(01.11.2006) - November Rain

Well no sooner had the month hand struck 11 when Taiwan started to look like the muggy distopia of many a childhood dreams once again. As I drove out to school I was met with some satisfying rain and cold winds to make me feel at home once again. About time too since Ive been out here for five months already. They say home sickness really starts to kick in around the six month mark but to be honest I have been feeling it for a while. I think it really happens when the wow factor of your new surrounding begins to fade away and you are forced to adapt almost entirely from the mindset of a tourist to a full blown working resident. I have my own house, job, scooter and friends and the sensation of feeling comfortable finally out here I think is what wakes people up to think, "wait didnt I have a similar life to this all the way across the other side of the world too?"

Neverthess I persevere, especially as the workload and organisation required at school is beginning to increase, which keeps me from slacking off in my free time and also from being led too far astray by Taiwan's nightlife. The local bars and pubs are great places to kill an hour of five since people are just so hospitable. Take last night for example, I found myself ordering one drink and as a complimentary beer snack was given a whole plate of pretzels, some chilli covered snails and a plate of nachos with two bowls of homemade salsa. I had no place to put my elbows but had a heck of a great time talking to the guys who work there. This is the place literally downstairs from me that hosted one of the great halloween parties of Saturday night. One wednesdays they have live jazz and throughout the week they generally sell drinks incredibly cheaply and play great music. But allas, work is picking up speed so I might have to wait a while before my next visit, or at least until I get paid again. Nine days time it seems, one day before PS3 launch, why must there be so many temptations to blow my wage!!!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

(30.10.2006) - And so it comes to this..

Well there is no other way I could make good on my promise of a new blog within a week if I was forced to wait for internet in my house so here is me, blogging from work on my lunch break, Something I wasnt too keen on doing but I have no other choice at this stage. So with that out of the way I would like to extent to my readers a warm welcome back to MMI.

Life at the moment is pretty good, work is really good fun and Halloween out here was a real blast. Never before did I realise just how many foreginers are living lives practically identical to mine, although I often feel like I still have my teaching training wheels still firmly attached, especially when it comes to the fine art of partying, something which I saw in abundance on Friday and Saturday.

Although I do not have direct access to the internet I have been lucky enough to catch a few breif moments with the net connection round at the girlfriends house. Although what I did have has now been watched to death and I swear if i dont get hold of episode 4 of the new family guy soon I am going to flip my lid. I went poster shopping the other day in one of the trendier ends of town, I picked up some amusing signs for the toilet along with some anime posters to remind myself and everyone else that I truly am a massive anime nerd at heart. This posters, along with the state of my new living conditions will surely be posted up here when I eventually get connected at home. When I was out shopping I saw some items which I would have given a kidney for but unfortunately I kind of overstretched my budget this month, one was a glossy 2007 bleach calendar which looked fantastic, the other a Suzumiya Haruhi promo poster which they only sold alongside the DVD box set. Next month I have nothing big to pay for so my entire wage is pretty much mine. What I did pick up from NOVA this month was a TV box for that monitor I showed you all a while back, that means I can flip between pc, tv and ps2 at my leisure, Onimusha 3 is back on!

Finally, we are a mere two weeks away from PS3 now and as soon as my wage gets through im going to assess the situation. I would love to get it and plug it into the HD monitor and forget the fact that I cant afford food by playing some MG4, if that happens, dont expect to read anything else except PS3 reviews on here for months.

I could go on and on about all the cool anime, gaming, film junk thats happening out here as we approach the holiday season but Ill save that for another post and maybe my other blog.

And honestly my final point, looks like im coming back to england for a week in Feburary to pick up DVDs, stag chilli and a decent cup of tea as well as spend some much needed time with family and friends,

Till next time,
This has been MMI

"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny, I will have my glory day in the hot sun!"

21.10.2006 - Just a little longer....oh wait, you've all gone

Look im still alive! Growing out my beard to play a farmer in the Thanksgiving play!















Well, since the I won’t be getting the internet in my house for about another week now, my scheduled anime downloadathon has given me a brief chance to post a little entry on my site. No, I have not abandoned it, I am actually really looking forward to letting you guys know what I am up to but right now, not having the net where I hang my hat is what is preventing me from posting.

As Halloween approaches and the festivities begin, the mind wanders to our great celebrations back at university, the costumes, the excitement the copious amounts of booze and general rowdiness. I hope those of you who can share the holiday together back home will try your best to recapture some of that spirit. I have lots of Halloween preparation to do with the kids at school and much of my original week plan has been bumped to a later date so we can celebrate the holiday. In my free time I will be heading to various places with friends to take advantage of the free drinks and food offers available to those in costume. How unsubstantial and cheap I can make such costume remains to be seen.

When I update again, I hope to give you a virtual tour of my new pad, Today I bought a clock and generally bring you up to speed about life here in Taiwan, it seems to be getting more interesting than I originally thought, having met lots of new people and frequented lots of cool new places I am beginning to warm to life here and in my new home.

So give it a week, if I don’t have the internet or haven’t posted by then you have every right to call me lazy and counterproductive. Also I will be participating in another website, a kind of online magazine for foreigners in Taiwan, when asked if I could help out I suggested I handle film reviews since the current crop of articles in all of the expat magazines here are a bit rubbish. So anyway, I’ll let you know as and when that happens.

That all for now,
Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long,

Miss you all!

Till next time,
This has been MMI

08.10.2006 - A good blog is about due.

But since I am moving house today you will have to wait a tiny bit longer for something substantial. Just a quick hello to those I have managed to bore to tears waiting for this things to become active again. Yes big changes have happened and are still happaneing and since they are changes which have to be dealt with rather than lamented by way of a blog, your MMI author has been rather busy dealing with these changes. As I mentioned before I up and move this evening to my new apartment something else which was overdue. So my things are packed and I am about to go eat my lunch and get my head in the right place.

This may take a while since I feel my mind is the most fragmented and confused it has been in a long long time dear readers. Once this move have been completed and can sit on my couch, make myself a cup of tea in my new kitchen, mill about, sleep and throw a tennis ball repeatedly at the skirting board I think I will be able to safely attempt to get back on this horse and see what I can make of it. Im pretty scared about making out here on my own but I have to keep reminding myself that Im a big boy now and home is but a flight away.

Which would be a good time to introduce the new charity drive which is being set up here at MMI. Its called the, "Come and visit poor Aaron" fund and its aimed at people who want to do just that. If you or anyone you know have it in your heart to come and meet me for a drink out here in Taiwan and make my day that little bit brighter then start putting a little aside each week for a flight. All food and accomodation will be provided for your trip and I promise I will let you play on my PSP. So make a difference to someones life today, "come and vist poor Aaron".

till next time,
this has been MMI