Banqiao Night Market, Taipei City

Today I finally made my grand arrival into Taipei City. Lucky for me I had some good guides to get me to the places to see (thanks to Aaron, Rika and all the others). We started our grand tour of the city by walking to a pretty good vegetarian restraunt. It's amazing how good veggies can taste when they are prepared by someone who knows how to cook them. We also had some kind of tea that is made from leaves of some kind of tree that is found only in southern China. I forget the name of it, but its very similar in taste to tea made out of mushrooms (or so I was told). After that, we all made our way to the Banqiao Night Market Area. We stopped for a tour of Longshan Temple, where Michael was kind enough to give me an immersion experience on how worshippers go through a ceremony. It was a bit foreign to me, but definitly was a learning experience. After leaving Longshan, we headed for the Night Market - a.k.a. The Snake Market. Seriously, if you EVER have a desire to eat foods that might be taboo or found only in certain parts of the world, THIS is the place to come. Everything you can imagine is here. From duck heads to chicken feet to fresh snake (but I'll get into that in a minute). The night market also is pretty much like a Wal-Mart for those of you still in the states. Most anything can be found here. I bought myself a nice hat, some curtains for my apartment - so I can walk around naked and not have to worry about peeping toms ;) - a speghetti pot and a lot of different types of foods... ...one of those being - SNAKE. Yes, I actually ate snake tonight. Not only that, FRESH snake. This thing was literally killed right in front of us. They chopped him up, put him into water, cooked him, and served it as soup. They also gave us complimentary snake venom and blood to drink. Just so you know, we didn't drink the blood, but me and Aaron took care of the venom...well, he kind of sniffed it... Also, the snake blood and venom is HEAVILY dilluted. It's like 98% of something - smelled like vodka, but who knows - and maybe 2% blood or venom. So any kind of poison has been neutralized by the time it gets to my pallete. Tonight I also had pure cane sugar juice, potato balls, sushi, rice wrapped in tofu, coffee jello thingy...honestly I had a lot of different things that I can't quite remember them all. Anyhow, I think tonight was very exciting...although I don't think I will be trying snake again anytime soon. And yes, it tasted like chicken (turkey actually) and it is so bony that it's actually very difficult to eat. If it wasn't that hard to eat, I probably would try eating it again. But as a short side not, last night I tried to order duck at the local night market...being I don't speak Chineese, I figured the best way to order was to look the guy in his eyes and say: "Quack". I think he got a kick out of it, because he proceeded to make me an amazing dish of duck........and squid...and octopus...and liver of some sort...and 2 other mystery meats. I thought it would be a good idea. Maybe it was...but only if I was a big fan of seafood :/ Anyhow, I think that's it. Until next time...

Kuolai Wilderness Experience

So I have been here a few days and have had a pretty good time so far. I think I beat the jetlag by not sleeping until the night I got in town (and my flight arrived around 5:45 am...so it was a bit difficult).

So far I have spent the majority of time here at the school. The schools name is Kuolai English Wonderland and it's situated in almost a paradise in the mountains. The weather has been sunny and warm since I got here. This morning I even saw a bamboo viper snake (it was dead but still cool to see)

One thing that is very important to have is a dehumidifier. I bought one last night at the "French Walmart" and think that it will be one of my largest expenditures (NT$3000). But being that my passport was beginning to rollup because of the humidity, I think it was necessary.

The city that I am living in is Sheng Keng - which translates into "The Hole". Ominious sounding. The apartment is about a 10 minute walk into the city. There is a night market right down the road every Tuesday and Friday - and they have some GOOD food there. There is another night market about a mile and a half away that's open every night.

I've been having a little fun with the Taiwan people who work at the school as translators. I asked them if they knew any southern slang...then proceeded to talk with words such as: y'all, yonder, bo, aint, feller...I think they enjoyed it.

So far I think that this is going to be a pretty fun experience. The people I work with are all helpful and friendly and the locals seem to get a kick out of us Americans.



And yes, I know these pics had NOTHING to do with what I wrote. Deal with it.

Touchdown in Taiwan

I'm enjoying my little cage where I am stringing together christmas lights.

Just kidding.

I must say this: the way to Taiwan was flawless. Everything ran on time. I had two window seats and was in an aisle seat on the long flight (which I was able to sleep around 5 hours on). I am pretty tired right now, but still have 4 more hours of work to do today and then going to get some real Taiwaneese food. Hopefully I won't have any issues with that.

The school I am working at is in an unbelievable location. I'll get some pics up of it soon. I have also been givin a laptop computer, will soon get a cell phone, and found out that I will be living at my apartment by myself. We'll see how that goes...personally I think I'll like it.

Hate to make this one so short, but I have to go do a few things here...

Frank Turner/Flogging Molly Concert

I must say this: It will be hard for there EVER to be a better concert than this one!

