LittleBuddhaTW

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARY!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Yikes, it's been a long time since I've updated this ... Anyway, so I've been watching the Little League World Series. The final game was today, and Team USA (from Columbus, GA) defeated the team from Kawaguchi, Japan, with a final score of 2-1. I was pulling for the team from Oregon to win (since that's where Kitty lives! ), but they were defeated in the US Championship game. There were a couple really outstanding players from both teams, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw them in the majors a few years down the road. I've read a lot of stuff from sports 'commentators' who have been complaining that the LL World Series shouldn't be televised, how it put unnecessary pressure on the kids, was just an avenue for them to show off, blah blah blah. After seeing the incredible displays of good sportsmanship by the Georgia team when they won (and from many of the other teams), I think the LL belongs on ESPN a helluva lot more than so-called 'professional' baseball, where steroid abuse is rampant and the players make millions of dollars to act like arrogant pricks. The kids are much more genuine, are excited about the game, displayed incredible sportsmanship (I think the Georgia team hugged the Japanese kids more than each other), and are out there to have fun. No wonder attendance at big league games is so low, and the games at the LL World Series were all jam-packed. The LL program is excellent, and I'm glad that I had that experience when I was a kid. I still haven't found a job yet, and I have to admit, I'm getting very frustrated. The whole experience has put me in a bit of a funk, and I think that's a big reason why I haven't gotten Ch. 26 of SOOTB finished yet. I can't write when I'm in a crappy mood. It's almost halfway done, though, so it shouldn't be too much longer. But the job thing ... *sigh* ... it's really dragging me down. Everyone I talked to before I made the decision to come back told me how I'd have people beating down my door and how many jobs there are for fluent Chinese speakers. Well, the latter is true ... there are quite a few jobs ... but I haven't gotten any of them yet. And it's making me very moody, cranky, grouchy, frustrated, and bitter. I do have a few leads, but nothing very firm, and probably not anything serious for a while. Ugh! Anyway, that's about it for now. There really isn't much to blog about, as my days are quite boring. On a positive note, my diet is going extremely well, and I've now lost a grand total of 19 lbs. so far. I'd like to lose about 11 more lbs., and then I'll be back down to a much more reasonable weight. I've lost one or two pants sizes so far, so I may need to get some new shorts pretty soon ...

I'm not that surprised by my results ... ***Your Linguistic Profile:*** 60% General American English 15% Dixie 15% Yankee 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern What Kind of American English Do You Speak? And for Vance ... 40% yankee is pretty darn 'hick,' so don't worry ... you're still the champion hick boy here at GA!

I had a phone interview today with a large translation firm. They're looking for a Project Manager. The interview went well, and they asked me to go in on Tuesday afternoon for an in-person interview. The pay isn't that great, and it would be a lot of work, but it might be a good place to start, and the benefits are pretty good. If I get the job, I'd have to go through a government background check for a security clearance, since about 50% of their work is government contracts. I shouldn't have any problem with that, though. I've also got another good possibility at my dad's bank. Since he knows people, he managed to get me in touch directly with one of the district managers instead of having to go through the bank's HR department, which would save me waiting for at least a few weeks. That would also be a position as a manager. I'll have to see which would offer a better salary. The translation company said $35-$45K a year, but I wouldn't be able to start out at the highest end, since I haven't done that kind of job before. $35K wouldn't be enough to live off of, so hopefully they'll be willing to pay $40K ... if not, I may have to turn it down. We'll see ... I've made some progress on Chapter 26 of SOOTB, but it'll still be a few more days at least until it's ready to send off to Sharon and Kitty for editing. I think it's turning out to be a good chapter, though. EltonJohn.com has released another new song from the upcoming album The Captain & The Kid, this one called "Postcards from Richard Nixon." It's a pretty good song, but like "The Bridge," I don't think it will go over very well commercially. According to an e-mail I got from EltonJohn.com, though, "The Bridge" entered the charts at #36, which isn't too bad considering Elton isn't as popular as he used to be ... Anyway, that's about it for now. Wish me luck with the job thing! If it doesn't work out and I can't find anything here, maybe I'll be tempted to take Dan up on his offer ... I've always wanted to live in California. Lots of cute boys out there!

Congratulations, Nicko! I knew you could do it! Can't wait to read Ch. 3 of Bodega Bay! *Hugz* LB

Welcome aboard, Graeme! I've also really enjoyed your stories, particularly "New Brother" and "Heart of the Tree"! LB

