Friday was a big night. Here’s what I wore during the day til I went out at night:

Friday, November 13th, Day

sweater – Fornarina

dress – WuFanPu, no label

half lace, half spandex leggings – Rice Society

Here’s the dress without the sweater, first worn on Day 39:

Close up of the leggings I made in the morning:

Then for my Friday night party outfit, photo taken by the talented Olivia:

Friday the 13th in November, Night

blue shirt – bought in Bangkok under a bridge, first worn on Day 45

Double Fish jacket (made from Melton) – Rice Society

skirt – Chloe Chen, first worn on Day 6

big mirror star – Pet Shops Girl (oh yes, we all know Jo rocks!)

leggings – Rice Society (same as earlier)

Here’s a bathroom shot from Luxy, although I wish I had one where Sandi’s finger wasn’t in the way:

And cuz its just so awesome, I wanna give you a better shot. This one was taken by Gretchen Robinette, back when I had pink hair. No, it’s not a wig. The tabs all have magnets in them and interlock in the front to close. I got the idea from putting my fingers together. It also kinda looks like a fishbone from the front, but, alas, I don’t have a closed front shot, so this one on the MRT will have to do:

Ni hao- Obama meets Chinese students (Huffington Post)

President Barack Obama had a town-hall style meeting with Chinese students in Shanghai today, one of the most anticipated portions of his Asia visit.  Here are some highlights which I think are currently representative of  the free speech + media + social networking in China.

1. The 400 students in the audience were handpicked by their heads of department or were members of the All-China Youth Federation. Maybe representatives of other parties couldn’t make it. There are no other parties.

2. A Taiwanese student asked a question. He was greatly concerned about how straits relations would affect the economy.

3. The sneaky, sneaky American embassy was able to slip in a question about censorship in China that came from the internet. Obama’s reply was faithfully transcribed in major Chinese news sources online but was quickly taken down soon after. He said that 

There are times when I wish information didn’t flow so freely because then I would not have to listen to people criticising me all the time. I think people naturally, when they are in positions of power, sometimes think: ‘Oh, how can that person say that about me?’ or ‘That’s irresponsible’. But I actually think that it makes me a better leader, because it forces me to hear opinions I do not want to hear. The internet has become a powerful tool for citizen participation.

4. I was wondering if Chinese media would report on such a controversial topic as internet freedom. Xinhua did a take on the subject. Here’s what they said:

Some 137 years later, the generation of Chinese youth growing up in the prosperity of China’s reform and opening-up and with the kaleidoscope of the information age had a dialogue face to face and through the internet with U.S. President Barack Obama, who is visiting Shanghai Monday, a glittering city boasting its modern skyscrapers and the dozens of Western-style historical buildings on the Bund.  The energetic youth, passionate in surfing both the real world and the internet, are eager to explore and embrace the waves of the world. Their efforts, without doubt, will bestow them with fresh and advanced knowledge and technology, which are heaps conducive to the development of China.

Album Title: Guess My Feeling, Model: 笨寶 (read: ben bao), Photographer: Edwin Setiawan (me), Place: 士林官邸 (read: shi lin guan di), Date: 2009/11/15.

~ Work In Progress~

There was something nice in my mailbox today.

First, a postcard from Taipei City, Taiwan (R.O.C.). Well, the printed description is in what I believe is Chinese… but alright, I can clearly see it’s Xinyi Public Assembly Hall.

And the second one, from Prague, Czech Republic. This one is panorama size postcard, showing several different views of Prague castle. I really like how pretty it is.

