hurrying down the highway

We do need more wondering in this world.

Regarding this article, referenced by this wonderful gal, I do believe we are moving too fast. I felt it when I was in Ottawa, and I wasn't as connected or fast-moving as many I knew. There was never enough time - as the article says,

With just two days off in a "9 to 5" five-day a week job, there are few minutes in the day left for anything else at all, let alone to waste. Saturday is for nursing a hangover, Sunday is for doing a wash. Then it's back to work again.

Life was moving very quickly, for me and for others. I knew some who already felt they were spinning their wheels, wanting results now - not their fault, that's what they had been raised on. Hell, I felt it too. I wanted results.

The bizarre thing, however, is my dichotomous feeling out here (did I just invent a useless word? I think so! Oh, wait, no.) I feel much less busy, much slower and much less material, and I'm living in a culture that worships the concept of 'face', ownership, and mobile technology. (Is that a stereotype? Yes, but one lodged in fact.) Cell phones own here - you're almost nothing if you don't have one. WAP is prevalent, computers are cheap, bandwidth is unlimited.

And the human side. Though I may be just as busy now as I was before I left (or more), I don't feel the same way about it. For whatever the reason, there isn't the same pull on me. A slight exaggeration would be to say it felt crushing at times, but I'm one of those who doesn't feel comfortable doing nothing, and doesn't like being super-busy and rushed. It's hard to find that balance, you know? Maybe that's what people look for in their lives, with few finding it. I know I haven't. Yet.

Errrr, where was I? Oh yeah, too fast. Yeah. Contemplation is a lost art. It really is.

things that make you go mmmm

I've been using this as a sounding board for many complaints in the past couple of days, and for that, I sort of apologize. Only sort of because it is my website. However, I was walking around today, reflecting on why I have no reason to bitch:

1) MANGO JUICE. That's right, today I was getting down about things - broken bones, quitting Chinese (yeah, I quit, as the extra time and cost associated with taxis and studying were going to be simply too much to bear right now), and other things. Then I realized I can stop for a freshly made mango slurpee-like concoction (which can also have milk in it) for about $1CDN. And that made me forget all of my troubles. For real. How can you complain when you've got mango juice?

2) "Oh, that's riding in the country that you have to slow down and wait for the geese to pass." Welcome to the world of the Kaohsiung Driving Test, brought to you today by my roommate Alicia. It's not just a test, it's a challenge in comprehension and translation. Lost in translation indeed. "Biggest enemy of a motorcyclist: a) carelessness b) road barrier c) animals on the road."

3) This entry on Canadian winters, found through this amazing photgrapher. Every last bit is true. And pee-your-pants funny. You know, if you're Canadian at all. And not from BC.

4) All the responses that my comments on growing up generated from both sides of the equation. Whoo! I thought I'd have to write about eating puppies before I got responses like that.

.....

Maybe next time.

i have no problem making this political

In case you, like me, are noticing the absence of Howard Stern this morning, it's because the FCC has bent back Clear Channel's fingers to get him to conform to the new standards. Clear Channel folded, and Stern is off until he accepts the new FCC agenda. Which he won't. So, for much of the country, (Clear Channel being the largest radio network in the US), Howard Stern is effectively canceled indefinitely. Gone.

(Turns out it was six stations, I wrote this before knowing that. Still, all large major markets. For thousands of listeners, our choice has been taken away.)

Look, this is not a political site, and I don't identify with either party, so please take this in it's intended tone : every American who reads this... this has to be a one-term administration. How many government intrusions into your life will you stand for? The second term of a president is free from considerations of re-election; fail to get Bush out, and in two years what we have now will seem like motherfucking Woodstock in terms of personal freedoms. This must stop.

Culled from Mr. Resin.

Caution: not for the easily offended or those suffering from cancer of the funnybone.

reasons #264-266 why i like where i work

264. Today, one of the co-director's wife dropped by with the most beautiful floral arrangement I have ever seen (which my coworkers all signed), "just because".

265. The other co-director, who accompanied me to the hospital and stayed with me for about 3 hours on Saturday, stopped by my class the other day, "Just to see how you're doing." He said I should play more hockey, what with the pain tolerance I have.

266. Almost every other English teacher I have met in Taiwan is jealous of my company.

They're really great. No regrets, whatsoever.

in the news

The recent scandal (amongst other things) in Canada has caused a couple of heads of federal crown corps to lose their jobs recently. Being not of the country any more, I tend to miss events like this unless I'm actively surfing the news sites. However, news is much more fun when you get it off satire sites.

