I recently came across an absolutely amazing homemade Star Wars game simulating the final Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi. Amazing work that I highly recommend any fan try out:
Battle of Endor
If, however, you are a Star Trek fan, you can use this Mod for Battle of Endor to put yourself at the helm of the Defiant at the Invasion of Cardassia at the end of the series Deep Space 9. Of course you need to install Battle of Endor first before you install the mod.
And, here's one other oddity, a simulator that allows you to see how a battle between a small group of Jedi and an army of Droids would play out. It's in Java, and needs a recent client to run.
Jedi vs. Droids
Enjoy!
Rob
Friday, April 01, 2005
Animal Life in Taipei
Today as I was walking to the bank with my office manager Sharon to open an account, she suddenly stopped just before the bank and said. "Oh, look at that cat, it's got blood on it's paw." There, slumped up again a stone pillar was an orange and brown housecat and as she said it the cat started to move. Once it started to move, I knew that it's paw was the least of the animal's worries. "It's been hit by a car or moped and dragged itself off the road to here," I told her as the animal wobbly tried to move under the fleet of mopeds parked on the sidewalk. "It's going to die soon." She expressed her horror at seeing it, and we moved on to do our business.
Now, in reading this you might think we were callous for not helping the cat; maybe we should have called the local humane society or tried to get it to a vet. But, the truth is this isn't the first time I've had such a sight since I've been here in Taipei. Taipei is a very crowded and busy city filled with fast-moving cars, incredibly aggressive cab drivers and hundreds of thousands of moped drivers who zip around everywhere. Into this, put an explosively huge dog and cat population unhindered by climate and largely free to roam the city and you're making a recipe for disaster.
When I first came here I was horrified at seeing dogs wandering loose in this busy environment, then I was more relaxed when I realized many of the dogs around me were actually very car-savy. They would wait at crosswalks, and most of them crossed the roads with humans rather than do it alone, knowing there was safety that way. I was actually very impressed by how smart they were, that was until I got to see a dog that wandered onto the road ahead of us one night get hit not once by twice as it staggered away and wandered into the other direction of traffic.. (Well, I couldn't watch the second time when I knew what was coming and could do nothing to stop it as I was in a car several cars back.) That's when it occured to me that the reason I saw so many smart dogs was all the stupid ones were long dead. (And, the other living dogs are a tribute to the skill of Taipei's drivers.)
There are a lot of wild and stray dogs in Taipei, since many owners let their animals wander or abandon them when they get too troublesome, and a lot of tamed ones too. The easiest way to tell the difference is grooming (of course pets are better groomed) and the second easiest way is the pets are wearing clothes. Whoever thought of doggie t-shirts should be making a mint in Taipei, because there are a lot of dogs here wearing them. I guess it's a way to let people know your dog isn't just some stray. Mostly, the dogs ignore the people, and the people ignoore the dogs and life goes on.
I hope all dogs go to heaven, because after this they deserve it.
Now, in reading this you might think we were callous for not helping the cat; maybe we should have called the local humane society or tried to get it to a vet. But, the truth is this isn't the first time I've had such a sight since I've been here in Taipei. Taipei is a very crowded and busy city filled with fast-moving cars, incredibly aggressive cab drivers and hundreds of thousands of moped drivers who zip around everywhere. Into this, put an explosively huge dog and cat population unhindered by climate and largely free to roam the city and you're making a recipe for disaster.
When I first came here I was horrified at seeing dogs wandering loose in this busy environment, then I was more relaxed when I realized many of the dogs around me were actually very car-savy. They would wait at crosswalks, and most of them crossed the roads with humans rather than do it alone, knowing there was safety that way. I was actually very impressed by how smart they were, that was until I got to see a dog that wandered onto the road ahead of us one night get hit not once by twice as it staggered away and wandered into the other direction of traffic.. (Well, I couldn't watch the second time when I knew what was coming and could do nothing to stop it as I was in a car several cars back.) That's when it occured to me that the reason I saw so many smart dogs was all the stupid ones were long dead. (And, the other living dogs are a tribute to the skill of Taipei's drivers.)
There are a lot of wild and stray dogs in Taipei, since many owners let their animals wander or abandon them when they get too troublesome, and a lot of tamed ones too. The easiest way to tell the difference is grooming (of course pets are better groomed) and the second easiest way is the pets are wearing clothes. Whoever thought of doggie t-shirts should be making a mint in Taipei, because there are a lot of dogs here wearing them. I guess it's a way to let people know your dog isn't just some stray. Mostly, the dogs ignore the people, and the people ignoore the dogs and life goes on.
I hope all dogs go to heaven, because after this they deserve it.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Videos
Sumo-rai Soccer: A Japanese soccer team vs. an Australia soccer team, really funny.
