haokaiyang (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} haokaiyang) wrote,@ 2006-07-18 12:14:00 |
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Flirt: The art of pleasure
That's what it says on the front of my microwave. But hey, it's a nice microwave--it's designed to look elegant, and it pops me a bag of microwave popcorn in two minutes flat. All for only US$60!
Last month I moved apartments. I went from a tiny one-man domicile to a full-floor apartment with two big bedrooms, a tatami room, one and a half bathrooms, a decent-sized kitchen, a balcony and a fully furnished living room. Also, since I no longer live under a metal roof, when it rains, I'm no longer tormented by an incessant pounding noise. I feel like I'm living the high life now, but my rent has actually gone down! My old place was NT$14,000 a month, about US$420, but my new house is NT$15,000, and after splitting that cost with my roommate, I pay considerably less than before, even after factoring in utilities, which are no longer included in my rent. What's more, I actually like living with a roommate better than living alone. So it's hard to find the downside of this move. I have only two complaints: one, a few giant flying roaches have appeared in my house (and thereupon been promptly exterminated), and two, I'm twice as far away from my school as I used to be. But the second isn't even a real complaint, since I like this neighborhood better than my old one. Life is good.
I organized a housewarming party two Sundays ago that turned out to be a huge success--at least thirty people turned up to make my house feel very warmed indeed. I broke in my new mini-oven by making about a hundred chocolate chip cookies, which turned out better than I thought they would, and a lot of guests brought food of their own. Unfortunately, we didn't really think of drinks until the last minute, so we ended up drinking pretty much every bottle of juice, water and soda in the house. Most of the people who came were my friends from church, but a few of my classmates were there, and even one of my teachers came! A good time was had by all.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how incredibly blessed I am. For the first time in my life, I have my own place to live. Sure, I haven't bought it, but I pay rent, and I can probably live here for as long as I want. I have money to afford furniture, clothes, food and everything else I need. I'm here in the country I love, doing what I love, accompanied by many (though not all) of the people I love. It's such a wonderful thing to have friends. The people here have always taken such good care of me. After I finish school in August, I'll be able to go home and spend half a month with my family, who are easily the best family in the world. I have two homes--one in Utah and one in Taiwan--and I can freely travel between them. I have lots of great job opportunities here, and at some point in the not-too-distant future, I'm going to find the person I'll marry for eternity. On top of all that, I have opportunities to serve others, both formally and informally, that keep my natural selfish tendencies in check. God has been very, very good to me. It's overwhelming sometimes.
That's what it says on the front of my microwave. But hey, it's a nice microwave--it's designed to look elegant, and it pops me a bag of microwave popcorn in two minutes flat. All for only US$60!
Last month I moved apartments. I went from a tiny one-man domicile to a full-floor apartment with two big bedrooms, a tatami room, one and a half bathrooms, a decent-sized kitchen, a balcony and a fully furnished living room. Also, since I no longer live under a metal roof, when it rains, I'm no longer tormented by an incessant pounding noise. I feel like I'm living the high life now, but my rent has actually gone down! My old place was NT$14,000 a month, about US$420, but my new house is NT$15,000, and after splitting that cost with my roommate, I pay considerably less than before, even after factoring in utilities, which are no longer included in my rent. What's more, I actually like living with a roommate better than living alone. So it's hard to find the downside of this move. I have only two complaints: one, a few giant flying roaches have appeared in my house (and thereupon been promptly exterminated), and two, I'm twice as far away from my school as I used to be. But the second isn't even a real complaint, since I like this neighborhood better than my old one. Life is good.
I organized a housewarming party two Sundays ago that turned out to be a huge success--at least thirty people turned up to make my house feel very warmed indeed. I broke in my new mini-oven by making about a hundred chocolate chip cookies, which turned out better than I thought they would, and a lot of guests brought food of their own. Unfortunately, we didn't really think of drinks until the last minute, so we ended up drinking pretty much every bottle of juice, water and soda in the house. Most of the people who came were my friends from church, but a few of my classmates were there, and even one of my teachers came! A good time was had by all.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how incredibly blessed I am. For the first time in my life, I have my own place to live. Sure, I haven't bought it, but I pay rent, and I can probably live here for as long as I want. I have money to afford furniture, clothes, food and everything else I need. I'm here in the country I love, doing what I love, accompanied by many (though not all) of the people I love. It's such a wonderful thing to have friends. The people here have always taken such good care of me. After I finish school in August, I'll be able to go home and spend half a month with my family, who are easily the best family in the world. I have two homes--one in Utah and one in Taiwan--and I can freely travel between them. I have lots of great job opportunities here, and at some point in the not-too-distant future, I'm going to find the person I'll marry for eternity. On top of all that, I have opportunities to serve others, both formally and informally, that keep my natural selfish tendencies in check. God has been very, very good to me. It's overwhelming sometimes.
