ode to lovely

h to the allow

Holidays are the worse time to be away from home. It just doesn't feel like Halloween today. It is 85 degrees outside, for starters (it's probably 55 back home).  And I mean, it's not Halloween unless I am wearing something ridiculous and stumbling down M street with all my friends. I have seen a few random restaurants with Halloween decorations. But I have yet to hear about any costume parties or crazy bar crawls. So this year I guess I will spend Halloween at home, costume-less, and with memories of Halloweens past.

what else

I went to a house party this weekend. First house party since arriving here. Mostly all foreigners. Well, americans and aussies and brits, but here we are the foreigners. I went with Randi, who is the cutest thing ever. I've decided no one rocks two pigtails like she does.

What else. I am working on Dare 109. But because I don't scrapbook anymore, it's taking me forever to crank it out. I miss my scrapbooking friends. Do any of you want to fly over here for a scrap night? I'll provide the beer, if you can provide some new thickers.

What else. I talked to my dear friend Kate at 5am this morning.  I couldn't sleep and she was actually there to pick up my call. When I call home, so many people screen their calls, and when they see a random number, they don't pick up. So thank you Kate for not screening. And friends, if you see a random # that starts with 886...dude, pick up cause its me!

What else. I made this awesome friend a few weeks ago. And she is now my langauage exchange. I teach her English. She teaches me Chinese. Perfect. She's freaking awesome. I met with her for 4 hours yesterday. And she helped me so much. Now I can say things like, "no i haven't eaten dinner yet." or "the postman already came earlier this morning." Little accomplishments. And of course I taught her how to say "dude" and "nerd" and other random words that I use daily.

What else. I'm in the process of visa issues. You never think about this stuff until you run off to another country and realize you can't stay here unless you have permission. Trying to figure this shit out is complicated. But if I can find the right solution then I think I'll be able to spend Christmas with my family. Which would rock, of course.

What else. Ehh, I think that's it. Let's get this Monday started, shall we? Off I go. 

eta: I went with Lure. So congrats Katie. Cool stuff coming your way!

they really love me

my family sent me a care package before leaving for Turkey last week. i think they sent me one for two reasons.

1. they miss me and want to send me some usa love
2. they feel guilty that they are vacationing in Turkey without me

Especially since going to Turkey this year was MY idea. But I'm not bitter, I swear.

Inside the big white box:

1. sour patch kids. my favorites. and totally unavailable here.
2. skittles, available at most 7-11s, BUT the green one taste different here.
3. jolly ranchers, totally random, but i think my dad was thinking back to my 7th grade obsession with said candy. oh dad, you silly man.
4. socks. i guarantee this is my mom's idea. why i need socks in 100 degree weather, I don't know, but I still love them.
5. my bathing suits. how i forgot them in the first place, i have no idea. i mean, hello, i knew i was coming to live on a freaking island. stupid me.
6. sewing thread. white, beige, and pink. true essentials. thank you mom. nothing like american quality threads.
7. and my favorite working-out undies from American Eagle. I would never post about freaking underwear unless it was well worth a shout out.

Tomorrow, I am going swimming. Or "yo-yong" as it is called in Chinese. Did I mention they MAKE you wear a swim cap here? Even if you're just hanging out and not swimming laps. So ridiculous. But, when in Rome Taiwan, right?

ps. i'll keep the quilt-naming contest open until the end of the weekend.

done and done

I finished this one about two weeks ago. I used a Japanese cherry blossom print for the back. And used scraps from my first quilt for the binding. Everything was done on my lovely Bernina, even the binding. I tried hand-stitching the binding, but I almost started crying from frustrationg after about 10 minutes. So machine-quilt I did, and I am happy with the results.

Here is a close up of the free-motion quilting. Second time doing it. And not only is it getting easier, but i'm learning to make bigger "loops" so that it doesn't take me 3 days like it did the first time.

This quilt doesn't have a name. So, the person who comes up with the coolest name will get a little taiwan-inspired package from me. It might have fabric. It might have paper. It might even have some prints with chinese characters all over it. I haven't decided. Let the games begin!

Sneak peeks of quilt #4 coming soon. If you like pink, you will like the new one.

the lonely snapshot

I've been really bad about documenting the last few months here. My expensive camera has been living in a closet for weeks now, with no love from its owner. Matt told me last night that if don't start using it again that he would steal it from me. So today, I dusted it off and took this lonely shot. A snapshot into my world. My Chinese book. My favorite pencil. The eraser that I can't live without. And my homework for today's class. Welcome to my world.

tuesday

I want to play outside. I want to wear galoshes for no good reason. I want to stay in pajamas and quilt. And scrapbook. And take pictures of nothing. I want to go out in search of inspiration. I want to find beauty in the insignificant details. I want to run around in my underwear and dance to all the songs that constantly play in my head. I want to do nothing. But at the same time do everything. I want to take  a step back from the everyday routine and just be free. I want to live today with no restrictions. No to-do lists. And no one telling me what to do, or where to be. If only it were that easy.

today's good/bad list

Good

• new week, fresh start
• the weather has been awesome lately
• i am a few hand stitches away from finishing this

Bad

• my little friend passed away.  he was given a proper toilet funeral.
• the redskins lost yesterday.
• i wasn't able to see them play because dammit, i don't get football here.

10-10

I sit at home, all dressed up, and with nowhere to go. I had somewhere to go. But then Matt and I got in a fight. So he went. And I stayed. Fights have been common here in Taiwan. Living in a new place comes with its share of adjustments. But I'm hoping the fights end soon because I really miss the old us.

On a positive note, I had a day off from school today. 10-10 is a holiday here so I spent the day quilting and relaxing. I was so happy to have  a day off from freaking class. Lately, I have been feeling incredibly frustrated with school. I don't seem to be picking it up as fast as I did in the beginning. It's such a complex language and I constantly have doubts in my abilities to learn. But deep down inside I know I can do this. I just have to keep reminding myself that I can.

the recent details

• Matt is obsessed with Grand Theft Auto.
• We ordered pizza for the first time.
• I did well in class today.
• Very inspired by Dare 111.
• Want to paint my fingernails dark purple.
• My brother is so freaking clever.
• Matt bought me the coolest phone ever.
• I skipped class on Friday and it felt good.
• I want to do Ali's week in the life project.
• My quilt is almost done. Need to learn how to bind it.
• Flickr is amazing. I'm in love all over again.
• Life is what you make of it.

ni hao october

As you can see, I am practicing my "asian" pose today. I have no idea why everyone here does the damn peace sign in every freaking picture. To be honest, I think it's quite dumb. Yet sometimes I find myself doing it anyways. Mostly because I'd be the odd man out if I didn't.  Anyways...

I am very happy to welcome a new month today. I have big plans for October. New workout routines. New methods of studying. New creative projects. And the completion of quilt #3. And in honor of a new month, I straightened my hair for the first time in about a month. It is finally reaching a ponytail length and I couldn't be happier. And soon it will be at a length where I can wear it wavy again. Superb, I say.