CH1. Life Goes On 1: Babysitting and It was Just Tiring

Hello, Tim!
A week after graduation and the days seem to move on just fine.
I still chat with my friends online and even met up with William just one day after graduation, but there is a heap of free time on our hands now, and it is up to us as to how to make use of them.
So far I'm doing... fine?
I don't know! I still spend too much time on my mindless cellphone games and it really makes me guilty, not being able to get rid of them easily. On the other hand, though, I also did various other activities like hiking and taking up a three-day babysitting challenge, and the latter made me really proud. Let's now look closer at the biggest activity of the week!

Negotiating and Governing Two Little Demons

"Anyway, I got time now, so... Why not?"
This is a very dangerous thought, as it turned out. Sophie and Aiden are not only known for their cuteness and energy; they are also known for their ignorance to requests from adults and their not-so-latent tendency to blithely and conveniently forget what they are supposed to pay mind to. It was sheer affection (borderline infatuation) for the two kids that made me overlook the caveats that implied the mental outbreaks that are prone to take place.
Okay, that was too much. I love the kids, no matter how much they made me wish that I have something to squeeze until crack.

Two of my favorite kids in the world.

Fortunately, the kids know that I won't resolve to loosen the rules I made for them no matter how many they try to wriggle out of it. That made our little "cooperation" a bit smoother than usual.
Taking care of kids should not be just hours of TV marathons and pizza and soda kind of happiness, especially when you are planning on taking care of them for any timeframe beyond a day.
You ask the kids what they want to do for the instant, and when it is a reasonable request, you respect the idea and try to fulfill it.
Sophie and Aiden wake up at different times of the day. It made my morning job easier since I could focus on one thing at a time, one kid at a time. I would spread Aiden's piece of toast with butter as I asked him to wash his face and brush his teeth. Then, I would prepare his medicaments to fight against his allergies and he would come to me and ask me for how long I would be looking after them. Dragging me to his bedroom, he would show me his jungle-green luggage he packed for himself for his family trip to Italy in the near future. "I folded all my clothes on my own and stuffed them inside the luggage," he proudly announced. Note that he is only nearly six.

The 'Ding' coming from the kitchen indicated that the toast is... toasted. With all the luggage dragging and the loud voices Aiden made, it was about time that Sophie woke up. I led Aiden back to the living room, served him his toasted toast and milk, and requested that he behave and eat up. It was a good thing that he likes toast with butter. That would keep him occupied. It would then become Sophie time. As the bigger sister by four years, it is quite a pity that she isn't more independent than Aiden. Therefore, I had to do all the things I did with Aiden all over again. Being able to manage one kid at a time only gave me the chance to give equal attention to both kids.
When both had finished their breakfast, Sophie would ask for some time on her iPad since she wanted to listen to some music. Some might call it preaching because she would ask you incessantly if you know about some random fact about some certain singers.
Several songs and awkward dancing later, and I asked them if they would like to hit the park and just have some fun. Both kids love the park and the playground, so rarely do they turn down offers like this.
I am familiar with a scenario like this:
-We go to the park
-We play tag and I have to act like a giant monster or ogre or anything of the sort
-The other kids are intrigued by our little games
- Sophie and Aiden extend their hands and ask if the others want to join
-We play tag and I have to act like a giant monster or ogre or anything of the sort
-The roles became reversed and now I am the monster which is chased after by three to six or even eight vicious kids
-One random kid suggested that we all play another game; most people agree
-Sophie switches to her constipated face and looked at me; she doesn't like the idea
-She suddenly decided that she wants me for her and Aiden alone
-Sophie doesn't know how to turn down an offer and the discussion on what to play goes on another ten minutes
-The other kids leave
-A while later, we leave
Familiar with this scenario because this is what ALWAYS happens. Normally at this point, the kids are already 80% satisfied with their playground experience. We would walk home, all three of us, hand in hand.
Then came lunchtime. On the first day, they were really reluctant to eat on the principle of being rebellious kids. I had none of that. It took me no more than fifteen minutes to finish my meal but stayed at my seat until the two of them finished theirs. By doing so, I hope to let them now it is basic manners to stay at the desk at all times during a meal. The kids were goofing around; Aiden would kick (softly) Sophie under the table, and Sophie would report it to me only after she had made her retaliation. Regardless of how many times I told her that kicking back is never the best choice, but this advice never fails to escape her. Mealtimes with the to is always the most infuriating. I took a solid hour for Aiden to finish his meal.
On the second day, though, I cooked them the easy canned tuna noodles, and it was the biggest triumph of all three days. They loved the noodles and was soon asking for more soup and more fish. This is also what I love about kids: They don't lie about their preferences.
In the afternoon came the real toil. The kids, after charged with the lunch-induced energy, would tug at my clothes (figuratively) and ask for my attention to play with them. Problem was, they have different ideas about "play". For Sophie, play means doing stretches and gymnastics, and *deep breath* body contortion. Sophie is Crazy about this kind of sports. She follows on YouTube body contortionists of roughly her age and managed to develop an incredibly flexible body. I don't know the development behind this, but it went from gymnastics to body contortion really quick. She would demand that I try to lie flat on my belly and try to touch my head with my feet. As a milder request, she would ask me to do a split, which I still can't.