Case in point: going to the streets. Always fun. Always full of hilarity ("Canada Post: You'll get it when it gets there.") Yeah, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. Now go watch the clip. (Sorry, Realmedia required. Yeah, I don't like it either. Oh well.) Also, if you're interested, Samantha Bee (a University of Ottawa native!) does a fantastic story on Rock the Vote - just click on the link here and it's the first story. Nothing like apathetic teenagers and people who can't name a single fan of Donny Osmond to make you laugh.

on judgement and judgements

Well, as you may have heard, she did it. At least according to the court. Realistically, I do think that she did it. However, it just seems stupid - $51,000? That's pocket change for a woman like her. If you were going to go to jail for up to 20 years and pay up to a million dollars, I would think you'd want to go for more than that. Not to mention that her company is essentially dead now. Sure, they can keep selling her stuff, but guilty or not, no one has her eye for design. Sad in a way, but a great illustration of what greed can do for you. You'd think being rich would make her think a little more about getting things on paper (don't rich people do that to protect their money more?) - this whole thing could have been avoided if she could've produced a piece of paper confirming her statement that she had an agreement. Money makes you crazy, I guess.

In other news of bad people, Alfonso Gagliano has finally issued a statement. I remember when he was in office, Public Works was always rife with rumours of goings-on and misdoings, which is why he was taken out in the first place. He is considering legal action, understandably, which is why I hope the inquiry starts soon and points the finger straight at him. This could go all the way up...

Though it may be money and power that drive these people toward lofty goals with big ambitions, it seems to bring many of them down too. Makes me scared to imagine where we're headed.

break it down

To put it simply, break dancing is popular in Taiwan. I know, I know - 'How popular can it be?' I hear you asking yourselves. 'It's a past art form, a dance style that reached its pinnacle in the 80s! It was cute, but now it's time is done, like NKOTB and puffy pants.'

You've got some nerve.

Besides, you've not lived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I don't know if this holds true for the rest of the country (or whatever you want to call Taiwan these days), but it has taken its hold on the kids here, let me tell you. Examples? Sure!

1) I go to the Kaohsiung Cultural Centre, the pinnacle of culture and performance in this city. What's going on outside of the building in the courtyard? Break dancing! Any time of day - I can go when I'm not teaching, mid-morning, and there's kids dancing. I can go Saturday night, and there's kids dancing. Boys, girls, boomboxes - all converge in one orgy of twisting limbs, smiles, and gyrating body parts - all completely legal and family-friendly, unlike some other kinds of orgies.

2) I went shopping today and happened to stop in a hip-hop oriented store. Nothing irregular so far. Then, as I was looking around, the shopkeeper came out from behind the counter and started break dancing on the floor beside me. Can't say I've had that before. He stopped to get up to say goodbye when I left, then returned to the floor after I had walked out.

OK, that's it for now, but you can rest assured that I will be keeping my eyes open for further break dancing observation opportunities as they present themselves, bringing them right from the streets of Taiwan to your monitor. Stay tuned for further developments as they, um, develop.

common/not

It's still kinda weird to walk through an open market and be able to buy Beefeater Gin at almost every stall, but it's a challenge to find tomato sauce, as it's an import item. Part of me wants to get used to it, and part of me doesn't. Besides, you can get every kind of oil* imaginable here easily - not an easy task in North America.

*Speaking of oil, it is true that the Asian countries ship the shitty ichiban over to North America and keep the good stuff here. One easy suggestion to make your ramen even better - add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the water and flavour. It's included in the package here, and adds a very nice taste and smell to the mixture. :)

busted

I've always been of the opinion that if you can't laugh at yourself, you're no good to nobody. In light of this, I've always enjoyed movies like The Last Supper (in university, I KNEW people like that. Although, I'm sure that many people did. If they weren't those people. Then they probably knew MANY people like that. Anyway...) and occasionally reading right-wing blogs - I enjoy laughing at myself, and, moreso, people who take themselves too seriously.

Politically, I've known people that have been on both extremes, and have argued both sides (though not to either extreme). So I find things like this pretty funny (come on, you can't admit you didn't laugh too). I thought that this was a stupid idea when it was first launched - "Let's fight the brand names by being our own brand name!" Eh. It's a good idea, but just not practical. Movements that tend to focus more on just getting the vote out (I referenced you to a humourous take on Rock the Vote a little while ago, and there are many others) garner more respect from me, and I think from the general public too, because even though they too may have an agenda (who doesn't), their purpose is to just encourage people to vote and make their own choices, which I think is the best way. If an informed electorate* chooses something that I don't like, I actually don't have a problem with it.

*Well, theoretically. I've never met an informed electorate before. I imagine it would be a little awkward at first, a little weird, but I'm sure we make it work, you know, develop a routine.

it takes a lot to stop me from chewing

"You probably don't want to hear this, but I just got a call from Y*'s wife."

