I was invited to attend a wedding in LaColle on July 25, I accepted the invitation and worked on the itinerary for the trip delightedly. Soon, I found out that I had to spend over NT$60,000 to fly to Montreal via Vancouver and back with Air Canada, so I searched online for alternatives. From expedia.com I found a roundtrip from Hong Kong via SFO to JFK with United Air for NT$30,000. However, to catch that plane, I either had to spend over NT$10,000 for a roundtrip from Kaohsiung to HK not knowing whether I could check in at the transit counter, or NT$6,000, 2 nights hotels in HK (one day earier before departing from HK and one day later after landing in HK) and a HK visa. Eventually, I had an agent book me on United Air, which took me over 24 hrs to fly from Kaohsiung via Taipei, Narita, LA and JFK for NT$47,800.
To apply for a US visa, I wrote down all my life time records starting from my Junior high, military service, employment, etc. I took a day off, traveled by high speed rail and checked in a hotel near the AIT in Taipei, because my appointment was at 7:45AM, there was no way I could get there on time on the same day from Tainan. I heard a few of my colleagues being rejected when applying for a visa in order to participate in international conferences that were held in US, and the problem seemed to be that we are working in a Division of Infectious Disease and that makes us a potential threat to homeland security. I prepared certificates of bank balance, employment, wedding invitation, my tax papers etc., basically any documentation that might help to prove my urge of returning to Taiwan. Luckly, my interviewer only asked my purpose and duration of visiting America and issued me a 5 year multiple entrance visa.
The plan was to stay in New York City for 2 days then rent a car and drive up to Montreal. Stopping by Lake George one or two days on the way up and spend 2 days in Montreal for the just for laughs comedy festival, that was hosted by Lewis Black. After the wedding, drive back to JFK and the next day fly to San Francisco and stay for 3 days.
Accommodation and transportation are the two biggest issues to deal with when backpacking. Hotelium.com, a search engine that is programed to compare prices and offers available hotels from multiple search platforms. The service provides hotels overview/details, photos, location on google map and reviews from the users, and best of all is that travelers no longer have to search websites one by one to find the best deals and lowest rates. Once you find the supplier suitable for your needs, just click on the link that directs you to the supplier website to book the room directly. My first choice of hotel in NYC was the Hudson Hotel, however, after reviewing comments from Tripadvisor and advice from my friend, I decided to pass this hotel that seems to have too much fun at night.
Driving to Montreal was a logical choice when considering the price to fly to Montreal and transportation in Canada between LaColle, Hemmingford and Montreal. I found a website, Car Trawler, that claims to be the first company to provide a next generation car rental distribution system, specializing solely in car rental solutions, enabling increased revenues for its customers and suppliers. Indeed, I rented a Ford Focus for 7 days with all car insurances covered for US$288.65.
511, is the most seen/heard number when traveling in America, it's an American's Traveler information telephone number that provides real-time traffic conditions,transit conditions, public transit trip planner and travel links etc. Travelers can dial the three-digit telephone number 5-1-1 on traditional landline telephones and most mobile phones for the information or visit their website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/511.htm.
Other useful website:
Hotels Combined: compare hotels and prices from multiple hotel reservation sites
Subway maps : worldwide metro maps downloadable in many formats
Couchsurfing or Servas : Sleep on a couch for free
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Microsoft Photosynth
Microsoft photosynth provides a great platform to share photos in 3D. First, you need a Windows Live ID or Passport account to sign up the photosynth. 20GB of storage spaces are given to each account and it's a free service. After installing the photosynth in your computer, all you have to do is to follow the instruction carefully while shooting to ensure a 100% 3D synthed image. Microsoft Silverlight is needed to view a synth.
Here is an example of my recent synth: Notre Dame Basilica Montreal
Further reading: http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html
Here is an example of my recent synth: Notre Dame Basilica Montreal
Further reading: http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Angels and Demons
I've been listening to two voices whisper in my ears debating whether to buy a new camera for years.
