Communication

Communication is the theme for today. Actually this is something that has always been one of my weaknesses yet have tried, to no avail it would seem, to work on. Predominately my lack of communicating usually results in missed opportunities which is unfortunate yet something i have generally learnt to live with. However, my most cause for concern is certainly with regards to relationships. My lack of communication has proved almost disastrous.

I hold Communication as paramount to any healthy relationship but this fact appeared to have escaped my mind the past couple of days. Following an issue with my boyfriend, Brian, i decided remaining silent and refusing to budge from my stubborn stance was the road to pursue. What should have been a minor problem, if that at all, snowballed into an avalanche! Despite the fact that i felt horrendous for the past couple of days and just wanted to sort things out, neither of us did.

Thankfully things have been resolved, and a pact has been made to not let such a situation develop again. I just can't stop thinking that such situations should never develop in the first place as they can surely be avoided. I resolve to learn from this and try even harder to work on this problem as losing him would be catastrophic.

Nomadism continued...

Following on from yesterday, whilst having lunch in McDonald's today i was drawn again to my thoughts on how wireless communications are changing society. Not so long ago i remember McDonald's being a place where people would go purely for the purpose of a quick bite to eat and a chat among friends. Today over the deafening drown of Muzak sat next to me a man sleeping on the desk across from a woman using her laptop to surf the net. Whilst some took the time to indulge in some reading, others were furiously typing away on blackberries and mobile phones. Just across from me sat a man watching a youtube clip on his portable device who in turn was sitting next to a guy appearing to be holding a conference call. Of course in between this were people actually eating, yet this was by no means the main undertaking. Just a further example of how wireless technology has created areas performing multi-function purposes whilst at the same time meshing work, home, friends, and family into one.

Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall

Exercising some political jazz, the once called Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall has been renamed the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in an attempt to distance itself from China. It stands as an impressive monument to the one time dictator Generalissimo Chiang (1887 - 1975). This quadrangle encapsulates a gate along with the main building dominated by a bronze seated figurine of Chiang. The area is flanked either side with cultural aspects; the National Concert Hall and the National Theater.

Once Generalissimo of China itself, the government was forced to flee to Taiwan after losing the Civil War against the Communists. There he continued his tenure as President as the official government of China in exile. Some credit him with preventing Communist China's takeover of Taiwan along with laying the foundations for Taiwan's economic miracle. Yet this came at the vast expense of the Taiwanese. It was essentially a totalitarian single-party state of imposed rule by a foreign country. Martial law continued throughout his reign and suppression was the tool of choice to assimilate the country to Chinese ways and culture, dissidents were treated harshly and an attempt to eradicate the Taiwanese language was implemented.

Why such a huge commemoration was ever even considered in the first place is beyond me, but who am i to judge a democratic countries reverence to its authoritarian past?

The Nomadic Future?

Meandering around SYS Memorial Hall today I was reflecting upon the use, and my reliability, upon my mobile phone. It was serving the purpose not just as a phone and text service but also as my MP3, camera, plus full access to to the Internet at the touch of a button. This led me to contemplate mobiles in general and the technology that makes this possible: wireless communications.

The wireless world appears to be creating a new kind of individual, permanently connected via a myriad of gadgets. Going into New York Bagel and placing your green tea, no sugar, next to your mobile and ipod while opening a MacBook laptop to log onto their wireless connection to study for a TOEFL test is commonplace. People are becoming permanently connected, communicating constantly throughout the day and doing everything on the move. Friends, family, and work become meshed into one. Such a phenomenon can only increase as the technology improves and becomes more prevalent in society. This transformation is reminiscent of 'nomadism.' The differences being the nomads of old carried their livelihood with them. The technological nomads of today, however, take nothing with them. People and information are readily available wherever they go.

Wireless doesn't just make things easier, it has the power to completely transform, and impact, all aspects of society. For example. office spaces will become obsolete as people are no longer tied to one particular place, hence providing people with more freedom and autonomy. Dovetailed with this, the traditional rush hour becomes obsolete as people are constantly going too and fro places throughout the day. Places in themselves also seem to be changing. All areas are being redesigned for greater flexibility and multi-functionality on an ad-hoc basis. Offices, classrooms and places like libraries will maybe become a thing of the past.

