Taiwan: No Land for English?

Today after going to the Taiwan Lantern Festival, my house mates and I went to the nearby Macdonalds’ to have supper. My house mates are German, and they know little Chinese. But I know they’ve ordered Macs before, so while we were all queuing up to order, I had one of my German housemates order first.

The cashier was a Taiwanese girl, probably in her early twenties. She knew that we were speaking English, as I was talking to them the instant before my friend ordered. When it came to him, the Taiwanese cashier looked at home and spoke a chain of Mandarin. Then, seeing that he didn’t understand, she immediately darted her eyes to me.

Of course I know she wants me to be some sort of interpreter.

But my friend knew how to order. But it was clear that she wanted the easy way out. Asian? Check. Maybe he can speak Chinese. Even if that dude who’s my customer is standing in front of me is trying his best to tell me what he wants in elementary school grade English.

Sometimes the unwillingness to speak English can be very baffling. I kid you not. That cashier clearly knows how to speak. She is simply UNWILLING to speak.

After I did a quick few translations for my German friend, the other German housemate (I have two German housemates) then came along next in line to order from the same girl. This time, however, I stood a good distance away from them. I told my other German housemate who was then a little intimidated (of course, who wouldn’t, when the local aren’t even willing to engage you with some respect), to try ordering with English.

“Big Mac…”

“…Huh?” The girl glanced at me again, awaiting my google translation. I didn’t give her any help this time.

“…eight (the menu number of the Big Mac…”

“…Okay! Fries, medium or large?”

“…Normal”, said my friend.

See, that was easy enough. I didn’t help. I didn’t have to help actually. But it’s so sad to see these local Taiwanese staff look for a clutch like a linguistically handicap person. It’s sad not because they cannot speak perfect English; it’s sad because they are too afraid or unwilling to try.

It’s a cultural thing, I told my friends. Many of them will not even speak English unless they are forced into speaking it when the teacher calls them to. They generally think that their English isn’t up to scratch, and as a result they rather not even try.

It’s about face. About saving face. I am not sure if what happened can be taken as representational of the wider Taiwanese youth population, but such a mentality of not being able to speak and being completely fine with it, can be really poisonous to the country’s future. Especially when their Mainland counterparts are learning ferociously  Never mind the tones of weird Chinglish, the bad grammar and the strange intonations. I feel that Mainlanders try much harder.

It’s funny because Taiwan has always been the more liberal, more exposed country to the outside world. There’re quite a significant foreigner population in Taiwan, meaning plenty of chances to practise. There’s English everywhere; the metro signages  the powerpoint slides at school, the media even. But no, it’s still as uncommon to hear some English sentences among Taiwanese youth.

I fear it will become like Chinese in Singapore; that one day it will finally be uncool to speak English, because people who speak good English are so few and far in between; people who CAN speak are labelled as show-offs, and everyone revels in their collective disaffection of that language. All these happening while the world around them is changing, globalising, learning.

This cannot be the case. Things need to change. From the individual. 修身齊家治國平天下.

A lesson in perseverance.

Today I went to school to attend my Japanese class. It was my first Japanese lesson in a few months, with the exception that I didn’t get to register it. Because for some unknown reason, it didn’t appear inside the NCTU course selection system, and so I thought I could just come for the first lesson and have the lecturer add it in for me.

When I arrived, it has almost a class full of people. The lecturer mentioned that there were 45 slots for that class. I looked around and did a quite mental calculation of all the people in the room. Easily more than 60. My heart skipped a bit for a moment. She started to call out names for attendance and slowly, one by one, all the 45 names were called, and 44 hands raised with a “hai”. One of the registered students didn’t come. I’m was thankful to that absentee who increased the availble slots by 6.

Then, she told the audience of students that there on top of the maxed out class registration (of which I could never know since I can’t see the lesson on the system for my own ID), there were space for FIVE more in-class registrants. They call this 加簽. 

So, I was like, how is she going to choose? By giving us a quick test? Or?

And then she told us to hand her our student ID, and she placed them all into a small green bag, and shook it around comically, to the quiet but audible giggles of the students, quiet because they knew they had to be sensitive to their friends whose IDs were in that green bag, many of them sitting among them, the luckier ones who got the course via the system. (Well at least those rejected by the system had a chance at it!) 

Then, like release toto results, she called 6 ID cards’ names.

I wasn’t one of them.

But I didn’t let my heart sink. I came all the way here, bantered with my NTU’s Japanese lecturer and another NCTU teacher here, not to just give it up. So I tried to make a quick plea to this teacher today, but wasn’t unsuccessful. She pointed me to the office for foreign languages.

I went there, and basically learnt a bit more about the course matching system and how they do their work, but I still badly wanted that course. I was pretty sure every course could only have 5 additional registrants. And it was already maxed out at 50 for now.

For now. That was what I thought.

It was too silly to just give up without a fight. Sometimes I feel I am dogged enough to do what most students won’t. The remaining 10 odd students left the classroom and the building, immediately after they knew they weren’t in the 6 selected students. 

So, I stayed in the opposite classroom and waited till her lesson ended, and came back. And I presented my case to her again. I explained slowly why the system didn’t show me and hence I was disadvantaged, and I really wanted to take Japanese here so I can continue when I go back. And I asked if she could make an exception. 

