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LittleBuddhaTW

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  1. LittleBuddhaTW
    A little over two weeks to go before I head back to the States. It's kind of hard to believe that I've been here for over five years ... it really doesn't seem like it's been that long. I've still got a bunch of stuff to get done to prepare for my departure, some people I need to say goodbye to, and stuff like that. Fortunately, I got an early start on shipping boxes home (which my parents have told me have already started arriving) and getting stuff taken care of for my cats. I still have a bunch of stuff to pitch, though, and the final steps for taking the cats home and "officially" graduating.
     
    Other than books, some clothes, my cats, and some things I've collected, I'm not taking all that much back. So I'll really be starting over, in a sense. It's exciting, but also a little intimidating ... OK, a lot intimidating, actually. I'll be in a state of limbo for a while, and I'm NOT looking forward to having to stay at my parents' house for an undetermined amount of time. Hopefully it wouldn't be longer than a few months. My parents aren't bad people, and they're usually very supportive of me, but our personalities tend to clash quite a bit when we actually have to live under the same roof. I've been on my own for 10 years now, so going back to the house where I grew up is going to feel weird. And all of my friends from high school have moved away, so I'll be bored out of my mind.
     
    I'm glad that I've gotten involved in the GA community, though, because that will hopefully provide me with some sense of familiarity and stability when I get back, and I can continue writing and all that stuff while I'm looking for a job and making the transition. I've only been back to the States once over the past five years, and then only for about 10 days, so I'm bound to go through some reverse culture shock.
     
    Anyway, Chapter 20 has been posted, and, as expected, drew quite an emotional response. I was originally planning on posting the first chapter of "When I See You Again" after Chapter 21, but I think I'm gonna finish SOOTB entirely before I start posting the new stuff. I've just started on Chapter 22, though, and since the next couple of weeks will be a little busy because of the impending move, there may be a slight delay between Chapter 21 and Chapter 22 ... we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. I hope everyone can be a little understanding over the next few weeks as I make the transition back to life in America. It was strange going back after spending half a year in China, and I was going back to my own home, not my parents' home ... I've been here for over five years, and won't have a place to call my own for who knows how long. So, yeah, please be patient with me. And for those of you who I talk to online, I apologize in advance if I'm a little moody or grumpy. I'll really need you guys' support!
  2. LittleBuddhaTW
    Chapter 19 of SOOTB is posted, in case any of y'all are interested in reading it or anything ...
     
    So, anyway, I was chatting with Kitty the other night, and we got on the topic of one of my ex-boyfriends here in Taiwan. Of the several guys I've had serious relationships with here, this is the only one where we broke up not because of any problem between us, but because his family was totally insane and totally freaked out that he was gay, not to mention dating a foreigner! *gasp* But that's a long story ...
     
    Of course, Kitty got me to thinking about him, and I didn't really want to leave here without saying good-bye to him or letting him know where I was going and sort of what I was planning on doing, even though I knew that seeing him again would be hard ... because I still like him ... no, I still LOVE him. Anywho, yesterday morning I sent him a text message and asked if he wanted to get together ... and no reply. Then yesterday afternoon, my cell phone rang, and it was him ... and he was waiting for me up the road at the closest subway station. For some reason, he decided not to call earlier and tell me he was coming ... he just showed up.
     
    It'd been a while since I'd seen him. He'd let his hair grow out quite a bit, and had a bit of the "scruffy facial hair" look going on (which I dont like, btw), but on him ... he was still as gorgeous as ever. To make a long story short, we talked for a while, about the past and what we planned on doing in the future, and hugged/cuddled a bit. That was probably the hardest part ... the cuddling. We may not have seen each other in a long time, but my body certainly hadn't forgotten his. We'd met up one other time since we were dating and cuddled then, too. Again, like the last time, we kept our clothes on ... although this time I really didn't want to, but that's life, I suppose ... and if anything more had happened, it probably would have made it even more difficult. *sigh*
     
    So now, I'm really in the mood to listen to Fleetwood Mac's Tango In the Night album, but I didn't bring that one to Taiwan with me. I could listen to Meat Loaf, too, I suppose ... or maybe I'll just sit here and smoke a couple packs of cigarettes, wallow in my own self-pity, and write some really depressing stuff.
  3. LittleBuddhaTW
    I suppose I should feel lucky that I've managed to survive five years in Taiwan without being involved in a single traffic accident (although I've seen my share of dead bodies lying in the street), considering how Taiwanese DRIVE LIKE FRIGGIN' INSANE MANIACS WITH NO CONCERN FOR ANYONE ... and that may sound like a broad generalization or stereotype or whatever, but it's not ... every single Taiwanese person who operates a motor vehicle drives like a reckless lunatic with no regard for safety, the law, or anything else. I've seen a mom, dad, four small children, and a dog on one 500cc scooter before -- on more than one occasion -- with only the mom and dad wearing safety helmets. That's just one small example of the INSANITY here.
     
    Anyway, so tonight as I was walking home from buying my dinner of fried rice, pork dumplings, and stir-fried veggies, I was standing ON THE CURB waiting to cross the street, and got hit by some idiot on a scooter. I'm surprised that my whole left arm didn't get ripped off ... although I've got a huge bruise running up my left arm now. Once I'd realized what happened, realized that my left arm was going to be out of commission for a counter-attack, and chose to attempt to knock the helmet off his head with a side kick, the jerk had sped off with a weak "dui bu qi" (sorry) ... he didn't even stop. I was most disappointed that I wasn't fast enough to enact my revenge, or even shout off a series of nasty Taiwanese slurs about his mother. So, yeah, I was mad ... and am still mad. And I'm going to be angry at Taiwan for the next 30 days until I get out of here.
     
    I just got the first edit of Chapter 19 back from Kitty. Usually I make the corrections and send it back for the second edit right away, but my arm really hurts, and I'm in a pissy mood, so I'll do it later.
     
    Oh ... and the school's library finally accepted the electronic version of my thesis after rejecting it once because they're idiots, requiring me to call them and be not so nice. I've learned that being nice here doesn't get you very far. Taiwan is a dog eat dog world, and no one cares about anyone else.
     
    Anyway, my fried rice is getting cold.
     
    *sticks up middle finger at Ihla Formosa and stomps off angrily*
  4. LittleBuddhaTW
    Well, I expected today (Monday morning here in Taiwan) to be yet another day from hell, but it actually wasn't. I got everything I needed to do completed in only two hours (including commute time), which included picking up my scholarship money, stopping by the Chinese department office to make sure my thesis wasn't missing anything before I took it to the printer, then off to the Computing & Networking Center to get my account # and password so I can upload my thesis onto the school library's server, taking my thesis to the printer (and it's only gonna cost about US$75 to get five hard-bound and five soft-bound copies printed!), and finally to the bank to deposit my scholarship money. Not a single hitch or problem either. So, I was definitely happy.
     
    On to other stuff ... I'm really excited that I'm now a full Hosted Author at GA now. It's a really great honor to be listed with such fabulous authors as Dom Luka, dkstories, Comicality, and VLista. I hope everyone checks the new site often, as I've got lots of plans and projects/stories in the works.
     
    http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org
     
    I'll be posting any news or updates on story stuff in the "News & Updates" section of my website instead of here in the future, which you can access from the main page. So if you want to know what I'm working on, or what's been posted recently, or anything else to do with the progress of my stories, you can check there. I'd like to leave my blog for other stuff, and maybe sometime soon I'll have something more interesting to post than my whole moving process and anxieties about my impending job search! :wacko:
     
    But anyway, Chapter 18 is posted, and Kitty is already working on Chapter 19. Chapter 20 is also finished, and I've gotten a good start on Chapter 21. Then I'll be focusing on my Summer Anthology entry and the first chapter of "When I See You Again" for a couple weeks.
     
