just a quick message to say Happy Year of the Rabbit to all my Chinese friends! the holidays are here and so far, just relaxing and taking it easy, snuggling up to our next xbox kinect. actually, feeling kind of sore from playing but that is the whole idea behind interactive games.
xin nian kuai le! gon xi fa cai! will write more after i actually do some stuff during my vacation.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
the skin i'm in
Skin is a soft outer covering of an animal, in particular a vertebrate. It performs the following functions:
1.Protection: an anatomical barrier from pathogens and damage between the internal and external environment in bodily defense; Langerhans cells in the skin are part of the adaptive immune system.[3][4]
2.Sensation: contains a variety of nerve endings that jump to heat and cold, touch, pressure, vibration, and tissue injury; see somatosensory system and haptic perception.
3.Heat regulation: increase perfusion and heatloss, while constricted vessels greatly reduce cutaneous blood flow and conserve heat. Erector pili muscles are significant in animals.
4.Control of evaporation: the skin provides a relatively dry and semi-impermeable barrier to fluid loss.[4]
5.Storage and synthesis: acts as a storage center for lipids and water
6.Absorption: Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide can diffuse into the epidermis in small amounts, some animals uses their skin for their sole respiration organ (contrary to popular belief, however, humans do not absorb oxygen through the skin).[5]
7.Water resistance: The skin acts as a water resistant barrier so essential nutrients aren't washed out of the body.
Or at least, that's what wikipedia has to say on the matter. I'm writing this blog to complain about skin, more specifically, my skin.
I have what you dermatologists term sensitive skin. This doesn't mean that it's sensitive to the touch or something like that, but rather that it is sensitive to the environment. This is mostly due to the fact that I have a skin condition called eczema. For anyone who doesn't know what eczema is, allow me to enlighten you: eczema, also know as topical dermatitis,is an itchy rash which forms on the skin in red patches. It can be brought on by changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. It can also be triggered by allergies (food and seasonal) or periods of stress. all sufferers are born with this condition and it can be passed down hereditarily.
i've had eczema my whole life. as a child, there wasn't a winter that went by without me suffering some kind of flare up. the areas affected were usually around my wrists, ankles, behind my knees and the crooks of my arms. as i got older, my eczema became more like dry patchs on my torso, legs and arms. by the time i reached college, i was experiencing full blown bouts that lasted the entire winter months. i particularly remember one winter before coming to taiwan where my upper lip and right eye had eczema around them while i'll patiently waited for a dermatologist appointment. i went a whole winter with a badly chapped upper lip and darkened eye...you have no idea how tired i was of being asked if i was either growing a mustache or had gotten into a fight.
there isn't any cure for eczema. it is something i had to deal with and will continue to deal with for the remainder of my life. of course, this isn't a debilitating disease like many others, but it is something i have to deal with almost every day of my life. i've tried a range of treatments, from naturopathic to strong medical treatments. the naturopathic treatments tend to be tedious and expensive, as well as gradually ineffective. the medical treatments provide tremendous results, but can have some serious side effects, such as skin cancer.
since coming to taiwan, i haven't really had any episodes. this is due to the the humid climate and moderate amounts of sunshine that encourage vitamin d and folic acid. no matter what tho, i have chapped lips about 40% of the time and still feel itchy most days. i've pretty much given up on any kind of chapstick as eventually, it either irritates the skin or my lips become so dependent on the moisture that they stop producing moisture on their own. on average, i pretty much have about 7-10 days a month where my lips are normal, not peeling, inflamed, split or itchy and red.
during my last trip to canada, i experienced a full on attack. it started out being itchy and dry (which i expected given the cold, dry weather) but by new year's eve day escalated to a point where i had no choice but to visit the emergency room and get a prescription for cream that would help things. (at a cost of $94 a tube) within a day of using the cream, the eczema pretty much went away.
sometimes, all i really want is to completely change the skin i'm in. if a skin transplant were possible, i think i would spend just about any amount of money to have it done.
in the meantime, i just have to make do with what i have and get things under control.
1.Protection: an anatomical barrier from pathogens and damage between the internal and external environment in bodily defense; Langerhans cells in the skin are part of the adaptive immune system.[3][4]
2.Sensation: contains a variety of nerve endings that jump to heat and cold, touch, pressure, vibration, and tissue injury; see somatosensory system and haptic perception.
3.Heat regulation: increase perfusion and heatloss, while constricted vessels greatly reduce cutaneous blood flow and conserve heat. Erector pili muscles are significant in animals.
