$5,000 Photo Contest in Taipei!

Idle-Free Taipei’s “What a Waste!” Photo Contest!!!

Last year, Idle-Free Taipei’s idea to turn off scooter engines at traffic lights was entered in a “Carbon Reducing Contest” hosted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Energy. We took third place in the contest and were given NT$5,000 in prize money.

Over here at Idle-Free Taipei, we’ve already saved a lot of money by going “idle-free,” so we thought we’d give the NT$5,000 back to YOU in the form of a PHOTO CONTEST!!

Have a dreary day!

pathetic fallacy

noun

the endowment of nature, inanimate objects, etc., with humantraits and feelings, as in the smiling skies; the angry sea.

Spot the difference

One thing I'll always remember from sixth grade was my social studies teacher, Mrs. Diamond. She looked old enough to have witnessed the crossing of the Delaware river and she ran a tight ship. Especially when compared to the cool, new, young math teacher who was closer to my age than to most of her colleagues, Mrs. Diamond scared kids.

Parenting Awards

Can you think of a word to describe a person who has the following thought process:

EPA: "Idling OK in Moderation"

The EPA recently banned vehicles for idling for over three minutes (story here). After reading this story, I couldn’t help but notice the many absurdities surrounding this new regulation.

The EPA openly admits that “Emissions from motor vehicles are the main source of air contaminants in urban areas and have a severe impact on air quality and public health,” yet at the same time is condoning

Clean Air: You Deserve It!

Imagine this:

You are walking down the street with a friend, and he falls down. Somehow he manages to cut his leg open on a piece of glass, and he is bleeding profusely. You immediately realize he needs to be rushed to a hospital, as the wound can only be closed with stitches. You have three options:

Idling scooters are nutritious??

This is in response to a blog post written by one Michael Fagan (his words in green), who apparently wasn’t a fan of my letter to the editor in the Taipei Times. Although his blog post was peppered with positive feedback about the cause, “The proposition itself is as sensible as it is simple,” he wasn’t satisfied with the language I used in the letter.

I used to word “campaign” to describe the actions I’m taking (which largely consist of a website, Facebook fan page and a Facebook event) towards reaching an Idle-Free Taipei.

Fagan’s interpretation of the word “campaign” stirred up thoughts of a “military metaphor,” as he went on to say that “that’s distinctly uncivil.”

Idle-Free Taipei

If you are a scooter driver, this is a rare opportunity. With the simple turn of a key, you are not only saving yourself money, but you are also taking a step towards a cleaner Taipei.


The next time you are stopped at a traffic light for more than 15 seconds,

100 Years*

A bit of history to make up for the posting drought? Why not?

As witnessed by TONS of people (just ask Karen) on the streets in Taipei, there were some pretty impressive fireworks to celebrate the opening minute of 2011.

Worldwide, the eve of 2011 was just another night of partying in preparation for another year for failed resolutions.

For some, 2011 was more significant.

How's the weather?

The weather? In a word: wet.

In the month of May, the average precipitation for Taipei is 8.4 inches. That's over double what Port Jefferson gets (3.97 inches). Even PJ's rainiest month of the year is only 4.22 inches. For added comparison, the average rainfall for May in London is 1.86 inches, and in Seattle is 2.03 inches.

To be fair, it's not always May. With that being said, in a year, Taipei averages about 80 inches of rain to New York's 40. We're practically drowning over here!*

I read a poem to my class the other day about the 5 senses, which opened with the following lines:

Hear the winds blow,

See the blue skies.

After reading it first, I explain each line, then we get interactive with it.

Hear the winds blow, (have all of the kids blow and make wind noises.)

See the blue skies. (have all of the kids look outside at the ... uh oh.)

"Teacher John, the sky is white."

"Well, in some countries, they have blue skies."

If it's not raining in Taipei, it's probably cloudy. I used a phrase awhile back, "perma-fog," to describe how there's always a blanket of clouds hovering over northern Taiwan. The rain coupled with the almost rain can really create a dreary atmosphere sometimes. That's why whenever I see a ray of sunshine, I try to get outside as soon as possible.

In just over a week, I'm taking my 3 week vacation. I still have tentative plans to thoroughly explore the entire island of Taiwan. As I travel around, I'm also looking for a place to relocate to. I've heard that as soon as you leave Taipei County, the weather gets better the further south you. (Better weather = less extreme temperatures in the summer and winter, and a LOT less rain!)

So, world, how's the weather?

*some of the numbers I used were approximations from http://www.worldclimate.com and www.weather.com.

