FAQ

Q: What are the Chronicles of Greg?
A: It’s an anthology that takes a peek into the epic life of G Lin. The author has decided to release the Taiwan stories for your enjoyment. The stories were originally meant just for his friends to keep in touch, but it’s being shown to the public due to overwhelming response from his adoring fans.

Q: Where can I get the rest of it?
A: It’s an ongoing series; not everything’s released yet.

Q: How did this all start?
A: I talked about it somewhat in It Begins. Like I wrote, there were many reasons:

I needed a change of environment. A fresh start. I needed to get away from the grind of New York. It’s the greatest city in the world and I’m proud to call it home, but I don’t feel ready to conquer it yet. I’m using this time to rethink, recharge, and reinvent myself.

I was born in Taipei so I’ve always wondered how it would be if the dice rolled differently. Now I get to find out.

Not everyone is the able to just drop things and go. There are a lot of obligations in life. People are tied down to their jobs, their families, their loans, their significant others, what have you. I’m not spared from these obligations by any means, but I’m very fortunate to be in a position where things will be ok if I take a break from it for some time. Seize your opportunities in life with a vice grip.

After all, who gets to actually live out their dreams these days? And this is, most definitely, one of my dreams.

Q: Did you really leave your cushy 9 to 5 job of almost 2 years for this?
A: Kinda.
Q: Are you crazy?
A: Maybe? Maybe not? Maybe go fuck yourself =D

Q: What do you hope to accomplish over there?
A: I should make a goal sheet so I won’t lose track of things. But here’s a few things:

• Improve my Mandarin so much that I start to think in Mandarin. At the very least be able to read all the menus in restaurants. Or be able to sing all the words at KTV.
• I want to get to know Taipei City like the back of my hand. It’s big talk considering I barely explore Manhattan. But once I get my bike, it’s over.
• Explore the rest of Taiwan. So many places to check out, like Kaohshiung, Tainan, Green Island, Kenting, etc. Can this be done in 6 months? I’ll give it a shot.
• Hit up another country during my break. Maybe Vietnam, Malaysia, or see my aunt’s family in Japan.
• Find all the streetball hotspots in Taipei. Gonna take my game to another level out here.
• Meet as many people as I can. So many people from everywhere at MTC, there’s no reason not to.
• Keep blogging. I realized after creating this, writing is kind of enjoyable. I hope the section about my studies really inspire my old teacher’s current students at Binghamton University, as well as random blogsurfers. But I’ll keep in mind what a friend said: Don’t let the blogging get in the way of my adventures.

Q: Are you on any scholarships?
A: Nope so far it’s all self-funded. I looked at a few scholarships but they are mostly for foreigners. Since I was born here, I’m excluded from those. But on the plus side, I get to do military service if I stay here too long. That was sarcasm. There were a lot of these kinds of obstacles while I was planning from New York. But eventually I just said fuck it, let’s make it happen. In a way having no scholarships is good since it puts me in a hustle mode, looking for small jobs wherever I can. Stay out of my comfort zone.

Q: Where are you staying?
A: The area is called Tucheng, but I’m on the last stop of Yongning station. From there it’s about a 20 minute walk to my place. Buses run about every hour so I’m gonna need that bike soon haha. There is a taxi line right outside the station on days I’m feeling lazy, which is good to know.