Been a while, s'pose I'll write something.

Timeline

Last weekend (like a week ago) involved dinner with some summer students, supervisors, and an SMA operator from Hilo followed by a trip to the bar. On Saturday Luis and I toured Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall before meeting some other summer students at Ximen station to walk Ximending (I believe I mentioned this place before?). Really great stuff, CKS Memorial Hall; large and beautiful traditional Chinese architecture (though the concert hall and theater were both under construction). Chiang Kai-shek must have lived a very busy and fulfilling life what with fighting wars, starting new governments and running them, meeting an insane number of people important to modern world history.
That Sunday the gang here in the dorm room headed to Wulai, somewhere outside Taipei. Known for its aboriginal culture and waterfalls, it was nice to head into the mountainous terrain. We ended the night in Wulai with public hot springs.

Another week of work. Oh yea, work was cancelled last monday on account of the typhoon. Nice lazy day (i think). Finally started spectral emission-line imaging. Lots of work to do.

I honestly don't remember anything from this past Friday. Yesterday was pretty special, though. Some of us in the program decided to meet up last evening to catch a fireworks show. I had no idea what to expect and I still don't know why the show even took place. Before it started I decided it was going to be a big show as the amount of people gathered at the edge of the river can only be described as a gigantic clusterfuck. We found ourselves a great place to watch the show on the roof of a building next to the river.
Indeed, the show was pretty mindblowing. The fireworks from the bridge were appealing, even showering down to the water like a waterfall of sparkling orbs of death. A building across the river was used as a base to shoot off loads of pyrotechnics from anywhere they could be placed.
A boat on the river, closest to the audience, was the show stopper. Some of the artillery shells were by far the biggest I've witnessed, and the climax/end of the show was the most impressive piece of pyrotechnics seen in my life. Sorry, though, no pictures. I took the selfish road and decided that taking pictures would have totally ruined the experience.

Finally, today, I tagged along with two roommates and two other summer students on a trip to Yongge and.....some town across the river from Yongge with a name I can't remember. Outside Taipei. The area is known for its ceramics and they let that be known; there is some fantastically exquisite work done there (we even toured the museum in Yongge devoted to ceramics). The town across the river (a town compared to Taipei anyway) has a quaint Old Street that's pleasing to walk through. Not much else, though, so we headed home.

Well what else is there to say? Lots, to be sure, but I don't feel like continuing this much further for now. I've never been one for details, so don't look for any on this blog and we'll all save some time, heh.