I think I can...

My holidays are so close, I can almost feel the hot sand between my toes and the taste of sea on my lips; tropical cocktail in one hand and a long overdue book to be read in the other. I haven’t looked forward to a holiday this much for a long time and I plan to make the most of it. I don’t really have any plans or schedule, but just going to take it day by day and do whatever comes my way. Only 9.5 more hours to go!

The last couple of posts I’ve taking a break from the normal and posted a couple of articles I’d written for my book. Haven’t really heard anything which I can only assume means that no one reads this blog (or at least not regularly) or everyone is very busy. I’m going with the latter as it makes me feel better. Anyway, the text of the book has been laid out so now it’s a matter of going through and doing some editing, as well as photo shopping the pics, tweaking the design, and lastly finding a printer. I’m going to price out some printing companies and produce about 10 copies (if it’s feasible) just to say I’ve done it. I’m not really setting a timetable for anything, but I guess I’d like to see it done by CNY.

I’m learning lots as and I go and trying to enjoy the process without rushing through it. There are tedious parts to get there, but overall it’s a constructive way to spend my time. When I do finish, it’s going to be hard to find something to fill up the time.

Work has been busy, but there has also been a major development there. One of my coworkers was let go for various reasons; without going into major detail, the tension in the office has gone with my coworker. It’s only been a week but already there has been a major shift in workload and atmosphere. Although I don’t wish my former coworker any ill will, it has to be said that this is a change for the better.

What else, what else…actually, there really isn’t much else at the moment so I’m going to sign off and the next time I write I’ll have lots to share about my vacation. See you in two weeks

another lazy post

I haven't gotten any feedback on the last post, but I'm hoping I'll get at least one comment on this one...yet another article from my book as I'm feeling too lazy to write about anything else at the moment.

Thriving & Surviving - Guanxi
One of the most elusive concepts while I have been living in Taiwanese culture is guanxi 關係. Guanxi literally translates into “relationship” and is applied to both personal and professional situations. It refers to the benefits gained from social networks, whether they are family, school, work friends, clubs, or organizations.


From a western perspective, guanxi can be easily misconstrued as the you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours mentality, but guanxi is much more than just who you know and what they can do for you. It’s a way to behave in every personal encounter you have which can be mystifying at first, but later make a strange sort of sense. Let’s take tipping as an example. In western cultures, it’s a given that you should tip to say thank-you for the service you receive. In Taiwan, tipping is not only unexpected, it’s frowned upon and sometimes even downright insulting. If you got into the wrong cab and told the taxi driver to keep the change, they might refuse or get angry about it. Due to guanxi, the taxi driver might consider your tip as an act of charity, and when unasked for, this can be a major loss of face. They also might think you’re vying for special treatment by giving them money, putting them in your debt. While it might seem innocuous, traditionally minded Taiwanese take it very seriously.


Probably the fastest way to lose face is to get angry and start shouting in public. Taiwanese people almost never do this, even if they have just cause. Someone could run over their foot, steal their wallet, or cut them off in line and no one says a thing. The thinking is that the person who caused the offense is the one who has already lost face. Basically, you let people away with stuff that would never fly back home because they are embarrassing themselves already. I’ve had to stop myself a couple of times and even had a very uncomfortable experience where I snapped on a mentally challenged high school kid. Nothing says loss of face when you see a sweaty, angry foreigner taking out his bad day on a disable teen in front of about 75 people. Still, guanxi’s a tough pill to swallow and there are a few occasions where I’ve seen Taiwanese people lose their shit. This will literally stop people on the street. (watching someone explode is apparently not part of guanxi)


From a professional perspective, guanxi exists everywhere. In Taiwan, teaching English to any student before Grade 1 is illegal, yet every buxiban offers immersion programs that employ foreign teachers. To keep the Labor and Immigration police away, schools use their guanxi to protect their school. This can either be through who you know, or how much you pay. Schools with little to no guanxi are usually the one’s that are targeted frequently.


Love it or hate it, guanxi is part of life in Taiwan and other Chinese cultures. If get a grasp of the basics, you’ll soon just smile at the moron who just cut the line in 7-11.

i'v mentioned in a couple of posts that i've been working a book that is part memoir and part travel guide of my time in asia. i'm desperate for some feedback so i'm going to take a break from the norm and post a rough draft of something i've been working on. as part of the book, i'm going to put in several short essays entitled "thriving & surviving" which are observations and musings on cultural differences that exist only in asia. i would greatly appreciate some comments on this....the material isn't exactly sensitive, but i'm mostly afraid of the tone being misinterpreted. i want to tweak foibles here, not create hate literature (although i think i'm pretty far off the mark)

anyway, here goes...

