Tee Dubbleyu Eff See

Tebow Time in the NFL

2011-01-06T09:06:00.001+08:00

Paper Hawk

2010-03-30T17:13:00.002+08:00

WOWOW! One of the cooler things I've seen lately on the internet! Paper Hawk!

Download and fold your own here!

A Sky Ablaze

2010-03-28T00:24:00.002+08:00

Ok... gonna try something new. A post! In Chinese!!!

我上上上上個禮拜去平溪看天燈. 好好看!

The end. ^^

A-bloomin' in Tainan! pt II

2010-03-22T17:32:00.002+08:00

After picking up Yi-ching, and getting a bit lost... we grabbed a quick, but ridiculously good, duck lunch at a place famous for their duck. I'm normally not a duck kinda guy, but t'wain't no duck I've ever had!

No, this duck was succulent and savory like... like... a god among ducks... My only regret is not stuffing myself silly with it! However, pleasantly filled and satisfied with our meal, we were back on the road to the Taiwan International Orchid Show (TIOS). Ever since I got to Taiwan, I've been on the prowl for events to see, do, and photograph around the island. A couple of months ago I found out about the orchid show, and knowing how much my dad loves orchids, and how a trip to see my uncle was long overdue, I decided to hit up Tainan.

The place was PACKED, like some sort of amusement park. There was even a shuttle to take us from the massive dirt parking lot to the set of warehouses where the show was taking place! Flanking both sides of the gate, were a pair of Miss Tainans, but frankly, I think my own female escorts had them beat :/

The show itself offered a huge variety of orchids in gorgeous arrangements. Some arrangements were the size of small rooms, with small waterfalls, and statues, while others were small enough to sit in the palm of your hand. Some were simple, yet sophisticated, while others were a little messy and overdone for my taste.

While I'm no expert on orchids, I have seen my fair share of them. Unfortunately... they just all look the same to me! There are different shapes and colors, and I can appreciate that, but anything more in depth than that, and it's lost on me... I just feel like I've seen all of them before!

On our way out of the orchid show, something very peculiar happened. The four of us were just laughing away, minding our own business, when a guy in a funny tie, walking in the opposite direction, kept smiling, nodding, and waving at us. I couldn't help but think to myself, "who the heck IS this guy?!" So I just ignored him. A few moments later, Yi-ching turned to us, face frozen in shock, and asked us if we knew who that was. Naturally... I didn't. As it turns out, he was the Tainan County Commissioner! So I had to get a picture with him!

Finally, with only a few minutes to spare, we made it to the final event of the day, the one I had officially come down for... My dad's college reunion dinner. My uncle treated us to a hotpot dinner with a bunch of my dad's college classmates and their families!

And THAT, my friends, concludes the first day of my second trip down south... What's next? The next couple of days in Kenting? The rest of my 10 day Chinese New Year vacation? Something else?! Stay tuned to find out!

A-bloomin' in Tainan!

2010-03-22T17:02:00.000+08:00

Last week, I took another trip down to Southern Taiwan to finally visit my dad's classmate, and also my new friends, Anita and Jacky (Jay?), in Tainan. As usual, I left Taoyuan at around midnight and got to my destination ridiculously early. I didn't want to wake my uncle or Anita, so I decided to wander around the train station on my own and take some pictures

It didn't take long before I found Tainan Park, which, incidentally, was also celebrating their own bloom festival (I went to the bloom festival on Yangming Mountain in Taipei the week before). I haven't (and at this rate may very well never) posted about that bloom, but in my own humble opinion, the one in Tainan was infinitely nicer. There was a much wider variety of flowers and they were all over!

Not to mention, the park was pretty magnificent in itself!

Around 7am, Anita and Jay found me hanging in a tree and brought me to eat a breakfast of famous fried Tainan 蝦捲 (xia juan, shrimp rolls), which were WAAY better than the ones I had in Danshui, and a thick, clear, slimy 魚羹(yu geng, fish soup).

With the last bits of shrimp and soup down the shoot, we headed off to our first big destination, 安平樹屋 (anping shu wu, Anping Tree House)! It was originally constructed in the late 1800's as a salt warehouse for Tait & Co, a Japanese salt company, during Japanese occupation over Taiwan. It was abandoned over 50 years ago and has since been abandoned and totally reclaimed by nature, hence it's name! It was restored in 2004 by the Tainan government and reopened to the public as the National Anping Harbor Historic Park!

By the time we finished looking around, it was already almost noon and about time to go meet up with Yi-Ching, who was also coming down to visit Anita that day, but we couldn't very well leave Anping without getting a taste of their famous 黑豆花 (hei dou hua, black bean curd!)

Stay tuned for part dos of day one of my second amazing trip down south!

