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TetsuoTW posted:Without a mosaic or other censorship on the naughty bits, I can't be 100% sure, but I'd say no. There was a big shitstorm about titties in the media - not even naked titties, just jiggling titties - that got the government to crack down a few years ago. If it's actual art you might be able to argue your case, but I wouldn't take the risk. We decided not to risk it and put in a different, completely unrelated picture. Sorry, but Taiwanese newspapers aren't going to go the way of UK ones just yet, so no boobs.
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Nov 30, 2013 18:06
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| # ? May 31, 2024 19:18 |
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I'm not sure if Taipei is all that better than 新北市, but at least for me, I've had trouble finding a good variety of sauces since I've been here. City Super and Jason's have the only real selection to speak of, but the stuff they carry is expensive and not always that good. Tonight I hit loving gold though at 全聯福利中心. They seem to be the other major grocery store chain outside of Welcome and Carrefour. They've got a ton of poo poo available right now, like peanut stir fry sauce, sriracha (rooster sauce) which has been a bitch and a half to get a hold of for the last couple of years. But if you're like me, you like a decent BBQ sauce and the local stuff just isn't very good.  These aren't as great as some of the things I've had back home, but honestly you can do far far worse in Taiwan. I have this strange feeling I'm going be buying a lot of chicken fingers in the near future.
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Dec 2, 2013 14:58
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I've been living in mainland China teaching for a lovely company in a polluted, alienating city, but I'm happy because I announced my resignation and it went through. I have wanted to see Taiwan for a long time, but for many different reasons, I've never made it there. Now I don't have anything holding me back. I have a year and three months of TEFL teaching experience, and I'm planning to move to Taiwan in early January. The only trepidation I have is the fact that it seems like the best way to get a decent job is to have boots on the ground. It would be nice to have some suggestions as to where I should base myself. I want to avoid Taipei. As someone who enjoys cycling and chilling out in nature, I would prefer to live in a small or medium-sized city where it's easy to get away into the countryside every weekend. Is anyone in this thread on the eastern half of the island, or are there no realistic teaching opportunities there? All the jobs I've seen advertised are in the west.
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Dec 7, 2013 04:34
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It's gonna be really hard to get a job on the East Coast because there's not as many people there and the teachers usually stick around, but I would suggest shooting off emails to folks listing on Tealit anyway, just to get a barometer of it. The thing is most Taipei jobs are snatched up pretty quickly, so you see a lot of other cities posting. You can find a lot of jobs in Nantou there, if you're not opposed to living inland, and you occasionally see some Hualien stuff. As for cities, I wanna recommend a place that doesn't get a lot of talk around here: Zhongli. I have a grip of friends in Zhongli, and I really like that place. It's a small city that has actual suburbs with houses and lawns and stuff, but it's big enough to have some modern conveniences (read: Sogo). I just really like the feel of the place. It's nice and slow and friendly, and it's a 40min train to Taipei if you ever feel like heading up there.
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Dec 7, 2013 06:04
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I don't want to push you toward Taipei if you know for sure you don't want it, but just be aware that if you live out towards the end of most MRT lines you will be pretty much a hop and a skip away from the countryside if that helps. That said, I spent a year in Hsinchu and it might be up your alley. The residents are wealthy and educated due to the Science Park so there are always jobs, but rent is still cheaper than the big cities. It's on the HSR line if you want to pop over to Taipei/Taichung/Kaohsiung in addition to the regular rail and intercity bus lines. Mountains are nearby like everywhere else in Taiwan, but there's also a decent beach in Zhunan right next door. It's a pretty good compromise city. If you're dead set on being on the eastern side, Hess has a few branches over there and is usually able to place anyone there that really wants it since enough people come over and have never heard of Yilan or Hualien and don't really care to find out.
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Dec 7, 2013 06:57
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Hey Taiwan goons! I was visiting my family in Taipei and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. The last time I went here, the metro was under construction, and now I'm hearing that it's like the cleanest in the world or something. I just wanted to tell you guys about my cousin, Mark. The little dude (he's 8) is obsessed with his iPad. I was over my aunt's place and he shoves the thing into my lap, starts up Minecraft, and says something that chilled me to the bone: "Here are some videos I recorded for my Let's Play". You may be able to screw my childhood up, but you should stay away from my family! I mean it im warning you guys 
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Dec 7, 2013 07:12
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quitter! How's trick back in the US? Also, belated happy txgiving.
