I looked up in the bathroom this morning and saw a fleeting blur – a mosquito! Quickly I slid open the bathroom door and slipped out. I bolted into the dining room to get it – The Anbao 9900 Electric Badminton Racket Mosquito Terminator Unit (I'm not sure if that's the actual name. The package just says Anbao 9900 – everything else is in Chinese).

I just made the purchase last night, as last year's model had expired in the off-season. It's mosquito time again, and I knew an electric badminton racket thing was a crucial piece of equipment to own. I said in Chinese to the store clerks "Wo yao…" then I made a buzzing sound with my lips, while moving my left index finger around in the air. I then swung with my right hand and made a "zap!" sound. They had both been watching my index finger intently, and, at the "zap!" paused only for a moment before both saying SOMETHING simultaneously in Chinese. One of them quickly turned and showed me where the rackets were on the shelf.

She held out a large black and orange model, with bolts of lightning flashing across the package. Two traumatized mosquitoes were depicted flying into the electric field of the racket, with cartoon-like zaps emanating from their suffering bodies. The Anbao 9900. This was clearly a superior product, NTD$70 more expensive than the cheaper, more pastel blue and yellow model I was considering in my hand.. She pointed to the Anbao 9900 and said "Super!"

I bought it.

Down the block two children saw me in an ice cream store. They pointed to the package and said something in rapid-fire Chinese to their mom. I don't know what they said, but I think it was "Mom! That Western guy with the big nose has the Anbao 9900! Those mosquitoes are toast!" I think that's probably what they said.

I got it home and took it out of the package. I hefted it in my right hand. This baby was heavy! Even if you don' t press the button, you'll probably deliver a concussion to the soft cranium of the insect. The wires are of a much heavier gauge – perhaps 16 ga. copper wire? The last one had this thin zinc-looking mesh. There was no way I was going to touch these thick wires with my licked finger - that test was not going to take place. So Megan and I dropped star fruit seeds on it instead. But nothing happened. The Anbao 9900 would remain in its holster until we could test it under real-life conditions.

So now, in the early morning light, a toasted mosquito lays on my bathroom floor, testament to the killing power of the Anbao 9900. Bring on the skeeters. We are ready.

October 31st came and went. Do the Taiwanese celebrate Hallowe'en? Sort of. Not too many adults dress up. Well, none. So we corrected the imbalance by attending a Hallowe'en party thrown by some colleagues, where we found lots of costumed folks. Click here to enjoy the pictures!

Megan and I also spent a long weekend in Hualien, down the east coast of Taiwan. There was an International Stone Symposium there, which is held every two years. We were fortunate to attend, and lucky to have Annie Lee as our guide - Hualien is her hometown! Nice to get out of Tien Mu and visit a smaller city. We had the good fortune to meet a few sculptors as well - Jaya and David - who live in Europe and were there for the month working at the symposium. Lots of pictures of everything! Here are pictures of the Stone Symposium, and here you can find pictures from Hualien. You can also find pictures of a beautiful Daoist Temple in Hualien which we visited.