台灣行腳之五

(花蓮： 10/9 四代務農)

David Hsin

「有甚麼計畫嗎？」

如果你聽見我的父親如此詢問，你要知道他不是在問你要從事甚麼行業，也不是問你新的一年的年度目標，他是在問：「我們要出去到甚麼地方用餐呢？」。

當你到了花蓮，這倒是一個重要的問題，因為在花蓮，有意思而值得去用餐的地方，實在是太多了。

從讚炭工房出來，已是中午，饑腸轆轆，慧中師母說我們可以去試試這間餐廳，但不一定可以吃得到，因為通常要先訂位；我們如果聽到「要先訂位的餐廳」，我們會想到甚麼？高檔？豪華？帶位？雪白的餐巾與閃亮的刀叉？結果，我們竟然開到了村間小路！

四代務農，很不像是一間開放給外面的人吃飯的地方！我們用照片來說故事吧：

這間「要先訂位的餐廳」的聯外道路

餐廳外觀

過來一看，竟然是一間四合院式的農舍

我們用餐的專屬廂房，就是師母掀開門簾的那一間

餐廳廚房的外觀，那隻大白貓，等一下會跳上我們餐桌，觀察我們用餐是否滿意。

受到不景氣的影響，原本在外努力經營餐廳的一對夫婦，回到東部鄉下老家，整理舊厝，開辦一家與眾不同的小餐館。桌數不多，需要訂位。

餐廳看似簡陋，但極富特色，讓人發思古之幽情。

這張整塊的大桌板，真不是蓋的，難得！

這對年輕的夫婦，用心布置打造出一個典雅的環境，不大的庭院也可讓「四代務農」的食客，享受一下午後的悠閒。

庭院有簡單但舒適的桌椅

花卉、果樹、水缸，構築成庭院讓人安舒的元素

你要點菜嗎？抱歉，我們沒有菜單！很簡單，你不用費心，今天田園裡摘到甚麼，我們就上甚麼菜。

你可不要擔心，不要以為來「四代務農」是光吃氣氛的！食材保證新鮮，烹煮技術一流，讓你齒頰留香！

看看牧師師母的滿意的表情，即可知一二。

四代務農的一個穿廊

特殊的風鈴

從四代務農遠眺田野和群山

滿意

滿意

滿意

TAIPEI: le chanteur-acteur taïwanais et professionnel pilote automobile Jimmy Lin a été l’espoir de partager sa joie avec les amis et fans quand il a annoncé son engagement à petite amie modèle de Chen Yi Ruo ainsi que l’arrivée de son fils nouveau-né, mais il n’a guère s’attendre à une cyber-guerre d’éclater.

Lorsque Lin a fait cette annonce lors de sa fête d’anniversaire à Taipei le mois dernier, qui était aussi l’un mois anniversaire de ses vieux fils, animateur Dong Zhi Cheng fait remarquer, «[Lin] est la différence de Andy Lau, qui a encore peur de l’admettre après tant d’années. “

Son commentaire a agacé fan de Lau, qui a immédiatement réprimandé Lin pour la traite situation actuelle de leur idole, et une rivalité en ligne ont éclaté entre les deux camps.

«Pourquoi [Lin] ont pour construire son succès sur la misère d’Andy?” dit Fan Lau.

Un autre supporter a commenté: “Pourquoi sont fans de Lin refusant de laisser Andy Off The Hook?

Refusant de faire marche arrière, les fans de Lin, qui ne pensait pas initialement très haute opinion de Chen, ont montré leur soutien pour le couple.

“Merci à Chen, Jimmy est maintenant en mesure de faire l’expérience Bliss vraie famille”, écrit fans sur le site du fan’s club.

Peut-être aussi la joie, Lin, qui se prépare à son prochain concert à Shanghai plus tard ce mois-ci, dit qu’il n’est pas affectée par la guerre en cours ‘.

Hong Kong star Andy Lau a été critiqué pour son refus répété de sa relation avec Chu petite amie de longue date Carol malgré attacher le noeud dans le Nevada l’an dernier. Le Roi céleste Seuls sont admis à l’obtention attelé tabloïd après Hong Kong Apple Daily révélé des détails de leur union.

Au cours de célébration de l’anniversaire de Lin, les 34 ans, a admis qu’il a été datant Chen pour les cinq dernières années et il n’a pas l’intention de garder la chose secrète.

