In case you live under rock, for the last month life in the manic financial capital of Thailand, Bangkok, has not only been paralyzed, but has been the scene of deadly demonstrations between anti government demonstrators (the ‘Red Shirts’) whom are standing up against the Thai government and current Prime Minister (they support former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006), with the army standing somewhere in between, confused. This past weekend I was both fortunate and unfortunate enough to get right in the center of it all and snap some photos.

My original trip was scheduled the weekend prior, but after a string of grenades were launched last Thursday (April 22, 2010), I promptly rescheduled my flight (resulting in an overstay, thanks for caring for my well being Taipei immigration). Though last week my photos might have been more spectacular, I spared myself some bullet wounds and battle scars and arrived in the midst of a more tranquil protest where the masses had dwindled as the ‘Red Shirts’ have to some extent, got what they wanted.

Most interesting to I, to make a statement the ‘Red Shirts’ set up camp right amidst a popular tourist shopping mecca, between MBK stretching down Sukhumvit passed Siam Center, Siam Paragon and beyond. It was definitely a sight to see, and a statement to make, thousands of the perhaps more indigent Thai’s camped out under towering Louis Vuitton stores and massive Gucci campaigns. 5 star hotels were deserted, blocked off by barriacades of barbed wire, tires, bamboo, and thousands of red shirted Thai’s who have made the door step of the grand Siam Paragon their home.

The presence of armed miltia was scarce, but taxi’ing around the city you spot them with their machine guns and riots shields in popular areas, like right outside nightclub doors. Though the violent clashes have ceased, the unsettling feeling of uncertainty and unpredictability looms heavily in the city.

This video was taken on April 10th, 2010, on Bangkok’s infamous tourist hot spot KHAO SAN ROAD.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But here I am, home safe. I wore a lucky hat.

Sort it out, Thailand.

A humbled state of consciousness overcomes you as you approach the city center, weaving through an unusual kind of heavy traffic, one made up of tuk tuks, motorcycles, and pedal bikes, as you coast along the outer ring like schools of minnows swimming fiercely together downstream. A moat and what was once a protective wall encircles the heart of the city, its purpose was at one time to fend off neighboring Burma. Now the area within the walls is home to most of Chang Mai’s charm. The visually striking streets are lined with café’s, eateries, temples, chic guesthouses, message parlors, museums, shops, and bars, all rich with Thai culture and mystical history. We rented pedal bikes to explore the city and it’s relative peacefulness, the cooler climate in this part of Thailand allows for a full day of sightseeing without overheating. Political awkwardness is not in any way present and your only boundary here is altitude.

The highlight of my visit to Chang Mai was, in fact, the food. An abundance of healthy, holistic, organic and vegetarian cuisines occupy the city. Wheatgrass for breakfast, organic pad thai with tofu for dinner. Khun Churn deserves my honorable mention, and this restaurant alone is reason for me to go back. They do a vegetarian lunch buffet for 80 baht ($2.50CAD) but we opted for an ambient candle lit dinner on their stylish but laid back terrace. I recommend the Kaow Tang – Crispy Rice with a peanut and thai coconut milk sauce to start, the fried cashew nuts, the Kanom Hua Pak Gad – stir fried white radish cale with egg, bean sprouts, and Chinese chilli. The pomelo salad with deep fried coconut and lime juice was delish, and opt for the brown jasmine rice steamed with ginger. Khun Churn, Th Nimmanhaemin, Soi 17, Chang Mai, Thailand.

However what brought us to Chang Mai was a trekking adventure into the ‘jungle’ where farang flock to in search of something they’ve been missing in their everyday lives. I say jungle but the forestry is far from lush and in fact was very dry and not at all dense, mind you we were a mere 30 minutes from the city. I will never forget the initial hike that took us from the foot of the hills to the village that we were to spend the night. It was the longest, hottest, most difficult and strenuous hike of my life. Nearly entirely uphill, and so steep that often we were on all fours for traction, or using the trees surrounding us to hoist ourselves onwards. I’m not lying…I almost died. Not only am I so out of shape that a sprint across the street can wind me, but I have REALLY bad asthma. So we’re winded, without water, covered in dirt, sunburned, carrying all our belongings, it’s high noon, I’m gasping for air and losing oxygen to my brain, Audrey is in FLIP FLOPS, and our chubby Thai guide keeps cheerfully sprinting past us, telling us only 5 more minutes for the last 3 hours. My hell.

