Presidential Gaga

Today was a stupid day. I hesitate to record how stupid it was, because I don't want such a stupid day to have any more reality in the universe than it already does. But basically it involved oversleeping until 8:20, then being so mad at myself for missing my favorite class that I angrily went back to sleep until 11:00. Anyway that's enough recorded stupidity for the moment, I'll just say the day did not improve from there.

So this has been my most needlessly neurotic 24 hours in some time and I know exactly why I did this. It's because the end of the quarter is approaching and right before/after vacay I become crazily flaky. There are the obvious reasons that come along with vacations, but also the problem that my brain tends to confuse having the ability to do things with having actually accomplished them.

The way this works is that, as a successful semester draws to a close, some part of myself says, "Well, Katie, you did it again. Good job, great form. Sure you still have 7 more days of school and finals and things... but no need to exert yourself! You've proved to yourself that you can do it, and that's all that matters". Sadly, that is not the response of the world when 100m from the end of a race you roll over and take a nap. The world wonders what you are doing napping in middle of a race, then doesn't give you any medals.

Anyway I'm totally sure that this neurological short-circuit comes from too much time spent in academia. Also having realized how terribly irresponsible I was today, I freaked out about other things I am being irresponsible about, like updating, which is why you are about to get to read about: politics. Yeesss my favorite topic. (Nope. I'll make it fun though, promise.)

Last weekend I went to the President's House. I don't think it's actually called the President's House by anyone, I am just getting it confused with the White House. It's the 總統府 (府 is either office or mansion. If anything, people should call it the President's Mansion, I think that sounds nice). The building is open all year round to visit, but the upper floors are only open like 10 days of year, since presumably the rest of the year they are being used to have meetings with important personages and things like that.

Entering the building was pretty intimidating. It is very big and tall. There are lots of guards around with guns and stuff. The guards were so intimidating I didn't get a picture of them.



But for some reason since it was one of the special few days of the year, besides making me walk through a metal detector, there were very few regulations. You can take pictures anywhere, walk around freely, and they didn't even ask for ID. Not at all like being herded around the Houses of Parliament (haven't been to many other government buildings for comparison).



This is in the spacious and impressive entrance.



I'm pretty sure the guy below is former president Chen Shui-bian. Not totally sure, my inability to remember what political personages look like is rivaled only by my inability to tell Asian people apart (I CAN SAY THIS. DON'T BE OFFENDED. I LOOK ASIAN TOO):


So...anyone else find it awkward that his cardboard self is smiling happily in the President's 府 while actual Chen Shui-bian is now cellmate No. 1020 in a Taoyuan jail? I guess the good officials at the President's house didn't think so. Sadly, everyone kept ignoring Chen to take pictures with current President Ma on Chen's left, he is widely considered to be much hotter and a bit of a "sissy" (word my teacher used. I don't use words like that).



Looked around at the very nice official rooms like the President's Hall and the Rainbow Room. (The White House should look into getting a Rainbow Room?) Even had a nice conversation in the Presidential bathroom with a older woman who had come today by chance, not realizing it was Super You-can-visit-anywhere-in-the-building-because-Taiwan-is-a-real-democracy Day.



This room is very disorienting, once you realize the light fixtures are boats and the carpet is the ocean...if I did negotiations with any evil dictators of landlocked countries, I would bring them in here to gain a psychological advantage.



On the first floor museum I read about things like Japan's surrender of Taiwan, currency reform, indigenous people, etc. There were definitely some awkward parts on Taiwan's international standing and I thought all the Chen Shui-bian parts were a little weird too, for the reasons stated above (he's in jail). I still read too slowly and it sucks. Oh there was some cool art too.


Presidential bullet-proof suit jacket. In this picture, also looks like the Presidential bullet-proof suit jacket with INVISIBILITY POWERS, but that's just the glare.

But WAIT, you may be thinking, where's the party? I thought this was super yay-we're-a-democracy-and-can-go-visit-the-President day! Yes, if you were thinking that, you would be correct. So as not to interrupt our solemn journey through Taiwanese politics, I neglected to mention that not 5 seconds into my tour, I noticed that they were BLASTING LADY GAGA.

A quick look out the window confirmed my worst fears. 4 second clip of my worst fears, which went on much longer than 4 seconds:




The office of the President had invited a huge skank-o-saurus to celebrate the special day with some Presidential dancing in the Presidential courtyard. At first I was really worried that this was a real official function. Taiwanese aesthetics are cheesy, at best. And just as when my relatives try to serve me duck-and-leek Costco pizza (it's from America! get it? 'cause you're American!), I suspected that a huge misstep had been made in assuming that good old wholesome American Gaga was appropriate for a function with real officials like from other countries and things.

Thankfully it was just a party held for Taiwanese citizens in the courtyard, where I sat eating mochi, drinking milk tea, and listening to Taiwanese university students emote and head-bang. The audience, of mostly children and old people, was surprisingly into it:



Sexagenarians rocking out at the Prez's crib:



Yep they were waving their arms around and really liking the rock-and-roll. The whole thing, from being in the Presidential Office of the first democratic republic in Asia (Jan 1, 1912) to discovery of the Rainbow Room and the Presidential Gaga, was really earnest and I liked it a lot. Sometimes the earnestness makes you want to slap your forehead and crawl into a hole, but sometimes it's really great.

In other news, it's a lot easier to get yourself to read Chinese news on your own when there's lots of interesting stuff going on. Also I would like to encourage Beijing to GET ITS LIFE TOGETHER because last week's beautiful weather was ruined by a cloudy, apocalyptic-looking Friday presumably brought on by a Chinese sandstorm. AUGH STOP POLLUTING OTHER PEOPLE. IF YOU NEED TO POLLUTE KEEP IT TO YOURSELF, THANKS. See how nice earnestness is?
<3
Katie