by Jonny | Sep 18, 2011 | Updates
It seemed like a fairly normal club. It was kind of weird since most of the people in the club were men with just a few women dotted around here and there. Also, a lot of the women were just standing at the side-lines not wanting to dance. So I have to assume perhaps some of them were just paid to stand there. It was fun. I managed to get kind of drunk, so I really didn’t care how I looked when I danced, but I think I dance pretty good. – Especially in comparison to the friends I went with lol!!!!
But yeah it was interesting and I kind of enjoyed it. But I don’t think it is something I will do on a regular basis unless of course the club we go to is more close-by. Plus it is quite costly to get in, it cost like $600NT, you got 2 free drinks; however if you want any extra drinks they cost like $400NT each which is expensive! I only bought one more and my Korean friend gave me one of his free drink tickets.
As you can see the club was quite crowded with people. The guy with the hand up is my class mate! He is from Tokyo. He is a pretty cool guy to talk to and down to earth I feel, even though I don’t know him that well to make any judgments about him.
by Jonny | Sep 4, 2011 | Travel
Taken at Sun Moon Lake around 3 months ago on a normal hot and sunny day in Taiwan. Sometimes I moan at the weather for being too hot. But the beauty that is apparent when the sun gleams upon the plants and the general area makes the environment glow. Everything also becomes more green as there is a good mixture of heavy rain and heavy sunshine!
Nice, heh?
by Jonny | Sep 3, 2011 | Updates
I went bowling today which was pretty fun. I beat my cousin, although he seemed quite depressed at life. I sure don’t blame him on that, but I still try and get on. Either way I tried to have fun and enjoyed meeting my cousins again.
That’s me on the very right.
I bought just for the girls some perfume which I purchased duty-free on my flight back from Hong Kong. They appreciated it very much. In my opinion it was very costly (The perfume) however I don’t often get people nice things. As you can see the perfume collection… below:
The following picture is a picture that was taken when I went on a trip with most of my Taiwanese relatives. They are likely the best thing that has happened to me in Taiwan. I don’t know why, but meeting them has made me feel I am not alone in this country anymore. Now if I could speak there language…
My friends from university/school
These are my good friends. Likely these people are my only friends which I can really talk to about things personal to me. Especially the Korean guy sitting next to me. We talk about life and how crappy things can be sometimes and discuss that life doesn’t always have to suck. He helps me out with life just by talking. It seems to be a cool remedy for the bullshit that I go through sometimes. I am really glad I have these friends.
If you are reading, what do you think of my sexy new glasses. I kind of like them, even if they make me look like more of an idiot! 🙂
by personal | Jul 15, 2011 | Opinion
I wish Chinese was so much easier to learn. I find it so difficult. I am currently probably the lowest grade student in the language course itself. I try and dedicate time for studying, but it appears to me that others can easily understand the language without any problems.
I understand bopomofo, which is like abcdefghijklmopqrstuvwxyz, except much harder, since you have to remember what they look like and some of them aren't straight forward like English. I'm failing at class. I have recently managed to get 2 language exchange partners. I hope they can help me.
If anything, the next language I want to learn is Korean. That would be so awesome if I could and since there are no tones in Korean, like there is in Chinese, I won't have to worry too much about saying a word in a different pitch or … tone.
I guess learning Chinese will take time, but I wish I could be at least at the same level as others. Currently I am at the bottom and you don't know how that makes me feel. It kind of makes me feel like shit if I am honest. I don't like it. It would be awesome if I could go to university here in Taiwan and learn computer networking or something like that. But first I need to know the language or at least be able to have a conversation.
On another note. I am becoming a citizen of Taiwan. It is a little bit of a headache to get everything sorted, but I think I will get there.
I just wish things were much easier to do in life. I hope too much maybe or I wish too much. If anything, if I had loads of money, I would do everything I wanted to do. I would travel around the world and bring friends with me. I would do what I wanted to do. I would still learn Chinese I think and would probably buy a really nice apartment close to where my university is. Then I would feel so much more secure in finding someone to love and in diminishing my own insecurities.
I recently read a BBC article which stated someone won in excess to $250 million dollars in the UK on the Euro-Millions. Why couldn't that be me, when I did the lottery in the UK? I just wish I had all that money. I would help my friends and especially this South Korean guy that has become probably my most trusted and bestest friend in Taiwan. He is so honest and he is a good friend I would say. He doesn't appear to have much money and is living in a horrible hotel. I would buy myself a large apartment and say to him and his girlfriend he could come live with me and I would help him out money-wise. I would help my other friends too. I would take them to trips around Taiwan and to other countries where we could have a lot of fun and experience the world for what it is, a beautiful place.
Well that is just me dreaming, since I'll be realistic and say I will most likely never win the lottery, especially in amounts as big as that.
by personal | Jun 7, 2011 | Opinion
Since I’m living in Taiwan, I’ve started learning Chinese. Officially I’m starting tomorrow, which is when I had my first class. I met the people in the class and we were kind of separated by country or continent.
I have to say though, that there were many American’s there, I would probably guess and say around 20 American’s. There were people from all over the world however. From the United Kingdom of which I only saw another guy, who was on the American table because he had dual-nationality and was listed as American, even though he sounded more British than American. You had people from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil and probably one more other country I have likely forgotten. (Maybe the Netherlands)
It seemed okay to be honest. A lot of them looked older than myself, I’m only 19 and the rest probably were older than 20 and maybe a few my age. I made an attempt to try and talk to others but it was very pretentious and odd which seemed as if we were all nervous. (In our own rights since we had never seen each other before)
To get back home, was a mess up. I nearly got on a bus at the wrong stop (Going the other direction). I was with this Brazilian guy and in the end we split a taxi to get home.
Overview
I’m not sure I got much out of it in terms of friends. I know you can’t just make friends in one day that are your real buddies the next day. It takes time. I need to realize this. Time.
I’m nervous about tomorrow. I’m not sure how things are going to turn out, but the one thing I don’t want to do is humiliate myself. That is one thing I don’t want to do. I have a feeling I will. Luckily the other guys I’m with don’t know a word or lets just say they aren’t that good at Chinese in fact they are probably at the same level. Which is a good way to start as equals and just progress from there. Luckily I have the luxury of a partial family in Taiwan that speaks Chinese (Mandarin). I’m also taking free piano lessons. I said this to the Brazilian guy (Renato) or the guy named Brazilian Dragon (For some reason or the other) and he said I’m too old to learn the piano and I should have learned at 5. I kind of agreed I should have learned when I was younger, but I have come to the conclusion that it is never too late to have a hobby or to focus on something.
I thought when after I broke my leg I would never get my fitness back. I didn’t after several years. Here I am in Taiwan and I am focusing and improving everyday when running at the track and going for the fitness level I was and I will eventually surpass that. Whatever the case I’m here today after the all the stuff I’ve been through. If I told all my story in truth, people would not believe, so I have told a partial story on this blog, which I don’t mind others seeing. I will make it in life and that is my goal. I may not have direction, but I now know that I have purpose.
