{ NEWS } Cat-friendly overpass to be unveiled in ‘Cat Town’

Cat-friendly overpass to be unveiled in ‘Cat Town’      Sun, Mar 24, 2013

A 60m long overpass furnished with cat stands and cat furniture is to be unveiled on March 30 in the Houtong (猴硐) area of New Taipei City’s (新北市) Ruifang District (瑞芳), where the presence of a large cat population has been a big tourist draw in recent years.

The town used to be one of the country’s largest coalmining sites, but it is now focused on its other natural resource: stray cats.

Over the years, the town has become home to an estimated 100 cats.

As Houtong is currently being renovated, city officials said it was a good opportunity to install cat-friendly facilities.

“We must take the cats’ needs into consideration because they have become an important part of the town,” city official Chen Ching-fang said.

She added that she hoped the bridge will reflect the harmonious coexistence of the town’s residents and the cats, as well as promote animal protection.

The overpass cost NT$18 million (US$602,600) and took eight months to build. It is expected to not only benefit cats, but also attract cat-lovers, Chen said.

The cats will be able to walk, relax and interact with pedestrians on the overpass.

Since 2009, Houtong has been nicknamed “Cat Town” after news was published about its large cat population.

The town attracts many tourists, especially on weekends, Chen said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/03/24/2003557870

=================================================

        Two years age, I have been to Houtong. In my memory, there was a beautiful small town with many cute cats. Now, it is full of tourists to see and play the stray cats. Because of more and more tourists, the government also began planning and construction. This overpass is one of the construction. On the other hand, the volunteers feed the cats in regular time. They also take the cats to see the doctor. I think the government should notice the problems of tourists numbers. That will be better to the cats and people in Houtong.

A memorable teacher

Everyone will have a chance to learn something from someone or something and it will change us a lot. One person who influenced me a lot was my teacher “Anna Chang” who taught me the meaning of compromising with others.

    I recall when I was a junior college student, I quarreled with my classmate over trivial details. Because of our stubborn and opinionated personalities, we both refused to compromise with each other. Afterwards, we hadn't talked to each other for whole summer semester. With the passing of time, I felt very depressed and painful. Therefore, I decided to ask Anna what I should do.

    Anna told me, “In one sense, compromise doesn't necessary mean that you give up your principle. In other words, it can produce more harmony and reduce the hostility in your relationship between people.”

    After listening to her words, I decided to compromise with my friend and apologize for my impulsive action. To my surprise, she also said sorry to me. Even now, we are still best friends. Anna changed my thinking of compromise, though I haven’t seen her for a long time, I still remember her very much. 

Long Time No See

        A month ago, my elementary classmate, Cherrie, invited me to join a facebook group. That is surprise to me to see many elementary classmates also join that, including some I didn’t meet them for a long time. We dated for dinner or KTV someday this month.

Family New Year Trip -2

        The second day, we went to Anping Tree House in Anping District of Tainan City. For many years, a huge banyan tree has taken over the warehouse. Its aerial roots and trunks have became part of the building. Then, we went to the one of Taiwan’s oldest streets in Anping District. That is Anping Old Street. I bought dark glasses from there. It is very useful for makeunder.

        Another one of the well-known tourist spots in Taiwan is Tsou-Ma-Lai Farm. After shopping in the Anping Old Street, we went to the Tsou-Ma-Lai Farm. It was held the balloon festival. We were not lucky, we didn’t see the balloon flying. At there, I tried to play the archery in my first time. So funny!

Family New Year Trip -1

In the 2 weeks before the Chinese New Year, my aunt invited our families to go on a trip in south Taiwan. We expected to leave Taipei on February 10^th and came back on February 13^th. There were total 3 cars and 12 people. It was long time no go on a trip together for our big family.

I guessed the weather in south Taiwan was warm or hot, so I took some short-sleeved T-shirt. When we arrived Taichung, I felt little cold. The first scenic spot we went was 中社觀光花市. There were so many beautiful flowers. Also, some buskers took a drum show and some made many dolls to sell there. I bought a blue smile cat.

Stray Cats Café

I love cats, but I can’t have one. On February 16^th, I decided to have a date with cats in Stray Cats Café. There was a separate space for cats and the people who want to sit and eat with cats. I ordered an afternoon tea. Before I went there, I bought some cats’ snack. When I took out the snack, two cats walked to me and jumped to my thigh. They wanted to eat my snack! Because of the cats’ snacks, many cats came to my seat and begged my snacks. They lay on my thigh and let me stroked their hair. They were so cute! I really hope I can have a cat in the future.

 

 

Week 18 (1/13-1/19) – Photographer

Xinzhuang Early Childhood Education Association ( 新莊幼兒教育協會 ) held the fourth and the fifth of president handover ceremony (第四屆&第五屆會長交接典禮) in the Chateau de Chine Hotel in Xinzhuang District. My boss took my co-workers, Amy and Kevin, and I to join the ceremony. Kevin and I had to take the photoes for the ceremony. We were the Photographers (no pay).

That was a special experience for me. I totally took more than 1000 photoes yesterday. My fingers jerked from fatigue. It was totally about 4 to 5 hours, but I was very tired and ate a little food. Even though that, I was happy. I thought that was my good opportunity to broaden my horizons. I learned something that can’t be bought by money.