house departure..

After 8 seasons, the curtain finally came down on Dr. Gregory House..

I was first introduced to House by my sis, whom at that time was still a medical student in Moscow.. and I was captivated by the paradox of his misanthropic personality and the (assumed) humanistic requisite of his job as a doctor.. He is as flawed and as broken as he is brilliant at his profession.. And with the original ensemble, House is a "feel-good" drama, at least to me :p , where the main character gets to insult everyone, including his boss and patients, and gets away with it while saving lives every week. :)

One of the things I like about him is his loyalty and friendship with Wilson.. oh, how I wish I have a friend as mild-tempered/tolerant/loyal as Wilson.. I like to watch them banter.. Wilson has always had House's best interest at heart, and House knows and appreciate it though he didn't show it as often enough.. thus it was heart-warming how the final episode ended..

To me, House is not a cold-blooded or heartless person.. I can relate to, at least part of, what he did and why he did them.. many of his rationale for doing the things he did can be found in what he said, either in jest or in mockery.. He always points out the reality or the truth that people refuse to see or accept.  I will always remember his favorite line, "Everybody lies".. below are some of my favorite House quotes...

They didn't break me. I am broken.

You'd be surprised what you can live without.

Disappointment is anger for wimps.

Everything sucks. Might as well find something to smile about.

What's life without the ability to make stupid decisions?

The notion of picking one time of year to be decent to other people is obscene because it’s actually validating the notion of being miserable wretches the rest of the year.

After season 6, the show slowly became "old" and uninteresting to me... maybe it was the storyline, the "new" ensemble or just a simply case of becoming "desensitize" to House's quirks and antics.. the medical cases no longer excite me, and the current ensemble lacks the chemistry of the original, especially the absence of Cuddy and Thirteen.. And frankly, Season 8 was very painful for me to watch.. thus in a way, I am glad that it had ended..

So, thanks for the memories, House, Wilson, Cuddy, Foreman, Chase, Taub, Thirteen, Kutner and Cameron...

charlie and snoopy..

Though I do not profess to be a fan of Charlie Brown, but I like Snoopy and Woodstock.. :)

Thus no surprise that when 7-11 has a promotion giving away colorful Snoopy folders, I had to collect all 8 of them.. :p The deal was simply: On 4 consecutive weekends (Sat & Sun), spend NT$100 or more, and one will get a cute folders with characters from Charlie Brown..

And I managed to get all 8 of them!! :) :) :)

Colorful and cute, right?? Not too sure if I'll be using any one of these files.. Think I'll keep them for a while and maybe give them out as a present to someone who is a Snoopy fan... :)

Sunday Serenade: nothin on me

This song is from one of my English CDs, Shawn Colvin's A few small repairs..

The ratio of my CD collections is 10:1 with Chinese/Cantonese CDs dominating my music taste, yet this CD was one of the rare few that I've bought simply because the songs appealed to me at that particular moment in time.. it was a CD for keeps..

This is the last song on the album.. one of my favorites.. :)


Nothin on me
performed by Shawn Colvin

Well I don't tell jokes
And I don't take notes
You been sayin'
There ain't much hope
You got nothin' on me

I got friends uptown
And they don't talk down
They've been keepin me safe and sound
We got somethin' to be

So in case you hadn't noticed
I'm alright
Not like it was before
Things used to be so hopeless
But not tonight
Tonight I'm walkin' out that door

I'm not gonna cry
When wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me


Well it ain't that tough
To score the usual stuff
One heartache is more than enough
There ain't nothing to see
Nothing

I got friends uptown
And they still come 'round
They've been keepin' me safe and sound
We got somethin' to be

So don't you try to save me
With your advice
Or turn me into something else
'Cuz I'm not crazy
And you're not nice

Baby if you do
Keep it to yourself

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

(No nothin' on me)

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me

I'm not gonna cry
And I'm wavin' goodbye
And I know this time
You got nothin' on me




Have a great week ahead! Stay cheery and healthy!

international? not by a long stretch...

Okay first off a warning..  if this entry sounded angry, it is because I am angry when I wrote this.. but if you want to be more precise, I am more frustrated and sad than angry... and here is the lowdown of the reasons why I am frustrated...


A little bit of background
My department has been having an annual international conference for the past 12 years.. as usual we send out invitations to local and international universities asking for research papers.. as this is an "international conference" everything has to be in English - the conference papers must be in English and the presenters must present in English, so I was asked to handle the correspondences between scholars, a task that I gladly accepted.

And so I became a part of the organizing committee.. and the things I've seen, heard and experienced during this entire time just made me frustrated... but mostly, I felt sad... sad because the hard work of many got lost among all the political undercurrents and hidden agendas... sad because the nobility of academia seemed just a mirage and illusion..