Right of Passage

I think now that I've been here for over a year, I can start to vent some pet peeves and idiosyncrasies about Taiwan. Every place has them, and most probably aren't exclusively practiced in one place, so that makes it fair to point them out.

When navigating your way through Taipei's train/subway system, the "right of way" is granted exclusively to those pedestrians boarding the train/subway car. And in crowded Taipei, there are a lot of people trying to board trains. As soon as the car doors open, they simultaneously drop their shoulders and try squeeze through.

Here's the issue: You're heading into the city and Taipei Main Station is your stop. You and everybody else in the train are bunched together in a cluster at the door, they slide open and you're met by a frenzied group of juggernauts that have no regard for you, each other, or anything but the inside of that train. They can't put it together that the train passengers need to "alight" before they can get on. But they try to make it happen anyway.

So the typical situation is you standing in the doorway with nowhere to go. You are a stone in rapids, a rioter against a fire hose, Simba against stampeding wildebeests. Frozen in place, catching shoulder after shoulder to the chest until somebody realizes that if people get off, there will be more room on the train.

What may be even more obnoxious is that it also happens on a smaller scale. In my building, when I take the elevator down to the 1^st floor, where it's quite obvious that I'm getting off, I'm never surprised to be in a 1-on-1 battle with somebody who insists on getting in the elevator before I get out.



To be fair, I don't think everyone in Taiwan does this.

Traffic Weaving 101

What you're looking at is a 2002 Suzuki 125cc Star scooter, but more specifically, my 2002 Suzuki 125cc Star scooter.

I bought it with high hopes that this beast will open many a door for adventures around Taiwan. Taiwan's superb public transportation has gotten me around everywhere before this, but lately I've been finding myself either in cabs more, or on my couch more, just so that I don't have to guess when the next bus or train comes, or stand up hanging onto the hand strap as I'm being thrown in all directions.

Being the first gas powered vehicle I've ever owned with less than 4 wheels, it's taken quite a bit of getting used to. However, I got a pretty good feel for the acceleration, brakes, and general handling on my trip home from the purchase. Instead of coming directly home, I drove around for about 2 hours. If you must know, the reason it took 2 hours was because I was hopelessly lost, zipping around aimlessly through dense traffic in Taipei City hoping to see something I recognize.

FYI, traffic drives on the right side of the road, so I don't have to do everything backwards, and for scooters I have to do New Jersey-esque left turns at big intersections (except you just go into the little box on the adjacent side of the road). Like so...



more scooter adventures to come...

The highest I've ever been

As usual, I leave things to the last minute.

On January 2, it was brought to my attention that on January 4, 2010, there would be a new tallest building in the world. Since 2004, Taipei 101's grandiosity has been at the top of the list.*

Since last March, I've been living in the shadow of Taipei 101, eating Subway at its basement food court, buying books at its bookstore, and looking at it from my balcony everyday, but I've never gone the vertical distance and looked over Taipei City from its observatory 1,285 ft. above the ground. Going to the top is something that I deemed "I'll do before I leave," which meant I didn't have to do it until I had plans to leave.

But now, practically visible over the horizon from Taipei 101 itself, Burj Dubai has crept up and is poised to take Taiwan's claim to fame right out from under it. With less than 48 hours to take advantage of the fact that I live only a train ride from the tallest building in the world, I was overcome with a sense of urgency. Must...go...up....

Unfortunately, I was alone in my principles. After a few phone calls, I realized that everyone I know has either been up it already or just doesn't care as much as I do.** That didn't stop me though, because I don't see myself traveling to United Arab Emirates to see the tallest building in the world. My desire to go up 101 was purely for ceremony and not for the view (as proven by my pictures). So alone I went, and faster than I can count to 89 in Chinese, I was on the 89th floor.

I spent a surprisingly long time in 101, despite the Perma-fog that blankets Taiwan. And although I couldn't see very far, I did see the spot on the street that I watched the New Years fireworks from! I basked in the glory of the building and stared into the mist from the Outdoor Observatory on the 91st floor until I saw a patch of blue sky and what appeared to be the sun. Then, at nearly free-falling velocity, I took the elevator back down, bought a book, ate Subway, went home and stepped out onto my balcony to look at the lame-duck tallest building in the world, one last time.

It was a good run, Taipei 101.



*Please do not bother me with your BS definition of "tallest building." I don't make the rules, I just read them and follow them.

**I was pumped to go to 101, and every phone call I made was met with negativity. My favorite was people arguing that it's not even the tallest building. Obviously Burj Dubai is taller already (and has been for a few months), but it doesn't open for business until Jan. 4, and therefore does not claim "tallest building" status yet. And whatever needles, antennas, towers, etc. that might be closer to space than 101, I'm not really concerned with. What I will go by is whatever the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats has to say.