The Armour Stopping Abilities of the 5th Edition HERO Rules: (You might need to right-click and save this one to your HD to see it, it's about 15mb.) A couple of HERO gamers took a copy of the new edition of the HERO rulesbook (aka REvised Fifth Rules EDition or Re-FRED) and did a series of tests on it's military usefulness using their gun collection. It brings to mind the question...how does YOUR favorite RPG stand up to a 45mm armour piercing bullet?
Rob
The Armour Stopping Abilities of the 5th Edition HERO Rules: (You might need to right-click and save this one to your HD to see it, it's about 15mb.) A couple of HERO gamers took a copy of the new edition of the HERO rulesbook (aka REvised Fifth Rules EDition or Re-FRED) and did a series of tests on it's military usefulness using their gun collection. It brings to mind the question...how does YOUR favorite RPG stand up to a 45mm armour piercing bullet?
Rob
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Peace for Taiwan
Saturday was my birthday, and by tradition I usually celebrate it with family and friends, but yesterday I decided to participate in a historical event instead. Yesterday here in Taiwan a rally was held in protest against China's anti-succession law which China passed last week as a way to declare they were willing to use any means necessary to "reacquire" their national territory that is Taiwan from the rebel factions that "hold it".
Of course, this is utter bull.
To give a quick history lesson, Taiwan was originally a small piece of land off the coast of China which was settled by people from the pacific islands and the FuJian province of China. These independant people were conquered by the Dutch during their colonial phase and taken in turn by the Portugese (who named it "Formosa", the "beautiful island"). After they'd had it for a while, it fell into the hands of China who considered it a pirate and disease infested island they had very little interest in. They used it as a place to send governors who were out of favor with the Chinese court and it was considered of minimal interest at best. So, when Japanese got colonial at the start of the Meiji period (1866) and began to threaten China, China more or less threw Taiwan at them as a bone to keep them at bay. The Japanese were the first to actually take serious interest in Taiwan and modernized the country, treating the Taiwanese like Japanese citizens. (Second class citizens, but above the dirt the Chinese had treated them like.) This is the reason that the Taiwanese, despite having been somewhat abused during WWII (Taiwanese women were sent to Indonesia as comfort women for Japanese troops.), actually don't have any real hatred for the Japanese, unlike the people of mainland China or Korea.
Regardless, WWII came to an end, and at that time the Japanese renounced all colonial holdings, which included Taiwan, setting Taiwan free. Of course, this was just in time for the losing side of a Chinese civil war to show up and take refuge in Taiwan, turning the island into their last stand fortress and putting the whip to the local population. After 40 years of military dictatorship, however, the Taiwanese managed to win their freedom and the government became just another faction in a democratic state. They are a peaceful, industrious people who enjoy their freedom and work hard to maintain it because they know the difference. They have become a leader in technology, and most of the computer chips and parts in the world are made or partially produced right here. (Including the computer you are using to read this.)
Now, the problem comes that as far as China is concerned, because they were the former owners of Taiwan at one point (note, they also owned Vietnam, Mongolia and Korea during some points of history) they are still the rightful owners of this island. But, when one considers their claim one begins to wonder why they care so much about this island and not as much about Korea or Vietnam. (They're not passing a Korean Succession Act anytime soon...) As far as I can tell based on what I have been told and read, there are three answers.
A) The Chinese civil war at the beginning of the 20th century was fought by the Communists and the Nationalists, and the Nationalist retreated here after the Communists won. Technically, as long as territory held by the Nationalists (known now as the KuoMingTang or KMT party) exists they haven't really won the war. Taiwan is a glaring failure of their glorious empire to rule over the Chinese people and a matter of national pride.
This answer was the reason for the animosity they held for most of the 20th century, and the reason they have bullied the international community into paying lip service to the lie that there is only one Chinese government. There is only one Chinese government, but there is also a Taiwanese government. But, as the 21st century dawns, their motives have changed to more practical ones.
B) Taiwan lies in the middle of the shipping lanes that oversee most of the ship traffic in this part of the Pacific, and were China to control Taiwan they would effectively dominate Asia. It's simply a key strategic point, and this is why the United States has it's long-standing agreement to defend Taiwan. If Taiwan were lost, Korea and Japan would both be at China's mercy as they're reliant on resources that pass by Taiwan daily.
C) I have been told there may be large amounts of oil and mineral resources sitting under the oceans around Taiwan that are as yet untapped. China wants Taiwan for the same basic reasons the US wanted Iraq, the world's oil supply is running low and they're grabbing everything they can get their hands on. Right now, China is buying oil left right and center to meet their growing needs, but the more they have in their own territory the better. In 20-30 years or less oil will be more precious than gold and he who has the oil, wins.
Really, Taiwan is just a pawn in a game of power politics being played by the United States, Japan and China. But, the people here want the right to determine their own future, and I agree with them and their right to choose. That's why I marched with them yesterday to declare that they want a peaceful future and the right to choose that future, be it as part of China or an independant state. (Which they started as, even if they haven't spent much time being independant in history.) It was a new an exhillerating experience, and now I have some sense of how the protest marchers of the 1960's in America must have felt as they stood strong against the government and asked for change. Ironically enough, the Taiwanese don't want change, they are already a strong independant nation, they just want the rest of the world to stop letting China's government bully them.
