jhelvy.com

How To Shave Like a Man – Why Wet Shaving Rules and How You Can Get Started Now

// December 25th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Other

About a year ago my good friend Michael Quisao introduced me to the art of shaving with a badger brush and safety or straight razor (a.k.a. “traditional” or “wet shaving”). At the time it seemed like a lot of work, but now after investing in the right equipment and some practice, I have fully embraced and thoroughly enjoyed the art of wet shaving.

This post has 2 parts. The first is a brief explanation as to why wet shaving is a more practical and cheaper way to shave than using the latest Mach-whatever razor with “cream” from a can (in addition to being a far superior shave in general). The second part is a guide to getting started yourself – what you need to buy, where to get it, and how to use it. My hope is that this post will inspire many more to enjoy of shaving the way men have shaved for generations before ours – like a man.

Part 1 – Why Traditional Wet Shaving is Better Than Modern Conventional Shaving

Let’s start with some simple cost analysis.

Option A: An average can of “cream” costs $3, and a 4-pack of Mach-whatever razor cartridges costs about $8. Assuming you go through one can of cream per month and (because they’re so expensive and you are conservative with your blade cartridges), you only buy that 4-pack 3 times a year (so you get one cartridge per month). This option comes to an annual cost of $60 for a crappy shave every day.

Option B: The best shaving cream in the world (Proraso, imported from Italy) costs you $20 for an annual supply, and you can buy 300 safety razor blades for $10 on eBay (using a fresh blade every day is a little ridiculous, but let’s be conservative for our estimates and say you go through 300 blades a year). Your Merkur safety razor that lasts a lifetime costs $40, and your badger brush that lasts you 5-10 years if not longer costs you $30. This system costs you $100 your first year and $30 every year afterwards, for the best shave of your life every day.

By the end of year 2, you spend $120 with Option A, and $130 with Option B. By the end of year 3, you spend $180 with Option A, and $160 with Option B. By the end of year 10, you spend $600 with Option A, and $400 with Option B. Option B becomes more cost effective at year 3 and the returns only get better with time. The better option (from a pure cost perspective) is obvious.

Okay, now that we’ve realized the cost benefits, let’s look at all the other (and in my opinion more significant) benefits of wet shaving. First, there is no way to get a closer shave. Period. If your ultimate goal is a close, silky smooth shave, skip to Part 2 and get started wet shaving now. Second, wet shaving leaves my skin feeling remarkable. I used to dread shaving because of the irritation it caused, especially on really sensitive skin around my neck (as a violinist, it was an endless battle). Now I actually look forward to shaving. It’s like the feeling you get after that first sip of fresh coffee in the morning, or the smell of dew on a field of grass on a crisp morning. Shaving has gone from dreadful to refreshing and pleasurable. Not to mention that it’s how real men shave.

Now, to be fair, I will give some negatives associated with wet shaving. One, it takes a little bit more time (some view this as a positive as it forces you to slow down and not rush through everything in life). With practice, it can be equally as fast or faster than conventional shaving, but often it does take a few more minutes to do it right (maybe 8 minutes to shave instead of 5 to 6). It also takes skill, and is therefore is much easier to cut yourself. Like most things in life though, with enough practice you can master it. After the first few weeks, I got it down and now I almost never knick myself. It also can be a bit more troublesome for traveling, as the brush needs to dry and it takes a little more space for all the supplies. Other than these minor issues (which can mostly be easily fixed with sufficient patience and practice), I haven’t found any other drawbacks to wet shaving.

Hopefully this brief discussion has inspired you to at least consider wet shaving. If so, take a look at Part 2 and see what you’ll need to do to get started, and if it hasn’t, then I wish the skin on your face luck.

Part 2 – A Guide to Getting Started

If you are going to get into wet shaving, you will need to investment in some basic equipment first. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of not skimping on cost with this step. My razor and brush cost me $70 to start, which seems like a lost to invest just to shave, but remember, these things will last you a very very long time. If you’re worried about cost, just go back up a few paragraphs and look at the numbers again in Part 1. Trust me, it’s a worthwhile investment.

The Razor: If you want, you can buy a single, straight razor and, after a lot of practice and cutting yourself, have a quite literally razor-sharp shave every day (and be a total badass). You can also achieve the same results much more easily with a Merkur safety razor. These razors use single, disposable razor blades and hold them at the appropriate angle for easier and safer use. You can buy a very solid Merkur razor (the one I bought) that will last a lifetime on Amazon. There are many places to buy the blades needed for this razor, and the best deal is usually on eBay. I use Derby blades and found a deal for 300 on eBay for only $10.

