亞理安在台北

moving

2007-06-26T18:40:00.000+08:00

That's right folks... my blog is moving. All new content is on my fancy-dancy website, brappy.com! I'll try to update as often as I can as I head to Beijing in the morning!

very old map

2007-06-23T13:33:00.001+08:00

very old map
Originally uploaded by brappy!

I took a ferry ride today, and got some nice shots... but this map confused me. Click the photo and mouse-over it in flickr to see my notes...

Survey shows Fox news airs less war news than others

2007-06-21T06:27:00.001+08:00

This is a pretty unsurprising story - everyone knows that Fox News Channel is far from "fair and balanced" but a new study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism says it's even worse.

On a winter day when bomb blasts at an Iraqi university killeddozens and the United Nations estimated that 34,000 civilians in Iraqhad died in 2006, MSNBC spent nearly nine minutes on the stories duringthe 1 p.m. hour. A CNN correspondent in Iraq did a three-minute reportabout the bombings.

Neither story merited a mention on Fox News Channel that hour.

But the kicker? That's at the end:

So with less on-air attention being paid to Iraq during the first fewmonths of the year, what filled the void for Fox? PEJ's report said thenetwork gave the death of Anna Nicole Smith significantly more air timethan its rivals.

technorati tags:fnc, fox news channel

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Limbo

2007-06-20T19:17:00.001+08:00

0713 PDT
Originally uploaded by brappy!

I'm in limbo. Between the busy time at the end of the last school term and the giant stress of a trip to another continent. I have a million things running through my head, and for some reason, when I lay in bed, all I can think about is this documentary I saw on HBO about lesbian moms and their kids on a cruise.

I have nothing to do during the day until 6 p.m., so I'm free, but at the same time, I want to wake up early and be productive. But here I am, 4.15 a.m., looking at the light grow brighter outside and wondering "why do I feel guilty that I"m not asleep?"

Oh, Ed Jew....

2007-06-16T20:03:00.001+08:00

This is a brilliantly worded AP story on the travails of SF city supervisor Ed Jew.

It includes such quotes as... "There are politicians who during their first time around make mistakes and are not ready for prime time"...

and "San Francisco, a place that masks its provincialism with a cachet of sophistication"... wow. What a line!

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the most relaxing in-flight safety video ever...

2007-06-16T12:59:00.000+08:00

I always liked watching this video when flying Thai. It's so calm. They also handle the two languages well.

Old Airline Commercials

2007-06-16T12:10:00.000+08:00

These are usually a little bit hilarious, as evidenced by the following:

Apparently Southwest Airline's LUV had a different meaning in the 1970s. Yikes!

First day on the job at UA:

The world's NEWEST jet plane - a DC-10! Catch the Economy class lounge on the Friendship Plane... I like their little jingle at the end...

"Some of our best businessmen... are women!"

Battered Veg...

2007-06-15T09:08:00.000+08:00

Seaboard Building

2007-06-14T08:02:00.001+08:00

Seaboard Building
Originally uploaded by brappy!

Pimping my own photos out on my blog (why not?)...

I took this with Kodak BW400CN, a funny black-and-white film that is processed the same as regular color film.

Response Bias

2007-06-13T17:29:00.001+08:00

and online reviews. Kind of a dull subject, but what does a 5-star rating really mean? Salon looks into it today...

Why a five-star restaurant serves one-star food....

technorati tags:salon, response bias

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UW Graduation goes awry (again)

2007-06-13T15:35:00.001+08:00

Yet again, the University of Washington graduation went poorly. Does it really take a college degree to convince people it's a bad idea to put a ceremony outdoors in Seattle in any time of the year, especially rainy June.

On the other hand, Al Gore was supposed to go. Who knew?

Local News | Gore may be glad he skipped speech at UW | Seattle Times Newspaper

technorati tags:university of washington, rainy day, al gore

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BCWW

2007-06-11T09:41:00.001+08:00

The other day, I was playing around with the OnDemand service and found a pretty bizarre music video that has been stuck in my head ever since. Who knew?

and their main site...

overheard...

2007-06-09T08:30:00.001+08:00

a couple arguing over whether to see Shrek the Third or Ocean's 13. Crazy!

dragon boat festival

2007-06-09T07:52:00.000+08:00

So, I'm still at Pacific Place and it's cold, cold, cold up where I am. There's a cold air vent blowing on me and it's rather chilly. Grrar. I've been keeping myself busy by doing such fun stuff as looking up old reviews of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which I only got to see a few weeks ago, as it premiered when I was away. It's vaguely entertaining, but the reviews aren't that fascinating...

While checking my email, I was amused to notice that there was an e-card from EVA Airlines wishing me a Happy Dragon Boat festival... just an hour left. I'm freezing.

"dep't of time wasters"

2007-06-09T06:49:00.000+08:00

I'm pretty entertained by this little item from Wonkette:

Make Your Own Virginia Customized LOL PLATEZ!!!1!

Highly funny.

Volunteering

2007-06-09T06:24:00.000+08:00

I'm in the fourth floor of Seattle's Pacific Place, one of those shiny, breezy "urban lifestyle" malls that have sprung up in American cities in the past ten years. Every city seems to have one - Spokane has its infamous RiverPark Square, Portland has Pioneer Place, and even San Francisco has the eponymous San Francisco Shopping Center, complete with a Nordstrom store! These malls are kind of unreal spaces and slightly bizarre. You can't do any functional shopping here, but you can do destination shopping. The hardware store has no real hardware, the restaurants are for a special occasion, and everything is slightly inconvenient, in a weird way.