The angel says: you have a great camera, sony F717, which has 5 mega pixels, 5x optical zoom with 2X digital zoom range, adjustable aperture/ shutter speed, and night vision, etc. You don't really need a new camera.
The demon objects: the noise level of sony F717 on ISO 100 is worse than any DSLR on ISO 400, the 5 mega pixels resolution doesn't even qualify for the basic photo competition which usually requires at least 6 mega pixels as minimum, the handy RAW date format for darkroom adjustments, not to mention the power of exchangeable lenses that gives you the power to manipulate angle distortions.
The angel says: DSLR is a money burning gadget, you have to purchase the camera body and lenses seperately and they aren't cheap! Also, the average weight of a DSLR is about 800g and a 18-200mm travel lens is 560g, together a DSLR weights over 1kg! You will wish that you didn't buy a DSLR when traveling around. Besides, is it nice and satisfying when you see the looks from people who realize all those beautiful picutes you took were coming from a small DC but not a DSLR? The bottom line is you don't want to spend NT$52,000 for a camera.
The demon says: OK, lets talk about the looks, didn't you have enough being treated as an amature when fighting for a good spot for photo shooting among those who equipped their DSLRs with tele-lenses? Didn't you dream about someday you too can change the toyish little DC to a big, firm, professional looking DSLR? Just listen to the clear and melodious sound of the reflector whenever you click on the shutter, that is the sound no DC can replicate.
The debate went on and on unitl I had a dream the other night. In the dream I was a well paid professional photographer taking pictures for Brad pitt (well, I watched too much TV, the Mr. and Mr.s Smith was on star movie that night). I woke up and gave in to the devil, I said to my little guardian: life is short and I'm gonna enjoy it and I purchased my first DSLR, Nikon D90 with 18-200mm VR lens, today.
The angel says: you have a great camera, sony F717, which has 5 mega pixels, 5x optical zoom with 2X digital zoom range, adjustable aperture/ shutter speed, and night vision, etc. You don't really need a new camera.
The demon objects: the noise level of sony F717 on ISO 100 is worse than any DSLR on ISO 400, the 5 mega pixels resolution doesn't even qualify for the basic photo competition which usually requires at least 6 mega pixels as minimum, the handy RAW date format for darkroom adjustments, not to mention the power of exchangeable lenses that gives you the power to manipulate angle distortions.
The angel says: DSLR is a money burning gadget, you have to purchase the camera body and lenses seperately and they aren't cheap! Also, the average weight of a DSLR is about 800g and a 18-200mm travel lens is 560g, together a DSLR weights over 1kg! You will wish that you didn't buy a DSLR when traveling around. Besides, is it nice and satisfying when you see the looks from people who realize all those beautiful picutes you took were coming from a small DC but not a DSLR? The bottom line is you don't want to spend NT$52,000 for a camera.
The demon says: OK, lets talk about the looks, didn't you have enough being treated as an amature when fighting for a good spot for photo shooting among those who equipped their DSLRs with tele-lenses? Didn't you dream about someday you too can change the toyish little DC to a big, firm, professional looking DSLR? Just listen to the clear and melodious sound of the reflector whenever you click on the shutter, that is the sound no DC can replicate.
The debate went on and on unitl I had a dream the other night. In the dream I was a well paid professional photographer taking pictures for Brad pitt (well, I watched too much TV, the Mr. and Mr.s Smith was on star movie that night). I woke up and gave in to the devil, I said to my little guardian: life is short and I'm gonna enjoy it and I purchased my first DSLR, Nikon D90 with 18-200mm VR lens, today.
