my last post i briefly touched on a situation between myself and a couple of friends which has been ongoing for some time. just to update, i finally had the 'talk' with these friends. again, i think it's only right that i don't go into great detail or name the friends, but the current situation really went back a lot further than i thought. about the time when i left taiwan. so, basically three years of shit had to brought kicking and screaming into the present in order to forge ahead into the future. it was a long conversation, full of tears and anger, but everything that needed to be said was said and i feel better for doing it. it also made me realize just how my decisions at the time really laid the foundation for friendship this time around...it's also made me realize that i may preach openness when it comes to communication, but i don't always practice it.
in the end, we all felt better for getting things off our chest and have decided that it's time to make a new start. reset. clean slate. friendship isn't always the dizzying highs and if there are problems, we need to communicate them to each other. it's going to time and effort, but the rewards in the end are nothing short of untold riches...and i feel damn good about that.
the party this weekend was great. i was a little worried about the guest list. i know the invitees, but there has always been a buffer friend between us so it always feels a little weird hanging out for the first time. honestly, the awkwardness evaporated in about ten seconds and it was just a good time. everyone kept commenting on how nice it was to hang out with some different people and what a good job leesh and i did in bringing together an excellent group. so, a huge success and now i have built or at least strengthened all these new relationships.
feels great to be sailing on the 'friend' ship once more.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
fall update
another month has passed and once again, i've neglected my blog. i've simply run out of excuses when it comes to updating and the real truth is, there really isn't all that much to report. however, this tiny voice inside me is urging me to post and post i shall to silence the wee bastard. and away we go...
i have been laying low over the last month. it's been another month of saving cash, well maybe not saving, but not spending. whichever way you want to slice it, i haven't been out and it's actually felt pretty good. more energy, mental clarity and more drive to do things. it kind of came at a good time as well because there really hasn't been much going on...just the time of year when school is back in full swing and halloween parties are still a long way off.
having the last month off from the social scene has also given me some time to re evaluate the people who i spend time with. without going into too much detail, there are some issues surrounding a couple individuals that need to be dealt with, but then i thought that i need to stop wasting time and energy thinking about these people all the time. i accommodate waaaaaay too much and the results end up with me being cranky and drained emotionally. i always start with ways to change my behaviour, 'cos every problem has two sides to it. when it comes to friendship, i give one hundred percent but ask for that in return. is that too much to ask? i'm finding out that for some, it is too much. so, i'm turning over a new leaf and doing what i want to do from now on...invites will always be extended but come or don't....i don't need to beg.
enough about that...what else, what else...our long and treacherous love affair with honda canada is at an end. we officially no longer lease our car and it feels great. a whole year has gone by with making payments and insurance on a car that we neither need nor use. frees up a ton of money which can now be used to shore up the savings account. add that on top of my increased salary at my job and we be rolling in it.
speaking of work, i've now a month under my belt and feeling more settled and relaxed. the first two weeks were disorganized and me trying to find my bearings. then it got better and this week was great. i'm working on some really exciting projects and using my creativity at full volume...feels fantastic. it's a little hard to believe that i work for the same company because the departments are like night and day. the pace, the stress, the boss...she is a normal, human being with thoughts and dreams and just plain cool. it's so nice to work for someone that i understand and can respect.
up and coming is our long overdue housewarming party next saturday which promises to be a lot of fun. we're keeping it casual....just good company, good conversation and good times are the major themes of the night. as such, we're trying to put the finishing touches on the apartment....some art, fixtures, etc to get the place shipshape. halloween is also just around the bend and looks like we'll be attending monster massive which looks incredible....benny benassi is coming to town for it so it will be a deadly night of music. not too sure what i plan on being for halloween yet, but i am taking into consideration where i will be and what i will be getting up to. it needs to be simple, movable and no accessories this year. just a costume, some makeup and nothing more. skeleton is looking more and more appealing.
also purchased our flights home for christmas so very excited for that. only have about nine days at home, but it's cool...going to be nice to soak in all the holiday season spirit and see our families. the only crap part is that we will have to fly out on january first late in the evening in order to make it back in time for work. oh well, we might have a...ahem...delayed flight along the way? yeah. that'll do.
think that does it for now...will update again postparty.
i have been laying low over the last month. it's been another month of saving cash, well maybe not saving, but not spending. whichever way you want to slice it, i haven't been out and it's actually felt pretty good. more energy, mental clarity and more drive to do things. it kind of came at a good time as well because there really hasn't been much going on...just the time of year when school is back in full swing and halloween parties are still a long way off.
