Wednesday, March 5, 2008: On music.

I miss the old sugary pop music.

I miss adorable lyrics of innocent love and their addictive beat.

Saturday, January 5, 2008: On parenting.

I feel sorry for kids with famous parents.

Well, maybe not all of them. I imagine that there are many famous children out there that the media doesn't follow as 'passionately' as, say, the royal family of England, but it must be awkward meeting the parents on curriculum night or the principal needing to call Dad in to ask about Cruise Jr.'s behaviour. (Good god, I'm thinking like a teacher!) But that's what's expected for all parents - not quite the same as finding out that the parent you're talking to makes a living though petty theft, but I'm sure it's up there.

But I imagine it's a little easier to live when your parents are good and well-liked. Sure, that means you can't be caught doing typical stupid teenage stuff (like underage drinking or doing drugs), but it's better than the alternative.

And the alternative I present here is that your parents do things that make you stand out, and not in a positive light. Get caught breaking the law. Need counseling. Generally do strange and outrageous stuff.

And it's all reported in the papers.

Also, I'm glad I'm not famous.

Thursday, January 3, 2008: I UPDATE. REALLY.

So what have I been doing since - good gods, August? It's been a while, hasn't it.

As I didn't really know what else to do, I went back to Taiwan. Last year I was placed in Rueisuei (瑞穗). While nice, this year I wasn't allowed to choose that place again.

This year I live in Hualien City (花蓮) and commute to a village called Fongli (豐裡). It's larger than my school last year, with just under two hundred students. I also teach at two other schools, Fengshan (豐山) and Sikou (溪口), which are much smaller.

I'm glad that I live in Hualien, instead of commuting. I like the village, but I hate traveling. (Not to be confused with actually being in a new and foreign place. It's preparation for and the trip there that frustrates me.) I'd likely hide out every weekend in the tiny dormitory they offered me, with zero privacy from the village kids.

Will I stay for another year? It's tempting, but as one might expect, it's terribly lonely here. I don't even talk much to the other foreign teachers much because I can't find much in common with people who are over twice my age. Except for teaching, of course, but it's not something I really enjoy talking about on my downtime. Cultural and language gaps make it awkward to speak to others and I don't hang out where all the other 'kids' my age do, on top of my natural shyness and general social anxiety.

I'm also tiring of the awkwardness around being Chinese; my Mandarin's steadily improving, where I can eavesdrop and jump into simple conversations, and I have a 'pleasant-sounding voice' when I speak it. All without a teacher for the past one and a half years! (For those interested, I speak with a rather standard accent that makes me sound like I actually know Chinese, rather than that awkward Western accent.)

As for what I do with the site, it's largely storage space for me now. I haven't had the time or inspiration to write as of late, which is a little depressing. I would like to finish rewriting the Harvest Moon story, but I'm too tired at the end of the day to even start.

Excuses, excuses. Happy New Year, everybody!

Earlier bloggies: December 2004 | January 2005 | February 2005 | March 2005 | April-August 2005 | October 2005-January 2006 | February 2006-August 2006 | September 2006-December 2007

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