I can’t believe this. Usually I’m pretty good at Mondays. I wake up refreshed and eager for battle after my break, but today I’m wrestling with the depression squid.
Maybe my break was a little too relaxing? A week on the beach thinking about lifestyles is hardly a good way to prepare yourself for the kind of day I’m having. Here’s me, at the office and trying to prepare for a very busy few months. I desperately need some information that someone else has failed to provide, and they have turned their phone off. I’m facing a long stretch of very hard work, financial insecurity, miserable weather, pressure, responsibility, etc. And my motivation is at zero.
I feel physically like crap. My cat welcomed me home by ripping lumps put of my hand. I’m having guilt trips about neglecting her ladyship - if she’ll keep out of my way long enough to be neglected of course. Don’t women understand that guys need time alone? Today it’s all too much, and the day’s activities are facing cancellation due to unusually high apathy.
Can somebody, lots of somebodies, please remind me of what I’m doing here and how great it is?
Yeah, my thrill at being back at work after a cold 5 days off lasted about an hour, but I’m looking forward to the “rush” of students that should come in the next few weeks to hopefully alleviate a painfully empty wallet .
If I had NT$10 for every time I’ve needed information from someone and they have disapeared until after the need had passed, I’d be retired in Kentin …hang in there, the information is available elsewhere.
I’m with you on the physically feeling like crap, of course I’ve felt this way every winter for years…at least for a few weeks…and know that it will pass, you WILL feel better in the future.
As to cats, I wish I had still had the pleasure of physical combat with a feline…currently my battles are with a flying squirrel who is much less predictable and much harder to read (and much more tenacious when pissed off about something)…and she still hasn’t figured out that naked people are NOT trees for climbing …a day or two of apathy after a break is perfectly natural, enjoy it while it lasts, at some point the urge to perform will return and you’ll miss this blissful apathy .
[quote]Can somebody, lots of somebodies, please remind me of what I’m doing here and how great it is?
Thanks.[/quote]
You are enjoying life here, doing something worthwhile (I hope), and enjoying the cup of hot tea to take the chill off the day while waiting for the hot pot to boil .
Everyone feels it mate. I’m taking control by getting busy with all of the shite I’ve got to shovel through. Action when you feel no motivation usually breeds motivation. Just dig and and get it done…and join me at the pub tonight for a few beers.
Get out of the city and head up to some secluded place in the hills, away from the concrete, cars and crowds, where you can breathe pure invigorating air, smell the sap and the richness of the rain-drenched earth, hear birds singing, leaves rustling, water rushing over rocks, and little creatures scuttling in the undergrowth, feel the breeze caressing your face and tousling your hair, absorb the precious energizing chi, and feast your eyes on verdant mountains and all the glories of unspoilt nature. Immerse yourself in it, be at one with it, and all your worldly worries and feelings of dissatisfaction will melt away in blissfully eased contentment. It always works for me.
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Of course I don’t know why you are here.
But since you are, there are a couple of things to consider:
Unlike most of the natives, you can leave the country any time you wish. Just buy a ticket and kiss this place goodbye.
This place is what you make it. Go out at 3 in the morning and grab a 7-11 beer…take up taichi…plant a windowsill garden…read more…or less…and so on.
All things pass and the weather will too.
I think boredom is one of the real culprits here.[/quote]
I suggest opening a language center. Hire a bunch of pretty Taiwanese girls for your teachers. Eat lunch together with them every day. That will cheer you up!
This time of year is ripe for introspection, particularly when the weather is cold and damp. I usually get up earlier put on a pot of coffee, make some toast and allow the aromas to fill the apartment. Then watch the news and you are able to realize that there is a whole lot more crap out there and people in much worse situations. You could also think about people you know from way back and then think how lucky you are to be living in another country and having experiences different from theirs. When you retire, regardless of how you feel today, you will have many stories to tell, many of which will be more interesting than those your contemporaries back home will have. As Wolf says, the boredom and the weather will pass. The responses to your plea here show you that you are not alone and that many understand how you feel. Not sure if having a pet squirrel is the answer to everyone’s problems though! Cheer up. Knuckle down today and the sun may shine tomorrow.
I’m pretty much fine now, but to answer a few of your comments in no particular order:
Get out of Taipei? I just did! Coming back was the hard part. And where do you find truly unspoiled nature in Taiwan?
Stories to look back on I have aplenty. I’m not doing this for experience, and I’ve tried being poor already. I do prefer the life I have now. On the other hand, I’m still not really sure why I’m here. Taiwan was a default option in the first place, and it’s inertia that keeps me here.
Squirrels and cats? Well, I’ve regained the use of my hand, and most of the infection is gone. Can’t see any point in trading her for a squirrel now. Interesting idea though.
Something to do, something to look forward to. Ouch. Too much to do, all taken on because I want to. I think I was a bit overwhelmed with the enormity of it all on the first day back.
Day 2 was better, when I found myself in the company of half a dozen lovely young ladies as per Mr Hartzell’s instructions. Life is really what you make of it after all. But Wolfy, I don’t have time for TaiJi right now.
I guess reall that the Forumosa wookie said it best:[quote]And on a final note, harden up you soft bastard.[/quote]
Feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t achieve anything, although sounding off at Forumosa does sometimes help you to refocus. Cheers guys.
=========yup, lots of unspoiled nature in Nantou area and center island. but glad u fleeing better, mate. u had us scared there for a while but all is well. good on ya!
I hope that you are feeling better. I generally slip into a bit of a funk after a break. I think I tend to dwell on the wrong aspects of life toward the end of the break (at the risk of bringing back the thread about thinking too much). After a couple of weeks back in the saddle, I feel much better. Part of the problem is that I let my defenses down during a break. I then spend the first couple of weeks back at work deploring the fact that I must always keep up such a shield. It is deplorable, of course, but it is also reality.
DOn’t worry about the basher of strags!
The dirty bugger has been advertising on Forunosa for a “personal assistant” to help sort out his personal “things”. Looks like he’s got taking down his dictation sorted.
Check out the ad and you will see what kind of yeti-hating man-pig you have wasted your sympathy on.
Cheers.
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…hang in there, the information is available elsewhere.
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