absolutwillie

Category: Migrations

  • love is a midnight snack

    … and i mean that literally :0)

    growing up, i often heard people say: “the road to a mans heart, is through his stomach”. romantically speaking, of course. “directly through the ribcage with a sharp object” only started doing the rounds in my student days. (but that’s not what this post is about.)

    what inspired the little filing clerk in my head to unearth that jewel of a saying, was this:

    Peter spontaneously decided to make me some tuna & cheese danbin for breakfast tomorrow morning (i get up hours before he does),

    and he made two extra portions for us to have right away :0P

    he isn’t one for talking a whole lot about the mushy, emotional stuff – but very few things say “i love you” to me, like a meal specially made for you… after midnight.

    am i or am i not the luckiest man alive?
    you bet your bottom dollar i am!

  • previously unmentionables: chicken feet

    yup – chicken feet.
    good to eat…
    rich in collagen.
    after posting the *note to remind me to write about some of the food i’ve encountered recently, Peter came home with 4 of the following packets:

    now i don’t have a problem with eating chicken feet. in fact, i’ve actually had chicken feet (processed beyond recognition) before – so i’m not altogether unfamiliar with their taste and texture. and it’s not that i’m squeamish or anything… but actually holding one of these little morsels in your hand is a lot different than picking at translucent squares of cooked skin in a fusion restaurant.
    so how do you eat one of these?
    same way you eat an elephant, i suppose: bit by bit.
    start by picking out the toenails – them be nasty little pointy bits of hardness you really don’t need crunching around your molars.
    now, just open wide and bite!
    if you remember that toes are nothing more than small bones neatly lined up for function – you should be fine. the rest is all skin and tendons – which is actually quite tasty, to be honest. the little red flecks of chillies help to give it some… erm… kick?
    and for all the doubters out there – here’s what remained of my first serving:

    i’ll be having seconds with Peter when he gets back from work.

  • toying with templates

    just in case you drop in to see… erm… who knows what: DON’T PANIC!

    i really am experimenting this time – it’s a phase… it’ll pass.
    pretty soon, my blog will have a brand new face (that works).

  • shout out

    to the smelly “700” driver of the black mercedes benz that nearly ran us over at Rei Fon market:
    if you’d hurt Peter – i would have had no problem fracturing each of our extremities with my bare hands, before watching you choke on your own tongue.

    if you want to drive like an idiot – go do it off a cliff!

  • quotable quote

    Every new day is the beginning of the rest of your life.
    On each day you can make new choices on how to live it.
    –George J. Waggoner

  • eish

    yesterday’s post was a functional cop-out. you see, i had had a very testing day – and what could’ve transpired through a heart-felt post… would’ve been nasty. desert storm-ish even. in the manner of: “ooh, my foot itches – let me blast off my entire leg with a pipe-bomb or two”.

    i do that sometimes…
    figuratively, of course.

    the source of my discontent, however, managed to worm into my head space again today. and if it wasn’t for Peter – i’d most probably be spewing all sorts of bile right now.

    you see, my unsuspecting knight in shining armor brought me something from the chicken bbq-lady close to his parents’ place. decadently oily and seriously delicious, the chicken skin and (brace yourself) chicken asses-on-a-stick* lifted my mood completely! nothing like a good, greasy treat to put a smile on my dial *lol* and not only does he treat me to random snacks of the most forbidden variety – he also listens patiently as i rant away and calls me his poor little bunny.

    laughing is such great medicine!

    all at once i’m reminded how trivial the annoyance at school really is – and how blessed i am to have Peter in my life. i mean really, who wouldn’t be?

    now if you’ll excuse me – he’s singing in the shower and i have nothing more to say ;0)

    *remind me to write something about oriental foods sometime – you wont believe how good some of the “previously unmentionables” are!

  • 25 "random" things about me

    so this is really a facebook “crossover” tagg… have you checked your “notes” recently? the point is to write 25 random things about yourself, and tag 25 random people from your friend-list. i’m not tagging any blogs tonight – as i’ve already done so on fb ;0)

    here goes:

    1. my beard comes out in 3 colors – gray isn’t one of them (yet)
    2. i come across as much more easygoing than i really am
    3. bad grammar annoys me terribly – especially my own!
    4. i’m fascinated by (possibly obsessed with) semantics
    5. i loose track of time very easily
    6. i speak to God all the time – and my listening skills are improving ;0)
    7. when it comes to accessory olfactory systems, mine works famously
    8. i don’t judge people – but i listen to my gut (and my nose)
    9. patience has become my strong suit
    10. i avoid stress (and potential sources thereof) like the plague
    11. i love cheese – in every sense of the word
    12. being in water profoundly affects my emotional state of being
    13. i’m mildly claustrophobic
    14. in severe down-phases, this flips to pronounced agoraphobia
    15. i also have a restless leg
    16. i adore my kids (students)
    17. i always adjust the volume in even numbers
    18. i always start my showers by washing my hair (at least, the traces that remain)
    19. i’m a sucker for gadgets
    20. i’m also a sucker for bags
    21. i drive slowly
    22. come to think of it, i try to do everything slowly
    23. i hate being in a hurry *duh*
    24. i love the sound of someone else’s breathing
    25. i can sleep almost anywhere

