Well, Clarice - have the pigs stopped screaming? You still wake up sometimes, don’t you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the piggies! 
Sorry, mate, hard core what you done did. Hat’s off. Oodles of respect.
HG
There were a few annoying instances, but all in all nothing serious. There was one guy just out of military prison who seemed to particularly dislike me, but I pretty much just ignored him.
The pigs must have been a bad one - I for one would get nightmares about that for years. The smell alone must have driven you up the wall.
Yes, miaoli is nice, especially the mountain side, I gather that the officers didn’t smart up to your little concealed radio.
Yeah, the pig slaughter was pretty bad, and the smell was indeed the worst I’ve ever encountered. Can’t imagine what doing that day after day would be like.
They never discovered my radio, but I only used it at that one guard post, the haunted one. It seems even ghosts are frightened by the sound of Ron Stewart’s “happy birthday”.
[quote=“Poagao”]
I’m the author of Counting Mantou as well as the “News from the Renegade Province” section of Taiwanease, and I’m also the washtub bass player in the Muddy Basin Ramblers, and the guy who did the Lady X thing a while back. [/quote]
That thing you wrote about foreigners changing street signs in Gaoxiong made me laugh really, really hard. None of my english-speaking Taiwanese friends or friends back home seemed to get why I thought it was so funny. 
Thanks for making me laugh.
-arion
[quote=“arion”][quote=“Poagao”]
I’m the author of Counting Mantou as well as the “News from the Renegade Province” section of Taiwanease, and I’m also the washtub bass player in the Muddy Basin Ramblers, and the guy who did the Lady X thing a while back. [/quote]
That thing you wrote about foreigners changing street signs in Gaoxiong made me laugh really, really hard. None of my english-speaking Taiwanese friends or friends back home seemed to get why I thought it was so funny.
Thanks for making me laugh.
-arion[/quote]
I second that, arion. Wholeheartedly.
Poagao, I think you forgot a few more: You’re also a very talented photographer, with probable the best set of night pics of Taipei anyone has made AND a movie director AND one of the most unpretentious people I’ve met!
I’m not sure about that tub thing, though :s . But hey, if that weird Scotsman is allowed to play whatever instrument, then why shouldn’t you!
Oh yeah poagao, I must admit I did not make it thru all your nighttime photos, however the ones I saw were poster quality. Is the resolution good enough?
Also, do you know that you were the first forumosan I met in real life at what was then the oriented happy hours.
Post some more, you are actually missed.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But take away all that talent and intelligence and then what have you got?
Irishstu, probably.
[quote=“Stray Dog”]Yeah, yeah, yeah. But take away all that talent and intelligence and then what have you got?
Irishstu, probably.[/quote]
You’d have to take away a lot more than that to get IrisHstu.
And add some smelly socks or something else smelly.
I wondered if Mr. Lin ever met any Taiwanese people who had basically grown up in the States and then got here and had to do the Army service, while he was serving his time. Is there anything mentioned in the book?
It seems ever worse almost…you grow up American, you’re only now learning about the culture,you can not speak Mandarin, but at the same time nobody seems to notice it because you pretty much look like you fit in.
Plus, did he have to go back for those one week or two weeks training camps after leaving the Army? I was kind of freaked out to hear about those!
[quote=“the chief”][quote=“Poagao”]It wasn’t all bad, Mr. He. Parts of it were quite interesting. The mountains of Miaoli aren’t the worst of places to spend time, and as (at that time) just about every male had to do military service, it was a great way to get more into the Taiwanese mindset.
Plus I had an M16 of my wery own.[/quote]
How does
“This is my rifle
This is my gun
This is for killing
This is for fun”
translate?[/quote]
我有兩隻槍
長短不一樣
長的打共匪
短的打姑娘
Good one, Lupillus. I think I’ve heard it before, but I’d forgotten. They were getting rid of all the gongfei references in the songs when I was in, so maybe they discouraged that as well.
I never met any “Taiwanese people who had grown up in the States” in the military. I gather most of them make arrangements so that they won’t have to do their service. I did know one guy from Indonesia, though. I never did any reserve duty, but I would have welcomed a change of pace from office life for a week or so. Reserve duty isn’t difficult, as they only have you for a week so why bother with all the BS? They just take classes and do basic training stuff.
I should probably tell you that, despite this thread, if I were really any good at any of those things I’d actually be making real money from it. I can’t believe my sparkling personality hasn’t helped me in this regard, but there you have it.
[quote=“lupillus”] translate?
我有兩隻槍
長短不一樣
長的打共匪
短的打姑娘[/quote]
Superb!
HG
Great thread. Almost every post made me want to quote it (except stray dog’s ).
Among other things the compositions you choose in your photographs and film are excellent.
Now when is the damn movie coming out? We all want to throw stuff when sandman is on screen (ala Rocky Horror). 
I had to do my army, but luckily I can speak mandarin. Problem is alot of people dont speak mandarin, they speak this weird taiwanese dialect and it somehow offends them if they had to speak mandarin.
rahimiii-
please tell more. when i live in rural hualian county there were quite a few folks who refused to speak mandarin. please share details with us regarding the “home folks” refusal to speak “chinese”.
thanks
[quote=“skeptic yank”]rahimiii-
please tell more. when i live in rural Hualian county there were quite a few folks who refused to speak Mandarin. please share details with us regarding the “home folks” refusal to speak “chinese”.
thanks[/quote]
I would like to know more too, I know some old guys can’t speak mandarin but some folks just refuse to speak mandarin even if they know it… they seem to see it as a dirty language. I just cant understand it myself either.