LittleBuddhaTW

Well, an upstanding member of GA will be taking this Buddha out to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant next Monday, so I'm sure he'll be happy to confirm that I am NOT a 65 year old lesbian ... but to the best of my knowledge, no one has actually seen VLista in the flesh (well, except for Sam, but he doesn't count ... although he's certainly seen A LOT of flesh ...) So, until my theory is disproven, I'm sticking with it ... LB

Yes, if "dog person" means "enjoys doing it doggy style" ... The person below me has found themselves ... errr ... 'excited' when reading dkstories's "Vampire Jarred" series ...

Definitely! I'm hoping there's some serious lesbian action in the next chapter! BRING IT ON, BABY!!! :2hands: And, this just gives more credence to my theory that Vance has been masquerading as a TOTALLY HOT 22 year old boy, and is really a 65 year old lesbian .....

You mean you didn't read the first 23 chapters all in one sitting, taking no bathroom, nap, or lunch breaks?!?! hehe ... just kidding ... Glad you're still enjoying it! LB

I think so too ... My summer anthology entry is much "lighter," and should give everyone a chance for a little breather. Also, I hear that C James has a summer anthology story, too ... And for those of you who don't read my blog, Chapter 24 probably won't be out until toward the end of the month. I'll also probably end up posting the first chapter of "When I See You Again" at around that time, too, but will then start working on another serial that I've got in the works (yes, I'll finish SOOTB first! ), and post chapters of WISYA only when I'm having writer's block or I feel particularly inspired (which I'm not feeling about that story at the moment, but who knows ... I could always end up running two stories at the same time). *Hugz* Buddha

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

Yeah, she's a lesbian ... definitely ... no question about it ... LESBIANS RULE!!!!! :2hands: LB

Hmmm ... and here I was sitting here thinking "Someday Out Of the Blue" referred to the lacrosse ball hitting Connor in Chapter 1 ...

If you think it's hot up there, sweetie, you should try coming down here for the summer. Or, better yet, try a summer in Taiwan. I survived five of them, and it wasn't pleasant. Glad to hear about the new story coming out, and I'm sure Sharon is going to do a fantastic job. I'll be expecting a big bouquet of flowers in the mail from you to thank me for forcing you (which took about a month to do) to get a really good editor (and from what I've heard, Sharon is excellent). And people will love you even more than they already do when they see the re-edited version of "Shane." A good editor can make all the difference. I'm not nearly as talented as you when it comes to telling a story, but Kitty somehow manages to make it all work out. *Hugz & Kisses* Buddha

I don't think she's working *that* many hours. Read Jack Frost's thoughts on the Connor/Ben thing ... I think he hit the nail on the head, at least as far as how I saw the whole thing happening. Well, Connor didn't exactly go over to the twins' house in the middle of the night. I believe it was the late afternoon or early evening. He bumped into their mom, who greeted him, on his way upstairs. She also called out to see if everything was alright, and made them dinner. And Connor had developed a habit of staying the night frequently, so I doubt she thought much of it (Ben and Derek's mom). We also know a bit about her and her "beliefs" if we look at some of the past chapters, specifically in regards to the Mikey situation. In general, though, I think a lot of parents are pretty f**ked up when it comes to knowing how to raise their kids. I have issues with the "traditional family" model, and parents in general -- I've known more bad ones than good ones. I don't try to hide my disdain for that in my stories. Plus, the story centers around the kids, not the parents. Finally, I think there are a lot of people dead set on seeing Connor and Ryan together in the end, so that clouds their judgment when it comes to other guys. What if Ryan isn't what Connor needs? What is he and Ben just "click"? So, because Connor and Ryan used to be in love, does that mean they *have* to be in the end? Or that Connor can't love someone else? Life just doesn't always work out like that. I liked Nicko's post where he talks about the things that make him "love" and "hate" Connor. That shows that he sees Connor as a dynamic character. He's not perfect ... no one in the story is, because no one in real life is. We all have our faults, we all make bad choices, but if we're smart, we try to learn from them. Was Connor ungrateful toward Maggie when she did all of those things for him? I think he acted a lot more grateful than most would. Is Connor not *proactively* continuing his therapy with Dr. Frazier because he chooses to, thus seeking to face his problems? Does that mean that Connor will confront and defeat every single one of his demons by the end of the story? That's doubtful, because he's only 16 ... most of us never resolve all of our "issues" even by the time we die. In fact, most people (adults) are in denial that they even have issues, so they never actively try to solve them. Anyway, I'm done ranting. I'm obviously failing to convey the big picture here, but then again, I never claimed to be a good writer ... I just have a good editor. *Hugz* Buddha