Happy Tiger Year!! pt I

2010-03-02T22:39:00.003+08:00

Brace yourselves, dear readers, because we're going for a ride. Every time I come back to Taiwan, I make an effort to visit all of my relatives at least once or twice. This year is my first, and likely ONLY, time in Taiwan during Chinese New Year. That being the case, I feel like I have to cram everyone... into the span of a week.

Now, tradition dictates that you visit the father's side of the family for 年夜飯 (nian ye fan, New Year's Eve feast). However, because both of the sons (my uncle and my dad) of my dad's side are in the US, my grandparents decided to spend New Year's Eve with their eldest daughter (my aunt), who would be leaving the next day to go to Japan, and THUS wouldn't be able to 回娘家 (hui niang jia), which is the second day of the new year, when you visit the mom's side. ANYWAY! Long story short, I would be doing things backwards.

Aaand... my first stop would be Hsinchu. But not everything would be as it seemed! One of my dad's friends from his college days wanted me to meet Anita, one of his grad students. He had asked her to take me out around the town, and because she would be out for most of the holiday, meeting on New Year's Eve was really the only option.

Then, the rain began to fall, so after a quick lunch we took a stroll under cover of overhangs downtown. When we realized that the rain wouldn't let up, Anita took me on a driving tour around Hsinchu county. My sense of direction is really horrible, so I couldn't tell you exactly where we went. She was really cool and a GREAT conversationalist, which is awesome, because I suck at initiating small talk.

I did eventually get to my grandma's place a few hours later. It certainly didn't feel any different from other visits aside from a GIANT round table in the middle of... well, the house. Dinner at my grandma's was satisfying, as always.

Of course, for the New Year's Eve feast, we had bamboo which represents 節節高升 (jie jie gao sheng, step by step promotion), fish symbolizing 年年有餘 (nian nian you yu, having excess year after year), oranges meaning 大吉大利 (da ji da li great luck and profit), and 蘿蔔糕 (luo bo gao, turnip cake) or 菜頭糕 (cai tou gao) in Taiwanese, which stands for 彩頭 (cai tou, good omen).

Before bed, one of my cousin's friends came over with some 檳榔 (bin lang, betelnut) which is something that is really only found in Taiwan. Some foreigners come to Taiwan and ask why everyone is spitting up blood. And the truth is, they're not spitting up blood, they're chewing betelnut, which is a little bit like chewing tobacco. Although the stuff is pretty symbolic of low class, I still really wanted to try some, and finally got the chance! After chewing for a little while, your tongue and the rest of your mouth get tingly and numb and the rest of your body gets burning hot. Will I do it again? Probably not, because, well frankly, it's pretty disgusting!

Be sure to stay tuned for the upcoming installments of this wild adventure!

The small things...

2010-02-24T22:11:00.005+08:00

You might already know this, but Chinese people are not traditionally outwardly affectionate. It's kind of uncommon to find Chinese parents saying things like "I love you" or showering their children with hugs and kisses. This is especially true for the older generations.

Ever since I moved out of my grandparents' house in Taoyuan, I've been visiting them every Wednesday after class to eat and just keep them company. Generally, few words are spoken and I am, more or less... ignored. One thing I almost always do at their house while waiting for dinner, though, is clip and file my nails. I never bothered to buy my own clipper because I figured I could just do them once a week at my grandparents house.

Today, though, when I went for the nail clippers, I found a second one in the pile. a brand new one! As it turns out, my grandpa had taken notice of my weekly trim and bought me my own clipper! It's times like these when I know that, while they may not always show it, my grandparents DO actually love me. I couldn't help thinking about the famous Chinese poem, 背影 (bei ying) by 朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing).

Actions speak louder than words and it's the small things that count.

In Search of Adventure in Kaohsiung pt II

2010-01-28T14:44:00.002+08:00

I woke up from my deep and blissful slumber bright and early (around 10:30am) Sunday morning to the smell of some good ol' traditional (un-photographed) Taiwanese breakfast. After the meal and just as Perry and I were discussing our plan of action for the day, he got a phone call from one of his rock climbing buddies. A mere 5 minutes later, we were out the door, gear in hand.

We took a ride on the scooter through some familiar roads, back up 壽山 (shou shan), except this time, we stopped at couple of badminton courts that we passed about halfway up the mountain the day before. As I would soon find out, our ACTUAL destination was in the woods BEHIND the courts, what looked like a small canyon blasted through the mountain, with a giant slab of concrete suspended between the rock faces.

I've done a little bit of rock climbing here and there at Lake Wauberg, Gator Nights, and the Gainesville rock gym. While it was still a blast to climb at those locations, they were all artificial routes. It didn't feel real enough! So, when I saw that we'd be climbing actual natural rock, I was super excited. Upon closer inspection, though, I noticed something a little off...

