<3 Tease, come back and tell us more about how you are
Akasha!!!! I have missed you!! Well no that's not true. To be honest I didn't miss you until I logged into the forum, but the effect was instantaneous!!
Then I saw some of your latest pictures in the Picture Thread, and I missed you in a different way...the way of never having met you in person. Want to visit Taiwan?
Charles, Churba, Oddball, E_D, hello and well met! Not sure where the "well met" came from, but I saw a choir singing medieval songs the other day, dressed up like pipers and fiddlers and what have you. Nice to hear of your baby experiences Charles. I sort of thought she'd be older by now, since I always feel like time's flying.
Ryuu, not sure if I know you. Did you change names?
edit: Warning!! Life story follows:
Anyway, thanks for asking. I'm fucking busy as fuck. It's good though. Teaching English at a really strict and serious school. I yell at kids fairly often. We have a lot of fun in class tho. I've gotten a lot better at the fun part actually. My kid (soon to be both of them) is in a
Waldorf school which is awesome. It's the first one in Asia, and is sort of a center for Waldorf education in Asia. A lot of different travelling teachers and performance groups come through. My older son actually misses the States pretty hardcore though. He lived there from like 1 to 7 years old, and he still associates with it. It's not quite the same here, his classmates are kind of wilder and less polite, even though they're just playing, he's an intellectual kid and I think is craving some more stimulation. He has said that he loves it here and loves his school before though, even though the last couple days he's been expressing differently. We have a homestay from Australia (woop woop!) right now, and I think she reminds him of home, even of his Grammy, and I think that may be why he's missing the US.
I don't miss it a bit, myself. From here, hearing the news and just seeing how people are, I feel like the US is a pretty backwards place, what with the politics and some of the prevailing attitudes towards sex, religion, and education, among other things. I love how there's the puritan undercurrent of "we are actually not sexual beings" while the media is completely full of the worst kinds of fake, unrealistic sexual imagery and sex appeal is woven into how people normally attain success. Not that there aren't advantages that the US has over Taiwanese culture, but I just feel like the rest of the world is generally more honest and comfortable with itself than the US.
There's so much to tell I don't really know which angle to take. As before, fidelity or lack thereof is a big part of my life. I guess I'll leave it at that. The women here are CRAZY HOT!!!!!!! I can't fucking stand it. I just should have sowed my wild oats when the time was right, because I do love my wife. Our marriage is sort of up in the air though, and we need to find time to get some counseling hours in. The women here though are seriously painful to look at though. Luckily I have had a bit of luck in flirting and so forth. I know it's bad because I'm still married, but it's something that I really need in my life. I have needed it for years, and it's one of the key things that makes me happy.
My body is much better looking now than when I was in the states because my job requires a lot more energy and it sort of encouraged me to take better care of myself and work out. I'm slightly buff, though there's a stubborn layer of beer fat keeping me from really being cut. I don't want to be huge, but I wish my muscles showed up a bit more. It's so hard to get rid of that last little bit though, esp. if you like beer as I do. However, I'm showing my age and stress levels in my face. Also, I still harbor less than optimal sleep habits.
It is also good for business to stay in shape, because parents (usually moms) sit in our classes with their kids, and I think it helps to give them a little beefcake for their domesticated lifestyles (Taiwanese ladies love white guys).
Um....been watching a lot of UFC, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead when it was in season. Those are like my outlets for relaxation when I'm not at the bar trying to hit on these fine fine women. I tell them all I'm married. Still less than angelic, but I have seriously tried hard to ignore or subdue this part of myself for years and have not been successful. I am miserable and unhealthy if I don't tell myself that I'm still in the game. I still suck pretty fucking bad at picking up women, though from another point of view I am worlds more confident than when I was younger. I'm just not always the best personality for picking up, since I'm a passive, introverted guy, and being outgoing and aggressive is more the norm in a bar situation. However, I'm figuring out that if women get to know me a tiny bit, they tend to be attracted, and I also provide a contrast to what they're used to. Like I said, I'm getting way better at it, even though I still suck.
It's so much easier here though. At least here you can work at it, and have small successes while you learn. I think back at home it's incredibly hard for a shy guy not to lose heart completely...but here there are so many hot women that their standards are completely different. Also, having a softer personality is far more accepted for men. And...they love the white guys!! (black guys are finally making a surge as well nowadays tho, esp among those who enjoy recreational sex!) I actually only go to the pick-up type bar once in a while honestly, but it is fun. I went recently which is why it's on my mind.
So anyway, you asked...and got a book. Just trying to honor your request, mistress!
One thing that's weird is I live in the countryside and work in Taipei, driving an hour between, so I feel like it's two different worlds. I love being at home and involved with the Waldorf school (for those not familiar, Waldorf schools are like a whole community thing where you could really devote a lot of time to volunteering and also learning things), not to mention my wife and kids! Then on the other hand I love my job (which is very demanding) and the mad amounts of crazy hot women in the city. It's not a healthy situation. I'm going to be opening my own English school closer to home fairly soon though, and then hopefully I can pass into boring, faithful old age. Not sure about that, but I think it's a possibility. Want to pick up music (got a mandolin and I also made a lyre that my wife plays and I still can't), and live a more wholesome life. I honestly do love being at my kids' school, and being involved with everything there. It makes me feel much more fulfilled and then it's easy to forget about the p&$%y in the city (haha). But then you got those hot Taiwanese Waldorf chicks, and my world goes upside down again!
Life is fucking good though, I truly love it here nowadays, and I'm making pretty good $$.
My wife knows I'm a bad man, but she's sticking with me for now. Like I said, we really need some counseling before we really know what we want to do. She loves me and I love her, but something sort of has to give or change.