taiwhat?

Miscellaneous

2008-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I posted here. I'd better make the most of this one to make up for lost time. Here's the short list of what's gone on in our world...

We went to the zoo.
Rainny learned several more words. She speaks in kind of a fusion of English/Chinese, but she seems to know which is which. She makes up her own words, too, like kids often do. I still can't figure out how she got 'Tuppy-tup' out of 'Mickey Mouse'...but that's what she says whenever she sees him.
Olympics came and went. The US didn't win gold in baseball, which was somewhat surprising to me. Taiwan got 5th, losing to China (yep...CHINA?!) along the way. I guess that can serve as a wake-up call as they look forward to the real world championship of baseball, which takes place in March '09 (World Baseball Classic).
In what proved to be a big week for news in Taiwan, the baseball team's pooping the bed against China was quickly overshadowed by the revelation that former-President Chen had been laundering millions (and millions) of dollars in to European bank accounts while in office. For those of you who have dissed my anti-Chen t-shirt, well....I told you so.
The Cubs and Devil Rays (and Angels) are sitting atop their respective leagues.
I went to a lot of baseball games.
Nicole cut her hair.

That's all for now. I'll try to check back in a little more frequently.

Back to Abnormal...

2008-06-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

After a nice loooong trip to the US, we're officially back at it in Taiwan. It would be nice to do that often...minus the long plane rides. I shouldn't complain, though. Rainny did great on this trip. Several weeks back with friends and family is nothing to complain about, either. We feel lucky to be able to be running back and forth between our respective families.

Nicole's immigration situation facilitated the trip, but there were plenty of other good reasons to go. Joey and Jamie brought Miles into the world right on time, which worked out great for us. We are still surprised at how the parents are holding up, considering how tired we were at that point. We also got to see Nikki, who flew in from NYC. At one point, the whole family was in Logan, which is a notable rarity. Spending time with our friends was awesome, too. We appreciate all you guys.

Another byproduct of our trip is a new job that I've taken back to Taiwan with me. I've enjoyed the first week on the circuit, and I look forward to reporting some results down the road. I probably won't be writing much about the process of scouting in the Asia area, as that could be a bit counterproductive.

A Collective Sigh of Relief

2008-04-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post on the recently completed Taiwan Presidential elections. As was expected, Ma Ying-Jiu (馬英九) won easily. Thankfully, with all the hubub leading up to the election, nothing serious happened in the way of violence or wackiness (the '04 elections had its share of incumbents being shot, violent rallies, etc.).

Historically, this election will end up being a huge deal for Taiwan. Ma represents a drastic change from the current administration as far as its policy on China goes. Ma is not as hell-bent on declaring independence as the outgoing President Chen Shui-Bian. Ma will push a more patient, communicative plan to improve its relationship with the Mainland.

As luck would have it, Nicole, Rainny and I took a jaunt up to Taipei to do some paperwork for Rainny's passport a few days ago (we're getting ready for a trip back to the US). We arrived at the office of foreign affairs and saw a TON of media folks crowded around. After one of the secret-service dudes told me the President-elect himself would be walking out shortly, I stuck around to catch a glimpse. Because I was holding the littl'n, some nice Ma supporters pushed me to the front of the crowd just in time to see him and his entourage come out. I stuck my hand out for him to shake it, but he just kind of grazed it in a faux low-five type of thing. He did give us a nice hello, though. Nicole was quick with the camera, which must have been hard for her since there were a lot of real cameramen pushing and shoving to get a good shot. You can see the video below.

Ma is highly regarded as one of the most charming and brilliant leaders in not only Asia, but in the world as a whole. He is especially popular with the ladies, as was evident by the fact that just about all of the people crowded around to see him were female. Needless to say, he had no trouble winning the female vote this past March. As a Harvard Law grad who speaks flawless English, Ma is not the norm in Aisan politics. He is a forward thinker who isn't afraid to criticize the big country across the strait, while at the same time recognizing their economic prowess and the need to communicate. As part of his campaign, he spent weeks riding his bike around the island and spent many nights in regular citizens' homes (with plenty of security by his side, of course) in an effort to get in touch with the people. Now there's a novel political idea. The morning after the election, after Ma had been announced as the next President of a country of 25 million people, his wife got on a bus and went to her job at a bank, something that she had done every morning for years. Kind of a comforting change from what politics has become nowadays.

On an important side note, Ma's running mate, Xiao Wan-Chang, is a Chinese spitting image of Al Franken.

The vast majority of westerners living in Taiwan are opposed to Ma and his policy on China. In light of problems going on in Tibet, it's easy to throw Taiwan in the same boat and say that Ma's friendliness toward China is going to lead to an eventual merger. That might very well be the case, but the current administration's shouting independence from the rooftops would most definitely take Taiwan down that same road, perhaps with a less than peaceful outcome. The situation with China is definitely a complicated one. Many around the world are quick to protest and complain and try to grab the Olympic Torch, but for every one of those people there are a gazillion others who want to be able to run down to the Wal-Mart and get cheap goods. The world can't have it both ways without good, solid communication. Make no mistake, Taiwan is not Tibet. The people of Taiwan are not subject to any of the despicable restrictions or censorship that China has imposed on many of its people. Let's hope it stays that way.