having the last month off from the social scene has also given me some time to re evaluate the people who i spend time with. without going into too much detail, there are some issues surrounding a couple individuals that need to be dealt with, but then i thought that i need to stop wasting time and energy thinking about these people all the time. i accommodate waaaaaay too much and the results end up with me being cranky and drained emotionally. i always start with ways to change my behaviour, 'cos every problem has two sides to it. when it comes to friendship, i give one hundred percent but ask for that in return. is that too much to ask? i'm finding out that for some, it is too much. so, i'm turning over a new leaf and doing what i want to do from now on...invites will always be extended but come or don't....i don't need to beg.
enough about that...what else, what else...our long and treacherous love affair with honda canada is at an end. we officially no longer lease our car and it feels great. a whole year has gone by with making payments and insurance on a car that we neither need nor use. frees up a ton of money which can now be used to shore up the savings account. add that on top of my increased salary at my job and we be rolling in it.
speaking of work, i've now a month under my belt and feeling more settled and relaxed. the first two weeks were disorganized and me trying to find my bearings. then it got better and this week was great. i'm working on some really exciting projects and using my creativity at full volume...feels fantastic. it's a little hard to believe that i work for the same company because the departments are like night and day. the pace, the stress, the boss...she is a normal, human being with thoughts and dreams and just plain cool. it's so nice to work for someone that i understand and can respect.
up and coming is our long overdue housewarming party next saturday which promises to be a lot of fun. we're keeping it casual....just good company, good conversation and good times are the major themes of the night. as such, we're trying to put the finishing touches on the apartment....some art, fixtures, etc to get the place shipshape. halloween is also just around the bend and looks like we'll be attending monster massive which looks incredible....benny benassi is coming to town for it so it will be a deadly night of music. not too sure what i plan on being for halloween yet, but i am taking into consideration where i will be and what i will be getting up to. it needs to be simple, movable and no accessories this year. just a costume, some makeup and nothing more. skeleton is looking more and more appealing.
also purchased our flights home for christmas so very excited for that. only have about nine days at home, but it's cool...going to be nice to soak in all the holiday season spirit and see our families. the only crap part is that we will have to fly out on january first late in the evening in order to make it back in time for work. oh well, we might have a...ahem...delayed flight along the way? yeah. that'll do.
think that does it for now...will update again postparty.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
back at it
my new job starts next week and i have to say that i am really looking forward to getting started. it's going to be nice to be doing something that i'm good at, get paid well to do it and flex some creative muscles again. it has been a long year teaching, which i honestly think i am not bad at, but it's really not for me. when i stop to consider the things i enjoy about teaching, it's actually the planning and finding new methods to teach so i guess my new job is going to be a perfect fit. one other positive thing that has come out of my retirement from teaching is that my previous employer wants to utilize my ideas so they've asked if i would be interested in doing a seminar/workshop in january. in essence, give some suggestions and share ideas with other teachers who were once my colleagues. it sounds like a very exciting opportunity and i am considering it heavily...could be the start of a side project or something...that's why i love taiwan...so many opportunities are out there.
speaking of opportunities i actually got one of my designs printed and out there. a couple of my friends are in a burlesque troupe here in taiwan and they were in need so i took a crack at it. came up with a simple, retro pinup girl which fit the bill. it wasn't anything too fancy but i was really happy with the way it came out. so, i didn't ask for payment this time but have gotten some recognition and hopefully it will start to snowball from here. i really enjoy the challenge and creative process so fingers crossed that it turns into more. i'm still considering getting some courses under my belt, not only for qualification purposes but also so i have a better understanding of creative mumbo jumbo. i keep saying that i will take these courses, but keep putting it off as there is always something else that needs to come first. c'est la vie.
as for putting things off, elisha and i decided that it's high time we start to make our house a 'home'. got the ball rolling yesterday by making a list of all the things we could add, improve upon, or repurpose in our place. most of the changes are cosmetic, displaying some photos and art as well as changing things around a bit. we've also decided to slip cover our peeling leather sofa and replace a couple pieces of furniture to give us more space. after making some decisions i mocked up how things might look with photoshop and i gotta say, the place is going to look suave. the idea is to get everything in place before we have our housewarming party which has been put off again and again. the main theme is to blow our friends minds when they walk in the door. dreams of grandeur? perhaps but sometimes dreams have to be lived. on the serious, it's going to be nice to have some peeps around to relax and make them green with envy over our totally rad apartment...lol.
