spring break.. again

My university is having another one-week break this coming week.. yes, that's the 'benefit' of  a student nowadays.. breaks and holidays for every single occasion.. no complains from me, as I need all the break I can get from my homework and reports.. I relish these no-class-to-attend school days so I can do some catching up with my own readings and my translation..

For the next 2 weeks, I have 1 more presentations to go and 2 homework due.. then it will be mid-term, in which I have to submit 2 reports.. so plenty for me to do, yet not much motivation nor mood to do them.. :( Need to somehow summon some inner drive to start on these..

Sunday Serenade: try

One of my favorite female artists is P!nk.. :) and here's one of her 'more recent' songs.. Love her voice and the lyrics..

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try try try




Have a great week ahead! Be happy and stay safe...

Sunday Serenade: little talks

Like this song cos of its unusual arrangement.. and although the song may sound fun, the lyrics are quite the opposite.. maybe that's why I like it.. also the music video is kinda 'interesting' too..


Little Talks
performed by Of Monsters and Men

 Hey! Hey! Hey!
I don't like walking around this old and empty house
So hold my hand, I'll walk with you, my dear
The stairs creak as you sleep, it's keeping me awake
It's the house telling you to close your eyes

Some days I can't even trust myself
It's killing me to see you this way

'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Hey! Hey! Hey!

There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back
Well tell her that I miss our little talks
Soon it will be over and buried with our past
We used to play outside when we were young
And full of life and full of love.

Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right
Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear

[chorus]
Hey! Don't listen to a word I say
Hey! The screams all sound the same
Hey!
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
[end of chorus]

Hey! Hey!

You're gone, gone, gone away
I watched you disappear
All that's left is the ghost of you.
Now we're torn, torn, torn apart,
There's nothing we can do
Just let me go we'll meet again soon
Now wait, wait, wait for me
Please hang around
I'll see you when I fall asleep

[chorus] x 2

Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore






Have a great week ahead! Be happy and stay safe.. 

Poetry Solace: Of album

Continuing with Adrienne Rich..

For a Album (1987)
Our story isn't a file of photographs
faces laughing under green leaves
or snowlit doorways, on the verge of driving
away, our story is not about women
victoriously perched on the one
sunny day of the conference,
nor lovers displaying love:

Our story is of moments
when even slow motion moved too fast
for the shutter of the camera:
words that blew our lives apart, like so,
eyes that cut and caught each other,
mime of the operating room
where gas and knives quote each other
moments before the telephone
start ringing: our story is
how still we stood,
how fast.


Have a fun weekend! Stay safe!!

how much do you need..

I've written about the cost of living in Malaysia, specifically living in KL about two years ago (here).. and with the local Taiwan media here highlighting how low the wages in Taiwan (and Taipei particularly) are and how the working class (especially, fresh graduates) could barely survived with their meager salary, I would like to add my 2 cents to the discussion..

First let me break down my own monthly expenses.
Housing
Rental - NT$26,000 per semester => NT$4,333 per month
Utilities - NT$ 650 per month
Sub-total for Housing - NT $5,000 per month

Transportation
Since I live next to the school, I don't need to pay for transportation. Although I no longer need to travel to my weekly English playdate with my senior's sons, I will still include this expenses for future reference purposes.
Bus - NT$ 60 weekly
Train - NT $ 40 weekly
Sub-total for Transportation - NT$ 400 per month

Food 
Breakfast - NT$ 40 per day
Lunch - NT$ 100 (with drinks) per day
Dinner - NT$ 80 per day
Sub-total for Food - NT$ 6,600 per month

Telecommunication
As my room comes with internet connection and I am using a pre-paid card, my continuing insistence of not getting a smartphone has my cost for this category very low.
Pre-paid SIM card - NT$ 1,000 a year
Sub-total for Telecommunication - NT$ 100 per month

