The East Side of Los Angeles on a Sunny Day from clark vogeler on Vimeo.
Friday, April 9, 2010
don't play by the rules
"The mortgage-debt tax relief provision in this bill will provide financial shelter for tens of thousands of Californians who have lost their hopes and dreams in the housing market crash, and it's about time we gave these folks a helping hand," said state Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello).
Ha. Nice. The people who should not have owned homes in the first place, who bought because everyone else was buying, who got their mortgage forgiven because they couldn't pay for the mortgage, are getting more financial relief? They caused the system to fail, yet they get a do-over from everybody? I also like how it was put -- "who have lost their hopes and dreams". What about the people who didn't buy into those false hopes and dreams?
And I guess that the state of California, on the verge of bankruptcy, can afford to give these people more money, since they're taking even more from people who are actually working, who actually earn money, and whose taxes keep going higher.
Ha. Nice. The people who should not have owned homes in the first place, who bought because everyone else was buying, who got their mortgage forgiven because they couldn't pay for the mortgage, are getting more financial relief? They caused the system to fail, yet they get a do-over from everybody? I also like how it was put -- "who have lost their hopes and dreams". What about the people who didn't buy into those false hopes and dreams?
And I guess that the state of California, on the verge of bankruptcy, can afford to give these people more money, since they're taking even more from people who are actually working, who actually earn money, and whose taxes keep going higher.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
settled in?
it's been a few days since i last posted. haven't felt the urge as other than work, i haven't been doing anything that interesting. the rain had been pouring for 3 days, and even going down the street to buy food results in very wet jeans and shoes.
i also realize that i'm getting comfortable here. i know the places where i like to go get breakfast or dinner, or even just a boba milk tea. i know how to order the boba milk tea and specify the amount of ice and sugar i'd like. they have different names for level, 12 levels on a 10 level scale. it's an art, almost like ordering steak-- bleu, rare, medium, etc. i know the bus routes, the metro stops, even the time it takes to go from one stop to another. with all the new technologies, e.g. gps enabled buses, wifi internet almost everywhere (mcdonalds, starbucks, etc), mobile phones, etc.-- taipei has become very convenient.
this weekend should be interesting. 2 milongas, one at the american banquet hall. a trip to taichung to meet with my parents. a trip to the mountains for bbq chicken, where you get to pick the specific (free range) chicken you want to eat and they kill it right there, de-feather it and prepare it for you to grill. however, i won't have access to internet until monday night. i wonder if either starbucks or mcdonalds have opened a franchise in the mountains :)
i also realize that i'm getting comfortable here. i know the places where i like to go get breakfast or dinner, or even just a boba milk tea. i know how to order the boba milk tea and specify the amount of ice and sugar i'd like. they have different names for level, 12 levels on a 10 level scale. it's an art, almost like ordering steak-- bleu, rare, medium, etc. i know the bus routes, the metro stops, even the time it takes to go from one stop to another. with all the new technologies, e.g. gps enabled buses, wifi internet almost everywhere (mcdonalds, starbucks, etc), mobile phones, etc.-- taipei has become very convenient.
this weekend should be interesting. 2 milongas, one at the american banquet hall. a trip to taichung to meet with my parents. a trip to the mountains for bbq chicken, where you get to pick the specific (free range) chicken you want to eat and they kill it right there, de-feather it and prepare it for you to grill. however, i won't have access to internet until monday night. i wonder if either starbucks or mcdonalds have opened a franchise in the mountains :)
Monday, April 5, 2010
a family reunion
yesterday was a holiday to taiwan. while the rest of the world was celebrating easter, it was "tomb sweeping day", the day where you return to your ancestral homes and visit the toms of the loved ones who passed away. being a monday, i expected the usual city bustling, but there was none. everything was quiet. i didn't go to my great-grandfather's grave. i never knew him, and have only a slight memory of being at my grandfather's house for his wake, and everyone playing mahjong. besides, my grandparents went at 5am, and that's just insanely early to be up :)
i went back to the new breakfast place i found, and this time i tried a new menu item. so the taiwanese have this omelette thing that's more like a quesadilla, except made with eggs, so more like a huevo-dilla. and at this new breakfast place, the soy milk big king, they'll add whatever toppings you like to this huevo-dilla-- cheese, bacon, bean sprouts, etc. i ordered one with a slab of pork. and got a peanut rice milk with it. sat down at one of the counters, loaded it with the spicy sauce (like tabasco, but slightly sweeter) and garlic soy sauce. did i mention this is breakfast? boy was it good. glad they're open 24 hours, so i can come anytime to satisfy a craving.
