The Montreal Writers' Storm Sewer

Previously Unposted Photos & Travel Commentary

2012-01-10T13:46:00.001+08:00

This week feels sad to me. I don't know why. I wish my future was brighter, and I wish I could make the most of my skills, previous opportunities, my current knowledge, but there's a way forward...somewhere. I feel like I'm flailing helplessly for the way, knowing I'll never find it. One nice thing, though, is I've dispatched the deja vu I used to have into oblivion. It used to make me think I was onto something, but the deja vu was never really a cheerful or uplifting sense. If I had lived this life before, I only knew something ominous was ahead. At least, now, the only feeling I have is that I've taken my life into my own hands, for better or for worse - but probably for something in between.

My proudest moments, in some ways are my photographs and the reading (sadly insufficient) I've done. The first photo above, was taken on our way back from Ilan. I drove Sharon and I from Hsinchu to Ilan and then, the morning after the next, we drove back through Taipei, of course, which is why you see the Taipei 101 at dusk. We took our time coming back, stopping for juice, or stopping at an Italian restaurant in Keelung (actually pronounced Jeelung).

The two photos that follow Taipei 101 at sunset were taken in Banciao. There is a special rotating platform or elevator which you pay...basically, it costs an-arm-and-a-leg...at first I thought the Photoshopped photo of us as couples against the background of images you see when you are on the thing was included, but it isn't, so the deal isn't a good one. Still, I got a couple of nice photos from the platform, as you see below.

I have been careful to try and record unusual sights that one can see in my neighbourhood. I should probably include the sound trucks that usually blast political messages either from the KMT or the DPP, but I haven't and I probably won't, because other people have likely done that on YouTube. There is the neighbourhood cow, however, which doesn't show up very often in many neighbourhoods. This cow (which has recently been replaced by another, younger black one with long curly horns, mostly likely because the one you see here died). I suspect that it probably provides a family with milk and nothing more. Or maybe just a pet. Still, someone usually leaves it out to graze all along the kilometre-long road from my house to the highway here. I have never seen the owners. You can go very close to the cows. They won't hurt you (even the male ones). They don't even seem to notice strangers very much.

I like geometrically inclined shots, like the following. I don't know if call it geometrical is a fair assessment. It might be the visual suggestions in it or the apparent magic or contradictory appearances. Hands reaching out toe the sky. Or ocean overcome by clouds of ink. Anyway, I took the shot at a park called 19 Hectares Grasslands near my home.

There is a stray cat that was miaowing for food outside our house. It looks just like this one, which is actually a different stray that I saw in Baoshan. Asian shorthairs are smart, fast, strong, and sociable. They don't mind checking you out. This one did get bored of me taking pictures after a while though, and after about seven minutes, it left. By the way, our stray...we wanted to take it in, but we ended up taking in another unwanted cat that someone else really wanted to give away. Which is almost a shame, considering the fact that the orange Asian shorthair (for whom we have since put out a box, blanket, and regular food and water) is much better natured, and gets along with Sharon (my fiance, not my cat) a lot better, to boot. Maybe in the future. As long as the Persian Chinchilla which we did adopt doesn't drive one of us crazy.

I regularly go to a cafe called The Melting Pot. This is where I took a picture from inside:

As you can see below, there is a grey building, which is actually a large block-encompassing prison for young offenders. I think I once drove my scooter past the other side of it during visiting hours, when the kids were coming back in and the parents leaving, and the guards overseeing it all. At least, something on that order was occurring.

On my way back from a solo trip to Ilan via scooter, I encountered this half-finished train station in the East end of Hsinchu City. This will probably be Zhuzhong Station or some such. It lies directly below, or south of, the easternmost stretch of the Science Park. It is an excellent idea that a train line is finally built between Hsinchu City and Zhudong. That way, people can visit Neiwan without having to take a bus (which takes a long time, particularly with the narrow mountain roads) or drive a car (tourist traps become intolerable when cars parked like sardines make any actual moving vehicle a source of anxiety, exaggerated or not).

(Okay, I'll write some more either tonight or tomorrow. I want to feel like I am actually posting more, so I'll put up what I have so far. In the meantime, you'll have to wait for descriptions of the photos found below.)

Book Review: Why China Will Never Rule the World

2011-12-03T17:58:00.001+08:00

Why China Will Never Rule the World

by Troy Parfitt

417 pages

(Now available at all major North American bookstores, as well as some online book dealers)

To start with, I was really intrigued with Parfitt's book, even before it arrived in my mailbox. I first heard about this book on The Peking Duck, after which I checked out the link posted therein, where I found an interesting online interview with this author talking about his book.

The attitude of adventure found in this book is acerbic, not unlike chef/food critic/TV host/writer, Anthony Bourdain. In Bourdain's case, however, the acerbic wit isn't so organically embedded in his commentary. Bourdain, as much as I like him and find him entertaining, engages wit not so much as a result of his journeys, but as a condiment instead.

The great thing about Parfitt's more organic brand of wit (it certainly helps that Troy Parfitt is Canadian!) is the ability he enables in us to flip the bird at conventional stereotypes and Politically Correct motivations, lazy thinking, etc. etc. This is what is most needed, I should add, for commentary about China, particularly with the proliferation of pollyannaish commentary from the likes of Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist, and author of The World is Flat. We are starting to see less of the latter now that the 2008 Beijing Olympics have faded from view; cheerleading for China has become less trendy, to be replaced by other things, like environmentalism, if CNN's self-advertisements are anything to go by.

Parfitt's commentary, observations, experiences, and dialogue are all profoundly entertaining. While one of the drawbacks of this book is that it rarely engages direct commentary on its title (there are ten pages at most, if that, of actual direct discussion involving why China will never be anointed the kind of dominant superpower status the majority of commentators have been relishing), the countless array of anecdotes does give one the impression of a nation and a culture which is exceedingly dysfunctional. Examples of this include the top-down attempts to curb behaviour and manners by the government. One constantly sees signs, written in Chinese, and the supposed equivalent - but, usually bad - English proclaiming things like "No Striding," "No Tossing," "Please! A Civilized Train!" or at a zoo, "Wild Animals Are Not Food."

Bo Yang, author of The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis of Chinese Culture, and Lu Xun, author of A Madman's Diary and The True Story of Ah-Q are repeatedly invoked by Parfitt; this is a deliberate attempt to go against the grain of mainstream thought in Chinese-language culture. Yang represents an individualist approach to Chinese culture (in the way, I suppose, we have been taught that writers in the West are exceptional achievers/thinkers, etc.). On a side note, by invoking someone like Bo Yang, isn't Parfitt engaging in an almost meta-Chinese paradigm? Isn't he suggesting that the only way China could progress is being almost...non-Chinese, or a kind of Chinese in another dimension, like Bo Yang?

Bo Yang, however, has not been respected, even after-the-fact, after his exile, imprisonment, and ostracization, in the Republic of China's system. Bo Yang, whom Parfitt characterizes as an aberration who could have represented an alternative, sophisticated sortie or progressive conduit, has only been ignored and punished by the culture which he rubs, and rubs him, the wrong way. Yang is summed up in a number of interesting ways. A sample: Harmony in Chinese society? It doesn't exist, in reality! The only thing that so-called harmony actually applies to is the everyday rapport between superiors and inferiors.

Living in Taiwan as I do, and having read Parfitt's countless anecdotes about observations in China, I can concur with the idea that the Chinese idea of harmony is, as Yang claims, a fallacious and even fatuous idea. Parfitt continuously observes confrontations and arguments that take place in plain public view, be it in Beijing or on the airplane, for example (the latter example being when the author was challenged to move to another seat by a surly PRC soldier). As for my own experiences, you only need to take thirty minutes of time in a car on on a scooter during rush hour in Taiwan to see how the default mode is the opposite of commonsense. I've lost count of how many thousands of times I have seen people drive their motor scooters and turn on their right turn signals and then turn left, and then keep their signals on for block after block after block. Don't get me started on triple or quadruple parking either....

The anti-Confucian appeal of Bo Yang is a salve for our own, and Parfitt's nonplussed reaction to the persistent lack of self-consciousness, self-awareness, or logic, endemic in China, or "the other China." Parfitt declares the importance of the Socratic method, to independently question, examine, understand, and objectively observe. Such a method is contrary to the Confucian paradigm, which demands things like filial piety, respect for one's elders, feudal ideas like fealty to one's superiors (bosses, kings, emperors, lords, etc.).

I myself recently read a particularly detestable passage in Confucius' Analects: "44. Yuan Jang (an old acquaintance of Confucius) was on one occasion squatting on his heels, and did not rise when Confucius passed by him. Confucius then said to him: 'When young, you had no respect for your elders, in manhood you have done nothing to distinguish yourself, and now you are dishonouring your old age, which is turning you into nothing but a rascal!' With that, Confucius lifted his staff and hit him on the shanks." We are making a serious mistake if we think that we can learn everything from a quarrelsome old character who goes around hitting people when he considers them lacking in what he considers virtues!

When Parfitt proclaims that "the ideas for reform espoused by Sun Yat-sen, Lu Xun, and Bo Yang provided the prospectus that China must adhere to if it ever hopes to become a truly great nation" and concludes that "the changes which are occurring presently are totally unrelated" he makes a truly thought-provoking statement. It's a real pity, however, that he doesn't follow it up or support it more with previous information. For example, the details given about Lu Xun and his works don't give us any idea about what Lu Xun's "ideas for reform" are. Rather, what we have are severe criticisms, in both Lu Xun's fictional accounts and Bo Yang's critical account of Chinese cultural proclivities. One truly wishes Parfitt has substantiated his claims, at least a little. Certainly, what he says about Sun Yat-sen is true. But he only writes such things about Sun Yat-sen's ideals much, much earlier in the book (almost seventy pages earlier!): "His objective was to overthrow the tyrannical, ham-handed, and hopelessly unprincipled Qing government and to replace it with a republic based on his newly devised political philosophy, the Three Principles of the People, often translated as nationalism, democracy, and the people's welfare or livelihood. Originally penned in English, the Three Principles of the People traces it's origins to Abraham Lincoln and his belief in a government '...of the people, by the people, and for the people....'" Parfitt later concludes his discussion of Dr. Sun by stating that no doubt, his "heart was in the right place" and, interestingly, in light of Parfitt's, and Bo Yang's own versions of pessimism: "Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Father of the Republic of China and Father of Chinese Democracy, wondered aloud more than once whether a democratic system was even viable in China. In his later years, he made statements to the effect that it might not suit the national character."

Most of Parfitt's experiences with "Chinese" culture originated from living in Taiwan. It might seem questionable to lump them together. M. Turton, over at the blog, The View From Taiwan, and Richard at the previous mentioned blog, The Peking Duck, have both mentioned this in their reviews. They are unjust, in a way, however. Certainly, Richard's criticism of this is more informed, especially as he has lived in both countries (among others cities in Taiwan and China, Richard lived lived in Taipei and Beijing). The particular meaning that Parfitt pursues regarding "Chinese culture" seems to be different from what his critics have in mind, however. Part of the problem is the apparently hastily put-together title: Why China Will Never Rule the World: Travels in the Two Chinas.

In this regard, we have a quandary. One the one hand, Parfitt has challenged us to conceive of China differently. On the other hand, this author hasn't editorialized enough about what exactly he means by "China," at least in any explicit form. Parfitt would do well, if he ever republishes the book, to scrap fifty pages or so of entertaining anecdotal reveries contained herein. Following this, he should lay out what idea of China, or Chinas, or "the Chinas," he has in mind. There also needs to be some sort of groundwork laid out in reference to the falsity of an emerging China being anything resembling a superpower, a ruling hegemonic state, or what have you. As I said, he almost does this in the few pages that end the section about what we can call, based on Parfitt's historical/literary/political perception of China, the Mao version of China (as opposed to the Chiang Kai-shek version of China which has taken place of the apparent tabula rasa of Taiwan.

The immensity of the book is breathtaking. I confess that I am surprised how uninteresting Parfitt found Harbin. The historical reflections on Tibet (Parfitt shatters a lot of myths propagated by Free Tibet types), Chongqing (the center of gravity for Chiang Kai-shek and his forces), and Shandong (home to the rebellious so-called Spirit Boxers) are intriguing and eye-opening. The chaotic nature of Chinese history greatly contrasts with other histories, for instance, Egyptian history (towards which much of Western history owes its genealogy, particularly via Alexander the Great. While there have been chaotic periods in Egyptian history, there have also been remarkable periods of calm, unity, and progress, as seen in some of the Mamluk period, or during the Ottoman Empire, for example. Chinese history, on the other hand, astonishes one with how few periods of calm there have been, and how much repression has been the driving force throughout its history.

As an alternative "China," Parfitt sees Taiwan, via the Republic of China, as little better. Foundering on the same chaotic, yet authoritarian bases, the smaller version at first appears to imitate Western models, with its democratic elections, friendlier and less confrontational outlook, but when looked at more closely, Taiwan/ROC is seen as muddling in the same Confucian, inward-looking paradigm. Just like in China, where foreign tourists are perpetually pointed at and ridiculed by children and adults alike, we see the same thing in Taiwan, particularly in more provincial areas, like Jinmen. I can confirm that similar experiences can be had in places like Fengyuan, Taichung or Miaoli City, Miaoli County. In Taipei or Hsinchu City, people are a little bit more educated and worldly-wise because foreigners are a much more common sight in the such places.

This is a fine book. For the most part, I agree with Troy Parfitt's conclusions. However, the statement put forth in the press kit for this book, stating that China's top-down way of doing things is incompatible with the Western way of doing things is unfortunately wrong, at least in a number of ways. You only have to look at what is happening in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom - particularly the latter two countries - to see the sad fact that many of our governments are apparently imitating totalitarian states. I am not merely speaking of CCTV cameras installed on the streets. That is merely cosmetic, all things considered. More and more laws are being passed regarding what we can or cannot say, regarding how much more about our private lives that the government can peer into, etc. Lawmakers have even expressed desires to outlaw people from wearing MP3 players when they cross the streets! Our governments tax us ever more heavily and our taxes go to repressing us even more - and we have to work even more hours to pay off the debts we owe, and to make up for what we lose in taxes. This may not be a Chinese thing, nor even an Asian thing. Top down rules, heavy taxation and repression are not merely the trademarks of Chinese culture. The money that Western governments owe countries like China does have an impact, however. China's restriction on foreign media in China, and what it can say about Chinese interests are elements that have an impact. These are things that Parfitt doesn't go into in his book. Mentioning this doesn't help support his thesis that China will never rule the world. Such things, however, do show, that we are getting dangerously close to being numbed down when it comes to repression of freedoms.

If the loss of freedom of expression is experienced uniformly and as a normal state everywhere, online or offline, and not merely in China, then we are truly headed for dangerous times indeed. This is not China's fault, but what is everyday experience in China might have become our nightmare, as well. This is, of course, not Parfitt's conclusion, but my conclusion. What is one to make of this? Certainly, we have started to react. More of us have voted "conservative" governments - whether the conservatives are actually "conservative" is up for debate - but this has been the reaction, in North America, and in some of Europe (many of whom don't really want the European Union being forced upon them).

Troy Parfitt is somewhat unconventional in his approach to writing about culture. I truly look forward to reading what he has to say about Canada, which according to some of the author's statements, is another project on which he is working.

TROY PARFITT'S WHY CHINA WILL NEVER RULE THE WORLD is also available on Amazon. There are a number of positive customer reviews there, too.

Update On What I'm Doing

2011-10-16T22:38:00.000+08:00

I just started reading the review copy I have of Troy Parfitt's book, Why China Will Never Rule the World. I aim to write a review of it by next weekend. So far, just a couple of pages into it, I find it engaging.

I am also trying to get back into practicing music. Today I played flute for a few minutes. Tomorrow I hope to practice for at least half an hour, if not more, and maybe try to practice guitar, which is an impossible struggle for me.

A number of other books I am reading include The Age of Wonder, Arthur Koestler's The Act of Creation, H.G. Wells' When the Sleeper Wakes, and David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumn's of Jacob de Zoet. There is an odd correlation between the Koestler, the Mitchell, and the Wells with the intersection of the history of science seen in The Age of Wonder.

Perhaps I will see some odd sort of continuities with Parfitt's book. Sometimes things have a way of organizing themselves like that. Life is like that. The very hazard of life is such a thing, nothing more and nothing less, and yet strangely the very embodiment of a weird accident.

2011-10-04T11:20:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was Monday. Sharon and I went to see The Killer Elite. I don't highly recommend the movie, particularly if there's more interesting things playing (I recommend Horrible Bosses or Seediq Bale, although the latter I haven't seen, mostly due to the fact that there are no English subtitles in movies shown here in Hsinchu. Taichung, yes; Taipei, yes, but not Hsinchu. I have always gotten the impression that there are a lot of foreigners in Hsinchu (far more so, percentage wise, it seems, than in Taichung City, so, if you ask me, the theatre managers have their heads on backwards, particularly since there are very good dual subtitled (in both Chinese and English, simultaneously) versions available here. When I lived in Fengyuan, I used to frequently go to the Taichung City theatres to watch films playing there. Surprisingly, two subtitles do not crowd out the visuals. They've gotten quite good at make subtitles unobtrusive yet clear.

