Don’t hire people who are HUGE enthusiasts of martial arts.

And by huge enthusiast, I do not mean someone who has “Liked” any of the Karate Kid series or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I also don’t mean to include someone who when intoxicated tries some roundhouse kicks and laughs at Chuck Norris jokes. I mean one who actively pursues and practices the art form more than 2x a week.

Now, this generalization has only been made by myself and another from our own life experiences and by no means should be considered a scientific clinical study.

My theory for this negative characteristic of a responsible and good worker is the whole shaazam of “the mind and body are one.” It borders closely on religious fanaticism. Probably not as extreme as those Taliban folks or Justin Bieber fans, but I’m sure the same synapses are shooting off in these group member’s brains.

Also, perhaps the individual will be too empowered by his/her need to harness their chi/inner strength/etc and because of this displacement of power, their body will physically force them to neglect reality. Or maybe it’s a total — we’re righteous and you non-martial artists just don’t have our respect. Who knows — but all I can say is, please take my advice and save yourself your own trouble of finding that awkward moment of saying, “Soooo….(I imagine the Office Space boss’ voice) I’m gonna have to let you go…”

AND if you ever do find yourself in such a spot — well you know, I’ll simply have to say: BOO YAH! I told you so!

At the ripe age of 25, I’m expected to manage a team of teachers and ensure that things run smoothly. What this has led to is a great life lesson — the world is filled with both an equally odd assortment of good and bad people.  It’s strange to be considered the go-to person for solutions. It’s even stranger to tell people your senior what they’re expected to do. It’s strange telling people how to do their job. What’s worse is realizing that there are so many people older than you that STILL have no clue what’s going on! I think that’s where the stress comes in. I don’t think my job stresses me out. I don’t think the children stress me out. What stresses me out is the REALIZATION of how ridiculous and redundant the real world is. Nothing prepares you for this harsh truth.

I’m not too sure what college was supposed to teach you, but I think small aspects of it does reflect what the future will hold — those frat guys who you remember freshmen year who were seniors, but when you were a senior they still hung around the frat house…the non-students you met when you worked in the school cafeteria who were going through their 2nd drug reformation program or struggling with obtaining child custody from their 3rd marriage…

I will say I’ve been blessed with a good family life from the start, but I am still a strong believer that it’s not your roots, but what you do that should define you.

Off tangent from my original beginnings — anyways. The issue now is seeking a replacement. Ugh. This has been my endeavor for the past YEAR and the results have been less than fruitful. My possibles become non-possibles. I suppose it’s better to seek out naivety than committed and eager. Those that seem eager are less than qualified and those that are perfect fear the obligations. I need that balance that is so difficult to achieve. It’s a countdown and I hope my “chosen one” is somewhere around the corner.

Listening to wonderful blogging music: Kent

Music in a language that you don’t speak is highly recommended as background noise. This study result has been decided by me.

I think traveling to the other side of the planet didn’t lead to much change for me. I came with David and all the comforts of a good companion came with that. Going to college was the same, I went to UT with so many close high school and childhood friends that it was easy. I didn’t go out of my way to meet new faces. I didn’t take the initiative to do much except ensure fun times were had with those I’m familiar with.

Now I feel that regret. That regret that I still don’t know how to branch out. I think the fear of rejection is my biggest weakness. I’ve never liked signing up for tasks I knew were out of my range. I never liked pursuing something I didn’t think I’d be remotely good at… or I’d pursue it and give up quickly.

Nearly 3 years in a foreign country and my closest friends are co-workers.

Ah. So how do you do it? How do you make new friends? I can be outgoing, just give me a chance…

Fingers are numb and the cold is so bad that during a hot shower, the parts of the body that aren’t in direct contact with the warm water, but had been briefly splashed by water, become frigid, because the once-warm water has turned icy cold. I’m sure that is a run-on sentence, but  three years in a foreign non-English speaking country changes you.

I’m not sure how bi-lingual dreams work, but I’ve definitely have had a good share of them especially in the past 2 years.

Oh yeah, in case you have forgotten. I’m still currently on a tropical island. Sitting in front of a fan-like lamp that cooks you slowly in a delightful warm glow, I got an itching to type up a post.

Past entries were warranted by fabulous trips outside of the cold, white apartment. However, of late the weather just hasn’t been cooperative with the weather. Who wants to stumble beyond their heat lamps? Waking up each morning, I move quickly to decide what to wear just to keep contact with the cold air to a bare minimum.

Well my ramblings are certainly chocking up to a high word count, but to put my mind matters to text, I will contend with just coming out and saying… I have no idea where my life is going to go next.

The Taiwan chapter of my life has really flow by and I’m ready to place this dog-eared part of my life behind. Mind you, I never regretted a single moment, but for the fact that it has all been too easy. Finding a place to live, finding a job I enjoyed, meeting nice people, meeting funny people, learning a lot about myself, yet learning nothing about myself at the same time. It’s all happened as I stumbled around the routines that have become life as I know it. Yet, returning “home” in August will be so strange. I’m actually more afraid of coming home than when I was when I left.

