International Sock Model and Trip to Tamsui

Over the past two weeks my life has become pretty normalized and everything has started to fall into place.  I'm working regularly (though still not enough) and I've begun to develop a daily routine.  

When you last heard from me I mentioned that I would be modeling socks on the coming weekend; well, last Sunday I practiced my model poses  and "blue steel" expressions before making my way to the meeting place for the model shoot.   After meeting the man in charge I was driven to a park where I would spend the next three hours putting on and taking off pairs of socks and doing my best impression of a model.   I felt awkward most of the time but I'd happily do it again as it was good and easy money.  To my disappointed they did not offer to let me keep any of the pairs of socks. They did however send me some of the pictures for my "portfolio.

Professionally Good Looking

The week that followed my model shoot was pretty standard.  I did my acting work on Tuesday and Thursday and taught everyday.  I guess my profession is now Model/Actor/Teacher (triple threat).  I'm still actively searching for more work but things are still pretty good right now.

The only other noteworthy thing I did over the past two weeks was a day-trip to the nearby seaside tourist town of Tamsui. When travelling I often forget how much miss the ocean until I see it again.  While Taiwan is a pretty small island and you can never be very far from the ocean, Taipei is inland and I had not seen the ocean since I left home almost 2 months ago.

A-Gei (阿給) : deep fried tofu that has been stuffed with glass noodles and sealed with fish paste (surimi) served with a spicy sauce and Tamsui fish balls (淡水魚丸)

Tamsui is a stop on the Taipei metro rail system making it very easy ad convenient to get to.   The nearby fisherman's wharf was pretty neat and it was a nice short ferry-ride from Tamsui. Tamsui is also known as the home a famous Canadian missionary who established several schools and churches in the area. It also has an old fort that has been used by various colonial power throughout it's history.  Tamsui has a lot of historical buildings to see and lots of local delicacies to sample and I had a great time just being near the ocean for a day.

I'll have to make more trips out of Taipei in the future because as much as I love the city it is nice to escape it for a few hours.  I'm still having a wonderful time here and time has really flown by. The weather has gotten a lot nicer as of late and it has rained a far less and I hope that continues.  I hope I can find some more work in the coming weeks; glove modeling perhaps?

Part of the old Portuguese fort cum British Consulate known locally as "Red Hair Castle"

View from the Fort

On the ferry to fisherman's wharf