MAGA: Was Life Better Back Then Than It Is Today?

Was life better back then than it is today? We all see a lot of memes out there that suggest that reality. Just today, this made it across my Facebook feed: It got me thinking and, when I think, I research, and when I research, I write. And three hours later, here we are. And […]

Taichung Facebook Groups: Crucial Resources

Over the past few years, Taichung Facebook Groups have been popping up.  Most cities, it seems, have the same sorts of groups – information exchanges, swap shops, et cetera – but in a place where you are an expat (especially when you’re new) these kinds of resources can be invaluable.  So, if you’re moving to […]

The Cost of Living in Taichung, Taiwan

One of the most important things to understand when living somewhere is the cost of living there: many will need to use a home affordability calculator in these circumstances (like those found on SoFi) to see what expenses are for their home. This is my report on my cost of living in Taichung, Taiwan, as […]

My Cool Taiwan Apartment

This is a video of my extremely cool Taiwan apartment. After living here for a little over a year, this is what my home looks like. I’ve lived all over the place and hear about my friends looking for apartments for rent mississauga and other locations, so I thought I would film this so we […]

YOLO Bitches: Why Your Life Isn’t Worth Living

YOLO bitches. The modern usage of YOLO (in particular, “YOLO bitches”) drives me straight up the wall.  It’s not clever.  It’s not accurate.  It’s not even funny.  It’s just lame and often sad. I remember, when I was young (you know: twenty years ago) my mother used to say, “You only live once.”  Occasionally, it […]

A Consideration of Happiness and Misery

Living in Taiwan often makes me think about ideas of Happiness and Misery. Truth-be-told, it’s always a subject I’ve grappled with. But recent years have brought greater understanding than my younger years. Hunter Thompson, in his early 20s, wrote the following on the subject: “Happy,” I muttered, trying to pin the word down. But it […]

Teaching in Taiwan – The Basics, Before You Come

There’s many routes to take, regarding teaching in Taiwan. Since there are a lot of outdated resources out there on the subject, I thought I’d write about a few of them, to give people some idea what to expect in 2012 Taiwan. First of all, I live in Taichung – that is my perspective on […]

My First Ride In A Police Car

I was driving north on WenXin Lu, Monday, August 20, 2012, at 10:45am, on my scooter. Coming off the traffic light at Daye Lu, heading towards Dalong Lu, I attempted to merge right (from the right-hand lane into the scooter lane). I felt something hit the right rear of my scooter and turned my head […]

Caught With My Pants Down

Taiwan has a pretty significant amount of earthquakes.  Most of them are pretty mild, but usually I can feel one or two each month – just enough to notice I’m not dizzy and that the room is, in fact, vibrating.  But every now and then, something a little bigger comes along, and you’re faced with the […]

Traffic, Shopping Carts, And Saving Face

It has always fascinated me that a culture so aware of public perception can also be so completely self-absorbed.  In Taiwan, there is a great emphasis on “saving face,” and yet, it only applies to certain facets of life.  I have yet to fully grasp the concept, but I have made some observations. Generally-speaking, Taiwanese people prefer […]

How Carrefour in Taiwan Hates Foreign Customers

While the people of Taiwan are often the nicest and warmest in the world, their cultural indoctrination leads to a dependence on bureaucracy, often to the point where people are unable – or unwilling – to make any decision without it being written as law or being directly authorized by a superior. As a culture, […]

The Reality of Living In Taiwan: An Introduction

Living abroad in a land where I don’t speak the language very well, questions abound and answers are not forthcoming.  It’s my own fault, obviously; you should become literate in the language of the place you are in, not simply as good manners, but also as common sense.  What happens when you need to find […]

The Long Winter of My Discontent

I talked before about peaking in high school, and that I could never be accused of such a thing. University, however, is a different story. It was one of the best times in my life and I had major accomplishments. I served all four years in student government and, along with my best friend at […]

This Blog Is Disgusting

This blog has been operational for about a year.  Last spring, I decided to put all my old work on here, for people to read – everything from when I was in high school up until my late 20s.  I put a lot of academic writing on there and a lot of personal writing from […]

I Should Know My Self By Now

But, don’t get me wrong. I know. At least, I think I know better than most. I’ve spent most of my life in existential exploration and what is true for me now is as true for me as it has ever been: All knowledge is self-knowledge. Anything we think about the world or about anything, […]

I Just Smoked A Cigar on the Balcony

I don’t understand this world that I live in. Which, I guess, doesn’t really say much.  I’ve never really understood this world I live in and I don’t think many other people do, either.  Those that do write books or become entrepreneurs or politicians.  Me?  I’m still stuck in the “figuring it out” phase of my life. […]

Part III – Choice – Written 2004

Because my story is so strange and twisted, with both emotion and substance, there is really no way to begin it. There is no possible way to describe to you the awesome events that have surrounded the last week of my life. Depending on perspective, this has been the most incredible moment of my life. […]

Who I Am – Written September 20, 2003

For the last couple of decades, I have spent my life alone. While I’ve had people with me, I would not say that I have been with people. There have been various instances in my life where I have not felt alone, just as there have been times when I am happy, but none of […]

Comprehensive Stress Management Program Project – Written April 28, 2005

Apology This is a segment outside of my project I’ve chosen to include to give some perspective into this project. What I came to understand in the one day I wrote this entire project was profound; in an attempt to capture what I experienced that day, I have done little editing, hoping that the unorthodox […]