Finding my Inner Fish

Ok, I have to admit, it has been apparent to me for a while that I don't quite get enough exercise. Back in the States I liked to go biking or walking in the park on occasion, and that kept me in generally decent shape. I really like hiking, too, and though there's lots of places to hike in Taiwan (very mountainous), a lot of the trails are paved and have stairs. That's just not the kind of hiking I like to do. So, between that and having no bike of my own, I'd sort of trailed off in terms of the exercise I was getting.

Then I started to notice that, for some reason, I felt like I was gaining weight. Maybe I've been eating more than usual, too. It's seems like there's always eating to be done, and YT's mom always cooks a lot. Very healthy, mind you, but still a lot, plus it's good. There's also the style of eating, in terms of the "just keep taking from the common dish in front of you until you're full" style, rather than the "here's your portion, when you finish that you can maybe have more" style of eating. There is research which shows that portions do make a difference in how much you eat, at least with bowls of soup -- if they're surreptitiously being filled by a hose at the bottom then people eat a lot more (really, it won an 'Ig Noble Prize' in 2007).

I'm also approaching another half-decade marker, and not for the first time in my life, I got that sinking suspicion that I'm not as young as I used to be. I had one of those experiences where it didn't really look like me in the mirror, rather someone who looked like me except a little plumper around the tummy and older. Honestly, I could have sworn I was 25 just yesterday. As John Updike wrote in Rabbit Run, "All men are boys time has deceived". Darn you, time!

So, either to recapture my youth or peel back the kilograms I've recently accrued, I've started a self-regulated twice-a-week swimming regimen. "Swimming?" you are probably thinking to yourself, "Brian you're not a swimmer!" And you'd be right, especially if you see what swimming seems to mean in Taiwan. It does not mean simply lounging around in the water, or seeing how long you can tread in one place, or how long you can hold your breath, or jumping off the diving board trying to catch a tennis ball in mid-air, or playing water basketball with your friends. Nope, it means propelling yourself through various paddling and kicking methods from one end of a pool of water to the other in a straight line back and forth until you don't feel like doing it anymore. You even have to wear a swimming cap and a speedo-style suit, though it doesn't have to be tighty-whities length. There are also a lot of people in the pool, and you have to try to time your journey to the other side so you don't bump into someone in your lane. It also seems apparent to me that everyone else has been trained in how to actually swim, different from my own pre-school lessons in 'how not to die if you happen to fall in the water'. Here, it's almost like you're watching the Olympics, except you're the one that's swimming, and, you're not in the Olympics, and, you're not even competing, you're just there going back and forth. But otherwise, almost the same, I think. So, though I have long-ago graduated from the doggie-paddle to a freestyle manner copied intuitively from watching TV, I still feel comparatively like, if you'll allow, a fish out of water.

My general method has been to whirl my arms and kick, turning my head from side-to-side but keeping my mouth above the water so I can spit and gasp for air as needed. If I don't do my impersonation of the freestyle, I do a sort of modified backstroke. I just kind of float on my back and wave my arms from my elbows so I move around. I guess if one were to see it in action, one might describe it as a sort of doggie-paddle backstroke with your arms at your side. Maybe. Come to think of it, it might also resemble the propulsion method of a single-celled organism. Either way, you may perhaps be able to see why I'd feel sort of conspicuous, especially if you knew that no one else seemed to be doing anything upside down. Given the population density of the pool and the restricted field of view of being on your back, I guess that makes sense. I still sort of prefer this, though; the distinct advantage being that my ears are submerged so my mouth doesn't have to be. It's actually rather relaxing, too, if you can get past the paranoia of running into something or someone.

Then one day, I decided I'd had enough of the modified doggie-paddle backstroke. It was relaxing, but I was just going too slow. I figured if I'm going to go back and forth in a straight line, there's no point in drawing it out. In a fit of inspiration, I decided to try whirling my arms like the backstroke is maybe supposed to be done. To my surprise, it almost felt as if I'd just sprouted fins. The roof above me sped by, and before I knew it I had passed under the flags, then the metal ladder out of the pool went by, then came the wall (bonk). I felt even more conspicuous than before, but I didn't care. It felt good. I even got a brief impression of admiring looks from the lifeguards and other swimmers, like "What is that method of swimming? Is that a backstroke? Wow! Who does the backstroke in a pool with this many people?"