More details to come on what I think of Killer Elite. Although, to start with, the movie is not really a remake of Sam Peckinpah's as the title purports to be(perhaps somewhat fraudulently).

Plain Daniel

2011-08-21T11:32:00.002+08:00

Memories flood back: plains in Ontario, in Wolfe Island, in Belleville, in Reid. People often think of Ontario as rocky and rugged. There are actually a lot of plains there, too. Just like there are hills in Saskatchewan (not many big ones, mind you, but really, go to Toronto. Most of what I've seen of Toronto is flat, flat, flat, just perfect for easy cycling, I might add. Taiwan doesn't have much in the way of plains. Except. And here is the big EXCEPT...

The East Coast (Hualien, Ilan, Taitung) has a lot of plains. I should be fair. Some of the West Coast is flat, too. Miaoli City, Jhunan City (the main part), and most of Taichung City (again the main part) are flat. A lot of Miaoli City is very flat. Actually, the central and northern parts are flat. Nanmiao is a different story. Anyway, Ilan is one of the flattest places you'll see in Taiwan. It is a relief to see that after driving or riding in the mountains. It must be tough farming on the steep mountainside.

I'd be curious about how much saltwater from the ocean mixes with the water in the river, particularly when there isn't very much sloping.

Before crossing this bridge, I noticed there was some big traditional children's festival being held inside a gated area. I suppose it is a festival that happens all year around, although I'm not sure. Most of the big activity in Ilan County seems to take place in Luodong (which has a lot of hot springs, along with Jaoshi). The Monkey Festival is one example of a Luodong festival that they recently held. I know this because Sean, the proprietor of Titty Tea, told me.

The flatness allows a lot of strange distortions in one's perspective. I'm speaking subjectively and aesthetically, of course.

Sensing more depth in the layers of clouds is exhilarating, too. Where I live, in Hsinchu, is actually, funnily enough, more hilly and mountainous than Montreal was (Montreal was pretty hilly, as well).

This is Jaoshi (the bottom picture show the Jaoshi train station).

Rice farming is back-breaking work. Taking pictures of rice farms is ridiculously easy.

If I could lift the ocean up and doff it as I would a hat, I would. Even a machine seems to have difficulty with this task...

POST OF THE DAY: Kudos to the folks who have the courage to do this. Check out the men and women who cosplay Harry Potter. I myself would feel like a fish out of water if I tried that. But these folks look good cosplaying it right out in Ximending.

Wild Is the Wind

2011-08-19T16:44:00.001+08:00

Those who have been saying Taiwan is not doing enough to give bicyclists space to ride, as an alternative form of travel, rather merely as a form of leisure are wrong. Look at this picture, for example. Last weekend, I rode my scooter to Ilan once again. On my way back, driving North up the East Coast highway, this roadwork was clearly evident again and again. In the parts that are closer to Ilan, the bicycle paths have already been built, but it looks like they are going to be finished the paths going all the way up to Keeluing in a couple of weeks, if not a month.

The ocean views really are stunning. I wish I had had more time to explore Keelung. It always seems as if I am fated to merely pass through Keelung.

It is nice they always keep people's safety in mind. Some of the Eastern shore is pretty rough. The rocks show striations resulting from their being battered year after year, decade after decade, by the restless tides.

Trip #2 to Ilan via Beibu Road

2011-08-09T16:45:00.000+08:00

I drove my scooter to Ilan once again this past weekend. It was perhaps the most aimless trip, and in some of the ways, one of the more successful ones. If I'd had more time, I'd have actually had more of a chance to see more important sites and sights.
Once again, I got some fabulous pictures of the mountainside...

Quite a number of them, actually...

You can see millions of little white shapes in the background That is Ilan, which was 2 hours away from where I was standing.
Here are a couple more to confirm this more clearly for you:

Quite a sight, really. I loved how I was able to drive, on such a beautiful Thursday afternoon, feeling so completely free and so completely alone. I was able to drive for kilometre after kilometre, sometimes for forty minutes, in fact, and not see one single vehicle - be it a scooter, car, motorcycle, truck, or bus - going the same way, or the opposite way.
I'll come back to this post later, either today or tomorrow. I am feeling a little tired. The heat, and then the sudden shock that air conditioning brings to my body is absolutely murdering my store of personal and physical energy these days. I don't really like the idea of air conditioning in my house. At the same time, it's starting to seem a necessity. Sharon, my "other half," has been becoming more and more insistent on it, and these days, since at the moment, she is becoming more of the breadwinner (I am currently only partially employed) I can't really say no. Even if that were not the case, she has said we need it so many times that I can't really say no anymore.
I find, however, that air-conditioning makes me either too drowsy or too wimpy. It doesn't necessarily affect me in both ways at once. If I get too used to air-conditioning (which I did in the summer, in Montreal) then I complain too much about the excessive heat, even when it is only thirty-two degrees outside. Thirty-two degrees? That is totally tolerable, truth be told. But I don't want to start complaining about it.

All Apologies

2011-08-07T22:37:00.000+08:00

Sorry (in particular, to those who have been avidly reading, responding, and engaging in a positive way)I haven't been responding to comments (and merely publishing them). I've been otherwise occupied. For example...why can't I get YouTube videos to play in either Firefox or Chrome within the Ubuntu/Linux architecture? It always tells me there's a missing plugin, but no matter how many times I try to install these Flash Plugins, the darn things never work! I'm going around in circles. I don't know why I'm obsessed with this, but if I figure everything else works so well in Linux, why doesn't that? Steve Jobs would probably laugh at me and say, haha, use html5. Thing is, YouTube uses Flash, and there's nothing Jobs or even the powerful folks at Google can do about that!

My Adventures on Freeway 7, a.k.a. Beibu Road, Part I

2011-08-02T20:13:00.001+08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago (I actually thought it was this past Saturday - that's how fast the days and weeks are going by for me) I went to Ilan County on my scooter. I used Freeway 7, or Beibu Road, as it is also called. There is a reservoir and lake that basically divides some of Hsinchu County and Taoyuan County. I should clarify: the lake flows into the reservoir. What I saw this time around was the lake part. It is truly impressive, more clear, more blue, more picturesque than Sun Moon Lake, as I recall. The latter was beautiful, when I visited it, but even then, sometimes there was smog. It was extraordinarily beautiful though, when Sharon and I went, in 2006. Since all the cable cars and compound upon compound of tourists added, with all the extra cars and buses and cramming into hotels which quickly went to "No Vacancy" when we went, I've seen people's photos, and it really isn't that pretty at Sun Moon Lake anymore. Just a tourist trap. Fortunately, there aren't any hotels or such things to trap tourists in the lake-area below.

The area is on Google Maps, as shown here:

View Larger Map

One of the nice things about leaving at a time when everybody says it's too hot to do anything is that there are...well, almost not people. This was a truly pleasant journey. I left Hsinchu at 2:40, and was in this lake area at about 4:20.

The air up in the mountains and on the East Coast is cleaner than any I have smell and tasted and felt in years, even in Canada. Basically, most of my life, I've been a city person, living, as I have, in places like Vancouver, Montreal, etc. Yes, Vancouver has a lot of sites, but you have to pay a lot of money to go away to places that are away from busy traffic, something I rarely did, even as a kid. I did a lot more than when I was an adult. In Montreal, we had Parc Mont Royal, which is quite similar to 18 Peaks Mountain, in Hsinchu City. Sure, Hsinchu is more polluted but...there are times in Montreal when the the pollution is really bad, and sometimes gets worse than here. All in all, Hsinchu City reminds me of Montreal, but in many ways, Hsinchu City is livelier, and more convenient.

Anyway, onto more pictures...

There are even boats on this lake. I'd be curious if they are commercial tours, or private affairs.

Onward and onward I trekked; onward and onward I drove my motorcycle, marvelling at the sights that I had been dying to see all of my life.
At last, the lake tapered off into this pretty valley town in Taoyuan County:

The name of the town is Fuxing. I never actually went through Fuxing, because I was in a hurry to see more of the mountainside, and see how the experience of driving my scooter to Ilan would turn out.

I soon arrived at this bridge. There is a cave and walking bridge adjacent to this bridge, which I will explore in Part II of this blog post about my trip. The scenery, the wide space, and the tourist attraction of the caves and aboriginal art provide blue-truck vendors with the perfect opportunity to lay out a makeshift restaurant right here.

This is the stream below the bridge. The Taiwanese call these things rivers, but to those of you, like me, who are North Americans, we know really rivers - big rivers. This looks more like what we see a lot of in British Columbia. To me, this is a stream.

There are some wonderfully big trees up there. I've heard there are much much bigger ones if you go up to Lalu Mountain. I will have to make that detour one day.

The mountain scenery continued to be amazing...

There are even the odd lonely houses far, up, and away.

Dusk quickly pushed me towards my destination. I had to drive slowly (30 km./hr.) because there were no lights on the road. Fortunately, the drivers were considerate, even the cowboy teenagers on their showy motorcycles who were driving to show off their fancy lights and make a bunch of noise. They gave me lots of space, and didn't freak anybody out. The drive to Ilan was my most pleasant driving experience in Taiwan. I recommend this road on Saturday afternoons. Not in winter, of course, unless you have a car, or don't mind freezing your buns off on a scooter (dress warmly and bring your gloves) and encountering a little snow.

Anonymous Trolls and Hack Writing

2011-07-23T00:43:00.005+08:00

I have gotten into a stupid online confrontation with one of these anonymous commenters.

This often used to happen on this blog, several years ago. Sometimes, quite possibly, I deserved it, because I was very mouthy and insistent about my opinions. However, since it is my blog, one would think that a modicum of decorum would be observed, particularly by those who are strangers to me. After all, I am not on their doorstep, and I am not standing on the street corner shouting my opinions out until people get headaches. This is my blog. If people don't like what I write, they can always respectfully disagree, and tell me why (preferably under a real name, or at least a pseudonym). I absolutely despise dive-bombing anonymous commenters who make it their mission to discredit (at least, according to them) the person whose blog they are trying to sabotage.

In the current situation, the back-and-forth between an anonymous commenter and I is at Michael Turton's The View from Taiwan. The comments section in question is here.

For one thing, it is really annoying to be told off by someone who won't even given their name (even a fake one). If they can't be held accountable, why should I be beholden to their criticism? When I see those kinds of anonymous commenters, I always get some image in my mind of a pimply teen sitting in his mother's basement, growling at the computer screen and eating nothing but Mars Bars and drinking Coca-Cola. This is a cliche, of course. It is likely that trolls - I mean anonymous trolls - come in many forms. They probably look just like you or I.

My writing isn't perfect. I never said it was. I said my writing is very good. Of course, subtleties like these get markedly ignored by adolescents in arrested development! I have absolutely no problems with people expressing their annoyance with me. For example, if someone, whose profile or some decent, non-anonymous pseudonym writes a comment like, "@Thoth Harris It seems to me, then, that if you are going to criticize Cole's writing, then you should make sure you spelled Murakami correctly."

As you see, the comment I just wrote, critiquing myself, takes up the same amount of space, and gives the same information, but the comment is done in a respectful enough manner so as not to be badgering or attempting to discredit me (whom he doesn't even know, after all!).

My second gripe has to do with bad writing. I made a comment on The View from Taiwan (see above), which started this nitpicking about my spelling on my profile/grammar in my comments. I know I am not a perfect writer, but to me, bad writing is bad writing when someone refuses to make an effort to be clear. If there is the odd grammar structure, I will overlook the writing, because I know exactly they were trying to say. Perfecting writing means perfecting communicating, first for oneself, and then for one's audience. If you cannot understand what you wrote, you should write it again. Sometimes grammatical rules impede us. Usually, they help us, but frequently, we do get into scraps with our grammatical training, or with rules which come to light after-the-fact. I cannot stress enough, however, that clarity is the most important thing of all when writing. One would think this would be self-evident to a journalist. At least, it should be evident to someone who frequently writes journalistic articles.

This brings me to the article I recently read, brought to my attention by the above blogpost of Michael Turton's. The English style in the article is atrocious. I will cite a few examples, and write what I would have written to make it clearer. Obviously, that is not my job. J. Michael Cole is a professional writer (among other things). He has a B.A. in English Literature! He has a Master's degree in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Considering his impressive qualifications, I am somewhat surprised, and perhaps shocked, as well, that his articles read so poorly.

Here are some examples from Cole's article: "Exactly one day after the new foreign minister had uttered his comments about Beijing’s assurances that China would no longer use the death penalty against white-collar crime, China was executing two former vice-mayors — Xu Maiyong of Hangzhou and Jiang Renjie of Suzhou — for taking millions of dollars in bribes while in office."

Okay, where do I start. Let's start by stating the obvious. This is a very long sentence (and it takes a whole paragraph, too!). Usually, in a newspaper article, with which you are trying to economically convey information to large numbers of people, you should be brief. You should be succinct. You should get right to the point. I believe I am doing just that, right now. (Not all anonymous commenters will agree. ;))

I would have split the sentences in the paragraph up. I would write this, instead: "Just one day after newly Foreign Minister John Baird repeated Beijing's assurances that it wouldn't executed white-collar criminals, it appeared China did precisely that. It executed the two former vice-mayors, Hangzhou's Xu Maiyong, and Suzhou's Jiang Renjie, on multi-million dollar bribery charges while in office."

There. See? Wasn't that simpler? I believe it was simpler to write than that convoluted swill linked to above!

How about another example? From the same article, the first sentence isn't bad: "In a speech earlier this month to mark the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese President Hu Jintao said the battle against graft was the key to “winning or losing public support and the life or death of the party.” Such comments are hardly indicative of a government that is willing to relax its campaign against white-collar crime, or that is on the brink of abandoning the most extreme of means to address what is, indeed, turning into a threat to the CCP’s legitimacy."

You see, however, that the second sentence is just more unreadable mishmash. Remember, this is a city newspaper, whose ideal audience is your average working stiff, be it an office worker, your regular construction worker, or an exhausted housewife (or house-husband, as the case may be). They don't have time or energy to sift through convoluted sentences. Anyway, it is extremely easy to rewrite Cole's sentence into a more manageable and readable form: "Hu's comments defy any indication that the government will do anything but brutally continue cracking down on white-collar crimes." I would leave out the reference to "threats to the CCP's legitmacy" because it is redundant, and takes us off-topic. I think you should also notice how Cole's sentences become convoluted when too many prepositions appear in a row. Particularly troublesome is when too many uses of "of" or "to" occur in the same sentence. Sometimes, when you are listing several things, you can get away with it. Cole's use of certain words and phrases is unnecessary.

If you have the patience to continue reading these things, here's another one, from another of Cole's articles, this time in Jane's Defence Weekly and Cole's own blog, The Far Eastern Sweet Potato: "The ship was already put out at sea in November last year, with little fanfare. The announcement that it was officially launched, a splashier affair, recently, looks timed to coincide with rising tensions in the South China Sea."

Okay, at least the meaning is clear. The sentences are shorter. This is what Cole should have done for a simple Ottawa Citizen news article! But let's leave that aside for a moment and explore what's wrong.... Cole, like me, is Canadian. I have never heard another Canadian (or even British person, as far as I know), use the form, "Put out at sea." This sounds really strange to me. It might be correct, and since Cole was trained in the military, from what I gather, maybe it is military usage. I am not sure, however. Normally, I would use, "Put out to sea." You don't just leave a boat in the ocean. The use of "at" seems like "train-speak," that much-reviled, old-fashion use of language that has, particularly on British trains, recently prompted some negative reactions. "Put out to sea" seems much more natural. The worst offender in Cole's paragraph, however, has to be, "a splashier affair, recently..." If you can make head or tail of why Cole wrote it that way, I will consider sending you a ticket to Taiwan and you can exchange places with me and be an English teacher instead of me!

Life as... Day as... a Work in Progress

2011-07-17T14:17:00.000+08:00

Everything we do, I suppose, is a work in progress. That said, what I say, what I do, is on view for the world to see.
I am confident I have improved. However, I am currently in a slump in my life. If anybody wishes me to do a particular task, and give me an opportunity, I will be extremely grateful. I am easy to contact. I can be found at this blog. I am on Google+. I am on FB, but I generally don't like to add too many people to Facebook, for privacy reasons, although I am finding fewer and fewer reasons to use Facebook.
I am a very good writer. I am a very good speller. I have a very good intuition - something which might not seem scientific, but is, ultimately related to things that are found via scientific pursuits.
I am a decent photographer. I am not, of course, a photographer with a vast technical knowledge or career background behind me. But that could change.

I am also musician. I play flute. I am also currently on the lookout for a decent guitar teacher here in Taiwan. I have a guitar and I would like to learn, so that I can write songs. I frequently get ideas for songs in my had in a way I never really had for long periods of time when I tried to write stories, novels, essays, etc. It's not that I think that inspiration comes mysteriously from above. I really don't. But I do think that I have more clarity when it comes to relating different forms of art, or expression, or communication. If I just try to do one, it doesn't seem I can reach the thing I want to express. The path is blocked. I become isolated from both myself and my world.

