April Fool's pranks not necessarily well appreciated

(BMW's 2010 April Fool's ad)

I still remember that British media outlets would usually have a break from their daily business of delivering hard news and turn to pull some hoaxes on their readers or viewers on April Fool's Day. When British people find odd news stories or nonsensical adverts, they would probably take such items as the sign of the arrival of April Fool's Day.

In comparison to Britons, Taiwanese people seems to be far less enthusiastic about April Fool's Day pranks. What's worse, some people would even take offence when receiving text message jokes.

Vibo Telecom, a 3G mobile service provider in Taiwan, sent such a text message to all its customers:

Because of poor air quality, you are advised to throw it on the floor should your mobile receive no signal or not stay connected. Just throw harder, and several times later, the mobile will resume its normal function Happy April Fool's Day!

Some of Vibo's users who have long been annoyed by poor signal reception were absolutely furious at this 'joke'. One lady almost banged her mobile on the floor before reading carefully to the last few words.

I suppose before making a joke, the administration should evaluate if the company's service is up to certain standard and therefore appropriate to joke with.

In Britain long established companies produce hoax advert in the broadsheet press to offer the general public good laughter on the 1st of April every year. For example, visit BMW Education website in the UK to see some good April Fool's ads. I don't think BMW would have such a tradition if their cars stall all the time.

He grows so fast

In general, an infant grows about a sixth inch a day. How is my son?

Seeking silver linings while going through peaks and troughs

Life is indeed a series of peaks and troughs, and I have just experienced a lot in last two weeks. While every cloud has a silver lining, I wonder if some of them would show up to me.

05 March My son was born.

06 March My laptop kept freezing itself and therefore had to be forced quit again and again while I was busy preparing lectures for the next week in the hospital.

08 March My son was diagnosed with neonatal jaundice and thus had to stay for another two days in the hospital.

09 March The laptop couldn't even start up when I had to revise powerpoint slides for the next day's lecture.

10 March An Apple retailer in Taipei replaced the motherboard for me with no charge, because there was a design fault.

11 March My son was discharged after two days' treatment for jaundice.

12 March The DVD-ROM drive collapsed in the morning (No joking, the spindle did break). The retailer came to the university, collected the laptop and replaced the damaged drive within one hour. However, they charged this time, but fortunately the University paid it.

16 March I was told that the grant I requested for attending a conference in Philadelphia, where I would present a paper in a panel, was denied—seven days before flight.

19 March Another panellist's grant was rejected by the National Science Council, the same funding authority as mine—even worse, four days before the flight.

The panel we had been planning for since last June is falling apart now, as two of the four members of the panel will be absent. How could they send us such a short notice that we didn't even have two more weeks to seek alternative funding?

Well, it seems that my less-than-one-month-old son would like me to stay in Taiwan with him. Fine, then I stay.

Music from mediaeval Moorish Spain for labour and delivery

(Ronne and Fanne)

I was with Fanne throughout the whole process in the so-called LDR suite, a special room which provides a home-like setting while being equipped with hi-tech monitoring and delivery devices. Labour, Delivery and immediate Recovery after delivery all took place in this room. We can also play any music we like (of course on CD, not by a live band) to create an even more living-room atmosphere.

As I had been playing lots of Arabo-Andalusian classical music for Fanne during her pregnancy, I thought it would be a good idea to do the same in the LDR suite. I chose my favourite album El Agua de la Alhambra by Eduardo Paniagua, an architect and musician specialising in mediaeval Spanish music.



What impressed me the most was a question the obstetrician asked when supervising the labour and delivery.

Doctor: What does the dad-to-be teach at the university?
Myself: Musical cultures around the Globe.
Doctor: Wow, no wonder, the music sounds quite interesting. Is it from Middle East?
Myself: Well, yes, in one sense. It is from medieval Andalusia, part of the Islamic Empire.
Doctor: Then the Moors must have played an important role in it... Interesting, interesting...
Myself: Definitely, definitely... (speechless)

The doctor certainly has a wide range of interests in addition to his professional knowledge. I love this LDR suite!