The Brush: Shaving brushes are made with badger hair because it is soft, flexible, and has unique water-retaining properties, an important element in getting a good lather with traditional cremes. Some cheaper brushes are made with boar’s hair, but again, skimping on costs here is just not worth it in the end. Get yourself a real badger brush and it will perform better and last you years. I also emphasize getting a stand for your brush, because after shaving you want the brush to dry. If you just stand it up on the handle, it won’t fully dry. I bought a set including a brush, stand, and mug on Amazon and have been extremely impressed with its performance for the price. 6 months with it now, very comfortable, and no signs of wear at all.

The Cream: Proraso. Don’t waste time looking for something better, because it doesn’t exist. You can get it in 150ml tubes which last maybe 3-4 months at $11 per tube, or you can do what I did and buy a massive 500ml tube (intended for barber shops) for $20, which should easily last you a year. You can get the small tube on Amazon and the big one at Connaught Shaving.

How to Shave: Now that you have all the right equipment, you need to learn how to use it. Every man has his own routine, but I found the following video very comprehensive and a great guide to wet shaving. The second video shows how to make a good lather.

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

 

Alright, that should get you started. A great resource with tons of information is http://badgerandblade.com/, a forum for wet shaving enthusiasts. I hope my little post will serve many in improving their shaving lives. Happy shaving!

 

 

DIY Macbook Hard Drive Upgrade

// October 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // Other

I’ve seen a few guides on the webs that show how to upgrade your macbook hard drive, but nobody has given a really great comprehensive guide all in one place. I’m going to show you a simple, quick way to upgrade your hard drive yourself for about $50 and in about 15 minutes, and a way to put the old hard drive to use once you’ve swapped it with the new one.  The goal is to basically swap your macbook hard drive with the one inside the portable case, so you end up with a larger hard drive in your macbook, and an external hard drive for whatever you want.

You can see your current hard drive info by clicking on the “Apple” in the top left of the toolbar, then “About This Mac” and then “More Info” then “Serial-ATA.” Here’s  mine, a 320 GB capacity hard drive. 

Tools you’ll need: a tiny screw driver set, your macbook OS installer disk, Time Machine, and (if you want) some cue tips and maybe a tiny pair of pliers.

 Step 1 – Back it up. BEFORE you do anything, back up your whole computer using Time Machine. I’m not going to explain how to do this, because it’s a Mac product, brilliantly designed and easy to use, and if you can’t figure out how to do it, then you shouldn’t be upgrading your hard drive by yourself either.

Step 2 – Buy a new drive. I wanted to upgrade to a 500 GB size drive, so I bought this one for $50: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047ZH0B6. Notice that this is not a “laptop hard drive” but rather a portable external hard drive. Guess what? Inside it’s the same thing, and these are cheaper for some reason, plus we’re going to use the case later.

Step 3 – Crack the case. Get at it and crack the thing. Yes, this will scratch your case. Yes, it will make a loud “pop” sound that sounds like you totally just wrecked it, but no, it isn’t broken. Be careful not to scratch the drive inside, but don’t be afraid to use some force. These cases are pretty solid and really well stuck together, but once you get in a corner, work at it and pry it open with a screw driver.

Step 4 – Remove the hard drive inside. The drive has a little connector piece on top that you must remove. It’s on there snug, but pull on the plastic (as shown in the picture) and work it off.

Step 5 – Get into your macbook. First, shut it down and disconnect it from the AC power adapter. Remove the backing by unscrewing the 8 screws. Keep an eye on those things too, they’re tiny and easy to lose. At this point I cleaned off a few parts with some cue tips. Dust collects on the fan and other parts, so I gently removed it. This is good to do periodically anyway.

Step 6 – Remove the hard drive. There are only 2 screws holding a bridge-like piece down, which holds the drive in place. Remove those screws and the bridge piece. The hard drive should now be free, so GENTLY lift it up, careful not to pull on the strip connected to the top of it! If you pull this thing out, you’re totally fubar, so be careful. Remove the connector from the top, and fully remove the hard drive.

Step 7 – Insert the new drive. Take off the 4 little pegs on the old hard drive and place them on the new hard drive. Connect the strip to the new drive, put it in place, and screw down the bridge that you removed from before. Put the backing back on the macbook.

