traffic stop

A friend related this story to me a while ago, and I had to share.

He was sitting at a red light when a guy pulled up to the green (going perpedicular to him) in a truck, stopped, grabbed his 1 litre can of Kirin Beer, took a big swig, then continued driving through the green light.

Driving back home is going to seem so weird after being here.

ODDBALLS

Been writing lately, just not here. Here's one thing. Another Xtreme play. Personally, I like my earlier one better, but this one got more laughs from the audience. Go figure. It's called ODDBALLS (MS Word document). Also available in RTF.

the x box

Ah, the X box. A strange, often ugly world, filled with fighting.

Yes, I'm talking about the election. (Get it? 'X' box? Eh, it's not my joke. I stole it from someone who's paid to be funny.)

To be honest, having been away from Canada for over two years now (wow, that's quite a while...), I am looking at it with a different eye than I did the last one, or even the one before. I was still out of the country for the 2004 election, but only six months. Now, it just seems ridiculous. The conservatives are just promising tax cuts to every conceivable tax, and probably to a few that don't really exist. The Liberals are promising the same things they've promised in other campaigns and not followed up with, the NDP are just trying to not be reduced to 1993-Conservative level (for those who forget: 2 seats) after causing this whole kerfuffle, and the electorate hates them all. At least, this is what I'm getting.

My mom does some phone polling, and she's a busy woman these days. Apparently, people: a) find the Liberals arrogant, b) don't like the NDP for breaking the coalition, then trying to dodge blame, and c) are very, very afraid of Stephen Harper. And this is in Saskatchewan.

Canadians are coming to hate their politicians even more than their southern neighbours. So in North America, we have one country who has a stubborn leader that no one likes making bad decisions left and right, and another country trying to differ itself from the first nation, but without any strong leadership. Paul Martin is not a strong leader, and Harper is a leader like Bush is a leader - they tell the people what is good for them.

The lashing out at any criticism and plethora of promises really makes me sick. I've registered to vote, and I'm informing myself on the issues (even though they don't pertain to me all that much), but it's not improving my view of Canadian politics. To be honest, I think that if someone just came in and presented a reasonable platform and stuck by it without calling names, they'd do fabulously. Unfortunately, it seems that that's against the rules these days. Too bad.

go fish

So, I went to the Philippines for part of my Christmas vacation (still there, as a matter of fact). And for part of it, I decided to do my Advanced Open Water diving certification.

After taking an experimental dive in Boracay earlier this year, my first (basic) Open Water certification was in (comparatively) frigid waters last march - 20 degrees, which, for staying in upwards of an hour, is frickin' cold, let me tell you. However, it was a whole new world. To be down under the waves, fish swimming by, seeing things in their own environment instead of an inch of glass between you in a yellowing aquarium that smells mildly of mildew was incredible.

Then I didn't do it for seven months.

I had intentions - even made it down to the beach one weekend (only to stay up giggling all night and making up incredibly long word-at-a-time stories, and end up too tired to dive the next morning), but they never translated into being under water. Probably the getting up at 6:30 am on a Sunday part. Yeah, I guess there is one. However, with Christmas plans firming up, I did a few dives to refresh myself and headed down here, specifically to Apo Island.

Wow. WOW. I had seen a couple of cool things in Taiwan - an octopus with a head the size of a football, lobsters, stonefish (dead, however) - but I was blown away by the number of things I saw. Thousands of fish. Turtles. Crabs. Shrimp. Sea slugs that were every colour of the rainbow. And so much more. I went down to 30 metres under the surface, started identifying fish, corals (hard and soft), and sponges on my own. I went out in the night, where you can't see anything (except a festive shower of phosperance when you move your hand and the faint glow of your compass). I let the current control where I went, trusting it and my guide, as fighting would have done nothing. And I had a blast.

There is so much to see under the water, so much waiting to be seen. Even the world's best aquarium has nothing on the world's aquarium. Plus, weightlessness! If you get a chance, take a dive sometime. There's nothing quite like it.

merry christmas, to within a tolerance of 0.1 kilomerries

This was just sent to me from my dad, and is highly amusing, especially for anyone who is technically-minded, or knows someone who is. Enjoy these Happy Holiday Specs, Plans, and Evaluations! (.pdf file)

My favourite note is Concrete If concrete is being used then you've done something wrong.

cloudgate

Now that I have time to catch up, it's time to catch up.

