Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Tag: Life

  • Trans-Pacific Adventures


    Connections in Dallas

    I just landed from a three week trip to the USA, taking in Miami and Austin, with brief stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The last time I was here, was right at the end of my Cambridge University masters; and it therefore offers rather a convenient moment of Texan-style punctuation from which to reflect and digest.

    What a long way I have come. The first time was trans-Atlantic with nothing more than a backpack, a Greyhound ticket via San Antonio, a whim and perhaps a prayer. The next was trans-Pacific, taking in a global design conference, and with an extended stay at the Austin mothership, visiting colleagues that have become firm friends. I have, geographically-speaking at least, come full circle.

    It also allows me to look at my Asian experience and life through a different, Americana, lens. I am positive I could feel myself being ‘reculturalized’ (as our resident Cuban, Pedro, so eloquently puts it) back to Western ways in a way I did not feel when returning to Blighty, perhaps because I am on holiday when I head back there. It’s a good feeling to head back to the office with a bit more confrontational spirit and less of the passive-aggressiveness reticence.

    Usually, I enjoy writing these blog posts on the way through the trip. I think I felt some mild feeling of vertigo, however, as I imagined a virtual life in the USA, and re-imagined my Asian life; which felt more like a daydream, frankly – Kyoto to Taipei to Shanghai to Miami to Texas … what a head spin!

    Jet lag is oozing from every pore of my being right now … time to sort out some photos, unpack and have a coffee. Good to be back to the daydream!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • 30

    http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=70933

    Blimey … I am 30!

    And you know what? It feels pretty good. This is in no small part due to the amazing efforts of my friends, especially Abe who put quite some effort into setting things up, and Tanja & Michael who jetted over from Hong Kong to join us. Biking, partying, eating and hot springing – just like the old days! Cheers everyone; it was magic.


    Tanja approaches with caution


    Cables haven’t moved.


    Preening and Prodding


    The coolest old man.


    Perspectives.


    Changing Rooms


    Feet.

    As you might notice from the box at the top, I am also jumping into Flickr, after years of not really diving into it. The new camera rather warrants more than 410 pixel-wide images. Speaking of which, it is becoming increasingly clear that I might need to think about transitioning to a new format that supports better photos. I’ll need to give that some thought.

    More birthday photos and videos on the way, as I sort them out.

    Come check out Jonathan Biddle on Flickr!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Ele-vation

    Well, here I am back in my favourite blogging spot, Hong Kong airport, and it makes me realise that I have not been giving as much time of late to tapping away at the keyboard – or this keyboard at least.

    It’s probably quite dull to read that it has been a busy couple of months – yeah it is, Jonathan – but here I am at the start of July and heading back for my sister’s wedding! Blam. The thing on the fringe of my radar has run up and slapped me in the face. Well, I am more than certain this week will be simply magic. I have oodles of good food, drink and people lined up, some introduction to wakeboarding that I am sure will fill my sister with glee when she sees me smash into the water, and catching up with several dozen family members that I have not seen in … wow … quite a few years. It should be bloody marvellous.

    The next post will be from ground level, staring at clouds from the garden, French beer stubby in hand. Roll on CX 255!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • FOUR Years in Taiwan

    Four years in Taiwan … boy how time flies when you are having fun (mostly).

    People often ask me ‘why did I come to Taiwan?’ and it is a pretty good question. A yearning to see the world? Seeking a full pay backpacking adventure perhaps. Heading for the biggest Time magazine trend of the century in Asia and China – almost certainly.

    It certainly seems to be working out pretty well so far, despite my frustrations and occasional bouts of uncertainty. I arrived not knowing if I could even stick it as a designer with a capital ‘D’, and I am now Industrial Design manager at Dell … and hell, I was running the design team of the highest-profile bureau on the island. My Chinese, although stuttery, is still improving, and I am living in the hottest street in Taipei. That’s … pretty good, yeah?

    But still … I am camping just the same as at university (okay okay, I have a nicer bike and computer now) and I am not that settled yet. But perhaps I haven’t been since the day I left for Glasgow in 1998 (was that really ten years ago?). Wow. Is that a long time or just a drop in the pan? Am I ahead or behind? Or should I stop struggling and just enjoy it a bit more?

