Back on the Pumpkin Patch

To my surprise I am actually really loving being back at my parents' place. The beautiful New Zealand weather, space, healthy food, having my own things back like books and clothes and computer, the chance to sit on the lawn and think about where I should be heading next without too much pressure. And free food & rent... of course.

The best thing is that I am getting along with my parents really well. Finally we are relating to each other like adults. None of that nagging, interrogation and advising anymore. I think having young kids (my four young cousins) around here really helped them to realise that I am a responsible and independent adult in comparison - the stark difference between a 27 yo and 13 yos. Its sad that its what it had to take, but its good that they are breaking through that barrier in their head. I love spending time with my cousins too, very sweet and lively kids, each all blossoming into their own unique person. (Well, apart from the hiccup this week... if you read on to the bottom.) I have no qualms about continuing a strong and supportive relationship with them for the rest of my life. At the end, when everyone else is gone, they'll be my family.

It was great spending a week in Canberra. Seeing all my mates again and doing all the things I used to love to do, tying up loose ends and all that. It basically made me feel so much more comfortable about leaving things where it should be left and moving on. For good. Closure, if you know what I mean. I just left in too much haste last time, not enough time to figure out whether it was the right thing to do. But this time I think I feel much more happier with my decisions. It did confirm to me though, what a great place Australia is to live. Lively, pulsing, excitement, art, ideas and colour... I really think I still need a good stint in Sydney or Melbourne in a few more years I think.

Good old Hamiltronn. I went into town today, to a temping agency to get the ball rolling to gets some part time money coming in. I can type 72 words per minute, would you believe. I could even print two pages out of ten on reverse order and draw a border around a table. It does amaze me how a town can change so little in the space of eighteen years. Its just that I hardly recognise anyone here anymore. Except for this girl from school who now has two toddlers. I used to be able to call every second person by their second name on this street - that was ten years ago. I know this cos that was when Sway by Bic Runga came out, and they were still playing it in Max today. How I survived that long in this town is still beyond me. I did still find some adequate stimulations I guess, but perhaps my time was so suffocating that it still acts as my excuse to lead such a gypsiesque life style.

There is no doubt that my parent's place is kick-arse though. I wish they'd lived here when I was younger and not lost in suburban gossip. I love this farm. I love the river, how deeply green it is in the gully, the fluffy carves poking their pink noses at you, the abandoned duck nests on the bank, the lilac and white fox-tails looking so buttery in the late evening setting sun, having a beer and smelling the thick earthy air, watching a plane land, wearing a T-shirt...

The Gin Chair

I have a confession to make. I really really really want to bundle mum and dad off to the Bay of Islands to a batch when they are ready to retire and take over this place. I'm going to make it into a cafe-gallery on the first floor and a Bed & Breakfast on the second. Pump off the concrete slab out the back and put in a huge wooden deck, extend the kitchen (but keep the vintage fire stove), make the girls' room into an ensuite, add a few more carparks, hire a proper gardening advisor, computerised watering system... Serve coffee that's actually worth drinking and cakes that are actually worth six bucks a pop; sushi from Cambridge; and have lots of weird-shit type art exhibits; invite the town for openings serving the best champagnes and cheeses in the world; a $5 surcharge to sit on the Gin-chair under the lemon tree; a biannual music festival down by the river with the Finn brothers; Cats, peacocks and monarch butterflies running amok in the garden. Definitely no dogs. If they want, people can get married here. That kinda thing.

And bringing out banana smoothies to German backpackers sunbathing nude in the backyard.

Great Things This Week

• Howard's gone - woo hoo
• Driving
• Rediscovering trampoline
  

Shit Things This Week

• My 15 yo cousin running away from home and having to be on the "Picking-up-the-pieces Committee". Little shit.
• Ink on my insurance claim receipts completely faded
• Still feeling bloody upset about Cupes
• Lost a set of photos I thought I had downloaded two years ago.... eeeeeek!!!
  

Blinking #93

If I died, I'd like to come back as a magnolia tree.

Its About Bloody Time...

