Stepping back in time (a little)

Writing on a restaurant billboard (photo now missing, for unknown reasons) led to a walk around the neighborhood, which in turn led to this well-preserved (if uniquely maintained) old home...

I wish there were more like these around.

Take a walk on the mild side

My new Casio カシオ comes with what it calls a "YouTube" function, so after finishing work on Friday night, I decided to give it a go. Like many provincial Taiwanese cities, Fengyuan 豐原 has a small downtown area that can get surprisingly active, though this night it was comparatively quiet. The result of my brief walkabout can be seen below:

Starting off at the city's main Matsu 媽祖 Temple, I proceeded to walk down a section of Miaotung 廟東, a narrow street lined with food stalls that is Fengyuan's sole claim to fame within Taiwan. About halfway down, I turned onto a narrower lane crammed with clothing stores, several of which carry "risque" clothing that would seem pretty tame to anyone who has spent time in urban Japan. The lane ends near the entrance to the Pacific Department Store, where I then turned back toward Chung-cheng 中正 Road, the main artery of the city. From there, it was a short walk back to the Matsu Temple. Gripping stuff it ain't, but the video does show a slice of nightlife in a typical Taiwanese burg, and the images are a lot clearer than the vids recorded with the old Pentax ペンタックス.

As for the shakiness, that's what happens when a single giant 外人 hand tries to hold a small 日本製 camera. Next time, I'll try to use both mitts.

From Kyōdō News 共同通信社, by way of Japan Today ("Tiffany jewelry thief suspected in Taiwan heist"):

"A jewelry thief who stole at least four rings in Japan last month is suspected in the theft of two rings from a De Beers store in T'aipei 台北 on Tuesday...An Asian man who spoke broken English made off with two rings, valued at NT$10.5 million (about U.S.$330,000/¥30.18 million) and NT$1.85 million (about $58,000/¥5.3 million), after trying on the rings at the store, located on the second floor of Taipei 101 台北101, a skyscraper in the island’s capital...The thief said he was shopping for a wedding ring for his sister and ran off with the rings after the clerk handed them over for the man to inspect...The theft resembles a Dec 31 incident in Japan involving a similar-looking man who ran off with four rings valued at about $500,000 (¥45.6 million/NT16 million) from a Mitsukoshi 三越 store in Tōkyō 東京...Security camera footage of the two incidents...confirm(s) the resemblance...Taiwanese police officials are working with their Japanese counterparts to track down the suspect."

Exploring the possibilities

This morning was gorgeous, so I gave myself a few minutes before leaving for work to go up to the roof of the apartment building to take some shots with the new Casio カシオ:

You can make out the high-speed rail tracks in the first photograph, while the last picture provides a nice view looking out towards the local garbage incinerator.

Giving the new camera a try

I was hoping to give my new camera a workout this afternoon while going on one of my usual walks in the Tak'eng 大坑 area, but the weather proved to be uncooperative. Thanks to the generally overcast, hazy and (in the morning, at least) drizzly conditions, the scenery from trails 9 and 10 was uninspiring. Hopefully, I'll have better luck next time. At least the zoom function worked well:

Of the 10 official hiking trails in Dakeng, #9 is the least worthwhile. Along with the #10, it's the most accessible of the paths, which naturally makes it the most crowded. On weekends, it's a veritable zoo, but even on a cold weekday afternoon, there were quite a few people out on the trail. And in Taiwan, where there are people, there will be vendors catering to them. The initial stage of Trail 9 is lined with stalls selling produce and drinks. Even on a Tuesday, many of the stalls were manned, and people were stopping to look and buy.

Once past the peddlers and shoppers, the #9 gets quieter, but eventually the trail leads to a Kuanyin Temple, also accessible by Trail 6 and, even worse, by car. A continuous cacophony of noise, those looking for a contemplative meditative experience would be better off going to the other hilltop Guanyin Temple in the area, the one behind the Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology 中台科技大學, which is not only quieter, but has better views of T'aichung's 台中 Peit'un District 北屯區.

If you would like to try Trail 9, for chrissakes do it on a weekday! Once at the top, start exploring some of the quieter paths going off into the trees - it won't be long before you leave the din behind. Descend via the #10 - all those staircases are great for discouraging commercial activities!