It's really harder than it looks.

On the other hand, Aiden looks for more excitement. He wants to play hide and seek for the most the time. When Sophie is also in the mood, she would oblige, playing Aiden's ideal of game. When she isn't... comes my hard time. When Aiden throws a tantrum, he sulks around and doesn't talk. As the only person watching over the two, you won't want this to happen. The only plausible option was to persuade Sophie to join Aiden.
This is the first time I feel rejoice in being an eighteen-year-old; if I were one year younger, I don't think the adults would nod their heads on letting me be the only supervisor. These three days gave me a clearer picture of kids: It's utterly tiring and infuriating at times when you look after them, but when you find that you can still keep a cool voice and see two lovely angels even after they made you want to bang your head against the wall, you love kids and don't deny it.
I know that due to my own preferences, it is not going to be easy to have kids, but I certainly do hope for the day to come.

Year Three, Almost Free (Last): Really There and Oh so Surreal

Hello, Tim.
We're finally here. Really here.
Several dozen weeks ago, I was still referring to this week as something distant, vague, something from a distant folklore anecdote or of legend. I joked that I would cry the instant I see someone cry, and now it doesn't seem playful anymore. I panted a picture of the graduation ceremony in my head, and as the vision became more definite, less murky, the more affirmative I am about my crying in the near future.
The ceremony, which would take place at school tomorrow, is going to mark an end of our high school phase of life.

One year, two years, ten years from now, we are going to stare at the pictures and rewind in our minds, the "grandes choses (big events)" we once accomplished being treated as some faraway recollection. I wonder how we would look in the eyes of the older versions of us.
There are actions I am glad I had done, and there are ones that gave me regrets, whether the 28-year-old me would mark the Me today as an imbecile or an innocent is beyond my guess, but for now, I am pretty glad to have stayed in EHP.
In some really cheesy romance novels, one would ask another whether their story was fated. With tumultuous emotions rolling in one's eyes, an equally sentimental answer is heard. I don't know if there is a thing called destiny, but if that were to be true, I believe being in EHP is a big part in the written plan in my life. I look at some of my classmates as individuals, and I would be surprised at how much they had in some way changed me radically. They are like life lessons you can't buy with money. Tomorrow is the day it all comes to a halt. Expectedly, after tomorrow, we would still do meetups with one another, but there is one thing we would lose tomorrow: the times we are going to meet each other without the need for a reason. That is something only the school can provide.

In the wake of graduation comes the summer vacation, and I have several plans. My mom and I hope that I can find a part-time job, just to gain some work experience, to have a little taste of what it would feel like to be in the workforce. I also plan to keep on with both French and German and expect to make bigger progress. I also want to have my friends at my place just to hang out because when I (if I) go to Germany, who is there to name the date of when I will be able to meet my lovely friends?

Here's a toast to all my fellow friends and everyone who is out on the verge of the rest of their lives.

Year Three, Almost Free 36: Half a Foot out of Here and First Sip

Hello, Tim!

I know it is the Monday of the following week, but I still have to make an account of the past week.

Music for Souvenirs

These two weeks I have been asking my friends to give me a playlist of ten to fifteen songs for the sake of some sort of sentimental souvenir. This idea was long cultivated, even before the GSAT. I know that there is a high chance that I will feel homesick and totally lonely when/if I study in Germany. As a person who needs music in all sorts of occasions, I felt the need to ask this of my classmates. It is an easy task for them since all they have to give me is a list of the songs they listen to, which make me think that it is quite resembling a graduation parting gift: It has sentimental values, where emotions are packed into different genres of songs, and with the notion that the songs were picked from a playlist called "XXX's top ten songs of all time" gives me a chance to acquaint myself with them a bit more. I like this idea.

