我的暑假。。。

我的暑假很無聊。 全7月我在家。 我覺得我丟了我對我的朋友關係。 三個禮拜我們只聯絡一次。 如果一些人發現了這樣子的情形， 也許他們會很難過。 但我沒有特別的感覺。 我不是很難過， 我不是很孤單， 我也不是很開心。 我認為我的時間在南卡洲快結束了。 我還喜歡我的南卡洲朋友， 不過現在我對他們的個性， 生活, 甚麼的差太多了。 也許我慢慢變成一個台灣人！ 我不要了！ 台灣人很可憐： 每天在工作太久了！ 也許我的個性跟台灣人差不多了。 我認為這樣子還不錯。 我只希望我的生活不是跟台灣人一樣了！ 我好懶啊。 這禮拜四我會飛舊金山看大學朋友。 我希望我跟他們的現在關係好像大學時間關係一樣。我拜拜我們的關係不是差很多。 Crosses fingers...

Bringing it back

I've decided to bring back this blog for the sole purpose of quasi-free-writing in English and Chinese. It feels like ages since I have written anything of consequence in English, and I think my writing has suffered because of this. The Chinese portion is just so that I can practice in a more enjoyable manner: one can only do so many grammar activities and so much character writing before tedium sets in.

I know I could just make a bunch of Word documents and be done with it, but there is something about blogs, the internet, networking, sharing my thoughts with the (hypothetical) world, etc., etc. that is more appealing.

So, welcome back, Life in Taiwan:　The Blog.

再歡迎"在台灣生活"： 部落格

Obies in Taiwan

Just ran into two Obies in Taiwan. Not just in Taiwan, though. In Jhubei. A city of maybe 100,000 (small by Taiwan standards). Bizarre stuff. I think I'll bring my camera with me this weekend and take some more photos. I miss this blog.

Just a few bar pictures. The scene here in 新竹 is mostly 20ish Taiwanese girls and 30-60 year old (creepy) foreigners. And various couples and Taiwanese guys. I've found a pretty fun group of people and bars, but the people I hang out with are not the norm here. I imagine 台北 is a little more my speed and age group, but going there is expensive and daunting. I would certainly go with friends, but alone, that's a bit much.







These two were taken at the request of the guy in the middle. They are of him and the bar staff at one of the smaller dive bars:




I'm in both the next two but can only really be seen in the second one. The guy on the left is from Arkansas and is hilarious and sports a deep, backwoods Southern accent. Yeah...:




And a wall of Heineken:


As it turns out, the unmarked black cabs are nighttime-only businesses that cater to the bar crowd. I've ridden in them a few times and they are completely legitimate and actually a good deal cheaper than your standard yellow cab. So there!

Long Time Coming

Welp, I blame it on the PS3 and general business of my day-to-day life, but here, at last, are the rest of the pictures from that one field trip I went on ages ago. These were all taken around dusk on the 18km bike trail that runs along Xinzhu's coast.











I forgot to bring my camera with me last weekend when I went to Taipei, but I will be bringing it with me this weekend to photograph some of Xinzhu's nightlife. Prepare for mediocrity.

More Field Trip Pictures

Sorry! It's been a hectic week (or however long it's been since I last updated). No time to talk now--I have to get to bed--but here are some of the better pictures I took before, during and after the walk. The next update I'll include a few pictures from my end-of-the-day bike ride along the coast of Taiwan. But for now, please to enjoy the following, compiled in chronological order.





























Yes, those are two separate temples. We didn't go full-circle or anything.

CNN and Facebook Made Me Care

Good thing Obama won. I'd say I followed this election more than any other and believed, like most, that America's future hinged on the outcome. It's undoubtedly wishful thinking--the president should not play that big of a role--but at least symbolically that is how I have felt. Thank God I was vindicated. In light of some people's opinions I have copied something I posted on my Facebook here. I think these quotes need to be seen by as large an audience as possible to really drive home just how clueless some people really are.

Please to forgive the language.

Some quality dipshit statuses re: presidential election:
"I am disheartened with the youth of today."
"I am spreading the wealth, so those who want a knuckle sandwich for voting for President Hussein please come forth, and I will share."
"Everyone move your money into offshore accounts ASAP."
"I am now a sad panda."

I will update this list should more of my Facebook Friends decide to come forth as intellectual lightweights who believed--and probably still believe--an old, decrepit man who ran a campaign overflowing with smear tactics and chose a fundie whackjob for a running mate represented an agent of change and the best choice for America; and as they expess only the most infantile of notions regarding Obama's tax plan and probably still believe trickle-down economics is a viable economic system/strategy. When we are in a recession, when our infrastructure requires a great deal of maintenance, when a large percentage of citizens lack decent health care, when unemployment continues to rise, when our education system is bunk, when we continue to support a war in Iraq and Afghanistan, when our place at the forefront of scientific research has been marginalized, when America needs money more than ever, these select few supported the guy who would decrease government revenue. Period. Not the one who would cut them (the majority of America) a break and increase government revenue (hmm, maybe revenue is the wrong word...) by increasing taxes only among the upper 5% of Americans. And they continue to support him, using their status to symbolize how very wrong they were, are, and will continue to be.

And if they think tax hikes for rich people will affect said rich people's businesses and business ventures, they need to really, truly and completely shove off.

This election was nothing but a farce, and those who honestly support(ed) McCain-Palin after every stupid decision, ill-conceived plan, moronic strategy and cringe-worthy interview these two and their party gave are the poop-stained smudge on what is otherwise a bright, shining beacon of (potential) change and fresh air.

In short, fuck the haters.