Trying to keep up with the times

I'm not always the quickest when it comes to keeping abreast of the latest technology, but in the last month or so I've replaced two major pieces of personal use electronics. The first was the purchase of a new HP laptop to take the place of my six year-old Acer 宏碁. Today it was time to finally say goodbye (and good riddance) to our four year-old Pentax ペンタックス. The new kid on the block is a Casio カシオ Z450, for which I paid NT10,000 (¥29,000/$315) at NOVA in T'aichung 台中. The difference in picture quality was immediately apparent. Here is one of the last photos taken by the old Pentax, of my daughter playing a 和太鼓 at her kindergarten this morning (although today was Sunday, the school was holding an event to celebrate its founding):

The first image recorded by the new Casio:

The photo was snapped while driving through downtown Fengyuan 豐原 this evening. The difference in quality between the two cameras is most noticeable with night shots.

I'm looking forward to exploring the possibilities and potential of the new toy, er camera. The first real test will probably come this Tuesday, when I plan to do some walking in Tak'eng 大坑. If the weather cooperates, we'll see what kind of scenic shots the Casio is capable of taking. As for my next high-tech investment, next up will be a decent bike, so I can join the cult of those who go...I mean, get rid of some flab by Cycling in Taiwan.

On a completely unrelated but Taiwan-specific note, there was this short AP item in the Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売, "New 'strawberry' crab species found off Taiwan":

"A marine biologist says he has discovered a new crab species off the coast of southern Taiwan that looks like a strawberry with small white bumps on its red shell. National Taiwan Ocean University 國立臺灣海洋大學 professor Ho Ping-ho says the crab resembles the species living in the areas around Hawaii, Polynesia and Mauritius. But it has a distinctive clam-shaped shell about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide, making it distinct. Taiwanese crab specialist Wang Chia-hsiang confirmed Ho's finding. Ho said Tuesday his team found two female crabs of the new species last June off the coast of K'enting National Park墾丁國家公園, known for its rich marine life. The crabs died shortly thereafter, possibly because the water in the area was polluted by a cargo ship that ran aground."

In the news

From Kyōdō News 共同通信社, by way of the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ, "Ma urges closer three-way security":

"Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 met with ex-Defense Agency 防衛庁 Director General Yoshinori Ōno 大野功統 on Monday and expressed hope for closer cooperation with Japan and the United States on regional security...'We hope we can cooperate more closely in this regard,' Ma was quoted as telling Ōno."

The captain of the good ship ROC certainly knows the right things to say in front of honored guests (as opposed to typhoon victims, for example), as the following shows:

"Commenting on Taiwan's relations with China, Ma told Ōno the improvement in ties across the Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 has greatly eased tensions between the two political rivals. The improved ties between are 'good not only for the security of East Asia but also for Japan's national security,' Ma was quoted as saying."

On the surface, Ma's statement sounds reasonable. A war involving China and Taiwan would almost certainly result in American intervention, and it would be difficult to imagine Japan watching from the sidelines while the conflict played out in its former colony. But are the closer ties that Ma proudly boasts of truly in Japan's long-term interests? A resurgent, nationalistic China that claims islands presently under Japanese jurisdiction and disputes territorial boundaries over potential undersea oil and gas fields is naturally restrained by a Taiwan that is outside of its direct control. If and when Taiwan is brought under Beijing's wing (whether it be through unification, annexation or integration), Japan would have only a relatively weakening American deterrent to rely on for its security. Can the Chinese be trusted to have only "peaceful intentions"? Ma words on the matter are hardly reassuring:

"On the Chinese missiles targeted at Taiwan, Ma told Ōno that Taiwan has raised the issue but Beijing has not made a conciliatory response. Ma expressed hope for closer cooperation among Taiwan, Japan and the United States on regional security while addressing the threat of China's missiles..."

Despite all the steps taken by Ma's administration to improve relations with China (which less charitable souls might characterize as borderline "kowtowing"), the missiles stay in place. The president's stated hope for closer security cooperation also sounds a bit hollow coming from the man whose prime minister threatened war with Japan over a sunken fishing vessel, and whose party for years blocked the purchase of much-needed weapons from the U.S. in the legislature. Actions speak louder than words, and what Ma and his cohorts have been doing for the almost the last two years are more telling than any soothing sounds spoken to visiting dignitaries.