at night there was a family reunion dinner. every year on this holiday, my grandfather and his brothers (there were 8 of them, plus 3 sisters) alternate in hosting a banquet for all the descendants of my great-grandfather. my grandfather is the 3rd brother, and he hosted last year, so the 4th brother hosted this year. there were 8 tables, so around 80 people showed up-- some had more than 10, some had less than 10 people. it's amazon to see one man's legacy all in one room. and even more amazing to think of how wide each generation spanned. my dad, was somewhere in the middle of all his cousins. i'd say his oldest cousin is about 10-15 years older than he is. the youngest of his generation is around my age, maybe a bit younger. so an approximate 45 year span. of course, there were a lot of people missing. of my dad's family, i was the only one attending, which meant there were 10 missing. so i'm sure that if everyone attended, the number would have been in the hundreds, all descended from one man.
i saw a lot of people, and they all recollected about me when i was young, before immigrating to the us 25 years ago. i had no memory of any of them. there were my dad's cousins who came to visit when i was in junior high, so that they could give birth in the states. i seem to remember that they stayed with us a while-- i'll have to check with my dad. there were my dad's cousins, just a couple years older than i, who i used to play with when they lived just behind my grandparents. they mentioned that i used to sneak over to play, instead of doing school work or whatever i was supposed to be doing.
it was a bit wierd being in the room, not just because everyone knew me and i didn't know them. the other reason is that since my great-grandfather and his two eldest sons have passed, my grandfather is now the family patriarch, and thus sat at the head of the banquet. i sat next to him, and so it was wierd that everyone kept approaching our table to pay their respects.
i always thought that my grandfather and his siblings did not have a good relationship. i think it may have only been with one of the two older brothers who have passed. last night, i learned about 2 pacts that they have made, and still keep to this day. first, the annual family banquet. second, that despite cultural norms, they all agreed that they would not give, or expect red envelopes at each other's sons' weddings. that pact, made probably 50 years ago, is still being honored this year, when two months from now, one of my dad's (youngest) cousins is getting married. i also learned some family history. about how one of the brothers gave his son to another brother, who could not have a child, to raise as his own. it eventually did not work out, but the gesture is heartwarming.
what will our relationships (my siblings and i) be like 50 years from now, at my grandfather's age?
i went back to the new breakfast place i found, and this time i tried a new menu item. so the taiwanese have this omelette thing that's more like a quesadilla, except made with eggs, so more like a huevo-dilla. and at this new breakfast place, the soy milk big king, they'll add whatever toppings you like to this huevo-dilla-- cheese, bacon, bean sprouts, etc. i ordered one with a slab of pork. and got a peanut rice milk with it. sat down at one of the counters, loaded it with the spicy sauce (like tabasco, but slightly sweeter) and garlic soy sauce. did i mention this is breakfast? boy was it good. glad they're open 24 hours, so i can come anytime to satisfy a craving.
at night there was a family reunion dinner. every year on this holiday, my grandfather and his brothers (there were 8 of them, plus 3 sisters) alternate in hosting a banquet for all the descendants of my great-grandfather. my grandfather is the 3rd brother, and he hosted last year, so the 4th brother hosted this year. there were 8 tables, so around 80 people showed up-- some had more than 10, some had less than 10 people. it's amazon to see one man's legacy all in one room. and even more amazing to think of how wide each generation spanned. my dad, was somewhere in the middle of all his cousins. i'd say his oldest cousin is about 10-15 years older than he is. the youngest of his generation is around my age, maybe a bit younger. so an approximate 45 year span. of course, there were a lot of people missing. of my dad's family, i was the only one attending, which meant there were 10 missing. so i'm sure that if everyone attended, the number would have been in the hundreds, all descended from one man.
i saw a lot of people, and they all recollected about me when i was young, before immigrating to the us 25 years ago. i had no memory of any of them. there were my dad's cousins who came to visit when i was in junior high, so that they could give birth in the states. i seem to remember that they stayed with us a while-- i'll have to check with my dad. there were my dad's cousins, just a couple years older than i, who i used to play with when they lived just behind my grandparents. they mentioned that i used to sneak over to play, instead of doing school work or whatever i was supposed to be doing.
