Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Buses and rumbas
The long distance buses in Taiwan wake up their sleepy passengers by putting on chirpy elevator music on arrival. Nowadays I wake up in bed with a particular rumba tune running through my head.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Today
I started to bike home from the zoo but it started pouring. Oh, there's a little roadside shelter. With a dog! He wanted to get out of the rain too. I think you'd describe this dog as rufous colored and knee high. He regarded me skeptically. I talked to him a little and tried to give him a piece of guava. Dogs don't eat fruits.
It started raining harder and the rain was splashing into our shelter in a fine spray from the drops hitting the ground so hard and I guess the dog was getting wet because he crept a little closer to me, when I wasn't looking. By now he was comfortable enough to devote himself fully to licking his own crotch. After the rain let up a little, said goodbye to the dog and was on my way. That was a pretty chill dog.
Today I started Wing Chun classes. It cost 3000 NT, plus 4000 for two heavy black cotton shirts. I spent over two hours doing the same two sets of movements.
1. Cross arms at about belly-button level, recross at face level.
2. Punch towards the center, open fist palm side up, rotate wrist inward in a full circle, retract, repeat with other arm.
I hope I learn something. The teacher is Lo Man Kam and he's 70+ years old and a student of Yip Man. The story goes that he introduced Bruce Lee to Wing Chun. He's pretty active for a 70-year old.
There are termites on my (metal) desk. They are crawling between the glass pane and the desktop, so I can see them, but I can't get them. I pressed the glass enough to squash a couple, but they're stuck in there forever now.
It started raining harder and the rain was splashing into our shelter in a fine spray from the drops hitting the ground so hard and I guess the dog was getting wet because he crept a little closer to me, when I wasn't looking. By now he was comfortable enough to devote himself fully to licking his own crotch. After the rain let up a little, said goodbye to the dog and was on my way. That was a pretty chill dog.
Today I started Wing Chun classes. It cost 3000 NT, plus 4000 for two heavy black cotton shirts. I spent over two hours doing the same two sets of movements.
1. Cross arms at about belly-button level, recross at face level.
2. Punch towards the center, open fist palm side up, rotate wrist inward in a full circle, retract, repeat with other arm.
I hope I learn something. The teacher is Lo Man Kam and he's 70+ years old and a student of Yip Man. The story goes that he introduced Bruce Lee to Wing Chun. He's pretty active for a 70-year old.
There are termites on my (metal) desk. They are crawling between the glass pane and the desktop, so I can see them, but I can't get them. I pressed the glass enough to squash a couple, but they're stuck in there forever now.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Running around in the backwoods of Taipei
Today I climbed a small mountain and walked around its stone-paved paths. I found a narrow set of stairs carved into the rock that led to a rusting makeshift gate barring way to more steps in living stone, up a steep jungle path. A peek at a checkered window. What's there? I walked back down the narrow mossy steps, each one only big enough to accommodate my foot, sideways. It was a small spirit's home.
I saw a small child climb up a rock perched over a drop off. He made explosive noises, vague expressions of violence that I guess was his sense of conquest manifesting itself. He climbed down. Then he climbed up again and told his grandma that she had to see this. There were mossy little steps carved out of the rock itself, worn down by people's feet. I climbed up afterwards. On top an indentation was carved to allow standing, and nothing more, no railings or safety nets. As I gingerly made my way back down the smooth green steps, I wondered about children falling off the rock, down to the steps 3 meters below. But it wasn't a real conquest without risk.
I saw a small child climb up a rock perched over a drop off. He made explosive noises, vague expressions of violence that I guess was his sense of conquest manifesting itself. He climbed down. Then he climbed up again and told his grandma that she had to see this. There were mossy little steps carved out of the rock itself, worn down by people's feet. I climbed up afterwards. On top an indentation was carved to allow standing, and nothing more, no railings or safety nets. As I gingerly made my way back down the smooth green steps, I wondered about children falling off the rock, down to the steps 3 meters below. But it wasn't a real conquest without risk.
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