This wasn't rock! It was CORAL! As you might imagine, it wreaked some crazy havoc on soft, delicate hands. It was absolutely no problem for most of the more experienced climbers like "Equator" or the guy wearing the Rescue team shirt. Regardless, razor sharp rocks or not, I was determined to see if I had what it takes to climb my way out of a small gorge. Mostly, the answer is no, BUT if I play my cards right and choose the right path, I suppose I wouldn't necessarily fall to my death.

A few hours, swollen forearms, and chafed fingers later, Perry and I were ready to call it a day. Of rock climbing, anyway. Before I could end my first trip back to the south in... I don't know how long... I had to take a trip back out to my dad's hometown. 旗津 (qijin), the poor little island off the coast of 高雄 (gaoxiong aka Kaohsiung) was practically my home away from home during my childhood visits to Taiwan. And how do we get to that island? By ferry! Which, looked MUCH nicer since the last time I took it.

Everything came rushing back to me as I stepped off the ferry. Left. I remembered living off to the left of the ferry station. So we headed off in that direction. Doop de doo we went, only moments later, we arrived at place vaguely familiar... yet... SOMETHING wasn't quite right... I called up my grandfather to confirm the location, and, sure as the sun sets in the west, we were there. Only, the 4 story house filled with countless memories had been reduced to nothing more than a shanty house!

With nothing much else to see in this part of town, we decided to trot towards the other side of the island, which has had a makeover of its own! The rocky beaches of old had been replaced by imported black, volcanic sand. Also, some nice fountains and pavilions where people can hide from the blistering summer sun probably play a pretty large role in the boom of tourism on the island. Actually, all of this had already been added by the last time I was there, but, the people really weren't.

There's hardly any argument that the tourists are there now, and where there are people, there's good food! Finally, there was something in Taiwan that Perry hadn't tried, so we had to grab a bag of spicy little snails! I got to try something new, too! I've seen them around, but I never had a chance to eat bird eggs. It's ambiguous what kind of birds the eggs are from, but they're small, and GOOOOD.

With food in hand, we were ready to take a walk. We picked a direction and went with it. That's just the way we roll. Before long, we saw a couple of signs pointing at an old fort and lighthouse, so we headed on up. By the time we got up to the fort, the sun had already set, and the fort wasn't particularly well lit. To add insult to injury, the lighthouse was closed off to tourists! We DID, however, get a spectacular view of the island from top of the hill.

Alas, it was just about time to get back home, but not before I grabbed another culinary first. These, I actually only recently saw on the Travel & Living channel on TV. Tiny, bite-sized soft shell crabs, battered up, deep fried, salted, and garnished with basil and garlic. Mmmmmm...

Then, back on the "mainland," Perry introduced me to a third first! I've had 剉冰 (cuabing, shaved ice) before, and I've also had 雪花冰 (xuehua bing) a smoother type of shaved ice made from milk, but this shop was famous for their flavored ice. Since it was strawberry season, I only thought it logical to get me some strawberry ice! Basically, it's a frozen block of strawberry milk with layers upon layers shaved off and then topped with sweet strawberries, melon, and 芭樂 (bala, guava). SOOOO good!

We finally capped off the night with a couple of the attending nurses who work at the hospital that Perry lives in. Nini and Anas (sp? on both counts...) brought us out to a little Indonesian grocery-store-turned-night-karaoke-club, where we got some awesome tempeh to bring back to the hospital to munch on.

After a relaxing chat and midnight snack of tempeh, and then later some spicy-ass fish, made by Perry and Nini, we were about ready to turn in. After all, Perry and the nurses had to work the next day. As for me, I would sleep in, grab lunch with Perry, finish packing, and be on my way back to Taoyuan on the Aloha busline mentioned in the previous post!

For more pictures, here's another slideshow for your enjoyment!

In Search of Adventure in Kaohsiung pt I

2010-01-25T14:42:00.008+08:00

I'm writing this as I'm rolling in high fashion with Ahola Busline back towards Taoyuan. I had heard about the service through Brian Perry, aforementioned long-time friend, classmate, and author of In Search of Adventure who is also currently living in Taiwan. The service has surpassed my wildest imagination with super, duper, comfortable, larger-than-life sofa seats, TVs, movies, power outlets, and last but not least, a rather attractive curvacious stewardess! That's right, she brings you food and water/tea/coffee! Anyway... let's begin...

This adventure begins rather spur of the moment. I knew I wanted to visit Southern Taiwan sooner, rather than later, so I called Perry up, who lives in 高雄 (Kaohsiung), and told him to expect me soon. Very soon. For, about an hour later, I'd be on the midnight train, hurtling through the night in his direction. After a sleepless night on the train, ferociously typing up the blog that should have been done two weeks ago, I arrived in Kaohsiung exhausted, but excited.

