Oh, the comfort — the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person — having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

- Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, A Life for a Life

taiwan 2013

a selection of pictures from my five-week stay in taipei, taiwan :)
it was hard to pick only these 118 from the 1,750 i took-  ask me about it sometime, i have much more to show!

Mini Chen: how come you like cats so much btw?

Mini Chen: how come you like cats so much btw?
Preston Chang: i don't know how to describe it.. i was trying to think about this yesterday
Preston Chang: as i saw cats
Preston Chang: cats just chill out
Preston Chang: and sleep and groom and lounge
Preston Chang: like, by tourist places
Preston Chang: SUPER CUTE
Preston Chang: i petted them :3
Preston Chang: i love the way their bodies are shaped
Preston Chang: it's like, cute and majestic and pretty
Preston Chang: the legs and feet and tails
Preston Chang: the tails are really elegant
Preston Chang: their mannerisms are cute, too
Preston Chang: the way they posture themselves for anything
Preston Chang: laying down, sleeping, tumbling
Preston Chang: they walk really smoothly
Preston Chang: i love that they're so well-balanced and coordinated
Preston Chang: jump crazy high
Preston Chang: it's like they're always stalking
Preston Chang: and if you've ever looked closely at a cat when it's standing still
Preston Chang: and it hears a noise far away
Preston Chang: sometimes just one of its ears rotates
Preston Chang: like it turns a few degrees
Preston Chang: outwards
Preston Chang: and it's SUPER cute
Preston Chang: and when their eyes close they look like they're smiling
Preston Chang: like when you put them on the head and their eyes close
Preston Chang: and the way they SWIPE at things is SO cute
Preston Chang: like strings or other dangly things
Preston Chang: or the way they use their paws to try and cover bugs on the ground
Preston Chang: they track with this cunning precision
Preston Chang: like their eyes are cameras scanning the environment and their brains are computers calculating jump distances and trajectories
Preston Chang: and then when they sleep it's just like super cute
Preston Chang: yesterday i pet this cat that was sleeping
Preston Chang: and it just didn't wake up, even when i poked it and pressed on its head multiple times
Preston Chang: and i love that
Preston Chang: that cats are always so engaged in whatever they're doin
Preston Chang: and yesterday we saw a cat that was grooming itself
Preston Chang: and the whole time i was watching it and talking to it and petting it, it just kept grooming itself
Preston Chang: like it didn't care at all that it was the center of attention of everyone walking down that street
Preston Chang: i like that cats have a mind of their own
Preston Chang: dogs are fun and stuff, and i like that they're SO attention-giving
Preston Chang: but they're kinda predictable
Preston Chang: throw a ball, it'll fetch it
Preston Chang: pat your thigh, it'll jump up
Preston Chang: rub its tummy, it'll roll over
Preston Chang: talk to it, it'll look back at you
Preston Chang: but CATS ...
Preston Chang: basically, do anything, and you'll have no idea what it'll do in response
Preston Chang: other than a few things
Preston Chang: like if you pet its head, it'll close its eyes
Preston Chang: and if you touch its tummy, it'll probably scratch you with its hind legs
Preston Chang: and i like how they slink around
Preston Chang: super stealthily
Preston Chang: like you're chilling on the couch
Preston Chang: and all of a sudden the cat is behind your head like
Preston Chang: HEYA
Preston Chang: but not really 'cause it doesn't care to interact with you
Preston Chang: their tails also have like a mind of their own
Preston Chang: the way they absentmindedly curl around
Preston Chang: and wiggle
Preston Chang: very elegantly
Preston Chang: it kind of reflects what the cat is thinking
Preston Chang: its curiosity in something
Preston Chang: and i like how cats are so CURIOUS
Preston Chang: they love watching things
Preston Chang: and looking at the outdoors
Preston Chang: and chasing little things on the gruond
Preston Chang: i like how they look when they're sitting up
Preston Chang: the front paws are always together
Preston Chang: it's very regal
Mini Chen:LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Mini Chen: OMGSH PRESTON
Mini Chen: YOU DESERVE A CAT
Preston Chang: okay can i have one
Preston Chang: thanks
Mini Chen: i will
Mini Chen: buy you a cat
Mini Chen: like you are probably
Mini Chen: the most deserving of a cat
Mini Chen: ever
Mini Chen: just take my cat
Mini Chen: whatever
Preston Chang: HAHAHAHHA
Mini Chen: i don't deserve him
Mini Chen: as much as you do
Mini Chen: LOL
Mini Chen: dude you could write a book after a cat
Preston Chang: no one's actually ever asked me before why i like cats
Mini Chen: that sounded like a love note
Mini Chen: to cat
Preston Chang: thanks for helping me let all that out
Mini Chen: no problem

epiphany

last week, i realized what popcorn style prayer meant. it means that you don’t know who will say the next prayer, just like you don’t know which kernel will pop next…

i hit myself in the face with a car door and this is what resulted

There were times along the road where I thought I wouldn't see this day, but by God's grace, and only by His grace, have I gotten to where I am today.

(Mom was here, but she's not a big fan of rain, speeches, or formalities.  Love you, Mom!)

a once in a lifetime sighting

odd correlation

the decision of getting into a relationship

the decision of peeling off an unsightly sticker

— could be worse off than when you began, or could be so much better.

i miss being a kid

today, at red robin, celebrating sean's birthday, i went to the men's bathroom.  as i got there, i found it being held open by a man who looked to be on his way out.  i stood outside for a little bit, thinking he was going to leave soon, and 'cause i knew he wasn't holding the door for me.  after a short amount of time passed, i went ahead into the bathroom, and lo and behold..

in there was a little boy who had just finished doing his business at the urinal, and he was repeatedly and rapidly flushing the urinal.

the dad: come on, it's time to go, you flushed it enough already, and it's this guy's turn.

little boy: -reluctantly backs away from the urinal, watching the massive amounts of water-

the dad: come on, he's gotta go pee!

little boy: -finally walks away towards his dad, forgetting to wash his hands because he was clearly still thinking about the urinal and how he wanted to flush it more-

i miss being a kid.

and it's not over yet!

after i come out of the bathroom, the same little boy is holding the door of the women's bathroom open a crack and looking into it.

the dad, to someone nearby: oh, he's such a peeping tom!

the dad, to the boy: hey, if you're going to look in, you gotta go inside, too!

i hope i wake up in six hours

just woke up super thirsty.  went to the fridge in the garage.  (my parents recently cleaned out my room, so they fridged some mountain dew cans i was collecting.)  i find a mountain dew voltage.  expiration date june 21, 2010.  i drank it.

mountain dew is always a good idea.