Why am I in this weird no-space? Well, I'm volunteering for the Seattle International Film Festival, and this requires that I sit at a computer, doing not much of anything for most of the afternoon. Occasionally, someone asks me how much the festival guide is (free), if there are half-price tickets on sale (no, that's the Ticket Window booth to your right) and lots of people walk past, staring at the posters for such upcoming classics as Resident Evil: Extinction, 1408 and The Guardian's Son. Right now, some guy is staring at the Residient Evil: Extinction poster, hollering "Oh my God! I want to kill myself!"

It's kinda entertaining. A minute ago, a gaggle (yes, a gaggle) of kids came running out of an elevator toward the theatre box office and one of them tripped and fell, hard, against the floor. The suburban parents following the gaggle just sort of smiled and laughed as the kid limped away, apparently not seriously damaged.

One of the upsides to volunteering at SIFF is that you get lots of free passes to see movies, which is pretty handy. I like to see movies and not only do you often get to see the films playing during your shift, you get one voucher for every two hours you volunteer. And volunteering at SIFF is way easy.

Plus, the craziest people volunteer. Every time I volunteer, there's someone weird, who, naturally, gravitates toward me. Of course. I'm a weird magnet (being odd myself...). A couple days ago, at the venerable Harvard Exit theatre, this lady started questioning me on why I wasn't interested in watching the three-hour abortion documentary Red Without Blue. As if it's not obvious. So without going into the whole "I'm a gay man and I don't passionately care about women's issues" schtick, I just kind of shrugged my shoulders.

This simply wouldn't do, apparently. This woman seemed to want to debate abortion with whomever didn't share her viewpoint. I started to wonder if she picked me out to debate with because I'm male and might possibly give her a reason for her soapbox. I didn't bite.

Although, she did get huffy when I talked about "young girls" who have to trek to New York to have an abortion performed, because there are no providers in their local area and for some reason or another, it's easier for them to go to NYC. She took umbrage that I used the term "girls", seemingly implying that I was being disrespectful because I didn't call them "young women", although I think it's still perfectly okay to refer to someone who is underage as a girl or a boy. Like most self righteous people, she wasn't about to see nuance or change her mind.

Later, she provided some entertainment as we were cleaning up from a private event that was catered. One of the other volunteers remarked "yeah, they wouldn't want the food left out cannibalizing sales at the concession stand".

The weird lady perked up. "Cannibalizing?!? What does this have to do with eating human beings?"

I tried to explain that there was more than one meaning to that term, but she seemed to understand there was only one.

High drama indeed.

Ridiculous

2007-06-08T15:05:00.001+08:00

loader2
Originally uploaded by Poagao

An acquaintance posted this on flickr. Isn't it precious?

Death Threats at the JC:

2007-05-31T15:14:00.001+08:00

My alma mater gets a mass death-threat:
SCCC goes on alert after threat

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SIFF

2007-05-30T06:40:00.000+08:00

I'm so excited that the Seattle International Film Festival is on again. I'm making my list of films and so far, this is what I'm up to:

------------------------------

--------------------
Thursday May 31
--------------------------------------------------
4:45pm Exiled
Egyptian Theatre
EXIL3107A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4052

--------------------------------------------------
Friday June 1
--------------------------------------------------
9:15pm No Regret
Harvard Exit
NORE0107A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4239

--------------------------------------------------
Sunday June 3
--------------------------------------------------
9:15pm Eternal Summer
Pacific Place Cinema
ETER0307A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4242

--------------------------------------------------
Monday June 4
--------------------------------------------------
9:30pm Dasepo Naughty Girls
Neptune Theatre
DASE0407A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4287

--------------------------------------------------
Wednesday June 6
--------------------------------------------------
7:00pm Tugboat Annie
SIFF Cinema
TUGB0607A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4176

--------------------------------------------------
Saturday June 9
--------------------------------------------------
11:00am Sway
Harvard Exit
SWAY0907A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=3829

--------------------------------------------------
Monday June 11
--------------------------------------------------
7:00pm The Big Combo
SIFF Cinema
COMB1107A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4191

9:15pm The Damned Don't Cry
SIFF Cinema
DAMN1107A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4251

--------------------------------------------------
Friday June 15
--------------------------------------------------
10:00pm Confession of Pain
Neptune Theatre
CONF1507A
http://www.seattlefilm.org/rdir.aspx?SID=4361

Inside SAM

2007-05-26T10:49:00.001+08:00

Inside SAM
Originally uploaded by brappy!

In the lobby of the Seattle Art Museum is Inopportune: Stage One by 蔡國強　(Cai Guoqiang).. It says a lot about an art museum when its most interesting piece is hanging in the lobby.

Inside, was a typically SAM arrangement: works of art thrown together without a coherent theme in a building that doesn't make much sense (which is funny, because the predecessor also didn't make sense). Most of the collection on display was some really atrocious modern art that would not be out of place on the cover of a Foghat LP. A curator in the 1980s must have had a plastic-and-bright-colors fetish, because that's what you'll see on display.

I much prefer its more logical cousin, SAAM (Seattle Asian Art Museum), which has themes, logical exhibits and is rather quiet inside. The new downtown SAM, co-located in a new Washington Mutual office tower, has the same problems as the old one: it's just not a fun place to go look at art. The galleries were laid out fine, but the atmosphere was spoiled by the mouthbreathing staff who were shouting to talk about bathroom breaks, mothers pushing strollers with loudly chatting kids and slack-jawed suburbanites in flip flops smacking against the hardwood floors, causing an enormous cacophony in the galleries. It was hard to concentrate with that noise, plus projected movies blaring with no one watching (just like every other museum film) and those dumb touchscreens that just sit there, being useless.

Having been to a good number of museums and exhibitions in the past year, I would rate this experience fairly low on the scale. It is expensive ($13 general admission/$7 students), relatively uninteresting and noisy.

Kaohsiung Blues

2007-05-24T12:10:00.001+08:00

Gorilla goes wild...
Orangutan flees cage, goes on rampage

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Domokun Attacks!!!

2007-04-12T03:56:00.001+08:00

Domokun Attacks!!!
Originally uploaded by hermanau.

not mine... and quite brilliant!

for my taiwanese friends

2007-04-08T02:51:00.001+08:00

for my taiwanese friends
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I took this last night when I was out in the nice weather.

365 (92) Not Dead

2007-04-03T07:57:00.001+08:00

365 (92) Not Dead
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I'm not around the UW, so I wasn't around when a murder-suicide happened at the University of Washington. I don't have class on Mondays, so I was across town.

No Service!

2007-04-02T13:43:00.001+08:00

No Service!
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

The MRT is so friendly when you can't use the train.

Thailand

2007-04-02T10:21:00.001+08:00

shopping center
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I keep daydreaming about the foodgasmic cuisine in Thailand.

It's just that good.

I like this shot... the reflection is good.

And they have fun commercials for orange juice

96-4-1

2007-04-02T00:03:00.001+08:00

The Seattle Times makes a funny.
Pacific NW 04/01/2007 | Our City By The Numbers

technorati tags:seattle, seattle times, april fool

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back home

2007-03-24T09:18:00.001+08:00

365 (80) Dinner Alone
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

it's nice to be back home in some ways. it's bright and there is a lot of light, but i'm at a loss of what to do on many days. school starts again soon. that will keep me nice and busy for a while. my jetlag is going away.

but the big question remains... when will i return to asia?

365 (76) Happy Cabbage, Unhappy Brappy!

2007-03-23T06:29:00.001+08:00

365 (76) Happy Cabbage, Unhappy Brappy!
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Packing is done. Now I'm waiting for my landlord and Tash to come over and then I'm off to her house to spend the night. Then, in the morning, we're off to the High Speed Rail station, then I'm off to Taoyuan airport and Tokyo.

My farewell night with friends was bittersweet, as is to be expected. I ran into the one person I cannot stand, who hurt my feelings quite a bit. I saw some of my good friends. Other of my friends said they would come, but didn't, so I don't have a chance to say goodbye to them.

These 9 months in Taiwan have been really a defining point in my life. I have new focus, direction and I have rediscovered my passion for photography. I am not sure how I went a good five years without taking photos. I really lost myself there, and I'm glad that I've had the chance to get to know myself better. Being alone in a far off country gives you a lot of time to think, adjust, adapt. I think I have been quite successful at this.

Now it's time to go home and relax a bit.

In 9 months, I have:

- been on national TV 5 times
- been photographed by paparazzi
- been in the Apple Daily
- hung out with b- and c-list celebrities and some models
- struggled at learning Mandarin
- missed my friends at home a lot
- not been robbed
- filled up my passport
- realized that I picked the perfect major for myself (China Studies - focusing on Modern China)
- lost respect for Canada, based on the contact I've had with people here [1]
- met a lot of people from all around the world
- realized that I fit in well here
- had so much diarrhea it was shocking (that ended after 3 months, though)
- been called fat more times than I can count (including by my personal trainer)
- saw a lot of movies
- realized the truth of the statement that no one is more patriotic than when they're out of the country
- become more bold
- become less "Seattle". I don't think I'm passive aggressive anymore.
- got really good at: using chopsticks (I was good before), super aggressive bargaining, counting in Chinese, using the bus maps and ordering at Starbucks.
- learned so much, it's not even funny
- realized I hate all Chinese teachers because of their style of teaching, which is really hard for me to adapt to, mostly because I have a learning disability.

[1] my Canadian friend Matt says this is because many Canadians in Taiwan are from rural places and have narrow minds anyway. They like to believe all Americans love GWB and refuse to believe otherwise.

365 (75) So sad.

2007-03-23T06:28:00.001+08:00

365 (75) So sad.
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I'm packing to go home. I keep having to take breaks because I hate packing. The worst part, however, is that I am truly sad to be leaving my wonderful friends and life here. I keep having these overwhelming moments of sadness and this picture is one of them. Me, on my craptacular laundry porch, sitting and having a moment of crying.

I've never cried because I was leaving somewhere before, but there's something about Taiwan and East Asia that's really gotten into me. I've been told that I fit in well and seem at home here. My American friends who see me here in person all say that Asia works for me. I get along well here. Life for me is easier here than in the US.

So, we'll see. I go home to my university and weird little classes on gender identities among Chinese immigrants and rules and rain and those crabby people that inhabit Seattle.

So... two more days. :-/

funniness from the NY Times

2007-03-17T10:36:00.001+08:00

“Middle school is like Scotch,” she reflected in the teachers’ lounge one afternoon. “At first you try to get it down. Then you get used to it. Then it’s all you order.”

For Teachers, Middle School Is Test of Wills - New York Times

technorati tags:nytimes, scotch, middle school, drinking

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temple guys

2007-03-16T00:15:00.001+08:00

temple guys
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

People hang out at temples more than you'd think.

Changhua, Taiwan.

Oh great

2007-03-01T18:45:00.001+08:00

This is a particularly foul story out of today's Taipei Times.

Taipei Times - Dead Body Found in Water Tank

technorati tags:taiwan, murder, suicide, water tank

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I'm a bit late

2007-03-01T01:35:00.001+08:00

I'm pretty late on this, but this is a neat way to present your photographs...

The Sect of Homokaasu - The Rasterbator

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black cat bar

2007-02-26T22:59:00.001+08:00

black cat bar
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

5 Hot Spots

2007-02-26T02:46:00.001+08:00

State's hot 5 job spots: Business & Technology: The Seattle Times

They are:

healthcare
retirees (2 places)
boat building at a marina
construction boom in Idaho spilling over into Spokane

None of these are signs of a good economy, in my mind.

