#We also went to a Mongolian buffet and it was great

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Went to Target during a trip to the next state over with Mom so we could have a fun day out, and I found DC Comics Manga, and this Joker one is so tempting to grab an ebook of

This sounds like a typical fanfiction plot idea and I'm all for it

Also, found some cute Lego polybags, which is a nice bit to add to my Lego collection I'm rebuilding, as I'm mostly grabbing small bags and bricks from thrifting

A cute farmer with a scarecrow and a bunny, and a "birthday train" micro build.

Also, I decided to finally try a minifigure blind box, since my Lego are gonna need some people for them, and golly, they've changed since I was a kid

I got an Olympic runner guy with running blades prosthetics and a Harpy with articulated wings! I found out that they're making minifigs now that includes some wild fantasy elements and disability representation. I really want to find the dog groomer one with the Afghan hound and has a cochlear implant, the dog is cute and since hard-of-hearing runs in my family, that has a bit of a personal sentimental concept there...

Anyway, my Valentine's day was pretty cool. Nothing but good luck, people were very polite and friendly, and absolutely nothing went wrong this year. 🥹

[jacksulkes]

July 16 - National Place Museum and Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence

We started the day with a bus ride to the National Palace Museum. I saw jade, ceramics, bronze, and paintings on paper. There were jade bowls, jewelry, urns, nails, and a massive jade screen. There were some ceramics more colorful than others. The pottery came in all sizes. There were also expensive light blue-dyed dishes. A lot of the bronze was a little greened over, including the cauldrons, wine vessels, bells, daggers, and buddha statues. I walked through a corridor with a whole bunch of paintings of flowers, landscapes, and other plant life. Following the museum, we again took the same bus to a group lunch. It was a restaurant with Mongolian barbecue and a buffet. Mongolian barbecue is when you get a bowl, fill it with all of the veggies, raw meats, and sauces you want, and then hand it to a chef to cook all together on a flat top. It was delicious. The buffet was good too. After a filling lunch, the bus took us to our last stop, the Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence. This was Mr. and Mrs. Chiang’s house for about the last 30 years of Chiang Kai-shek’s life. We walked through its many rooms with an audio tour. Once we were off on our own, I went with the guys to try McDonald’s in Taiwan. I ordered a Korean Double Beef Squid Burger combo as well as a spicy McCrispy. The burger had two beef patties and a third patty made entirely of squid meat. The McCrispy was just bone-in fried chicken. It was all better tasting and cheaper than a McDonald’s in the US. Right after dinner, we walked over to a public basketball court and played with some local Taiwanese college students.

Academic Reflection:

On the bus ride to the National Palace Museum, Peter taught us that the treasures in the Forbidden City in China were moved to the southwest region during World War II so that the Japanese wouldn’t get to them. Once that war ended, however, they couldn’t be returned because now there was the Chinese Civil War. The treasures were scattered, and about a quarter of them ended up in Taiwan in the National Palace Museum. I was so fascinated thinking about that while looking at the treasures in the museum. Peter gave us a great tour of the museum and taught us so much.

The Chiang Kai-shek house tour was done entirely by an audio recording, which wasn’t as exciting. I did learn from that too though today. I learned about all of the presidents and other powerful people that visited the house. I learned what each room was used for. I saw beds in several rooms, and the voice-over told me that was because he became sick at the end of his life and needed to be able to lie down in each room.

[redlemonz]

