tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122347182024-03-14T00:18:23.615+08:00Blatherings of 500CBFan - A Journal of My Life in TaiwanWelcome to my world, where I ramble on about my life in Taiwan and my love for Wu Bai & China Blue, and voice my many complaints. Once my life as a university student begins in September 2008, expect more complaints (assuming I have time to complain!).500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-4779737136060633932011-01-12T09:56:00.004+08:002009-02-15T16:46:17.814+08:00Beautiful Crafts from Taiwan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pbase.com/500fan/image/109204784/original.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 422px; height: 422px;" src="http://www.pbase.com/500fan/image/109204784/original.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These are some of the beautiful handicrafts that can be found in Taiwan (click the photo for a larger view). The figurines are made of ceramic, called Koji pottery, cochin ceramics, or 跤趾陶. The bead work is handcrafted by the Paiwan tribe, one of Taiwan's aboriginal peoples. If you'd like to buy some of them, please visit </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Gargoiles-Far-Eastern-Bazaar">my eBay store</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and do some shopping. I'd appreciate any support! I also sell aqua titanium-germanium sports necklaces and bracelets, titanium + germanium bracelets and necklaces, and fine German 316L stainless steel jewelry.</span>500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-32786863869578727052009-04-08T07:08:00.002+08:002009-04-08T07:12:04.183+08:00Alive, but not exactly wellHello gang,<br /><br />I have no time to blog. School pressure is mounting, free time basically doesn't exist. One bright spot in my dreary life is The Fug Girls and this year's Fug Madness tournament. I'll share it with you so you have something to laugh at, too.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LXNSzkCDrm4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LXNSzkCDrm4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />In other news, I have a flight booked back to the US at the end of June for a two-week visit, at the amazingly low price of $750, tax included. Wow.<br /><br />Gotta go, gonna be late for my 8:00 a.m. class. Enjoy the video.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-5622258230633929882009-02-04T19:14:00.002+08:002009-02-04T19:18:33.573+08:00A modern ritual: waiting for the garbage truck<span class="subtitle">A community rite, and indicator of civic pride, collection time is a brief window for bonding<br /></span>By Joseph Yeh<br />Taiwan News, Staff Reporter <br />Page 4 <br /><span class="artcbe_title">2009-02-04 12:47 AM<br /><br /></span><span class="fullstory" id="fullstory">Beethoven's "Fur Elise" is probably one of the best-known pieces of classical music in the world. Its beautiful flowing melody has been practiced by millions of piano learners, and nowadays is even used by some as their mobile phone ring tone.<p>Likewise, "A Maiden's Prayer," a melody by Polish composer Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska, is familiar and well-loved by many people. It is a tune that has been passed from generation to generation.</p><p>To Taiwanese, these two classic tones share another very interesting common point - both have been used as signals by garbage trucks to remind people to take out the trash. In the United States and in most European countries, people just put their trash and household waste into garbage cans and recycling receptacles for sanitary engineers to collect them. But in Taiwan, people have to carry out their rubbish and dump it right into the garbage truck themselves.</p><p>Several decades ago, waste collection in Taiwan was like those in other countries, where people put their household waste into public garbage cans for trash collectors to pick up. However, since this island nation - in its subtropical location - is relatively small and heavily populated, the public garbage collection spots were usually extremely smelly, attracting mice, flies, and insects - a horrible sight that largely affected the hygiene and image of a modern society.</p><p>The central government, therefore, decided to change the waste collection system and asked everyone to bring their household garbage and personally dump it into garbage trucks. To make sure that everyone knew that the garbage truck was coming, the Environmental Protection Administration added the melodic come-on to signal the arrival of the yellow trucks.</p><p>Taking Taipei city as an example, every night except Wednesdays and Sundays, city residents gather at the mouth of a street alley, one hand carrying blue plastic bags, the other carrying recyclable waste, waiting for the rear-loading garbage trucks to appear around the corner.</p><p>Whenever they hear the melody "Fur Elise" or "A Maiden's Prayer," city dwellers emerge from their apartment buildings, head to the gathering point and wait for the slow-moving truck.</p><p>Who chose it?</p><p>Rumor on the Internet has it that the decision to use "Fur Elise" was made by the late Hsu Tse-chiu (1920-1988), former director of the Department of Health. Sometime in the early eighties, he was looking for music for the trash trucks. One day, his daughter, a piano learner, was practicing Beethoven's famed composition and he decided that it was one of the most recognizable classical pieces around the world. He the chose it as the "garbage music."</p><p>The EPA that is now responsible for the waste collection could not confirm the rumor, saying that more than 20 years had passed since the seminal decision was taken.</p><p>But no one has complained that the notes of this beautiful music ring repeatedly when the time comes to take out the trash.</p><p>But in other parts of this island, people do not just hear "Fur Elise" or "A Maiden's Prayer." At Christmas time, the trucks play Christmas songs, and during Chinese New Year, some traditional Chinese music.</p><p>Six years ago in Taiwan's southern city of Tainan, residents heard a very foreign-sounding voice speaking sentences of basic English conversation. Instead of Beethoven, the speakers on the garbage trucks played "How are you?" and "I'm fine, thank you."</p><p>The innovative idea came up during a private conversation between Tainan City Mayor, Hsu Tain-tsair and his wife. "We got together with teachers and members of the city government's education bureau and came up with a series of conversational dialogues that we felt were simple yet important," said Hsu in an interview with a local newspaper in September 2002, not long after the project was launched in the city.</p><p>But the project was short-lived. Earlier this year, the city government suspended its "English conversation lessons through garbage trucks" and started broadcasting city policies in both Vietnamese and Thai, for the benefit of foreign spouses who do not understand Chinese. Both the English teaching program and government policy promotion show that garbage collection time in Taiwan is so much more than just taking out the trash.</p><p>A lesson from Taiwan</p><p>It is a rare opportunity for a brief time of bonding among neighbors. It is the only time some meet rarely seen neighbors and have a little chat with them. In this cold, largely indifferent modern society, this 5-days-a-week ritual helps to bring people closer to each other, if only for five to ten minutes.</p><p>Very often, Indonesian and Filipino household helpers and nannies can be seen gathered around in a small circle, using their mother tongues to chat while waiting for the garbage truck. For them, this small nightly gathering is a widely anticipated event.</p><p>Julia Ross, a freelance writer and former U.S. Fulbright scholar in Taiwan, observes that waiting for the garbage truck in Taiwan is "one of Taiwan's liveliest communal rites."</p><p>In an article entitled "What I Picked Up about Trash in Taipei" which was published by Washington Post on Dec. 2, 2007, Ross, who spent a year on the island studying Chinese before returning to the U.S., was deeply impressed by Taiwan's garbage collection system.</p><p>"Many evenings I watched food vendors from the night markets, buckets of eggshells in hand, chat up convenience store clerks alongside Filipino nannies, who traded kitchen appliances as if they were at a Sunday morning swap meet. Freelance recyclers keen to make a few dollars showed up to collect cardboard and newspapers, which they would sell back to the city. An alderman with a whistle kept traffic at bay," she wrote in the article.</p><p>More than just a lively community ritual, the garbage collection system in Taiwan also earned credit from Ross who lauded Taipei's waste-disposal network, which is "made up of municipal employees and regular citizens all doing their part to keep the system humming.</p><p>"Watching the city's disparate trash tribes at work shamed me into compliance after years as a half-hearted recycler back home," she said.</p><p>"Even more impressive, they fueled a sense of civic responsibility in a place where democracy is still taking root. Just as the Taiwanese invest in their young representative government, they invest in a clean environment."</p><p>At the end, she gives highest credit to the garbage lessons she learned in Taipei by saying that "living in a place where I was expected to use what I bought and recycle every last yogurt cup and juice box left me with a new appreciation for what clean streets mean in a civil society, and the realization that I'm responsible for everything I consume. That's as good a Chinese lesson as any."</p><p>The article was later translated into Chinese and made into pamphlets by the Taipei City government to give away to its citizens reminding them that Taipei and Taiwan as a whole has a system to feel proud of. Indeed, Taiwanese should be proud that garbage collection time has become a unique cultural experience that can serve as a great lesson for people around the world.</p><p>End of article<br /></p><p>What's written above is all well and good, but I for one am thankful I now live in an apartment building with central trash collection in the basement and don't have to chase the trash truck anymore! :)<br /></p></span>500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-5970139445922423912009-01-20T09:11:00.004+08:002009-01-20T10:20:29.068+08:00My Final GradesI've gotten all my grades now, and the only reason they're as good as they are is because the teachers are being nice to me. I think it's the "give you an A for effort" approach to grading. I'm not complaining, because this means I can apply for a scholarship for the upcoming semester, because my average is 84.6, and foreign students only need 65 to be eligible (kind of a joke, huh?).<br /><br />Here's the rundown:<br />Chinese Paleography 文字學 65<br />Introduction to Literature 文學概論 76<br />Selected Readings in Chinese Poetry 詩選及習作 77<br />Labor for Education aka Raking Leaves 勞作教育課程 82<br />Physical Education 女生體育 99<br />Taiwan History 台灣歷史采風與踏查 90<br />Introduction to Chinese Classics 國學導讀 84<br />Introduction to Computers 資訊概論 81<br />English 英文 96<br />Typing 中英文電腦輸入法 96<br /><br />I got to choose my own phys ed class for next semester, and since most of the classes offered were those that would require me to actually be able to run or jump, I decided to go for Billiards. :) Course selection is all done online, and we only have a certain window of time in which to choose our classes, so the system is always jammed with people trying to get in. I was afraid I'd be too slow, but I got it! Maybe since it's at 8:00 a.m. no one else was interested. I'll miss having a little sleep-in on Wednesday mornings, but it's worth it to have a class that's fun (although I play pool a lot better when I'm drunk than sober!).<br /><br />In a couple of days I'll be taking off for Thailand, can't wait. I'm more looking forward to seeing Cheryl and Terry than I am seeing Thailand. I miss those guys, even though I spent quite a bit of time in Hong Kong last year and got to see them. Hopefully I'll have the energy to write about the trip when I get back.<br /><br />Now it's off to the bank for another withdrawal. It's really a pain to have to go every day, but the maximum my US bank allows me to take out per day is $500. I have to pay my tuition, and that's $1500. I thought I could use my credit card, but turns out they'll only take Taiwan cards, so cash it is. Sheesh. Oh well, it gets me out of the house and walking!<br /><br />Although yesterday I walked so much that my knee was talking to me last night. Feels better today, and after the Thailand trip, it's to the doctor for the MRI, since I <span style="font-weight: bold;">finally </span>have the Taiwan insurance card and can afford it. I don't know if there's anything they can do, and I really don't relish the thought of an operation, but I'm pretty darned tired of not being able to do anything without being in pain. Stairs are sheer misery, and there are a lot of stairs I have to climb at the university.<br /><br />My weight keeps going up because of the lack of exercise, and of course that makes the knee worse - it's just a vicious circle. Dieting alone doesn't seem to work very well for me, my body needs aerobic exercise before it agrees to let go of the flab. My friends keep trying to talk me into doing the Herbalife diet, since they've had such success with it, but I've done liquid diets in the past and all it did was screw up my metabolism so that now it's even more difficult to lose weight. So, I'm not trying that yet. Man, I do miss the convenience of the frozen diet meals that I had in the US, didn't have to think about what to eat, just pop a Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine frozen entree into the microwave and that was it. I only recently discovered that there's one of those buffet style restaurants close to campus where I can buy tons of already prepared vegetables. Next semester I'm going to make a point of going there almost every day and getting those and a piece of chicken, as that's what I did when I lived in Zhuwei and it helped with the weight loss. I'll have to soak the oil off of them before I eat (wish they wouldn't drown everything in salad oil here), but that's no big deal.<br /><br />Anyway, like I said, I have to go to the bank. <a href="http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcardm.asp?code=1752581441219&ob=1">Happy Chinese New Year</a>, everyone!500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-21725511136629611662009-01-12T10:00:00.003+08:002009-01-12T14:02:52.464+08:00Five Weeks of Freedom!My first semester of university is thankfully over, and I have a five-week winter break. I had no idea it would be this difficult, and the thought of having to live through it for another three and a half years is making my stomach hurt. I can only hope it gets better as I become accustomed to the Taiwan "stuff the duck" style of education. What is that? you ask. Well, their method is to overload students with a minimum of ten different classes per week, as well as the so-called "practical" sessions for a few of those classes, expecting that the students (in lieu of actually learning anything in these classes) will simply utilize their incredible memorization skills to "stuff" all this information into their brains in order to pass a test. After which they can cheerfully forget it all and prepare the brain for the next round.