And in the end, I became that extra 1 person. 51. 

And with that, and 4 other mods. I got my 3 day week. Hehe.

Those who walk away on the first count will not know this could happen. Those who stay on to wait, to ask, and to ask properly, may stand a chance. Never give up! Just like how I got to WKWSCI. How I passed 2 IPPTs. How the impossible can be remade into possibilities. Just try. Just. Try.

Stockcheck.

It has been a while since I set foot (again) into Taiwan. In fact time has really past so quickly, it’s almost three weeks now. I guess many things have happened, and I can only afford that much time every night to document them down in a decent level of detail. Throughout my last 18 odd days in Taiwan, I’ve spoken to many people, young & old. Taxi cabbies, the roadside sweeper, telecom salespeople, hostel owners, landladies, university students, people from the happening Taipei to the scenic Kaohsiung. It’s only been a while, but it feels like so much as happened.

And now, as I’m finally, about to start school, again, it’s apt to just slow down, pause for a moment, and take stock of what has happened, and also to think a little about the future ahead. I guess I cannot not think about these things, somehow I know that if I don’t put these down in words at some point, everything I do will seem meaningless.

I can start by stating the changes to myself. I dare say that most people who come to a different country will have some changes in their accent. But I believe most changes are quite involuntary and rub off without any conscious thought. For me, I guess I just become more sure that the Mandarin I’ve been speaking all these while is more like the locals than I actually thought. It’s the ironic situation where speaking garbled Chinese actually makes it easier to understand as a whole.

Perhaps its because Chinese is used almost exclusively (apart from Hokkien), and extensively, exhaustively, unlike in Singapore where we have quite a good mix of English, and other languages put into our verbal mix.

In other words, on the contrary, Taiwanese (I am refering to the lay person here) in general don’t really pronounce words that distinctly. Like glutinous rice, most words stick together and are pronounced really quickly, and as a whole. I guess most languages work the same way in their home countries as well. Just that in Singapore, we are just used to being more ‘sharp’ on which word; and also, unconsciously feel a need to be even ‘clearer’ in a Chinese-speaking country to as to be more effectively heard.

I really had the fear of not being able to speak fluent Chinese. I actually felt worried that I may become ‘tired’ of speaking such ‘pure’ Chinese after a week or so, but it turns out that it’s okay. In fact it felt quite natural. Part of it came when I knew I was just going to be myself and not pretend to be a local.

Then of course came the surprise when people who knew I wasn’t local told me they couldn’t tell I was a Singaporean. And those who didn’t know beforehand simply treated me as a local. Well, to be fair, so long as you didn’t sound like a Mainlander, you will naturally be assumed to be a local. It’s not that I have a Taiwanese accent, I just simply do not have an accent when it comes to speaking Mandarin.

I digress. On the whole I learnt to ‘catch’ their bullet train speed of speaking and understand them. I also learn to read much quicker since almost everything is in Chinese.

And I also learnt that I may one day die by looking on the wrong side of the road. It’s crazy scary, but in Taiwan everything is flipped. But crossing the road you just have to be that careful, or risk being knocked by oncoming traffic. I need to learn to look LEFT first, then the RIGHT side. It’s scary, I have actually wondered halfway across the road and then realise I looked the wrong way when a motorbike whizzed inches behind me. That was scary.

And another thing about being assumed to be a local is that you don’t really get all the ‘whoa taiwanese are so polite’ kind of treatment. What you get are more direct, more honest interpretations of daily life. But don’t get me wrong; they are all kinds of warm and passionate people, just that you really get to see their ‘truer’ side. I mean, how often you get a salesgirl complaining about her company’s system is stupid to a foreigner? Or a bemused uncle puzzled about your level of English proficiency?

And after a while, all that hype and fog goes away, and what you get is just life itself. Being here as a tourist and being here as a student showed me this difference. Being a tourist means you’re 24/7 surrounded by people trained to smile like angels, and treat you like treasured guests. But when you’re that neighbour, that unpolished university boy, that unknown stranger on that street, that’s when you get to experience life as what it truly is here. No filters, they say. Just pure living.

Another thing that precluded my mind these days is the fact that some of my NTU friends are in the hostel. Having stayed in one in NTU before, I know myself. I definitely need that extra breathing space, it more of a necessity than a preference.

Last time when I came to Taiwan with my army mates, I experienced that need firsthand. I became quite melancholic for the 2nd part of the trip (after leaving Kaohsiung), and became very quiet and unresponsive. My friends were shocked and kept asking me if I were fine, but I only became worse. And like a condition left undiagnosed, it only festered as the days went. It was then that I realised, I needed extra time and space compared to others, especially when it comes to travelling.

So this time, with Eileen and Yinkuan, two awesome friends from WKW, I made it a point to have my own private space and set aside separate R&Rs for certain days.

I guess, as time passes and as I experience things and get to know more about myself and what irks me, I tend to now give myself plenty of concessions. By building a moat around myself to foolproof the what-ifs. But I’m also just a little afraid that I may be giving up on those possibilities, when what was feared might be inexistent.

So I may also think about the kinds of camaraderie and hapz moments I could have had if I were in hostel now. But having known myself for so long, I know that I will eventually still need that space to function.