not too much on the social scene this weekend...going to a friends' tonight for beer, pizza and garden while introducing a pair of potential roommates. i mentioned in my last post that a friend had recently returned to taiwan after a four year hiatus, well she is need of accommodation. she is currently schlepping it from somewhere in the mountains of xindian all the way to xinyi/dunhua and that is quite a hike. my other friends' place is a mere three blocks from her job and it just so happens that one of the ladies if heading out on a backpacking adventure for a few months so it's perfect timing. it's not permanent, but it will allow my recently arrived friend to find her feet, save some money and then find something. gotta love it when things like this happen and you can help out two quality people at the same time.
think that about does it...going to try and update more often once i'm back on a regular work sched...until next time.
speaking of opportunities i actually got one of my designs printed and out there. a couple of my friends are in a burlesque troupe here in taiwan and they were in need so i took a crack at it. came up with a simple, retro pinup girl which fit the bill. it wasn't anything too fancy but i was really happy with the way it came out. so, i didn't ask for payment this time but have gotten some recognition and hopefully it will start to snowball from here. i really enjoy the challenge and creative process so fingers crossed that it turns into more. i'm still considering getting some courses under my belt, not only for qualification purposes but also so i have a better understanding of creative mumbo jumbo. i keep saying that i will take these courses, but keep putting it off as there is always something else that needs to come first. c'est la vie.
as for putting things off, elisha and i decided that it's high time we start to make our house a 'home'. got the ball rolling yesterday by making a list of all the things we could add, improve upon, or repurpose in our place. most of the changes are cosmetic, displaying some photos and art as well as changing things around a bit. we've also decided to slip cover our peeling leather sofa and replace a couple pieces of furniture to give us more space. after making some decisions i mocked up how things might look with photoshop and i gotta say, the place is going to look suave. the idea is to get everything in place before we have our housewarming party which has been put off again and again. the main theme is to blow our friends minds when they walk in the door. dreams of grandeur? perhaps but sometimes dreams have to be lived. on the serious, it's going to be nice to have some peeps around to relax and make them green with envy over our totally rad apartment...lol.
not too much on the social scene this weekend...going to a friends' tonight for beer, pizza and garden while introducing a pair of potential roommates. i mentioned in my last post that a friend had recently returned to taiwan after a four year hiatus, well she is need of accommodation. she is currently schlepping it from somewhere in the mountains of xindian all the way to xinyi/dunhua and that is quite a hike. my other friends' place is a mere three blocks from her job and it just so happens that one of the ladies if heading out on a backpacking adventure for a few months so it's perfect timing. it's not permanent, but it will allow my recently arrived friend to find her feet, save some money and then find something. gotta love it when things like this happen and you can help out two quality people at the same time.
think that about does it...going to try and update more often once i'm back on a regular work sched...until next time.
Monday, August 23, 2010
staycation +
just wanted to update about what's been going on lately. been back to work now for a full week, but prior to that got to enjoy a two-week break from the grind. we decided this year to just stay put and take in the city...lounge in her parks, eat in her restaurants and explore the hidden corners and well-known favourites. so that's exactly what we did. slept in every morning, took in different areas of the city, napped, swam, went to the beach, and even went for a bike ride. all in all, it was a great two weeks off and nice to be one of those people i envy when taking the bus to work. you know those people, the kind you think to yourself how come they get to hang out in that cafe? well, i was that guy for two weeks. of course, it would have been fine to get away for a couple of weeks to some tropical locale, but honestly it was great to reconnect with taipei rather than racing through the day and regular routines.
now it's back to work and of course, feels like i never left. the good news is that my summer schedule is ending after this week which means a shift back to reality once more. i've really enjoyed the hours this summer but i also enjoy my usual schedule. just more results from students and more that i can do with them...overall, just being more effective.
in other news, we've had a friend both leave and another come back into our lives. kind of juicy news for the friend who left so i'll start there. this couple we have known here (foreigners) have been together for about 8 years and got engaged soon after we arrived. they ended up having a wedding ceremony and we meant to be heading home to the states to get married this week. turns out, the wedding is off and one of the couple has left taiwan for good to return to the states. it was shocking to hear at first, but after some consideration it wasn't too big of a surprise. even though i didn't know them all that well, there were certain telltale signs that things weren't really working out between them...what i mean to say is that they were growing apart and seemed to be leading very independant lives. anyway, that's even red hot gossip and i do feel pretty bad for the both of them. but time as they say, heals all wounds.
on a much better note, a good friend of ours has returned to taiwan once again. steph arrived on thursday night and we basically picked up right we were left off. hung out on friday night with some drinks in the park and caught up in the four years that we've been apart. we have her back for a year and it's nice to round out the social circle a little more.
now it's back to work and of course, feels like i never left. the good news is that my summer schedule is ending after this week which means a shift back to reality once more. i've really enjoyed the hours this summer but i also enjoy my usual schedule. just more results from students and more that i can do with them...overall, just being more effective.
