One of the more clever signs I saw during the rally, obvious the product of the large foreigner contingent that showed up to support the country's right to choose it's future.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Friday, March 25, 2005
Bussin
The Mass Transit system here in Taipei is a wonder to behold, especially the trains, Taipei has a wonderful network of connected monorails and subways which can get you about this city with amazing speed and efficiency. Clean, modern, and well maintained, I have nothing but praise for the MRT (subway/monorail) system of Taipei and suggest that anyone who visits this city make a point of trying it out.
That said, a few weeks ago I commented to Connie that if anything were to put me in the hospital in Taipei it wouldn't be the incredibly aggressive cab drivers or the kamikaze scooter riders who all think they're Kamen Rider. No, it would be a bus accident that would be the cause of Rob's pain, but not being hit by a bus, oh no, being ON a bus.
You see, Taipei has what seems to me to be a rather unique bus system, and I have to say a generally clever one on the part of the Taipei city government. Basically, their whole bus system is privatized (or semi-privatized), with the city government creating the bus routes and providing the electronic pay-system that both the busses and the MRT use. (They use a cash-card system here for mass transit, a rather impressive one that doesn't even require swiping your card, only holding it up to a sensor for a moment. ) So, the city controls the otherwise private bus companies through the pre-established routes and the fact that the city is still the one paying the bus companies to do what they do. Technically, any company can get in on the game, they just have to conform to the city standards and join the program, although primarily it seems to me that one company has most of the business based on what I've seen. The companies take care of their own gas, maintenance and staff, and the city just acts as a network controller directing things.
But, because of this system several quirks have popped up.
One of these quirks is that there are no bus schedules that I have seen, and this is because more than one company is providing service on the same route. These companies don't co-ordinate with each other, and in fact seem to be in direct competition with each other a lot of the time. This leads to another major quirk of Taipei's bus system, which is that unlike Canadian bus drivers who leisurely make their way around their routes, Taipei drivers RACE around their routes as fast as their bus will carry them. (If anyone has been on the bus of a driver in Canada finishing his shift for the day, you will have some idea of what this is like.) In fact, even though you are standing at a bus stop, unless a) you wave the driver down, b) someone on the bus wants to stop there or c) the bus is empty and he's trying to attract people, the bus WILL NOT STOP FOR YOU. Sometimes this is a good thing, since if there's nobody who wants to get on your bus can get you to your destination very quickly. But, sometimes the driver doesn't notice you, at which point you get to watch your bus vanish in the distance and wait and pray for another one to come along who will notice you. (In all fairness, they do almost always notice you if there's not another bus blocking their view.)
This has led to some of the bumpiest and most wild bus rides I have ever had in my life, and that's just getting home from work. You never know when the bus will accelerate or slam on the breaks, and more than a few times I have been hurled forward if I didn't have a tight enough grip when there wasn't a seat. (And only "high risk" seats get seatbelts.)
Lest you think that only city drivers are that way, last weekend I had my first country bus ride as Connie, her mother and I went to the mountain city of Jiu Fen. (A former mining city literally sitting on top of a mountain that's turned into a tourist town with quite the spectacular view.) We took a train there, and then a bus back, and I have to say it was quite the bus ride. Imagine doing 90kph down narrow mountain roads that are only 1.5 lanes wide and then dropping into even tighter village streets where are pedestrians, cars and animals everywhere without slowing down and you will have some idea of what I'm talking about. I can only compare it to the trench run from the first Star Wars movie (to be released) except replace the X-Wing with a Greyhound bus.
All said, however, I have to say that I have never seen any of these bus drivers get into an accident and they've got to be some of the most skilled bus drivers in the world. Just remember if you ever come here and ride the bus, you'll need crash pads and a helmet.
Rob
That said, a few weeks ago I commented to Connie that if anything were to put me in the hospital in Taipei it wouldn't be the incredibly aggressive cab drivers or the kamikaze scooter riders who all think they're Kamen Rider. No, it would be a bus accident that would be the cause of Rob's pain, but not being hit by a bus, oh no, being ON a bus.
You see, Taipei has what seems to me to be a rather unique bus system, and I have to say a generally clever one on the part of the Taipei city government. Basically, their whole bus system is privatized (or semi-privatized), with the city government creating the bus routes and providing the electronic pay-system that both the busses and the MRT use. (They use a cash-card system here for mass transit, a rather impressive one that doesn't even require swiping your card, only holding it up to a sensor for a moment. ) So, the city controls the otherwise private bus companies through the pre-established routes and the fact that the city is still the one paying the bus companies to do what they do. Technically, any company can get in on the game, they just have to conform to the city standards and join the program, although primarily it seems to me that one company has most of the business based on what I've seen. The companies take care of their own gas, maintenance and staff, and the city just acts as a network controller directing things.
But, because of this system several quirks have popped up.
One of these quirks is that there are no bus schedules that I have seen, and this is because more than one company is providing service on the same route. These companies don't co-ordinate with each other, and in fact seem to be in direct competition with each other a lot of the time. This leads to another major quirk of Taipei's bus system, which is that unlike Canadian bus drivers who leisurely make their way around their routes, Taipei drivers RACE around their routes as fast as their bus will carry them. (If anyone has been on the bus of a driver in Canada finishing his shift for the day, you will have some idea of what this is like.) In fact, even though you are standing at a bus stop, unless a) you wave the driver down, b) someone on the bus wants to stop there or c) the bus is empty and he's trying to attract people, the bus WILL NOT STOP FOR YOU. Sometimes this is a good thing, since if there's nobody who wants to get on your bus can get you to your destination very quickly. But, sometimes the driver doesn't notice you, at which point you get to watch your bus vanish in the distance and wait and pray for another one to come along who will notice you. (In all fairness, they do almost always notice you if there's not another bus blocking their view.)
