tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859903303661837302024-03-12T18:07:55.938-05:00Taiwan AdventuresBacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-1652860989385921652010-04-26T06:14:00.001-05:002010-04-26T06:16:00.221-05:00Kindergarten Court(Post by Bacon)<br />
A loosely based People's Court parody done with Taiwanese kindergarten students.<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eiqd_cWx8rY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eiqd_cWx8rY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-40712691902786114302010-04-22T11:06:00.000-05:002010-04-22T11:06:33.227-05:00New Kitten(Post by Bacon)<br />
<div>Well it was only a matter of time until we found another kitten. This one was outside a construction site down the road. She is about two weeks old and in perfect health. Unfortunately we will be heading back to America and will have to leave this kitten (Mei Mei) and our other cat (Chou Chou) in Taiwan. Fortunately we have found a happy home for both of them. I made this quick video to document Mei Mei.</div><div><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vRZJFRTz7jY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vRZJFRTz7jY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-86030837054238605672010-04-15T09:42:00.004-05:002010-04-15T10:04:08.094-05:00Hualien (Part Two)<div style="text-align: center; width: 480px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><embed height="360" src="http://w939.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http%3A%2F%2Fw939.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad232%2Fuwobacon%2FHualien+2%2F40503cd1.pbw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="transparent"></embed></div></div><div>Some places are so beautiful that visiting them one time just isn't enough. This is the case with Hualien, Taiwan, located on the eastern coastline. The scenery there is simply stunning; towering green mountains stretch for miles along highway roads as misty clouds roll through the skies. Probably the most breathtaking bit of coastal views we took in were the Cinshuei Cliffs. From heights of almost 1000m, they plunge straight into the teal waters of the Pacific Ocean. The colorful stone beach below is made up entirely of marble, rocks, and pebbles. This spot goes down as one of the most beautiful places we've ever visited.</div><div><br /></div><div>While there, we also visited Taroko Gorge again. It's hard to capture the sheer magnitude of the marble cliffs and winding river gorge. From the jade-colored pools of falling water to the wide span of ferns jutting from the rock face, we definitely understand why it's labeled one of the most beautiful places in Asia to travel through. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last day we were there, our group of friends met up with some other foreigners from our hostel and we all went on a white-water rafting trip down the Xiuguluan River in Rui-Sui, an area a little south of Hualien. The trip down the incredibly scenic river started out mild while we all got used to paddling as a group and going down mini-rapids. About an hour and half in, we took a break for a classic Taiwanese lunch of rice, tofu, meat, and veggies called biandang, or lunch box. After the break the second part of the trip began and the river really started to get fun. We paddled down crazy rapids, whooshed down small waterfalls, and maneuvered our way through some rocky spots- we almost tipped our boat on a huge rock formation when when crashed into the side of it and went spinning. Our river guide was hilarious, and he kept zipping by us in his speed raft to splash us and try to trip us up. Unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures, but we had a great time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Random highlight: I mentioned to my friend Elle that a life-long goal of mine was to pick and eat a banana off a wild banana tree. When we were scooting back from the Gorge on Saturday, Elle shrieked and made us all pull over. She spotted some banana trees on the side of the road and I finally got to taste my dream! </div><div><br /></div><div>Less than three weeks and we'll be Stateside again- see you soon! </div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-69143099037914605282010-04-05T09:52:00.002-05:002010-04-05T10:39:17.035-05:00Quick Pic of the Day<div>(Post by Alisha) </div><div>On Saturday we took in some sweeping views of Taipei from one of the tallest ferris wheels in Taiwan. It was a pretty night and a cute way to see the city. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDtFSekgdmrYZvjmxA15mERsKXbmZPHfXoPNPmqu_rXbUHWE1hnKGk1eFrNlLTuZOZ5XRho4lw5_sz9TK2ZPmk7ccHPIfVZUiRsV3b3WNONYatMeJ-7j_zVLvHwAcDbbAUU8umlzk-W_6/s1600-h/SANY0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDtFSekgdmrYZvjmxA15mERsKXbmZPHfXoPNPmqu_rXbUHWE1hnKGk1eFrNlLTuZOZ5XRho4lw5_sz9TK2ZPmk7ccHPIfVZUiRsV3b3WNONYatMeJ-7j_zVLvHwAcDbbAUU8umlzk-W_6/s320/SANY0034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qMEnt4FkPXHixM1ZcmU1REAi3DXWcvxSmngRplo8sGR5NAVe-3tRJ0i8D_HkjHdGFe3TbawY93Dazt9sv3x9PrZ9y6phV7QiZQwT7-JQZyfUmXWVz1ogVNo4YCdovla4H903A-olJhXQ/s1600-h/CIMG6809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qMEnt4FkPXHixM1ZcmU1REAi3DXWcvxSmngRplo8sGR5NAVe-3tRJ0i8D_HkjHdGFe3TbawY93Dazt9sv3x9PrZ9y6phV7QiZQwT7-JQZyfUmXWVz1ogVNo4YCdovla4H903A-olJhXQ/s320/CIMG6809.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-79588507030091411162010-04-01T10:38:00.004-05:002010-11-18T22:56:49.827-06:00One Year in Taiwan!