January 31, 2005

Now I haven't had a severe illness in a long time. Each year, I would get my flu shots, and I would make it through the winters with only a two-day cold. Of course, the first year without a flu shot proves that they do help -- because now I'm stuck with a flu. The timing couldn't be worse, because I'm heading to Malaysia in under 4 days. The doctor said it can take anywhere from 3-5 days to overcome, and up to 1 week if it is more severe. Well, I've got my medication and I'll do my best to stick to the doctor's orders. Hopefully it'll pass before I head on vacation. Sigh...

"I don't get sick. Getting sick is ... is for weaklings. It's for pansies!"
- Monica Gellar, Friends episode 613

January 27, 2005

Ever just want to write ABOUT yourself? I don't mean a diary really, but more of an piece/paper/book about your philosophies, your character, your thought process, your goods, your bads, your everything. I've had this idea growing in my mind about who I am, what makes me tick, and why I do the things I do. It would be an interesting read, and may explain a lot to a lot of people trying to understanding me -- of course, it would be a personal work which means the only eyes that will fall on it are my own.

Over the last few weeks, after so many actions, my mind runs into this analytical mode, saying "blah blah blah... and that's why you punched him." It's actually rather interesting. There's nothing I don't know about myself, because I'm self-conscious enough to question my motives all the time -- but at the same time, I happy to know that I'm not kidding myself either.

Well, as much as I think it's a great idea, I know it would never work. I love coming up with these ideas, but because it's an on-going effort, I also know I would never be able to drive it to a satisfactory state of completion. Oh well... guess I'll just keep thinking about it then...

January 24, 2005

What a busy weekend!

Friday night, I got off work early (7pm) because we had to vacate the building for the annual disinfecting and carpet cleaning. Later, I gave my sister some scooter lessons in an abandoned street and a parking lot near my company where I knew there'd be no cars.

Saturday started with a lunch-time company year-end party (yeah, so my day starts at lunch... what about it??). Unfortunately, it was slow, long, and I didn't win any gift certificates. For what's considered a major event, I think it was pretty poorly organized. Or maybe just because I was bored sitting at my table, while others had their names or numbers drawn to participate in activities.

That evening, I headed to Taipei for a "Crazy Pink Party" I was invited to, whose theme was to wear pink. The invitee (not the organizee), is a friend of my brother's and some other mutual friends back in Vancouver. It was great though, and I got to meet a LOT of people who had spent a lot of their time in Vancouver, Toronto, or LA but were back in Taiwan working. A great opportunity to network in mainly English, which is what I've been talking about for the longest time. Since I didn't have any pink clothes, and I didn't want to not get with the theme, I bought some pink girls socks (which had some small light-blue flowers that matched the short-sleeved shirt I was wearing. I cut the ends off, and I pulled them up around the elbows, giving sort of an Allen Iverson armband effect. I thought it looked alright. Anyway, the reception was mixed. I think most people didn't really notice it. Some people thought it was original, others just thought I had something wrong with my arms like arthritis. So I took it off and tucked it aside. Maybe I should have just tied bands around my arms a la Ultimate Warrior. Anyway, I had a great time, and finally succeeded in meeting some people much more like myself.

Sunday, after my brain-splitting headache had just about gone away, I had lunch with my cousin, her hubby, and my aunts. Just some lunchboxes I bought, nothing really special. And then I was on the bus back to Hsinchu. That night, my sister and I had dinner with our dad's friend who works in the same Science and Technology park as us. And that capped off the weekend.

Exhausted by 8:30pm, I slept at 11:20pm -- probably the earliest I've slept in about 5 months. Back to the wonderful world of work! But still thinking about a good weekend...

January 19, 2005

Today is somewhat of an anniversary for me. It's been six months since my semi-permanent arrival in Taiwan - i.e. excludes the month I came for interviews last May/June. Hmmm... sentiments? I don't know. Life's possibilities just became a lot more interesting with the scooter... so it's hard to see where things will go from here. The past six months have been have been about getting used to my new environment, work, the people, the language, and the drop in friendly faces. But despite that, I'm still intrigued and excited (okay, maybe not daily). There's still a lot to look forward to... 5-days in Malaysia in February, another 4-5 days exploring Taiwan (not yet sure where I'm going to go).