<br /><br />This is going to be a very, very long post. I hope you're all curious enough to bear with me and read to the end. I'm going to take my week day by day, class by class, and try to give you a feel for what my life has been like since September. And then maybe you'll understand why I wasn't able to find time to write regular updates or answer e-mail! Next semester will be much the same, although I'm losing a couple classes and gaining two others.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Monday</span><br />At least I get to sleep in for a little while on Mondays. My first class at 10:10 (til noon) is Introduction to Literature. My teacher, Wang Li Hua, is a woman who appears to be in her 50s or early 60s, difficult for me to tell. She's quite nice and at least has had the experience of having a foreign student in the past, the Russian girl that I hear so much about but have never seen.<br /><br />Ms. Wang's method of teaching is a slide show to accompany her lecture. The first few weeks I barely understood anything she said and had to rely on trying to read the Chinese slide show, which didn't really contain a lot of information. We don't have a textbook for this class, the teacher just gives us copies of short stories (in Chinese) to read. Some of the copies are very poor, and it's hard for me to make out the characters because they're so small. Hence, it takes me forever to try to read the stories. If I'm lucky enough to find the text somewhere online, it's a big help, because my Chinese word processor has a built-in dictionary, and that's way quicker than trying to look up a word I don't know in a regular dictionary. You see, first you have to figure out what radical the character would be listed under, then how many strokes the character is formed with, and then you can find the word. Sometimes I can guess at the pronunciation and look it up that way, but generally not. So for me to read a few short pages takes hours and hours. The Taiwan kids get through it in a snap.<br /><br />The most annoying thing in this class is the behavior of my classmates. While the teacher lectures, most of the students are chatting with each other, and not quietly, either. I couldn't believe that the teacher never told them to shut up! They were so loud that I couldn't hear the teacher, even though she was using a microphone. It's very difficult for me to understand Chinese when I hear it in a noisy environment, because I just can't separate one voice from another. After suffering through this for weeks, I finally one day asked the teacher if she could please ask them to keep it down so I could understand what she was saying. She ended up giving them a scolding, told them I was more diligent than them, they should be ashamed, blah blah<br />blah. That kept them quiet for about 20 minutes, then we had our break, and when we came back from that, they were just as loud as before. The teacher started her lecture, and I turned around in my seat (I sit in the front row) and gave them all a loud "SSSHHHHH!!!" Only then did the teacher admonish them again. Even though it's currently better than it had been, they still talk, but they're starting to fear me. More on that later, too.<br /><br />We watched some interesting movies in this class. The first was a Swedish film called 「Mother of Mine」: "During World War II, more than 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated to neutral Sweden to avoid the conflict. "Mother of Mine," the latest from the award-winning Klaus Haro ("Elina"), tackles that painful patch of history in a tale of 9-year-old Eero, a child who increasingly feels abandoned by his biological Finnish mother and yet not attached to his Swedish surrogate mom. When he is returned to Finland, his confusion intensifies." A wonderful film, this, and one I recommend. The film was in Swedish and Finnish, with both English and Chinese subtitles. Next we watched the German film, 「Run Lola Run」, in German with only Chinese subs, so I had to try to read those to understand: "Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manny. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. Lola has 20 min to raise this amount and meet Manny. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run." An awesome movie, if you haven't seen it, get it! These two movies we watched before mid terms, and part of the mid term exam was writing about them. The second half of the semester we saw a Japanese film called 「The Last Dance」(no English subs) and 「Immortal Beloved」, in English, yay! These were featured on the final exam.<br /><br />The exams were difficult for me, because I write slowly in Chinese. On the mid term I did not have time to answer one question, and I also didn't really understand it. We were supposed to talk about the writing style in one of stories the teacher gave us, but we hadn't ever discussed it in class. I'd read most of it, but I didn't really pick up on the fact that it was a satire, because I didn't understand all of it. The teacher gave me 60% on my mid term. I just checked my final grade for the class and it's 76, yay! One great thing about her tests is that she allows us to bring all of our notes with us, so this time I used the notes I'd taken (which were better than during the first half), but once again I didn't have time to finish. I think some of the other students had the same problem, though.<br /><br />When Literature ends at noon, I go back home and start to type up my notes from class, look up information on the Internet (gotta figure out which authors she talks about, because she uses the Chinese transliteration of their names, and I have to find out the English, because we don't just discuss Chinese literature, but Western as well). I have my lunch and take care of any eBay stuff, and I try to relax a little bit. At 3:30 I head back out for a fifty-minute class that begins at 4:10.<br /><br />I hate this class more than I can say. I hate the subject (Introduction to Computers, Practical Session), and I hate the smarmy Teaching Assistant who runs it. Here's how the class goes: the kids file in, sit down, fire up the computers, and start surfing the Internet. The TA starts his slide show and talks a mile a minute, flipping slides faster than I can read. The other students completely ignore him while I try to follow along. I got completely lost when he was giving the lesson on using the university's BBS system (talk about outdated, who the hell uses BBS these days?), and the kids on either side of me were doing their own thing, so I asked the TA for help. That supercilious little prick told me to ask my classmates. I finally gave up toward the end of the hour and started surfing like the others, and that asshole came over to ME, completely ignoring the 75 other kids who were playing, and told me I should pay attention. Yeah, right,<br />fat lot of good it does to pay attention when I don't understand and you're not willing to take time to help me.<br /><br />So in the first semester this completely unnecessary class has brought us lessons in how to use Internet search engines like Google and Yahoo, the bare bones of how to use Word and Powerpoint, how to set up Outlook Mail, and other basics that any 10-year-old child these days already knows. I've often not gone to class, sending the TA an e-mail telling him I'm too busy focusing on more important studies. Half the time his projector stops working 5 minutes into class, and it takes him a good 10 minutes to get it going again. If I get 30 minutes of actual instruction out of this I'm lucky. For that I should leave my comfy home and make the trip back to school? Uh uh.<br /><br />The TA's section on the mid-term exam was laughable, 15 multiple choice questions, such as "What's Tamkang University's website address?" "Which of these websites can be used to search?" "Which of these e-mail addresses is for the university?" Of course these are things EVERYONE knows, how ridiculous is this? The final exam was more difficult, because there were quite a few questions about Word and Presentations, but since all I have is the English version of these, I don't recognize the terms in Chinese, and I couldn't understand many of the questions. It's not like he actually TAUGHT us anything during his sessions, either, because he himself didn't seem to know it. More gripes about computer class to come.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Tuesday</span><br />No sleeping in, it's up at 6:00 a.m. for the first class at 8:10 - English. My teacher is Wang Wei Ying aka Wanda. She's either in her late 20s or early 30s, a tiny little thing with a mass of permed hair that she wears in two bushy pigtails with a head scarf, making her look like a refugee from the 60s. She's kinda laid back, which is a bad thing, because these kids really need some stern measures. When we first started, she only used English, but she soon realized that the kids didn't understand anything she was saying, so now she uses English and then repeats it all in Chinese. I'm not surprised the kids don't understand, as the Taiwan method of teaching<br />English is stupid. The kids almost never get a chance to talk in class, so they never use any of the words or grammar they're "learning." The teacher's English is not great, either. Oh, she's not horrible, but she often leaves the "s" off plurals and her pronunciation is odd, as well as the rhythm of her sentences. It's a very boring class for me, but since the alternative would be trying to learn Japanese, I'll gladly sit through this. When the kids have dictation tests, I get to read the sentences, and they love that. One day I didn't go when they had a test, and they all complained to me after, saying they can't understand the teacher.<br /><br />This is another class where their behavior annoys the piss out of me. We had to do group assignments, reading dumbed-down versions of classic books and then giving a group report. Every single time a group was at the front giving their report, the rest of the class was chatting and laughing and totally ignoring the group on stage. Wanda rarely tells the kids to shut up, and although their noise didn't affect my ability to understand, it just made me angrier each time. Many times I'd turn around and to the "SSHHH!" at them (and remember, I have a lot of classes with the same kids and have been through this more than once).<br /><br />I didn't have trouble with the tests, of course, although I didn't get 100%. There were sections where I had to fill in the blank, given the first and last letter of the word. I just couldn't think of any words that fit sometimes!I'm sure if I'd memorized the lessons, like the other kids, it would have come to me, but I honestly didn't spend much time reading the boring textbook. I also think I'm slowly forgetting English!<br /><br />So, my last day of this semester in English class, the final two groups gave their reports, and I had to keep turning around and shushing the students. Before we dismissed, I asked Wanda if I could say a few words to the kids. She gave me the microphone, and I blasted them. I told them they were incredibly rude, they had no respect for teachers or classmates, and that if I were their teacher, they'd have been kicked out of my class and given a big fat zero. I told them they were adults, not children, and that they should start acting like it, especially if any of them wanted to go abroad to continue studying, because this sort of behavior wouldn't be tolerated<br />in Western universities. I scolded them in English and then in Chinese to make sure they understood. They all looked pretty sheepish, but I'm betting it doesn't make a bit of difference. They may be 18 years old, but they're more like 13- or 14-year-old American kids.<br /><br />After English class is Phys Ed. We spent a few weeks in the weight training room, which I enjoyed, then a couple sessions of volleyball, which I couldn't do as I can't run (but I helped serve the ball a few times), then I had to go buy a bathing suit for our swimming portion. We ended up in the water exactly once. Then we moved on to badminton, which was sort of fun for about 5 minutes and then was a huge bore.<br /><br />I totally love the teacher, Sunny Qin. She was a pretty huge basketball star in her youth, and she's got a great sense of humor. She also doesn't tolerate any nonsense or impolite behavior from her girls, which I really appreciated. I'm quite sad that I can't have her next semester, but she'll only be teaching basketball, and I sure as hell can't do that. I have to choose my Phys Ed class this time, and so far I don't know what to take. There's not much I can do with this knee, but since it's a required course, I need to pick something. It ain't gonna be swimming, because that's co-ed, and damned if I'm putting this fat on display.<br /><br />Tuesday noon it's back home for a much-needed shower, lunch, and then working on any assignments I have (which is usually a lot), plus the eBay.<br /><br />Once again I have to leave home at 3:30 for the much-hated 4:10 - 6:00 Introduction to Computers class. I tried, I really did. I did my best to pay attention, although the volume of the other students' chatter effectively kept me from understanding the teacher. No one is interested in this class, and they either spend the time sleeping, studying other subjects, or talking loudly. The teacher is a nice enough guy, Xu Zhi Peng, and he's even sorta cute, but the stuff he teaches is way over our heads and completely unrelated to the normal person's needs. He's teaching us as if we were majoring in computers, for crying out loud! The first part of the semester I did manage to learn some things, like the Chinese names for computer system parts, and the test was relatively easy (I got an 87% on it), although I couldn't manage to memorize some of the meaningless data. The second half of the semester was ridiculous, with him teaching totally technical stuff that I'll never, ever need to use and certainly don't understand (and wouldn't<br />in English, either). I asked him when he was reviewing some complicated number chart for the final, "Can you please tell me when I will use this information and of what practical use it is?" His reply, "No use, just for the sake of taking a test, that's all." WTF? I'm quite certain I failed the final, because most of the questions I couldn't understand. I kept writing, "I don't understand the Chinese." next to the questions.<br /><br />I have to suffer one more semester of this required garbage. I'm gonna die. I loathe it, simply loathe it, and now I use the time to study my other subjects, because I don't need this information, I don't want this information, and I don't understand this information. I'll be goddamned if I'll waste my time memorizing completely useless stuff just because Taiwan'<br />s Ministry of Education has decided that all students need this crap.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Wednesday</span><br />Another early day, but I eventually began skipping the first class at 8:10, because I already know how to type, both in Chinese and English. I've become friends with my teacher, whose name is Way, and I'd at least go in early enough to chat a bit with him before my 10:00 class. He's a sweetie, gave me 100% on my tests. I'm losing this class next semester, but Way and I will still find time to hang out. Instead of this class, I have to take some stupid Science and Technology Revolution class (it's on Friday afternoon,not Wednesday a.m., I can sleep in, but now my Friday is totally screwed.), and I know I'm going to suck at that. I checked out the syllabus, and it's stuff about DNA, genes, air pollution, global warming, the development of<br />technology - I'm supposed to be able to understand this in Chinese? Yeah....right.