Fundraising for charity

After four days of walking around Taipei City, Da Pong and I finally got a day off. We decided to accompany my mother to visit one of the Tzu Chi Hospitals. My mother somehow travels far to this hospital every month for her monthly checkup. It is quite a distance for her to travel by bus from Sin Zhuan to Sin Dian! I wanted to tag along to see her health report. Plus, I really wanted to see this hospital and, furthermore, my donation dollars at work, I guess.

 

I don’t mind disclosing a little fact that I do donate to many charities regularly and Tzu Chi is one of them. A close friend of mine is an active member in the town I live, and I donate the money through her to Tzu Chi every month. I have heard many stories about how they helped build the hospital, but this would be my first time to visit one. Honestly, I was quite impressed with the size of the hospital and how orderly the process was wherever we went.

 

I never like hospitals because it always reminds me of the time when my dad was in and out of three hospitals. You would get to hate it as well if you had to visit the hospital everyday. Anyway, I was very impressed with what I saw at the Tzu Chi Hospital. I don’t know how the quality of the service is like for that size of a hospital though. The large number of patents and the number lights made the place look just like conveyer lines to me. Can a doctor really get to know a patient well at a big hospital? I don’t have the answer but, at least, I know they’ve got a happy patient- my mother. My mother obviously is happy enough to visit there on a monthly basis.

 

Other than the visit to the hospital with my mother, we actually had another plan for the day. We planned to have the first ET encounter. I am not talking about the alien ET but the blog friends on English Taiwan site(ET2). After the hospital visit, I called up my blog friend Carlito again to confirm the time of our date at lunch, which happened to be the day after his birthday. I had been looking forward to this day. For this trip to Taiwan, I did not really plan to meet up with anybody at first because my time was limited and the schedule was tight. However, the messages I had received from so many blog friends from ET2 and the other two blog sites (Wretch and Pixnet) were quite overwhelming. I was humbled by all the kindness and friendly gesture I had received. I am very sorry if I did not get to see all of you due to my time constraint.

 

Da Pong and I were quite excited and nervous about meeting up with the first blog friend on ET2! Well, it turned out to be blog “friends”. On the phone, Carlito mentioned that he would bring along another friend, Summerplayer. Excellent! It was even better to meet up with two at the same time. Da Pong felt a bit awkward at first because he knew nothing about my blog friends. All the information he heard about Carlito was all second hand information through me, so he was hesitant about going along to meet them. Well, if I was the tour organizer for Da Pong, he didn’t really have a choice, did he?

 

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Ever Since the report of Typhoon Morakot hit the news, I have glued myself to read news after news on the computer everyday. I don’t really have the mood to write anything, not even my trip reports. All the past memories for the places I had visited suddenly became heartaches. It was only about a week before August 8, I visited A-li-shan for a few days and toured around Kaohsiung City and the County with my family. When I read about the places I visited may no longer be there, I just couldn’t bring myself to write about the trips.

 

Today, I read about the damage of the highest elementary school at A-li-shan, Siang Shan Elementary School. I remember the day when Da Pong and I were standing outside a temple by the beautiful school, reading the banner on the wall and discussing about the possibility of going back to reside in Taiwan. We were jokingly hoping that we might be able to teach or volunteer at Siang Shan Elementary School or any aboriginal school one day. Now looking back and thinking of those children we met at A-li-shan who may not be able to return to their school in two weeks, it is just heart wrenching.


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We talked to a taxi driver at one time to enquire about the sword-makers around Taipei area. The driver told us there might be a sword shop close to a particular intersection by Chong Ch’ing Nan Road, and we should be able to spot it quickly if we were at the intersection. According to his instruction, this particular store should not be too far from the CKS’s Memorial Hall. So, I thought we might as well walk there since we were already at CKS Memorial Hall. Duh! Wrong! What was I thinking?
 
The two roads he gave us were not intersected at all, and they were very far apart. With the map in hands, we kept walking and walking to look for this shop that turned out to be non-existent at all. People might ask, “Why didn’t you take a taxi?” Well. If I had an address, I would! However, we did not really know where the shop was located! We could only walk and search the area.  
 
Did I mention that it was the hottest day since our arrival? We were so cooked! We finally stopped at Nan Yang Street, near the train station. By then, Da Pong got blisters on his feet. We had to take “cooling” shelter at the MacDonald’s in order for me to go look for Band-Aids and socks! Yes, socks! We had to ditch the sandals for shoes.  
 
On this hot day, we walked upstairs to the second floor of a MacDonald’s in search of a seat. All we saw was students with books on the table. One person often took up a table alone or sometimes with a drink on the table. Anyway, thank Goodness, we found a table with two seats on the second floor at this crowded MacDonald’s by Nan Yang Street! What a miracle! I almost kneeled down to kiss the floor!  
 