Spy Spied Via Interconnected Circuitry

2011-07-14T16:50:00.001+08:00

This is interesting. And disturbing. Or simply banal. Likely, the latter.

In which case, just go to sleep (like in this Blondie video)!:

But in this day and age, with the CTV cams in Britain (and coming to your part of the world no doubt) it is difficult not to get paranoid. About what? Not much, really.

Still, sometimes people in important position will try to search for the smallest thing to penalize you for. Still, this is a small matter. I have not done anything. I have not done anything that is worth watching, really. Even my political views have become more tempered and less conspicuous. My views about things I generally keep to myself, and there are people who have much more of an audience whom powers-that-be in government would go after.

I am not a believer in conspiracies. There are occasionally reasons to be worried. At this point I am not worried. Still, I have read Kafka's The Trial, and one never knows, right.

Anyway, what exactly am I referring to? I am referring to how my blog was referred to in a search by the Taiwan government. This would be normal. Lots of people have gov.tw addresses, not merely government people.

This was not a vague address, however: http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=stats&s=s24selbyjr&v=41&r=9&vlr=8&pg=1&d=714 You can check it out.

The ISP is from the Treasure Department of the Taiwan Government. I am assuming it is someone who is in the tax department. It is possible it is someone who is just bored and wants to see what kind of place a foreigner lives. Yes, you can see, from the stats, that they clicked onto the Google Street View of my house. It could be someone is just trying to check which district I live in, to make sure that, for tax purposes, I am not living in Miaoli, in which the information would have to be changed (Xianshan is pretty close to Miaoli). Again, it could be that very same person who did the final QC (Quality Control) of my taxes in Taipei, and is bored, and wants to check out how a random foreigner lives. As is his/her right. Go right ahead! The information is on my blog and is, therefore, public!

Just don't go knocking on my door, though. That would be plain wrong and stalker-ish. I trust this won't happen, unless I really do live in a truly Kafkaesque world!

Shards of Butter in the Large Barge

2011-07-01T18:04:00.001+08:00

I miss the cafe pictured above. It used to be my favorite late-evening haunt. They had to move, because the landlord ended the lease. Unfortunately, the move hasn't happened yet. We haven't heard from the laoban.

"I often paint fakes." - Picasso

Post of the Day

2011-06-30T16:36:00.001+08:00

Posts of the Day: Smangus...and One Other Item Regarding That Blogging Case in Taiwan:
This is an old post, by David Reid. But it shows a little bit about Smangus, which is close to where I visited the other day (check out my recent 2 or 3 posts).

For more perspectives on that blogging case which created furor, here, and around the world, check out the blog, Just Recently.

This is Yulao Town Police Station...

2011-06-30T01:01:00.000+08:00

This is where I visited the other day. (See my earlier post with tonnes of sunset pics). The police station looks a lot better now, though. I think Google drove around here one year ago, because that was when they obviously went through my neighbourhood.

View Larger Map

Where Do I Live? Here! On Google Maps!

2011-06-30T00:49:00.000+08:00

View Larger Map

Chinese Tourists Are Now Allowed to Visit Taiwan Individually

2011-06-29T23:34:00.002+08:00

Okay, but including this picture, I hope no one thinks I am equating Chinese with dogs.
No, I am only being cute, and taking whatever opportunity I can to include one of my favourite pictures, which is, in this case, about Chinglish.
I actually welcome the influx of independent tourists. Independent tourists means tourists with open minds, not people who are just following the herd. It means they will be their own tour guide, and make more intelligent, independent observations. And it means that their spending money will not merely go to a few, tour-guide-coordinator-approved shops or malls. Tourists, instead, will be able to go wherever they want, which means more money for small businesses, and an opening of minds of any tourists who come here. Will seeing Taiwan change China? I don't know.
Is ECFA a Trojan horse? I don't know. I have sometimes been convinced by arguments that it is. I have never read the agreement, and from what I understand, the entire agreement isn't even available. Is the secrecy of closed-door talks yet another sinister sign? It could be. Or it might not be. Obviously, in the case of the EU, it seems to have been, considering how little control any independent country have over circumventing the gradually increasing numbers of laws that are passed by the EU.
Anyway, by referencing a sign that says, "The Prohibition Pet Enters," I merely intend to reference allowing entrance to what was previously prohibited. Hopefully, this will lead to good things.
Michael Turton, in his recent post, at the end, seems to think that it is a red herring, and beckons us towards something sinister. That is the paranoid approach. I would argue that despite what the PRC government intends, the people of China, and in the future, the makeup of the government and its mindset might change if there is less isolationism all-around. Isolationism hasn't helped Cambodia or North Korea, after all. Taiwan opening its arms to Chinese tourism doesn't mean giving them the right to do anything.
Problems with espionage, however, might be another story. Hopefully, the current government, or any future government won't feel a need to be lax with regard to counter-espionage, and the ability to keep close watch on any foul play...

Blogging Challenges

2011-06-28T23:14:00.005+08:00

What do you think of the new look? Constructive criticisms are welcome. I know that it's an improvement over some other blogs I've seen, but is it an improvement yet over my older format? Should I keep the older template or should I continue using the new one? Ultimately, it's up to me, but I am enjoying most of the "improvements." I much prefer the simpler, easier to decipher HTML that Blogger used to use. I haven't really altered the new HTML, and that' a problem for me. Even someone with no math or computer programming skills or anything like that could tinker with the old HTML, and discover how certain things worked or didn't work. With the new HTML, now matter how much I try to figure out the new HTML amidst the newfangled template and gadget code...I just don't understand it. I almost suspect that they meant it to be tamper free. It is so tamper free, however, that it's almost impossible to change anything without using the Design Elements. This is a little sad, because I would like to eliminate a few things, and shrink the overlay of the post area. What I mean is the area where the sidebar and main content overlap. When I had the sidebar set to "transparent," some of the text too obviously ran over the allotted text content area. I don't know if my description is making any sense.

P.S. Today, my recommended post is one about food, primarily, with a few gratuitous cat pictures thrown in for cheap effect. Don't you just hate that? Not! that cat is so cute, but I feel bad for it, because it doesn't live in the comfort of a house like my kitten, Snowball. Anyway, check out this post, at Epicurious Travels.

23 June 2011 - Afternoon in the High Mountains of Hsinchu

2011-06-25T18:27:00.118+08:00

These days, I usually have Thursday off from work. I only work four days a week these days. Occasionally, I feel quite restless when such free time becomes available. This past week was a case in point. Not only that, it was one of the most beautiful days I've encountered recently (along with the weekend when I photographed the skyline of Hsinchu from 18 Peaks Mountain).

I've yearned to find a route through the Eastern mountains through these counties (Miaoli/Hsinchu/Taoyuan) to get to Ilan). On Google maps, the route is quite clearly apparent. They have not provide Street View to a lot of the most interesting road in Taiwan, yet, and woefully, as well, they have neglected to include Street View options or Chiayi and Tainan (although, weirdly enough, they have small cities like Hualien, Taitung, and many a bleak coastline in Pingtung). I'm not complaining about what is been included. I'm simply mystified by some of what has been excluded, since Tainan is the 4th largest city in Taiwan.

Anyway, I gradually immersed myself in the most fascinating journey I've experienced in a long time in my travels through Taiwan...

This is around a train station near Neiwan. It is an archetypal image of a Taiwan train station amidst the mountains.

After the train station the road keep going up, but more and more steeply. At this point there are Hi-Lifes (and further back down the road, there was a 7-11). This is the last one, though. In the future, if you are to get any supplies, like tissue paper, tea eggs, or anything like that, you need to go to mountainside mom & pop shops.

You saw one side of the bridge, and here is the other side. Already, as you see, there is less habitation. If you turn right, you are in the last of the relatively large villages you will encounter. Keep going straight and, from then on, you will see almost nothing but small houses, bungalows, and farm houses.

It's quite a nice bridge. Often, bridges in Taiwan don't have much space for walking. This is a wonderful exception to that. There is almost never much traffic up here (although there is tonnes of traffic a few minutes back in the historical/traditional street (very touristy!).

Already, about ten minutes after the bridge, you will see a observation platform (with some cheesy-looking stone figures of frogs and such). The stream is a sight to behold however. The water looks so clean. Already, it is nicer than Taroko Gorge. Having been to the latter place (which is nice, but...um...very touristy) I swear that Hsinchu has more incredible mountains and Gorges up in this area. I'm sure, even in Hualien, there are nicer places than Taroko Gorge...it's just there's no accounting for people's tastes, and the top-down attitude that sellers have towards buyers (I'm speaking in this case of the tourist industry, but it's also the case with many other areas and avenue of life here when speaking of the psychodrama that exists between seller and buyer).
P.S. For some excellent pictures of Taroko Gorge, take a look at Carrie Kellenberger's blog, which has some of Ava Apollo's latest renderings of her journeys in Taiwan. The picture of Sun Moon Lake is nothing to speak off - it kind of sucks, actually, but the photos of Hualien's Taroko Gorge are amazing. The photos I took are pretty good, but they are not quite as good as Apollo's (I think she is using her own photos for the post, anyway, if I'm not mistake). It's hard to get good photos of that area, because one doesn't often have time to explore much if you're on a bus tour. If you want to have time, your really must bring your own car, and avoid going at times when there are too many people, and when the soon is either too bright, or no bright enough.

I can't decide which of these two pictures is the best. Sometimes I show to or three that are very similar, so that people will see the different sides, according to this particular POV. The mouse must always navigate the elephant, so to speak...

The cheesy stone figures I mentioned. There are well done, however, and beat, hands down, many other similar such things I have seen in Taichung or Taipei. Not that I am slagging Taipei wholesale. Sometimes it is overrated though, particularly by foreigners.
You will notice the garbage (a beer bottle and a bag near the stone frog). While this is unfortunate and typical (people here throw their garbage everywhere, which is strange, because Hsinchu garbage pickup happens six days a week - and three days a week for recycling) this was the only garbage I saw. People seem to keep it pretty clean when they go up here, and most people don't come up here anyway. Maybe that's a good thing. It gives me a chance to engage with something a little more unique.
On a side note, it is dumb to attribute slovenly attitudes towards garbage as exclusively Taiwanese. However, I don't think I've ever repeatedly seen a whole garbage can's worth, or five garbage can's worth of garbage, along with furniture dumped in the middle of a forest or mountain in the most beautiful area of the land. No attempt to conceal, bury it, or anything. In Montreal, garbage and recycling days are only once or twice a week. Garbage piles up inside the house (or in the yard, as the case may be) sometimes, but it's no biggy. Why would people dump stuff in the middle of a forest? A real mystery to me! Part of the problem (it isn't all of the problem, only a portion) is that Taiwanese hide their garbage cans, and put them in the most inconvenient places, or even make a point of eschewing garbage cans altogether. Some people claim that too many people will put garbage from far off places and it will overflow, etc. This is nonsense, and it is a cultural reality which really should be done away with. Patrick Cowsill had a strange encounter with this kind of situation in his recent post. Even Hong Kongers and Singaporeans go crazy when encountering this bizarre modus operandi in Taiwan!

As I went higher and higher uproad, the view became more and more incredible. Just having my eyes open, seeing, hearing, and smelling it all made me feel drunk (I swear, I didn't drink anything - not even much water, for that matter, because when you are on a long journey, bathroom breaks are intolerable).

This is a typical high mountain road in Taiwan - smooth and curvy.

I like this shot because it contrasts the minuscule man-made with the tower aspects of nature. Usually, in cities, it's the other way around. Both are interesting phenomenona, but I rarely see the former these days, so it's nice to see this.

This would probably seem a familiar, even, to Koreans, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Mountains, meadows, and grasslands are a little different in North America, so this is especially beautiful to me, because it looks so exotic to my inexperienced eye.

This would seem a familiar sight not just on a Hsinchu mountain, but also along the coast of Pintgung, as well.

My scooter, next to the road.

I love being in amongst the clouds. It reminds me of some of the more introspective moments in Barbet Schroeder's The Valley Obscured by the Clouds.

I love seeing the outlines of one mountain interconnecting and overlapping with the outlines of another.

One feels truly free up here.

I simply love the idea of how a simply road amongst the ravages and wild growth of this place make the idea of being anywhere - anywhere, at all - possible.

It's truly a special feeling to drive one's motorcycle or scooter on these road, and have clouds lash past you, whip your skin like harmless ghosts with no intent but to make you notice where you are.

Just the idea that people live here is unimaginable!

At the top of the mountain there was a police station and a Chungha Telecome building, and a very small cluster of buildings. This view is what the police officer sees every evening. What a wonderful life!

The views of the sunset, clouds, and neigbouring mountains are simply exquisite!

This is the other side of the police station. How can one not be in a good humour when one has views like this to look forward to every working day?

The police station, the roof, and the mural on the side of the station.

More of that otherworldly scenery...

A school-building, a few houses and some mountain roads.

A farm.

The other side of the police-station. I took the picture from where the gazebo hovers over some mountains.

The Chunghwa Telecom building.

Some views of the mural below the Chunghwa Telecom building.

The police-officer was one of the friendliest people I've ever encountered in Taiwan. He helped me navigate where I should go if I wanted to get to Highway 7, or if I simply wanted to get back to Hsinchu City. I think the police-officer is of Attayal origin, if I'm not mistaken. Almost all the people who live up here are Attayal.

From up here, during sunset, during my gradual ascent, I could see what seems to be Jhudong/Hsinchu, and the ocean far in the horizon.

Some of the images can accurately be described as painterly.

"The sky is so close to the sea that it is difficult to tell which is reflected in the other, which one needs the other, which one is dominating the other." - Elie Wiesel, Day, p. 36.

"He stopped for a moment. I could see his profile: thin, sharp, noble." Elie Wiesel, Day, p. 36.

"'If the two were at war,' he went on, 'I'd be on the side of the sea. The sky only inspires painters. Not musicians. While the sea... Don't you feel that the sea comes close to man through its music?'" Elie Wiesel, Day, p, 36-7.

The drive back to Hsinchu through Hengshan, Cyonglin, and Jhubei, and Baoshan was pleasant. It was one of the most lovely journeys I've had in Taiwan.

I recommend you check out Andrew Kerslake's blog about his cycling journeys throughout Taiwan. I don't agree with most of his politics (regarding U.S. international politics, etc.), but he largely leaves politics out of his blog. Most recently he posted an account of his ride through Southern Taichung County.
If your politics are about the same as mine (libertarian), then I recommend you check out Mike Fagan's blog, (which usually has me either enraged by it, or enjoying it, either alternately, or simultaneously).

Another blog I recommend, which is completely unrelated to Taiwan, is about Montreal, politics, Montreal life, public transit, and Montreal culture. Very intelligently written.

A Day of Bridges, Mountains, and Rainbows

2011-06-20T01:30:00.002+08:00

Today was lucky for me. On my way to Henshan, via scooter, I snapped this pic of a rainbow on Highway 3, between Cyonlin and Hengshan:

A New Book By Troy Parfitt - What Do You Thin?

2011-06-20T01:04:00.004+08:00

Wow. Fascinating...

You can read the review (which quotes from excerpts from the book) here:
http://www.pekingduck.org/2011/06/why-china-will-never-rule-the-world/#comments

What do you think, based on watching the video and reading Richard's comments? (Watch out for the commenters on his blog - a weird jangle of trolls, to be sure - "para82" being a case in point).
I know I haven't blogged in a while...so I don't even know how many readers I have anymore. Based on the stats on my sitemeter...not many. But it seems to depend on the month. Sometimes there seems to be a huge rush of clicks to certain posts in the archives. Hopefully, everyone will have a look at the pretty decent pictures I've been putting up recently. I am not claiming to be a brilliant artist or anything...but they are getting pretty good. It helps that I have a better camera, too. I've been trying to work on developing my visual skills, as well as technical skills, as well.

2011-06-19T15:32:00.004+08:00

Looks like things are on their way up. They have been for a while, but there have been many ups and downs. I am doing a lot more varieties of things though. If I keep diversifying my talents and reaching out, I might strike a good deal of gold!

Bicycling with Ayn Rand & Arthur Koestler...This Time, Rand's friend, Koestler, speaks...

