Branded
So I totalled my expenses on this trip thus far. My dad paid for the plane ticket, and I'm staying at my grandmother's, so the only expenditures are on completely voluntary purchases.

Thing is, every time I come to Taiwan, relatives give me money. And the currency lends itself to giving me US$165—every time I see them. See, that translates to NT$5000, or five NT$1000 bills. They can't give me NT$1000, because that would just seem stingy, so they give me five of them. Seems like a good number, right? So I've amassed a small fortune in NT$, because it is just impossible to spend it that quickly without being a total wastrel. I don't exchange the money for USD, because I don't feel like that's the right spirit. And I'm bound to come back to Taiwan again, so I figure I might as well hold on to the currency.

But letting the money gather dust doesn't do anyone any good. So even though I'm not spending like a total moron, I've been pretty indulgent on the last few trips. I brought back my money on this trip with it burning a hole in my pocket. I did pretty well, considering I've only been here five days.

I spent about US$20 on consumables, primarily at 7-11. I'm in love with the convenience of having a 7-11 across the street, so I go even when I'm not really thirsty at all. I spent another US$20 on knick-knacks that various people asked for, including pens for Janet. She understands the urge to practice pen brand-loyalty. There are so many variables that go into a pen's performance—color, grip, ink flow rate, line thickness, drying rate, waterproofness, to name a few—so it's important to stick to one you like. I even bought myself two Uniball Signo DXs, plus two refills. I love this pen, but I rarely use it, because I worry about it running out. Now I have enough ink to last me until my next trip to Taiwan.

I spent quite freely on personal goods; my total was almost US$200. Everything I got was still reasonably priced, or a good deal. But in the US, "reasonably priced" doesn't provide adequate justification. I let it do so here. Okay, that was a lie. Checking my list, I bought a couple pairs of really expensive underwear. I reasoned that I was always curious about name-brand underwear, so why not indulge now? Maybe there was something to the non-cotton, non-boxer-cut underwear? So I bought some to try out. Preliminary results say that white underwear highlights my tan, and stretchy fabric makes my ass look gooooood.

So despite all the indulgent spending, there was one thing I hadn't factored in: relatives gave me money on this trip, as well. I kind of figured once I had graduated that I'd be immune from these awkward and generous gifts. But not so much. I'm going back to the States with more money than I started with. Well, I am headed to Japan in the morning, so there's still some time [ed.– there are things to buy in Japan like you would not believe].

I was going to write about seeing Matt, but I'm exhausted and the flight is early.
- posted by roger @ 12:39 AM