I think, more importantly, is to have a clear overall objective of what I intend to do here. I won’t list them down here, cos it’s even more crucial to have God at the center of it all. Because I find myself asking the same questions just as before I entered WKWSCI. I asked myself if I would have friends. If I would genuinely enjoy school. If I would, you know, ‘fit in’.

I am not so self-delusional to think that I can drop into school and be a crowd-pleaser. Or that I can ‘work’ myself up that popularity ladder. How glad I was that I realised all of that weren’t important, and I had to accept myself first before others could accept me. My not very successful hall life taught me that. Back then in Hall 12, I was striving to be more connected, more involved, and every attempt shot back at me. I was dissapointed that all of that hinged on the fact that I didn’t attend hall camp, and even held it against my roommate for a while. Back then he had problems with the hall application and was almost denied the space. I worked the phones and somehow it worked out for him, he went for hall camp but I wasn’t given the chance due to my tuition, and that decided my trajectory.

Of course there will be people who will say, ‘well, IF you tried to open up and yadayada… <insert happy ending story here>’. But I did try what I could muster, but it didn’t work.

In short, these past years have taught me that in life, it’s good to strive, but don’t yearn for things beyond your grasp. It’s a interesting thought for someone like me. I am idealistic in many ways, but at the same time, also quite a realist when it comes to relationships with people. I don’t overdo it. And I’m humbled to have the fortune of foresight of letting them go much earlier, before it comes a reenactment of past misadventures.

高雄、台獨、與22k的經濟陷阱。Kaohsiung, Taiwan Independence, Death Trap of 22k ($1,000) salaries

#01 Kaohsiung

Such a beautiful city, Kaohsiung. After 1.5 years, I finally return to the place I once missed so much.

I went back, spent 6 wonderful days there. I wonder why Kaohsiung has such a special place in my heart. It’s as though that city was the reason why I went to Taiwan in the first place. I mean, Taipei is awesome, full of activities and very happening. Very convenient. But somehow the stillness, the vastness of space, the lack of activity and honestly, the charm of the entire city speaks to me in a way like no other city. Kaohsiung is special. It is.

Kaohsiung is a place that was supposed to be the Taipei today. When Formosa (now known as Taiwan) was formed in the early days, the people who fled mainland entered Taiwan and settled at Kaohsiung. It was the centre of activity then, until in recent years where Taipei was chosen by the Kuomintang as the city and there congregated commerce and trade. Believe it or not, Taipei was once a sleepy city, but due to political reasons, it became the focal point of contact between Taiwan and the outside world. Even the Olympic team is known as Chinese Taipei.

By definition Kaohsiung is much better equipped to be the capital, because the climate is better (nearer to the equator, more consistent weather all year round), and has much bigger space than Taipei. But because of political happenings, Taipei eventually became much more developed and now its almost impossible for Kaohsiung to catch up, as long as the Taiwanese government remains. Many Taiwanese would rather not travel up north to Taipei if not for the fact that the employment opportunities are simply better there. Of course everything in Taipei is more expensive as well.

To me, personally, I will make a point to return to Kaohsiung as often as I financially can. Because that place means so much to me. I just love everything there. The people, the space, the lack of people, the vastness of space. And there is always someone, something there that means something to me. I can’t really articulate properly why Kaohsiung is so special. There’re too many intangibles involved, but I guess above mentioned are the main reasons for now.

#02： Taiwanese Independence.

To give you a primer, basically Taiwan was original part of the older China, until two political parties, Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fought for the allegiance of the Chinese people. The KMT is much like the PAP of today, where they were seen as high handed and far away from the daily struggles of the common people then. The CCP on the other hand, advocated ideals like communal struggles and equality, which resounded with the people. Among other factors, the CCP had the upper hand and the KMT government was forced to exile to Formosa.

As a result, two Chinas were form and have been in existence till today. Mainland China, known as the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) 中華人民共和國 and the Republic of China (R.O.C.) 中華民主共和國 (中華民國).

The older generation of Taiwanese have a very starkly different view of Taiwan as compared with the younger generation.

I was speaking to an elder Taxi driver who briefly shared his view with me on this. They feel that Taiwan and Mainland China should reunite and form back the greater China. Whichever China wasn’t his concern. He envisaged a democratic China with two political parties, the CCP and the KMT taking the political reins of the country, just like how Taiwan is now. The uncle also aptly pointed out that China was once, although briefly, democratic with those two parties competing for governance, as any democracy should.

Personally, when I heard all that he said, I felt that that uncle was sorely naïve to think this way. The realities are so far away, and just the way he put it, was as thought reunification was a couple of decades away.

“With the technological intellect of Taiwan and the resources of Mainland, we will have been prosperous 30 years earlier. What would be the United States be anyway?” He quipped.

It dawned on me that the older generation still has the link to the ‘Greater China’, and remain stubbornly hopeful for that one day Taiwan and Mainland China will form the Greater China (大中國). It’s a noble dream, but it’s more of a pipe dream to be honest.

And yet, the other extreme is equally heart-tugging. Younger generation do not see their roots in the Mainland. Most, if not all, of the younger people I spoke to, see Taiwan as a sovereign city state. Many were outraged when the word ‘Taiwan’ had to be replaced with ‘Chinese Taipei’. The Taiwanese flag cannot be brought into all Olympic venues. The national anthem of Taiwan was replaced by another song. Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations.

