Graychalk.com | Misplaced Pieces
Paranoia in Epic Proportions
Posted on Sunday, April 05, 2009 at 09:56 pm
Sometimes, it really scares me how paranoid my mom is. She handed me some mail today, one of them being a couple of promotional coupons sent by a hair salon I used to go to, and I made an offhand comment about how it’s probably for my birthday (the birthday on my ID is not my real birthday, hence it’s now and not in January). But anyway… my mother kinda freaked and it went something like this:
Mom: You shouldn’t be giving them your ID number! Do you know what they can do with your ID number??
Me: I didn’t give them my ID number… I just gave them the birthday, so they can look up my member info when I go.
Mom: You shouldn’t be giving them your birthday either!
Me: It’s not like I gave them my birth time. Besides, it’s not even my real birthday, Ma.
Mom: Still, you don’t know what they can do with that….
How did my mom ever get this paranoid? In her defense, she wasn’t always like this. I mean, she had minor doses of paranoia… nothing really all that out of the ordinary, but if I have to track it back to a time when it got really bad (and then steadily worse), it was probably right after my dad passed away. Still, this birthday thing is getting ridiculous. What the hell is anyone going to be able to do just by knowing my birthday, and a fake one at that? Seriously, she must realize it too inside somewhere… except she’s too blinded by her paranoia. Sigh.
As a side note, that birth time thing I mentioned to placate my mom- that’s in reference to the common Asian belief (especially with the older generations) that you absolutely should not reveal the time of your birth to just anyone. Something about black magic, voodoo, and how it could affect your spirit- the latter being more related to if you give your birth time to a “dishonest” fortune-teller or those who are in contact with a “little ghost” in order to foresee the future. Something like that… yeah.
40 Minutes of the Twilight Zone
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 09:08 pm
Having lived in Taiwan for the past five years, you’d think I had experienced this before… but nope, today was the first time I was actually out on the street when the air raid drill took place. It completely took me by surprise since I had not realized the drill was taking place today, which was rather unfortunate because it meant I was caught unaware and stuck out in the heat for over 30 minutes.
It happened while I was waiting to cross the street- this loud, wailing noise that went up around the city, similar to the kind you’d hear in war movies. I blinked and looked around in confusion for a moment, an image of bombs dropping from the sky briefly flitting through my mind along with the incredulous thought, “Don’t tell me China is attacking?!”
The lady standing next to me must’ve been having the same thought, because she looked at me a bit wildly before glancing up at the sky. But then most of everyone else seemed to be moving about normally at the time, so I shrugged and went on my way. So that was that until the sirens trailed away a minute later, making it suddenly eerily quiet on the streets. And it would be too, because I realized all at once that I was the only person on the street! Call it a dumb moment on my part, but I didn’t even notice anyone clearing out until the streets were completely deserted. No cars were running, nobody was walking about… nothing.
I stood there feeling like I was part of some freakish movie set… perhaps Resident Evil after the zombies have taken over the city and left it abandoned. It was that weird, because Taipei without noise, traffic, and crowds just don’t make sense. I wasn’t left alone for long though, since a cop came running towards me and gesturing for me step out of the streets. It was also when I was finally informed that the air raid drill was moved to today and I’d need to “hide” for about 30 to 60 minutes until it was over. The question was where, because there wasn’t anywhere I could go without being able to walk down the street. And so I ended up standing in a little alcove where I was stopped, with only an ATM machine for company.
It was really hot and whole thing felt like it took hours- the latter probably because I wasn’t able to do anything other than stand and wait in the heat. The ironic part? About 15 minutes into this whole thing, I heard the sound of an airplane. Being the only noise in the vicinity, it was especially loud. At first, I wondered if it could be fighter airplanes participating in the drill… except, no, it turned out to be a normal commercial airplane. It kinda made me giggle a little. After all, this was an air raid drill. The last thing that we should ever see in an air raid is a commercial airplane taking off from the nearby domestic airport!
