Le Blogger

Upgraded to a Prince O3 Tour . I've reached a point where I think a high end racquet is necessary for my game. I now have pretty good swing control, and more importantly, I need a larger grip size otherwise I will definitely run into tennis elbow problems. Bought the racquet today, getting it strung up and should be good to play by Monday! It's almost that time---2006! Happy New Year's to all...make those new year resolutions and hope 2005 ends with a bang!

Here's an interesting read . Found on Medo's site... annoyingly cute . Stress on the annoying. Books I plan to get/ read/ finish in the next couple weeks: How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker, Computational Physics by Nicholas Giordano, A Feast for Crows (waiting on paperback) by George R R Martin, and re-reading Tao Te Ching (or Lao-Tzu as it's called in old days) by Lao-Tzu. Good mix of heavy and light stuff, though George R R Martin's fantasy novels are not exactly the lightest reading. There's tons of characters in there and it's full of suspense, sex, intrigue, betrayal, vengeance...just an awesome series so far. Another great bunch of relaxing reads is Jing Yung's kung fu novels. I need to pull those out sometime and re-read them too. Lao-Tzu is also great reading, especially on the john. Read a bit everyday...philosophy for the soul. Don't like it? Flush it with the rest hah. Spark those neurons! Empty apartment for the next few days. My room

aww so cute!

Ask me for his English name. We received him on Sunday, Taiwan time. The gift we gave was white sugar and rice. He was a little disoriented and probably nervous as this is his first time away from mommy. So he didn't shit or pee until 3 am...my mom unfortunately had to clean that mess! I can't wait to see him!

***** There once was a peaceful land full of life and warmth as any good spring. The land was ruled by a good but proud king. Certainly the king had much to proud of, for he ruled wisely and well. But he often boasted far too much of his accomplishments, and this angered the gods. So they cursed him with deep magic such that when he breathed his breath would turn to ice. When he spoke the temperature would drop, by several degrees! Whatever he touched would immediately turn to ice. He had become the King of the Cold. The land he ruled over became all ice and frozen, but he remained a wise and good king and ruled over it as kind as any king could, given the situation! He lived alone, with his servants of course, in his now Crystal Ice Palace at the top of the snow covered mountain. One day, as he was traveling in his ice sleigh to the lands below, he saw a beautiful and fair maiden. Her hair was flaming red, like that of fire, and skin brilliantly fair, with eyes piercing blue. She shon

I forget where I found these photos, I think Reuters.com, but they're very nice. I love the juxtaposition of colors. The subjects of study are also extremely passionate activities, and the image definitely conveys that. In one you have the intimacy of man and woman in dance; the other is the fierceness and brutality of man and bull (not shown). The dance consists of elegant interplay of movements between partners that climaxes in a sweep or embrace of love; the bullfight is a violent, bloody battle between man and animal that comes to a death, usually for the bull. The key here is interplay. Life is all about interactions, some are collisions and others are less frontal. Life isn't a one lane one way road, or put another way, it takes two to tango. These are thoughts evoked from seeing the pics...great art makes you think.

Below is a photo of a Nepalese guerilla fighter taken from the Taipei Times photo site. She is very pretty, and I can tell there is an underlying fierceness about her. Yet somehow, her face also speaks of a kind of innocence, one that starkly contrasts the image of her propped with a gun. Perhaps this is the innocence of those who truly believe in what they want, what they are fighting for. It makes the bloodshed and violence all worth the while. I think we all need to have something worth fighting for. I think I do...do you? Also, quite coincidentally, another photo taken from the same site showing puppies. These are indigenous Taiwanese dogs, and guess what, one of them is mine!

Photos taken on my camera. One of beautiful clouds in the sky on a sunny fall day (actually day of our Tristate softball game). Second is an advertisement I saw while at Epcot Center. Amazing McDonald's is. I was talking to a friend last night, and she had worked in Guatemala for the Peace Corps teaching to 4rth graders. Once a month though she had to go into the capital to "check-in" at both the headquarters and at McDonald's. As nasty and oily McD's may be, I guess it does just remind you with a flavour of good ol' US of A, i.e. home. No real profound statements today. I am slightly disappointed in the scandal surrounding the Korean cloning research team. It seems that their work was fudged! I still remember how amazed I was when I first heard about that paper. Think of the potential. Now it seems like it's all fake. Here's what one of the Schapiro Se7en from Columbia has to say about it... (that would be Ed).

One cannot live life without art and music! Below are pictures taken by my mom. I think they are pretty nice. She also paints occasionally...I guess I know where my artistic side comes from. Hrm..but my dad also writes very elegant calligraphy, so perhaps it's a mix (as usual the diplomatic son, never cross either haha). The second picture was taken in the lake near my high school, situated in the Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The Taichi sculpture was made by Ju Ming, whom I've mentioned before in an earlier post . It was an idyllic time (really?) growing up in Hsinchu and going to school at NEHS. I think I am blessed to have such an upbringing.

The following are wise words from Abian! "面對、接受、處理、放下它" This of course refers to the recent local election loss that the DPP suffered at the hands of the pan-blues, and not to being rejected by some girl. What's it take to win a heart over eh? Though I am not affiliated with any party, I do admit that I agree more with the basic ideals of the green party. I think it's important to recognize Taiwan for what it is, and for those who inhabit the island to cherish the land, people, community and culture. I get the sense that the pan-blues don't inherently think this way, and instead constantly have their eyes and hopes directed towards mainland China. And yet they have families in Taiwan, supporters in Taiwan, businesses and interests in Taiwan. But they don't have their heart in Taiwan. The general feeling I get from the greens is they have heart, but they haven't got their minds set on what to do. There's too much bravado and not enough long term plannin

It's getting too cold to play outdoors. So here's an awesome game . From my fav gaming blog, Jayisgames.com . Check out the Frappr map. I think I'm the first to hail from Taiwan. I also know the dude from Beijing. He sits right next to me in our office! I think I'm again the last in the department...no internet at home for the next few days I think. Anyways there's work to do in lab... Oh some fun news. I won a raffle at the department lunch today! Free half hour massage at Duke Student Health...yea it'll do my back good. Hope the masseuse is a hot chick (interesting how the word is defined as female massager, that may not be the case at the health center..ack)!

It's convenient for us kids that my parents' birthdays are only three days apart! So we do all the celebrating (and remembering) at once. Card and wish made for my parents.

Awesome movie. I really enjoyed it, though it doesn't seem to be doing so well at the box office. The gist of the movie: virus wipes out 99% of humankind. Scientist Goodchild comes up with cure, and this leads to the Goodchild dynasty that rules the one remaining city, Bregna, on Earth for 400 years. But something is wrong in this perfect city; people disappear and no one is allowed to leave. The Monicans, are a rebellious group that wants to overthrow the Goodchilds and open the walls of the city that enclose its people. They want to find out what's happening to the missing. Aeon is their top assassin, and she is sent to kill Goodchild. But there's a twist, as Aeon and Goodchild have a past...this is because the "cure" is really cloning. The virus wiped out fertility and no new human has been born in 400 years. What keeps the city alive is each time someone dies their DNA is recycled and secretly injected into a new mother to give birth to that same person again.