'Tis the Season

2008-04-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Spring is upon us, which means baseball season is in full throttle. It's given me a renewed interest in waking up early. The live MLB broadcasts are usually on at about 3:00 or 4:00 am here, so sometimes I can wake up and catch the last couple of innings while I eat breakfast.

The CPBL (Taiwan's professional league) also begins its season around this time, so the evenings are packed with games on TV. I don't really watch them that much, but it's always a comforting feeling when you can turn on the TV morning, noon, or night and see live baseball.

The league here in Taiwan is made up of 6 teams that play in kind of a rotating schedule. The teams don't necessarily have home stadiums or home cities, so they travel around to all of the stadiums on the island. They are named by the company that sponsors them (ie the 7-Eleven Lions). The rosters are limited to a maximum of 3 foreigners (non-Taiwanese) on each team, so there is a bit of western influence. As far as Asian leagues go, the Taiwan league probably ranks 3rd behind Japan and Korea on the money list. Former Major/Minor Leaguers from the west looking for a contract in Asia usually get paid more in Japan and Korea, but the restrictions placed on the number of import players make it pretty competitive to get a contract. There have been a handful of high-profile players to pass through here, like Melvin Mora of the Orioles.

The games are fun to watch in person, but the crowds are loud. Toting a one-year-old out to a game is not an option. Asian baseball fans love to bang those go-go sticks and chant profusely. There's usually a guy that acts as the main cheerleader who stands on top of the team's dugout and whales away on a big gong. I am more accustomed to the more laid back approach that you see in the States: watching baseball, eating peanuts, shouting profanities at umpires and opposing players, and the occasional loudness for a homerun or a big play.

There are plenty of nuances that separate how the game is played here from how it's played in the west. The batter tips his cap to the umpire before stepping in the box. The pitchers are more herky-jerky, with a drop-type motion. Less homeruns....the list goes on. That being said, I happened to see something in a game yesterday that I don't think, in all my years of baseball spectatorship, I've ever seen before. Baseball has its share of fights, but the umpire has long been considered off limts. Until now:

One!

2008-03-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

One year and counting.

Rainny's first year on this earth has really gone by quickly. As parents, the responsibility of raising a kid has kind of rocked our world. We can hardly remember what it's like to go out to a movie or sit down to dinner without our little one needing our attention. That's not a bad thing, though. We love our little girl, and we couldn't imagine life without her.

In one year, babies can do a whole lotta' stuff. Rainny has blown us away with her accomplishments: She learned how to walk (everywhere!). She learned how to talk (a little bit). She does sign language (thanks, Signing Time DVDs). She quadrupled in size (fatty). She learned how to dance (whenever there is music). She smacks daddy in the face all the time (can't figure out how to make her not do that). She even did a little modeling (3 magazines). I think she even worked in a little calculus when we weren't watching. Babies are cute. In some ways, I don't want Rainny to grow up.

We celebrated her birthday by taking her up to Taipei to a Children's Museum. Our original plan of going to the zoo tanked (it rained like you wouldn't believe), and the Museum was lame-o. We still consider it a success, though, because there was a ball area, which Rainny loves. Also, the trip to Taipei was a good excuse to ride Taiwan's new bullet train. Although the High-Speed Rail has been open for over a year now, we have never felt the need to use it. The tickets are a bit pricey compared to driving. But now that we have tried it, it's hard to overlook the convenience and time saved. It gets us to Taipei in less than 30 minutes!

Rainny's birthday festivities were topped off with the eating of cake. Gotta' love cake. Here in Taiwan, you can get really groovy cakes done by a cake artist for a really good price. We tried to have them do a cartoon-style Rainny, and I thought they did a good job. Mom had them throw some 4-leaf clovers on it for the St. Patty's day girl. It tasted good, too. The frosting on cakes here is light whipped cream, a nice alternative to the heavy sugary stuff that they use in the States. I can eat a lot of cake here without feeling like I just got hit by a truck.

Rainny was given her first tooth for her birthday. For a while there she had nothin' in the teeth department, which for most babies comes around 4 - 8 months. Sure enough, though, she woke up birthday morning with a little white bump on her lower gum.

Also, we kind of figured out that we'll be making a trip back to Utah pretty soon. We're hoping for mid to late April, so we can be there for the birth of Rainny's newest cousin. Nicole suggested we stopover in LA for the purpose of seeing a Dodger game. I've completely brainwashed her.

Happy Birthday Rainny!!!

Day to Daze

2008-03-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was yet another extended one, thanks to the 'Peaceful Memorial' day that falls on the 28th of February. It is a well known fact that the US leads the world in having the least number of national holidays. Taiwan doesn't have a whole lot more. Maybe one or two extra work days off as compared to the US. But, those extra one or two make quite a big difference when you space them out over the course of a year.

On Saturday, Nicole's little brother performed with his band in the town square (it's actually a circle, not a square). There's a pretty slick amphitheater there where concerts or other events are often held. We had been anticipating his concert for some time, as we had heard and seen him practicing with his band mates for the past few months. Their band's name, 'Day to Daze', was derived from a NOFX song, but their style and sound don't necessarily reflect that. They're really into a lot of Metallica, Guns 'N Roses, Green Day, Oasis, and a lot of other stuff that I wouldn't expect 15 year old Taiwanese kids to know much about. They stuck to cover songs, one of which I'd never heard before ('Vampire Love', Ash). Nicole's little brother is the one on the far right with the blue guitar. If you're wondering, they didn't dress like this especially for the concert. This is regular attire for a lot of teens in Taiwan nowadays. Sprayed-on, brit-punk jeans with the bushy Beetles hair. Those red pants the lead singer is wearing couldn't help but remind me of the Cuban baseball team.

