Is the honeymoon over?

After three days of exchanging pleasantries, Mae has finally decided to let us meet the real her. Sort of like a third date. To put a postive spin on it, she's a real go getter who doesn't take no for an answer.

In reality, it's nice to see that she's a normal girl and that somethings are more "nature" than "nurture".

We went on a nice sightseeing tour today. My favorite stop was the Martyrs' Shrine, which is a monument to all those who gave their life for both Taiwan and China. We also saw the Chiang Kai Shek memorial, the National Palace Museum, and a Taoist temple.

The Chiang Kai Shek memorial is huge. It made me think of how complex humans are. Chiang Kai Shek was instrumental in uniting China, and then after he was ousted by the Communists on the mainland, turned Taiwan from almost strictly agrarian to a substantial player in the world industrial economy. And yet, he was a ruthless leader who crushed anyone who opposed him. He died in 1975 and construction on the memorial began the next year, ostensibly championed by his son who assumed leadership of Taiwan after he died. It reminded me that who we become in life is largely based, not on what we think of ourselves, but how specific people perceive us. Our judgment about people is so important because it can lead to them being vilified after death, or memorialized with a giant memorial.

It reminds me of the value in sitting down and picking 4 people who you know, and imaging (1) what you think they might say about you at your funeral and (2) what you want them to say about you. If they aren't the same, there are changes you might want to make. (I think I got that from Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)

I am hoping we can get over to Taipei 101 in the morning tomorrow before we leave. It is currently the world's tallest building, but will be unseated from that post next year when that huge building in Dubai is finished.

More later.