I knew that Perry lived in an extra room in his friend, Kay's, mom's hospital, but I guess I was expecting something a little smaller... and more hospital-y. It turns out, that he actually lived in a penthouse above the hospital. A gigantic 3 bed, 2 and a half bath, floor plan with a huge kitchen and balcony to boot! At first, I didn't plan on wasting any time on sleep that day, but when I saw the king-sized, ultra-comfy, tempurpedic bed begging to cop a feel of my soft, sexy skin, I just couldn't turn it down!

I woke up about 6 hours later as Perry was coming home from a Muay Thai workout, and he took me out for a walking tour of the city. I honestly have no idea where he brought me, but one thing I did notice was the ridiculously wide roads! I mean, these roads would be big for the suburbs! But where we were going.. we wouldn't NEED... roads.

A few turns later, and we found ourselves hiking up 壽山 (shou shan). Well... more like walking up the mountain. Along the way, we ran into some random, interesting things... like a one armed man...

中山大學 (zhongshan daxue Sun Yat Sen University)

The Martyr's Shrine

A giant cock...

We also got a great view of some extreme sports on the beach down below! Not pictured are some windsurfers...

Aaand... some carnal monkeys...

...before we got to our final destination 西子灣 (xizi wan), where we had a fantastic view of the Taiwan Strait.

Had we stayed, we probably would have had a great view of the setting sun, as well, but that was still a couple of hours away, so we opted to head back towards civilization. Our timing was rather spectacular, I might add. Just as the sun was setting, we passed a very popular viewpoint among young lovers! Personally, though, I think the couples would be better off spending the romantic evening at the top of the mountain!

While we probably could have easily walked the way back home, one of the activities I had on my to-do list in Kaohsiung was to ride the subway! I had heard some good things about it from some of the Kaohsiung-ers at my kung fu school. Indeed, the ride was nice and smooth, and the cars were cleaner and more ergonomic than those in the Taipei MRT. However, because of the high cost (20nt+/ride) versus the low cost of driving a scooter (100nt/week), few locals make use of the metro... probably a dominant factor in the smogginess of the city!

Aaand, of course, no adventure is complete without a taste of the local cuisine! In the case of an adventure in a major city, let alone a Taiwanese one, that meant a night market! Oh, the delicious snack foods you can get in a night market.

I daresay there couldn't have been a better way to cap off the evening! For, the next day... would be another adventure all its own. Stay tuned!

Wulai with Brass and Jammy

2010-01-10T18:11:00.004+08:00

A few weeks ago, a couple of my private students, Brass and Jammy, asked if I'd be interested in going to 烏來 (Wulai) and giving them an outdoor English lesson. Of course, I was delighted to take up this opportunity to get out of the city and get some fresh air!

The first stop on our adventure would be a short one on Wulai's "old street," where Jammy introduced me to 車輪餅 (chelun bing, wheel pancake) from a famous shop in Wulai! She was really looking forward to the 酸菜 (pickled vegetable) ones, but they were unavailable, so she got me a cheese one, and then a 卡士達 (ka shi da) one to boot. The cheese one was kind of interesting, filled with sharp cheddar.

The cheese wasn't melty at all... the cheese in Taiwan just doesn't seem to melt... but it was good nonetheless. It actually tasted an eerily lot like a grilled cheese sandwich! Then it took me a couple of bites to realize that 卡士達 was custard, which is generally the original flavor of these little cream puffs!

Next, we stopped at the visitor center in front of the Wulai waterfall, a stop Brass made especially for me. He told me he always preferred going straight to the waterfalls in 內洞 (Neidong, Inner Cave), where visitors could be completely surrounded by the beauty of nature. Anyway, at the visitor center, I tried to learn a few words of the 泰雅 (Taiya, Atayal) peeps, but it was just too difficult. I remembered how to say "hello" and "thank you" for all of ... half an hour?

Long after I'd forgotten how to say anything in the aboriginal Atayal language, we arrived in Neidong for the main attraction, a 3-tiered waterfall. The "hike" up was pretty negligible, with little to no wildlife to speak of. Almost instantly, we were greeted by the second of the three layers of the waterfall. The smell of fresh clean air and sound of water rushing over mossy river rocks was definitely a welcome sensation after months of smoggy city life. This is why I love the out doors!

Impressed as I was, my students told me that I ain't seen nothin' yet. Well... not exactly in those words, but that's the essence of it. A few more minutes and several dozen shoddily made stairs later, we arrived at the top of the Neidong waterfall, where visitors could get super close to the waterfall to take pictures!

The blast of cool crisp air from this waterfall is said to have a plethora of health benefits. Some may brush this off as superstitious mumbo jumbo, but there may be some science behind it! In short, anions, created by the friction of the waterfall, can "promote cellular metabolism, increases vitality and appetite, purifies blood and soothes one's nerve."

