started training with 2 months to go... and the training effort was average at best.

I have been running on my own as well as with another teacher so it has been great. Also, the knees are so far so good but my longest run has only been 8k so far.

Cross your fingers for me! Also, any tips? Send them my way!

Check out the website: http://www.macaumarathon.com/en/index.php

(For those reading this on facebook and getting fed up with the formatting, the actual link is lzmacau.blogspot.com )

October break booked - Kuching, Malaysia

I booked my flight with AirAsia last night and am officially going to Kuching, Malaysia for one week. Kuching is on the eastern side of Malaysia, right above Borneo which I hope to make it to as well.

The deciding factor (aside from cheap flight): Kuching has a national park with an orangutan reserve for injured orangutans! I know, very 'gorillas in the mist' but I was inspired when watching Animal Planet last year and haven't quite forgotten those cute little babies in the diapers that people can hold when visiting!

Anyone want to join me? :)

Teaching- Year Two!

I know that I have only been teaching at TIS for just over one week... here are my thoughts so far...

I am having a wonderful time. There is a part of me thinking that the 'honeymoon stage' will end soon and grade nine wrath is around the corner, but I am unsure of this. The kids are awesome, really creative and fun. They are eager to learn and are very curious. There is a definite range of students with different strengths and weaknesses which is a nice challenge for me. It is nice teaching only one grade (three sections), two subjects. Only two lesson plans per day!!! Yay! We have 'Curriculum Night' this week to meet the parents and introduce the courses which should be great. There is also a really great feel among the staff, new and returning.




My thoughts on Macau are getting better by the day and I am finally starting to establish some sort of routine.

I joined a gym over in Macau which has been a nice excuse for me to venture from Taipa. They have a decent amount of equipment and also offer classes. 50% succession rate so far with the classes... Hits: Fatbuster and Hatha Yoga. Misses: Fusion Dance and a class which was supposed to be Fatbuster with another instructor (but turned out feeling like a cheerleading class... then I left 10 minutes in). I can't even explain the Dance Fusion class. More like "I'm going to make up all the moves and confuse you all" class. So she didn't confuse everyone in the class as I am suspect there are some regulars but she definitely confused the 2 foreigners in the class. I miss my Crossfit, Jazzercise and Body Dynamics!!

Also, I have been running a lot in the early mornings and have been caught in some serious rain showers. What else to do but run home?

Holidays anyone?

Holidays…

So here it is; my holiday schedule for the year with ideas of where I think I may want to go. If you are seriously thinking about coming to visit and want to come during one of my holidays, the following information may be helpful!!

1. October 25 – November 2: undecided. Borneo? Mainland China?
   
2. December 20 – January 4: India
3. January 24 – February 1: Philippines/Indonesia/Japan (one of)
4. April 10 – 19: Laos, Cambodia, Burma (big maybe on the last one)

If anyone is travelling in the area (anytime throughout the year) and come to even Hong Kong you must let me know. Macau is a great detour, even if it is only for one night. I will always have room at my apartment for friendly faces!

Some helpful websites:

EVA Air (great flight deals from Vancouver): www.evaair.com

Macau Tourism info: www.macau.com

More Macau Tourism: www.macautourism.gov.mo

Week One!

I have been in Macau for one week and everything has been so whirlwind. I arrived on Friday morning and went to my apartment right away which I really do love. It is on the 15^th floor, close to everything, and has a beautiful view. It is so crazy to look over to Macau in the evenings and see pure Vegas lights.

Before I forget…

Contact information:

Lisa Ziebart
Rua de Braganca, 442, Edif. Crisantemo
Nove Taipa, Block 30, 15P
Taipa, Macau

Cell phone: 853-6653-0119 (not sure how to call from Canada... good luck!)

A few things about Macau:

• Macau is WAY more international than I imagined. There are people here from so many different countries, and the cuisine follows. The amount of good food I have had in less than a week has totalled the amount of good food I had in Taiwan. (Not to mention I have more freedom to explore and find good food)

• The Portuguese influence is still very prevalent in Macau, especially in terms of architecture. Senado Square and Old Taipa are two highlights for this reason.

• I get to see a Cirque de Soleil show on Wednesday!! Yay! ‘Zaia’ is the name of the show, apparently space themed. More details to follow! (Also worth mentioning: Avril Lavigne is playing at the Venetian at the end of September. I bought tickets and am subjecting my new roomie to an evening of cheering on a fellow Canadian. Why not?)

• I have yet to meet all of the returning teachers, but everyone I have met from the new and old have been so wonderful and kind. I just know that I needed to experience my year in Taiwan and now I am where I need to be for now. Instantly I feel so much better about TIS and the only parts of Taiwan I really miss are my students and the few cool colleagues.

• Cherry on top: Look at the pictures below. Playground set, right?? Nope. Adult workout stations and they are placed ALL over the city. People use them all the time I love it! A hilarious health initiative but very smart.
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• I will update again soon! In the meantime keep in touch as I try to be a better long-distance friend/family member this year.

Lisa xo

The time is NOW!

Here it is, my first post before I go to teach in Macau, China. I leave on Wednesday night and am very excited. I had the amazing opportunity to visit the International School of Macau (www.tis.edu.mo) in May so I am really looking forward to arriving, setting up the apartment with my roommate, setting up my classroom, and of course, meeting my 60-some Grade 9 students.

Going into my second year of teaching, and with Taiwan far far behind me, I feel confident and excited to learn, explore, and create even more adventures.

Please keep in touch as I love hearing what is going on with everyone and I am more committed to post more regularly. I will also put up my cell phone and address once I find these things out!

Take care and wish me good flying thoughts!!! xo