  • up to speed

    good morning everyone ;0)

    *contented sigh*

    it’s sunday morning here in Kaohsiung and i’ve managed to bundle the last laundry into the machine. for a brief moment – i have nothing to do! so here i am, with a big glass of japanese style green tea (sugar free, of course) in hand, getting comfy in the spare bedroom/workstation.

    i’ve got iTunes playing a Genius* playlist based on Tori Amos’ “a sorta fairytale” – though not too loud, mind you. Peter’s still snoozing in the bedroom ;0)

    so much has happened in the last two weeks:

    • the teacher to replace Cyril started work at TFC. suffice to say there’s some teething…
    • i realized that someone at school tried to sabotage me – unsuccessfully.
    • Peter and i moved in together, in a new apartment in Kaohsiung, on Valentines day (!!!yayayayay!!!)
    • my Mom found out that her previous optometrist had defrauded her for years – with a glass disc for a right lens!
    • i realized again how my Dad knows exactly what goes on in my heart, without me having to tell him. this apple-and-tree team might wear different sashes, but we’re of the same stock.
    • my Sister phoned me out of the blue, just to chat. it was amazing! i miss her so much.
    • Peter made me dessert dumplings :0P
    • SA ended up NOT signing the UN declaration on same-sex rights *grrrrr*
    • we went to see Milk – and i was both inspired and reminded of my past. did i do the wrong thing when i left the movement?

    hmm… time to hang up the washing.

    *i’m getting addicted to this new feature!

  • TAGG: one word

    i’m busy catching up on my cyberverse, in between fine tuning the new apartment and adjusting to new routines and hours. it’s slow going (for some reason there’s so much laundry!!) but i’m finally managing to get up to speed. two major events happened in my blog-bar while i was away:

    first and by far the most exciting and important of the two, CV and FJ got engaged (i think it’s a good word)!!! yay!!! love, joy and major happiness to you!!! i’m so happy and excited i could pop!

    the second is this TAGG. thanks FJ – i needed the kick in the rear to get going again :0)

    Her’es how it works:
    Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from and of course at least four others who haven’t been tagged yet (to the best of your knowledge)

    1. Where is your cell phone?
    notepad

    2. Your significant other?
    colleagues

    3. Your hair?
    awol

    4. Your mother?
    amazing

    5. Your father?
    hero

    6. Your favorite?
    kiss

    7. Your dream last night?
    foggy

    8. Your favorite drink?
    oolong

    9. Your dream/goal?
    marriage

    10. What room are you in?
    spare

    11. Your hobby?
    design

    12. Your fear?
    loneliness

    13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
    summer

    14. Where were you last night?
    cinema

    15. Something that you are not?
    straight

    16. Muffins?
    nope

    17. Wish list item?
    torso

    18. Where you grew up?
    when?

    19. Last thing you did?
    budget

    20. What are you wearing?
    pajamas

    21. Your TV?
    nowhere

    22. Your pets?
    parents’

    23. Friends?
    adored

    24. Your life?
    wonderful

    25. Your mood?
    lazy

    26. Missing some one?
    sister

    27. Car?
    scooter

    28. Something you’re not wearing?
    watch

    29. Your favorite store?
    Kinokuniya

    30. Your favorite color?
    yellow

    33. When is the last time you laughed?
    today

    34. Last time you cried?
    january

    35. One place that I go to over and over?
    donggang

    36. One person who texts me regularly?
    Peter

    38. My favorite place to eat?
    market!

    39. My favorite food?
    chicken

    40. What did you do today?
    domestics

    and on to the bunch of happy campers that i’m tagging:
    rod – great things are happening on your side too, i see ;0)
    steve – this TAGG is perfect for you right now
    immi – one-word answers are tough for folks like us!
    geoff – it’s been far too long

  • cyber absence

    hello from cloud 9!
    just a quick note as proof of life – i’m still here, kicking and grinning all the way! playing House with Peter is quite definitely the most amazing experience of my adult life!

    i will be back in full blogging swing soon – as i just have to share this with you! but not right now, i’m afraid – we’re off to see Milk!

    Posted by ShoZu