4.Control of evaporation: the skin provides a relatively dry and semi-impermeable barrier to fluid loss.[4]
5.Storage and synthesis: acts as a storage center for lipids and water
6.Absorption: Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide can diffuse into the epidermis in small amounts, some animals uses their skin for their sole respiration organ (contrary to popular belief, however, humans do not absorb oxygen through the skin).[5]
7.Water resistance: The skin acts as a water resistant barrier so essential nutrients aren't washed out of the body.
Or at least, that's what wikipedia has to say on the matter. I'm writing this blog to complain about skin, more specifically, my skin.
I have what you dermatologists term sensitive skin. This doesn't mean that it's sensitive to the touch or something like that, but rather that it is sensitive to the environment. This is mostly due to the fact that I have a skin condition called eczema. For anyone who doesn't know what eczema is, allow me to enlighten you: eczema, also know as topical dermatitis,is an itchy rash which forms on the skin in red patches. It can be brought on by changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. It can also be triggered by allergies (food and seasonal) or periods of stress. all sufferers are born with this condition and it can be passed down hereditarily.
i've had eczema my whole life. as a child, there wasn't a winter that went by without me suffering some kind of flare up. the areas affected were usually around my wrists, ankles, behind my knees and the crooks of my arms. as i got older, my eczema became more like dry patchs on my torso, legs and arms. by the time i reached college, i was experiencing full blown bouts that lasted the entire winter months. i particularly remember one winter before coming to taiwan where my upper lip and right eye had eczema around them while i'll patiently waited for a dermatologist appointment. i went a whole winter with a badly chapped upper lip and darkened eye...you have no idea how tired i was of being asked if i was either growing a mustache or had gotten into a fight.
there isn't any cure for eczema. it is something i had to deal with and will continue to deal with for the remainder of my life. of course, this isn't a debilitating disease like many others, but it is something i have to deal with almost every day of my life. i've tried a range of treatments, from naturopathic to strong medical treatments. the naturopathic treatments tend to be tedious and expensive, as well as gradually ineffective. the medical treatments provide tremendous results, but can have some serious side effects, such as skin cancer.
since coming to taiwan, i haven't really had any episodes. this is due to the the humid climate and moderate amounts of sunshine that encourage vitamin d and folic acid. no matter what tho, i have chapped lips about 40% of the time and still feel itchy most days. i've pretty much given up on any kind of chapstick as eventually, it either irritates the skin or my lips become so dependent on the moisture that they stop producing moisture on their own. on average, i pretty much have about 7-10 days a month where my lips are normal, not peeling, inflamed, split or itchy and red.
during my last trip to canada, i experienced a full on attack. it started out being itchy and dry (which i expected given the cold, dry weather) but by new year's eve day escalated to a point where i had no choice but to visit the emergency room and get a prescription for cream that would help things. (at a cost of $94 a tube) within a day of using the cream, the eczema pretty much went away.
sometimes, all i really want is to completely change the skin i'm in. if a skin transplant were possible, i think i would spend just about any amount of money to have it done.
in the meantime, i just have to make do with what i have and get things under control.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
holidays
finally found some time to update my blog...just got back on monday from a 10-day christmas vacation in canada, and this first week back has been hectic and didn't really go as smoothly as i had hoped for. i'll elaborate more on that later, but here's a timeline of our awesome holiday.
dec.23rd we boarded the plane at 7:30 p.m. for our 13-hour, direct flight to toronto. everything was smooth as silk in terms of boarding, immigration, and all the usual pre-flight routines. the flight was comfortable as it wasn't fully booked, and we were one of the lucky ones who had an empty seat beside ours. what a world of difference those extra 15 inches of seat space can make to cramped up limbs. landed safely, got a text from justin (who was chilling with a $12 heineken at the pearsons terminal 3 bar...ouch!) to say he was waiting for us, then on our way to london to spend the night. arrived kind of late but was feeling wired from the trip.to remedy this, melissa poured caesars and ordered domino's just the way i like it. all that gusto within such a few short hours was enough to put us to sleep.
dec.26th - boxing day - decided to hit up some of the sales down in london. got some awesome deals and came away with a full work wardrobe. managed to get home around 6:00 p.m., had a quick nap and then had the weishars and a few friends come over for some christmas drinks and snacks. ended up being another late one, but finally called it a night around 3:00.
