Return to the Motherland, Part II: Conglom-O

Think of the one thing you absolutely cannot live without on a daily basis. It's a hard question, I know. (And no, this isn't the start to some awkward middle school personality test/eHarmony screening.) Is it your smartphone? Your contact lenses? Pepsi? Your morning venti skinny mocha Frappuccino?

Here in Taipei, it's 7-Eleven.

Return to the Motherland, Part I: Nineteen Mosquito Bites and Counting

My old man is sitting behind me, relaxing in his boxers and enjoying a riveting battle in Cowboys and Aliens on HBO. We're doing our best to keep cool in his relatively cramped apartment in the Tianmu neighborhood of the Shilin district in Taipei. The sounds of scooters revving past wailing ambulances and a symphony of cicadas float through the air outside the window.