I took this photo in a Taipei bar two weeks ago. I showed it to my sister-in-law yesterday, and she said it looked creepy. This reminded me that Ghost Month had just passed. It also made me realize that I probably shouldn’t have been in the bar.
In Taiwan, many believe that during Ghost Month the gates of hell are opened and unruly ghosts rampage among the living, sometimes on the look out for some poor soul they can swap bodies with.
First things first. Don’t be out late.
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
Also, avoid going swimming. The ghosts of the drowned might try to drown you, as a way to give themselves a stab at rebirth.
I’ve also heard you should not whistle after dark: it might attract evil spirits.
You should be careful about your laundry, too. Whatever you do, don’t leave it hanging outside after dark. It is thought that ghosts can hide in the clothes and come into your house when you bring the washing in the next day.
It is also believed that some ghosts try to visit the people they left behind in the guise of a rare insect. Don’t tread on any unusual creepy-crawlies during Ghost Month. You might be killing Uncle Bob a second time. It’s a safe bet that nobody would want to come back as a cockroach, so they’re fair game.
And of course, if you plan to do something important, like start a business or move house or get married, you might want to consider leaving it until after Ghost Month.
It’s OK. You’re safe now.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
這張照片是我兩週前在台北的一間酒吧拍的。昨天,我把成品給我的嫂嫂看,她說看起來很讓人心裡發毛。這才讓我意識到鬼月剛過,那時候其實不該去酒吧的。
在台灣,很多人相信地獄之門會在鬼月敞開,期間孤魂野鬼肆虐於人間,有些還見機抓交替。
鬼月最重要的守則,就是別在外面待太晚。
還有避免游泳。溺斃的鬼可能會想辦法讓你溺水,以求重生的機會。
另外,我也聽說天黑以後不可以吹口哨,因為可能引來惡靈。
就連洗衣服也要注意。不論如何,絕對不能讓衣服在外晾到天黑。據說鬼會躲在衣服裡,你隔天收衣服時,鬼就會跟著進屋。
此外,也有傳聞說某些鬼會化身為稀有昆蟲,拜訪身後留下的親友。鬼月期間,小心別踩到奇形怪狀的蟲子。你可不想讓哪個叔叔再死一次吧。不過可以確定的是,沒有人會想要以蟑螂的樣貌回家的,所以儘管打牠們吧。
當然,如果你有重要的人生大事,舉凡創業、搬家、結婚,最好還是鬼月之後再進行。
但現在都已經沒事了。你安全了。(台北時報記者涂宇安譯)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
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