There will be no entry the next two Fridays...we leave on Thursday for a 9 day Spring break trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. 4 days in Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat., then on to Hanoi. While in Hanoi, we're going on a two night junk trip on Halong Bay. Have been looking into things to see, and a couple of the darker ones include a killing field in Cambodia and the Hanoi Hilton, which is not one of Paris' dad's hotels, but rather the prison for Americans during the Vietnam War - aka the American War to the Vietnamese. Should be amazing and am looking forward to sharing.
Carolyn went to her first proper show on Sunday night...Avril Lavigne at Linkou Stadium. She went with her friend Roni, and since tickets were $125 each, Roni's mom and I decided that we both didn't need to go in, so I drove them and hung outside (and watched a couple episodes of True Detective...awesome) while they went in. We bought floor seats, which turned out to be GA standing room and they managed to get up pretty close.
Not my camera...must be an iPhone as they are unable to be rotated properly in this site. Sounded like they had a great time...sang along, bought t-shirts (which they coordinated with matching outfits to wear to school the next day) and are already clamoring to go to another show. Love that...I've repeated often how seeing Kiss when I was Carolyn's age changed my life and can see a bit of that in her. Have been thinking about taking up playing the bass guitar and will get one that Carolyn is able to handle as there is nothing more awesome than female bass players. The list of them in RnR history is quite impressive. While I'm a guitar lover, I tried to learn how to play it a few years ago, and after a few months of classes, and being totally frustrated with it, the instructor said that it would be hard for me to learn as my fingers aren't long enough. Way to crush my dreams, but you know what they say, stubby fingers means a huge... Anyway, bass seems within my grasp and am on the lookout for a decent used one.
I mentioned that last Friday, the first Board election thing was getting up in front of the parents at the "Chinese Gathering" for a 3 minute introduction. Definitely not my strongest outing...all of the other candidates (including two white dudes) can speak Mandarin perfectly, and there is not much more a Chinese love than seeing a Westerner speak in their tongue. You could hear them gasp out loud when they launched into their speech. I tried to use a gag to defuse my disadvantage...when we came to Taiwan, I badly wanted to learn to speak Mandarin and am happy to say that is exactly what I accomplished. I now speak Mandarin badly. Crickets. As I led off with that, it was a slog for the next 3 minutes. Did do better at the tables during lunch as I prefer the informal setting when you can dig deeper. I met a couple of moms whose kids are on the same baseball team with Paul and they asked if I knew that the boys were planning to go together to Hooters after the game the next day and if I thought it was OK. I did not know that was their plan but thought it was cool enough (secretly thinking it was very cool). I often wish I was more like Betty...she can go into almost any room of strangers and will walk out making life long friends. I'm not shy to say the least, but am far more guarded talking to new people. This election thing has been great in the fact that I have to open up faster and am meeting tons of new people.
As part of this thing, all the candidates have to prepare a poster that hangs in the lobby for the 4 week election cycle. The posters are pretty similar in stating objectives...we all want the best teachers, cutting edge facilities, blah-ba-di-blah, but when it comes to the family photos, ours is unique. The other candidates have lovely professional shots with their beautiful families...the kind where everyone wears a white polo shirt and blue jeans. I have always hated those and prefer candid or funny shots, but am probably off base as a lot off people have them. This is what I went with...
Looks better in person as this is a picture of a picture of it, but this is the photo at the bottom.
The kids both said they were embarrassed but secretly think they like it as it is different and a conversation starter. A friend of Carolyn's says Paul looks like a Taliban. Betty looked at all the posters yesterday and declared that mine was weird and our art teacher friend loved it. Whatever...I guarantee that it gets more eyes than any of the other ones and that is the point, no?
Welcome to my diary...the goal is to share with you the sights, sounds, and yes, even the smells of what it's like to be an Imbrogulio in a foreign land.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
Week of March 14th, 2014
Have to do a little bragging on Paul this week. A month or so ago, he tried out for the high school softball team and was selected to play varsity. We are all bummed that the school doesn't offer proper baseball, but they have what they have and being named varsity as a Freshman is still an accomplishment. There aren't any other local teams their age to play, so they compete against men's softball clubs. Their opponents range in skill from high quality beer league to ex-professional baseball players still getting their game on, so pretty decent competition for high schoolers. He is the starting 3B and has been batting second, and last week had such a big day at the plate/field, that he was voted the schools Athlete of the Week.
