Whatever Happened to Matt? « Matt Schiavenza

11Sep/092

Whatever Happened to Matt?

Well- this space has been quiet lately, hasn't it? Apologies. I will admit that having a dyfunctional comments section sapped my motivation to post. But due to the genius of my web operator in Melbourne, Australia, things have been fixed. Fresh posts will be back up again soon, but in the meantime I'll include a personal update for those of you dying to know what I've been doing.

The small start-up consultancy I work for is set to launch a new website, which I will be revealing when it is ready. Needless to say, we've put a lot of work into getting the website up to speed and are excited about it.
After threatening to do so for years, I've finally decided to go get my Masters degree. The application process has just begun, an endeavor that will surely eat away my weekends and evenings. Fortunately, I'm only applying to one school but I still imagine it'll be a pain in the arse, as British friends might say.
I've also re-doubled my efforts to learn Chinese by engaging in twice-weekly language meetings with a Chinese friend. She correctly pointed out that when I'm in my linguistic 'comfort zone', I speak very well, but as soon as the subject turns to something I'm less familiar with I tend to sputter. These are the subjects we've been going over, an interesting challenge.
If Chinese wasn't enough, I've also decided to study Spanish formally for the time since, well, ever. I am one of the few Californians who successfully dodged the language in school, instead focusing on a language no one in the world has spoken in over a thousand years- Latin. Because I can speak Spanish's cousin language Italian, I think I'll have a pretty good knack for it. I'm looking forward to finding out.
As stimulating as these mental challenges are, exercise- 'A waist is a terrible thing to mind' a wiser man once said- has again become a big activity for me. I've found a swimming pool near my neighborhood in Kunming that is open until late at night. Something about the soft rhythm of swimming appeals to me. If some people get their best thoughts in the shower, mine arrive when I'm in the pool.
Plus there's Lost Laowai, other writing gigs, and the little thing called a social life.

But you needen't worry- I'll be popping 'round here on occasion. Stay tuned.