2-28 ( February 28, 1947 )

On this day let us remember the estimated 18,000 to 28,000 individuals, a generation of intellectuals who were murdered in Taiwan by an illegitimate, corrupt, oppressive ruler- the Nationalist Chinese party; the Kuo Ming Tang, who had fled to Taiwan- from China and the wrath of the Chinese Communists.

Let us remember the survivors, the orphaned, the widowed who continue to heal.

2-28 has come to represent a day on which the people of Taiwan claimed their Taiwanese identity, fought for justice and began their struggle towards becoming a nation.

Rainy days in Los Angeles

Views from the Getty Center in the rain










Venice, CA (also in the rain)








Nothing quite like a nap in the rain


Local Venice residents out for a walk in the rain





Venice, if only I could imagine it for awhile...

Common Sights and Scenes Around the San Francisco Bay Area

But these are not the images that will remain in memory. It's the images I wasn't able to capture on film- the flora and fauna that were on display in the suburban communities where I went for a walk or a run... a wide variety of tropical and nontropical plants coexisting in one yard, what looked to me like montrously large aloe vera plants, various shapes and sizes of cacti, and the most perfectly shaped, homegrown, luscious oranges. Inviting fruit trees beckoned ... and of course not to be forgotten were the majestic looking palm trees- which are always such an awesome sight to me- perhaps because I've spent so much of my life living on the east coat of the United States where they are such an unfamiliar sight.

One of my favorite things to do when I arrive in a new city is to visit the local botanical garden. In this Bay Area suburb I had many "mini-botanical gardens" right in the vicinity.

The views of the bay, mountains in the distance, quiet suburban life and sun were just what I needed.

A Long Day Waiting, Destination: San Franciso

After nearly 9 hours in a window seat in the rear economy section, beside two very tall, large men and surrounded by other big, tall men- who all seemed to know each other... I was feeling a little more claustrophobic than I usually do on my flights back to the U.S.

I mean picture little ol' me, who prefers sitting in aisle seats- scrunched up by the window on my right, trying not to lean onto the left armrest because the man beside me barely had enough room in the center seat so he couldn't help but spill over the armrests. Now these men were not of the hugely overweight variety or anything, in fact they were a nice-looking bunch of 20-30 something-year-old, fit, all-American, close to six feet tall, men who were traveling together. It was hard not to notice their comraderie as they chatted with an easy familiarity upon boarding and later passed around each other's carry-on luggage. At least they were most definitely the most amiable and courteous of air travelers. I don't really know what their story was, since I'm not usually much of a conversationalist on flights- especially when my day starts bright and early as it did yesterday with a 6:40am flight out of Kaohsiung to the CKS international airport in Taipei, then a nearly 3.5 hour wait in Taipei for the flight to SF which involved a plane change in Narita, where I waited another 2 hours+ before the last leg to SF.

The last time I flew back to the U.S. in November, the person sitting behind me would all too frequently kick the back of my seat- just as I was getting comfortable, and trying to doze off. So, finally I turned around to throw a *subtle* glare at the passenger, who I assumed was a child or young passenger, but to my surprise I saw a little, wrinkly 60-something-year-old Taiwanese man peacefully reclined in his seat with his eyes closed. About mid-flight I was suddenly awoken by a something which hit me on the side of face, just missing my eye. The old guy had opened the overhead compartment to reach for his stash of fruit and one of them got away- a pear which ended up hitting me in the face before it fell on the ground. I was too startled and half asleep to yell at him, most of the other passengers were half asleep and what could I possibly yell at *in Chinese* at this little 60-something-year old discourteous passenger?