Being a starter would get him on the select team that will be traveling to Singapore in April to compete against the other American schools in Asia (i.e. Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.). He just found out this morning that he will be unable to go on that trip. In the fall, he joined an after school debate team and they entered a global on-line competition with the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), which is sponsored by a New York law firm. You can read more about it here. The competition is open to all high schools around the world, and their team submitted an initial paper in October. Over 250 schools, from 37 states and 25 countries submitted papers and those were weeded down to an NCAA tournament style 64. Those 64 teams then went on a single elimination bracket and over the last few months, they have been going head to head with other schools, taking one side or another on whatever issue they have been given, and had progressed to the Sweet 16 round. He learned on Wednesday morning that their group won their round 16 match and are in the Elite 8, which entails an all expense paid trip to New York City to compete for the top prize. They will be going against schools not only from states like Arizona and Texas, but also from places like Singapore and Slovakia. Hugely impressive, especially considering that their team is comprised of Freshman and Sophomores only. Unfortunately for him, the trip is the same week as the baseball, I mean softball, teams trip to Singapore. Such a problem of riches...
He/we are so lucky that the kids have this chance to go to this school. I tell this story a lot, and am sure I did so in this space previously, but the first week at the school last year, I am sitting at home and get a call from Paul's 8th grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Rowe. She introduces herself and my gut reaction is, 'what did the boy do this time?'. I later learn that these calls are standard for new students to check in with the parents to see how the kids are doing with the huge life change, but during the call, she tells me how much she loves having him in class and that he is very talkative. This was always a negative in Seattle Public, but at TAS, they are looking for the kids that aren't afraid to speak up. Throughout the year, she recruited him to join the Model UN team and he has been participating in that since. This led to him being involved in a group of kids that put their hat into this forensics competition this year. Their forensics team is being mentored by faculty at the school that includes two coaches from Brown and Yale's Scholars Summer debate program and the former VP of the National Forensics League that are on their staff.
Now you can understand why I have drank the Kool-Aid about the school and can see why I want to be a part of such an amazing place, which is why I put my hat into the race for the school board. I have learned a lot so far and will share some of the cool and funny stuff next week, but I have had to devote a bunch of time putting together my campaign materials this week, which are all due today. This afternoon, the candidates are invited to attend and speak at the schools "Chinese Gathering", which I am told consists of 100 or so hard core Chinese parents. I am not typically nervous about public speaking, but know that my brand of English, laced with sarcastic (some might say sardonic) humor just doesn't translate into Mandarin. In any case, should provide some fodder for next weeks entry. In the meantime, here is the (almost final) draft of my on-line profile (including head shot...when did my hair get so gray?).
Mangia!
Being a starter would get him on the select team that will be traveling to Singapore in April to compete against the other American schools in Asia (i.e. Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.). He just found out this morning that he will be unable to go on that trip. In the fall, he joined an after school debate team and they entered a global on-line competition with the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), which is sponsored by a New York law firm. You can read more about it here. The competition is open to all high schools around the world, and their team submitted an initial paper in October. Over 250 schools, from 37 states and 25 countries submitted papers and those were weeded down to an NCAA tournament style 64. Those 64 teams then went on a single elimination bracket and over the last few months, they have been going head to head with other schools, taking one side or another on whatever issue they have been given, and had progressed to the Sweet 16 round. He learned on Wednesday morning that their group won their round 16 match and are in the Elite 8, which entails an all expense paid trip to New York City to compete for the top prize. They will be going against schools not only from states like Arizona and Texas, but also from places like Singapore and Slovakia. Hugely impressive, especially considering that their team is comprised of Freshman and Sophomores only. Unfortunately for him, the trip is the same week as the baseball, I mean softball, teams trip to Singapore. Such a problem of riches...
He/we are so lucky that the kids have this chance to go to this school. I tell this story a lot, and am sure I did so in this space previously, but the first week at the school last year, I am sitting at home and get a call from Paul's 8th grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Rowe. She introduces herself and my gut reaction is, 'what did the boy do this time?'. I later learn that these calls are standard for new students to check in with the parents to see how the kids are doing with the huge life change, but during the call, she tells me how much she loves having him in class and that he is very talkative. This was always a negative in Seattle Public, but at TAS, they are looking for the kids that aren't afraid to speak up. Throughout the year, she recruited him to join the Model UN team and he has been participating in that since. This led to him being involved in a group of kids that put their hat into this forensics competition this year. Their forensics team is being mentored by faculty at the school that includes two coaches from Brown and Yale's Scholars Summer debate program and the former VP of the National Forensics League that are on their staff.
Now you can understand why I have drank the Kool-Aid about the school and can see why I want to be a part of such an amazing place, which is why I put my hat into the race for the school board. I have learned a lot so far and will share some of the cool and funny stuff next week, but I have had to devote a bunch of time putting together my campaign materials this week, which are all due today. This afternoon, the candidates are invited to attend and speak at the schools "Chinese Gathering", which I am told consists of 100 or so hard core Chinese parents. I am not typically nervous about public speaking, but know that my brand of English, laced with sarcastic (some might say sardonic) humor just doesn't translate into Mandarin. In any case, should provide some fodder for next weeks entry. In the meantime, here is the (almost final) draft of my on-line profile (including head shot...when did my hair get so gray?).