I guess, leaving was an adventure in my mind. At the same time it was a rebellious journey for myself and going on an adventure with no timelines or set plans was the adrenaline rush that any post-grad was eager to jump aboard. Yet, as each year comes by and ages us, fear gnaws at me. That same adventure of the unknown, , that  returning home can be classified as, doesn’t seem as exciting. When I think about going back I feel a collision of emotions: anxiety, pressure, and defeat. The funny thing is those emotions would be appropriate if I was actually being put on a stage and being judged, but for the first time in my life I have found that spot where I’m not getting that pressure. There aren’t parents nagging, there aren’t test scores waiting in a mailbox, there aren’t any nail biting sessions as I wait to know the results. I am definitely agreeing with the thought-process that “you are your own worst enemy.” All the self-doubt of not being able to achieve my goals…

YET, what are those goals?

Blargh. That’s the worst. Knowing that there are so many driven and upstanding individuals, I can’t but help feeling sorry for myself. It’s selfish, I know. There ARE ALL those worse off, there ARE those without the leisure to type up a meaningless blog entry, but you know what THOSE people can go figure out their own solutions to their problems. However, the biggest reason that this year needs to be the year, is that life has gotten too easy. There isn’t that same challenge that sparked my interest. I still love the classroom, I love being able to help channel the creative juices of the small handful. I loathe the system and the parents, and have totally reconsidered having children of my own, but I wouldn’t give it all up. However, I think it’s my mission to discover the what elses, the what ifs, and the unknowns about myself.

It’s tough to dive into the deep, but I think the less you think about it, the more likely you can get the challenge over with.

When we first got there, we’re walking in the bright, hot sun near the coast. We start walking along this “harbor” that is a raised deck above grass and muddy fields. Tippy starts shouting “look at the crabs” and all the kids stare in awe and shout excitedly. I take a look and I start laughing and hoping this is a joke. These crabs are smaller than pennies! Thankfully as we walk further down we start seeing crabs the size of half-dollars. The actual crabbing involved a bamboo stick with string tied to it that had a piece of meat tied to the string. It worked pretty well and we caught a bunch of those buggers. I think me and another teacher were having way too much fun.  It was SO hot outside that while I had my head bent down to see where the crabs were, my glasses would get sweat dripped onto them.

mmmm. Lovely.

Kids Are Quick

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell ‘crocodile?’
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L’
TEACHER: No, that’s wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

________________________________! ____________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it’s H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I’m a lot closer to the ground than you are.
___________! ____________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ‘ I.’
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie….. Always say, ‘I am.’
MILLIE: All right… ‘I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.’
________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father’s cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn’t punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don’t have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on ‘My Dog’ is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It’s the same dog.
___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

So much has happened since our crazy Taipei scooter ride and the joy of traveling out (Korea during Lunar New Years). I’ve actually been recruiting people to come out here! It feels so crazy being the “veteran” in such affairs.

Since the weather is simply dreadful outside, I’m going to post some new posts that will have the original date of their happenings soon AKA super belated posts for the months of January-June! And, of course a photo update.

I feel that being so far away, I don’t even know what’s going on in my friend’s lives. Would you find it weird if I call you and not know what to say? Will you still chat with me, like the good ole days? Out of college, makes me miss it. I’m lucky I have David on this journey and I hope we continue together as partners for more adventures.

The week was grueling! Nonetheless, the weekend was still awesome.

Sabrina invited us to join her on a surf outing. The company ( JSP Surf Club ) that we went with was having some super specials this weekend. Bring one other person for half off– transportation, board rentals, lunch, lessons, and free towel. David and I met up with Sabrina and Angela in Science Park to be picked up in a mini van. I have no clue where we were driven to, but it’s somewhere north of Taipei.

The guys with the company were all really nice. Our main instructor was actually from Indonesia.We chilled a bit under the tent before starting up our lessons that consisted a bit of laying on the board and popping up to stand.

Soon we were set for the water — the sand was so hot and the boards were huge. We used the blue practice fun-boards. The water was ultra calm, but the teachers were all really good about reading the tides. We were actually able to stand up and ride quickly to the shore. So many crashes though!! Hilarious! The water was ultra salty and the sun extra hot. There were also a lot of big shells for me to collect. I hope to someday actually make something of them… but until then they will sit in m Choco Cakes box.

It was a really fun day and I’m glad we made it out there. Got extra sunburnt on my back though! I had my shirt on for the first half of the day then took it off. Plus surfing left us soo sore the next day! No wonder all the guys were so in shape. Very tempting to buy my own board to play with at our own beach :).

The evolution of surfing

So how do I get stuck writing about all the long distance scooter trips?  Anyways, Dragon Boat Festival 端午節 was just around the corner and we didn’t really have a gameplan as usual.  The Wednesday before the holiday began we made a trip to the train station and bought some tickets to Ali Shan 阿里山.  For those of you who don’t know what Ali Shan is, it is the highest mountain in Taiwan.  Everything went smooth, however we wouldn’t be able to depart till Friday.  A whole day lost but thats the price you pay for procrastinating I guess.

