Am I smart or what?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
#1

Why am I constantly bombarded with the idea that I’m actually a very clever man?

It could be for one of two reasons:

  1. Because I am smart!
  2. Because it’s so easy to look smart because I am surrounded by bloody useless fools!

Bought a new car recently. Asked for black leather seats. What do I get when it’s finally delivered two weeks late? Tan seats!! :fume:

Had me house painted the other day. The walls were painted, but so were the windows, my beautiful wooden floors, and the newly replaced god damn mosquito nets!!! :fume: :fume: :fume:

Now I’m asking again: Am I a clever man?

#2

What.

#3

Wow. can people really be that stupid?

#4

Oh dear… Maybe they used Mr Bean’s technique that involved a can of paint and explosives?

You really do sound very smart compared to the workmen you hire… :wink:

#5

Yeah, I think the average banana slug would sound smarter compared to those workmen…at least it wouldn’t paint your mosquitp nets.

#6

Maybe I’m just not smart enough to hire smart workmen. :s

Maybe there is a test I can give future painting candidates before I hire them? :unamused: An aptitude test specially designed for painters! There are tests for everything in Taiwan, so there’s gotta be a test for painters.

It would be nice to know if they are smart, smarter than me, smart enough to paint whatever they are supposed to paint. :smiley:

#7

[quote=“stan”]
Had me house painted the other day. The walls were painted, but so were the windows, my beautiful wooden floors, and the newly replaced god damn mosquito nets!!! :fume: :fume: :fume:

Now I’m asking again: Am I a clever man?[/quote]

I do not want to be offensive to anyone’s job. But painters are the most stupid workers, in ANY country.

#8

[quote=“stan”]Maybe I’m just not smart enough to hire smart workmen. :s

Maybe there is a test I can give future painting candidates before I hire them? :unamused: An aptitude test specially designed for painters! There are tests for everything in Taiwan, so there’s gotta be a test for painters.

It would be nice to know if they are smart, smarter than me, smart enough to paint whatever they are supposed to paint. :smiley:[/quote]

I have a test for workmen… I look at their clothes and if they look completely stupid and tasteless, it means that my bathroom will look the same once they’re done with it. My workmen need to pay attention to small things like the lack of bad body smell, having a normal haircut, shaving, washing hands, not smoking indoors without asking permission and then there is a chance that they don’t screw everything up in my house. It sounds silly to hire workmen by their appearance but it’s the only thing that works - if you don’t have a sense of style then you wear ugly clothes AND build ugly bathrooms no matter how skilled you might be. :s

#9

I’d wear clean clothes and not be smelly and all, but I’d definitely be having trouble with that last part. In fact, I’d be one of those workmen with the overalls tied around my waist, a bit of oil on the 'ole pectorals…

'Specially if you were wearing something orange. :wink:

#10

[quote=“Notsu”]
I have a test for workmen… I look at their clothes and if they look completely stupid and tasteless, it means that my bathroom will look the same once they’re done with it. My workmen need to pay attention to small things like the lack of bad body smell, having a normal haircut, shaving, washing hands, not smoking indoors without asking permission and then there is a chance that they don’t screw everything up in my house. It sounds silly to hire workmen by their appearance but it’s the only thing that works - if you don’t have a sense of style then you wear ugly clothes AND build ugly bathrooms no matter how skilled you might be. :s[/quote]

Bathroom… I have a friend who got his appartment installed in Taichung.
The electrician installed a electric plug just inside the shower cabin :slight_smile:

#11

I’d wear clean clothes and not be smelly and all, but I’d definitely be having trouble with that last part. In fact, I’d be one of those workmen with the overalls tied around my waist, a bit of oil on the 'ole pectorals…

'Specially if you were wearing something orange. :wink:[/quote]

Sorry, hon, I always leave the house when the workmen come over. I can’t stand watching people work.

But my newest workman is a real eyecandy… He passed the test too, plus he can flirt! When a guy can flirt, he can do almost anything. He and his partner are doing a really good job in my bathroom and they were dressed so well that I let them choose all the materials by themselves. :sunglasses:

He asked me out, too. That’s the proof he’s got a good taste! :wink:

#12

No question about that.

#13

Hey, I’ve got a bathroom like that.

What’s odd in my place, is that myself and my 2 Taiwanese roommates rented 2 adjoining apartments, and knocked down a gyprock wall to make one very large apartment. Before knocking the wall down, apartment 1 had 3 bedrooms, 1 big living room, laundry room and kitchen area. Plus one very small bathroom, where the shower is connected to the hand basin. Apartment 2 also had 3 bedrooms, a small living room, 1 large bathroom and 1 smaller ensuite bathroom. No kitchen area, no laundry room.

Apartment 1 is bigger than apartment 2, yet has a tiny bathroom. WTF?

Apartment 2 is smaller, has 2 bathrooms, yet no other free space. WTF?

The only way a family could live here, would be to do as my roommates and I have done, and knock down a wall.

So why the fuck did they bother putting the wall up in the first place? No wonder that no one had EVER lived in either of the apartments before we took them both, even though the building is at least 3 years old. Could be older, but I’ve only lived in this city for 3 years, so I have no way of knowing (and my roommates aren’t home, so I can’t ask). We only moved in 3 weeks ago.

#14

I’ve never had any work done that I didn’t supervise. Next time don’t leave the house. And honestly, when it comes to painting, do it yourself. It isn’t hard, and you just can’t get anyone to do a professional job here from what I’ve seen.