*my boyfriend whom I've been seeing long-distance for two months and who lives about 800 ocean-covered kilometers away (Update: after reviewing the comments, this note is from the speaker's point of view. I am not the speaker. Guess I should've been a tad clearer in my documentation... :p)

It did make me stop. For about fifteen seconds. Pretzels. I can't remember the last thing that did that.

Things are bizarre here sometimes.

Update: It wasn't the wife, but the mother of his child. He didn't think much of it, or of the fact he didn't mention it. I would say this is an example of cultural differences, but it's much more an example of male-female perceptions of what's important and what's not. Wouldn't you want to know?

this is how i feel about bush & his campaign

George W. Bush: He'll cut you.

(Real player required, unfortunately.)

pay it forward

Your opinions are requested, whatever they may be.

Is it me, or are things a-changin'?

One of my coworkers left here at the godawful hour of 6 am this morning, so we spent a few hours after work giving them a proper send-off at their favourite pub. I suggested covering their bill, as it was their final send-off, and everyone balked.

Is this not a common thing to do anymore? When I left Ottawa, a very good friend of mine paid for my last meal. (It sounds like I was going to die.) I've always been of the mind that birthdays and send-offs should be covered by friends - it's the polite thing to do. Isn't it?

Either way, I know I'll keep it up, though I find it sad that a custom like this may be on the way out. It's not surprising in this day and age, but it's not good that a part of the cure is being killed by the disease.

from the k to the t to the...

Karaoke is nothing new. It's everywhere in North America - from the smallest dive to having their own webpage referenced by fairly well-known bloggers. It is Asian in origin, everyone knows the story (Japanese creation, sorta means 'empty orchestra', blah blah blah - here's a history, if you want more), but one thing that most people don't know (except, I'm told*, if you've seen Lost in Translation) is that the karaoke in North American is not the karaoke here.

*No, I haven't seen it yet. I know. I'm going to hell. However, Bruce Almighty is mighty good. OK, that was terrible.

Here (OK, well, at least in Taiwan), we have KTV. It's still karaoke, but you don't sing in front of a bunch of drunken Asian businessmen - they sing in front of each other. ;)The difference between KTV and karaoke is that, then - who you perform in front of. With karaoke, it's usually a benefit/curse provided for free by a bar, maybe a feature night. Here, it's a business. A huge business. How big, you ask? Big enough to have businessmen wake up at 5 am to come down to sing for an hour before heading off for a long day at the office, then maybe pop down quickly after work with the coworkers for a few songs. Big enough to charge upwards of $15CDN/hr (depending on the size of the room you rent) per person, and still require reservations on the weekends. Big.

And, accordingly, I've taken the plunge. Those of you who knew me well knew I loved doing karaoke in Canada (or wherever I was), so I knew it wouldn't be long till I did it out here - I just needed to find those willing to accompany me. And I did. Twice. In a week.

Many people find KTV much more enjoyable than karaoke back home - I don't have a problem performing in front of others (what can I say, I'm a performer, ha ha), but a lot of people dread the idea of getting up in front of almost anyone (cue the old joke about someone preferring to be in the casket than saying the eulogy). Having friends, there, however, seems to loosen people up (along with a little social lubricant). There's nothing like having a room full of friends, everyone chiming in to 'Summer Nights' or 'I Will Survive'.

You also get your mandatory little bit of cultural experience - it's fun to hear the Chinese and Taiwanese songs, see the music videos, and have them stare at you as you sing songs as unfamiliar to them as the Chinese ones to you. I highly recommend trying it if you can (Vancouver has some, and I've been told Ottawa has one. I'm sure there's more.)

(Sorry, this is all I can give you for now. I'm not feeling writey lately.)

history and victors

I just finished watching The Siege for the second time. If you haven't seen it, it's enough to say that it's a movie about the rights (and loss of such) of individuals in society. Martial law, detainment camps....they really go out. And it was made in 1998. That kind of movie is sadly believable now.

Anyway, a reflection on the rights situation in America and the Western world is not why I'm here today. I've been reading The Chinese as of late. It's a history of the Chinese written from within - the author was an investigative journalistis a journalist and chronicaler of Chinese society. The book is excellent, and even though I'm only through the first chapter and living in Taiwan, it's already struck me how the rights and freedoms I grew up knowing are not the same as the ones that are entertained (though not always enjoyed) here.

Lies. Like so many dictatorships, much of Chinese history and many motivations throughout it have been driven by lies. So much so that people sometimes forget the reason for starting something. For example, Dazhai. Dazhai was a small rural town that the Chinese government adopted in the 60s and 70s as its poster child' town for a new agricultural trend. It advocated villagers clearing land, digging resevoirs, and building dams to create an unprecented agricultural surplus - so said the government. The government pushed this agenda across the entire country, ignoring the fact that it was wholly inappropriate for some regions, for about 12 years before giving up on it. In 1979, they basically admitted that they made up the surplus and that most of the work that had supposedly been done by the villagers had actually been done by the army.

