Home sweet home, Part 2

It started with, surprise, a mad rush during the days prior to my departure, to finish (unsuccessfully) work tasks, to pick up various items for overseas delivery, and of course, to pack. Just a couple days after my 3-year anniversary of arriving - moving to Taiwan, I was going home for the Mid-Autumn holidays.

I managed to drop all my work without too much guilt (or concern) so I could get back to my dorm and shower before my flight. My coworker picked me up and off we headed to the airport. Surprisingly, I felt... nothing. No emotions. No worries about the work I'd dropped, no irritation about the work I'd brought with me (to complete on a best-effort basis) and not even excitement about going home. There was nothing positive nor negative.

When I got to the airport, the lineup for baggage check-in was moderately long. I listened to some men speaking Spanish queued in front of me while waiting my turn. As expected, the check-in staff paused at my passport... and then asked me to follow her to the Immigration Office. And there I was scolded by a middle-aged Immigration official for not getting a new passport after obtaining Taiwanese citizenship. He went on about how I shouldn't keep using my current passport just to save trouble and to save on the passport application fee and that I was inconveniencing myself as well as Immigration (for having to verify my status). He did have a point. Though quite honestly, it had just never occurred to me to renew my passport after receiving a status upgrade; it wasn't about the application fee nor the eons-away expiry date (10-year validity). Anyway that was quite the earful.

In an effort to minimise the effects of jet lag, I stayed up most of the flight. As I'd only slept an hour the previous night (working and packing), staying awake an additional 12 hours proved a little more difficult that it might normally have been. I watched Fantastic Four 2: Silver Surfer (mediocre), The Ex (entertaining), and made it partway through Surf's Up and Ocean's Thirteen and some interactive games (looking for whatever required the least brain power) (though in the end, nothing helped). It was with a skip of joy that I heard them announce our descent to YVR.

I managed to break skin on the glass barriers lining the stairs, and Customs asked me to present myself to Agriculture after collecting my luggage, for inspection of the mooncake my mother special-ordered. I waited half an hour for my large suitcase, before hearing an announcement and recalling that I hadn't removed an old "Fragile" label... and off I went to looking for my fragile suitcase. Then it was another half-hour as Agriculture looked into a woman's canned mutton from New Zealand before deeming that my vegetarian mooncakes wouldn't cause an epidemic outbreak.

And then FInally... I was home.

Home sweet home

Where the heart is.

There's nothing luxurious about my house. My parents aren't waiting on me, hand on foot. I haven't even slept in past 8:30AM yet (which one would expect, given my crazy work schedule). It doesn't matter that it's gloomy and cold out. There's just something about home that makes it home.

And Vancouver will always be home.

It's nice to be back. (Even if just for a visit.)

Unnerved

I've always had a fascination for the supernatural. I like reading "ghost stories" and about strange phenomena.

Admittedly, this morbid fascination of mine has augmented since coming to Taiwan. They believe in spirits and rituals and sorcery, yin and yang.... They even have tv shows dedicated to exploring haunted sites around Taiwan.

But today was probably the first time I was actually scared.

After a frustrating day at work (not uncommon nowadays), I had to detour to my brother's place to pick up stuff to bring home to Vancouver.

The quickest route between my place and my brother's is a shortcut... that passes by some burials. (I'm not sure there's an actual cemetery there, but there are several tombs.) It was just after midnight. Normally after dark I would take the longer better-lit route (the major road) to my brother's, but today I was tired and irritated and really just cared to get there and back quickly.

I turned left into the shortcut, and flipped on my high-beam as I approached the darkness.

Precisely at that instant, a car alarm sounded, startling me.

I slowed slightly... and noticed that the car on the side of the road with its alarm blaring... had no one in it.

I'm not sure why that would unnerve me so much - the car was parked, it was after midnight, why would someone be sitting in the car?

It just didn't feel right.

It was enough to make me turn my scooter around back to the intersection to take the longer main road.

And precisely when I straightened out after my U-turn... the car alarm fell silent.

I don't know what this incident means, if anything at all. Was it a warning, or a coincidence? All I know is that that feeling was not a welcome one!

The big 3-0

Well. I turn 30 tomorrow.

I can't say that I've had any particular anxiety [so far] about this completion of a decade, at least not directly related to turning 30. I've had a lot of things on my mind the past half year or even whole year, so turning 30 is nothing.

Anyhow, it just happens that I'll be hiking this weekend, so I get to spend my birthday atop a mountain with friends, breathing fresh air, and - most importantly - being away from the office.

Of course, the flip side is... it's all downhill from there.

We Are Family

I have a sister! =D Almost.

A couple days ago, on her birthday, my brother popped the question, and she said yes! She said yes, she said yes, she said yes! =D

So yesterday, I left work early (way earlier than usual, anyway) and booted up to Taipei for a surprise party for M at the Duckbill darts bar.