First Sip of Alcohol

Have I ever mentioned that I practically vowed not to drink alcohol long ago? Well, here's the deal: In whichever case, I want to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. I myself find the reason behind this decision obscured, one possible reason is that I simply dislike the taste of wine, and this was proved last Friday. At a family reunion, the elders and the adults wanted to toast us since we are to become graduates in a week's time. My cousin, who has always insisted that I get used to drinking alcohol because I will be heading for Germany in around September or October, gave me a look that clearly stated that I was not to be extracted from this glass of red wine. I could even picture my own expression when the revelation hit me that I wouldn't get away this time. Just one sip of the supposedly superb red wine, according to my uncle-in-law, and I felt the slightly burning tingling down my throat and the bitterness that lingered. This confirmed my preconception that wine does not taste good. At all.

End

I know I'm sending my update in quite late, and given that I still have the graduation dinner as well as an invitation to a bar which I turned down, (it was indeed a good decision made.) I surmise that I could have spent more time on this. But I need to head for my German class!
Bis bald (See you in a while.)

Sincerely,
Hugo

The Road to Equality

Almost two years after the Constitutional Court ruling in favor of gay couples and the establishment of relevant laws, the Legislation Yuan in Taiwan launched the second reading (for debates, article examination, and wording alternations) for three different drafts on gay marriage.
I'm not exactly sure about how deep I should be diving into this topic since the LGBTQ+ Acts in Taiwan could be traced back all the way to the 1980s, but needless to say, I am absolutely enthralled by the development, firstly because of the fact that this is something directly related to my rights, but also because this is a big step toward equality in general, one big step that made Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize marriage between the same sex.
The law, now entitled The Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, will come into effect in three days from now (5/24). If not for the referendum conducted several months ago, we could have hoped for gay people using the Civil Code as heterosexual couples do, but the results we have is ideal in reality.

Now, where do we start? On May 24th, 2017, the highest Court in the Judicial Yuan ruled in favor of gay people after Qi Jia-Wei, the person dubbed the first gay in Taiwan out of the closet, successfully filed a Constitutional interpretation when his attempts of getting registered as a couple with his lover proved unfruitful. The Court stated that the majority of the judges are forward with the idea that it is the government's and the legislators' obligation to make sure that two people, regardless of their religion, race, gender, can get married. They gave a two-year buffer time for the Legislative Yuan to include this into the Taiwanese law system, after which if nothing was done, the gay couples would automatically be included in the Civil Law and would then be given all the rights a traditional couple would.
It was no hard to speculate how many debates, how many protests, and how many rallies have taken place in the given two years. The people against gay marriage consist mostly of those with more conservative thoughts. Numerous churches in Taiwan and the elderly communities alike, with several prominent politicians and entrepreneurs as well, loudly berated the court ruling, while the pro-gay marriage people, mostly being made up of gay people and their supportive parents or those who just believe that love has no boundaries are speaking at equal volumes and trying to spread the importance of such law. Fast forward to the referendum voting. On November 24th, a referendum was cast. Among other controversial issues like whether to reactivate nuclear power plants and which name do we want to use for our country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there were five questions regarding how the laws about homosexual couples should be laid down. Two of them were endorsed by those for gay marriage, and the other three not. The questions are basically about whether gay couples should also refer to the intimate and exclusive bond as marriage or civil union. It was later proved to have two radically different outcomes, as one could grant the right for gay couples to get married using the regulations and conditions on the Civil Law, while the other needs citing from a special law.
In the referendum, however, we lost. With a staggering seven million votes against gay marriage in the Civil Code, we were met with some setback. But a lot of us didn't give up just yet. The Executive Yuan dished out a special law draft "The Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748" which covers a lot of the rights that would maximize the rights bestowed upon the gay couples, including the basic rights like bequeathing from the other half and protection of the exclusiveness of the relationship as well as the right to adopt the other half's children. Two legislators with Christian backgrounds respectively countered with their own versions of proposals which the right to adoption of the other half's child was removed. One even proposed the "anti-marriage forgery" rule, in which a family member, a social worker, or someone from the police can issue a nullification of the relationship between two gay people if they believe they aren't having an intimate or exclusive relationship. Even though this drafted regulation was suggested to be taken out of discussion due to a severe violation of one's privacy very soon, I still beat myself up for misjudging the intention behind this law for the first instant. When I realized that this would mean all the people mentioned above will make you and your partner under surveillance, I was first infuriated, but then the stark repulsion for the law morphed into disappointment and shame for myself, not being able to tell the intention behind a simple rule, for that is someone I have long dreaded of becoming: one that needs the opinions or reminders of the others to form his own. I hate not being able to figure out things on my own, and the fear is still there.
But let's get back to the story.
May the 17th became a monumental day in Taiwanese equality because the Legislative Yuan held the voting that day. With the majority of the legislators in agreement with the Executive Yuan version, the law for gay marriage is decided upon and protected. It was a day of pouring rain. Yet people from both sides held out their umbrellas and their resolution at the doorstep of the Legislative Yuan, awaiting the results of the voting; The results were promising.