Upon finally arriving at the elephant camp where we were spending the night, we first spent a few minutes reflecting on the hike, or rather overcoming the shock, and then each one of us jumped into a filthy bone chilling ‘pool’ that doubles as an elephant drinking/bathing station. We rode these elephants around a bit later. Don’t even start with me on how wrong this is. I found out later that the elephant we rode was pregnant. Did you know elephants have a gestation period of 4 years?

It wasn’t even 9hPM and we were already trudging off to bed, at first excited at the prospect of sleeping high up in the mountains with nothing between us and the stars but sheer mosquito netting. I must have woken up but a mere hour later, painfully shivering until the sun rose. I’ve never been so cold, uncomfortable, and miserable in my life. It wasn’t an experience, it was the worst part of my trip. My body temperature has never dropped so low, I’ve never been so uncomfortable. This is all anyone talked about for a good portion of the morning.

We did some more trekking the next day, much easier than the first day by far. Most of us had headaches and couldn’t walk as result of the previous days hell. But we did and were rewarded with lunch at a beautiful secluded waterfall, and then visited some hill tribe villages by the road. We went white water rafting and bamboo rafting in the afternoon, although again it’s dry season so there really isn’t much excitement happening on the waters this time of year. On the way back to the city we visited a long neck tribe (the Kayan). I was disappointed at the realization that the village was in fact a tourist mecca and not one in which we could actually catch a glimpse of life under their brass coils. Nonetheless, the women’s appearance is unarguably intriguing. Every year, a lengthened new brass coil is added to the women’s necks and this begins at the ripe age of about 5. I always believed that their necks were actually stretched, when in fact the illusion of a stretched neck is created by the weight of the brass pushing down on the collar bone and compressing the rib cage. The women say they wear these rings as a form of cultural identity (beauty). It’s just remarkable to feast your eyes first hand upon the cultural variations in symbols of beauty. In Thailand, in Asia, in the middle east, anywhere, cultural interpretations of beauty is both fascinating and bewildering.

Charming Chiang Mai, an enchanting escape into the real Thailand and a keystone in any visit to Thailand. A city where Thai culture is easy to embrace, as it’s often misplaced on the lazy beaches of the south, and misunderstood in hectic Bangkok. My visit was shortened by time, and due to it’s proximity to the mountains Chiang Mai can sometimes only be used as jumping off point for hill treks, but there is much more to see and do in this lovely city. For travellers on a budget, I recommend the Top North Guesthouse for 250 baht / night. The rooms are nothing special, but they have a pool and the location is excellent. They DON’T have bed bugs.

Finally, I just have to mention that I charged through and finished The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand while in Chiang Mai, which was a daunting and difficult read and I now consider one of my literary accomplishments. This powerful and ingenious book was published in 1943 and is about a young architect and his struggle against conventionalism. Strong and detailed strokes in perfect form fill the 700 pages which are dense with universal themes, but most importantly a beautiful surface story. I recommend.

Today I’m supposed to be in Thailand, but instead of catching grenades in my teeth I’m finally catching up on some writing, editing, nail painting, etc.

And with little time to write, I needed at least to publish photos from this past weekend. This is the Shih Chien University (實踐大學) graduate fashion show. The student designers spent a year working towards this show. It was the most visually stunning and eclectic creativity in fashion I’ve ever seen first hand. Had I known exactly the extremities in which this event entailed, I would have been on the other side of the lens from the get go. Though my purpose here was to….model. An inch of make up between me and the view finder.

The only photos I took of my two favorite looks.

Sway took this photo of one group on the runway.

My make up and hair, photo by Sway.