Work has been very busy of late, but with the office closed this weekend for the annual sanitizing (delousing?), it'll make sure I don't find myself spending hours there. Besides, the biggest company party of the year is this Saturday, as we have our company (Lunar) year-end party. I'm in it for the meal, the guaranteed 2000nt gift-certificate, and a chance to go for the 100,000nt grand prize! Traditionally, the year-end party (尾牙) also included someone getting fired, based on performance. They would place a cooked chicken on the table, and whomever the head pointed to, would be out of a job. Nowadays, they either point the head away from anyone or just remove it completely. Probably better. Who wants to see a dead chicken head while eating lunch anyway?

January 16, 2005

Guess what?!? I finally bought my scooter!!

The wait for an appropriate secondhand scooter was more than I could bare, so after some consideration, I decided to buy a new scooter instead. The tradeoffs are easily listed:

- Scooters get banged up a LOT. People generally don't care about their scooters too much, and crowded side-by-side parking results in scratches, dents, and more. Less to care about if you buy 2nd hand.
- 2nd hand scooters are cheaper, obviously. And for a casual rider like myself, this might be better.
- New scooters are extremely susceptible to theft, especially the models popular in China (which is where they usually end up)
- 2nd hands always have a question of reliability - people don't take care of their vehicles, resulting in reduced performance in as little as 2 years. And you can't trust 2nd hand dealers, because many of them will switch out good parts for older parts.

Anyway, after I started looking, it took two days to finalize the deal. I visited four stores/shops, and came across a decent scooter at a good price, about 10% cheaper than the other stores. Mainly because it was a "new old scooter", i.e. it had been "bought" or put under someone's name, but had never been driven. This is a tactic used by some dealerships to increase sales numbers. To me, it's all about the same, just cheaper.

I got a SYM 高手125 X-Pro. In FACT, coincidentally, in my Dec 5th blog, I based my original scooter on this model. Just a coinkidink.

To me, and any new scooter owner, theft is a major issue. In Taiwan, some 55% of new scooters get stolen. Unfortunately, it sounds like there is very little that can be done about it. Even with multiple locks, it doesn't stop someone from loading it onto a truck and leaving with it. In spite of it, here are theft prevention:

All scooters...
- ...have a handle bar lock. You turn the handlebars to the left, turn the key in the ignition all the way to the left, and then the handlebars are locked in that position.
- ...come with a U shaped lock. Same as the locks used on bicycles. The guy who sold me the scooter told me that he's tried breaking that lock, and he can't.
- ...are bound to get dirty, and this in itself is valuable. I've been told to never wash my scooter. Guess I won't bother waxing it either.

This model...
- ...has an extra hexagon groove next to the key ignition, which when turned slides a metal piece over the keyhole to prevent prying.

My scooter...
- ...has an added "button lock", which means you need to press a certain button before the ignition will start. It can be a left or right turn signal, highbeam, etc.

And that's about it! I took the scooter out into town, did some shopping yesterday, and had a great time! I love having a vehicle, and I guess I'm already wondering how I survived without it. Finally, acceleration doesn't require pedaling faster.

January 13, 2005

Today was just a large serving of "yuck", with an extra side of "yuck". I should have known, when I heard the pouring rain at 7:30am and felt a headache, that I shouldn't have bothered to get up at all. But stupidly, something told me inside that I should go to work today because it would be an exciting day.

It was supposed to be a good day because I was finally buying my scooter. This blog was supposed to be a happy blog because I was finally buying my scooter. It was supposed to start like this: "Guess what?!? I finally bought my scooter!!"... but it didn't. Instead it started like this: "Today was just a large serving of "yuck", with an extra side of "yuck"."