The final leg of the trip was a must see destination. After all, "Wulai" is Atayal for "Hot Water." And even though the day's 20C (~70F) dramatically contrasted the prior week's consistent 10C (~50F) degree rainy weather, I was still more than eager to jump into one of Taiwan's non-sulfuric hot springs. And what better place to do it than in the 春秋烏來, Spring Park Urai Spa & Resort?! That's right... no place. Apparently, a night at this high roller's joint costs 32,000nt (or about $1000usd).

To much of my readers' dismay, perhaps, I didn't take many pictures INSIDE the actual spa. But even if I had, believe you me, you wouldn't have wanted to see them. Actually, it wasn't so bad. While it was a public bath and clothing was forbidden, the lighting was far too dim, the room too steamy, and the guests too few to see anything too mind scarring anyway.

The resort offered a giant pool kept at 40C (~110F) with waterfalls and jets for a full body massage, flanked by an ice bath at 10C (~50F), and a less hot tub where guests can lie down and enjoy jets probing your entire body. I wasn't a huge fan of that one... Also, outside, there was a really nice basin, even hotter than the one inside at 45C (~120F) surrounded by a moat of ice water. It was pretty cool to bask on the ledge of the outdoor pool with a leg in the hot water, and one in the freezing water... confuses the heck out of your body, which I love.

After you've had enough of the soaking, you can relax in a reading room with soft background music, warm lighting, beverages, reading material, and a great view of the river. Unfortunately, it was nighttime, so the view was... turned off. And finally, the hotsprings package came with a great 6 course meal which I enjoyed soooo very much ^^

Check out more pics with this tool that makes slideshows from your facebook albums! facebook albums!

Kung Fu Interview

2010-01-07T15:54:00.004+08:00

Pretty cool interview by CTV about the kung fu school that I'm training at. Apparently, the interviewers were so impressed by the show at the school, that they invited the head master into the studio for an exclusive! Check it out!

Here's the link for you facebookers!

FREE-dom!

2010-01-07T13:17:00.004+08:00

A few months ago, on October 11th, 2009-a date that will live in infamy-the Power Cord of my Netbook was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the teeth and claws of an Evil Nameless Bunny.

Seriously... my cousin buys bunnies for fun, mainly because they only cost like 300ntd ($9 usd). He buys them as cute little bunnies, but according to him and his family, they normally last no more than 2 weeks. The one he has at present, however, has mysteriously survived, not only the first couple of weeks, but almost a year now! Perhaps its survival is in part do to its delinquent nature. The monstrosity knows no bounds. It runs around the house eats everything and poos everywhere!

Anyway, for a while, the cord was still functional, just torn up. But, I guess the exposed wiring got severed somehow. I tried to save it, but without the proper tools to splice it, I failed. I went out and got a replacement for 450nt ($14 usd), but I didn't like it. It's a clunky third party product, and probably wouldn't work as well as the original. Luckily, I was able to get a refund on the replacement, because I later found a guy who fixes electronics who could repair my cord for cheap. In fact, he was done after just a few seconds, and didn't even charge me. He explained that he didn't give me anything so there was nothing to be paid for. The guy even joked that he was lucky I didn't charge him for cutting off a couple inches of my wire!

So... what do you know. There is such a thing as a free lunch in Taiwan... or something. I kind of wish I could've gotten a picture with him!

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-03T00:46:00.005+08:00

2010 is here!

It's funny how it feels like just yesterday, we were ushering in a new millennium, and just like that, a decade has passed...

Anyway, I've long since heard about the festivities Taipei had every New Year's Eve, so it was something I definitely wouldn't stand to miss. Most of the locals suggested that I stay home to watch the event on the tube, but that would be like watching football on TV! I wanted the WHOLE experience. The good... and the bad.

So, Thursday morning, I grabbed the train to Taipei and met up with long time buddies, and fellow Gators, Lawrence and Will from back home. I figured that if I were going to be in Taipei anyway, I might as well go camera shopping on 博愛路(Bo Ai Rd.) aka "Camera Street." I've been thinking about getting a DSLR for a while now, so I didn't think it'd hurt to look. I think all that camera shopping got Lawrence hooked, though!

After several hours up and down all the camera shops, we dropped Will off and headed to the City Hall, where all the happiness was supposed to happen. It started off REALLY slowly, with a traditional ensemble with albino girls, and then some rapper dude. We were surrounded by around 90,000 people, and we couldn't be more uncomfortable... or so we thought...

About an hour through all the rubbish, the first performer I recognized, Rainie, took the stage. Don't ask me which songs she sang... because I don't know any of the song names... but I assume that most of the songs by all of the performers are pretty popular. Everyone knew the words, and even I had heard a lot of the songs. Even Lawrence was impressed by Rainie, but he simply couldn't stand the obnoxious crowd anymore, squeezing in, and sometime literally climbing over our shoulders for a better view!