This is a praise to my friend Optimist, another product of my lost time. He is a friend that I met in Taipei who has since left to San Francisco. Rather, ‘the Bay’. This is a person whom when I met I immediately identified as interesting (a quality I deem scarce in people), and I met him at a time where I was having a difficult time distinguishing between real and surreal. He unknowingly enlightened me on dynamics outside of the frenzied life I was caught up with in my first few months in Taipei. This person is an artist who spent his time in Taiwan painting his social, cultural, and geographical observations in an OPTIMISTS visualization. Though his works are limited to the streets and galleries abroad (if only one day on the web), here is an illustration that depicts his virtuosity.

His upcoming show is called THE BAY TO TAIPEI and it takes place in San Fransico this Friday April 16th, 2010 at 7hPM. Now, I only hope, he will again casually stumble upon my blog and take this honorable mention as a push to showcase to those hidden behind the imaginary walls of the world wide web.

He also said this, saying it reminded him of how he was feeling, which reminded me of how I was feeling, which I’m sure will you mind you of how you have at some time or another, felt. “The pure present is an ungraspable advance of the past devouring the future. In truth all sensation is already a memory.” – A quote from Kafka on the Shore by Murakami (quoted from Henri Bergson’s Matter and Memory)… a novel overloaded with insightful literary excerpts. A MUST READ, along with ALL his others.

I am looking for more time.

Is there life after LOST? I doubt it. Especially after confused yet adoring fans will be left hanging at the end of season 6, the final season (the hanging, it’s inevitable). But I’m kind of okay with that. I’m okay with not getting all the answers. Makes it more epic, more grand, more food for thought when LOST isn’t around anymore. 5 years years of time travel, magnetism, Others, smoke monsters, hatches, and hydrogen bombs is coming to an end in what will without a doubt be a roller coaster of a season to conclude the most imaginative, intricate, and intelligent series to hit television. Ever.

Wrapping up these last 5 years is a considerable task for 16 hours. My biggest fear is that the season will end with the LOSTies back on 815, big smiles as they land at LAX, still all strangers as time has realigned itself on its proper course and 815 never crashed on ‘the island’. Like nothing ever happened. Until Hurley finds a Dharma candy bar in his pocket. Imagine? I think we can forget about closure, but I’d like to believe that J.J Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carleton Cuse will do this right and snowball answers at us, which will probably lead to more questions, and then again leave us desperate for answers, and then like that, LOST is over.

Let the season begin…

It is said that in ancient Chinese culture, clouds and rain symblized the mating of heaven and earth. A tale tells of the King of Sichuan’s odyssey to Wu Shan, or Sorcery Mountain, where once near the summit he closed his eyes and dreams of the Lady of Wu Shan filled his soul. She said to him, ”Having heard that you come here, I share pillow and couch with you.”

When the lovers later parted, the woman told the king: “I live on top of the southern slope of Wu Shan, on top of the high hill. At dawn I am the morning clouds; in the evening I am the pouring rain. Every morning and night I hover around these hills.”

Since then, the clouds and rain have been used as a poetic metaphor for sexual intercourse by many Chinese poets. Clouds symoblize the essence if a woman, rain that of a man. Chinese literatures have for a long time now been enriched with such thematic phrases as ”After the rain had come, the clouds dispersed,” and “The clouds grew thick but the rain never came”.

Whichever the day bestows upon the mountain peaks in Asia, clear skies and stunning views, or opaque clouds and frigid rain, the summits always draw. To some, even more compelling than a staggering panorama, is the sensual atmosphere found amidst the high altitude mists. Mountain mists are said to posses exceptional curative powers, due to their high concentration of qi.

“Qi is the life force or vital energy, the most fundamental of all Chinese physical and spiritual concepts. Qi is considered the basic force that animates all forms of life. The most potent qi, it is believed, rises in the atmosphere, and clings as mist to the mountains. The lengend of Wu Shan further reinforces the concept, suggesting that mists are the vital essence emited during the mating of heaven and earth on high mountain peaks.”

What began as a hot and sunny January afternoon, it turned dramatically foggy, as it often does in Taiwan and quickly. I went hiking in the mountains outside of Hsinchu, near a village called Neiwan. On a closed off trail, we trudged onwards and basked in the last of the afternoon sun atop great mossy stones amidst ponds of pristine blue water and gently rushing waterfalls. After some adventurous mid day snacks, a two headed turtle lured us into some sort of Taiwanese ‘believe or not’ museum.