So I went down to a dealership today at lunch with my coworker and picked up a new scooter for $44800. I put a $3000 deposit down, left them to do the paper work and make some minor mods, and all was good. For a reason not fit for blogging, I had a crummy afternoon. It was one of those I-don't-want-to-work-anymore-today kind of feelings. So instead of picking up the scooter tomorrow, I decided to pick it up today after work -- just to leave the office early. I called up the shop and they said it would be another hour before the scooter was ready, because of some modifications I had asked them to do. So I got a ride there, and waited. And then, I realized... "oh, SH!T!! I forgot my money in my office drawer!" So that sucked. Then I called my coworker up, who was still in the office, and he offered to bring it down (in spite of me saying I'd take a taxi back and forth) - which was out of his way and totally unnecessary. So I felt pretty awful about that.

So I'm sitting there waiting for him, and I have this brand new helmet sitting on the scooter seat. It's black, all shiny, and I vowed to keep it looking good -- because most helmets look like they volunteed to be juggled around with lotto balls, all scrapped up. I even imagined the store owner being careless and knocking it over, and how I would tell them to give me a new one.

Now I'm checking out my new scooter, all the bells and whistles. I turn it on, the rumbling engine makes me feel good. And then, from the vibrations, the stupid helmet falls and rolls!! Scuffed! Before ever wearing it out! AAARGH.

Anyway, for some reason, the day just felt long and stupid. A stupid day it was.

I guess I'll have a better blog in the next couple days when I feel better and have some pictures of my new baby. A day where I don't forget my security card for work, and when the food I bring home doesn't drool into a freshly washed sock (I had a load of laundry in my bag).

=========================

Okay, I JUST posted this blog, and I got a call from the shop owner saying I left something there. AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! WHY WON'T THIS DAY END???
The mysterious case of the shortening pants...

I don't get it. It seems like since my arrival here in Taiwan, 4 pairs of pants have shortened by roughly 2-3 inches. These are pants that I paid to have altered in Canada to the right length... and then I come here and they get even shorter!! Maybe it's the heat (well, not at this moment, but in August when I arrived), maybe it's the moisture. And these pants have absolutely nothing in common, aside from being pants. They're Mexx, Esprit, Club Monaco, Dockers, jeans, khakis, slacks... They're jury pants! Not to mention that none of them are new either -- some have been worn for years. So not only do I have this whole silliness of exposing my socks Erkel-style when I walk, but the tightened crotch area doesn't add much comfort when sitting either. So it's pants shopping this weekend. Time to switch up some clothes!

January 09, 2005

Who doesn't love Twins? Twins are great in so many contexts... firstly, two kids that uncannily alike, how cute is that? The second, I won't mention here because I will likely get slapped. And now a third, a restaurant/club in Taipei called Twins, an all-in-one location for food and fun. Best of all, MRT-accessible.

In celebration of my cousin's birthday, we went to this place recommended to her boyfriend. Upon entering, the darkened room and strategically placed lights provided a nice ambience for a romantic atmosphere or a place for friends to get together. The all-u-can-eat menu of different salads, meats (lamb, chicken, beef, pork) cooked with a variety of delicious recipes, soups, and desserts were a la carte, and were, for the most part, quite satisfying. Over the course of dinner, classic easy listening songs played over the speaker system. For 550nt (roughly $22 cad, an elevated weekend price), you could walk away happy... despite lacking friendly service from the odd waitress.

But wait, there's more! At 10pm, you can stick around when the lights directly above each table dims, the strobe lights over the dance floor start up, and the DJ puts on some nice hip hop tracks at his booth. And at no extra cost, you're engaged in some good nightclub action (while the people who are just arriving paid $599 at the door). The music started great with familiar popular hip hop songs, some oldies but goodies, and eventually turned techno/house, then R&B slow jams, and back to hip hop. A packed dancefloor always makes a party liven up. Again, for 550nt, dinner and dance is a good deal.

But wait, there's more! From 10pm, FREE DRINKS from a selection of juices and alcoholic beverages! On the menu, Smirnoff Ice, Jose Cuervo Tequila (which I wouldn't personally recommend because J.C. is crap), Absolute Vodka, Whiskey, Tropical Jungle, Sex on the Beach, Blue Hawaii, Purple Rain, and more.... And not watered down either!! Now, com'on... who wouldn't pay 550nt for dinner, dance, and all you can drink booze! Not to mention the vomit-sink (really! a sink for the purpose of vomitting! Although someone still opted to use a toilet, while his friends stood around trying to convince him not to fall asleep).