If Rainny could talk, she could tell you that the band performed really well. Rainny loves rock music, and she shows it by swaying back and forth and clapping her hands. Every once in a while, she'll raise her hands up in the air and wiggle side to side. It seems that children really can understand rhythm from a very young age, which surprises me.

After the concert, we walked about a block down the street where the newest commercial import to Taiwan had recently opened: Cold Stone Ice Cream. I was surprised to find out that the Phoenix-based company had expanded out here, as were the two missionaries that came along with us. The ice cream was great, but I question whether or not the prices will turn off a lot of customers. A middle-of-the-road steak at the joint two doors down is cheaper than a Cold Stone creation.

Reporting Day

2008-02-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

I usually post about goings on in Taiwan, and the official opening of Spring Training over in Florida and Arizona shouldn't be considered an exception. The waves created by the news of the steroids hearings and arbitration outcomes are washing ashore over here in a big way. The Taiwanese media craves baseball almost as much as myself, thanks in part to the success of Wang Chien-Ming.

Now, the Mitchell report has been out for some time now, and although I haven't read it thoroughly, I have moused through it enough to know that it was an astronomical waste of time.

The way I see it, the whole thing is kind of comical, really. I can think of a lot more beneficial things that congress can do with their time. Do we need to know exactly who has used steroids? I don't think so. Anyone in touch with the culture of the game of baseball could have told you exactly what the Mitchell Report attempts (and fails, really) to conclude: A lot of professional baseball players used a lot of different substances to get a lot bigger. As they say in Chinese, this is 'FeiHua' ('wasted words'...a nice way of saying 'no duh'). The report goes ahead and names names, which naturally passes over the tons of guys that weren't caught.

The baseball purist in me really believes that we ought to soften up on some of these guys. You might not agree with that, but I really think that MLB should take the brunt of the responsibility, especially since many of the substances used in the 90's and beyond were legal and within the regulations of the game. Was it cheating? Well, I guess that depends on how much emphasis you put on strength in defining an advantage in the game of baseball. In that regard, any offensive player who undergoes LASIK surgery has a definite advantage to someone who cannot afford it, has no access to it, or considers it an unnatural boost and therefore decides against it. Putting aside the obvious side effects and dangers of anabolic steroids or Human Growth Hormone, I think it might be debatable as to what the game should start regulating. If it's the health and well being of the players and those young folks that might try to emulate them that the Mitchell Report is trying to protect, then I guess I can understand making a big deal out of it. But if it's the integrity of the game that they want to save, well, I suggest they start somewhere else...like the front offices of some of the 'dead' franchises. If I see the Tampa Bay Rays' owner give up in the second month of the season again, I'm gonna' puke. It's no wonder the Yankees make the playoffs each year. They've got one less team to compete against once the Tampa Bay ownership realizes that they don't need a competitive team nor competitive attendance to make a profit.

As far as drugs go, I believe that steroids are not even the most harmful of threats to professional sports. Amphetamines have been far more rampant, especially in the NBA and NFL, and are much more difficult to regulate. What better advantage could one have than to be awake and alive when you should really be tired and sluggish? And why are weight loss drugs dismissed in all of this? Bigger is not always better.

Anyway, I think that the integrity of Major League Baseball is in a good state, overall. It's a game where strength can never trump strategy. David Eckstein won a World Series MVP. Greg Maddux is still a genius, and still playing. The Doug Glanvilles and Ichiro Suzukis are what makes baseball such a great game, really.

The naked truth is, although steroids and other comparable substances have no place in the game of baseball, they were welcomed and abused frequently for the benefit of the business of baseball.

Year o' the Rat

2008-02-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year.

The year of the Rat is here. Again. As many of you know, the Chinese lunar calendar has a 12-animal (a dragon is an animal, right?) rotation. I'm all for the implementation of a new system that introduces a new animal each year. They could announce the animal at an annual Chinese New Year's eve party or something. Put it on TV. Get a celebrity host. Do a countdown. The whole nine yards. There are plenty of animals out there. I couldn't imagine ever running out of animals, as evolution takes its course and makes a few more every now and then.

Anyway, the week+ off was great. But, I find it interesting that I get less done when I have more time on my hands. There's a lot of stuff to distract me around Chinese New Year time. I love the fireworks. I was meaning to put up a post or two last week, but I found myself outside trying to find a new way to blow up an empty Sprite can. The firecrackers are big, loud, and cheap. Consequently, I drank a lot of Sprite.

Although the weather has been unusually cold, we went up in the mountains to visit the Lavender Cottage. It's a nice little restaurant and walking area that we like to visit. The grass there is really green.

Despite Rainny's expression in the picture below, I think she had a good time for her first Chinese New Year. She was born in the year of the Pig, which has now officially passed us by. Maybe by the time the Pig year comes around again, she'll be old enough for daddy to teach her how to blow up an empty Sprite can.