Monday, July 13, 2009
2009 Chihsi art festival in Tainan
All performances at Confucious temple are cancelled; performances at other venues are also cancelled on Aug. 22 (Sat) - 24 (Mon). A Charity bazaar will be held at Confucious temple area on Aug. 22 (Sat) to raise funds for Morakot typhoon victims
The 2009 Chihsi art festival and the coming of age 16 celebration will be held on Aug 22-26 in various locations in Tainan. The program schedules are traslated from the official website:
Locations:
Confucious Temple, Tainan Train Station, Fe21' Mega, Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan), Mitsukoshi (Simen) , Tainan culture center, Former Tainan Meeting Hall, Dadong night market, Anping Matsu Temple, Jhongshan junior high school,
Performance Groups:
1. TsaiShiaoBing Contemporary Ballet Group (崔笑彬現代芭蕾舞團, Korea) 2. Ten Drum (十鼓擊樂團, Taiwan) 3. Azaguno(美國阿札鼓非洲樂鼓舞團, USA) 4. HaKa (毛利哈卡戰舞團, New Zealand) 5. Liaomoshi Dance theater (廖末喜舞蹈劇場, Taiwan) 6. Tainan City Traditional Orchestra (台南市立民族管絃樂團, Taiwan) 7. East Art (東方藝術團, Taiwan) 8. Lin Long Dance Group (靈龍舞蹈團, Taiwan) 9.ChenShiang Taiwanese Oper (城鄉歌仔戲劇團, Taiwan) 10. Jhongshan Junior High Dance Class (中山國中舞蹈班，Tainan/Taiwan) 11. Sparrow Dancce (日本麻雀舞, Japan)
Schedule:
primary venue
*In case of rain: Jhongshan junior high school
Secondary venues
Other venues
Updated: Aug.17th
The 2009 Chihsi art festival and the coming of age 16 celebration will be held on Aug 22-26 in various locations in Tainan. The program schedules are traslated from the official website:
Locations:
Confucious Temple, Tainan Train Station, Fe21' Mega, Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan), Mitsukoshi (Simen) , Tainan culture center, Former Tainan Meeting Hall, Dadong night market, Anping Matsu Temple, Jhongshan junior high school,
Performance Groups:
1. TsaiShiaoBing Contemporary Ballet Group (崔笑彬現代芭蕾舞團, Korea) 2. Ten Drum (十鼓擊樂團, Taiwan) 3. Azaguno(美國阿札鼓非洲樂鼓舞團, USA) 4. HaKa (毛利哈卡戰舞團, New Zealand) 5. Liaomoshi Dance theater (廖末喜舞蹈劇場, Taiwan) 6. Tainan City Traditional Orchestra (台南市立民族管絃樂團, Taiwan) 7. East Art (東方藝術團, Taiwan) 8. Lin Long Dance Group (靈龍舞蹈團, Taiwan) 9.ChenShiang Taiwanese Oper (城鄉歌仔戲劇團, Taiwan) 10. Jhongshan Junior High Dance Class (中山國中舞蹈班，Tainan/Taiwan) 11. Sparrow Dancce (日本麻雀舞, Japan)
Schedule:
primary venue
| Location* | Date | Time | Groups (in order) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confucious Temple | 8/22 (Sat) | 19:20-21:30 | 11, 10, 4, 5, 3, 1, and 2 |
| Confucious Temple | 8/23 (Sun) | 19:30~21:00 | 1, 2 and 5 |
| Confucious Temple | 8/24 (Mon) | 19:30~21:15 | 6, 4 and 7 |
| Confucious Temple | 8/25 (Tue) | 19:30-21:15 | 1, 3 and 8 |
| Confucious Temple | 8/26 (Wed) | 19:30-21:20 | 4, 1, 3, 2 and all groups |
Secondary venues
| Location | Date | Time | Groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dadong night market | 8/13 (Sat) | 19:30-21:00 | 6 |
| Tainan culture center | 8/22 (Sat) | 16:00-16:30 | 2 |
| Tainan Culture center | 8/23 (Sun) | 16:00-16:30 | 1 |
| Anping Matsu Temple | 8/23 (Sun) | 19:00-20:00 | 9 |
| Tainan Train Station | 8/23 (Sun) | 19:30-19:50 | 11 |
| Sheng Mou Gong | 8/25 (Tue) | 17:00-17:30 | 2 |
Other venues
| Location | Date | Time | Groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsukoshi (Simen)/ Fe21' Mega | 8/22 (Sat) | 15:00-15:45/ 17:00-17:30 | 4/ 2 |
| Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel/ Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan)/ Fe21' Mega | 8/23 (Sun) | 14:00-14:30/ 16:00-16:45/ 18:00-19:00 | 11/ 4/ 11+3 |
| Mitsukoshi (Simen)/ Fe21' Mega | 8/24 (Mon) | 16:00-16:30/ 17:00-17:30 | 2/ 2 |
| Fe21' Mega/ Mitsukoshi (Jhongshan) | 8/25 (Mon) | 16:30-17:00/ 16:00-16:45 | 1/ 3 |
| Fe21' Mega/ Mitsukoshi (Simen) | 8/26(Wed) | 15:30-16:15/ 15:30-16:00 | 4/ 1 |
Updated: Aug.17th
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Orchid Island