I definitely give Twins a twinful thumbs up, and will be happy to return there real soon. The best place I've spent an evening since arriving in Taiwan half a year ago. Too bad the website on their business card doesn't work.

January 07, 2005

"I'm so happy, so very happeeee...."

This week has been a most splendid one. For once in a long time, life hasn't been so stressful (from work and play). I finished work at a reasonable hour on most days (7pm), and managed to get a lot of exercised over the course of the past work-week, also something I haven't done in a while. So the week after work went something like this...

Monday - basketball. I've been playing a spirited game of basketball over the last 3 weeks, getting my shot back and learning to drive a little more. Still gotta work on D! Sucks being short.

Tuesday - course. nothing fun there.

Wednesday - workout (mainly back) and ping pong. Got to use the new adjustable dumbbells for the first time! So excited!

Thursday - ping pong and then a workout (chest and bi's)... I think I'm going to quickly out-lift the new dumbbells. To my surprise (albeit a very pleasant one), I found that I wasn't as weak as I had thought - given that I hadn't done dumbbell presses in some time. Anyway, I'm hoping to hit the max in about 1 month. We'll see.

Friday - More basketball.

I'm exhausted. :P But it's so wonderful to have a week where I can have so much physical activity.

The fun continues this weekend. I'll be going to an RT-Mart tomorrow to check out some scooter models and prices. And hopefully (finally) make a purchase next week.

Tomorrow night will also be a birthday celebration for my cousin. Happy Birthday!
Thanks to NK, I have this clip I can share so you can see what I saw on Dec 31st, 2004. So you... can see... what I saw. Enjoy!

January 04, 2005

"Party like it's 19... hold up, it is!"

New Year's Eve, like I said in my previous blog, was a cold day. It's not that it was really that much colder than the winters in Vancouver, but it was unexpected arrival of the cold front. The current of cold air swept from Northern China, and brought a drop in temperature of 10+ degrees Celsius overnight. Now, normally I wouldn't complain about yesterday's 4.8 degrees Celsius temperatures... but when houses don't have insulation nor heating, you can bet I was happy to wear my thin sweat pants under my regular pants when leaving the house. Wish I had brought some winter clothes.

Anyway... let's talk about New Year's. I was hesitant to want to return to Taipei for the New Year's celebration - what, with it being to-the-bone chilly, with me still struggling to get over a cold, and with the long bus ride in busier-than-usual rushhour traffic. But I did go, it was chilly (still is), and my cold is worse, but I'm glad I did.

There were two outdoor concerts in Taipei that evening, 10 mins walking distance from each other. The Taiwanese were out in the masses, with in the range of 200,000 out to enjoy the celebrations. Myself, TC, and BH went to one concert, and left after 10 minutes to get a better view of Taipei 101 (the world's tallest building), which would make its opening debut. The second concert was better, in my opinion, with 'the musical stylings of' Machi, Stephanie Sun, and "500" (五佰). It was cool to be out in a New York Times Square environment. Large screens synced up the crowds into a countdown from 60 seconds. Then, at the last 10 seconds, the entirely-lite 101 building turned off its lights, from the bottom up, one section per second. When the clock struck, the 508m building exploded outwards in a fantastic display of fireworks. Then the upper levels continued with a few more outward explosions while some more common fireworks lit up the sky behind. It was a great site, and a nice way to bring in the new year. We even had a few bottles of Bacardi Triple Black -- and without a bottle opener (they weren't twist offs), there are a few scrapes on painted pillars.

But like the Symphony of Fire / Celebration of Lights events in Vancouver, leading 200,000 people away from one place makes for some massive congestion. MRT stations jammed packed, hordes of jaywalkers, and so on.

At the end of the night, the only regret I had was forgetting to bring my camera. Well, guess I'll have to do it all again next year!