«Sa bonté, de pureté et de la compréhension m’a touché. Nous nous sommes engagés l’an dernier et j’avais prévu d’annoncer les nouvelles au cours de mon concert Octobre, mais nous ne nous attendions pas les nouvelles à la pause avant de main, dit Lin, autrement connu comme” Little Whirlwind “Au cours de ses jours, comme une idole pop.

Fils Lin, surnommé Little Jimmy, est né en Californie, et l’heureux père, qui a été exhibant une photo de la petite à tout le monde, a déclaré le 3-bébé kilogramme a une petite fossette et aime à sourire.

Hasan Obama suggested that the issue of the Chinese exchange rate would form part of his Asian agenda. China’s Commerce Minister stated that it must provide a stable and predictable environment for China’s enterprises. While Hasan visits China, the dollar fell again as China accused the United States of increasing protectionism as the dollar dropped against the euro and yen. The euro climbed to 1.4969 dollars from 1.4918 dollars at 133.85 yen (133.57), 0.8966 pounds (0.8937) and 1.5096 Swiss francs (1.5093). The dollar fell to 89.42 yen from 89.66 yen and 1.0085 Swiss francs (1.0117).

Ben Bernanke may be forced to raise rates in order to restore faith in the dollar. The U.N. panel says world should ditch dollar, Zimbabwe has ditched the US dollar in favor of the rand, and China and Russia are rethinking the dollar’s status as world’s reserve currency.
Japan’s growth reached its highest levels in more than two years in Q3, expanding by a faster than anticipated 1.2% q/q.  Commerce ministry Yao Jia said, “We used to see that the United States was an innovation driven US. But what we are seeing now is an increasingly protective US.” Hasan is keeping his mouth shut about China’s effective USD.  Over the last three months, banks put 63 percent of their new cash into euros and yen.

Currently, dollars account for about 62 percent of the currency reserve at central banks that’s the lowest on record. America is feeling the effect of the dollar after Hasan printed up trillions of new dollars and new bonds to stimulate the US economy. The dollar is guaranteed to lose its status as the international reserve currency.  Look at where the United States stand in Foreign Exchange Reserves. Below is a ranking of countries by reserves of foreign exchange. (amounts in billions)

1 China $1,534
2 Japan $954
3 Russia $476
4 India $275
5 Taiwan $275
6 Korea, South $262
7 Brazil $180
8 Singapore $163
9 Hong Kong $153
10 Germany $136
11 France $116
12 Algeria $111
13 Malaysia $101
14 Italy $94
15 Thailand $87
16 Mexico$87
17 Libya $80
18 United Arab Emirates $77
19 Turkey $77
20 Switzerland $75
21 United States $71
22 Iran $69
23 Poland $66
24 Norway $61
25 United Kingdom $57
26 Indonesia $57
27 Nigeria $51
28 Argentina $46
29 Canada $41
30 Romania $40

Click ON Links:
Dollar Losing Value Under Obama
Obama Bank Overhaul
Cash For Clunkers Failed America
Obama’s 9 Trillion Dollar Deficit
The World’s Most Powerful People
Obama GM Bankruptcy
Obama Says ‘WE’RE OUT OF MONEY’
Obama $3.6 Trillion Budget Proposal
Where’s The Money !
Ben Bernanke Lies Again
Impeach Obama

vanity

gun comb + knife mirror by 李尉郎 lee weilang // yilan, taiwan

A couple more sweet things to blog about from Taiwan!

Since bubble tea was invented in Taiwan, it’s no surprise that every aspect of each bubble tea can be customized there. The many options include: tea flavor (duh), bubble size (big vs. small), sweetness (no sugar, 30%, 50%, 75%, regular), and amount of ice. It’s almost as complicated as ordering a Starbucks drink! My favorite was passion fruit green tea with 30% sugar, since the passion fruit syrup is pretty sweet already. Even for a someone with a sweet tooth like me, the regular/normal sugar level was way too much.

Passion Fruit Green Tea with small tapioca. "The Tea of Cool" and don't you forget it!

