Another year has passed. After lying down in an MRI machine (the loud noises somewhat eased my anxiety) and learning that the results of my MRI indicated a possible L5-S1 disc herniation, I feel like I'm getting closer to my "lying flat" lifestyle (pun intended). By the time this post is published, I will have been living a "lying flat" lifestyle for nearly 400 days. Although an idle life can be somewhat relaxing at first, it soon becomes a struggle: walking is difficult, sitting feels uncomfortable, and I can only resort to crawling around at home like a dog. I've also had to endure occasional complaints and frustrations from my caregiver (curses?), and to top it off, I've had to wear diapers, which my over-80-year-old grandmother finds amusing. Despite all this, my "lying flat" life is somewhat bearable. Meanwhile, people my age are either achieving great success in their careers or making smart financial moves, proudly sharing their milestones on social media: new houses, honeymoon trips, new cars, job promotions, and so on. It's a lively and joyful scene of a new year, full of energy and new beginnings. In contrast, I feel like a useless couch potato, depending on my elderly father, who has atrial fibrillation and can't bring himself to apply for a disability certificate. It's a mix of emotions. One night, my dad said with a sigh, 'I've invested in your English studies for many years. Try to make a living using the internet and teaching English. Although it's tough for you to find a job due to your limited mobility, just sitting around isn't a solution either.' I have 8 years of experience as an English tutor for adults, scored 970 on the TOEIC, and achieved 7.5 on the IELTS. I have worked as a translator for government agencies, specializing in energy and net-zero sustainability fields. I've also translated a 10 million viewed TED talk, as shown in the picture below. If you're interested in improving your English skills, please subscribe to my channel and let me be your English learning coach. Leave a comment about your challenges in learning English and share your English learning goals for the new year! Stay tuned and see you tomorrow!
一年又過去了,在一個人躺進MRI艙(艙裡轟隆作響稍微讓我沒那麼不安)並得知核磁共振圖的結果疑似是L5-S1椎間盤突出之後,我似乎又更接近理想中的躺平人生(誤),在這篇文章發佈的同時,我已經陸陸續續過著將近400天的躺平人生。整天無所事事的人生剛開始還有些放鬆的體驗感,除了無力走路舉步維艱、坐立不安,在家只能學狗爬式移動,名正言順的失業,承受照顧者偶爾心累的抱怨責難(詛咒?),再加上年紀輕輕就得包著尿布被年過八十的阿嬤取笑之外,我的躺平人生勉強可以忍受。
身邊同齡人要嘛就是事業有成、步步高升,要嘛就是理財有道、五子登科,大大方方在各種社交媒體上曬出自己已解鎖的各項人生里程碑,滿滿的新房入厝、新婚蜜月、新車入手、新官上任等等,一片歡天喜地的新年新象朝氣蓬勃,相較之下,形同廢柴的我和拉不下臉領取身障手冊的心房顫動老父相依為命,真是百感交集。
一天晚上,我爸無奈的說:「也栽培你學英文許久,試著善用網路和英文教學養活自己吧雖然你行動不便謀職不易,坐吃山空也不是辦法。」
我自己有8年的成人英文家教經驗,多益970,雅思7.5,政府部門翻譯,專精能源、淨零永續領域,並曾翻譯的TEDtalk 如下圖示,如果有意增進自己的英文能力,請訂閱本頻道,讓我成為您的英文學習教練,並留言說說學習英文的痛點,還有分享新年的英文學習目標吧!