In Motion

I recently got a job being a content writer for a web developer. It's an on-going project and I'm on my 9865589799th iteration right now, so I thought I'd take a break to clear my head before going back out there. As much as I love writing, I have to admit that it's very time-consuming. I steered clear of my blog for days because I just couldn't write anymore after spending hours writing every day. (In case you were wondering, the only reason I'm here now is because it's that in-between, awkward phase of time before dinner/JW comes back home and I need to time my cooking perfectly so that the food isn't cold by the time it's served. So I'm killing ten minutes before I start cooking.) Content-writing is so different from planning lesson plans. With lesson plans, I can stop at "good enough" because I know that things are bound to change and there's no possible way I can plan out every single second of the lesson. With content-w...

I can't work legally in the States because of my visa status. A few months ago, though, I decided to try my hand at online freelancing, and I managed to get myself a few odd jobs here and there. Honestly, they don't pay much for the amount of time I put in, but it's a nice feeling to be contributing to a real project that is worth money to a client. It makes me feel like my skills are actually marketable, yannoe? By the way, I'm talking about copy-editing and proofreading jobs. Back when I was a student, I used to proofread assignments pro bono for my friends. =P And I really enjoyed it. I wonder why I never considered making a career out of this "hobby" of mine. Perhaps it was because I didn't know there was such a career option, given that it doesn't fall under the regular categories of 'doctor/lawyer/engineer/teacher'. I know, I grew up really sheltered. =P Getting steady paychecks was also a huge consideration in my career selection, so...

Ok, so not many of you know that I like Pokemon. That's fine, considering that I usually stay away from video games of all types, mainly because I don't like getting addicted committed to things. It's no biggie, just another facet of my control issues. =P However, I really like Pokemon and this started way back when I was a kid and Pokemon was showing on TV right after piano lessons. I recently started playing Pokemon FireRed because everyone was playing Pokemon GO and it made me miss Pokemon battling. Yesterday, I managed to beat the Elite Four and Gary on my first try without even - in JW's words - "training seriously", so I have to conclude that I just have an eye for for picking a great attacking team. I guess I have innate talent when it comes to Pokemon training, if nothing else. =P And yes, I go for fast, overpowered, kill-in-one-strike kind of Pokemon. Defensive moves aren't for me, because oftentimes whoever strikes first makes or breaks the ba...

Those of you who've read my blog long enough know that one of the things that send me straight into my happy zone is getting a great bargain. Those of you who live with me (this means you, Jia Wern) know that I can talk about it for hours afterwards and shamelessly ask for compliments on what a savvy buyer I am.  Good thing not many of you live with me. =P It's not so much the money saved that makes me happy - it's more the thought that I've successfully optimized my resources and traded minimum input for maximum output. So I still diligently answer Kroger feedback surveys because the reward points add up to a few dollars in fuel discounts. It's not like answering the survey takes more than 5 minutes anyway, and guess who has a lot of free time? =P The trouble is, when we still get hit by unexpected expenditures after all that effort to coupon, research for best value items and buy mostly stuff on sale, I tend to feel hopeless. Basically, I feel like, why...

Recently, I learnt about this thing called "Language ego" from my Coursera TESOL course, and it's something I've always been subconsciously aware of, but didn't know had a name to it. "Language ego" is the idea that your identity is tied to the language you speak, and that means when second language learners speak a different language, their identity shifts a little. To illustrate this idea, here are two examples: #1, I've always resented the fact that I'm not nearly as witty or sharp when I speak Mandarin or BM as when I am when I speak English. #2, I become meeker when I have to speak a second or third language because my lack of language mastery makes me slightly less confident.  As a result, I sometimes feel that people I communicate to in a different language don't know the real me. And this is a feeling that has followed me my entire life - the feeling that I never truly belonged in all the communities that I've been a part of...