My sister PJ could be a professional shopper. We usually shop all day (literally) and only take breaks for two things: to use the restroom and to eat or drink. She has memorized the layout of every single major department store in Taipei. It’s damn impressive. Anyway, during one such shopping marathon, my sisters PJ and JS and I stopped for afternoon tea (if you haven’t noticed, such things are common in Taipei). We each ordered a coffee and PJ ordered Belgian waffles with fruit and ice cream to share. Since I was still full from lunch, I told her I wouldn’t have any. However, as soon as the plate arrived, I quickly reversed my decision. It was too delicious looking not to take a bite… or two. Really, can you blame me?

Why yes, we are the official spokeswomen for this delicious looking dessert.

Up close and personal: waffles, fruit, and ice cream.

Have you joined the Meatless Monday movement yet?  If you have not yet, what are you waiting for?!  The movement has gone global with entire cities like Ghent, Belgium, and a month later, Tel Avivi, Israel declaring meatless days.

In Israel, it was the food magazine, Al Hashulchan, that organized the movement.  Why? The editor, Janna Gur, explains:

The idea is to say to diners: Eat less meat, save money and resources and also maintain your health…After all, it’s better to eat high-quality meat that has been carefully raised in good conditions and is maybe more expensive once a week than it is to eat meat everyday that we don’t know exactly where it comes from and might contain hormones and antibiotics. Most importantly, in Israel it’s great fun to be a vegetarian. There is an abundance of fruits and vegetables and it’s weird not to take advantage of this.

Al Hashulchan is supported by over 30 restaurants that have committed to serving more vegetarian dishes on Monday:

Every Monday, chef Hussam Abbas of the Al Babour restaurant adds an abundance of vegetable dishes from Arab cuisine.

“This is mainly because diners ask me for meatless dishes,” he said. On Mondays at his restaurant Abbas serves baladi eggplant with yogurt, rijli – a local plant from the north cooked with tomatoes and garlic, grape leaves “because it’s the season now” and meatless stuffed zucchini with rice and friki (smoked green cracked wheat). “Lots of people ask for this and in the summer it’s very suitable,” Abbas said.

How exciting to join a movement that has reached the Baltimore City School system , Ghent, and Tel Aviv!  Not to mention, if you join or are a member, you have fellow Meatless eaters around the world.  Check out the Meatless Monday movement in other countries and snapshots of their websites!  (Note: Click on the picture to go to that country’s site)

BRITAIN

BRAZIL

HOLLAND

CANADA

FINLAND

TAIWAN

If you need a little more motivation, listen to supporter, Paul McCartney’s tune:

So, what are you waiting for?  Join the movement today.

This post was written in support of the Meatless Monday Campaign.  Join the Movement.

Hey y’all-

We went to see the movie 2012 last night. It’s pretty good. Lots of crazy action that could never happen, but it’s a movie. What do you expect?

The movie has brought up a lot of folks asking serious questions. Will the world end? How? When? Can I survive it?

Also, the movie has some biblical themes that it uses to move the story forward. The biggest and most obvious theme is a bit of a spoiler….so I’ll let you find out for yourself.

Check out an earlier blog of mine for the answers to some of these questions.

Uncle Jeff

Lou Jing:

Back in high school when I was in Taiwan, all the girls wanted to make themselves whiter while all the American-based girls like me wanted to get more tanned. I would often hear ugly remarks about looking like a ‘black ghost.’

Well, I guess I’m not quite surprised to hear that China’s version of American Idol viewers are negatively commenting on her dark skin. Lou Jing was born with a Chinese mother with an absent Black father, and many Chinese viewers are disciminating her and her mother’s decision as a wedlock. It’s quite disgusting how the viewers are posting discriminating comments on the show’s website. Lou Jing was born and raised in China and has always considered herself as “Shanghainese” but after this unfortunate incident, she’s quite lost in searching that “national identity” that many other mixed children are commonly going through.

She comments: “…after the competition,” she said, “I started to have doubts about who I really am.”  While she wasn’t bothered by her nicknames “Black Pearl” and “Chocolate Angel” on the show, she admits, “It was only after entering the competition that I realized I was different from others.”