Initial request for abstract and then full paper
This year, the initial responses were good as we received around 50 abstract submissions.. notice the word "initial"? Yeah, cos in the end, we received only about 30 full papers.. Some of these scholars didn't even have the courtesy to let us know that they are unable to submit their full paper. And those who did submit, can't/don't read the instructions given and sent us their papers in all kinds of format and layout when we have specifically stated what we wanted... Yet, because of the lack of numbers, we had no choice but to accept them and amend the "problems" ourselves..

But formats and layout is the least of our concerns.. We just wanted numbers.. thus we closed an eye to the quality of those papers.. and this is one of the many things that I can't get over.. how can these people be "scholars" when they can't even write proper English?? more on this in the later segment..


So called "international" "scholars"

good English, a tall order??

As this is supposed to be an "international" conference, we only looked at their nationality of their passports and not the quality of their work.. Almost 95% of the so-called overseas scholars can't speak proper English as it is not their first language. I am not being a snob nor biased against those who is weak in English, but a basic grasp of English is a must for scholars, isn't it?? I can forgive them if they don't speak Queen's English, but bad grammar and tons of spelling errors in their presentation slides?? That, for me, is unforgivable..

When I was tasked to "handle" overseas scholars, I was warned of a scholar from India who is "difficult" and "hard to please". Those who had interacted with him, including a couple of associate professors of the department, were all terrified of him and they were very happy that I'll be the one "entertaining" him this year.. so given the bad rep that this Indian scholar has I was bracing myself, ready for some "war of words".. Yet when I met up with him, he turned out to be rather pleasant. He is, in actuality, a "pussy cat" compared to some really mean/difficult people that I've dealt with.


Organizing the conference
Everyone in the committee was running around like chickens with their head cut off before and during the conference.. maybe that's a bit harsh, but that was how I truly felt watching from the sides.. Everyone wanted to make the conference a success, yet they do not know how.. those who knew didn't step up to help due to one reason or another.. thus, there was 100% heart that only produced 60% result..

Many of the "usual" things that were supposedly "traditions" were nothing but out-dated ways of doing things.. I can't help but be reminded of the ways things were done in Japan.. where "traditions" thumps efficiency.. when things can be done by 1 person, 2 or more were assigned to it, just so that people can feel that they are getting a "personalized service"... Personally, I think we should be efficient first, then be effective, with "personalization" last.. but it's just me..


Lack of support from faculty members

faculty - shiny but empty?

This conference is organized by my department, yet not all the faculty members attended. And from what I've observed, there is a major lack of cohesiveness in the department. One of them didn't even bother to present his accepted paper!! It was truly unbelievable...

Also, the task of "entertaining" overseas scholars should be the responsibility of the faculty members, not PhD nor Masters students.. The lack of confidence in their English skills should NEVER be the excuse to "hide" or congregate among their students.. How can they foster international cooperation if they didn't even dare(?) or bother to talk to the 3 (actual) overseas scholars (1 from India, 2 from Indonesia) that we had? Thus frankly, I've lost much, if not all, of my respects for some of the faculty members.. which, I must confess, is not a good thing..


A tussle between quality and quantity
Due to the lack of numbers, we had to accept many papers which are of inferior quality.. If the papers were not up to the standards, neither would the scholars who wrote them be of any higher quality. Thus I shouldn't have been surprised with their horrendous murder of the English language during their presentations. 

And truth be told, that Indian scholar is good in his research and takes his responsibility as a conference session chairperson very seriously, unlike those from China whom I think are bunch of freeloaders and a real disgrace to the academia. He was the only one who had asked for the papers of his session that he was chairing. And he gave good recommendations/suggestions to the presenters on how to further improve their papers, if they can understand him in the first place..

============================================================
I am pissed, frustrated and sad because I care.. I care because I will be forever linked to this University and this department.. I don't want the conference nor my department to be treated as a joke... I want to be proud of my department, not just in Taiwan but in the world... However, if things continue the way they are right now, that wish might well remain an unattainable dream...

Thus, instead of just complaining and talking on hindsight, I've volunteered my service to help with the organizing, planning and executing of the conference next year. With all the experience that I have, accumulated from my NUS days of being a part of EHOC (Eusoff Hall Orientation Committee) and SMC (Sports Management Committee), to my corporate "adventure" in SISTIC and Visa, and my short stint in Japan, I am confident that I will be able to manage a bunch of Masters students to ensure a smoother and more efficient/effective hosting of the conference next year.

Louvre in Taipei..

The National Palace Museum recently had an exhibition of some of Louvre's art pieces..  Musée du Louvre is one of my favorite museums (the other being the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy)... one that I don't mind spending hours or even days viewing its exhibits... it was one of the many highlights of my Europe trip in 2009..