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that doesn’t lie

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that can’t get away with lying

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that listens to public opinion

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that won’t just lip service climate change and actually gives a shit about investing in renewable energy

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that won’t lie about nuclear energy – hello – who in the right mind would think that’s a) safe b) sustainable c) not a propaganda to cover up dodgy sells to rogue states developing nuclear weapons

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that isn’t morally bigoted

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that hasn’t got fundamental religious freaks in cabinet

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that will say SORRY to indigenous Australians – and mean it – and committed to better their lives

If I were an Australian I would vote for a government that represents the majority not the few

If I were an Australian I would vote for an intelligent conversation about real issues that affect our future generations and not about shallow things like interest rates and ear wax

If I were an Australian I would vote for vision, responsibility, tolerance, harmony, justice

If I were an Australian I think my only choice this year is to vote for a Labor win and the Greens to hold balance of power in the Senate

So if I were an Australian I would vote. Not only would I vote but I would vote for change

COS ITS ABOUT BLOODY TIME!

Canberra Album

Big Big Bird

Back In Town

Canberra.

Nothing's changed here. I slip in so well. Know where to turn left and right, where to buy bread and coffee. Betsy the dog down the street still comes to say Hi when I walk past, the lady with the silver bob on the 36 bus still gets off on the same stop, same little girl at the supermarket checkout asking the same questions.

Maybe because nothing's changed that I've noticed how much I have changed. I observe and notice things I never used to think about. I just feel different.

My conversations with people are more relaxed, I am much happier, and I would like to think that I am now a more likable person. For the first time in a long time, I'm finally feeling comfortable with who I am. I still have no idea where life will take me, but I'm no longer frustrated by that fact.

.................

I help Mish and Peter clean the Wakefield House. We play Crowded House on the ipod, dance with broom sticks, tease Shane. Every room is empty, the beautiful polished timber floor glistening, the blinds flatter in the breeze. I walk around and can hear a pin drop. Remembering the spot on the ceiling I starred at one morning when I woke up feeling I was in love with the person next to me; the spot where I walked into Mish's room and she was rolled up in bed sobbing inconsolably; the spot I was standing when Stace told me she was pregnant; the spot where Li Bing hurled a bucket load of rotten cabbage across the fence; the spot I was sitting when I heard the car crash in the corner, and many many more moments...

.............

Kylie and I drink champagne and eat smoked salmon; roll around on the couch giggling & screaming; we talk about seemingly classy things like Veronika Maine, paintings, feathers, and seemingly unclassy things like farting, roast pork, and masturbation. We make prank calls, again.

............

Pip invites me to an end of year cocktail party with young beautiful people at KittyKirk's. I terrorise the party with my usual superb form. Back in town for one minute and already ripping it apart. I AM terrible.

.................

I sit across the table from Louise, having mussels and chips at the Belgium Beer Pub in Kingston. She is glowing with happiness, big shining Jordanian rock on her ring finger, Shane in her arms, sneaky little smirk on his face. If there's one good thing I'd done in my life, this would be it.
.................

I see MzOki, shak'in that ass, shak'in that ass; JC's back in the office; 'afterwork' drinks at KingO's; Bailey's Corner is alive and kicking right here right now!

..................

I walk inside the house and up the stairs. Shiner is not there to greet me with his ripping howl and a big warm cuddle. I scroll across his photos on the ipod instead. Its very sad, but it was probably his time. I'll probably never finish The Adventures of Sexton the Cat, but I know he's partying up large in the clouds with Milly, Cupes, Spike and all those ghastly goldfish, in a shiny new coat. They all have wings.
.................

I kiss Alice's gorgeous big belly. She suits being pregnant and Chris suits being asleep. I am sooo happy.

..................

I see Regan at Walk Against Warming. She completely suits being a mum. Little Vivi is the most gorgeous baby I've seen in a long long time. Go bananas!

...................

I saw the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen in my life. Big call I know. But I am sure. It had stopped raining 20 minutes earlier, the sky is clearing up framed with thin wads of cloud. A light clear aura tinting it, it looked like a deep fresh lake. Its not a night full of stars, but of what is visible, they were sparkling and tingling slowly changing colours into blue and orange, like tears. The sky from the Sahara desert was stunning and magnificent in a grand bold way - but this, is beautiful. The air was crispy and spiced with smell of wet bark. I've been in so much smog and grey weather and small spaces in the last little while, I forgot what it was like to be surrounded by unspoilt nature. It took my breath away and I began to cry.

.............

I am secretly sexy.

.............