in other news, we've had a friend both leave and another come back into our lives. kind of juicy news for the friend who left so i'll start there. this couple we have known here (foreigners) have been together for about 8 years and got engaged soon after we arrived. they ended up having a wedding ceremony and we meant to be heading home to the states to get married this week. turns out, the wedding is off and one of the couple has left taiwan for good to return to the states. it was shocking to hear at first, but after some consideration it wasn't too big of a surprise. even though i didn't know them all that well, there were certain telltale signs that things weren't really working out between them...what i mean to say is that they were growing apart and seemed to be leading very independant lives. anyway, that's even red hot gossip and i do feel pretty bad for the both of them. but time as they say, heals all wounds.
on a much better note, a good friend of ours has returned to taiwan once again. steph arrived on thursday night and we basically picked up right we were left off. hung out on friday night with some drinks in the park and caught up in the four years that we've been apart. we have her back for a year and it's nice to round out the social circle a little more.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
things are looking up
summer has arrived! the day is longer, the weather much warmer and the whole city just seems to be soaking in the summer. along with the change in the weather has also come changes in schedule and lifestyle. i'm now working the summer camp which means getting up early 5 days a week, but also means that i finish up by 4:30. so, instead of seeing the sun in short bursts i now get a full two hours after work. feels great and of course, the upcoming money won't also be too bad.
i've also started to go to the gym this week. been blasting my delts, quads and all the rest in an effort to try and shed a few pounds. just completed day 3 and so far, so good. i have also combined this gym routine with some better dietary choices...the increase in energy is already starting to work, but this could just be a case of mind over matter. whatev, as long as it works, i'm down with it. working out has also given me reason to not think about the lack of money in july due to our recent move. really takes the edge off of worrying when you're literally sweating buckets instead of figuratively.
speaking of money, something quite interesting happened last night, or at least drew to a close. my story starts back about 3 months ago when i started receiving nasty correspondence and voicemails regarding an unpaid student loan. i finally decided to call and sort things out and was told i had to pay back $1200 dating from a loan taken out in 1996! it smelled fishy right from the start, especially since all my loans were supposed to be officially paid in full january 2008. i sort of let things slide over the last couple of months as i really didn't see the need to start paying back something which was already a decade past due. however, revenue canada didn't see it my way and has been harassing me ever since.
last night, i decided it was time to look into this a little more. i called back the number left on VM and they asked about payment dates and the rest, but when i responded by asking for supporting documents to verify that this loan was still outstanding, i was directed to another service. i posed the same questions to their representative who probed a little deeper. to make a long story short, she contacted the issuing bank and it turns out that the loan has in fact, been paid and that i am in the clear. i'm still a little in shock about it but it still feels good to know that i was right.
i don't know, but maybe, just maybe these small changes i'm making in my life are starting to pay off. maybe it's the exercise, or the extra working hours i've put in. maybe it's the fact i'm showering before bed but whatever it is, i just hope that it continues 'cos things are most definitely looking up.
i've also started to go to the gym this week. been blasting my delts, quads and all the rest in an effort to try and shed a few pounds. just completed day 3 and so far, so good. i have also combined this gym routine with some better dietary choices...the increase in energy is already starting to work, but this could just be a case of mind over matter. whatev, as long as it works, i'm down with it. working out has also given me reason to not think about the lack of money in july due to our recent move. really takes the edge off of worrying when you're literally sweating buckets instead of figuratively.
speaking of money, something quite interesting happened last night, or at least drew to a close. my story starts back about 3 months ago when i started receiving nasty correspondence and voicemails regarding an unpaid student loan. i finally decided to call and sort things out and was told i had to pay back $1200 dating from a loan taken out in 1996! it smelled fishy right from the start, especially since all my loans were supposed to be officially paid in full january 2008. i sort of let things slide over the last couple of months as i really didn't see the need to start paying back something which was already a decade past due. however, revenue canada didn't see it my way and has been harassing me ever since.
last night, i decided it was time to look into this a little more. i called back the number left on VM and they asked about payment dates and the rest, but when i responded by asking for supporting documents to verify that this loan was still outstanding, i was directed to another service. i posed the same questions to their representative who probed a little deeper. to make a long story short, she contacted the issuing bank and it turns out that the loan has in fact, been paid and that i am in the clear. i'm still a little in shock about it but it still feels good to know that i was right.
i don't know, but maybe, just maybe these small changes i'm making in my life are starting to pay off. maybe it's the exercise, or the extra working hours i've put in. maybe it's the fact i'm showering before bed but whatever it is, i just hope that it continues 'cos things are most definitely looking up.
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