Night market and beyond

Saturday night at the night market.
 Celebration of my unexpected ability to knock over cans thus winning a Winnie the Pooh bear.

Kevin turned out to be brilliant with a pistol.  Wonder how he learned it.

We then progressed to the purchase of a variety of strange food including a duck's head (photo on the right)
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Later played various games (mostly outside the 7/11) The idea of the game is to not be the one 'out' because the punishment is to eat some duck's head, pig intestine or worse.
They pointed at pieces of gristle and asked me if I liked it.  If I said 'no' they bought it.
Very intense exercise (that's what I meant by beyond)  In order to survive it was necessary to drink quite a lot of whiskey.  Kevin happily produced a bottle of Johnny walker green.  Never had that before - very smooth.  All of this took place outside the 7/11 until around 3 am.  On the lower left is a shot of Harbert's brother and his girlfriend .  On the right is a selfie I attempted to take of Kevin, Harbert and myself.

I believe these photos are quite expressive of something, not sure what, but I have a new appreciation of 7/11 stores.  They poured me into a taxi wherein I was barely (proudly) still able to tell the driver in Mandarin where I live.

Needless to say I felt quite sick all day Sunday.  Accomplished nothing that day beyond the consumption of a large Subway sandwich.
Monday happily back to normal - studying with my fellow students in the common room of the dormitory.
In clockwise order from the left they are: Harbert from Texas, Alice from Xian, Nolan from Toronto, Hugo from Japan, Sherrie from South Africa, moi, and Henry from L.A.

So, "What does it all mean?" I hear you ask.  I was reading a passage today by the great Zen teacher T.D. Suzuki about 'beginners mind'.  Well, if I'm not there yet I'm certainly progressing, or regressing, in the right direction.  Everything seems to happen almost  without warning in Taichung.  For example, today there were three earthquakes (Really!)  I can honestly say I'm not in control, but at the same time I'm completely at the mercy of my own choices minute by minute.  On one level, nothing is happening.  On another level, life is a gift that sparkles as it turns in the light.