This has led to some of the bumpiest and most wild bus rides I have ever had in my life, and that's just getting home from work. You never know when the bus will accelerate or slam on the breaks, and more than a few times I have been hurled forward if I didn't have a tight enough grip when there wasn't a seat. (And only "high risk" seats get seatbelts.)
Lest you think that only city drivers are that way, last weekend I had my first country bus ride as Connie, her mother and I went to the mountain city of Jiu Fen. (A former mining city literally sitting on top of a mountain that's turned into a tourist town with quite the spectacular view.) We took a train there, and then a bus back, and I have to say it was quite the bus ride. Imagine doing 90kph down narrow mountain roads that are only 1.5 lanes wide and then dropping into even tighter village streets where are pedestrians, cars and animals everywhere without slowing down and you will have some idea of what I'm talking about. I can only compare it to the trench run from the first Star Wars movie (to be released) except replace the X-Wing with a Greyhound bus.
All said, however, I have to say that I have never seen any of these bus drivers get into an accident and they've got to be some of the most skilled bus drivers in the world. Just remember if you ever come here and ride the bus, you'll need crash pads and a helmet.
Rob
Springtime in Taiwan
Life goes on here in Taiwan, and Spring has finally started to come. It's hard to believe I am in my third month here, but it's true and time just seems to go faster and faster now that I've started work. Things are going well for me and Connie, and I'd have to say that I have settled nicely into my life here in Taiwan. I was reading a magazine article as I waited for my first paycheck at the head office today (YES! Rob finally got paid! Woohoo!) where fellow foreigners were talking about their reasons for staying in Taiwan. Some of them were talking about how when they did go back home for visits, it didn't take long before they started to miss the comforts of living in Taipei. Reading it, I already found myself nodding quietly because I knew what they were talking about. Taipei is a dynamic and thriving city yes, but the real pleasures of living here come from the small things. There are bakeries everywhere offering wide varieties of treats, restaurant culture is a high art here and the food is amazing, the public transit system is a thing to be adored and admired (well, except for the driving of the buses, but more on that later...), Coffee Shops and Cafes are plentiful and even 7-Elevens (which are everywhere) offer hot drinks that we could only hope for in Canada. If it weren't for the pollution, noise, earthquakes, typhoons, and constant threat of Chinese invasion, this place would be one of the best places to live on the planet. (I won't mention the killer heat yet, since I have yet to experience more than a brief humid taste of it...)
But, I digress.
I would have to say that I love my job, it's so much fun I can't believe sometimes I get paid for it, and my students often have to remind me that class time has ended because I would just keep teaching anyways. *^_^* Well, "teaching" is too strong a word, since with two exceptions, I'm primarily a conversation teacher/partner/facilitator who goes where they want me and helps them to practice their English. It's a fun and interesting job, and I get to meet a lot of really nice people and learn about many different parts of life here in Taiwan. Right now I am teaching 1 company president private lessons, 1 corporate lunch class to a Chinese/Japanese trading company's employees, 2 ESL classes at a biotech firm to groups of 13 students (the "real" teaching I mentioned, since they're real beginners), and a Saturday morning class to a group of office ladies where we sit around and talk about current events. Next week I'll be adding another class at a publishing company, which will take me up to about 22 hours of teaching a week. The only downside of the job is that the teaching is mostly mornings and evenings, so it pretty much kills my entire day since I often don't have time to go home in the afternoons. I end up spending my afternoons doing reading and preparing for my upcoming classes, and I find the time passes pretty quickly. I guess I am lucky in a way that Connie has both work and school, she's too busy to feel I have no time for her or be annoyed that our schedules don't match. The reason I also don't update as often as I did is that the laptop is a little heavy to cart around with me all day unless I need it, so it normally stays at home while I'm out traveling.
On an extra note, apparently my school (KoJen) is going to be offering it's teacher's free Chinese classes to help us survive around here. While I do already know survival level Chinese, it will still be nice to practice, and to actually meet some other teachers.
Anyways, that's all for now.
Best from Sunny Taipei!
Rob
But, I digress.
I would have to say that I love my job, it's so much fun I can't believe sometimes I get paid for it, and my students often have to remind me that class time has ended because I would just keep teaching anyways. *^_^* Well, "teaching" is too strong a word, since with two exceptions, I'm primarily a conversation teacher/partner/facilitator who goes where they want me and helps them to practice their English. It's a fun and interesting job, and I get to meet a lot of really nice people and learn about many different parts of life here in Taiwan. Right now I am teaching 1 company president private lessons, 1 corporate lunch class to a Chinese/Japanese trading company's employees, 2 ESL classes at a biotech firm to groups of 13 students (the "real" teaching I mentioned, since they're real beginners), and a Saturday morning class to a group of office ladies where we sit around and talk about current events. Next week I'll be adding another class at a publishing company, which will take me up to about 22 hours of teaching a week. The only downside of the job is that the teaching is mostly mornings and evenings, so it pretty much kills my entire day since I often don't have time to go home in the afternoons. I end up spending my afternoons doing reading and preparing for my upcoming classes, and I find the time passes pretty quickly. I guess I am lucky in a way that Connie has both work and school, she's too busy to feel I have no time for her or be annoyed that our schedules don't match. The reason I also don't update as often as I did is that the laptop is a little heavy to cart around with me all day unless I need it, so it normally stays at home while I'm out traveling.
On an extra note, apparently my school (KoJen) is going to be offering it's teacher's free Chinese classes to help us survive around here. While I do already know survival level Chinese, it will still be nice to practice, and to actually meet some other teachers.
Anyways, that's all for now.
Best from Sunny Taipei!
Rob
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Man almost on Fire but not Quite....