What's in a name?

"Names are a great mystery. I've never known whether the name is molded by the child or the child changed to fit the name. But you can be sure of this -- whenever a human has a nickname it is a proof that the name given him was wrong."

~John Steinbeck

Here is a list of great names I heard on Saturday:

Destroy and Icey: 2 dudes that work at the movie theater where I saw the new Terminator movie.
Liz: the guy that sold Mike a new pair of flip-flops. His name is very fitting.
Cola: an attractive girl that works at a jewelry counter in Ximending. C-O-L-A, Cola.
Skeet: a random guy we met at a grocery store that speaks great English. Wondering if he's aware of his name's implications.
Not Band: a rock and roll cover band consisting of a bunch of 17-year-olds that we met on the train.

Here we are rocking out with Not Band on the train:


Speaking of names, how about these names for students: Legal, Genius, Zero, Lion, Eagle, Apple, Christ... (it's a goal of mine to be asked to help assign English names to our new classes).

Finally, taking the award for awkward naming, here is a picture of me and Mike shopping for new hoods:

I <3 Taiwan

After a lovely afternoon of hot springs in Xinbeitou and a delicious "Garlic Fry Pork" dinner in Taipei, I boarded the train home to Shijr. We were packed like sardines into the train car, and the young Taiwanese gentleman in front of me happened to be wearing the classic "I ♥ NY" T-shirt.

Mike and I decided that I should tell him I am from New York. The conversation went something like this:

[Train moves abruptly and the boy falls into me. I catch him.]

J(ohnny): It's a good thing you love New York or I wouldn't have caught you!
B(oy): [smiles]
J: [pointing to the boy's shirt] I like your shirt. I'm from New York. [pulls out driver's license and points to "New York."]
B: [smiles] New York is very good. [thumbs up]
J: Taiwan is very good too [thumbs up]. I wish I had an "I love Taiwan" shirt.
B:[smiles]

[I happened to not only be wearing a plain white tee, but I also had a neat little pen with, not one, but four colors! Mike created a masterpiece on my chest...]



In order to show my respect and appreciation, I diplomatically returned the cross-ocean compliment. Together, as ambassadors for our respective countries, we shook hands, posed for pictures, chatted for a little while, and pretty much exhausted his English vocabulary. He likes baseball, particularly the New York Yankees, but even more particularly Chen Ming Wan. He also liked my chest muscles (which I was thrusting forward for the picture).

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Taipei Zoo Report Card (Part 1)

(photo update)

Here's a challenge: go to a zoo for 1 hour and try to find animals that don't suck.


Over the weekend, I went to Taipei Zoo with Mike and B. A late start got us there just before 4:00 pm, which is when they stop letting people in. The Zoo closes at 5:00, so we had about 1 hour to see as many animals as we could.

After we coughed up $60 NT, roughly 1.84 USD or 24.16 Mexican Pesos, we tried to map out the best route for seeing the "cool" animals, what we later decided were the ones from Africa. To sum up our trip I've decided to grade each exhibit.

Giant Panda: B
This is generous grade. I only managed 3 pictures because I was being herded quickly through the exhibit. They get points for just being cool animals. (Q: What did the Panda say to the Polar Bear? A: You shoulda seen the other guy!)

Everything in the Nocturnal House: F
Advice for zoo-goers: if you only have 1 hour to look at animals, skip the Nocturnal House. It's lame. Nocturnal animals are proof of evolution, because they're the animals nobody wants to see in the light. Nobody wants to see raccoons and field mice. Ever. Especially not at a zoo. We wasted 5 minutes trying to grope our way to the exits.

Camels: B+
Camels, you're alright. Nothing beats a field full of camel-toes. Especially when they've got the zookeepers spendin' all their money on 'em.

Hippos: A
For being fat with stumpy legs, you sure do kill a lot of people per year. And that thing where only your nostrils and eyes come out of the water is pretty cool, too. One of the few animals at the zoo that actually move.

Zebras: B
Like a horse, but not boring. This is one animal that makes you wonder "How did that happen?" Fortunately we got there right at half-time so we were able to get a few photos.

Rhinos: B-
Extra points for the built in weapon. Minus points for using your face as a kickstand to help you sleep while standing up while I'm trying to extract optimal cool-ness from the zoo. One of their faces was right in a pile of droppings. He'll probably wake up hungry.

Lions: A
I have a soft spot for lions, mostly because of The Lion King. No males on display, but at least Nala and Sarabi weren't inside the den nagging.

