Wherever I May Roam

Yet again, there are updates to be had by everyone. I apologize for the hiatus, but the amount of output on this site stands in direct correlation with me giving a fuck, as I subscribe to the "because I say so" school of thought. Also, the fact that Chun completely neglects this blog as an alcoholic father and husband would neglect his family does not contribute to a fertile literary environment. So alas, expect more update droughts in the future.

Anyway, back to reality. As we wrestled our way through the first week of classes, the careless mindset of the summer holidays subsided; it gently and in almost unnoticeable fashion made way for the rhythm of every day life and the trifles which accompany it. I noticed this subtle change yesterday, when I decided to take a stroll off campus; the moment I stepped out of the gate, I felt a sense of relief which I hadn't felt for a long time, like grasping for air after holding your breath for a minute or so. It took me some time to identify this odd sensation, but I guess the fact that I haven't come close to something even remotely resembling a daily rhythm since May or so has had left its mark.

The classes themselves are....tough. As you may recall from an earlier entry, the amount of classes suitable for our level was not quite sufficient, so we decided to pick up some extra courses. The catch is, these are courses for the Taiwanese students, so our efforts basically resemble an infant attempting to reach the cookie jar on the kitchen table, only to find himself in the newspaper the next day displayed as a gruesome example of parental neglect. The amount of energy this takes out of you is staggering; at the end of our first week our high hopes had completely evaporated, as had our will to live. In general, finding your way in a completely different environment is more troublesome than one might expect at first glance. In a more familiar environment, people regularly work their way trough the day on auto pilot, not paying attention to the smallest of details and relying on familiar reference points (e.g. language) to deal with various situations. On the other side of the world, one lacks such steady ground under one's feet; even the most basic matters require your full attention, which is a major adjustment. As mentioned before, going through the day trying to be 100% focused on everything at the same time leaves you completely drained at the end of the day. The sad thing is, once you know the language and customs well enough, you've worked your way full circle back to the point where you're able to go through the day like a mindless drone, complaining about a lack of excitement in your life. There's a bittersweet irony to this that even I can appreciate.

But alas, I digress yet again. The past week and a half have actually been quite fruitful in terms of progress; my cohort has acquired a more or less steady source of income, though I dare not vouch for his employer; last week we experienced our first Taiwanese typhoon, which was not quite as apocalyptic as expected; also, we have more or less settled in the flow of campus life and made quite some new friends, so all in all, there is much XP to be had. Oh, and we just received confirmation from Leiden that our minor scholarship issue will be resolved, one way or the other; it's still unclear when this joyous event will actually occur, but it'll have to do for now.

I don't have much in the way of visual entertainment to offer you at the moment, unfortunately; or maybe it's just that I don't feel like sitting through uploading that bullshit right now, which I might add, is truly and utterly a fucking nuisance. Either way, the result is the same; namely, you working your way through this heap of verbal diarrhea and not being rewarded for it. But lo and behold, there actually is something I would like to share with you, something that has plagued my mind ever since I encountered it. I find it truly disturbing that a modern society would allow for such conduct to take place within its borders...


Also, and I must confess that I had previously been unfamiliar with this fact, the Taiwanese men are apparently so well hung that it is relevant enough to be a major point of attention in daily traffic.


Next time, I might introduce you to some of the NPC's we've met during our quests, and to some of the interesting places we've been. For now, I bid thee good night.