Elton John's new album, "The Captain & The Kid," is coming out in September, and the first single, "The Bridge," is now available on EltonJohn.com -- you have to be a member of the official fanclub to go to that part of the site, though. It's an interesting choice for a single, since the track is only Elton's vocals and piano, no other instrumentation. It's a beautiful song, with very touching lyrics, but not very commercial. The whole album is a concept album, the sequel to his 1975 "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirty Cowboy," which chronicled Elton and his lyricist, Bernie Taupin's, early days in the music industry. The sequel will cover their days of success, excess, and finally, finding peace. Another "guilty pleasure" album that I'm looking forward to is Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell 3: The Monster Is Loose." That one will be released on Halloween. The title track, "The Monster's Loose," is available at http://www.myspace.com/meatloaf. Still no job offers yet, and I'm getting more and more frustrated. Hopefully I'll hear something this week, but I'm not very hopeful. My dad thinks I should work at a bank or be a police officer. If I don't get something else soon, I may just do that. Chapter 25 of "Someday" has been posted. I've started working on Chapter 26, but I haven't been in much of a writing mood. I'll do my best to finish it up this week since it's the last chapter, and I know people are anxious to find out what happens to Connor and the gang. I've also got a new story planned that should be debuting in a few more weeks ... hopefully. I've been home for a month now, and although the job search hasn't borne any fruit yet, my diet has been going well. I've lost 13 lbs. so far. I've also cut waaaaaay back on my nicotine consumption, so hopefully I'll be able to quit altogether in the not-too-distant future. Not much else to report on. My life has been pretty boring.

Well, shit ... now I'm totally bawling my eyes out. I've always thought that I'm a pretty strong person, but I don't think I could have done that ... either making that kind of decision or being there to watch it happen. And I can't tell you whether it was right or wrong. I honestly don't know. Animals are very sensitive, though, and I'm sure she knew that what you did was out of love for her, and even if you look back now and wish you could have spent more time with her, I'm sure she always knew that she held a special place in your heart.

How about kissing, groping, and/or talking really dirty? I notice you didn't mention any of those ...

Perhaps we should all chip in a few dollars to buy a chastity belt for our young Joey ...

I'm surprised that would even be legal, considering he's underage and would be portrayed in a "sexual" way. I'm surprised his parents would even let him do that ...

Hey Joey! I'm so glad you finally started up a blog! Anyway, I'm not very good with advice, so the best thing I can come up with is just to ask him if he likes you or not ... or, like Kitty said, we can ask him for you! And just so you know, if he hurts your or breaks your heart, he's gonna have one angry Buddha after him! :2hands: *Hugz* Buddha

This has been quite an interesting week. Unfortunately, no requests for interviews yet, although I have gotten a couple minor nibbles. I'll have to wait and see if any of those pan out. In better news, the other day, one of my high school classmates (who I haven't talked to in about 10 years) called, looking for my parents, to try to find out my current address so they could send me info on our 10 year H.S. reunion, which is coming up this fall. My parents weren't home, though, so she got me ... which was a pleasant surprise for both of us. I didn't even know that she was still living in the area, which is cool, and she invited me to a crab cookout in a couple weeks. I LOVE crabs, so I'll definitely be there. And my diet has been going well, so I think I can indulge myself for one day. Last night, I met this 21 year old Malaysian Chinese boy online, and he only lives about 30 minutes from me. Needless to say, he was pretty shocked when I told him I spoke fluent Chinese, and that was a great conversation starter. Eventually, we went from talking online to talking on the phone ... until 3 AM! It was funny switching back and forth between English and Chinese, but I think we've both decided we prefer speaking Chinese. And now we're planning on going on a date on Monday. Oh, and did I mention that he's really cute? Also, he's out to his entire family, which is a big plus, and also pretty unheard of in Chinese families. He says they're very supportive, and that he even has an uncle who is gay. So, if anything develops, that will definitely make things much easier. If the first date goes well, and we end up having a second and third, I may invite him to the crab cookout, too. I love to show off, and I'd have a ball bringing a really cute boy along with me to show my friends. BTW, Chapter 24 of SOOTB should be posted sometime on Saturday. I apologize for the wait. Fortunately, the next chapter has already been written and sent off to Kitty and Sharon for editing, so there won't be such a long wait between chapters again. Anyway, that's about it for now. Hopefully my date will go well, and if I'm really lucky, I'll get some calls for interviews soon ... *crosses fingers* DIET UPDATE: 10 lbs. in three weeks

Congratulations, Camy! Sounds like this could be marking a major transition point in your life. So, what now? You've been splashing around in the water for a while, sucking in water, feeling like maybe you were drowning. Now, you've made it on to the beach, to safety. You can stay on the beach, or you can go explore the jungles and mountains, experience a whole new side to life. Decisions, decisions, decisions ... *Hugz* Buddha

Just put a picture of one of my tattoos in my profile ... right after I got it (so it's still red). As for the other one, you'd have to know me VERY well to get to see that one ... lol

I've got two tattoos ... one on my upper back (a Sanskrit letter), and one below my navel (the Chinese character for 'Buddha' ... go figure ) Oh ... and I didn't cry ... or whimper ... it felt kinda cool actually ... :2hands:

Ok, that is so cruel and not fair. I'm gonna polish up my bronze Buddha statue and get it ready to throw at you anyway ... :2hands:

Hmmm ... I think I could probably be persuaded to do that ...

