there have been many subtle changes about my personality, tastes, likes, dislikes and habits since locating abroad. it's unavoidable to be influenced by your environment for better and worse. and the changes are more and more evident as time goes on. i eat more chili than i used to. i shy away from the sun. and lingually, benny commented this difference...
apparently, i now speak on the phone with a singlish/indo undertone, very similar to another cousin of mine. 2ndly, other than using much more chinese in my vocabulary and diction, the english phrases i use to mesh in with the chinese, now follow a taiwanese english accent (like my moms). for example, the letter "N" is pronounced "UN", and the letter "S" is pronounced "ACE-S". i instinctively use words like "high and low" to describe ambiance and have consciously abused the word "OVER" as a way of describing an "exaggeration"
there have also been changes to my tastes in women....
prior to asia, i drooled over the female dimensions that maxim, playboy and mtv had groomed me to infatuate over. but after 4 years in asia, the lust over independent, successful, tanned, athletic, voluptuous, women was gradually replaced with a certain chauvinistic appreciation for the skinny, pail, cutesy, straight haired, blythe doll look of the asian girl. it just happened subconsciously. even i'm shocked with myself. i started thinking western women all looked old, haggard and fat. i noticed myself critiquing wrinkles, face size/symmetry, skin elasticity, thickness of arms, size of thighs of all women in a way that asia media chastises its own asian icons. the importance of youth supersedes sex appeal (which indirectly makes asian sex appeal pre-pubescent-ly awkward), hence my adaptation to the cute and childish" look was merely a darwin evolutionary survival.
for all reasons in the aforementioned paragraph, an expat must go home minimum of 2x a year to regroup and touch base with ones roots to not be so quickly and easily skewed by local temptation of what in essence isn't fully compatible with oneself. and it only takes a few hours in front of american cable tv or a few hours perusing the malls of america, or maybe a big fat meal @ the local red lobster, or for me, all it took was 3 hours @ bergdorf goodman and i now have re-invigorated a whole new appreciation for white women.
my goodness, i cannot belive the things i had given up in place of that sophisticated, well put together new york blonde typing on her blackberry and swinging her snake skin bag. in that cashmere empire coat and leather knee high boots. black winter tights that accentuate a full womanly figure to accompany a confident catwoman swagger leaving only a dust of chanel no 5 and jaw dropping men (waiting by the dressing rooms for their wives). thin lips and fake lashes didn't exist in the sea of discount shoppers @ bergdorf. deep set eyes and a larger more busty frame screamed sex appeal. slightly sun-damaged skin portrayed inherent fun. and that heavy clopping of the boot gave a little attitude that for me, makes life worth living.
with that being said, i must make sure this appreciation for the bergdorf white woman does not mean it extends towards all other areas of white woman appreciation. for instance, why must American Airline staff must be past their prime, haggard, huge and barely polite? i dont like it when they're helping me pay 15 BUCKS PER LUGGAGE FOR CHECK IN (when the eff did this bag fee get implemented?). i don't like waking up to old women on a plane. the OJ just doesn't taste as fresh. hahha.
...as for the women of domincan republic...well..after 2 trips to sapphires in 3 weeks. there might be new found appreciation for that one. as i quote a buddy "her arse just opened up and swallowed my crotch"