To break apart the mixed emotions left from this freak attraction, a quick mention of lavender and I pressed my friends to take me to the nearby Lavender Cottage. Quietly tucked away unnoticed in the mountains of Neiwan, is what to me is the most beautiful place in the world. Mysterious, magical and right from a fairytale, this quaint little cottage is surrounded by lush foliage, tiki torches, and vibrant shades of purple that circle the cottage in the abundance of lavish bushes of fresh and dried out lavender. I LOVE lavender. A delicious menu, apart from all the lavender delicacies that the restaurant boasts, and seating throughout the gardens to enjoy it on, it’s romance to be shared by friends and families alike.

I recommend the lavender and lemongrass ice cream.

As Taiwan is situated in a collision zone between two tectonic plates, a unique environment is produced. Unique but dangerous, earthquakes are an unfortunate result of this placement. However, high temperature hot springs are another, more fortunate, result of this placement. All across Taiwan you can find range of hot springs, anywhere from dipping in a pool on the side of the road, or indulging in luxurious 5 star restorts. I prefer the in between. Milky sulphur baths to crystal clear eucalyptus soaks to bone chilling waterfall massages, for a mere $10 you can dip for hours. I went twice this weekend.

This time next week, Thailand..

Information and quoted texts in italics from the Insight Guide Taiwan – Discovery Channel.

To some, breakfast of champions is granola, and to others it’s bacon. For me, it’s Dan Bing. It’s also a book written by Kurt Vonnegut and it’s already tucked away into my backpack for a fast approaching month in Thailand… happy face.

Dan Bing, my daily fuel, is essentially an egg burrito. It’s a crepe or pancake made of water, scallions, and flour, I’ve read tapioca flour or green bean flour, correct me if I’m wrong. It’s slapped onto a fried egg, basted with a hot chilli paste, and I have mine made with fried onions, cheese, and bacon. Taiwanese usually opt for a corn and something concoction. Finally it’s drizzled with a sweet garlic soy noodle sauce.  This mighty meal, all for NT30 – NT40 ($1CAD), is a street snack favoured in Taiwan and mainland China.

I’ve tried to recreate this Chinese treat but I cannot and will probably never be as good as this woman. This is dan bing and this is my dan bing lady.

My food intolerances/allergies have recently spun wildly out of control, above and beyond the usual wheat intolerances I’ve been experiencing in the last few years and I’m SO SICK. Anyway, in light of this, I’ve been meandering the western supermarkets for allergy friendly ingredients and have been cooking a lot at home. Lately I’ve been making so much edamame. I am literally making batches by the pound. I’ve compiled a few recipes into one so good that I have to share it. Keep in mind I love my food so full of flavour that my lips burn when I’m done, so add ingredients to taste.

Garlic Edamame

Sauce

One stick of  butter room temperature
Worcestershire sauce
Minced garlic
Minced onions

Seasoning

Minced garlic
Sea salt
Pepper
Star anise

Mix the butter, garlic, onions, and worcestershire sauce together in a bowl. Boil edamame in well salted water. Melt the butter melange in a wok, and saute the remaining garlic in it until it starts to brown. Turn off heat and add edamame, blending it with the butter mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and star anise.

And to say I love Hi Chews is an understatement. I could eat a whole package is under 5 minutes. I’m a pusher and have people hooked all over the world. On a garam masala hunt one Saturday morning (a successfull one at that), in the basement of the Breeze Center in Taipei (Breeze Super), I came across a myriad of Hi Chews. The biggest selection I’ve ever seen. Even bigger than in Japan, considering all of these were imported from Japan. Orange, American Cherry, Durian, Fruit Punch, Cotton Candy, Candy Apple, Green Apple, Grape, Strawberry, Melon, Lychee. Jealous, Canada?