it was a bit wierd being in the room, not just because everyone knew me and i didn't know them. the other reason is that since my great-grandfather and his two eldest sons have passed, my grandfather is now the family patriarch, and thus sat at the head of the banquet. i sat next to him, and so it was wierd that everyone kept approaching our table to pay their respects.
i always thought that my grandfather and his siblings did not have a good relationship. i think it may have only been with one of the two older brothers who have passed. last night, i learned about 2 pacts that they have made, and still keep to this day. first, the annual family banquet. second, that despite cultural norms, they all agreed that they would not give, or expect red envelopes at each other's sons' weddings. that pact, made probably 50 years ago, is still being honored this year, when two months from now, one of my dad's (youngest) cousins is getting married. i also learned some family history. about how one of the brothers gave his son to another brother, who could not have a child, to raise as his own. it eventually did not work out, but the gesture is heartwarming.
what will our relationships (my siblings and i) be like 50 years from now, at my grandfather's age?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
a long weekend, a long blog
it's been 3 days since my last blog posting! let's see if i can remember what happened this past weekend. good thing for ical :)
friday night the weather turned cold again. the wind and the rain made me really wish for my overcoat. i headed out friday night to shida, where i had planned to meet with some expats. shida is one of the famous universities in taiwan. right next to it is the national taiwan university (ntu). with the two unis in the vicinity, the area is one of the most bustling and western in taipei. not western like xinyi (which is more wall street like), but more greenwich village (in nyc) or los feliz (in los angeles).
i got there a bit early, and was feeling hungry, so i walked around the shida night market. i ended up in a beef noodle house that's been around for 30 years. don't remember the name of the place or the price of the noodles anymore. it was a pretty big bowl, and the soup was nicely flavored. the beef was a bit under braised though. and i don't think they used the shank. i think they used the brisket instead. anyway, it was a good escape from the cold; i'll have to go back to accurately review it.
i then went to insomnia cafe, which is a western style coffee shop, except that they serve alcoholic drinks too. met up with the expats, had some decent conversation topics, but i had to leave at 9pm.
i walked around the corner to cafe mezone, where there was a monthly friday milonga. most of the people who go there are either ntu students or alum. it was a good crowd, but the dance space was a little wierd, with the dance floor being in a separate room than the sitting areas. but that actually turned out to be a good thing, because i met this pair of sisters, who are just awesome. i noticed them when they initially showed up because in addition to being really hot, they were wearing these matching, bright red, beautiful dance skirt-pants. i then got to talking to the older sister because she was behind the counter when i was trying to order a drink, except the drink menu was all in chinese, and while i could read the individual words, i struggled with what exactly the drinks contained. so she helped me out a bit.
i eventually joined both sisters at their table and chatted them up. it was a fun conversation. they are both down to earth and have a wicked sense of humor. talking led to dancing, and after dancing with both, i'm floored. so i haven't danced with any of the instructors in taiwan yet-- to be honest, i wouldnt really recognize them either, so maybe i have-- but they are by far the best dancers i've danced with in taiwan. they have talent, skill, technique, and musicality. they're better than most dancers in la!
saturday morning i tried a new place for breakfast. so in taiwan, there are 2 big mega-chains for the traditional taiwanese breakfast, both with "soy milk" in their names. there's "yung ho four seas soy milk" and "yung ho soy milk big king". i always thought they were pretty similar, except that the latter is open 24 hours. and i usually only go to the former, because there's one next to the market where my aunt has her store. but last week, my uncle told me about how there's a store for the latter, which is even closer to where i'm staying-- it's just down a street that i usually don't walk. so i went and tried it. wow i've been missing out. the selection at this place is incredible, and both their soy milk and rice peanut milk are great. plus they're open 24 hours!
saturday night i decided to try out a new beef noodle place. i had run out of places that i should try, but found this page using google. i was a bit skeptical, because the guy listed the 7-11 beef noodles as one of the best. but i tried one of the places on his list, lin dong fang. it was good. a bit far to walk, esp in the rain, but they know how to braise their beef. they use a clear soup base, so the tendons, while well braised, are a bit tasteless. but the beef shank was good, and flavorful. for NT$180 (US$5.40), it was a bit expensive. i'll just go for the beef noodle without the tendons next time, which is only NT$130. afterwards i got a bowl of taro and silken tofu down the street. a nice hot ginger-spicy dessert.