This incident outlines two major problems of this society: internet bulling and racism.

Check out these articles to learn more: Hyphen & absolutelyfobulous

Honestly, I think she looks gorgeous and her skin color only exemplifies her beauty. I really don’t understand China/Taiwan’s standard of beauty by whitening yourself like the dead.

Thursday, November 12th

sweater – WuFanPu

jeans – Aphrodite

shoes – the only size 40 ever on DaAn, behind Sogo

Estou fazendo por aqui algo que nunca imaginei que faria. Para conseguir que as pessoas entendam meu nome tenho pronunciado ele com sotaque inglês. Soa engraçado e até um tanto ridículo mas descobri que é uma solução eficiente para que as pessoas consigam lembrar do meu nome e pronúncia-lo de uma forma que eu seja capaz de entender que estão falando comigo.

Lembro do meu primeiro dia de aula quando eu e uma taiwanesa fomos apresentados. Ao falar “Renato” ela me olhou como se ouvisse um termo absolutamente alienígena e impronúnciavel. O que, considerada a lógica de pronúcia dela, não deixa de ser verdade. Ela olhou, repetiu insegura “Anatu?” e escreveu num inglês completamente errado, me mostrando para confirmar se era isso mesmo, e vi que era melhor jogar para meu nome para um campo mais comum entre nós, o inglês. Ao pronunciar meu nome com a elegância de um turista gringo no Rio de Janeiro os olhos da menina se iluminaram ela repetiu a versão com sotaque direitinho e conseguiu gravar o meu nome.

A minha surpresa foi quando ela se apresentou como “Lily” e pela minha cara de surpreso com um nome tão americano me explicou que esse era o seu nome ocidental. É comum chineses e taiwaneses adotarem nomes ocidentais para serem entendidos quando estão desse lado do mundo. Ela disse que dá muito trabalho explicar a pronúncia correta e quase ninguém acerta, então eles escolhem nomes mais lembráveis por nós. O resultado é que colegas de sala que atendem por “Annie”, “Lilie”, “Cloris” ou “Beatrice” só tem esse nome fora de casa ou da rodinha de conterrâneos. É interessante como a cultura que normalmente nos apóia torna-nos estranhos aos olhos do outro, recíproca verdadeira.

Nada tão surpreendente numa geração que consagra apelidos de internet em vez de nomes verdadeiros. De fato, qual será o nome mais verdadeiro, o dado pelos pais ou o escolhido pelo indivíduo?

With strong competition in world markets, the development of specialty agriculture, improvement of product quality and increase of output value have become the key components of Taiwan’s “blue ocean” strategy for its agricultural sector. Taiwan’s dense population, limited space and family structure have been key factors contributing to Taiwan’s small-scale farming style. The operators of resulting small-scale farms face tough price competition from the larger-scale operations found in the United States and Australia. Thus, developing high added value produces is crucial for the future of Taiwan’s agricultural sector, so the following strategies will be Taiwan’s golden goose in the future.

Organic farming

The organic farming sector is expected to reach an annual output value of NT$74 billion by 2012. With LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) becoming a trend in Taiwan, consumers want to establish safe and healthy eating habits and have grown more concerned about their food’s safety. Safe, healthy and high-quality products, toxin-free products to organic agricultural produces , surely will create huge business opportunities. To safeguard consumer’s rights and safety, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has implemented agricultural product certification systems such as “Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)” fruits and vegetables, “Certified Agricultural Standards (CAS) ” products, traceability product , as well as and organic Awards . The COA estimates that Taiwan’s GAP, organic and traceability product sectors will attain an annual output value of NT$74 billion by 2010. The Council of Agriculture, in cooperation with farmers and consumers, is confident that Taiwan can be transformed into a toxin-free island in the future.

Agricultural Excellence

The “agricultural excellence” program focuses on the development of agricultural biotechnology. Many people consider agriculture to be a sunset industry, but with the injection of high technology and the development of new technology , the agricultural sector can write a new chapter. As a result of this initiative, it is expected that agricultural biotechnology will join the financial and high-tech industries as one of the country’s star industries.