    Tomorrow is going to be another busy day ... work in the morning, and then a dentist appointment at 3:30 pm. Then Wednesday and Thursday will be rest days, and hopefully I can pitch some more stuff, do some cleaning, and get some more writing done. I'd like to have Chapter 21 done in the next few days so that I can get to work on the other stuff I mentioned.
     
    Anywho, that's it for now!
  5. LittleBuddhaTW
    I'd been totally lazy for the past few days, but that all changed today. This morning, I had to go to the hospital to get a refill on my sleeping medication prescription (they don't have normal pharmacies here like in the States, so you have to go to the hospital or clinic where you see your doctor to get any medications, which is kind of inconvenient), then I stopped by work to have one of my co-workers convert the .doc file of my M.A. thesis into .pdf format, and it WORKED! Woo-hoo! It looks really good, too! I also ended up working for half an hour, which means I only have to work 2.5 hours on Friday.
     
    Then, I had a dentist appointment. Unfortunately, I've got a bunch of small cavities. I'd never had cavities before I came to Taiwan, and then BOOM ... I got a bunch of them. I jokingly said to my dentist once that it must be something in the water, and he said that it actually is ... they put flouride in the water in the States, but not here. Anyway, my dentist is really cool. It took me a while to find him, but it's just like a dentist's office back in the States ... the dentists there were all educated and licensed in the States, so they're much better than the tiny, dingy, dirty "hole-in-the-wall" dentists that you find on every street corner here. But, because of weird regulations the National Health Insurance program has, you can only get two cavities filled at a time, so I'll have to go back one or two more times to get the rest done. I've never minded the dentist, as long as they give me plenty of novacaine. He said I didn't need it because the cavities were very small and shallow, but I still made him give it to me ... and I didn't feel a thing! YAY!
     
    Monday will be another big day, because I have to take my thesis to the printer to get printed and bound, pick up my scholarship money, go to some office on campus that I've never been to before to get my ID and password so I can access the Digital Theses & Dissertation System, so I can upload the .pdf version of my thesis, go to the bank ... and I think that's it ... but it's still a lot to do in one morning! Then I have to work on Tuesday, and another dentist appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Busy, busy, busy!
     
    Story stuff ... Chapter 18 may be a couple days late this week. There *may* be some changes going on with my website this weekend, but once that's taken care of (hopefully), Chapter 18 should be posted. I've done a re-write of Chapter 19, because I wanted to stretch this particular part of the story out a little longer, so the story as a whole will probably end up being at least one chapter longer than I'd originally planned. So, the new version of Chapter 19 is already off to Kitty, and I've already started on both Chs. 20 & 21. Then I can focus on my Summer Anthology story, and getting the first "pilot" chapter of "When I See You Again" ready.
     
    Anywho, that's enough rambling for one day!
  6. LittleBuddhaTW
    Okay ... so now you're probably asking, "Who in the hell is Ma Ying-jeou?" Well, he is the current mayor of Taipei city, the chairman of the Nationalist Party (KMT), and is expected by most people to win the presidency in Taiwan in 2008. He's a very charismatic and down-to-earth guy, and you just can't help but like him. He's also Harvard-educated (Ph.D. in law), was a professor for a number of years before going into politics. He was the justice minister during the latter years of the KMT's hold on power, but was fired for doing too good a job at going after corrupt officials. Anyway, I have a lot of respect for him, and if anyone can fix the many social and political problems Taiwan is facing, he's the one.
     
    So, anyway, he gave a speech this morning at the National Central Library, where my office is, and I got to shake his hand and say a few words with him as he was leaving. It was quite an experience ... you can just "feel" that he has that quality. The only other person I've experienced that "feeling" with is when I met Elton John back in 1999.
     
    OK, story stuff ... I haven't gotten the final edit of Ch. 17 back from Kitty yet, but she's been busy and is taking care of her father back in Texas, so if for some reason it's a few days late, please be patient and don't send any hate mail or anything. It should be up by the end of the weekend or early next week ... although it could also be up by Saturday ... it all depends. Ch. 19 is finished and has been sent to Kitty, and I've started working on a couple new projects. I've posted a "sneak peak" of a story I started working on in the forum, so you can go check it out and leave comments. At first, it was supposed to be a short story, but now I'm thinking of making it into a "writer's block serial" (kind of like what Dom's 'Desert Dropping' was originally supposed to be). Anyway, we'll see.
     
    I've got lots of writing to do, and lots planned. Besides finishing SOOTB, I have to get to work on my entry for the Summer Anthology. I've scrapped my original idea for that and am going to try something different. I'm also working on another short story, which is my first attempt at writing something in the third person. It's not something I'm sure everyone will like, so it may never see the light of day, but we'll see ...
     
    BTW, I got the health certificates for all three cats from my vet, and they're all taken care of with their rabies shots, microchips, and check-ups. I also shipped another box off this week, and will get the last (I hope) box packed up this weekend. I also need to make a dentist's appointment, since I have excellent health care here, and won't when I first get back to the States. So, lots of these little things to remember to do and get taken care of in the last month that I'm here.
     
    Anyway, that's about it for today.
  7. LittleBuddhaTW
    I can't really remember the last time I've had so much to do ... I've gotten so used to being bored, but now that my big move is looming closer and closer, I've got tons to get done. This week is going to be a killer, and I'm not off to a good start, since I got ZERO hours of sleep last night. I have the worst case of insomnia, and even the sleeping pills my doctor gave me don't do a damn thing except make me feel woozy and a little groggy ... but not enough to put me to sleep.
     
    Anyway, I have to work three days this week instead of two, so that's gonna suck, although I do need the money, since the move (mostly shipping stuff) is costing me much more than I had anticipated. After work on Monday, I need to mail the revised copy of my thesis back to my graduate advisor so she can take one final look at it before I send it to the printer. Then on Monday afternoon, provided I don't collapse from exhaustion by then, I'm taking all three cats to the vet for their final check-up and shots. That'll be pretty expensive, too, but once that's done, I just have to get the one final check-up from the government the week before I leave.
     
    I've also got several boxes of stuff to ship home this week, and need to finish getting my CDs organized. Once these boxes are shipped, that should be the last of them (hopefully). Then comes the time to start pitching the last of the stuff I can throw away, and try to sell the rest. I'd like to get all of this stuff done this week so that when my professor is done with the final check of my thesis, I can concentrate on getting all of that mess taken care of.
     