The theme of the exhibition is Western Myth and Legends.. being a huge fan of renaissance art and also Roman/Greek mythology, I knew I had to visit.. And I was fortunate enough to get a free ticket as one of the office assistants had an extra.. :)

The exhibition was held in one of the smaller halls of the National Palace Museum.. and even though I went there on a weekday, it was quite crowded.. maybe because the exhibition was on its last few days..

Audio guide was offered, but they had it only in Chinese.. so I didn't rent one.. I prefer my Greek Gods/Goddess/Heroes/Damsels to be addressed in English, thank you..

Even though there were 5 different themes, the exhibition area was small.. Paintings, sculptures, potteries and fresco wall paintings seemed to be, my estimate, less than 100.. so I finished viewing in less than 30 minutes!! Even when I went through the exhibits the 2nd time round, it was still only 1 hour!

The exhibits that I was looking forward to see in Taipei, but didn't were Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Cupid and Psyche (painting) and Venus de Milo. However, I did see Cupid and Psyche (sculpture) and Flying Mercury among many..

After viewing the exhibit, I went over to the souvenir section.. Before I left home, I gave myself a budget of NT$500 to spend on souvenirs.. so I was in the mood to shop..... :)

one of the many angel figurines.. which I didn't buy..

There were many things to buy.. among them are figurines of angels.. as I've written about my fondness for angels, I wanted to get one.. there weren't much choice and their prices were way too high...

So in the end, I bought a box of (40) miniature postcards that features pictures of angels taken from various renaissance paintings.. and it was on sale with an offer of 1-for-1.. there were 3 different designs, the other two designs were street scenes of Paris.. so I chose to get 2 of the same design.. :)

Also I bought a bookmark of Cupid and Psyche (painting) too as it is a favorite of mine..

2 boxes of postcard and 1 bookmark.. my booty..

postcards - cute pictures of angels..

So all in all, the exhibition did not live up to my expectation.. but I am happy with my souvenirs... :) of course, I would love nothing more than to visit the Louvre again... :) :) :)

Sunday Serenade: just my imagination

I know of the band, The Cranberries, well before I realized the band actually named itself from a real fruit.. and I quite like the songs from this Irish band, as they were different from the usual pop/rock groups.. their songs are one of many that remind me of my twenties.. :)

Recently, they were here in Taipei for a concert.. and there were lots of promotional clips of their songs on the TV.. and here is one of them.. I like the way it incorporate the drawings...


Just My Imagination
performed by The Cranberries

There was a game we used to play
We would hit the town on Friday night
And stay in bed until Sunday
We used to be so free
We were living for the love we had and
Living not for reality

It was just my imagination [x3]

There was a time I used to pray
I have always kept my faith in love
It's the greatest thing from the man above
The game I used to play
I've always put my cards upon the table
Let it never be said that I'd be unstable

It was just my imagination [x3]

There is a game I like to play
I like to hit the town on Friday night
And stay in bed until Sunday
We'll always be this free
We will be living for the love we have
Living not for reality

It's not my imagination [x3]
Not my [x18]






Have a great week ahead! Stay healthy and safe!

Poetry Solace: Of grief and ignorance..

This time round, 2 poems from an English poet, Philip Larkin..

Grief
If grief could burn out
Like a sunken coal
The heart would rest quiet
The unrent soul
Be as still as a veil
But I have watched all night

The fire grow silent
The grey ash soft
And I stir the stubborn flint
The flames have left
And the bereft
Heart lies impotent

Ignorance
Strange to know nothing, never to be sure
Of what is true or right or real,
But forced to qualify or so I feel,
Or Well, it does seem so:
Someone must know.

Strange to be ignorant of the way things work:
Their skill at finding what they need,
Their sense of shape, and punctual spread of seed,
And willingness to change;
Yes, it is strange,

Even to wear such knowledge - for our flesh
Surrounds us with its own decisions -
And yet spend all our life on imprecisions,
That when we start to die
Have no idea why.

Have a great weekend!!

seafood feast..

After visiting Yehliu Geopark, we went to a place famous for its fresh seafood.. It is actually beside a port where fishing ships dock..

There is a row of restaurants facing the dock.. and we just went into the first one..

Live "creatures" from the sea are on display... all we need to do is to choose and they will cook it for us..

A few close ups of some really weird looking creatures... that will end up in someone's table and finally stomachs..