Me me me! *raises hand and oohs & aahs like a feisty elementary school girl* The person below me thinks that Buddha is an awful flirt ... (Caipirinha, don't answer that! lol)

Errr ... I think that was just you, Ben The person below me thinks Ben should change his name to "Sexual Chocolate."

I think Connor's new attitude toward Maggie is worthy of a little discussion ... As Nicko pointed out, she did do a lot for Connor. So maybe he is a tad ungrateful. But has Maggie been dealing well with things recently? How does she rate as a mother, between how we (and Connor) see her at the beginning of the story and now? Where does Connor's problem with Maggie stem from? I know Kitty has some interesting thoughts about Maggie ... perhaps she'll share those with us ... *Hugz* Buddha P.S.- I'm glad everyone's enjoying the chapter so far. I've been working on Ch. 24 over the past few days. Before that comes out, though, y'all can read my Summer Anthology story, which should be coming out soon. I hear that Luigi has done a really awesome job with the formatting.

Who had sex?!

Chapter 23 is posted ... http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/SOOTB/SOOTB23.html Many thanks to Kitty for editing! Enjoy! *Hugz* Buddha

Fine, I'll just have to come up with a better nickname for you ... but since you're forcing me to, it'll be much, much more embarrassing than being called "cupcake" ... And if you can convince both Benny and Kitty to tell me to stop hitting on you, then I will ... but until then, I'll show you how relentless Buddhas can be ... *Eskimo kisses* Buddha

So, I've now been back in the States for a week. It's been quite an eye-opening experience in some ways, very boring and frustrating in others. Not much has been going on the past few days, although I went and bought a suit today ... Calvin Klein, dark gray, much more conservative than I'd like. I was thinking more along the lines of a flashy Versace suit, maybe like a fireman's red vinyl suit ... but it was explained to me that that wouldn't go over so well in a job interview ... The plan for tomorrow is to drive into the city to buy a new black belt (my old one doesn't fit anymore ... *cries*), and a few more traditional Okinawan weapons. Then I can start training and getting into shape again. I worked out with my swords last night in the backyard and broke an exercise-induced sweat for the first time in a long time, which was nice. Might have scared the neighbors, though ... hehe Writing has been slow, too ... I just haven't been very inspired. Chapter 23 should be coming out shortly, though, as well as the Summer Anthology. So, there will still be stuff to read coming out soon, and I'm making progress on Chapter 24. If anyone wants to get me a job and a cute guy, though, I could be persuaded to increase my output ... Well, actually, one certain little Italian cupcake would be plenty, but he's a feisty one ... Oooh ... and I've managed to lose 5 lbs. over the past week! Woo-hoo!

Good chapter, lots of stuff happening. I can't say I was surprised by Mr. Harris' reaction, but I was disappointed with Kyle. However, since Cameron didn't actually speak with Kyle about it, we don't know what's really going on with him. In fact, we really only know what's going on in Cameron's mind, which kind of makes me wonder why the story isn't just told in the first-person narrative as opposed to the third-person. But anyway ... I'm thinking Cameron's going to end up getting along with his mom. I also have a feeling she'll be plenty supportive of him and Cole.