2011-06-17T23:54:00.001+08:00

I SHOULD ADD A DISCLAIMER TO THE QUOTE BELOW: WHILE THERE ARE MANY THINGS ABOUT KOESTLER & HIS WORK...WITH WHICH RAND WOULD BE SYMPATHETIC - I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE WERE PROBABLY MOMENTS IN THEIR LIVES AT WHICH POINT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDS...I DOUBT RAND WOULD HAVE LIKE THE PERIOD OF KOESTLER'S LIFE IN WHICH HE DROPPED ACID WITH TIMOTHY LEARY...OR WHEN HE BECAME ENAMOURED OF PARAPSYCHOLOGY, EVEN LEAVING MONEY IN HIS WILL TO FORM AN INSTITUTE DEDICATED TO IT. THERE ARE MANY PARADOXICAL THINGS ABOUT KOESTLER'S LIFE. THERE ARE EVEN SOME REPORTS (ABOUT WHICH YOU CAN FIND ON THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE ABOUT HIS BIOGRAPHY, WHICH REVEAL THAT AT LEAST ONE PERSON CLAIMED HER RAPED HER. ARE THESE PARADOXICAL BIOGRAPHIES PARTLY THE RESULT OF INABILITIES TO DEAL WITH ONE'S CHILDHOOD OR YOUTHFUL PAST AS A HOLOCAUST VICTIM/SURVIVOR (A LA POLANSKI, KOSINSKI, ETC.? AS SOMEONE WHO AGREE WITH A GREAT DEAL OF AYN RAND'S TENET'S I WOULD NOT FEEL INCLINED TO EXCUSE ANYBODY FOR SUCH THINGS. EVEN RAND HERSELF SURVIVED THE...MASSIVELY HORRIBLY THINGS THAT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE SOVIET REVOLUTION, PURGES OF COUNTERREVOLUTIONARIES, AND SUCH....I AM UNCERTAIN ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH SUCH PERSONALITIES. WITH KOESTLER, WE CANNOT BE CERTAIN. FOR ONE THING, HE IS NOT ALIVE FOR US TO QUESTION HIM. THE HORRORS HE WITNESSED, AND HIS UNDENIABLE INTELLECTUAL BRILLIANCE (WARPED, AS IT MIGHT AT TIMES HAVE BEEN) SEEMS UNDENIABLE.

Let me return once more to verbal thinking. When a person discusses, say, the problem of capital punishment he may do so 'in terms of' social utility or religious morality or psychopathology. Each of these universes of discourse is governed by a complex set or rules, some of which operate on conscious, others on unconscious levels. The latter are axiomatic beliefs and prejudices which are taken for granted and implied in the code. Further implied, hidden in the space between the words, are the rules of grammar and syntax. These have mostly been learned not from textbooks but 'by ear', as a young gypsy learns to fiddle without knowing musical notation. Thus when one is engaged in ordinary conversation, not only do the codes of grammar and syntax, of courtesy and common-or-garden logic function unconsciously, but even if consciously bent on doing so we would find it extremely difficult to define these rules which define our thinking. For doing that we need the services of specialists -- the semanticists and logicians of language. In other words, there is less difference between the routines of thinking and bicycle-riding than our self-esteem would make us believe. Both are governed by implicit codes of which we are only dimly aware,, and which we are unable to specify.

Arthur Koestler, The Act of Creation: A Study of the Conscious and Unconscious in Science and Art. p. 43-4.

Travels with Wobbles McCoy - An Exposé of Hualien

2011-06-17T20:12:00.001+08:00

Two months ago, I went on a long weekend vacation with Sharon and her son, Toby. At my suggestion, we went to Hualien. We went North, coming as we did from Miaoli City and Hsinchu, through Taipei, and through the Snow Mountain Tunnel (a misnomer), if there ever was one!). The this went fabulously easily, as did the drive through Ilan County:
View Larger Map

The thing about a lot of south Ilan County and North Hualien County is that it is full of a lot of dangerous mountain roads where people drive like damn maniacs. We had actually left very early, but two months ago, there was very little sunlight at 5:45, and none at all at 7:00. It often drives me a bit stir crazy when I frequently observe that nights and days here are always about the same amount of hours. There is about one hour more of sunlight during the late-spring to late-summer period. However, even a day that ends at 7:00 is still too short. That's the problem with living near the equator.

This is in Pinglin Township, where you can try out fresh mountain tea. Some of the best and freshest tea can be found here, for a very reasonable price. This was still in Taipei County, or Xinbei City, as it is now known. A short time later, we were on the East Coast, in Ilan County.

Hualien really is a beautiful place, more ordered, sensible, and less chaotic than Hsinchu. I really enjoyed staying at the hotel on Zhongzheng Road.

The courtyard and the elevator shaft, as seen from the floor on which we stayed. The thing I really appreciate about my camera is the ability to take decent nightshots. My apologies for the less than ideal quality of the pics that result from Blogger's resizing it. I am little bit lazy about this. Although, I think it might help me in terms of copyright, if any of my photos are ever decent enough to be published. People can contact me if there is something that is impressive, in which case, I guess my originals will stand in much better stead for such purposes. Not that I am claiming my photographs are of professional quality...

It wasn't until nightfall when we reached Hualien City. We wouldn't see views like the one you see of the mountains above until the next day. But the night views were excellent. I didn't get much opportunity to take many night pictures, however. I will show a few however, in Part II of this post...

Liberty

2011-06-15T10:46:00.000+08:00

He was a young boy from Warsaw. An inmate with three years in concentration camps behind him. He was tall and strong, a giant compared to me.
His back was to the gallows, his face turned toward his judge, the head of the camp. He was pale but seemed more solemn than frightened. His manacled hands did not tremble. His eyes were coolly assessing the thousands of prisoners surrounding him.
The Lageralteste began to read the verdict, emphasizing every word:
"In the name of Reichsfuhrer Himmler...prisoner number...stole during the air raid...according to the law...prisoner number...is condemned to death. Let this be a warning and an example to all prisoners."
Nobody moved.
I heard the pounding of my heart. The thousands of people who died daily in Auschwitz and Birkenau, in the crematoria, no longer troubled me. But this boy, leaning against his gallows, upset me deeply.
"This ceremony, will it be over soon? I'm hungry..." whispered Juliek.
At a sign of the Lageralteste, the Lagerkapo stepped up to the condemned youth. He was assisted by two prisoners. In exchange for two bowls of soup.
The Kapo wanted to blindfold the youth, but he refused.
After what seemed like a long moment, the hangman put the rope around his neck. He was about to signal his aides to pull the chair from under the young man's feet when the latter shouted, in a strong and calm voice:
"Long live liberty! My curse on Germany! y curse! My--"
The executioner had completed his work.
Like a sword, the order cut through the air:
"Caps off!"
Ten thousand prisoners paid their respects.
"Cover your heads!"
Then the entire camp, block after block, filed past the hanged boy and stared at his extinguished eyes, the tongue hanging from his gaping mouth. The Kapos forced everyone to look him squarely in the face.
Afterward, we were given permission to go back to our block and have our meal.
I remember that on that evening, the soup tasted better than ever...

Elie Wiesel, Night. p. 61-3

This passage, I find, is especially powerful. Of course, Elie Wiesel is a great writer. Of course, the subject of the Holocaust and Auschwitz, or any other concentration camp, for that matter, is a powerful one. That is not what makes this passage powerful in itself though, even if such contexts and backgrounds do intensify the meaning and power of it for us.

This passage inspires me.

The man who yells out "Liberty!" in defiance of everything inspires me.

The idea that such a powerful defiance could inspire soup to taste better in the mouths of concentration camp inmates, despite the worst horrors, and the bleakest of realities is beyond inspiring. It is earth-shattering.

photo: Hsinchu Skyline ©Thoth Harris

2011-04-04T12:04:00.001+08:00

Hi, after yet another long hiatus, I'm back. I finally got good weather, or at least weather which I can't complain about. Picture taking! Blogging! All sorts of nonsense and fun!

I am Hualien City right now. Sharon and I decided to go here pretty much on the spur of the moment. The original plan was to go to Taitung as well, but it turns out the mountain roads between Ilan and Hualien are pretty rough-going, and we'll/I'll have to take a raincheck on Taitung, at least for a while.
The above picture is of the more or less "hipsterish" area where a lot of foreigners (residents and tourists) go. I suspect that there used to be a small train there, but, as in Hsinchu, it is just part of the mise-en-scene that accompanies the special flavour of the area. I actually struck up a conversation (or he struck it up with me concurrently) with the owner of a pizzeria. Really interesting guy: ex-Vietnam vet, founder of a ministry and a halfway house. I will probably scan the pamphlet he gave me (just to satisfy my curiosity, was all). Really interesting stories he told me.
And this, after having spent a whole day exploring different parts of Taroko National Park. I got to see Taroko (pronounced by Taiwanese in the Mandarinization of the Japanese: Da Ru Ge). That's probably not the correct Romanization, but that's not important. I'm just trying to give my impressions here...

Here's me at one of the points along the Gorge.

There are a lot of tunnels in Taroko - a lot. And a lot of one-lane roads that become two-lane roads (out of necessity, really). This makes for some pretty prickly driving, particularly for bus drivers. Some car drivers are really insensitive to this kind of thing.

First Post in Ages - Out of the Dark Ages, Methinks!

2011-01-19T21:41:00.000+08:00

Hello, all! Nice to be back, if only for a blip. Not really sure if I will blog a lot. Blogging was a way past the previous stalling and stopping and staling of my creativity. Now, that is over. I am, unfortunately, far too busy to either blog or do much writing. Yet my body is healthy and stronger than at any other single time of my life. I am no longer the wussy pushover I was even a year ago. Exercising has helped a bit. But that is not all. I think part of it is the opportunities I have given myself. You cannot whine and complain about not being given opportunities. You gotta stare the monster in the mouth and grab them as they peer out. Yeah, sometimes you get swallowed. That's okay. You usually get vomited out again. There's really nothing wrong with starting over. I have no sympathy for my former self, at time. I previously had not guts and no vision of glory.
Now I have worries! Haha! Job security, politics at work, etc. But I have only myself to praise or blame. No one else. I must not nix it. I must simply fix it; one must tweak the situation and destroy one's enemies, not with absence of compunction but with certainty of who is hurting you and who is not. One must gain the necessary experience along the way. One must glean progress from every start button. I am being poetic. This is not a matter of fact or fiction, but the production of work, within, and without. I hope that both happen. I hope I help myself, and others who are like me (in the sense of wanting to continue to do better) and who will, in turn, open the road up to a freer, more prosperous world!
I want to say, now speaking factually, and not poetically, that I have been doing well. I have a great job. I am very happy with my girlfriend/fiancée/wife-to-be. I live in a nice (if a little run down) house in the perfect neighborhood of Siangshan in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. I have a small handful of very good friends. I don't need or want many, many friends. That simply fills up way to much time. I have no time for drinking or partying, and that kind of thing just gets on my nerves anyway, because I am always aware of the money spent and the time and health wasted on mere chatter that goes nowhere. I love true, beautiful, rugged, handsome, intellectual conversation. I occasionally (but not frequently) get this on Facebook and Twitter. I have a handful of favorite TV shows I watch, including Dexter, Mad Men, and Chuck. I am, in sum, happy and content. No, it's not enough, but nothing is, for anybody, or most people (good or bad) anyway. I want to do even better, and I believe I am working hard to achieve that. I am the best person I have been thus far (thus far, meaning, of course, my whole life).

Expeditions in the Hsinchu Grasslands

2010-06-19T03:00:00.006+08:00

It seems like the ideal thing to do here is combine my earlier upload of photos I took when walking alone in the 19 Hectares Grasslands with my post/photo uploads of the trip I took with Kaminoge, and his daughter, Amber.

The Grasslands is probably so-named because of it's designation of land for feeding cows and goats.

A map of the Grasslands park. Some routes allow you to traverse a great deal of the park in 45 minutes. Some routes take more than one hour. It can get pretty spooking at night, as I know from experience.

I discovered the Hsinchu Grasslands about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and haven't been the same ever since. Seriously! I feel determined, more than ever, to live in Hsinchu, because of places like this.

Anyway, enjoying a place like this is truly not enjoying it, unless you can share a beautiful place like this with friends. I invited Kaminoge up a couple of weeks ago, and this past weekend, we made it happen. It was really nice to be able to see Kaminoge's daughter in person, after seeing her photographed and mentioned on his blog following his frequent walks in Zhongzheng Park in Fengyuan, and Dakeng Trails in Taichung.

Kaminoge's daughter, Amber, ambling amidst a herd of goats at feeding time. The goats slightly skittish, because Amber, despite her small size, moved faster than they did, and she was an unfamiliar presence.

Amber really had a lot of fun. It was nice to see. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit harsh, cracking thunder one minute and zapping microwaves of sun the next. We ended up seeing only the actual grasslands area, and not much of the forest area.

Amber and the goats again. Must say hello to the goats!

Kaminoge and Amber didn't get to see this area, due to the weather and Amber's slight injury while running around some stones. There are quite a few lakes (mostly artificial ones, although some are simply ponds that have been subsequently beautified.).

There are some fantastic views of the ocean one can see when exiting the park.

Wind turbines, palm trees, and sea-walls are frequent sights along Taiwan's coast.

It's really nice that they have clean bathrooms. Also, there are bicycle paths on the west side of the park.

You see what I mean about the wind turbines?

Gazebos and park workers planting some trees.

Views of the north. I live up a little beyond that hill. Quite a ways. It would take me about one or two hours to walk from the park. But it only takes 10 minutes to get there by scooter.

There is a steadily increasing amount of new housing development in the area.

It's nice, for once, to see nice big trees in Taiwan. A rare sight, indeed.

Forest paths.

It was a really nice walk. I'd say, however, that the best time to be in the park is probably after 16:00, or between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The sunshine can be pretty harsh in Taiwan, particularly in the wide-open areas.
After we left. Kaminoge, Amber, and I went to Jhunan. We met up with Sharon. The four of us went for a brief visit to a Vietnamese restaurant, where I had some delicious food. Vietnamese food, for me, is a recent pleasurable discovery. Plus it's incredibly healthy!

Armchair Tourism is the Future

2010-03-20T21:16:00.000+08:00

Why go to Paris when you can just visit it via one click on Google Street View?

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I Can See Russia From Here...

2010-03-19T22:09:00.003+08:00

Okay, not really Russia, but close enough. Ha!

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Parkingville. I have to say, if you live in this neighbourhood, or you are just visiting the area, you will find ample parking space around here. Actually, Hsinchu is pretty well-laid out that way. I don't understand by car-drivers (particularly the SUV's) insist on going up the really narrow roads, though. It makes for difficult and annoying driving, both for them (negotiating the space) and for me on my scooter, who is always trying to pass these painfully slow vehicles.

Gratuitous Lemon Droppings

2010-03-19T21:48:00.000+08:00

That's it. I've had it. Things are just super depressing right now. I can't get myself moving on pretty much anything right now. It's like I don't have the courage to countenance moving forward, dynamically touching reality, pushing my face in the right places, etc. Even my house is in a mess. I should be happy. I should consider myself lucky. But instead...static. I am caught between truth and fiction. I am not saying I am a liar. I am most definitely not. In fact, totally the opposite. I am so caught up in the fact that anything I might try to do won't work. Like my lack of skills at anything. A worthless nothing. A nobody. And the inability to reinvent myself. The impossibility of any other truth. The truth is static. I cannot create fiction. My dream me and my real me are the same.

HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP.

Add to all this the fact that my body doesn't have the resilience or the flexibility it once had...my body itches in several places. My eczema is bothering me immensely. I don't even care whether the medicine helps me. Each step I have to take to do anything in life takes weeks because of all my procrastinating. And they are such small steps to. They are steps required to maintain my present position, lifestyle, location... They are not steps required to actually go....FORWARD. Depression? Um, yeah, okay, sure. But that's not really all of it. I don't really feel sad all the time. Nor do I feel in low spirits when I am doing things. I just need to be given opportunities. But each day, it gets too late to do yet another thing. I am stuck. I am not complaining, just listing facts. If only I were just listing. I could flip...overboard. Or I could float, and eventually be carried by the waves back home...but what is home? Home is a question. An endless uncertain state, not a statement, just a question. I can't even say it's a quest.

Law & Order S20E16 (TV)

2010-03-18T22:53:00.000+08:00

Linus Roache has really surpassed himself, this time. The most recent episode of this drama series is a lot more intense than any others I have seen in a long time (frequently, the Criminal Intent franchise, starring Vincent d'Onofrio had that same intensity).
A lot of things really pique my interest, my feeling of suspense. For example, why do people think the Assistant D.A. (Roache) is out-of-control. Sam Waterston, the D.A., has been accused, in past episodes when he was A.D.A., of the same thing. Cutter was well within his right to be bloody angry at the perp, and the self-righteous head of the Innocence Coalition, Professor Emily. The perp didn't went on a spew, insulting Cutter's Latino-American colleague, who has gone through a lot for Cutter. It's a matter of pride, yes, but it's also the sense that this guilty man has the audacity to refuse any humility, and is assisted by the snooty, somewhat two-faced attacks by Professor Emily.
I am really impressed, more and more, by Alana de Graza, who plays Cutter's assistant. Her acting is subtle, charismatic, yet supremely noticeable. I believe that Episodes 18-20 have been the most remarkable yet, precisely because of the acting by Jeremy Sisto (from Kidnapped, and Six Feet Under), Linus Roache (Kidnapped), and Alana de Graza. I hope, particularly, to see the latter do movie stuff, like the other two. The recent series are underrated, in my opinion. It's too bad that people dislike NBC so much these days, because the show is one of their saving graces. Mind you, before Series 18, the show was not as interesting. I would watch it, and do (cause I have Universal), but it just isn't what it can be without Roache, Graza, and Sisto!