Baby born at 16.54

Congratulations on my fatherhood and praises for my son.

Well done, my boy! You did follow my instruction and arrived on Friday rather than other busy weekdays.

Overdue!

Hey kid, what do you mean by giving me such a v-gesture while overstaying in your mum's womb? Have you made up your mind when to come out?

Warm sunshine for a spring boy

It's the end of the nine-day Chinese New Year holiday, as well as the longest-ever five-week winter vacation (students in Taiwan usually have 20 days off for winter break). The new semester will commence tomorrow and it is sunny again after an endless rainy period.

For the first three weeks of the vacation, I had been busy working on the package of course materials for 'Musical Cultures Around the Globe', as mentioned in the previous entry. Then I spent another week before the New Year holiday preparing more supplementary course materials, in addition to the completed powerpoint slides, such as lists of further reading and audio-visual resources, copyright information of all the audio-visual content used in this course pack.

Finally, Fanne and I passed the cold, rain-soaked New Year in Taipei, most of the time at home, as we are expecting our baby on 1st March and advised not to take long-distance trips.

It's been wet throughout the New Year holiday but the sun broke through this morning at last. Although I have no idea if my boy will be a cold weather person, just like his father, I'm sure he would rather arrive on earth on a warm spring day than on a bone-chilling raining day.

My contribution to the Course Database for General Education

I've spent almost forty days since the New Year Day 2010 and now finally completed a package of course materials for my award-winning 'Musical Cultures Around the Globe'. I can now relax and waiting for the baby to come.

After receiving the award, I was soon commissioned by the General Education TW to make a package of course materials, including PowerPoint sides, audio-visual clips, handouts, reading lists and other necessary stuff, for the Course Database for General Education. These materials will be added to the database and soon available for all the university lecturers and professors in Taiwan.

Apart from the introductory chapter, there are 14 units in this course – an opening chapter dealing with general ideas of music in different cultures and the record industry, 12 chapters on specific regions or peoples and a concluding chapter on music and culture exchange among different regions and in the global market.

It's good to be recognised; it's also good to be requested to contribute.

One day, if my son takes a course at university in world music (or musical cultures around the globe, the title I personally prefer to 'world music'), he will probably encounter the slides and reading lists designed by his father.

Grannie's dining table and chairs

(The house partially concealed by the huge blooming bougainvillea tree on the right, where Fanne spent her childhood and teenage years before she went to university)

Fanne has just transferred from her digital camera to my laptop some photos we took last December when we had a holiday in Hualian, the harbour town where Fanne grew up.

It was not a holiday; we actually went to Hualian to arrange delivery of a dining table set, which we were to take by order of her Majesty, my mother-in-law.



As the table-and-chair set were bought in 1993 when Fanne left home for university and she didn't dine at it very much, I suppose, my mother-in-law would like her grandchild to be fed and raised up at this table.

Because the house has been vacant for more than ten years, a pane of the exterior doors was jammed and the table could not go through the gateway. As a result, it took me some time to take apart the windows so that the table could be moved out of the house.



Hey my lad, since, about ten weeks before your due date, we went to Mum's home to collect Grannie's dining table in sweated labout , you'd better cultivate good table manners or you'll be ordered to take them back to that house.

Here comes 2010

(Click to enlarge and see how slowly my hairs grew in the past few years)

As mentioned in the blog post last year, I've taken another new year photo.

For the fourth time in a row since the year end 2006, I went to the 188-second fireworks display staged at the Taipei 101 Tower ushering in the new year.

Of course Fanne stood beside me as in the last three times, but we had one more member, who had no choice but was forced, to accompany us—our expected baby. I'm sure this member will be with us again counting down to 2011, with no choice.