Healthcare reform

...there is a broad consensus on what we need to do to solve many of our major problems, but no political way to get there. Most experts of left and right believe we need a gas tax in order to address our energy problems. No political way to get there. Most believe that we need a flatter, fairer tax code, probably based on a consumption tax. No political way to get there. Most agree that the fee-for-service system drives up health care costs and the employer based insurance system is unsustainable. There is apparently no political way to change these things. Most experts agree that teacher quality is crucial to the schools and that bad teachers need to be fired. Again, no political way to do this.

(http://theconversation.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/taylor-swift-and-americas-future)

My sentiments exactly! People never fail to surprise me with their sheer ignorance. Instead of focusing on "labels", look critically at the issues. Does ensuring everybody has access to health care really translates to socialism? What about public schools? We provide K-12 education for all students. And medicare? And social security? And even FDIC? If we're going to be a proud capitalist, we might as well strip ALL social benefits ensured by the government. No cherry-picking allow.

Thwarting progress by screaming socialism is doing nothing but hurting our country. The reality is that our healthcare system is NOT sustainable. People with better coverage receive better care. I had doctors who recommended more tests/procedures because "oh you work for...your insurance will cover it, no problem." I also remember being barred from coverage for a period of time because of a pre-existing condition. I was lucky because I was able to afford to pay out of pocket at that time. But what about in the future? And what about all the people who can't today? What kind of healthcare system exclude the very people that desperately need healthcare? Something has to change.

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I'm aching all over. I need to sign up for yoga classes. Or I could go for a massage.

Typhoon Morakot

A week ago, Taiwan was suffering from a drought. In fact, certain counties had to ration their water. Then, Typhoon Morakot came and now most of Taiwan is flooded. Among the cities, Taipei fared the best. We encountered strong wind and rain that knocked over some trees. Otherwise, the city is intact. I wish I could say the same for the rest of Taiwan. Watching the news reminded me of Hurricane Katrina. Numerous cities, for example Pingdong, are under water. In one Taiwan's news clip, I watched people on scooters being blown over by the wind. In another, a six-story hotel collapsed into the river. According to CNN, one million people have been displaced from their homes. In addition, the storm left Taiwan with an agricultural loss of over $35 million USD. Typhoon Morakot is the first typhoon of the season. While the typhoon ended the drought, it also created a lot of loss and damage. Will Taiwan continue to experience extreme weather conditions?

EARTHQUAKES!

In the past two weeks, I've experienced three earthquakes. THREE! The first occurred when I was in a movie theater watching Transformer. The second woke me up in the middle of the night. Definitely a freaky way to wake up. The third was around dinnertime. Of course, I've experienced numerous earthquakes since living in Taiwan, but not three in two weeks. Thank goodness they've all been relatively weak. I hope they stay that way.

Five-day trip to Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a favorite vacation spot for Taiwanese and having stayed there for five days, I can see why. It is a beautiful island where people can choose to relax on the beach, go parasailing, bungee jumping, snorkeling, biking, and so much more. Here is what we did on our trip.

We arrived around 5 pm and went straight to our villa. After getting settled, we left for dinner followed by a two-hour hot stone massage with essential oil. The second day, we visited a silver workshop, went water rafting, walked around a traditional market in Ubud, and stroll along the beach in front of the Discovery shopping mall. The third day, we took the boat to Moon Cot Sari turtle farm, went parasailing, rode on a flying fish, went for spa treatment, visited Tanah Lot temple, a Hindu temple next to the ocean and finally checked into our hotel, Ayana Resort and Spa. The fourth day, we went on the Quicksilver cruise to visit a tiny island east of Bali. We also went snorkeling and went on numerous banana boat rides. We ended our last night in Bali with a wonderful essential oil massage. The final day, we decided to take advantage of our five-star resort and and didn't go out at all. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

Our lunch

Ayana Resort and Spa (last two nights)

Renewing our vow?

Breakfast area

BBQ on Quicksilver

Boarding the Quicksilver

Tanah Lot Temple

Parasailing! (so much fun..)

Flying fish! (can you see Dennis and me?)

We're holding a bat!!

Yummy bakery

In front of Discovery shopping center

Indonesian women are so good at balancing!

Traditional market (make sure to ask for a bargain!)

Water rafting!

Silver workship

Our villa (first two nights)

Villa Seminyak

Sedona/Grand Canyon Trip

I finally got around to posting about my week-long trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. A trip to Sedona is not complete without hiking. So, we went hiking almost every single day. I think it's safe to assume that this is the most hiking we've all done in a long time (with the exception of Joanna, of course). Despite the wind blowing dust into our eyes and mouths, the views at the top were definitely worth it. What I love most about Sedona is how beautiful and still it can get. But without a doubt, the highlight of this trip was seeing my friends again.

Montezuma Castle (along the way to Sedona from Phoenix)

Hanging on for dear life

Joanna leading the hike

Lily struggling to keep up

Coconino National Forest

You can't tell but we're actually standing on top of...

...this arch

The Chapel of the Holy Cross

My favorite rock Snoopy (can you see?)

Pink Jeep tour

Spectacular view of the red rocks

Hazy view of the Grand Canyon

Hiking down the Grand Canyon

Trying to keep warm (I think I was supposed to make a face, oops...)

One of our many jump shots

No kidding, an actual UFO store

Lunch at In and Out! (Very good, I was satisfied)

Mini-golf in Scottsdale

Dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant