Little Lights

San Diego

2008-06-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Dave and I both had a three day weekend over Memorial day! Well, almost, we both had Monday and Sunday off, so we decided to head down to San Diego for a day trip around the city to the south. First stop, the Zoo.

By this time in my life, I've virtually perfected the self-portrait. Dave helps me frame and then jumps in the picture. But, we were both there!

Okay, so we went to see the Pandas fairly early, because they are apparently really popular. Which is correct, we walked back by them about an hour after we saw them and the line was about an hour long! But, this is the baby panda; she's attempting to climb down the tree to her sleeping mother.

We tried about seven self-portraits before I stopped some nice southerners who snapped this one for us. In exchange we took one for them! Finally, a nicely framed photo of the two of us.

We've decided that we are going to visit missions on the West Coast and lighthouses on the East. There are so many missions in California, we would feel remiss to have lived here and not seen them. I've see the Santa Barbara, but we started at the beginning together. San Diego, the very first Californian Mission!

Self-portrait #451.

Whew, whirlwind. We loved San Diego. What a great time!

First year down....

2008-06-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished my first year of teaching. I can't believe what a stressful, demanding, time-consuming, and rewarding career this is. Truly, one of the most undervalued occupations in America today (but I am a bit biased).

I thought I would wrap up the year, before I head into the first batch of next year's summer reading assignments, with a couple lists.

First, the top ten things I wish I knew last August (I tell you these because they have teaching and greater life application):

Even if someone guarantees there will be no more changes in the foreseeable future, there will be.
People are just plain set in their ways. Most people don't want to change their behavior, they just want to make their behavior acceptable enough.
Shallow love is fickle, deep love cannot be found over a 9 month period, respect is the better than shallow love any day.
The shortest distance between two points doesn't always guarantee that you will emerge with the result you were hoping for.
Starbucks really does dispense drugs.
No matter how many times you tell students about the difference between 1st, 2nd and 3rd person, they will still assume the "you" and "we" are in the 3rd person, and therefore acceptable in academic writing.
Live a balanced life; work is not everything, and grading doesn't have to be done overnight.
Eat breakfast.
I am human; you are human. Therefore, we will all make mistakes. Ask for forgiveness and own the consequences.
It is an amazing gift to have someone who stands behind you and says, "I am here, I believe in you, and you are totally supported."
(I added this one...I needed an 11) Some people will always think they are right, and, in the nicest manner you've ever experienced, forcefully and continually tell you you're wrong.

Second, the top five reasons why teachers get a summer vacation:

Students, parents, administration and teachers are demanding.
No matter what anyone else says, a stack of 90 papers on Great Expectations is not a walk in the park.
12-14 hour work days
Parents want to tear their hair out some days, and they only have 2-5 kids. I see 75-90 in one day....
I need a break from the phrase, "I don't get it."

Finally, the top five reasons why I am excited to come back next August:

The amazing growth, grace and maturity that developed over the course of the year is more rewarding than anything else I've experienced.
The look on a student's face when he/she finally gets it.
"I just got an A! I'm going to study for things more often!"
Christmas cards (not the Starbucks kind) with some of the sweetest and most beautiful words I've ever read.
The students who meet an author for the first time and fall in love.

Well, some concluding thoughts to my first year. I am coming back for more, because, let's face it, if you are called to teach the good always outweighs the frustration. And, when it doesn't, I just pull out my Christmas cards and my email file entitled "miracles" and remind myself that, in the long run, it still does.

The Shortest Distance...

2008-05-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have been musing (yes, everyone take a big glup...I'm back) lately about the concept of maximization. In order to extrapolate on what I mean, I must take you back...way back, to the year of 2004.

I had just moved to Pasadena; the air was sweltering, per usual in August, and I knew that I would need to find a place to exercise that offered a plethora of options and the all important air conditioner. Therefore, I, like so many other Fuller students walked the block and a half to 24 Hour Fitness. I joined (and love it by the way), but with my membership package came a couple sessions with a personal trainer. I thought, what the hay, why not? I had never experienced the trainer phenomenon, seeing as I have been a perpetual student since the age of five. So, I signed up with a trainer. I totally forget his name now. Let's call him Jim.

I remember the first day I walked in to meet Jim. I had a big Greek test that week and was thumbing through my note cards frantically on the walk over. Jim looked at me funny as I tried to remember that lego meant "I say," but I thought nothing of his sidelong glance. Then we got started. The first thing I noticed about Jim's attitude towards the whole training process was his determination to make me dependent on him. (This I attribute to the rampant need to create necessity in our lives so that we purchase things, like more training sessions. This is also called consumerism). The other thing I noticed was that the workouts I was doing were not making me sweat. They did not feel as if I was doing anything; they were, frankly, insubstantial. This was because, and here was one of Jim's major selling points, Jim was going to show me how to put in the lowest amount of effort and get the maximum possible results. I wanted to scream.

I didn't want to minimize my effort and maximize my results. I wanted to workout, sweat, feel the burn.... I didn't want to be lazy and still look as though I was a gym rat.

This is one of my pervasive problems with American society in 2008. No one wants to work at anything anymore. Everyone wants to do the absolutely minimum requirements and get the reward that claims that they were exceptional. This works in a capitalist system where profits are maximized by the minimization of spending, but when it comes to human responsibility and action there are no shortcuts.

People attempt to shortcut everything. Couples short cut romance, relationship, truth and rush head long into relationships that are built on lies and misperceptions. Students read Sparknotes, Cliffsnotes and Wikipedia instead of the assigned text, and they are surprised when they get a C. We reward mediocrity with the stamp of excellence and call it progress. What ever happened to pouring your heart into one thing, one thing at which you could be exceptional? We all want to be exceptional at everything, without mastering anything. It is all about the appearance of exceptionalness without the effort that that goal demands.

Frankly, it makes me sick. The shortest distance between two points is not always the best path to take.

Mandatory Chapel

2008-04-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have made several transitions in my life in the past year: new job, new branch of my own faith, new home, new engagement. I am sometimes a fish out of water, sometimes running with the herd, and sometimes attempting to re-direct the herd. A fish out of water: I am currently teaching in a Christian environment that holds predominantly different assumptions about many things than my own inclinations. Running with the herd: I am teaching in an environment where the staff seeks to create responsible, intelligent, and capable Christian leaders in the world. Re-direct the herd: I sometimes believe that this creation of leaders doesn't mean making evangelatrons that think the world is a horrible, evil place. (hence the fish out of water)

Recently, I have been musing over the notion of mandatory chapel. My students, and I by proxy, are required to attend chapel once a week. Most of the time it is a traditional youth group style worship structure of lots of upbeat songs, a couple slower songs, and speaker. Works for the most part, and I am under the impression that the diversity of speakers in growing each year. Unfortunately, I wonder if it is really a good idea to require students to attend chapel, if the speakers are going to be as critical, nonsensical, and frustrating as the one we had recently.

This particular speaker made fun of himself, his girlfriend, women, different ethnicities and artistic ministries at churches. At one point, one of my students muttered, "is this a comedy routine, or a chapel speaker?" I wanted to second his question. How can we expect our students to want to represent that...that...that... (dare I say imbecile?) I mean, we are asking our students to stand up, to claim not just a Savior, but a faith, a way of life, a... (dare I say religion?)

I know, I know, all of the Rob Bell groupies are jumping up and down screaming at me....We preach Jesus not a religion!!!! I have to disagree. I don't think religion is a bad word; nor do I believe that life is just about me and Jesus. Essentially, if you boil the world down, all I really need is Jesus, but that is not what a life under the leadership of Jesus leads me to. Life with Jesus is essentially communal, and, sorry Rob Bell, that means human bureaucracy and the embracing of obnoxious people who are still a part of my community. Not to say that the gentleman at Chapel represents what I believe are the essential tenets of Christian faith and community, but he is a self-proclaimed member and I have to take him seriously. I have to understand him, I have to accept him, and I have to turn to my student, swallowing my pride, and say, "He's trying to teach you something, God can use him, look for God in what he is doing."

That's what it means to be in a community, as fractured and frustrating as it is. I have to look for God in what the others are doing, and pray that world sees God as well.