<br /><br />My Readings in Chinese Poetry class if also extremely hard for me. The first few weeks I mostly didn't understand anything the teacher was saying in class and found it difficult to even know where in the book we were. The teacher, Ma Ming Hao, is an awesome dude, though. He's funny, tells entertaining stories (even when I don't understand I can tell they're funny!), and is very patient with me. He and I agree that it's stupid to expect a foreign student to be able to understand poetry during the first year, and this class should be deferred until year 3 or 4, but since that's not possible, he's found a lovely PhD student named Sammi to work with me once<br />a week to help me learn. He was also totally nice for both exams, allowing me (and the three Korean exchange students whose Chinese is much worse than mine) to work on the answers at home instead of having to do it during the test. He gave me 60% on the mid-term, and I'm hoping I did a bit better on the final.<br /><br />So one day, after he'd found Sammi to help me but we hadn't started yet, he says he'll be having lunch with her that day, so I asked if I could go along so we could talk about how to help me. Well, it turned out that five of us went to lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant, and instead of discussing teaching me, we all got rip-roaring drunk. :) Mr. Ma treated us (he has lunch with those three PhD students every Wednesday, too), and the beer just kept coming. I had a blast and missed my 3:00 class, and that evening I didn't manage to get anything done because I had a hangover. But damn, it was fun!<br /><br />I'm trying to make a head start in poetry for next semester, with a goal of reading at least five of the 300 Tang Dynasties Poems every day and trying to analyze their structure (old Chinese poetry has some strict rules which must be followed when writing). Sammi has given me some very helpful info, and I'm looking forward to our weekly sessions.<br /><br />Here's how great Mr. Ma is - he gave me an overall grade of 77 for the semester! So far Literature and Poetry are the only two classes for which the grade has been posted, keeping fingers crossed for the rest.<br /><br />On Wednesdays I usually meet my friend Maria for lunch, but sometimes she's busy, and I end up eating lunch alone. I like my classmates, but they're all so immature that I really don't want to spend much time with them, I can't handle that much giggling. I'd been eating in the cafeteria when Maria couldn't join me, but now I go to a nice, quiet place called Black Tea House. It's a little more expensive, like US$5 as apposed to US$1.50, but worth it for the peace.<br /><br />At 1:10 on Wednesday I had my very favorite class, Taiwan History, and I can't tell you how sad I am that I don't get to continue this next semester.<br /><br />I love my History teacher, Wu Ming Yong. This guy knows how to make a subject interesting. And it's the only class in which I had so much laughter and a good time. Plus, the guy is a hunk! Well, to me he is. I find him very attractive, but I'm quite sure he's married (I think he's in his late 40s), although he doesn't wear a ring and says he's always in his office until midnight or later working on his thesis, which doesn't sound like a married guy. I mean, wouldn't a married guy go home and work? I flirt with him outrageously and ply him with baked goods, too. If there's a wife, I'll find out sooner or later. But anyway, I did love the class, although I had to read a lot on my own in English because the textbook was too hard for me. You see, one problem I have is not being able to differentiate Chinese names (of people or places) from other Chinese words. It's not<br />like English, where is you see the word "David" you know it's a person's name. Chinese name words are also regular vocabulary words, and that makes it really hard to make sense out of what I'm reading sometimes. So, most of what I read about Taiwan's history was in English, and I had to use a lot of English to answer the questions on the final, but I don't think Mr. Wu's English is very good. :( I was able to use Chinese on the mid-term, though, and I got an 80%. Now, I don't really think I did that well, I think Mr. Wu just was being nice to me, because he knows how hard I try (and because I give him Kahlua cake, cheesecake, and tiramisu, hahaha). I also helped translate some Chinese to English for him, although I had to enlist help from Aaron and Claire to do so.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm thinking about auditing one of his classes next semester, right before the stupid science class. I figure if I can have a fun class with a gorgeous guy first, then it won't be so awful. I'm not willing to give up a class with the first guy I've been attracted to (well, other than Wu<br />Bai) since I got here! Funny thing, he's from the same part of Taiwan as Wu Bai, has the same last name, and similar facial features. Hm, I guess that's just what I like. I'd better hope he never stumbles across this blog, huh?<br /><br />The class that's replacing the History class on Wednesday's next semester is one dealing with ancient Chinese novels, which I'm a bit anxious about, because one of my classmates told me that the ancient language is super hard to understand, even for native speakers. However, I read the students' critiques of the teacher, and she sounds pretty cool, so I'll give it my best shot.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Thursday</span><br />Best thing about this day is getting to sleep in, because the first class isn't until 1:10. It kinda goes downhill from there, though.<br /><br />Well, not entirely. I truly do like Chinese Paleography, because I love studying the origins of the Chinese language. My teacher, Gao Wan Yu, is in her early 30s and really easy to understand. Also, we have a fairly easy textbook, with Chinese that's not very complicated, and she pretty<br />much follows the book in class. The problem is the amount of information we're covering. It's a lot for me to absorb, because I have to read the text more than once, and that takes a long time. I also read as much as I can in English, as well, because that helps me remember more.<br /><br />I had my first breakdown of the semester in this class. I'd already been feeling totally overwhelmed and wasn't understanding much in any of my classes, and we had a "small" test, for which I'd prepared the best I could. Well, I got a zero (first time in my life I ever failed a test!), because I couldn't even answer one question. I started crying in class, and I kept crying through the rest of the afternoon. It was so frustrating, because I was understanding what I was reading, but none of it was staying in my head. I went to the Office of Foreign Exchange that<br />afternoon and just sobbed my heart out, trying to get them to understand how hard it was and telling them I felt cheated by the department chair. When I'd gone to see him before I applied, I asked him if he thought a foreigner studying in the Chinese Department would have difficulty (since ALL my Taiwan friends told me it would be too hard, they thought it was too hard for them!), and he assured me that I'd have absolutely no trouble at all. Liar!<br /><br />Anyway, he must have realized I was in distress during his class after the Paleography class (the tears probably gave it away), and I ran into him on campus as I was heading home. He told me he'd talk to Ms. Gao and see if they could come up with an alternate method for me.<br /><br />After that is when I discovered that Wikipedia had a lot of info that was taken from the English translation of our textbook and started studying that. I wanted to buy the book, but the only one I found online was US$200, and that's just too much. So, I studied harder, and the next "small" test we had, I got 57! That time I used English to answer a lot of the questions, and the teacher has no problem reading and understanding. I felt so good about my improvement, and Ms. Gao told me that for the mid-term I could also write a report about Oracle Bone Script to add points. I learn so much more when I do research on a subject, and research I did. I knew all the ins and outs of Oracle Bone Script by the time I was done with that report. I studied very hard for the mid-term, and I got a 56 on it. Best of all, mine was NOT the lowest score in class - I did better than some of the Taiwan kids, yeah!<br /><br />I probably spend more time on this class than any other, because I actually do understand this one, and I feel that I'm really learning something. I'm crap at taking tests, though. For Christmas, Ms. Gao gave me a gift - another "small" test. Yeah, we don't get Christmas off here in Taiwan, I had a test that day instead. And once again I did a miserable job, despite the hours of preparation. I only got 4 points on that one. Sheesh. And I got an assignment to add points - another report, this time on the script used during the Warring States Period.<br /><br />The final wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, and I managed to do an OK job (but I still couldn't remember a lot). I know I passed, because I went by to talk to Ms. Gao on Friday, and she said I did a good job and that my report was very good. I'm sure I'll have an OK time next semester, as she wants me to help her with her English, and she knows how much I like her class, so at least I don't have to stress about possible failure for this one. The two of us are going to go to the National Palace Museum together during my break, because I want to go and really LOOK at all bronzes that I wasn't impressed with before, because I never realized how very old they were and that they contained some of the earliest writing found. I have a new appreciation for bronzes now, Carol!<br /><br />So, after Paleography is the "sweep up the already immaculate road" class. I have no problem with doing some productive community service work, but my group got assigned to hunt down and rake up leaves in one of the cleanest areas of the campus. And talk about a bunch of lazy-assed kids, I had to keep grabbing the rake away from one of the guys and doing it myself because he doesn't know the concept of "put your back into it." It's annoying, but we're usually done within a half hour, so what the hell. It's no fun in the heat of summer, and it's no fun when it's cold, either. Maybe we'll get assigned to a dirty area next semester so I'll get some some of feeling of accomplishment.<br /><br />Thursday is the day I dread the most because of the last class of the day, Introduction to Chinese Classics, taught by Mr. Cui, the head of the department (you know, the guy who promised me I'd have no trouble?). I'd leave this class confuzzled every time, because I understood NOTHING, and I'd have a headache from the way he would scream into the mike. I think my friend Maria must have said something to him about that (lord knows I complained<br />to her enough about it), because over the last few weeks he's not been so loud. I would often begin to cry in this class, because it seemed so hopeless and futile. I couldn't make heads or tails out of the handouts he gave us, because they're all in very formal Chinese, which is nothing like what I learned in language class. I couldn't understand anything he was talking about. I couldn't read what he wrote on the board because he uses calligraphy, which while very beautiful is not easy for me to interpret. After ever class I'd tell him, "Teacher, I don't understand ANYTHING AT ALL." He'd just reply by telling me not to worry, take it slowly, you'll get there, just come to class - "Trust me!"<br /><br />I had no clue how to prepare for the mid-term. I didn't even know what the teacher's objective was! I got my test paper, looked it over and couldn't understand a bit of it, and spent the whole test time writing a big long letter (in English) to him, telling him how I felt, not just about his class but all of it, and then waited for him to talk to me. It took almost 3 weeks for the test score to be posted, and I damned near fainted from shock when I saw he gave me 80%. Again, WTF? I didn't answer even one question! While I appreciate his kindness, this is totally unfair to the Taiwan students who spent so much time studying.<br /><br />The day he handed the test papers back, he took me outside the classroom and told me he wanted to find a Master's student to help me. I asked for Amy, the girl from Malaysia I'd done English camp with. She set up an appointment with me, and I went to see her, hoping she'd be able to shed some light on this subject. It was a joke. She said, "Mr. Cui just wants you to know<br />you don't have to worry, just go to class every time, take it slowly, you'll get there....blah, blah, blah." So, basically, I could do nothing except bring my body to class and I'd pass. OK, that's fine, but I'm actually trying to LEARN something here!<br /><br />Nowadays I set next to Momo during class, and she helps me to make sure I've written down anything Mr. Cui says is for the exam. She helps me decipher his handwriting, too. Momo is a sweetie, and she loves the Chinese Department. She's helped me quite a bit this semester. But you know what? I thought I'd be much more prepared for the final, as I had what I thought was all the info I needed. I studied it, copied it over and over, tried to remember it (which is damned hard when you don't understand what you're trying to remember!), but when the final came, it was loaded with stuff I didn't even remember seeing. Crap on a rope. Oh well, I'm not worried, because I was able to answer at least some things this time, so he should give me 100% for that!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Friday</span><br />Last semester Friday was the best, because there was only one class at 9:10 a.m., and that only for 50 minutes. However, because they've added that stupid Science class in the afternoon at 3:00, that effectively ruins the whole friggin' day, which is why I'm willing to audit Mr. Wu's 1:00-3:00 class. I mean, what the hell, it's not like I can do anything else.<br /><br />This class is the "practical" session for my hated Intro to Chinese Classics. The first few weeks, I sat in the back next to a guy who is very helpful, but again, because of the noisy conversations going on, I couldn't understand anything the young TA was saying. She had a mike, but it didn't help. I finally moved to the front row, and after suffering through the same rotten behavior (talking during class, talking during group presentations), I turned on them one day and told them to shut the fuck up, that I couldn't hear anything, and that I was already under enough pressure. I was so pissed off that I was crying, which I hate. So, they shouldn't have been too surprised when I lambasted them after English class, because they'd already gotten it once.<br /><br />I don't feel that I got anything at all out of this class, but at least I got to watch a great movie, 「Rouge 」with Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui. The TA let me write a report on the movie instead of doing a book report like the others, because she knew it would take me forever to finish reading a book. I hope next semester I will understand a bit more of what's going on.