My Birfday

2008-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

When you share a birthday with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks, and Justin Timberlake, you know you're pretty kewel ('cool'...Utah accent).

This year I was especially spoiled by Nicole and Rainny. Nicole surprised me with a real Dodgers jacket (see photo). I plan on wearing it every chance I get; going to the store, going to work, going to church, going to the bathroom, etc. She also threw in a Dodgers #56 (Kuo) t-shirt, to make sure I'm covered when it's too hot for jackets.

Rainny also went overboard with her gift. After going out for dinner, Nicole put Rainny down on the floor to get some evening exercise before her bath. The little fart started walking all over the place! Now, this wasn't a big surprise, as she had taken her official first steps recently. We just didn't expect her to walk as much as she did. I haven't been around a whole lot of babies in my life, but I don't think there are many kids who begin walking before they get any teeth. Rainny's a bit past her 10 month mark, but she still shows no sign of teeth. Funny little girl. She has been under the weather the last few days, so her hyperactivity has been toned down to a torrential rain, compared to the full-on typhoon that she usually is. We're gonna' have to watch our backs even more now that she's walking. I've put a couple of her first walking videos at the bottom of this post.

Well, my birthday comes at a very good time. After having to work through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays, I'm looking forward to the looooong holiday next week. Chinese New Year is finally here. I'll post more on that later. Until then, Happy Birthday Me!

ps - Thanks for the Birthday e-mails!

GPS: Going Places, Smoothly

2008-01-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

I lean on the crutch of technology. It seems like I put more and more weight on it as each year passes. Last year, I lost my cell phone, which meant I lost all of the phone numbers of everyone whose number hadn't been burned into my brain from several years of rotary dialing.

This year, I (finally) got a GPS widget for the car. I don't know how we've survived the last few months in Taiwan without it. Taiwan has a tangled mess of a road system, and even the best taxi driver can get lost on occasion.

So, this past Saturday we took to the road for another daytrip that we've been wanting to do for a while now. We didn't get lost, nor did we ask directions.

Our first stop was a little Medditeranean style restaurant on the northern coast, in the town of SanZhi (三芝). Nicole had seen a few places like this in some travel magazines, and we thought it would be nice to eat by the beach. The clouds were out, but it was really nice. Rainny loved playing with the sand. She kept running it through her fingers and giggling like she'd never seen sand before....probably because she's never seen sand before.

After lunch we went on down the road to YeLiu (野柳), a geological park with a bunch of really cool rock formations. I had seen plenty of photos of YeLiu before, and seeing it in person was not exactly what I expected. It's a small place. A slow walk around the whole thing wouldn't take more than 20 minutes. But the scenery begs you to stop, stare, and snap a few photos. It's perched right on the ocean, with the waves crashing down all around. I wouldn't mind going back again soon if I could.

The most popular attraction at YeLiu is called the 'Queen's Head', a rock that has been weathered into the likeness of a neck and a woman's head. Getting a photo of it when nobody was around wasn't very easy. Everyone lines up to get a shot of themselves posing in front of it, like going to Hard Rock and getting the t-shirt. Just in case I wouldn't get a chance, I made sure to snap a shot of the second best rock there, the 'Ben Wallace Head'..... Ok, bad joke.

New Year's Revolution

2007-12-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. We did without the mega-commercialization that Christmas has become in the States, and we settled for simple. So what if our Christmas Tree was a little less than spectacular? After all, that's not what Christmas is about, right? It's about getting new Wii games.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Wii revolution has given birth to a diamond (pun intended) in the rough. It's called 'MLB Power Pros', and it's nothing less that the best baseball video game ever made. Now, before you rush out to Osco Drug to pick up a copy, let me warn you. It's for baseball video game purists only. No 689 foot homeruns. No .952 batting averages. Crappy graphics. Cartoonish characters. This game is 'Baseball Stars' (anybody remember?) reincarnated, only now they've got real ball parks, an MLB Players Association license, and really good control. It's perfect for folks like me who only have time to fire up the Wii once in a long while. I can pick up right where I left off in my season, and I don't have to re-learn a complicated mess of button combinations like some of these newfangled video games have become.

The player control is super. The MLB rosters can update with real-time transactions, and player creation is easy and fun. I like to make my own little team, with a few Big Leaguers mixed in. Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you might be in my bullpen, or perhaps starting in the outfield. My team is last in the league in most categories, but that's ok. The season is young, and I'm getting better. I'm coming around as a coach-slash-player-slash-general manager. In fact, I just traded my closer and a starter for Chien-Ming Wang. I'm a nerd, I know.

After seeing pictures and reading e-mails from all you guys back home, we hope to spend next Christmas in Utah. Christmas just isn't the same here. We really appreciate the gifts that came in the mail from the Hislops. Rainny loves the stuffed lion she got from Grandma and Grandpa. I've already finished the sunflower seeds.

Well, have a Happy New Year! We miss you guys! We're thinking about you....and sending you down to the minors.