Step 8 – Restore your macbook. Turn your macbook on, insert the install disk, and plug in your external hard drive with your Time Machine backup on it. You’ll be asked if you want to set up your macbook new or restore it from Time Machine. Again, just follow the steps and let Time Machine work it’s magic. It’s very straight forward and self explanatory, and again, if you can’t figure this out, you probably shouldn’t be doing this upgrade by yourself. It’ll probably take 2-3 hours to fully restore, depending on how much stuff you have to restore, but once it’s done, you’re back to normal, just with a larger hard drive!

Step 9 – Put that old drive to use! Take your old hard drive, connect the connector piece from the portable hard drive to it, and put it in the portable hard drive case that your new drive came from. Snap the case back together and voila – you now have a portable external hard drive! You can wipe the drive if you want using your disk utility, or you can just keep it as a separate back up of your macbook.

I’ve done this process twice now and it only takes about 15 minutes to make the swap. Works wonderfully, and I hope it does for you too!

Cheers,

John

Montana Summer & Glacier-Waterton National Park

// July 30th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Travel

Before starting my PhD studies at Carnegie Mellon University this fall, I decided to spend the summer back in Livingston, Montana working the same job I did last summer: teaching off-road driving at a ranch. It’s a great job, tons of fun, and it will help a lot with expenses for school, especially after coming back from a 7-month trip to Taipei and Beijing (I badly need money!). But perhaps the best part about being here is that it is giving me some much needed time to relax a little, have some fun, and in general have a good time enjoying life before having to hunker down and get really serious with my studies and research this fall. After 7 months of being in huge cities, I can’t think of a better place to be than the northern Rockies.

There’s no doubt that the best way to enjoy this place is to get outside, so once again I’ve decided to take advantage of my time and get out as much as possible. Last summer I spent most of my time hiking surrounding mountains, so this year I decided to spend more time rock climbing (though I did get to hike Livingston Peak again, one of my favorites). My roommate Sam is a very skilled climber, so I’ve gone out a few times with him to try and learn as much as I can and have a good time doing it. My friend Vanessa, a lindy hopper in Bozeman, is also an experienced climber and has joined for some climbs as well. While I have climbed in the past, I’ve never had so much time on real rock, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me. My first time on real rock was in Yangshuo, China, back in November 2010, and ever since I’ve been itching to climb more outside on the real thing. I also started learning how to lead and lead my first route (only a 5.7) just a couple weeks ago. I’m hoping to get to do a little more in the last few weeks here and then hopefully get to do some near Pittsburgh this fall.

The other great things about being in Montana is how close it is to some of the greatest national parks in the world. Last year I went through Yellowstone and Grand Teton, my first time in a national park. This year I decided to head to Glacier and Waterton National Park for my 24th birthday. Vanessa joined me for the trip and we decided we’d spend most of the time hiking some backcountry up in the Canadian side. We drove up from Bozeman on the 24th and fortunately were able to drive through the Going to the Sun Road at dusk (the road was just opened just 10 days prior having been closed due to snow before). That night we drove to a small camp site, cooked up some pasta, and rested for the morning.

The next day we drove up to Waterton in Canada and found a trail to hike in the backcountry for the next 2 days. The only multi-day hike listed was the Tamarack Trail, a 35 km stretch with a few different camp sites along the way. Most people do it in 3 days, be we decided we’d push hard and get to Lone Lake on day 1 (17.5 km in) so we could hike out on day 2. We got on the trail at about 11 am and started in, carrying all our gear (tent, food, sleeping bags). The first part was relatively easy, but after about 6 km it got significantly harder, with switch backs through the snow through a 2000 ft climb. Just as we hit the snowy part, a rain storm swept through with some pretty serious winds. It was about a 45 minute stretch of loose footings and cold rain, but as the storm past we crested the peak of Lineham Ridge and came upon this view:

After a break at the top, we descended the other side of the ridge, back down another 2000 ft. or so, into a forrest in the valley. The forrest provided some refreshing shade and fresh glacier melt water at a stream, but after several hours of hiking back and forth up and down switch backs, we were getting pretty ready to get out of it. Eventually the trail brought us out of the valley and back up yet another huge climb of switch backs to another peak. At this point we were getting pretty exhausted, and just as we were getting ready to sit down and make camp anywhere, we saw Lone Lake just on the other side of the peak, the camp site we were shooting for. Down more switch backs and some snow and we finally made it to the camp site.

