Taiwan: Part 398

I'm tired of standing and walking. I need to sit. The last couple of days have required to much on the part of my feet.

On Thursday, I went to the Taipei Computer Applications Show at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) with D.C.. Basically, it's a show where people can go and oogle at showgirls and by consumer electronics and games for cheap. Similar to the Computex Trade Show I went to a couple months ago, but bigger stages, more dancing, younger attendees, and less nerdy. Since D.C.'s girlfriend was working at the Show, I scored with some free giveaways, including a few sets of chopsticks and spoons that will come in handy after I move. Had a quick lunch at the mall next to the Taipei 101 (Asia's tallest building right now, I think... 101 floors). Then I bought my shower curtains at Working House and had dinner with my mom at a food court in the mall. Mall food courts in Taiwan kick Canadian food courts' asses! Food is cheaper and much tastier than what we have back home, although with less ethnic variety. Thereafter, we went to see House of Flying Daggers at Warner Village Xin Yi. Was it any good? Hmm... overall, it was okay. I really enjoyed watching it and the fight scene were cool, as were the use of colors and landscapes... but the ending fell short of my expectations. I felt it left things too open and messy. I need closure.

Yesterday, I went to Yang Min San (Yang Min Mountain) with my mom and aunt. Y.M.S. is a nice get-away from the heat of Taipei. They also have a hot spring there which is piped into private and public baths. My aunt has a place there, so we went there for a bath. The public baths are separated into Men's and Women's. I've never been to a public bath, but it was early enough in the day that there was no one there -- so I took it as a BIG private bath. Unfortunately, my aunt was unaware that they clean the baths on Fridays, so I had about an ankle deep of water to bathe in... but I did it anyway (weird as it was). A little later, another guy came in. (Heads up, graphic description coming) By that time, the water was about 1 foot deep... so he lies flat in the water... but being slightly heavier (not fat, but far from thin), he lies in the water flat. Unfortunately, a one foot deep bath doesn't quite cover a man of his size, so parts can't help but to stick out of the water's surface. I was on my way out anyway, and that was my cue to exit. After that, my mom and I went to Gunther van Hagens' Body Worlds exhibition ("The Anatomical Exhibition of Rael Human Bodies"), a scientific exhibition of live bodies stripped to different extents of skin, muscle, bone, etc. It was a fascinating show, and was done such that you wouldn't be disgusted by it (unlike art, where the bloodier the better). Some of the more interesting displays were:

- "Torso with severely deformed spinal column and body wall"
- limbs of muscle, but keeping the ligaments in tact
- a man where his muscles were removed from his skeletal structure, and were put side by side (i.e. his skeleton was posed in a walking motion, and his muscles were put together in the same walking motion next to it). Silicone rubber is used to give the muscles the ability to stand up freely without the support of bones.
- Male torso with Situs Inversus: case where internal organs are reversed (heart is on the right side, for example). Happens 1/25000 people.
- Action shots: bodies doing some action, and they split up the muscles, ligaments, bones to fan out so you can see them easily
- Configuration of arteries: ONLY blood vessels of certain organs or parts of the body

Anyway, it was a great exhibition to attend, and I would recommend anyone to see it.

Today, dinner with relatives. Tomorrow, an international basketball competition -- 4 games for $24 CAD, so so. Monday, work.

To address living with my boss, I'm sure it won't be bad at all. He's been really accommodating so far, and I'm sure will do all the right things such that we don't have a strained manager-employee relationship at the office. He did tell me, however, that his place doesn't have air con. I'm glad I'm not staying there for long.

I think I'm giving up a lot moving away from Vancouver. The mild weather, the active nature of Canadian friends, the fresh air, and the relaxing pace to name a few, but I think I should mention a few things I like about Taiwan.

Everything is nearby. Restaurants line the streets where stores don't. Convenient stores are actually "convenient". You can pay every bill imaginable at every 7-Eleven, and I've already talked about how many 7-Elevens there are (entry 2 months ago). Flat panel monitors are used excessively in such convenient storse to display your purchase amounts at the till. In Canada, if you don't have a car, you're pretty hooped. In Taiwan, at least Taipei, public transportation finds its way through every major street... and in Taipei, every street is major. You can dress as poorly as you want or as well as you want, and you'll always fit in here. The streets come alive at night with lights and lit banners, and the streets are still fairly crowded until midnight. There must be more, but it's not coming to me at this time.

That's enough reading for you today. Write me. Love me. Love me long time.