Different cultures shape people of different temperaments. The Wanderer shares a speechless episode at a FamilyMart buying ice cream, when freshly trimmed short nails met a clerk who scattered the change—and how travel teaches us to face life's many faces with a "Zen" attitude.
Riding a yellow taxi in Bangkok, Thailand, the rear window glass was neatly lined with a long row of unusually wordy transparent prohibition stickers. From 'no long guns' and 'no durian,' to the most laugh-out-loud pairing right in the center of 'no R-rated car sex' next to 'no dogs mating.' The author playfully interprets the Thai-style dry humor and rear-seat slice-of-life that Thai drivers display amid traffic jams.
During grad school I rented a run-down suite in Zhongli for just 1,500 a month. One night past ten, having packed up and about to drive back to my old hometown of Tamsui, a violent crash and a roar suddenly came from behind the house: "Freeze! Move and I'll shoot!" The Wanderer instantly killed the lights, held his breath, and hid in the pitch-black room through a night of police-manhunt terror.
A humorous look back at the silly things from a student-era first cross-school co-ed group date. Recording the absurd game after a beach barbecue on the North Coast during the days at Hsinpu Institute of Technology (St. John's University) with girls from Keelung's Chungyu Nursing College. Sharing the laggy, old-computer-like running sensation of playing "ghost" on soft sand, and a heartfelt confession to those innocent years.
"All conditioned phenomena are but the convergence of causes and conditions; when conditions arise they arise, when conditions end they return to nothing—nothing more than this." Living on Tamsui's most classic and beautiful Chongjian Street, yet right next door to a bad neighbor who filled up the fire lane and building coverage ratio, with an air conditioner that drips and taps all summer. The author explores the neighborhood plight of the old street, the science of building coverage ratio and floor area ratio, and the EPA's regulations on reporting dripping air conditioners.
From a lost experience with a junior high intelligence test to a self-examination after scoring a high IQ of 172 as an adult. Exploring how EQ (emotional intelligence) has been sanctified in modern society, and reflecting on the contradictions between Einstein, genius organizations, and acquired repetitive practice. This is a philosophical reflection on how intellect and character shape destiny.
Recounting a humorous episode at the Franz Josef bus stop in New Zealand. Detailing how three young blonde women abruptly wedged between my conversation with nature-loving Jeff, escalating into a territorial collision of hips and frosty glares. Exploring extreme South Island transit observations and the isolated sanctuary of Whataroa.
A record of a supermarket encounter after a walk along the Tamsui riverbank. A detailed account of the solitary mood felt in a Carrefour store at dawn while carrying a bottle of Australian beer and a microwavable lasagna. From Garfield fantasies and the cashier's 'whale-and-dolphin volunteer' gaze to the self-deconstruction of a Hollywood-style loneliness script, this is a life essay full of the aesthetics of solitude.
In 2013, at the market entrance, I heard an aunt complain: her grandson, in the second grade of elementary school, had six days a week packed with math, English, taekwondo, soccer, piano, and abacus—and she hadn't seen her grandson in a long time. Hearing this, Mizuc just felt exhausted at heart.
Looking back at a midnight rush to apply for a dream sponsorship program. In the 'Team Introduction' field, a deeply touching tribute to my late best friend Hsieh Tsung-hsiang (Little Hsiang). Chronicling our tacit teamwork on adventures, shared footprints from driving circuits around Taiwan to ascending Yushan, and the irreplaceable mark of a true comrade remaining in a traveler's heart after life-and-death parting.