As much as I'd like to exist with just Jesus, seeing as he's perfect and won't let me down, Jesus calls me to community, religion, and the human trappings of people. And, sometimes its rather ugly: the other day at Chapel being one of them. Sometimes it can be beautiful: The elevated host, in the hands of a human, shows that God chose us. Humans are the vessel of his word, his body on earth, and the community of his Spirit.

So, obnoxious chapel guy, I may not understand you, you may offend me and anger me, but I pray that God uses you as a vessel. I know he can use the broken.

Thanks be to God.

I voted....

2008-02-05T16:42:00.001-08:00

And so should you!

Just thought I'd share.

What!? I'm What?!

2008-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been MIA for quite sometime in the blogging world. Sorry folks...I just don't sit around and write on my computer anymore. It's frustrating, I should be thinking and interacting with the world....and sharing it with all of you, but, alas, other things have happened.

First and foremost, I'm engaged! Yes, that's right, I'm engaged! Whoo Hoo!

I've been blogging on that page :). Futuresnows.blogspot.com. So, check that out for information.

I promise more introspection to come!

Books I Read 2007

2008-01-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Why be Catholic by Richard Rohr
The Book of Revelation
The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dostoevsky
Christian Symbols. Ancient & Modern: A Handbook for Students by Heather Child and Dorothy Colles
Primitive Christian Symbols by Jean Daniélou
Signs & Symbols in Christian Art by George Ferguson
The Invisible God: The Earliest Christians on Art by Paul Corby Finney
Christian Iconography: A Study of Its Origins by André Grabar
Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art by Louisa Twining
Kingdom Ethics by Glenn Stassen
The Beauty of the Cross by R. Viladseau
Readings for Lent by Pope John Paul II
Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations by Warren Carter
The Gospel of Matthew
The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew by Ulrich Luz
In the Shadow of the Temple by Oskar Skarsaune
Readings in Christian Ethics by Clark/Rakstraw
On Being Human: Essays in Theological Anthropology by Ray Anderson
Just Peacemaking by Glen Stassen
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider
The Openness of God by Pinnock
Matthew vol. 1-2 WBC by Donald Hagner
Matthew vol. 1-3 ICC by Davies and Allison
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Introduction to Ecclesiology by Veli-Matti Karkkainen
Theology for the Community of God by Stanley Grenz
Eschatology by Hans Schwartz
After our Likeness: The Church as the Image of God, by Mirslav Volf
Essentials in Christian Theology, W.C. Placher ed.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
"The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
"The Musgrave Ritual" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber
"A Mother in Mannville" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
"My Delicate Heart Condition" by Toni Cade Bambarra
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Necklace" by Guy de Monpaussant
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
My Life with the Saints by James Martin
Shakespeare Alive!
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Castle in the Forest
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist! by Charles Dickents

Where I have been....

2007-11-23T09:52:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I've been missing in action for a long time. Granted, I have uploaded here and there, but I have been so busy and, frankly, tired to do much. Here's some of the highlights of the last few months.

First, I graduated! I finished my M. Div. and started teaching English at a local Christian High School. I love life post-school, but I am tired and stressed in a whole new way! Things are going well, though, and I'm loving the adventure.

Two of my friends got married this summer. I headed back to work and celebrated their love and friendship. It was a fun ceremony and I am so happy for them!

Evie came to visit! Whoo Hoo! I haven't seen here for so long. We picked her up in Santa Barbara and headed for wine country with the newly returned Rachel and Zak. I love friends! It was great to reunite the Armington A girls for some fun!

Finally, Dave and Rachel had birthdays recently! We went to Wine Country for Dave's birthday, plus a little yummy at Ca'Dario. For Rachel's birthday we drank some Cajun Martinis at the Palace!

Oh, and it was Thanksgiving! Dave and I stayed in at my house and we made all the fixings. Here I am putting the chickens in the oven, stuffed with the family stuffing. Dave made his family's lemon pie and it was amazing!

I promise I'll try to write more later!

Divorce? When did the culture change?

2007-11-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

After my long hiatus, I find that I have a lot to say...

Teaching is an adventure. I have been so far removed from my high school self, that it is hard to remember what I thought, believed, and assumed in my 14 year old mind. But, one thing I noticed as I taught Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger?" was how dominant the normalcy of divorce has become in our society.