People still disappear. When one villager expresses his discontentment with his situation in a meeting with the author, a neighbour slips out and officials quickly appear to escort the individual away. Even surprise visits are met with banners greeting the visiting parties. And corruption reigns supreme, with money greasing the wheels of a bureacracy machine that is so complex that one can't even find the engine anymore.

Even here, in Taiwan, which generally seems pretty free to me right now is only recently so. They only had their first election in 1990 - there's an election in five days, it will be only the third in Taiwan's history. Third. I had a brief history lesson at a training session this week. The manager presenting it (well, actually, he's a director too) has been here for 14 years or so. That means he came shortly after martial law was lifted in '87. After giving a bit of the history, he announced that twenty years ago, he would have been arrested for simply telling us the history of the country.

Truth. It's what empowers citizens and kills governments. I can't even say dictatorships - look at what a report of truth has done in Canada. And what the repression of it has done in America. The Chinese government has had thousands of years of practice of repressing the truth. We should be moving away from practices like that, instead of trying to imitate them.

kindness by post

I received my first piece of mail from postcardx, as recommended to me by one of my cool internet friends. I've sent off a couple, and by golly, it's addictive.

Out of touch. That's what the site quotes as the reason for its existence. "...a world that is increasingly fractured and out of touch." People build their barriers, burrow down, and close others off.

I betcha a mango milk that there would be less fighting in the world if people sent more postcards to random people. Of course, it's also amusing that there's fights going on and accusations on the boards. Maybe Agent Smith is right - maybe humans do define their existence through misery...

public service announcement

To those flying:

If you haven't already been warned, consider this your warning. My parents just stepped off a transcontinental flight, and they warned that security at airports is back on the high plateau of reactionary action. They left Australia (with armed guards walking around the airport) and entered Canada (with checks everywhere there could be). Take an extra book. You may need it.

On a lighter note: my brother has more adventures posted on the left as you can see. Check them out. I, on the other hand, do not. However, I had my teaching test today - 100%! Put that in your grammar pipe and conjugate it.

the future, the past, and the now

For a night that was supposed to be about relaxing and healing and sleep, I've had probably some of the best debates on politics (at least) since getting here, possibly longer. And it was funny, in one, I played devil's advocate, leaning to the left (my more natural leaning position), while in the other I was arguing a typically conservative (or at least, not-left) point of view. Both were quite stimulating, interesting, and enjoyable, as no one got offended. Words are words. That said, I encountered one of the first staunch Republicans (my manager) I've ever been able to hold an extended political debate with and who not only held his own ground quite competently, but also opened my eyes to some different points of view which I haven't considered before regarding certain political events.

What spawned the entire thread was the shooting of the president and vice-president today and the election and referendum tomorrow. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that I'm living in a country that's only having its third election tomorrow. Ever. Still makes my head spin. That shortly developed into a discussion of US politics. Like I said, I found out that I worked with someone who would (and will) vote for Bush, hands down. And he made some excellent points in his defense:

• With regards to the war on terrorism, what would you have done different? (Mmmm, probably not Guantanamo Bay, but that might have kept me there another hour, so I kept my mouth closed) If the majority of your electorate supports you in the rights you are taking away from them, is it OK? Do you think the US could have shown weakness in the face of what had been done?
  
• Re: the war in Iraq (whooo nelly, did they talk at length about this) - realistically, only history will tell whether he did the right thing (more on this later). Right now, everything is so muddy - of course, the (small) majority of Iraqis think they are better off than a year ago, and many more think that life will be better next year, but the question will hang like a dark cloud: will Bush be vilified or have his virtues extoled as the years go by? Time does tend to lend clarity - in retrospect, the US could have said that World War II was not its war to fight and left it at that (well, except for the whole Pearl Harbour thing), but it intercepted and helped to turn the tide of the war. Should it have stayed out? Of course, the coin has two sides - I personally believe that there is enough evidence to indict Kissinger as a war criminal for his actions during/after the Vietnam War. (again, more on this later) Things may never be black and white, but they can at least be a little less grey.
  
• The UN. Good point: when were they going to act? Resolutions and restrictions can work to a point, but when the government is corrupt and assholish and doesn't really care about its citizenry, is there a point when you draw a line in the sand? Is there a wrong line to draw?
  