Bob Dylan is rolling in his grave

Rained Out In Sydney

There is just so so much I love about this city. Even in the rain.
The rained out rush hour is just like how I feel right now. Bit sad, bit soaked, rushing through trying to get somewhere ahead, just not stopping where I think I should.

I'm ready now.

So I think I should mention briefly without further procrastination so everyone's on the same page before I jet in - Templeton and I have broken up. I really prefer not to discuss my relationships too much on the WWW, but without everyone falling apart with trauma, just want to say that we continue to be good friends and as far as I know, still share custody of the fishbowl.

Rally in Taipei - Gumbade Taiwan

Aunt Jean, my sister and I went to this huge UN for Taiwan rally/concert in Taipei on Saturday - marking the end of a successful round-the island marathon type thing trying to get around 3 million signatures on the petition to hold the UN for Taiwan referendum in March 2008. The atmosphere was superb and music was really fun, but the great speeches by President Ah-Bian and Frank Hsieh (DPP Presidential Candidate) was the cream on the icing. And hello stardom - the three of us got on TV a few times head banging to the rap (can you believe that this guy is the Minister of the Government Information Office??) what a blast, though Cindy and I had to make sure Aunt Jean didn't have a heart attack, she was pretty wild. Unfortunately camera played up so borrowed a few pics from http://www.socialforce.tw/people/ for the moment.

A-Gong is out of hospital and doing really well. He can pretty much do all the daily things by himself now and eating well. So I'm heading back to NZ via Australia (for sure this time) early Wednesday morning. Its hard to leave when there's so much excitement going on here, but unemployment and lack of green space & alcohol is catching up on me, so going home to regroup is the best plan for now.

Taiwanese Banquet

Aunt Jean's Bank Manager (guy singining on the right) took the family out for a banquet the other night, slice of life for you. And yes without fail I did smash Sinatra once again.

1000th Reader

Hey! Big welcome to my 1000th reader since February 2006.

SOS>>

He said he felt like a lone island, drifting off in a forgotten sea. He said he might be going mad because he is so homesick. SOS. SOS.

I showed him a picture of this world map in the common room of a backpackers I stayed at in Germany, where guests are invited to put a pin to the place that they come from. I had two pins, one for each passport in my pocket, and the obscure bizzare islands I claim to represent. And how I never felt so alone, standing back and feeling so insignificant. SOS.

Bizarre things I saw at the Hospital

• A giant traveling Barbie suitcase
  
• Identical triplets dressed in identical outfits


• Giant turkey wings on sale at the café downstairs next to some pig ears


• The fourth floor and the nineth floor is missing - one means "death" and the other means "long" in Taiwanese - one wants to die or stay too long in a hospital


• A neat pile of fire distinguishers outside a shop on the way home - always well prepared just in case China invades...

Taiwan Photo Roll

(1) Breast cancer awareness week at Taipei 101; (2) Me and Dad on the metro (he's back to fix some IP rights to his invention); (3) Cuzzies (Mum's youngest half brother's sons); (4) A shrine for Mobile phones; (5) A lunch feast in Shin-Wu at relos; (6) UN for Taiwan campaign banner at Taipei Main Station; (7) Clockwise - Nono (Grand Aunty's Oldest daughter's second son); My sister, Grand Aunt (Grandfather's sister), Cuzzie Gina (Grand aunt's third daugh

ter), Gina's new adopted baby;

Sticking around for a bit...

I decided to delay returning to Australia for a week, as my grand father has been hospitalized.

I was meant to fly out on Monday afternoon, but on Sunday night just before dinner my Grandfather (A-Gong) developed some pretty severe shakes and had high temperatures. We took him to ER at the local hospital and he was put on drips. He spent the night in ER and was transferred to an ordinary ward the next day. He’d had long term kidney problems and it turns out that he has a bad chest and kidney infection, so he’s here just to get rid of the infection and get some more tests.

So given every one else is at work I am spending time with him in the ward during the day, while my Dad, who's also in Taiwan briefly to sort out IP rights for his invention is doing night shifts. I really like spending time with AG – he has a really odd sense of humour and has so many fascinating stories from a "lost time". At the same time he's hard work in the sense that he's stubborn and won't take other people's advice, and it gets worse as he gets older. He basically won't admit that he's seriously ill and tells everyone he's ready to go home when he's got a 40c temperature and pissing orange urine. I guess I can understand how hard it is having had a long life of achievements, raising a family, holding a career and being a respected member of community, then having to be wheeled around like a child by doctors younger than his grandkids – it is a challenge to one's basic dignity, but its also damn hard even just trying to get him to drink more water!!