Bed bugs are the bane of my existence. In my traveling world, at least. They are not a myth, they are not microscopic as common misconception suggests, but they are very much real and they are following me around the world. This time to Malaysia. These pesky creepy crawlies are small, elusive, and extremely difficult to both detect and be rid of. The live strictly by feeding on the blood of humans, my blood, and they feed only at night, actually closer to dawn is prime chow time. Something like 10% of the world is allergic to bed bugs. And I am unfortunately EXTREMELY allergic to them. Having being bitten and suffered through three prior attacks, I now travel with some Oliviaesque precautionary measures. Regardless of the temperature, I will go to bed the first night in a new place fully clothed, with only the flesh around my eyes exposed, and if I have no bites the next day, I’ll sleep comfortably the next night and onwards. There have been times where I’ve completely coocooned myself in a sheet and tied elastic bands on the ends to stop the bugs from getting in. I don’t even believe I’m being at all dramatic. Keeping in my traveling tradition, I slept fully clothed my first night in KL and awoke the next day seemingly alright. Then, that eve was New Years and I came home fairly…indisposed, ahem.  I was so drunk I actually saw a bed bug, said ‘Ew look a bug!’, flicked it off the bed and passed out. I woke up with bites all over my body, and even after changing rooms twice, I spent two more nights being midnight snacked upon, total bites adding up to somewhere around 70. These aren’t just little mosquito bites, they are welts, blisters, and boil like to be more accurate. It’s disgusting and ruins my life, as well the persons whom I am traveling with since it’s impossible to not sulk over.  They are itchy, painful, and last for weeks. And they send me to the hospital every time.

I’ve read that things like eucalyptus oil and bathing before bed will help repel them, and duct taping the bottom of the bedposts, or even creating a barrier of duct tape around your body, can help stop them from tromping all over your body while you sleep. All things I am incorporating into my traveling routine. Any other ideas?

With what time I didn’t spend hindered by my ails, I got over myself and did a bit of exploring.

I had not a clue that Malaysia was so Muslim. I have never been within such a predominantly Muslim population before. 60 percent of the population are Muslim, 19 percent are Buddhist, 9 percent are Christian and 6 percent are Hindu. It can be rather intimidating to two white girls in sundresses. There is a distinct Islamic touch in the contemporary architecture of the many buildings towering over the otherwise lower class communities. The iconic Petronas Towers, which were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 took over that title in 2004, dominate the skyline and are symbolic to Malaysia’s stance in the modern day world.

Kuala Lumpur wasn’t the most memorable city I’ve visited. Although I may be slightly partial due to my shortcomings, there was no apparent charm in the vibe that attracts me to some cities, nor warmth from the people, or fascination in the culture. Though it is an incredibly cultured city, perhaps over cultured. There is a large international population, people from India, China, and all over South East Asia, as well as a large number of westerns, that have made Kuala Lumpur home and tourists are surprisingly plenty. We spent some time in the chic malls, although mainly just to hunt for fast food chains we’ve been missing in Taiwan, but opted for more daytime adventures out of the city center and into Chinatown, Little India, and a neighborhood called Chow Kit, one more sinister than welcoming. Nothing much to see, no lasting impressions, but with the primary purpose of this trip being to party, party is what we did.

We rung in the New Year with the Bloody Beetroots at the Life Center in KL. They were, as expected, amazing. This Italian electro duo was especially hard to meet, but alas we got to chat for a minute, coaxing them hard on playing Taiwan in 2010. 6 inch purple heels had me hobbling the next day, but by the following night, feet wrapped tight in moccasins, we danced to the Basement Jaxx. AND THEY DIDN’T EVEN PLAY RED ALERT!

The Bloody Beetroots

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Basement Jaxx

Click here to view the embedded video.

I know this guy in Montreal who runs this little dive spot I fancy in the Plateau called Cash and Carry and he serves the best gd Malaysian food my palette has ever been treated too. Curries, lambs, muscles..I had high hopes for culinary delicacies in KL. Yet I found myself indulging in all that I eat everyday, Chinese food and sushi. But I have this thing I do in every city I visit, to try the one offbeat thing on the menu at McDonalds that is local to the country I’m in. I should have documented (and remembered) more of these wacky snacks as it’s all the same in North America. The Philippines has McSpaghetti, Thailand has a McSamurai burger and broccoli pie, and KL’s menu included milkshakes, curly fries, and a Prosperity burger…a burger full of wealthy fillings like onions and a pepper sauce.

Thailand in 20 days…

 

Mark the Cobrasnake’s photos. See all his photos here, here, and here.

www.thecobrasnake.com

 

Adward Tsai’s photos. See all his photos here.