A couple of weeks ago, a large group of friends, organized by a very good friend of mine went out for a swanky meal, then to a performance of Cloudgate (sorry, can't find a working link). Cloudgate is a world-famous dance group, the oldest Chinese (or Taiwanese) modern dance troupe in existence. The show we went to see was called Cursive III. It was the final chapter in a series called Cursive, the point being the exploration of Chinese calligraphy through the dancers' bodies. In preparation, the dancers have studied yoga, kung fu, t'ai qi, and written calligraphy, in addition to dance.

And it was amazing. The dancers really looked like Chinese characters. Chris, who took a little calligraphy when she was in university, said their movements reflected the tiny little flicks and drops that are used to end characters when writing. (Keep in mind that Chinese calligraphy is like English calligraphy - something you don't use all the time, and something that requires study and practice - except there's a lot more than 52 letters (upper- and lowercase) and 10 numerals to learn.) Even their pants were chosen with thought - when their legs were extended, they gave the impression of the broad, sweeping strokes at the bottom of long characters.

The set was simply a collection of 10-metre-long pieces of rice paper hanging down at various locations on stage, raised and lowered at different times, and onto which an inky mixture was poured, creating a unique picture in the theme of the show - wild calligraphy. They were used in various ways, hiding, and highlighting dancers. At one point, there was a single dancer in front, five pieces of paper hanging behind her, and five dancers behind the paper with lights behind them, mimicking the movements made out front.

And everyone I talked to had different reactions to different things (is that a sign of good art?). One friend, who loves doing kung fu, loved watching the show for the kung fu moves, the strength and control shown. Another friend, who also loves kung fu, didn't like the show. I knew people who loved some parts and hated others (despite the fact that it was all, in a way, the same). I personally enjoyed every part of it for everything that it included - the art, the strength, the creation, the kung fu. The show was even had an element of improvisation in it - the length of shows varied between 68 minutes and 75 minutes. One thing was for certain, though. The minute the lights went down until the moment the curtain hit the stage, there were no whispers, no coughs, no getting up, and only three cell phones went off (which, in a country where a father answers his cell phone during his daughters' wedding, is quite amazing.) It was two amazing shows in one night.

Update: Sorry, link fixed.

just the facts, ma'am

I wrote a year and a half ago on education in Asia, Taiwan specifically, and the degree of pressure and abuse that can come with it. After talking to a Peace Corps volunteer here in the Philippines, I wanted to let you know about more.

You see, education here is firmly entrenched in memorization. The pure rememberance of facts is something that is pushed in schools. In Taiwan, kids are made to memorize long poems and recite them in class. Sometimes, when the teacher is busy or wants to occupy students, he or she will just have them stand and recite these long poems. Here in the Philippines, I was enlighted to learn the other night, the lack of analysis is such that even if the question is not phrased close enough to how the students learnt the information, the result can be a blank stare instead of a regurgitated fact.

There are times when rules work great. They give order to chaos and help us to understand what is happening around us. Even art has laws about it. And breaking something down to see how it works is almost always beneficial (if not a little confusing). Application works best when you understand what you're applying, and I've learned this from experience - from English to engineering. I realize now that part of my struggle in learning a second language came from not understand the rules of my first. But when all you learn is rules and pure data, you're stuck in a world of theory, a world that is not the world today.

I think that the Eastern world and the Western world are going to hit different sides of the same problem. The West is suffering from a lack of general education (with the price of it going up as general quality drops) and the lowest math and science scores in decades. The East, on the other hand, has the maths and sciences all wrapped up, but many can't make the leap into the imagination and analysis that is now being needed. It's too bad we can't mix the two and come up with something in between - knowledge of how something works with the imaginative analysis needed to improve it. Of course, maybe that's why those few are so and far between. Not everyone can be a leader.

and finally, holiday greetings

I just want to take a moment to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and/or holiday, whether you will be celebrating it or not. I know it's early, but I'm going through three airports on my way to a Christmas sleepover tomorrow night. SLEEPOVER! So anyway, I just hope that you don't get kidnapped by Santa and his six to eight black men.

no man is an island

Now, I'm not going to claim that I've met a tonne of famous people, cause I haven't. However, twice in the last year (plus a bonus from a year ago) have left me wondering about my luck.