For those of you who have never read "The Lady or the Tiger?", the premise of the story revolves around the impossible choice of a semi-barbaric princess in a far away kingdom. She must choose between sending her lover to his death, which would be anguish for her but a relief because he would be dead, and sending her lover into a marriage with her rival, which would be continual anguish because she would never see him again and he would be married to her nemesis.

Stockton asks his readers, and I ask my students, what they think the princess chose; the story does not reveal the answer. I also ask my students what they would choose. Invariably, 80-90% of the students choose the Lady. Now, this is not because of the unselfish compassion that the choice would suggest; instead, they support their reasoning with three options. 1. The lady and the lover could get a divorce. 2. The princess and the lover could have an affair or 3. The princess could have the lady killed.

What baffles me is that divorce, even when the story is set in a more antiquated time, is the first option that comes to most students minds. Perhaps it is our desire to find an easy and "happy" ending, or perhaps it is our constant consumerism that causes to think everything is impermanent and bound to be upgraded, or perhaps it is the simple fact that 50-60% of marriages end in divorce, but how did we get to the point where divorce is assumed? Feasible? Reasonable? Expected?

Mind it, I teach in a Christian High School, within a culture that, at least in theology, discourages and disagrees with divorce.

How did we get here?

I am usually pretty optimistic

2007-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am usually a pretty optimistic person. People irritate me, but I attempt to be civil and refrain from writing them off, but this weekend has shown me what selfish, horrible, inconsiderate jerks some people can be.

I feel the need to vent; I feel the need to tell someone somewhere that I have lost something of intrinsic and emotional value; I feel the need to mourn the loss of my past, my writing and a piece of me.

This weekend I found out that a guy, to whom I loaned my T.S. Eliot Collected Works, re-loaned said book to a friend of his who promptly lost it. Neither of them think this is a big deal; in fact, they have both yet to contact me and apologize. The fact of the matter is that I have used that book since college; I have dated all of my responses to my favorite poems and author for the past 8 years in that book; I have cataloged all of reactions, thoughts, feelings and interaction with T.S. Eliot in that book.

These two gentlemen are inconsiderate jerks. 1. For not valuing what I clearly said was important to me enough to return it and 2. For being too cowardly to take responsibility for their actions and tell me themselves.

Inconsiderate Jerks.

Why I love Dr. Karkkainen

2007-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Theologians pay lip service to Ecumenism. There are so many people in the Christian faith who profess to have "ecumenical" desires and interest, who, in the same breath, stereotype, misunderstand and claim expertise about traditions that are not their own. They think that Luther broke from the Catholic Church to get married, or that Catholics worship the church and the saints more than Christ. We assume that we know about each other, without extending any grace to each other. This is sad, and not beneficial.

This is why I love Dr. Karkkainen's class so much. Dr. K. actual believes in ecumenical relationships and unity and practices it. He said in class today, "we cannot describe a church using theology or images from its early expressions, expressions that are not a part of that church's self-description today." This is absolutely correct. He also said that we should go to the theologians, and the books to understand what the church believes. All Churches have problems with misuse of their doctrine or beliefs and we all participate in trying to translate "doctrine" into practice at all levels of the church.

If only we all have the humility and grace that Dr. K exhibits when we deal with each other.

Where'd all the Painters go?

2007-06-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Reformed heritage has called upon people to bring to worship material offerings which in their simplicity of form and function direct attention to what God has done and to the claim that God makes upon human life. The people of God have responded through creative expressions in architecture, furnishings, appointments, vestments, music, drama, language, and movement. When these artistic creations awaken us to God’s presence, they are appropriate for worship. When they call attention to themselves, or are present for their beauty as an end in itself, they are idolatrous. Artistic expressions should evoke, edify, enhance, and expand worshipers’ consciousness of the reality and grace of God.

This is a direct quotation from the Book of Order (PCUSA). I read it today and found myself a bit dismayed, as an artist and an art lover, that visual arts (i.e. painting, sculpture etc) were not even listed among the creative expressions that are permissible only if they do not call attention to themselves. The last 500 years of Church History in America has been far too iconoclastic and I am tired of being told that my gifts do not glorify God. The Arts, when done by Christians and in the glory of God, are worship. To limit them in this manner and then to not even include some of the most prevalent and well-known visual arts seems a bit reductive and narrow minded.

