I was puttering around in my underwear smoking a cigar and doing laundry, as is my wont on slow afternoons. Just as I open the door to hang another load WOAH! Two middle aged women are jibbering quietly at each other in Taiwanese right outside my window. I FLY back inside, slap on some trousers, and ask them what in the world they are doing? I know I don’t own the roof, but could you just give me a holler when you come up, or knock on my door instead so I’ll know you’re there? I’m not asking you to ask permission, just to let me know you’re outside.
Now they get really angry. This is a public space! You’re not the boss of us! Blahblahblah. They wander off downstairs, still muttering.
It occurs to me that I had a similar problem in my last apartment. I was renting the third floor of an empty house. If my boss/ landlady wanted to see me she just let herself in, crept soundlessly up three flights of stairs and knocked on the door to my room. The bathroom was not connected to my room, so she could have caught me sans trousers on any of these occasions. Not to mention that during this time I had a girl in my room more often than not. Landlady also had trouble understanding why I would want her to call me before showing up unannounced. I don’t ask for much, just 5 minutes to shoo my girlfriend into a corner and clothe my nakedness.
It’s funny you should mention: The other day when I was going through your stuff I noticed that you’re having a lot of trouble keeping your whites white. Let me help you. You need very hot water and not too much bleach. Soak the undergarment in the solution for about 20 minutes only, then wash as normal. Other than that, you place looks very shipshape. Don’t forget to water the azeleas.
The next time there’s some old ladies out there, just show up in a very manic mood and waggle your wiing-a ling at them. They will think twice!
I agree with the ‘make them feel uncomfortable on the rooftop’ notion that canucktyuktuk touched on in his post. They aren’t going to listen to anything you say, so you might as well lean them that direction by being weird, scantily dressed, overly friendly, etc. They might not be back. A suggestion anyway.
People who live on the rooftop live there illegally. It has never really bothered me that the neighbours come up and use the rooftop, especially my landlord who likes to hang his washing in the sun. If you’re chasing people away or making them feel uncomfortable, you’re the one in the wrong, aren’t you?
[quote=“beautifulspam”] Now they get really angry. This is a public space! You’re not the boss of us! Blahblahblah. They wander off downstairs, still muttering.
It occurs to me that I had a similar problem in my last apartment. I was renting the third floor of an empty house. If my boss/ landlady wanted to see me she just let herself in, crept soundlessly up three flights of stairs and knocked on the door to my room. The bathroom was not connected to my room, so she could have caught me sans trousers on any of these occasions. Not to mention that during this time I had a girl in my room more often than not. Landlady also had trouble understanding why I would want her to call me before showing up unannounced. I don’t ask for much, just 5 minutes to shoo my girlfriend into a corner and clothe my nakedness.
What’s going on here?[/quote]
Firstly, the two old hags are right, the rooftop is public space and they can come and go as they please. If you’re living in an illegal rooftop space you can expect visitors.
As for your boss/landlady… she’s giving you hints she wants the rent paid in human kindness…
… and no one cares about privacy … privacy doen’t excist … people here live on the first floor and have their doors open all days … old men run around in underwear and pajamas … who cares?
Twonavels is right, BS. All of the residents of an apartment building are jointly entitled to utilize the rooftop space. They have good reason to be pissed off that your landlord and you are illegally occupying their space, and even more reason to be pissed off when you accost them rudely for venturing up there. You’d better do your best to make amends to them for your faux pas!
This is not entirely true. I got a friend in Taichung who owns a flat on the top floor. His contract with the building company says that the roof part above is also his property.
Where do you get the idea that I am doing anything illegal? My landlord owns half the rooftop, another lady owns the other half.
I didn’t “accost” anyone, rudely or otherwise. I asked them, politely, to holler at me or give me a knock so I’ll know they are around. I didn’t loom over them or use threatening body language. I understand that I have no legal right to ask them to let me know when they are around, but there is also such a thing as courtesy that is not legislated.
The woman in the above photo is not attractive. Tanned blondes = yuck. Give me ally sheedy or maybe winona ryder Ca. “Heathers” over such alleged beauties any day ::
Totally agree with your reasoning, beautifulspam, but this ain’t Kansas anymore. You probably know by now that there is little privacy or even anything remotely close to a fair warning when neighbors and strangers decide to peep. To them it is totally acceptable. To us it is bad manners.
