Taiwan!
Just saying, because no one's listening, I'm in Taiwan now. Arrived back on August 11, lived in Taipei at my cousin's house for 2 nights, during that time I watched a movie and went to a Japanese anime/comic convention, and did nothing noteworthy the last two days.
I've eaten mainly food cooked at home, so I haven't tried out much of the cheap food. I've drank the super-cheap pearl milk tea only once so far. I haven't bought any Pinky candy yet. I'll try to write something more detailed later, and maybe try to pretend to be miso14 and take some pictures.
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Shifting gears, after attending summer programs in the years '99, '00, '02, '03, '04, '05, the general trend is that people drift apart quickly after one year, but usually faster. What I mean to say is, when the programs first end, you might feel like you've met some of the coolest people ever, and that in the 2~6 weeks you got to know these people, everyone was extremely close just like family, and that surely the strength of those memories will keep you guys in touch for a long time to come. Well the truth is, unless you make serious efforts to keep in touch with people, things fall apart quickly, especially if you live far apart from these temporary friends. Unless you can build new memories, the old ones can only last so long. I don't say this because I'm a cynical person. I'm not trying to leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. But don't fool yourself. Those people will very quickly become distant memories, and if you care too much, you'll only be saddened and possibly become hardened, as I have year after year. So lean back and don't think too hard--or you may look back on photos of old times several years later, and feel stronger pangs of sadness than you should if you heed the warning.
I've eaten mainly food cooked at home, so I haven't tried out much of the cheap food. I've drank the super-cheap pearl milk tea only once so far. I haven't bought any Pinky candy yet. I'll try to write something more detailed later, and maybe try to pretend to be miso14 and take some pictures.
=====
Shifting gears, after attending summer programs in the years '99, '00, '02, '03, '04, '05, the general trend is that people drift apart quickly after one year, but usually faster. What I mean to say is, when the programs first end, you might feel like you've met some of the coolest people ever, and that in the 2~6 weeks you got to know these people, everyone was extremely close just like family, and that surely the strength of those memories will keep you guys in touch for a long time to come. Well the truth is, unless you make serious efforts to keep in touch with people, things fall apart quickly, especially if you live far apart from these temporary friends. Unless you can build new memories, the old ones can only last so long. I don't say this because I'm a cynical person. I'm not trying to leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth. But don't fool yourself. Those people will very quickly become distant memories, and if you care too much, you'll only be saddened and possibly become hardened, as I have year after year. So lean back and don't think too hard--or you may look back on photos of old times several years later, and feel stronger pangs of sadness than you should if you heed the warning.