I saw a film that's a favorite of Connie's yesterday, "Man on Fire", starring Denzel Washington, Christopher Walkin and Mickey Rourke (although the latter two were minor characters and probably on-set about a week tops). The film was directed by Tony Scott (Ridley Scott's brother) and is based on a book about a drunken burnt-out CIA assassin (Denzel) who takes a job as a bodyguard in Mexico city. As they explain at the start of the film, the North American Free Trade Agreement created a large class of rich Mexicans who built and managed the factories that sit just South of the border and employ vast numbers of Mexican workers (doing what were formerly American and Canadian jobs, but I digress...). Of course, the vast majority of Mexicans are desperately poor, and so it's become common practice for the organized crime groups in Mexico to kidnap the children of rich people and ransom them. So common, in fact, that the rich have kidnap insurance policies to pay said ransoms, and so if one of them gets kidnapped the insurance company is actually the one out the money. This makes the whole process pretty simple, the rich always have insurance to cover the kidnappings, and the kidnappers just have to worry about getting that money to themselves without getting nailed by the police or other groups. The problem being that the Mexican police are often involved with the kidnappings to begin with since the reach of organized crime in Mexico is a long one.
Regardless, our drunk protagonist gets a job taking care of a rich young Mexicans half-American daughter and as you might expect she helps to give him his soul back through her innocence and purity. (Sorry to spoil it for you, but this is hardly a surprise.) As you will also guess, she gets kidnapped at a certain point in the film, and then...Well, I think we all know what's coming next when you kidnap the loved one of an ex-Navy seal/CIA assassin....Burnt-out/redeemed man goes into hunter-killer mode and lots of people die. (Although without witty banter and in ways which are quite logical, he's not an action hero he's an assassin, and he does the job of one.)
Okay, so there's our story and despite how cliche it sounds I have to say that it's almost a great film. Denzel does a great job, the story is actually well written and the premise (while tried and true) is actually pretty solid for an action movie. The problem comes in the storytelling, or should I say, the directing.
You see, I saw Gladiator (by Ridley Scott) a few weeks ago on TV here, and it predates this movie by about a year or so. This is important to note because if you see them roughly in tandem like I did, and know who directed each, then you realize what you are watching is Tony trying to copy and improve upon the filming style his brother used in Gladiator. All of the weird surreal effects that Gladiator uses (and I forgot about until I saw it again) Man on Fire uses ten times as much to try to create a disjointed sense of reality as the main character goes through his trials and the movie tries to keep itself visually interesting. And, I think this is where the problem with the film lies, the director is so focused on playing with cool visual techniques of filmmaking that he relegates the actual story and characters to secondary status. One can't help but wonder if it's not really a case of Tony thinking "well, doing THIS got my brother an Oscar...so I'll use 10X as much and get me 10 Oscars!"
Regardless, if you get the chance to see this film it really is worth seeing, despite my criticisms of the film it is a nice action-drama with some good performances and an ending that brings it all home. 7.5 out of 10.
Rob
Regardless, our drunk protagonist gets a job taking care of a rich young Mexicans half-American daughter and as you might expect she helps to give him his soul back through her innocence and purity. (Sorry to spoil it for you, but this is hardly a surprise.) As you will also guess, she gets kidnapped at a certain point in the film, and then...Well, I think we all know what's coming next when you kidnap the loved one of an ex-Navy seal/CIA assassin....Burnt-out/redeemed man goes into hunter-killer mode and lots of people die. (Although without witty banter and in ways which are quite logical, he's not an action hero he's an assassin, and he does the job of one.)
Okay, so there's our story and despite how cliche it sounds I have to say that it's almost a great film. Denzel does a great job, the story is actually well written and the premise (while tried and true) is actually pretty solid for an action movie. The problem comes in the storytelling, or should I say, the directing.
You see, I saw Gladiator (by Ridley Scott) a few weeks ago on TV here, and it predates this movie by about a year or so. This is important to note because if you see them roughly in tandem like I did, and know who directed each, then you realize what you are watching is Tony trying to copy and improve upon the filming style his brother used in Gladiator. All of the weird surreal effects that Gladiator uses (and I forgot about until I saw it again) Man on Fire uses ten times as much to try to create a disjointed sense of reality as the main character goes through his trials and the movie tries to keep itself visually interesting. And, I think this is where the problem with the film lies, the director is so focused on playing with cool visual techniques of filmmaking that he relegates the actual story and characters to secondary status. One can't help but wonder if it's not really a case of Tony thinking "well, doing THIS got my brother an Oscar...so I'll use 10X as much and get me 10 Oscars!"
Regardless, if you get the chance to see this film it really is worth seeing, despite my criticisms of the film it is a nice action-drama with some good performances and an ending that brings it all home. 7.5 out of 10.
Rob
Well that wasn't fun....
5.9 Earthquake last night at 3:05am, centered about an hour's drive South of here, but enough to make this place do quite a bit of shaking. No deaths or injuries, thank god.
It was interesting in that it followed the "ripple" effect you see when you throw a stone in the water, by which I mean that we were hit by an initial quick trembler. (These are small brief "shudders" which are not uncommon in Taiwan.) That was enough to wake me up and make me nervous, but it was what followed that actually scared me. After the "trembler" there was a low rumble for a few seconds and a feeling that something big was coming and building, and then suddenly all hell broke loose and the place was shaking like someone jumped on the waterbed for what feels like an enternity, but which is of course just a few more long seconds.
This of course was followed aftershocks, of which there were apparently over 100, but I felt only four or five of them because the rest were too minor to really notice. The aftershocks are just more "tremblers", tiny shudders passing through the Earth that don't really do that much besides make you nervous and cause the paint to crack from time to time.
What was really interesting was the dogs, as you hear when you read about earthquakes, they went nuts barking beforehand. I spent the rest of the night not worrying about the Earthquakes, but listening for the dogs...if they started to bark you knew an aftershock would hit soon. It's a creepy feeling, and it kind've conditions you to cringe when a lot of dogs start barking, which isn't uncommon here without Earthquakes! I have also noticed I am always "feeling" for vibrations today, waiting, expecting another earthquake to come at any time....Part of learning to live in the Ring of Fire again, I guess.
