Local appliance maker Teco sure has an interesting microwave out these days. This is one appliance that deserves to become a bestselling cult item just because of its name. It’s called the “Flirt” and the microprint underneath it actually reads, “The Art of Pleasure”. You can purchase this gem of an appliance at Carrefour, which is where I saw it today along with a brief, “WTF is this?” moment. Who’s the marketing genious that decided to give a microwave oven an erotic name and tagline and then put a chicken inside it?
Posted by Administrator on 11.11.2006 at 7:09 pm// Tagged: Weird Photos //
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I love it when people here think that foreigners can’t understand Chinese, like tonight at the weird coffee shop where this guy was going on about 69ing his girlfriend while having coffee with his friend. The weird coffee shop is at the intersection of Wenhua/Shuangshi (Culture/Double Ten) Roads in Panchiao, by the Peking Duck store (the Chiang Tzu Tsui subway stop). Hi, idiot, I was sitting right behind you and could understand everything.
The weird coffee shop, which I have mentioned before, is weird because it doesn’t have a sign and it looks more like a restaurant. There are these weird statues in the windows, including Betty Boop on the first floor, and doorman statues in the window on a second floor, along with this futuristic pay phone and furniture. But you can’t go up and sit there, because it is for display, like a furniture showroom, but this place is actually a coffee shop, get it?
It really looks like a weird place where the Mad Hatter would come in for afternoon tea. You have to pay before you sit down, and they’ve got this futuristic touch-screen you can order with, even though the guy is standing right in front of you. They have a fancy glass pastry fridge filled with modems and other computer equipment, and another fancy fridge by the door, with a copy of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine displayed inside, turned to an article on passionfruit. Good luck finding the restroom. It is at the far end of the place and you pass one of those slowly spinning fans with three heads on the way. You slide open this giant, painted wooden door. It takes hours to slide it open. It is really frustrating, and the bathroom is in the basement across from a mirrored wall. This place is the Winchester Mystery House on crack.
Once in a while, there will be some men at a long table, doing computer work while using a large-screen TV as the monitor. These guys obviously own or help run the place. The drinks are the usual tea and coffee beverages. Nothing special there, but I do have to hand it to them to offer an environment that certainly breaks the Starbucks mold. Most of the coffee and tea drinks are bottomless and they have free wifi. Another bonus is that most of the time, not all, but most, it is free from screaming and running kids. I am not sure if smoking is allowed or not, but I don’t ever seem to smell any smoke. The place is big and the tables aren’t packed in like sardines.
I have had some issues with them. The manager warned me he doesn’t like gambling in his establishment when I came in to study statistics. He also moved a lamp back after I moved it closer to the table (even though it wasn’t hurting anything). That’s sort of weird, but then again, this place is quirky, to say the least. We’re so used to everything being branded, themed and run with a certain formula, and then a place like this comes along, and it isn’t even in a university district. Mark this one up as a weird little treasure of a coffee shop.
Posted by Administrator on 11.07.2006 at 12:15 am// Tagged: The City //
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I am a sea mail fanatic, and try to avoid air mailing packages as much as I can. Air mail is sooooo overrated for packages. Don’t listen to the post office’s lies about packages taking eight weeks, the rats will eat the packages, blah, blah, blah. They make such a big point of warning you about it, but it just isn’t true. Think about how many ships sail between Taiwan and the U.S. each day. Lots! When I use surface mail, it actually takes about 2-3 weeks to the U.S. West coast. I just sent a book to a friend recently, and it only took like a week (I wonder if someone at the post office didn’t actually put it in the wrong bin). Any returns I make to Amazon or books I sell on ebay are sent sea mail and they’ve always arrived in time. (Besides, if you are returning Amazon stuff, who cares how long it will take?) So to reiterate: sea mail is in, air mail and FedEx are out and overrated. Sea mail is nice, sea mail is cheap, sea mail supports the families of people who work on the sea. (If you must send something by air mail, make sure you post the package with Fairy Pitta stamps.) The only instance where sea mail is bad if it is sent on a ship that also happens to be a fishing vessel. I am not a big fan of seafood. Sea mail is our friend.
Posted by Administrator on 11.04.2006 at 10:34 am// Tagged: Real Childhood Memories //
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 This isn’t a very good photo, but it looks like the Great Pumpkin is hiding out (in drag, no less) at a women’s clothing store near my apartment. Happy Halloween!
Posted by Administrator on 10.28.2006 at 2:43 pm// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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Whatever happened to the mangosteen? You used to be able to get these at the supermarket here and it seems they just disappeared–they haven’t sold them anywhere here in a while. Does anyone know?
Posted by Administrator on 10.24.2006 at 8:30 am// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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I have been soooo busy with stuff, so I haven’t been posting much. However, as a stopgap, I am recycling one of the most loved photos I have put up here–the famous cheese platter at the luxurious Ta Shee Resort.
Posted by Administrator on 10.23.2006 at 9:32 pm// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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So this is how a white ROC passport holder is treated while crossing into China.
Posted by Administrator on 10.15.2006 at 3:55 pm// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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I checked out the Amigo mexican restaurant that was featured in the paper today. I am not sure if it is any way related to the same Mexican joint that used to be around there somewhere. Not bad for one of Taipei’s, what, three Mexican restaurants? Anyway, it is a good place to go if you’ve got a craving for Mexican food.
Posted by Administrator on 10.13.2006 at 8:16 pm// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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She’s big, and she’s bad, she’s Big Bad Ela!
Posted by Administrator on 10.10.2006 at 11:12 am// Tagged: False Childhood Memories //
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One of the most exciting things I have done during this five-day break was put up a new Isaac Mizrahi shower curtain. There’s something wrong with it–it has this plastic smell so strong that it would shock even the most hardened glue sniffer. The smell has been permeating my apartment for hours, even with all of the windows open. Meanwhile, I feel dizzy yet full of energy. Can’t quite seem to figure out why.
P.S. Thanks to R. for that great header photo I am using.
Posted by Administrator on 10.09.2006 at 2:50 pm// Tagged: Real Childhood Memories //
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