    I finally finished Chapter 18 of SOOTB and sent it off to Kitty. I've also started working on Chapter 19 and am about a third of the way finished. After Chapter 20 is posted, I may take a short break for a couple of weeks to deal with some of this moving stuff, as well as try to finish my entry for the Summer Anthology. Also, I'm happy to announce that CRVBOY and AwesomeDude have both asked to host my story. Chapter 1 is now up on CRVBOY, and it should be posted on AwesomeDude next weekend. GA, however, will always remain my official site, and will have new chapters and stories posted before anyone else. I'm glad that other sites are interested in my story, and I want as many people to have the chance to read it as possible, but I also owe a big debt of gratitude to Myr for hosting my stories here first, letting me have my own "official" web site, as well as the discussion forum. So, for me, GA is my home, and that won't change.
  8. LittleBuddhaTW
    So, I got to the Chinese department office about a half hour early and chatted with one of the secretaries for a while, and she gave me all of the information I need to get through the gazillions of procedures I have to follow once the final draft of my thesis is completed, which includes converting my MS Word document into PDF format (which I have no clue how to do), get three hardcover and one softcover copies of my thesis made, upload the PDF file of my thesis to the library's electronic thesis system, wait 2-3 days for them to send me a e-mail confirmation that it has been successfully uploaded, then go and hand in the copies of my thesis to the library and Chinese department, go to four different places to get "official" stamps on some form, and finally, go to pick up my final transcript and diploma. Why does it have to be so complicated, you ask? Answer: this is Taiwan. *sigh*
     
    Anyway, so the test was ... interesting. It lasted about two hours, starting out with me giving about a 15 minute presentation on what my thesis topic is about, my main points/theories, how I went about collecting my materials, etc. Then all three professors gave me their opinions, suggested some points that I might want to revise, etc. The atmosphere was very friendly and cordial, even though discussion on a couple of points got slightly heated, although always polite. So, it wasn't bad at all.
     
    So, how did I do? ::drum roll::
     
    I got a 91% on my thesis, which counts for 50% of my final grade. The other 50% is the average grade from my coursework, which was 89.12% ... so my final grade at graduation is 90.06%, the equivalent of an "A" in the American system. Needless to say, I was quite happy, since I expected to only get 80+% on my thesis. So, I'm very happy with that, but not happy with all the crap I still have left to do, especially converting all of my MS Word files into one big ass PDF file, upload it, and then have to wait 2-3 days to find out if it even worked ... ugh. Taiwan is definitely the world capital of "red tape."
     
    But anyway ... I am now officially "LittleBuddhaTW, M.A.," with a 90% average from the top university in the Republic of China, and a top tier international school.
     
    Oh ... and Chapter 16 of SOOTB should be posted sometime on Saturday morning (US Eastern time).
  9. LittleBuddhaTW
    There's a big ass typhoon that's hitting Hong Kong and southern China now, and we're getting hit by the outer bands of rain. It's nothing serious, but it's raining hard enough to keep me from going clothes shopping ... not that I wouldn't have found another excuse not to get off my lazy butt ... but I've definitely got to go tomorrow, because I have to have something nice to wear (that fits!) for my exam on Friday.
     
    Good news on the landlord front! I just spent two hours helping her to file her taxes online, since she doesn't have a computer, and her friend that was helping her didn't have a floppy disk drive on her computer. So ... after going through that nightmare and helping her add things up, figuring out how the system works, etc., there's no way she can't return my deposit ... and she also said that any furniture that I can't sell, she'll take care of it. That's a good thing, since I wasn't sure how I was gonna handle that. She's also letting me stay the first week of July for free, and we worked out the utility payments and stuff, too. So, that's another load off my mind, unless she goes back on what we agreed on ... although after helping her with this tax mess, she'd better not!
     
    Chapter 16 has already been through the first edit ... lots of red "ink" on this one ... but I think it'll be pretty good. I'm almost halfway finished with Chapter 18.
     
    And my exam is this Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock. It'll be just me and the three professors who are grading my exam (one of which is my graduate advisor) sitting in the massive conference room in the Chinese department. The good thing is that I'll get my score right away, so I can report back on Friday evening (Friday morning US time) on my score ... not that anyone really cares ... lol
     
    And last but not least, BIG *hugz* to Kitty, Vance, and Benny for all being such wonderful friends ... and Joey, because his nose is just so gosh darned cute! And also to Nicko, who I hope is feeling better after his surgery!
  10. LittleBuddhaTW
    It's Sunday night here as I write this, and I got absolutely nothing done this weekend, either packing or writing ... I just slept ... a lot. Very unproductive. I'm going to try to convince myself to go to Sogo (an upscale Japanese department store) on Monday afternoon to buy some new summer clothes, and also get something nice to wear for my exam on Friday. Maybe I should be nervous about my exam ... I tend to worry excessively about things like that ... but it's been the furthest thing from my mind. I'm wondering if that's a good or bad thing ... :wacko:
     
    I've been kind of moody, too, with the pressure of getting a job as quickly as possible when I get back to the States starting to mount. Finding a job in and of itself shouldn't be a problem, since I have a skill that is highly in-demand, but finding one that I can tolerate will not be easy. I don't really want to be a translator/interpreter. It's extremely boring and tedious work, and I don't have the patience for it. But if that's what it takes to get me out of my parents' house more quickly, I may have to do it.
     
    Chapter 15 was posted yesterday. It's basically the beginning of the second half of the story. Kitty's working on Chapter 16 now, but I can foresee that one needing some re-working. I've barely gotten started on Chapter 18, and some ideas have come to me that may extend the story as a whole by another chapter or so, although I haven't decided for sure yet. It would just be expanding on one minor plot line, though, not changing the direction or outcome of the story. I'll have to see if I get any inspiration over the next couple of days. I'd like to have it finished by the end of the week, though.
     
    I haven't done much reading lately. I'm still anxiously awaiting the next chapter of "With Trust," and of course the next chapters of "Service" and "Cameron," which also reminds me that I need to send a big cyber-hug and VLista, who's one of the people I'm very thankful for having met through GA. He's such a sweetheart, even when I have little temper tantrums, like I did this morning.
  11. LittleBuddhaTW
    This has been an interesting few days. I've been procrastinating about shipping the next box of stuff ... I should probably get it packed up tonight and shipped tomorrow, but I've been procrastinating about that. Instead, I've been doing some cleaning, pitched an old bookcase, took Simba for his booster shot yesterday, and am gonna pitch another bag of stuff later on today. I really am a pack rat ... I shouldn't have this much crap that I need to get rid of ... *sigh* Oh, and I get to take Simba to get neutered on Thursday (which would be tomorrow, I think) ... it was actually kinda funny when Shadow got neutered, because he was still under the effects of the anesthesia when I got him home, and he was all dazed and confused and stumbling around. Maybe it sounds cruel, but I preferred it when he was like that, cause he stayed out of trouble ... it's hard for an anesthisized cat to jump up on things and wreak havoc, which he has a tendency to do.
     
    Oh, and Kitty (my eldest cat, not my editor! lol) got a bath last night. She was NOT happy about that, but her coat wasn't looking too pretty, and since she's a princess, I like her to have a nice, shiny (and clean) coat. She's been meowing more than usual ever since, so I think she's still pissed at me. Shadow needs a bath as well, but it takes forever to bathe him because he always puts up a huge fuss, even moreso than Kitty or Simba.
     
    I had a very troubling conversation tonight with someone who I care very much about. He said some very scary things, and it got me very worried and upset. Knowing someone online and not being able to be there physically for them, or to be able to go over to their house and intervene if necessary, is a hard thing. I was really at a loss as to what to do, and the things that were said were so troubling that they required real-life intervention. Needless to say, I really didn't know what to do except listen and urge them not to do anything stupid. But under the circumstances, that wasn't enough, so I turned to the only person I could think of who might be able to help and, bless her heart, she got right on it, as well as calming me down in the process (I was crying, which I don't do very often). So, thank you to my online guardian angel.
     