We set up the tent and decided to take a break for a bit and relax before dinner. About 30 minutes later, we heard thunder, and decided maybe we should have gotten on dinner right away. Sure enough, about half way through boiling some pasta, the storm hit, but what came was more than anything we could have anticipated – golf ball size hail! It started as little pellets, but sure and steadily grew to huge balls falling insanely fast. Fortunately the camp site had a wooden outhouse, so we sought refuge there and brought the pasta inside. Together we enjoyed a nice pasta meal over a plastic toilet seat to the sound of golf balls pulverizing everything. All I could think of was how our tent was holding up.

After dinner and the storm passed, we checked the tent and found that despite the hail, it held up rather well. We filled up on water by the lake, hung our food from the bears, and finally crashed. In the middle of the night, another storm hit, with lightening, thunder, and rain most of the night. We woke to more rain, and after waiting for an hour for it to pass, we just gave up and accepted that it was going to be a long, wet day. We packed up camp and headed on north towards the next camp site, Twin Lakes. The 8ish km between the two sites, while relatively flat, was the most snow-covered of the whole trail, and we were hiking in snow at least half the time. At a critical point where we totally lost the trail in the snow, we came across 3 people hiking in the opposite direction. Had we not ran into them right then, we probably would have wandered for a few hours searching our way back to the trail. After passing Twin Lakes, we ran into some park trail workers that were burning an old outhouse and enjoyed the warmth for a moment by the raging fire they had started.

From that point on, the rain slowly dissipated and the trail became very wide and flat. We hiked the last 8 km sopping wet, but in the sun, slowly beginning to dry. At the end, we came out of the trail head and ran into a crowd of tourists from all over the world, several asking how the trail was, and we shared our story of the past day. We started walking down the road looking to hitch hike back to the other side of the trail where we parked the car and fortunately ran into the same trail workers. They beat us back because they rode bikes, but they gave us a lift back into town. From there we hitched another ride up to Vanessa’s car and then got dinner at Subway.

We only had one more night, and since all our gear was completely soaked, we decided to drive back into Glacier and just sleep in the car. We came into Many Glacier and washed up a bit at the hotel there, warmed up by the fire, and then slept in the car. Once again it rained all night, and in the morning we drove back down the Going to the Sun Road.

This time the sun was just breaking through the mountains, so the views were completely different. The clouds drifted through the valleys like a fog and made for some surreal scenery. A few hours and a few stops for road maintenance later and we came out the west side of the park and began our drive back to Bozeman. On the way back we stopped at a diner and had the biggest breakfast we could find. We got back at around 5 pm and had to shower and get ready for a dance class I had to teach at 7, though I wanted nothing more than to sleep! I got home late and completely wiped. In the end, the trip was a serious test of the elements and the shape we were both in, but the scenery and wonder brought by the time spent out alone with just the mountains and the snow is a memory that will last forever.

2010 China Travels: Part IV – Beijing, Guilin, & Yangshuo

// April 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // China, Chinese, Dancing, Taiwan, Travel, Uncategorized

Wow, considering I wrote Part III back in November 2010, I’d say it’s about time to finish writing about my 2010 China travels! I was doing well keeping up with it all, but then classes started in Taiwan and things got busy (read my last post if you want to know what kept me so busy in Taiwan). So now I’ll take the time to finish what I started. Where I left the story last, it was Halloween and I had just landed in Beijing.

Beijing

I spent 4 days in Beijing, and while I was originally not planning on making a stop there, one thing changed my mind: The Cangelosi Cards. One of my favorite jazz bands of all time, it just so happened that the Cards were in town that weekend and were getting ready to play two shows back to back in Beijing. Since the last time I saw them was in Virginia Beach back in 2007, I decided I couldn’t miss it.

The first day in Beijing, I joined in the Rocky Horror Picture Show party being put on by Beijing Swing, which was a riot to say the least! The next day was the Cards’ first show, and as soon as I entered the venue I ran into Tamar, the singer, who instantly recognized me. I couldn’t believe it, but she remembered seeing me the last time in VA Beach, because at that time we had talked about how I had just started learning Chinese. Here I am 3 years later and we meet in Beijing! The rest of the night was incredible, dancing away to their music till late in the morning.