You may think this was pure delusion, perhaps brought on by lack of oxygen to the brain (I do have exercise-induced asthma at times), but consider the following. After my usual soak in the steam-room, I went back into the smaller practice pool for a last couple of laps. There was also an older man there in the pool with a woman, who, incidentally, seemed to be less than his age. I did my interpretation of the freestyle one way, as I normally would, and then my backstroke impersonation on the way back. As I was bumping into the wall, he said "Very good!", in English, as people sometimes do when they want to sound cosmopolitan but don't have an extensive English vocabulary. I could only assume he meant my backstroke, of course, because it was so impressive. He also complimented me on my freestyle, though too, which, he said, was special because I could keep my head up for air. I knew that just creates more drag, but I didn't feel like arguing. He then jovially challenged me to a friendly race to the other side, which of course he won, to his delight. Once his 'friend' joined us again, he asked me how often I go swimming, then he said I should go at least 3 times a week like he does. Ok, I said, trying not to roll my eyes. Not surprisingly, I haven't really seen the guy or his lady-friend since. However, I have noticed more people trying to do the backstroke.

I of course don't take any credit for that, but it makes me feel good as I backpedal through the water, digging deep with my hands on the push-stroke, feeling the current rush through my fingers. The roof zips by overhead, and six strokes after I pass under the flags my hand brushes the wall. I'm still awkward at it, and no professional of course, but at the end of the day, I'm back to thinking I'm 25 years old. I'm still basically the same shape as when I measured my weight in pounds, but the best part is, I know my lady-friend doesn't really mind either way.

Still making waves, BB

Camping with the Sheu Family

Yes, that's right. I went camping with YT's family in the middle of November. I had heard that camping in Taiwan generally meant cramped spaces, noisy neighbors, and loud karaoke; namely, the kind of camping I would want to avoid like the plague. So, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I must say, though, it was rather nice. No karaoke (thankfully), only one set of neighbors we hardly noticed, and a beautiful location on the side of a mountain overlooking a long narrow valley. Ok, actually it would have been very beautiful had there not been a cloud filling the valley and obstructing our view. That only became clear early in the morning the next day when I got up to go to the bathroom. There were no clouds in the sky, and I could tell that the valley was very expansive. The sun wasn't up yet, though, and all I could really see was just the back-lit silhouette of the mountain on the other side of the valley. To be honest, I couldn't really see anything; but I could feel, I could sense, that in optimum conditions it would be quite beautiful. At least, I'm pretty sure. I went back to bed, then when I got up the cloud was back again.

All in all, I'd have to say that camping in Taiwan is quite similar to camping in the states. I'm talking the typical 'refugee' camping, as a good friend puts it. That is, take your family and pack up your provisions and shelter, set up your new living quarters on a small spat of land, then live without all the usual amenities or comforts of home and try to make the best of it. We even had nearly the whole family there, at least it felt like it to me. There were more than 20 of us, including kids. That's right, more than 20. I guess, come to think of it, there were 'noisy neighbors', but they were us. So, ok, I guess a big difference is that I wouldn't normally go camping with that many people.

The only other main difference I noticed in camping practices was the campfire. First, there almost wasn't one. That, to me, is almost unfathomable. The fire wasn't started until many hours after we got there, whereas were it up to me it would be ablaze the second after the tents are posted. My favorite part of camping is the campfire. The ability to harness such a dazzling and fierce power of nature within a ring of stones is amazing, and I'll watch it like TV until late at night. That it provides a method of cooking is just secondary, the hotdogs and S'mores are simply a nice bonus. Second, there were no S'mores or roasted hotdogs. But, I'm not really considering 'food' within the camping practices, otherwise the list would go on and on, so I'm not sure whether it should count. Third, or second, is that we burnt grass, not tree. That is, dried bamboo, not wood. It was cut in half lengthwise, because if left whole it can be sort of dangerous. The sections encase large pockets of air, and if put directly into the fire they will build up enough pressure to pop. I've seen it done. Anyway, as you might expect, it burnt quickly, and it sometimes lost it's 'flame'. But, since I love managing the campfire as much (or more?) as I love watching it, I didn't mind so much.

Oh yeah, there was also actual dancing around the fire. That's right. Some of the kids led some people in an aboriginal folk dance they had learned in school, which is definitely not something I would experience on a typical camping excursion in the US. Oh, also, there was also a 'game' played with the bamboo sheaths before they were burnt. It took 4 sticks, two set lengthwise a distance apart like wide train tracks, then the other two were set perpendicular on top, so it made sort of a figure just like this: # (or see photo). Two people held the top set of sticks and beat them in a certain rhythm, moving them outwards on a certain beat. Then others stood in the middle and did a dance and sang a song stepping in and out of the moving sticks, trying not to get their ankles clipped. Okay, one more thing: some among the 20 of us slept in their SUVs. I'm sure it's done in the US, but I've never witnessed it myself. As for the rest of the time, the pictures, posted here, tell the whole story pretty well.