    As for the writing stuff, Chapter 15 has already been through the first edit, and should be posted on time this weekend, and I'm almost finished writing Chapter 17 (hopefully by tonight, unless I get distracted, which I tend to do). I also wrote a couple more paragraphs for my Summer Anthology entry. I know how I want it to end, and how the story is going to go in general ... it's just *how* to get there that's always the problem. But I'm sure that whatever mess of a story I come up with, Kitty will rescue it as usual.
     
    Anywho, it's about time to feed the little devils, then take a nap, and then decide what I need to get done tonight and tomorrow. So much to do still, and less than two months now to get it done ...
  12. LittleBuddhaTW
    It is hot in Taiwan right now ... although that is what you come to expect from a subtropical island. But I still don't have to like it, and I don't. And the humidity is so high that you feel like you're practically drowning if you go outside. I could handle it when I lived in Florida, because they have this wonderful thing called "central air-conditioning" in the United States. They have it here, but only in the nice, new office buildings. Most apartments only have the window unit kind, and they're expensive to use. I have one in the living room and one in my bedroom. Because my living room is so big, it doesn't get very cool, so I just tend to hide out in my bedroom with the air-conditioning turned on high during the summer months. And the start of summer also means that I'll be taking 2-3 showers per day now.
     
    And speaking of showers, the showerhead in my bathroom broke (yes, "Made in Taiwan" still means crappy), so I had to brave that devil's den of a supermarket again to buy a new one, and managed to install it. Yes, this particular gay boy can do simple household maintenance ... and I even have my own tool box! *gasp*
     
    In story news, I finally finished writing Chapter 16. It took me forever, but now it's out of my hands and into the much more capable hands of Kitty who will undoubtedly do her magic again and make it actually readable. I just sent Chapter 14 to Myr, so it will probably be up by Saturday morning or so. I've also started working on Chapter 17, and hopefully it won't take me as long to finish as Chapter 16.
     
    And amidst all of this, I'm still progressing with the move. The deadline for registering for the Ph.D. entrance exam has passed, and since I didn't sign up, that means there's absolutely no turning back now. I sent two more boxes of books home last week, and pitched some more stuff. The next box will be mostly clothes and knick-knacks, so it should be a lot cheaper to send. On Monday, I need to take Simba back to the vet to get his vaccinnation booster shot, and then later on this month I'll take all three of them to get their official check-up, rabies shots, and microchips. That should be fun ... or not.
  13. LittleBuddhaTW
    I haven't been able to get any writing done over the past few days, because I've been working on a rush translation job for a company. It only pays US$130, but that'll at least pay for about two boxes to be shipped back home. I'm almost finished, and once I'm done, I need to try to get a little further ahead in the chapters for SOOTB. Chapter 16 is taking forever to finish, and I don't know why, because I know exactly how I want it to go, but I can't seem to sit at the computer and type more than a few lines here and a few lines there. It's quite annoying, actually.
     
    I was really moved by the comments left by Luc and Kitty in the thread on Connor's rape experience on the discussion forum. When I started out writing, I just wanted to write an interesting, entertaining story. I never realized that it would end up being something that would actually move people emotionally and cause such a reaction, nor did I really expect it to be such a "dark" story ... but I'm pleased with the result so far, and I would rather write stories that have a message, and not just the typical online gay fiction. I hope the second half of the story will garner as much interest as the first half.
     
    I was notified yesterday that my oral exam for my M.A. will be on Friday afternoon, May 19th. So, in less than three weeks, I'll finally be finished! WOO-HOO! The exam itself shouldn't be too difficult, although I wouldn't mind having a bit of interesting debate with the exam committee. My own graduate advisor will probably give me the most trouble because she likes to argue. One of the other professors got her B.A. through Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley. She's a really brilliant scholar, and one of the leaders of the gay rights movement in Taiwan (and the only one of the three committee members who speaks English).
     
    As for moving stuff, I shipped off one more box yesterday, making a total of seven shipped so far. Hopefully I'll only have a few more boxes worth of stuff to send. Once that's done, I need to see how much of my furniture I can sell and then see about what to do with the rest of it ... and, of course, get as much writing done as possible. I always do my best writing in the morning when I wake up, but lately I've been spending that time in the live chat ... so I think I'm gonna stay away from the chatroom for a while until I've gotten caught up on my writing. I don't know how busy I'll be once I get back to the States, so I want to finish up SOOTB before I go back, and hopefully have the first few chapters of my next serial, tentatively titled "My Elusive Drug," before then as well. I also need to get some more work done on my Summer Anthology entry. Anyone who wants to chat with me can add my AIM: LittleBuddhaTW (how original, huh? hehe)
     
    Anyway, I guess that's it for today ... about two more paragraphs left to translate on this stupid project and then I'll be done ...
  14. LittleBuddhaTW
    I posted Chapter 13 of SOOTB on Saturday morning. I'm still working (slowly) on Chapter 16, but I at least have the whole thing mapped out, as well as most of the rest of the chapters, unless something comes to me in the middle of the night and I decide to make some kind of major change. I'm estimating that it will end up being about 23-24 chapters, plus an epilogue. I've also started working on a new short story that I will probably submit for the Summer Anthology. I've only written the first page so far, but that always seems to be the hardest. After that, I'm not sure what I'll do ... I'm still thinking about it. Writing has been very rewarding so far, and I really enjoy the interaction with the readers, but I'm very nervous that I won't be able to top SOOTB. The whole story just sort of popped into my head very naturally, and I don't want my next story to seem forced. So we'll have to wait and see, I suppose.
     
    I've already gotten quite a bit accomplished this weekend. I sorted through most of my clothes and did a huge load of laundry, have two bags full of junk to pitch, and another box ready to ship home on Monday. I also managed to drag myself to the supermarket today, which is always a dreaded chore, since Taiwanese supermarkets are a nightmare, especially on Sundays. For some reason, Taiwanese think that going to the supermarket is a family "event," so it's the husband, wife, and darling children (note sarcasm at the use of "darling"), and the parents let their kids run around the store like it's a playground, running into people, screaming, and generally causing mayhem. And, of course, being the most crowded day of the week, the store clerks choose that time to re-stock the shelves, so the aisles are always full of boxes, crates, etc. Haven't they ever heard of doing re-stocking before/after opening hours? But it's like that every friggin' time I go there. It's a zoo.
     
    Tonight when I go to give next month's rent to my landlady, I'm going to tell her that I'm planning on moving, so just a tad bit over two months' notice. I'll be paying extra close attention to her reaction to see if I can tell whether or not she'll give me back my security deposit. I'm quite good at reading people if I can see their eyes and facial expressions, but she's a tough nut to crack. She puts on a very cheery and friendly facade, but like so many other people I've met here, it just seems fake. I really need that money back, though (nearly US$1,000), so if she decided to be a b**** and not return it (and there's nothing I can really do about it -- foreigners have almost no legal rights, protection, or means of legal recourse in Taiwan) then I'm screwed. *sigh*
     
    UDDATE: I just told my landlady that I would be moving at the beginning of July, and she seemed to take it fine (although a bit surprised). She asked what part of the US I'd be moving to, what kind of job I was planning on, etc., etc. I also told her that I would give her the second air-conditioner I bought after I moved in, and she seemed very pleased with that (although she of course did the obligatory "three time refusal" before accepting). I also told her that we would discuss "details such as the deposit" sometime in June so she at least has that in her mind and knows that I expect that deposit back. So now I just have to wait and see ... doesn't seem like there will be a problem so far.
  15. LittleBuddhaTW
    I so did not feel like coming to work this morning. I haven't been sleeping well lately ... lots of weird dreams and stuff. Anyway, I've pretty much accomplished everything I set out to do this week. There's still one more box to ship, and I'll do that this afternoon when I get off work. I also got a haircut yesterday which was long overdue. My trip to the post office yesterday was painless, fortunately. The printer also did a good job with my thesis, and it ended up being a lot cheaper than I had expected. I also got a quote on the hardback binding, which will also cost me a lot less than I had imagined.
     