<br /><br />So, that's been my life since September. I'm mostly miserable, with a couple of bright spots such as two fabulous pub concerts (although queuing in line all day sucked) which got me up close and personal with my adored Wu Bai and China Blue, an autograph session where I stood in front of my adored Wu Bai and told him it was all his fault that my life sucked now, because if I'd never discovered him then I'd never have moved here. He laughed at me, the stinker. Another very fun thing is that Dino, the drummer for China Blue, and Xiao Zhu the bass player have opened a fabulous Italian restaurant not far from where I live, and I've gone there a couple of times for food and fun and will go again on Saturday.<br /><br />I had no Christmas. I had no New Year's Eve (we were off school Thursday and Friday, but since finals were on the following Monday, my time was spent preparing for those). I considered the December 20 pub show to be my Christmas present, and the party at Dino's place on January 3 was my New Year celebration.<br /><br />There are two more bright spots coming: I'm going to Thailand January 23 through February 1 for Terry and Cheryl's wedding, and I'm really looking forward to that. I miss my friends, damn it! I have no social life to speak of here, and I'm sick to death of being around immature kids, I need adult conversation. And then on February 28 there's another pub show, so I get to see my favorite guys once again (but queuing all day will suck, ha).<br /><br />Next semester I have nine different classes, all of which are required, so please don't ask me if I can't take it a bit easier. I would if I could, believe me. I need 139 credits to graduate. My first year I'll only make 31 of those. I need to average 34.75 credits per year to make that 139, so there'd best be some classes in the future that give more than 2 credits per, because I don't think I can handle any more classes per week!<br /><br />I'm all typed out now, and about to faint from lack of food (it's 1:56 p.m., haven't had a thing to eat today). Thank you, my friends, for understanding my lack of communication and still remaining my friends. You can just figure that the next few months will be pretty much the same as what's written above. I'll do what I can to stay in touch, but don't expect a whole lot<br />out of me, K?<br /><br />Love you all, miss you much.....500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-88479298188761159762008-12-12T14:34:00.002+08:002008-12-12T14:36:50.191+08:00Everybody Dance with MattHi all,<br /><br />School is killing me. The semester ends after the first week of January, and then I'll give a full report of these last agonizing months.<br /><br />For now, something that one of my teachers passed along, something that made me smile a whole lot. Make sure you watch it in the HD mode, and make sure you watch all the other videos he has.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-88566841796158801352008-09-19T13:45:00.004+08:002008-09-19T14:40:34.482+08:00Week Two Slightly BetterI've made through the 2nd week of university without killing myself, but it was touch and go there for a bit. Last week was really, really tough, and I was near tears many times, as I couldn't understand a lot of what was going on, and I was having serious misgivings about the wisdom of deciding to attend college at my age when classes are taught in a language I'm not fluent in. When I went to talk to the Chair, he assured me that in three months I'll be fine. Three months! Aiyo....but the mid-term exams are in November, what about those? How am I ever going to pass any tests? The Chair also said that the teachers will grade me based on my ability. I can only hope this is so.<br /><br />At least my schedule got a little better, now down to only 12 classes per week:<br /><br />Mondays<br />10:10 - 12:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"> <strong><span>Introduction to Literature</span></strong></span> (Difficult to understand a lot of what the professor says, but she's really nice and I think she'll be patient with me.)<br />12:00 - 4:10- <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>a four-hour break</span></strong>,</span> during which I can come home and relax a bit<br />4:10 - 5:00 <strong><span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Introduction to Computers</span></span></strong> - Practical Exercises (I cut this class this week, seemed pointless, as we hadn't actually had the real Intro to Computers class and had nothing to practice)<br /><br />Tuesdays<br />8:10 - 10:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>English</span></strong></span> (I love this class, hahaha, but I feel sorry for the teacher, as she can't seem to get any response out of the students at all.)<br />10:10 - 12:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>Phys Ed</span></strong> </span>(First item on the agenda was jog around the track five times. Well, I can't jog, so I walked as briskly as I could, in the 100 degree heat, playing Wu Bai songs on my cell phone for encouragement. Since the others were half jogging, half walking, I was able to keep up, because their walking pace is extremely slow. Then we did some stretches in the weight training room, and that was about it. Next week we're supposed to learn how to use all the equipment, after the jog around the track. I like the teacher, she's funny but no-nonsense, and she understands about my bad knees. However, she told me I need to lose weight. No, gee, really? Gosh darn, if you hadn't told me, I just wouldn't have known, thanks ever so much for the enlightenment.)<br />12:00 - 4:10 - <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>a four-hour break</span></strong> </span>where I can go home and shower after sweating like a pig during the phys ed class. I dropped the Grammar and Rhetoric class that I had at 1:00, because it's a 3rd year class, and I didn't understand anything at all.<br />4:10 - 6:00<span><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"> Introduction to Computers</span></strong></span> (Incredibly annoying class, because while the teacher talks, the other students chat loudly or sleep, and I can't hear anything. The teacher never once told them to shut up, just kept talking, and they got louder and louder......I mean, sheesh, I wouldn't understand an explanation of binary code in English, let alone Chinese! Why on earth this is a required class for the Chinese Department, I'll never know.)<br /><br />Wednesdays<br />8:10 - 10:00<span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span> Computer Word Processing</span></strong></span> - the other students practice typing English, I'm trying to learn how to input Chinese with the keyboard instead of with software, it's kinda fun<br />10:10 - 12:00 <strong><span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Readings in Chinese Poetry</span></span></strong> (I like this teacher very much, he's cool, but I don't understand much, yet. Too many references to things the Taiwanese kids studied throughout grade school and high school, and I have extremely limited knowledge in that area.)<br />12:00 - 1:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>LUNCH!</span></strong> </span> (I have a standing date with my friend Maria for Wednesday lunch in the cafeteria, where I can get a huge plate of rice with four veggie selections for only US$1.50, and it's tasty, too.)<br />1:10 - 3:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>Taiwan History</span></strong></span> (Another cool dude for a teacher, totally adore him. I understand most of what he says, but sometimes he loses me. In this class we'll also be doing some field trips, which I'm looking forward to.)<br />3:00 - <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>Go home!</span></strong></span> I dropped the Selected Readings of English Sinology Writings because 1) I discovered I didn't need the credits and the course is an elective, and 2) the teacher was pretty boring. This class is taught in English, but his English is not very good at all, and he was nervous about having me in the class. <br /><br />Thursdays<br /><span><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Sleep-in-late day!</span></strong></span><br />Originally, I had the practice class for English in the morning, but the Teaching Assistant said it would be silly for me to attend and listen to the English CDs with the others. I just have to write a short paper for him, and that's it.<br />1:10 - 3:00 <strong><span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Chinese Paleography</span></span></strong> (Otherwise known as the study and scholarly interpretation of earlier, especially ancient, writing and forms of writing. Not an easy class to understand, and requires one extremely huge, heavy book along with a smaller one, no fun lugging those to class. It's a subject I find very interesting, and I hope I'll be able to puzzle it all out.)<br />3:10 - 4:00<span style="color:#ff0000;"> <strong><span>Labor for Education</span></strong></span> - Groups of students clean up the campus and sometimes go out into the community to clean up there, too. I think it's a great idea, and American students should also be required to do this. However, spending an hour in the hot sun in the summer in Taiwan is not much fun. Still, I guess it's better than having to clean the stinky restrooms.<br />4:10 - 6:00 <strong><span><span style="color:#ff0000;">Introduction to Chinese Classics</span></span></strong> (OMG, so hard to understand the professors, who is also the Chair of the Chinese department, because he uses a lot of words I just don't know. And his voice through the mike is SO LOUD. Yesterday the itty bitty girl next to me was concentrating on taking a note, and the professor suddenly shouted to make a point, and she shrieked and jumped out of her seat in fear. I had a bad headache by the end of class.) <br /><br />Fridays<br />9:10 - 10:00 <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>Introduction to Chinese Classics Practical Exercises</span></strong></span> (Sigh....yet another class where I'm clueless as to what's going on. The teaching assistant has lousy handwriting, so I can't understand what she writes on the board. Well, come to think of it, I can't understand most of the other teachers' writing, either. It's like I've only studied printing, and they're using handwriting - big difference! Anyway, in this class we're separated into groups to work on reports, and at least the guy who sits next to me speaks a tiny bit of English and can help explain stuff to me.<br />10:00 - <span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span>go home!</span></strong></span> Originally I had, of all things, a "nursing" class in the afternoon, but the school decided that foreign students didn't need to take that, hooray! Now I have a day that I can go into Taipei to meet my friends for lunch once in awhile.<br /><br />My classmates are very nice, but they're all 18 years old, and I don't really have much in common with them. Some of the girls are just too giggly for me, and there are way too many of them who seem to want to make friends just so they can learn more English. I'm going to be a little standoffish for awhile, I think, and I'm not going to be attending many of their group activities. So far I haven't run into any crazy-as-I-am Wu Bai fans, but I'm still hoping I will.<br /><br />When the typhoon left us on Tuesday, it took Autumn along with it. It's been back to stinking hot for the rest of the week. I do hope it starts to cool down soon.<br /><br />Busy weekend ahead, got some reading to do and will meet with Aaron, who has finally come back from England. I know Monday will be coming along far too soon. :(500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-38779620747846290792008-09-13T12:46:00.004+08:002008-09-13T12:53:42.328+08:00Sinlaku Lands on Northern Taiwan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5t6kMwbh4_Q/SMtGhEeXV0I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/B3I4xL2ryAg/s1600-h/Sinkalu.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5t6kMwbh4_Q/SMtGhEeXV0I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/B3I4xL2ryAg/s320/Sinkalu.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245363724953802562" /></a><br />Can you see Taiwan? Nope, you can't! We're just a bit to the left of the eye of the typhoon.<br /><br />From Accuweather.com's Hurricane Report<br /><br />As of late Friday evening, EDT, dangerous Typhoon Sinlaku was centered near 24.1 north and 122.7 east, approximately 40 miles east-southeast of Taipei and 340 miles west-southwest of Naha, Okinawa. Winds were sustained at 100 mph with gusts to 120 mph, and movement was to the northwest at close to 6 mph.<br /><br />Landfall on the northern tip of Taiwan has occurred tonight, EDT. A ridge to the north and east of the storm will cause it to drift slowly to the northwest, which will cause a direct effect on Taiwan over the next couple of days. Interaction between the storm and the varied terrain of Taiwan will result in torrential rainfall and flooding, as well as mudslides. Damaging winds will be a threat to Taiwan, as well as the southwestern Ryukyu Islands.<br /><br />Sinlaku is expected to recurve later this weekend and could impact southern Japan early next week.<br /><br />Sinlaku's close proximity to Taiwan will inhibit strengthening this weekend, but as the typhoon moves northward, over open water north of the island early next week, sustained winds could rebound to 120 mph.<br /><br />Gosh darn it, why can't these typhoons wait for a weekday to hit? The weekend is completely ruined (to say nothing of the Mid Autumn Festival tomorrow - no moon viewing, no barbecuing for us, phooey), and it will probably be classes as usual on Monday. Boooooo, hissssss.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-51215390039706278922008-09-07T17:07:00.002+08:002008-09-07T17:19:35.075+08:00An Even Briefer AppearanceBest news: I successfully got my ARC! Yup, I now hold that coveted little card that will allow me to stay here in Taiwan for the next year without the hassle of extensions, applying for new visas, dealing with the HK visa office, etc. And I can finally apply for the National Health Insurance, which means I'll be able to afford the MRI on my knee and the possible surgery I'll need to get it back in shape, as well as the much-needed dental work that I've been putting off. Yippee!