Its sad looking at how old he’s become. As a child he always seemed like such a big solid man, and would take me for rides on his bike (he swears against driving). He had so many friends and talked and laughed and drank like a fish (yep he gave me those genes) and seemed to know so much about the world. His father, my Great-grandfather, was alive till I was ten. AG looked so much like my GGF now, all skinny and his silver hair thinned out, sit around reading old books all day peering through a pair of glasses, talking very little except an occasional quip about something quite random and out of the blue. AG looked after GGF till GGF passed away, and looked after my Grandmother till she died too. He was always there being the strong hold and the decision maker. GGF stayed at this very same hospital on and off in his last year of life. There seemed to be a bit of irony about this all. That was 1989 and I remember coming here with AG and navigating through this maze like hospital, buying the newspaper and lunch at the underground mall of the hospital. We all each have our turn at playing the role of the patient and the nurse. It must be hard for him to be the one that’s being carted around now.

Being in the hospital environment seems to be reminding AG a lot about his experience as a medic in the Japanese army during WWII in Taipei. (Taiwan was a Japanese colony between 1895 and 1945). Taiwan wasn’t a war front but a military base, and was bombed by the Allies constantly. Most of the local Taiwanese soldiers did housekeeping stuff like civil evacuations, post-bombing rebuilding, and looking after a few POWs. AG was just out of high school and his job was to tape up injured soldiers that rummage through ruined buildings all day and recover shot down bomber planes. He claims he became an alcoholic by mixing meths from the first aid room with water, and the reason why he doesn’t eat barbequed food is a legacy from his experience. He seems to think the medical staff here has no idea of what they are doing, and would rather "treat his own cold" (by staying up late and reading the paper and playing with his drip needle). When the doctor gets here he first mistook her as the nurse just cos she’s a woman, and then launches into a rant about how he bet he’s amputated more legs than she has. But he’s always so polite to the nurses when they come and get his temperature and tells me that’s a rule of thumb. He complains that the hospital ward Pajamas they give him are Japanese POW uniforms and wants his own PJs brought in.

How am I going to make him go to sleep?

Stand Up for Taiwan:請支持台灣1

UN for Taiwan: 台灣加入聯合國

Taiwan is a sovereign nation of people living in a full fledging self-governed democracy. Taiwan's rapid achievements in human rights, press freedom and social freedom within the last two decades is not short of a political miracle, and is widely recognised internationally.

Yet under the false and manipulative and burgeoning claim over Taiwan's territorial sovereignty by the People's Republic of China, which Taiwan has never been (and, in my opinion, should never be) a part of, Taiwan's participation in international affairs has been largely affected and damaged.

The Taiwanese government and people are working hard to get Taiwan a seat on the United Nations. This is a basic and fundamental element of being an dignified and functional member of the international community.

If you stand on the side of human rights, political freedom, and justice - then please take your time to read more about the "UN for Taiwan" campaign and about Taiwan's unique history (which I will be adding to my blog in time), and write regularly to your foreign minister or head of state in support of our affirmation to statehood.

http://www.taiwanunme.tw/mp.asp?mp=1
http://www.taiwanunme.tw/ch/mp.asp?mp=1

Why Should Taiwan Join the UN?

Joining the UN is significant for Taiwan’s statehood and survival. As a recognized and equal member in the global arena, Taiwan’s sovereignty and national security can be protected under the auspices of the UN, and not be argued by People's Republic of China as its “internal affairs”. Taiwan and China will function as equal members in the international arena and not succumb to China’s threat of military take over because the international community can legitimately act as a watchdog.

Perhaps an even more important reason why Taiwan should be invited to join the UN is the right of participation as a functioning global citizen. UN is the most universal international organization in the world today. Citizens of UN nations enjoy a full range of rights and protections under UN’s various charters and declarations and agencies/ associations, whether it be security, disaster relief, social & economic development, health/disease control, environmental protection, science & technology etc etc, and also the opportunity to participate in UN’s assemblies, conferences and other forums that continue to further the well being of the world’s people by bringing the will and knowledge of the entire world together. Taiwan’s 23 million people are excluded from contributing to and benefiting from these incredibly vital and unmatchable empowering opportunities – WHY?