Post-Ghost Untucking of the Tails Between the Legs Compendia

2010-03-18T21:10:00.000+08:00

You might have noticed a few things. I finally cleaned house a little bit. Not completely, but a little bit. I corrected out-of-date links, and deleted broken ones that I just don't know the addresses for. I update the Zodiac section (for the past two years, I have been several months too late on this). I have to say, I am much more up-to-date than I have been for over two years.
Now I just gotta post more. But what? And why? It seems like everybody (except the most popular and involved bloggers, and even they resort to this, too) uses Facebook. Nobody blogs anymore. I never have received a cent for blogging. For two months, back in around 2006 or so, I had an Adsense account. But I couldn't figure out a way they could pay me. And anyway, something like one person or so clicked on the Google ad. Big to-dos about 80 cents or something? I think not.
What I find blogging useful for is as a memoir of my life. Things I want to remember. Organize photos, because, of course, nobody (even old people) these days uses paper photos for recollection purposes. Even if I did use paper photos a lot, it would be a terrible situation - the ones I have are not organized, and are piled haphazardly amongst other paper items. I am the most disorganized person in the world. I gotta fix this one of these days. But the most important thing now is to actually actively do things. I have been far too uncertain, sedentary, and frozen by panic and uncertainty. I really should get back to blogging. It does make me more active, generally, because it helps me focus on what directions I am going in and what direction I want to go in in the future. Not only that, I tend to improve my writing a lot, the more long-term type stuff I actually practice writing. I want to try and eliminate awkward phrasing, get creative, write stories, centre myself in people's attention as an interesting person not to be forgotten. Not for the sake of attention-seeking, but to generally put the world in focus. It's a community-creating kind of process, I suppose.

New Me, Old Me, But Maybe Not a Noob

2010-03-17T23:08:00.000+08:00

Hi folks. I'm still alive, breathing, and wreaking havoc, so to speak. But who am I?
I am still me.
I still believe in rightness, fairness, freedom, truth, etc.
The one thing that most notably might have changed - abruptly, yes, in the past few months, but gradually in the past four or five years - is my actual political leanings. For some people, this type of thing is simply cosmetic. But for others, this is a big change.
I simply view things a little skeptically. I don't come to quite the knee-jerk conclusions that one might have expected from me four years ago. I hope no one sees me as a traitor. I am not betraying anyone. I am trying to sense the truth. I am eking out freedom. The new media that have arisen in the past few years have certainly helped us all engage ourselves and one another in various and sundry ways, to the point that we don't need to paint ourselves into corners ideologically.
If you look at earlier posts I wrote, say, from one year ago, or from three years ago, you would think of me as some progressive or left-wing radical cheerleader.
What I perceive now, is quite a bit different. But that doesn't mean I am not fair. I have simply taken off the blinders I had on before. Maybe I am still wrong about some things. Sometimes, I hope so. Other times, I hope not. Anyway, if I write more, I hope you will find it interesting. The problem is, though, that Facebook is more immediate. I usually post a lot of media links and stuff on my Facebook profile. I get comments a lot more immediately, that way. But, at the same time, you don't always get the long, carefully thought-out responses you sometimes get in the comments section of a blog like this.

Open-Minded? Or Just Different Values?

2009-12-25T23:47:00.000+08:00

One of the really fun things about living in Taiwan is to find bizarrely contradictory attitudes towards various issues that you might think would be taboo. In the United States, for instance, some people cringe at the idea of going to see, or being part of the hit musical The Vagina Monologues.
However, here in Taiwan, there is a hit song devoted to a woman who gets her period. The music video has tonnes of references to blood, blood in toilets, going to the toilet to clean up menstruation, dancing around and riding in a car while menstruating, etc.

It is also really common in Taiwan, to see scantily dressed girls (merely in the tiniest of skirts, or what we would say is, well, lingerie) sitting in a glass-enclosed 100% transparent booth. They are not prostitutes (at least not the vast majority of them, although this might possibly be a sideline, but that is rare, because that is what KTV's for - not betelnut stands) but simply vendors of betelnuts, which are kind of like the equivalent of wake-up pills, except they are small, red, chewable fruit (from trees) which also keep you awake. The scantily clad girls and women are simply a selling point for the truckers and cab-drivers who are the primary customer demographic.

Elementary, My Dear Downey

2009-12-25T15:27:00.001+08:00

A new, almost revisionist version of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. (one of the most brilliant actors, past and present) and Jude Law. I have not seen the film, but here is a clip, which the drearily negative review in the Boston Herald featured at the bottom of said critique.

Now I have not seen this film; I've only seen this preview, which looks intriguing (but you never know, of course). I will definitely see it in some form, either in the theatre or on video. What annoys me, however, is lazy negative reviews. Lazy negative reviews are more difficult to forgive than lazy, positive reviews. Usually, the latter are somewhat less prevalent, and the reason for this is obviously because it is easier to justify what you like about something than it is to simply trash something.

The Boston Herald's review of this movie is a lazy, negative review. There are an insufficient number of reasons that the reviewer, James Verniere, gives for disliking or hating this film. The reviewer is more content to cover his lack of insight into the flaws he finds (he does provide some of the flaws, but it tells me little about the movie, and that is what I need to know to find or ground my own opinion) with his alliterative prowess, and the reviewer's various other attempt at verbal gymnastics.

The Washington Post's Jane Horwitz, however, provides plentiful examples from scenes in the films, which she clearly depicts. She also gives examples of pros and cons. Hers is not an exercise in trickery or self-adulation.

When I was a Film Studies student at Concordia, there were too many times in which I found classmates, in after hours discussions/debates, who blithely and glibly presented their opinions about a movie as fact. Maybe they never even saw, or only saw part of the movie - or at worst or best, I'm not sure which - gave insufficient thought to the mechanisms that guided them to their present positions). Negative positions should require more careful and more regulated thought than positive positions. Obviously, positive positions have to be justified, too. You can't just say, I love this movie; it's so obviously brilliant. But with something you don't like, it is so much more difficult to find all the reasons for thinking, feeling, judging, or dismissing something in the way that you do. Both positions can be a pleasure to read, if they are well-presented.

2009-08-29T22:39:00.005+08:00

Nature's Splendors on a Sunday Afternoon

2009-08-16T19:59:00.011+08:00

Hi, all. Today I hung out with Jim. You can find some great pictures from our trip over at his blog, Sponge Bear. I showed him (some of) the sights around Hsinchu City.

I showed Jim everything from my house in Siangshan near the East District (so I don't live in the Miaoli part of Siangshan!) to actual East District, to the Downtown area itself. You can see downtown in the pictures above, and below.
Surprisingly, these previous pictures were taken five minutes after Jim had gone back to Fengyuan. It was raining/showering for the final two hours that he was here. That seems to be typical in Taiwan. When you have time to do something that you have been wanting to do for a long, long time, nature throws a gauntlet in your way. Anyway, I had a really nice time with him. I warned him many times in advance that he would really, really like Hsinchu, and my declarations were pretty accurate.

Above is a caterpillar that tried to destroy my eucalyptus shrub. I killed it and about three others. The plant seems to be okay now. I was mentioning this to Jim. Jim and I talked about many things, including the nature around my house. Anyway, living in a house, even with a yard as miniscule as mine (more like a veranda than a yard) surrounded my all manner of nature (mountains, trees, animals, insects, etc.) makes it a constant battle when you want to keep things alive. Even if you want to keep your food edible for more than thirty minutes, you need to be oh, so extremely vigilant. I'm serious. in thirty minutes, ants can be all over your kitchen table and all over whatever food you've left out. It really is a constant uphill battle. But I love it here in this house, and Sharon is much more relaxed, so I hope we can be here for a very, very long time!

But just before I get to that, above is part of the view we got to see when walking around the driveways/throughways/byways/unpaved roads that are just 150 metres above my house. Below, you can see Yuanpei University. I didn't know, at first, where the path led to, or what views it overlooked. We didn't go to the end of the path. A lof of the area is cemetery land. So maybe, when a person dies, they bring a bulldozer, and path just a little bit more, and consult with the family of the deceased to see where exactly the body should be buried. That is just my guess, anyway.

I am pretty sure this picture above is of my street! Not many people walk up here along the unpaved roads (mostly, they are used for illegally disposing of trash, which is a pretty disgraceful way to treat the environment - but you see that a lot in Taiwan). I think a good way to fight environment abuse like that would be to have toll-free numbers that everybody could call at any time. You could take a photo, and report people, or simply report where trash has been inappropriately disposed. I guess I wouldn't want to video tape or take a picture of a gangster type dumping his garbage willy-nilly like that, because I could get thrashed around or worse. However, there has got to be some solution. Actually, I find Hsinchu has more responsible people than other places in Taiwan I've been. I prefer not to have the rules enforced top-down, with cops handing out tickets at every corner for every harmless little infraction like that do in Taipei. The best idea is to instill a strong sense of aesthetics and responsible awareness in people when they are kids, etc. Maybe it is the buxiban teacher in me!

This picture of Yuanpei University seen from the top of the unpaved hillside roads is quite pretty. There continue to be pleasant surprises in store fro me as I explore the city of Hisnchu, because not matter how easy it is to find you way around this town, you will always find a new nook or cranny somewhere.

This man-made lake (Jingcing Lake) located near Park Avenue 1, is a case in point. There are a lot of people who come to escape the noise and bustle of their everyday hectic activity. When Jim and I were there, we saw a foreigner man/Taiwanese woman couple who were with their twin daughters. The family looked very happy. They were all walking contentedly around the lake (before it started to rain, and everybody including Jim and I) gradually made their way home. Even though Jim and I were quite far away up the hill, the foreigner grinned and said hello to the two of us as we were making our way down. Hsinchu is much more relaxing than some cities I've been in or lived in in Taiwan.

Above, you can see the lotus pads, which this lake seems to be famous for (everybody always wants to take pictures of them).

Jim was quite impressed by the variety of nicely designed houses in Hsinchu, including these Western-style ones in the background (in the right side of the picture) which probably house Science Park managers and CEO's.

I also really appreciate the big trees and the free air in places like this. Honestly, I was ecstatic to be able to show Jim that there are really nice, pleasant things in Taiwan, that are not monotonous, and that show that Taipei doesn't have the monopoly on culture that it often seems to possess in many foreigners' eyes.

I took Jim to this Filipino-run lunch shop/café/panini restaurant. This is one of my favourite places to have a quick bit to eat, as you can sees from Jim's picture of me. I look like I am in 7th heaven, as I am eating some of my fries, etc.!
Hsinchu has many things, from parks to shopping, from multi-culturalism to more sophisticated university lifestyles...

Here is one of my favourite example of the latter, a second-hand bookstore/café called Socrates Café or Casa de Socrates Café. They have books in many languages (particularly in English), which you can peruse while you sit at the table, or even buy if you wish to take some of them home. They serve food and beverages of various sorts (although the food is a little expensive, truth be told), and if you go to the university, you might run into classmates or other students from the university, with whom you might strike up a conversation or five! It is a great place to hang out and relax, and it is very convenient for students of National Tsing Hua University. Even if you are not a student, you can just walk up the lovely campus and drop in. Just remember to buy a book or two. The owner of the café/bookstore is really friendly!

Here is a photo of Jim in front of the aforesaid café. He is of course, suitably Socratic, no question about it. How can he not be, with that pose!

Tsing Hua University even has its own man-made lake. Jim and I were able to observe a real, professional photographer performing his duties as a wedding photographer just behind us on the lawn, as we took pictures of this lake!

This is taken from the road leading up to Eighteen Peaks Mountain. I actually was hoping to show Jim that park as well, since it is really lovely. But there were just too many places to go, and to many things to do! In the area around Eighteen Peaks mountain, as well, there are a lot of neat little shops, like a bakery, that sometimes, on the weekends, sells amazing cinnamon rolls and such things. There is also a place that sells soy milk made from Canadian-grown soy beans. The soy milk is delicious.

This is a view down from the hill descending from Eighteen Peaks mountain. Jim was pointing out that some of these buildings are actually Japanese style. What I do know for sure, myself, is that the area down here is the campus/enclosure for yet another of Hsinchu's dozens of universities and colleges. This one, I think, is a teacher's college or some such.

After exploring much of Hsinchu's East District and Siangshan, we headed bad downtown (and north, as well). The above was taken from the middle of the roundabout (which accesses such roads as Minzu, Zhongzheng, and a few others besides). The roundabout is also where the East Gate is located. It is an old gate that is located under the pavement you see on top. You have to go down the stairs, and basically into the tunnel to see the gate itself. There are all sorts or hilarious and obscure warnings and rules (some of which are sensible, like not throwing trash or spitting betelnut, etc. - but some of which are a bit odd or overly-vigilant) that are listed on a sign in the tunnel.

This is part of the view you can see in the downtown area. There are lots of trendy clothing shops. It is basically where a lot of the young people hang out.

You can see part of the tunnel, with some people going down the stairs, right here. In the background and more in the distance, you can see, to the left, a sign advertising a young, up-and-coming Democratic Progressive Party politician's billboard. It is election season (for the municipal councils, I gather), and to the right, you can see one of Hsinchu's more prestigious hotels. Hsinchu has a lot of prestigious hotels (some of which are located near the Science Park), but this is one of the ones located downtown.

The most famous ornamental section above the East Gate. When people see this, people think, "ah, yes, that's Hsinchu."

There's that DPP politican peeking out from the darkness again. Maybe he will be in charge of this city soon, who knows?

This is a darn good picture of Jim, I have to say! I snapped him while he was talking to me, so I was able to get him when he was not posing. He looks younger in this picture, for some reason! Alas, about fifteen minutes after this, he had to hop on the express train back to Fengyuan. It was, however, a really relaxing and wonderful time I had, and I certainly think Jim had (at least from what I see he's written about the trip on his blog after Sharon and I got back from downtown). I look forward to many, and more frequent visits like this in the future!!!

Surveying the Damage - Typhoon Morakot in Southern Taiwan

2009-08-10T04:55:00.008+08:00

The Disharmony of Various Difractions, Fractions, and Factions, and How They Don't Affect Us...

2009-07-17T17:07:00.017+08:00

Warning: This post is still in the process of being edited somewhat, so please wait until Thursday or Friday until it is completely done! Thanks for your patience.

Blistering sunny here, as usual here in Hsinchu, Taiwan. A lot has been happening online and out-in-the-world these days.

I went to the Taipei Film Fest last weekend. It is a two week festival, lasting from the last three or four days of June until 12 July. One thing that really boggles my mind is this: Why do they limit the sales of tickets when so many seats are empty? For the big name movie openings, like for Chang Tsuo-chi's film, Sharon and I had to wait outside the theatre (worried that maybe we wouldn't get in on time for the beginning of the film) for people who had tickets and who were selling their tickets because they weren't going. We were lucky to get tickets, but the fact is, that while the theatre had quite a crowd, there were tonnes of empty seats. Considering this, and considering that it wasn't difficult to obtain last-minute tickets from people decided to part with them, we should have gone to the showing of The Milk of Sorrow, a Peruvian film which is debuting at the film fests this year. I really wanted to see that movie, but, apparently, it was sold-out before the festival began.
The movies we did end up seeing were good (although two were in German, so I missed a lot of what was actually said in the dialogue in the Tykwer, or in the documentary voice-over in Paragraph 174. The most enjoyable movie to watch, because I wasn't tired from the alternations of heat/cold and from having either got up earlier than usual, or being end-of-the-day-tired was the one by Chang Tsuo-chi that three o'clock. The name of the movie is How Are You, Dad?

I am glad we went, and I am glad I saw the films. Taipei, however, for me, is just like any other big city (Toronto, being a prime example). The area where the film festival was is extremely pleasant though. I like the celebratory atmosphere, the clean sidewalks, the wide-open areas for walking, and the endless displays of goods put out by stores and vendors. Anyway, for my review of the above films of the Taipei Film Festival, please click here, where I write (all too rarely - read once a year!)

Now I will contribute my usual bit of link-arrhea and commentary on various news items of the week. I have been wanting to post in this blog for several days, but keep feeling interrupted, blocked, etc. It is a real strength of will just to post a sentence or two, in all honesty. This problem is extenuated when I try to write by hand in my notebook. Of course, this doesn't apply to writing notes for work (when I am thinking about what I want to teach for my English lessons, etc.). But writing for long-term profit (be it for personal pleasure or whatever else) is becoming endangered in my life. This situation is somewhat endangering to me, as well. Creativity sifts through all the junk in my life and gives me clarity. I become healthy by becoming creative.