Interesting how I managed to live in Japan and Korea with minimal Earthquake activity, but the moment I set foot on Taiwan...I'm starting to think the local mountain gods don't like me or something.
Still, I'm not leaving. I accept this like I accept the typhoons when I came here, I don't like them, but I accept them, and actually like it here quite a bit overall. Taiwan actually feels like home to me right now, and while I'm still getting used to it, it's a place I think I will be for a while.
Rob
It was interesting in that it followed the "ripple" effect you see when you throw a stone in the water, by which I mean that we were hit by an initial quick trembler. (These are small brief "shudders" which are not uncommon in Taiwan.) That was enough to wake me up and make me nervous, but it was what followed that actually scared me. After the "trembler" there was a low rumble for a few seconds and a feeling that something big was coming and building, and then suddenly all hell broke loose and the place was shaking like someone jumped on the waterbed for what feels like an enternity, but which is of course just a few more long seconds.
This of course was followed aftershocks, of which there were apparently over 100, but I felt only four or five of them because the rest were too minor to really notice. The aftershocks are just more "tremblers", tiny shudders passing through the Earth that don't really do that much besides make you nervous and cause the paint to crack from time to time.
What was really interesting was the dogs, as you hear when you read about earthquakes, they went nuts barking beforehand. I spent the rest of the night not worrying about the Earthquakes, but listening for the dogs...if they started to bark you knew an aftershock would hit soon. It's a creepy feeling, and it kind've conditions you to cringe when a lot of dogs start barking, which isn't uncommon here without Earthquakes! I have also noticed I am always "feeling" for vibrations today, waiting, expecting another earthquake to come at any time....Part of learning to live in the Ring of Fire again, I guess.
Interesting how I managed to live in Japan and Korea with minimal Earthquake activity, but the moment I set foot on Taiwan...I'm starting to think the local mountain gods don't like me or something.
Still, I'm not leaving. I accept this like I accept the typhoons when I came here, I don't like them, but I accept them, and actually like it here quite a bit overall. Taiwan actually feels like home to me right now, and while I'm still getting used to it, it's a place I think I will be for a while.
Rob
Thursday, March 03, 2005
First Day on the Job at ESP
So, a little before 12 this morning, I showed up at the ESP KoJen office, bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to teach my first English class of the day. (Actually, it would really be my second English class of the day since in the cab driver who took me to the office spoke just enough English for a halting but full conversation during our 1/2 hour cab ride.) After conferring with the office staff and my manager, Paul Dunne, I was off with Sharon (our Taiwanese office manager) to the offices of the Tomen corporation to educate their fine sales employees in English.
Arriving just before the scheduled 12:30 class time Sharon and I were shuttled into a small meeting room and proceeded to wait for the students to come....and wait....and wait....Eventually one of the 5 showed up, followed shortly by two more, the other two being off on business. Sharon gave them the basic class rules and information in Chinese, smiled and then wished me good luck as she vanished out the door.
And, I was off!
I introduced myself and then gave them survey handouts which contain a series of interview questions which they have to ask their partner. Once they are done the interviews, it's their job to introduce their partner to the rest of the class. This is a great exercise suggested by Alan (one of the other ESP teachers) and it worked like a charm, we spent our whole 45 minutes of class time doing interviews and introductions, and breaking the ice. They're not a bad bunch, and were actually quite bright and fairly eager, if a bit shy. I think I will have a good time with them, at least I hope so, since I will be teaching them for 50 minutes twice a week as we try to polish their business English.
All in all, not a bad start, and luckily for me they're next to a major MRT station, so I can take the subway to get to and from their office quickly.
Rob, signing out. ^_^
Arriving just before the scheduled 12:30 class time Sharon and I were shuttled into a small meeting room and proceeded to wait for the students to come....and wait....and wait....Eventually one of the 5 showed up, followed shortly by two more, the other two being off on business. Sharon gave them the basic class rules and information in Chinese, smiled and then wished me good luck as she vanished out the door.
And, I was off!
I introduced myself and then gave them survey handouts which contain a series of interview questions which they have to ask their partner. Once they are done the interviews, it's their job to introduce their partner to the rest of the class. This is a great exercise suggested by Alan (one of the other ESP teachers) and it worked like a charm, we spent our whole 45 minutes of class time doing interviews and introductions, and breaking the ice. They're not a bad bunch, and were actually quite bright and fairly eager, if a bit shy. I think I will have a good time with them, at least I hope so, since I will be teaching them for 50 minutes twice a week as we try to polish their business English.
All in all, not a bad start, and luckily for me they're next to a major MRT station, so I can take the subway to get to and from their office quickly.
Rob, signing out. ^_^
A Foreigner's Life in Taiwan
I recently stumbled across the page of an American university Professor teaching here in Taiwan who has put together an astounding page about living here as a foreigner that includes vast numbers of photos and quite a picture of Taiwanese academic culture.
http://users2.ev1.net/~turton/teach_index.html
Highly recommended reading when you get the chance, if for no other reason than all the pictures of life here.
Rob
http://users2.ev1.net/~turton/teach_index.html
Highly recommended reading when you get the chance, if for no other reason than all the pictures of life here.
Rob
Monday, February 28, 2005
Movie Reviews
Recently Rob has been blessed or cursed with seeing a few flicks, so without further ado...
