Rooted in Taiwan, Connected with the World

I delivered a prepared speech to my fellow Toastmasters last night. It was special because it marked the beginning of my new learning path at Toastmasters, following the completion of my previous path two months ago. We had an interesting meeting theme which everyone experiences, more or less: Uncertainty—tell us about a time when you had no clear idea what would happen next, but you went ahead anyway. Revolving around "Uncertainty", the meeting proceeded in an interactive and inspirational manner, and here's my answer to the theme question: I was a motorist, driving a car to work throughout my career. After I retired 3 years ago, I tried to live my new life without a car, but I was not sure if I could make it because I was totally reliant on a car for work commuting and getting around. Against such uncertainty, I started learning how to use public transportation systems, including buses, the MRT, trains and the high-speed railway. Over time, I became used to it. Now I th...

I just completed my eighth trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in approximately 350 townships in my country. My destination this time was Miaoli County, the subnational division of Taiwan bordering Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the north, Taichung City to the east and south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. There are 18 townships in Miaoli County, and I visited four of them during the trip: Zaoqiao, Shitan, Nanzhuang, and Touwu, which collectively formed the northeastern part of the county. I spent my first day in Zaoqiao Township, whose name literally means "build a bridge" because it was situated between its two prosperous counterparts —Zhunan Township in the north and Miaoli City (under Miaoli County, equal status with a township) in the south —with Zhonggang River running through that travelers from both ends could not cross without a bridge, hence the name. I first took a train to Zaoqiao and started exploring the...

I just completed studying Cymbeline , my eleventh Shakespeare play. With over 3,900 lines and set in pre-Roman Britain, the play was reportedly produced before 1611. It was listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, but many modern critics classify it as a tragicomedy.  As Shakespeare's works are known  for, the play deals with several complicated themes, including morality; loyalty and deception; gender roles; forgiveness and reconciliation; the gods and fate; nobility; and, not least,  imperialism vs. independence. Among all these themes, I was particularly impressed by how the traditional notions of morality and loyalty were complicated, as the play showcases that the value of both traits lies in intention alone: sometimes loyalty is immoral, while sometimes deception—when used with proper intentions—is necessary and virtuous. Cymbeline is based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early historical Celtic British King Cunobeline. Th...

I just completed my seventh trip under "A Day in Town," my multi-year backpacking plan of spending a day in approximately 350 townships in my country. My destination this time was Hsinchu County, the subnational division of Taiwan surrounding its counterpart, Hsinchu City on land. There are 13 townships in Hsinchu County, and I visited four of them during the trip: Guanxi, Xinpu, Hukou, and Xinfeng, which collectively formed the northeastern part of the county. I spent my first day in Guanxi Township, the northeastern corner of the county bordering Taoyuan City. With a population of over 26,000, Guanxi was previously known as "Xiantsiaong", which literally means "salted vegetables onggi", showcasing its renowned specialty of salted (pickled) vegetables, among other farm produce that Guanxi is famous for. I first took a bus to Leofoo Village Theme Park and started exploring the township on foot. Guanxi administers 21 villages, and during my day there I visi...