Video up!
Finally, I posted the Okinawa trip video to Youtube. It’s over 16 minutes of ship- and Naha-themed walking around, with musical interludes (yes, Jack Jones is included). It’s too long, but I didn’t feel like spending the time cutting it down any more. Enjoy.
In other news, I just received the Master Control Device in the mail from my friend Victor in Hong Kong. I’m still getting used to it, and I need to switch my SIM card to a 3/3.5G version, and download a bunch of extra software, interfaces and possibly Opera Mini (or Opera Mobile? Dunno), but so far I am impressed, not just with its abilities, but particularly with its sheer heft. You could do some real damage with this thing. Those of you who know me personally have commented on the impressive and wholly unnecessary size of my watch..so the phone kinda matches.
Also, it has a keyboard, so get ready for more, if not blogging, at least reliably inane Twittering in my sidebar.
It’s Saturday, yet I have to work. I skipped Tai-chi practice this morning after staying up til 4am editing the damn Okinawa video, and everyone’s probably going to be at work anyway. Why do we have to work today? Because we had an extra “holiday” earlier this week that we have to “make up”. And Sunday is Daniel Pearl Day, which means basically a whole day of Muddy Basin Ramblering at the event over at the old military village by Taipei 101. So it is a weekend, Jim, just not as we know it.
Oh, and why did I stay up so late? I decided to go to a village meeting last night at the basketball court by the temple, where I could listen to a series of local officials use karaoke equipment to emit vague promises to make things better in our neighborhood. At the end they gave our gift packages of what I hoped were cookies but turned out to be three varieties of soy sauce. Oh, well.
poagao, i sense that you are looking at your time in taiwan as perhaps coming to an end. as you have an artistic eye, perhaps you could settle in a more aestheitcally pleasing place? i have never been there, but several world-traveler types have told me that spain is their favorite country. excuse me for speaking of private things, but since you blog you put yourself at risk for comments like mine…you seem very lonely on the one hand, and yet on the other it seems you purposely cultivate that lifestyle. is it working for you? and then again all my intuitions could just be garbahge. wishing you the best on your adventures…
Comment by v — September 29, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
I also got that feeling from a couple of things you’ve hinted at recently, T.C.
If you are, indeed, starting to feel that it’s time to move on, as v suggests, there really is a whole world of opportunity out there. Perhaps it’s time to reinvent yourself, again?
I think far too many of us who have stayed in Taiwan for a long time let complacency and inertia, and perhaps fear of change keep us on the island, as the years tick by, one after another. Clearly your situation is a bit unique, as, when you were a younger man, besotted with all things Taiwanese, you gave up one nationality for another. But, clearly if you had the gumption to do that way back when, you could just as easily pack up your bags, and move on. You’re not bound to the ROC, and, yes…. life does exist beyond the shores of the beautiful island. Great things; new adventures, new careers, new passions, new languages to master, etc.
If you are having these existential dilemas, I encourage you to test the waters. Choose some place and go check it our for 6 months or a year. Who knows where that would take you – and you always do have Taiwan to fall back to, should you want.
Anyways. Good luck with everything.
Comment by ck — October 1, 2007 @ 12:29 am
I don’t know if I can reinvent myself that much at this point. I’ve lived my entire adult life in Taiwan, so it will always be a part of who I am. I’ll always be at least part Taiwanese. But as to where I go from here? I don’t know. The best-laid plans, and all that. I do want to do more exploring, though.
Comment by Poagao — October 2, 2007 @ 1:03 am
Congratz on your new Master Control Device.
Comment by Hong Kong Phooey — October 4, 2007 @ 10:35 am