Today gay couples can get married. Though there is still the debate on whether setting a special law is something fair for the people who wish not to be treated specially. Still, there are people who, with or without religious beliefs, against the concept of two people of the same sex sharing a household. The idea is still alien to them, and this is what we people, gay or not, have to work on. We should spread our friendliness, telling the world that there is nothing wrong and nothing of notoriety to pose as a threat to society. There are a lot of discussions between both sides that have been overlooked in the past, and the rift between people regarding this issue is the result. It a giant first step for gay rights, but are still quite some steps in between.

Year Three, Almost Free 35: Self Concern and Results

Hello, Tim!
Today is only Thursday, yet I figured since I was (finally) given the grace to enjoy momentary freedom. Why so all of a sudden?
Well, that's because our classes are over! The finals took place just the day before yesterday, and even though we still have to come to school until the third of June, which will be when our graduation takes place, we are given carte blanche as to what to do in classes.
Since I still have a pile of application work stacked up in front of me, I figured that spending some time writing something in which I used to pour all my thoughts wouldn't hurt, given that we practically have the whole day for ourselves.
With all being said, I will do a follow-up record about the new routine that I absolutely love whenever I feel like to.
But first, I want to talk about something not related to work.

Language Hysteria

For the past two months, I have been using all my time to boost my German abilities, which, to my delight, had brought me considerable progress to the command of this language. I can now write to my German teacher to organize a meet up for a more concentrated training on my verbal skills in preparation for the upcoming German proficiency test in full German. More and more German vocabularies swarm in my head, and it pleased me to be able to call myself an "elementary" user of this complex language.
But... Sometimes I feel a sense of panic. With all the new information flowing in like tap water, I often feel like I am having a hard time grasping my wording in English. I feel a helpless frustration when I found myself unable to recall simple words like feast or gratitude, and it troubles me when I end up using only the simplest of words when there are obviously more refined wording choice in the lexical library in my head. I have been making more spelling confusions, mostly with the a's and the e's. It just feels horrible. It makes me think that I won't be able to simultaneously have progressed in new languages while maintaining the same level of English, and I just couldn't deny these accusations I have made to fire at myself because I know that they are all valid ammunitions. I can only take comfort in the fact that not all is gone in the winds just yet. Through writing like this and trying to reclaim my reading schedule will set me back on track, to be the person with many words at his disposal, all of which are found beautiful by him. I hope to be able to put no brakes in advancing my German skills while still having English as my priority, like the sharpest knife in the drawer, always shining and ready for action.

Class Observation

Now starts the observation of my classmates. There are five of my classmates who are to take the test in July: Melody, Sherry, Candy, William, and Jay. I just finished correcting William's English composition he wrote for practice and gave him some feedback. Cathy and Angela are sitting at the back of the classroom, making good use of some supposedly costly alcohol pen by drawing cute and cartoonized characters of 320 classmates. Amy and Selena are at the same desk, where they are checking out online malls. The results for their college application came out today, and they both are admitted to the same college. Congratulations to them.
William claims that his brain is all mushy now, and is now off to sleep. Sabrina, sitting at her desk, is fixating on her book about British tourist attractions.
Some classmates are absent for various reasons; some doesn't see what they could do at school after being admitted to colleges so chose to stay at home, while some decided it would bring them a more serene and efficient study environment outside of school. This might be the right choice. This morning, Allison brought with her a sewing pack, synthetic cotton, and differently-patterned cloths. Cathy and Angela wanted to learn from her how to make little owl figurines out of the materials mentioned above. It started out as a workshop of three, but then Jack and Selena are interested. In no time they all have their own cute owllettes. It was still relatively quiet for classmates who wish to study. At some point, though, someone decided to take it up a notch by transforming several desks into a mini golf court. They taped cards and stationary onto the table to act as obstacles. With their fingers and the little owls, they somehow found supreme excitement in it, and it distracted some classmate quite a lot, even though the game didn't last too long. I was tempted, but I really hope that I can finish my personal statement by the end of this week so I would have more time for myself in the future.