    But ... ::drum roll:: ... when I went to turn my thesis in at the Chinese department office, they told me I needed five copies ... even though they told me three copies two weeks ago. Needless to say, I was not pleased. Normally, my reaction probably would have been to threaten to drop kick the office girl and then screw her boyfriend, but she's always been nice to me, so I was nice and gave her the three copies I had, and now will have to go back again on Monday with the two additional copies. The test could come at any time after that.
     
    I took Shadow back to the vet and the doc said that his skin infection is healing very nicely. He gave him another shot and some more ointment, and that should do it. He also told me that I can skip one of those horrid, pointless steps for getting the cats out of the country (or so he says ... we'll have to wait and see). So, apparently, they now only need two check-ups instead of three. Anyway, they all get their immunization boosters, rabies shots, and microchips implanted next month. I'll also need to get Simba neutered before I leave.
     
    The plan for this weekend is to get one more box of stuff packed up and ready to ship on Monday, and then do some clothes sorting and washing. I'm gonna need to go clothes shopping as soon as I get back to the States, cause a lot of my clothes are too small or too old, so I will probably end up donating a lot of stuff to charity here. But I have lots to go through, and I want to wash all of my winter clothes before I ship them back. Sounds fun, eh?
     
    As for writing, I've been really slow lately. It's not exactly writer's block, because I know what I want to write, but I'm just feeling lazy. Kitty is now going through the second edit of Ch. 13 of SOOTB, and I'm working (slowly) on Ch. 16. One thing I'd like to point out is Connor's reaction to the rape. One person pointed out that he didn't like the fact that Connor seemed "fine" with everything too quickly. I think it's important to remember that everyone's reaction to that kind of experience is different, and those things tend to fester for a while and then suddenly, when least expected, the victim will often have a reaction. Also, remember that Connor is heavily sedated while he is at the hospital. Were his reactions to his sponge bath and the twins "appropriate" or "realistic"? For him, they were. Obviously, his experience in Ch. 11 has changed his life in many ways, and there will be much more on how he deals with it, over a period of time, sometimes in small ways, and sometimes in more dramatic ways. Just keep that in mind as you're reading.
     
    I've also discussed ideas for future stories with Kitty, and may start outlining something at some point. I've also got a story planned for the Summer Anthology that would fit with either the "vacation" or "summer fling" themes, which seem to be the two leaders in the poll. And if the theme turns out to be something different, then I'll still post it anyway as a short story ... probably!
  16. LittleBuddhaTW
    The past few days have been really blah, so I don't really have anything to report, since I didn't do anything other than manage to finish up Ch. 15 of SOOTB and get started on Ch. 16. Right now, I'm sitting at work, bored out of my mind. For those of you that don't know, I work part-time for a research group here in Taiwan. The government is on this little "internationalization" kick, so I'm the "token foreigner" in the office. My main job responsibility is to sit here and "look white" ... occasionally I'll have to write an e-mail to someone overseas, but that doesn't happen very often. It's nice getting paid for doing nothing, but it's also boring. I used up forty minutes reading the latest chapter of "With Trust" (which I really liked by the way), and now I'm trying to waste some more time by blogging.
     
    I feel crappy that I didn't really accomplish much over the weekend or on Monday, so this week I'm going to set goals for myself, and I'll post back on Friday or so whether or not I accomplished them. I want to send at least two more boxes back home (even though I really don't want to deal with the imbeciles at the post office again). I also want to pitch some more junk, maybe a bag-full of stuff, and get rid of an old book shelf I don't need anymore and probably won't be able to sell. I also need to take Shadow back to the vet on Wednesday to get another shot for his skin thing and a refill on his ointment. At least he doesn't fidget now when I put the ointment on him. I also need to take my thesis to the printer and get it copied and bound. If I can get all of those things done this week, and manage to get some writing in as well, I'll feel better.
     
    I work better under pressure, though, and since I still have plenty of time to get my stuff together for moving, I don't really have the impetus to do it, so instead, I just sleep, stare at the computer screen, sleep some more, and maybe watch a little CNN. Exciting life, huh? ::sigh::
     
    I've also been spending too much money lately ... money that I'd rather be using as the down payment on my new car when I get back. I'll still have plenty, but I'd like to have more, just in case my parents drive me nuts before I manage to get a job and I have to get out of there and get my own place. And I've had all kinds of expenses and stuff the past couple weeks ... like shipping those damn boxes which turned out to be much more expensive than I thought, plus rent, maintenance fee that we have to pay every month, electricity bill, vet costs, etc. Oh well ... can't be avoided. At least I can pick up the next installment of my scholarship on the 5th of next month, and I'll get paid from my job then, too.
     
    Anywho, I think I'll go beat my head against a wall now for lack of anything better to do for the next hour and forty-five minutes or so ... :wacko:
  17. LittleBuddhaTW
    What a combo, eh? So my graduate advisor gave back my thesis yesterday, and thankfully there weren't that many corrections to make, mostly just puncutation (English and Chinese use of commas is VERY different) and some word choice. She also didn't think I should leave an extra space between paragraphs. That was about it, though, and she said, "You shouldn't have any problem graduating." We spent about 30 minutes going through the corrections at McDonald's to make sure I could read all of her corrections (her handwriting is like chicken scratch), and that was that. She even asked me who I wanted to pick for the other two professors to sit on the review committee, and she agreed to both of them. I've already finished more than half of the corrections, and should be finished in another day or so.
     
    As for the itchy legs part, my lower legs are just covered with mosquito bites. Why in the hell do they only bite me there? It's absolutely killing me!!! grrrrr
     
    Yesterday, I took Shadow to the vet because he's got some kind of skin infection. The doctor gave him two shots and some ointment to put on the affected area. Shadow didn't seem to care about the shots, but he sure gives me a hard time when I have to put the ointment on him for some reason. I don't get it.
     
    I've also got my own discussion forum at GA now, called "LittleBuddhaTW's Stone Grotto" (again, this was Kitty's brilliant idea! ). If you're wondering what in the hell a "stone grotto" is, you can either look it up or ask me on the forum! hehe Anyway, I hope people will come and post. I like reading everyone's comments and interpretations, and look forward to seeing if/how readers' opinions of certain characters will change as the story moves on. I've finished writing Chs. 13 & 14, and Chs. 11 & 12 are almost finished. I'm hoping to have Ch. 11 posted by the end of the week, and Ch. 12 a few days later. I'm gonna try to get started on Ch. 15 today.
     