<br /><br />Not so good news: When I attended the orientation on Thursday, I barely understood anything they talked about. This does not bode well for my ability to understand an instructor in class. And you should have seen me trying to fill out the 100+ questions personality test in Chinese! Actually, I was surprised I understood as much as I did, but I'm thankful we didn't have to put our names on those things, because I may have given some pretty weird answers. :)<br /><br />Another thing about that orientation.....they didn't tell me they were going to try to kill me. At 8:00 a.m. they made all the students line up on the playing field, in the hot sun. There I am with a bunch of 18-year-olds, feeling quite out of place. I knew the orientation would be held in the gym, which was a short walk away, so I was a bit surprised when they marched us all in the opposite direction. Up some stairs. Down a long road, around a turn, then back up the way we'd come. Up a very, very, very long flight of very, very, very steep stone stairs. And all the while the campus police were telling us to hurry up, making the students jog. Not me, I can't jog. I told one of the "herders" that my knee was injured and that I was going as fast as I could. When we reached the gym, they wanted us to climb the stairs to the 7th floor! Screw that, I said, and took the elevator. Mama don't play that tune, is how I think my dear friend Romita would put it. This is apparently a school tradition, making the students experience a bit of exercise and see how it was back in the old days when the students used to walk to school instead of taking mass transit or riding scooters. Yeah, wonderful idea for today's lazy teens, but bad idea for poor old me.<br /><br />Tomorrow is the first day of school, very thankful it's only the two classes. I'll make use of my four-hour break in the afternoon between those classes to finish up some registration stuff at school and to open a new bank account. There doesn't seem to be a branch of my current bank anywhere near my house or the school, so I'm switching.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes - please keep them coming!500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-67297481237619744222008-09-02T18:11:00.002+08:002008-09-02T18:39:20.721+08:00A Brief Appearance Before I VanishHm, been a couple of months since I wrote anything, guess I'd best let you all know I'm alive. Not that anyone seemed worried or anything, which leads me to believe there isn't anyone reading this mess anyway.<br /><br />So, I went to Hong Kong at the end of June, thinking I'd apply for my new visa. Nope, that typhoon that was over Hong Kong was dumping enough rain that I decide to blow it off and just go back at the end of July instead, figuring I'd have more time to spend with Cheryl then, as she'd be done with work for the summer. Wouldn't you know it, the day I was scheduled to fly out, a typhoon hit Taiwan! What is it with me and typhoons? I thought the flight would be canceled, but those nuts took off in the typhoon anyway. It was bumpier than the flight in June, but we made it safely. <br /><br />I went to the visa office the next day, waited for an hour, and handed over all the stuff I thought I'd need (and had some stuff like bank statements for backup, just in case). The woman (and I'd been unlucky enough to get the really bitchy one I've dealt with before) looked through my stuff, asked to see my original letter of acceptance (ha, she thought I only had a copy), and then asked me if I knew I'd have to get my diploma and transcripts approved in the US. "Oh yeah, I did that already, in May!" beamed I, happy that I'd covered that base. I'll be damned if that woman didn't look at me and say, "Well, we need to see them." "What do you mean, YOU need to see them? There was nothing on your website about that. I have to turn them in to the university on registration day - those papers are very important. I left them home so I wouldn't lose them!" She smirked at me, bundled up all my papers, and shoved them back at me. "You'll just have to come back when you have them." <br /><br />I guess I'm used to the ridiculous rules and regulations the Taiwan government has, having had so many occasions to be flabbergasted by them, so I didn't lose my cool, just thanked her and left. Got back to Cheryl's and booked another flight back to Hong Kong just 10 days after I was getting home to Taiwan. Imposed my presence once again on my oh-so-gracious host and hostess, taking over their couch for a few days, went back to the visa office with all paperwork in hand, got a much nicer woman this time, and successfully got my resident visa.<br /><br />Got back to Taiwan on 8/14, went to apply for my Alien Residency Certificate (ARC) on 8/15. Was told I'd have to wait 3 weeks to get it, which is this Friday, Sept. 5. I didn't have it to show the university on registration day, thankfully not a big deal, but we have an orientation on Friday that lasts until at least noon, and it will take me almost 2 hours to get to Banqiao to pick up the ARC. I'm expecting to run into some sort of problem when I go, as that seems to be the way my luck is going these days.<br /><br />On September 8, 2008, I will begin my life as a university student, and my current life of leisure will be<strong> OVER</strong>. I registered for my classes yesterday and was slapped in the face with the reality of the decision I've made: 16 classes, Mon-Fri from 8:00 to 6:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00 to 6:00 on Mondays and Thursdays, and 9:00 to 3:00 on Fridays. Oh, goddess, I just want to cry.<br /><br />Well, OK, on Monday it's actually just two classes, one from 10:00 til noon, and one from 4:00 til 6:00, but it still shoots the whole day for anything else. I get 50 minutes for lunch every day. I have to put in one hour of hard labor per week (yeah, OK, it's only cleaning up the campus, but who wants to be sweating outside at 3:00 p.m. on a hot day, especially when you don't get any credits for it?), and I have to attend a two-hour phys ed class once a week (zero credits). You can bet your booties I'll be getting a doctor's excuse for that one, because there's no way this bad knee of mine can handle any physical exercise that's any more than a slow walk. I also have to take one hour per week of a course that translates as "Nursing." WTF? This is a required course for the Chinese Department? I guess I'm going to learn CPR and other first-aid crap, all without getting any credits. Why? Why?<br /><br />Truly, I had no idea that attending university would be this involved. It seems to me that the Chico State University students I used to see running around in Chico didn't have a care in the world. Study? What's that? Let's go out and party! Perhaps it won't be as difficult as I fear, but I'm wondering how I'll fit dinner, chores, studying, homework, and my part-time job into the short hours between getting out of class and getting to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour. I've grown too used to having all day to goof off, I guess, forgetting what it was like to have a full-time job. I know, you're not feeling one bit sorry for me, are you?<br /><br />Don't expect me to be answering any e-mails. You think I'm bad at that now? Ha, it's just going to get worse. Don't expect any blog updates, either. I'm sure you gave up on those long ago anyway, right? This may be the last one you get for a long, long time.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-29071820283253021262008-07-11T16:34:00.001+08:002008-07-11T16:36:25.705+08:00Somber ReflectionsTwo things happened today to remind me of the recent tragedy in China:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Sichuan_earthquake"> the Sichuan Earthquake</a>.<br /><br />First I received an e-mail from a friend showing the rescue of some pandas from the Woolong giant panda breeding ground after the earthquake. I'm glad those little fellas got rescued.<br /><br />We had a 5.1 earthquake not far off our north coast this morning, which swayed my apartment for a little while.<br /><br />In this day and age we seem to forget too quickly the disasters that befall others, so I want to put this link here so I won't forget how many lives were lost or destroyed on May 12, 2008. 69,196 are confirmed dead, including 68,636 in Sichuan province, and 374,176 injured, with 18,379 listed as missing.<br /><br />For those of you who can bear to look,<a href="http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20080513_1.htm"> photos that aren't quite as heart-warming as pictures of pandas</a>, from EastSouthWestNorth, Ronald Soong's blog.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-66444919452568998252008-07-01T14:48:00.000+08:002008-12-13T17:07:42.536+08:00Project Enlighten<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5t6kMwbh4_Q/SIA7ryHvVDI/AAAAAAAAAEE/JvalnFslj_w/s1600-h/ProjectEnlighten.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5t6kMwbh4_Q/SIA7ryHvVDI/AAAAAAAAAEE/JvalnFslj_w/s200/ProjectEnlighten.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224241191124423730" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.projectenlighten.org/">Project Enlighten</a> is a registered 501 (c) (3), Non Government, Non-Profit Organization, in the United States of America. The organization aims to provide non-discriminatory charitable giving that shall encompass education and humanitarian assistance to international communities based on need.<br /><br />Asad Rahman, International Manager of Project Enlighten, is a good friend who was my roommate long, long ago. I've just recently tracked him down and discovered his very worthwhile project. Won't you please visit their website and blog and make a contribution to their cause. Thank you.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-42511294678899500282008-07-01T11:39:00.000+08:002008-09-02T18:42:59.918+08:00Woohoo, I'm a business woman now.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pbase.com/500fan/image/95476223.jpg"><img src="http://www.pbase.com/500fan/image/95476223.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Gargoiles-Far-Eastern-Bazaar">My eBay Shop, Gargoile's Far Eastern Bazaar</a><br /><a href="http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/show/auctions?userID=taipeitina33&catID=&catIDselect=&clf=&u=:taipeitina33&at=false&s1=&o1=&">My Yahoo! Taiwan shop</a><br /><br />My funds for that university education come from these shops, so go buy something! The eBay shop is English, the Yahoo one is Chinese.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-52865483748643961462008-06-23T12:30:00.004+08:002008-06-24T16:09:40.175+08:00It's Gonna Be A Bumpy RideI have to fly to Hong Kong on Wednesday, because that's the absolute last day I can stay in Taiwan on this trip. Unfortunately, Typhoon Fengshen has chosen that day to park itself smack dab between Taiwan and Hong Kong, so we'll have to fly right through it.<br /><br />Wish me luck.<br /><br />6/24 update: No longer a typhoon, Fengshen has been downgraded to a tropical storm, and not even a "severe" one at that. Looks like all will be well, maybe still a teeny bit bumpy. Yay! And besides, I have confidence in the pilots who fly EVA's planes.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-11224915164395437722008-06-03T17:06:00.003+08:002008-06-24T16:10:37.658+08:00ImpossibleIt's June.<br /><br />It's Taiwan.<br /><br />It's currently 67 degrees Fahrenheit at 5:12 p.m.<br /><br />This does not compute.<br /><br />It's usually around 80-85 and feeling much hotter (it was around 95 or higher on Friday, and that was still in May!). Historical data on the monthly mean minimum temperature for June, from the Central Weather Bureau's site, gives the low at 75.7F.<br /><br />Not that I'm complaining, mind you....<br /><br />6/24/08: I'm complaining now. It's frickin' hot.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-53154254550104089852008-05-31T11:07:00.007+08:002008-05-31T11:35:37.142+08:00The USA, a nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live thereWarning, it's a long one!<br /><br />Day One - Saturday, May 10<br /><br />I flew out of Taipei at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 and arrived at SFO on Saturday May 10 at 7:00 p.m. - I love that time difference, get there before you leave, ha! My flight was on EVA, economy, for the outrageous price of US$1321. I'd been moaning about the fact that I couldn't afford the very lovely business class and dreading the discomfort of economy, but I was pleasantly surprised! The plane was one of the new Airbuses, and it was extremely comfortable. I was in an aisle seat with no one in the middle seat, just a woman in the window seat. Even though she got up to pee frequently, it wasn't a problem, because the distance between rows was much greater than on the last economy flight I took, actually enough room for a person to squeeze past! The aisles were wider, too, so I didn't feel as if I were bumping into every single person on the way to the loo when I went. The seats were very comfortable, and I was able to sleep almost the whole way. Well, at least after the small child who was kicking and bumping into my chair when we first took off was finally seated next to her mother and asleep. I think her mother was a bit shocked when I turned around and asked her in Chinese to please not let her daughter keep kicking my chair. Especially since I don't think she understood Mandarin, ha. They were apparently from Hong Kong and only spoke Cantonese and English, because the flight attendant had to speak to them in English when serving the meals.<br /><br />A quite troublesome family, actually, as the father spent the flight coughing up phlegm and polluting our air. My seat mate and I kept exchanging disgusted glances as he did this, and sure enough, I ended up sick during my stay in the US. More on that later. About an hour or two before we landed, the little girl was once again wide awake, and the mother allowed her to stomp up and down the aisle. Yes, stomp. She was wearing wooden shoes and delighted in making as much noise as she could when she walked. I was ready to throttle all three of them!<br /><br />Got through Immigration fairly quickly and managed to find my rental car desk. My knee was still not very stable, so dragging that suitcase around was tiring. I'd reserved a nice economy car, a Chevy Aveo, as I knew gas prices were through the roof. Imagine my surprise when the clerk told me I'd be getting a PT Cruiser. They acted as if it was a bonus: "We've given you a free upgrade!" I don't want an upgrade, I want the economy car I reserved. "Oh gee, sorry, we're all out of them." Hello? Does not making a reservation ensure that you will receive the model you want? Isn't that the whole point? The time to say, "Sorry, we're fresh out." would be when the reservation is made, so the reserving party can choose to try a different company. Grrrr.<br /><br />I picked up the car, brand spanking new from the looks of it, and proceeded on my way out of the parking garage to my hotel in Chinatown. Or so I thought. As I left through the security gate, I asked the guy manning the gate how to get to the freeway for San Francisco. In his broken English he said said to go out and turn left, which I did. This brought me to an upper level and a different rental car agency. They wouldn't let me out of their gate because they couldn't be sure that I wasn't stealing the car I was in. The man at that gate told me to turn around, then take the first left, which I did. Ended up at a dead end, went back to the man, and he repeated his directions, this time telling me to go right. I said, "But you said<br />left last time!" He started over, once again saying "left" then changing it to "right" when I asked him to confirm. I gave up, drove off to the right, ended up in an employee-only parking area, got further directions from one of the guys driving a rental back to its berth, headed back the way I'd come, and finally stopped at a booth and asked a WOMAN to tell me how to get the hell out of this place. Her directions actually worked, bringing me back to the first dolt who told me to turn left. He looked at me in surprise when I pulled up (I'd been driving around for a good 15 minutes), and when I told him his directions were wrong, he said, "Well, I meant after you first drive to the right and down, THEN go left!" Oh, thanks. Anyway, I finally managed to get onto the freeway.