Since I don't really have any preferences when it comes to seafood, Joe did the ordering.. and he ordered a table full!!

fresh prawns - steamed

deep fried white fish, smoked shellfish and vegetable

a kind of shellfish.. steamed with garlic paste

deep-fried fish eggs with mayo

Although there were only two of us, we managed to finish all the above dishes!! who can blame us, we were famished!! And looking at the amount of seafood we ate, our cholesterol level for that day must have gone over the roof! But what the heck... :p

Think I will be staying away from seafood for a long long long time.. especially shellfishes and fish eggs... :p

Sunday Serenade: my heart will go on

Okay, a confession.. The movie, Titanic, was and is still the only movie that I've watched twice at the cinema.. and this 15-year old movie was recently re-released with 3D effects around the time the real Titanic sank (It hit the iceberg at 11:40pm of April 14, 1912 and sank less than 3 hours later).. Don't think I will be going to the cinema this time.. :p

And who can ever forget Celine Dion's famous "Titanic" song... so let's sit back and enjoy this classic..


My heart will go on 
performed by Celine Dion 

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're one

Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

There is some love that will not go away

You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on





Have a great week ahead! Stay safe and healthy!!

Yehliu Geopark 野柳地質公園

Went to this interesting park more than a month ago.. thanks to my senior Joe who kinda dragged me out of my room on a Sunday.. didn't know much about this place before this, in fact I didn't even know that it exists, much less that it is a "must-visit" place in Taiwan for tourists..

Anyway, this Geopark was packed with tourists from China.. also, as it was by the sea, the wind was crazily strong.. however, the stone formations there are unbelievable.. here are some of the interesting ones...

"Queen Head" - e most famous stone formation here

"Fairy Shoe" on the rocks..

The weather was very erratic.. with haze coming and going every 10 minutes or so.. but it was great for taking photos... :)

As the park is located just beside the sea with steep cliffs and shores, there are "watchers" around to warn people to stay off the edges and the shallow shores..

visitors are not allowed to cross the red lines

a "watcher" in orange vest keeping a lookout

There is a scenic outlook tower at one corner of the park.. and we went there.. to kinda get away from the crowd.. and the view along the walk there was amazing...

Took lots of nice photos.. which I will be posting here with other articles.. All in all, it was good to get out of my little room and enjoy some sea breeze.. :)

new hangout..

Even though I live very near to school, I don't go to campus everyday.. I still like to "hibernate" in my little room.. :p

one of the rows of research rooms

As the mercury is rising with spring in full bloom and summer not too far away, my room is getting kinda stuffy and hot.. since I refuse to switch on the air-conditioner in my room, I've decided to go to the library more often.. :p in fact, I took the advice of my senior and applied for one of the small research rooms in the library.. and I got it!

There are 74 research rooms in the library and priority is given to students who are writing their theses. Students can opt for long or short term usage. Some who had finished their theses chose to return their rooms for others to use. And that is how I managed to secure the use of one of such research rooms for the rest of this semester. :)

just a table and a chair

These rooms are located on the top 2 levels of the library, namely the 9th and 8th floor, also the place where non-Chinese books are shelved..  thus my favorite "book-hunting" ground.. :) 

I was given a room on the 9th floor.. The room is small with just a table and a chair.. but it is quiet and private.. and the Wi-Fi connection is very good.. so I will most probably spend a lot of my free time there - doing my translations, writing my reports and preparing my presentation.. no doubt that I will be more productive as there is no TV to distract me.. :p

The scenery from my library is pretty amazing.. think I will find a day and do a photo-shoot of my library and the area surrounding it.. Ahh.. another one of my "to-do-when-I-am-free" tasks.. :p

looking down from 9th floor...  into my campus..

Sunday Serenade: i have a dream

Have always been an Abba fan.. :) and this is one of my favorite Abba song.. and I do believe in angels.. :) Enjoy!

I have a dream
performed by Abba

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream




Have a great week ahead! Stay cheery and safe!

Poetry Solace: If

This is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling in 1895.. and was constantly voted a favorite by the British.. so here it is..

If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!



Have a great weekend!

one down.. sort of..

First day of May.. how time flies.. another 7 weeks or so and I shall bid farewell to my 1st year as a PhD student.. :)

Just did my first presentation of this semester yesterday, and I think I did pretty well.. I used English throughout the presentation as I think I should play to my strength and not do double-work. I don't see the point of translating a paper from its original English form to Chinese just so that my classmates can understand them. I am doing my OWN research, and the person I am trying to "impress" is the professor who should be proficient (enough) in English to understand me.  :P

Spring is finally here.. with autumn close behind..

This semester, I need to submit 4 reports and do one more presentation. I've yet to start on any of them and the dateline is 2nd week of June which is the last week of the semester... :x  So no lack of stuff waiting for me to do.. on top of my "routine" translation projects and the occasional "special requests" from my seniors.. :)

So my days are pretty packed.. just the way I like them... :) :)