Here in Taiwan, we have just celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival in last week. In that day, we race dragon boats. The boat has different sizes for different level of race. The most popular sizes are for 11 people and 15 people each boat. The race take place on the river. Depends on the width of the river, there could be 3 to 6 boats race at the same time. The distance of the race is 500 meters. Some dab hands can finish the race within 2 minutes. I also attained the race in 2019. Our team has 11 crews. Although we took more than 50 hours to practice, we still ended up with the last position in the first run. That make our team un-qualified for the second run. However, we were still happy for having the experience together. Because of the Covid19 pandemic, the boat race was cancelled this year and last year. What a pity.

Taiwan is very diverse in both culture and language. Taiwan has ever been ruled by Japan before WWII. And then, after 1949, the Chinese (ROC) government moved to Taiwan. That brought people from different places of China to Taiwan. During that period, there were also American military base in Taiwan till 1979. So it's easy to find the trace of different cultures in Taiwan, such as Japaneses, north China, west China, South China, American, all packed in this beautiful island. As for the langues, there are more than 10 folk languages from China. But only Taiwanese, Haka and Mandarin are popular. Nowadays, English is also very popular.

In Taipei, to sort the waste is part of our daily life. And it can actually save some money for everyone. Because to discard garbage in Taipei you need to put them in the special bags which cost you money. However, if I sort the waste to be something recyclable then it become free to discard. Basically, we sort the waste to be different categories, such as paper, plastic, metal and organic (like food or fruits). Only very few things that do not belong to above mentioned categories will become the real garbage and need to put in the special bag. This policy has been implemented in Taipei for decades. And because it was implemented so well, so some incinerate plants don't even have enough garbage to burn. Isn't it very cool.

I prefer an accommodation that can see the scenery through the window. Better with a high altitude so I can see very far.

Following is a headline from Reuters. What does "scores" mean here? Dozens trapped in tunnel after Himalayan glacier's collapse, scores still missing

Following is the head line from Reuters. What is the meaning of "toll" in this head line. Fresh data show toll South African virus variant takes on vaccine efficacy

We call it beef noodle, or "neu-zo-mien" in Mandarin. You can find this food everywhere in Taiwan. The pric can be from USD 2.5 to 10 depends on the stores you visit. I love beef noodles very much, especially the dark one. Because the dark one (the soup looks dark) tastes more stronger and spicy. Some people may like the light version which is not spicy and the soup looks more transparent. The basic gradients of beef noodles are beef, noodles(of course), vegetables like carrots, onions, tomatoes, grren leaves. For the dark one, it normally contain fermented soy beans with chili, that's what make it the dark look and stronger taste. I rembered one of my colleague who cam from Germany, he also loves the dark beef noodles very much. He said he can have it everyday and never get tired of it. I guess (just guess) it is because that German people are get used to stronger taste (I mean salty actually). Hope you will have chances to visit Taiwan, or Taipei maybe, make sure you try this popular food, beef noodle (neu-zo-mien).

It's very tired keeping chasing something in our life. Especially when there's always desire to fulfill. I am thankful of the satisfied heart that my parents gave to me. So I do not have too much desire to be chasing for. And I felt happy with what I already have. A satisfied heart is the best gift that I can have.

My name is Jason. I live in Taiwan. Due to the pandemic, it's very difficult to have a overseas trip. So my lasy trip was a domestic one. I went to a mountain town for two days. The name of the town is Leeshan. It located in a deep mountain with 2500 meters high. I love this place very much, especially in summer time. Because it is cool all day. And Leeshan is famous with delicious fruits. The fruits there are popular and not expensive. I believe I will be there again next summer.