tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70609362024-03-14T01:44:56.864+08:00Mixed Eggs I Have Met混蛋 (hun4dan4): lit. "mixed egg". Moron, retard, bastard.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-31936848783324949792008-08-25T15:17:00.004+08:002008-08-25T15:40:01.062+08:00New Media versus RealityAs a long-time fan of <a href="http://www.coverville.com">Coverville</a>, I was disappointed to learn there'd been some kind of kerfuffle at the Coverville 500 concert being held to celebrate 500 episodes of the podcast. The <a href="http://www.geeknewscentral.com/archives/008190.html">most common story on the Internet</a> about it is that <a href="http://www.richardcheese.com">Richard Cheese</a>, a cover artist who specializes in lounge-style covers (and whose first few albums are fucking <span style="font-style: italic;">fantastic</span>) told the audience not to record his performance, grabbed a dude's camera, threw it at him, and spat at someone else. What a dick, right? Except as usual, the Internet is not so good with <a href="http://mwgblog.com/archives/2008/08/20/cheese-v-cochrane-et-al-%E2%80%93-new-media-showdown/">nuance</a>. Or details. The whole incident is being blown out of all proportion, and it kinda sucks.<br /><br />But the real thing that's astonishing me is that all these "new media" "superstars" think that just because they have a blog/podcast/YouTube channel/whatever, they're somehow special snowflakes who can do whatever they damn well please and fuck everyone else. I have news for you - you're not special, you're not an exception, and if you're going to keep recording a show after the performer has told you repeatedly not to, don't be surprised when he gets shitty at you. Don't be a fucking tool. Being in "new media" doesn't make you untouchable. And you commenters on these blog posts about it - you're even bigger no-nothing fuckholes with no grasp of reality for flipping your lids about how Cheese has somehow infringed your "right" to do whatever you want. Reading those comments is like reading YouTube comments with marginally better grammar.<br /><br />But then again, Internet lol.<br /><br />And full credit to Dick for trolling an entire audience, Clifton-style. I may've thought <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Nightclub</span> was ass, but this is proving you're still class.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-57210219402278406802008-08-20T13:13:00.004+08:002008-08-20T13:33:13.916+08:00EXCLUSIVE: Barack Obama is a Kenyan!There's been a lot of buzz, particularly in the right-wing blogosphere, about the fact presidential hopeful Barack Hussein Obama is, in fact, <a href="http://www.antiobama.net/2008/08/barack-obama-a.html">a citizen of Kenya</a> as well as of the United States. Naturally people are <a href="http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/index.php/Retard">concerned</a>, and this is a natural follow-on from the <a href="http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/index.php/Bullshit">controversy</a> over his <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2008/06/10/the-buzz-about-baracks-birth-certificate/">faked birth certificate</a>. Well, I am proud to announce a break-through in this. I have for you now, exclusive in the blogosphere, Barack Hussein Obama's <span style="font-weight: bold;">real</span> birth certificate:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/444/obamabirthyf0.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 305px;" src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/444/obamabirthyf0.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/444/obamabirthyf0.gif">(click for full size)</a><br /></span></div><br /><br />As you can see, the evidence is <span style="font-style: italic;">damning</span>, and this man must not be allowed to put into place a new Islamic caliphate in the center of the Christian world!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Credit for the image to Something Awful forums poster Tacodaemon for posting this on the forum, and presumably creating it.</span>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-35938521177792656642008-07-04T21:21:00.001+08:002008-07-04T21:21:19.665+08:00Taiwan's 9/11!!! or A Lesson in PerspectiveEvery now and then I make the mistake of once again leafing through the TP that passes as newspapers here, and every time I'm immediately reminded why I stopped doing that. Today's example was <a href="http://1-apple.com.tw/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Article&Sec_ID=12&ShowDate=20080704&IssueID=20080704&art_id=30717496&NewsType=2959556&SubSec=99">this</a>.<img src="http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/1897/dn01002lv0.jpg" style="margin: 0pt auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" title="Taiwan's 9/11!?" alt="" /><br />Now granted, at first this might not look like something worthy of a rant, but the picture doesn't tell the whole story. The first line pretty much does though:<br /><br /><div style="margin-left: 40px;">"搖控戰機失控撞樓爆炸,28樓豪宅客廳付之一炬,6人受傷上百住戶疏散,國內首例居民驚呼,「跟911沒兩樣」,玩家依公共危險罪嫌送辦。"