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Dec 7, 2013 07:26
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Storgar posted:I just wanted to tell you guys about my cousin, Mark. The little dude (he's 8) is obsessed with his iPad. I was over my aunt's place and he shoves the thing into my lap, starts up Minecraft, and says something that chilled me to the bone: "Here are some videos I recorded for my Let's Play".
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Dec 7, 2013 07:30
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quadrophrenic posted:It's gonna be really hard to get a job on the East Coast because there's not as many people there and the teachers usually stick around, but I would suggest shooting off emails to folks listing on Tealit anyway, just to get a barometer of it. The thing is most Taipei jobs are snatched up pretty quickly, so you see a lot of other cities posting. You can find a lot of jobs in Nantou there, if you're not opposed to living inland, and you occasionally see some Hualien stuff. Zhongli has houses with lawns?
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Dec 7, 2013 08:25
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I wanna see a picture of a house with a lawn in Taiwan. Tailawn if you will. fake edit rice fields do not count as a lawn
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Dec 7, 2013 08:48
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hitension posted:I wanna see a picture of a house with a lawn in Taiwan. Tailawn if you will. Screw you, that's a pretty cool lawn.
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Dec 7, 2013 11:36
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Sebastian Vettel posted:Zhongli has houses with lawns? Out near Neili, yeah. To be fair, they're in the middle of an industrial park.
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Dec 7, 2013 15:43
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duckfarts posted:Please shave his neckbeard before it's too late. I sure hope it's not too late! The last time I saw him he was in diapers. I'm not gonna muster up the time/money to visit again for a long time. I should warn his mom. 
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Dec 7, 2013 19:03
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Gentle goons, is anyone in here interested in purchasing a barely-used Giant bicycle? It's a DS521, specifically the 2011 yellow/black model, which you can view the stats for here (in Chinese): http://www.giantcyclingworld.com/web/bikes_view.php?id=7f8818fa-2edc-4f47-a109-5b72f4769b93 I would seriously estimate that it has less than 1,000 total kilometers logged on it. My ex-girlfriend rode it all of two times in 2011, and then my father used it as his primary means of transportation when he was here for two months at the beginning of this year. When he was here, he customized it a bit, trying to make it more comfortable since he's something of a giant dude himself. I'm not exactly a cycling nut, so forgive me if I use some dumb terminology, but he added "bull-horn" type handle extensions, and an extender that also elevates the height of the handlebar itself. He also added a rack that can help to carry stuff. He actually put some saddlebag things on it but he took the bags home when he left. There's also a bottle cage, a bell, and a gel-pack thing over the seat to make it less hard on your rear end. An actual picture of the bike is here, sorry it's not great but if there's any interest I can of course provide better/more pics:  I basically love this model of bike, my daily driver (rider?) is a 2010 DS521. I've logged over 10,000km on it. In Tainan I used it mostly as a commuter, but nowadays in Taipei I love it on the longer trails as well. It's a pretty drat versatile model of bike, Giant lists it as an "X-road" bike. Great shock absorbers and not afraid to go offroad, but perfectly fine on the city streets as well. Unfortunately, my house is just getting crowded, especially since my dad just came back to Taiwan for another three months. That means he's taking up my extra room which I usually use for storage of said bike. He also brought his own drat bike with him on the airplane because he wanted an XL frame, and he intends to leave it here after he's gone. So, this beauty's gotta go. As you can tell, I currently have it sitting on my balcony, which is a temporary solution at best! The price for it new was $5500. My local Giant bike shop said he'd give me about $2000 for it, without the accessories. Since he's obviously gonna resell it himself, I figure why not cut out the middle man if I can? I know the rack and extender for the handlebar alone were over $1000 in upgrades. I'd love to let it go for around $2500, but I'm open to offers. If you live in or around Taipei/New Taipei City, I could probably ride it/deliver it right to your door. I'm in Yingge, so Taoyuan/Sanxia/Shulin/Banqiao/Downtown Taipei are all no problem. Or if you're farther away, I'd be willing to research on shipping methods. Anyway, no idea if there's any interest, and I probably rambled on for way too long since it's unlikely anyone here is in the market but figure I'd just throw it out there before I decided to just accept what the bike shop would give me for it. 
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Dec 8, 2013 15:51
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url posted:quitter! Happy to be back, also missing Taiwan, but that's how it goes I guess. Also Chomp that's a sweet looking bike, woulda been all over that a year ago.
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Dec 8, 2013 22:02
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My boss might be. He's in Sanxia.
