Blog

Over the past few weeks, work has been changing at an absolutely ridiculous pace. Hence the title — Super Transformation, like those charades-meets-variety-show segments on TV. It’s also fitting for the political sphere right now, where a better title might be Super Deception, playing out like some endless animated Flash series. With elections in the next six months, that title would hold up. And while we’re at it — Chang Ma-Bian, meaning someone who always lies. ...

From a young age I was taught to honor commitments and keep my word. This principle has guided how I treat people, even if I occasionally slip — and when I do, it weighs on me, even makes me feel embarrassed. Yet in today’s society, this value seems to be fading. Some people love to change their minds at the last minute. A promise can disappear as quickly as breath — gone as soon as it’s out, with nothing but a faint trace left behind. ...

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/cant The link above goes to a page of a member of the “Armpit Closure Troupe” — my sister forwarded it to me. There are a few songs on the page: My Child: Without Your Love (Gold Bar) My Child: Bubble Gum Song My Child: Who Stole My Eraser? Highly recommended. Beyond the laughs, I browsed through their blog a bit, and in a certain sense, I found it admirable. At least this person, from middle school onward, had their own dream and took step after step toward their goal. ...

I just saw a news segment featuring some unusual jobs and investment opportunities. One example: a dog waste cleanup business. More and more Americans are too busy to clean up after their own pets, and I’m starting to see this trend in Taiwan too — people are willing to pay a little to have others handle cleaning tasks. While routine cleaning is still done at home, annual deep cleans are increasingly being outsourced. ...

Recently I’ve been looking into the development of high-definition (HD) technology. What is HD? Those unfamiliar might not know — the first image that comes to my mind is… the God of Gamblers movie character! I think I’ve been brainwashed too thoroughly. The second thing that comes to mind is a company name. And then finally I understood: HD = High Definition, the same HD that appears in all those “HD high-quality digital TV” ads! ...

I woke up this morning and as usual turned on the TV to watch the game. Wang Chien-Ming (Wang Xiaoming) started yesterday, but I watched one of the worst performances I’d seen — worse than when he completely fell apart. That’s life. Maybe it’s better to face setbacks earlier rather than later; when you’re young, a stumble still leaves time to bounce back. But if Wang doesn’t confront these struggles until he’s thirty-something, he might be finished — like the Yankees’ injury-prone pitcher, Pavano. ...

The day after the typhoon, I went back home to help my parents move to their new place. Heading out early in the morning, I got my first real glimpse of how powerful this typhoon had been — motorcycles were knocked over in dominoes. It was genuinely the first time I’d seen a domino effect made entirely out of motorcycles. Honestly, Taipei City government should consider reorganizing all motorcycle parking spots around the entire city — next time a typhoon hits, Taiwan could set a Guinness World Record. That would be one unique way to be in the spotlight. ...

Reading a few friends’ blogs brought back some recollections — though my brain is impressively forgetful. A while back I went down to Tainan, and before leaving I tried to recall what life there had been like. Strangely, I couldn’t. But once I actually arrived, something in my brain clicked, and memories of my university days played back like a fast-forwarded recording. Without many records to anchor them, I started to doubt my own past — my younger face, my old way of thinking. ...

Every now and then BusinessWeek profiles a company they consider outstanding at the time. The strange thing is, stocks featured prominently in the magazine have a curious tendency to become duds in the short term — not because the companies are bad, but it has a contrarian-investment flavor to it. You know Nike, right? The legendary stock trader who, after decades of navigating the markets, casually drew a swoosh and founded the company. The name means “endurance and perseverance” — stay patient and things will turn around. Pretty apt. But I’ve gotten sidetracked! ...

After entering the workforce, my stamina has declined year by year, and I’ve grown increasingly out of shape. Now all I have left is a round of golf once every two weeks — or sometimes stretching to once a month. Today my instructor seemed to have reached his limit with me… probably feeling the same frustration a tutor feels when they want to shake a student. But I finally feel like I’ve made just a tiny bit of progress! XD ...