2008-12-03 MY Lab Meeting

Our lab members have a weekly meeting every Wednesday. We usually have to present research articles we read and research progress we've made during our meeting. But sometimes we have special occations that we can all get relaxed.

(Note: MY Lab meeting doesn't mean MY. It's from our advisor's initials.)

In this week's lab meeting, we celebrated one of our lab member's success in gaining the admission to NTU's graduate school of Psychology.

This is our winner.

They are my lab partners.

This is my advisor.

Recently, my lab partners and I have been playing a game. That is we match everyone's with characters from Jin Yong's martial art novels. Everyone gets their nickname from characters from The Legend of The Condor Heros (射雕英雄傳), The Return of The Condor Heros (神雕俠侶), or The Deer and The Caldron (鹿鼎記), etc. It sounds stupid, but it is fun, and it helps to release us from stress resulted from research works.

2008-11-22 Took A Stroll In Man-yue-yuan, Sanxia 滿月圓漫步

Robert, Chris, Kitty and I went hiking in Sanxia, our destination was 威赫神木群 in 北插天山(Bei-cha-tian-shan).

北插天山 is one of Taiwanese hikers's favorite training routes in Northern Taiwan. Before hikers take the challenges of 台灣百岳 (The Top 100 Mountains of Taiwan), hikers train themself by taking the route of 北插天山 to build up their physical strength. And it is also a popular route for those who love to yellow forests. In every December, a lot of visitors hike to 北插天山 to see beech forests. Their leaves dye the forests with their yellow leaves. The beautiful scenary is always breath-taking. (Note 1)

We started the hike at Full Moon Park (滿月圓 Man-yue-yuan). Unfortunately, I was terribly out of fit and suffered from motion sickness, I I knew myself well that I was incapable of finishing the hike, so I told Robert and Chris that I decided to stay in Full Moon Park, enjoying the beautiful afternoon. (Note 2)

I like Full Moon Park very much. The pathes there are well-maintained, and the forests there are lush and provide good shade.

When we were in the Full Moon Park, we saw several hikers with heavy backpacks, it was obvious that they were heading to 北插天山.

Caption: Kitty energeticlly climbed up

The day was very nice, I love the scene that sunlight shining through the leaves.

I picked up a lot of cute nuts as I walked in the park. I felt very relaxed and appreciated the natural wonders.

I usually can't spend a lot of time taking pictures when I hike in the forest. But I had plenty of time exploring my camera's functions with which I am familar. I like to take pictures of natural objects that sunlight makes them shining. I love this shining flower of hibiscus (木堇). (Note 3)

When I strolled in the park, I enountered a lot of Taiwanese hikers. Most of them were friendly and told me a lot of stories happened to them when they hiked along the route to 北插天山. It's really great to learn from their experiences. I saw this strange stem full of fungi and took few pictures of it. When I was taking pictures and thinking if they were precious 靈芝 (Ling-zi, Ganoderma), a couple of hikers walked to me and said: " Wow! That's 靈芝! You should bring them house." (Note 4)

Caption: This is 滿月圓山 (Man-yue-yuan-shan), it got its name because of its resemblance of a full moon. And Full Moon Park is named because of this mountain.

The tree is decorated with Bird Nest Ferns. (Note 5)

When it was near sunset, I saw a troop of monkeys playing on the top of trees, jumping around on the cliff. I was so happy. I kept looking up and tried to pictures of them. Kids around me were cuious and looked up to where I was looking at. Soon they found those monkeys and kept crying out "Monkeys, monkeys."

A young boy and a cute came to the spot where people gathered to see those monkeys. They standed next to me, and I could overhear their conversation clearly. They flirted with each other. It seemed that the young boy wanted to impress the cute girl. He told the girl that he could throw bottles at those monkeys. I was already annoyed by their silly loud conversation. When I overheard that he was about to throw things at those monkeys, I got angry, and I told him stop doing things to harm those innocent creatures.

After Robert, Chris, and Kitty got back to the Full Moon Park, we went to Marc's Pation 28 for our dinner.

Patio 28 is a Belgium restaurant newly opened in Sanxia. Marc, the chef of the restaurant, provides his guests with delicate meals and great belgium beers. (Note 6)

This is Chris.

And this is Robert.

This is Marc, the chef of Patio 28. He is a also a great photographer.

This was the set meal I had after the hiking event. Nice bread and great goulash, and I love the blueberry pie!

On our way home, we had pleasant talks about various perspectives. Chris recited a peom in the car and I was very touched by the poem.

I didn't know the poem's title and who it's author is. Chris told me its title and author afterwards. It's Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias.

Percy Bysshe Shelley 's OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"Nothing beside remains: round the decay. Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Nothing lasts forever and ever. It's sarcastic and sad.