But I can go one better that you on the so called “privacy” issue.
When I was living in Korea, I was having problems with my bathroom and the landlady said she’d bring over some guys to have a look. Next thing I know, they’re in my apartment, knocking on my bathroom door while I was showering, telling me (not asking), that they’re going to look at my bathroom now.
In another, earlier instance, I was renting a hotel room and was also getting to know a sexy Korean gal intimately. The cleaning lady never knocked on the door and just let herself in when she needed to clean the room, which was at random times during the day.
One day I was having sex with my gal and in walks the cleaning lady just as we are climaxing (there was a small anteroom inside the door). Even when my gal explained we were busy, she still insisted on coming right into the room. I finally got up with my dick still hard and turned her around and closed the door. I don’t think she realised she was doing anything wrong. She would’ve cleaned while we had sex for all I know.
Some Asian people just have no clue when they are overstepping their bounds with us as neighbors. Here in Taiwan, there simply are no boundaries. I have numerous people standing in front of my street-level, narrow alley apartment chatting endlessly on their cell-phones in a one sided conversation, or simply talking over family matters in the street at high decibles, or revving the piss out of their scooters while screaming at each other overtop of the din. If I nicely ask them to please be quiet, they’ll probably destroy my scooter for being so bold.
Welcome to f***ed up Asia. Anything goes.
PS: I do think you should walk around your rooftop sans briefs and let the ladies have an eyeful. Just smile and wave. Hey…public space.
Here’s what I’d try. If you can lock the door to the stairwell, then do so whenever you’re home (and leave it unlocked when you’re out). That will at least force them to bring a key when they come to the roof, which might buy you time but more importantly might piss them off enough that they will take up the issue with the person who rented the apartment to you. Your landlord is the one who should have to deal with this issue, not you – and you might mention that fact, if you think it would help. I’d insist on maximum privacy, maximum hindrance to the other tenants; if they don’t like it, again, they can work it out with your landlord. You’d have a much stronger position if you were a woman and could claim personal safety as your main concern. But there it is. Condolences. I’m in the same boat.
Where do you get the idea that I am doing anything illegal? My landlord owns half the rooftop, another lady owns the other half.
I didn’t “accost” anyone, rudely or otherwise. I asked them, politely, to holler at me or give me a knock so I’ll know they are around. I didn’t loom over them or use threatening body language. I understand that I have no legal right to ask them to let me know when they are around, but there is also such a thing as courtesy that is not legislated.
The woman in the above photo is not attractive. Tanned blondes = yuck. Give me ally sheedy or maybe winona ryder Ca. “Heathers” over such alleged beauties any day ::[/quote]
It’s normal behavior in Asia.
Once, the first month I arrived in Korea, i was taking a nap at about 10:30 in the morning. The door to our apartment opens and I hear someone come in ; half asleep, I think “Hey, that’s odd. I thought my roommate was having a nap in his bedroom.” I wake up and realize that yes, my roommate is in fact in his room. Just as I throw off the covers to go investigate, a woman I’ve never seen before walks into my room. She was a door-to-door saleswoman, and evidently it is perfectly normal to walk into an apartment without knocking first - just as it was perfectly normal to leave the door to a ground-floor apartment unlocked. Unfortunately, I was stark naked at the time.
Every hotel I stayed at in China, the maids would come in unannounced to clean.
[quote=“bababa”]She was a door-to-door saleswoman, and evidently it is perfectly normal to walk into an apartment without knocking first - just as it was perfectly normal to leave the door to a ground-floor apartment unlocked. Unfortunately, I was stark naked at the time.
[/quote]
Sound like one of my fantasys. Did she get naked too?
[quote=“Stian”][quote=“bababa”]She was a door-to-door saleswoman, and evidently it is perfectly normal to walk into an apartment without knocking first - just as it was perfectly normal to leave the door to a ground-floor apartment unlocked. Unfortunately, I was stark naked at the time.
[/quote]
Sound like one of my fantasys. Did she get naked too?[/quote]
No. But she didn’t seem embarassed or surprised, either - nor apologetic.