    Everything else with the move is going okay. I've got two boxes of books ready to take to the post office, maybe tomorrow if I can get my lazy butt going. The time seems to be moving by pretty quickly, and before I know it, I'll be back in the States and have all kinds of new stress to deal with it ... but I've learned a lot about stress management and patience living here for the past five years, so those lessons will come in handy. It'll be an adjustment to speak in English every day, too. The only time I really use English now is when I'm writing. I guess it'll be pretty weird. But I don't wanna lost any of my Chinese ability, so I need to make sure I get into a job where I can use it every day to make sure I maintain my level of fluency.
     
    Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good week so far. Wish me luck with my impending thesis exam (my professor is pressing me to do it earlier than I had originally planned, which is okay I guess), and come by the new discussion forum to say hi and all.
     

  18. LittleBuddhaTW
    So, I've already shipped two big boxes of books back home, and I never thought sending them by surface mail would be so friggin' expensive. I had a third box to mail today, which was considerably heavier than the previous two (I have some massive dictionaries and reference books). It was a miracle that I even managed to get it to the post office without throwing out my back. And so I get there, and they tell me it's overweight (maximum weight is 30kg), and to go home and re-pack it into two separate boxes.
     
    I told them in no uncertain terms I was not lugging that thing back home and redoing it, and they'd better give me another box and let me do it right there ... I think they were surprised at how ... uhhh ... "forceful" the 'stupid foreigner' was able to speak to them in their own language (the Chinese and Taiwanese believe that all non-Chinese races are barbarians ... they'll *say* they don't, but they do ... they constantly go on and on about their '5,000 years of glorious civilization' ... bleh) ... well, actually languageS, since I used a few choice words in the local dialect (Taiwanese) to get my point across. So, I finally ended up shipping two boxes of books, both heavy as f***, and got a migraine from the whole experience. Not exactly a pleasant outing ... and I still have quite a few more boxes to ship, and it's getting expensive. Surface mail is supposed to be CHEAP, that's why you have to wait 50-60 days to get your package, but it's like US$70 per 20kg box. I'm sooo NOT happy right now.
     
    In other news, my M.A. thesis is DONE. All of the corrections have been made and it's all printed out. I just need to take it to the printer to make bound copies next week, then turn it in to the Chinese department and wait for them to call me and tell me when I need to take the oral exam.
     
    SOOTB Ch. 11 was posted, and yes, it was not a "happy" chapter. Kitty and I both knew that it would elicit a very emotional response, hence the reason we decided (well, Kitty decided, I just do whatever she tells me! lol) to post Ch. 12 shortly thereafter. So Ch. 12 will be posted on Saturday evening, so for everyone who's having a fit about the ending of Ch. 11, just RELAX, take a few breaths, and wait for Ch. 12 to come out. In other story news, I'm working on Ch. 15 now and it's coming along well. I think once I've gotten through Ch. 16, I might try writing another short story.
     
    And a big thank you to all of you who have stopped by my new discussion forum. It's really taken off, and I'm very pleased with it. The number of postings, replies, and hits have already surpassed a number of forums that have been here for a while, so that's been a really nice surprise. I never expected SOOTB to be so popular, and I've enjoyed all of the comments and the whole writing-editing-posting process. I'd never thought of writing fiction before, but I can now safely say that I've found a new hobby that I really enjoy. I just hope the next serial I decide to do can live up to SOOTB ... it'll be hard to do. Somehow Dom seems to do it, but I am certainly no Dom Luka. *sigh*
     
    Anyway, I need a stiff drink and a nap right now. It's been a rough day!
  19. LittleBuddhaTW
    The preparations for my move are coming along pretty well. I've managed to pitch some more junk and trash (since I'm such a pack rat), done some cleaning, and tomorrow I'll box up some books to take to the post office on Monday. I'll be sending them via sea, since it's a lot cheaper, and if I send them, they might even be waiting for me when I get home in July. Less than three months left to go now ...
     
    The mosquitoes are still invading full-force, as vicious as ever. I swear, they must be specially bred or something ... maybe genetically mutated from the pollution here or nuclear waste. They're wicked and relentless, and no amount of mosquito repelling incense seems to keep them at bay. My legs are totally covered with mosquito bites, and it's driving me insane!
     
    Chapter 10 of SOOTB has now been posted, and I was pretty pleased with how this chapter turned out, even though it went from intense feelings of joy to intense feelings of sadness at the end. But it provides a good lead in to Chapter 11 (which Kitty has already completed the first edit of). She's also started working on Chapter 12 and has "ordered" me to release the next two chapters closely together, so everyone who's been enjoying the story can look forward to that in about a week or so.
     
    I want to say a few words about Kitty. Over the past couple of months that we've been working together, I've gotten to know her as not only an editor, but a friend as well. And it's both an honor and a privilege to be able to call her that, my "friend." Not only does she give me excellent advice (and encouragement) on my writing, but also about various problems, situations, or decisions I've had to deal with in my life. She's proven to be a very wise and thoughtful person, and I always, always take her advice to heart. And without even knowing me in real life, or how my mind/personality works, she knows just how to say things in such a way that makes me listen. Being a Buddhist, I don't believe in "coincidence," and I feel that Kitty and I got together for a reason, and that has been for her to teach me. And I am very grateful for that.
     
    I get most of the credit for the stories, but Kitty deserves as much credit as I do. It's a team effort, and the stories wouldn't be nearly as good without her input, and I probably wouldn't be as confident as I am about making such large, life-altering decisions without the support and input she has given me. I can't think of anyway to repay her for everything she's done. So, Kitty, if you read this blog entry, all I can say to you is a big "THANK YOU." You have no idea how much you have done for me and inspired me, and not just in the editing of my stories. You're a phenomenal person, and an example of the kind of person I hope to be one day.
  20. LittleBuddhaTW
    The mosquitoes are now out in full force, and they have invaded my apartment. I hate having to burn that awful-smelling mosquito repellant incense, but it's the only thing that seems to keep most of them at bay (somewhat). Those little plug-in kinds don't work ... at least not on Taiwanese mosquitoes, which I'm starting to think are some kind of super, genetically-altered mosquitoes. So anyway, my legs are like totally bitten up and itch like hell. Not fun.
     
    Yesterday, I bought my one-way airline ticket back to the States. It was actually cheaper than I expected, under US$1,000, plus about $100 per cat. The whole trip, including a stop in Nagoya, Japan, and San Francisco (where I have to change planes) will take about 24 hours. It won't be pleasant for either me or my cats. Hopefully I won't have to take such a long plane trip again for a long time.
     
    I've also been pitching more junk, and threw out a box full of books I don't need anymore. I'll probably fill up another garbage bag full of crap today, and next week actually start shipping a couple boxes back home. My goal is to go home with no more than I came over with, except for the cats (and a bunch of books). I also want to pick up some Chinese artwork before I go home, because I'll need some stuff to decorate my new apartment with. I may get some more books, too, because it's hard to find Chinese-language reading material in the States. There's a gay bookstore here in Taipei, and I'd like to go pick up a few gay novels, too.
     
    Kitty sent me the first edit of Chapter 10 of SOOTB last night, and I promptly made the corrections (and added a couple little bits) and sent it on back to her, so hopefully it will be ready for posting by this weekend. It's a pretty long chapter. I hope everyone will enjoy it. I'm getting closer to finishing Chapter 13 now that I've finished the rough draft of my chapter of "Service," although I haven't heard back from Dan yet about what he thinks.
  21. LittleBuddhaTW
    Well, I posted my first short story, "Seeking Nirvana," and so far, the feedback has been kind of mixed. I didn't expect that many people would get the "deeper" philosophical meaning I was getting at, and since it's a subject not too many people are familiar with, I can't say I'm surprised that the number of responses hasn't come close to SOOTB.
     
