Chilling in Taiwan

OK. I'm an atrocious person. I went three weeks without blogging once. In my defense, my brain was too liquefied to even begin a valid thought process to blog about. Two dozen howling children tend to do that to you. Also, I got a four on my AP Lit test, so I don't even know if I'm worthy to blog anymore. D: FOUR. HOLY SHIT. Not that I'm devastated about it or anything.

I don't know why, but I've really got nothing to say about the past three weeks. It was tiring. It was fun. It was heartbreaking. My emotions are still too tied up with it to really start processing all that's happened. Or all that hasn't happened.

Right now, I'm curled up in a shady corner of Starbucks, awkwardly insinuated beside a PDAing couple. I kind of stole the sofa next to them because it was the only available spot with an open outlet. It's raining like shit out there. I could take a shower in this downpour. My days have fallen into a pattern.

1.) Woken up in the morning by Grandmother - My sister gets up every morning at 6:30 to go to work. At precisely 8, my mother will knock on the door and ask if I'd like to wake up. This will reoccur like clockwork every thirty minutes until 9:30, when my grandmother will simply command me to wake up. Actually, 9:30 was the record for the latest she's ever allowed me to sleep. This morning it was 9:13. The other day, she told me to wake up "around 8" to go somewhere at "around 9". I optimistically set my alarm for 8:30. I should have known better. At 8:03 AM (I checked), I heard the dreaded knocking at my door. (sigh) We didn't even leave until 9:50.

2.) Eat Breakfast - Breakfast nowadays consists of exactly one third of a mango and one cow tongue cracker. I eagerly await the day we run out of mangoes...or cow tongue crackers. Amy will eat one-third before leaving for work. I arrive at the breakfast table three hours later and am presented with the option of the other end or the heart of the mango. Other times, I am not offered an option at all and am simply handed the other end of the mango. My grandmother, though not overly possessed of patience, is nothing if not a woman of consistency.

3.) Use the Internet - Praise Jesus for internet and half-divorced uncles. My uncle is in the midst of filing for divorce, and as a result, is more than usually nice to my sister and me. This kindness has manifested itself in the form of a loaner cell phone for me and a 3G internet source for Amy. I can now surf the internet while careening down the MRT tracks at over 50 km an hour. Again. Praise the Lord.

4.) Go Out - Occasionally, I meet up with the Changs. Other days, I just hop on the Red 38 bus and cruise down to the Danshui MRT station. There, I can decide whether to wander around local attractions and stores or take the MRT to the busier areas of Taipei. I've already spent over 500 NT on traveling alone. For shame. If I don't feel like shopping, I just plop down in a Starbucks or McDonald's and surf the internet. What I really need is a pair of earphones so I can catch up on True Blood and White Collar...

5.) Eat Dinner with Sister - After work, Amy and I choose a place to meet up and we take the MRT down to our dinner place. Occasionally, we feel guilty for neglecting the grandparents and return home for dinner. Most other times, we either meet up with Tammy (Amy's law school friend), or party just the two of us. :D Amy has a list of food places she is eager to try. I am more than happy to oblige.

Amy and I often return home around 10PM. Sometimes, if we're out with friends or nightmarketing, we can stay out until around 12 AM. I love returning home late. It's always a gamble to see if we can catch the last bus. I feel bad for the grandparents. They spend the entire day at home, either chilling downstairs with the security guards or upstairs watching old men and women like themselves sing their hearts out karoake-style on TV. What a life.

I'm not as happy as I should be, considering the liberty I've been given. My mind works itself over pointless things. I'm praying that God will help me to work through the issues that have been plaguing me lately.