<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A remote control airplane lost control and collided with a building, exploding and setting ablaze the living room of a 28th-floor luxury apartment. Six were injured and over 100 evacuated from the building. Residents of the nation's capital were shocked, saying "It's just like 9/11". The controller of the airplane has been charged with endangering the public.<br /><br /></span></div>While I'm sure this is a serious thing, and the guy who managed to crash a remote control plane and both create that much smoke and injure six people should be dealt with, <span style="font-style: italic;">how in the Christ is this even remotely like 9/11</span>? Sure, a "plane" hit a building in both cases, but come on, one injured six people, one killed <span style="font-style: italic;">thousands</span>. One was, presumably, an accident, the other a premeditated act of terrorism. That's like a caterer showing up to someone's wedding and going, "Well, I know you wanted a three-tier wedding cake, but here, have this cupcake. It's practically the same thing anyway!" Even as a non-American the way this story is being reported seems borderline offensive on top of just being fucking ridiculous.<br /><br />Sometimes the Taiwanese media seem either desperate to make Taiwan seem relevant internationally (protip: That day is long passed.) or to sensationalize everything in a rabid grasp for ratings that they forget any sense of proportion, and it fucking irritates me. It makes it damn near impossible to get anything resembling news here.<br /><br />That said though, credit where it's due, the <a href="http://www.pts.org.tw/">Public Television Service</a> (website in Chinese only) does do some fantastic work, and not only in news and current affairs, and they really should be commended at every opportunity. If only there were more media outlets willing to follow their model rather than that of the newspaper-shaped turd that is the <span style="font-style: italic;">Apple Daily.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> <div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-62474502677716150312008-07-04T01:22:00.001+08:002008-07-04T01:22:05.732+08:00Condensed China: Chinese History for Beginners<a href="http://condensedchina.com/">Condensed China: Chinese History for Beginners</a><br /><br />And the second link for today: a (very) condensed introduction to Chinese history, from the Xia right through to the modern People's Republic. As is to be expected from something like this, the cross-strait situation is all but entirely ignored, but it <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>a history of <span style="font-style: italic;">China</span>, so far enough. That caveat aside, this is an awesome introduction to a topic that is otherwise one of the more lengthy, involved, and to be entirely honest stone-cold boring to get into. It gives enough details to be informative and offer a launching pad for further investigation, while not being so detailed as to overwhelm readers. Very well done site and well worth a visit.<div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-13820491618470975682008-07-04T01:05:00.001+08:002008-07-04T01:05:02.641+08:00Don’t Fire The Translator … Yet<a href="http://www.elasticlife.net/dont-fire-the-translator-yet"><img src="http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/7924/evbakjeyyaxtw4o0agaqf9imn4.jpg" style="margin: 0pt auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" title="Translate Server Error!" alt="" /><center>Don’t Fire The Translator … Yet | The Elastic Life</center></a><br /><br />In lieu of any sort of genuine activity on here - although it's returning to mind - I'm planning to post a few interesting links, articles, and whatnot that I find lying around the Internet, particularly while I'm still in the process of trying to set up a more focused, less personal blog elsewhere. For now, at least, enjoy.<br /><br />First up is the article linked above which I literally <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com">stumbled upon</a> in the course of being bored on the Internet. It's a brief but interesting musing on the business opportunities still available in the translation industry outside of the act of translating and while full machine translation is still a pipe dream. (A period I hope and expect will be a very, very long one.)<div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-66108923811517649162007-06-17T21:29:00.000+08:002007-06-17T21:39:18.080+08:00You're Doing It Wrong<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RnU4uaU65eI/AAAAAAAAADY/AI7YJEt2ygI/s1600-h/doingitwrongpoop.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RnU4uaU65eI/AAAAAAAAADY/AI7YJEt2ygI/s320/doingitwrongpoop.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077026524922308066" border="0" /></a>Saw a good minor example of "you're doing it wrong" today. After completing my duties at one of the local public facilities, just as I finish washing my hands and turn for the door, I see a guy burst in, wash his hands, then go into the cubicle. Wait, what?<br /><br />Additionally, god I wish I'd had my phone on me this afternoon. I saw an awesome classic mullet. There're quite a few mullets around here, but they're mostly trendy Jappo mullets, all fashionable and shit. They're still mullets though. But this dude today, holy shit. Classic business-up-front, party-out-back mullet - flat-top, shorn sides, and hair going halfway down his back looking all unwashed and hell of icky. Fucking epic mullet, and I wish I could've shared it with y'all.