The most memorable event of the weekend was hiking up the mountain with mom & dad. Some of the kids started to go, too, but it was too long and steep for them, so they didn't really even make it far out of the camp. I've always had immense respect for YT's parents, but I must say I was really impressed with how they tackled this mountain. It was pretty steep at times, enough that 'steps' were cut into the earth and ropes were strung up to provide something to hang on to, but they handled it as if they were 30 years younger. They do go hiking nearly every weekend, but not quite like this. I really like this picture of YT's mom:
I think it says a lot, but I'm not going to attempt a wordy and pretentious deconstruction of it for you. However, I do want to point out that mom & dad witnessed immense economic and political change during their lives. They saw farmland turn to shopping mall and parking garage, and martial law turn to vibrant but contentious democracy, and they rose along with it. It's not called the "Taiwan miracle" for nothing. Mom & Dad's parents were either farmers or manual laborers. Mom went to a technical college (專科) and became an elementary teacher. Dad also had post-secondary schooling, and went from a local government job to a city government job, to his current position second from the top in a private company (well, it's a very small company, but still). Their current house was built just a few years ago on the 'ancestral' farmland where Dad grew up, which he still tills now during his free time. They both continue to work extremely hard, and this picture, to me, somewhat reflects the spirit and drive of their generation that made the 'miracle' possible. Either that, or a cigar's a cigar and it's just a photo of someone climbing a mountain trail. Up to you, I guess.

So, I'll leave you with that. Oh yeah, I did have 'turkey-wings' when we were camping, which was the closest I came to having turkey around Thanksgiving. They were imported from the US, and sold here really cheap because we don't eat turkey wings in the US, unless they're bought as part of the whole bird and roasted in the oven with everything else. Even then, we probably don't eat them, I'd wager. It wasn't quite the same as 'real' Thanksgiving turkey, of course, and to be honest, I wouldn't even say it was 'better than nothing'. I actually almost forgot about the holiday until I realized YT wasn't available to chat because she was travelling at that time to spend the holiday with my family. Then, I was almost late to class because I was chatting with the cousins after their big meal at my parents', or rather 'viewing' them and texting since the audio didn't work on their end. But, it was good to see them all, and lots of fun as usual. I guess the internet is a big something to be thankful for.

Ok, I do need to go. I'm also thankful for your time. Take care and God bless, BB

小小感觸

在婚姻裡
有些事或感覺真的不需要和對方說
尤其當局外人的話 會傷到對方的感受

人生就是會這樣

我想每個人都遇過這樣的情形

明明自己不知道該怎麼做

看電影去

最近心理壓力很大
不知道什麼時候才能口試
不知道老師到底有沒有認真在看我的paper

From the wife

As Brian said, this is "our" blog, so I think I ought to write something too.

There is really not much to say about my life now, though, since I'm spending as much time as I can working on my dissertation. I scheduled a date for my defense (let's not reveal that in case I have to postpone it) and I'm trying my best to finish quickly. So, I'm busy most of the time, but I do feel lonely...even with the company of my wonderful roommate, May, and my always-hungry cat, Oliver. It is nice to have someone that I can talk to and have dinner with everyday. But still, I miss spending time with Brian.

It has been a difficult and stressful time for me to manage my dissertation, parting from my husband, and a little bit of job searching. I'm pretty fortunate that I never really had a sleeping problem before in the past (knock on wood), but I have started to experience difficulty falling asleep in the last couple days. Plus, Oliver has been waking me up really early in the morning by creating all sorts of noise, stepping on my body or rubbing his face against mine because he is starving. The video below pretty much captures it.


In the past two weeks, he has finished his food within an hour or two, and the rest of the night, he has nothing to eat. Does a cat's eating patterns change due to weather?? Maybe he just misses his daddy too much that he turns his frustration into eating (I'm glad that I don't have this problem).

But I'm doing alright. I just try to do my best and try not to worry too much. Nobody says that life is easy....I just have to deal with it. Just hope that the process can be short and smooth.

Well, I got to go....

By Yahtyng

My life

There is really not much to say about my life now. I'm spending as much time as I could working on my dissertation. I scheduled a date for my defense (let's don't reveal it in case I have to postpone the date) and try my best to finish my dissertation. I'm busy most of the time, but I do feel lonely...even with the company of my wonderful roommate, May, and my always-hungry cat, Oliver. It is nice to have someone that I can talk to and have dinner with everyday. But still, I miss spending time with Brian(physically).

It has been a difficult and stressful time for me to manage among dissertation, parting from husband, and a little bit of job searching. I'm a pretty fortunate person that I never really have sleeping problem before(knock on the wood). But I have started to experience difficulty falling into sleep in the last couple days. In addition, Oliver has been waking me up so early in the morning by creating all sort of noise, stepping on my body or rubbing his face against mine because he is starving. In the past two weeks, he has finished his food within an hour or two, and rest of the night, he had nothing to eat. Does a cat's eating pattern change due to weather change?? Maybe he just misses his daddy too much that he turns his frustration into food. (I'm glad that I don't have this problem)

But I'm doing alright. I just try to do my best and try not to worry too much. Nobody says that life is easy....I just have to deal with it. Just hope that the process can be short and smooth.

Well, I got to go....