LittleBuddhaTW

Ya know ... I already got the final edit of Ch. 11 back from Kitty and have finished all of the corrections, so I suppose I could send it in to Myr now ... Nah, I think I'll wait a couple more days and make you all sweat it out ... Actually, I'm waiting to see if Xandra_kitee will be so kind as to make a cool little logo for the new forum to stick on my web page, then I can send the updated page and the new chapter to Myr all at once to lessen the work for him ... but I guess you all could BEG Xandra to come up with one of her brilliant designs just a wee bit faster!

When first starting out, you usually go through the "hear-think-translate" phase, but after studying Chinese now for about eight years, and almost six of those years spent in China and Taiwan, I think in Chinese when I'm communicating in Chinese, and English when I'm communicating in English. When I speak Japanese, I still have to think about it and translate in my head, as well as with my rudimentary French. I find that I now dream more often in Chinese than I do in English, even when I'm dreaming about people who can't speak a lick of Chinese. What's fun, though, is when I go to holiday parties at a friend's house. He's also an American (like me), and is a professor of Chinese history at a university here (brilliant guy, Ph.D. in Asian studies from Harvard). He and I are usually the only two foreigners there, with the rest being Taiwanese ... so, to be fair to everyone else when we're conversing in a group, we speak to each other in Chinese ... now *that* is really weird for me ... speaking to another native English speaker in Chinese. Even when we're alone, and talking about Sinology, we speak half & half, since so many concepts and vocabulary are in Chinese, and it's just easier. If we're just talking about some cute guy we saw, of course it'll be in English! lol

I was trying to be self-deprecating ... like any "good Buddhist" should! LOL j/k ~ buddha

Well, I'm glad someone else enjoyed it, too! I doubt there will be a sequel, but you never know. I pretty much conveyed the message I was shooting for already. I agree with the assessment that "Vic" was only a peripheral character (the mosquito analogy was pretty good! lol) I do have another short story in the planning stages. I want to try to express what it's like being a gay teen in Taiwan to a Western audience, and all of the different societal and cultural barriers. To do that, though, I'll have to do my best to write from the perspective of a Taiwanese boy, which would be a challenge. I'll need to do it before I leave Taiwan, though, lest I become too American-ized again to be able to be as authentic as possible. I think writing a short story is a lot more difficult than a serial, because you have to condense so much into a relatively short space.

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.

When is the new site gonna be ready?

LOL ... no, I don't see Connor turning out like that. I don't think anyone could ever really match Elton's style anyway ... he's still the only guy ever to be invited onto VH1 Divas I like the comparison with James Blunt, btw ... or maybe even Rufus Wainwright ... but who knows, he's still only fifteen!

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Seems like you, me, and Kitty were the only ones who got it! hehe

Actually, Connor's song-writing ability will be addressed in the next chapter, I believe ... which should be out in a couple days. Kitty is working on the final edit of Chs. 11 & 12 right now.

Actually, Cody's mom is so far the only character in the story that is somewhat based on someone who I knew in my "real life," one of my professors back in university. Of course, the character in the story has been dramatized somewhat, but the real life "Tatyana" is also quite eccentric ... nevertheless, she's been one of the most positive infuences in my life, and also happens to be one of the first people I ever came out to.

I heard from a very reliable source that Dom has just been really, really busy with work lately. But in the spirit of Vic's little candlelight vigil, I'll provide the music ... with piano and vocals, of course, by Connor, from "Someday Out Of the Blue" {shameless self-promotion} ... Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? And days of auld lang syne, my dear, And days of auld lang syne. Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? We twa hae run aboot the braes And pu'd the gowans fine. We've wandered mony a weary foot, Sin' auld lang syne. Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, Sin' auld lang syne, We've wandered mony a weary foot, Sin' auld ang syne. We twa hae sported i' the burn, From morning sun till dine, But seas between us braid hae roared Sin' auld lang syne. Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, Sin' auld lang syne. But seas between us braid hae roared Sin' auld lang syne. And ther's a hand, my trusty friend, And gie's a hand o' thine; We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne ...

"Seeking Nirvana" has been up for a little while now, and there have been some interesting discussions so far in the "Story Cafe" forum ... any more thoughts??? http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/short...ng_nirvana.html

As per Kitty's excellent suggestion (YAY! Kitty!) and Myr's benevolence, we now have our own forum to discuss "Someday Out Of the Blue" and my other stories ... so any further discussion should be directed there ... LittleBuddhaTW's Stone Grotto https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/index.php?showforum=78 And there should be plenty to talk about when Ch. 11 comes out later this week ... ::drum roll::

Ch. 10 has now been up for a few days ... http://members.gayauthors.org/littlebuddhatw/SOOTB10.html Any comments?

I wanted to just give a quick welcome to everyone who

Not bad at all. I think it would be better though if you posted them all at once, or at least collected a bunch that are of the same theme, and posted them all together instead of one-by-one ... sometimes poetry tends to have a better effect that way, as you can see different sides (or different manifestations of the same side) of a poet-writer that way, rather than a bunch of individual, stand-alone poems. Also, by doing this, you allow yourself some time to go back and review/revise, and see if you can develop some continguity between poems, see if you can draw some kind of emotional thread through each of them.

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.

I'm glad you like it, Kurtie ... even though you don't like redheads ... hehe I've already received the first edit of Chapter 11 from Kitty, so everything's on schedule for the next posting next weekend, and Kitty has "ordered" me to release Chapter 12 very shortly thereafter ... so I hope everyone will enjoy! Unfortunately, Kitty's getting too fast for me now, so I've gotta start writing faster again so I can stay at least several chapters ahead of her!

Chapter 3 of "Cameron" was very good. I'm hooked already! I'm curious now if your Sam is as hot as the "Sam" in "Shane" ... hehe Also, you seem to be a pretty cheerful, optimistic, happy guy ... how can you write stories that are so painful? Sure, they have happy endings, but they're on some pretty heavy topics. But it's the kind of thing I think people need to read. Suffering is a fact of life. Anyway, great job! *Hugz*

Chapter 3 was good ... although the cliffhanger was pretty cruel. I suspect that it's probably Kyle who's come to get Cameron. I couldn't imagine it would be Cole at this point.

I'm glad you're enjoying reading it, as I've certainly been enjoying the writing process. Chapter 11 is pretty short (at least compared with the rest of the chapters), so I don't imagine it should take Kitty too long to edit it. She's the one who makes the story so much more readable, so I think the wait is worth it in the end. So, I hope that people will thank her for editing as much as they thank me for writing, because it really is a team effort!

It's good to let your insecurities show, grasshopper. You may think that by doing so, you're opening yourself up to get hurt, when actually you're opening yourself up to let people who can help you and accompany you on your path in life.

To a total sweetheart and a wonderful guy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNY! Now you can drink legally in the States! lol *Hugz*

Chapter 10 is now posted ... http://members.gayauthors.org/littlebuddhatw/SOOTB10.html It's a pretty long one, and Kitty mentioned that she thinks it's the most "intense" one so far, so please let me know what you think!

I think you're definitely doing the right thing. You called social services, and you have your mom to back you up if necessary, so you're all covered legally and with support if it turns out to be too much of a burden. I honestly don't see that Chaz has any reason to be upset about this, unless it's something else that he's upset about. *shrugs* But anyway, good luck ... you're doing a good thing, and good karma always comes around to those who show compassion to those in need. If more people did things like that, perhaps this crazy world we live in would be a better place. *Hugz*