A Win in Equality in Taiwan and Its Future Confrontations

From this week on, the 17th of May will be a meaningful day in Taiwan for many people altogether. It is the day when the first law for gay marriage is finalized. Now, there are still challenges, obstacles we have yet been forced to deal with, but they are for sure to come. I want to write a separate article about this monumental event, but it will have to wait.

End

It's early Monday now. I'll have my German proficiency test in several hours. Better start oacking up the items I would need.

Year Three, Almost Free 34: Ranch and Horses

Hello, Tim!
My IELTS score came out very promptly, thanks to the computer format I took. The answer sheets were entered into a computer by us and were easily sent to England for grading. That's why we were able to get results so soon.
So how much did I score?
8!
It was only half a point higher than the score I got from last time's test, but I was really pleased already since it is the third highest score that can ever be achieved in the test, and an 8 sounds a lot better than 7.5.

This Friday, Summer took almost the whole class to a nearby ranch resort where we could have a taste of horse riding.
Upon mentioning horse-riding, a dialogue from a book I read before instantly came to my mind.
"You know anything about horses?"
"Not much, Sir. I know how to get on one, and I know how to fall off one."
Luckily, none of us, including Summer, fell from the back of any horse.
We all rode two horses. Or ponies, as defined from their height according to our instructor's lecture.
One was named Brodie and the other one Bella. The horsebacks were around the height of our upper waist, but with a little help, we all could climb up there with next to no effort.
The range for horse riding was confined to a small area, but it was what we could manage. William was blending in well, scratching the ranch dogs' bellies when not tending to the horses and talking to the horses when brushing their mane. We all could see that he loved being with animals. Candy, on the other hand, was a stark contrast. She has had this mixture of animosity and fear for all sort of animals that don't talk human. She hates butterflies. She is afraid of dogs and, for most of the time, holds the disapproving face when any sentence remotely indicates her being in contact with another creature (me included). She as well, was asked to ride on the horse's back. She seemed reluctant but was brave enough to try. She teared up at the slightest movement of Brodie the white pony, as she claimed that it was too high for her liking. It must have been a great leap for her since she practically sat on a horse! It took some courage, but she took the chance to do something she could have shirked for life. She herself said that she knew that Brodie was tame and gentle, but the horseback was too high. Cathy then joked that she should go ride Rody the rubber bouncing miniature horse instead.

He was the only one who had prior experience to horseback riding

You have no idea how much courage it might take

Feed.

We had fun, all thanks to the ranch. In less than a month, our graduation will take place. Bets are open for who is to cry first.

Sincerely,

Hugo

Year Three, Almost Free 33: Bullet Points and More Ranting

Hello, Tim!
This has been another week.
Yes.
A week has a new definition, and it is anything buy easy-paced and slow-going.
I thought I had saved up enough time for more letter writing, but things just kept coming up and I couldn't even handle myself without feeling dizzy.
Therefore, I had to shamefully use the bullet point format to recount this week.

- I almost didn't make it into the German proficiency test. I sent an e-mail with the proper form along with the scanned files of my passport, and I was denied entrance at first because they said I sent too many unnecessary files. But then I thought that this test was the last one before my application for Germany has to be mailed, so I kept calling the desk and finally, they relented since at least I got one of the forms correct. What a relief!

- I just spent the whole day creating my CV for Germany application. It was not supposed to be my job, considering that we had paid the agency, which told us that this would be included in their services. They did make a version of the CV, but it was not entirely.... pleasing to the eye. The arrangement was in fact, quite chaotic, and it was a mess, and a catastrophe for me as well because I had to finish this CV in a day. It was exhausting.

- Yesterday, I went to my second ever IELTS test. I took it because we hope that if I get a score higher than 7.5, presumably 8 or 8.5, I would grant me a higher chance to differentiate myself with the other German University applicants.

These are the three major events of the week, and I hope that next week I will be able to sit idly at a desk with a cup of coffee in my hand and type casually on my laptop.
Scratch that, the worse is yet to come, I am afraid.

Sincerely,
Hugo