Connie sends me a text later in the day and says the weather is going to be horrible in Ali Shan this weekend.  She suggests we go to 宜蘭 Yilan, not a bad suggestion actually.  We decide to scrap Ali Shan and make other plans.  Wednesday night we search the internet for things to do in Yilan, Connie is dead set on scootering there, but I’m fighting a pretty bad cold and would rather ride a bus or take a train.  Connie reluctantly agrees to take the train, and I tell her if we can’t get a train the next morning we can scooter to Yilan.

Thursday morning rolls around and its a cool, cloudy day.  Not one of those nice cloudy days, but one of those grey, cool, wet winter days where you just want to stay in.  We drive to the train station where I’m hoping we can buy a ticket to Yilan.  The teller informs us that every train to Yilan is booked, the next available train is Friday morning.  And our journey begins here.

Now getting around by scooter in Taiwan is tricky.  We can’t just jump on the nearest freeway and across the island in 2-3 hours.  Nope, scooters have to take long windy scooter roads that double the length of your trip, but the upside is you can enjoy some beautiful scenery.

The trip to Yilan was absolutely amazing.  It’s hard to describe it in words and pictures won’t do it any justice.  You have to experience it for yourself.  Driving highway 7 takes you from Taoyuan county to Yilan county via the mountains that run through the center of the island.   Along the way there were many cyclists riding the same route we were driving.  I have to give them props, I could barely drive the route much less even think of cycling it.  The trip to Yilan was rather uneventful, we did have a flat tire but that was before we got on the mountain.  I’m very glad we gassed up and got our flat fixed before getting on the mountain, beause it is a 100km drive through there with only 1 town half way with a few restaraunts and shops.  I don’t even think I saw a gas station.

In Yilan we bunkered down in a shady, but cozy love motel about 2 minutes from the train station.  It was very old, but it had everything we needed, plus cable, for only $600 NT ($18 USD) a night.  The best part of this hotel was the neighborhood  kid who had a new puppy.  You could hear him calling his dogs name 小黃 “Xiao Huang, Xiao Huang” as his puppy ran amok.  Connie would later meet this puppy up close and experience one of Xiao Huang’s play bites.

Now Yilan city is very small.  Smaller than Hsinchu in fact.  But it has a lot of character.  Things in Yilan feel really laid back and chill, I wouldn’t mind living there for awhile actually.  The first night there we visited their night market, saw downtown and hung around their Department store.  Overall Yilan City left a good impression.

The next day we headed out towards Luodong, a small township just south of Yilan City known for its famous hot springs.  There wasn’t much to see in the town itself, but everywhere you drive in Yilan county you are surrounded by mountains on one side and coast on another.  It’s a very nice drive.  After seeing Luodong township we headed towards the coast.  On the way we passed a river where dragon boat racing was happening.  So we spent an hour or two laying on the lawn watching dragon boat races.

After our racing fun, we started heading back towards the coast.  We eventually ended up at a small camping area by the beach.  The water looked very nice and we had a great view or Turtle Island, but a camp Nazi was blowing his whistle at anyone who got within 10 feet of the water.  Eventually we headed to a main port area near the town of Jiaosi where you could hop a ferry to Turtle Island, as well as watch dolphins.  The price was right, however this trip would take up the whole day and we didn’t feel we could afford to spend that much time for one attraction.  So off we went to lunch.

We found a local vegan restaraunt in Jiaosi township and enjoyed some dumplings and soup.  Some of the best food I’ve had in Taiwan for sure.  After exploring the township more we ended up hopping back on our scooter and driving over to a waterfall area. The waterfall’s themselves weren’t spectacular, but the walk was a good break from sitting on the scooter so long. We walked to the very top and saw a church of Mary there — apparently some climbers saw the Virgin Mary here and so they opened a church there in her honor. Afterwards, we drove to “Longtan” or Dragon Lake.  Longtan wasn’t anything special, a few tour buses and a nice lake but nothing more.  It was nice to sit on the lawn and enjoy the quiet, until some noisy tourists showed up and ruined it.

After Longtan we headed back to Yilan City where we had an early dinner.  Cafe Grazie!  A very tasty Italian chain here in Taiwan.  Then we headed back to our hotel to rest up for the evening, where we ended up seeing a local concert near the department store.

Overall this was a very enjoyable trip.  And the trip back to Hsinchu was even more amazing than the trip to Yilan because the sun was shining and weather was warm.  On the way to Hsinchu we came across some bungy jumpers jumping off a bridge in the middle of nowhere. Later on, we made our own stop at a bridge to walk down and enjoy the river water. The rocks were pretty steep here and the water cold enough to take your breath away. The drive back was so much nicer, although there was a lot more traffic and a bunch of hold ups because of cars waiting for each other to round the tight mountain paths.

And I’ll leave this post at that since I’m tired of typing :-).