btw, despite all this eating, i've lost 5 pounds in the past 2.5 weeks. wtf?
after dinner i headed to the milonga. i'm beginning to feel more comfortable here. i'm beginning to know more of the people, the staff. so i don't feel completely clueless walking in anymore. best part is, the sisters showed up! had a couple of dances with them, very fun.
for some reason, i slept until noon on sunday. i never do that, even when i've been really drunk the previous night. anyway, did some more work, and finished up a paper for a conference. it's not a big or highly rated conference, but it's cloud computing, and it'll be in taipei. fingers crossed.
at night i first went to miramar, which is a newly built, western style shopping mall with 8 floors. 3 of them belong to the movie theaters, which also houses the largest imax theater in asia. i was impressed with how many people were there, all the stores, etc. there was even a beer pub, le biere d'or, though i think they misspelled "biere" as "bie". i'll have to go back and try it. walked around for about 10 minutes trying to find where i could buy a ticket. turns out you can buy them right at the concession stand, along with your concessions! so you can only buy tickets 3 days in advance, so i figured i'll have to return for tickets.
then i caught the free shuttle bus from miramar to shilin market. the bus is a brilliant idea. they provide for free that would otherwise cost NT$15 (< US$0.50), and people for ridiculously long lines to go to miramar to spend money. at shilin there were so many people, it was unbelievable. in the past few years, night market attendees have decreased, mainly due to the economy and a westernization of taiwanese youth in general. but with monday being a holiday, and everyone having returned to their ancestral homes for the holiday, the night market was packed. i went back to the stand that sells the cigarette cases, and got the one i wanted, which is double width, so that i can hold the cash and cards that i have to carry here in taiwan. the guy recognized me from my purchase 2 years ago, so gave me a discount. so i got the new case for NT$300 (US$9.00). nice. i also passed by a shoe store, and saw a pair i liked. tried it on, it was pretty comfortable. bought it for NT$690 (US$21). even though it's rubber soled, i think i'll wear it for dancing.
i then went in searching for food. the stinky tofu stand i usually go to wasnt there, so i tried the one next to it, which i've been meaning to try. i also order an oyster omelette from them. the tofu was very crispy-- i think they overfried it. the pickled cabbage also had carrot slices in it, and wasn't very tasty. the omelette was mediocre. walk a bit more, and saw a stand selling squid&calamari soup. order a bowl for NT$50 (US$1.70). It comes with many large slices of squid and calamari and bamboo shoots. yum. that stand also sells oyster omelette, which looked a lot better than the one i had. the owner was surprised i didn't order one of them; i guessing that everyone does, because that's probably what they're known for. i'll have to go back and try them again next time.
wow that was a long post.
friday night the weather turned cold again. the wind and the rain made me really wish for my overcoat. i headed out friday night to shida, where i had planned to meet with some expats. shida is one of the famous universities in taiwan. right next to it is the national taiwan university (ntu). with the two unis in the vicinity, the area is one of the most bustling and western in taipei. not western like xinyi (which is more wall street like), but more greenwich village (in nyc) or los feliz (in los angeles).
i got there a bit early, and was feeling hungry, so i walked around the shida night market. i ended up in a beef noodle house that's been around for 30 years. don't remember the name of the place or the price of the noodles anymore. it was a pretty big bowl, and the soup was nicely flavored. the beef was a bit under braised though. and i don't think they used the shank. i think they used the brisket instead. anyway, it was a good escape from the cold; i'll have to go back to accurately review it.
i then went to insomnia cafe, which is a western style coffee shop, except that they serve alcoholic drinks too. met up with the expats, had some decent conversation topics, but i had to leave at 9pm.
i walked around the corner to cafe mezone, where there was a monthly friday milonga. most of the people who go there are either ntu students or alum. it was a good crowd, but the dance space was a little wierd, with the dance floor being in a separate room than the sitting areas. but that actually turned out to be a good thing, because i met this pair of sisters, who are just awesome. i noticed them when they initially showed up because in addition to being really hot, they were wearing these matching, bright red, beautiful dance skirt-pants. i then got to talking to the older sister because she was behind the counter when i was trying to order a drink, except the drink menu was all in chinese, and while i could read the individual words, i struggled with what exactly the drinks contained. so she helped me out a bit.