:-/

technorati tags:things to keep you awake at night, seattle, washington, economy

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another homoerotic military recruitment poster outside the Army Officer's club

2007-02-25T23:32:00.001+08:00

another homoerotic military recruitment poster outside the Army Officer's club
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Shockingly, I'd never noticed these before. Much better version here.

101 color accent again

2007-02-24T23:43:00.001+08:00

101 color accent again
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

world's tallest building and some regularly craptacular buildings in taipei county.

scooters on the tracks

2007-02-22T18:50:00.001+08:00

scooters on the tracks
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

everywhere in taiwan.

trash time

2007-02-17T14:50:00.001+08:00

really bad video, but this was one of the few times they pick up trash during the day. normally it's done at night.

You Are Not Alone

2007-02-16T00:04:00.001+08:00

Part One - 2 Min Version

Part Two - 2 Min Version

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for my overseas friends

2007-02-13T00:01:00.000+08:00

in case you're missing Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and your families, just remember you're also missing nonstop airing of this commercial on tv and in the subway.

near my house - Ding Dong Village

2007-02-11T13:40:00.001+08:00

near my house - Ding Dong Village
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I think I live on the wrong side of the street. I mean, Ding Dong Village? ;-)

Untitled

2007-02-08T17:45:00.001+08:00

California: Bombs Found on Aqueduct - New York Times

Wow:

Three pipe bombs were found on Tuesday in a routine search of an aqueduct that supplies water to millions of people in Southern California, officials said. The bombs were next to a valve in a branch of the California Aqueduct in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles. Had they detonated, the devices could have blown open the valve and released water, said Sgt. Fernando Contreras of the California Highway Patrol. Water levels in the aqueduct are periodically lowered to look for submerged items.

Crazy!

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I go to a gay bar

2007-02-08T15:39:00.001+08:00

named after this woman... quite hilarious.

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Stuck in my head

2007-02-06T03:35:00.000+08:00

Thanks to YouTube, I can tell you what's stuck in my head. In this case, it's Koda Kumi, or 倖田來未 ... (formerly known as 'really high-pitched Japanese girl')...

Personal to S2H

2007-02-06T03:23:00.000+08:00

Mmmm. Korea.

"Nobody Tells This Wookie What to Do"

2007-02-05T01:57:00.001+08:00

hahahaha! Quote of the week!

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: "Churlish" Chewbacca arrested in attack near Hollywood landmark

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Wobble!

2007-02-02T19:07:00.000+08:00

Another bobbling mascot

To be further updated...

get the champagne!

2007-02-01T02:07:00.001+08:00

turn down the sound some... and ... watch to the end. this gets very interesting at 2 minutes...

Suvarnabhumi Airport has even more problems...

2007-01-31T05:01:00.001+08:00

This article summarizes how much more messed up the new airport in Bangkok is... my complaints about it aren't just me whining.

New Thailand airport off to rough start | Aero News

technorati tags:thailand, airports, airport, bangkok

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Oh my...

2007-01-26T23:17:00.001+08:00

I posted this elsewhere online... (see link at bottom)

Dear Mystery White Man on Roosevelt Road, Section Two whom I spotted moments ago:What are you doing wandering around the Guting area obviously drunk at 22:45 at night? The kids waiting outside Club Wax sure were amused by your weaving and stumbling. I was amused, too, because you seemed to be trying to catch up to a group of 台客 (Tai ke) up in front of you, until you stopped in front of the Hi Life. I stopped to watch, wondering if you were going to puke on some poor bloke's scooter, but instead, you shocked me by taking out some keys and getting ready to ride one.I sure hope you got home okay, but what the hell are you doing riding a scooter while drunk? You're in your 40s (or had some bad times in your 30s), wearing a blue parka and sporting short blond hair. You should know better.I wanted to stop and talk to you and ask if you were okay, but who am I to assume that you speak English (especially while drunk)? And besides, when I thought about it, if you're on your scooter, you're probably going to injure yourself more than others. In retrospect, I should have forced you into a taxi or the 捷運 (jieyun - MRT) which you were directly outside of. Shame on me.To all else - is taking care of drunk and dumb foreigners my business? Since this guy probably spoke English, I may have been the best equipped person around to help him. He wasn't some tourist. He was some guy dumb enough to drive drunk on a scooter! Grr. Many Taiwanese people would assume he's my friend just because we're both 外國人.Any ideas on this?

Forumosa :: View topic - Dear Mystery White Man on Roosevelt Road, Sec. 2...

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I love Taiwan...

2007-01-26T01:17:00.001+08:00

because this movie just came on tv at 01.17 a.m.:

Cyborg Cop II (1995)

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A fun story about blue trucks

2007-01-24T19:52:00.001+08:00

Everyone in Taiwan deals with blue trucks. Here is my friend's totally cute story about them. Read it!
TashaInTaipei: I HEART LIFE!

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I have a sick mind

2007-01-24T19:09:00.000+08:00

There is something very funny about being in a gay bar (in this case, the infamous DJ Station in Bangkok) that is full of money boys (aka male prostitutes) looking for their 45 year old client for the night and hearing "One Night Only" from Dreamgirls...

'cuz the lyrics go like this:

You want all my love and my devotion
You want my loving soul right on the line
I have no doubt that I could love you forever
The only trouble is, you really don't have the time
You've got one night only, one night only
That's all you have to spare
One night only, let's not pretend to care
One night only, one night only
Come on big baby come on
One night only, we only have 'til dawn
In the morning this feeling will be gone
It has no chance going on
Something so right has got no chance to live
So let's forget about chances, this one night I will give
One night only, one night only,
you'll be the only one,
one night only, then you have to run.