The PRC claims that it represents the Taiwanese people at the UN, which is completely untrue. Taiwan has never been under the PRC’s administrative control, and has never benefited under PRC’s membership to the UN, in fact, has suffered tremendously under its deliberate attempt to block Taiwan’s participation and membership to every international organization there is. With Taiwan not in the UN, its not only the Taiwanese who are missing out. UN misses out on what Taiwan can contribute.

Other helpful links

http://www.taiwandc.org/into-un.htm

http://unfortaiwan.org/

My Name's Taiwan:咱ㄟ名是台灣

We're Already Independent, Stupid! 笨蛋 -我們早就獨立了!
I thought I should clarify some terminology here. Although most people know about the movement to create a Taiwanese state as "the independence movement", Taiwan is in fact already an independent and sovereign territory. Taiwan does not need to become independent from the People's Republic of China (PRC), because it has never actually been part of the PRC. Therefore its not even a "secession" or "splittist" movement as they coin it in PRC - just like it would be absurd to get a divorce without even getting married at the first place. But generically, Taiwanese Independence is still widely known as the movement to establish a Taiwanese state free from any Chinese ties, whether it be the Repulic Of China (ROC) or the PRC.

Taiwan, unlike Tibet or Hong Kong or Macau, has every prerequisite of an independent nation. First of all, constitutional sovereignty over its territory (Taiwan main Island and its outlying Islands of Penghu, Jinmen & Matzu etc), a defence force which guards the security of the territory and its 23 million citizens, a governance structure based on democratic elections, a judiciary system to protect human rights, formal foreign diplomatic relationships, separate economy& currency etc etc. All of this is completely independent from and operational without the PRC's Beijing government.

Rectify Our Name 台灣正名
What the Taiwanese people are working on at the moment is asserting Taiwan's formal statehood by RECTIFYING Taiwan's name from ROC to Taiwan. The Kuomingtang (KMT) led ROC government has been occupying Taiwan since 1945 - and Taiwan has been forced to use ROC as a name, which has created a number of difficulties for Taiwan internationally (eg. UN & bilateral diplomatic relationships), because it implies that Taiwan wants to represent China or is a part of China, or that there are "two Chinas". No wonder China (PRC)'s pissed off!!

Therefore to get rid of these array of confusions as well as the PRC's misleading claim over the Taiwan's territory, we need to change our state's name formerly to Taiwan, from a "Chinese state" to a Taiwanese state. Simple as that.

Suggested Reading & Links

(more to come...)

Books

Roy, Denny (2003) Taiwan: A Political History, Cornell University Press.

Davidson, Gary Marvin (2003) A Short History of Taiwan: The Case for Independence, Greenwood Publishing Group.

Links

http://www.taiwandc.org/hst-1624.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taiwan

What I've been up to 1

I can't believe that I only have three more days left in Taiwan. Time just flies. It always does even though I don't think I've done very much. I am heading back to Australia on Monday, and then New Zealand in early November for my third summer this year. Basically this is the home run leg of my 07 trip.

Its funny thinking about this home run. Taiwan, Australia, then New Zealand - after a whirlwind tour of Europe, Indian subcontinent and China. The contrast of being back on a land you are familiar with, identify with, and slip in so easily. How can someone have three homes? each of them deeply embedded like a mole or a scar, and riles me with both happiness and hurt every time when I think of them? And how could I tear myself away from home like this time and again thinking that I'll be a different person tomorrow when I wake up on the other side of the world?

While my blog entries especially for China and Bangladesh are very very far behind and continuing to worry me because the mental notes in my head are slowly fading, I am distracted by procrastination as well as some really important things that wasn't there when I was travelling - family and familiarity.

I've been spending a lot of time basically picking up where I left it with a lot of my family members since I saw them last - not so much redeveloping a relationship with them but more like ensuring a continuity. Same thing that I do with my Taiwanese identity and culture. When I am back here I get a crash course and update myself a little bit as Taiwan moves ahead with time. Culture moves with time, and I want to be part of it. Everything here seems to always be exciting, whether it be politics, religion or pop music and gossip.