But I was very content with the day I had, it's a great day.

Note 1: Beech 山毛櫸 in WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech and here is a picture site of pictures of beech forest along 北插天山 http://ms1.ctjh.tpc.edu.tw/~uank3/041107map.htm.

Note 2: I didn't complete the route to 威赫神木群，but Chris's blog gives details of the hike. http://bubbhainasia.blogspot.com/2008/11/hike-to-big-trees.html

Note 3: Hibiscus 木堇 in WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus

Note 4: Lingzhi in WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi

Note 5: Bird Nest Fern is 鳥巢厥 (Niao-chao-jue) in Chinese, and it's also called 山蘇 (Shan-su) . Katannya taught me its scientific name few times, but it's Latin, I couldn't memerize it well. I think it probably is Asplenium nidus.

Note 6: Patio 28's address is 台北縣三峽鎮愛國路2-8號1樓 (No. 2-8, Ai-guo Rd., Sanxia, Taipei Country) and its telphone number is 886-2-86719323. Mondays closed

2008-12-24 Go to See A Doctor Of Traditional Chinese Medicine 看中醫

Last week, I went hiking in Sanxia and explored the region around Yunxin Waterfall. I was very happy that I got to this beatiful waterfall.

Caption: Yunxin Waterfall in Sanxia.

It's a popular spot for Taiwanese photographers, and a lot of photographers were there taking pictures of the waterfall when I rested close to the waterfall.

Unfortunately, I twisted my ankle on my way home. I sometimes injure my right ankle during hiking in forest, I think it is because I have a weak right ankle, and it is resulted from a car accident I had several years ago. It seems that I never completely recover from the bone crack I had from that accident.

I knew I must protect my ankle from further injury and I managed to get back home and tried to get a good rest for the sake of my right ankle; however, I still felt sharp pains in the following days. I decided to turn to a doctor for help.

I went to see Dr. Chen who was one of my acquaintances. He was a clinical psychologist before he accepted traditional Chinese medical training, and He started to practice for a while. I think he is pretty good because he takes care of his patients's physical problems as well as their feelings.

I went to his clinic at the intersection of Roosevelt Road (羅斯福路) and Fu-zhou Street (福州街), it's a cozy place that people won't be intimidated. The first thing I saw as I entered the consulting room was the blossomy flowers, and it immediately made me feel relaxed.

Hello Doctor!

Nice to see you!

I am joking, of course.

This is Doctor Chen.

There are many different ways for traditional Chinese doctors to observe their patients's physical conditions—checking their eyes, observing their faces and feeling their patients's pulses as well.

Because I had acute pain, Dr. Chen decided to give me acupuncture therapy after he examined my conditions.

Dr. Chen pricked several points on my feet with needles. It looks horrifying from those pictures I took; however, they didn't cause pain at all, I only had some funny sensations. I felt it incredible that every points bought different kinds of sensations to me. Sometimes it is like an electric current flowing though my arm, sometimes it is like a short electric shock on my foot.

My injury happened to my right ankle so most of those needles pricked on my right ankle, around the region nearby my right heal.

Yes, heal, my Achilles' heel, my weakest part when it comes to get engaged in hiking.

It looks pretty scary, isn't it? But I felt much better after accepting acupuncture therapy.

After Dr. Chen retrieved those needles, I felt my acute pain stopped. It worked like a charm.

After the acupuncture therapy, Dr. Chen kindly explained some ways how to take care of injured heel to me.


I felt much better these days and I think I can get back to hiking soon after I finish writing my research proposal.

2008-12-21 躲貓貓 A Hidden Cat

跳到我家冰箱上的大白貓不是我的貓，是嘉琳家的麻薯 a.k.a. 王小薯。王小薯常來我家作客。這週，因為嘉琳家裡有事，得回台中幾天，所以王小薯再次來到我家作客。

只要和食物有關的事情，王小薯是很聰明的貓。可是，其他方面，王小薯有時會笨的很可愛。
王小薯喜歡躲在箱子裡、櫃子裡、抽屜裡還有高處。這次，王小薯跳到我家冰箱上，覺得沒有人會看到牠，她可以很安心觀察環境。其實，她的一舉一動，都在我的觀察中。

王小薯愛巧拼、愛躲在箱子裡，也愛躲在窄小的地方。王小薯發現我有個紙箱收納著不用的巧拼，覺得就像發現天堂似地，三不五時地往箱子裡鑽。很好笑的是，她以為躲在箱子裡，大家都看不到她。可是，她卻露出一雙耳朵，暴露她的藏身之處，笨的很可愛。

王小薯被發現後，心不甘、情不願地爬出紙箱。這幕讓我想起「愛心動物醫生」裡的一段關於貓咪：三毛 的躲貓貓故事。可愛喔～