New Police Story: Jackie Chan's newest HK film and a continuation of his Police Story movie series that I never really followed, but it was shown on the plane back from Singapore and it won lots of awards, so I thought "what the heck!". The story is an old cop loses his spirit after losing his partners to a bunch of extreme-sports cop killers and regains it thanks to a spunky new recruit. This is one odd movie, about 90% of it is a typical (if mildly more serious) Jackie Chan movie that has that odd vapidness almost all of his movies have. Those of you who have seen them (and I suspect it's most of you) know what I mean, there's just nothing much to his HK films except stunts and the time spent between stunts. (Not that the American ones are much better, but they do seem a little more "solid" in the character department.) There is just something about his films (and many HK films) that makes them feel "unreal" that I have never been able to put my finger on. I'm not referring to stunts or gunplay, but character and drama, and the ability to tell a story with multiple levels of meaning. (There are exceptions, but Jackie usually isn't in them...)
Anyways, back to New Police Story, as I said, it's 90% brainless entertainment, but every now and then there will be something happen that's shocking, touching and bordering on truly great movie moments. I was honestly ready to start crying twice while watching it, and only held back because I was on the plane and Connie would start laughing at me. (The plane was so new it had video screens in the back of every seat on the plane with video on demand, video games, video shopping, and the remote attached to each seat could even be used as a satellite cell-phone. So she was watching "Alfie" while I watched this...)
Blade III:Trinity: Blade kills vampires amid much bad acting and dialogue, do da, do da. Don't even rent it, you'll be wasting precious moments of your life, much less your money.
The League of extraordinary Gentlemen: Yes, Rob finally caught this one on one of the movie channels the other night. Overall, since I have never read the original and had no preconceived ideas (except that it wasn't very good) going into it, I kind of liked it. A group of Victorian Age adventurers are assembled to defeat a foe, and use their unique powers and skills to do so despite the odds and a few twists. Typical adventure-film fare, and not as badly done as it could have been. (See Blade:Trinity) I'm not going to see it again, and don't mind not having paid to see it, but then, I paid to see Blade...
Meet the Fockers: A guy takes his girlfriend's stuck-up parents to meet his laid back hippie parents, I think they called the sitcom version of this Darma and Greg. A cute comedy with most of the best bits already in the preview, but it still made me and the rest of the audience laugh. A nice rental.
Hide and Seek: After his wife's suicide, a psychiatrist takes his young daughter to the countryside to recuperate and weird things start happening in the horror-thriller way of things. I admit this one did a decent job of keeping me guessing what was going on right up until the end (it has a typical Hollywood ending once the truth comes out, but is good until then) and with lots of red-herrings and misdirections. I'd actually recommend this one as a rental.
That's all for now.
Seeya in the theatre!
Rob
New Police Story: Jackie Chan's newest HK film and a continuation of his Police Story movie series that I never really followed, but it was shown on the plane back from Singapore and it won lots of awards, so I thought "what the heck!". The story is an old cop loses his spirit after losing his partners to a bunch of extreme-sports cop killers and regains it thanks to a spunky new recruit. This is one odd movie, about 90% of it is a typical (if mildly more serious) Jackie Chan movie that has that odd vapidness almost all of his movies have. Those of you who have seen them (and I suspect it's most of you) know what I mean, there's just nothing much to his HK films except stunts and the time spent between stunts. (Not that the American ones are much better, but they do seem a little more "solid" in the character department.) There is just something about his films (and many HK films) that makes them feel "unreal" that I have never been able to put my finger on. I'm not referring to stunts or gunplay, but character and drama, and the ability to tell a story with multiple levels of meaning. (There are exceptions, but Jackie usually isn't in them...)
Anyways, back to New Police Story, as I said, it's 90% brainless entertainment, but every now and then there will be something happen that's shocking, touching and bordering on truly great movie moments. I was honestly ready to start crying twice while watching it, and only held back because I was on the plane and Connie would start laughing at me. (The plane was so new it had video screens in the back of every seat on the plane with video on demand, video games, video shopping, and the remote attached to each seat could even be used as a satellite cell-phone. So she was watching "Alfie" while I watched this...)
Blade III:Trinity: Blade kills vampires amid much bad acting and dialogue, do da, do da. Don't even rent it, you'll be wasting precious moments of your life, much less your money.
The League of extraordinary Gentlemen: Yes, Rob finally caught this one on one of the movie channels the other night. Overall, since I have never read the original and had no preconceived ideas (except that it wasn't very good) going into it, I kind of liked it. A group of Victorian Age adventurers are assembled to defeat a foe, and use their unique powers and skills to do so despite the odds and a few twists. Typical adventure-film fare, and not as badly done as it could have been. (See Blade:Trinity) I'm not going to see it again, and don't mind not having paid to see it, but then, I paid to see Blade...
Meet the Fockers: A guy takes his girlfriend's stuck-up parents to meet his laid back hippie parents, I think they called the sitcom version of this Darma and Greg. A cute comedy with most of the best bits already in the preview, but it still made me and the rest of the audience laugh. A nice rental.
Hide and Seek: After his wife's suicide, a psychiatrist takes his young daughter to the countryside to recuperate and weird things start happening in the horror-thriller way of things. I admit this one did a decent job of keeping me guessing what was going on right up until the end (it has a typical Hollywood ending once the truth comes out, but is good until then) and with lots of red-herrings and misdirections. I'd actually recommend this one as a rental.
That's all for now.
Seeya in the theatre!
Rob
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Winning the Lottery
Here in Taiwan there are a number of lotteries, just like the US and Canada. It seems egocentrism helps people everywhere to believe that they will indeed be that 1 in a million and manage to become rich overnight. Meanwhile, the people who do become rich overnight are the people who run the lotteries...Except in Taiwan.
Here in Taipei the city government along with the Bank of Taipei run the local lotteries and they came up with what I can only call an ingenious way of selling the tickets. They license certain individuals to be authorized sellers (much as I suspect we do in Canada), but here the only people licensed to sell lottery tickets are the handicapped!
Yes, you heard me right, they only let physically disabled people sell lottery tickets, with the seller getting their cut of the proceeds instead of some kind of government welfare. The disabled people automatically have work and a way to feed themselves and their families, and the government still gets the huge revenues that come from lottery winnings. It's a totally win-win situation which turns a social vice into a social boon (the ethics and question of gambling itself aside), and instead of hiding in their homes the disabled are out among the rest of the people of the city being the part of society they should be.
