My mom said I should stay in the loop with work in my university degree. I wouldn’t mind if I could find a job that fits me. Either one where I have a good amount of free time or one that I’m truly interested in. Right now, it’s a all a bunch of work for something I’m not interested in. I want to put my time into furthering something that I have interests in. My retirement plan doesn’t look so easy going down this path but everyday I have some freedom. Not just Friday night.

I made that decision. I met with my boss on Tuesday and let her know I want to stay in Taiwan this summer and work. I told her before I was planning on traveling. Well, Now I’ll be working a month and have a month off. Maybe I will buy that bike.

Since I got back from the States I haven’t been able to get back into my routine. I haven’t been to wushu practice in over a week. The same goes for the library and I lost my meditation streak a while ago. I have recently discover skateboarding in Taipei. This turns out to be really cool. The police ignore skateboarders like they do people running red lights and the street vendors in the night markets. The only places you can’t skate are in the fancy areas like Xinyi shopping district, where you wouldn’t want to skate anyways. There is a skate spot right down the street from my house which I’ve seen before. I’ve seen skaters there before but never took much interest to check out the scene. Not until I rode up with my board and said what up to the other skaters. I found Taipei is a cool place to skate. There a few spots I want to go find now. Oh, I think I am the only longboarder skateboarder in Taipei.

I went skating around Ximen the past three nights. The people aren’t used to seeing somebody cruising down the street. They aren’t really ready for it I think. My skateboard has already been runover by some old Taiwanese man on his motorcycle. He had a bewildered look on his face, like what is this foreigner doing look. I was just happy my board was in one piece. There’s this small hill that’s like a wave. Perfect for me, just wish it was bigger.

These days I’m pretty acceptant to change. It really is best to adapt to a situation quickly rather than be stuck in the past. What I’ve realized is that I need to blend where I’ve come from with where I’m going. From home I got the beach in me (surfing, skating and a chill nature), hip hop (flamboyance, addiction to lyrics and an ill beat) and a sense of awareness (I notice others around me with an open eye and mind). What else, a way of thinking and I can’t break down the rest.

Everyone drifts sometime. Whether it’s for a few days, weeks or months. Do you need a plan of attack? It’s up to you and what you want to be. It seems I’ve been drifting these days. I do want to get back on track. I think that means just setting my course. Like adjusting the direction the boat is sailing. Sometimes it’s good to get off course though. It may help you see things in a different light.

One more thing. It’s good to prepare and make copies. It’s bad to not finish a job. I slept outside because of that. Since then, I’ve put the key outside the door. I’ll apply this lesson whenever I can. I did get to go to CKS Memorial before sunrise and take in the sights. Seeing all the morning goers. Having a nap in the middle of the big open court. I’m optimisitic about things just like my friend Lulu.

I think I came to my decision. Do you ever see signs that make you think one way or another? Or signs that let you know you are on the right path. Today I saw a couple. Let’s see if I can remember. When I was studying this morning, I found this example sentence in my dictionary. 有錢，才能去。(You can only go if you have money.) Another was when I went shopping on my way home from work (clearence sale you know). I went to buy a pair of gloves but they were sold out. I ended up buying a winter jacket. When I bought the jacket I got a two free pairs of socks. I didn’t want the socks. I went to another branch and they had the gloves. I got the gloves and then I saw my same jacket but it was a little different style. It costed only $10 more retail but wasn’t on sale as much. I was thinking about buying it but my decision was made easy when I saw I left my wallet at home. In the end I’m happy, got the gloves I wanted and a nice jacket.

My Goal

When I was young my goal was to be a professional baseball player and buy my mom a big house when I made it rich. When I was 13 years old or so playing in little league they started throwing the ball crazy fast and I was scared. In college, I enjoyed making graphics on the computer (I made a few CD covers…) but didn’t change my major to graphics design. I thought I would always have to keep up with some technology to keep on point and that there were many people just as good or better than me. At somepoint in my lifetime I should not be scared to do something challenging. I want to be good at something. Some people might call it being an expert. Well, I have more than one interest. I enjoy Chinese language and culture. I’m going to learn it well and use it in my job. Whatever that job will be, I’m not sure yet. But I’m hoping that thing I enjoy is the key to finding work I enjoy.

When I was reading my book today, Chinese Idioms AND Their Stories (中国成语故事), I read an idiom called Going Astray (歧路亡羊). Literally, “a lamb going astray in forked roads.” It’s about one tending to get lost not because there is no path in front of him, but that there are too many. I want to master something…

I was thinking this morning for a long while about what should I do this summer. Go to China and study or stay in Taiwan and work.

I’ve been planning on going to Shenzhen to study and work part-time in a second cousin’s restaurant. With the money for that trip I could buy a bike. I could work this summer and travel in Taiwan.

I was thinking longterm too, like about the next two years. I have a goal! I will have to write about that later. For now, I have until Tuesday to make a decision for the summer.

It’s blazing hot in my room, humid too. I need to get a thermometer to tell you exactly how warm it is. My room gets the extremes. I’m determined not to use the a/c though. I’m not sure how long I’ll last. Summer will be 15 degrees hotter. Ah man.

Soon to Come

I don’t like to write during the daytime. I am a night writer. But I do want to wake up early. I have a lot to write about. I went home for 5 days and spent time with my family as my grandfather passed away. It was great to be home and see everyone though going home was for my grandpa passing away. I have to finish writing about my trip to Thailand. I have about 3 parts left. I rode an elephant like I was Mowgli the Man Cub from The Jungle Book. I also want to write about what brought me out here. Sometimes people ask questions but can’t understand because they just can’t understand. If I get this far, I can write about the differences I’ve noticed between home and here in Taiwan and China. Till then…