Grateful for the Rain

The average annual rainfall in Taiwan varies by region, with Taipei famous for cold and wet winters while Kaohsiung enjoys cool and dry winters. Summers give the south more rainfall, while the north usually enjoys one month of afternoon thunderstorms. But for the entire island the precious system of dams relies upon typhoons to get filled for use all year. With climate change, however, we have been experiencing fewer such storms. This year we've had none at all. The dam in Tainan has become a grassy green playground. Fortunately for the north we have had over a month of almost daily downpour, so our dam is forced to release overflow. Always in terror of drought, I will not complain about the constant rain. I just wish my landlord would allow me to collect it in buckets and barrels on the roof, if only for keeping my garden going during the dry months that climate change threatens us with. We already were facing threats of water rationing before this current wet season began.

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Hello Kitty Hell

A couple of days ago I went to EVA Airlines ticket center to reserve my flight to California, and it was there I noticed a photograph on a poster showing an EVA Air jet sporting a Hello Kitty motif. It can't get much worse than this. Then again, maybe it can. Below are some photos of a car parked in the Costco lot. Note the bad taste in auto decoration. At bottom is a link to a pdf article on "Hello Kitty and Identity Politics in Taiwan." Article: Hello Kitty and Identity Politics in Taiwan (2000)

Taipei Flower Market

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A good friend of mine recently shared with me a painting he had made, a composite of several images that intrigued me and led me to thinking about the way Taiwanese have come to develop an identity of themselves, both individually and at the national communal level, that is based on International Trade. Through these contemplations I achieved yet another degree of nuance in my understanding of the psychic ecology of Taiwan, this wonderful land that has welcomed me as a naturalized citizen. It was a delight to be so impacted by an artwork and to see that our artists are among the most important members of our community, for they have the ability to see and share with us those parts of the human experience that we might otherwise never have taken the time to think about. My contemplations divided into two directions, one of which headed directly into the realm of Speculative Fiction (available at the Hu Reads Horror blog). The other direction took me here, to a very personal dive...

My Life as Adoga

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