ode to lovely

found: the others

Today, as I was looking for restaurants for Manuel's birthday dinner, I came across a random guy's blog about living in Taiwan. From there, I read on, and found a link to some random girl's blog and her experiences here too. So, I kept reading, and clicking, and felt fascinated by other foreigner's perspectives about Taiwan. I'm sad to admit it, but I spent a good 2-3 hours reading blogs but never once did it feel like it was time wasted.

I was impressed on how open these bloggers were, even discussing Taiwanese issues that I tend to shy away from. I can be a very opinionated person and in order to not offend anyone, I steer away from touchy subjects. Plus, after reading about a Taiwanese blogger who was fined and put in detention for expressing her negative views, it scared me a bit. As an American, I am used to having freedom of speech. Sure, defamation is one thing. But being honest about an experience is another. Sometimes I wish I could speak up more, discuss issues like politics, religion, body-image, inter-cultural dating, foreigners in Asia, stereotypes, discrimination, love, etc. Maybe I'll start. Maybe I won't. Regardless, it was just nice to read other people's opinions and reflect back on my three years here.

the one who is yet to be named

This is the cute, furry, and tiny addition to our home. She is all black with white paws and white under her chin too. And no, I am not strangling her, it just looks that way in the picture. She is a cuddle bug, she loves to suckle on my tummy because she thinks I'm her mommy, and has the cutest meow I have ever heard. Needless to say, I am head over heals in love with her. Now, all that is left, is finding her a perfect name.

ayer, hoy, mañana

Yesterday:

• I had amazing 1.5 hour facial/massage and it only cost me $30. I love Taiwan!
• Manuel's mom and I found a baby kitten under a parked car. Looks like we have a new addition to the family.
• I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art for the first time. Highly recommend it.

Today:

• I had a very important 10am meeting that I think went very well. 
• Was the first time I wore eye make up since my Lasik Surgery. Only mascara. Baby steps.
• I took the baby kitten to the vet to get her cleaned up. Doc says she's healthy so far. 
• I spent the majority of the afternoon reading Harry Potter Book 4 and watching Gilmore Girls S2.

Tomorrow:

• We have Lisa's birthday party to attend. Last year the theme was The 60s nd this year the theme is Famous People. I can't wait to get in costume. I wanted to be Kim Jong-il,but unforunately, I couldn't find the right outfit/wig Maybe next year.
• I will post a picture of the kitten that still needs to be named. For now, I'm calling her MeiMei.

the bad and the good

What a day/week I have had! Check it:

Bad #1: I died my hair yesterday and it turned out black. I was going for medium brown and it came out JET black. The worse part is that its a very dull black and not a shiny healthy black. 

Bad #2: Our fridge has been broken for a week. Our landlord FINALLY got someone to come take a look at it, but the repair man ended up leaving before even setting foot in our home to check out the problem. Why, you ask? See Bad #3.

Bad #3: Our landlord broke our door lock by trying to force a key through the slot. So, I got home to find a frustrated repair guy, an angry landlord, and no solutions to any of my problems.

Bad #4: Due to all these problems, I got in a yelling match with my landlord. 

Bad #5: This wasn't my only yelling match this week. Earlier I had it out with Pure Yoga. TWICE.

Bad #6: Something is rotting or has died in our apartment. The worse part is...we can't find said problem. We can SMELL something horrible, yet, our search efforts have all failed. 

But among the bad, there have been a lot of good moments too.

Good #1: I found a super cheap nail salon just 1 block from my house. I got my toes done in a pretty shade of purple for only $7. And I practiced my Chinese for 1 hour. SCORE! 

Good #2: The concert last night was actually quite fun. We were able to meet the rapper and hangout out in the VIP section of the crowd. 

Good #3: Manuel's mom is arriving today. She will be here for 10 days and we have lots of fun trips and touristy things planned. It is her first time in Asia. And also my first time meeting her. And yes, I am nervous. 

Good #4: My eyes are adjusting quickly and smoothly. I love not having to take out my contacts after a long day. The surgery is truly life changing. 

Good #5 It's Friday.  Another week is done. I survived. And I am happy. 

oh june, you have kept me busy

I have really missed blogging. Actually, I have really missed documenting about my daily adventures. Lately, I feel like I've had so much to talk about, so many stories to tell, and never enough time to do so. Plus, not being able to get on the computer after my surgery really set me back a few days. Even right now as I type this, I should really be getting ready for my date tonight with the boy tonight. We are going to check out a concert of some famous Taiwanese rapper...should be super interesting. More later!

Lasik Surgery - thoughts

I finally took the plunge and had Lasik surgery last Wednesday.

The day of the surgery was absolutely crazy and stressful and made me second guess my decision to have the surgery. Long story short, my debit card (from my American bank) decided to stop working and I spent the entire morning/early afternoon trying to find ways to get the money out from the US bank and into my hands in here in Taiwan. I ended up using Western Union and had to go to SEVEN banks (all of which claimed they had Western Union) here before finding one that had their system up and running. 

During the stress of it all, I kept thinking: Is this a sign that I shouldn't do the surgery?