“What does ‘Chinese Taipei’ even mean? So if I am an athlete from Kaohsiung, I do not belong to the team?”, a friend of my groused.

The younger Taiwanese see themselves as distinct from the Mainlanders as we Singaporeans see ourselves as distinct from them. Their quiet, discreet but definitely evident disdain of the Mainlanders can be seen in their (slightly) different attitudes to the PRCs, to their disparaging nicknames for them. In short, Taiwanese do not like PRCs. Like how many Singaporeans and HongKongers do not like them.

The key difference is that Taiwan needs the Mainland much more than Singaporeans. That is for another day, but without the financial backing and ‘agreements’ between Mainland China and Taiwan, it would have been much worse for the Taiwanese people. So while they directly benefit from the inflow of Chinese tourists, they also lose out as many jobs eventually leak to the Mainland.

The main idea is that the Taiwanese are divided on their views on reunification. It’s not as uniform as we think, that Taiwan ‘wants’ to be independent  There are major factions of people who think differently, and have very strong reasons for them as well.

#03: Politely, Ineffective.

This links very strongly with their immigration policy. Walk the streets in Taiwan and find me a Mainlander working those ‘low-class’ jobs we Singaporeans will not do. As a cleaner? No. He’s Taiwanese. As a dishwasher? No. She’s also a Taiwanese. You get the idea. The Taiwanese government is protective of her own people. So much so that it actually starts to hurt in a way.

One major benefit of immigrant workforce is that it brings in direct competition. Without which there will be no incentive to innovate, to improve, to become better to keep yourself alive. In a darwinistic manner, competition for survival betters the entire hoards of industries.

Let me give you a simple example.

When I first came to Taiwan, I had to set up my local Taiwan SIM card. I went to Chunghwa Telecom as recommended by my friend. I went to this customer service center in Zhongshan district, and I was served by this very nice and polite lady. She greeted me in the usual elaborate Taiwanese fashion that made me feel like a king.

But during the short period of time I realised several weird points about the experience: the receptionist knows very little about what she is doing.

She was very polite, able to tell me what is common knowledge, but when I asked her about another plan not on the list, she told me that she had to check it out, and asked me to wait, with a thousand apologies and ‘thank you for waiting’.

Throughout the 20 minutes I spent there, she walked to and fro from the counter, like, 10 plus times, find this and that out. And no, she wasn’t a newbie or trainee. Every time she walked back she would say the SAME, IDENTICAL phrase “不要意思讓您久等了 (I’m very sorry I let you wait)”, even if she was gone for 20 seconds. After a while didn’t sound sincere, it sounded robotic, and ultimately, ineffective.

This scenario can be extrapolated to nearly every faction of Taiwanese companies. The employers will rather save money and employ a polite employee at a cheap salary than a knowledgable or experienced one. This is known as the 22k trap ($1,000) of many Taiwanese workers. Their salaries can hardly rise because there is such a flood of university graduates in the market, and if one becomes too expensive, he / she can easily be removed for a cheaper (and even more polite) sales person.

This may seem very strange to a Singaporean, when we are always complaining of ‘bad customer service’. But while in Taiwan, there salespersons are almost too polite, but yet when it comes to getting real work done, it simply isn’t effective or fast enough. Imagine this on an industrial scale. The effects and repercussions of a greatly customer-oriented, but ineffective workforce is what greatly limits Taiwan on global competitiveness.

ONE NIGHT IN TAIPEI 一夜台北。

Going to Taiwan was only a 4 hour ride away from Singapore. It was quite a smooth experience, and I’ve been to Taiwan before. What’s different this time is that I’m heading there alone. And I can say that being by myself makes me think more. In a sense when you head out in groups, there are tasks that can be shared by the group; being alone means having to read (and decode) maps yourself, depending on your own wit and luck to get to once place to another. It’s a part frightening, a part thrilling and ten parts educational. From the airport to the Taipei Bus Interchange requires a coach ride, but I didn’t know I had to hand the ticket over to the bus driver beforehand. And the list goes.

• Taiwan’s MRT is much less crowded. At 12pm.

• The informational panel is much more descriptive, and succinct in relaying information. They are quite tourist friendly, with all instructions and station names in English as well. 

But I guess in Taiwan, where the culture is more similar to Singapore, it’s actually quite a good place to travel alone. Wandering around actually allowed me to meet many people, most of the interaction unintentional but very fulfilling and they allowed me to get to know the Taiwanese people at a close proximity. And as long as I don’t speak (which I technically have no one to speak with when I walk around), no one will suspect that I’m not a foreigner. So they’ll treat me as they would a local.

• Taiwan’s 7-11. Amazing. It sells food, food, and more food. And that’s the best thing about 7-11 in Taiwan. They also know how to capitalise on the buyers’ wish to have a fuller meal. Promotions such as free drink with a purchase of a bento is not uncommon.

• Guan Dong Zhu 關東煮, a Japanese-style of hot finger food such as corn, minced pork,  fish cake, fish balls, etc in piping hot broth. Around $2 for 4-5 items. Available at all 7-11 stores. Makes you wonder in vain why Singapore’s 7-11 isn’t like that.