Family relationships are my least favourite subject because its intensely emotional, and it takes a lot of confrontation(courage) and acceptance(honesty). And talking about it on the WWW is even harder because it is at the end of the day really quite personal and however I try and interpret it it never sounds right. I can never do it as well as my little cousin Ann's blog, which is extremely inspiring. She's only just turned 15, but her blog is a truly inspiring piece of work where she lays everything out for the world, the honesty about life, love, emotions and her confrontations. Its raw, beautiful, and a lot more meaningful than my stupid rants about missing the plane. Maybe I could try harder. One thing I am trying hard though lately is really sitting down and spending some time with people I love. The details will bore you, but the rewards have truly been great for me.

Although they would ferociously deny this, my immediate and extended family is definitely quite weird compared to my contemporaries' (both Asian and European). Up till I was ten I lived with my parents, sister, my Dad's parents and his five brothers and sisters till we moved to New Zealand, and my sister and I were pretty much co-parented by my aunts and uncles (who hadn't had kids of their own then) as well, so the kind of relationship that we have is more than your regular extended family. When I come back for visits year after year it feels as if I go back into a time capsule of being that eternal primary school kid under the wings of people who are so similar to me and understand me without requiring any explanation, who will always stand by me no matter how much I would disappoint them. But in reality I've grown apart from them too, in the sense that my values and attitudes and world view is so different to them, and while it really doesn't matter at the end of the day who I've become, the distance there is huge - its not just a generation gap but a cultural gap as well.

Re Weird: Now half of my original family is in Taiwan and half of them are in New Zealand, its like we're torn apart. My aunts and uncles kids are living with my parents in New Zealand, and my sister is living in Taiwan with my aunts and uncles and my grandfather - she has a new job in Taipei which is fantastic for her. Unfortunately at the moment a number of my family members are ill or recovering from an illness of various extents. Without going into too much details, it is all making me really anxious and uneasy, and quite guilty that I am away so much, on a seemingly selfish soul-searching project moving from town to town, flat to flat and country to country. The little time I have with them every year or so is always so precious, but always so hard because I need to tear myself away again. I know that I can never satisfy my longing for Independence with them, but when I'd be alone and on my own there's that emptiness and the sense of not belonging where ever I would be.

Apart from spending time with them and reconnecting, there are other further afield relos that I haven't seen for a while that I've made time for because I want to continue to be part of their lives, simply because they are good people. And meeting two new fourth cousins for the first time, a boy and a girl who was recently adopted into the family was truly special. I probably have over 50 or so cousins but one more is never daunting. Its a pleasure to think that I could have such unique connections with people that I would otherwise never know. I could never make up for the missed birthdays and the Lunar new years, but I am here now, and want to continue to be here even though it might be through a computer screen or a phone wire. It really is a healing process for me, because I feel like all this time away is a way of running away from confronting and receiving the sometimes really intense love and attention they try to give me, and paving out a way of being myself independently. Its a give-take thing. I think I'm old enough and seen enough to give now.

And I visited my grandmother's grave for the first time in eight years. I am the sort of person that doesn't blink an eye hunting out other people's grave yards in hillside Wellington, rural New South Wales, suburban Berlin, and industrial Vienna, but stresses out for two days about the thought of visiting my own grandmother's grave 15 minutes drive away. If it wasn't for my Dad who put the finger down I wouldn't have gone this time either. I just like to procrastinate on these things as much as possible, simply because I never got over her death, nor really had the chance to really grieve, and never brave enough to confront it. That's a weakness of mine, something that I fear of within myself. But quite simply, it wasn't as bad as I thought, and to my surprise I didn't cry, and was only a little bit upset. I don't know whether I have actually healed without really knowing it, or that I can hide anger and resentment and sadness much better than I thought. I can't guarantee what it would be like when I go next time, whenever that would be, but visiting this time has lowered a big chip on my shoulder. Time and age has diluted and overlapped some of those things I can never quite capture. And so it goes.

