In Response...

A few people have asked what I've been keeping myself busy with these days. Well, other than work, I've been involved in a few things. Here's a short summary of what's going on in my life at present.

I've been doing lots of reading. For several months, I've been building a bibliography database to catalog things I've read and come across (for future writing and academic pursuits).

I've been writing again, regularly. I'm working on an old project -- a Chinese-English lexicon -- that I began putting together many months ago. This is something I hope to publish here in the not-too-distant future. I also started a new book project, and have tried wrestling with the one I began four years ago that has been sitting collecting dust. I'm writing poetry again, something I haven't done since I was a teenager.

I just finished editing the third installment of a four-book series that a colleague and I co-wrote a couple years ago for our school. Of the previous two books, I've heard a lot of praise from other teachers, which is by far more rewarding than the money received, and makes worthy all the time we invested in putting it together.

I got a contract as primary editor for a local business English textbook writer, for his next five books. This is a big deal to me, not only because of who he is -- highly known and respected in the field -- but also because it might open up doors with others, including his publishing company.

I bought an oven this year, so I've been doing a lot of baking. I plan to have a Christmas cookie-making party this year, something I've attempted with toaster ovens (what a hassle!) the past couple years.

Aside from all that, I'm trying to take better care of myself by getting more sleep, making better use of my downtime, meditating daily, getting more exercise, and eating better. Life is good, but it's also short.

Blessings

It's days like today that I really cherish the life that I have here. While sitting at home means I'm not earning a living, it's this free time that makes life so enjoyable. We foreign teachers really are blessed in this way, having the opportunity to have occasional time off in the middle of the day, and sometimes whole days off during the week. While most locals are stuck in their offices, in traffic, or sitting in classrooms watching the clock, I'm relaxing in my study, in my boxers, reading news, taking naps, sipping tea, and enjoying the fact that it's 5PM and I still have another hour to indulge myself in this luxury. Life is good!

Funny English Names

One of the more amusing things I've taken up recently is making a list of funny English names that locals have given themselves. Granted, most of them are not fluent in the language, and probably are unaware that their chosen names might be funny to some of us, but it's still worth a laugh or two when I come across those really peculiar ones. While most of us ex-pats have met our shares of Apples (quite common with children here), there are some others that I've come across that either raise an eyebrow or are just downright ironic and/or comical:

(not in any particular order)
1. Cola
2. Straight (as in...?)
3. Bulletin (my favorite so far)
4. Katfinny (wtf?)
5. Fanny / Fannie (this one is very common, and funny only if you're familiar with what it means in British English)
6. Big Bird (seen on the name plaque on the back of a city bus)
7. Bear (also on a bus, but it was a tiny old guy)
8. Aska ("Ask'a what?")
9. Marlboro
10. Truth
11. Bird
12. Boss
13. Pudding

Things I Miss from Home (a list)

rice milk
Caffe Ladro
good Thai food
green trees and fresh water
the Cascades
Cable Internet
Netflix
used books at great prices
herbal tea
7-Up
New York cheesecake
English speakers

A Fresh Start

Well, it's been more than a year since I touched this blog. Having read through the past few years' posts, I deleted them all and have devoted to starting things anew.

These past three years in Taiwan have been filled with all sorts of adventures -- both good and bad, and a few, treacherous. From the heartbreak of my life, to traveling the island extensively, to illness, Mom's double dose of cancer, and the current economic woes that have plagued the globe, it's been a journey that I want and need to put behind me.

This past year or so has been a struggle. Mom's illness took a toll on me. Being so far away made it even more difficult to deal with. My own health took a major trip south this past year as well. It's been nothing too serious, but it's made me realize that I need to take better care of myself, and that even though I'm young, with aging comes many unexpected surprises, and they're usually not sweet. And the depressed economy has reared its ugly head in many ways, including making getting by a humbling, exhausting experience.

I've decided to make this blog more of a look inside the oddities and fascinations with living in Taiwan, from cultural quirks to the things I see and do in my daily life here as an ex-pat. I hope you all enjoy the ride as much as I expect to get from keeping it updated with my stories, insights and rants into my life here on the little island.