(Post by Alisha)<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” </i></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">– Alan Keightly</span></span></i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQzIaKEGZd9kq2gk8W82Vgrl2fO-UGgl-3faD23vIZpw9pEwdgbeiH7HshpLwzDFhKBNdybZ0DCZ45oV1zPMjsYwiHQXUpbZ0XqMea98CKhSFPoC7F9yzR_O2rGeFjk6haCVdiWArz15j/s1600-h/fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQzIaKEGZd9kq2gk8W82Vgrl2fO-UGgl-3faD23vIZpw9pEwdgbeiH7HshpLwzDFhKBNdybZ0DCZ45oV1zPMjsYwiHQXUpbZ0XqMea98CKhSFPoC7F9yzR_O2rGeFjk6haCVdiWArz15j/s400/fruit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>I thought this quote was apt in describing the way I feel about the year spent living in Taiwan. I'm so glad that "once in a while" came for me. This experience truly changed my outlook on the world and the ways in which I want to expand that perspective. I no longer feel pressure to subscribe to any lifestyle that doesn't challenge or creatively inspire me to live life with a deeper fulfillment of it. So while I feel conflicted about leaving, I know that Taiwan was just the first of many steps in my travels and experiences in this great, big, world.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo credit: Elle McManus) </span></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-29157774643728773532010-03-22T23:46:00.002-05:002010-03-22T23:46:25.286-05:00Wulai Hot Springs Video<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q0YfZHDQhx4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q0YfZHDQhx4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-18936837058695492112010-03-22T03:22:00.002-05:002010-03-22T03:22:40.859-05:00Wuliaojian Hiking Video<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XqvaLY4jwwU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XqvaLY4jwwU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-67713131300090230882010-03-21T08:12:00.011-05:002010-03-21T10:11:09.537-05:00Shrimp Fishing<div>(Post by Bacon)</div><div style="text-align: center; width: 480px;"><embed height="360" src="http://w939.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/uwobacon/shrimp fishing/ef813180.pbw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="transparent"></embed></div><div>Back home, I used to mock places that made you pay to catch stocked fish in a small pond. I believe it's a lame concept for two reasons:</div><div>1 - What's the fun in catching something that's already been caught?</div><div>2 - Everyone knows that hunting man is the ultimate game.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Well these rules don't apply to Taiwan shrimp fishing because it's awesome. In Taiwan, there are a massive amount of shrimping places that consist of a large grubby building and an indoor pool. The pool is about 10ft x 30ft, and the water is colored dark green so you can't see the shrimp (because that would make it too easy). You simply go into the building, pay for your fishing time, buy a few beers, and channel your inner Benjamin Buford Blue (Bubba).</div><div><br />
</div><div>Catching the shrimp is rather straight forward. On your pole you have two small hooks where you bait two small, dried shrimp. It was really fun to catch our first shrimp until we discovered you needed to grab them tightly to get the hook out. It's a little more difficult than unhooking a fish, and it didn't help that I hate touching crustaceans (the insects of the sea). These things aren't small either, and some of them had pretty big pinchers. But whenever we were having trouble, a local was more than happy to come over and help us out.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Probably the best part of Taiwan shrimp fishing is the locals. They seem to really enjoy this activity, and watching a foreigner struggle to do something they find so easy seems to be great entertainment for them. The atmosphere is very similar to a bowling ally back home. Some people take it extremely seriously and are very skilled. Others view it as a joke, and after a few failed attempts, just start to have fun with it. And like bowling, it's a popular thing to do on weekend nights for a group of friends, a family, or a couple on a date. After your time's up, you get to clean them, salt them, and grill them up right there for some of the freshest shrimp you've ever had. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So if you want to feel like a local while looking ridiculous, I would recommend this to get a taste of Taiwan. </div><div><br />
</div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-39893736561687503752010-03-21T07:40:00.001-05:002010-03-21T08:42:19.262-05:00Hiking Wuliaojian(Post by Alisha)<br /><div><div style="text-align: center; width: 480px;"><embed height="360" src="http://w939.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/uwobacon/Hike/154d5abe.pbw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://s939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/uwobacon/Hike/?action=view&current=154d5abe.pbw" target="_blank"></a></div></div><div>Whenever a hike comes with prerequisites, you know it's going to be an interesting experience. Some information we found on Wuliaojian warned that attempting hikers should be in good physical condition, wear gloves, and, above all, avoid the trek on a windy or rainy day. While we weren't quite sure we fit a hiker's definition of "peak climbing condition," we were excited to challenge ourselves and try a hike that was actually located in the backyard of our own Sanxia. </div><div><br /></div><div>The hike started off steep and narrow, and, a few minutes in, we discovered the reason for the gloves. The trail is covered with knotted ropes that you need to use to pull yourself up over rocky walls and steep terrain. It was definitely a workout<i> </i>literally <i>climbing</i> up and up through this tropical, bamboo-lush mountain. Most of the trails we've hiked thus far have clearly marked signs, paths, or even steps, but this was one that was definitely off the map. Thanks to flags and markers left by other hikers, however, we never got lost. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a little over three hours, the trail started to level out as we approached the ridge. This was the highlight of our trip: we were on the exposed spine of the mountain. The ridge was extremely skinny, from the vertigo-inducing few inches of width to the relative safety of one to two feet . On both sides of the spine was a pretty sheer drop, and there was only a simple rope path on our right for us to hold on to as we made our way across. After taking in some gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains, we found out that the only way to get back was by repelling down a steep cliff wall. It didn't seem so bad to me at first, but I soon found out that going backwards when you're almost vertical with the mountain (with no harnesses or safety equipment,) is a little bit more difficult. It felt like forever (even though it probably only took about 5 minutes) and my arms were sore afterwards, but it was such a cool experience. After that, we had an easier hike back down and were back on level ground in about an hour. This one goes down as my favorite climb by far. </div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-60164627337591491892010-03-09T08:12:00.000-06:002010-03-09T08:12:23.562-06:00More Taiwan Driving(post by Bacon)<br />
A few weeks ago I posted my Taiwan driving video. I thought it would give people a good example of what driving in Taiwan is like. Well, I found an awesome video on YouTube that I think does an even better job. It's called "Taiwan Drift" and it was posted by changster1.<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kquMGtGmLf8&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kquMGtGmLf8&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-12093100667419206472010-03-07T17:54:00.000-06:002010-03-07T17:54:15.747-06:00Yangmingshan Flower Festival<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CCPLsfY-_2c&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CCPLsfY-_2c&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-56002460550558950572010-03-04T08:07:00.000-06:002010-03-04T08:07:15.394-06:00Chinese New Year<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNc6ewQD7hKcKrxdiaE_8O4T3_ILPBACxwlBDHkcJv4liyU5z1g0MMtjR9kmhxBiwXApVhfX8bOiotwjRqP245T8Xj9flFiaOgmy14jzNVZsCl9QPAqjvJkzxK8SgHYm4oQVgS0J3hk9pc/s1600-h/year%20of%20the%20tiger.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNc6ewQD7hKcKrxdiaE_8O4T3_ILPBACxwlBDHkcJv4liyU5z1g0MMtjR9kmhxBiwXApVhfX8bOiotwjRqP245T8Xj9flFiaOgmy14jzNVZsCl9QPAqjvJkzxK8SgHYm4oQVgS0J3hk9pc/s1600/year%20of%20the%20tiger.jpeg" /></a>Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the powerful and passionate Tiger, (my year!) which should help in warding off thieves, fire, and ghosts- the latter being a very troublesome but important aspect of Taiwanese religious beliefs. CNY in Taiwan is similar to Christmas back home; people clear out of town to visit family, take a vacation they've been planning all year, and participate in age-old traditions like the giving of "hongbaos," red envelopes full of money. The main difference is that the ringing in our ears is not from sleigh bells jingling; it's from fireworks exploding. Of course no Taiwanese holiday would be complete without excessive sparkling explosives- they have literally been going off all week during all hours of the day and night. This is in no small part due to the fact that they are extremely accessible and completely legal, even the ones that look like mini-missiles.</div><br />
It's been great to have the week off school, but unfortunately the weather has been some of the worst we've had so far- cold, wet, and rainy. Therefore a lot of the plans we had for this week had to be abandoned. Instead of going camping, hiking, and day-tripping, we spent a lot of quality time together just relaxing and rejuvenating. We did find an amazing center that houses a huge selection of Taiwanese handicrafts and works of art from all around the island. It was great to find some beautiful and hand-made items for our friends and family back home.<br />
<br />
It's really hard to believe that we're down to the last two months of our year living abroad. These last days will be spent doing all the things we still want to do and journeying to all places we still want to go. In the line-up is a trip to Orchid Island, a ride on Alishan Forest Railway- one of the most spectacular mountain-railways in the world, and a visit down South to the tropical beaches of Kenting. Hopefully we'll have some exciting updates for all of you soon!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>*Update: This post is a few weeks late- I got a little behind on posting it- but Chinese New Year lasts through February and most of March, so it's still relevant. The weather is also now in the 80's with sunshine- it changed just in time for our vacation to end. </div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-17693216573600036282010-03-04T07:26:00.000-06:002010-03-04T07:26:45.388-06:00Taiwanese TV(Post by Bacon)<br />