<br /><br />Got to the hotel with no trouble, as I'd stayed there in the past and still remembered how to drive in San Francisco. By this time it was close to 10:00 p.m. and I was dying for a beer. I checked in and then headed out to find a nice 7-11 where I could pick up a cold one. Ha, I forgot that I was back in the US, with nary a 7-11 in sight. After walking around the streets of Chinatown and Little Italy for some time, I stumbled across a Walgreen's that was still open, but alas, no beer. I settled for a bottle of soda and a bottle of water, although the shock at the price (over US$3!) dang near killed me. That's at least twice as much as I'd pay in Taiwan. Went back to the hotel and went to bed.<br /><br />At 2:00 a.m. the assholes in the room next to me came back in, and they were in the middle of a big-ass fight. They were yelling and screaming at each other, the girl crying, and I pounded on the wall. That earned me a "Shut the fuck up!" from them. I thought about calling the desk to complain, but then I thought, "Hm, this *is* America, and lots of people have guns." Decided to just get up and read for a bit, as I wasn't really that tired anyway. Read until the guy left, slamming the door behind him, and the girl called a friend and cried on the phone for a long time. When it got quiet I went back to sleep, only to be awakened at 4:00 a.m. when the girl decided to play music, loudly. Oh fuck it, I might as well just get up. Later in the morning I went to the desk and asked if those people would be checking out that day, because if they weren't, I wanted a new room. The clerk said they were and asked me why I hadn't complained. I mentioned the whole gun thing and he said, "Oh. Well, we have a security guard." Yeah, right. I'd already seen his fat old self and didn't see as he'd be much use.<br /><br />Day Two - Sunday<br /><br />Brandi and Lisa were due to arrive at the hotel at 11:00 a.m., and they were staying for one night in another room. Since I was up so early, I headed out to find something to eat for breakfast. It was about 6:00 a.m. or so, and the streets of Chinatown were mostly deserted, which felt so odd to me, as here in Taiwan the early morning hours are when the old ladies go do their shopping, and all the roadside food stalls are selling yummy breakfast stuff. There were a couple dim sum places open, so I just bought a couple pork buns and went back to the hotel to wait. The music was still playing next door, but it eventually went off, and I took a short nap. Eleven o'clock rolled around with no sign of my buddies, and around 11:30 Brandi called to say they were running late. I sat at the little table to read, and shortly before noon I began hearing a thumping sound coming from next door, then some heaving breathing and a girl panting. Oh swell, first I had to listen to them fighting, and now I had to listen to them having sex! I'm thinking, "Jeez, noon is checkout time, what the hell are they doing screwing at 11:50 a.m.?" Then I heard the maid knock on the door, and the guy yelled, "Just 5 more minutes, we'll be out soon!" and they went back at it. Brandi and Lisa showed up, and I made sure to comment extremely loudly on what assholes my neighbors were and how I'd had to listen<br />to their sexual escapades while waiting for B and L to show up.<br /><br />It was great to see my two best friends after two years, and we had a lot to catch up on. I still wasn't walking very well, but we headed out to Little Italy to find some lunch and then spent the rest of the day just wandering around lazily and talking, enjoying each other's company. We bought a ton of snacks in Chinatown and sat in the hotel munching on those, even though none of us needed junk food! Dinner was once again in Little Italy, and the food prices were so high that I was choosing the cheapest thing on the menu. When we were splitting up the bill, I had my phone out to use the calculator, figuring each person's meal, plus tip, plus tax. So much easier in Taiwan, no tax and no tip! And it's way cheaper to boot. But it was nice to eat some real Italian food, even though it was pricey. After dinner we stopped into Z. Cioccolato - "The Sweetest Spot in North Beach" to do some fudge tasting, and I bought a tiny box with two flavors. Boy, it's sure hard to choose when there are 65 flavors! If you're so inclined, you can <a href="http://www.zcioccolato.com/">shop online</a> - you won't be disappointed.<br /><br />Day Three - Monday<br /><br />The reason I'd stayed in San Francisco was that I need to go to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Organization (TECO) to have them put the stamp of approval on my high school transcripts and diploma, as well as on the bank statement that showed I had enough money to pay for my university education. I also needed to apply for a new visa, as leaving Taiwan negated the visa I was currently using.<br /><br />We first had a nice breakfast at the Victoria Pastry Company, an Italian bakery which has been in business since 1914. Absolutely scrumptious, and if you go to San Francisco, you must give it a try. Here's their <a href="http://www.victoriapastry.com/">website</a>. We each ordered something different and <br />split it three ways so we could try it all. Yummy!<br /><br />We checked out of the hotel, and they were nice enough to let us leave our cars parked there in their lot. We walked down to the TECO offices, arriving a little before noon. I didn't have to wait too long before a gentleman was able to help me. The first thing I gave him was the letter my bank had given me with its accompanying notary general acknowledgement. He said that it wouldn't work, because it wasn't all on the same page. I asked him what I should do, and he said to find a local notary and just have him or her stamp the back of the letter. OK, fine.....I left and went to find a notary. After inquiring at several banks, I finally located a Chinese notary and told him what the TECO guy had said. He laughed and said that no notary would ever stamp that document and that it was already fine the way it was, just needed to be stapled together. He did so, gave me his card, and told me to tell TECO that it was fine and legal. I headed back.<br /><br />By this time the man was gone, and I ended up with a woman, hereinafter referred to as The Bitch From Hell, or TBFH for short. From the first word out of my mouth she was rude to me, incredibly impatient, not taking the time to look at any of the papers I gave her, and telling me that nothing I gave her was right. We stared out with the bank letter. Nope! Won't work, I don't care what the notary says, if it's not on the same piece of paper you're shit out of luck. Fine, forget that, let's move on to the high school stuff.<br /><br />My high school transcripts are in my stepfather's last name, because that's how Mom registered me, but he never formally adopted me, I just used his name from age 7 until 18. My diploma was issued in my legal last name. I figured this might be a problem, so I'd come prepared with my birth certificate, which had my birth date, place of birth, my mother's name, and the same name as my diploma. My transcripts also had my birth date, place of birth, my mother's name, and a note that the last name was that of my stepfather. To any person with half a brain and the willingness to look at the documentation, this was proof that I was that person. But no, "The last name on your passport is different, we can't approve these documents." "Well, yes, but you see, way back when I was in high school, I wasn't married. The name on my passport is my married name. Surely you realize that American women change their last names upon marriage." "Won't work, it has to match!" "Well now, I just don't think that's possible, since I WASN'T FUCKING MARRIED WHEN I ATTENDED HIGH SCHOOL SO HOW THE HELL CAN I GIVE YOU DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE MY MARRIED NAME?" Of course, I was exceeding polite when I responded to her, and did not use any profanity. That was all in my head. She was shuffling through the copies I'd given her, kept telling me I hadn't given her this or that, then I'd say, yes, it's right there. "I don't see it." Well, fucking stop and look, you bitch. Then she told me I'd have to give her my marriage certificates or I could just forget it. OK, I know when I won't win a battle, forget the high school crap, let's move on to the visa application.<br /><br />I'd brought every single piece of documentation I'd thought I'd need - school attendance records, evidence of continued enrollment, a letter from my teacher saying I had a scholarship to continue, six months of American bank statements to show I wasn't working and depositing money in that bank, just making withdrawals to deposit in my Taiwan bank, an airline ticket out of Taiwan to Hong Kong in June, and a detailed letter stating that I'd applied for university to begin in September. I gave her the whole packet, and she proceeded to give it a cursory glance, then started tossing papers back at me. "You already gave me this, you already gave me this." Then I'd say, "No, there's only one copy of each, they look the same but they aren't, they have different dates on them." FUCK! This woman just wasn't going to be helpful if her life depended on it. I finally shelled out US$131, handed over my passport, and left.<br /><br />I'd kept my smile and my composure the whole time, but as soon as I set foot out the door, I lost it. "Bitch! Fucking bitch! ARGH!" Definitely time for a drink. Brandi and Lisa tried to comfort me, but I had a bad feeling. I'd come all this way and spent all that money, and I couldn't get anything accomplished. What the hell was I going to do?<br /><br />Lisa headed home to Fairfield, and Brandi and I went to her place in Alameda. We stopped off at Trader Joe's, my favorite grocery store, for some fixings for guacamole and some beer, and I picked up some orange juice and some Airborne, as I was feeling pretty lousy and knew I was getting sick. We had a great evening at her house, watched a fabulous movie called Boondock Saints while eating the guac with chips and drinking beer. Right before bed I discovered that Dad had called and left a voicemail, saying that a woman from TECO had called (I'd given his number as my local number, forgetting that I had the temporary cell phone) and that I needed to go to TECO for an interview. I didn't know if that was good or bad, but figured that at least they hadn't rejected my visa out of hand, so maybe it would be OK.<br /><br />Despite Brandi's couch being one of the most comfortable places I've ever slept, I could not sleep. I just kept trying to work out what I needed to do, the fear of not being able to stay in Taiwan overwhelming me. Man, I'd die if I had to move back to the US. I got up really early and got online, finding the Washoe County Clerk's website, where I ordered a copy of marriage certificate to Mark, then I tracked down the address of the Yuba County Clerk's office, as I could go there when I went up to Chico. My biggest fear was that there was no documentation anywhere that had my stepfather's last name, other than my high school transcripts.<br /><br />Day Four - Tuesday<br /><br />Brandi and I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and had margaritas with our meal, then did a little shopping at the second-hand shops in the area. I'd called the TECO office and left a message, and TBFH finally called me back. She told me I had to have an interview to explain why I wanted to go back to Taiwan, saying I'd already studied for two years and that was long enough. I told her that all the schools in Taiwan tell the students that the government allows three years to study Chinese. I made an appointment for Wednesday afternoon (oh swell, I have to drive back to SF instead of going to Dad's as planned). She called back later in the afternoon and<br />flat out said they wouldn't give me a visa, but if I wanted to give her US$27, she'd fax a letter to the government offices in Taiwan and ask them if it was really three years or two. Oh, right, I'm going to give you even more money! That $131 application fee is non-refundable, and I'll be damned if I'll pay $27 for a stupid fax as well. After I hung up, I decided I'd just go pick up my passport, return to Taiwan for a 30-day stay just using my passport, since I already had the ticket to Hong Kong in June. I knew that once I had the acceptance letter from the university I'd have no problem getting a new visa in Hong Kong. My big problem was getting the transcripts and diploma approved.<br /><br />Brandi took me wine tasting in the afternoon, and it was really wasted on me, because they were reds, and I just don't like red wine. Well, unless it's mixed with 7-Up or Sprite and had ice cubes in it, ha.<br /><br />Day Five - Wednesday<br /><br />Brandi took off for work, and I headed back to San Francisco, parking my car at the hotel parking garage because the fees were comparatively reasonable and it was only a short walk to TECO. When I got there, TBFH was not in sight, and another woman helped me. She was so nice, she already knew about my situation, and she apologized about having to follow the rules. I told her not to worry, I just wanted to pick up my passport and forget about the visa, since having a visa would do no good if I couldn't get the other stuff authorized. I asked her what I could do to get the high school stuff stamped, and she said if my high school would just type "aka (married name)" on them, that would be good enough. She said I'd have to wait for TBFH to get back from lunch, so I hung around waiting. When I saw her in the back, I told Theresa (the nice lady), and she went to get TBFH. As soon as she came out to the front, she started bitching at me, telling me I wasn't going to get a visa, blah blah blah. Theresa told her, no, she's just picking up her passport, she's not asking for the visa. TBFH continued her harangue, and Theresa, with a little more feeling, once again said, "NO, she's NOT asking for a visa, she's JUST PICKING UP HER PASSPORT." Even she was frustrated with her co-worker's bad attitude. I waited again, over a half an hour, mentally tallying the cost for parking my car, and finally yet another woman, a younger one, came out with my passport. She was also very nice and very apologetic. Damn, they should fire that other one, and I'm going to do my best here in Taiwan to complain about her attitude. I know her name!<br /><br />Back at the parking garage, I forked over $14 for parking fees and headed off to Dad's. Traffic was light, and I got there quickly. It had been quite cool in SF, but the weather started to warm up on Tuesday, and by Wednesday it was pretty darned hot. I'd checked the weather report for the upcoming days in Chico, and it was going to be over 100F (38C) most of the time, yuck. At least Auburn was a little cooler.<br /><br />Days Five through Eight - Thursday through Sunday<br /><br />I don't want to detail every little thing I did while at Dad's and while in Chico. Let's just say that I had an enjoyable visit with Dad and Berti, with them insisting on paying for every meal we had. Dad also gave me $700 to pay for the car rental and gas, and Berti gave me $150 for shopping money. I felt so bad that I hadn't been able to do any shopping to bring them presents from Taiwan, but they insisted they didn't need anything. We went to the movies (What Happens in Vegas - bleah), attended one of Dad's retirement luncheons (salad bar!!!!), ate lots of good stuff, and watched TV.