From a percussionist perspective

In the first half of the percussion performance, I was a bit disapoointed because I felt the performance reflected a Disney style. I was expecting a more raw performance. Also, there was a huge language barrier and I could not understand what the skits were about. In the second half of the performance, I found myself being more amazed with degree of skill level the performers obtained. They were incredibly skill and it was entertaining but I felt it was too commercial. 

Pipa recital

This may have been my favorite concert out of all of the ones that we  attended. I have a personal attachment to this instrument because it reminds me of the sounds played on my favorite cartoon "Avatar: The Last Airbender". While listening, I occasionally thought about events that happened in the season. The sounds created were always fun, fast paced, and peaceful.

I was particularly intrigued from the finger movement. The movement was so complicated but still so free. Another element that sparked my interest was the variety of instrument that was used to compliment to pipa during this recital. There was a piano, electric guitar, and a percussion box. Overall, I'll give it an A+

Film review

What popped out to me in the "City of Sadness" were some of the technicalities that attributed to the intended tone and image of this movie. To achieve a somber image, a lot of the scenes were dim, dusty, and silent. The image seemed to be dark, poor, and desperate. There was always little to no lighting. Also, in regards to music, there wasn't any dramatic beats. The action in the movie was still but only moving through times. They achieved the waiting feeling which was a huge part of the storyline. 

Art review 2

In the National Palace Museum, my favorite piece was the incredibly long hand scrolls titled, "Departure Herald" and "Return Clearing." It was so intricately designed and shockingly breathtaking. Every inch of the stroll was apart of a story that was apart of a larger story. The artist used mostly red but it wasn't overwhelming. It made it much more beautiful. Each stroll seemed like a full season worth of cartoons. There were rivers, bridges, horses, army men, kings, houses, temples, and many more elements that represent the tomb sweeping and inspection tour. 

Chang Kai Shek's funny bone

Art review

This is probably the most profound piece of art at the Chang Kai Shek memorial. It presents such a huge contrast relative to the rest of the masterpieces on display. Throughout my entire visit and stroll through the museum my face was stiff and stern with a deep focus in my eyes. I looked like an angry analyzer but I really just had to squint to see. As soon as I saw this portrait, my eyes opened, my cheeks stretched back, and I chuckled. This picture is so funny to me because there's a character from a modern Disney movie and the rest of the portrait is classical. The contrast is beautiful and hilarious. 

Photo Gallery

We made it to Taiwan!

Perspective of Taiwan from a plane

Look what I found in the Tokyo airport 

Hotel window view in Taiwan's capital, Taipei. 

A beautiful statue of Budha