We got to the Fillmore Center in Charlotte pretty early yesterday. The doors opened at 7 and we were there around 5:45...best possible decision we could have made!

When we got into the place, we were able to get front row standing area "seats". Not only that, before the concert started John and I were able to meet Frank Turner! We got an autograph from him and two of the other band members and when I told Frank that I would be in Taiwan and that he needed to take his tour there, he told me that they had JUST booked a Hong Kong show and he said if I emailed him, he would put me on the guest list. That's pretty solid.


The concert was amazing. All three bands (Architects, Frank Turner then Flogging Molly) were ace. The concert started right at 8 and went til 11:45. My ears hurt (and so does my body...lets just say when your standing in the very front and there are a thousand people cramming up against you, it can get a bit uncomfortable).


We were also able to shake hands with the Flogging Molly bassist and I caught a water bottle that they threw into the crowd. But I was thirsty. So I drank it. Ha.

Also, thank you Jesse for letting us stay at your place last night. Woke up this morning and my body hurt. But it was definitly worth it!

The List of things left to do...

I really hate it when there are things that need to be done, but the completion of the tasks are completely out of my control.

Two examples of this are (1) receiving the sub cert from Arizona and (2) waiting to get my glasses in from H. Reuben (or however you spell it...)

But there are also things left to do that ARE in my control...I just kept pushing them off...

Included in that list are my tax return, Biomagine's Form 1065 tax return, an oil change for my car (looks like I'll leave that one to the parents...thanks mom and dad!), laundry - which seems to be no fewer than 8 loads...., cleaning up my room and desk area, ACTUALLY packing...

Yeah, it's kind of depressing to think about it. The worst part is I only really have maybe an aggregate of a full day left to do this. I'm heading to Charlotte for the Frank Turner/Flogging Molly concert tomorrow and won't be getting back til Saturday afternoon. Then I'm leaving at 4:35 on Sunday (which means I need to be at the airport at 3:00 - damn you bin Laden). So pretty much tomorrow morning (which I will sleep through) and Saturday night are the only times left to me to get this stuff done.

Maybe working at McDonalds til this recession/depression/collapse is over wasn't such a bad option...less stressful...

The Final Week

The final countdown has begun. This upcoming week will be my final week in the States for a year, but it will not go down without some fanfare (but I'll get to that in a minute).

This weekend has already been pretty nice. We got about 4 inches of snow (maybe a little more) yesterday. I must say that the snowman that was created by Will, Paula, Karen and myself was...well...art. And art has its own special meaning to us all.

For all things Taiwan, things have finally fallen in place. The Arizona Department of Public Safety FINALLY came through and I got my clearance card on Thursday. This allows me now to get my substitute teaching certificate - which is mandatory in having since I will be working for the government. Also, I finally located a power converter (thank you Target for not carrying those anymore...) and also was gifted a pair of GORTEX army boots.

Looking into my travels, it appears I will have to pay $35 dollars for a baggage fee - LAME. Delta charges for ANY bags - which most airlines only charge for additional bags. I will be sure to eat a lot of peanuts and enjoy the planes...facilities...

But this last week is going to be pretty good. Normal weekly activities but come Friday, I'll be in Charlotte for Frank Turner and Flogging Molly. Been waiting for this concert for awhile. The tickets say no cameras...they have got to be KIDDING!

This week my goal is to figure out how to set up this blog to where I can just upload the videos that I can make through my web-cam. It'll save me time typing and I'll probably have more interesting things to say, than type.

Anyhow...until the next post...

My Trip, According to Google Maps

So I figured I would Google Map my trip to Taiwan. I really wanted to know how many miles I was going to be traveling between Columbia and Taipei. So I decided to go to Google Maps and in the Get Directions I put in Columbia,SC and Taipei, Taiwan.

It's 11,719 miles away, 13 hours ahead, and a very interesting route to take...

a. its over 11,700 miles
b. it says i have to kayak across the pacific ocean for about 6500 of those miles
c. i then have to jet ski from japan to china for almost 500 miles
d. then i swim 100 miles from china to taiwan
e. i need to buy a kayak, a jet ski and get some red bulls

I will be taking donations for these needed items ;)

More Taiwan Stuff

soooooooooo

The plan - as of now - is me leaving for Taiwan on February 21...18 days from now!! It's getting really close, but I am excited and ready for it.

I sent off my visa application papers on Monday, got a call from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO...which is like their embassy, since we don't actually recognize Taiwan as a country...or as part of another country...) saying I filled something out wrong, but in 5 minutes we got it all straightened out. So now, I'm waiting for the multiple entry vistor visa to be processed and my passport to be sent back to me.

And this should take all of maybe 10 business days (I'm thinking I could have my passport back by Saturday).