I'm just fed up. I wish that people could embrace the gifts and talents of the creators within their midst the way that they embrace the orators and the accountants.

Bad at Blogging

2007-05-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

Wow, April and May are flying by and I am not blogging at all. I am sorry I've been neglecting my faithful readers and avoiding the cyber-world.

Here's what I've been doing instead:

1. Going to Disneyland
2. Writing annoying, but theologically relevant papers
3. Reading books
4. Spending time with Dave
5. Moving (I swear I live in a box house)
6. Applying for and Interviewing about Jobs
7. Going to Happy Hour
8. Work Work Work
9. Driving to Los Feliz and Tarzana
10. Trying to Graduate
11. Securing and Internship for the summer
12. Arts Fest....need I say more?
13. Cooking
14. Spending as much time with Neighbors as possible before the big move
15. Helping Joy pick out a condo
16. Visiting my parents in Palm Springs

Graduation and subsequent thoughts...

2007-05-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

I was thinking a lot today about control and graduation. I am leaving my masters degree on June 9th, which is both exciting and scary. I am embarking on a new path and a new identity. I am a student of life, but I am no longer a graduate student.

And, frankly, I don't know what I am going to be...yet...

I have applied for some jobs, am moving in less that 20 days, am finishing an internship, have been delving deeper into a (now) three-month old realtionship, and thinking through the prospect of potentially 60 more years of this...I realize as I sit in my wise 26 year old state, that there is a good argument for the human necessity for a "higher power" in all of this mess. I am not trying to say that God is here to serve human needs, but the movement, stress, and transistions of our life necessitate a stronger, more focused and powerful love that transcends us and engulfs us. Our lives demand an encounter with the divine.

I could not imagine facing the next 60 years without the Trinity in my life...

How do we arbitrate moral "superiority"?

2007-04-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

I read an article today for my Ethics IDL and I couldn't help but wonder how one begins to arbitrate who has or what is "moral superiority"?

This particular article claimed that Capitalism is not only misunderstood by Christians who criticize it, but the morally superior economic system based on Biblical principles. I find this kind of language problematic, and I find that the author of this particular article (comment and I'll tell you who it is if you are interested) didn't understand the realities of the expression of Capitalism in the world today. Ultimately, I don't know that any economic system is ethical, moral or biblical. Frankly, humans are going to take advantage of everything they can this side of whatever comes back with Christ. But, to say that one system is "morally superior" seems to be a rather large and indefensible claim.

Socialism, Communism, Laissez-Faire Economics, and mixed Capitalism all have social problems attached to them, and, as they've been expressed in the world, fall horribly short of the biblical principles and ideals of the Kingdom of God. The author of this article recognized these "real-time" ills of his opposing systems, but forgot the rampant consumerism, un-fair business practices, disparaging gap between rich and poor, government catering to special interest groups, loss of human dignity, and dependence on the system the global economy has gained through Capitalism. Not to say that there aren't good theories behind a pure form of Capitalism and that the idea behind market exchange can't be construed in light of Biblical principles, but can't Socialism, Communism and mixed Capitalism claim the same "theoretically"? It is in the practice and expression that all of these systems mess up...not necessarily in the theory.

So, where does that leave us? I think our world (or at least the microcosm I choose to live in) is moving to a more corporate understanding of humanity, where team work and equality are valued more than individualism and ambition (I don't mean this pejoratively, don't freak out).

And yet, I still need money to do everything in my life, which means I am tied to the economic system of our country. And, not to make those of you who are hard-core Capitalists angry, personally, that system makes me feel like a number, not a human. Frankly, moral superiority aside, I would like to be human again.

Babel

2007-04-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

I watched the movie Babel recently and I was struck by how captivating and difficult I found it. I knew it would be similar to Magnolia and Crash because of the previews, but the way that the four major stories integrated and spoke affected me more than these films. Perhaps it was the international diversity of Babel that affected me, but there was something grittier or realer than in these other films.