Like all technology, it has both advantages and disadvantages. From what i can see, wireless communication creates a liberating force especially from the shackles of doing things in defined places. Yet on the flip side, people will always be on he move and never really anywhere. This technology has the power to bring friends and family closer together with almost constant connectivity whilst physically separated. Yet this comes at the expense of those outside this clique. Strangers and outsiders are less likely to become friends. Phone cameras have the power to record and catch injustices and brutality happening throughout the world. Just a look at recent examples in Myanmar and Tibet. However, it has the power to also turn everyone into the paparazzo. It has the ability to make people more autonomous in some respects yet more dependent in others. In short, wireless technology appears to bring about the oxymoron of the heaven of freedom with the hell of constant surveillance.

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park

Just five minutes from the apartment is Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, a nice peaceful place where I go to walk around and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and get some quality thinking time. It also serves as a popular quarter for joggers, ,including myself.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925) was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader instrumental in the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He is often referred to as the Father of Modern China. He became the first President of the ROC in 1912 and co-founded the KMT. He is revered both in China and Taiwan.

Considered by many as one of the greatest leaders of Modern China. His political legacy resides in developing a political philosophy known as the "Three Principles of the People" an eclectic incorporation, or some might say populist opportunistic posturing, of nationalism, democracy and socialism.

He was alarmed at the backwardness he saw in China; its conservatism and unwillingness to adopt knowledge and technology from the West. Therefore, he devoted his life to transforming China. Although his direct effect on the revolution is debated by historians (he was in exile during this period) he is credited with keeping the spirit of the revolution alive. While President, he used his Three Principles to try to establish peace, freedom and equality for the well-being of its people.

Next Stop: Hangover Central

Waking up in the morning wondering just how you managed to make your way into bed showered and undressed is never a good sign. The fact that i had a massive bruise on my ass just compounded the situation further. Thank God I had Brian's help to get me into bed otherwise i think i would have ended up collapsed on the bathroom floor!

These are hardly words of wisdom but has to be stated for the record; consuming a whole bottle of vodka in one night by just a single person should never be practiced by anyone. I was mortified to discover this in the morning, no wonder i passed out! Well as ever with major hangovers, the day turned out to be a slow day. Basically it was movies and National Geographic for the best part of the day intertwined with intermittent sleeping and eating leftover pizza.

At 9:00 we decided to take a walk to SYS Memorial Park for some fresh air. Nearby there is a little ice-cream and waffle shop so we stopped by to have something. Great little place with excellent ice-cream. After we went to Eslite bookstore to browse the magazines for a while. We headed home by midnight and hit the sack at about 3:00

House Warming Party

I'm slowly reaching the conclusion that Taipei and scooters is just not a good combination. After getting up early to drop Brian off at school i had the whole morning free to get things ready for the house party. At 9:30 i was home and ready to begin. However, a sudden, overwhelming, feeling of tiredness struck me and i had to lie down for a little rest. This little rest turned out to be longer than expected. By the time i arose it was already 11:00. I decided that a trip to 101 was in order to buy some of the fruit and salad for the evening. However, finding a parking space near 101 is a complete nightmare! 25 minutes of driving around to no avail. By the time i found a space it was time to pick up Brian. Not only was i mad at the fact that i had wasted an entire morning but he was also not in the best of moods after his MOCK test either.

Anyhow, we finally bought the stuff we needed for the house party and headed back home by 4:00. Some of his friends came early to help with the re-arrangement of the house and preparations for the party. While that was going on i decided that the rooftop needed a bit of a makeover. Therefore, i spent the best part of an hour weeding and re levelling a small area. It was hard work but and I think doing the whole rooftop is going to be a rather lengthy process but one i want to sort out for sure. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end when we can relax out there in the summer.

Well, back to the house party. People were suppose to arrive from 7 onwards but nobody arrived until 8:30 and about half the people as planned attended. We ordered four big pizzas and made salad along with extra nibbles. Rachael and Xena were the first to arrive followed by Ivan, Richard and then James. The evening was great; eating, chatting, and watching Live 8.

Unfortunately i seemed to be the only one wanting to drink. Well actually let me rephrase that, i was the only one that wanted to drink excessively. I have become quite partial to screwdrivers lately and got a little carried away. I don't even remember the last part of the evening but have video documentation from Brian's phone to remind me of just how retarded i can be when drunk!