Coming Home for Christmas?? Is it Actually Possible?!

That's right, lovely followers of my everyday actions, I will be returning to the United States of America on December 22nd (prepare you calenders and remember to buy presents/cake in anticipation of my return). Here's my very simple schedule:

December 22nd-December 29th: In Ridgewood (birthplace and home)
December 29th-January 1st: Chicago for Anna's wedding!! Wooooo.

Expect cheap Christmas presents on my return (I am quite poor at the moment, so you will have to wait for better gifts...just be patient)

The Generation Gap "Problem"

A quick update (before I have class) to assuage the easily excited Miss Sarah Schillaci. The "situation" that will hereafter be referred to as the "Generation Gap 'Problem'" has almost definitely been peaceably remedied.

A word of advice: PhD students can possess many traits, but if they ever demonstrate a combination of overdeveloped self-confidence and unparalleled sketchiness, treat the as you would a stranger offering you questionable Halloween candy...I don't really know what that means...

Busy or Boring? You Decide...

I wish I had something exciting to write, but unfortunately I don't. I have discovered a few things in the past week though and I will list them here for you so that you at least have something to read and don't stop checking my blog (which would be oh so unfortunate as something exciting is bound to happen soon):

1) Taiwanese people speak much better English than they let on, don't think that you can get away with saying whatever you want to your American friends, it will not work!

2) Buses are amazing forms of transportation.

3) It is much harder to write application essays in Chinese than in English (for some reason this was not readily apparent to me when I began the Taiwanese Grad School application proccess).

4) Text messaging is much slower if you don't have T9.

5) Converse All-Stars should be purchased in mass quantities in every color.

Okay, I'm going away for a few days to see a very pretty gorge. Leave me lots of messages while I am gone. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Important Educational Annoucement

As of 6:05 PM Taiwan Standard Time the follow Graduate School/Master Degree Program Rankings were issued by the Taiwanese Propaganda Bureau. These rankings will be final until Jessica A. Marinaccio again decides that perhaps her priorities are all wrong:

TOP PROGRAMS

National Taiwan University:
Tied for First:
Department of Social Work AND Department of Chinese Literature
Second:
Department of History

National Zhengzhi University:
First:
Graduate Institute of Labor Research
Second:
Department of Chinese Literature
Tied for Third:
Department of History and Department of Diplomacy

Recently the two departments noted to be most highly in contention for Ms. Marinaccio's affections were Zhengzhi University's Graduate Institute of Labor Research and NTU's Department of Chinese Literature because experts predict that Ms. Marinaccio savors the idea of being poor for the rest of her life.

Will an MBA ever be in her future?? The world may never know...

Finally...

Recently learned how to say "Pole Dancer" and "Male Stripper" (already knew how to say "Female Stripper"). I am obviously very relieved and can now begin to pursue my dreams of joining the ranks of the adult entertainment industry. For all of you who have been wishing me luck along this long and arduous road to success, I thank you.

In more realistic news, perhaps changing top grad school department choice from Social Work to Lingustics...

...That will probably change again before I actually get around to applying...if that ever happens.

Terry Tamm gets this week's award for most consequtive blog comments. Sarah Schillaci, where did you go??

The New Voice of the Children's Chinese Placement Exam?

Not that there was an old voice, but that's right, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly is now the sexy, soothing instructional voice of the Children's Chinese Placement Exam. Thanks to the crazy connections of former Chinese TF, Tiffany Fang, I got to spend about two hours in a recording studio saying things like: "Section 3 is now over. Please turn to page 45. Section 4: Listening Comprehension."

Hell yes.

"The test is now over. Please put your pencils down and wait quietly until your paper is collected..."