Day #28

Four weeks since sick-day Monday. A whole February's worth of a month, and it's the 21st too - my favourite new unlucky number. I can already tell it's going to be an absolutely splendid day and return to the workplace. My thoughts, along with time as my usual brain's archenemy, instantly strike down the usual Monday morning anxiety upon me. Shivers spark inside my spine, though I am not actually cold. If only I could escape this and sleep another horrendous morning away. Unfortunately I've already used up my quota for a sick day this month as at my last sick-day Friday, and am feeing sane enough to realise that my mind needs to be focused on some work anyway to divert its attention temporarily. It's alright too, because I'm pretty much use to the anxiety by now as it's mostly under my control these days (or so I like to tell myself anyway). It also helps that she's actually contributed to reducing it greatly through making her presence apparent in my life. Another smiley face, exchange of emojis and so on, via digital communication last night is more than sufficient to ensure my stability is in tact. Not that I'm relying on her at all or anything, it just so happens that she can naturally provide such a positive effect upon my life without even really trying. I'm quite over this empty feeling though - just getting by, living each day with a lack of physical emotion being exhibited upon my face for the majority. My expressionless gaze which stares back at me in the mirror displays just that - it doesn't really give a shit about all that much anymore. Everything's kind of just blankly existing around me, and here I am, dead inside and floating by as an insignificant spec of dust. So suck me into this equally empty vacuum and be done with it already. Day 28 - Bad company "I don't want to see you" are the words which continue to echo over and over again in my head, from our conversation four nights ago. Even though we're seemingly on good terms, can talk regularly and exchange photos now and then, hearing those words on repeat are still simply painful and can bring a tear to anyone's eyes. I know where she's coming from obviously, and that it's probably not ideal given the circumstances to see each other, but that general statement can regardlessly be scarring and be lodged against my insecurities sadly - because I allow it to. I can't help that it makes me feel so unwanted and minuscule, as if I don't even matter. I can't stop thinking about it either, because I want to be able to confirm to myself that I am indeed not worth the time and effort as is the belief that's been preached into me countlessly. Driving this knife into myself deeper helps me prepare for whatever future disappointments await around the corner in my life, reaffirming the pessimistic elements in my life that I extensively lost when I was with her (yup, my negativity during us being together was surprisingly a growing improvement). It sucks, but it is intrinsic that I must attain back that greater sense of negativity as otherwise my vulnerability factor is enlarged, by my own flawed mechanisms. That instrument to my own destruction being that my mind believes for some whacky reason (although true) that there is definitely some correlation between one's level of positivity and their general expectations. Anyway, what I'm really trying to get at is that work sucked. I spoke little words on a verbal scale, but my fingers on a keyboard spoke volumes on the digital screen of success. The more stuff that's on there, the more work you're doing obviously, right? Nevertheless, I got swamped with every task on a bloody Monday that supposedly just so happened to be urgent, even though they don't bother using the damn red exclamation mark in the emails to attribute it accordingly so. Yes, I'm finding any excuse to sprinkle my salt (careful with your mind) towards work today because it wasn't actually all too bad when it comes down to it, but once in a while it's nice to blame something else for my own catastrophic internal suffering. Man, what really got me was another regrettable memory I was itching to forget, but of course, fate always finds a way to remind me of the asshole I am. One of three was thrilling us with his weekend meal escapades (yes, food is stimulating stuff - quite literally if I may add, energy homeostasis and stuff. Do I even science? Fuck yeah.. on rare occasions). He went to this exorbitant buffet restaurant with his family and friends, situated in a hotel, named after simply a number which corresponds to the various cuisine-kitchens on offer. The beginning of that story was more than sufficient in sparking another moment of repentance, as she accompanied my hand there one night for a special dinner date I had booked (which she even dressed up and looked absolutely stunning for), and at which I behaved as an impolite and rude bastard. It's sad too really, because I would tend to pride myself upon chivalry, out of the limited bucket of anything that I even have to offer at all. To be completely straightforward about my sins (and goodness I hate admitting this), I put the food before her. As soon as I'd be done finishing a plate, I wouldn't hesitate to simply get up and proceed towards another serving whilst she sat and ate her meal on her own.. on multiple occasions. I ruined another nice evening for us, through my own selfishness and lack of thought about her in that moment. What's worse is that it was our unofficial anniversary (I booked the reservation in as our anniversary with the belief we may likely attain some freebies, and huzzah - gourmet chocolates.. would've been a proud moment if I wasn't such a dick that night). I was just an unforgivably bad date as a result, and offered poor company to this beautiful Princess (excuse me - Queen) whom I took for granted, on a dynamically visible level. Another apology which shouldn't have ever been required if I could have just had basic common courtesy for the woman I love. At least I was fortunate enough to receive another chance during one of the occasions in which I visited her down in snowy mountain town. We attended another buffet, named after that historically famous Mongolian warlord, where I remembered my faults and attempted to redeem myself - and hey, what a surprise, it was a really enjoyable night in each other's company. Might I add that I happen to have had a corresponding song, with regards to said historically famous Mongolian warlord, which has been stuck in my head the whole day courtesy of her. Might I also say, that she video snapped me herself singing along to the radio on the way to, and from work today, which brought a radiant glow of blissful happiness to my maniacal Monday. Three different friends reached out to me today - what a wonderful coincidence. Blondie, the mastermind and I don't think I've mentioned my lovely, but unofficial ditzy sibling who renamed her last name on social media to match my fake last name for over a year (because said last name is a loveable Turkish dip that resembles my actual last name when sounded aloud.. on a somewhat loose tangent, and is also variably dependant upon one's accent). Anyway, all three were sweetly inviting me to various future events - some that I can dodge when the time comes, and one I can decline straightaway. Not doing a great job at not being a dick, clearly, but trust me when I can reaffirm that I'm still not quite ready to be the negative nick of the group (that 'n' deserves to remain a lowercase, because it's not worthy of being labelled proper). My company will purely not even be that of adequate quality, and it's subsequently better for others that it's avoided as a result. So of course I had limited responses to each, and abruptly wished them a nice week ahead, because I still can't commit myself to a conversation when my primary sensations are emptiness and heartbreak. Also my dippy sibling, better known as The Colonel (pronounced Call-oh-nell according to her, when ordering fried chicken) asked me if I'm free on the weekend to assist her with purchasing her first vehicle, and insisted that I could provide some useful "manly input". I have to acknowledge that she is one of the sweetest and most treasured people in my life, before I can simply acclaim, what the fuck? My track record with owning cars is pretty well known among my inner circles. I've wasted over $10,000 (which would be much greater than my current savings account) on two European cars which didn't even last a year - combined. I've then decided after those bad decisions that purchasing brand new would be the genius alternative, so there's another $26,000 not well spent on which I'm finally finishing repayments upon by the end of this year. My street smart knowledge of cars may as well be the equivalent to some douchebag who sticks black stripes unevenly upon only the front hood of his red car to make it go faster. Oh wait, I am that idiotic douchebag. Nevertheless, I can't afford to have any contributing role in assisting the Colonel with her purchase as anything I say or do can and will be used against me in the court of my mind. So if something were to go wrong or be out of order, it's common knowledge by now to gather where the unforgiving blame, failure and consequent punishment would be suffered. I can't risk that on my lack of a conscience, therefore I kindly apologised and referred her to other potential professionals in the matter. Even my better half knew that I was down right stupid when it came to cars. She's got a hatchback as old as I essentially am, and it's probably still the more efficient and universally favourable option between our two cars. That's because she actually has the logic I seem to perpetually lack.. damn, I'm going to fail without her. All I want now is to be able to sit beside her in that car again, holding her hand (when we're not at risk of crashing towards our deaths), or resting mine lovingly upon her thigh, as we sing along to the stereo as the beautiful lunatics we are together.