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Dec 9, 2013 10:01
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POCKET CHOMP posted:Bike Can you get to Technology Building Station or thereabouts? I might be interested. Are the brakes and gears working all right? Those pretty quickly fell to pieces on the last used bike I bought.
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Dec 9, 2013 13:11
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Atlas Hugged posted:My boss might be. He's in Sanxia. This would be cool as hell since it's in the neighborhood. I'd appreciate it a ton if you could pass along the info to him if he's interested. Oz_Bonus posted:Can you get to Technology Building Station or thereabouts? I might be interested. Are the brakes and gears working all right? Those pretty quickly fell to pieces on the last used bike I bought. Absolutely, it's just a matter of me learning how to get there. I've been on the Xindian bike path that runs near there, and Google maps says it's all of 3 km from where I know I've been before, so I could probably figure it out. Just gotta cross the river. The gears and brakes all work fine as far as I know, and I just asked my dad who has ridden it way more than I have and he said he never had any problems. On my own bike, never had a problem with the brakes beyond having the pads replaced when they've worn out, I've only changed them once. Gears have been fine, I did have a problem earlier this year where the shifter got jammed but the dude at the shop repaired it for free. I don't really want to hijack this thread too much with too much personal stuff, so perhaps if you're interested we could discuss more details elsewhere! I'm not totally down with just dropping my Line in this thread but I've got PMs on here, and sorry if this discussion is utterly boring to everyone else
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Dec 9, 2013 14:41
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I'm interested, but since I just started a new job in Xinbei, money is tight. If no one takes you up on the offer within the next couple weeks, I'd like to check it out.
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Dec 10, 2013 12:04
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Sure thing. Just let me know when you're all settled.
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Dec 10, 2013 16:16
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My boss says he'll let me know in a day or so. In other words, he has to ask his wife permission to spend his own money.
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Dec 10, 2013 16:43
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Sounds good, just as an FYI Oz_Bonus is taking a look at it this weekend so it may or may not still be available.
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Dec 11, 2013 02:24
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I can't for the life of me imagine a time when I have to ask my wife to spend 2500nt. Atlas Hugged posted:My boss says he'll let me know in a day or so. In other words, he has to ask his wife permission to spend his own money.
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Dec 11, 2013 03:37
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There's a whole barrel of crazy involved in that relationship.
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Dec 11, 2013 03:56
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drat! I read the post thinking USD. I'd have considered making an offer if I'd thought it was NT$. In unrelated news - poker tonight 8PM if anyone fancies it. Zhongshan N Rd. Section 2, Alley 115 No. 15 中山北路二段115巷15號 Name of the place is 川娃子 If you Google Maps the address it will show the proper place, more or less. There's a big red and white sign with 川娃子 on it out front. If you're going north on Zhongshan Rd, take a right at the tiny alley in front of Mr. Onion and it's just a bit down that alley. Prepare to buy-in for at least 100NT. Beer and food are available for non-exorbitant prices. My number is 0970229902 if yo get lost/need me to LINE you a location.
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Dec 11, 2013 03:57
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Sweet, I'll actually be able to make it this time!
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Dec 11, 2013 04:30
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Moon Slayer posted:Sweet, I'll actually be able to make it this time! Get back to the office! Where are your new articles?
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Dec 11, 2013 04:32
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caberham posted:Get back to the office! Where are your new articles? I have the day off and I already submitted my review of The Hobbit last night after the press screening. By the way, I got to go to The Hobbit press screening yesterday.
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Dec 11, 2013 05:11
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Its probably worth noting that poker attendance has dropped off a bunch since USDA left. I'm thinking of changing "the first Wednesday after the 5th" to suit since there's only really me & potatoofdoom that get paid on the 5th. Any suggestions? Fwiw: I'd suggest first or last Wednesday if the month to keep it simple. url fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Dec 11, 2013 |
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Dec 11, 2013 05:47
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There's just no way I can make it on a weeknight.
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Dec 11, 2013 07:08
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Atlas Hugged posted:There's just no way I can make it on a weeknight. I get that, but a Friday, Saturday or even a Sunday will just be a continual series of cancellations.  E: tell you waht, seeing as how xmas & NY, and CNY are coming up - we could arrange a couple of one off games? I'm thinking 500NT$/1000NT$ buy ins? how's that work for you? url fucked around with this message at 07:49 on Dec 11, 2013 |
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Dec 11, 2013 07:45
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If it's anything but this weekend, I'm a no go because December is a clusterfuck for me.