Exchange and holiday is different in that for exchange, the first few days (and things) we need to do involve quite a bit of admin work. Like finding a house, opening a bank account, getting a phone card and such. But it’s far from mundane cos in a foreign country, everything can be done differently. I had quite a challenging time trying to understand the terms of a phone contract plan. Chinese words of ‘account transfer’, ‘initial deposit’, ‘overseas account’, all proved to be testing my ability to quickly match what I hear to what I think is correct. It’s quite fun, it’s okay to ask for clarification so I can learn; and really satisfying to function like a local even when I’m not.

Taiwanese culture takes a very customer-centric approach. Almost everyone is polite, and to the extent that I find slightly robotic. Like there was a counter staff at the Chunghwa Telecom in Zhongshan District of Taipei, where I went to apply for a SIM data plan. She kept walking away from the counter to check things out for me, and every time she returned to attend to me she will say “不好意思讓您就等了。” which means “I’m sorry I let you wait so long”. Mostly she left for like 10 seconds, and I wasn’t even in a hurry. And she repeated this sentence so fluidly I couldn’t say anything but gasp in awe of such persistence.

Taiwanese people are also very proud of their country. When I was at Hsinchu to look for a rental apartment, I was given a ride by the housing agent who brought me around to look at houses (another benefit of being alone in Taiwan; able to be brought around by people with motorcycles. And A LOT of Taiwanese have motorcycles). I was curious why the plates of vehicles have 台灣省 (Province of Taiwan) inscribed on them.

And he answered matter of factly, that it 「就是台灣省啊, 中華民國的台灣省。」. (A province of the Republic of China). 「大陸也是中華民國的啊，但是管不了。」(Mainland China is also part of the Republic of China, just that we cannot govern it.)

If you’re not aware, there are two Chinas in existence. One is what Taiwan called the Republic of China 中華民國 (ROC), and the People’s Republic of China 中華人民國和國 (PRC). And the Taiwanese housing agent was proudly staking claim to the China he knows, even if in reality Taiwan isn’t even recognised as a sovereign country in the United Nations. This, to me, represents the resolve of a people who are not only the polite, nice people you know; they are also proud of their country and identity.

• Quirky advertising such as these above are common in Taiwan where the creative culture allows people to be more controversial in their promotion.

I guess being in Taiwan allows me a window to get to know them beyond their surface. And being in a foreign country for a few months will definitely be immeasurably valuable and also necessary to get to know the Taiwanese people for who are they, for what they stand for, for how they live their lives.

Exchange, with its long time frame and with the sincerity and a little pro-activeness on my part, beautiful things are everywhere and compelling stories of the Taiwan people are simply yelling to be written.

– Jiro

packing time. and wishing. and goals.

I’ve packed around 75%. I’m almost done with what’s needed to be brought.

I’ve spent the past few days meeting people. My cell, my sec sch friends, my newly made IT Club junior. In a way, I ought to be ‘ready’ to go. But I guess on a personal level, you can never really be ‘ready’ to go. There will always be things on my mind. Things that I will, for a little while at least, leave behind. Many well wishes, many good byes.

But that is okay. I was never an adventurous person to begin with. To some extent I will definitely miss people here, but I know I will eventually come back to them in a matter of months. And moreover I will enjoy my time there. It will be okay.

Here I am. The weird thing about starting 2013 is that for once I didn’t actually write down my goals and plans for the year. I always remembered to do it at the start of the year, but this year I forgot. And procrastinated.

And as time would fly, it did. I promised myself I would at least write them down before I go. At least that will give some perspective and purpose to me being there. And also for this year 2013.

I started off the year with a worry that I brought over from 2012. I hadn’t passed my SBJ, and if I could not pass it before I fly on the 31st Jan, I will technically have to do RT when the whole exchange and trips are over. I was psychologically prepared for it, telling myself that if that had to happen, it had to happen. I will take the RT as a time to ramp my fitness for the next cycle. But it was still not a nice thing I felt like doing. It was 20 session, and it meant a wasted 2.4km (I really don’t like running in Maju, so I vow to do it once and only once a year).

So I prayed and trained. Only that unlike the previous year, I had no 3 months to pass it. I had effectively 6 weeks from my initial IPPT partial failure on the Dec 20. So I had to quickly pass it, even 216cm was good enough. And as I went back on the 10 of Jan, I managed 210cm. But I knew it was too early to give up; God could grant me a miracle anytime, I just needed to give myself the opportunity for God to do His miracle.

And a miracle He did. On the 22nd of January, 8 days before I would be flying, I went to Maju for a third time in this cycle. I jumped a 212cm, and another 212cm. 4 more cm to a pass. I really didn’t want to retake any more. I asked the PTI to reset for me, and then, I jumped.

216cm.

That is *exactly* the 2pt passing that I badly, dearly, needed.

Amazing. Isn’t God amazing? I give Him praise. SBJ has always been a tough one for me. I am confident for pull ups, sit ups, shuttle run, 2.4. it’s only SBJ that really made me worry. But the Lord has taken it away. In the nick of time, I have cleared my cycle 6 solid months before it closes, given me the assurance and the freedom to do what I want in Taiwan without worrying about coming back to do RT. And also, given me a full 9 month before my next cycle, which I will resolve to pass and clear it the week that new cycle opens.

