May 22, 2014

Kaohsiung 2014: Qijin (旗津) part II

This is the lighthouse edition of Qijin Island, I promised.. :)


I loved the hike up to the lighthouse.. Not many people wanna take a long walk up the hill to get there especially on a hot day, so that's good news for me since I don't like to take pictures with people in them..



Here's some nice photos of the lighthouse.. :)






Lighthouses usually occupy the best vantage point so the views around them are also pretty breathtaking..

thru the main gate.

Boat coming into the Kaohsiung harbor.


Don't you agree that the views here and the photos taken were worth the entire trip to Qijin Island? :)


May 19, 2014

Kaohsiung 2014: Qijin (旗津) part I

Many of my classmates and friends told me to visit Qijin Island when I visit Kaohsiung and so I did.  Took a train to Xizihwan MRT station and walked to the Gushan Ferry Pier, and then a ferry across to Qijin Island. The ferry fare is NT$15 (one-way) for students (yeah, I'm using my student pass to the max). Kinda feel like Pangkor Island to me but bigger and more commercialized. 


the pier in Qijin
The 'famous' temple is less than 5 minutes walk from the pier. Nothing fantastic about it. After seeing so many temples, this one didn't live up to the hype. Small and not that well managed. 




I simply wandered around and unless you are there to eat seafood as there are lots of seafood stalls/restaurants in the area. There's also the usual stores selling dried seafood and also the beach.
one of the junctions.. had a bowl of fruit ice to cool off..
rows of stalls selling dried seafood and snacks.
I wonder how those stalls make a living.. almost everyone sells the same thing.. All the packaging looks the same and I bet the prices would be similar too.. Seriously why have so many stalls? It makes no sense. 



It really surprised me that NO ONE is using the beach. The sand is clean and smooth, although not pearly white. Maybe it's still March and the water is still too cold for swimming, but still... 

The Qihou Fortress also was kinda let-down too.. The structure was cool, but nothing much to see.. Not enough plaques or signage to tell the story of the place. To me, it was a wasted opportunity to tell some interesting stories of the fort. 




We can't go into any of the rooms, we can only walk around the structure. It was good they didn't try to 'beautify' the place, but still more can be do to make it an educational experience. 




Luckily the saving grace of the entire area is the Qihou Lighthouse, in my opinion. I've always like lighthouses, maybe cos of the distance you can see from it. The scenery is really nice. And that shall be my next entry.. :) 

May 18, 2014

Sunday Serenade: clouds

Almost a year ago, Zach Sobiech passed away due to bone cancer. This is a song he wrote during the last few months of his life. It touches me immensely.. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did..

Clouds
Well I fell down, down, down
Into this dark and lonely hole
There was no one there to care about me anymore
And I needed a way to climb and grab a hold of the edge
You were sitting there holding a rope

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher
We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear
It won't be long now, it won't be long now

When I get back on land
Well I'll never get my chance
Be ready to live and it'll be ripped right out of my hands
Maybe someday we'll take a little ride
We'll go up, up, up and everything will be just fine

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher

We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear

It won't be long now, it won't be long now
If only I had a little bit more time
If only I had a little bit more time with you

We could go up, up, up
And take that little ride
And sit there holding hands
And everything would be just right
And maybe someday I'll see you again
We'll float up in the clouds and we'll never see the end

And we'll go up, up, up
But I'll fly a little higher
We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer
Up here my dear
It won't be long now, it won't be long now






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

May 17, 2014

Poetry Solace: Of the wave

This week, the final poem from Elizabeth Bishop.. :)

The Wave
A shining wave
Fills all the skies.
Bright shadows float
Across the land.
See, crystal clear,
Its helmet rise!
And now the motion
Of a hand,
A tiny quickening
Of the heart,
And it will fall
And nothing more
Can keep the sea and land apart.
How still, how blinding is the light!
Spellbound and golden shines the foam.
Without a gesture
Or a word
It cannot break;
The wing must turn,
And nest again
The radiant bird,
The wave, the wonder, go back home.
We do not move,
We do not flee.
We see it shudder, lightning bright,
And dully double
On the sea.
We are too innocent and wise,
We laugh into each other's eyes.
~ 1929



Have a fun-filled weekend!

May 15, 2014

got a PhD? so what?

Yes indeed.. For those who know the ways around it, it's really no big deal getting a PhD here.. As long as you have loads of money and/or the right 'connection', you can get a PhD, no problemo... You don't have to do real research work, cos you can either pay someone to do it for you or use the connection you have to apply pressure, and voila! A PhD degree at your doorstep..

One huge reason for this malady is the fact that people here often pursue the degree for (all) the wrong reasons. There are multitudes of reasons but rarely for the want to advance the research field or to contribute to the academia. Some are doing it because it is no longer brag-worthy as eMBA graduates are a dime a dozen these days.. Many did it or are doing it because they had to as their job/promotions depend on it.. Many are treating it as a job/chore, something to get over and done with.. Most of them want the prestige of being called 'Dr.' but not the real hard work that comes with it.

Universities here, and maybe everywhere else, are trying to 'improve' their research creed, especially now with all emphasis on world rankings and what-not. And what did the universities here do? Accept every Tina, Dick and Harry into the PhD program and force them to publish as part of graduation requirement.. So as long as they can pay the tuition and satisfied the barest minimum, just admit them.. At the same time ease the graduation criteria - no more qualification exams and less credits hours needed.  Any surprise that in the end, they attracted all the wrong people or people with the wrong type of mentalities?