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-77824767155016263042007-06-15T14:59:00.000+08:002007-06-15T15:01:22.861+08:00Party Like It's 1989God fucking damn I love YouTube sometimes:<br /><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab visible" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GXeMp6wE8d8"></a><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GXeMp6wE8d8"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GXeMp6wE8d8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-50506240902806577842007-06-12T13:42:00.000+08:002007-06-12T13:53:46.748+08:00Strange Things in a Strange LandSometimes things happen, wherever you are, that just defy all logic, all reason. Things to which no logical sequence of events could possibly lead. I saw just such a thing yesterday, and I will probably never figure it out.<br /><br />I spent the afternoon at the Starbucks by Daan MRT station finishing off some work. With that down, I headed out to the MRT station to head home. As I approach the station entrance, I see a huge crowd gathered around, and while crowds of people are nothing special in Taipei, this crowd was actually stationary and focused on something. Something probably connected to the wailing, screaming kid noises. Getting closer, I see the sight, the scene that just fucking bewilders me still.<br /><br />A little girl, no older than seven or eight, tops, is lying, if you can call it that, on the top handrail of steps leading into the station, flailing and crying, her legs wrapped around the handrail for dear life. (Bear in mind, there are only a handful of steps, and the handrail's probably a meter or so above them, so that was odd in and of itself.) Next to the kid is a parent - a fucking whale of a parent at that, to the point where I couldn't tell if it was mother or father 'cause at that size it would have had tits either way - grappling with the flailing monster, trying desperately to wrap their offspring in a towel. A towel? Yes, for a very specific - I hesitate to say good - reason. Now this is the part that renders the scene utterly unintelligible:<br /><br />The kid was soaking wet, head to toe, and buck fucking naked.<br /><br />So to recap: In central Taipei, a city of roughly six million people, this kid somehow ended up:<br /><ul><li>At the MRT station</li><li>Angry/mental</li><li>Wrapped around a handrail</li><li>Soaking wet, and<br /></li><li>Butt naked</li></ul>I just don't know how in the hell that's even possible. Seriously, what the fuck. What sequence of events could possibly end in that result?<br /><br />The world is a fucked up place sometimes.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-89543233111659137522007-06-12T00:19:00.000+08:002007-06-12T00:22:56.240+08:00Insert Appropriate ThemeI feel like motherfucking MacGyver. All set for the inevitable in-flight power drain problem.<br /> Truant, you're the man now dawg.<br /> <a href="http://truancyreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/make-ipod-power-pack-for-7usd.html">http://truancyreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/make-ipod-power-pack-for-7usd.html</a>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-27468014817052754552007-05-27T01:43:00.000+08:002007-05-27T01:54:53.854+08:00中文部落格首部曲︰幽靈的部落格跟其他的在台灣寫部落格的老外聊天之後,決定了寫自己的中文部落格。覺得已經有部落格,還要練習一下,不妨試試看。可是最近沒有什麼有意思的事件發生,每什麼好寫。寫[幽靈]好像真的適合。Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-20039132604061900122007-05-15T14:03:00.000+08:002007-05-15T14:17:18.753+08:00hahahaha oh wow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RklQWvKVFOI/AAAAAAAAADE/mbJvAWK8wwY/s1600-h/ohwow.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RklQWvKVFOI/AAAAAAAAADE/mbJvAWK8wwY/s320/ohwow.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064667607501968610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The new Blogger Analytics interface, despite a few issues, is quality entertainment. It now provides a list of keywords/phrases used by people that stumbled upon your site. Here's a selection of the best/worst for last week:<br /><br />"that's no good for me"<br />- Why the fuck is anyone Googling for this? And what do you expect to get? More to the point, why would you want to get it if it's no good for you?<br /><br />"medieval times making life simpler"<br />- Ah, the good old days, when you could own slaves, shit wherever the urge took you, and families got together for a cheerful weekend witch-burning.<br /><br />"cryptic messages"<br />- I don't even know what the hell is going on with this.<br /><br />"weird things people do from other countries"<br />- Well, at least it's appropriate. A little... vague, search-wise, and kind of mindfuckingly ignorant, but hey.<br /><br />"black people 'when you see it' 'shit bricks'"<br />- Nigger stole my bike.<br /><br />"eight year olds dude"<br />- I know, I know, but still.<br /><br />"chargin mah lazer vagina"<br />- And I thought dentata were scary enough. I hope to every available deity I never come across (lol innuendo) a "lazer vagina," let alone a fully charged one.