Yup. It’s quite amazing. It is amazing because on my own, I have never managed more than 210cm. Mostly is 206cm. So, yes, it IS a miracle. Thank You.

Now, moving on to the goals for the year. 2013 came like a thief. One month has almost passed.

1. I want to maintain my fitness in Taiwan, constantly running to offset all those calories from the delicacies I will eat like everyday. And most importantly, to build up a good and effective SBJ training plan that I will alternative with my running. The idea is to keep on jumping so I will not be afraid of the SBJ any more. It will no longer hinder me. I hope to get my first 100bucks from SAF. This is my fitness goal for 2013.

2. Studies wise, I hope to, well, pass all the mods in Taiwan, and to enjoy every one of them. To make tonnes of awesome friends, and a few really close ones. When I come back, I hope to maintain the steady improvement in my grades. That’s all. And I have nothing much to motivate myself, so I hope to have some motivation then.

3. Relationally, I hope to end the year with someone I love.

4. Family wise, I hope that this distance will boost the closeness and help me to appreciate my parents more, and this family more. When I come back, things would only get better.

5. Spiritually, I know God is bringing me into a new season of encounter and direct connection with Him. Somehow Taiwan will bring me right into the throne room of God. I want to follow Jesus, to learn from Him, to listen to Him, and follow Him. As for ministry, I know God is leading me into a new area to serve. I’ll leave it to Him to decide. I know He is going to speak soon, and my ears are ready to hear from Him.

—

Also, I did have plans for what I wanted to achieve out of Taiwan 2013. But I cannot find it. Which is a good thing. So I can think about it now.

1. I want to come back a better designer. Whether or not I continue to serve in church in design is another story. But I know I want to come back inspired with no just layout ideas, but the intangible stuff. Like the mindset, the attitude, the feeling. The sensitivity, the appropriateness, the discernment, the morals and ethics. The awestruck goodness given by an awesome God. And that will happen when I get back to the basics, when I go with no preconception but to receive and process all there is to see. I will go bearing the words of Jony Ive and Phil Schiller in mind.

“In other to create something that’s genuinely new, you have to start again. And with great intent, you disconnect from the past. If you don’t change things, then that you can engineer is really incremental. But if you’re willing to change things, that opens up a whole new level of design.”

This will be my guiding ethos when I journey thru Taiwan, Hongkong, Japan.

2. I want to come back closer to God. I want to experience God in a breathtaking way. I am never a nature person, but who knows Taiwan will bring me to admire the beauty of His creation and lead me to quality time spent with the Lord, being with Him, reading His word, and communicating with Him in the midst of His own creation. And when I’m back, I will continue this journey with a heightened and closer sense of who God is in my life.

3. I want to come back a really better person. That I can get a perspective on things I would never have gotten back here in Singapore. That I can understand, finally, what goes on thru a Taiwanese’s mind and how the people in Taiwan live their lives on a daily basis. There are things I can learn and put to use. To value and appreciate on an intangible but powerful manner. I will come back a better person.

…

…

Yup. That is all. Thanksgiving for the first miracle of 2013. Goals and plans for the year. And what I hope to take back from Taiwan 2013.

To God be the Glory.

supernatural progression.

Here’s to the fleeting moments of 2013. Almost three weeks have passed and I havent written a single goal for 2013. I will write them soon.

But as it started, and as Jan is also about to end just as quickly, as I am going to Taiwan in a mere matter of days. It used to be like a dream. Like I will be going sooooon. And suddenly it’s next Saturday. Isn’t it crazy?

So many things have happened. Things that I will take the entire trip in Taiwan to figure out.

I feel that my time doing design as a ministry is church may be over.

And some recent events have also caused me to wonder if its a sign from God that I’m about to go somewhere new.

But I am quite sure about it. About the fact that it’s time to stand up and move to somewhere new. If I means hearing from the Lord Himself, I will go where He leads.

I entered design because my mother then asked the church, and I emailed my (then) portfolio to Grace Chung. After that when she left, I naturally progressed on. And then I was under Matt.

David from my cell likes to term things as a natural progression.

Perhaps now, it’s the time for a supernatural progression.

I was all the while thinking of Taiwan as a trip to get thoroughly inspired and come back to do good work for the Grace Mission magazines. But as time passed, I no longer felt it to be like that. Perhaps it was the pride that made me hang on to the Missions magazines for so long. But I realise that it’s never too late to let go.

I will seek God and ask Him what’s next. Because my soul is restless and I know deep within that I can stay here no longer. The season has come and gone. There people who have once burdened me no longer has that effect on me already.

There are many questions I can ask. But most importantly is that, I know God’s leading me into somewhere new. Somewhere where the air will not be stale. And it would have a few years since that has happened.

It’s time I move on. And where He leads, I follow. If it’s out of design in church, that’s okay. I don’t feel that pinch anymore. I no longer feel that I have something to lose.

It will be a year of open doors, Lord. A year where You will open doors no man can shut, and You will shut doors no man can open. Lead me into your promised land for me this year Lord.

