Well I made it!!!!!!

The flight was long and dreary, but I'm here. The flight from Calgary wasn't too bad. I was supposed to be seated with a couple who had a dog with them, but I was moved to an emergency row with an empty seat beside me, so I had plenty of room.

We had a four hour lay over in Lax which wasn't too bad. It went fairly quickly. We flew out of LA at 1:15 am. and I didn't see day light until we landed in Taipei at 5:30am on the 30th. My first seat was on the aisle beside an old Chinese couple. Everything was going good until the woman started to get one of those coughs that never seems to bring anything up. The husband on the other hand had no difficulty dilodging whatever was stuck in his throat. That, coupled with his sniffling made me beg that they would hurry and distribute the ear phones quickly. Luckily enough Adrian was able to find a couple of seats that were open elsewhere. I happily moved seats and once again had an empty seat beside me. The movie selection was pretty weak. The best film was "The Dish" an Austrailian film I have already seen, but I highly recomend it to everyone. I slept for a bit and then played Mario Bros. And after hours and hours we landed.

My first impression of Taiwan is FUCK! This place is nuts. I had visions of filth and crowds and clutter, and I was right. Adrian took me around the town and I unpacked into my very own room in my first apartment. And then I crashed. I am just about to shower and then it's off to dinner. So I will be back later to tell you more.

Sorry about that last post. I guess I went a little Mariah Carey last night when I was drinkng water so that I wouldn't be hung over. I know that I shouldn't write e.mails when I'm drunk, but it's too late now.

Bye for now . . .

"Start me up a new revolution, This one is a lie . . . "

Hey there buddy!

Do you know what the hardest thing about going away is? Honestly? I thought I did. I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong. I'm a man, I don't cry, I don't show emotions, I don't let people know how I feel. Right?

BULLSHIT!

You try saying goodbye to one of your best freinds and see how hard it is to hold them for what could be the last time in a long time. It ain't so easy! People keep telling me not to worry. I'll be back n a year. Yeah, well tell that to the part of me that knows that nothing will be the same in 2002. People will be gone, streets will change. HELL, I'll be a different person. I guarantee it.

How will I define myself when I get back?
How will you react to the new me?
How will I get used to how things are?

OK, so maybe I'm being a little drastic, maybe nothing will change and I'll still be the joking, laughing fool that I am now with the positive attitude. I certainly hope not. Honestly. If I go away for a year I hope to come back a different person. I am sure you would be dissapointed if I didn't.

I don't know what to expect over there. I would be a liar if I said I wasn't scared. I am scared out of my fucking mind right now. You may ask what I expect to happen when I get there. I figure I'll step off of the plane with all of my preconcieved notions and I will be no vaselined by what is actually out there. Seriously. I mean I have never really been off of North America (Hawaii doesn't count) and I have never been on my own (except when house sitting) and so what else should I expect except an utter ass kicking by asian culture?

This has to be the turning point in my journey. Tonight was one of the last nights that I will have had the chance to be with everyone that I love and consider dear to me. From now on it's just preparing to leave and getting ready to face the unexpected. I guess that I should have some great philosophy about what is about to happen to me. But the only thing I can think of is Green Day's Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life). For once my years of bullshitting through deep stated English Theses and such is not helping and I cannot come up with more than: "So Take the best of the test and don't ask why . . . " But really what is this other than an obstacle in my life that I HAVE to get over. If I can get to Taiwan and stay there for a year without losing grip on a self identity then I can face any shit that life may throw at me.

So I will face this test. I will leave all of my comforts and reassurances and I will learn what it is to honestly be me without the backdrop I have created for myself. I guess I should look on this as great chance to really learn who I am. I am sure that I nkow who I am, but alot of that depends on what I place around me, and by transporting myself away from that I will learn whether or not I can stand without the support that all of you have given me over the past few years.

Alright I figure that is enough ranting for one night. I should never do this when I am drunk, I always say things that I shouldn't, but fuck it who cares right?

Have a good day and I will write more later.

I got my paper back, and since I know you are all dying to know how I did I'll tell you. A-. Not bad, eh?

I'd love to write more, but I've got to get studying. Talk to all of you later.

I am proud to announce the first celebrity visitor to my guestbook. And a huge kudos to Jesus for the most inventive entry to date.

I have only 3 days left at work!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!! Each shift gets harder and harder to go to since I know the end is coming and I just want it to be here now. Plus the swtching to a new store system is making me happier and happier that I am getting out now and not later.

I've got 15 days left in Canada, and I still have to pack up my room and get all of my packing organized. I don't have one iota of a clue where I am going to get the time to do this, but hell, who needs sleep? Right?

Well I finished that bitch of a paper! And 15 minutes earlier than I'd thought I would. It's supposed to be 2000 words, but mine is 3100 so hopefully my teacher doesn't freak out.

I'll write more later.

And to everyone who I said I will call, I promise I will!

Bye for now

Not too much new to report at the moment. I have 3 days of school left and then two exams and I am done my upgrading, and hopefully this will be th last time that I ever have to take a class that isn't somehow related to my education degree.

I kinda like summer classes because they go by so fast, but at the same time they suck because all of the assignments come so close together. I have an essay due Wednesday for my Evil & Suffering in the Great Religions class, and it is killing me. I am trying to argue the threat of God as a moral compass for society and it's hard to find writings that will help me develop my arguments.

Oh well, enough of my bitching! I guess I'll get back to work.

Got my shots yesterday and man my arm is sore!! But only my left one. My right one is perfectly fine. the cool thing is that my shots didn't even hurt. Also because I waited so long I was supposed to get my booster shot done in Taiwan, but the Dr. told me that she can squeeze me in the day I leave and she'll do it a couple of days early. Woo Hoo!! Now I don't have to worry about going to a hospital in a develping nation!

I now have 28 days left in canada and so now all my spare time will be split between school and packing up my room. Well, all my time after the Crystal Method concert tonight.

Be back later.