Particularly, the life of Rinko Kikuchi's character Chieko captivated me. The levels of complexity she exhibited made her character's troubled behavior both foreign and identifiable. To be deaf is difficult enough: to be deaf in Japan with a mother who committed suicide and a father who doesn't know what to do, is a hot bed for raw humanity. Her search for love and her discovery of the realities of love and relationship reminded me of that path we all take in adolescence and early adulthood. The contrast between her final two scenes shows what she learns: she is naked in both scenes, but, whereas she looks for sex from the anonymous police officer and he graciously and tactfully chooses to love her by denying her request, in her final scene she is naked before her father and can finally accept his love and grace. Don't we all want to be naked and vulnerable before others? Don't we all long to be cared for as humans?

I think, ultimately, the movie was about the humanity and care we afford each other, or don't. The tour guide in Morocco who helped Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett touched my heart. When he brought the injured Cate in his own home and his mother or grandmother administered what she knew as comfort I realized that compassion and grace transcends culture and is, simply, human. But, the other side of the coin follows as well. Anger, misunderstanding and fear are also, simply, human. The story of Ameila (played by Adriana Barraza), the tourists on the bus, and the interaction between Yussef, Ahmed and the police, shows us what fear and misunderstanding can look like, feel like, etc.

There is so much we all share, for the good and the bad.

Funny Quiz

2007-04-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker.

And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Longshan Temple and Taipei 101

2007-03-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to blog about an entire day I had in Taipei! How crazy of me. So, here's the missing day. I honestly think that the altitude had something to do with my memory loss. Because on this day I took a trip up the "current" tallest building in the world Taipei 101. Ultimately, it was just a really tall building with an expansive view. It was also the most highly priced thing on my whole trip (go figure), but it was worth the view and to say that I've been to the top of the tallest building the world...well at least for a few more months.

This is the view from the top. What I found especially interesting about the whole Taipei 101 experience was an action figured called "Damper Baby: The Protector of Taipei 101." Yes folks, the wind damper mechanism for this exhorbitantly tall building was made into an action figure named "damper baby." And yes you could buy plush toys, key chains, and other odds and ends for damper baby. It's the strangest thing to be in a place where this is normal and expected. Different strokes for different folks...

This is me in front of Longshan Temple, which was my next stop. I took this day and went everywhere, by myself. I must have walked about 10 miles over the course of the day. My feet hurt so bad. But I loved seeing the city at the ground level (well, at least after Taipei 101). Longshan Temple was an working temple and the colors in the building blew my mind. Being a city, gray begins to predominate, but this temple burst forth in scarlet, fire, yellows, cyans, orange, pink and green. It was different kind of bustle and I sat in the courtyard for a while just thinking and observing a religion so different from my own.

Then, I contemplated why Mickey Mouse was guarding the deities housed in this temple.

Another cool stop on my 10 mile trek around Taipei was the Botanical Gardens, and this was a stop that Rachel and Zak hadn't even visited. These gardens are a nice, quiet, oasis in the middle of a busy city and I loved having the city noise buffered out and the calm of nature around me. Quite relaxing.

Finally, Taipei wouldn't be the same without the CKS Memorial. This blinding light beacon--it's beautiful, and I am bummed to have missed the large lantern pig, but it was so sparse that my eyes hurt when I left. The sun and that white...man...who thought up this one???

Last Few Days in Taiwan

2007-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

So, much to Rachel and Zak's dismay, but the excitement of others, I am leaving Taiwan today. My visit was thrilling and fun. Taiwan's beauty and vivacity enthrall and excite. There are hidden gems in every nook and cranny of the city. What a privilege to travel around with "locals" who know where to go and what to see. I feel as though I've been given a tour that rivals any tour I could have found with a professional group. In fact, probably better.

I wanted to share so photos from the last days in Taiwan, as I have been missing from the blog world for sometime...well, three or four days.

This is at Kambai (pronounced Gam b-eye) which means "bottoms up" in Chinese. We went to this restaurant for Japanese BBQ. Which melted in my mouth the minute it left the grill. The concept of the restaurant is loud and vivacious. American, Chinese and Japanese punk music plays loudly behind a cacaphony of voices laughing, singing along, taking orders, welcoming guests... At 8 pm in this little bar/restaurant the whole place stops and we all celebrate together. Which means they announce special occasions and we all drink to each other. Don't worry all people who have finished their beers...This gentleman comes around to the whole restaurant with a beer keg on his back and fills everyone's glasses. Kambai indeed!