Back home I used to watch way too much television. I really only had a few shows that I would want to watch on the DVR and then after that I would channel surf. In Taiwan any American show I want to see I can watch online, but any kind of casual watching habits I had have now been destroyed by Taiwanese television. The standard show here is filled with unnecessary sound effects, constant graphics popping up, and awkward laughing. Explaining it in words does not give it justice so I decided to just grab a few clips off youtube.<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Ffhstjho-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Ffhstjho-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
This is the basic Taiwanese formula at work.<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-LZIcl21fE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-LZIcl21fE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
Standard commercial formula.<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Udc_R36pVCU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Udc_R36pVCU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
This is actually a Japanese commercial, but it's not any weirder than anything I've seen here.Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-57368764798203321342010-02-14T01:48:00.001-06:002010-02-14T07:21:15.911-06:00Adventures in KTV LandThe people of Taiwan have several favorite pastimes: eating stinky, stinky, stinky tofu, driving like maniacs, and, perhaps most favored of all, KTV-ing (singing karaoke). The latter is something that we generally associate in America with perhaps one too many pitchers of domestic beer and an odd desire to embarrass ourselves publicly. In Taiwan, however, KTV is a little bit of a different matter. You can barely turn a street corner without seeing a Party World or a Holiday- giant buildings devoted solely to the art of singing along with a teleprompter. But it doesn't stop there. Oftentimes you'll be strolling around in Taipei and run into some serious, live KTV action right on the street- we've even witnessed a KTV battle. Oh yes, and talent, you ask? Irrelevant. Just grab a mike and sing your heart out- we've seen, and unfortunately heard, some pretty tone-deaf people draw a huge crowd of devoted listeners.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Well a few weeks ago we were finally convinced by our Taiwanese friend to give this whole phenomenon a try. So we got a group together and headed out to Taipei. First we stopped at a night market to load up on cheap and tasty goodies- dumplings, spicy crab legs (a whole box for under $4 U.S.), sweet potato fries, noodles, and chicken soup.<br />
<br />
An awesome thing about these big venues like Party World is that you actually rent your own private room. We had a wrap-around leather couch, bathroom, bar, flat-screen, and of course, all the KTV equipment we could want- song lists, stage, mikes, etc. We had this room reserved for around four hours and it only cost $15 a person- unbelievable. So far so good- our next concern was that there wouldn't be a decent selection of songs in English. While it was true that a few classics were missing (no Queen?), for the most part we all found some fantastic tunes to belt out in our wonderfully sound-proof room- thus eliminating the humiliation factor. One thing the experience had in common with back home was the drinks. The mini-kegs of Taiwan beer kept us able to stand the sound of each other's voices :) I think we're starting to understand this trend a bit more... </div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-8341335251555796202010-02-03T07:28:00.002-06:002010-02-03T07:32:36.039-06:00Overdramatic Alphabet Wizard<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">(Post by Bacon)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">It seems like every month at school we have some sort of competition for the kids. Usually it's like a song and dance for the kids to perform. It's supposed to be about the students, but because of the way the school is set up it is really about the teachers. How your students perform can actually affect your bonus down the road. I know it's funny to think that children singing and dancing is connected to monetary gains, but it's true. The classes are set up in a competitive fashion and while most of the English teachers don't take it seriously, some of the Taiwanese teachers do. I made this video to mock the whole thing.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Okr1DE6YR18&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Okr1DE6YR18&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></p>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-24867264286072864902010-01-24T09:33:00.001-06:002010-02-06T22:01:40.790-06:00Slow Motion Chou<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2AFx-BRYvxo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2AFx-BRYvxo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-53430571981684254012010-01-17T18:13:00.002-06:002010-02-06T22:02:58.225-06:00Driving in Taiwan Video<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i4sFGaIrK9I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i4sFGaIrK9I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-76846469256213598122010-01-17T07:49:00.010-06:002010-01-17T09:16:16.251-06:00Out and about<div>(Post By Alisha)</div><div><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w939.