Wondering where that annoying term, "Chaiwan," came from? The fault lies with Time Magazine, a magazine which is as tacky and cheesy as it is overrated. Once again, a commentator writing about Taiwan who arrives here, stays in a hotel for a week, and thinks that there is nothing to Taiwan but Taipei (and who doubtlessly thinks that Chinese Taipei is a term that makes a lot of sense to him). For the millionth time, Taipei is not Taiwan. In Taiwan, maybe (although sometimes one has one's doubts). It is like going to Germany and asking where Hitler's bunker is, and then reporting from there on how the 3rd Reich economy has done splendidly because of the Bunker Policies. I doubt any German would respect that kind of reporting on his/her country. While I am being, fundamentally rhetorical, although doubtless, as I hope, I will receive a wave of hate mail, the question remains: Why do foreign reporters feel the need to report the same reports and myths and believes the first taxi driver they stop on the street when it comes to Taiwan? Taipei taxi drivers at that. Although reporters might be doing worse than that. And why is it that lazy reporters just go around to different cities asking taxi drivers the answers to all their biting questions anyway? Since when did the taxi driver become Expert #1? My experience with taxi drivers is particularly bad. In Montreal, taxi drivers (whether they are white or not) a great deal, if not a majority of them are racist, bigoted, homophobic, misogynist, cyclist-hating (and not just in an ordinary way), and opportunistic. You can't wait for a bus on a cold-day without a sadistic cab-driver pulling up in front of you, even though, considering how you are dressed, you couldn't afford their exorbitant prices.

Mind you, not all cab drivers are like this, but a lot of Montreal cab drivers are. And American cab drivers are the same. I am willing to concede that some cities are worse than others, but overall, North American cabdrivers I will say this: my experience with Hong Kong cab drivers has been splendid, and not only are they cheap, but extremely courteous. Anyway, while it might be reasonable for people to take offense at my generalizing - don't! All I am trying to say is that this idolization of the cab driver by lazy journalists of all persuasions (and this goes for the CBC, too!) must stop.

Back to the Time Magazine article, then. If these so-called journalists writing about Taiwan were really serious, they should have spent more time in Hsinchu. I don't just mean the one hour that Michael Schuman spent in the Science Park. The Science Park is important, but it is far more important than these gods of journalism seem to think it is. And from what I hear, Hsinchu and the Science Park here have been the only places in Taiwan that have weathered the bad world economy. Why? Profits from the export of electronic goods, that's why.

Heard about the new MRT line in Taipei? Well, don't rush right to it, yet! Surprised it has problems? It wouldn't surprise me that one of the reasons for this is that the MRT was built by Bombardier, a company which hails from my hometown of Montreal. They made the Montreal Métro, which - and when I say this, it is a vast understatement - is complete crap! The Métro, even the newer cars (which show now real change) is slow, the cars constantly stop between the stations because of one malfunction or another (not to mention that I've heard there are at least half a dozen suicides on it each week). Anyway, the Neihu line is having a lot of problems, not to mention tweets I've been getting from people that the cars are too narrow. Besides which, there are other Taipei Times reports (which I don't have time to look up now, considering all the stuff I want to write here) that the disabled community is not happy about the severe limitations on accessibility for wheelchairs, etc. Anyway, there are so many reasons for dissatisfaction that Taipei's Mayor Hau has lost face. He is claiming that the fares for the line will be lowered. Let's just hope the Neihu MRT is safe, though!

By the way, people, I don't have enough money to get sued for defamation, and I don't intend to, so those companies that are getting itchy litigation fingers, just slink off somewhere else, will you? Anybody with a quarter-of-a-brain can tell I am being cheeky here a good deal of the time.

Hey, have you readers seen Bruno yet? I have. I watched a copy that someone downloaded, and it is definitely hilarious. I can't honestly say it is a good movie. In fact, the narrative arc is weak, and some of the gags get a little repetitive. It is a little like watching Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 on acid. Michael Moore on acid? or the viewer on acid? A little of both, probably. Actually, I've never taken acid, but it has become so much part of our rhetoric, as a result of all those Hendrix songs, Beatles songs, and Pink Floyd movies, that well, it is the easiest simile to grab onto. The fact is that Bruno kind of resembles the Jackass movies, but the latter are sometimes more effective in their attacks on ordinary people's homosexual panic. Obviously, Bruno is not just about homosexuality and homosexual panic. There has been some talk in the news media about the impact of Bruno on various audiences, and most significant among them, Austrian audiences. I saw a short bit on CNN about this. But the most interesting thing I dug up by accident (because I am always looking at the Google News headlines when I am on the computer, which is a lot) is this article in Slate about how true to form Bruno really is in regard to Austria's gay community. Surprisingly, the movie didn't hit too far off the mark. Cohen's jokes about Schwarzenegger, while obviously just completely silly, convey a tacit knowledge that many Europeans already have about a lot of contemporary Austrians. For instance, did you know that Jorg Haider was gay? Yeah, that's right, the founder of the Freedom Party fame. That one. It kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Not because I am gay. Not because I want to be gay. Not because I am a right-winger. Not because I am anti-immigration. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy, or maybe it gives me goosebumps because I love apparent contradictions. I love it when someone who has been vilified is finally seen as human. I think that irony, not laughter (although a little bit of both doesn't hurt) is the best medicine. I am anti-one-dimensional. Completely. 100%. That is why I will see even a movie that everyone says is bad right to the end. Or why I keep watching cheesy TV shows on Star Movies. Because I like to see how things end. I like to see that there are things to see things. I usually am satisfied. There is usually redemption. It is not a matter of patience, or even focus (I am a little ADHD, whereas I used to have a much better attention span). It is a matter of sympathy, humanity, and having a sense of aesthetics enough to see the whole. I think, in this sense, I have better taste than anyone. Anyone at all, so far.

The thing is, too many people are shallow, so they don't have an opinion or don't think anything at all. Which is okay. But how about people who are supposedly profound. People have this set of, well not even set of, but have this pre-set of aesthetics. Pre-set? Yeah. And that's the thing. Sure, there is good/bad taste. But to see a sense of continuity and value in more things than the next person takes courage. I have that courage. So give me the remote and give me the pen and give me two billion dollars.

Another really interesting article in Slate is a discussion of the reissue of the Antonioni's Zabriskie Point, which writer, Dennis Lim, depicts "as the first and biggest flop of his career." I have seen the film only once, but a lot of the images are unforgettable. If you are an arts student or a film studies guy (the latter of which I was), then you are, at the very least, sure to encounter frame enlargements from this movie. My curiosity wasn't disappointed. Certainly, while critics of the time (the hippy era) dismissed it, dissed it, and completely shot it down no doubt as a Zabriskie Pointless, they didn't the least bit of insight into the long-term impact it would have on the history of film. The images of the film became iconic, not because of the focus of the plot (which, well, wasn't, but then a lot of films at that time weren't particularly strong in terms of plot. Other examples abound, including Barbet Schroeder's La Vallée or Roman Polanski's What?), because of the atmosphere that was so conspicuous in the film, along with other Antonioni films. Is it just because of the iconic images, like the hallucinatory desert-orgy scene, or the explosion that this atmosphere exists?It would be an amusing train-wreck if Michael Bay remade Zabriskie Point. That'd be one Michael Bay film I would pay to see, because I could laugh at it unendingly! Not to mention Bay's works are an endless parade of narrative non-entities, if I say any. It is not as if they are devoid in plot. It is just that the plots are thinner than the thinnest saran-wrap, and the idea that audiences go to see two-and-a-half hours of uninteresting (if skillfully computer-generated) explosions, really baffles me. Zabriskie Point is best viewed as a skilled observers dissection of a distant land. The residents of a land are probably the least qualified to observe their own surroundings with the purpose of creating a timeless/placeless rendering that is comprehensible to those who inhabit any, and in particular, the most distant times or places. I am not saying just any tourist will do, in order to convey such an atmosphere and sensibility. The most eccentric, unfazed, and even seemingly inscrutable of observer/artist is able to capture this kind of miasma. And to such an observer, the peculiar textures and densities of the sixties will seem like a miasma of something. Within the intimacy of such a self-regarding (or as Simpsons' newscaster, Troy McClure, put it, "shrill and pointless" era, then, it is understandable that the film underwent such incomprehension and derision which is depicted by Lim's article: "characterized the Italian director, pushing 60 at the time, as a clueless tourist who had failed to bridge the inevitable cultural and generational gaps. 'Antonioni has no feeling for young people,' Roger Ebert complained." I am just giving you an encapsulated version of Lim's article, which is quite strong, particularly for the writings about film that you see these days. I encourage you to click on the link if you are interested in Antonioni, film history, films of the sixties, or cultural references in film.

Man! That man Wu will never leave, or so proclaims a Shalu train station sign with the words, "Wu to stay." The funniest Chinglish can be found in Taiwan, and more specifically, in the Taiwan Railway Administration train stations. Apparently, abominations of the English language are a real source of embarrassment for Taichung County, according to this Taipei Times report. This doesn't surprise me in the least. I once worked in Fengyuan a long time ago, and I had some of the laziest students with the worst attitudes of anyone I taught. Not everyone in that town is like that, and certainly not everyone in Taichung County is like that. However the quality of English spoken/written by people in Taichung city is really low for a city of that size. Some Taiwanese people tell me differently, but I have lived in Miaoli, and when I tried to get the same service (get a cellphone line, or a train ticket, for example), I had a much easier time communicating to the people in Miaoli City. And Miaoli city is extremely small (crowded though!): about 100,000.

One of the entrants in this year's Taipei Film Festival was Helma Sanders-Brahms. In this Taipei Times article, she talks about her good feelings for Taiwan (in her youth, a Taiwanese man visited her family in Germany). Her most recent film depicts the characters/real-life musical giants, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. By chance (not so much, really, considering her name!), the filmmakers' great-great-great-uncle was Brahms. There were a lot of German films at this year's film festival. I saw two German films and one Taiwanese films. I wish I saw more films from any country, but I am happy I went a couple of weekends ago, anyway!

A gratuitous picture of my home, just for, ah, measure. Not good measure, not bad measure, just measure.

We're All Asians, and Other Items In My Taipei Times News Roundup

2009-07-05T22:41:00.005+08:00

Some scientists (in light of recent archeological discoveries of human-related remains from much older times than Lucy), think that the human species hails from Asia, originally. I guess writers in many disciplines will have to get used to referring to us all as coming from Asia, and not Africa. Clichés change, too. Apparently. If only stupidity, wars, dictators, etc. would as well.

Speaking of dictators, Ban Ki Moon kow-towed to Burma's Tan Shui. A lot of people aren't happy about that, particularly those in the British Home Office, like Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Which is really to bad. Brown is committed to the cause of Burmese freedom.

A tidbit about the instrument I played from when I was ten years old until I was about twenty or twenty one years old. I even first went to University at McGill in the music programme there when I was eighteen. So I have experience with this sort of thing. I can feel/tell what is a good or a bad flute. I owned three modern flutes during my ten or eleven years as a player. The first one I owned was a Gemeinhardt, which, for an inexpensive, no frills, flute, is really good. That flute got stolen, when I left a public washroom for two or three minutes, and then realized it was gone. The next one I got (stupidly, I chose this brand name, without knowing anything about it), was an Artley. It has to be one of the lowest quality flutes out there. The relative tuning of the notes in relation to each other is very, very bad. The sound quality is also horrible, because the keys leak. Even when you press them down really hard (which you should never have to do), the keys leak air. Not only that, the actual accoustic quality is really flat. Even blowing into a beer bottle or a coke bottle has a richer sound. The last modern flute I had was a Yamaha. It was expensive, but very good. If memory serves though (and this was back in about 1986 or '87), it cost about $ 2200 CAD.

By and large, decent flutes (which are still among the cheapest instruments in the orchestra or band, unless you decide to just play the drums in the school bandroom) are very expensive, which is why I think it is excellent that the Taiwanese craftsman, Wong Chung-jeng, is setting out to make a big name for his line of high-quality flutes at affordable prices. It'll be all the more merry the more competition that there is out there with this maker in Kuandu, Taipei County.

Guess what? This small influx of tourists from China Taiwan has been having from the country of Taiwan's distant cousins might have turned out to be more harmful than beneficial for Taiwan's tourists industry. This report certainly reveals some appalling attitudes that the visitors have towards their hotel rooms, their hosts, and...well, just appalling behaviour in general. It is not just the matter of smoking, despite the smoking ban either. The complete lack of discretion when breaking the rules and the outright stealing of items is... Anyway, read the article. By the way, I think the remedy is right there with a desire one hotelier expressed in the article: deposits. Why shouldn't Chinese tourists to Taiwan pay deposits at hotels like the rest of us. At least, if my memory serves, a lot of the hotels I have had to stay out, I've had to pay a deposit. Hong Kong, too. At the Casa Hotel in Kowloon, I was required to pay 300 dollars deposit as well as the hotel's regular rate for one night.

End of May I-Lan Trip and Keelung Trip

2009-07-04T13:59:00.004+08:00

A little over a month ago, I went to Hong Kong.

When I came back, Sharon met up and travelled to Ilan.

I will provide more details for the pictures not to long from now!

Above, is a performer in a children's theatre. I don't know what the play was about. A lot (if not all - but I have no idea), was improvised. For instance, at one point, he took a digital camera from someone in the front and reversed the roles, parodying the audience's voyeurism. It was very funny.

Is Canada's Government Really Functional?

2009-07-03T16:27:00.015+08:00

...is a question that needs to be asked, in light of t his absurd, fruitless meeting (more reporting on this can be found at the CBC website).

The blame might seem as if it should be nearly equally equally distributed amongst both parties (Chairman Colin Kenny makes himself look like an inflexible, pompous ass. However, it is the newly appointed Conservative Senators who really take the cake. The "Honourable" Fabian Manning starts talking trash and treats the Senate Committee room like a neighbourhood pub...and Pamela Wallin (the quite Right-wing, sometime journalist for CBC's The Journal and CBC Newsworld - and CBC has not been known for being Right-wing)...leaves me speechless: She lies about what happened, two seconds after it happened! She claims there was no vote, when, quite clearly, as viewers can see, there was a vote!

Incredible! This brings me to my next point: Is Canadian politics imitating the behaviour on the hockey rink, which so many Canadians (the local machos and politicians and media, as least) idolize?

It certainly begs the question. There is great deal of the identical thuggery and incivility (the hockey player who says he can't believe he actually shook the opposing players' hand is a case in point).

You might say, again that Colin Kenney was pompous. I agree. But he was following the rules. And he was being fast and efficient. And he never lowered himself to name calling, shouting, lying, or similar thuggery that you see from the Conservative Senators. In addition, I get the feeling that the Conservative Senators are resorting to this everyday, to make life unbearable for the Chairman. How would you feel if you were Colin Kenney, having to deal with this everyday? I would want to quit that job too. It would give me anxiety attacks, and maybe eventually, ulcers!

Incidentally, I was once at a meeting like this, as an observer. It was a General Meeting for the Concordia University Student Council. The Council (supposedly left-wing, at the time, and constantly obsessed with the Middle East problem, and not so much with University politics), wanted to stifled the freedom of the press of The Link, the Concordia University. The tactics the Council used was absurd. However, they did seem to have more of an inkling of Robert's rules than the Senate Committee, or, for that matter, the poor, hapless members of the student press!

The Architectural Practice of Michael Jackson

2009-07-03T15:17:00.004+08:00

View Larger Map

Check out this fascinating article, which discuss numerous features found in the architecture and interior design of Michael Jackson's sometime home of Neverland.

You Say It's Gelatto, I Say It's Sorbet!

2009-07-02T21:17:00.009+08:00

Yesterday (Wednesday), I decided to go to the new ice-cream shop that has been lauded by the Mayor Lin, of Hsinchu. Apparently, it was the mayor who insisted that what the ice-cream shop was doing when they pressed the ice-cream into various shapes, was making Hsinchu-noodle style ice cream. The shop is only about a seven minute drive, by scooter, from my place. It is on Nanda road, almost on the corner of Nanda and Dongda Roads.

The ice cream shop does actually look like a hip ice cream shop that would be highly popular and have lines half-a-block long in my home country!

Nanda road, and near it. is home to many small, innovative shops.

The seating area is comfortable, colorful, and fun.

More Wanderings in Hsinchu...

2009-07-02T17:10:00.009+08:00

All these pictures were taken on Tuesday in the late afternoon. Where?

this building is a restaurant in the well-to-do neighbourhood that adjoins the East side of the Science Park.

The restaurant next door to the one on the corner (sorry, I didn't catch the name of the street) looks like an aboriginal establishment.

Here is the pedestrian overpass that cross what I think is Lu Hsin Road, from the side where the town is, to the Science Park side.

The light made it easy for picture-taking.

This is Lu Hsin Road. It really reminds me of NDG in my past hometown of Montreal. Lots of trees, and very wide street help provide this impression. About half a block down from this overpass is a café called the Yukon Café. Yukon...ha. Like the very cold and sparsely populated Yukon Territories in Canada. Anyway, in Hsinchu, you find a lot of names like that. It is a little more sophisticated here.

This really looks like NDG. Uncanny.