Radio Smack

2007-12-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

I'm a man without a radio station. Good radio is something that I've taken for granted for a long time. I'm no radio expert, but I know good radio when I hear it. I've established a very reliable rating system that, unfortunately, has not been put into practice by any publication that I know of. It's an easy formula: Rating = The amount of time, in seconds, that it takes me to move my hand from the steering wheel to the dial. For example,

Syndication of Rush Limbaugh's show: 0.02
Taiwanese (台語) old-school music: 0.03
Justin Timberlake's Sexyback, or any other track from Justin Timberlake: 0.04
Syndication of Bob Lonsberry's show: 0.9
Syndication of Glenn Beck's show: 1.5
Syndication of the Bill O'Reilly's show: 0.001

My formula has obvious problems. If I like what I'm listening to, I won't turn the dial. No rating given to good radio.

Anyway, the radio situation here in Taiwan isn't good. There is one main FM station (ICRT) dedicated to English speakers, and it's not the best. Their main demographic is people who like Justin Timberlake, which I fall outside of. There is basically no syndication; only a couple minutes a day of BBC world news. The morning news and on-the-hour news isn't what I'm used to. The guy who gave the World Series wrap said that 'The Red Sox pulled ahead in the fifth innings (in cricket, innings is always said in the plural form) on a big smack homa' (British accent) that gave them 2 points." I hope I don't sound intolerant, but who's letting British people talk about baseball?

Now, I do like the night program (hosted by Ron Stewart) on ICRT. I would be ungrateful if I didn't point out the fact that I won a call in show on his program, and he gave me a nice compilation of Green Day CD's and DVD's.

Overall, though, I miss NPR and KVNU (Logan, UT). I hold a heavy bias towards both, mainly because my dad has spent years as a morning host on both stations. I used-to-could pick both stations up in Salt Lake, but I'm a bit out of range here in Asia. The NPR-KUSU branch can easily be picked up online, but dad went ahead and retired from there recently. He now does his morning shows from KVNU, which doesn't broadcast online. I'm going to write an e-mail to the program director. Granted, KVNU does play a few of those crazy conservative shows mentioned above. I only like the morning show, though, and any other local programming. Maybe I'll include that in my e-mail to the program director. Out with Limbaugh!

So enjoy your X96 and Sports Radio while you can, folks. One day they might be gone, and you'll be left with Jackie Chan singing an accented rendition of 'In the Still of the Night'.

p.s. - Visit the below link if you want to hear Patton Oswalt poking a little fun. Dittoheads beware.

NPR, by Patton Oswalt

Southern Exposure

2007-12-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

We've been itching to get out and go sightseeing lately, so this past weekend we packed our bag (just one..it was a short trip) and hit the road. We took the Number 1 Freeway down to Tainan (台南), which is about a 3 hour drive. Rainny amazed mom and dad by sleeping over 2 hours non-stop in the car. She usually doesn't do so well in cars.

Tainan is a good place to see the 'old' Taiwan. We visited an old military bunker that still had the antique cannons once used to protect the island from attackers coming across the China Strait. The weather was great. Southern Taiwan always seems to be considerably less humid than up here in Hsinchu.

We visited Nicole's Aunt and Cousins while we were there. Nicole's grandmother came down several days before, so she came home with us. Nicole's Sister also came along for the ride.

Tainan is not as much of a bustling metropolis as its northern counterparts, but this town is definitely pulling its weight when it comes to the baseball world. Tainan is becoming somewhat of a baseball machine, already producing 4 of the 5 Taiwanese that have played in the American Major Leagues. I made sure to peek down the street where Wang (Yankees) grew up.

Really Bad Singing

2007-12-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Taiwan is a wonderful place for bad singing. Really bad singing. I am not making fun, nor do I wish to be critical of anyone's singing ability. I am a really bad singer myself. I think a culture that accepts bad vocals is all-right. Just one less thing to be self-conscious about.

You don't have to look far to figure out why crappy crooning is rampant around here. Karaoke is a pillar of Asian culture that won't be going away anytime soon. Walk through the home entertainment section of any department store in Taiwan and you'll find the surround sound displays are not set up to show off the latest DVD release. Rather, they're set up with an open microphone, so you can test how powerful and echo-laden your voice will sound when you host your next karaoke party. I never miss an opportunity to give my best Michael Buffer impersonation. LLLLLLLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!....Sounds great on those mics.

The American Idol humor is lost on many here in Taiwan. Not for me, though. I love bad singing. It has a comedic value almost as high as good stand-up. Here's the thing, though; the singer has to think he or she is good. Bad singing from people who think they're Luciano Pavarotti is just as good as Luciano Pavarotti singing it himself, in my book.

So, without further ado, here is a little clip of a community concert that was being filmed for a TV show. This guy was singing Elvis' "I Really Don't Want to Know", and butchering it. Bad enough that it belongs on this blog.

1:25

2007-11-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

With a little down time this weekend, our little family went on a little trip to nearby Taoyuan county to visit one of the most interesting little amusement parks I've ever seen. It's called, fittingly enough, 'Little People World' (小人國). The rides left much to be desired, but that didn't matter since Rainny can't really go on many of them anyway (she loved the carousel). Good thing Nicole's sister Mary came along to help us take care of the littl'n.

The sightseeing was well worth it. 小人國 is home to a huge collection of miniature scale models of famous landmarks from everywhere in the world. I was astonished to see the attention to detail in the models. Every model is scaled down at a 1:25 ratio from the actual size. Because I had never visited most of the actual places, the constant ratio thing helped me keep everything in perspective. The artists even went as far as counting bricks on cathedrals and castles to get the perfect look.