Ok, maybe you have to be there. But every time I hear this in a gay bar I feel a bit odd. And by the way, how sad is it that every gay bar seems to play almost the same music? I like going to Funky in Taipei because they play Chinese music, not Madonna's Hung Up for the umpteenth time. I don't mind getting drunk and listening to 舞孃 by 蔡依林 week after week. Or 阿妹's Chinese Girl which is a total guilty pleasure (and my ringtone most of the time).

And what's up with my obsession with Rain? *sigh* His song Free Way ~ STY Gin 'nTonic Remix~ wakes me up every morning.
♥♥♥

Thailand

2007-01-24T18:50:00.001+08:00

more temple detail
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Thailand. What to say?

Well, for a country ruled by a military junta, it certainly is well-run... I suppose that's a start, eh?

My original purpose to go was twofold: to renew my visa status in Taiwan (it's complicated, but every 60 days I can either go to a police station or, I can just go out of the country for the weekend. I don't like Taiwanese cops, so I picked this option - it's more fun). The other purpose was to visit my good friend Hong, who I know from when he lived in Seattle. Currently, he's doing research on an American government Fulbright grant on CSR (Corporate Social Responsiblity) models for the future.

We went to the Royal Flora Ratchaphurek 2006 show, which is a big one-time-only flower expo in honor of the King of Thailand's 60th anniversary on the throne. It was held in the Northern City of Chiang Mai, which is in the north of the country, near the border with Burma (Myanmar if you buy the name that country's military junta gave it - I don't). Chiang Mai is kind of charming, but my whole visit to Thailand reminded me a bit of ...

Mexico.

Think of it. It's a developing nation that is overrun by tourists from richer, whiter countries. It's got great beaches that have all-inclusive resorts, mountain cities full of culture, extremely rich city dwellers and abject poverty just across the street. And a government that has had problems with corruption. Large parts of Chiang Mai reminded me of that not-so-representative-city of Tijuana.

Not that it was bad, but I was really struck by how completely nasty many of the tourists were. I had a field day taking pictures of them. Apparently, there is some sort of horrible vibe running through Caucasian culture (got a better term for Britain, Germany and Australians?) that seems to say hey! You're on Vacation! Stop Shaving! Stop wearing clothes! Stop wearing a shirt! Start wearing Orange Pants with a tube top! It was embarrasing. Many of the tourists I came across seemed not to care about the fact that their tacky, nasty behavior would be considered extremely offensive to the reserved, calm demeanor of Thais. Don't they get it?

Sadly, I'm running out of patience for people who don't get asia. I know that they are new here and there is a learning curve, but ugh. I don't know what to say. It's challenging, but it's not that different. I have to say that I prefer my quality of life in Asia. The weather is better, you can buy anything you want, there are fascinating people and you never have to hear an American political ad unless you watch too much CNN like I do.

Plus, you can be inspired artistically all the time and people tend to leave you alone while you take pictures of their mangy dogs. Or they do cute stuff and wave at you while you're taking their picture.

There are numerous photos throughout this photoset.

Hands Free, or "Things You Don't See in Asia"

2007-01-24T11:30:00.001+08:00

Hands Free
Originally uploaded by nickynax.

Stupid, but heh. Only an American would do this.

Some sounds

2007-01-17T21:34:00.000+08:00

There are some really lovely sounds in Taiwan. Here are some recent ones.

Right-click and pick "save link target as" or "save link as" or what-have-you, rather than playing in your browser.

Chatter on a train.

Ringing a bell in the rain atop a muddy hill.

Also, comments are now moderated and will appear when I approve them. Just because you're hiding behind a computer screen doesn't mean you shouldn't be civil. Constructive criticism is, of course, always welcome. Those that are rude, are rarely welcome. Unless you're witty. Then we'll talk.

I Miss American TV

2007-01-14T11:36:00.000+08:00

Paula Abdul was on TV in Seattle yesterday. She appears to be quite loopy.

A friend who would know told me "She had told people that she was drinking a lot of coffee and taking vitamins all morning"... Way to go!

Shilin Offical Residence

2007-01-12T02:06:00.001+08:00

wilted flower
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

This is a bizarre place. The former home of Chiang Kaishek, it's now a large series of gardens. They're getting ready for Chinese New Year, this year is the year of the pig and they have these giant pig topiaries that appear to be whipping each other in at least one case. It was a lovely afternoon today and I really enjoyed wandering out in the 22C sunshine. Yum. What a nice change.

:-)

Lunch at Taipei 101

2007-01-10T23:54:00.000+08:00

I was feeling very silly today when I had lunch at Taipei 101.

Taiwan High Speed Rail

2007-01-07T23:56:00.000+08:00

I took the High Speed Rail. Video here:

Pictures here.

You shook me all night WRONG

2007-01-07T18:21:00.000+08:00

Everyone needs to watch this. It's just so damn weird.

Excuse me, but I have a bullet train to catch!

2007-01-05T17:02:00.001+08:00

Taiwan High Speed Rail
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I'm off to Gaoxiong on the inagural day of the Taiwan High Speed Rail. My train is in a bit over an hour (yikes!) so I've gotta run over to Banqiao. Back on Sunday!

我愛我的新照相機 - I love my new camera

2007-01-04T06:10:00.000+08:00

So, here's some weird abandoned bridge thingy. See the white spot on it?

If you can't see the spot, look at the original size (huge file).

But look at how cool the zoom is:

I'm so happy.

I ran into stuff like this yesterday. Yeeha.

365 Days

2007-01-01T14:32:00.000+08:00

Introducing my New Year's Project! In order to challenge myself photographically, I have decided to join the Flickr Group 365 Days, where you take and post a different self-portrait every day for a year.

Also I have created my own photoblog just for it: 看我365變. I took the name from a song by the singer Jolin - 看我72變. It means "see my 72 different looks", and since I'm doing this for a year, I will have 365 different looks. And I like Jolin. So go check it out. I will take one picture a day of me and post it... let's see if I can keep up with it!