On Friday I headed out on my own to see some sights. One of the stops on my journey was the Shilin Official Residence. This is where Chiang Kai-Sheck the former dictator of Taiwan used to live. The gardens are a public park now, although the house is still closed. I love to wander around gardens so it seemed a natural choice. The sun was out, the humidity was up, and my walking shoes were on. I also got a little creative in the Chinese garden with the camera timer. Here's me in the Chinese-style garden. What I love about them is the meandering paths they create. They are created in such a way as to direct one in a walk around the garden that is like a journey or a pilgrimage. It's very peaceful and relaxing.

Ultimately, though, the best part of Shilin (besides the bustling night market, but that's another blog) is the topiary pigs. I must have seen about 20 in the gardens, and around Taipei for that matter. I missed the massive lantern pig outside the CKS Memorial, but I've seen video, quite impressive. I think because of Lunar New Year and the Pig being the Zodiac for this year pigs have invaded every public space in Taiwan. It's both fun and a bit unsettling. I've named this one Pinky.

And, of course, no Lisa adventure would be complete without a Ferris Wheel ride. No, not quite "of death" but close. This Ferris Wheel did not rock around like the horror at Disneyland, but it is huge. It starts on the 5th story of a mall and goes up high enough to be over every building in Taipei (well, that's close by...Taipei 101 is across the skyline :)). As we neared the top I had visions of Lisa and Zak splats on the road below...but we arrived safe and home in time to greet Rachel from work!

Taipei Impressions

2007-03-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

Journal: March 18, 2007

"What amazes me about this place is its way of change. Its this modern city but you turn a corner and you find yourself in a whole new world. There are lanes and alleys and they are a maze of lost worlds and hidden gems. I want to get lost in the maze. Part of me thinks that in losing myself in the lanes and alleys of Nanjing Road that I would discover a lost time portal to something forgein and that I will find a self--a me--that is more truly me than I could find anywhere else."

Taipei's Magical World of Tea

2007-03-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I had an experience that was so perfect, it was just what I look for when I travel. Don't get me wrong I like tourist attractions (okay, only sometimes) but today, Rachel and I ventured off the beaten path and discovered the most beautiful experience. It was so peaceful and foreign, but at the same time familiar and comfortable.

Here's what I wrote in my journal about the day:

" We are remote, lost and found again. Drinking, no making, tea. Looking onto a chinese painting of mist and mountain, of tree and light, of beauty and fellowship. Found on a tiny road in Maokong. What a treasure that is outside of the regular path of the visitor. How wonderful to share that path with Rachel and to sip oolong tea overlooking the city as it progressively unveiled itself and turned on its twinkling lights. What a space to be with friends and a space to be together again. Rachel described what it was like to catch up with friends over drinks in Chinese poetry and this felt like that. The boiling water and the sound of the rain surrounded us and we sat together in the mist."

This is the entrance to the restaurant, or tea tavern to be accurate to the sign. The rain made the day so much better. We were the only white people for miles.

I'm pouring a freshly brewed pot of tea. See how small the teapot it. It was just enough for two cups each time we made tea!

The final view before we left. We looked down at the hustle and bustle and felt only peace!

Dim Sum Anyone?

2007-03-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been busy and forgotten to keep everyone updated. There are a rash of posts coming... enjoy!

Day TWO:
We decided to go out and about today, but still we avoided a lot of the "touristy" things (i.e. Taipei 101 etc.) I plan to see the touristy stuff, but I want to get a bit more of Taipei in my blood before I get the snapshots that everyone comes home with.

That said, we went to the Paper museum. I know, totally Rachel and Lisa excursion...who else thinks a museum about handmade paper is a must see? But, I just love local crafts and arts and so, paper making in Asia is a must.

Look, we even got to make our own paper! I made two sheets and received a "good papermaker" certificate. Kuo, our guide, turned out to be an exceptionally generous and lovely man. When we walked in we watched a video next to a "set up" of a traditional paper making workshop. In the states that workshop would be for display, but Kuo welcomed us into the workshop to learn how to make paper. What a treat!

It's been very wet, but that's okay. I wrote today "wet, wet wet. today was a wet day. We walked in the rain and let the droplets cascade around us..."