When the only thing in the minds of these PhD students is 'How do I get the degree with the least amount of effort?', what do you get? Tons of 'research' papers published in dubious/shady journals. They will search for the most 'lenient' or 'payable' journals and try to get published there.. And these 'journals' will print whatever crap you write as long as you pay their hefty 'publication fee'. Yet some of the papers are so bad that even those journals rejected them. Most of the time, once published these papers will never be read/cited.

Seriously, what is the point of having so many PhD holders when most of them don't cut it? What is the benefit (to the society/country) of having so many such graduates? It only cheapens the value of a PhD and demoralized those whom really put great effort into their work. Once they get their PhD, many of these 'Dr' will never ever read much less write another research paper.. And for those faculty members, all they need is to publish until they get their tenure as professors, then they are 'secured' for life and can just 'cruise-along' until their retirement..

Though it is hardly a case of life and death, I don't think research is a field that should never tolerate mediocrity or sloppy work. Everyone should have the 'can do' and not 'can make do' attitude. We must never compromise, cut corners, steal other people's work or falsify data/results. Not all of us can be Porters, Maslows or Hofstedes nor can we all win Nobel prizes, but we must be willing to put in the effort required for good research.

PhD is no easy path..
I know that it is rare to find someone who really LOVE research or simply love to think, brain-storm, and then write about it. Although I did meet my fair share of phony scholars and pseudo researchers, I am/was very fortunate to have been taught by a few exemplary professors. They showed me how it is to be a conscientious and devoted scholar. In many ways, their passion and work ethics influenced me in wanting to be part of the academia. Unfortunately, what I've seen and heard here kinda dampened my interest in pursuing a future in the scholarly world.

Frankly, I don't count myself as being really passionate about research but I am going to do my best while I'm at it. I'm setting higher and more ambitious targets for myself because I know I can do it. I'm not saying that I will produce a masterpiece or be revered as a great researcher but at the very least it must be worthy to be referenced by other scholars. And I also believe that the things I learned along the way will be invaluable and as satisfying. I'm not saying that I am better than everyone, but I do think I am better than many of them.. Alas, to each their own.. if they can live with themselves, who am I to comment/judge? All I can do is do my best in my own ways and live up to my sets of work ethics.

I know by writing all these, I may have antagonize or offended many of my classmates and/or faculty members.. Yet I cannot NOT vent my frustration and disappointment.. After being in the PhD program for almost three years, I know the rules of the game.. I will play by the rules but I will do it my way on my conditions.. I will graduate when I feel that I'm well-equipped and qualified to be called 'Dr Goh'.

May 13, 2014

Kaohsiung 2014: Fo Guang Shan 佛光山

On Saturday, a friend of mine who is working in the city offered to show me around the area. Actually he is my junior from TKU and he is one of a few who likes to ask me about my lives in Singapore and Japan. He's like a little brother to me. :) Together with his girlfriend, Jason chauffeured me around in his car and I got to see more of this southern city. And one of the places we visited was Fo Guang Shan (佛光山), one of the four 'big' Buddhist organizations in Taiwan. The abbot, Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師) is a prominent figure.

Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) is quite from the city area and you definitely need some sort of transportation to get there. There are plenty of parking spaces around the area. According to Jason, the traffic during CNY is crazy with queues (for car park) spanning several kilometers and waiting of at least 3 hours! So luckily we are here on a non-festival weekend.

The only thing I can say, even before going into the compound, is that the place is super impressive. The scale and structure of the entire place is something more associated with Christian churches and cathedrals than Buddhist monastery. There is a humongous parking lot for travel buses in front of the main gate. When I say humongous I wasn't kidding. The space can accommodate at least 100 buses. In fact, we walked passed rows of buses on our way in.. No less than 30 buses were there already..

I think I will let the photos speak for themselves. You can see it for yourself and decide if I'm exaggerating.
see the lines on the road, that's parking lines for buses.

Entering the main hall.. 
Once inside, I can't believe my eyes. It's like being in a shopping mall, seriously I am not joking. There are restaurants and shops selling everything from souvenirs, scriptures, handicrafts, vegetarian food and many more. I didn't want to take photographs of the interior because there's just too many people there.. Once through the main hall, we came to another vast space.. Hard to describe, just see it for yourself here..



There are four pagodas on each side and each of these pagodas serves a purpose. Some are for meditation, wedding venues, book stores, children's learning center, and press area etc. It's really an integration of religion and commercialization/marketing. And don't forget about the areas beside and behind the pagodas, there's plenty of garden, stone gardens, sculptures and many other "Zen-like" deco..

One of the many cute little stone monks around..
One of the many 'Zen-words' stones.. 
Then we got to where the big Buddha statue is.. Again, there are 4 pagodas by the side and one in front.. those are not the same ones seen in the photos above.. Each of these pagodas are dedicated to four Bodhisattva - 觀世音菩薩地藏菩萨文殊菩薩 and 普賢菩薩





looking out (what the Buddha statue is seeing)
We took much longer than expected in this place, spent almost 4 hours just walking and talking. There are definitely more areas that we didn't get to see. We watched a short movie about the life of Buddha in one of the auditoriums. There is even a museum dedicated to Master Hsing Yun. There are lots to do and see. They are doing a great job trying to more people to be interested in Buddhism.

Then we had lunch in one of the restaurants and I must say it was one of the best (Chinese) vegetarian food I've ever tasted. All made with fresh produce and very little 'fake' meat/pork/chicken/whatever was used.

strongly recommended!
A very enjoyable trip and a real eye opener too.. Definitely a place to bring my parents to when they come over either next year or year after next.


May 3, 2014

Poetry Solace: Of one art

This is the second poem from Elizabeth Bishop that I would like to share with you.. hope you'll like it..

One Art
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lose my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.



Have a great weekend! Stay safe!