• And on being American. We talked a lot about the reaction he got as an American outside of America - from friendliness (not so common) to disdain (common) to outright animosity (it happens). Why do Americans get that reaction? (I can answer that. They are the #1 superpower - everyone is going to criticize you when you are #1. Also, the general attitude is seen by the world as arrogant. You'll always have a hard time convincing people if you appear arrogant. Everyone hates an arrogant prick.) Is it justified? It is a stereotype, after all, and even though I carry the stereotype, I've only met one American personally who fell into it. It just gets frustrating to have people dismiss everything you try to say because you're American. He demonstrated it by dismissing everything my coworker was saying at one point (as a method to try and prove his point, not because he didn't believe him). I watched, and it did look pretty annoying. Good point.
  
• His last point was that he just couldn't believe that Bush was the slimeball that the media painted him to be (I think he could be). He asked a very pointed question: what would you think if a huge cache of WMD were found tomorrow? Would your opinion change? We agreed that for most people, it wouldn't - everyone's made up their minds, one way or another. It's sad that something that could be so pivotal could also have little effect on peoples' perceptions, when it was that very thing that helped formed those perceptions.
  
• We had a brief discussion about how the media is not what it used to be - there is too much bias, too much opinion, too much spin and slant on the news today. On both sides. Oh, sure, you can say that Fox is the only conservative news station, but there's some good arguments that say it isn't. There's also some (worse-written) arguments that say it is, and it's only trying to level the playing field. Either way, journalism isn't what it used to be - it no longer has the prestige or respect that it used to. No wonder traditional media eyeballs are dropping. Everyone's got an angle.

Thinking this was the end, I went home, expecting a short interweb visit and a good night's sleep. Instead, I stayed up chatting with a friend teaching English in Korea. We actually shared the same views, but this time, I argued the other side - the side I was just trying to think up arguments to a few hours previous. We chatted a bit about China, then got back to the war in Iraq. Of course, he made the excellent point that you can't fight a 'war' and then walk away and wash your hands - the world didn't let Germany do it either time, if you make a mess you should clean it up. The bigger problem lies in said cleaning - the Iraqis want the US to clean the mess up, but they don't want them there. They thank the US for freeing them, but many of them believe that the Americans didn't really have a plan for afterwards (I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they didn't, to be truthful).

He made a case for UN-lead peace, which, quite frankly, I'm starting to put less faith. The UN does certainly have the backing of the world, but everything it's set out on lately seems to have fallen through or gotten worse (the jury's still out on Afghanistan, but things aren't looking pretty). Either way, it was not the US's place to decide Iraq's future, he countered. Referring to my previous conversation, I brought up the WWII example, to which he rebutted with an excellent point - history may clarify some things, making wars more black and white, but then they lose clarity - people forget how they affected individuals. Can you say that Europe is better or worse since Hitler didn't win? Is that the important thing, or is it the process of how Hitler was stopped? Would the outcome have been different if Britain or the US had been pre-emptive (or even not - he was taking over countries) then and tried to stop Hitler at two countries, tops?

I had two small epiphanies tonight. The first was what it was actually like to be an American these days. I've grown up knowing nice Americans personally, but generally having a negative view of Americans in general. Tonight I got a glimpse of how they view how the world treats them. It was interesting. The other was a bit larger. I've held the view for some time that the problem with today's world is that there aren't any leaders left. Everyone governs by opinion polls. While it is good that they listen to the people, the people these days are not informed. This is why we supposedly have politicians - they are supposed to be the informed ones to whom we entrust our decision making. They inform themselves and make the choices that we can't. Why are we doing their jobs for them? The one thing that struck me especially hard, though, was the question: Is Bush acting as a leader? On one hand, he's going against what others say is right (leaders do tend to do that), he succeeded in what he set out to do (sorta), and he had conviction that brought many with him. However. There are many who would say that he fed false or at least misleading information to those who would follow him to have them follow him with a continuing fervor. He's going against what others say is right (naughty children to do that too), and he's only sort of succeeded at what he set out to do - the easy part. If I didn't know anything and only heard about what he had done for the war, he might find himself in my favour - one could argue he's been fairly decisive (though one could argue it's in all the wrong places, too). One could argue I play too much devil's advocate.

So. It was an interesting night. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And now, in about 13 hours, we will see exactly what will happen in a little country that wants independence from a very big country that does not want that to happen.

