I Need to Learn to Sew

So I’m a huge nerd.  As such, when a good friend and I received free tickets to an anime convention happening downtown this weekend, of course we jumped on the opportunity to go for several hours today and enjoy the awesome nerd atmosphere.  Here are my random reflections on that experience:

• I noticed immediately as we approached the hotel where the convention was being held that we should have dressed up.  I’m fairly certain in an unscientific way that at least 80% of the people there were cosplaying or at least dressed up in some way – and I realized way too late that I should’ve worn my one possibly appropriate Legend of Zelda t-shirt.  We were clearly in the minority but it ended up being okay.
• Janet Varney is my favorite.  She’s the voice actor for the title character of the TV show the Legend of Korra, and she was an incredibly charming, nice, and funny person.  Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of her voice acting for the series, but after seeing her (from probably 10 feet away – we were in the second row, yay!) in the Q&A session at the convention, I’m officially a fan.  I suppose it might be because she’s not really famous (yet?), so she still retains the genuinely-happy-to-meet-fans vibe that’s really great and refreshing.
• I need to have more money.  A large part of the convention involved local artists selling their crafts – mainly paintings/digital prints, key chains, plushies, shirts, etc. – and I wanted to buy something from almost every stall we passed.  I ended up getting two small Avatar buttons (one of Sokka and the other of Korra) because I just couldn’t resist, even though I initially went to the convention telling myself, “Don’t buy anything.  You don’t need anything.  Don’t spend money.  Seriously.”
• Being in an all-nerd, no-shame, judgment-free atmosphere was amazingly refreshing.  Random strangers ran up to each other to comment on costumes, share photos, and chat about their favorite anime shows or video games.  Again, I really really wish I had worn a costume.  But in order to do that I first need to learn how to sew.

Our free passes last for the entire convention (through Sunday), but I can’t go anymore and it’s sad.  At least I got to spend several hours taking pictures and enjoying the complete nerd-out!  Next time I’ll go in costume, plan nothing else for that weekend, and bring more money.

“Whatever happened with that guy you were interested in before?”

Here we go, self complaint time:

Something fairly recent that I discovered about myself is that I’m a bad listener. I suppose I’ve known this for a while, but when I really began to notice it was last year.  I reconnected with some of my high school friends when I visited home over Thanksgiving, and we were reminiscing about school and our classmates and teachers, and I was shocked at how much they remembered about me.  I guess firstly I should say that I like to talk – a lot, and a good portion of it is complaints, too.  I just kind of blabber on to whoever is around me, and usually to my good friends.  Often I don’t remember exactly who I say something to when I am upset or excited about something…..and so naturally, I was amazed when three+ years later, my high school friends remembered random details of my life that even I had forgotten about.

It gave me a warm feeling, for lack of a better adjective, to know that they had cared enough about me – and probably still care today – to really absorb what I had said several years ago and still remember it.  And it also felt awful when I reflected on it later and discovered that I could hardly remember anything that I did with those people, or anything personal that they had told me when we were classmates.  It’s not that I dislike them or have forgotten about them or hold any sort of negative feelings towards them.  I just realized – through that and other similar situations – that I am a bad listener.

I think the problem is that in order for me to really absorb what someone is telling me, I need to be 100% paying attention to their speech.  And for some unknown reason, that’s incredibly hard for me to do.  I get too distracted by things – the window, people walking by, my coffee, my phone, the temperature, where I have to be later, random other thoughts I have.  I really really want to listen to them.  And I really really want people to talk to me about their problems.  And I really really want to be able to help them solve their problems and also return to them later when we reconnect after years apart, so I can say, “Whatever happened with that guy you were interested in back in X year?” and we can have something legitimate to talk about.  Although sometimes talking about prior love interests is not a pleasant affair.

I’m honestly trying to make myself into a better listener.  I’m trying to focus all of my attention on whatever person is talking to me at any given moment.  I don’t really know yet whether it’s making a difference, but I sincerely hope so.  I have so many wonderful people in my life that put up with all of my complaints (okay I’m really not as whiny as I’m illustrating myself to be, I promise), and I want to be able to return the favor.  I’m going to have a new roommate over the summer, so perhaps I can start there.

Time for self-reformation!

A Reflection of Now

Here’s the current situation:

• Coffee from IHOP
• The basement
• 80’s New Wave music (mixed CDs courtesy of my father)
• A blank notebook

It’s 9:30pm and I’m drinking coffee from my dinner at IHOP with my aunt – wish I could say caffeine doesn’t affect me, but I’m not one of those people.  I’ll be up until probably 3 or 4am.  I’m staying in the house that I grew up in but my cousins are occupying while my parents live out of the country.  They have three young girls, so I’m staying in the basement.  It’s creepy but warm and comfortable, so I’m fine with it.  I’m listening to 80’s New Wave music because for some reason, I’ve been kind of craving the sound of it lately.  And my father – in college in the 80’s and still clearly hanging onto it – was nice enough to make me not one, but two mixed CDs, so I’m set for a while.  I have a blank notebook sitting in front of me because I really like writing short stories out by hand, but maybe it’s the coffee or the basement or the 80’s music (or a mixture of all three), but nothing’s really coming to my head right now.

Ah, well, I have until 3 or 4am for inspiration to strike.  The night is young!

Taipei is the Best. Why?

I’m having Taipei withdrawals, and when I have these (they’re quite frequent, unfortunately) I tend to reflect on how amazing of a city it is.  Here’s my top five list, in no particular order, of why it’s the best:

1. Scenery – the city is surrounded by mountains.  Sub-tropical mountains with thick foliage consisting of bright green trees and gorgeous flowers and lots of plants that I don’t recognize.  It’s fantastic.  And the coast is little more than an hour away in most directions, and let me tell you – the Northern and Eastern coastlines of Taiwan are absolutely breathtaking.
2. Hiking – perhaps the best way to enjoy the beautiful scenery described in number 1 is through hiking.  To be honest, when I first moved to Taipei I was not a keen hiker, but then I realized (largely through my mother’s insistence that I constantly join her on hikes) that when a rare clear, sunny day presents itself, hiking is possibly the best way to spend the morning.  And Taipei has hundreds of hiking trails of all different levels of difficulty (I’m pretty bad at hiking….).  It’s great.
3. Night Markets – I’m not really sure how to describe a night market to someone who’s never been to one.  It’s kind of like a state fair but in the middle of an urban location with Asian and American pop music blasting from everywhere, everything you can ever imagine being sold at super cheap prices, and lots and lots of Asian people.  And that’s not to mention the food…..but that’s coming later.
4. People – I’ve been to most of the big cities of Asia – Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, Seoul, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, etc. – and while I’ve never been treated strangely or badly (as a white person) in any of those cities, nowhere have I felt more welcomed and comfortable than in Taipei.  The people are incredibly nice and helpful and just all-around fantastic.
5. Food – there are literally no words to describe the sheer awesomeness that is Taiwanese food……particularly Taiwanese street food.  I am not even going to attempt to describe it.  Just know that it’s wonderful.  And cheap.  And more than enough reason (by itself) to go to Taiwan.

Songs of February

A random list of songs that I find myself listening to (a lot a lot a lot) these days:

1. New York – Snow Patrol
2. Animal – Neon Trees
3. The Riddle – Five for Fighting
4. California – Delta Spirit
5. Swallowed in the Sea – Coldplay

I’ve been going through a not-quite-hipster phase, listening to lots of alternative rock/pop.  I also frequently listen to slower songs with overwhelmingly sad themes.  A sign?  I hope not.