i eventually joined both sisters at their table and chatted them up. it was a fun conversation. they are both down to earth and have a wicked sense of humor. talking led to dancing, and after dancing with both, i'm floored. so i haven't danced with any of the instructors in taiwan yet-- to be honest, i wouldnt really recognize them either, so maybe i have-- but they are by far the best dancers i've danced with in taiwan. they have talent, skill, technique, and musicality. they're better than most dancers in la!
saturday morning i tried a new place for breakfast. so in taiwan, there are 2 big mega-chains for the traditional taiwanese breakfast, both with "soy milk" in their names. there's "yung ho four seas soy milk" and "yung ho soy milk big king". i always thought they were pretty similar, except that the latter is open 24 hours. and i usually only go to the former, because there's one next to the market where my aunt has her store. but last week, my uncle told me about how there's a store for the latter, which is even closer to where i'm staying-- it's just down a street that i usually don't walk. so i went and tried it. wow i've been missing out. the selection at this place is incredible, and both their soy milk and rice peanut milk are great. plus they're open 24 hours!
saturday night i decided to try out a new beef noodle place. i had run out of places that i should try, but found this page using google. i was a bit skeptical, because the guy listed the 7-11 beef noodles as one of the best. but i tried one of the places on his list, lin dong fang. it was good. a bit far to walk, esp in the rain, but they know how to braise their beef. they use a clear soup base, so the tendons, while well braised, are a bit tasteless. but the beef shank was good, and flavorful. for NT$180 (US$5.40), it was a bit expensive. i'll just go for the beef noodle without the tendons next time, which is only NT$130. afterwards i got a bowl of taro and silken tofu down the street. a nice hot ginger-spicy dessert.
btw, despite all this eating, i've lost 5 pounds in the past 2.5 weeks. wtf?
after dinner i headed to the milonga. i'm beginning to feel more comfortable here. i'm beginning to know more of the people, the staff. so i don't feel completely clueless walking in anymore. best part is, the sisters showed up! had a couple of dances with them, very fun.
for some reason, i slept until noon on sunday. i never do that, even when i've been really drunk the previous night. anyway, did some more work, and finished up a paper for a conference. it's not a big or highly rated conference, but it's cloud computing, and it'll be in taipei. fingers crossed.
at night i first went to miramar, which is a newly built, western style shopping mall with 8 floors. 3 of them belong to the movie theaters, which also houses the largest imax theater in asia. i was impressed with how many people were there, all the stores, etc. there was even a beer pub, le biere d'or, though i think they misspelled "biere" as "bie". i'll have to go back and try it. walked around for about 10 minutes trying to find where i could buy a ticket. turns out you can buy them right at the concession stand, along with your concessions! so you can only buy tickets 3 days in advance, so i figured i'll have to return for tickets.
then i caught the free shuttle bus from miramar to shilin market. the bus is a brilliant idea. they provide for free that would otherwise cost NT$15 (< US$0.50), and people for ridiculously long lines to go to miramar to spend money. at shilin there were so many people, it was unbelievable. in the past few years, night market attendees have decreased, mainly due to the economy and a westernization of taiwanese youth in general. but with monday being a holiday, and everyone having returned to their ancestral homes for the holiday, the night market was packed. i went back to the stand that sells the cigarette cases, and got the one i wanted, which is double width, so that i can hold the cash and cards that i have to carry here in taiwan. the guy recognized me from my purchase 2 years ago, so gave me a discount. so i got the new case for NT$300 (US$9.00). nice. i also passed by a shoe store, and saw a pair i liked. tried it on, it was pretty comfortable. bought it for NT$690 (US$21). even though it's rubber soled, i think i'll wear it for dancing.
i then went in searching for food. the stinky tofu stand i usually go to wasnt there, so i tried the one next to it, which i've been meaning to try. i also order an oyster omelette from them. the tofu was very crispy-- i think they overfried it. the pickled cabbage also had carrot slices in it, and wasn't very tasty. the omelette was mediocre. walk a bit more, and saw a stand selling squid&calamari soup. order a bowl for NT$50 (US$1.70). It comes with many large slices of squid and calamari and bamboo shoots. yum. that stand also sells oyster omelette, which looked a lot better than the one i had. the owner was surprised i didn't order one of them; i guessing that everyone does, because that's probably what they're known for. i'll have to go back and try them again next time.
wow that was a long post.
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