What I've been up to 2

Meanwhile I've been getting back into my favourite political (and personal) subject. Thinking about Taiwanese politics always gets my pulse racing, and being back here it has basically dominated my spare time. The one thing that has shaped the person that I am and the beliefs I have today is being born a Taiwanese, and witnessing and experiencing the pro-democracy movement as a young child. I am part of a generation that has been spared of the sad and unjust Chiang Kai-Shek autocracy, and grew up in an atmosphere of sweeping changes and political awakening. And while living overseas, I have continued to support the pro-democracy movement and the Independence movement. I would never be able to forgive myself if I am not part of this important sojourn. I remember getting a death threat sent to my house back in 2004, most likely from a Chinese, after one letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, would you believe. Things like that would never make me change my mind or my ways, because so many other people have had a much sicker ordeal in their personal journey for Taiwan. Every Taiwanese person knows how to fight back - it runs in the blood, just don't get it boiling.

And so every time when I come home and plunge myself back into people who share the same culture and history as me, the reconnection and reaffirmation of my beliefs is always so overwhelming. Every two years or so the politics gets a bit further and sometimes messier, but coming home and getting pulled back into being a Taiwanese person standing on Taiwanese soil the affect on my soul is always so enriching and welcoming, because I can see clearly how far Taiwan always moves through this time of absence and sometimes disconnection. This is perhaps why its so different for me coming home to Taiwan as opposed to visiting a new country for the first time. It absolutely awes me to think how extremely different this Taiwan is to the one that I left in 1990, and certainly the one that I was born in in 1980. In the twenty seven years of my life time Taiwan has transformed from a one-party autocracy under the White Terror into a multi-party democracy with open and free elections, and government monopolised media to a smorgasbord of free press all over the Internet and cable networks, and from a people basically forced fed Chiang Kai-Shek/Kuominggtang's version of Chinese dominated political history to a people that question, discuss, write, and create a history that centers around the Taiwanese identity. And this is against repression from the old KMT autocracy whom were still murdering and jailing dissidents up till the early 1990s, and that is against the military threats and international assaults from Mainland China. That's courage and that's guts. So that's my fullest respect and gratitude and pride. And hence the above post re UN for Taiwan campaign. If all this could happen in the 27 years of my life time so far, I know much much more is going to happen in the next 27 years of my life. I am so very very optimistic and positive that I will see a Taiwanese State raise its flag in every country in this world before my last breath. I want it!

I'm OK with a Pawpaw Diet

LAH Bladeee dee dada da bladee dee bladee daah. Mmm mm. Ooooooooh yeahhhh, oh oooohh yeah yah yah, blaah deee deee, bladeedahh haa haa haaaAAAAAA.... !!! Doo ddooo dooo hey. Ahhh haaaaahhh, oh oh oh haaa heey, huuuu haaa hey blaaah deee deee, blah dee daahhhh ddoooo bahh deeeh. 349384qp9ogo;;idj fgopai;urjoa;jl;dfmnl;sfkjbm l.,sm;sjkl;skzjfklsd;lkkl;gsdf. awoieuro;aiweaslkdjfazdjb[098230 980248qqoiui!##$%$*&*())(. Geeeeezis. Hoooooooooooohhhhh. Ahhh heee deee dahhh ddoooo... !!!

Typhooned out in Taipei

Typhoon Karosa is here for the weekend. A view from the entrance to my aunt's apartment block. As you can see, the letterboxes to about 180 apartment units are on the right, and the yellow taped "X"s on the windows are put on there yesterday in prep for the onslaught today. Usually the security guard sits on the left of the window (he has his own gossip column) - but its everydbody's day off today. Therefore it was also my job to put a fish back into the pond in the shared atrium/garden as well, sheesh. I had a much more impressive vid from the belcony but it was too big to be loaded up.

Typhoon is part and parcel of Taiwanese life, but because I've been living overseas since 1990, I haven't been in a typhoon since I was about 9, so this is kinda exciting. I remember how much I loved watching the chaos unfold outside, and the stacks of board games and candles that would come out of the woodworks, and most of all, No school! But to be completely serious, its not all that fun at all, apparently it costs the entire economy about 2 billion Taiwan Dollars to have a Typhoon day off work, plus the horrendous cost in agriculture, and occasionally the unfortuate loss of lives, often these would be from slipping rocks falling onto roads etc due to massive land clearing & bad/corrupt civil defence service. Read more about it here http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/10/06/2003381904

Myanmar #2: 我抓狂了!!!

I always knew that the Chinese government has an extremely strategic method of controlling access to information/news as well as manipulating political messages to its people through the way it owns/regulate/control news reporting and editing (and rest of public political space, for that matter) etc, but never to the extent and the blatant falseness I witnessed myself while I was there.