Giraffes: B
They were lying in the grass and not eating the highest leaves off the trees, which would be the ideal image to go along with my expectations. But long necks are cool, especially for animals with malodorous hooves.

Animals that resemble deer: D
There are a bunch of animals lumped into this category. Which is why they only get a D, because they aren't very unique. Curly horns, pointy horns, stubby horns, whatever. Do something productive with your life, like invest in a glowing nose.

Ostrich: A-
The ostrich found a hole in the pen and stared at us for quite awhile. It was a special moment. Come back when you can fly and you'll see that A- turn into an A+.

Gorilla: F
MIA

Assorted monkeys: C-
Chimps were MIA and the other monkeys flung too much poo at their Plexiglas windows so we could barely see anything.

Taipei Zoo: B+
Lots of (surprisingly correct) informative English. It's not the biggest zoo in the world, but for the price of 4000 ml of green tea, or two pieces of delicious fried chicken from the street vendor, or a piece of cake and a chocolate milk, how can you be disappointed? This review is 75% incomplete, as we pretty much only saw African animals. Perhaps one day I will pick up where I left off and finish the Taipei Zoo report card.

Is this the year?

For some, the hockey season may be over. For others, their most important game is still waiting for them.

For the less informed reader: I am a big ice hockey fan. To the point where I was getting up at 7:30 in the morning here to sometimes only watch scores refresh every 30 seconds. It's a far cry from the atmosphere at a real game, but it's about all I can do in a country where it's hard to grow ice.

Last weekend however, Mike and I caught wind of an actual ice hockey game taking place in Taipei City. At the grand Taipei Arena, which is only a few blocks from the hotel I lived in for the first month, there were two match-ups set for that night to decide the two teams that were going to the CIHL finals. Not only could I go to watch hockey (for free!), but playoff hockey! For those of you waiting for me to get homesick, this news set that date back a little bit.


I had absolute minimal expectations for this game. I half pictured me and Mike to be the only ones there. Inside Taipei Arena, we walked around and passed a Starbucks where a man was talking to a small group of other guys, saying things like, "I don't want this to be the last game we play this season. I like playing you guys." This team was clearly on the brink of elimination, and we could smell the desperation. It had a hint cinnamon spice mocha.

We took our seats in a slowly filling arena. There were already more people than I expected. Watching the teams warm-up, we decided we needed a team to root for and we landed on the Raptors, whose jerseys were cooler than their opponents, the Lions.

The puck dropped and they were on their way. The game was filled with breakaways and amazing saves, power plays, and they even threw t-shirts into the stands. Our Raptors cruised to a 4-2 victory and a chance for the championship. One of the highlights? Bob.

Bob, of the Hsinchu Raptors, had a fan club. When we arrived at the game, we saw a bunch of fans shuffling in with signs reading "Bob is #1!" and things of that sort. Most of the people were young Taiwanese children, who we assumed were Bob's students. All game long they were giving Bob love. After the game, a victorius Bob stepped off the ice and was mobbed by his adoring fans/students. It was cute as hell, and became a goal of mine for my tenure in Taiwan. Let's go Bob!


Tonight the Raptors are playing the Wolves in the game 3 rubber-match of the finals for all the marbles. I think I'm going to the game to support my boys tonight. Go Raptors!

(more pics from the game(s) soon on my Picasa page)

**Update** The Hsinchu Raptors are the 2008-2009 CIHL Champions after taking it to the Taipei Wolves, beating them by a score of 7-4

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A serendipitous reflection

I really wonder if there is some mysterious force that floats through the air, channeling thoughts and emotions, connecting minds in contemplation. Have you ever been thinking about something in a specific way, and then someone around you recites your thoughts in such a way that it seems more impossible that they didn't read your mind than if they claimed to have done so. The eerie lack of an even miniscule connection between coincidences often drives me mad. In a few instances I've wondered if I have a habit of thinking out loud, and I've toiled with the idea that I am an ESP prodigy and that I have some supernatural force surrounding me, connecting me to the minds around me.

The population of Taipei City is well over 2.5 million people, who are spread out over 272 square kilometers. On Monday March 30th, I knew exactly 5 people in the city, including Dave. On my way to an interview at 8:00 AM, I was walking through Taipei Main Station, which is the hub terminal for the MRT, the TRA (Taiwan Railway Administration), and the HSR (High Speed Railroad). Basically the Taiwan equivalent to Penn and/or Grand Central station at rush hour in the morning.