dec.23rd we boarded the plane at 7:30 p.m. for our 13-hour, direct flight to toronto. everything was smooth as silk in terms of boarding, immigration, and all the usual pre-flight routines. the flight was comfortable as it wasn't fully booked, and we were one of the lucky ones who had an empty seat beside ours. what a world of difference those extra 15 inches of seat space can make to cramped up limbs. landed safely, got a text from justin (who was chilling with a $12 heineken at the pearsons terminal 3 bar...ouch!) to say he was waiting for us, then on our way to london to spend the night. arrived kind of late but was feeling wired from the trip.to remedy this, melissa poured caesars and ordered domino's just the way i like it. all that gusto within such a few short hours was enough to put us to sleep.dec.24th - up early thanks to the effects of jet lag, but we took our time with a leisurely breakfast of peameal bacon BLT's (my favourite!) followed by a long overdue shower, starbucks run, and then home to hanover. i have to say, for the first time in a very, very long time, i was excited to go to hanover. we arrived at my mom and dad's to lots of hugs, a few tears, and a very home for the holidays atmosphere. we spent a few hours just talking and catching up, wrapping a few last minute presents, before heading out to elisha's house to spend the night. it was great to see everyone and together we ate, drank and were merry.
dec.25th - woke up at 8:30, hung out with the weishar clan for a bit of brekkie, then i went back into town, got showered up and went to durham to see my grandma campbell. she unfortunately had a stroke about two weeks prior, so she couldn't have a long visit, but she seemed happy that we were there and it felt good to see her again. after that, we headed back to my parents place and awaited elisha so we could open our presents. now, how things used to go in the campbell household was me waking everyone up at a ridiculous time to open presents....this year we didn't open presents up until 1:30! unreal, but it certainly made christmas last a lot longer than it normally does. everyone was spoiled rotten with loot.
around 3:00 p.m., the rest of the family started to arrive and dinner followed suit. we were not disappointed by the table laid before us. i know i keep talking about the food, but man, it had been a while since i had eaten so well and so much. a great day.
dec.26th - boxing day - decided to hit up some of the sales down in london. got some awesome deals and came away with a full work wardrobe. managed to get home around 6:00 p.m., had a quick nap and then had the weishars and a few friends come over for some christmas drinks and snacks. ended up being another late one, but finally called it a night around 3:00.
dec.27th - finally, after 3 full days of feasting and festing, it was time to relax and hopefully eat some salad or something instead of the rich repast i had been gorging myself. didn't do much else but lie around and start to make some plans for NYE. went back out to the weishars and spent the night as the sib-in-laws were planning on leaving the next day for home.
dec.28th - our admin day; time to do some banking, drivers' licenses, etc. not my favourite day by any stretch of the imagination, but always necessary when you're at home.
dec.29th - another glorious day to do nothing...just relax in the afterglow of christmas
dec.30th - see above
dec.31st - our final day in hanover. we started to say our farewells early as elisha's mom had to work...after that, it was elisha's father as he dropped us off at my parent's place. we hung out for the afternoon, drove to london and said our goodbye's as they drove back to hanover. we decided to spend NYE with justin and melissa and their friends and it turned out to be a lot of fun. got to bed around 4:30 a.m. which was a little scary considering we had to be in toronto later that same day, but fun nonetheless.
jan.1st - spent the day lounging and attempting to relax, but in fact becoming increasingly anxious about the long day ahead. eventually, it was time to go and catch the robert q airbus to pearson int'l. said our final goodbye's of the trip and then a few more hours wait before boarding the plane for a grueling, 15-hour flight back to taipei. add the trip time + the fact that we technically left on jan.2nd + losing 12 hours to int'l date line means we got back on jan3rd. painful, but worth it.
that was the trip. great time visit with fam+friends. the first week was a little rough. we were meant to head back to work the day we arrived but decided upon touchdown that wouldn't be happening. returned to work on tuesday and wednesday, but then i got sick on thursday and ended up having to take off at lunch and also friday. not really the productive work week i had in mind, but my body just had enough.
it is good to be back, but i have to be honest when i say that for one reason or another, it was a lot harder to leave this time than previous visits home. i'm not sure why, but it has spurred me to reevaluate my 'indefinite' timeline here in taiwan. in short, it's time to get focused up and set out what i came here to do. this by no way means that i'm done with taiwan, but that it's time to stop messing around and get serious about crossing a few goals off the list.