Rob
Here in Taipei the city government along with the Bank of Taipei run the local lotteries and they came up with what I can only call an ingenious way of selling the tickets. They license certain individuals to be authorized sellers (much as I suspect we do in Canada), but here the only people licensed to sell lottery tickets are the handicapped!
Yes, you heard me right, they only let physically disabled people sell lottery tickets, with the seller getting their cut of the proceeds instead of some kind of government welfare. The disabled people automatically have work and a way to feed themselves and their families, and the government still gets the huge revenues that come from lottery winnings. It's a totally win-win situation which turns a social vice into a social boon (the ethics and question of gambling itself aside), and instead of hiding in their homes the disabled are out among the rest of the people of the city being the part of society they should be.
Rob
Friday, February 25, 2005
Next Update
Well, it's all done.
This morning I signed my contract with Kojen Corporation to become their newest ESP teacher, yes, that's right, I'm an ESPer! And I know what you're thinking (ha ha), what the heck does ESP stand for? English for Specific Purposes, or in this case for office workers and other government and corporate employees.
The contract requires that I be available Monday-Saturday, Mornings to Evenings and work at least 18 hours a week, although I'm told the person whose hours I'm probably getting is working around 25 hours/week right now. For those hours, I get paid roughly double what the locals are getting, so realistically I'm getting the equivalent of full-time pay for a working half the time at a job where I have no office hours and don't have to even report to the office except to check-in once or twice a week. Plus, I get up to a month of vacation time any time I want it, and can even take it in pieces, and that doesn't include my sick leave.
Now the bad news, I can't use any of that vacation time during July or August, since they are holiday months and it seems everyone wants to learn English then. I am also obligated to work 30 hours a week during those months, but I'm told I will be assigned temporarily to a school where the clients will come to my air-conditioned self for most of those extra hours.
On the apartment front, I just accepted a recently (5 months ago) renovated apartment, fully furnished, with free TV, fridge, air conditioning, utilities, ADSL high-speed internet and washer and dryer which I'm getting at a steal of a price. (Roughly 1/4 my monthly salary, which is good for Taipei.) It's next to a major mall/movie theatre complex and one bus stop away in either direction from major shopping and eating areas. The catches? Well, there's no kitchen, so I will have to eat out a lot (which is normal here, buying and making food and eating out cost almost the same) or use Connie's family kitchen to prepare things. The other catch is that the place is about the size of a University residence room, which for those who know me means it's the size of my bedroom back in London, a residence room in Saugeen Hall at UWO, or your typical single bedroom. I figure I will hardly be there, and the area is filled with coffee shops and parks, so I should be able to keep from going stir-crazy. But, if I do, you'll probably know pretty quick.
I'm taking over another person's lease, so instead of a year, I just have a 5 month lease, so if it's not working out I can always find another place. I will admit I am a tiny bit hesitant because of the size of the place, but it won't be the first time I lived in a residence room type place. We'll see how it goes.
So, that's it then. Rob is now a resident of Taipei, employed and housed. I will pass along my address and phone numbers (residence and cell) when I have them. I start teaching my first class next Thursday at noon, and I'm looking forward to it.
Oh, and in other news this is a holiday weekend here, a nice 3 day weekend. I guess I will be spending it moving in and setting up, so many little things to buy and I'll have to see what the girl before me left behind. She wasn't a neat freak, but it looks like she was pretty clean.
Rob
This morning I signed my contract with Kojen Corporation to become their newest ESP teacher, yes, that's right, I'm an ESPer! And I know what you're thinking (ha ha), what the heck does ESP stand for? English for Specific Purposes, or in this case for office workers and other government and corporate employees.
The contract requires that I be available Monday-Saturday, Mornings to Evenings and work at least 18 hours a week, although I'm told the person whose hours I'm probably getting is working around 25 hours/week right now. For those hours, I get paid roughly double what the locals are getting, so realistically I'm getting the equivalent of full-time pay for a working half the time at a job where I have no office hours and don't have to even report to the office except to check-in once or twice a week. Plus, I get up to a month of vacation time any time I want it, and can even take it in pieces, and that doesn't include my sick leave.
Now the bad news, I can't use any of that vacation time during July or August, since they are holiday months and it seems everyone wants to learn English then. I am also obligated to work 30 hours a week during those months, but I'm told I will be assigned temporarily to a school where the clients will come to my air-conditioned self for most of those extra hours.
On the apartment front, I just accepted a recently (5 months ago) renovated apartment, fully furnished, with free TV, fridge, air conditioning, utilities, ADSL high-speed internet and washer and dryer which I'm getting at a steal of a price. (Roughly 1/4 my monthly salary, which is good for Taipei.) It's next to a major mall/movie theatre complex and one bus stop away in either direction from major shopping and eating areas. The catches? Well, there's no kitchen, so I will have to eat out a lot (which is normal here, buying and making food and eating out cost almost the same) or use Connie's family kitchen to prepare things. The other catch is that the place is about the size of a University residence room, which for those who know me means it's the size of my bedroom back in London, a residence room in Saugeen Hall at UWO, or your typical single bedroom. I figure I will hardly be there, and the area is filled with coffee shops and parks, so I should be able to keep from going stir-crazy. But, if I do, you'll probably know pretty quick.
I'm taking over another person's lease, so instead of a year, I just have a 5 month lease, so if it's not working out I can always find another place. I will admit I am a tiny bit hesitant because of the size of the place, but it won't be the first time I lived in a residence room type place. We'll see how it goes.
So, that's it then. Rob is now a resident of Taipei, employed and housed. I will pass along my address and phone numbers (residence and cell) when I have them. I start teaching my first class next Thursday at noon, and I'm looking forward to it.