All in all though, I guess I can at least say I got to see Taipei deserted- something one wouldn’t exactly see on a normal basis. I snapped some pictures, but since I wasn’t allowed to move about to get a better shot, I couldn’t quite capture the true emptiness of the streets. I wish I could convey how odd it really was.
Well, after about 40 minutes, life returned to the streets quicker than ever with another sound of the sirens to signal the end of the drill. As annoying as an air raid drill can be, I suppose we should all be thankful that it’s only a drill and not the real deal.
Tips For Visiting Taiwan
Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 10:12 pm
An old friend called me yesterday and said she wanted to come to Taiwan for a visit, which completely made my day as I hadn’t seen her in over 5 years. She would be flying out to the Philippines and thought she’d drop by Taiwan to see good ‘ol me for a few days. Since she had never been here before, she asked if there was anything she needed to bring or be aware of. I mulled over that for a bit and ended up with a list of miscellaneous tips potential visitors to Taiwan might want to keep in mind.
Quick Do’s and Don’ts:
1. DO bring a foldable, lightweight tote of some sort.
For environmental purposes, there’s a law in Taiwan restricting the distribution of plastic bags, so many people bring their own bags when they buy stuff. Clothing shops and department stores do give you paper shopping bags for your purchases, but convenient stores like the 7-11 won’t do so automatically. As a last resort, stores that don’t give you a bag will still sell you one for cheap (under NT$5) if you ask for it.
2. DON’T throw away your receipts.
Taiwan has a receipt lottery, where the prize goes anywhere from NT$200 to NT$200,000. Basically, there’s a number printed on all the receipts handed out in Taiwan, and every couple of months, they release a set of winning numbers. I actually knew someone who came for a visit and ended up winning the grand prize! If you’re not interested in trying your luck at the lotto, you can always drop them off in charity donation boxes around the city. Or, of course, you can also give them to me. ;p
3. DO keep some tissue paper handy.
This will become quite useful when using the public restrooms as a lot of them either don’t provide any or they’re perpetually out of them.
4. DON’T flush toilet paper down the toilet.
For some reason that I still don’t quite understand, toilet paper is notorious for clogging the toilets here. Either that or they just don’t go down at all, hence the reason you’ll see signs (usually in Chinese only) in most bathrooms telling you to throw the toilet paper into the waste basket provided.
5. DO keep your hotel’s card with you at all times. (Important!)
This might sound like a general travel tip, but I found that this is especially important in Taiwan. I’ve noticed that people here (cab drivers included) never seem to know the English names of the hotels… and I’m talking about even famous international chains like Hyatt or Sheraton. If you can’t speak Chinese, the hotel’s card is crucial if you’re asking for directions or taking cabs. Seriously.
6. DON’T just rely on your credit card.
While major establishments like department stores and nice restaurants do take most credit cards, you’ll find that many smaller boutiques or eateries don’t. Additionally, if you plan on shopping at bargain stores or those shops that sell electronics for cheap, you’d be better off paying in cash since they tend to charge more if you’re paying by credit card… that is, if they even accept them at all.
Other miscellaneous things to note:
There’s probably a few other things I could include… like seriously watching yourself when you cross the street because the idea of pedestrians getting the right of way is a laughable joke. Plus the country is scooters galore. They’re all over the place, including the sidewalk. Oh and if you’re coming from Europe or any other country where the right side is the driver’s side, keep in mind that Taiwan is the same as America (where the driver’s side is on the left), so don’t be looking on the wrong side when crossing the street!
As for other possible things to bring- If you’re so inclined, I might add in an umbrella and some form of mosquito repellent as things you can consider bringing as well. Honestly, I have no idea when the rainy season is supposed to be in Taipei even after living here for 5 years… but in my experience, it rains much too often for my liking and it happens whenever it wants to! Though fear not if you’d rather not lug an umbrella around, since you’ll find plenty of stands that sells them here if you should get caught in rain.
Mosquito repellent, on the other hand, you might really need especially if you come during the summer. It isn’t uncommon to get an armful of bites within mere seconds. You won’t even know what hit you until you’re itching all over.
And that’s all for now. I’ll add on to it if I think of anything else. In the meantime, happy visiting!
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