 

And my photos. See them all here.

 

VIDEO OF THE MADNESS!!!

Luxy told us after they thought the floor was going to cave in.. (the club is on the fifth floor of a building)

Click here to view the embedded video.

This past Saturday I danced to the Basement Jaxx in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia (détails plus tard) and the Saturday before that was our Aoki party @ LUXY (encore, détails plus tard) and the Saturday before that a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Taiwan. Don’t be too shocked, this little island gets rocked daily, or more. A few months ago, the Taiwan Weather Bureau recorded over 20 quakes in one day. Thus being, I live on ‘earthquake island’. Taiwan is situated in a seismically active stretch of the Pacific basin. This tremor, however, was THE MOST intense earthquake I’ve ever felt not only in Taiwan, but in my life. It was like riding a small boat over mammoth waves. No major damage or casualties were reported. On this island every small earthquake is a reminder of the big one, the 9/21 Jiji earthquake that recorded a magnitude 7.6 when it struck Taiwan in 1999, killing thousands of people and haunting millions to this day. Here is the quake Wiki’ed and here is a photo essay recount of the disaster TIME.com photo special on Taiwans 9.21.99 earthquake.

Following my last post on the Wind Up Bird Chronicles (the best book I have ever read, in my entire life), a friend passed along a fascinating review that looks at the insights on Japanese psyche found prevalent throughout the novel, so especially interesting to those keen on the psychological and cultural correlations within Japan and the themes in the book: The Wind Up Bird Chronicles review from the JUng Page. FOUR of my friends are concurrently reading the Wind Up Bird Chronicles, making me feel as if I should at once read it over again regardless of the fact I’ve only read it months ago (must finish the Fountainhead…). This same friend filled me in on all the rave that is 1Q84. 1O84 is the most recent novel by Haruki Murakami. The first two volumes of this book have already been published in Japan, the third scheduled for the summer of 2010. All only in Japanese. To learn Japanese or wait for the English edition in September 2011.. How unfair. Taipei houses an underground book market which is just north of the Zhongshan MRT on the red line in the underground mall. Most titles are in Chinese, but it’s worth a curious eye. They had a fetching display (or so I heard) on the book….THAT I MISSED. I arrived to find bare shelves and the only apparent trace of the display was a colossal 1Q84 print on the floor. Sad face. Yet now I’m seeing the cover all around the city, HESS’s window disaplys are even covered. Are there so many Japanese people here? Why the whole affair if not even the locals can read it? Perhaps all Murakami fans are as hardcore as I, searching for hardcore novelty..heh.. Anyway. If the title of this books makes you think of George Orwells 1084, well it should. It is an intentional authorial reference to 1984, only in title, not in theme. The ‘Q’ stands for question mark. Interestingly, until publication, nothing was revealed about this book following criticism that leaks had diminished his previous book’s novelty. Unlikely (from a fan perspective).

Anyway, how about a Robbins recommendation, my most recent of his reads..

Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

“You will never forget your first Robbins book.” If you haven’t yet been made acquainted, now you are. You need to read all of his books yesterday. This tale is that of man who calls himself Switters, a CIA agent who is flawed, indecent, and hedonistic, and who is equally as in love with his 16 year old step sister is he is a 46 year old nun. He crosses continents bound to a wheelchair, though his only ail is a ‘curse’ placed on him after he is sent deep into the dicey jungles of South America to release his dear grandmothers (whom he refers to as Maestra) parrot, Sailor Boy. He walks into a jungle of hallucenegenics and emerges again damned to wheelchair (though he certainly doesn’t appear all that damned by his judgement) after a shaman shows him the secrets of the universe…and he makes a serendipitous sacred snack of Sailor Boy. Still, he makes his way into the middle of the Syrian desert and inhabits an oasis occupied by a group of excommunicated nuns where he attempts to decipher the Three Prophesies of Fatima, a series of revelations reportedly made by the Virgin Mary during World War One  (strong underlying religious themes are present and almost all of Robbin’s books). I suppose this is more of a synopsis than my thoughts on the book but the story line is pretty amusing to retell, and my opinion should be easy to gather on this one. I got a lot of information about the book to help with the the details (I read it 11 months ago) here. Read this if you like to hear about how king Tom Robbins is.