Here is my complaint about all the fast food restaurants in Taiwan. Well, the complaint is not really about the restaurants per se, but about the “invaders”. Almost all the fast food restaurants we went to were “invaded” by people, mostly students, who just sat there and used the tables as their study room or lounge for a nap! Do you know how hard it is to find a table at a fast food restaurant in downtown Taipei? It was extremely difficult for us and this happened so many times during our visit to Taiwan, to the point that one of us had to be a scout to look for a table first before we ordered any food. If there was no table, we left!  
 

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It is not easy to be a tour operator, especially one who does not get paid!   While I was planning for the day trip each day, I would collect information from taxi drivers and bus drivers. I talked to family, relatives, blog friends, friends and neighbours just to organize a route that would cover every stop that we would like to visit. Every night, I would search online on the special places or interesting destinations to visit. Since Da Pong suddenly had this special mission for Chinese and Japanese swords, I had been researching on the sword-makers in Taiwan.  
 
I must be out of my mind to pick the hottest day to visit Chiang Kai Shek’s Memorial Hall. (See, I forgot to research on the weather!) The day to CKS Memorial Hall was a bit uneventful because we had been there many times. Plus, it was the hottest day ever since our arrival. The heat obviously started to get to us and our pace had been slowed down substantially.  
 
We changed from a bus to subway at Si Men Ding. Since I had lived in Si Men Ding for many years, we decided to swing by the old streets and the temple to pay a visit. We were so hot that we ended up going into the temple to cool down for a bit. The following trip to the CKS Memorial Hall was like snail pace. We dragged our feet for every step we took. (Who decided to build a hall with so many steps anyway?) 
 
At CKS Memorial Hall, we wanted to see the changing of guards. While we were hanging around downstairs, cooling and waiting, we forgot the time and spent too much time going through the display of CKS’s life history. There was also a special Tibet exhibit which was very interesting. I always have a great respect for Tibetans and certainly did not want to miss the display.  
 
Spending too much time at the lower-levelled exhibition halls, we missed the changing of guards! Interestingly enough, while we were looking around at the gift shop, the guards came down and actually passed by us at the lower hall. It was fantastic for us! Da Pong got to snap a few photos of them, which was better than nothing. 
 

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After three days in Taipei, we were beginning to get used to the persistent heat. When I said “get used to”, I basically meant that we simply accepted the facts that; One, there was no use to keep our shirts dry because it was not going to happen; Two, there was no point wiping our sweat because they would keep dripping down like going through a car wash. Three showers a day would not be enough for us. We were simply perspiring profusively, literally like pigs throughout the day.

 

After the day trip to Taipei 101 and Dr. Sun Y.S.’s Memorial Hall, we decided to visit the Guang Hua Shopping Centre to get a few memory cards for the cameras. In my old memories, I still had this impression of a dark old shopping area with many used book stores in the dingy basement under the bridge. On the contrary, I was surprised to find this new building of this electronics shopping centre quite nice, bright and airy.

 

We got to the shopping centre too early, one hour before the opening time. It was not fun to hang around an empty place. We were like two hungry kids outside a closed candy shop; we could only look in but couldn’t touch. No fun at all! Finally we found a shop that opened early and they did sell memory cards for the camera. Da Pong went for a card with 16 Mg., but little did we know that our camera would not read a card that big; anyway, that would be another story for another time.

 

Since only a handful of stores were open early, we hung around for a short while and left for the museum. While we were at the Centre, I made a quick phone call to Carlito to wish him a Happy Birthday. The phone call was short and I guessed I just caught him off guard. Anyway, it was good to talk to a real blog friend on the phone and we set a time to meet in person. Man, his Chinese is good!

 

We like to walk a lot, but it is a completely different story when walking in the sun, in the heat and looking for street names and bus stops. Two overweight people strolled on the street in Taipei with hats, shorts, running shoes, backpacks, hand towels and bottles of liquid in our hands. We somehow just didn’t fit into the 9 to 5 office crowds on the street. Yeah, we sure looked like two odd tourists with the word “tourist” stenciled all over our foreheads. Wherever we went, we had to ask people for directions to get to the subway or bus stops. I thought I was pretty good with reading maps, but I guessed we were direction-challenged in Taipei. Anyway, we walked all the way to the closest subway station from Guang Hua Shopping Centre and then on our way to the National Palace Museum.

 

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Taipei 101 was the first stop on our list to visit. I was at Taipei 101 last year with my mother and two nephews and very impressed with the massive structure and engineering technology. On the observation deck last year, we also had the most expensive ice cream cone that I had ever had, which my two nephews still talk about it till this day. This year I was the seasoned visitor to lead Da Pong around to visit the building of Taipei 101.