I took a plethora of photos, and only a portion of them are posted below. Sorry for the photo-intensive post. I hope your browser can forgive me.

obviously not the real Statue of Liberty

Washington Monument

Mount Rushmore, complete with trimmed mini-trees

St. Basil's

Rainny looks on as a helicopter gets ready to leave an aircraft carrier

A miniature amusement park, one of my favorite models

LongMen Buddhist Caves

The Great Wall

Nicole, Rainny, and Mary in front of the forbidden city

Pingtung Lighthouse, located in south Taiwan

a cool depiction of an industrial district in Taiwan

a port area

A tunnel for the model train that runs around the industrial models

A very busy port

Long Time No Post

2007-11-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

My posting hiatus is over. Here 'tis. A new post.

We've been a bit busy lately, but I won't attempt to make any excuses for my laziness.

We are enjoying the mild weather here. My jacket might as well just make itself comfortable in that closet. It might not be coming out for a while.

The blog front is looking good from here in Taiwan. We love keeping up with everyone's musings so keep them rolling. Here's the round-up:

Joey and the Woolseys took in a game. The Aggies just missed knocking off 19th ranked Boise State. Apparently, the kicker missed a 52-point field goal that could have tied the game in the final seconds. Final score; 52-0.

In between marathons, Steve C. is getting lazy. He's been caught on film making out with his dogs while Christine is out buying boots.

Ginger has a double crush on the guy in House, and the Backstreet Boys. She is one pop-culture crush away from getting disowned. They're middle-aged, Ginger! I think she is just getting over her Keifer Southerland (sp?) thing.

Nikki moved to Manhattan. I wouldn't mind living there. Nikki, if you see Donald Trump, tell him he's fired.

Sammy and Missy have a small apartment. Join the club.

Charles' narcissism is rubbing off on Virginia. Just kidding, Charles.

The Workmans and Yus are Halloween'n it up.

We're watching you!

Family Photos

2007-11-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Rainny's a cute little runt. Her ethnicity makes her stand out somewhat in a crowd. Taiwan, unlike the US, isn't exactly a melting pot of cultural diversity. The occasional foreigner walking down the street is common, but most of those folks are adults; working professionals or tourists. Foreigner kids, though, are more of a rarity. So Rainny, being half-foreigner half-local that she is, attracts a little bit of attention when we go out sometimes.

The attention she gets here is interesting and sometimes fun, but the cultural differences in baby etiquette here are not always that great for me. It is not considered bad manners in Taiwan to walk up to a baby and grab their cheek, even if you have never met the mom or dad, and even if you just finished changing the carburetor on your Dihatsu. Also, it seems like Taiwan is more open about baby holding. I've had to turn down a few requests to hold the baby, only because I didn't know the person, and because they didn't give me a medical history report showing that they don't have scabies. One time I went into 7-11 for a Snickers, and the clerk, seeing that I had forgotten my wallet, politely asked to hold the littl'n while I ran down the road to get some cash. I politely declined the offer, but I always feel a little bit like I'm offending someone by saying no.

Anyway, the pros outweigh the cons in Taiwan baby culture. A while back, we were asked if we could bring Rainny over to Taipei for a photo shoot for Baby & Mommy Magazine (嬰兒與母親). Given the price of professional photography nowadays, we gladly accepted, and scurried over to Taipei for a free family portrait. Yesterday, the November issue hit the stands, and our cute little Baby-Mommy tandem is featured on several pages! Cool! I didn't expect they'd use as many photos as they did. They even threw in a couple of photos with my ugly mug.

Just in case you've canceled your subscription to 嬰兒與母親 magazine, I've included the full spread above.

Happy Birthday.

2007-10-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today is my favorite person's birthday. It's also Rainny's favorite person's birthday. Rainny and I can't say thank you enough to Nicole for all she does for us.

I gave the birthday girl a dehumidifier. There's no better way to say 'I Love You' than by zapping the water out of the air.

Rainny and I are a couple of lucky ducks. We love you honey!

And the Baseball Gods Smiled Down Upon Us...

2007-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a self proclaimed baseball junky. Have been for a long time. In years past, the end of October meant a funk in my fix. No more Wednesday night Johnny Miller. No more box scores. My Baseball America subscription barely got me through to March.

But now, with the close of every baseball season comes rejuvenation. A rebirth of the mind, body, and soul that is otherwise known as the free agent market. Complain all you want about how players get paid too much, but let it be known: They will always get more. Thankfully, the profit-sharing beast has made its way into the dugout. Managers, pitching coaches, base coaches are getting paid too. More power to them. As long as we keep as much money as we can out of the hands of the owners, we're all good. That's what I've gathered.

So Joe Torre is reportedly going to sign with the Dodgers. Thus begins the free agent frenzy. It will be a good off-season, but for a Dodger fan like myself, it can't get much better than that. No one respects the game more than Joe Torre. No one is respected more.

Where will Barry go? Wherever he wants to go. As long as he wants to go somewhere besides Boston. A-Rod? Either LA or Boston...or the Mets, or Deroit...or Florida? I'm going out on a limb on that one.

Where will I go? Well, since you asked...I'm going to be a spectator at the World Cup of Baseball. That's right. Baseball has a world cup, and wouldn't-ya-know, this year it's being held in Taiwan November 6th - 18th. Sa-weeeeet!

