Home is where the electric bills are

I just got home after an exceptionally irritating 12 hours of travel to find that I left one of my lights on for a week. Grr.

The lights are still off, though, when it comes to my Japanese. I noticed immediately after returning. After only a week in Taiwan of practicing my Chinese, I had trouble coming up with the Japanese just to tell the taxi guy where I was.... I am having to form sentences in my mind and rehearse them before actually speaking, so anything sudden is bad news, at least for the next few hours. Example: I think I really startled the bus man when he mistakenly began to reload my very large piece of luggage. Rather than simply saying "Excuse me, that's mine," which would have been very easy to do, I did the more primitive thing and pulled on my bag in the opposite direction. Oh what a look he gave me. Better watch some NHK or something quick.

Aside from the fact that Japanese and Chinese do not coexist readily in the front of my mind, I am reminded that I haven't slept but about 3 hours in the past two days. I should sleep. Yeah....

But first allow me to inventory some of the very culturally significant items I purchased while in Taiwan:

2 Mr. Bean Pez Dispensers
$1, $2 and $3 (authentic) DVDs and VCDs
Ovaltine Malted Milk Mix
Gilette Aftershave
Fancy Tea (a must)
Some XL shirts that are actually XL
The newest CD from Yan-zi, a Singapore singer I have a big crush on

In other words, not that much... where does the money go? And why do I always have so much luggage? One would think I would have learned how to pack efficiently by now. Clearly not the case.

Doh! I just realized I left my remaining 4 cans of Mountain Dew in the refrigerator in Taiwan. I guess there are worse things I could have forgotten. I wonder if I did...?