But, with all that moisture we needed some Din Tai Fung!

Din Tai Fung is this world famous dim sum restaurant. It makes the most amazing Xiaolongbao or Pork Dumplings. They have this warm juice inside that squirts when you bite down and fills your mouth with flavor. We also had red bean dumplings and an asortment of other amazing dim sum treats! The picture above is the chefs making the dumplings! They have this really mind-boggling speed!

We went to a night market that Rachel and Zak had never been too to close off our day. It was pleasant, but not Shilin. We'll do that one later. But this temple was by far the highlight. I have no words for how beautiful it looked!

Write again soon!

Here is the promised video

2007-03-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

coffee and flowers and jade oh my

2007-03-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Again. Day Two in Taiwan. Yesterday, no real jet lag in sight...Rachel, Zak and I spent a leisurely morning eating these rather tasty pancake breakfast things and drinking tea and then Rachel and I headed out for some holiday markets that are only open on the weekends. Taipei is so fun on the weekends. Rachel mentioned that the people are out with their families and there are no business people in suits walking around. Everyone is enjoying their time off. I could feel that energy.

Our first stop was the Jade market where I found some great pieces for making jewelry. We bargained a little bit and found some good deals. :) Rachel's Chinese helps so much...I can say thank you and that's about it.

As you can see the Jade Market was expansive. It's amazing to me how it went on and on and on for blocks. Stall after stall of jewlery, and all kinds of stones. We saw these amazing coral fish pendants, some wood carvings, necklaces, semi-precious stones...we were a bit overwhelmed, but it was fun to walk, talk and shop.

At the other end of the Jade market is the holiday flower market. Equally as expansive, but smelling much better. :) we wandered through this travelling forest of cherry blossom trees, orchids, bonzai, fish tanks, and other tropical plants. The colors blew my mind. The fuscia and the orchids were especially lovely. I think you can see the color behind Rachel and I in this picture. Those are orchids.

Here are some of our favorite orchids. They look like blushing gieshas (although that's Japanese). I took a billion pictures of all the flowers. Then we grabbed some food from a street vendor and sat in the park to eat. Again, I was struck by how lively and fun the people were in the park. Their energy was joyful and family oriented and they were running around with bags of flowers, tiny dogs and strollers of children. (almost felt a bit like LA) but there is a moisture in the air here that reminds me I am on a tropical island.

After the park Rachel and I met Zak for coffee at this lovely coffee shop where they know beans, have some of the rarest beans in the world available and they make it in this process that looks like a science experiment. Once I get the video we took uploaded I will post a blog of it. It was Sunday, so I treated myself to a cup of Ethiopian Harrar and savored the warm, sweet blueberry flavors while chatting with good friends.

Finally, we headed for a dinner with Rachel and Zak's church which was loads of fun. Their friends are so welcoming and generous! And on the way home we stopped into Jolly's for some Taiwanese micro-brew. Yes, you read me right. And it was great!

St. Patrick's Day in Taiwan

2007-03-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I made it across the big blue Pacific and I am happily situated in Rachel and Zak's apartment. We are about to head out for a fun day of sightseeing, but I wanted to upload some photos from St. Patty's Day last night. Yes, I am hardcore, straight from a 14 hour plane flight I headed to the only Irish Pub in Taipei and drank the worst Guiness of my life (but it's St. Patty's so who cares right?) Here's some photos. (The one a the top is Me, Rachel and Zak, note the signs behind us...)

Here's the outside of the Pub. When we drove up in a taxi it was the only building on the street that had a massive crowd of people outside and we could tell that it was the place to be! Strange how many Taiwanese people were "irish" yesterday. :)

Here's the inside of the bar, man, i've never seen so many people crowded in one tiny bar. There was even I guy in a lime green halter top. But we all know that St. Patty's isn't St. Patty's without a guy in a lime green halter top...

Here's Zak and I with out Guiness. Too bad I wasn't wearing my green underwear: they were giving half price for green underwear. Anyway, having a great time so far! Will have more "Taiwanese" pictures later!

P.S. I wrote this whole blog with all of my instructions in chinese characters. Try uploading a picture when you can't read anything. :)

Cheerio!