Of course, this is utter bull.
To give a quick history lesson, Taiwan was originally a small piece of land off the coast of China which was settled by people from the pacific islands and the FuJian province of China. These independant people were conquered by the Dutch during their colonial phase and taken in turn by the Portugese (who named it "Formosa", the "beautiful island"). After they'd had it for a while, it fell into the hands of China who considered it a pirate and disease infested island they had very little interest in. They used it as a place to send governors who were out of favor with the Chinese court and it was considered of minimal interest at best. So, when Japanese got colonial at the start of the Meiji period (1866) and began to threaten China, China more or less threw Taiwan at them as a bone to keep them at bay. The Japanese were the first to actually take serious interest in Taiwan and modernized the country, treating the Taiwanese like Japanese citizens. (Second class citizens, but above the dirt the Chinese had treated them like.) This is the reason that the Taiwanese, despite having been somewhat abused during WWII (Taiwanese women were sent to Indonesia as comfort women for Japanese troops.), actually don't have any real hatred for the Japanese, unlike the people of mainland China or Korea.
Regardless, WWII came to an end, and at that time the Japanese renounced all colonial holdings, which included Taiwan, setting Taiwan free. Of course, this was just in time for the losing side of a Chinese civil war to show up and take refuge in Taiwan, turning the island into their last stand fortress and putting the whip to the local population. After 40 years of military dictatorship, however, the Taiwanese managed to win their freedom and the government became just another faction in a democratic state. They are a peaceful, industrious people who enjoy their freedom and work hard to maintain it because they know the difference. They have become a leader in technology, and most of the computer chips and parts in the world are made or partially produced right here. (Including the computer you are using to read this.)
Now, the problem comes that as far as China is concerned, because they were the former owners of Taiwan at one point (note, they also owned Vietnam, Mongolia and Korea during some points of history) they are still the rightful owners of this island. But, when one considers their claim one begins to wonder why they care so much about this island and not as much about Korea or Vietnam. (They're not passing a Korean Succession Act anytime soon...) As far as I can tell based on what I have been told and read, there are three answers.
A) The Chinese civil war at the beginning of the 20th century was fought by the Communists and the Nationalists, and the Nationalist retreated here after the Communists won. Technically, as long as territory held by the Nationalists (known now as the KuoMingTang or KMT party) exists they haven't really won the war. Taiwan is a glaring failure of their glorious empire to rule over the Chinese people and a matter of national pride.
This answer was the reason for the animosity they held for most of the 20th century, and the reason they have bullied the international community into paying lip service to the lie that there is only one Chinese government. There is only one Chinese government, but there is also a Taiwanese government. But, as the 21st century dawns, their motives have changed to more practical ones.
B) Taiwan lies in the middle of the shipping lanes that oversee most of the ship traffic in this part of the Pacific, and were China to control Taiwan they would effectively dominate Asia. It's simply a key strategic point, and this is why the United States has it's long-standing agreement to defend Taiwan. If Taiwan were lost, Korea and Japan would both be at China's mercy as they're reliant on resources that pass by Taiwan daily.
C) I have been told there may be large amounts of oil and mineral resources sitting under the oceans around Taiwan that are as yet untapped. China wants Taiwan for the same basic reasons the US wanted Iraq, the world's oil supply is running low and they're grabbing everything they can get their hands on. Right now, China is buying oil left right and center to meet their growing needs, but the more they have in their own territory the better. In 20-30 years or less oil will be more precious than gold and he who has the oil, wins.
Really, Taiwan is just a pawn in a game of power politics being played by the United States, Japan and China. But, the people here want the right to determine their own future, and I agree with them and their right to choose. That's why I marched with them yesterday to declare that they want a peaceful future and the right to choose that future, be it as part of China or an independant state. (Which they started as, even if they haven't spent much time being independant in history.) It was a new an exhillerating experience, and now I have some sense of how the protest marchers of the 1960's in America must have felt as they stood strong against the government and asked for change. Ironically enough, the Taiwanese don't want change, they are already a strong independant nation, they just want the rest of the world to stop letting China's government bully them.
Tens of thousands of people cram into the area around the ancient city gate that has survived for hundreds of years and which acts as the entrance to Taipei's political district. It was a clauserphobic experience at some points, being part of a literal unending sea of people. To give you an idea, when we left we had to walk 8 blocks before the crowds started to thin, and it was like that in all directions. When they say almost a million people showed up, they're not kidding.
Even the country's canine population showed up in force to support peace, this was one of many dogs who participated with their owners, and I even saw a few golden retrievers. The t-shirt this woman is wearing says "A-Bian", which is the nickname for the country's president Chien Shui-Bian, but all sides of the political spectrum showed up for the rally.
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. ^_^
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