    At any rate, two of the important things I was trying to get across were: 1) at all the points where Nicky thought he wasn't "getting it," he actually was. His frustration, his doing battle with his own mind, were an important step towards the final result, that being his "awakening" experience. 2) The issue of 'desire,' and what constitutes 'healthy' desire and 'unhealthy' desire, and the difference between learning to 'control' your desire (which is positive) as opposed to 'suppressing' desire (which is negative).
     
    Another issue that has come up, which I was a bit surprised at, is whether or not Buddhism actually is tolerant of homosexuality. Of course, there are some cultures in which Buddhism enjoys a strong popularity, but where homosexuality is looked down upon. Korea and China are two good examples. However, this tends to be for cultural reasons rather than issues with Buddhism itself. In Buddhist scriptures, there is virtually no mention of 'homosexuality.' One of the five major Buddhist precepts forbids one to engage in 'sexual misconduct.' Certainly, one could interpret that to include homosexuality, but when looked at at from the broader perspective of what Buddhism teaches, the main point being universal, unconditional compassion and loving-kindness, judging someone based on sexual orientation doesn't seem to fit. The vast majority of Buddhist scholars and clergy that I have spoken with (and there have been many over my 14 years of practice) all interpret that to mean sex that is non-consensual or in any other way causes intentional harm (physical or emotional) to the other party. I even had a very high-ranking Tibetan lama tell me once at a seminar I attended that he thought that homosexuals by proportion tended to have a higher level of 'spirituality' than others, and he thought it was too bad that he wasn't (re)born as a homosexual. I thought that was pretty cool.
     
    Anyway, in other news, today was a pretty busy day. After chatting online for a bit this morning, I went to run some errands, namely picking up my scholarship money for this month, going by the Chinese department office at school, going to the bank, and finally to the hospital to pick up my sleeping meds. Incompetence reigned supreme at the cashier's office where I had to wait forever to pick up my money. Fortunately at the other places, I just had to wait a while, which I've learned is easy to do when I have music to listen to and can drown out the high volume of noise that is always present here (remember, second most densely populated country on earth?)
     
    I was a little annoyed, though, to find out how much actually goes into getting my M.A. degree. I thought that all I had to do was turn in my application, a copy of my thesis, and then take the oral exam. Well, I thought wrong. I have to turn in the application and three bound copies of my thesis. Then, I take the oral exam in front of a thesis committee (my graduate advisor, and two other professors that she will hand pick). That's no big deal, as she wouldn't let me test yet if I couldn't pass. They will give me my grade right then and there, as well as comments for improvement, and I will know immediately whether or not I passed. However, that is NOT the end ...
     
    Next, I have to make whatever revisions they suggest (very quickly), then I have to take the final draft of my thesis and get three hardback copies made, and one soft-cover copy (which will be quite expensive). I turn one hardback copy into the Chinese department, then the other three to the university's library. I also have to forward an electronic copy of my thesis to the library. Once they have received all of that and it has been confirmed, and my thesis has been uploaded to the internet (at least two working days), then I have to go back to the Chinese department to get my final 'confirmation' of graduation. I then take that to the Office of Graduate Student Affairs where I can get my actual diploma (Chinese and English copies). And, I have only a few weeks to get all of this done, which will be happening in June, when I'm trying to get the last-minute preparations for my move taken care of. June will NOT be a fun month.
     
    Anyway, that's it for now. If you haven't had a chance to read "Seeking Nirvana," I hope you will. Hopefully, the next chapter of SOOTB will be out within a week or so. I'm also finishing up my chapter of "Service: Vampire Jarred 2" ... I'm about 2/3 finished so far. Then I'll send it off to Dan and Dom to go over and see if they want me to make any changes.
  22. LittleBuddhaTW
    Today, I took Simba (my youngest cat) to get the first of his preventative vaccines. He can be really sweet when he wants to, and also really evil. This afternoon, he decided to be evil, and clawed a chunk of skin out of my hand when I went to pick him up to go to the vet -- he must have sensed that he was going to get a shot. Anyway, that was the first step to going back to the States. I have so many silly hoops to jump through to take my cats back to the States that it's not even funny.
     
    First, I have to get a document from my regular vet that certifies that they've had all of the necessary vaccines (basic preventative vaccines, plus rabies), then I have to take that to another "government-authorized" vet to have them examined and have another form filled out and micro-chips implanted. Then, I have to take that form, plus the three cats, plus my passport and airline ticket to the Taipei Bureau of Commodity Inspection & Quarantine to have the prior form certified, another form filled out, and final confirmation that the cats are healthy. Finally, they have to be given another inspection at the airport the day I leave. And that's just to get them out of the friggin' country! To get into the US, guess what I need? Nothing -- just the one form from the government bureau here ... cats aren't even required by the US side to have micro-chips or rabies shots (only dogs are). So, Taiwan is totally insane, and just has to have one final jab at me before I get out of it's clutches! Grrrrrr!
     
    Anyway, now I have to wait a month for Simba to get his booster shot, and once that's done, I need to wait until June to get the other stuff done. In the meantime, it's time to start boxing up books and other crap that I'm going to ship home, and take the boxes one by one to the post office. That's going to be a pain in the butt, too. I also will have to try and sell as much of my furniture as I can, and then find out how to get rid of what I can't sell. I have no idea how to do that, however, and neither does anyone else.
     
    I'd leave sooner, but I need to wait until after July 5th so I can pick up the last of my scholarship money and my final month's paycheck from work, which will total about US$1,000 ... I'm not going to give up that much money just to get out of here a week or two sooner ... that's going to be the down-payment on my new car. I'm also hoping my landlord doesn't try to cheat me on returning my deposit, which is about another US$1,000 ... unfortunately, Taiwanese landlords have a tendency to try to find any little reason to not return the deposit, and since I'll be leaving the country, there's not much I can do if she just decides on a whim to not return it. I really hope she does, because 1) it's my money (and the apartment is in perfect condition, and 2) I really need it so I don't have to rely on my parents at all when I get back (other than a roof over my head until I get a job offer -- although if that takes more than a month, I'll probably get my own place anyway because my parents will drive me insane).
     
    I also still have to take the oral exam for my M.A. I'm not worried about that, though. I'm still waiting for my professor to finish going over it, and I'll probably have to make a few minor corrections, but nothing major since my classmates (my professor's #1 student who is going to study for her Ph.D. at Tokyo University now) went over it three times already.
     
    As for writing stuff ... Kitty has already finished the first edit of "Seeking Nirvana," and should have the final edit back to me soon. So expect that to be posted within a few days. I'm not sure when Ch. 10 of "Someday Out Of the Blue" will be done, but hopefully not too long (hint, hint ). But I'm sure reading the new story will make up for any minor delay ... I think it's pretty good, and will give everyone a little better insight into my philosophies on life and why my name is "LittleBuddha" (the "TW" part means "Taiwan," if you hadn't figured that out already).
     
