Monday 11/4/02         My Slashed Eye

 

        The past few days my eyes were really itchy and one night I’d scratched my left one so hard it swelled up, teared and left a red slash on the outer corner of the white part; think I broke a blood vessel.  BiauJie saw it and looked horrified and said I should see a doctor right away.  It did look pretty bad in the mirror, but doesn’t hurt or anything, and when I asked Dave he said it should heal on its own.  I’ve been wearing my glasses and decided to see a doctor just in case.  Went back to the BNHI where I got the HepB shot, and I thought I was in for that long wait again, but it only took total of an hour this time.  The doctor (some woman who I didn’t quite trust—the NTU doctor was too full to take any more patients) looked under my eyelids and said, horrified, that I had very bad “guo ming” (allergies), and blamed my contacts even though I insisted they weren’t the reason because I’ve been wearing this kind for years, clean and change them regularly, and never had a problem before.  She prescribed me some drops that had steroid and antibiotic in them.  The total came out to only 100NT. 

 

        That night, determined to exercise, I swiped 2 bus cards when exiting the MRT so I could get a free bus ride to and back from ShiDa, and go running at the track.  It was pretty cold even with my sweatshirt.  I waited forever for the bus and by 9:45PM finally gave up and instead went home to pig out on hot noodles because I was just too starving and cold.  I’m definitely gaining back all the weight I lost.

 

Tuesday 11/5/02                Da-An Park and Looking for Exercise

 

        In cooking class we learned flour tortillas with Beijing sweet pork filling. 

At work I’m starting to REALLY learn SAS now that I’m forced to.  You know Yale EPH really needs to assess its Biostatistics instruction when students like me are allowed to glide through two semesters of it and emerge not knowing how to write the first line of a SAS program.  So I’m teaching myself using a big English book in the office, but it doesn’t teach everything I need and teaches lots of things I don’t.  I have to ask JiauJe for help a lot, and can’t always understand when she explains, so I end up copying code that she writes for me.  And that’s just like how I learned at EPH.

 

        Dad’s old classmate’s wife called to invite me to come see their apartment since he told them I’m looking for a new place.  I met her at ChungHsiao HsinSheng and we walked over as she explained they’ll be in China until December, coming back for a month, going back for a couple months...I wasn’t clear, but it seemed I would have it to myself sometimes, but they’d be back at other times.  The place was nice but kind of small and there was no way I’d have any privacy if they were there.  I’d have to sleep on a platform in the living room and only have a small closet (really a box) for my stuff.  She seemed pretty eager to have me there; I don’t think she would if she saw how much stuff I have.  She walked me back to my place pointing out 7-11 and a P.O. during the walk, “[so it’s so convenient]”—but compared to my place now, of course not very.  I just realized how spoiled I am, not having to walk at all to get home from the MRT, the exit being right outside my door.  Everyone I know has to walk at least a little.  When the weather’s hot, walking even a little bit is the worst.

 

        When I got home there were those little “baby cockroach” bugs, 3 crawling out and around the crack in the ceiling where the water leaked from, and the stains have become a crustyish mold that is eating away at the ceiling and flaking off onto the floor.  SOB!  I called Juling to tell her about it all and how also I’m not getting hot water from my shower, just lukewarm.  Now that the weather’s getting cold I’m really noticing it.  She said she’d have to “ask” about it all tomorrow.  Sigh!  It definitely made me want to move out more.

 

        At 9:30PM I got the bus to go running, this time for sure, but the ride was so crowded (at night it’s more so) and unpleasant and loooooong, that I decided to get off at DaAn Park instead of ShiDa and walk/run there.  It was dark and sketchy at first, but when I got toward the center it was more populated.  I came to a skating rink in the middle where music was blasting and a girl who looked around 19 was skating on old style roller skates, really well, doing lutzes and spins and jumps; I was amazed.  After her another kid took his (or her? couldn’t tell) turn.  They were all quite good.  Standing around were some little kids and a few adults, some on blades, some on skates.  I wanted to ask what was going on but can’t say skates or lessons.  A woman nearby came up to me and gave me her card, said they teach here every night and even sell their own skates that are specially made to be very quiet.  She told me prices, 4000something, and I kept asking For how long?  How many hours, how many weeks? I wasn’t understanding her, but finally I got that you just pay a fee once and can come whenever you want.  Eh?  A bit sketchy.  She said the lessons were free if you buy their skates.  I asked if anyone can just come skate and practice here and she said yes, so I took note to come here when I have my blades, but hopefully find a time they’re not there. 

 

Walking more, I saw people walking across paths of rocks specially made in the park to massage your feet, and someone practicing golf.  It was so dark I wondered how he’d find his balls?  Come back in the morning?  Or look around with a flashlight?

 

        The park was riddled with lovebirds, just cuddling and such, even older married couples which was cute, but it was a bit awkward sometimes for me to walk past them.

 

        At home at night I usually watch TV, trying to understand the news.  The mayoral race is on ALL the time these days, like that’s the only newsy thing to talk about; is it like that at home and I just never noticed?  I’ve really taken a liking to the incumbent MaInJiou, I just like watching him on TV because next to the other politicians he really looks much more handsome, calm, distinguished and kind.  His opponent runs commercials mudslinging him all the time, but MIJ never badmouths him.  He reminds me a bit of Guliani, in his commercials where he’s wearing a baseball cap, running in the marathon, riding the bus.  There was one cheesy commercial that even showed him scrubbing a urinal, which I thought was pushing it a little.  He even dressed like an aborigine at some event and yelled “Whoowoowoo!” at the beginning of his speech.  But all these times, he still looks like distinguished suit-and-tie MaInJo, trying to dally with the laypeople.

 

        And why is the news on every hour, like it’s a new show?  It’s just called (time) O’Clock news.  10 O’Clock news, 11 O’Clock news, etc.  At the end of each hour they roll credits, then start the next hour’s news.

         

        One day finally got to school early enough to check out the pool center.  They sold bathing suits, caps, goggles etc in one area, but all the suits were over 2500NT!  Flabbergasted.  Even after “discount” they were over 1500, and not the nice ones.  The pool cost1300/one month, 2300/2 months and 3300/3 months. But you had to pick a time slot that you’d come to everyday, and can’t ever switch, and I have to wait to join at the start of next semester. 

 

Am I ever going to find a way to exercise around here?