Taiwan Break Reflections
It was a very fun, relaxing, and well, expensive break. I enjoyed it a lot. There are a couple of things, though, that stood out the most this week. I decided that maybe I'll post it here, where no one would really get to read it for a while, and maybe let them see how it felt being a small body of water north from the Philippines.
Recession-Proof
Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The spending of the Luis is independent of the global market trends. And I spent a whole lot of money just this week. I would say I've spent more in this single week than I have for the past two quarters in school. At the very least, they are on the same level. Anyway, for some strange reason, I spend more when given in NT$ or US$ than when given PHP, which is very very weird. And well, I don't know. I suddenly started to see these things. Maybe, it's the recession getting in to me. But sadly, I only noticed this NOW. Which is *looks at neatly packed baggage* uh, too late. Oh well. I readjusted my NT$-Peso translation from 4/3 (four thirds) to 1.5 (one and a half), which is actually a huge over-estimation (well, a bit), but at least I'll get to see how much I spend in a new light.
Or maybe not.
Moms (Or Love. Your pick)
And of course, fueling this shopping spree would require some very deep pockets. My mom, in my latest approximation, probably gave me as much as $**will not be disclosed** for the whole week. Probably enough to feed everyone in front of Pisay for at least a day. Well, maybe not. Oh well. But I love my mom very much, not only because of this ( but of course this has a part, maybe as little as 2.5-5%). She was the main reason that I wanted to go here for the SemBreak (No, not shopping. SERIOUSLY.). Shopping was a mere secondary. A very far secondary.
One more thing about my mom. There was this one night that she insisted that we have vegetables. So, she cooked a simple vegetable dish. Over the course of the meal I kept on getting some of the vegetables and seaweed ( a staple for me outside the Philippines ). When we finished (We got to finish everything. Yes, we.) she said a line that really surprised me.
"Parang hindi ako nakakain ng gulay."
And I think she was right. Oh well. Just shows how well she taught me how to endure enjoy the taste of plant cellulose vegetables. I remembered long ago (Before Pisay) that there was a rule in our house that you can't not finish what's in your plate. And everytime we eat, there's at least one vegetable dish. And everytime I don't voluntarily get a serving, she puts one herself. And I have to finish it. Most of the time, i just eat it up all before going back to my regular meal. Noticing that, she then puts another serving on my plate. *sigh* And the cycle goes on until I finish. But I do draw the line somewhere.
Somewhere along the lines of Bitter Melon. But besides that ( and some others ) I eat them all. I enjoy some too. Bleh.
Matuuuuure. Stoneface style.
Okay. So there's this war going on between me and Stoneface about who is actually more mature. She claims it is her; the calm, cool, and, well, stonefaced. I, though, don't even bother claiming this. I enjoy every moment of my youth. I know she will regret it later anyway. I can see it in everyone above 10-15 years my age. I can see their wish of a slower passage of time, or maybe a different past. A different way of living it, a different experience. She will regret wishing to be 20 years old. Well, in my humble opinion, it doesn't matter if she still wishes that she's 20. She's already got the age 20 written all over her face. While I, somehow, retain a younger looking self (Trust me. My old classmates from SMCQC said I look like a 13 year old with a fuzzy patch of hair. Not there, pervert.). My mom though says that I only seem young because I act young, "young at heart" they say. Well, thank you for calling my heart young, no matter how clogged it is with plaque or whatever.
One thing against her claim, though. She's not allower to go around herself. While my mom would be okay with dropping me off in front of a mall a few kilometers away from our apartment, thn just giving me money to let me taxi back home, she spent her whole break in her mom's office (Well, except when I was there. I dragged her to all the malls I wanted to visit. Srsly.). Just shows who's trusted by their parents to be mature enough.
Or maybe it's because she's a girl. In a big metropolis like Taipei. Hmm. Never really thought of that.
Oh wait. You shouldn't consider that. She's STONEFACE, remember? Stalkers, see more of her in my multiply.
But I must say, she does act mature sometimes. Like an Ate. Most of the people we encountered by ourselves thought that, except for the few who thought we were together (which was just EWWWW). *shudders* That's all about her.
Okay. I really need to catch some sleep now. Or maybe not. Whatever. I have a whole roadtrip for that.