The following day we did it again, and this time even better! The Cards gave an epic performance, and some of the dancers performed some routines live to the music. It was two of the best nights of dancing in a row that I’d had in a long time! The next day I headed to Tianjin to visit for a day and met with some professors at Tianjin University who showed me around the city. At the time I was considering working with them come spring of 2011 (though I ended up working in Beijing where I am now). I found Tianjin to be an extremely beautiful city, one very different from others I’ve visited, and it seemed a lot less crowded. It seemed like a city I could enjoy living in for a while.

Guilin

I left Beijing in the morning, but my flight to Guilin was booked from Shanghai, so I spent one more night in Shanghai surprising all my dancer friends when I showed up. I flew into Guilin airport on November 5th and took a bus to the middle of the city where I went to Guanxi Normal University to meet with my buddy Robert’s girlfriend who was letting me spend the night while he was out of town. Robert and his brother run a school there, the Chinese Language Institute, and showed me around. I have to say I am very impressed with the program they have set up, and if I had the time I would considering studying there myself. I explored a tiny bit then crashed and prepared to visit Yangshuo in the morning.

Yangshuo

In the morning I went down to Yangshuo along with some of the CLI students, accompanying them on a field trip. We rode motor boats down the Li River marveling at the Karsts, then hiked through the small town of Xiping on our way to Yangshuo. We arrived in the evening, dropped our bags, and headed to a grand theater built on a lake where we saw Zhang Yimou’s famous show “Impression” (刘三姐). It was quite a fantastic sight to see, as most of the performance was done on small boats on the water. The choreography was breathtakingly complex and timed to a perfection that can only be achieved in China.

The next day we rented bikes and rode around all over town seeing the many beautiful sites Yangshuo had to offer, including a famous mud cave where half the students stripped to their bathing suits and jumped in the mud. I opted to chill in the hot springs myself instead of freezing mud! Later that day, the students all went back to Guilin, but I decided to stay for one more day so I could do some rock climbing. I found a small climbing store, “Black Rock Climbing,” and booked a day with a couple Norwegian girls also looking to climb. In the morning, our guide, Weihua, brought us out to a cliff face called Wineglass and showed us the ropes. We spent the whole morning climbing, and in only a few hours we were pretty beat. It was an incredible experience though, because as you climb higher and higher you can see a remarkable view of the hundreds of karsts surrounding you. I now understand why the whole world talks about Yangshuo as a mecca for climbers.

In the evening I headed over to Moon Hill mountain, famous for the huge hole in the middle, which was also full of climbers. I hiked past the “warning don’t go here” signs and got all the way to to top, where I caught an unforgettable sunset amongst the karsts. Later that night, I went over to The Giggling Tree hostel, a place I had heard of the very first time I visited China and had been wanting to see for years. It is a small place owned and run by a Dutch couple who bought the land and converted 17 different farm houses into a hostel. It is on the outskirts of Yangshuo in the middle of farms, and by far one of the most unique hostels in the world. It was also one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed at in China, and quite affordable for a dorm room (only 50 RMB a night!). A night at The Giggling Tree was the perfect end to my 2010 backpacking adventures in China.

I headed back to Guilin and hopped on my 20 hour train back to Shanghai, and while everything started nicely, things took an unfortunate turn for the worse. About 10 hours in, I got horribly sick…vomiting sick. Throwing up on a Chinese train for 10 hours has got to be one of the worst physical challenges I’ve endured in my life…and things only got worse. When I arrived in Shanghai, I at least had a day to recover at Bruce and Julia’s before boarding my flight for Taipei in the morning. In the morning, with nearly no strength left in my body, I managed to make it to the airport, only to find my flight had been delayed 3 hours. We boarded the plane, and waited another 2 hours before even taking off. By the time I landed in Xiamen, my connection to Taipei had left, and I was stuck for the night, sick, weak, and frustrated. Luckily I still had one extra day on my visa, and the airport put me up in a nice hotel. All in all it took an entire 24 hours until I got back on a plane for Taipei. When I landed, I was extremely relieved to find JC and Mindy waiting on me in the airport, and my Taiwan adventure began.

While it was a rough last 2 days traveling from Shanghai to Taipei, the previous month was full of incredible experiences and moments I will cherish forever. I had danced for 9 days in Shanghai and visited Hangzhou, Huangshan, Nanjing, Beijing, Guilin, and Yangshuo. I experienced so much in such little time I had to write about it in 4 parts, and didn’t finish it until now, 4 months afterwards! When I look back at the time I spent, I realize how lucky I am to have been able to see so many amazing places in this world, and it makes me very thankful to have had these experiences.