And the salmon sings in the street

2007-01-01T14:30:00.001+08:00

And the salmon sings in the street
Originally uploaded by Cunning Stunt.

I want to find this coffee somewhere in Taiwan, but I don't think it's available. :-P Click on the picture for a larger size and to read the interesting poem.

96-1-1

2007-01-01T03:38:00.001+08:00

Taipei 101 Fireworks
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Happy New Year

新年快樂! 新年好!
Happy 2007

Happy 96! 快樂民國96年!

goofing off

2006-12-31T14:31:00.000+08:00

Goofing around with YouTube, I found these videos...

This one you have to watch all the way...

Poor newsreader:

Look at What I Ran Into!

2006-12-30T18:24:00.000+08:00

What an awesome thing to find when wandering around with my new camera on the first day I had it. :-) I had a lot of fun taking pictures of these models and their classmates who had cakes... very fun.

Isn't my friend clever?

2006-12-30T16:40:00.001+08:00

Bear + Tentacles card for Vivian
Originally uploaded by Pong Pong Bin.

My friend Yuri (aka 捧彭斌 Peng pong bin) made this. I really love his style. He's a clever one, for sure. I hope he can make his dream of becoming a full-time illustrator.

Earthquake #106 - 7.2

2006-12-26T20:43:00.000+08:00

Well, I survived Earthquake #106 for the year - as did everyone here in Taipei City. I don't like them in general and living on the roof of an apartment building makes it tough. The aftershocks were stronger here in Taipei City, but all it did was knock over some of my books I had stacked on the floor in a precarious fashion.

The magnitude ~~6.7~~ 7.2 was pretty strong considering that I am some 400 miles away from the epicenter.

I just hate earthqaukes with all of my soul. I hope my friends who are in Southern Taiwan are ok. I think there is probably some damage south of 台南 Tainan.

Now I'm going to watch TVBS so I can watch them blame this on Chen Shuibian.

Oh and, I am sure my Taiwanese friends won't give me any sympathy. They've lived through these their whole lives and I think they think I'm kind of a wimp.

Update; Information on the second one is here. It was a 6.4 some 8 minutes later.

guess the meaning!

2006-12-26T07:09:00.001+08:00

guess the meaning?
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

What do you think this sign means?

:-P

Too Much Egg!

2006-12-26T07:05:00.001+08:00

more Char Siu Fan closeups
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

DId you know that I probably eat about 2-3 eggs a day in Taiwan? It comes in your breakfast, it comes in your dinner and it even comes in your Hong Kong-style snack. At first I was shocked and thought it was kind of gross. But now, I've come to realize that it tastes really, really good. Thank God I have unnaturally low cholesterol, technically hypocholsterolemia.

My LDL level is usually 72-85 mg/dL, the normal level is around 130-200. Apparently the risks of hypocholesterolemia include depression (got that), cancer (not yet) and cerebral hemorrhage (slkjggggggggggggg... maybe soon?). Ha.

I just wandered downstairs and had an egg sandwich from the morning breakfast stand. It's so tasty. Egg, tomato, ham, butter, pieces of cucumber, and a couple other things. Yum. And some soy milk - cold. Total cost? 40NT - $1.15USD. Yum.

It's the day after Christmas (I didn't do much anyway, just school, dinner with Yurii and watching DVDs) and my cold came back. I can't sleep with a stuffy face, noises outside and such. At least it explains my terrible mood last week when I felt so awful. :-/

Way 2 Go!

2006-12-25T02:45:00.000+08:00

Congratulations are in order to my friend Bryan, who modeled for a Mingpao Weekly magazine story about substance abuse in Hong Kong. Two of the shots (from his blog) are here. Looking, uh, good, LKF!

Dec. 24th

2006-12-24T23:59:00.000+08:00

The sun is shining
the grass is green,
the orange and palm trees sway.
There's never been such a day!
in Beverly Hills, LA.

But, it's December the twenty -fourth, and I'm
longing to be up north...
I'm dreaming... of a White Christmas....

Isn't the first original verse of this song nice? It's 75F (25C) here today in Taipei and warm.

Christmas in Asia is weird.

More to follow.

My Most Viewed Photo on Flickr

2006-12-20T15:16:00.001+08:00

val kilmer starring in...
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

513 Views, as of today - kinda funny that this weird picture I shot in LA over 2 years ago would be number one.

Too bad the musical appears to have failed :-(

難過 - I Lost My Camera

2006-12-20T06:23:00.001+08:00

admiralty station
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I'm kinda devastated. I lost my camera in a taxi the other night. I was in the front seat and we stopped quickly and stuff fell off my lap... I was with two of my friends and we were hurrying to catch the last subway train. In the haste of doing that, I left my camera behind. We were able to track down the taxi driver, but he denies having it... Grr. I feel lost.

So, I'm uploading pictures that I took a while back. These are really fun, without being able to make new pictures of good quality.

By the way, I love this shot. Admiralty Station - Hong Kong Island. Click on the photo, then on all sizes. It's a strange one.

well, this is a good headline

2006-12-19T02:12:00.000+08:00

from the Wall Street Journal:

Wal-Mart Workers in China
Set Up Communist Party Branch

By MEI FONG
December 18, 2006 8:11 a.m.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer and an icon of American capitalism, said local employees have established a branch of the Communist Party at its China headquarters.

The party branch was set up in the office in the southern city of Shenzhen where Wal-Mart runs its fast-growing China business, said Jonathan Dong, the company's spokesman in China. The latest branch, which was inaugurated Friday, follows the establishment of similar party organizations in five Wal-Mart stores across the country since August, Mr. Dong said.

(full article)

random song lyrics

2006-12-16T01:57:00.000+08:00

because hotmail suddenly stopped supporting traditional chinese for some reason....