Misc
Household (detergents, toilet papers, etc) - NT$ 250
Personal (shampoos, personal hygiene, shower foam, etc) - NT$ 250
School (admin fees for red-tapes, text books, stationary, etc) - NT$ 1,000
R&R (groceries, restaurant dining, wardrobe, etc) - NT$ 2,300
Sub-total for Misc - NT$ 3,800 per month

Grand total: around NT$ 16,000 per month (on average)

However, since I come over to Taiwan with nothing but 2 big suitcases, I had to spend to buy all the daily necessities, like bed, pillows and blanket, book rack, shelves, heater, reading lamps and etc, which came to about NT$ 15,000. If I were to distribute that amount to 12 months, it will be NT $1,250. So my first year's monthly expenses came to a total of around NT$ 17,250.

So if you compare with the numbers I derived for living in MY (MYR$ 2,353), it is much cheaper (for me) to live in TW than MY. But I have yet to include my school fees, which is NT$ 50,000 per semester. So for my first year, the actual expenditure is NT$ 17,250 + NT$ 8,350 => NT$ 25,600 which is slightly more expensive.

This amount is expected to drop subsequently as I do not need to pay full tuition fee from my 3rd year onwards. Then, I would need to just pay for whatever subjects I am taking that semester, so the NT$ 50K per semester will drop to less than NT$ 6,000 per semester. However, I am thinking of moving into a bigger room next academic year so that I will have a place to cook. The increase in rental might be offset by the saving I will get from cooking at home. Thus I'm sure I can live comfortably with around NT$ 20,000 per month.. in fact I spent less than NT$ 10K in Nov 2011 and Apr 2012!

Now in my 2nd semester of my 2nd Year, I'm more or less accustomed to the lifestyle (and its requirements) here. I am good at preserving things and my stuff don't get damaged or worn out as easily. I don't need branded goods nor expensive accessories. I don't change my wardrobe as often as the season changes. I can wear the same shirt/pants/shoes for years if it is still wearable. I don't need a smartphone when I am online almost my entire waking hours with my laptop. I read and I fully utilize my University's library and other free online eBooks sites, thus it's one of the cheapest hobbies one can have.

I always believe that we should and can live within our means. I am living simply and frugally. I do not try to keep up with the Jones. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything nor do I feel like I am being deprived. I am being mindful about what I really need and what are my wants.

Though I am not well-to-do, I have the control of my own time and how I choose to use them. That to me is good enough.

Sunday Serenade: secrets

This is one of my favorite songs and I can't believe I have yet to share it here.. but it is better to be late than never, right??

Here's a trivia: this is one of my selected songs to sing in karaoke.. :p


Secrets
performed by OneRepublic

I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kinda boring
Need something that I can confess

'Til all my sleeves are stained red
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no
I've been on the brink, so

[chorus]
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that were like those years
I'm sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time
Don't need another perfect line
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
[end of chorus]

My God
Amazing that we got this far
It's like we're chasing all those stars
Who's driving shiny big black cars

And everyday I see the news, all the problems that we could solve
And when a situation rises, just write it into an album
Seen it straight to go
I don't really like my flow, no, so

[chorus]

Oh, got no reason, got not shame
Got no family I can blame
Just don't let me disappear
I'mma tell you everything

So [chorus x2]

All my secrets away
All my secrets away







Have a great week ahead! Stay healthy and be happy!! :)

kittens I

More than once I've written about my dad's garden of abundance. It is a little oasis of greenery where fruits and vegetables are grown.. It is also a playground for birds and cats to hang out..

My parents are not into pets, so we didn't have any when we are young.. but our garden attracted a few cats that made it their home although some of them come and go as they like. One did stay and gave birth to two litters of kittens the last two times I went home.. and they were soooo adorable..

The first pair was born mid of last year.. we didn't know their gender but I named them Tom and Jerry anyway.. :) Tom is grayish white while Jerry has black spots on his body... here are some photos of Tom and Jerry..

'whatcha' looking at??'

chilling with mum

Jerry: 'I'm sooo sleepy after that big meal..'