A Farewell To Taiwan

// March 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Taiwan, Travel

Taiwan and I finally parted ways last week after a brief love affair over the winter months in late 2010 – early 2011. I spent 3 months studying Chinese at National Taiwan University as a recipient of the Taiwan Huayu Mandarin Enrichment Scholarship. While my time in classes was both enjoyable and beneficial to my Chinese, what will really leave an impact on me are the many unique life experiences Taiwan provided in those short 3 months.

It started with the violin. In my first 2 weeks in Taipei, I asked around and looked for an opportunity to play with a local symphony. I quickly found Apo Hsu and the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony who adopted me into their ensemble (and even lent me a violin!). Two weeks later, I performed with them at the National Concert Hall! I would have never imagined in my life that I would have this kind of opportunity, but within my first month in Taiwan is showed up at my doorstep. I wrote about the concert in detail in a previous post.

A couple weeks later, my friend from Montreal (and girlfriend for a short time) Amanda came to visit for Christmas and New Years. Within a few days, we confessed our feelings for each other and decided to start dating, even though we knew it would be 5 months until we could see each other again. Nonetheless, we had an incredible 2 weeks together, and we celebrated both of our first Christmases away from home as well as Taiwan’s 100th New Year together! It was a very special time to be in Taiwan, and it was particularly special to me to have someone I loved to share it with. However, in March we broke up after I left Taiwan and moved to Beijing – the distance was too much, and it simply would not work. Though heartbroken still, I will always remember Taiwan as the first place I truly fell in love with someone.

In January, I flew over to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Swing Festival and had a blast dancing all weekend long and catching up with old dancer friends from all over Asia. Another fantastic weekend, and also a chance to renew my Taiwan visa since I had left the country and re-entered!

A few weeks later and it was Chinese New Year, so I hopped down to Kenting with Vlad (my Russian/Dutch classmate) and spent a few days surfing and driving scooters in the most beautiful place in Taiwan. It was a paradise down there! Imagine surfing during the first week of February! Afterwards we headed north into the mountains and spent another few days searching for hotsprings, only to find out most had been destroyed the past few years due to typhoons and landslides. We did have some unique experiences though, including dancing in a traditional aboriginal wedding ceremony and exploring an old abandoned and destroyed resort club.

One more week of classes and then I was done. I still had two weeks until I would move to Beijing, so I took advantage of my last bit of time in Taiwan to do make a few more memories. On February 25, Taipei Swing threw a party for me and we danced the night away. The next morning all the dancers and I visited Jiufen, a tiny town that has now become a huge tourist area filled with many traditional Taiwanese snacks and souvenirs. A few days later, I took a day trip down to Taroko National Park drove through the entire park all day on a scooter. It was one of the most beautiful days I’ve seen in Taiwan, and I even got to spend a few hours relaxing in an old abandoned natural hot spring.

The very last unique experience in Taiwan was on my 2nd to last day – I got to be an extra in Ang Lee’s new film “Life of Pi” based on the novel by Yann Martel. The movie was being shot an the old airport in Taizhong, and on March 3, I got up at 2:30 am to catch a bus down to the studio. Along with about 40 other foreigners, we were dressed up in 1950′s sly swimsuits and places around a pool, the scene being the famous “Picine Molitar,” where Pi (the main character) got his name. I got in several close up shots and even got to chat some with Li An himself as well as a couple of the lead actors! We had to spend a lot of time waiting around, and it was a pretty freezing day with a constant cold breeze (and barely any clothes on), but it was still a very unique and memorable experience. I left with a pretty bad sunburn, a bit of cash for doing it, and the hopes that I might actually be in a movie for a few seconds! Check it out – Life of Pi, 2012 (if I’m in it, I’m the one in the skimpy brown and white striped swimsuit).

Oh I almost forgot to mention – the last couple months in Taiwan, I had the pleasure of jamming with the David Chen and the Muddy Basin Ramblers, a New Orleans style jazz band in Taipei. As a group of expats, we played several performances together, one specially with the Taipei swing dancers. Our time together was short, but I had a blast playing with the Ramblers. Thanks David for the awesome times together!

Well Taiwan, that’s all for now. Who knows when I’ll get to visit again. I have to say, you gave a whole lot in just 3 months, many amazing experiences that I will never forget. It’s too bad we couldn’t have stayed together longer – who knows what could have happened!