The situ in Myanmar in the last few weeks for example, is like HUGE, but I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT till when I got back to Taipei. It really baffles me how successfully they are at keeping ANYTHING they don't want their people to know from them, and how good they are at diverting people's attention from what should be important (in my mind) to obliviously happy subjects like those bloody Friendlies. No wonder they were willing to cut throat for the 2008 Olympics. Don't get me started on how else they have been writing about Taiwanese politics just yet (just you wait). How its pretty self-destructive at the end of the day to keep one's own people from knowing about the world just because they don't want their people to realise the shameful way they've been conducting in international politics. Isn't it nice to back a few more autocratic police state leaderships so China doesn't look so bad? Wake up China, get off your high horse your face needs a good clean whether you still have it or not.

Thank you Nat for sending the link by Avaaz re Burma, here it is again,
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/t.php?cl=21221990While personally I don't think President Hu is going to give a rats arse about what we think, I think the more people know that he ain't giving an arse about what we think the better. But I recon the kids on Facebook are pretty revolutionary too.

Its when I get back to Taipei and witnessed the complete contrast in freedom of the press, political awareness, and the matter of fact expression of public opinion, it hit home to me on exactly how much is at stake should China one day take over this island. It baffles me that the international community, including both Australia and New Zealand chooses to backdown from China and its requests to shun Taiwan where ever it tries to have any sort of international representation and voice. It is so extremely ironic, in the sense that Taiwan can not have normal/basic diplomatic relations with most countries in the world, and therefore unable to make any direct impact on stopping atrocities happening in Myanmar, whether it be sanctions of any kind or requesting action in the UN. Despite not possessing much international leverage, the Taiwanese people are committed towards human rights nevertheless, because we know from our own sad history that its WRONG without it ( http://www.cna.com.tw/eng/cepread.php?id=200710010044 and http://www.dpu.org.tw/En/newsDetail.php?Mode=News&ID=2007&ArticleID=44 ), while ironically, China has more international leverage than any other country in the world at the moment on Burma, they choose to stay in support of the perpetrators http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7015526.stm .

What is wrong with this world? If this is a world that has its eyes open, about Burma as well as simple pure logical justice, then take this: How about China out of the Security Council and Taiwan in the UN - Sign up here.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-un-membership-for-taiwan.html

myanmar

WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING IN MYANMAR???
WHY HASN'T ANY OF THE NEWS I WAS WATCHING IN CHINA MENTIONED THIS?

Back In The Game

I'm back in my old family plot in Taipei - what a breath of fresh air. Order, manners, political fucking freedom - and my blog. Looks like everything's well so I'll be back updating this full time now. See yez soon!!

Priceless #51

Returned deposit from hotel : +$100 RMB
Book: -$30 RMB
Espresso: -$35 RMB
Busfare to airport: -$4 RMB
Total cash left in China: +$26 RMB
Missed your flight and need to pay for a $60 RMB upgrade?
-- Can't use your Mastercard.

Images of Old Shanghai

Before this time there was a place called the Paris of the Orient, where Western diplomat wives had tea parties and their husbands went to cabarets; an oval shaped "China Town" within the concession areas where the locals are cordoned out of ex-pats' sights in a slum; and a birthplace of several political movements ushering in a brand new China.

From Top: The old Customs House on the Bund; two of the nine 1920s luxury products posters I purchased (totally can't wait to watch Ang Lee's Lust:Caution!!!); Cat and lady outside dumpling shop; Zhou Enlai's Former Residence and former Chinese Communist Party HQ officially allowed to exist during the KMT era, just down the road from Dr Sun Yet-Sen's former residence - both the revolutions that overthrew the Emperialist Qing Dynasty and the Kuomingtang (KMT) regime in China had significant origins in Shanghai; Street & garden in the old town; Housing in the old town; antique markets at Dong Dan Street

A Dream of West Lake

West Lake, an hour and a half on the bullet train from Shanghai.

This is the timeless legendary, mystical place written about in numerous Chinese classics, fallen in love with, cried over, drowned in... the delicate green water, floating lotus, lonely pagodas, drifting clouds... words nor ten scenes do it justice.

Little kids watching a squirrel; A chilly small bay which old boats "come to die"; A cat couple on a stroll; lady fishing for snails for a fry up