Tom: 'Can't a cat take a dump in peace?'

'Need to hydrate.. even if it's drain water..'

Do you know that cats eat papaya? No? Here's the proof.

It was fun having Tom and Jerry around with their mum. But good times seldom last, even for cats. Tom went missing a few days after I came back to Taiwan last July. My dad said that he was probably 'kat-nap' by cat lovers who lives nearby. Jerry is still around, now as big as his mum.

Next, Tom and Jerry's siblings - Garfield and Kopi... :)

Sunday Serenade: brand new me

This weekend I'll be sharing a song by Alicia Keys called Brand New Me.. like the lyrics very much and her voice is amazing...

Here's to a brand new kind of free.. :)




Have a great week ahead! Be safe and stay happy!!

Poetry Solace: for an album

Continuing with another poem by Adrienne Rich. Enjoy!

For An Album (1987)
Our story isn't a file of photographs
faces laughing under green leaves
or snowlit doorways, on the verge of driving
away, our story is not about women
victoriously perched on the one
sunny day of the conference,
nor lovers displaying love:

Our story is of moments
when even slow motion moved too fast
for the shutter of the camera:
words that blew our lives apart, like so,
eyes that cut and caught each other,
mime of the operating room
where gas and knives quote each other
moments before the telephone
starts ringing: our story is
how still we stood,
how fast.



Have a great week! Be safe!

smoking

Smoking kills.. one way or another..

A freak accident happened in my University a few days ago.. it actually happened within my Dept's building.. Three freshmen from the Finance Dept went up to the rooftop to smoke during a short break around 10am. No smoking is allowed within the campus so they went up there to get their nicotine fix. They allegedly climbed over a 1.5m wall and sat on/around a lighting shade (采光罩). Unfortunately, that shade was not meant to handle the weight of an adult, it gave way and one of the freshmen fell. He came crushing through (from 12th floor) and landed on the 4th floor patio. He didn't make it. His two friends were shocked but unscathed.

I was not in campus that time nor was I aware of this accident until I received an email from the University later that day asking all its students to be observant and safe within the campus. When the news broke that night many people commented on it over the cyberspace. Almost of all them had nothing good to say about the stupidity of those freshmen and most condemned their brainlessness in tempting fate. It is common sense that the function of lighting shade is to allow sunlight through and is NOT meant to be stepped on much less sat on. It was something that even the kids know never to do. Thus there is no surprise that the online communities were having a ball chiding and criticizing the stupidity of these freshmen. And it didn't help when the parents of the deceased asked for the 'examination of the lighting shade for possible design flaws'.

Sadly in this time and age, young people are still taking up smoking in great numbers. Even when we are informed by scientists and doctors that smoking kills, people are still hanging on to their nicotine addiction. I pity those young people who continues to smoke because they think they are cool by buffing away. And I take even greater pity on those who 'worship' smokers because they 'looked' cool with a cigarette in their mouth/fingers.

I'm all for personal freedom, but that personal freedom does not include polluting the air that everyone is breathing. I really want to ask all those smokers to smoke and breath their own smoke, like the drawing on the left. Then they can smoke anywhere and anytime they like. If they want to shorten their life and damage their lungs, they are entitled to do that. Just not within the same space as mine.

Sunday Serenade: a thousand years

First of all, I must say that I am NOT a fan of the Twilight Saga although I did watch The New Moon in the cinema while holidaying in Australia. That was more to experience movie-going in downunder than to 'support' the franchise. In fact, I have yet to read the novels and don't plan to do so unless I have absolutely nothing left to read, which is highly unlikely..

Anyway, this song is very 'memorable' and the rhythm, especially the chorus, kept echoing inside my head after I caught it a couple of times over the radio.. So if I ignore my bias against it for being used in that movie, I can totally enjoy the song.. :p

A Thousand Years
performed by Christina Perri





Have a great week ahead! Be happy and stay safe!