After Rainie, were some performers that I recognize from TV, but don't know the names of... Like this girl... who is in a couple commercials...

This girly guy with a mouth but a pretty decent voice...

This funny looking guy who dresses in the early 80's ALL the time. Short short gym shorts and long pull up socks with blue and yellow stripes. Big glasses and a watermelon hair cut. He has a funny story. He was just an ordinary guy without any musical talent. Then he got hit by a truck. Out of sheer boredom in the hospital, he taught himself to play the guitar and sang to pass the time. Then, he became famous at his college talent show. Boom! Crowd Lu.

Lin Zhilin, allegedly one of the most beautiful women in Taiwan...

Then, the crowds reached half a million. People were trying to squeeze so hard that I could literally lift my legs off the ground without falling to the floor... The 12C (54F) weather felt more like 90F and dripped of sweat and breath... Four of the five members of Farenheit took the stage. Finally, performers who were either bright enough or nice enough to come out to the wings of the stage so people could actually see them!

S.H.E., who do an assortment of pop and rock, and had loads more visual effects than the artists before them.

They were followed immediately by MayDay, who by far got the loudest and most enthusiastic cheers of the night. The lead singer had some nasty sore throat stuck through it. Listening to it was a bit painful, not because it sounded bad (which it kind of did), but because you could tell it hurt. The band more than made up for it, though, with some killer solos and fireworks!

Speaking of fireworks, the president of Taiwan, himself, came out to introduce the "finale." Taipei had invested 30million NTD (about $930,000 US) for the 188 second spectacular, which was to feature more fireworks than previous years, new shapes, and for the first time, different launch trajectories! I captured the whole thing on video for your enjoyment! The vantage point kind of sucks because I was pushed by the, now 600,000+, crowd under the stupid street sign!

After the fireworks, Wong Lee Hom, the spokesperson of Taiwan did his number with a sweet metallic dragon guitar. At this point, a lot of people had already begun to leave to try and beat the traffic, so I got pretty close to the stage. But it was tough for me to fully enjoy, because the commotion knocked my football out of my arms and around the crowd... The ONLY football in all of Taiwan... lost... just like that... T_T

Having walked several miles camera shopping and standing and fighting off the crowds for nearly 7 hours, I was pooped. I got a phone call from my cousin who wanted to hang out, but before we could meet up, my phone died. I tried to find him at the place where we agreed to meet, but there were simply too many people out and about. It was impossible.

After an hour of looking around I decided to get back to the train station. To my dismay, gobs of people were waiting in line just to get INTO the subway stations! Instead of waiting, I opted to jump to the next subway station, but SURPRISE! Same story! In fact all of the subway stations were packed to the surface... Literally millions of people were in the streets of Taipei. I've got to admit! It was pretty cool. It's like parading on University Ave. after the Gators win a National Championship... except more.

A few miles later, I finally made it to the train station. As I anticipated, the trains wouldn't be up until 5am. Finally, lugging around my laptop came in handy! I plugged in my little 3.5g card and browsed away! I got home around 6, thankful that I rent right next to the Taoyuan train station, took a shower, and hit the sack, only to wake up a few hours later to skype the family and friends back home in time for their New Year!

Resuscitation

2009-12-14T18:39:00.002+08:00

... of my blog that is...

But holy crap, check out these pics I got in a chain email from one of my students... To be properly impressed, you'll have to look closely and realize that everything is drawn with written words... then, you have to totally unfocus your eyes and see that every ledge has been accounted for! Enjoy!

Adventures of TK455 and TK479

2009-11-20T16:06:00.003+08:00

Ever wonder what storm troopers do when they aren't shooting at and missing allied forces? Well... wonder no more!

Want to see more?? Hop on over to Izismile.com!

200

2009-11-14T22:07:00.003+08:00

This! Is! Taoyuan!!!

Wait... what?

Oh, right. Earlier this week, after paying for something... I got some green back for change. Pretty exciting, eh?

Well... it IS! Because in the wild monopoly world of Taiwanese currency, I've never seen a green bill... until now. The long lost 200NT bill!

Similar to the American $2 bill, the 200NT bill has been discontinued, probably because the 100NT and 500NT bills do the job just fine...

The bad news? That's 200NT that I probably won't be able to use because I want to show my future students...

CAAAARS

2009-11-11T14:12:00.002+08:00

Stolen from the Karnacle, I present you with... the secret to free cars and a healthy retirement!

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/lms/drive_free/player.cfm

I couldn't figure out how to pull the video onto my blog so... it's just a link.