Contrast this with my application process for a substitute teaching certificate from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. I sent in their requested things for my clearance card on January 4, and as of today, still haven't even gotten my clearance card back from them. After the clearance card has been processed and sent to me, then I can apply for a teaching certificate which should take about 2 weeks (and without this, I cannot get my work visa, and hence, won't be getting paid til that is processed). I've talked with a few people who are already over in Taiwan and they all say that I probably will be in Taiwan before I get my teaching cert, but that once its receieved someone can just scan it over and it should all be groovy.

Things I still need to do include setting up my IBan routing number, but since my primary bank is a small credit union, I need to set up an account with BoA or Wachovia (Wells Fargo for those who REALLY care). I still nneed to get electrical adapters, and I need to get a new pair of glasses, since mine are broken.

But in other news...

FRANK FREAKING TURNER CONCERT ON FEBRUARY 19!!!! I've been looking forward to this concert for a long time. The ticket says no cameras...which is truly a bummer if they are enforcing that. Camera phones? I think so. Oh, and he's the supporting show for Flogging Molly. Best. Concert. Ever.

Well, I think that about does it for now. I'll be back with something interesting to write about soon. I just know it...

So...as of now...it's NOT legal

So how does the law read as of today? And what is the Obama administration trying to pass?



Seems to me that Judd is right.

Good Recent Book Quotes

There is a very strong temptation...for government forces to act outside the law, the excuses being that the processes of law are too cumbersome, that the normal safeguards in the law for the individual are not designed for an insurgency and that a terrorist deserves to be treated as an outlaw anyway. Not only is this morally wrong, but, over a period, it will create more practical difficulties for a goverment than it solves. A government which does not act in accordance with the law foreits the right to be called a government and cannot expect its people to obey the law. Functioning in accordance with the law is a very small price to pay in return for the advantage of being the government.

-- Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson, Defeating Communist Insurgency: Experiences from Malaya and Vietnam (1966)

The Nazis and Fascists were convinced that they were, as an admiring Anne Morrow Lindbergh called them, 'the wave of the future.' To celebrities from the West the societies created by the Duce and the Fuhrer were impressive. They seemed efficient. There were no strikes, no demonstrations, no disrespect for authority. The Gleichschaltung – political coordination and the elimination of opponents – of Hitler’s new order meant more productive assembly lines, organized holidays for workers, and an inspired patriotic youth…The young were the most ardent Nazis, but enthusiasm for the regime was found among Germans of every age and on every social level. They had always been a regimented people, and did not seem to mind the loss of personal freedom. They rallied to the slogans “Gemeinnutz vor Eigennutz” (“The Common Interest before Self-interest”) and “Kanonen statt Butter” (“Guns instead of Butter”). Those who preferred liberty and butter absconded or remained silent. In the Third Reich Gleichschaltung wasn’t for everybody, just everybody who wanted to live.

--The Last Lion: Alone 1932 – 1940 P. 506

Law arms the weaker, when the cause is just.

--The Theban Play P. 98

Philly and Boston Part 2

Well, I had to cut short my other stops...a foot of snow in Ocean City (and their lack of snowplows) made it non-accessible. While back in the DC area, we got around 6 inches of snow.

Anyhow, back to the Philly and Boston overview...

History

First, Philadelphia:

Obviously there was a lot of things to see in Philly when it came to history. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, old churches. Independence Hall was a very nice stop. They offer free tours inside the building, with someone who will tell you about the history of the rooms and take questions from anyone if they have them. Obviously with the signing of the Declaration of Independence taking place there (not to mention everyone of importance during the Revolution being there at one time or another) it's worth seeing.


The Liberty Bell is in a stand alone modern looking glass building across the street from Independence Hall. It is also free to go see...just make sure you don't have any weapons on you...

We also got to see both an old Methodist church and a very large Mason building, side by side, directly in front of the State House. Didn't get to explore them, but figured I'd mention them.

Boston:

The Old North Church, were Paul Revere had his signal laterns for the British landing, was pretty cool. They actually still use the church too. The original lanterns used are still displayed in the steeple of the church.

Paul Revere's house is about 2 blocks behind the church. This whole area of town still has a very old timey feel to it. It's definitly a bit more upscale in price (and Italian) but nice to drop by and see. About 3 blocks east (if the North Church is to your back or south) are the Irish eateries. The TD Garden, where the Bruins and Celtics play, is about 3 blocks south of the Old North Church. Very navagatable and close quarters.

Although I didn't get a chance to see it, a Bunker Hill memorial is maybe a quarter mile from the Old North Church. So there is a lot of historical landmarks all around Boston.

Anyhow, like I said in my last post, I enjoyed Boston the most, but both cities have their own draws. If you like museums and maybe a bigger city feel, but want to eat at TGI Fridays or go to Best Buy, then Philly is for you. If you want to be in a more college centered city, with a lot of old churches, historical landmarks, ethnic areas, and local eateries and not feel like you are looking up all the time, then Boston is for you (oh, and if you hate the Yankees too).


****Correction**** by state house i "obviously" meant city hall. thanks doug for the correction. ;) 2/3/10