    The new job is making me feel pretty good about things. I am cycling to work each day and getting into the hills most weekends. Cooking more and more. Enjoying some of the good things. Still single – and that is grating, I do have to admit. 29 eh, old boy? Its been a roller-coaster nine years since the front number ticked around in Glasgow, but hey – wow.

    And my Sis? Getting married this year! Puts things in perspective.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Dell Design

    Here I am after my first week as Industrial Design Manager at Dell … I am completely shattered right now, but more as a result of two cats moaning outside my window at stupid o’clock in the morning last night.

    It’s been a crazy busy few weeks and I have some serious catching up to do with friends and family back home – so, sorry if I seem to be neglecting some of you – you are all seriously on my mind … Joanne and Ele especially!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Chance of Rain : 100%

    Well, it’s been raining for about two weeks now, and I tentatively opened the Taiwan Weather Bureau site to check for the upcoming weekend, and was met with a blank stare of more rain. Fantastic. Except for Friday, where it seems we simply have slightly less rain. For some reason, my memory has blanked any similar periods of such weather, but checking back through the ‘Weather‘ tags I see I am wrong, and indeed Taiwan has endured similarly mind-numbingly dull periods of atmospheric activity.

    If you ask me, someone should do something like this. It’s effecting my mood, and I spend most of last week nursing a cold, which was inflated to epic proportions by the stress at the end of the week and another car crash of a WeiYa. I think I can cling on though – this time next week I will be in Thailand caressing Margaritas and raising a glass / middle finger to Taiwan. It can’t come too soon.


    Not so much a weather report, as just coloring in.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Taiwan 2008


    Bright things

    Life in the Business Class lane is not quite as exciting when you exit the Cathay Pacific Lounge elevator and walk into a faithful reproduction of a Travel Lodge breakfast buffet, complete with litter, cheap pot noodles and a faint whiff of very British 1950s apathy. No problem, I think, two hours to wait and I have a nice stack of photos to sift through, ready for blogging. Aha, but in Heathrow – surely the world’s most hated airport – you have to pay for the privelege of bits of data, even in Business Class. Luckily, they have provided a few terminals for their patrons, but in true British style half refuse to connect to the internet, and only sit their taunting fresh people when they come in and sit down.

    The remaining working computers are manned by a small team of children that are carefully dismantling the keyboards, and it is in this light that I levered one away from bashing away at an inane Java-based computer game and got on with the important task of writing this post. He is probably crying now but I don’t really care.

    What to say? Well, two marvellously empty weeks in the UK, seeing close friends and family and generally enjoying being ill in the company of my wonderful mother. “Would you like a hot chocolate, dear?” …. “Yes” I croak. It has been what I needed – the last months of 2007 were not optimum and I resolve to change one or two elements of my life to calm things down and generally enjoy things as they come. It is simply not worth careering down a tunnel of work-related stress if it really does end up in permanent injury. Luckily, it seems I have escaped anything too much to worry about, but it did put the willies up me, I tell you.

    And today – today! – Mum, Dad and I headed down for the coast of Essex and found just the most amazing fish restaurant in the Northern Hemisphere. When people talk about ‘getting back to our roots’, ‘eating local’ amd ‘seasonal vegetables’, forget all the bullshit from Tesco’s Finest and open restaurants that have great fish and ingredients, freshly picked, caught or slaughtered, and furnish the restaurant with as diverse range of people as possible – hopefully including some posh yachties, local Asbos with a love of oysters, and make them sit together. Marvellous. And rather like Taiwan!

    Anyway – enough of my wordy words. Perhaps I will read a book, or have some more tiny complimentary cans of orange juice from the Little Chef buffet bar.


    Ahoy!


    Some of the local industry has seen better days, sadly


    Mud, glorious mud


    Mum dishes out the bread


    Reflecting on things


    Keeping things on an even keel (yeah yeah sorry)


    Destiny!


    Delish!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Jonny the Voodoo Doll

    I have never had migraine in my life before very recently, but in the last month and a half I have been having about one per week. I think this might be related to sleep and being anxious about one or two rather big things, but it is still unsettling when a machine (my head) suddenly starts developing a problem it never had before.