speaking of goals, i guess i did make some new year's resolutions for this year, or rather, a new year's mission statement. my theme for last year was 'grow', so this year it's going to be 'improve.' while this might seem pretty generic, it has two advantages; 1) i can apply this principle to everything i do currently in my life ex. diet - improve eating habits by eating organic and 2) it's simple and easy to use without having to come up with elaborate plans as to either keep or implement lofty resolutions. this idea of the mission statement really worked for me last year....i managed to improve my working situation, financial situation, health and eating habits, met some new people and even achieved a few other things unlooked for. this year, i just want to enjoy what i have but improve upon them; professionally+personally.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
lately
it's recently become one of my favourite trends to have a full weekend, filled up with different activities. this usually entails heading out on friday nights for some after work drinks to shake off the shackles of the work week. it also usually involves not eating dinner which means getting nice and tipsy before stumbling home at a sensible time. saturday morning is my favourite moment of the week when i wake up around 8:00 a.m. and know that i have the whole day ahead of me to do whatever i want. i start off having a skyping with my parents, doing some housework, going for a run and then grabbing some starbucks all before noon. the rest of the day is spent having a nice lunch, maybe some photos, maybe some shopping and most definitely a nap. saturday nights as of late have been fairly low key....dinner with friends has been a major theme, or maybe chilling at home with beebs. this routine on sunday isn't all that different, but usually just hanging around the house and enjoying some hobbies.
this trend is a far cry from how i used to spent my weekends in taipei. after spending most of the evening in some smoky club and getting home around dawn, i might see the sun again around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. i would just start feeling well enough around 8, just in time to be able to do it all over again. this in turn would mess up my sleep patterns for the rest of the week and felt tired because work was 'getting in the way.' finally, i would be beyond thrilled that the weekend was here just so i could have a repeat of the same weekend again.
while i sometimes get nostalgic for those fun times, because they were fun, i'm well-pleased with the direction my weekends have been taking. they are just a lot more fulfilling this way and i get to do all the stuff i think about doing during the week. i feel more rested, sharper and more productive. i have even got my creative juices flowing once again and have some great ideas for some positive social outings. among my ideas was starting a cooking collective with some friends. one person acts as a host, chooses a theme and then delegates which dishes the other members should bring. we're going to meet about every 3 weeks or so to keep the pressure of a weekly event off. elisha and i hosted first meeting which was a greek theme and it went very well. have the date for the next one set and really looking forward to it. another one of my ideas was actually prompted by a friend who has recently gotten into photography. i've been a bit slack with photos over the last 6 months or so and have decided that it's time to get back on the horse. i realize that it's really just because i don't really have the technical expertise. so, i've decided to invite a few people and form a photography group. we're going to hold loosely-based meetings, choose an abstract theme or basis for the pictures, then go off together and shoot. want to try and keep the group small but hopefully we can get together and really start to learn.
aside from developing some new skills, i've also decided that it's time to develop some professional relationships. so, in the new year i am going to try and launch a group for professional networking here in taipei...the idea is going to be that people can meet, develop some business relationships, or speak with colleagues and contemporaries to grow and develop new skills. might start with a blog or a facebook page featuring a members directory, member/business/service of the month and also host in-person events like a mixer monthly or bi-monthly. i really feel like it would be a great way to meet some different people and also help to get my business off the ground.
so, that's what i've been up to lately and it feels great.
this trend is a far cry from how i used to spent my weekends in taipei. after spending most of the evening in some smoky club and getting home around dawn, i might see the sun again around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. i would just start feeling well enough around 8, just in time to be able to do it all over again. this in turn would mess up my sleep patterns for the rest of the week and felt tired because work was 'getting in the way.' finally, i would be beyond thrilled that the weekend was here just so i could have a repeat of the same weekend again.
while i sometimes get nostalgic for those fun times, because they were fun, i'm well-pleased with the direction my weekends have been taking. they are just a lot more fulfilling this way and i get to do all the stuff i think about doing during the week. i feel more rested, sharper and more productive. i have even got my creative juices flowing once again and have some great ideas for some positive social outings. among my ideas was starting a cooking collective with some friends. one person acts as a host, chooses a theme and then delegates which dishes the other members should bring. we're going to meet about every 3 weeks or so to keep the pressure of a weekly event off. elisha and i hosted first meeting which was a greek theme and it went very well. have the date for the next one set and really looking forward to it. another one of my ideas was actually prompted by a friend who has recently gotten into photography. i've been a bit slack with photos over the last 6 months or so and have decided that it's time to get back on the horse. i realize that it's really just because i don't really have the technical expertise. so, i've decided to invite a few people and form a photography group. we're going to hold loosely-based meetings, choose an abstract theme or basis for the pictures, then go off together and shoot. want to try and keep the group small but hopefully we can get together and really start to learn.