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/uwobacon/matts bday/afec52c8.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed></div><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Saturday night a few of us went out for a friend's birthday. We found our way to a little hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant tucked down an alleyway in the Shida area (swarming student hang-out). The decor was slightly kitsch, but in a delightful and cozy kind of way. As Bacon and I have never eaten Indian food, our friends recommended a couple of great menu items: we scooped up our yummy tikka masala and eggplant curry with the hot buttery naan bread, and toasted the whole evening with India's famed Kingfisher Beer. I think Bacon and I have a new favorite ethnic eatery...<div><br /></div><div>After that we headed to a casual bar/pool hall called Roxy Jr. Cafe, where we played pool (albeit horribly) and showed off our hand-turning skills during a foosball tournament. The basement was stuffed with over-sized couches and it was a great place to kick-back and relax with friends. Some people complain that Taipei isn't as jam-packed with dynamic night-life as other big cities, but I think they often just don't know where to look.</div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-31925967543821506792010-01-14T05:02:00.009-06:002010-03-04T08:15:17.859-06:00New Look & Some Music<div>(Post By Bacon)</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBloxsqYsG2XTvJY_vfgMP_SsTUrXOzXH3JFvy6JlDamvJunehvyAvyrdVbiv9Vs7KQ5Ra0FiCSkvYdV0gQEKlMK0Q8dJLdclGbzmNqhOqhWlgtzDl-OCtzccGP2HnaozSuyr-r_SQ-tCb/s1600-h/albums.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426560908877895266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBloxsqYsG2XTvJY_vfgMP_SsTUrXOzXH3JFvy6JlDamvJunehvyAvyrdVbiv9Vs7KQ5Ra0FiCSkvYdV0gQEKlMK0Q8dJLdclGbzmNqhOqhWlgtzDl-OCtzccGP2HnaozSuyr-r_SQ-tCb/s400/albums.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
<div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">So I finally got around to putting some design work into the blog. I hope these changes make reading our blog more enjoyable. I also have added a menu bar at the top of the page and slideshows to previous blog posts that include more photos.</div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Click the read more link below to see an updated list of songs that I used in all my videos with an iTunes link.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiI5KTFNLpw"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Beitou Hot Springs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Steel Train | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Firecracker | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Trampoline | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/firecracker/id274929640?i=274929723&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkB0t_Ye0N4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yehliu</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Sufjan Stevens | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No Man's Land | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Illinois | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-mans-land/id309796592?i=309796631&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=birvxM7Uz00"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peace Memorial Park and National Palace Museum</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The Morning Benders | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Waiting For A War | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Talking Through Tin Cans | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/waiting-for-a-war/id279679162?i=279679481&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_AYYtTZ_yo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shilin Night Market</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Vampire Weekend | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> A-Punk | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Vampire Weekend | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-punk/id270425072?i=270425151&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1cG5VKrlEU"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our Swimming Spot</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vampire Weekend | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> M79 | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vampire Weekend | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/m79/id270425072?i=270425307&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNIO2G8HMQE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Taroko Gorge</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eels | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Fresh Feeling | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Souljacker | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fresh-feeling/id3447254?i=3447226&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81pIy2Aq2f8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Penghu Islands</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Matt & Kim | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Daylight | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Grand | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/daylight/id301980979?i=301980990&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slbTPFw7qAg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finding