Negative Nancy

Recent news events have me wondering if, someday, my daughter is foolish enough to drink too much and assault a local, will a crowd of angry Taiwanese gather in front of the AIT 美國在台協會 and demand "dignity", "truth" and an apology from the US government?

There I go being negative again. It's obvious I'm burning with hatred about this island and its people. That's why I've been here for so long, have married a local woman and am the proud father of a beautiful bi-cultural daughter. My feelings regarding Taiwan are complex and unsettled, which seems to be too difficult a concept for some readers to grasp. Every country and society has its good points and bad, its strengths and weaknesses, its pluses and minuses, its merits and faults. There are numerous Taiwan-related blogs out there celebrating how great Taiwan is, and how swell it is to be living here. This blog isn't one of them. I like to see A Curmudgeon Abroad (like it's predecessor, Sponge Bear) as a necessary counterweight to earnest, wide-eyed odes to life on the Beautiful Island. Apparently there are some out there who don't see it the same way, for on occasion something I've posted will generate comments criticizing me for daring to criticize some aspect of Taiwan. Judgements are passed, ill-informed observations on my situation are handed down and efforts are made to get me to see the blessed Formosan light. All to no avail, for as I get older, I'm getting better at blending together stubbornness with observations based on personal experiences, with a touch of jadedness thrown in. As it says on the sidebar, I'm bound to annoy you sooner or later. Thank you for reading, and don't be afraid to dip your toes into the water. Just remember the world (of which Taiwan is a part) is painted in shades of grey, and not in black and white.

It may be difficult for some people to believe, but my daughter and I actually had a nice afternoon today. For the first time in quite a while, Amber and I went walking in the hills overlooking Zhōngzhèng Park 中正公園, spending about 90 minutes or so making our way up and down the trails. No cynicism nor hatred - just enjoying the time spent with my child on a warm winter afternoon.

Amber looks forward to the snacking of her first Granola Bar. She pronounced it to be "delicious"

On a gorgeous afternoon such as today's, the power lines seemed to go on forever

A Malayan Night Heron perhaps?

Amber got into the spirit of the Lantern Festival 元宵節 as we went out for dinner this evening