I feel the need to do an update even though I did technically update on 2/12, but I guess posting a video doesn't really count. Meh. Why the feel of the need? Otherwise I feel like I'm neglecting my blog. I started it with such high hopes and aspirations! This could be a blog about fooding (which is still feasible considering how OFTEN I go out to eat, like how we went to eat at Chili's this past weekend, and I felt like the food here is way better than the food at Chili's in the States.) or current events (lots of that going on) or random junk (like what? no idea.)! But it's ended up turning into a place where I can complain and bitch and yah. Hah. It always does.

So here I am. What to talk about. How about ... my life (yay for self-centeredness!)?

Work
Work is. meh. I think the suckiest part of it is listening to or reading about other people who are still students (or not tied down to a 9-5 job) getting to do more than just go to work in the morning, go home at night, eat, sleep, wake up, repeat. Like those in LA who get to continue going to Manna's or In n Out or Chipotle, go shopping at all the various malls, go to the beach, hang out with each other, attend activities like getting to see Stephen Chow (AHHHHHHH!). It's not that I don't like hearing about them (I do! It allows me to live vicariously through my friends!), but I'm just jealous. Jealous because I feel like I have no friends here in Taipei which makes for pretty much no social life (except for chilling with the cousin and sister and cousin's bf). It's hard to make non-relative friends when those around you are older and have family (read: husband/wife, kids). Also it's hard when your communication ability in Chinese is like a 5th grader's. Frustrating as hell when you can't express what you're thinking (I already have enough trouble as it is in English).

On to a happy thought
I got a new desk! I no longer have the ironing board as a desk. I have a real wooden desk, although small and can only fit my laptop, but hey, IT'S A DESK! Ah, the small pleasures in life. :) Now I have a hard surface where I can draw (need to get a desk lamp first, though) instead of using a pillow while sitting Indian style on the bed. I can technically get a chair, too, but I don't know if that's necessary. Who knows how long I'll be here, right?

Extracurricular Activitiy
People are setting my sister up with boys! And I get to go along and feel the awkwardness of the situation. Remind me never to have people set me up with boys. I think I'll just fumble along somehow. Or well, getting set up with boys isn't necessarily bad, but it just makes it awkward when both sides know that they're getting set up, so you go into the situation thinking, "Hmm, this could be my potential gf/bf, I should be on my best behavior and make sure s/he's not some sketchy doode/tte." With that kind of mentality, how can things not be awkward? You're constantly checking each other out and reading too much into each other's little behaviors or words, and not to mention, worrying about saying the wrong things or making a bad impression. It doesn't matter if it's meeting up for a meal or just standing around his little store "chit chatting" with other people around. Awkward is awkward.

At least for the bystander (me). :P But I'm never any good with socializing (especially around strangers), so maybe it was just me. BUT! We shall see how things go with these two doodes for my sister. :P

After Thought
Oh man, if she gets a bf, then I'm going to be the gawddamn fifth wheel. WOE.

Seriously time to get out if that happens. :P

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Happy early Single's Awareness Day!

新年快樂!!! It's the year of the rat ... which means ... eh, I don't know what it means exactly, but yah ... :P

Anyway, currently in Chia-Yi chilling with the relatives. It's the first time I've been back here for Chinese New Year in the past four years. Relatives, especially the young cousins on my dad's side, have really changed. I couldn't recognize a lot of them last night when we went out to dinner. I was so confused because there were a lot of new faces and old faces that just looked different. So, it was a confusing night. And I was also stressing because I didn't have enough Red Envelopes for all the kiddies. So, the new faces didn't get any. >.< Oopsies. Met some cousins (or were they uncles?) that I'd never met before. It's been 22 years! And I'm just meeting them. How strange. :P

Today we went to sweep the graves of my great grandma, grandpa, and grandma. It's always a weird thing for me whenever I go because I never remember what I have to do. And 拜拜 (bai bai) isn't what I'm used to doing either. We also had to go to temples to bai bai as well, and that's even weirder for me. I'm used to having my mom just handing me the incense sticks (香 ... I don't know if that's the right word in English) and telling me to bai to whoever. Aih. It was a walk in the dark this time around without my parents here. But yah, there were like 30 people from my dad's side when we went to sweep my grandpa and great grandma's grave. Soooo many people. Crazy. Got to hear some stories about my grandpa who I didn't get to meet since he passed away before I was born, and we don't hear much about him. Those two graves were kept clean by the people who take care of the graveyard, but my grandma's is in a different location, and because it's more or less free, there's nobody to do the cleaning. So we had to weed out the grave, clear the dirt and mud from the area in front of the grave, etc. It was busy and messy work, but always interesting and an experience.

It's good to know that I've somewhat grown older and graduated from having to "build the house" to just having to collect rocks, except for when we're at our grandma's since we are still the youngest generation.

So many traditions and old stories about the family that I don't know, and I doubt I'll ever know more than 50% of them. But I guess that's why coming back once in a while is a good thing - get to learn a little bit more about the family before the ones who can tell us the stories are gone. Going back to Chia-Yi's no longer such a chore as I found it to be when I was younger. I wonder why. What's changed? Me? My mentality? Have I matured?! *Gasp* Who woulda thought. :P

Meh. Anyway, it's Chinese New Year so it's time for celebration and food! No more sad or serious thoughts. :)

Been taking lots of pictures of foods, so be prepared for a crapload of food pics when I get back to Taipei. (Edit: Too lazy to post them on the blog, so they're here at flickr .. check 'em out for food pix!)

Hope everyone has a good year of the rat! Be safe!

Been busy these past couple of days - busy eating, that is. :P The weekend was spent outside hopping from restaurant to restaurant (kinda).

Today we met up with some old family friends - kids and parents. Our parents worked together in D.C., and I realized afterwards that that was more than 10 years ago. Everyone looks the same, not much change there. There were six of us, including me and my sister. Two out of five are in graduate school, one's taking a post-college/pre-teaching-classes hiatus, and three are working, and one is getting married! Marrrrrried! I think it's safe to say that she's the first person of us kids from D.C. getting married. :P It's insane how much has changed in the past 10 years, and yet not really. I guess it's more shocking for the parents because the last time some of them saw us was more than 5 years ago when we were all still in school at some stage.

Wonder where we'll be in ten years time - I think we should have another reunion. :P

I still think it's funny how the parents were encouraging us kids to go ktving, but I kinda had to be the party pooper because I have work tomorrow (while everyone else is on vacation T~T), so we ended up getting tea instead. It's good to see how much or little everyone's changed after a long period of time .....

The parents (minus ours)

The kids at tea (minus our photographer Alan)

Alan! and his sis, Vivian.

I should find pictures from way back then and do before and after pics .... haha. Although I swear we haven't changed that much. ^^