Chou</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Lou Barlow | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Ballad of Daykitty | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Emoh | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-ballad-of-daykitty/id41738536?i=41738534&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NQHPeo3t-k"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Taiwan Manyueyan Waterfall Hike</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Jesse Harris | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The Secret Sun | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The Secret Sun | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-secret-sun/id1117927?i=1117925&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXKC-6YuTFE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Downtown Sanxia in 2 Minutes</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Spoon | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I Turn My Camera On | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Gimme Fiction | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-turn-my-camera-on/id58164704?i=58164686&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baq56Z1aEjs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">C.K.S. Memorial Hall</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Phoenix | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Lasso | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lasso/id315002203?i=315002473&ign-mpt=uo%3D4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt79T0JwopQ"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yangmingshan National Park</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Kyle Gabler | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Best of Times | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">: World of Goo Soundtrack</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(download this whole soundtrack for free on the </span><a href="http://kylegabler.com/WorldOfGooSoundtrack/"><span style="color: #551a8b; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">World of Goo website</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_GELo5G_mE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our First Weekend in Taiwan</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"</span></b></div><div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Artist:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Kyle Gabler | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Song:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Red Carpet Extend-o-Matic | </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Album:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> World of Goo Soundtrack</span></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-89174170174196111902010-01-02T07:34:00.001-06:002010-02-06T22:04:30.901-06:00New Years Taiwan Video<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D4kCSf-iF4I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D4kCSf-iF4I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-65630283169621622582009-12-29T06:52:00.019-06:002010-03-04T08:11:07.150-06:00*Christmas Cheer*<div>(Post by Alisha)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: center; width: 480px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><embed flashvars="rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed939.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad232%2Fuwobacon%2FChristmas%2Ffeed.rss" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="transparent"></embed></div></div></span></div>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We missed all of you at this time of year, but we loved and will cherish the unique experience of the beautiful Christmas weekend we spent together here in Taiwan.<br />
<div><div><div><br />
</div><div>I was a little nervous that Christmas was going to be a holiday letdown akin to the turkeyless Thanksgiving we suffered through, but I was very happy with the way our festivities turned out.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The school allowed the foreign teachers to take off Friday (without pay, however), but we were happy at least to be granted a three-day weekend. Bacon and I spent a delicious morning enjoying a late brunch filled with some goodies from the Christmas package his parents sent, sipping eggnog, and watching a few classic holiday films. Christmas night we went to a hip restaurant in downtown called People Restaurant. The Chinese fusion cuisine was amazing and the atmosphere had a very sleek post-industrial feel with romantic touches like a wall dotted with fresh roses- it was well worth the slightly pricey menu. After dinner, we took a leisurely walk through the city among all the twinkling Christmas lights and decorations.<br />