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-69299234028643297562007-05-14T23:29:00.000+08:002007-05-14T23:51:15.613+08:00It Was A Good Day (Week)Pfft, as if a week off from this is anything new.<br /><br /> It was a good week. Got most of my work handled by the middle of the week, then made the most of the good weather on Friday, chilling out in the park, and then hitting up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangmingshan">Yangmingshan </a>Saturday afternoon. It's nice up there, nice and sunny, up above the smog and shit of Taipei, and full of people doing normal people shit you don't see in Taipei normally, like a family in the park playing backyard baseball. Nice recharge, and I'll slap up a few photos once I figure how to get the transfers off my phone working.<br /><br /> The nights were good too. Friday went out to <a href="http://www.alleycatstaipei.com/">Alleycat's</a> at the invitation of <a href="http://www.alleycatstaipei.com/">Frost</a> and got a nice dinner, chatting with people (and learning about the freakish genius of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jam">Blue Jam</a>), before briefly going to the Taiwan Beer Bar and then to a place near the BJJ club called Playing, where me, <a href="http://www.emkid.net/blog">Miltownkid</a>, Pedro, and a few others hit up the hookah and potato wedges. Saturday, Bryan had a DJ gig at The Source, so from midnight till about 4 I was there making the most of the all-you-can-drink offer and spitting bilingual game like a modded PS2.<br /><br /> Then back into BJJ tonight after a week off for work/injuries/dodginess.<br /><br /> It was a good week.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-79674323159565957332007-05-04T12:57:00.000+08:002007-05-04T13:04:52.596+08:00Reasons I Hate My Job<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Rjq-yfKVFNI/AAAAAAAAAC8/3626Z4JQeMs/s1600-h/bugsdnw.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Rjq-yfKVFNI/AAAAAAAAAC8/3626Z4JQeMs/s320/bugsdnw.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060566905871733970" border="0" /></a><br />Perfect example today of why I want out of this buxiban gig. Unfortunately for the time being I need the money. Going to Norway ain't paying for itself.<br /><br />After arriving a half-hour late for an hour-and-a-half appointment, she brings this much information:<br /><br /><blockquote>Academic Background: Studied to first year senior high in Taiwan, moved to Canada, studied at UBC.<br />Applying for: Business<br />Goals: Europe is a hub of global business and a major player on the world stage. Chose to study in England to broaden her horizons beyond Taiwan and North America. Hopes to have a chance to develop in Europe and apply her studies to the workplace, and help develop trade links between China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.</blockquote><br />Somehow I'm supposed to get a two-page long study plan out of that. For fuck's sake.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-36886748047879295692007-05-04T02:25:00.000+08:002007-05-04T02:28:38.451+08:0009-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63, also known as Tempting FateIs it can be Intertubes lawyering letter tiem now pleez?<br /><br />(For the uninitiated - as I was until today: <a href="http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/02/the_new_hddvdbl.html">http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/02/the_new_hddvdbl.html</a>)Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-2084438501326770022007-04-30T16:06:00.000+08:002007-04-30T16:08:23.485+08:00Tap!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RjWjz_KVFMI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Wxwd1RiZmAQ/s1600-h/masterlock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/RjWjz_KVFMI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Wxwd1RiZmAQ/s320/masterlock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059129869944034498" border="0" /></a>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-21427679771065760762007-04-25T22:49:00.000+08:002007-04-26T00:58:55.043+08:00Crackers Fit for a FuhrerIt's no <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickbruner/282670463/">Dongda Hospital for Anus and Intestine Disease</a>, but I finally discovered a new piece of quality English. I'm not sure if it's a pun, a bad idea, a bad translation, or completely innocent and anything wrong is in my mind rather than their product, though. Here's the source - a packet of rice crackers from Thailand:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri9r_fKVFKI/AAAAAAAAACk/ZqYEWm_cwEo/s1600-h/04-25-07_2026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri9r_fKVFKI/AAAAAAAAACk/ZqYEWm_cwEo/s320/04-25-07_2026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057379645001110690" border="0" /></a><br />It's not immediately obvious - which makes it even better - but look more closely at the top left corner:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri9sZvKVFLI/AAAAAAAAACs/6npth5s5A9w/s1600-h/04-25-07_2028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri9sZvKVFLI/AAAAAAAAACs/6npth5s5A9w/s320/04-25-07_2028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057380095972676786" border="0" /></a><br />Disregarding any possible Aryan connotations, the title is fair enough - this stuff is hell of tasty.