Sure enough, in the midst of the three-floor hustle bustle of Taiwanese commuters, I crossed paths with one of the people I know. Perhaps an insignificant part of my day, but I don't stop thinking about these things. Ever. Had I let one more person squeeze in front of me on the escalator, had I stopped to tie my shoe, traveled in a different car on the MRT, or even been looking in the opposite direction to try to find where I needed to be, I would have walked right past him. We would have been 10 feet from each other, but we would never have known.

While it would not be very undesirable for many people, you can probably trace almost everything in your life back to a 5-second window of oppurtunity that led to it. The people you've met, or even scarier, what about the people you haven't met? It's fascinating how many life paths could have been, or already have been, altered by a seemingly insubstantial amount of time.

Next post: video of a bunch of stoners and some religious fanatics discussing the butterfly effect and the idea of "fate."

Jaywalking

At the end of almost every crosswalk in Taipei City, there is the familiar "walk/don't walk" indicator. Along with a little green man, whose glowing bulbs actually flash to show it walking in place, there is the countdown of how long you have to cross the street. I have very mixed feelings about crosswalks in Taipei. On the upside, it takes all the guessing out of crossing the street. Many times I have been almost a block away from the crosswalk and saw the green man pacing in his yellow box. Instead of breaking into an uncomfortable trot to try to make the light, I see that I have a 68 second cushion, allowing me to continue my leisurely stroll across the street.

One thing is for sure, though: People don't jaywalk in Taiwan. No matter how many seconds left until the light changes, how wide the street is, it just doesn't happen. As a New Yorker, I'm inclined to step out onto the pavement as soon as I see an opportunity to squeeze between two cars. However, the amount of peer pressure I've felt from the Taiwanese people has done nothing short of snuff out those temptations.

Consider this... I was walking by myself, and I came to an intersection where my green man had just fizzled out only to be replaced by his evil twin- the little red man. He reappeared on the adjacent corner along with the number 97. The scene was desolate. I was at the only intersection in Taiwan where there weren't any cars or scooters. I looked around, and it was only me and a Taiwanese gentleman, who was next to me, waiting patiently on the sidewalk. At 85 seconds, still no cars had passed. I could see at least a quarter of a mile in either direction. Nothing. 70 seconds. I glanced at the man, as if to say, "If you go, I'll go, too. We don't have to tell anyone about this," but his eyes remained fixed on the red man. I glared at him, then leaned over the curb, giving an exaggerated look in both directions, then looked back at him. I could have easily been 100 yards closer to my destination, but the 3-way stalemate between this Taiwanese man, his glowing red counterpart, and the green pedestrian was too much for me to overcome.

Finally, I gave up trying to mentally persuade the man into crossing the empty street with me. 30 seconds to go, and a lone scooter zips through the intersection. 3, 2, 1. There is always a 5 second grace period where everyone gets the glaring red man. The man held strong. Finally, our little green savior appeared, and the Taiwanese man looked both ways and crossed the street.

The only conclusion I can come to after a few episodes similar to this is that Jaywalking is a capital offense, punishable only by tar and feathers, followed by being paraded through the city to be hanged in front of a large crowd.

Chicken Feet

The past few days have been pretty relaxed, as Dave and I are still getting adjusted to this new environment. We've figured out the subway system, seen some different parts of the city, and have been introduced to some good eats. All this, of course, is thanks to Uncle Fred. Even though we would have came to Taiwan if Fred wasn't here, it's extremely hard to imagine how we would be coping with the language barrier without him. Aside from being our tour guide, he also helped us with our hotel accommodations and has acted as an ice breaker in the couple of schools that we went to. Dave and I are infinitely grateful to have him helping us. Although, he was the one responsible for me ingesting a chicken foot (which is not a type of food that one would look at and seriously say, "Hm, I wonder what that is...").

So far the worst thing is that sleep has been off and on for me. I've been waking up at around 4:00 or 5:00 AM, which is not a pleasant experience. I lay in darkness and silence, sometimes putting my headphones on and pray that the sleep mix I've heard a thousand times will lull me back to sleep. No such luck.

Here's a little bit of what I've seen so far:

Our lovely temporary home. Sometimes I try to talk to the receptionist in Chinese. She laughs. Free Taiwanese breakfast buffet is great.

The Mall. It's big. There's another one of these across the street.


A microcosm of the scooter population in Taipei.


7-Eleven. There might be a 7-Eleven for every scooter in Taipei (I'm actually standing outside of one while taking this picture (not a joke).).


Stores and scooters.

For more insight, entertainment, pictures, and an alternate view, check out what Dave's up to.
Also, get your vaccinations (or don't). Yellow fever is spreading through New Paltz.
Hopefully more stories and a consistent sleep cycle on the way.