Kung Fuuuu

2009-11-10T22:50:00.003+08:00

It's been a long time since I've really practiced any kung fu, and even LONGER since I've received any formal training. Well, starting today, that's all about to change. You see, when I first started settling down in Taoyuan, I found a kung fu school while feeling my way around the city. That was about 2 months ago. You see, those of you who know me are very familiar with my sense of direction. Or rather... lack thereof. I lost the school and despite my best efforts couldn't find it again! Until last week, or so, that is. Once I found the school again, I didn't hesitate (lie) to sign up!

The Chinese Academy of Chang Chuan and Hung Chuan combines the northern Shaolin long fist and the southern Hung Gar, which is pretty cool, because Choy Lay Fut (which I consider my martial foundation) is also a conglomeration of the North (fistwork), the South (footwork), and Shaolin's Buddha palm. While I will probably find many similarities between the two (or three) styles, I'll force myself to absorb the basics with a clean slate. I believe that a solid foundation is critical to my future progress and potential. Forgetting everything I've learned from the past is much more easily said than done, but I hope I'll be able to keep the new and the old separate until I'm strong enough to mix it up.

Upon enrollment, I got a uniform including the school shirt, pants, asweet black sash and kung fu shoes! After discussing the subject of qi (inner power), breathing, generation of power, and other kung fu philosophy, he generously gave me a book about the school and its ideologies! Looks like I'll be learning a bit of Chinese along with the ass-kicking!

Here's a little preview of my new sifu in action, enjoy!

Swarming Birds

2009-11-10T01:47:00.002+08:00

Just... WOW... what a beautiful exhibition of an aerial ballet. Enjoy!

Laptop Steering Wheel Desk

2009-11-08T17:14:00.002+08:00

Don't you hate it when you have no where to put your bowl of morning cereal down or to do your last minute speech proofreading in your car? Well... finally, there's a solution! The laptop steering wheel desk! You can attach this light, fashionably gray tabletop to your steering wheel for maximum driving efficiency! And only for 20ish bucks!
Want some customer reviews? No problem!

T. Meadows said,

"Wow is this thing great! I use it as a "mini-bar" when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate. If you swerve to the left or right the rumble strips on the road wake you up in plenty of time before you get into trouble. I can now take longer trips without being tired!

Also, i am now dating a midget and she fits nicely on the steering wheel desk which allows us to experiment sexually while driving. This thing is like WD-40 or duct tape, it is a million and one uses!"

Brent A. Nelson said,

"This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving."

Click here for more info! I especially liked the photos showing the results of all the added productivity!

Back to the Future rap

2009-11-03T17:36:00.002+08:00

Whoa! Yea, I'm really trying to kick my butt back into blogging gear. So here's a second cop out video for the day! Enjoy!

Furries with Guns...

2009-11-03T14:45:00.003+08:00

Long time no blog... That's not to say that there's nothing to blog about, though! On the contrary, things I want to blog about are coming at me so fast that I can't decide WHAT to blog about. Methinks it's high time to remedy that! And to ease back into the blogging habit, I present to you a trailer for an animated series coming soon!

The name? Cat Shit One. Enjoy!

Kinda like G-Force... but WAY better!

Happy Moon Day!!

2009-10-05T14:11:00.004+08:00

Yaay! Updated the comic! Yea, I know, it's not related to the storyline at all, but I thought I'd draw a filler episode to celebrate 中秋節, or Mid-Autumn Festival! Sooo, what is Mid-Autumn Festival?!

The History

Mid-Autumn Festival is held every year on the 15th day of 8th lunar month, when the moon is said to be at it's fullest and brightest. Moon Day, as some may call it, marks the end of the summer harvest. The holiday is said to have started as far back as 3,000 years ago during the Shang Dynasty, but didn't get it's name until as late (1000 years later) as the Zhou Dynasty.

Apparently, this day also represents the overthrow of Yuan Dynasty and the rise of the Ming Dynasty. During Mongolian rule, group gatherings were banned, making it difficult plan a rebellion. Knowing that the Mongolian's did not eat moon cakes, 劉伯溫 (Liu Bowen) used them to his full advantage. Thousands of moon cakes were distributed "to honor" the Mongolian regime. Inside each moon cake, he hid a message informing the Chinese to attack on the 15th day of the 8th month. The coup was successful, and so moon cakes have had its place on this day in history!

Folklore

Growing up, and going to Chinese school once a week during the school season, I've heard a lot of different stories regarding Mid-Autumn Festival. But among them all, the one thing that seems to have stuck with me is the existence of some sort of bunny. What does the bunny have to do with Moon Day? I have no idea. In fact, I looked it up, and couldn't find any real stories involving one, besides the fact that there was already an elixir-mixing bunny living on the moon...

There, see the bunny on the moon?! No? Well... me neither! From what I've read, the left side is supposed to be the head and the body, while the smudge on the top right are its ears pointing backwards...