Oh, and in other news this is a holiday weekend here, a nice 3 day weekend. I guess I will be spending it moving in and setting up, so many little things to buy and I'll have to see what the girl before me left behind. She wasn't a neat freak, but it looks like she was pretty clean.
Rob
Cross-Cultural Miscommunications
(This was written offline about 2 weeks ago....)
Cross-Cultural Miscommunications
Today as I was riding in a taxi through the city streets of Taipei I was reminded of a commercial from Denmark I once saw. In the commercial, which I saw a few times on the internet since it was so funny, a happy Danish family gets in their car for a trip and the after they’ve belted themselves in the father turns on the radio. From the radio comes a catchy rock-pop song and the family smiles, laughs and begins bopping to the beat as they begin their family trip. Now, the catch is that the pop song (which indeed was a nice catchy tune) consisted of the lyrics “I’m going to f*** you in the a**” repeated over and over again. As they drive off, the logo for an English school comes on the screen. A really funny ad, although it does occur to me that since the commercial isn’t subtitled in Danish real Danes watching the commercial who don’t know those choice words aren’t going to get the joke of the commercial.
So back to Rob in Taipei.
The current Mandarin pop song playing on the radio ends and another song starts, this one a hardcore urban dance number from the US entitled “Shake that A**” and including pretty much every choice swear word and combination of swear words on the list and some seriously sexual lyrics. Neither my girlfriend’s mother (sitting next to me) or my middle aged cabbie blink, and I think to myself “this would never get airplay in the US, what is it doing on general audience radio here in Taipei?”
A similar thing happened two weeks ago when I first got here and began channel surfing on the local cable package they have in the house. Once I hit the English movie networks all bets were off regarding language and content, I watched Kill Bill Vol.1 uncut and uncensored on one of the movie networks last weekend, and the content issues aside (violent swordplay is standard prime time TV fare here, so that isn’t a problem) the language used in the movie stuck out like a sore thumb.
I asked Connie if the language in Taiwanese shows were uncensored too, and her reply was that they were actually quite censored. They’re not letting any colorful local language on the air at all, but like the Danish family in the ad the Taiwanese are being allowed to hear some of the nastiest parts of the English language at any day or time. (With the subtitles presumably downplaying the terms being used.) In a country where they teach English as a standard course in school, and it’s well on it’s way to becoming the third (fourth?) language of Taiwan, they might consider watching what the kids are hearing because while the parents don’t understand it, the current generation of kids probably will.
Then again, I speak Japanese like an anime character or superhero, so who am I to complain about learning the wrong parts of the language….
Cross-Cultural Miscommunications
Today as I was riding in a taxi through the city streets of Taipei I was reminded of a commercial from Denmark I once saw. In the commercial, which I saw a few times on the internet since it was so funny, a happy Danish family gets in their car for a trip and the after they’ve belted themselves in the father turns on the radio. From the radio comes a catchy rock-pop song and the family smiles, laughs and begins bopping to the beat as they begin their family trip. Now, the catch is that the pop song (which indeed was a nice catchy tune) consisted of the lyrics “I’m going to f*** you in the a**” repeated over and over again. As they drive off, the logo for an English school comes on the screen. A really funny ad, although it does occur to me that since the commercial isn’t subtitled in Danish real Danes watching the commercial who don’t know those choice words aren’t going to get the joke of the commercial.
So back to Rob in Taipei.
The current Mandarin pop song playing on the radio ends and another song starts, this one a hardcore urban dance number from the US entitled “Shake that A**” and including pretty much every choice swear word and combination of swear words on the list and some seriously sexual lyrics. Neither my girlfriend’s mother (sitting next to me) or my middle aged cabbie blink, and I think to myself “this would never get airplay in the US, what is it doing on general audience radio here in Taipei?”
A similar thing happened two weeks ago when I first got here and began channel surfing on the local cable package they have in the house. Once I hit the English movie networks all bets were off regarding language and content, I watched Kill Bill Vol.1 uncut and uncensored on one of the movie networks last weekend, and the content issues aside (violent swordplay is standard prime time TV fare here, so that isn’t a problem) the language used in the movie stuck out like a sore thumb.
I asked Connie if the language in Taiwanese shows were uncensored too, and her reply was that they were actually quite censored. They’re not letting any colorful local language on the air at all, but like the Danish family in the ad the Taiwanese are being allowed to hear some of the nastiest parts of the English language at any day or time. (With the subtitles presumably downplaying the terms being used.) In a country where they teach English as a standard course in school, and it’s well on it’s way to becoming the third (fourth?) language of Taiwan, they might consider watching what the kids are hearing because while the parents don’t understand it, the current generation of kids probably will.
Then again, I speak Japanese like an anime character or superhero, so who am I to complain about learning the wrong parts of the language….
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Update!
I apologize to one and all that I haven't been updating this blog much since I got back from Singapore, but there has been a good reason. Upon my return from Singapore I found myself with roughly 1 week in which to find employment and a new place to live. Connie's brother has returned home from school, and 4 of us in a 3 bedroom appartment is getting a little crowded, so I took it upon myself to find new accomodations.
Of course, Taipei is a big city, and where I worked would determine which area I lived in, so I was stuck in a chicken and egg scenario of needing a place to live but not knowing where I would be working while I had to find a place to live. I actually found a great appartment near Connie's family home, but right after I found it....
I recieved a call from the KoJen (KeJian in PinYin) Corporation, one of the largest school chains here in Taiwan asking me to come in for an interview. I'd sent them my resume as a last resort, knowing they specialized in teaching children and teens, but as it turns out they wanted me for a special team of teachers who teach corporate and government workers. It seems that prior to Chinese New Year one of the 4 members of the team had had to return suddenly to America due to a family emergency and thus they were in dire need of an experienced teacher who could do the job when I sent in my resume.