I had one Long Island iced tea. And that was it.

Omigosh, it was loaded.

I'm not an alcoholic, but it's not like I haven't had drinks before. But this Long Island iced tea was seriously loaded. And it was with great effort that I walked straight. I'm not sure I succeeded. But yeah, that one drink did me in.

I had 4 glasses of water after showering and zonked out nearing 3am. So this morning, I'm in pretty good shape. =)

So. A family engagement, and a strong Long Island iced tea. Great Friday. =)

Out for a bite

May 1st is Labour Day in Taiwan. But more importantly, it's a stat holiday in Taiwan.

I've been a little down lately, and cooped up at work, so my coworker and I went out to a coffee shop about half an hour out from Hsinchu. The owner used to be the manager at our company coffee shop, but he'd opened his own coffee shop 2 years ago, a quaint shop on a little lake.

When we got there, the owner told us that the tung flowers (油桐花) were in season and recommended that my coworker and I go take a walk into a wooded area, where the flowers covered the grassy area. But it was a little disappointing because the flowers had already wilted and had been trampled by previous visitors to the area.

But worst of all were the blackflies or black mosquitoes or black whatever insects that attacked us on our leisurely stroll. The tiny insects swarmed my calves (I was wearing a dress) and pricked and pricked and pricked and pricked and pricked! Needless to say the walk was cut short and we dodged back to the safety of the road and back to the coffee shop where we immediately applied whatever balm was available.

I've been going crazy from the itch of the bites. I counted 51 bites on my right leg, and 49 on my left. Tiny bites that dot my calves like islands in the South Pacific. I've already used one third of a new tube of mosquito bite cream. Hopefully they'll fade soon, and even more hopefully they'll fade without leaving scar. <=\

In Season

Much to my dismay, I spotted a cockroach lurking outside the main door of my building.

Looks like it's cockroach season again. : (

All in a Name

Before I moved to Taiwan, I was under the impression that Asian immigrants only choose "boring" English names. Common names that occur in a classroom 2 or 3 times: Danny, David, Michael, Jerry, Johnny. Jenny, Cindy, Amy, Julie.

Boy was I ever wrong.

Turns out Asians can be rather creative when choosing English names. And turns out that browsing the company phone directory can be quite entertaining.

We have famous people who work here: Gauss, Morse, Dior, Gucci, Yanni, Yoda.

And then we have...

AceBest AOK Bear Bigfox Culture - given name translated literally Double - given name has the family name repeated! Dragon Ericbill - guess they couldn't decide? Forever - Chinese name has the word "ever" Frog - uh... I got nothin' Frost Gene - 2 with this name; does that make it a Gene pool? Magic Megaa - complete with echo! Milk

MIT - show-off Mtjade - named after the mountain... "Mt." included! Nivea - walking advertisement Ripple Showermi - how forward! Singing Smallp - um. Shock Testy - UM. Tobaccoo Twodogs Walksky - kinda like Skywalker, but no copyright infringement Wealth - clear goals in life Wego - where?

(Note: These are all taken from the company directory. Just a subset of "interesting" names. And I didn't list any names that were Chinese names written in English, only literal translations.)

I know about a third of the people above, and they're very nice people.

Now I realize that people are free to take on any name they please. However, this name is used for their corporate e-mail address. So maybe they should put more thought into finding a name that will represent them professionally, instead of choosing an alias for a BBS/forum.

And perhaps HR should consider having a name book on hand for when new employees report to work.

Au clair de la lune

Today is 元宵節, which is the first full moon after the Lunar New Year. It's customary to gather and to light "sky lanterns". On them, you write your wishes and hopes for the year, and then watch the little paper hot air balloons float up into the night sky.... Well, I had to miss it this year. Boooo.

But the full moon was lovely. As I stared up at it, I was reminded of a friend.

See, I haven't talked to this friend for about a year now. We used to talk on the phone (long-distance, I might add) on full moon nights, just about life, about everything, about nothing. We got along great and understood each other really well, especially considering we aren't even on the same continent.

About a year ago, though, we stopped talking (for reasons I'm not at liberty to disclose). Zero contact.

I don't usually think of this friend, not so much anymore. I guess you just have to accept the fact and move on. But tonight as I looked up at the silver moon, I did.

And I wondered when it might be okay again.

Sorry, where am I from again?

My friend brought a beautiful "carrying" case to my desk today, measuring 24"x4"x2.5". Inside, nestled in a bed of... shiny polyester... was a nice champagne flute, and a bottle of ice wine.

As lovely as it was, and as delighted as I was to receive this gift, I looked at my coworker and exclaimed,

"Have you forgotten where I'm from??"

Product of Canada.