From a distance, as my boat was approching the KaiYuan harbor in a golden hue of sunset, the island looked like a mirage surfacing on the open sea; an island that contains mysterious species that can't be found anywhere else. Indeed, except for the white shelled snail (Helicostyla okadai) that can also be found on Green island, birdwing butterfly (Troides magellanus), Scops Owl (Otus elegans) and Kikuchi's Gecko(Gekko kikuchii) etc. can only be found here.
Geographically seperated from Taiwan, orchid island developed its unique ecosystem and culture. The island was delared as an ethnological research area off-limits to the public. As a result, the traditional culture of the inhabitants, Tao, who migrated to the island from the Batan Archipelago 800 years ago was well preserved. The restiction was lifted in 1967, Mandarin became compulsory in education, increasing tourism... the island is losing its uniqueness fast.
Building boats and fishing are the basic skills defining a man on the island. It may not be rocket science to build a traditional Ami boat, but it's certainly a skillful art. Wood selection in building a boat is function oriented, woods that are highly scratch resistant are use to build the bottom part of the boat whereas hard woods are selected to make up the front and rear parts of the boat in counteracting frequent collisions. 21 (small boat) or 27 (big boat) pieces of wood are shaped precisely in accordance to the parts of the boat, piece by piece the boat is assembled without using a snigle nail in the process. Boat festival is one of the biggest ceremonies on the island. The ceremony is held for ipanitika, boats that decorated with special symbols on the side before sending them to water, whereas undecorated boats, ipiroaun, can set sail without the ritual.Sending the boat into water is the climax of the ceremony, villagers wear traditional costumes (thong, silver helmet and spear) to participate in the ritual. Males in thongs make ferocious looks while the captain waves a knife to exile evil spirits. They heave the boat and toss it in the air several times until the boat is brought to the sea. After the cruise, a fish is hanged on the boat for prosperity and a chicken is sacrified to the spirit of the boat.
Flying fish come with the black current in the pacific ocean during March to June every year. The traditional way of fishing on the island is sailing out at night; attracted by the light of torches flying fish jump out of the water and fly in all directions toward the boats. To ensure a great harvest, 13 times of flying fish festivals are held on the island during the season, like the boat festival, female participation in such festival is prohibited. At dawn, males dress in thongs and silver helmets gathering their boats at the beach. The elders sing prayers and lead the crowd welcoming the flying fish with their helmets and gestures. Captains of each boat then sacrifice a chicken and mark a rock with the blood for prosperity.Legendories, taboos, ancestor worshiping and instructions of the elders are guidelines to the daily life of the villagers. While men are out there fishing, women grow water taros which is the staple on the island; by the instruction of elders, caught fish are divided into 3 groups by the texture of the fish: the finest ones for women, the worst for the elders and the rest for men... The island's inaccessibility may slow down the speed of cultural assimilation but the increasing tourism has changed the way that Tao live. The villagers on the island have the most contradictory perspective on toursim that I've ever seen. Hotels, restaurants and bars are increasing in Hongtou (red headed) and Yuren (fisherman) villages on the South-West of the island, whereas elders who still wear thongs and live in the semi-underground houses in Yeying and Dongchin villages on the North-East of the island might scream at you to fuck off when approching. Even in the same village, the conflict exists between generations. It is interesting to see the hospitable young generation inviting tourists to visit their traditional semi-underground houses while the elders greet them with swear words.