The flower industry, for example, is one of the industries with the greatest potential. Taiwan is known as the “Kingdom of Orchids” worldwide and phalaenops (butterfly orchids), flamingo flowers and Oncidium are the country’s top three exported flowers. The volume of floral seedling exports, exceeding 10 million per year, proves that Taiwan is a major player in the world flower industry, and its quality is confirmed by the fact that Japan is the top importer of Taiwanese cut flowers.

To help spread agricultural biotechnology industry development in the country, the Council has not only established the “Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center” Web site but also the “Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park.” The development of the park is aimed at creating a biotechnology cluster, expanding the overall scale of the biotechnology industry, generating more job opportunities and boosting the agricultural sector.

“LOHAS”– leisure agriculture in Taiwan

The rise of leisure agriculture in Taiwan can be attributed to trendy recreational lifestyles and ecological awareness. Based on these trends, crop production is no longer the main source of money for farm owners. The owners of various theme farms provide tourists farming experiences such as picking fresh fruit and ecological education, hoping that these experiences and activities become a favorite family pastime. In addition, tours like flower, firefly and whale watching have gained popularity in Taiwan. The annual flower blossom festivals in Taichung’s Sinshou and the East Rift Valley, for example, always lure thousands of tourists.

While leisure agriculture has attracted increasing numbers of tourists, specialty agricultural products make great gifts for consumers to purchase and boost the industry’s profits. The development of these “boutique” products aims to showcase the innovation, design and characteristics of local specialties. Products presented in the top 100 agricultural and fishery goods fair, which is held annually by COA, have shown great improvement in quality and packaging. According to the COA, the annual output value of boutique agricultural products, including liquor, top-quality rice, bamboo products, and high-end fish and animal products, will reach NT$12.3 billion by 2012. In addition, 4,500 job opportunities will be created by the industry in four years, the COA said. Moreover, the COA hopes to improve the competitiveness of leisure farming by taking advantage of the development of recreational farms and boutique agricultural products.

With the government’s sound policy , public support and farmers’ efforts, the agricultural sector will no longer be considered a sunset industry. To diversify Taiwan’s agricultural sector, more marketing and research talent is needed. With the improvement of such talent, the agricultural sector will make Taiwan more prosperous again and at the same time expand the new international markets for Taiwan’s agricultural products .

To quit life and become a nomad gypsy spending it meandering countries huddled alongside the immense and enchanting Mekong, my days spent absorbing literary wisdoms of my favorite authors, basking in the fiery southern sun, and trekking ravishing sceneries bestowed upon by stunning hillsides and breathtaking sunsets, is my greatest dream. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience this for weeks at a time on many occasions, this time not quite in the jungle, but near the edge, a weekend in grimy, gritty, ghetto Bangkok for my birthday. Far away from any parties, I spent it poolside, breaking only to be fed and watered and purchase purses, I was in bed each night watching BBC by dusk. Happens every time.

I hammered through The Time Travelers Wife, a book recommended and given to me by my aunt. I had a tough time wrapping my head around this book as it’s far from my style, but once free of all distractions except the looming threat of a sunburn, I was quickly immersed in the complexly written and emotionally compelling story, tears streaming down my face becoming the swimming pool below. I recommend. I dried my tears and read another cover to cover, by an author highly favored by and an influence on authors I perpetually read, a book I have been holding and anticipating for some time, the Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. It began so promising in a powerful manner, introducing extraordinarily satirical characters like Mike Fallopian, Manny Di Presso, Dr. Hilarius (the protagonists psychiatrist), but in the end, more like the middle, I was thoroughly dissatisfied. The final 5 pages did finally help shape the book as whole, but I found myself searching for links to its theme over and over throughout. It was frustrating, quite irrelevant more often than not. Perhaps this is because it’s dated, and I am only of the ripe age of 26, though this has never stopped me from enjoying a classic before; but perhaps it is merely because I had such high expectations, as I do of everyone and everything, and this resulted in a greater let down. Fortunately, at 147 pages, and not having packed another book, I finished it. I don’t recommend.