One interview later, with a straight-shooting Australian man named Paul Dunne who heads the program, and I became the new 4th member of the team. ^__^ So, as of next week I will be starting my new job while the office workers scramble to get my work visa in order.
Basically I will be working evenings and some afternoons, Mon-Friday teaching groups of 12 or so employees the skills their bosses want them to be taught. Not much different what I did in Japan, actually, but there I was also teaching Children's classes, whereas here I will be purely teaching adults. This job will also require me to travel all over Taipei, so I am going to get to know this city pretty well, and in fact I am looking forward to having such a chance to learn a major capitol city so well. While there is something to be said for sitting in an air-conditioned school all day, it does get a little repetitive and boring after a while, and I can see this job as being much more fast-paced and dynamic.
Wish me luck!
I am still appartment hunting, trying to find something near a major MRT/Subway/Bus route, and I will keep you posted on how that goes.
Oh, and I have a huge discussion of Singapore coming, watch for it!
Later gators!
Of course, Taipei is a big city, and where I worked would determine which area I lived in, so I was stuck in a chicken and egg scenario of needing a place to live but not knowing where I would be working while I had to find a place to live. I actually found a great appartment near Connie's family home, but right after I found it....
I recieved a call from the KoJen (KeJian in PinYin) Corporation, one of the largest school chains here in Taiwan asking me to come in for an interview. I'd sent them my resume as a last resort, knowing they specialized in teaching children and teens, but as it turns out they wanted me for a special team of teachers who teach corporate and government workers. It seems that prior to Chinese New Year one of the 4 members of the team had had to return suddenly to America due to a family emergency and thus they were in dire need of an experienced teacher who could do the job when I sent in my resume.
One interview later, with a straight-shooting Australian man named Paul Dunne who heads the program, and I became the new 4th member of the team. ^__^ So, as of next week I will be starting my new job while the office workers scramble to get my work visa in order.
Basically I will be working evenings and some afternoons, Mon-Friday teaching groups of 12 or so employees the skills their bosses want them to be taught. Not much different what I did in Japan, actually, but there I was also teaching Children's classes, whereas here I will be purely teaching adults. This job will also require me to travel all over Taipei, so I am going to get to know this city pretty well, and in fact I am looking forward to having such a chance to learn a major capitol city so well. While there is something to be said for sitting in an air-conditioned school all day, it does get a little repetitive and boring after a while, and I can see this job as being much more fast-paced and dynamic.
Wish me luck!
I am still appartment hunting, trying to find something near a major MRT/Subway/Bus route, and I will keep you posted on how that goes.
Oh, and I have a huge discussion of Singapore coming, watch for it!
Later gators!
Friday, February 18, 2005
Gundam Wisdom
I just finished watching Gundam Seed Destiny Episode 17, another brilliant episode showing this show is far superior to its predecessor as well as being one of the best anime on the air right now. Anyways, here's the speech from the end, I liked it so much I copied it down:
Athrun: You said you lost your family on Onogoro Island in ORB, right?
Shin: I said they were killed…by the Athha family's arrogance.
Athrun: If that’s the way you want to think of it, that's fine. But, is that why you've come to think how you do? Saying to yourself: “If only I had power back then…” “If only I'd gotten ahold of power…”
Shin: How can you say that to me?
Athrun: Everyone who has cried over being powerless thinks that way, I think. But, from the moment you take that power into your hand, you'll become the person who will make others cry. Don't you ever forget that.
We’ll be going out on the battlefield again soon. Should you forget at that time, losing yourself to your own selfish reasoning and sense of justice, you'll become a destroyer, using your power recklessly against others.
You’re not like that, right?
Arthrun Zala to Shin Asuka, Gundam Seed Destiny ep.17
Athrun: You said you lost your family on Onogoro Island in ORB, right?
Shin: I said they were killed…by the Athha family's arrogance.
Athrun: If that’s the way you want to think of it, that's fine. But, is that why you've come to think how you do? Saying to yourself: “If only I had power back then…” “If only I'd gotten ahold of power…”
Shin: How can you say that to me?
Athrun: Everyone who has cried over being powerless thinks that way, I think. But, from the moment you take that power into your hand, you'll become the person who will make others cry. Don't you ever forget that.
We’ll be going out on the battlefield again soon. Should you forget at that time, losing yourself to your own selfish reasoning and sense of justice, you'll become a destroyer, using your power recklessly against others.
You’re not like that, right?
Arthrun Zala to Shin Asuka, Gundam Seed Destiny ep.17
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The view to the Northeast from out hotel balcony in Singapore, room 5668, as in, Floor 56 (of 70), room 68. (Although I'd say there were really only 20 rooms on the floor that I could tell.) When we were driving in from the airport I noticed that most of the tall buildings in Singapore are painted white, which gave me a clue as to the normal colour of the sky. The weather in Singapore is incredibly gentle, 3 days in the Sun in 30+ degrees temperatures and Rob (who burns bright red in 20 minutes of Ontario Summer sun) didn't even turn a darker shade of pink, only my face got a little redder.
A traditional old style Singapore streetfront near our hotel. You'll notice the bright colours; in fact all the "old" buildings we saw in Singapore had shiny bright new coats of paint on their VERY well kept exteriors. Between the gentle weather and the government upkeep the whole city feels more like a theme-park than a real city. It's like being on a hollywood set they made yesterday because everything is clean and nothing shows any wear. (Unless you look really hard.) It's kind've creepy, really. I shutter to think how many Singaporeans are just employed in keeping the city clean and well maintained.
This is the "Shaw Tower", and if you look reeeealy carefully you can see the Shaw Brothers logo at the very top. The Shaw Brothers were the makers of most of the Hong Kong Kung-Fu flicks of the 1960's, 70's and early 80's and were a group of rich Hong Kong businessmen. They seem to own a couple big buildings in Singapore.
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