Thursday, Aug. 05, 2004 - 11:37 p.m.

I have such a newfound respect for Alanis Morisette. I accidentally listened to a few of her older tunes yest and was so impressed with her lyrics. Blunt, real, gut emotions and observations. I always liked her music in a way, but never went out of my way to seek it out. And now I feel so drawn to its honesty, to her honesty I guess I should say. There is something very numbing about being in a culture you dont understand and one that does not embrace emotions on any level.

From "You Learn" by Alanis Morisette

I recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone

I recommend walking around naked in your living room

I recommend biting off more then you can chew to anyone

I certainly do

I recommend sticking your foot in your mouth at any time

Feel free

Throw it down (the caution blocks you from the wind)

Hold it up (to the rays)

You wait and see when the smoke clears

Eye update: much better. I can now notice how my eyes dry out when I am in an AC high environment. So I just have my eye drops ready. But even in that environment, the worst for the dryness, I can tell it getting better every day. Thank goddess. I now REALLY appreciate how healthy my eyes were before this.Still wearing the sunglasses in and outside. I tried to teach without them for a bit today, but get a stinging feeling in my head, an almost headache of sorts. Not going to push it. Think I am healing just fine.

One more thing about plastic surgery in Asia. When K. was filling me in last night on this stuff, she mentioned that for the breast enhancements they took the fat from the woman's ass and implanted that in her breast area. I could not help but laugh. And just because of how honest K. and I have been about cultural diff's so far (she is Taiwanese), I told her why.

I told her that there were certain cultural stereotypes that are based on truth. Italian woman are known for their curvy shapes (and big boobs), Greeks are known for their abundantly hairy bodies, etc,etc. Well, an Asian stereotype that I have found confirmed here in Taiwan is that Asians generally (man am I gunna make some folks mad with this one) do NOT have ample ass cush. She laughed but I dont think she understood why it was funny. In the US, we have entirely too much ass, and we use fake and sometimes dangerous things as breast implants. But here, where the ass cush should not be transferred due to a shortage to begin with, they do. Offended? oh well, deal.