我不難過
作詞：楊明學作曲：李偲菘編曲：Kenn C.

又站在你家的門口我們能重複沉默
這樣子單方面的守候還能多久

終於你開口向我訴說她有多溫柔
雖然你還握著我的手但我已不在你心中

我真的懂你不是喜新厭舊
是我沒有陪在你身邊當你寂寞時候
別再看著我說著你愛過別太傷痛
我不難過這不算什麼只是為什麼眼淚會流我也不懂

就讓我走讓我開始享受自由
回憶很多你的影子也會充滿我生活
我並不懦弱你比誰都懂
雖然寂寞這會是我最後的寬容

終於你開口向我訴說她有多溫柔
雖然你還握著我的手但我已不在你心中

我真的懂你不是喜新厭舊
是我沒有陪在你身邊當你寂寞時候
別再看著我說著你愛過別太傷痛
我不難過這不算什麼只是為什麼眼淚會流我也不懂

就讓我走讓我開始享受自由
回憶很多你的影子也會充滿我生活
我並不懦弱你比誰都懂
雖然寂寞這會是我最後的寬容

抱緊我再抱緊我
這一份感動請你讓我留在胸口
別再說是你的錯
愛到了盡頭是非對錯就讓它隨風
忘了所有過得比你快活

我真的懂你不是喜新厭舊
是我沒有陪在你身邊當你寂寞時候
別再看著我說著你愛過別太傷痛
我不難過這不算什麼只是為什麼眼淚會流我也不懂

不要再說或許這是最好的結果
現在分手總好過你不愛我一拖再拖
鬆開你的手離開你左右
我向前走這會是我真正的解脫

Tonight

2006-12-15T00:54:00.001+08:00

mrt doors
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I went out with my friend Yurii and we had a cheap-ish dinner at Pho Hoa (who knew they had them in Taiwan?) and then wandered around. I took this shot on my way home from dinner. I really like this. Yurii says part of why he likes me is that I have an eye for strange things. (He's an illustrator, so we talk about stuff like this occasionally, between our other conversation)...

I'm thinking about making a print of this. I really like it - the subway train hurtling into the station....

two people, two opinions

2006-12-15T00:36:00.000+08:00

I've had a cold lately and haven't been feeling good. Plus, I've been playing around with my camera like crazy and finally started editing my pictures, making some interesting shots. Here are two MSN conversations between me and my friends Leo and Bryan, respectively. Do I look that bad?

[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
haha
where did u find it?
wow
there are some cuttie pics of u in mrt
how to take like this?
oh my god
u r cutter
"亞理安在台北-" says:
how did that happen?
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aep/322212445/
"亞理安在台北-" says:
how to take like that? i just held out the camera
i set my camera to do some neat color settings
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
how did u take pic like that?
yes
color is so weird
but made pic much better
"亞理安在台北- " says:
i like the weird color
it makes for something different
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
yes that is differ from normal pic
it looks like ....making by photoshop
"亞理安在台北- " says:
just inside the camera
IT's called "pre-processing"
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
hum
i dunt know about how to take with camemra
even same one with u
hehehe
but u try many different way to take
and make good pics
anyway
"亞理安在台北- " says:
it's something fun to do
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
i woundering there is photo contest in seattle?
then u pick up some of urs to send it
"亞理安在台北-" says:
haha
you are too flattering
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
hehe maybe i have sweet mouth...
but i really love to see ur pics
"亞理安在台北- arion in taipei" says:
good
then you can look at them all darn day long
[만/Leo/ミツル: in Taiwan] says:
haha

and

"亞理安在台北- " says:
see my ones today
ok
Bryan says:
gosh you really look sick!
hope you are okay
"亞理安在台北- " says:
because i'm so pale?
Bryan says:
nope
just don't do good in general
looks like you really get sick
"亞理安在台北- " says:
well, i'm not smiling on purpose
Bryan says:
ok
haha
i like your smile
dork!

睡美人這次又要面臨著什麼危機？

2006-12-12T18:09:00.001+08:00

睡美人這次又要面臨著什麼危機？
Originally uploaded by 【Ｋ】.

At school in Taiwan... not my picture, but I found this on flickr. 可愛! See larger sizes for more detail...

Old Favorite

2006-12-12T12:15:00.001+08:00

Special Bus
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

From October...

I see this bus on a regular basis, while it's on its way to NTU. I think it's really funny.

Rainy Night in Taipei

2006-12-10T02:46:00.001+08:00

101 at night - street level
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Taipei 101 on a rainy night.

Taken on my way to a Christmas Party.

Bridget Jones

2006-12-10T02:37:00.000+08:00

Oh my. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is on MAX Videoland TV... Do women like this ever exist? Do men actually put up with such shrill, icky women? Actually, we all know the answer is yes, but still, this is painful to watch.... I'm off to bed!

macro photography

2006-12-06T22:53:00.001+08:00

id card
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

get ready. i just figured out the macro setting on my camera. i can now make in focus shots of things that are really close up. ha!

i'd been wanting to do this for some time and didn't realize how to do it. and then... presto! i figured it out! i feel so smart. so i took a bunch of pictures today and then played with them on picasa, then put them into flickr.

i get a lot out of flickr. it makes me want to take better pictures (which i think i do) because i see some great stuff taken by other people every day (I had no idea stuff like cross-process turned out so good - see here)... so flickr has the effect of making me want to take better pictures, buy better equipment and get more knowledge about photography.

hmm... an expensive proposition.

我愛台妹 - Wo ai tai mei

2006-12-05T21:50:00.001+08:00

我愛台妹
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I found these shoes in my hallway. My neighbor is up to no good yet again ;-)

This song is stuck in my head... precious if not only for the line "One Night in 墾丁 (Kending)" -- which refers to the southern beach resort at the end of the island...