As you see, on the residential side, there is not just a 7-11 on the corner. So that makes it five Starbucks that I know of that are in Hsinchu City. That doesn't include Jhubei, which has at least three. I consider Jhubei to be part of Hsinchu City. It isn't, officially, but if Hsinchu county ever has a merger. building an MRT would be ideal. I can even imagine a Science Park stop right on the street where the above overpass is, a Tsing Hua University stop on Guangfu Rd, or a Jongshiao Road Stop right by the RT Mart. In some ways, having an MRT makes almost more sense in Hsinchu than in Taichung, because people are more open to different forms of transportation, and it would be easier to find space, because there are lots of areas (unlike in Taichung) that are natural spots to construct stations, without tearing too much of any neighbourhoods down. After all, if they can build a light rail in Hamilton, Ontario, then they can build one in Hsinchu. Both cities have about the same population.

As you can see, there are lots of serene, pretty views in the residential area near the Science Park.

Out and About in Taiwan's Windy City

2009-06-29T18:17:00.026+08:00

current song playing on my iTunes: "Underneath It All," by No Doubt. From the album Boom Box - The Singles 1992-2003.

Hello, all of you. Sorry to have left off blog for such a long time, and for so many times! First of all, let me say how happy I am to be back in a creative mood. I used to find my life here a bit too bland, tedious, etc. Even in my posts from one, thre, or four years ago, I was complaining much too much. This is one of the biggest faults I find with blogging by expats here in Taiwan. The occasional criticism or complaints is okay. However, the majority of writings by expats on blogs here in Taiwan comprise complaints and gripes about how bad people's behaviour is or how you can't find this or that in Taiwan.

I must confess, my blog used to be like this, too. Maybe this is necessary. But I think it is time for our expat community to grow up, or move somewhere else where the people who have been doing this are happier. I certainly have! I live in Hsinchu now, and have been living here for almost two months. I have visited here for much more than a year in the past over three years I've lived in Taiwan.

I love Hsinchu. Some Taiwanese peopel ask me why the heck I love Hsinchu. They seem aghast. I guess if you expect the usual touristy things, or if they expect nightclubs with easy 3-8 girls, then Hsinchu is not really the gold-mine for you. And yes, there are a few tourist things. Hopefully, the pictures that show some of the parts of Hsinchu that I love will prompt some of you to decide that it isn't a boring place and come and visit. However, I hope not too many people come. The reality in Taiwan is that when something becomes well-known for being pretty, interesting, etc., then it isn't really bearable anymore. It becomes a sanitized tourist clone of all other tour-bus destinations that you can find in Taiwan. While the places here are pretty popular, they are not quite as over-saturated with tourists and development. I am happy about that!

Anyway, here is a litte bit about last weekend and the weekend before...

I live in the hills/mountains of Siangshan. I live in a house...that's right, a house. It most definitely is not expensive! In addition, it is surrounded by nature, yet is still reasonably convenient. The closest OK Mart (and then a 7-11, one block further down from that) is about ten minutes (fast) walking distance from here. I always take my scooter to the convenience store though. Anyway, the picture above is not of my street, but is actually from Mortuary Road, about two streets over from my street. You have to drive up to the highway, turn left, and then, immediately, turn right. Then turn left again onto the street where I took this picture. What you see is the skyline of Southern Hsinchu (Siangshan, by the ocean, which you can see in the farthest background), as well as some of Toufen, in Miaoli County. As you can see, the view is pretty spectacular, and the distant ocean water is pure blue. It was a beautiful day.

You might be wondering if there are trails or some such in the midst of the foreground greenery. Not really. This is where the tombstones are, so a lot of people are too scared of ghosts to come here for recreation. But in my country, Canada, people come to cemeteries for any number of reaons, including to have peace and quiet, or to walk around. Personally, I think this stubborn belief in ghosts is absurd. But to each his/her own, I guess.

There is not much in Toufen. In the part you see, there are a lot of roads, rather ordinary looking apartment buildings and houses, etc. Toufen and Jhunan are practically indistinguishable. However, because Jhunan and Toufen are more sparsely developed/populated, you can see the contrast with other views of Hsinchu's environs, where the downtown, East District, and North District provide captivating skylines from above. In fact, I feel like Hsinchu and Montreal are very similar. Except of course, among other things, Montreal is English and French speaking, and things are much, much cheaper in Hsinchu.

Almost identical pictures presented here, of course, which do, however, give subtle alternatives and a fuller sense of the particular experience I am trying to convey. By the way, pollution in Hsinchu is not as bad a problem as you might think. This might be because of the wind. Although, in the two months I've lived here, I haven't felt much wind. Many lovely breezes, yes. Wind, no. Personally, I think the monikker "windy city" is an exaggeration. But the pollution does get pushed aside by the ocean breezes. Not to mention that, where I live, up in Siangshan, the air is cleaner and fresher by virtue of the dirtier air mainly staying at the lower elevations.

Here, the ocean is more distinct.

Almost every day, for shopping, and for excursions to work or to meet up with people, etc., I will go down this road, and then turn right at the bottom, in order to get to Hsinchu East District. The pointy religious-looking building is, in fact, a Buddhist crematorium, or the temple where the bodies go before they are disposed of.

A closer look at the view below me.

As you probably can guess, I took this picture on a different day. Nevertheless, this is the bridge that goes from the Siangshan District to the East District. At the top of this road, you have to make a left in order to get downtown, or to get to Guangfu Road.

After driving up Sihwei/Shihpin Road, I made a right turn one block after Xida Road. Then I made a left turn at Shuifu Road. Keep driving straight, about maybe eight nine blocks (just a rough guestimate), and then I make a right at Bo-ai and Shuifu. Keep going up Bo-ai until it stops. If I want to get to the park at Eighteen Peaks Mountain, I don't go down the scooter road on my left (which goes down to Guangfu Road. Instead, just make a right, and basically I'm there. Just find a parking space, and I'm set! The above picture is one of the many pavilions at Eighteen Peaks Mountain.

This pavilion is the first pavilion you come to after climbing up the innumerable stairs from Bo-ai Road. A lot of people come to this particular area of the park. A side note: At 18 Peaks Mountain, you will see people lying down and getting massaged and people getting their hair cut. Indeed, you can, as you stroll along, purchase a cheap massage or haircut if you so desire.

Here are the stairs I mentioned. I guess there are about the same amount of stairs as the steepest, fastest climb from the pathways to the peak of Mont Royal in Montreal. Maybe somewhat less. More or less the same, I would say.

Here is the view of Hsinchu from the top of the many stairs. Certainly, I'm impressed. I don't mknow about you!

Another view...

A closer view. You might be able to make out certain features in the landscape which indicate a break in the city limits...

And here's what I mean. Just past two-thirds of the way up the top of the picture, you mean see a river flowing horizontally. That is the river which separates Hsinchu City from Jhubei.

I really do think Hsinchu is underrated. It is highly photogenic. And on a clear day like this, it is like heaven. I wouldn't change it for the world!

And some even more details views above, and below!

This photo was taken from the Dr. Sun-yat Sen Pavilion, which sits at pretty much the centre of the park. Here you see a view towards the even less polluted Science Park (at least when you get far enough away from Guangfu Road).

Even more in the distance, although it's unlikely you would be able to see it, as it is slighly beyond the mountain in the background, is Jhudong.

This tower, presumably, was built to have been a lookout point. Some lookout point! Most likely, when it was built, the trees were non-existent, saplings, or just short. I don't know why the designers didn't take such things into account. Anyway, the trees are large. Not B.C. Douglas Fir tree large, but still pretty large.

The previous weekend, Sharon and I not only went to Eighteen Peaks Mountain (to which I went both last weekend and this weekend), but we went further, as you shall see. This is Guangfu Road, right in front of one of the main entrances of Tsing Hua University. It is a beautiful campus. One of these days, I've got to take my camera and do a picture-taking excursion to said campus. It is a prestigious university (unlike some of the ones in Taiwan) and is full of young, hip people. There are a lot of foreign students there for many different countries. I have seen them studying in the nearby Starbucks quite often.

Here is the lake/park Sharon and I found, quite by accident. It is the residential area of the Science Park. The easiest way of which I know to get there is to take a right at Guangfu and Kexueyuan Road and keep going down Kexueyuan Road. Certainly, there are other ways to get there, but they all pretty much lead back to Guangfu Road.
The name of the place is Jingshin Lake, or Jingshin Park.

It has a lot of space and lovely places to walk, as you see. As Sharon and I were walking, we saw very few people. At one point we saw a small boy riding his tricycle around the park.

At this lake, you can see fish - tonnes of them, from what we saw - and water birds. You can even rent small boats at certain times (although that service wasn't available at the time we were there, from what I observed).

There are many lovely places to just stop and sit.

In the background, you can see a lot of picturesque houses...

It is a wealthy neighbourhood to live in, but one that I am sure is quiet and peaceful.

The trees and brass look very healthy...

Here you can see some typic homes that surround the park. The large windows are unusual for Taiwan. Apparently, in a refreshing turn of events, the owners and architects think that it is ideal to have a view, and even to have occasional light seep in. The constructions look solid, and the yards are really pretty, too.

Family Marts are alive and well in this part of town, too. I just don't know how you drive to this part of town. Sharon and I walked up via the Jing Shin park. Even the architecture of this Family Mart is prettier than Family Marts elsewhere!

A great big lotus pond. I saw a photographer taking pictures, so I could resist joining in the fun as well....

Here are Sharon and I posing for the camera. Sharon ambushed a couple who were taking pictures of one another to take our picture, so this one turned out pretty well.

There are lots of Chinese-type gates and constructions in this park. Not all are exactly moon-gates, but I don't know what the term is for the six-sided ones...

Here is Sharon posing for me at said gate...

Here is the overpass of Guangfu Road. I often go to this photocopy shop. There are a lot of photocopy shops in the area, which are decent and cheap.

Here is Guangfu Road going in the direction of downtown Hsinchu.

The night-life around Tsing Hua University is colourful. I have often eaten snacks at these benches surround the statue. Across the street is J.J. Cheers Bar. Both times I have gone there, I have struck up lively conversations with some friendly people. The English level in Hsinchu, or at least in this area, is quite decent.

There are many shops on this street, both local and multinational. You can find delicious noodles and stinky tofu in this area. And when I say delicious, I don't mean simply stinky or simply passable. I mean the food is juicy and refreshing and healthy tasting!

Here is the river that divides East Hsinchu from Siangshan. This area is also quite lovely in parts.

The skyline, returning at night.

The dusks are sweet and colourful.

For a map/guide to where you can get to some of these places, check out the Hsinchu Government's website (just click on the link). Unfortunately, the website doesn't do justice to some of the places. Some of the places that they list as being so interesting to tourists, are in fact nothing to speak of, in this world or the next. Anway, just take what they say with a grain of salt. Trust my pictures!

Update: Good news for Taiwan independence supporters. The botched Yunlin County election victory of a KMT Legislator was overturned by the courts in a decision which can't be appealed.

Various Photos (Mostly Taken in Hsinchu City)

2009-05-25T00:36:00.001+08:00

Miaoli Cram School: Last Call

2009-05-11T22:13:00.005+08:00

Last week was the end of my contract with the school at which I was working in Houlong, Miaoli. I took pictures of almost all of my classes (and me with them). I am living in Hsinchu now. I moved on Saturday.

This first picture is of my Monday class. The name of the class is See Saw II, based on the student book we use for the class.

The second picture is of See Saw I, a Wednesday class.

The third picture is of another See Saw I class on Wednesday.

The fourth picture is of Mr Bugs, my Thursday class. Really cute kids in this one. Bobo, the little boy at the bottom is incredibly smart. He is far ahead of the other students, and the youngest kid in the class.

Ahem...the title of the post is most certainly not an allusion to the tradition known as last call. I just happen to be listening to the band, Brazilian Girls, and two or three minutes ago, their song, Last Call, was playing, hehe. I love coincidences like that.

The last picture is of Let's Go 3, my incredibly bright students whom I had on Thursdays. Ah, those days are over now. I will miss all these kids!

Dostoyevsky Quote

2009-04-13T12:15:00.003+08:00

The dying piece of candle dimly lit up this low-ceilinged room, in which an assassin and a harlot had just read the Book of Books. At most, five minutes elapsed.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment.

I am almost two-thirds into Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. It really is an inspiring book, without the massive, epic size of some of his other books, like The Possessed and The Brothers Karamazov, and without a lot of the overly-melodramatic flourishes of those books. Mind you, it has them, and it is part of the greatness of his style, but when it is too much, it diminishes the greatness.

As you see from the above quote, the urge to communicate all the contradictions in life, particularly in the unique settings about which he writes (poverty, destitution, madness, and consumption, among other things) add a powerful element to the extraordinary perceptiveness of the author's observations, and his use of style to do that.

Advice for Still Living Bipeds...

2009-04-13T02:51:00.002+08:00

1. Don't kill yourself. Live. Know yourself and your responsibilities, who you affect, and who you could affect.

2. Mean something. Do meaningful things. If you aren't doing this, then take more time for yourself, no matter that you make some people mad. Ultimately, maybe not in the short time, mind you, but in the long term, they will thank you for it. You will enrich yourself, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

3. Life is a journey. Take it seriously, but don't take it too seriously. If it becomes a Sisyphean task, then you are either trying too hard, or not trying hard enough. Connect. Intellect must always connect with emotion. The disconnect between the two creates psychopaths: you must not let you, nor your friends, nor your associates, nor, least of all, your children succumb to this malady.

4. Always learn. Don't be intellectually lazy; that is the worst form of laziness.

5. Take account of your sins and follies. Ask yourself every week: Am I honest? That is the way to be honest to yourself. Always take account. If something is amiss, then pine and lies awake at night. But don't let it bother you for to long. Change. Always ask yourself: How can I change. Then ask yourself again whether you have changed enough. Eventually, you will suffer less stress. Honesty will become second-nature to you.

Questions About the 20% Tax Rate for Foreign Workers in Taiwan? Click on the Headline of This Post To Link to the Article and Pertinent Info!

2009-04-10T20:51:00.004+08:00

"'The change has made little difference, as most foreign workers continue to retain their resident status as long as their working contracts state they will stay in Taiwan over 183 days in a year,' he said.

Those who cannot predict how long they will stay here will have 20 percent of their income withheld by their local employers whether they like it or not." - The Taipei Times

Reaper is So Cool!

2009-04-10T12:34:00.003+08:00

Hello, my name is REAPER.

Have a bad day!

Honestly, I cannot stop watching it, and loving every minute of it!

Where I Live Now (on Google Maps)

2009-04-10T12:04:00.003+08:00

View Larger Map

Here is where I live on Googlemaps. The street? Zizhi Road (according to the mapmakers, who don't know their pinyin from their stinky tofu, it is Zijih Road, but that is mixing up two different kinds of pinyin; I just use Hanyu, if I can).

My place is in the building directly across the street from the Family Mart. You will need to scroll down the map very slightly to get my street. Anyway, I am only going to be in this place until next month on the tenth. After that, I will probably be living in Hsinchu (about 99 percent likely).

The Era of the Sprees

2009-03-30T22:31:00.002+08:00

We truly live in strange times. Every time I peruse the news, there is another mass-murder or spree killing. Not in a war, but in ordinary cities and towns in the U.S.A. Not simply every year, every month, or every week, nowadays I see headlines about spree killings every day. Truly, we live in scary times!

Friends, Associates, and Accomplices...

2009-03-29T03:52:00.011+08:00

Below is a collection of photos of my son, as well as a number of friends with whom I developed a close bond before I left Montreal. I greatly miss all of them!

Above is a photo Mustafa, Trevor, and Dong, classmates and friends of mine in the Film Studies M.A. program at Concordia U. All four of us laughed and shared a lot of ideas together. We also suffered a lot of the same degradations that variously arise from the academic world... Enough said about that for now.

Above is a picture of myself, Mustafa, and Dong taken by Trevor with my camera. Not the odd pose. We look like we are being asked by a cameraman to pose for a Communist propaganda poster from the 1920s.

Above and below are pictures of Maggie (and I). I have known here since 2001, when we both worked at a direct sales company in Montreal. She has gone on to do much more interesting, more rewarding (and better work). She is a really, really good friend, and I miss her a lot. Her boyfriend, Gianni, is from Italy. He is a really good guy, too. I hope they are doing well now.

Above and below is Dong, looking meditative while explicating something about cinema. He is one of the smartest people I know. I hope his studies at the University of Chicago are doing well. Like me, he doesn't immediately blend in. He strongly challenges, not just others, but himself. Many of the friends I have or have had, like to rock the boat. I guess that is because I am the same way.

Dong and Mustafa are in the picture above. Mustafa is extremely friendly and patient. I hope he is still watching as many films as he can fill his mind with (pardon the dangling preposition, which is not my usual writing style)!

Okay, I am cheating a bit. But in actuality, I haven't seen Ranjit, or Range, for about a year. He isn't in Taiwan now. He was when I arrived, but he left in September to continue his Masters degree in Mathematics in Quebec City. He is a prolific blogger and a great guy. I have three more pictures and more to write, so maybe I will save the rest for another post, okay? I feel bad about waiting until now to post his picture (which I took in July). It was a difficult time for me. Actually, 2008 was difficult for me, period.