Fundamentals of Chinese Typography: #1 Fonts Styles (Songti, Fangsongti, Mingti, Heiti, Kaiti)

Most of our Chinese typefaces tend to be few and far in between, apart from the random file names, type names, we find it often a baffling task to make sense of Chinese type. To open this new series of posts about Chinese type in greater detail, allow me to explain to you how Chinese typography is classified. This will help you to recognise, identify and be more precise when it comes to typeface selection. Here we go! 🙂

Let’s define some important concepts I’ll be using here first:-

A. KEY CONCEPTS

Font Styles 字型格式: These are NOT to be seen as typeface / font. No, they are called STYLES, because they represent a tone, if you will, of how a typeface looks like. For instance, Garamond is a TYPEFACE, and it falls under the category of ‘Old Style’, for instance.

Fonts aka Typeface 字體: Arial, Comic Sans, Helvetica. These are what we like to call (the names of) fonts, and typefaces.

Typeface Style 字體樣式: Bold, Italic, Oblique, Thick, Extrabold, Bold Italic, etc. These apply to a specific typeface, and its variety depend entirely on the typeface itself.

It’s much easier to see it from the perspective of English typography. For instance, there are a few broad categories that typefaces can fall into:-

In the same manner, Chinese typefaces can also be classified into a few broad categories known as font styles.

B. HOW TO UNDERSTAND CHINESE TYPEFACE  NAMES

As you may be immediately aware, Chinese typeface names usually carry much more info than English. In the typeface selector menu, you can instantly tell what font AND font style it is.

In the case of Fangzheng and Hiragano type face, we can see the specifications listed directly in each typeface name.

A Chinese typeface name is made up of the font name + font style + typeface style (if any) + language specification.

In other words, should you have the complete set of a particular typeface, you will have, literally, several very similar names in the menu. Unless you look carefully, you may even think that they are duplicates of each other!

Unlike English typeface where you basically use ‘Times”  then go to select “Bold”, for example, each typeface style (Bold, Italic etc) is completely redrawn and recognised as a separate typeface name listed on your computer. This can be confusing for many people, but know that its the same thing.

And of course, there are also bigger typeface families that have much more specific typeface styles as well.

Thankfully the classifications don’t get too much more complex from here. To understand the various classifications, we need to understand the Chinese writing system.

C. CHINESE FONT STYLES 

1. SONG TI

You can tell a songti very easily by its relatively thinner horizontal lines compared to its vertical strokes. There also ‘triangles‘ at the end of each stroke. This is to compensate for any possible ‘wear and wear’ that may occur during printing of that era.

2. FANG SONG TI

Some characteristics of Fangsong include a uniform thickness of stroke width throughout the character, and are visually narrower and taller than its original song ti.

3. MING TI

The main differences between Song Ti and Ming Ti lies in the way the characters are written, as shown below:-

4. HEI TI

Hei Ti has a standard, uniform thickness in stroke width throughout, and and looks much fuller and has stronger optical weight compared to other typeface styles.

5. KAI TI

Kai Ti can be easily recognised as its strokes mimic the fluidity of the calligraphic brush, with varying stroke width throughout the typeface.

I have covered the 5 main types of Ti (Font Styles) that you will commonly encounter. But of course, there will always be more styles for us to discover.

D. SUMMARY

Chinese fonts behave similarly to English fonts, in that they can be classified into broad categories known as font styles. Understanding this is crucial to making sense of Chinese typography.

Within the typeface itself, there are also typeface styles, aka bold, italic, etc. In Chinese type, this may be seen as 小標、中標、大標、幼線、粗體etc.

Chinese fonts are more specific in their taxonomy; every listed font will only have one variant of each typeface (e.g. bold, light, regular will appear as SEPARATE listed fonts), unlike English ones where you can simply ‘select’ the typeface style within that same typeface.

The usage of different font styles suit different purposes (I’ll be discussing this in more detail in days to come).

2012: God has been good.

I’m writing this, and because I naturally write at the end of the year.

How was 2012?

It seemed like a very long year that ended very quickly.

I know, a contradiction, but life is just full of them anyway. Not an issue for me. I began 2012 as a Year 1, Sem 2 student. I was just starting out. And 1 year on, I am about to go for exchange. Plans did change along the way, from National Chengchi Uni to National Chiaotung. But it was okay, the idea was to get into Taiwan and study there for a while. And now, I’m at the verge of it. I am excited, but I am also dreading how it will be like to leave home for a few months.

2012 was… quite the journey of God’s Grace.

If entering WKW was God’s grace, then His grace certainly didn’t stop there. It extended to helping me do well (better, actually), sem after sem. My GPA kept on increasing, despite how difficult its seemed. Every sem proved to be more challenging than the last, every revision seemed more half-hearted and it seemed like I had to keep on mustering more and more motivation to do the simplest revision or what. I was scared stiff of the prospect of not doing well. Yet in spite of my inadequacies and my lack of motivation, lack of everything, God proved to me once again He can provide. He provided me the grade that I set as a bare minimum in order to get an iPad. I lacked so much motivation I had to use an iPad to motivate myself. But in short, it was definitely God’s doing. I admit I worked a lot this semester, but you never know.