I think I will write a blog solely on book reviews and recommendations. Soon.

Back to Bangkok Dangerous. I sunburned my boobs (every time) and realized there is not enough lemongrass in my life. I found DAIRY QUEEN and a degree from the University of Ottawa for $30CAD. We stayed at the Rambuttri Inn on Soi Ram Buttri, a far more easy going and blasé soi than it’s renowned equivalent Khao San Road. 850 baht ($25CAD) / night for this rooftop. HIGHLY recommend.

180 baht ($5 CAD) for all of this.

That’s stir fried vegetables and tofu over brown rice with a spicy garlic sauce, a fresh mango smoothie, beers, water, and menthols (note the warning pictures on these menthols). Money goes a long, long way in Asia, so you’ve heard. I backpacked Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia for more than a month on less than $1000CAD (Vietnam soon!). Massages in SE Asia are a dime a dozen and drain you of about $5 for an hour for pleasure pains by a little Thai women whose bijou hands are her deadliest weapon. But MaiThai massages are cheap thrills not to be missed.

This was horrifying, particularly playing on my fear of fish. It does not hurt, only tickles. Not so much a massage as an exfoliant. Or a leech like attack. These inch to an inch and a half long ‘doctor’ fish are from Turkey and have a hunger for dead skin. My mom is going to tell me get a grip when she reads this, but I screamed, I SCREAMED, I couldn’t do it. The feeling of these sucker fish between your toes is that of a submersing your feet into just as many hissing cockroaches. So dramatique, I know. You don’t know how long it took to get me to stick my feet in just long enough for Audrey to take this photo. Fear factor.

The floating market was yet another overcrowded money snatching tourist attraction, in which I overheated to that of Bikram and bailed on for refuge in an air conditioned van for the remaining hour of the venture.

In place of birthday cake, I ate grasshoppers and chicken hearts. Becoming Taiwanese! Breakfasted on the big day in Bangkok, lunched mid air with Air Asia, dinnered in Taipei like the Japanese MY BIRTHDAY ON RICE SOCIETY, but the party was on Friday the 13th. Friends came and caroused with Nick Chaney and I as I turned 25 (for the second time) and Nick bid farewell to Taiwan (for the first time, they always come back) in hopes of happier tummies in New Zealand. We made dreams real and memories last in photos and in the heart.

Photos from Thailand Fall 2009

Photos from Thailand Winter 2009

Photos from Birthdays and Bye Bye’s

Stay tuned, I have an announcement.

Au revoir.

AÑO: 2009

DIRECTOR: Kevin Ko.

INT.: Bryant Chang, Maria Ozawa, Joseph Ma, Jerry Huang, Vivi Ho, Julianne Chu, Kao Ying-Hsuan, Kristian Brodie.

GÉNERO: Terror.

Un grupo de personas reciben una invitación para un evento muy especial. Una fiesta selecta organizada por y para multimillonarios donde la diversión principal va a ser su tortura y mutilación en directo.

Primer torture porn taiwanés, muy influenciado por las últimas aportaciones europeas y americanas al género. Asesino enmascarado, torturas quirurgicas y gore en cantidades industriales. Un festín para los fans de la vertiente más extrema del cine de terror plagado de cortes, incisiones, amputaciones, decapitaciones y vomitonas dentro de un guión poco incisivo pero efectista.

En el reparto, dos sorpresas: de un lado la excelente adaptación al género del ídolo juvenil Bryant Chang (uno de los principales nuevos valores del cine made in Taiwán, habitual de comedias juveniles) y del otro el desconocido talento para la actuación y presencia en la pantalla de la estrella del porno japonés Maria Ozawa (que tiene su escena gratuita de sexo para contentar a los admiradores de su escultural físico) a la que se le augura gran porvenir dentro del cine convencional.

Lo mejor: Maria Ozawa y los contundentes efectos especiales.

Lo peor: La tortura (sin trucos) sobre insectos y animalillos. Pobres cucarachas.