歡天喜地

. . .Ahaha. Today was fun. Woke up at around 11:00am, felt a bit disoriented, had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and then set about to work. Navi came over at around 1:15pm (that is to say, somewhere between 1:00 and 1:30). He set to studying Japanese while I slowly and practically unproductively worked on my bibliography, until a dear old friend gave me a shout.
. . ."Hey, do you know where I can get stuffed animals?" Apparently, he was looking for a gift to get his girlfriend, and since I'm uhh... special, he decided to ask me for suggestions. We agreed that a jar filled with paper stars (made from long strips) would be an appropriate present. The only problem was, he didn't have any idea how to make them. And I had no idea how to give instructions over ICQ. Thus, via Labatt Blue Line, I phoned him up and spent a good 30 minutes walking him through it. He was so cute about it all, "the things I do..." and "This is so difficult..."
. . .Ehehe. And all the meanwhile, Navi was trying to give suggestions too like, "use origami terms" and "go buy a set from Pacific [Mall]". The fact that my dear friend couldn't hear me very well over the phone didn't really help matters either...
. . .Well, he eventually had to go, and I was getting hungry, so Navi and I sauntered down to the living room where we played a bit of PlayStation to retain some sanity (from studying), while I had two pilsbury pizza pops for lunch. Then back to my room for more Japanese joy. Why is declension so much easier to understand than Japanese particles? I mean, it's practically the same thing, but... Ah well. I had a lot of fun explaining (and figuring out different ways of explaining) things to Navi, while he bravely toiled ahead and completed his review exercises from the textbook.
. . .And I'm struck with the sudden realization that I'm totally unprepared for Japan and Taiwan. AHH!!!! Gotta write e-mails to Universities located in the vicinity of Taipei and see if I can't get a job as an English-language TA, thereby getting a working visa, which would allow me to work (and legally make money). Of course, if I did that, that would mean that I'd have to start filing income tax reports and stuff. Yes, I know, it's amazing that I've made it thus far without having to deal with that bureaucratic clap-trap. *nervous laugh*
. . .Thankfully, there's no set day when I must be in Taiwan, so I have some breathing space between Japan and actual school. And I still gotta think up an academic plan for the next two terms. Or even just next term. Hmm... Learning Mandarin and discovering the differences in modern Taiwanese culture might be a fun topic of research. But I still gotta do more linguistic-related thingys. Afterall, my ultimate goal is attaining a PhD in linguistics. (lord above only knows why I find linguistics infinitely more appealing than math.)
. . .And while I anxiously wait for more editor comments, I'm gonna go draw in my sketchbook; haven't drawn in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong while.