"Did you make it to the NGA?" one of my oldest friends asked as I slid into the car near her office in northern Virginia. I'd planned to have lunch with my dad in Maryland and then metro to the N...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/10/symphony-in-white-or-welcome-to-my.html
I don't blog quite as often as I used to, but that doesn't mean I'm not writing. I thought I'd add a post with a general redux of what I've been publishing elsewhere...y'know, in case anyone care...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/09/what-ive-been-up-to-with-my-writing.html
No, not this. This is actually pretty cool -- it came from here -- and I'm in favor. No, no, the 2024 National Day logo looks exactly like a design for the Republic of China, not Taiwan. It...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/09/this-years-double-ten-design-is-u-g-l-y.html
I'm actually excited to tell you about this lampI've had a lot going on these past few months, from my cat's heart attack to a voracious return of my lifelong insomnia (it's ebbed and flowed sinc...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/08/antique-and-secondhand-shopping-in.html
Voices from the Mountain (2014)Husluman Vava, Auvina Kadresengan and BadaiTranslated by Dr. Shu-hwa WuEdited by David R. BradenRecently, I've taken a greater interest in Indigenous Taiwanese lite...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/08/book-review-voices-from-mountain.html
A scarlet ibis at Taipei ZooEven before the Taiwanese media began whaling on JK Rowling for stating female Taiwanese Olympic boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) is a man, with many commenters falsely b...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/08/deciding-on-insides-lin-yu-ting-gender.html
Borrowed (ok, yanked) from Chen Yen-han's Twitter feedSo much has been said about the name "Chinese Taipei" that I hadn't been intending to blog about it at all, especially as I Do Not Watch The ...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/07/please-stop-implying-name-chinese.html
Zhao Cai (招財) in the back and Tiberius (台幣) in the frontContent note: this post deals with the suffering of animals. If that’s not something you can or want to engage with right now, th...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-black-cat-shoe-drop.html
Beijing has adopted a new set of 'guidelines' that allow the Chinese government to try and convict Taiwan independence advocates in absentia, according to Xinhua. I advise you to read the en...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/06/chinese-extraterritorial-laws-prove.html
The hilariously unconstitutional expansion of legislative powers has now passed its third reading under the guidance of a hypocrite, an idiot, and a guy who went to jail for corruption. Seriously...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-roach-king-is-now-in-charge-of.html
The photo isn't really related to the post; I took it in Japan last year. But I like the visual concept A friend’s husband was recently in a serious accident. "Well, fortunately we're in ...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/05/why-are-taiwans-emergency-rooms.html
I don't have time to make this pretty, so let's talk about what's happening at the Legislative Yuan right now. After adjourning on Friday, not having passed the most controversial aspect of ...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/05/one-more-time-at-legislature-with.html
Lawmaker and activist Puma Shen gets pushed off a rostrum head-first by KMT opponentsFirst, I just want to acknowledge that I haven't been blogging very much. I know. I've had other writing proje...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/05/legislature-erupts-in-chaos-kmt-still.html
He deserves an unflattering screenshotI recently read with interest Donovan Smith's analysis of the continued relevance of former president and slightly burnt mannequin Ma Ying-jeou. Smith argued...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/04/defining-ma-ying-jeous-relevance.html
She'll be in your head all weekendI mean...no, but let's talk about it. This past weekend, Taiwanese American drag queen Nymphia Wind won RuPaul's Drag Race, and everyone I know in Taiwan we...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/04/would-xi-jinping-congratulate-drag-queen.html
All of us two weeks ago, on the Buluowan Suspension Bridge, which probably no longer existsLike just about everyone in Taiwan last week, my Wednesday morning started with a massive shake-up. I sa...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/04/teacups-vs-plate-tectonics.html
A touch of vintage wood, some plants, some funky ceramics and a concrete wall all add up to a tiny Taiwancore momentHere's something you didn't know about me but might have been able to guess: I ...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/03/taiwancore-is-new-japandi.html
I don't have a good cover photo tie-in so enjoy this one just because I like it.Earlier this week, a few well-meaning people shared footage of Senator Tom Cotton grilling TikTok CEO Shou Chew on ...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/03/on-china-republicans-wont-get-out-of.html
The face of every analyst if China invades Taiwan By Thadtaniel McDorpington IIIThe world has changed. Over the past decade, we have witnessed a distinct shift toward a renewed competition b...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-great-game-was-great-idea.html
I don't do restaurant reviews often these days. This is partly a natural evolution of the blog, and partly because as a diabetic, I can no longer enjoy food in the same way. Chef Joseph, however,...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/02/summer-flowers-dining-room.html
I spend so much time critiquing the media that sometimes, I like to point out pieces that are worth reading. The well-written (or spoken), thoughtful stuff that either makes you think, teaches yo...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/01/five-great-things-to-read-after-election.html
I woke up this morning elated for Taiwan, and annoyed at the headlines dominating international news coverage. Editors around the world were clamoring over each other to choose the most asinine a...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/01/dear-international-journalism-on-taiwan.html
I usually only go to one big rally per election season, because the big ones are exhausting. It can be hard to leave depending on where you are, so attending may be a real commitment. If I get th...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/01/chillin-with-120000-of-my-people-at-big.html
The road to democracy is bumpy. So is the road to good media coverage of Taiwanese elections.I don't have a lot of time today, but I want to take a quick dive into a pre-election piece from the B...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/01/international-reporting-on-taiwan.html
I've been avoiding election commentary to keep my anxiety levels in check. Plus, I had a piece of metal drilled into my jaw today, and I'm working six days a week. Suffice it to say, I've ha...
https://laorencha.blogspot.com/2024/01/lai-ching-te-has-taiwan-not-roc-to-thank.html