<br /><br />I left for Chico on Saturday and got to Bob & Weiwei's place mid afternoon, where Weiwei had prepared a lovely salad for lunch. They apologetically told me that they had no air conditioning, as they were doing some remodeling and it had been cold up until the day before, so they hadn't worried about getting the air going. No problem, I took off to do some shopping while Weiwei did homework, and I picked up a fan that I could use at night. It wasn't too bad at all. We had dinner at Casa Ramos, and Weiwei and I watched a bunch of "I Love Lucy" episodes. Sunday she and I went out for breakfast and Bob went hang gliding, then we shopped all afternoon. More "I Love Lucy" that evening, really fun.<br /><br />I'd thought I'd drive to Marysville on Monday to go to my high school, but then decided I'd just go by on Thursday when I headed back to Dad's. I sent an e-mail to the woman there who had helped send me my transcripts, detailing my troubles and asking for a letter from them and amended transcripts.<br /><br />Days Nine through Eleven - Monday through Wednesday<br /><br />On Monday I stopped by the City offices to visit with my ex co-workers, then went to my bank to ask them if they could give me a new statement with the notary on the same page. The gal there said no way, the way they did it was the way they always do it and that it was fine that way. She doesn't realize how pig-headed those people at TECO are.<br /><br />Then I hooked up with Wendy and spent the night at her place that evening. Tuesday I visited with Mark for awhile during his lunch hour. He took me to our old house and showed me all the remodeling that he and Nancy had done, just gorgeous, and gave me a tour of their motor home. Then Wendy and I just shopped around, and I bought myself a nice Sony Viao laptop on sale at Circuit City, only $419! Of course I had to buy some software, Office 2007 and Kaspersky, and a wireless mouse, total came to $719, still way, way cheaper than I could get it in Taiwan.<br /><br />All this time I was sick, either with a cold or allergies. I was taking antihistamine and blowing my nose all the time and coughing, and my eyes were itchy. My throat hurt and I just felt icky. The wind was blowing at about 50mph (80kph) at times on Tuesday and Wednesday in Chico, kicking up all sorts of pollen and dust. Not fun for me.<br /><br />I had lunch with Rose on Wednesday at Burger Hut. Man, it had been a long time since I had a good burger! Stopped by the City offices again to see some people who hadn't been there on Monday, and that evening had a nice dinner at Turandot with May, Krista, Trish, Cindy, and Cris. Cindy gave me the new volume two of My Hometown Chico book to go with volume one that they'd all given me when I left. After dinner I went back to Bob & Weiwei's, and I think I kept them awake with my coughing. Kept myself awake, too, so was pretty tired.<br /><br />Day Twelve - Thursday<br /><br />I got an e-mail from my friend who works at Tamkang University, telling me I'd been accepted by the Chinese department. I was ecstatic, and I asked Weiwei to print that for me so I'd have it when I returned to TECO on Friday. I stopped by her office and visited with her for a little bit, then for Dad's. Dad had also called to tell me that the marriage certificate from Reno had arrived, yes!<br /><br />I stopped in Marysville on the way, first at the high school where I was told I needed to come back at 1:00 to see the head counselor, so I went to pick up my copy of my first marriage certificate at the Clerk's office. Got that, headed back to the school, met with the counselor, who of course said the school couldn't alter official documents by putting my married name on them, but they typed my legal maiden name on the transcripts to match my diploma and birth certificates, and they gave me a letter which clearly said I'd attended school under both names and that the diploma was in the legal name.<br /><br />When I got to Auburn I decided to make one more stab at the bank letter, so I stopped by the branch there. When I told the gal what I needed, she said, "No problem!" and proceeded to give me a new statement with the notary all on the same page. Huh, and why couldn't the Chico branch do that? Dunno. But, I had it, and I was happy. Now I had everything I needed!<br /><br />Another nice meal with Dad and Berti at a very nice restaurant, with them once again treating me. Tried a new beer called Duvel Golden Ale, a Belgian ale that is bubbly like champagne. It was fabulous, and I've discovered I can buy it here in Taiwan, so I'll be making a run to Jason's soon for some of that.<br /><br />Day Thirteen - Friday<br /><br />Now, my original plan had been to go to Fairfield and spend my last evening with Lisa and Steve there. However, now I needed to go to San Francisco, which is about an hour farther south than Fairfield. Did I really want to drive back to Fairfield on Friday afternoon, the start of the Memorial Day long weekend? Uh uh. So, Lisa called Brandi and asked if the two of us could stay with her in Alameda, and she said sure. Great, I'd get to see both of them one last time before I came home!<br /><br />I got to TECO around noon, and was happy to see Theresa at the window. She told me TBFH was off that day. Oh gee, too bad I missed her. I gave Theresa everything, the marriage certificates, the birth certificate, the high school stuff, and explained each and every page. She said she wanted to confirm with her boss that all was in order, and of course that meant I had to wait for an hour for her boss to get back from lunch. More parking fees! No problem, I went for a cup of coffee then came back to the TECO office to play with my new laptop while I waited. Eventually Theresa called me over and said that everything was fine and that they'd be able to approve it all, just not on that day. I'd come prepared with a postage-paid Priority Mail envelope so they could mail it all to Dad, and I'd left him money and instructions to send it on to me Global Priority. Man, what a fiasco getting this done! I swear, if this stuff gets lost in the mail, I'm either going to go on a killing spree or just kill myself.<br /><br />Hung around Chinatown waiting for Brandi to get off work, got back to her place just as Lisa was getting there, and the three of us went our for Mexican food and margaritas. Then we bought a bottle of tequila on the way home and had more margaritas while we watched a hysterically funny movie called "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra", a parody of the old black and white B movies of the 1950s. I highly recommend this one, and Brandi kindly gave me her copy to bring back with me.<br /><br />Day Fourteen - Saturday<br /><br />My flight was leaving Sunday at 1:40 a.m., and I needed to get the car back to the rental agency by 8:00 p.m., or I'd be charged for an extra day. Brandi, Lisa, and I went out for breakfast, then we went shopping in Emeryville. I was afraid my suitcases were already over the weight limit, so I couldn't buy anything else, boo hoo. Then we went to Hangar One for some vodka tasting. I didn't like most of them, but they had a marvelous pear liqueur that I loved, and Brandi bought a bottle for me to take home.<br /><br />We parted at 6:30 p.m., I drove to the airport and dropped the car off (got a tiny discount for early return, too), then spent many boring hours waiting for the EVA check-in window to open at 10:00 p.m. I'd done the online check-in, so I figured it would be quick and easy. At 10:00 I headed over to the check-in counter, and there was an enormous line already. I didn't see the online check-in window, so I asked where it was. "Oh, we don't have one here." Peachy. If I'd known that, I would have gotten in line sooner! Took me over 45 minutes to get checked in.<br /><br />When I went through security, they pulled my carry-on and said they needed to inspect it. Apparently the fudge from San Francisco looked suspiciously like a bottle in the X-ray, or maybe they thought it was plastic explosive. I had the carry-on packed with chocolate stuff, because I was afraid it would melt in the suitcase, and that earned a strange look from the inspector. Once they were satisfied that it was edible stuff, they sent me on my way.<br /><br />Day Fifteen - Sunday in the US, Monday in Taiwan<br /><br />I had an aisle seat against the bulkhead this time, no way for a brat to kick the back, and loads of leg room plus space to stand next to my seat - and right by the bathroom. Sadly, the young man on my left spent the entire 13 hours of flight time snorting snot up his nose instead of blowing it, so I had to keep my earplugs in the whole time to avoid listening to that disgusting sound. He also coughed a lot, and I expect the funny feeling I have in my throat right now means that I caught some germ from him. Sheesh.<br /><br />I landed at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, breezed right through Immigration (right, I don't have a visa this time, I'm just using my passport, here's my ticket to Hong Kong next month, thank you very much, goodbye.), and got the limo service back home. Yeah, it's pricey, but I still had leftover money from Dad, and being driven home in a nice clean Mercedes beats wrestling two extremely heavy suitcases onto the bus (no, the driver does NOT help), then dragging them to the MRT station, then either getting them on the little bus or taking a taxi for the last leg of the journey. That method requires about two hours, while the limo service is under an hour. Sometimes that's just worth it.<br /><br />Got home before 8:00 a.m., unpacked all my crap, bought some groceries, took a much-needed shower. The house seemed very empty without DZ, but I wasn't able to pick her up from Selena's until almost 10:00 p.m. Boy, was she happy to see me. She'd spent the entire two weeks hiding behind their couch and only coming out at night. I thought she might enjoy playing with two other cats, but she just wouldn't warm up to them. Selena said she came out once when Mimi was eating and took a swipe at her, then ran back to hide when Mimi hissed at her. Poor DZ, I guess she's just not well adjusted socially. When we got home, she kept meowing and running from room to room, as if to assure herself that she was home and all was well. She used to sleep at my feet at night, but lately she's been sleeping up by my head.<br /><br />I've spent this week trying to catch up on the lessons I missed, had a test on Wednesday and actually managed to get 91% even though I'd missed the whole thing and just studied it on my own Tuesday evening, and I have to turn in a composition to make up for missing the mid-term test. So, I haven't had any time to write to anyone, just figured updating the blog would have to suffice.<br /><br />Well, this has gone on for nine pages, and I'm sure it's not been easy for you to read. I guess I'll just stop here, saying that I'm very happy to be back where I belong, and I'm looking forward to my continued studies here in Taiwan. I should be getting my acceptance letter next week, but I probably have to wait until August to apply for a visa. I'll have to go to Hong Kong in June, July, and August, but that's OK, because I'll get to see my Hong Kong friends.<br /><br />Ta all!500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-44984673072831613532008-05-09T20:18:00.003+08:002008-05-09T20:24:46.886+08:00Gone Bye-ByeI'm outta here tomorrow evening at 8:00 p.m., flight to the US is at 11:30 p.m., and I'll be back on May 26. Dad lives in the dark ages and has no computer, so I'll only be online when I'm staying with friends. Don't expect to hear from me! Yeah, like I answer mail anyway, right? <br /><br />Let's hope the leg holds up for the whole trip. So far, so good, walking fairly well, but still wrapping it in the brace. Today was the first day I didn't drag that stupid crutch along with me. Guess I won't take it to the US, either.<br /><br />Wish me luck getting a new visa. Back with a report sometime around the end of May.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-4559065551981369332008-05-03T13:17:00.003+08:002008-05-03T13:26:34.834+08:00I Can Walk Again!My knee seems to be getting better every day, thank goodness. I'm still bringing one crutch with me every day to school, just in case I need it, but I'm mostly walking without it. I'm wearing the knee brace when I go to and from school, but at home and during class it's off. It actually feels better without it, I think, but I'm still a little scared to walk without the support. I felt like I pulled a muscle in my left thigh getting off the bus one day while trying not to put too much weight on the bad right leg, but that cleared up quickly, too. The right calf muscles were really sore for days, but now they feel OK.<br /><br />So, it looks as if I'll have no trouble making the trip next Saturday, although lugging around those suitcases might not be so fun. I'll take it easy all next week, which sadly means I won't be able to shop for presents to take with me, boo hoo! <br /><br />The auction business is paying well, my total income for March and April was about US$267, and my boss is confident that June will be even better (May will suck because I'll miss 2 weeks of work, but in June my share goes up to 50% from the current 40%). I still make a lot of mistakes, mostly because I confused with some of the Chinese, but it's getting easier.<br /><br />Back with more later!500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-24726858563037059842008-04-26T13:05:00.001+08:002008-04-26T13:05:45.406+08:00An Engineer's Guide to Cats<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mHXBL6bzAR4&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mHXBL6bzAR4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-54404469956770932322008-04-26T12:24:00.003+08:002008-04-26T12:36:44.853+08:00Bum Leg A Bit BetterWent to another hospital yesterday, saw another doctor, had another X-ray, this time of the right hip, just to be sure there was no problem there. Nope, no problem there. The bill this time was even more amazing, only NT$673 total, which is about US$22. Unfortunately, if I get the MRI the doctor recommends to find out if there is internal damage that needs repair, that's gonna set me back US$330-US$395 - that's rent for one month! I elected not to have it, for now.<br /><br />I can walk without crutches, very carefully and slowly. The doc said to see if the knee gets better on its own, just keep doing the heat therapy and no walking, plus stretching exercises to fully extend it. I'm feeling a little more optimistic now and think I'll be OK to make the US trip.<br /><br />My troubles seem so minor compared to my poor friend, Maddy, who slipped in the shower, broke her tibia, and had to have a titanium rod put in it! I can't imagine how much all this is costing her, because like me, she has no insurance, but unlike me, she's in the US and having to pay the outrageous costs there. Ya think maybe the next president can do something about that? Sure hope so.