Should be fun.

things you sometimes say with children who don't grasp cultural references

• OK, students, if we're talking about things that there is too much to be counted or if it comes from something bigger, we use what? Much, that's right? How much money do I have? How much sugar can I buy? Good. OK, but if we're talking about things that can be counted, like, ummm..... OK, can we say, "How much balls do I have?" (Oops). Then, quickly: "No, no we can't. Yes, how many balls do I have?" (Oops oops). OK, now apples...
• while teaching phonics, working with a single student OK, cl is /kl/. Say /kl/. (no luck). OK, say class. OK, good. OK, again. Good, now take off the 'ass'. (Um, yeah. Hey, it's phonics)
• again, phonics. Phonics is good for these. This is borrowed from a coworker. A female coworker.
  Teacher: OK, who can think of a word with the -ck sound?
  (some words are said)
  Student1: Suck!
  Teacher: OK, yes, we can suck the juice up through the straw. Good. (getting through, a certain f-word has not been said at all. Yay!)
  Teacher: OK, good, any more?
  Student2: Cock! (All of the animal posters in Taiwan refer to roosters as cocks. It's ubiquitous.)
  Teacher: Ummm, yeah, OK. So.. (doesn't write it down)
  Student3: Teacher, you have no cock!
  .....
  Not only did this amusing anecdote pop up, but it also worked out that suck and cock landed right next to each other on the board. Ah, the joys of teaching English...

democracy, taiwanese style

Like I said, it's pretty amazing to be here at this time.

With a turnout level reaching around 80% of eligible voters (!), President Chen Shui-bian (the one who was shot) has remained in office. The show of democracy comes when one looks at the numbers - he was put back there by a little less than 30,000 votes. From a pool of almost 13,000,000 votes, he won by 0.23%. That's much closer than the 1% difference for Quebec in the sovereignty referendum way back when. Of course, a recount has been demanded (it has to be, with the winning margin begin one tenth of the number of spoiled ballots). Attempted asassinations, close calls, oh, and failed referendums (which I'm sure gave some of the world a sigh). We'll just have to wait and see if Taiwan will act like Quebec and try and rig a referendum, or if they'll just bit the bullet and take the word of their people.

One thing that this election caused me to revisit is the issue I take with the control some let their parents have over them. Many of my children say that they would vote who their parents tell them to vote for. That's fine - most of my kids are no older than 12 - I can't say I would've said any different, and my parents did shape my political outlook. However, I've met people in their middle-20s who said they will vote what their father tells them to vote. I don't believe that's right. It's just part of the society. You can see it in other aspects of the culture - men and women are still referred to with the word for male/female child until they are married or over thirty. They don't leave their homes until they are married (this is changing, but slowly). I've met Taiwanese who are 29, still live at home, don't stay out late (on any day), and who have never lied to their parents. That's not all bad (it's hard to fault someone for telling the truth, really). To have these people casting votes because their parents told them to is, well, wrong. I realize the Chinese put a lot of weight on the word of their elders, which, at times, is a very good thing, but in a democracy, your vote should be your own. No matter where your democracy is located.

i always do this

Everyone's got a bad habit. Some people smoke. Others chew their nails. Some people sleep around, while others taunt superpowers with rumours of weapons of mass destruction. Me? I give romantic advice to girls that I like. This time, it was more of a question of bad timing than anything, but I reveled in the irony of telling her to have some balls (yes, we can say, 'How much balls do you have?') when I myself was exhibiting hypocrisy in the extreme.

Ah well. One of these days my timing will be on.

We do share the same birthday, though, which is cool.

what they see

My good friend Scott just posted some thoughts on New York and American imagery and September 11th. You'd be better off just reading it rather listen to me try to summarize it.

Reading it brought up the issue of how they see things over here, though. Think about it. Where do they get their impressions of North America? For the majority, it's through the three M's - MTV, movies, and magazines. That's right - they think that the western world is reflected in music videos and hollywood's output. A friend of mine was told he must date black women all the time back in North America. When he expressed a negative answer, he encountered disbelief - all men must want to date black women, they're all so beautiful! When my friend asked him how he knew this, he said, "Well, MTV." Mmm hmmm.

But it's not just the MTV generation who has been afflicted with this perception. Ever wonder why Asians like their scotch? (Suntory, the product that Bill Murray's character in Lost in Translation is advertising, is an actual product. It's Japanese.) Well, part of it is face - it's expensive, and just, well, everywhere else at any time in our history, if you can indulge in expensive things, it's worth a lot of face-points. But they also think that it is just a western thing to do. Same reason that you'll see so much designer clothing (and so much more knockoff merchandise) around here - again, it's the impression that that's all Americans (especially) wear.

But it's hard not to expect that. The reverse holds true too - how much do you know about ordinary life in Asia? I almost knew enough to fill a thimble before I got here (now I can definitely fill a thimble). The funniest thing the switched cartoon obsessions - North America loves Hello Kitty and anime (which, admittedly, they love over here too), but they love Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop the like - grown men will drive around wearing cartoon characters. I saw a businessman on a pink Hello Kitty scooter once. It made me laugh.