<br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmnAKuwzCJh5P1CJfcBErV5FxYgUkvEyRZ19z7aWQ7eIgun9UqidNYFKfcGS5H3ktqmO5BVVthO6nko14snS-H7e_otVnFnyMU_dY27cKUa5TusvBwP6_hMh3TiGldI_TYJmxkOQmNpJA/s1600-h/CIMG6163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmnAKuwzCJh5P1CJfcBErV5FxYgUkvEyRZ19z7aWQ7eIgun9UqidNYFKfcGS5H3ktqmO5BVVthO6nko14snS-H7e_otVnFnyMU_dY27cKUa5TusvBwP6_hMh3TiGldI_TYJmxkOQmNpJA/s1600/CIMG6163.JPG" /></a>The next day we headed off mid-afternoon for our weekend in Beitou, an area 20 minutes north of Taipei filled with natural sulfurous hot springs. Because of the Japanese occupation, many of the older buildings, temples, and resorts in Beitou are built in beautiful Japanese tradition. We were able to view the Geothermal Scenic Area more commonly known as Hell Valley, so named because of its boiling springs shrouded in pillars of steam. Shortly after dipping our feet in the steamy public hot springs river, we headed up the mountain to check into our springs resort, Whispering Pine Inn.</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div>The resort pipes in the hot springs straight from the natural sources in Beitou, and in addition to a large stone tub for guests of the resort, we also had our own private stone pool in our room. We checked in and soon trekked further up the winding path until we found a restaurant our guide book recommended, Shann Garden. It was tucked away high up in the mountain with a beautiful view of the city below, and it was one of the best eating experiences we've had so far in Taiwan. It was an upscale buffet that featured Mongolian-style BBQ, where you get to pick your own thinly sliced meats and veggies and have them cooked on a huge stone slate in front of you. Bacon and I had beef, pineapple, green tomato, onion, peppers, and fiery red chilis all cooked in sesame oil and soy. We also enjoyed dumplings, stir-fried veggies, salad, noodles, shrimp, fresh fruit, mango frozen yogurt, and, of course, all you can drink teas and soda. After dinner, we spent the rest of the night soaking away the winter chill (yes, it was a very frosty 55 degrees) in the hot springs and drinking champagne. It was a wonderful weekend getaway. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Now we're looking forward to another short week with Friday off for New Years. This will be the last post in 2009- ready to see what will unfold in 2010!</div></div></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-55137722183722437452009-12-28T08:53:00.001-06:002010-02-06T22:05:49.926-06:00Beitou Hot Springs Video<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IvEUwtJnSW8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IvEUwtJnSW8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-31114740398203585242009-12-14T02:47:00.012-06:002010-01-14T04:09:19.148-06:00Staring Contest: You and Me<div style="text-align: left;">(Post by Alisha)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;width: 480px; "><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w939.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/uwobacon/fcd15310.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Last Thursday night, a few of the Chinese teachers we work with took us out to a Taiwanese restaurant for dinner. It's such a treat going out with people that speak the language, especially in Sansia as translated menus or even ones that include pictures are scarce. We often reluctantly pass by restaurants that look fun or smell tempting because we wouldn't know how or what to order.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>The restaurant they took us to was very darkly lit and completely decorated in black and red. The menu was split into two categories: big hot pot or teppanyaki with small hot pot. We all chose the second option- I got a spicy pepper chicken teppanyaki and Bacon got a sesame Asian barbecue chicken teppanyaki. </div><div><br /></div><div>In case you forgot, Hot Pot is an extremely popular Taiwanese dish where several items- oysters, shrimp, meat, rice noodles, mushrooms, fish paste, and tofu- are boiled together in a pot with broth. We have yet to discover the reason for its popularity, but a small pot is okay to pick at the few tasty items- love the oysters. (Game: How many items can you identify from the hot pot in the picture?) Like a lot of Taiwanese restaurants, it was b.y.o.b so we also got to bring in our own drinks, cheap and fun. Speaking of cheap, our whole meal only cost 120 NT, or under $4 U.S.</div><div><br /></div><div>The food was surprisingly very delicious, and we had a blast hanging out with some of the Chinese teachers sharing cultural observations back and forth. One example of this that came up during the course of eating is the fact that in Taiwan, they usually keep the head, feet, eyes, etc. on their food, and obviously in America, that is not the norm. It's a little unappetizing to see a whole shrimp looking up at you from your pot of food - beady eyes and all, but of course Bacon couldn't resist a staring contest with it.</div></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-42557319372112206712009-12-14T02:29:00.004-06:002009-12-14T02:33:11.665-06:00Sweet somethings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPKe-yhoPziyyfC8Yr3AueltHBGkfO8wHo8WIjfiyTOc_efRKCUZEV_uGWTUCFlagAAWZuOUCNhn0xVsWo7J_CliOxl0CPWS1ZYM-hnmDXuiqc3sQWQWAwKQkIdsadqHfDY4NSKsUJQ7R/s1600-h/flower.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPKe-yhoPziyyfC8Yr3AueltHBGkfO8wHo8WIjfiyTOc_efRKCUZEV_uGWTUCFlagAAWZuOUCNhn0xVsWo7J_CliOxl0CPWS1ZYM-hnmDXuiqc3sQWQWAwKQkIdsadqHfDY4NSKsUJQ7R/s400/flower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415006554302393954" /></a>(Post by Alisha)<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's just a quick picture of a beautiful flower Bacon bought me this weekend at a Farmer's Market on Old Street. Every night it's petals close tightly and the next morning they open widely to reveal this vibrant purple blossom.