My stroke of luck started late in 1998 when I flew across borders to New Jersey for a barbershop show. Some of you may scoff, but this was a collection of the top five quartets in the world at the time - a real treat for those who enjoy barbershop, and we did. (As a side note, one reason I love barbershop so much was exemplified by this show. During the intermission, these champions came down off the stage and sang with members of the audience, fellow barbershop enthusiasts. Name me one other kind of music where the performers mix with the audience during the break.) Anyway, Michael and I had arrived, but had no idea where to go for this concert. We were sitting around, a little low in spirits, when we saw a SPEBSQSA (the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of BarberShop Quartet Singing in America. Quite the mouthful) badge walk by. Michael called out and got the attention of the man who turned out to be the show's organizer. We got a ride to the show, great seats, recognition at the intermission for coming the furthest to see the show, and a ride to the airport with the quartet that would become the world champions three years later in a limousine.

So that was my first brush with sitting around, meeting important people. The next appreciable one wouldn't come for seven years, even closer to the end of the year. Christmas Day 2004, to be precise. Last Christmas, one could have found me exploring a palace in Yogyakarta. It wasn't a very impressive palace, at least from a tourist point of view. One employee at the back, however, told me about the Princess' Palace, which he said was much more impressive, and that I should go and check it out. It wasn't in the Lonely Planet, but I figured why not. I started wandering, and was soon asked by a man (whom I later found out was named Atok) where I was going. He volunteered to show me where the palace was, noting that it was normally closed, but was open for a fashion show that day, and that he knew the guards and could get me into this invitation-only event, which he did, as long as I stayed at the edges (the seats were reserved). He left, and soon after, I was approached by a man, wanting to chat and telling me to partake of the free food all around us. As it turns out, the man was a judge for the fashion show, and proceeded to bring me to his table, give me seat, and introduce me to his family. When Atok returned, he noted that I had done a good job in ensconcing myself. Made for an interesting Christmas, that's for sure.

And this year, it happened again. I was waiting to enter a museum at a university (the director had to open it, there was no proper curator), just sitting and reading, and a professor walked by, introduced himself, and proceeded to take me up to his office and explain his work at the university. He was in charge of the Silliman University's Extension Program, a program that works with outlying villages that are generally poor in the areas of alternative energy and AIDS prevention. As it turned out as we went through the day (he also bought me lunch), he was the head of the transportation board in the city, the chair of an annual two-week festival for the island, and the head of the tourism board for the island. Neat guy. We spent part of the day chatting, and he sent me off with good wishes and an order to drop his name wherever I go.

I remember an old saying from a movie or book or something that if you sit for long enough, everyone you know will eventually walk by you. Theoretically, so should every important person around. I can't wait to see who runs into me in the future.

a merry st. christmaween's day to you

I've put up a new gallery of all the bizarre Christmas cards I picked up this year. Many of you who read this got one, but you have to see all of them to appreciate just how odd it can get in these parts at Christmas. Enjoy.

the knives for bombs program

I was complaining to Chris the other day that I have nothing different to write about anymore. Then I realized that I was using a knife that was made out of bomb metal as I said that. So I'm going to tell an interesting story about that.

Jimen Island is a small island that belongs to Taiwan, but is only a mere two kilometres away from the coast of China. For this reason, it has been a focus of the tensions between the two countries, most notably in the fact that China bombed it a bunch when the Communists took over and the KMT retreated to Taiwan. With these two warring governments so close, Jimen was a frequent flashpoint. Machine gun fire was a constant, and thousands upon thousands of bombs were dropped here. Of course, at the time, it was unlivable, but it's got a small population now. These people looked around at a pretty scoured island, found a tonne of unexploded ordinance (and remnants of exploded stuff), and decided to use it to make products. (There is also a museum on the island, and a giant banner on both sides calling the other side to give in, like the propaganda villages in North and South Korea.)

I don't know the full range of these products, but I do know that we have a knife that was made from this metal. And boy howdy, is it sharp. This thing can slice a sponge into nice, easy slices. It cuts through everything we've put in front of it like, well, a hot knife through butter. It's honestly the best knife I've ever owned. And that's the story of the bomb metal knife.

Related: Here's a small history (and debate in the comments after) of the fighting between China and Taiwan over this area (well, Jimen is very small. Kinmen is the larger island in the area).