aside from developing some new skills, i've also decided that it's time to develop some professional relationships. so, in the new year i am going to try and launch a group for professional networking here in taipei...the idea is going to be that people can meet, develop some business relationships, or speak with colleagues and contemporaries to grow and develop new skills. might start with a blog or a facebook page featuring a members directory, member/business/service of the month and also host in-person events like a mixer monthly or bi-monthly. i really feel like it would be a great way to meet some different people and also help to get my business off the ground.
so, that's what i've been up to lately and it feels great.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
social networking
i think i may have a problem. i think i am addicted to social networking sites and i don't really care that i am. on average, i likely check facebook about 7-10 times per day...now, it's easier for me because i sit in front of a non-firewalled computer for 8 hours on a working day and use fb to take a break from tedious editing, or to vent about tedious co-workers. it's not that i really see this as a problem...modern gadgetry and the internet enable us, nay, encourage us to be plugged in at all times. while some seem to run away from tech, i embrace our new world order. my personal relationships don't suffer as a result of time spent on social networks, in fact they flourish. professionally, i don't have any difficulty meeting deadlines and accomplish more than any other colleague in the office. so what the what then?
i think the only area of social networking that i have the tiniest issue with is that every one of my 308 friends on fb, my 74 friends on myspace, and my 23 twitter followers (still growing) are aware of how much i use fb, twitter, etc.
i decided it was time to reevaluate my 'friends' list and purge those who i haven't spoken to in person, or really communicated with since first adding them to the list. i started to work through the list, trying to be diligent and cutthroat in my decisions. a former co-worker here, a high school friend there, an friend of a friend, someone who passed away and still has a fb account (a little creepy as its been updated recently) i was relentless, hacking and slashing through the list to clear the clutter from my pages. i compiled my list of 'removes' but just as i was about to start deleting them, i started to think about where i knew this person from and memories flashed in my mind. i moved to the next person, but the same happened again and again as i read through the list. if i cut them, this would be final. this would be the last time i contacted them, knew what they were up to, saw what they looked like, and a lot of other things that social networks allow us to do. in essence, i was saying goodbye. was i ready for such a bold move? i think i've reached a point in life that i will never know more people than i do now, sort of a relationship plateau. it's not that i won't meet more people, but you do start to lose people you know as you age (depressing as that is) i know i could always add them again, but how would i explain that?
yeah, sorry, i cut you out of my life but i've changed my mind. please add me again! cheers. ryan
in the end, i didn't have the heart to cut these people out...at some point and time, these people were part of my life. whether it be a reason, a season, or a lifetime i stand by the people i know and if they get to see what i'm up to 7-10 times per day, it's only because i'm actually interested in how and what they are doing as well. overall, the list is pretty selective as i've never been a friend collector (some of my friends have 4,000+ "friends" on their lists) i mean, if i didn't talk to you in high school or when we worked together, do you honestly think i would want to know what you are up to now?
someday i might be able to harden my heart and cut out the riff raff, but today is not that day. for now, i'm just going to enjoy social networking for what it is; a means to creep on everyone i know and shamelessly self-promote every part of my life in excruciating detail. ahhh...sharing is fun.
i think the only area of social networking that i have the tiniest issue with is that every one of my 308 friends on fb, my 74 friends on myspace, and my 23 twitter followers (still growing) are aware of how much i use fb, twitter, etc.
yeah, sorry, i cut you out of my life but i've changed my mind. please add me again! cheers. ryan
in the end, i didn't have the heart to cut these people out...at some point and time, these people were part of my life. whether it be a reason, a season, or a lifetime i stand by the people i know and if they get to see what i'm up to 7-10 times per day, it's only because i'm actually interested in how and what they are doing as well. overall, the list is pretty selective as i've never been a friend collector (some of my friends have 4,000+ "friends" on their lists) i mean, if i didn't talk to you in high school or when we worked together, do you honestly think i would want to know what you are up to now?
someday i might be able to harden my heart and cut out the riff raff, but today is not that day. for now, i'm just going to enjoy social networking for what it is; a means to creep on everyone i know and shamelessly self-promote every part of my life in excruciating detail. ahhh...sharing is fun.
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