Scott commented that in South Korea, they live a bit of a dichotomy - the younger generation wants the lifestyle of America, but hates America. Here, obviously, it is a little different. America is much more welcomed, and therefore a little more ingrained, a little more expected. My roommate got free tickets to a Vegas-style show - topless dancers, mostly synced dancing, the whole works. And she said the audience ate it up - this was the America they knew (or thought they knew).

Oh, one other source which can really mess them up sometimes? Foreigners. That's a whole different entry, though. Suffice to say, it confuses the hell out of them sometimes, becuase some will confirm the stereotypes, while others directly counter it. They still generally love finding out how things are, which is cool, as we are their only source of what a 'normal' western life is like.

Here's what scares me the most: this market. I'm sure that corporations are salivating at the idea of this market. Who wouldn't? Hundreds of millions of consumers, waiting to snatch up anything (and they love their crap here - they buy, store, then throw out each year to make room for more). It's only begun. (I have no idea where the trash heaps are here, I'd love to see them, I can only imagine...)

This, incidentally, was why I wanted to live rather than travel - that's the only way you can really experience these things. Yes, I believe I'm a better person for seeing a businessman on a pink Hello Kitty scooter.

(Yes, it really was that funny.)

the media here

I really want to write a long thing about the media here, but can't right now. However, I really, really wanted to draw attention to this article. No, I haven't seen that poster - the city's actually a couple of hours away. How can they get away with it? I have no idea. This was especially weird after Scott's post on September 11th imagery in Korea*. I tell ya, anything for a bang...

(I love the quote that the KMT spokesperson said it was very good before saying his official reaction was "no comment". Guess what your official reaction just became, buddy?

*I also just finished watching Die Hard 2. I love that movie.

i just did it myself

You can pay your bills at any 7-11 here. That's how entrenched they are.

I still have not decided whether this is kinda cool or kinda scary.

Though the idea of stumbling into the closest convenience store in a drunken stupor at 3 AM because you deicded after a night of drinking that you had to pay your power bill is faintly amusing to me. Also, the convenience of being able to pay said power bill drunkenly at 3 AM is nothing to spit at.

they balance out

Bad: I just saw a commercial tonight that has a fully naked, full frontal view of a young boy (maybe 8-10 years old?). It only lasted for maybe a half a second, but it was enough. The commercial was for catalogue shopping, I think.

Staying with that thread, I also saw a picture posted up in a pub on the wall that bothered me. It was a family picture - a mother and two kids. One (about 7-9 years old) was standing straight up, and was completely naked, laughing with joy. Bizarre.

Good: 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to do in the US Army. Lifted from Joey. I believe that #87 would probably make life easier at times, but less fun. A fantastic read.

Funny: Today I read about a Chinese gangster named 'Big Ears' Wang. The Taiwanese people on the bus were amused by my giggling.

That is all.

my empathies

I realized yesterday, the four week-iversary of my accident, that wearing this harness, this brace, is like essentially like wearing a bra 24 hours a day. Well, it isn't covering my chest, but with the weather being extremely warm during the day a few times this week, I can finally empathize with the ladies. Hot weather and upper-body undergarments are not the most pleasant mix that I can think of.

That being said, I only have two more weeks to go. Whoo!

in the name of fealty

Remember Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast? Of course you do. Who doesn't remember the idiocy of changing the name of a dish to rebuke a country in a childish game? How about liberty sandwiches, liberty dogs, and my personal favourite, liberty measles? These ones go further back, but they're just as stupid.*

I'm still reading The Chinese, which just gets more and more interesting with every chapter, and came across this interesting little tidbit. The setting is the early-mid 1980's, (somewhat) shortly after China actually allowed some ownership for the first time since before Mao took power in 1954. The government, now horrified at what this little bit of capitalism was doing to its power base, started advocating a "campaign against spiritual pollution.' Bell bottom trousers were seen as a symbol of the capitalist hedonism that had taken over the youth and became known as the mark of 'hoodlums' (as the government had taken to calling them). The Party Youth League even took to the street with scissors, threatening to cut long hair - on men and on women. Some government offices posted notices that women with long hair would not be permitted inside.

Anyway, the 'funny' thing was the government propaganda that came along with this resurgence of nationalism:

When the state ordered people to buy something, it called them 'patriotic treasury bonds' or 'patriotic winter cabbage'. Those who wanted to acquire foreign goods were therefore branded as 'traitors', and Maoists accused young people of foolishly thinking that 'even the moon is rounder in the West'.

Personally, I like my cabbage to be apolitical, be it patriotic or liberty-favouring.

*Of course, WWI was how we got the name hot dog lodged in our collective vernacular.**

**Quick, does anyone know the literary Heimlich maneuver? He's got a hot dog caught in his vernacular! heh heh

education and abuse

A couple of months ago, I discussed my impressions of consumerism and relationships here in Taiwan. I promised to continue it with a slightly darker and more disturbing discussion of my observations and interpretations of education and abuse here in Taiwan.