I Love This Photo

2006-12-04T23:13:00.001+08:00

City God Temple
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I took this picture in September when I went on a day trip to Hsinchu (Xinzhu - 新竹) about 100Km from Taipei. Click on the big version of this picture for a closer view :-) I like the face this guy has, as well as the thumbs up he has. I miss the warm weather, for sure :-) It was like 38C that day and I was starting to get a cold. I felt terrible!

One Thing I Hate...

2006-12-04T22:51:00.000+08:00

One thing I hate... is that because I have type-2 Bipolar Disorder, often I feel very blah, especially in Winter in Seattle, and the last week since I arrived back in Taiwan. I've felt really uninspired and kind of frustrated by the environment and I realized how much I've gotten used to being lonely while here in Taiwan. :-(

But I took pictures and finished reading Orient Express by Graham Greene. I'd never read any of his work, and I bought this when I was in Seattle. I gotta say... it's good! I also bought his classic The Quiet American which I think I will read soon.

I just saw that John Bolton has resigned from the UN Ambassador position effective in January. Wow.

Back to Class

2006-12-04T22:39:00.000+08:00

While Typhoon Durian kills over a thousand in the Philippines, I have gone back to class. It's another small class (as always).

Some notes:

I have another French-speaking classmate. They all have really annoying Chinese as their pronunciations are completely off.
My first day, the students grouped themselves into weird groups: the Korean and Japanese girl sit together. The Australian sat next to the Spaniard. The Haitian and the Vietnamese sat next together. I was next to the Nauruian and the Australian. I realized that they kind of grouped themselves by colonial powers - Japan and Korea (a Japanese colony in the past). Vietnam and Haiti - both former colonies of France. Australia and America - former British colonies. Kinda weird. (Okay, I was bored).
I keep falling asleep at weird times, and now at 2300, I am having trouble staying awake.

Typhoon

2006-12-02T10:57:00.001+08:00

12:27 pm, Yesterday, by Chinatown MRT Station
Originally uploaded by yusheng.

We are getting the edge of Typhoon Durian, which has killed some 400+ people in the RP (Philippines).

I think they should post this sign there... :-P

What's the Hardest Part About Being You?

2006-12-02T09:24:00.000+08:00

So True

2006-11-30T18:33:00.000+08:00

This blog post captures how I feel about food in Taipei.

:-P

Check it out - and the bigger site, which is done by one of my Flickr Contacts, who is an awesome photographer.

Back in Taipei

2006-11-30T09:34:00.001+08:00

N220UA
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I'm back in Taipei from Seattle. It was a long trip back, and when I arrived in Taipei, I felt like everyone was yelling at me, from the immigration inspector who asked me mumbling questions in Chinese to the bus driver who was pissed off that I got off the bus early because I was falling asleep.

I've slept now (4 hours or so) and now I'm going out for breakfast. I kind of miss the US. :-(

Bad Weather

2006-11-27T22:14:00.000+08:00

i like the cloud arc
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

Weather is getting nasty in Seattle tonight... I leave in the morning...

We have something called "thundersnow" happening...

I took some neat pictures outside earlier, including this one. :-)

Synergy on NBC

2006-11-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

I was watching NBC's Today show this morning. It had good examples of how far synergy on NBC has gone.

The regular anchors had the day off - so who was doing the news? Some woman from MSNBC. The weather guy (Al Roker)? Replaced by someone from NBC WeatherPlus.

Consumer reporting? Some woman at NBC's O&O (Owned and Operated) WMAQ-TV in Chicago.

Way to keep the costs low, NBC ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T22:26:00.001+08:00

oh yuck!

2006-11-23T21:56:00.000+08:00

Man's Remains Found in NYC Woman's Bed...

eww...

Tokyo

2006-11-22T13:21:00.001+08:00

a380
Originally uploaded by brappy!.

I had a layover in Tokyo on my way home to Seattle. My flight (UA 882 TPE-NRT -- RCTP - RJAA) had a long taxi and we ended up parking at NRT T1 Satellite 4 near the A380 prototype. The pilots on 882 were so surprised that they announced it was the first time they'd seen one. Of course this announcement was repeated in Mandarin and Japanese...

The Asian Vegetarian Meals on UA (United) are pretty tasty ex-TPE and ex-NRT... there are pictures in my flickr here. Tasty tasty. I was happy with it.

It was nice to fly UA... to get a small taste of America. I'll be looking forward to my return trip. As I get off UA 881 in TPE, It will be the last time I see the stars and stripes for a few months. I even ran into a flight attendant on UA 876 NRT-SEA that was the same FA that I had on UA 875 SEA-NRT back in June. She remembered me - and remembered the nice comment I sent in that ended up in her file. We had a few nice chats during the 9 1/2 hour flight to SEA.

While waiting at NRT for 875, I had a good 3-hour wait and I was very sleepy, so I slept some and wandered around more. I went through immigration formalities just to get a Japanese stamp on my passport - and to give me something to do besides hang around NRT T1. I saw this guy walking very gimpy-like on a moving walkway, but he had no cane. Usually people who have significant movement problems have a cane -especially when flying Trans-Pac, right? Well, he got off the moving walkway and he took a few steps, and passed out on the ground, next to a crowd of people waiting to get on a flight on its way to ORD (Chicago O'Hare).

I turned around, as I was about 4 meters away and he was surrounded by people, and some UA staff came over. Then he got up, and I heard some hubub as I turned around and he passed out again. I wonder if he made it on his flight? I kinda doubt it. You want to be feeling relatively good before you get on a trans-Pac flight, and certainly not passing out. It's not like a short Pittsburgh-Akron flight or something... I wonder what happened...

Back in Seattle now. It's cold and wet. Kinda shocking. :-(