Another thing was the IPPT. I am always very bad at SBJ, but somehow by the miracle of God I jumped 220cm and passed my previous cycle. I have never passed SBJ since secondary school. I am here at the same juncture again, once I recover from my sore throat I will continue to train and I trust that God will provide once more.

God is able to take the little that you have, multiply it to His abundance and feed you.

A period of testing.

In so many ways, I was stretched. Stretched to handle school work, church, design. The load was so overwhelming in so many ways and along the way I had to let go of some things. The week in and outs of the 2nd sem was much heavier even without my ci club stuff. As a result by the time the exams were around the corner, I was already quite drained by then. That was when I knew I really needed some help from above to tide me through. And God did. I am just so glad He brought me through.

New experiences. New people. 

2012 was a time when I finally got to be a DJ. Got to know a good friend who’s flown back to Canada now. Left the design work I’ve been taking on. Applied and got in to NCTU. But a lot more goes on beneath. And I am thankful that God has given me someone in cell who understands where I come from. I guess in many ways we are also learning from one another, and to be honest 2012 would not be the same without this great guy I come to know in cell. I may not have a mentor, but I have a dear brother who understands (and whom I can understand). I also got to know TGIF on a much greater and deeper measure this time around because now everyone takes turns to lead the cell and we’re all learning much from one another.

So many things have happened in 2012. I wish I can be the kind of person who will say ‘I can’t wait for 2013/2012 was awesome’. But nope, I’m too realistic to say things like that. I just wanna consolidate everything that has happened this year and say that thru it all, God is Good.

2012 was a tough year.

A lot of challenges, a lot of changes, but a lot of growth as well. And God has not left me to my lonely self, and he gave me someone to care deeply for. I got to know myself more, to feel more, to go beyond the surface of things, to encounter people.

In 2012, I learnt to live a bit more. I learn to speak less, to feel more. I learnt to look at someone in the eye and let them tell me about themselves. I learnt to stop talking, to start listening to people. It’s baby steps, but it’s in the right direction. It’s an emotional year for me. I’ve learnt to let go of some things, and hold on more tightly to others. To the things that actually matter.

A year when God decided to show himself in so many ways, from my IPPT to my exam results, to providing me a special brother to speak into my life. 2012 was a tough year, but its not without Christ. It was a year with the Lord.

How to relate to an introvert.

Introverts are the quiet people. They are the socially awkward, the people who stand at the side lines. The people who rarely express what they feel or think. They are the most misunderstood kind of people around. They are just like me.

People often mistake introverts as aloof people. People who don’t think, don’t care. People who are ‘just like that’. Nah.

They care deeply. They think, in fact, sometimes, too much. They love and care. They love and care too much sometimes to tell you about it. They feel that words can be so cheapening at times. And their perceived difference between them and the world stops them from reaching out into the world. And honestly they don’t have to. They can live fine in their own world. They obviously don’t see the need to be in YOUR world. Why should they?

And they are not ‘just like that’. Most of them have stories to tell. Whether they tell you or not is another thing. And if they don’t, don’t feel bad. And if they do, it’s probably because you are an introvert as well, as opposed to you being a ‘good listener’ or whatever shit you think you are.

And people have the worst ways to ‘helping’ introverts open up. And the worst way to help an introvert is to force him to do what he hates. Which is to open up. Huh? Then how?

The best thing you can do is nothing. I am dead serious.

Of course I don’t mean non-action. I mean doing things with an intensity, but not with a direction. For example, being authentic, but with absolutely no aim for the person in mind. Caring for the person, but not so to make him or her achieve your ‘intended objectives’ for him.

For introverts, it can actually be very tiring to meet people, especially if they are in large groups. By large I mean like more than 1 person. When you’re tired, the last thing you wanna do is to meet with people and do things that make you more tired. And of course it will be worse if meeting people is part of your life, and is something obligatory.

To understand them, you need to not assume that you know them or that you know how to approach them. Especially if you’re the diametrically opposite of them. It’s not about being personal, being strategic, saying this and doing that. You need to stop saying, stop doing; shut up, sit down.

I know; when I’m feeling low, every single kindhearted ‘are you okay ah?’ is the most jarring thing an introvert has to endure. And it adds to the pressure because I have to conform to social norms and say ‘yeah i’m okay, no worries’. Why do you want to make me tell another lie?

I’ll much rather you look at me knowingly in the eye, tell me you care, that even if there’s nothing you can do, you can still be there. Confess to me that you know nothing about what i am feeling right now. Let me know how real you want to be. And let me have the final say if I wanna open up to you. I need to trust you first. And trust is not earned with action, it is earned through relation. And not everyone can get to me. It’s a fact.

For instance, I can be happy with a certain group of people, but they will never understand what gets me down. They can even see me gloomy, get curious and all, but I will never tell them why I am like that. Because the language they speak is not the same when I am sad. When things are churning in my head, they are a convoluted mess. They are indecipherable.

And I won’t waste your time and mine by telling you what’s in the inner most of my heart. I will rather lie to you and tell you I am fine. I am so convinced of your inability to understand me, that I will blatantly lie in your face.

But that’s how introverts roll.

We are like that. We are damn stubborn people. There are phases of our lives that we just know we cannot share with everyone. And until we find someone we can trust, we will rather remain in a emotional stasis until someone worthwhile comes along.