Lovely evening

Tuesday 30 June 2009

Sun sets on a lovely evening in our fair city.

Electroshock Therapy

Monday 29 June 2009

Okay, so it's not really electroshock, so much as electricity therapy. I had been having a deep, dull pain in my heel for a while, and so finally went to see a doctor about it. (A crazy doctor, by the way. Wait, does that mean I let a mad doctor hook me up to electropads?) She thinks the heel pain is connected to my back, and so I have started physio-therapy to fix it. We'll see how it all goes.

This is my least favorite part, because it actually hurts. The other parts (stretching out my back, pulsing electricity on my back, cracking my back) are all quite pleasant.

Busy Door

Sunday 28 June 2009

This city is so busy. Sometimes that makes it vibrant and energetic, and sometimes it overwhelms me.

Sunny Flowers

Saturday 27 June 2009

Hotel reflection

Friday 26 June 2009

Art

Thursday 25 June 2009

And my manager still doesn't believe me that these art projects are too difficult for three-year-olds.

San Sin

Wednesday 24 June 2009

This is a very small part of San Sin, a vocational high school where I am looking at performing our fall production of Midsummer Night's Dream. This picture doesn't really do it justice - if we do our play there, I hope to get a better one later.

But this is one corner of a school which has over 9,000 students. The side I was standing on has 11 stories. I mean, this school has more people than Romeo did when I was growing up. It was HUGE and a little intimidating. The principal is basically the mayor of a small town, having to organize all of this.

Buh Puh Muh Fuh

Tuesday 23 June 2009

In Taiwan, children learn how to pronounce Chinese characters using a kind of alphabet, which is called "buh puh muh fuh," after the first four consonants. It is not used in China at all. Children's books here have the characters in them, but then the buh puh muh fuh next to each character, so if they did not know that word, the can learn how to pronounce it. (Chinese characters are not phonetic at all - if you see a new word, you have no way to know its meaning or sound.)

This sign has buh puh muh fuh next to one of its characters, but it is not in a children's book. I figure that character must be very rare, and most people would not know it, so the restaurant decided to let everyone know how to say their name. Helpful, and something very distictly Taiwanese.

Buddha on a chair

Monday 22 June 2009

Cloud heart

Sunday 21 June 2009

I don't know, now that I post this I'm not sure everyone will see it, but to me this little hole in the clouds looked exactly like a heart (on its side.)

Shui

Saturday 20 June 2009

This character means water.

Two-tone 85

Friday 19 June 2009

This building is Kaohsiung's landmark, it alone defines our skyline.

Ominous clouds

Thursday 18 June 2009

A view of the storm from my laundry balcony.

Bright windows

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Wreaths

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Outside a high school. I wish I could tell you more.

Temple in the road

Monday 15 June 2009

Yep, a temple right in the middle of the road - you drive around it, and the road joins up again behind. On HePing Road.

Cool tiles

Sunday 14 June 2009

A whole wall of tiny tiles. I really liked the color, like mother-of-pearl.

Wet red flowers

Saturday 13 June 2009

Another rainy day photo.

Jealous

Friday 12 June 2009

A gorgeous day today - it would have been such a perfect day to sit on the balcony with some hot cocoa listening to the rain. A wonderful rainy day wasted working and cleaning out the fridge.

Wet flowers

Thursday 11 June 2009

I love rainy rainy rainy rainy days.

Dark skies

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Mmmmm, I love the rainy spring here in Taiwan. It makes for such varied and brilliant skies.

Balls

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Our school has a ball pit in the play room upstairs. No, these kids aren't spoiled at all.

Baby Cookies

Monday 8 June 2009

My student Allen's little sister turned one month old, which here in Taiwan is the first milestone in a child's life. It is celebrated with cookies or cake for everyone!

I guess this comes from times when many children didn't survive their early days. Actually, there are a lot of rules and superstitions to do with first month. The mother cannot leave the house, wash her hair, cook (I don't think), and has to eat only very specific foods. Not all women follow all these rules anymore, but some still do, and giving gifts for a baby's one month birthday is always done.

Fruit Stand

Saturday 7 June 2009

Moon through the palms

Saturday 6 June 2009

Welcome bum

Friday 5 June 2009

This is the statue in our apartment building's courtyard. The entrance to the underground parking goes behind and under the courtyard, so that her bum is the sight that always welcomes me home.

JianGong at Dusk

Thursday 4 June 2009

I told you I'm into cityscapes lately. I just live in such a great place for them.

Farrah's Hair

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Okay, baby-perming update. Remember back when I was appalled that someone would perm a three-year-old boy's hair? Well, it turns out that Eugene's baby sister, one-year-old Farrah, also got a perm.

Plum Rains

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Guang Hua

Monday 1 June 2009

I've been feeling the cityscape lately, I know. But the Plum Rains are finally here, and I just love this city in the rain.