When I first came here, my manager told me of a poll he remembered done a few years back (couldn't find it, although I found a similar study done of schools that reflected these and other values (pdf) (the tables and figures can be found here and here, respectively)) that polled kids of different ethnic groups in America on their impression of what their parents expected/demanded in terms of performance at school. He went up through the various ethnicities, and finished by saying that Asian children said that their parents would be angry if they brought home anything less than A's.

Not surprisingly, it's no different here.

Education in Asia is a very large part of kids' lives. The pressure for them to do well is incredible. For many of them, their life consists of not much more than studying for a very large portion of their time outside of school. When I inquire after my kids as to what they did on the weekend or the previous night, most of the time, it is 'study' or 'homework'. They get 'big' Chinese tests every couple of months - so big that we are told to hold off on tests and go easy on homework. It's endemic. I've read about children who can play piano or recite Tang dynasty poems who have problems tying their shoes, dressing themselves, or understanding day-to-day life outside of being a studying, test-taking machine. One study from early last decade found that 75% of the kids under 18 were nearsighted due to the amount of studying they did (contributing factors probably also included poor studying materials and low light). Another suggested that upwards of 20% of students suffer from some sort of psychological disorder.

This bothers me. The kids never, and I mean never speak of playing with friends. All it is is work. I have six and seven year olds staying up until 10 or 11 at night doing homework (most aren't allowed to watch TV) then they are up at 6 to do other homework and get ready for school (which starts at 7 or 7:30). Kids aren't allowed to be kids. They have nervous breakdowns. In China, some cities even tried passing edicts in the mid-80's to limit the amount of time kids did homework to try and counteract this. They were generally unsuccessful.

Then, of course, there are the cram schools. I know of kids that go to school at 7 am and don't return home until 7 at night, or later. They have English school. They have math school. They have music lessons. It's just all school, all the time. Their parents barely ever see them. I feel bad about giving them homework and tests when they already have a lot of homework, even though that is my job.

And the pressure that these kids are under is suffocating. My kids report that their parents tell them that any mark under 95% is not good enough. I've seen kids cry at getting 80's, and beg teachers not to send home poor marks. Some will do anything - extra homework, retests, promise after promise - to avoid parents seeing bad marks. Why? I think you know why.

I originally wanted to write this article a couple of months ago, when it was first triggered. The trigger was a student walking in to my classroom with a bruise on his face. When asked where he got it, he simply said, "My mother hit me!" He then showed me bruises on his shoulder and leg. I've seen students walk in since then with swollen cheeks and scratches that are a little more than suspicious. I've heard stories of small children (like 4 or 5) coming to school with their backs and butts black and blue. A friend of mine has been told a couple of times by parents that she has full permission to hit their children. My students have voiced their concern that I will hit them (even though they know that the foreign teachers don't strike the kids. Ever. At least at this school.)

And it's not just the parents. My private student tells me that in school, it's much the same. Not done your homework? Smack! Acting up in class? Upside the head. No wonder these kids live in fear of figures of authority.

The first time I spoke of this with my roommate (who has been here for two years now), she told me that I would get used to it. I told her I didn't - it was horrible, disgusting, and I found it terrible that it happened unchecked. She said that that would still happen, but that I'd just get used to the fact that it happens and I can't do anything about it. Now, a couple of months later, I have realized that she was right. It's an abhorrent realization to have, almost as foul as the fact that it happens. I can’t do anything directly about it, I already know that. All I can do, and I do, is encourage them, try and give them what they need and so many don’t get enough of. What so many kids the world over don’t get.

Acceptance.

wet fireworks can still flash

Well, for a blog milestone (entry #200), just a quick personal update. The doctor said today that I had to wear my brace for another four weeks instead of the two that I thought I would have to. Make the union stronger, he says. Safer, he says. Well, to quell the angry crowds, I'll do it. Plus, it wouldn't do to snap it again due to a lack of healing time. So my relaxing beach vacation is still on, but my neat-o hiking vacation is postponed.

I did, however, return to the crazed, chaotic streets as a lean, mean, giving-more-berth-to-cars scooter driver today. I'll even be back on my own scooter tomorrow. After it's fixed. Again.

Bad news? No! Why? Postcardx! More postal goodness, in the form of random international stamps, homemade envelopes, and stickers arriving in the mail yesterday from an amazing random individual in Australia. It's like being a kid again, waiting for the post. It makes coming home from work everyday a surprise - is there going to be something in the mail? A postcard, some randomata, or a special greeting from a new friend? Very exciting. Enough to make any day a great day.

Oh. And I'm getting a new camera!