Somewhere near “home”

Some of my friends may know that I officially start to live alone after coming back from Budapest in early July. I move into the third floor of a 7-story apartment with elevator. Third floor is good, so I don’t have to worry too much when earthquakes or typhoons come.

I am not good at decoration, so currently there’s nothing much but furniture. Some of my friends are too busy flying around the world. Even though they have bought or rented a house, they rarely get a chance to live in there. (Why do they buy it, then? ) Unlike them, I really live inside and I love it so far. It’s only a 15-minute bus ride to downtown Taipei. Next time if a GVer or other friends come to Taipei, you are welcomed to stay in my own place. Hurray!

Pictures: (they are on my Flickr with some discriptions)

  

   

  

GV Blogger of the Week: ME!

On Global Voices website, there is a series of posts named “Blogger of the Week,” which interviews GV authors (and hopefully translators in the future) about their connections to GV and their personal lives. It’s always interesting to see the other side of authors, as it creates a more humane perspective to readers and GV fellows.

Our GV Digest editor Deborah Ann Dilley approached to me last month and wondered if I am interested in being interviewed. (Notes: You should really subscribe GV Daily Digests if you want to know what the world is talking about, but don’t have enough time to read all of them.) We did an email interview, and the post is on today.

I wonder how people feel when they are interviewed, and how people think when they see themselves on a webpage. To reveal myself in an email or a post is like a reality check to me. It helps me review and ensure “Yes, that’s me.” It’s healthy to get interviewed once in a while, so I may think of myself a bit deeper every time. We have a life, but we don’t really think about life very often. Maybe interview is a chance.

Danger to Say it Out

Many people emphasize we have to fight for freedom of speech around the world. To many people who enjoy it already for a long time, it may not be easy to raise their awareness. It’s like air to them; you never feel it until it’s no longer there. Global Voices understand it is an important issue, so we create Advocacy and help people get around with blockage, filtering, etc.

We all know journalists are important windows for the public to access information. Tyrannies, authoritarians and despots know that too. They scilence discords by throwing dissidents into to jail, or suffocating journalists, often physically. Ironcially, countries with breathtaking natural sceneries often place breathtaking control to journalists, bloggers, general public and their freedom of speech as well, as in the case of Morocco and Maldives.

Even so, it’s still not easy to show how dangerous journalists are in some countries. Then I see this below, simple but true.

From Adpunch

It’s danger. It’s danger just to say it out.