A few things.
This year was Taiwan's equivalent to Y2K, dubbed Y1C or year 100. Taiwan doesn't use a Western calendar but instead designates 1912 as year 1 (the ROC was founded in 1912). That makes 2011 year 100 in Taiwan. Anyhow, rest easy; Taiwan's computer infrastructure is OK and mass chaos did not ensue. I had a hard time getting hyped for it because Y2K was a major spoiler.
More excitingly, Taiwan skips the ball-drop thing and rings in the new year with a shit-ton of fireworks. A metric shit-ton! (That's even more than an Imperial shit-ton!!) I watched the fireworks from the rooftop of a high-rise in Kaohsiung. Our wimpy Fourth of July "fireworks" pale in comparison. .
Imagine a sustained grand finale - an intense, continuous variety of mortars upon mortars. And this was going on all over. Fireworks were simultaneously lit off in different places throughout the city -the harbor, parks, the business district, main roads. They were lighting off fireworks in the middle of the city! I could see Magnesium trails dropping onto another high-rise. Awesome. Fireworks are my favorite. Good start to 2011.
I say that cautiously, though, because 2011 is the year of my Chinese zodiac (rabbit). Initially, I was excited - you know, my year should be awesome. However, that's not how it works. My friend suggested I go to a temple and pray for peace. I think I'll go paragliding instead.
Lastly, I don't have any resolutions to break because I didn't make any. They are for the birds.
This year was Taiwan's equivalent to Y2K, dubbed Y1C or year 100. Taiwan doesn't use a Western calendar but instead designates 1912 as year 1 (the ROC was founded in 1912). That makes 2011 year 100 in Taiwan. Anyhow, rest easy; Taiwan's computer infrastructure is OK and mass chaos did not ensue. I had a hard time getting hyped for it because Y2K was a major spoiler.
More excitingly, Taiwan skips the ball-drop thing and rings in the new year with a shit-ton of fireworks. A metric shit-ton! (That's even more than an Imperial shit-ton!!) I watched the fireworks from the rooftop of a high-rise in Kaohsiung. Our wimpy Fourth of July "fireworks" pale in comparison. .
Imagine a sustained grand finale - an intense, continuous variety of mortars upon mortars. And this was going on all over. Fireworks were simultaneously lit off in different places throughout the city -the harbor, parks, the business district, main roads. They were lighting off fireworks in the middle of the city! I could see Magnesium trails dropping onto another high-rise. Awesome. Fireworks are my favorite. Good start to 2011.
I say that cautiously, though, because 2011 is the year of my Chinese zodiac (rabbit). Initially, I was excited - you know, my year should be awesome. However, that's not how it works. My friend suggested I go to a temple and pray for peace. I think I'll go paragliding instead.
Lastly, I don't have any resolutions to break because I didn't make any. They are for the birds.
I will note, though, that I'm living well right now and intend to maintain trajectory.
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