    My Chinese teacher, Austin, suggested that she take me to see an Acupuncture specialist, and after a dizzy day of taking drugs prescribed last week, I packed myself into a taxi and out through the crappy weather. What she did not tell me, until afterwards, is that she has never had Acupuncture, and now I know why!

    The guy was really friendly and listened to my problems. We both agreed that much is probably sleep related, so he took my pulse, poked me a bit and came up with a programme for me.

    Now, this is the first time I have had Acupuncture. I am not particularly scared of needles, but of course what they neglect to tell you is that in every case they are trying to find the nerve. It’s quite difficult to fully describe what the sensation is like, but I suppose it is a mixture of electric shock, and someone attempting to pull out your nervous system through a small hole.

    In my case, I had four needles inserted, and every few minutes he would come in to twang and twist them, punishing me for sins I have yet to commit. Lord know what my friend Nick must feel when he has has fourteen inserted to treat his gut problems. It was painful enough when I simply moved my hand, so I hate to think what it must feel like in the event of an earthquake, with all the needles hitting your pressure points in unison.

    I am now pretty sure that the logic behind Acupuncture is basically scare your body into not having the problem again, but I have to say that after the event, if not exactly refreshed, I feel relaxed. Quite literally, I wonder if it is like pressing the reset switch and ‘flashing’ the memory.


    Prick.


    These ones hurt less.


    Pin cushion.


    This one was exceptionally painful. Twisted nerve.


    This one was painful in ways I can hardly describe. My hole body reeling in agony… and I was just so close to kicking the doctor in the face! Next time.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Moving House

    Hopefully, in the coming days, life can return to something resembling normal. As soon as I landed, the race was on to pack my stuff up and move the mile or so down to Abe’s place near the Zhongxiao / Dunhua intersection. As ever, moving was a stress and had mutiple unforeseen hassles, so I cannot imagine how Jade did it. Twice.

    Moving by itself is already quite a strain, but this pressure was exacerbated by the lack of foresight and consideration of my previous landlords. We told them that Saturday was the big day, so I was more than a little perturbed to arrive home one lunch time to find a team of betelnut munching workmen tearing the place apart, sanding walls and drilling holes. It almost goes without saying (except, clearly, to my landlord) that there was dust everywhere, and a disgusting, grimy layer of residue sat on all of my belongings, rendering my Mac, cameras, furniture, clothes, bed sheets and photographs all, well, disgusting. If they had only waited 48 hours – clearly too long – they would have had the place to themselves. But no. In their worldview turning the apartment into a tip is appropriate. Good riddance!

    Anyway, I am now sitting drinking a victory beer in the venerable PS: Cafe and feeling rather better. There is still a load of setting up and wiping down of my stuff, but things are rather more manageable now – maybe it is just the beer kicking in.

    And tonight, Jade and I head south to enjoy the long weekend (Mid-Autumn festival) and escape the bullshit. Can’t wait.


    View Larger Map

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Coffee Time

    I have just been sitting in the garden sipping on coffee that has been sitting in my room for eight years. That might not sound too apetising, but this bag of powder was bought from downtown Havana on my first really big solo adventure at the end of the first year of university.


    Cuppa Castro

    For some reason, I never opened the pack, but in the gradual clear-out of my room, I decided it was taking up space on the shelf, when it really should be drunk. Mum and I sniffed it for a while, deciding it smelled like weak chocolate powder – but Dad downed it in the way that only someone with an asbestos-lined throat could and seemed to enjoy it.

    Sitting in the garden, it’s really amazing to look back at that first trip and work out the events that lead up to it. Traveling by myself down to Grenoble for a skiing holiday … having a family member like Nigel around who was impossibly cosmopolitan and dashing … adventurous holidays with the Biddles … it all adds up to me flying ‘back to Mordor’ tonight on the red-eye express.

    It’s just the most amazing thing to look back at the first days in Taiwan, backpack barely loaded and without a clue of what to expect. And here I am, returning to Taipei and ready to move house, downtown and inspired and energised by a couple of meetings earlier this week that really reminded me that what I was doing is special, and that many people that I have a great deal of respect in want to hear about.

    It’s not easy living out east, on the edge of your motivation and on the limits of your personality, but I think I return this time with a touch more maturity and the ability to look back at something that I have built. And for that reason I think that gives me more optimism and resolve for the future.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…