Above is my dear friend, Yunjin. The picture was taken (in automatic shutter mode) at a karaoke place on St. Catherine's Street in downtown Montreal. I should mention, both Dong and Yunjin are from China (but have since, or are since) become/becoming Canadian citizens. I say this, partly to dispel confusion about the people and places where I am living now. So, no, they aren't Taiwanese. They are Chinese (or should I say, Chinese-born). Yunjin is a very clever computer programmer, and she is just an all-around clever person, too. Lke Maggie, we both worked in the same office, but in Yunjin's case, we both worked at the McGill Digital Collections Libary. I won't forget her. I regret not be able to see her now that I am way over here in Taiwan. She really stuck around for me as a friend (as did Maggie, John Mingolla, and Christen Bartolo - of whom I could never get any good pictures, unfortunately). Now she has a job in Calgary. I hope that she stays comfortably and happily in her job despite this bad economy!

Above and below, are pictures of my son, Jake. I really miss him. I hope he can come visit soon (maybe in Hsinchu)!

Lombroso Types Unite, for You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Gene Splicers!

2009-03-29T02:30:00.005+08:00

Five Various Slices:

1. The Zone: In The Zone, we have a Code. Where the drool lands, there one must check his/her fortune. Gerbils might be good as pets, but not as pens. The atmosphere is going out of control: sometimes we evaporate ourselves to resuscitate the environment for a couple of years. Then we solidify for a couple of years, and so it goes... People say that in this year, 2929, we have good reason to suspect that we all humans are descended from Joseph Fritzl and his children. Personally, I think that's a load of you-know-what, but then I am an adherent of intelligent design. God made us yesterday. When we look up, we see down!

2. The Success Industry - I guarantee it! - is Focus Pyramids. People pay Us (my Company) to start a focus group to engage people to start other focus groups.

The real problem is, is, is, is...uh, eh, um, is, um, eh, hmm, I'm just feeling very unfocussed now.

3. A real Lombroso type he is. He misses all the connections, all the stops, all the configurations, and all the garbage days. When he flushes the toilet, the toilet runs out of the place, screaming. I can tell you it's true. I was there! Arch-criminal, bum, no-account accountant, and C.E.O. Psychopath extraordinaire, he has built the fifty-trillion dollar economy around him with smoke and mirrors. Actually, the smoke is just my invention, or his, or mine. Or maybe I'm him. Or maybe he's me. See, the thing is, he is just that good!

4. That's teak! Knowledge is dangerous. Have another slice of steak.

5. Groupthink is for hunks. Groupthunk. Groupstunk. Groupskunk. I am the monk who punks.

2009-03-27T14:38:00.004+08:00

Well, I will be packing up and heading off soon - in May, most likely - for Hsinchu! (See below for a sample of that fine city).

It is looking very, very difficult these days. English teachers will have just as much or more difficulty finding a job than anyone else. At least I have experience, and I am not somebody with merely a TESL certificate. I have a Bachelor's (technically a B.F.A., or Bachelor's of Fine Arts). Mind you, I see a lot of jobs out there that ask for both, and I wonder, really, what is the value of it. It seems a little phony to me, particularly considering that someone has has experience teaching is a lot more valuable than a greenhorn with a TESL or TEFL. Such certificates are merely one or one-and-a-half month seminars that not so distantly resemble cult-initiation seminars. Chain Schools have similar programs, but are usually merely one day to one week courses that ground a teacher in the particular school's methodology.
Another thing that really bugs me is the overabundance of recruiters. I wish schools would quit being lazy and naive (with no strong offense intended for schools that do that, just a reminder that other ways are better), and would just post ads for jobs themselves. All it takes is 30 or 45 minutes of your time. Not to mention, in addition, that you will save money, as well!

Good Man Gordon Brown

2009-03-05T00:26:00.004+08:00

I am watching Gordon Brown's speech to the American Congress now. His speech is as good, if not better, and more rousing than anything I have seen by Barack Obama. He is truly statesmanlike, unlike "my" (because I am Canadian) Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. I sure wish Canadians had someone like him!

As I have often said, the best Frenchmen are Belgians. Well, here and again, the best British are Scots. The best Americans are Canadians. And the best Canadians are Quebecers.

Gordon Brown is a Scot. And he is a good British Prime Minister and a good man. I wouldn't say he is perfect. But he beats Blair by a long shot. And he is intelligent and far from impulsive. I particularly like what he said about outlawing shadow-banking and offshore tax-havens (like, I suspect he means, secret Swiss bank accounts for criminals, and CEO fraudsters who transfer their money there).

Okay, let me stop drooling now. I will get a room!

The Soundtrack to My So-Called Life

2009-02-23T04:47:00.006+08:00

In deference to Magnus Skallagrimsson over at The Shining Path, I have followed up on his tagging those of us who read his blog. I dutifully followed his instructions, which are:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle & press play
3. For the first question, type the song that’s playing
4. When you go to a new question, press the next button TWICE
5. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool... just type it in man!
6. Tag people

OPENING CREDITS: Spooky, Classic IV. (Six Feet Under - Soundtrack Album Soundtrack)

WAKING UP: Out Of The Blue, Roxy Music (Country Life)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: Army, Ben Folds Five (The Unauthorized Biography....)

FALLING IN LOVE: Heart Of Glass, Blondie (The Best of Blondie)

FIRST TIME: Desperate Guys, The Faint (Wet from birth)

FIGHT SONG: The Other Side Of Midnight, Bill Evans, Toots Thielemans

BREAKING UP: New Amsterdam, Elvis Costello

PROM: Half Nelson, Miles Davis (Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet)

LIFE: Shiver, Coldplay (BBC Future Hits 150)

MENTAL BREAKDOWN: The Prince Song, Ghetto Pony

DRIVING: Key, YMO [1984] After Service (Remastered) [Disc-2]

FLASHBACK: Stairway To Heaven (Sic), Camper Van Beethoven (Camper Van Beethoven)

GETTING BACK TOGETHER: Pure & Easy, The Dining Rooms (Six Feet Under - Soundtrack Album)

WEDDING: Where You Lead, Carole King (Tapestry)

BIRTH OF A CHILD: The Gambler, Kenny Rogers.

FINAL BATTLE: Look Sharp!, Joe Jackson (Look Sharp!)

DEATH SCENE: Bang On the Drum All Day, Todd Rundgren (The Very Best of Todd Rundgren)

FUNERAL SONG: Heaven On Earth, The Platters (Best Of Hits)

END CREDITS: Psycho Killer, Talking Heads.

Turbulence Turbines: In the news this past few days...

2009-02-21T16:33:00.003+08:00

Which country will be the powder keg for World War III? Will it be North Korea (maybe with China on its side)? Of course, that would be a recipe for worldwide disaster, at least as that of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Don't ask me which is the Nazi and which is the Soviet. I won't go there!

Next, this Judge Keller is a real piece of work. A bone fide psychopath, I reckon. How many innocent people die, disappear, and are tortured because of sadists like this? Anyway, as the wheels turn...

As of at least two days ago, reports show that Taiwan has officially entered a recession for the first time since 2001. So much for Ma Ying Jiou's promised 6% lift to the economy.

The Taiwanese Government's tourism division is investing in resources to encourge more Muslim tourists to come to Taiwan, including Halal food. Sounds good in theory, but considering how difficult it still is to get the Carrefour in Miaoli to be responsive to the fact I buy all their Sargento cheese and therefore buying up more to supply foreigners like me might be would be a good idea...I don't know how effective the government will be with their labels. What will be labelled non-pork might be or might now be... I am just saying. I am vegetarian after all, and look at how difficult it still is if for me to get my way. Yes, I know, I'm an asshole. I complain too much. But as I've always said, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

A Pound of Soul...9 Lives to the nth...

2009-02-19T14:43:00.004+08:00

For you Lost fans out there:
"He patted the palm trunk softly, and, forced at last to believe in the reality of the island, laughed delightedly again and stood on his head." William Golding: Lord of the Flies.

Last week I went to see the new Will Smith movie 7 Pounds. The marketing of the film is one of the impressive things about it. However, when an ad is that mysterious, it could imply something that is inconsequential...

The implications in the film exceed the simplicity of the hero's pessimistic, or would it be fatalistic, world view. Smith's character's identity is stretched, pounded, laid bare, soaked up in the worst and the best of the world's offerings. This is a movie to instruct novice stoics. It is the one movie I have seen where Will Smith's face haunts and makes its audience feel remorse, sympathy, and pity. While some might have felt some of these things during the Mohammed Ali film, Will Smith still hadn't exceeded his smart-ass star persona.

I want to see this movie again and again. The acting is just one of the things that provoke and unsettle, but it is enough to prick one's conscience and make one abjure one's previous assumptions again and again. Smith's character is not simply showing how "one man is never an island" or any of that rubbish (although that is part of it), but he is showing how even man-as-islandness must uphold one's molecular connection to that world existence that inevitably resides all the same, all the time and everyone at once, like it or not. The ending makes you feel at peace and anxious all at once.

The point of this film is not the style (although the style is competent and interesting enough, even if not innovative in a world-shattering way), but the various foci: Will Smith's face - peaceful, pained, and apparently having endured a million years of sorrow, guilt, and many other things besides. He is a man who must search himself every time he says no or yes. The ideas of betrayal, generosity, impossibility of true goodness, etc. also enter into the various explored items.

Now that I come to think of it, I wish to write reviews more like this one in the future. Forget over-involvement in film style and history (although some of that is useful, according to context), and especially in culturalist political criticism (except in small doses). The ideal is to involve style, impression (affect at moment of or after viewing) and the effects upon the audience. Anyway, if you have seen this film, let me know what your impressions were!

Finally, let me say that if you are concerned about personal or philosophical senses of loss or discovery, this film is for you. My quote above from Golding's novel, as well as my allusion to the TV show Lost, are no acccidents. The latter, with its flashbacks and constant sense of personal anxiety as a result, as well as the social concerns of both works (atavism, anxieity about disintegration of civil/civic duty or society, and the interconnectedness that stubbornly and even so wonderfully/quite creepily remains above and despite it all.

Fingernails R.I.P.

2009-02-18T12:24:00.002+08:00

Last week, Lee Redmond, the woman with the longest fingernails in the world (89 cm) lost her fingernails in a car crash. She hadn't cut her nails since 1979. I don't know how she did it. I always just end up chewing mine!

While searching for new information about homo floriensis (the Indonesian "hobbit" people who were around until over 100 years ago), one of the articles that came up was this very good summary on the accomplishments of Darwin and the theory of evolution. One of the nice things about science, it seems to suggest, is that it doesn't provide easy answers, but always finds more and more mysteries (like the ones that arose with the discovery I mention above in Indonesia).

Another science-related topic this week: we may never find alien life just-travelled from other planets. But we probably will find it on our own. Forget John Frankenheimer's The Prophecy (1979) or Frankenstein, or anything like that. This BBC article makes a good case for finding new species that are not simply undiscovered, but new. I mean totally new.

MSP, Again? Yes, Again!

2009-01-26T05:29:00.002+08:00

I know I have put the YouTube video of their song up quite a while back, but I have to say, Manic Street Preacher's "Ocean Spray" still gets me, again and again, right here, in my heart! It is about the senses, about life, and about so much else. That said, I have to say it is extremely, extremely surprising, considering the content and the references and the considerable appropriateness, why this song wasn't used in the TV show Six Feet Under.

Here are the lyrics of the song. They continue to be moving to me.

"Me-totemo-utsukushi-i-desu-ne,
Totemo-utsukushi-i-me-wo-shitemasu-ne *

It's easy to see, it's easy to see
To see only white where colour should be
It's easy to feel, it's easy to feel
But it's not good enough, even though it's real

Oh, please stay awake
And then we can drink some Ocean Spray
Oh, please stay awake And then we can drink some Ocean Spray

It's easy to breathe, it's easy to grieve
To breathe only air where life should be
It's easy to laugh, it's easy to cry
To cry so so hard that it can't be denied

Oh, please stay awake
And then we can drink some Ocean Spray
Oh, please stay awake And then we can drink some Ocean Spray

Oh, please stay awake
And then we can drink some Ocean Spray
Oh, please stay awake
And then we can drink some Ocean Spray"

[* = ...eyes, so beautiful, you have such beautiful eyes... in Japanese]

Beyond the Locusts

2009-01-08T15:31:00.007+08:00

The ship is sinking, is it not? And yet, somehow, despite all the ennui, nearly complete stoppage of time, these are exciting times in which to live.

Our riches and dreams are based on mirrors, totems, Valhalla dreams, and dreams of submission and humiliation. Real things don't exist in such a world.

Are we about to be humbled by moral chaos of even more horrifying proportions? Or will we soon be, as occasionally, I suspect, in a beautiful dream of clarity, a clarity that is also humbling, and that is also emotionally calm after the massive panic that has blazed forth unto our universe?

When pigs will fly, they say. But honestly? While pigs may never fly, we may fly. Just don't give up hope. Just as much as I say that you should not deny your dreams and your darkness. Roll out the welcome mat for the distress signals of others, while remaining vigilant against dormant violence, emotional or others. Try to create and do not destroy. Do not welcome your darkness. Nor should you destroy it. There are other options. Roll up your sleeves, understand, and soundly walk into the workshop of the world's terribleness and tip the balance in favour of understanding, through saying, through talking, through moulding the powerful positive potential that checking and putting a check on the overactive sites of conduct that could overwhelm us all. Solving all the world's difficulties, or even one community's difficulties is too much for any one of us. In fact, our humanity is to blame, being composed, as it is, of inhumanity. We need to understand that we are all to blame. Surrender to our fate. Only fight if there is no other option. Even in the latter case, you will be very much to blame if you end up in self-righteousness, little doubting yourself or the principles that you claim to stand for.

The first and only battleground is the self. That means for each and ever imperfect one of us!

Company Man

2009-01-05T12:17:00.005+08:00

Surface to surface, the sense of it arises. Whether incidental, with the deep, dark passage of time, or whether... The problem, simply, is that space is both heavy and light (...and forget about trying to fathom darkness and brightness within the equation!).

I do not talk. I am a person who's decided on the recourse of non-disclosure.

All these people with too much time on their hands wreck the situation by bombarding the air with continuous bubbles and bursts, fits and starts. As for me, I despise physical restlessness like I do a plague that has wiped out countless members of my kith and kin.

Sit still. Something cannot be done. Subsequent rumours of my disappearance have led to my relatives' disbanding of all my supposed connections and possessions.

The hands of our company's clock never stop ticking. I carry my in gun my hand, quite reluctantly, yet
eager to erase any seeds of uncertainty and doubt. Our shoulders, arms, hips bump into one another as frequently as the sound of engine's whisk by in the distance. I am trying to remember things.
Impossible in this heat and constant distraction.

You cannot unsurrender, particularly after a set of outcomes like this. However, you can certainly mutiny. Do we mutiny against the majority of our peers? Or do we mutiny against our previous natures which we based on good faith?

Good faith??? Are you kidding me with b.s. legalese like that?

Good faith? More like good riddance!

At this point, our way was blocked by a collapsed staircase, previously part of a 73-storey high-rise, the once-famous Essential Towers. The question we must ponder now is how to scale this wreckage. We have climbing gear but this won't necessarily render this method of passage the fastest or the safest. For we are infidels, and we might as well be dead in fifteen minutes as we might be in two hours. We could walk adjacent to the stretch of rubble. And we could just stay here, and employ the magic of imagination and thought to continue our push to impossible salvation.

I start biting my nails in anxiety, when my most immediate superior, Ben Piper, questions us about how much remains of our munitions and our canteen supplies.

Why does he write so abstractly and with such lack of focus on...anything...on anything beyond the ephemeral, this work's readers might ask. In actuality, the work is not shallow, and the author is not superficial. It simply may be that the author's life has been steeped in superficiality for so long, that the subsequent productions of this potentially brilliant author have been disrupted by anything resembling...well, anything. He could have been anything, and he could have done anything, good or bad, for better or worse. And now, regardless of its method of success, he wants us all to believe in the said works' veracity - with a vengeance. It's not that he lacks the means, nor is he stuck in some fantasy world devoid of the consequences... nor is it because he has become amoral or immoral (even if he leans toward that or feels like that is how things are becoming) amid the muck and mire of such vastly unprecedented world, social, and human collapse.

It is just that - all any of us have left - isn't this the case? - that we have all become addicted to pushing or pulling the envelope.

I am not saying we should condemn murder (or worse, or lesser crimes). It is just that, maybe the condemnation and lack of freedom, and the over-ordered plots within-ourselves, might be the problem.

Maybe I suggested that like this author, who is I, who is you, who is he, and is I once again, must forgive and be forgiven, in turn, but not as an exchange, nor as yet another pathetic quid pro quo (and this is the problem in general with the theory of karma, with its petty equations and tit-for-tats) but simply as a form of bare-knuckled, ruthless actualization of one's own uttered, utterance, and lack of possibility.

For we are all accidental, aren't we?