    And ... this blog entry is dedicated to Ben's bum (BoyNeedsTherapy) ... and such a beautiful bum it is! lol
     
    Finally ... *gasping for air* ... since everyone seems to be listing a song of the day or whatever, I'll jump on that little bandwagon, too, and recommend "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," sung by Emmylou Harris, from the film "Brokeback Mountain." It won a Grammy (as I hope everyone here knows), and the guy who wrote the lyrics, Bernie Taupin, is the guy who writes the lyrics for all of Elton John's songs.
  23. LittleBuddhaTW
    I've finally made my decision, with a little help from my parents (I still look for their approval ... can't help it! lol) So ... anyway ... I'm moving back to the States, probably in early July. I've decided not to take the Ph.D. entrance exam. I've been here for five years now, and the past year and a half has made me realize that I would be better off back home. I want to get a real job, settle down, and begin the rest of my life.
     
    The whole moving thing is gonna be a major pain in the butt, but at least I have three months to prepare, and nothing else much to do during that time, other than take the oral exam for my M.A. thesis, which won't be a big deal at all. So, now I just need to figure out what to do first! I'll probably start packing up books and shipping them home soon, and make sure my cats are all caught up on their vaccinnations.
     
    Once I get home and recover from the jet lag, my first priorities are getting a cell phone, buying a new car (Toyota RAZ4 mini-SUV, baby! hehe), and sending in my online job applications. Once that's taken care of, there's a certain somebody in Virginia that I need to go pay a little visit to ... if he's not being to stubborn! That is NOT my reason for moving back to the States, though ... this has been a long time coming, and I'm ready.
     
    So, anyway ... yeah ... I guess I need to get busy. It's nice to not have the stress of that stupid Ph.D. entrance exam on my mind now.
     
    As for my story, Kitty has already done the first set of revisions on Ch. 9, so hopefully I'll have the final edit back from her soon. I've also sent her the rough draft of "Seeking Nirvana." So there should be new stuff up on my website and GA this week ... probably in a few days.
     
    That's about it for now ...
  24. LittleBuddhaTW
    I don't think I've ever written two blog entries in as many days ... but it probably has to due with the fact that I'm procrastinating for a few more minutes before I get back to my translation project ... ugh!!!
     
    I was up at 4 a.m. this morning, after getting to sleep at around 1:30 a.m., and it's now 5:00 a.m. as I'm writing this ... while listening to the "Brokeback Mountain" soundtrack which I bought yesterday (along with Billy Joel's "Millenium Concert" and the latest Eurythmics greatest hits collection -- which has two new songs, by the way).
     
    Anywho, I jumped through all of the stupid little hoops yesterday to get that stupid form so I could pick up my scholarship money next month, but when I got to the Office of International Scholarly Exchanges to actually pick up the form, they informed me that I no longer needed to do any of that stuff (even though they harrassed me last week via e-mail like three times to come into the office to do it). I was about ready to drop kick all those stupid giggling office girls yesterday. GRRRRR!!!!
     
    I also had to sit in the office at the Graduate Institute for Taiwanese Literature for like an hour until my graduate advisor got out of a meeting ... fortunately, there was a really HOT student-worker there, and my eyes were totally glued to his ass every time he had to get up and go answer the telephone. He was sooo gorgeous. There are definitely some really hot boys here, and that'll be the one downside of leaving Taiwan. I just have to keep reminding myself that most of them are incredibly immature and way too closeted to have a serious relationship with. At any rate, I finally got to give the final draft of my thesis to my advisor (after she told me I looked like I'd put on weight ... ) It really annoys me sometimes how Taiwanese are so direct when it comes to things like telling you you look fatter, or pointing out that you have a pimple on your face, or asking you how much money you make ... but when it comes to other things, they're just so vague, or tell you what they think you want to hear, while meaning something entirely different (like how the Taiwanese president basically pulled a fast one on the U.S. regarding the 'abolition' of the National Unification Council).
     
    I finally finished the first draft of "Seeking Nirvana" and sent it off to Kitty, although I told her that SOOTB still takes precedence. So I don't know how long it will take to get it back (and we always go through two revisions to make sure we catch everything). The story is quite long, about 75KB, which translates to about thirty pages or so (I'm just guess-timating). I haven't received the first set of revisions for Ch. 9 back yet, so I'm not sure when it'll be posted ... I'm hoping it will be ready by the middle of next week, but no promises. And the only thing I'll say is that you'll get to see a lot more of Cody starting in Ch. 9. The character of his mom is loosely based on someone I actually knew ... and yes, people like that do exist! haha
     
    Anyway, back to my translating ... the most boring work in the whole world ... **sigh**
     
    BTW, Dan's comment in my last blog totally made my day! hehe
  25. LittleBuddhaTW
    I have had the weirdest sleeping habits lately. I get to bed at a normal time, usually between midnight and 1 a.m., but then only sleep for a couple hours. Then I'm up for the day, then go to sleep again in the late afternoon and sleep until around 8 or 9 p.m., then repeat the cycle. I've tried forcing myself to stay awake to reset my internal clock, as well as sleeping medication from my doctor, but it doesn't work. One benefit of this, though, is that I do my best work in the early hours of the morning.
     
    Speaking of work, I'm finally forcing myself to do this stupid translation project that I got assigned. It's a bunch of translators, actually, translating this bilingual guide book of Taiwan. I got assigned the section on some place that I've never heard of called Wuri Township in Taichung County. None of my friends have heard of it either. For such an unknown place, they've certainly written enough about it, which I have to go and translate. There's stuff like the kinds of orchids they cultivate there, some beer factory that's supposedly famous, some old textile mills that represent the early days of Taiwan's industrialization, and then some not-so-famous people who were early settlers of the area. Very, very boring stuff.
    The pay's not too shabby, though ... about US$400.
     
    Today is going to be an annoying day (besides working on this stupid translation) because I have to drag my butt all the way to my school just because they've come up with new regulations for picking up our scholarship money. First, I have to go to the cashier's office and pay NT$20 to get a copy of my transcript, then go to the Office of Graduate Student Affairs to actually pick up the transcript. After that, I have to go to the Office for International Scholarly Exchange in an entirely different building, give them the copy of my transcript, then pick up another form from them, and finally, come back again to the cashier the following week to pick up my money ... and I have to do this every month! When it comes to bureaucracy and red tape, the Chinese and Taiwanese are the worst ... GRRRR!!!!
     
    Fortunately, my graduate advisor has a meeting at the school today at noon, so I can drop off my completed M.A. thesis to her to go over for the last time while I'm there, as well as return some books at the library (even though it's all the way on the other side of the campus). Unfortunately, this will all be during my new "sleep time," so I'll be dead tired and in a pissy mood, and school administrators here are so incompetent, I just know I'm gonna go off on someone.
     
    As for my story(ies), I posted Ch. 8 of SOOTB early, since I didn't see the point in waiting until later in the week when it was already done and edited. It was my first time writing a 'sex scene,' although no one has commented yet as to how well that part was written. Kitty said she liked it, but that's only one person's perspective. Also, I'm almost finished writing my short story "Seeking Nirvana." It's ended up being longer than I'd planned, and it's also a bit "philosophical," so I'm not sure if everyone's gonna like it, or even get it. But I've spent A LOT of time working on it, re-writing parts, tweaking other parts, so I'd might as well finish it and post it. Also, since my alias is "LittleBuddhaTW," I figured I should write at least one thing with a bit of a Buddhist slant to it.
     
    Anyway, that's it for now ... it's 3:14 a.m. here in Taiwan, and I shouldn't even be awake, but I am ... and now I have to get back to this stupid translation project. **sigh**
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