Rainny's Growing Fast

2007-10-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

Rainny's been a bundle of fun and energy ever since she began crawling. We put together a little video of Rainny's favorite activities.

You'll have to listen close to hear dad's favorite part!

Baseball, baseball...

2007-10-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

What's amazing? The amount of traffic laws that can be broken or bent over the course of a 48 second Taipei taxi ride is amazing. The guy running the breakfast joint down the street who can make 21 danbings and 15 doujiangs in one minute is amazing. Now...let me tell you something really amazing. The Colorado Rockies are really amazing.

The Rox have won 21 of their last 22 games on their way to Wednesday's World Series opener. 21 of 22! On the verge of elimination, they won 15 of 16 to stay in it, which blows my mind. If you told any given manager that they would need to pull a 15-for-16 to stay alive, most would go straight to their September call-ups. I've never been much of a Rockies fan, but I am now. I've been around long enough to have seen the entire un-storied history of this franchise, and I'd say this is a pretty big turning point. They've come a long way since Dale Murphy.

Grandma Baugh

2007-10-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know if they read blogs up in heaven. Nevertheless, this one's for you Grandma Baugh.

Bye Bye, Benson

2007-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our friend Benson leaves for military service on Monday. In Taiwan it is mandatory for all males to serve in the military for about a year and a half. Most opt to get it over with right after graduating from college, which makes for a real buzzkill for somebody who is just getting ready to enter the workforce. I've never met anybody in Taiwan who looks forward to completing their military service, and Benson is no exception. I'm sure Amanda's not too excited either. She's Benson's girlfriend, and a former college classmate of Nicole.

Saturday, we got to hang out and say goodbye. We ate a little barbeekyew and met a few of Amanda's friends. It was fun for everyone, except Rainny. She was having a rare rough day, and she let us know by crying a lot. It was an eventful trip to visit Benson, as we came upon a pretty wild auto accident just after it occurred. A car had barrelled through an intersection on a red light and nailed another car, which in turn nailed two scooters. Sheesh.

Anyway, we want to wish Benson good luck in his new world of crew cuts and camouflage.

Double Ten Day

2007-10-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

October 10th is Taiwan's Independence Day. They call it 'Double Ten' day for obvious reasons. With the day off, we hopped on the train, followed the sewer stink, and landed in Taipei for some clothes shopping. One of Nicole's favorite places in the world is WuFenPu, a monster clothing vendor district near downtown Taipei. Everything is cheap, but most of the stuff is sold night-market style in open shops, so you can't really try the stuff on. It's a great place to spend an afternoon, but like many other places in Taiwan, it's not very baby friendly.

Rainny and I ended up hanging out in an adjacent park while Nicole and her sister looked at clothes. From our bench we watched as old ladies did old lady aerobics, and listened to old guys talking politics. Most conversations were directed toward the upcoming election, of course. Meanwhile, patriotic festivities were held downtown.

Given Taiwan's current political situation, this is an important holiday for many pro-independence Taiwanese. On the same day that a finalist in the world video game championships from Taiwan was attacked by a Chinese citizen for displaying the Taiwan flag, many are celebrating the independence of a country that could be no more. In the eyes of some, including the folks in the White House, Taiwan never really was. It's too bad, considering that wasn't always the view of the people in Washington.

Washed Away

2007-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

The storm has passed, and now it's back to brighter skies. Thankfully, the worst of this typhoon came at the beginning. We were waiting for it to get worse (the weather man said it would), but it never did. Nevertheless, it left its mark on Taiwan. Lots of reports of flooding, landslides, and wind damage. We lost power for a few hours, and Church was canceled on Sunday.

These big storms, as much of a nuisance as they are, seem to have a sort of cleansing effect on the island. Taiwan has its share of pollution, garbage, and other yucky stuff, and it's almost necessary for a periodic flushing of the storm drain in order to keep everything livable. It's refreshing.

This week should be a good one, with a big National Holiday falling right smack in the middle. Wednesday is 'Double Ten Day'; Taiwan's Independence day. Who knows, maybe there will only be a few more Double Ten Days celebrated before the motherland decides to take over. Anyway, it looks like we've had our quota of storm for the next little while, so maybe we can spend the holiday together outside.

Krosa, the terrible

2007-10-06T03:28:00.000-07:00

It's 6:30 Saturday night, and Typhoon Krosa is slated to touch down over the next few hours. The pre-typhoon winds and rain have been raging all day, and have already done considerable damage. This typhoon is hitting the island with a lot more force than I had expected. I stepped outside a couple of hours ago to run to the corner store for a snack, and saw several trees that had either fallen down or lost some major branches. The wind is really whaling now. Stay tuned for some post-typhoon photos.

If there is any good time to stay inside for 48 consecutive hours waiting out a typhoon, it's now. Krosa was nice enough to choose the first weekend of the MLB playoffs to show up. Taiwan ESPN plays all the games live, then reruns them throughout the day. It's great. Unfortunately, the Yankees put game 2 down the crapper. Hopefully they can take the next two home games and force another Cleveland bugfest.

Taiphoon's coming...

2007-10-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

The weekend will bring with it another Typhoon. Rain, wind, no biggie. Hopefully.