And that's it for my Taiwan SemBreak. Thought it was worth missing the retreat with you guys. Oh well. I have stuffs for some of you, anyway. Hehe.
Recession-Proof
Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The spending of the Luis is independent of the global market trends. And I spent a whole lot of money just this week. I would say I've spent more in this single week than I have for the past two quarters in school. At the very least, they are on the same level. Anyway, for some strange reason, I spend more when given in NT$ or US$ than when given PHP, which is very very weird. And well, I don't know. I suddenly started to see these things. Maybe, it's the recession getting in to me. But sadly, I only noticed this NOW. Which is *looks at neatly packed baggage* uh, too late. Oh well. I readjusted my NT$-Peso translation from 4/3 (four thirds) to 1.5 (one and a half), which is actually a huge over-estimation (well, a bit), but at least I'll get to see how much I spend in a new light.
Or maybe not.
Moms (Or Love. Your pick)
And of course, fueling this shopping spree would require some very deep pockets. My mom, in my latest approximation, probably gave me as much as $**will not be disclosed** for the whole week. Probably enough to feed everyone in front of Pisay for at least a day. Well, maybe not. Oh well. But I love my mom very much, not only because of this ( but of course this has a part, maybe as little as 2.5-5%). She was the main reason that I wanted to go here for the SemBreak (No, not shopping. SERIOUSLY.). Shopping was a mere secondary. A very far secondary.
One more thing about my mom. There was this one night that she insisted that we have vegetables. So, she cooked a simple vegetable dish. Over the course of the meal I kept on getting some of the vegetables and seaweed ( a staple for me outside the Philippines ). When we finished (We got to finish everything. Yes, we.) she said a line that really surprised me.
"Parang hindi ako nakakain ng gulay."
And I think she was right. Oh well. Just shows how well she taught me how to endure enjoy the taste of plant cellulose vegetables. I remembered long ago (Before Pisay) that there was a rule in our house that you can't not finish what's in your plate. And everytime we eat, there's at least one vegetable dish. And everytime I don't voluntarily get a serving, she puts one herself. And I have to finish it. Most of the time, i just eat it up all before going back to my regular meal. Noticing that, she then puts another serving on my plate. *sigh* And the cycle goes on until I finish. But I do draw the line somewhere.
Somewhere along the lines of Bitter Melon. But besides that ( and some others ) I eat them all. I enjoy some too. Bleh.
Matuuuuure. Stoneface style.
Okay. So there's this war going on between me and Stoneface about who is actually more mature. She claims it is her; the calm, cool, and, well, stonefaced. I, though, don't even bother claiming this. I enjoy every moment of my youth. I know she will regret it later anyway. I can see it in everyone above 10-15 years my age. I can see their wish of a slower passage of time, or maybe a different past. A different way of living it, a different experience. She will regret wishing to be 20 years old. Well, in my humble opinion, it doesn't matter if she still wishes that she's 20. She's already got the age 20 written all over her face. While I, somehow, retain a younger looking self (Trust me. My old classmates from SMCQC said I look like a 13 year old with a fuzzy patch of hair. Not there, pervert.). My mom though says that I only seem young because I act young, "young at heart" they say. Well, thank you for calling my heart young, no matter how clogged it is with plaque or whatever.
One thing against her claim, though. She's not allower to go around herself. While my mom would be okay with dropping me off in front of a mall a few kilometers away from our apartment, thn just giving me money to let me taxi back home, she spent her whole break in her mom's office (Well, except when I was there. I dragged her to all the malls I wanted to visit. Srsly.). Just shows who's trusted by their parents to be mature enough.
Or maybe it's because she's a girl. In a big metropolis like Taipei. Hmm. Never really thought of that.
Oh wait. You shouldn't consider that. She's STONEFACE, remember? Stalkers, see more of her in my multiply.
But I must say, she does act mature sometimes. Like an Ate. Most of the people we encountered by ourselves thought that, except for the few who thought we were together (which was just EWWWW). *shudders* That's all about her.
Okay. I really need to catch some sleep now. Or maybe not. Whatever. I have a whole roadtrip for that.
And that's it for my Taiwan SemBreak. Thought it was worth missing the retreat with you guys. Oh well. I have stuffs for some of you, anyway. Hehe.