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-46343286494045272462007-04-25T17:26:00.000+08:002007-04-25T17:29:39.258+08:00Pardon the Solemnity<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri8e9_KVFII/AAAAAAAAACU/WjRWkWKCSTs/s1600-h/Poppy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri8e9_KVFII/AAAAAAAAACU/WjRWkWKCSTs/s320/Poppy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057294956835968130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">At the going down of the sun and in the morning</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We will remember them.</span><br /><br /></div>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-47381033840306967862007-04-25T02:18:00.000+08:002007-04-25T17:31:52.698+08:00I've Choked Bitches Out for Less<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri8f-fKVFJI/AAAAAAAAACc/RRqJRFufMfI/s1600-h/sleeper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Ri8f-fKVFJI/AAAAAAAAACc/RRqJRFufMfI/s320/sleeper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057296064937530514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I think I finally became part of <a href="http://www.taiwanbjj.org/">the club</a> at training Monday night. Pedro was teaching us noobs how to do rear control (lol gay jokes). Then, soon after, we moved on to a submission from that position - something I'm sure you're all familiar with, the sleeper hold.<br /><br />Now this guy I was training with, as Sinclair noted, clearly has some issues with his fight or flight reflex; that is to say, he doesn't seem to have one. First couple of times we practiced, he got a good hold on and I tapped quickly, but then after I tried it a couple of times, I'm holding it there, waiting for the tap, when suddenly he just spasms for a moment, then Pedro leaps up and pulls me off him.<br /><br />I now understand why they call it a sleeper.<br /><br />This guy had not only passed out, he actually began snoring, and not just nasally grunty type snoring, but Looney Tunes-esque, cheeks flapping around type snoring.<br /><br />Pedro sorted him out quick, and we tried again. A couple of tries later and <b>boom</b>, same result. Right down to the snoring. Seriously, it's not that hard to figure out when to tap - when you start feeling a headrush, it's time to pussy out.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-64979806585395911562007-04-17T11:19:00.000+08:002007-04-17T11:42:31.400+08:00Strange Things are Afoot at the Circle KOne of the latest mysteries of Taiwan - and presumably other countries, but I'm not in other countries - to rear its head and occupy my mind is this:<br /><br />Why do convenience stores advertise on TV?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lWXU5_Jisik"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lWXU5_Jisik" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />What's the point? No-one has and brand loyalty to any particular convenience store; if I want to go buy a Coke or whatever, I go to the nearest store, I don't home in on, say, 7-Eleven. The only times anyone specifically goes to store x are when that store has a particular thing others don't - for instance, as far as I know Family Mart is the only one that sells SkypeOut credit - or, for some people, if you want to collect that rubbish they give away.<br /><br />I know it must serve some purpose, surely. There has to be some effect. But I don't see it. I just don't get it. I understand why fast food chains advertise - there's a genuine preference issue there; some people prefer Burger King, others prefer McDonalds, and the role of advertising is essentially conversion. But that doesn't work for convenience stores.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-90672691706794907382007-04-16T04:06:00.000+08:002007-04-16T04:15:22.517+08:00Things That Make You Go HmmmmBeen working most of the night on an article for Taiwan Panorama and came across what might be the single most unexpected cultural (or rather, cross-cultural) reference in any Chinese-language text I have ever read. A section heading in the article reads:<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:新細明體;font-size:12;color:black;" lang="ZH-TW" >馬蓋先的養成 </span>(ma3gai4xian1 de yang3cheng2)<br /><br />I read that and figured Ma Gaixian must be some dude's name. I googled it to be sure, and found out what it is. It is a dude. Very much a dude. And a dude that was apparently huge in Taiwan back in the day. That dude? See if this rings any bells:<br /><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" class="abp-objtab visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1CZ7yCgkOM"></a><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1CZ7yCgkOM"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z1CZ7yCgkOM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />(For those of you either too senile to remember that theme or jonesing for the original: <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=l1uw40An-A4">here you go</a>. And the clip's even rocking the old-school <a href="http://www.tv2.co.nz">2</a>.)Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-5833504241276024152007-04-11T00:23:00.000+08:002007-04-11T01:22:17.926+08:00Paisei Seems to be the Hardest Word<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Rhu7SFuMwwI/AAAAAAAAACM/zcccw-CdX6U/s1600-h/4985.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xhjdH6cSNUw/Rhu7SFuMwwI/AAAAAAAAACM/zcccw-CdX6U/s320/4985.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051837326474134274" border="0" /></a><br />I finally had a student at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cram_school">buxiban</a> of the type that motivated the naming of this blog.<br /><br />After being 10 minutes late for his first appointment last week, and 40 minutes late yesterday, this dumbshit managed to be a full hour late today. Both today and yesterday were 11am appointments, so after yesterday you'd think he'd figure out to leave home earlier. Apparently not. Instead, he demonstrated that most frustrating, quintessentially Taiwanese of traits: <span style="font-style: italic;">paisei</span>.<br /><br />For the uninitiated, paisei is basically Taiwanese for "sorry," but in Taiwan it's become a state of mind. To be paisei, basically all you have to do is make a completely unmeant apology by saying paisei a couple of times, bow a little, and smile relentlessly. Don't actually apologize though, and <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> mean it. Basically, it's like groveling and retardation mixed into one delightful ball of shit.<br /><br />So this guy comes in an hour late, sits down, and utterly refuses to comprehend why I told him that being an hour late for a 40-minute appointment was unsatisfactory and to make a new appointment. He ended up making an appointment for 1pm tomorrow. Let's see if he's learned his lesson.Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-71769118914198779132007-04-09T19:23:00.000+08:002007-04-09T19:26:22.964+08:00Goddamn Fucking Domain SquattersLooks like the ownership of the host domain for that song got snatched up by a bunch of squatting faggots. Here's a new link, hosted on Rapidshare this time:<br /><br /><a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/25072664/The_Sound__w._Drown_Radio_.mp3.html">Beefy feat. Drown Radio - The Sound</a>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-27414776628558750662007-04-09T00:31:00.000+08:002007-04-09T00:41:58.080+08:00Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' (What)Went down on Saturday to the <a href="http://www.taiwanbjj.org/">Taiwan Brazilian Jiujitsu Club</a> to check out the free into lesson-thing with <a href="http://www.emkid.net/blog/2007/04/01/pimping-with-a-black-belt/">Pedro the Black Belt Pimp</a>. One of the only adjectives I can think of to describe that stuff is "rapey". There's something inarguably rapey about throwing someone to the ground, pinning them there, and straddling their chest. Despite that, it was actually pretty fun, and finances allowing I might give that shit a shot.<br /><hr /><br />In other news, have a free song. It's genuinely free too, like being given away by the artist and shit, and I've been listening to it heaps this past week. Be warned - heavy concentrations of white rapping nerds ahead.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wefightcrime.org/tubetechnology/Beefy%20-%20The%20Sound%20%5Bw.%20Drown%20Radio%5D.mp3">Beefy (feat. Drown Radio) - The Sound</a>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-13217935250183236692007-04-05T20:50:00.000+08:002007-04-05T20:59:09.929+08:00IMMA FIRIN' MAH LAZERAfter a quick tweak to Google Analytics, I'm now able to get referral URLs telling me where people are coming from to get here. And it's taught me something scary: apparently this blog is in top 10 results (number seven right now) when people Google for "Imma chargin' mah lazer" and "Imma firin' mah lazer" (number eight for that one). To celebrate this oddity of Googlage:<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hSVNbxjdvv8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hSVNbxjdvv8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7060936.post-64502938194366955312007-04-05T01:10:00.000+08:002007-04-05T01:17:40.570+08:00Temporarily Stairs<blockquote><span style="display: inline;" id="vidDescRemain">An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an "Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order" sign, just "Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">- Mitch Hedberg<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In Taipei Main Station on Monday, I was heading down to the MRT Blue Line, making my way along with the crowd to one of the escalators down to the platform. I get there, and just as I'm about to step onto the escalator, this stupid fat bitch in white turns around and starts walking back up and off the escalator. It was at this point I realize the escalator's not moving. OK, that's a surprise, but I don't see why it merits getting off the escalator. But then she one-ups that; she walks across about a foot, and starts walking down the stairs instead.<br /><br />Um..... yeah. OK.<br /></div></div>Geofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740002660256792935noreply@blogger.com0