Articles in Taiwan
Judging an English Drama Contest
Probably the biggest adventure of this past week was visiting a school here in Taipei. My company sent me there to be a guest judge for an English drama contest. This is a big deal in Taiwan, and I believe it happens at most schools across the island. The English classes will hold singing contests, drama contests, and speech contests. Teachers from the schools themselves …
Beethoven’s Ninth and Unlucky Seat Double 13
An Unlucky Day Begins
Days, as everyone knows, have a certain flow to them. When little things go wrong from the beginning, they tend to go wrong day all long. That’s what happened to me on Friday. Luckily, I’m not talking about big things. These are just the little things that make up a normal day. Still, life generally is made up of little things. And …
Bike Touring and Cycling in Taiwan
Recently, two people who are cycling around the world asked me if I had any tips about cycling in Taiwan. They were in China at the time, and asked me if I knew about the ferry that was supposedly running from Kinmen (a group of small Taiwanese island off the coast of China) to the main island of Taiwan. They also asked about the possibility …
Checking Out the Taipei Astronomical Museum
The Taipei Astronomical Museum (TAM) is right across the street from the National Taiwan Science Education Center (NTSEC). That makes it a no-brainer to head in this direction – two for the price of one (though you couldn’t possibly see all the exhibits at both places in one day).
As far as attractions go in Taipei, the TAM is pretty laidback. It opened in 1996 and …
Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest at NTSEC
When I went to the Silk Road exhibit the other day, I noticed that the NTSEC (National Taiwan Science Education Center) was also hosting an exhibit by Theo Jansen, the Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor. Theo Jansen constructs what he calls Strandbeest. These are large constructions made out of bamboo, tubing, and plastic, which are designed to walk on their own using wind power.
It’s a …
End of the World and the Silk Road
Sunday December 4, 2011
(see all photos at bottom of the post)
Haircut Adventures
I did some of the things I planned yesterday and added a couple more. First thing, I stopped by the Spot Taipei Film House to buy tickets for the 2011 Young Stars – New Vision dance performance. Unfortunately, the show was sold out. I could buy tickets at the Spot because the ticket counter …
Saturday Morning Musings
Saturday December 3, 2011
It’s another Saturday morning over here in Taipei. It’s quite a different kind of day in that the sun is supposed to shine all day and the temperature has plummeted. I can sense Canadians rolling their eyes (one Canadian in particular), but it’s true. It’s quite cold here in Taiwan at the moment – outside and inside. I’ve got my heater plugged …
Botanical Gardens Taipei
[slickr-flickr tag=”botanical gardens blog” type=”galleria” size=”medium” sort=”date”] These pictures are of the Botanical Gardens behind the National History Museum in Taipei. I find it interesting how much it changes from season to season. I was there in the summer last, and the lily pads were so thick, you couldn’t see any water at all. It looked like a jungle or a green carpet that you …