 

We took the subway and buses to get to Taipei 101. Although we had obtained our international driver’s licenses before we left Canada, we decided not to rent a car in Taipei. My brother also offered us his car for our stay in Taipei but we just didn’t feel comfortable driving in Taipei. I have to say that my driving record has been excellent, but I am not so sure that I can ever adjust to the Taiwanese driving style. What I don’t need is to have an idiot driver changing lane illegally to pass me by and scratch the car, which is rampant in Taipei anyway. The Taipei subway system is excellent in my view, and the bus system connected to the subway is quite good. On top of all, the taxi is not too expensive, either. So, risking our lives to drive in Taipei is out of the question.

 

The wealth that Taipei 101 displays is beyond our comprehension. We were there on a Monday which might not be the busiest day for the retail business. We were in awe to see all the expensive shops under one roof and wondered how the stores could have stayed alive in business. Then we soon found out how.

 

Da Pong left his camera strap in Canada. Without the hand strap, it could be dangerous for him to lose his grip on the camera which was a Christmas present from me. So, while we were in Taipei 101, one of the biggest shopping malls in town, we decided to look for a hand strap for his camera before any of our out of town trips. Sure enough, there is a Sony Store inside Taipei 101. We were hoping to find a generic hand strap for his Nikon camera. How difficult could it be for a simple hand strap?

 

The salesman at the Sony Store was very kind and attentive to show us the only two hand straps they had, which were only two hundred New Taiwan dollars apart. We calculated the prices and somehow felt strange with the number we were given. Well, it appeared to be cheaper, compared to the prices we might pay back home, but hey, “This is Taiwan!” we thought, and maybe we got a good deal. Six dollars might just be the right price to pay in Taiwan. We happily picked the more expensive one, walked to the counter and gave our credit card to the salesman. Only did we find out later that we were just not very good with the money conversion math. Duh! We moved one place too many on our place value math!

 

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Our flight landed at 5:30AM! Days before my departure, I already told the family not to bother to come pick us up at the airport. (For God’s sake, it was 5:30 in the morning!) Anyway, we really took our time walking through the corridors, waiting in line for the immigration and claiming our luggage since we figured that no one would be waiting for us at the gate. By the time we stepped out the custom, it was about 7:30AM. Suddenly, I heard, “Julia!”

 

No way!

 

My brother and my sister-in-law had been waiting for a long time for us to come out. (Some people just don’t listen, especially the loved ones! ) My brother was supposed to fly out to Vietnam later on the same day, but he delayed his departure just for us. Luckily, he and I got to spend a whole day together with the whole family. I really appreciate their efforts for us.

 

My number one travelling rule to beat the jet lag: Always stay up when the sun is up!

 

Shortly after we had arrived and freshened up, the family decided to go to Jin Shan to visit the mausoleum where the ashes of my father and all the ancestors are kept. It was a good decision for us to be out for the day just to keep ourselves awake. On the way back to Taipei from the mausoleum, we drove along the coast to visit a few scenic places. WOW! There are lots of coffee shops along the coast!

 

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I am visiting Taiwan from July 3 to July 29.


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Mama, I Am Coming Home!


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It is Father's Day tomorrow. Here is a song that I personally love very much. On this special day, I would like to dedicate the song to my father (and in-laws) who is in Heaven looking down on us. I didn't tell my dad often enough that I loved him very much before he passed away. I guess the traditional culture we were brought up didn’t encourage us to openly disclose our love towards each other in the family.

My father and I didn't quite see eye to eye after my mother almost died from a surgical operation. I also resented him for many of his failed business attempts that affected our life for so many years. It was unbearable for me to see my mother worry about him over the years. He was the one who made me rethink about the definition and the purpose of a traditional marriage.

My father, however, was the drive that made me the way I am. I learned to be independent from the very young age. He was the one who encouraged me to be a leader and to love life passionately. He was the one who brought laughter and fun to my family. We all got his good sense of humour. If my mother was the one who instilled in me the virtues of self-discipline and diligent work ethics, my father would be the one who inspired me to be adventurous and ambitious.

The truth is, as much as I loathed my father’s faults, I love him dearly. He was a charming man and a loyal friend to many of his acquaintances. He was the listener that I shared my glory and sorrow with when I was growing up. I have the image of my father. I am my father!

For years, I have carried this guilt that I did not stay in Taiwan long enough to care for him and I did not stay with him by his death bed. I couldn’t forgive myself that I didn’t get to the hospital in time to say farewell. Every year on this day, it is like my therapy session. This song is merely my redemption for my guilt. For my father in Heaven, I love you and I miss you.

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