Last night, Rigel from GA treated me to a wonderful meal at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was my first time eating Ethiopian food, even though some people may have thought I had, since I wrote about that in a previous chapter of SOOTB. The actual experience was pretty much as I described it. The food was spicy, which I love, and the Sam Adams beer washed everything down nicely. Rigel and Mrs. Rigel were also excellent dinner companions, and I enjoyed meeting them and chatting. So, thank you for a lovely evening, Rigel! On a totally different subject, I've never had asthma before, and I've never had much of an allergic reaction to my cats other than the occasional sneeze or itchy eyes, and that only happens if they've been right up in my face for a while. But ever since I've gotten home, I've been having some reactions when I stay down in the basement, which is where the cats are, and we have a computer, TV, DVD player, and comfy sofas down there ... it's basically our rec room. Last night, after being down there for about only 30 minutes, I started having trouble breathing and was coughing a lot. I've never had that kind of reaction before, so I'm thinking it has more to do with the basement than my cats. Maybe mildew or something (although I never had that problem when I was living here during my teenage years). Over the next few hours, it became harder and harder to breathe, and at about 3 AM, I woke up my parents, wheezing loudly, barely able to talk, and told them I needed to go to the emergency room. Fortunately, my dad had had asthma a while back, and still had an inhaler that is used for acute attacks. It worked. However, I'm going to need to go see a doctor now and get my own prescription in case it happens again. It was not a pleasant experience. Ok, on to the story stuff ... I've gotten sooo many PMs and e-mails over the past couple of days, asking what is going on with the story and editing situation. I think everyone has been reading too much into things, and there is no reason to get worked up. Sharon and Kitty will BOTH be working on the upcoming chapter of SOOTB. I think people were making it out to be much more than it actually was. There are NO problems between Kitty and I, so please, no more PMs or e-mails about that. Thanks! I hope everyone has had a chance to read "A Free Man In Paris." I know short stories usually aren't as popular as serials, but Kitty and I both worked hard on this one, so please go read it if you haven't yet, and post your thoughts/comments in the discussion forum. We'd both really like to see some more feedback. And Chapter 24 of SOOTB should be posted this weekend.

So that's it? It's not fair to tease us ...

I was quite impressed, CJ. At first, when I saw the title, I thought it was going to be a comedy, but it turned out to be really sweet and romantic. And I breathed a sigh of relief when I got to the end and found out that they would be able to continue their relationship. I'm a sucker for happy endings! Anyway, excellent story, CJ! I hope you'll decide to write more in the future! *Hugz* Buddha

Hiya Dom, Thanks for the comment in Dan's forum on my chapter of "Service." I'm glad you liked it! As for changing your e-mail, go "My Controls," then on the left hand side of the screen, scroll down until you see "Options," then click on "E-mail Settings" and follow the instructions. I believe you'll have to wait a few minutes after you make the change to receive a confirmation e-mail, and once you confirm that, you're all set! BTW, I'm really enjoying TOSOM so far. Great story! *Hugz* Buddha

I've got a question ... How do I find a boyfriend?!?!

I was shocked when I read that part ... not what the father said, but that the guy actually sued his parents. The concept of "family" is sacred in Chinese culture, far more than we as Americans can possibly imagine. Suing ones parents is quite rare here ... over there, it just doesn't happen. That kid was extremely brave (or maybe really is crazy?) for doing that, as he will probably be ostracized from his entire family for life. I think it's terrible, though, that only a lawsuit has come out of it, and not a criminal investigation against the parents and/or hospital. But the legal system in Taiwan is still highly flawed. One interesting thing, though, is that Taiwan has been toying with the idea of legalizing gay marriages for a few years now. Just bringing that kind of thing up for debate is a big deal. Both the current president, Chen Shui-bian, and the likely future president, Ma Ying-jeou, are supporters of gay rights. So, it is possible that it could happen sometime in the not too distant future. It would not only be good for gay rights in general, but specifically in Asia ... it would also be an effective political tool for Taiwan to get itself into the international spotlight.

Now into week two of my return Stateside ... still nothing ... it sucks when everyone tells you how incredibly marketable you are and will have no trouble finding a job ... and now they say that I probably won't hear from anyone for a few weeks ... at least ... Well, I don't like sitting around ... it totally bites. But anyway, I've posted a picture of my new car ... the only good thing to come out of this move so far. I got my new karate uniform in the mail yesterday, along with the patch to put on it (the particular style of karate I do has a very nice, colorful emblem, and I refuse to wear a karate uniform without it ... otherwise, it's just too bland ... and being the gay boy that I am, I NEED some color, dammit!). I also got a couple nice karate weapons when I went into the city the other day. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to buy the really nice ones, 'cause they were too expensive ... but one day ... *sigh* Writing has been slow. Chapter 24 is about 3/4 finished, and I haven't been in the mood to write for the past few days. But, since the anthology is coming out this weekend, I won't be posting it until around July 29th anyway (sorry!) After consulting with Kitty, I've decided that I'm going to pursue another serial I'm really itching to write when I'm finished with SOOTB, instead of "When I See You Again." However, since the first chapter of that is almost done, I'll probably post that to see if it's worth continuing. The other one that I want to work on, I think, will be pretty good, and I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, that's about it ... nothing much to report here, except I've been really bored, and the A/C in my parents' house sucks, so it's been very hot. Ugh! My place in Taiwan was cooler than this! News from Taiwan ... :businesssmiley: "Student claims father poisoned him for being gay" http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/arc...7/18/2003319315