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Dec 11, 2013 08:02
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POCKET CHOMP posted:Sounds good, just as an FYI Oz_Bonus is taking a look at it this weekend so it may or may not still be available. If it doesn't sell this weekend, my boss is pretty interested. He wants to know if the front tire pops off and what the weight of the bike is.
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Dec 12, 2013 06:56
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Unfortunately the front tire doesn't have a quick release. I'm also not sure exactly on the weight, I will say it is on the heavy side since it's a steel frame, not aluminum. I can weigh it later if it isn't a moot point by tomorrow anyway 
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Dec 13, 2013 04:51
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POCKET CHOMP posted:Unfortunately the front tire doesn't have a quick release. I'm also not sure exactly on the weight, I will say it is on the heavy side since it's a steel frame, not aluminum. I can weigh it later if it isn't a moot point by tomorrow anyway Well, my boss isn't interested anyway. Hopefully Oz_Bonus takes it off your hands. And then drinks beer with me.
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Dec 13, 2013 10:50
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Sup boners, I will be in Taiwan from Jan 20th-30th. I believe we have some kind of reciprocal treaty whereby Korea goons are entitled to bread and salt (facemelting liquor?). caberham will vouch for me as we have shared a bed (he snored).
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Dec 14, 2013 04:01
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Alright, so my New Year's resolution is to finally learn some god-damned Chinese. I've been here two and a half years and can say maybe five or six words: this is unacceptable. Self-study won't work because I'm goony and lazy and will never get around to it if left to my own devices. Are there any beginning classes people would recommend, or should I look for a tutor or conversation partner or what? I'm not looking to get fluent, just get some basic, survival-level stuff under my belt.
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Dec 19, 2013 09:09
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THE LUMMOX posted:Sup boners, I will be in Taiwan from Jan 20th-30th. I believe we have some kind of reciprocal treaty whereby Korea goons are entitled to bread and salt (facemelting liquor?). This man is awesome. Please host him
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Dec 19, 2013 09:12
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Moon Slayer posted:Alright, so my New Year's resolution is to finally learn some god-damned Chinese. I've been here two and a half years and can say maybe five or six words: this is unacceptable. Self-study won't work because I'm goony and lazy and will never get around to it if left to my own devices. Are there any beginning classes people would recommend, or should I look for a tutor or conversation partner or what? There's about a million different approaches, but I'll tell you what worked for me. First, get yourself these two books: http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-T...aditional+hanzi http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Traditional-Hanzi-James-Heisig/dp/0824836561/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y Then spend all of your downtown memorizing characters for about 3-4 months. That's how long it took me to get through the 3000 characters in the series. You don't really have to have perfect retention of them, but going through and practicing about 30 a day will make it that much easier to study 30 the next day since the characters build on each other. You said you don't want to get fluent, but trust me, this is the fundamentals you're going to need to make any progress. Get over the hurdle of characters and get semi-literate and the rest of the language will rapidly fall into place. I more or less became addicted to learning characters and now I don't feel like a complete idiot when looking at menus, maps, or things in my mailbox. Once you start getting through the books, probably between 500-1000 characters, find yourself any of the introductory text books and a conversation partner. I assume you have a tablet or a smartphone, so install any of the flashcard programs on it (I use anki myself). You'll also want to learn pinyin or zhuyin so you can properly pronounce the vocabulary as you learn it. Memorize the vocab from the first chapter, drill flashcards every day, and then build on that vocabulary by speaking. The vocab from the first chapter or two of any of the books should get you started with some nouns and verbs, very basic situational things like introductions and buying food. Then try to expand on that vocabulary with natural conversation that flows from those topics. Every time you don't know how to say what you want to say, use it as an opportunity to learn a new grammar structure and some words. Make sure to enter any new words you learn into your database after a lesson. The characters should be easily recognizable since you are learning them separately from learning conversation and knowing pinyin/zhuyin will allow you to practice saying them without your partner there. My method involves a great deal of self-study at the beginning to get over the character hurdle, but I only spend 20 minutes a day reviewing vocabulary and how to write characters at this point so I don't forget them. I'm also an incredibly weird person and this method might not work for anyone else in the world.
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Dec 19, 2013 10:59
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| # ? May 31, 2024 19:18 |
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I just watched Taiwanese talk shows every day instead of going to class when I was at Ming Chuan University in Taipei. Worked alright for me! I also learned several methods to make my cleavage look better.
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Dec 19, 2013 11:52
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