Transportation:
By air:
Dailyair is the only airline with flights to Orchid Island, NT$1345/one way (25 min). Flight schedule
By Boat:
Two routes are available, one commutes between FuGang harbor, Taitung and KaiYuan harbor, Orchid Island; the other commutes between Houbihu, Pingtung, KaiYuan harbor, Orchid Island. NT$1000/one way (2.5-3 hours). There is no fixed schedule, so call the ferry companies below before making your trip.
Gold Star Ferry (金星客輪): 089-281477
LanYu Star (蘭嶼之星)：089-280290
Grean Island Star (綠島之星)：089-280226
Victory Ferry (凱旋客輪)：089-281047
Star Ferry恆星號：0912982330
This website http://www.ezboat.com.tw/index.php (Chinese only) provides online booking; passengers must check in at the Fugan harbor 30 mins before departure.
Motocycle rental on the island: NT500/24hours
LanTien (嵐天): 0963-165258
JiaJia (佳佳)：0933-107460
MeiYingMei (美英美)：0910-583277
WenWen (雯雯)：0937603294
Accommodation:
LanYu Hotel (蘭嶼別館): (089)731611; NT400-4000.
Ocean Hotel (蘭嶼大飯店) :(089) 732166, 731037; NT450-4000
TaTaLa (TaTaLa的家) : 089-731635;
YanXiang (原鄉) :(089)731683; NT500-2500, semi-underground houses, recommended.
B &B : visit http://lanyu.info/
Activities:
Most of the B&B can arrange all kinds of activities such as diving (TungLung(東龍潛水) : (089) 732617, 0937579695) and night tour, etc. Stop by the LungMen harbor at night with a powerful flashlight, you may catch some fly fish in the old fasion way.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
HOME
On June 5th
More than a movie, HOME will be a major event around the globe: for the first time ever, a film will be released on the same day in over 50 countries.
June 5th 2009, World Environment Day has been chosen as the highly symbolic date for this simultaneous, and free of charge, release on every format: movie theatre, TV, DVD and Internet. The aim of director Yann Arthus-Bertrand, distributor Luc Besson and François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of PPR, the film's official sponsor, is to reach the widest possible audience, and to convince us all of our individual and collective responsibility towards the planet.
ON JUNE 5th WE ALL HAVE A DATE WITH THE PLANET!
======================================================
Update:
Home (whole movie, 1:33:18) on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The best trip in the world--Taiwan explorers wanted
The Turism Bureau of Taiwan is launching a campain to promote the turisim in Taiwan. 50 teams of travelers who come up with the best itineraries for a four-day trip will be selected (itineraries submition period: June 1-30). Each team will be given NT$7000 per day for up to 4 days. The activity period is July 11 to Aug. 31. Each team must produce a video (up to 10 minutes) of each day’s activities and upload it each evening together with an explanation (up to 200 words) of the activities onto the official website. The most popular team will be selected for each of three language groups (Chinese, English and Japanese) in accordance with popularity with blog readers, as measured by the number of votes won and hits on the video and win a 4 day/3 night flight + hotel package for two people.
For details: http://www.taiwanbesttrip.net/
For details: http://www.taiwanbesttrip.net/
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