This year, December had not yet begun and my Christmas cards were written and my presents wrapped. The season was far more festive than the last, full of poinsettias and only lacking in eggnog. Next year, however, I’ll definitely be trading in a rainy Taiwanese December for a snowy Canadian one. I’m going home (hey parents, can someone fund this joyous occasion??)! Being that Christmas is not a national holiday in Taiwan (although there are quite a few Christians) and I worked 12 hours on the 25th, the spirit is certainly celebrated and the whole city was lively and vibrant with Christmas cheer for nearly two months. Thankfully I didn’t miss out on turkey and stuffing and feasted well. Although Easter I spent shaping meatballs into Turkey using cran and gravy at IKEA…

Xmas in Taiwan

Xmas at school

Meandering ShiDa night market, I found these TAIWACKY Christmas cards. WTF, right? Only in Taiwan… Translations by Sway.

“Don’t move!”

“Come on, I just wanted to send a gift to someone really special”

“Well.. I have nothing… except all the fat on my body… I guess I’ll have to……”

and the pig and the bear says “NO…!!!!!” “please don’t…..!!!!”

FRONT PAGE OF A TAIWAN NEWSPAPER

Censorship is a fascinating subject. Equally in any part of the world, but especially in non western cultures. China, North Korea, North Africa, the Middle East, what is really happening behind those borders? To us in the outside world, censorship is a twisted and corrupt representation of authority and control. My total lifelong experience with censorship has been the F word bleeped out of films. We westerners are fortunate to have always been awarded the right to freedom of speech, the freedom to learn what we want to learn about, the freedom to practice what religion we want, or none at all, FREEDOM plain and simple. For whatever prejudiced reason, political, religious, moral, etc., censorship in many countries strips its citizens of their right to freedom and millions in this world are still subjected to it in the most extreme and ridiculous ways, some by choice, but most not. This is our warped present, some countries have spent millions developing technologies to monitor and control every piece of binary information sent over every individual network should their citizens be researching their countries history, but the country next door doesn’t even have a phone to report the rapes and killings happening in their villages being carried out by government miltias. Fucked up! Perhaps this introduction isn’t fully relevant to my post, but it’s food for thought.

I was grabbing a coffee at 7-11 before work this morning, and my eyes rolled over todays paper. The image above takes up a full half of the front page. Ottawa Citizen sized papers, not Ottawa Sun. Am I alone thinking that this is totally inappropriate footage for the general public. Like, these newspapers are presented within a child’s line of sight. Perhaps I, as a westerner, have been censored to more that I thought, sensored from the brutality of the real world maybe, but I like to think of it as being spared the gory, totally unnecessary details, mostly out of respect. Is this photo really necessary? And especially in such a scale? Would written words informing the public of a tragic accident not have sufficed?

The footage in the news here, the local Chinese spoken news, is brutally real. They show EVERYTHING. Not only do they show it all, but it’s embellished, without a doubt (a little first hand experience here). With nothing else to do, I lost myself in the news once on the bus en route from the airport, and of the short 30 minute drive, I must have spent 20 of those minutes with my hands over my eyes squirming at the site of a dead infant and his tearful family, and next a mans face being literally dissected on a hunt for an ingrown hair turned tumor like. Images like this are traumatizing, they haunt memories, create scars. There is some sort of emotional bond created within you to the matter at hand.

I consider myself lucky to be in Taiwan, especially with my heart set in China for so long, but as my time on this little island is becoming more and more, I am becoming increasingly aware of the cultural, political, and moral perspectives that the locals have been inflicted upon and how it is manifested in their day to day lives. These perspectives definitely play a key role in learning and understanding a culture so different from your own.

Finally, I took the above photo of the newspaper with my Canon IXUS, so it’s lost its clarity and become quite grainy, so you are spared of some blood, guts, and limbs. There are, however, 3 pixelated squares over the eyes of the two victims on the bottom, and another 3 pixelated squares over a patch of blood middle right. And that’s a fourth body to the left of the female EMT.

My heart goes out.