Thriving + Surviving – The Squat Toilet

Spend any amount of time in Asia and you’re sure to come across the squat toilet. It’s a trough-shaped fixture, seated in the middle of the floor in a bathroom stall. The water tank is in the top corner and features a pull chain to flush. There isn’t a seat and you need to position yourself over top of the trough, with your pants pulled away from your bum, while trying to maintain your balance. I like to push my hand against one wall for support, while using my other to ensure I don’t poop all over my pants.

While most homes and businesses have converted to the western-style toilet, the squatter remains in many public bathrooms throughout. If you’re like me, you only encounter the squatter when the situation is dire. It will likely be shortly after you’ve made a questionable food choice that will result in a mad dash to the nearest public toilet. It’s a 50/50 chance of it being a squat toilet. Of course, in a blind panic to use the toilet lest you unload in your pants, you take whatever comes your way.

I still prefer to use a western-style toilet whenever I can. This is due to a couple of reasons. A) Sanitation and B) Less-stress. I know that some would disagree about it western-style toilets being more sanitary (various bums touching the toilet seat, fear of crabs, herpes, etc) but squatters don’t seem that clean to me. There can be (and often is) leftovers that haven’t been washed away, not to mention a garbage pail full of used toilet paper about a foot away. I tend to feel stressed out whenever I have to use a squatter. I’m afraid that I’ll crap on my clothes, or that I’ll slip and fall into the trough. Worst of all, the fact is that there isn’t a water dampening effect from the usual bowl, so the smell is unholy. I’m always worried that the smell might cling to my clothing for the rest of the day. All in all, I poop so I can relieve my body of undue stress, not to create more.

There are a few advantages to the squat toilet that I would be failing in my duty if I didn’t report on them. It is good for your digestive system because there is no grunting or pushing involved. You just simply let go and boom! A nice quick crap. I suppose it can be considered more sanitary because you aren’t touching anything (once you’ve mastering the balancing act). But, isn’t it nice to just sit down and take a break sometimes? To have a little “me” time?

I think I’ve gotten somewhat used to the squat toilet over time, although I will still wait in line for the western-style toilet as long as it’s not go time.

thoughts? comments? concerns? i'd love to hear 'em.

recent happenings

with june over and done with, it's time to update on what has been happening. it was a really busy month full of birthdays, outings, bbqs, dinners and the usual summer time hoopla. started out the month with leesh's birthday celebrations at dozo. we got dressed up and wined and dined the night away. after dinner, everyone kind of split up for a bit before reconvening at revolver. it's fast become one of the foreigner hotspots, although i'm not really sure why. it used to be called the source, but it was bought by a foreigner and he's trying hard to make it profitable by hosting just about every sort of music event possible. the only problem is, it's a small venue and i've never been a fan of doing the same thing each and every weekend. so, we hung out for a couple of beers and called it a night.

the rest of the month is a blur. work, sleep, plans on the weekend. we had a couple of friends leaving at the end of june so it was pretty much time spent with them, enjoying their company and the last time doing things with them. while it's sad to see them leave, it's nice to have the last lasts over with and finally have a weekend of no obligations. i'm spending it crossing some things off the to-do list, mostly on the creative project side of things. 

speaking of to-do list, i've come up with another action plan to keep myself on track both professionally and personally. it may seem a little nerdy, but i have trouble managing my time for things i'd like to do (other than work and sleep) so this always helps if i can do a little bit each day. i've made one in the past and it really helped with some personal goals. this time i've extended it to include some professional goals so fingers crossed that it helps with those in the same way. been following it now for a couple of weeks and so far so good.

i feel i should also comment on the dog since i mentioned her so much a couple of posts back. we've had her surgery and there was a small improvement followed by a week of behavioural backsliding. last weekend, we took her to the doggy daycare and while the facility is impressive, the prices are not. so, we're sort of stuck again as we leave for holidays in three weeks and aren't sure what to do. putting her up somewhere is going to cost an arm and a leg, so this may just force our hand into giving her up. it does feel like a waste after investing so much time and energy these last few months (elisha especially) but i just don't think i can do it anymore. that said, after we went to the daycare facility, she had an awesome week. i think seeing it may have scared her straight.

thinking about the future more and more these days and starting to hatch a scheme for our departure from taiwan. we don't really have a big problem nor are we unhappy, but maybe just feeling a little understimulated or unchallenged? these factors combined with friends leaving always make me reevaluate what i'm doing and plotting the course ahead. when i leave i want a completely different experience so i've been looking into moving to south america or maybe spain. both are solid choices in terms of culture, opportunity and lifestyle so both are strong contenders. i think i am leaning more towards spain (barcelona in particular) because all i seem to hear are positive things. also, i really like the idea of living in a european country with easy access to surrounding countries and a stones' throw from africa. we've started looking into work, downloaded some spanish podcasts and planned our finances accordingly. hmm, i guess we're a little more into than i thought.