</div><div><div><br /></div></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485990330366183730.post-15978441012953113682009-12-11T19:20:00.018-06:002010-03-04T08:24:18.821-06:00Directions to the MRT from Sanxia<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud01TjsPdvOVUcFySfhzLQn1oGbPGGPvfZRBQ2o7RUWDDDTIz4MuvTAQmdW_nEM_xelFuze7Caqpk9oYZzd6Ad_Hl_43cJ8EyE2jIi-AtetIk9aJYOaBisKJE3fcC9veforAy-ALWbyfq/s1600-h/top.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414169757931337010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud01TjsPdvOVUcFySfhzLQn1oGbPGGPvfZRBQ2o7RUWDDDTIz4MuvTAQmdW_nEM_xelFuze7Caqpk9oYZzd6Ad_Hl_43cJ8EyE2jIi-AtetIk9aJYOaBisKJE3fcC9veforAy-ALWbyfq/s400/top.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 155px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>(Post by Bacon)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many people find directions confusing back home. For many it's a big hassle trying to get around without a GPS. Well those people would go crazy here in Taiwan. The roads constantly change names for no apparent reason, they never run in a straight line, street signs are a luxury to find and even then they'll only have English on them 50% of the time. Add that to the fact that there are no real driving laws and you'll have a very frustrating/scary time trying to get around.</div><div>I'm posting my directions to the Far Eastern Hospital MRT stop via scooter to show everyone back home how crazy the roads are here, and this post should really help the foreigners who already live in Sanxia/Shansia/Sansia/SOONSIAA (or whatever way you insist on spelling it). It's only a 20 minute scooter ride, but it's crazy. Click the read more link below to get the directions.</div><div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div><b>STEP 1 LEAVING SANXIA: </b>Take Min Sheng Road towards the highway. Min Sheng Road turns into San Shu Road for a couple blocks and then into Long Bu Road for no reason, but that's not important because you just drive straight. After you drive under the highway you'll come to a T intersection. I don't know the name of this road because it's only in Chinese but you take a right. (click on the image below to make it larger)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414159957790364546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHBhasnD8eLzGaFFBYz4FPTHe-ugUIAldqlacWaqyjIWqnpukFF6Q4Ogyg1T1hJ4DQsURRl5YOUPfiDksFA3fxtxRZvAHULS2i09voEgXau2K5mXmCvDOTAX-U1vDSXHxL7yhPhrXGkdz/s400/1.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 325px;" /></span></div><div><b>STEP 2 CRAZY ROAD:</b> You'll be singing some Sheryl Crow to yourself while driving because you'll be driving on this winding road for awhile. After driving over a large bridge you'll take a left on Huan He Road (The map makes it look like you can drive straight after the bridge, but you can't.). Huan He Road is actually fun to drive on because it has two scooter lanes. This means that 95% of the time you won't have to worry about cars. The other 5% of the time some Taiwanese person won't care/understand that your in a scooter lane and they'll run you off the road. (click on the image below to make it larger)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414164625615628242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u2Dk22JjCMggu67Z8if43l5BUGZTrnC_cC5gBY7tQhRqVII7wxqtkHE8R7OfawLbISf712qvTM9FhxHlQcY16jf7v4DClAFWVKsMiPhcKDCuqkEE_s14qqEIvtVJGk0vqf674uCeTI7t/s400/2.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 167px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span></div><div><b>STEP 3 INVISIBLE STREET SIGNS: </b>After you pass through a bunch of construction (if it's still there when you read these directions) you'll start driving under a light blue overpass. Take a right at the first working street lights (there are several street lights that don't work for some reason). This is Yuan Fu Street, but don't look for a street sign because there is none. You'll only be on Yuan Fu Street for a second because your going to take a left at the next intersection Zhong Hua Rd. (click on the image below to make it larger)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414168874749187634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6HzpPoL3UtzjhqWDOarw24E1fqJUlruzFfintTTV-xJXrp4FIrzBECf2_i9gvDmUlGkhD-JeZWrYuouHu_SMJHj1UUOI8yp7622Ade1WPrORqTI3LcGP_znGbdysXfET6iHhsF1ZTtnA/s400/3.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 395px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span></div><div><b>STEP 4 CITY DRIVING: </b>Now your in the city and driving will become a little more difficult. Stay on Zhong Hua Rd for awhile and it will turn into Zhong Yang Rd for no reason (you won't notice either). After driving through a crazy T intersection you'll come to a slight fork in the road. Take a left at the fork on Nan Ya South Rd. The MRT is on this road. After you pass the hospital you'll see exit 3 on your right. You can park your scooter behind exit 3. (click on the image below to make it larger)</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414169294433115282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu38B8UKNyxhT63rvVA4ODVSOqGoLMjXOg1aHGXVF-NTuMXQT-yVJExdPuyus-tuqqXoP1ov3prO4b0sMtaiXGMVKV3B3hTuS6Z1BkpDC30jqRz4T65eQRgH_zA3PvIHM-KuE6nTrOOIUE/s400/4.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 358px;" /></span></div><div><b>That's it, you've made it to the MRT! (<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=113491719443038673415.00046434a5473e27b7a10&ll=24.933961,121.370065&spn=0.002919,0.005096&z=17&source=embed">Sanxia google map</a>)</b></div>Bacon and Alishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765658887209859390noreply@blogger.com0