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-8462882249578607792008-04-25T09:29:00.002+08:002008-04-25T10:20:57.536+08:00Bum Leg BluesThree years ago, about two days after I arrived in Taiwan, I fell down and slammed my right knee into the sidewalk, hard. It's never been quite right since then, but never really, really bad, just always felt like it was bigger than it should be and uncomfortable sometimes. Didn't stop me from being able to walk long distances or anything.<br /><br />Over the Chinese New Year holiday I sat on my butt almost every day, with my legs extended either propped up on pillows on the coffee table or on the sofa itself, because it was freezing cold outside and rainy, no incentive to get out and move. Toward the end of my two-week vacation, I noticed my right hip joint had a burning pain, hurt to press on it. When I started back to school and began walking every day, I gradually got a pain that was going down the side of my leg and to the knee, and that seemed to worsen every day.<br /><br />When I reached the point where I couldn't walk without a lot of pain, I finally went to a clinic that Guoxi had taken me to before for some acupuncture on the knee. The first treatment was a chiropractic type, lots of bending and twisting. This was right before the Hong Kong trip. The doctor told me to go back the next day, but I couldn't because I had too much to do. I ended up hobbling around Hong Kong in pain, but after I got back here, I seemed much better, so I thought the walking had actually helped. Spent lots of time walking around with Carol, and still seemed OK.<br /><br />But then the pain started again, so I went back to the clinic, where they performed an absolutely awful treatment called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupping">fire cupping</a> that hurt like hell, left my leg looking as if it had been attacked by a giant octopus, and did no good. The next week I hurt so much I could hardly walk, so I decided to go to the chiropractor Nat had taken me to in March 2005 when my bursitis was so bad. He'd gotten me well in only two visits, so I was hoping he'd be able to fix the leg.<br /><br />The first day I went he told me a nerve down the side of my leg was pinched and that I'd waited too long before going to see him, almost to the point where I needed an operation. He may have been talking about the knee, too, I didn't understand everything he said because he spoke so quickly (in Chinese, of course). He twisted me and cracked me and make me yelp and cry, but I felt a lot better after that. He told me to stop walking so much and let the leg heal, and I made an appointment to go back a couple days later. That visit was last week on Friday, and it hurt so much! On Saturday my leg really hurt, but I could tell it was more the pain of muscles that had been pushed and stretched into unfamiliar positions, not the same pain as before. By Sunday I was feeling great, walking normally (I'd been doing a very stiff-legged limping along for quite a while), and happy. I noticed a clicking sound coming from my leg when I walked, but since I'm old and already have a bit of arthritis in the left knee, which makes it creak and crack at times, I figured that's what it was.<br /><br />On Monday I left for school, happy that I was walking without pain. I wisely avoided the stairs, going through the underground parking area and up the elevator to the lobby of the main building instead. I walked out the front door of my building down the small wheelchair ramp, and something snapped behind my right knee, leaving me in severe pain, completely unable to walk because I could put no pressure on the leg at all. There I was, standing outside on one leg, while other people walked by to catch the bus. One woman stopped to offer her arm, but she was a lot smaller than me, and I didn't think she'd be able to support my weight. I got the security guard to bring out a small plastic stool, which I hunched over and scooted across the ground, hobbling back into the lobby, where I sat on the sofa waiting for Nat (I'd called her with a "Help! I can't walk! Help!"). She took me to the hospital, and I spent the whole day there, because we had to wait there for almost three hours to see the doctor in the physical therapy department (the first doctor who looked at me was a surgeon, and he said it wasn't his speciality). Nat had to go back to work, but she'd called Kennie and asked her to stay with me and help with any interpretation necessary.<br /><br />The X ray doesn't show any bone problem (the doc wanted to be sure there weren't any bone fragments from that old injury that were poking something), but there's some degeneration of the meniscus in the knee. The doctor said it's possible there's a torn ligament, but without an MRI he can't say for sure. I know that it felt like my hamstrings snapped in two, but since I can use the leg, it's not that, just felt like it. He gave two types of painkillers, told me to rest at home for the next two days, and to immediately go back to the hospital if it hadn't gotten any better by then to see a doctor in Orthopedics (doctors are at the hospitals here, they don't have offices like they do in the US).<br /><br />I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at home. Monday evening was bad, because I couldn't put the tiniest bit of pressure on the leg, and any small bit of twisting to the side also brought tears to my eyes. I managed to use crutches to get around, but it wasn't easy. I slept badly because I was afraid I'd twist my leg in my sleep. Tuesday I used the heating packets a lot, and there was less pain if I moved the knee. On Wednesday I was actually able to put pressure on the leg and could stand as long as I still propped myself up with the crutches and kept most of my weight on the left leg. I could walk slowly, step by step, using the crutches, instead of hopping on one leg and dangling the other.<br /><br />I went to school yesterday, but I had to take a taxi from home to the MRT station in Danshui and then take another one from the station by the school. After class I had to go to my bank, which is only about two blocks away, to pick up my proof of sufficient funds letter for my university app and to pay my rent (which was already overdue). It took me forever to walk there, and my armpits and palms were so sore from the crutches. Took a taxi to the station, MRT back to Danshui, then taxi home, where I collapsed, exhausted. My knee is huge, looks like it's totally whacked out of place, quite ugly. That might be because I can't quite straighten the leg completely, I don't know, I just know it looks awful.<br /><br />I wanted to go to school today, but I just can't do it. I'm afraid if I do I'll end up hurting the other leg, and then where will I be? As it is, and I have no idea if I'll be able to make the trip back to the US on May 10 like I'm supposed to, or if I'm going to need surgery, or what. My landlord is so nice, he's taking me to a different hospital this afternoon (they are famous for their orthopedic department), and I hope they have good news for me. I may end up having to delay the trip, but one way or another, I have to go get my documents stamped and approved for my university application.<br /> <br />On the bright side, I have wonderful friends here to come running to help when I need them. Nat and Kennie really went all out on Monday, Carrie came by on Wednesday evening, did a little shopping for me, and kept me company, and then Nat, Charlene, and Betty came over last night with some dinner and companionship. I know I can call on the landlord's mom if I need something, and he and his wife are taking me to the hospital today. Also, on Monday the hospital visit, the X ray, and the medicine only cost US$37 (I don't have insurance, either)! Isn't that amazing? Sure can't go to the hospital in America for that, not even *with* insurance. Funny, though, the crutches and the 2 heating/cooling packs were about US$20.<br /><br />Wish me luck, everyone. I hope I'll be seeing some of you in May, but if not, then likely June or July. I already have my plane ticket, so I'll be back, just a question of when.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-79415330276630185902008-04-10T18:03:00.004+08:002008-04-10T18:17:39.084+08:00You CAN Go Home Again, But You'll Pay For ItHoly crap, I just booked my flight to the US - $1321! Now you know why I don't go back to visit you all more often, hm? That's more than three months' rent, for pete's sake. Thank goodness for the scholarship, that's all I can say.<br /><br />I'm sure sorry I won't be able to meet up with good friends like Romita, Carol, and Alice, because they live so far away from where I'll be staying. Ah well, Carol already came to visit me, and I know Romita and Alice will make it eventually, Romita after visiting Korea, and Alice after getting that son of hers married off on the 4th of July!500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-39179154981389430522008-04-04T10:21:00.001+08:002008-04-04T10:24:26.976+08:00Boycott the Olympics in Bejing!Why? China doesn't play nicely with the rest of the world. <br /><br />From today's Taipei Times:<br /><br />The number of tactical ballistic missiles deployed by China against Taiwan reached more than 1,400 at the end of last year, said the National Security Council (NSC), which said in May 2006 that the figure would rise to more than 800 by the end of that year.<br /><br />An NSC report released on March 26 said that China had more than 190 cruise missiles targeting Taiwan at the end of last year, rising from more than 100 a year before.<br /><br />The council said the deployment “allows the People's Liberation Army [PLA] to launch a nine-wave, 12-hour saturation missile attack on Taiwan and conduct precision strikes on more than 100 key targets in Taiwan.”<br /><br />By Shih Hsiu-chuan<br />STAFF REPORTER, The Taipei Times <br />Friday, Apr 04, 2008500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-7210268713122878202008-04-04T10:00:00.004+08:002008-04-04T11:06:30.071+08:00March Blew AwayOK, I've put off updating my blog for far too long! Let's see if I can actually remember what the month of March was like.<br /><br />First big news is that I got not one, but two scholarships! The school gave me the monthly one (for 4 months only) that they give to students with high grades. That's NT$12,000 x 4 = NT$48,000 (approx. US$1576). I've already gotten the money for that one. The second one is offered by the government to American students only, and it's a refund of tuition after completing a semester and attending class like I'm supposed to. I'll get at least NT$16,000 (approx. US$525) for that, but I may get it twice (I hope!).<br /><br />Second is that I'm tickled to have made NT$3228 (US$106) during my first month of business with the landlord. It's easy work, and so far in April I've already made almost half that, so by the end of the month I'm expecting at least NT$5000.<br /><br />Carol visited from March 16 through March 25, and we had a lot of fun. First we met up in Hong Kong March 13 and attended two Wu Bai & China Blue concerts on the 14th and 15th (I don't need to write about the shows, they were the same as the ones in Taiwan, basically). That was a blast, despite some after-concert stuff that still has me a bit angry with certain people and still in need of some confrontation with one to air it all out. We spent a little time hanging out with Terry and Cheryl, who took us to Sai Kung for the afternoon, and then just shopped around a bit at the jade market and the handicrafts store. It's not easy finding vegetarian food in Hong Kong, so Carol was delighted to find such an abundance and variety here in Taiwan. She said it's a vegetarian's paradise! I took her to Jiu Fen and to Ying Ge, and she graciously paid my way up into the observation deck at Taipei 101 so I finally got to see the city from way up high. We went up just as it was getting dark, and it was fun watching the city lights slowly come on all over.<br /><br />On February 29 we went to see ABS play, and at dinner before the show I was eating some simple penne pasta with pesto sauce, bit down on a miniscule hard something or other, and broke a piece off my already cracked molar. That was fun. I haven't been to the dentist yet, because the tooth doesn't hurt, and I'm chewing on the opposite side for now. But, I have to go, can't ignore it forever. At the show that night, Nat and Charlene gave me a birthday cake (oh yeah, I had a birthday on March 4, nothing much to say, got older and feel it), which was unexpected. Dino got one, too, but I don't think he appreciated it as much as he liked the bottle of alcohol someone else gave him. I didn't want to spend money on a cab home, so I asked Xiao Zhu if I could catch a ride home with him and his wife, since they live in Danshui, and he said sure, but I'd have to wait a long time. So, Charlene and I ended up going with the guys to some other tiny little bar so they could continue drinking (since Du Du was driving, she abstained, thank goodness), and once Xiao Zhu had his fill, we took off, me in the back seat with Da Mao, who also lives in Danshui. By the way, his little daughter is simply adorable! His phone was full of photos that he proudly showed us. I got home around 4:00 a.m. and only slept for about four hours. I'm too old for this!<br /><br />On my actual birthday I went out for pizza with Shannon, to the all-you-can-eat place. We stuffed ourselves, and it was great. Other than that, it was a pretty average day.<br /><br />March 22 was election day in Taiwan, and the KMT party won. Phooey. I hope it's not the death knell for democracy here, we'll have to see what happens. I don't trust the new prez, Ma Ying Jiu, one tiny bit. He takes office in May.<br /><br />I'm on a semester break this week, and damned if the weather hasn't been sucky since day one! Why is it that every time I have a vacation, it's rainy and cold? I hate being stuck inside. And the weather report says that it will clear up on Sunday and be stinking hot. So far today doesn't look so bad, so maybe I'll get out for a walk. I took a walk on Wednesday and ended up buying a new computer desk, so maybe staying home isn't such a bad idea. :) Yesterday my landlord and his wife took me to Costco, where I loaded up on cat litter (3 30-pound containers) and cheese (5-pound block of cheddar, 2-pound block of pepper jack - it freezes well!). Couldn't resist a box of Act II microwave popcorn, but I managed to NOT buy all sorts of other tempting treats.<br /><br />I'll be making a trip back to the US in May, as I have to take my transcripts and diploma to TECO in San Fran to get them stamped. Leaving Taiwan will probably mean that I once again will have no visa, but I can just do the monthly trip to HK until I get my acceptance letter from the university and then apply for a new one.<br /><br />Well, heck, I can't think of anything else right now, and the tummy is saying it's time for food, so I'm outta here.500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12234718.post-83520247372520583952008-03-01T16:16:00.001+08:002008-03-01T16:17:35.155+08:00The Boneless WomanA friend sent me this link, and I was so amazed by this woman's flexibility that I had to share it with you.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZNWEXEka60"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZNWEXEka60" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>500CBFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16229105962060478888noreply@blogger.com0