Background
I was born and raised in Southern California. I attended Arcadia High School and spent my
senior year in Australia on a student exchange.
I received my BA in
International Service at American University in Washington DC. While there, I spent a semester abroad at Universidad
Catolica in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After graduation, I worked for 25 years in the Customs
Compliance and International Transportation fields for Expeditors International
and Nordstrom Inc. These two companies
are internationally renowned for providing excellent quality and customer
service. I am proud of the contributions
I made to both, and learned a great deal about what goes into creating a world
class organization from them. In 2013, a
job offer for my wife of 20 years, Betty, to transfer to with Costco led to our
relocation to Taipei, and our children’s (Paul –grade 9 and Carolyn-grade 5)
enrollment at TAS. While this move put
my professional career on hold, it provided me the ability to focus my
attention on our family, which has led to much time being involved with TAS. In the two years we have been at the school,
every time I walk away from a performance, parent/teacher conference, or just
seeing a random faculty/student interaction, I feel TAS is the equal in
offering the quality and service of my previous employers. The constant amazement at what the TAS
community offers, and the desire to contribute to its continuation, is why I am
running for School Board.
Objective
My objectives as a member of the school board will be to
support TAS administration in obtaining the highest quality faculty possible, and
to ensure that the funds available are used prudently in creating a state of the
art facility. These pillars will ensure
that our students are the most desired by universities around the world, and
are uniquely prepared for their role as the future leaders of society.
Priorities
1)
Advocate for the future. Keep TAS in the lead with regard to changes
in technology so our students remain at the forefront of high school graduates. A goal of the entire administration should
always be to identify and invest in the next robotics lab, 3D printer,
etc.
2)
The next generation. Build upon the solid current structure with
the goal for TAS to not just be a better place for our children, but for their children. Every thought, action and question should be
how to secure and allocate resources, both human and financial, to make that
happen.
3)
Community.
It is my experience that many rewarding educational experiences happen outside
the classroom. With the somewhat
transient nature of a large percentage of the TAS community, creating a lasting
passion for the institution is a challenge.
Building the love of TAS amongst the students and their families through
sports, the arts, and community outreach will create a powerful and active alumni
that will serve the school in perpetuity.
Mangia!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Week of February 28th, 2014
I know...there is no posting last week. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It has some sensitive information that, in retrospect and under sage advisement, should not be made public at this time. I promise to post it one day.
Today (February 28th) is National Day and commemorates this date in 1947 when some bad shit went down. I wrote about it this time last year so won't rehash, but outside our building is passing a big "parade". From these snaps off of our balcony, you can see it's no Tournament of Roses, or even a Doo Dah Parade.
The music blaring from the speakers is quite horrendous, like they are trying to raise the dead. Have yet to hear one traditional song in Chinese that doesn't cause nausea or cats to come a runnin'. We found out that it isn't in commemoration of the 228 Incident, but is rather a funeral procession for some old rich dude in the neighborhood. There is an industry of people here that are paid to come to memorials to the recently dead and cry over their bodies. Not sure who this is supposed to appease...probably some God. I wish there was a demand for someone to come make fun of the dead because I would be in high demand. This parade seems a bit over the top for a dead guy and am stating here and now, that when my number comes up, that you cremate me and do what you like with the ashes. Put 'em on the shelf if that's your thing. If you want to scatter them, the beach would be nice...maybe a few at Dodger Stadium or at some music show would be my choices. This fancy parade reminded me of a post I saw on Facebook by The Picture Magazine (an Australian magazine and not a bad "like" for funny/dirty comments/photos). The post said, "When you are dead, you don't know you are dead. It is difficult only for the others. It is the same when you are stupid."
Some previews of upcoming topics. Bought tickets this week for Carolyn to go see her first real concert...Avril Lavigne on March 16th. As with everything else that's imported here, the tix were way to expensive. $125 each. Carolyn is an Avril superfan...last summer, we had a CD of hers, the one with SK8er Boi, and we listened to it to death. We were all signing along to every track by the end of the trip. I decided with the mom of Carolyn's friend that also is big into her that we'd save a few bucks if she went with the girls and I would do the chaufering. I was telling this mom as we were buying tickets that the dad of the neighbor kid/friend (Mark Miller) across the street took us to see Kiss (Cheap Trick opened) in 1976 at the Forum in LA. Kiss was at the peak of their powers...Kiss Alive! had recently been released. We were the same age (10) as Carolyn is now. That night changed my life forever. My favorite place to be (other than with family and friends...natch) is to be in the crowd of a hot club having my ears pummeled and face melted by loud rock and roll. I hope this does the same for my babydoll.
In other news, was notified this week that I made the list of 6 candidates for the Taipei American School Board. Not sure how many people signed up for consideration, but am guessing not many more than 6 if they picked me, and I shudder to think what the ones they didn't choose are like. Voting is in April and there will be 3 of the 6 voted to the Board for a 3 year term. I have to prepare a poster and open letter to the community in the next few weeks and will be sure to share them here. Stay tuned.
Finally, this weeks entry is short as I have been on a binge marathon re-watching the 2 1/2 seasons of Veronica Mars in anticipation of the March 14th release of the Veronica Mars movie. You can debate the greatest shows on TV, and most people will agree that while it might not be their thing, fill in the blank...Breaking Bad/Downton Abby/All In The Family/etc, are fantastic shows. For my money, the greatest show that no one but a lucky few watched and most people dismiss as teeny bopper trash (and they do so prejudicially without ever seeing an episode), is Veronica Mars. Dark, supremely casted, funny, well written episodes all woven around series spanning arcs...pure genius. Have watched from end to end at least 4 times and could, and probably will, watch 4 more.
Today (February 28th) is National Day and commemorates this date in 1947 when some bad shit went down. I wrote about it this time last year so won't rehash, but outside our building is passing a big "parade". From these snaps off of our balcony, you can see it's no Tournament of Roses, or even a Doo Dah Parade.
The music blaring from the speakers is quite horrendous, like they are trying to raise the dead. Have yet to hear one traditional song in Chinese that doesn't cause nausea or cats to come a runnin'. We found out that it isn't in commemoration of the 228 Incident, but is rather a funeral procession for some old rich dude in the neighborhood. There is an industry of people here that are paid to come to memorials to the recently dead and cry over their bodies. Not sure who this is supposed to appease...probably some God. I wish there was a demand for someone to come make fun of the dead because I would be in high demand. This parade seems a bit over the top for a dead guy and am stating here and now, that when my number comes up, that you cremate me and do what you like with the ashes. Put 'em on the shelf if that's your thing. If you want to scatter them, the beach would be nice...maybe a few at Dodger Stadium or at some music show would be my choices. This fancy parade reminded me of a post I saw on Facebook by The Picture Magazine (an Australian magazine and not a bad "like" for funny/dirty comments/photos). The post said, "When you are dead, you don't know you are dead. It is difficult only for the others. It is the same when you are stupid."
Some previews of upcoming topics. Bought tickets this week for Carolyn to go see her first real concert...Avril Lavigne on March 16th. As with everything else that's imported here, the tix were way to expensive. $125 each. Carolyn is an Avril superfan...last summer, we had a CD of hers, the one with SK8er Boi, and we listened to it to death. We were all signing along to every track by the end of the trip. I decided with the mom of Carolyn's friend that also is big into her that we'd save a few bucks if she went with the girls and I would do the chaufering. I was telling this mom as we were buying tickets that the dad of the neighbor kid/friend (Mark Miller) across the street took us to see Kiss (Cheap Trick opened) in 1976 at the Forum in LA. Kiss was at the peak of their powers...Kiss Alive! had recently been released. We were the same age (10) as Carolyn is now. That night changed my life forever. My favorite place to be (other than with family and friends...natch) is to be in the crowd of a hot club having my ears pummeled and face melted by loud rock and roll. I hope this does the same for my babydoll.
In other news, was notified this week that I made the list of 6 candidates for the Taipei American School Board. Not sure how many people signed up for consideration, but am guessing not many more than 6 if they picked me, and I shudder to think what the ones they didn't choose are like. Voting is in April and there will be 3 of the 6 voted to the Board for a 3 year term. I have to prepare a poster and open letter to the community in the next few weeks and will be sure to share them here. Stay tuned.
Finally, this weeks entry is short as I have been on a binge marathon re-watching the 2 1/2 seasons of Veronica Mars in anticipation of the March 14th release of the Veronica Mars movie. You can debate the greatest shows on TV, and most people will agree that while it might not be their thing, fill in the blank...Breaking Bad/Downton Abby/All In The Family/etc, are fantastic shows. For my money, the greatest show that no one but a lucky few watched and most people dismiss as teeny bopper trash (and they do so prejudicially without ever seeing an episode), is Veronica Mars. Dark, supremely casted, funny, well written episodes all woven around series spanning arcs...pure genius. Have watched from end to end at least 4 times and could, and probably will, watch 4 more.
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