The other Typhoon, though, that's currently looming over the island in a low, dark cloud of ugliness: The Election. The back-and-forth of politicking is in full force for the upcoming debacle. Political events are what they are, no matter where you are in the world. It's interesting how the situation here in Taiwan kind of mirrors what goes on back in the States. I might be looking at it from a very simplistic point of view, but it seems to me that the Blue-Red Iraq debate in the U.S. is not much different than the Blue-Green Taiwan Independence debate over here in Taiwan; Liberal vs. Conservative, Peace vs. War, Small Town vs. Big City....I'm not saying that's reality, but that's how talk radio would like you to see it.

Anyway, the latest in the Ma (Blue Party candidate) vs. Xie (Green candidate) battle of words is , well, some dirty words. A bunch of Ma supporters decided to go ahead and make their own unofficial campaign slogans. They didn't get as creative as some would have hoped. 'Bull Xie' (pronounced 'shyeh') appealed to a lot of the English speakers, as it uses the famous English expletive to denounce the other party's candidate. The other slogan used Ma's name in a Chinese play on words that loosely translates into a PG-13 cuss that probably shouldn't be brought into a political debate. Not nice. Ma immediately denounced the slogans, which had been plastered all over many signs and billboards. He probably got a good laugh, though.

Just like the Republican-Democrat division, the Greens accuse the Blues of being unpatriotic. It's pretty classic Bill O'reilly. The old 'if you don't think the way I do, then you don't love this country' ploy has officially found its way into Taiwan.

The evening news has been all over this stuff. It's good comedy sometimes, but it amounts to serious stuff. The China-Taiwan situation is pretty sensitive, and I sure hope Taiwan chooses a leader who has the capacity to handle the situation carefully and maintain peace.

Taiwandering, Part II

2007-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Today our travels took us through a couple of Buddhist temples that I've been waiting to visit. Both are among the biggest in Asia. The most difficult aspect of the trip was finding them. Some of the bigger temples in Taiwan are out in the sticks, which makes it tough for us when the streets aren't numbered like they are back in Utah.

Almost all Buddhist temples in Taiwan, regardless of size, are open to the public at no cost. Most contain some pretty extravagant renderings of some of the Buddhist gods, of which there are many. I have a tough time keeping track of all of them.

The Gold temple, which the attendant claimed is plated with real Gold, is the tallest I've seen. The photo you see was shot on a vertical panorama, which might give a misleading perspective. It's wicked tall. It sits up on a mountain, which made for a great view of outer ChangHua county.

Taiwandering

2007-09-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

We've been on the road lately, trying to visit a few places that we've always wanted to go see. We spent last night up in the mountains above Puli, in RenAi (仁愛鄉). The view from up there is amazing. The hotel we stayed at sits about 5,250 ft above sea level, so we felt quite at home after living in Utah.

The main attraction up there is the QingJing (清境) Farm, where tourists can come and see an actual farm, complete with animals and grass. It's amazing how much of a commodity this place is. The smell of cow poop never really appealed to us back in the states, but in a place where many people spend all of their day surrounded by concrete it's understandable why this place is so popular.

Rainny was a big fan of the sheep. We were given a few bags of the sheep food by some passers-by, and once we found some sheep along the trail, they swarmed us and went for the bags. When I ran out of food, they would try to suck on Rainny's toes. She got to spend plenty of time outside in the snuggly, which gave her a nice farmer's tan.

Rainny Days

2007-09-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Rainny has been as jolly as ever the last few days. She is getting to know mom and dad a lot better each day, which means she is slowly learning how to get her way. The recent Taiphoon has allowed us to spend a lot of time indoors together, and Rainny has taken a liking to making mom and dad laugh. She loves making the fart sound, because she knows it's a crowd pleaser. Nicole says Rainny learned it from dad. Dad says Rainny doesn't know what a fart is.

Kids are fun. Parenting is definitely not a job for the faint of heart, but it's as rewarding as anything in the world. Rainny just turned 6 months old last week. She's a great kid, and mom and dad are proud of her.

Taiwan + Baby = Adventure

2007-09-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

We haven't been here long, but we know we're in for a good challenge raising our little one here in Taiwan. Rainny doesn't seem to mind.

We've made a short list of things that young parents back in Utah should remember to appreciate:

1. Changing Tables in public bathrooms
2. Handicap Access Ramps
3. Crosswalks
4. Baby Formula variety
5. 4.2% Humidity
6. Big Cars
7. Clean Tap Water
8. Teletubbies
9. Pediatricians
10. Babies 'R Us

All in all, Taiwan is not so baby-friendly. But we have to take the bad with the good. Rainny loves staring at trees and flowers, and Taiwan definitely does not fall short in that category. Rainny also loves dogs. We don't have one back in the States, but we claim one of our own over here. Also, we won't have to worry about going through a frigid winter with the little one this year.

Taiwan Times

2007-09-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we're settled in. The journey from Salt Lake City to Taiwan was as tiresome as we could have imagined. As it turns out, the 'infant ticket' we purchased from China Airlines didn't guarantee any infant seating. We ended up holding the little one in our laps for 13 hours.

But anyway, we'll be here in Taiwan for a while, and we welcome friends and family to visit here often in lieu of visiting us in person (although we would love for you to come here!).