I totally agree with Sharon's advice. And if you need to have a cast iron Buddha statue thrown at your head to get you to wake up, just drop me a line, and I'd be happy to oblige! And Joey ... if you don't stop beating yourself up and get some self-esteem through that thick skull of yours ... well, I have an extra special bronze Buddha statue that I'm sure I could manage to chuck in the general vicinity of your head (being extra careful not to hit the nose, of course! ). *Hugz* Buddha

For me, the martial arts is just another form of meditation ... "Zen in motion," so to speak. It's also a good form of exercise and a great way to vent. Some people scream or have fits when they get pissy ... I hit inanimate objects. :2hands:

I think Luke's curly hair is sexy ... when I first read the description of him, I had to go grab a towel ...

I stand corrected! :: But the knives are still really cool ... I have a 6" and a 24" ... not replicas, either, but the real thing. Quite expensive, too.

Well, there were about three days of peace at home until today, and then I got into a huge fight with my parents. I really can't stand them sometimes ... okay, a lot of the time, actually. They always try to play these little power/control games with me and talk down to me like I'm still a teenager. It REALLY pisses me off. So, I REALLY need to get a job as soon as possible so I can get the hell out of here before I go nuts. I've submitted my resume to as many sites and companies that I can think of, so there's not much else I can do but sit back and wait. I'm very marketable, so the only challenge is getting the people who need someone with my skills to find my resume. I was all set to get my new car tonight, until we were ready to walk out the door and head to the dealership, and then the fight broke out with my parents. I don't even have a clue what burr they had rammed up their butts, but of course they enjoyed holding the whole "well we don't have to co-sign for your car" thing over my head. Trying to pull that kind of crap on me is not smart, because it's sure to set me off ... and it did. Eventually, though, I swallowed my pride and finally got to go pick up my new car, a 2006 Toyota RAV4 (4cl, 2WD, black, taupe interior). It's really cool and I'm totally in love with it. All of my previous cars have been hand-me-downs from my parents, so it's a great feeling to have a brand new car that's all mine ... well, it's the bank's until I pay it off, but it's still mine. The insurance turned out to be really expensive, though, since I haven't been insured for the past five years, because I've been overseas. But there's not much I can do about that, I suppose. I've got the itch to start hard karate training again, so I ordered some equipment. I had to get a new uniform since I've gotten bigger. I forgot to order a new black belt, though. I tried on my old one earlier this evening, but I can barely get it tied! :: So, I need to order a new black belt, and also a pair of sai and a bo (staff). I want to get a pair of hand-made Agena Energy Sai (from the Agena/Gushikawa region of Okinawa). They're nice and heavy, and very strong ... but they're, like, $300, and take 10 weeks to make. So, I think I'll get a cheaper pair to start with so I can start practicing, and get the nicer pair when I have a job. I've also started working with my 24" hand-made Gurkha sword (the Gurkhas are from Burma, sort of like mercenaries that the British military has used over the years, and their knives are fabulous). I really want to get a samurai sword, but those cost thousands of dollars -- and I will only buy a genuine one, not a replica. Anyway, now I just have to sit around and wait, and hopefully I'll start getting job offers within the next couple of weeks. I have to go get a suit, too, so I can look good for interviews. I'd like to get a Kenneth Cole suit, but I'll have to see if I can afford that after all of the money I've spent over the last couple of days (car down payment, insurance, new summer wardrobe, karate stuff, etc.) The 'real world' can really suck sometimes ... it sucks even worse when you're 28 years old, have lived on your own for 10 years, and are now stuck living with your insane and totally friggin' annoying parents for an undetermined period of time. Grrrr ......

Thanks for the analysis, Journeyman, and I'm honored that you're enjoying the story. "Journey of Love" is one of my fave stories, and is listed as such on my site. On this point, though, I think Ryan is just where I want him to be, and where I expected him to be from the beginning.