I've already backed out of Lasik once before (about 3.5 years ago) and so I figured, why not back out again. I called Manuel, crying, stressed, and 90% determined that this was all a sign from God. Poor Manuel tried his best to calm me down, but nothing worked. So, I decided to go home and take a nap and see how I felt when I woke up.

When I woke up, Manuel was already at home and ready to pick me up for the surgery. I was still very nervous about the whole thing, but the nap had really helped calm my nerves. 

When I arrived at the doctors, I kept telling the nurses over and over how nervous I was. And they kept telling me over and over again that I had nothing to worry about. And then, it all happened so fast. Before I knew it, I was in scrubs and lying on my back next to two fancy hi-tech machines. 

The procedure was incredibly fast and painless. It was uncomfortable at times, but I never really felt pain - not even the days following the surgery. I did, however, feel (and still do feel) a lot of dryness. Air conditioning makes it worse and waking up in the mornings is my least favorite part of the day. But everyday gets better and I'm hopeful that the dryness will completely go away soon.

So, are my eyes 20/20? I would say about 95% there. I have really bad astigmatism and my right eye (or 'righty' as I like to call it) is not cooperating as well as the left one. The doctor says these kinds of small issues tweak themselves out over time and I just need to be patient. Although the difference is small, it does feel uncomfortable at times that one eye sees slightly better than the other. But I'm trying to stay hopeful that it will normalize and stabilize in the upcoming weeks. 

For now, I'm still taking it easy and resting my eyes as much as possible. I'm not watching TV or reading, staying away from the computer as much as possible, and making time for daily naps on the couch while listening to Harry Potter book 4. I'll return to my normal schedule on Wednesday, but for now, I'm going to milk this for another 2 days. More later. Happy Monday!

1, 2, 3 years in Taiwan

This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. I'm spinning in cicles, twirling, dancing, happy and free. I love the balloons. I love the movement. I love how Karolina pops up in the left corner. And you can see the palm trees and the campus in the background. It's me in the present moment.

On the day this picture was taken, I celebrated my 3rd anniversary of arriving in Taipei.

THREE YEARS? How did that happen?

I can still remember my exact feelings the first time I got off the plane and I took my first steps in Taiwan. I remember walking outside and how the humidty felt like a punch in the face. I remember getting in the cab and not being able to understand a single word of what the taxi driver was saying to me. I remember feeling excited, and nervous, and scared, and confused. I remember how difficult it was to eat out alone, not understanding the menus, not being able to read Chinese, and not knowing where to go. I remember my first day of Chinese class and how nervous I was to embark on what I thought to be an impossible journey. I will forever cherish those first few memories because now I can look back to see how far I've traveled.

I love you Taiwan. Thank you for all the laughs, tears, and learning experiences. And amazing friends you have given me. I am so thankful for this journey. Three years. 2008-2011. Crazy how time flies. 

officially finito

I had not one, but two graduations this weekend. The first was the school wide one, for both undergrad and grad students. As you can see from the photo, I decided to be a little rebel and stand on the chairs in the middle of the ceremony. It was an amazing experience to sit among mostly Taiwanese students and enjoy an entire graduation ceremony in Chinese. It was a truly memorable experience.

Then on Sunday, we had our own special MBA ceremony. Here I am accepting my diploma with the dean and associate dean of our program. Good times.

Then, we went to take a few pictures by the library. SO happy we stole the balloons...makes the picture 100X better, don't you think?

Then, in the 100 degree weather, we scooted to 101 to take some pictures with the iconic building of Taipei. Can you tell how sweaty I am? Sweaty and happy. :)

And last, but not least, with my favorite boy and my amazing photographer for the weekend. So thankful that he took so many amazing pictures of me. It was a great weekend. And now, this chapter is officially DONEZO...wooo!

sieze the day

Today, I'm letting go. 

Letting go of expectations, rules, and negative feelings. I'm going to let acceptance enter my world and not be angry about the things I cannot change.

Today, I'm going to focus on the good. I'm not going to angry that I got soaking wet in my morning scoot, or that I am low on money and can only afford fried rice for lunch, or that a ticket home could cost me as much as my Lasik eye surgery.

Nope. Today, I'm going to look on the bright side. I'm going to sieze the day, put down the feelings of disappointment, and be happy for leaving a lasting and positive influence where it was needed.

Today, I'm going to put on my brave face and just attack the day ahead. Here goes!

hello junebug

The weekend was straight up insane. So many ups and downs, points of utter joy and complete frustration. But the good news is that a friend of ours found our camera. There is always a bright side! 

Today, I ran out of money. You might think I'm exaggerating, but unfortunately, I am not. I couldn't even take money out from the ATM because apparently my card has been accidentally de-magnetized. So there I was, 1pm and hungry, and with 24 kuai ($0.75) to my name. Oh did I mention you can't use credit cards at most restaurants here in Taiwan...just awesome! Luckily, my friend Lourdes bailed me out from my misery and treated me to lunch. Thank god for good friends.

I wish I had more interesting things to talk about today, but I'm dealing with a lot of stress lately. Lots of anxiety, lots of uncertainty, lots of frustrations, and luckily lots of yoga to get me through it all. Thank god for yoga and for long runs at the gym.