Anyway, the real question is, "how did he get there?!" Wonder no longer, for here is the story!

Once upon a time, 3 sages disguised as poor, old beggars challenged the hospitality of the animals of the Earth. First, they approached a fox, who graciously offered them some of his excess food. Satisfied, the sages continued on their quest, and soon met a monkey. The monkey, too, had food to spare and generously presented it to sages. Finally, the trio of beggars come before a lowly hare. Without any food for himself, much less his guests, the hair willingly jumps into an open flame to offer them his own meat. Struck by the hare's selflessness and ultimate sacrifice, the three sages bring the bunny back with them to live in the Moon Palace, where he became the Jade Hare.

Activities

So what do you do on Moon Day? Lots! Here's a list!

eat moon cakes
eat pomelo
barbecue
light and carry bright lanterns
launch kongming lanterns
burn incense
plant Mid-Autumn trees
collect and distribute dandelion leaves (they have leaves?!)
fire dragon dances

Notes

Mid-Autumn Festival is still considered one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture today. The whole idea of Mid-Autumn Festival seems to be romanticized in our upbringing in the United States; perhaps a result of an exaggerated effort to reinforce our cultural backgrounds.

The sad truth, however, is that Mid-Autumn is no longer so extravagantly celebrated. I must admit, that I was sorely disappointed with the lack of festivities for such a major holiday. I was really looking forward to attending some sort of massive public celebration, or concert but, after thorough research, found that there wouldn't be any such opportunity. Present day festivities are just small family barbecues, usually right on the street.

I did get to participate in a small pizza party, though. The community that my grandparents and aunt live in held the event, free of charge to its residents. While it wasn't exactly a barbecue, it wasn't too bad, either. I got to eat some Taiwanese pizza, which I had kind of been craving the day before!

Fresh Month, Fresh Start (again)

2009-10-01T22:32:00.003+08:00

Geez, I swear, I must have at least 4 or 5 of this kind of post already! Anyway, it's the first day of October, I've been in Taiwan for about a month and a half now, and finally, things are looking up! I couldn't really ask for a better way to start a month. Today, I finally got not one, but TWO!, of my own classes! That's 8 hours a week! The jobs couldn't have come at a better time, either, because today, I ALSO signed the lease to my new apartment!

That's right, today, I got my shiny new key (although it's not much of a key... more like a sensor) to my new place! It's a pretty decently sized one-room, with a nice bathroom, and balcony area. It's completely furnished with a double bed, a 30ish" TV, a nice glass table, desk, vanity, dresser, wardrobe, mini fridge, and a washing machine! The location is great too, sitting about a 2 minute walk away from the train station and literally a 40 second walk from Davids' English Center (one of the schools I teach at).

Aaand... what better way to celebrate this new era than to show you pictures! And of course... no picture series is complete without... DS on Location!

My classroom at David's!

Front desk at David's.

New home!

My door has keyless entry!

My clean clean bathroom ^^

My washing machine and patio area...

My TV and mini-fridge!

Aaaand last, but certainly not least, the lovely class that made it all happen!

Dedication

2009-09-27T15:27:00.005+08:00

Seldomly, if ever, will you ever find a man who is more dedicated to his word and to his cause than University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. After an embarrassing fluke of a loss to Ole Miss last year, he made a promise to himself, to his teammates, to the Gator Nation, and to the world. Not only did he vow to push himself harder than any other player ever pushed himself, but he also vowed to motivate those around him to work harder than ever before. He kept that promise and went on to win the 2008 BCS National Championship for the Florida Gators, and has yet to falter, accumulating his 14th consecutive win in this week's game against Kentucky, setting a new school record.

Tim, also affectionately dubbed "Superman" and "the Chosen One" among others, has been known to play through sickness, various sprains, and even broken limbs (a broken leg through a 4th quarter at Nease High School and a broken hand against Florida State in 2007), perhaps his biggest scare came during this Saturday's game. Already diagnosed with an "upper respiratory illness" (swine flu?), Uf's Heisman quarterback was determined to participate in the game anyway. With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, no.94 Taylor Wyndham gets a clean hit on Tebow. On the way down, with Wyndham's full weight and momentum still on him, Tim's head collides with a fellow teammate's knee jerking it violently forward, leaving Tebow lying on the ground, motionless for several terrifying minutes.

While constantly searching for an update on Tebow's condition, I found a few videos that I'd never seen before. The documentary, broken into 5 parts, reports on Tim's pre-Gator years, but it's still great to seem more evidence of his inhuman resolve.

This post, quite obviously, is dedicated to one of my heroes, no.15 Tim Tebow. May he recover quickly from this catastrophe and return to the gridiron and win us another championship! Tebow for Heisman and God bless!