Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Tag: Shilin

  • The Daily Commute


    My daily commute

    I wanted to put some effort into logging some of my (now) more mundane activites, which upon reflection may not be so standard for you folks back home. For those that do not know, I scooter to work each day on my trusty ‘Duke’ and this is one of the places where the lights catch me each day for a couple of minutes. It is in these minutes that I sometimes get a bolt from the blue reminding me that I am in the South China Sea – particularly when I pause below the Grand Hotel near to my office. Still an arresting site, even after so much time here.

    One thing that I have realised is that my life back home is as exotic for the locals as it is the other way around. So many assumptions and stereotypes have been squashed by by time here … and an equal number reinforced! And it is of course funny to talk to them to hear what their views on what our lives are like back in Europe.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Fortune Telling

    A great weekend!

    Amongst other nice things, I met Anita from Hong Kong and her friend. I took the time to take them to Shilin night market where we sampled foods, had portraits cut with scissors and where I was persuaded me to get my fortune told.

    The Hong Kong guys, and their first time in Shilin night market

    Usually, I am quite against these things – astrology, palm reading and so on – but in the spirit of hosting I agreed. The system is uninteligible in its entirety, but there was certainly plenty of mysterious clicking and shouting numbers and important looking magnets. Suitably impressed, I sat back, taking my palms with me, and waited to listen to the outcome.


    The fortune telling system – I won’t pretend I can explain it

    I am fairly sure this is really supposed to be a secret, but if you don’t tell anyone I won’t either…

    The crux of the conclusion is that I am descended from Aliens and it is they that are guiding me through my life. It also explains any particular special powers that I have, such as the ability to read people’s minds’, which will look great on my resumé. Enthralled, I listened to the man speak – though I have to be honest and admit that Anita did the translating. Finally, he recommended that I take a trip to Egypt at some point in the future to reconnect with the beings.


    Their deity / lead priest / boss. A scary child – boy or girl!?


    Anita and I after a few beers at Rich’s studio

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Starcatcher


    Smoking stack

    The Taipei city council are a resourceful lot. Not only do they build a rubbish incinerator, but they heat a swimming pool from the excess energy. Not content with limiting themselves to mere swimming, they also saw fit to mount a revolving restaurant to the top of the multi-coloured chimney stack.

    Link to Starcatcher

    Thus, when eating here the stench of rubbish and diesel from the legions of trucks complements the sophisticated atmosphere and forceful service.

    I also met a couple of new designers – Wouter from Holland and Nik… from London! Yeah, another Brit dude to complement myself, James and Dean. We are catching up with those pesky Germans, finally.


    Getting wasted with the boys

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Kyle’s ‘home party’

    Kyle had a house warming party to show off his new apartment. It was easily the most impressive and well designed place I have seen in Taiwan so far, and certainly had a toilet with a fantastic panorama view over the mountains and Taipei. As is standard for a Friday night, however, the party started at 7:00, the locals arrive soon after and eat all the food, then we arrive at 9:30 just as they are leaving as a big group. It’s always the same! Why?!

    Still, we stayed and chilled out, and I met Fabian – Marta’s ex from Poland (cool glasses).


    Fabian, the telly (which stayed on through the whole party until we arrived), Marta and myself on the phone to July


    Who is looking at whom? Oh my God! – Michael has the same haircut!


    Blending

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Chinese New Year Party (to end them all)

    Asus held a truly astonishing Chinese New Year party for every one of its employees from all the sites in Taiwan. Figures ranging from 4,000 to 13,000 were mentioned – I am not really sure myself, but it was really cool to be lumped in with senior management, the Thai factory girls (some of which were frighteningly attractive) and so many Chinese people celebrating. It was held in one of the local schools near my house under a huge tent, and the cooking logistics were frightening.

    It is traditional to have a large number of prizes given away. We had about 6 cars, dozens of notebook computers and other Asusish things plus quintillions of NT$ worth of Carrefour vouchers. Can you imagine winning 100,000 NT$ in supermarket vouchers? That is about 3200 US$ ! Lots of Brie.

    This went on for some … time. In between the bedlam of people winning prizes, there was plenty of entertainment on tap, including our directors singing some songs in Drag, dressing up as a boy band, a truly awful German magician (who is for some reason head of Fujitsu Taiwan) and lots and lots and lots of Thai dancers with feathers and lasers from the factories.

    The food was not too bad, but of the soup and steamed things variety. The highlight of the evening was the lobster. I am sure that in Europe we would dress the lobster with, say, a nice crunchy salad, or maybe a light sauce. Here? Here it is dressed with tri-colour LEDs …. !


    “Zulus … Thousands of ’em” (and check out the bamboo roof structure)


    Truly impressive levels of investments in the employee’s entertainment


    The locals are so easily entertained


    The food, ready for delivery


    The lobsters, ready to roll (and notice the school running track and steam cookers in the background)

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Christmas in Taipei

    The Taiwanese really dig Christmas. I think it gives them an extra excuse to go shopping and certainly to decorate everything with more flashing LEDs. This is the local shop of lights – at any time of the year you will find appropriate lighting systems for Halloween, Chinese New Year, Christmas… or for any family occasion that requires a high degree of fire risk. Observe the restrained point of sale display.



    A world of lights

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Glas Vegas

    Robin Smith from 4C Design in Glasgow visited for an evening – an old friend off my university course, PDE at the Glasgow School of Art. He was doing business in Taichung and swung by on his way home. It was a real pleasure to see him and we had some good fun.

    He had visited Taipei before, visiting Tim (also from Glasgow) when he was designing here. I persuaded him to wear his kilt and we headed off to Shilin night market. We got some good food (although we got shouted at for not finishing i!t – food is seen as more precious here) and had plenty of photos taken of us, or at least Robin, as young girls came bouncing up to have their tourist photos taken with him.



    The Glen of Tranquility

    Many people were pretty amazed by the kilt, but I think there are so many whities in Taipei these days that they are less fazed. Still, cool to have these girls running up to us! No complaints.

    Markus had his Betel Nut party which was great fun. Plenty of fun and drinking and Robin got a great reception. Markus had done an amazing job of decking the place out and had put little packages of presents in Betel Nut packages – very cute. Our Taiwanese colleagues were on good form, though they really regard Betel chewing as a lower class activity – only Fukan admitted that his dad ate them. I think there is a real desire to move up the class structure, in the same way as 1950s Britain, perhaps.

    In typical Weegie-style Robin challenged Mike and his friend to a Ryder Cup of drinking – USA V EU, downing pints in a small boat race. Anke started our team off, but did not realise we had started so we had alot of ground to make up! Luckily, she did her job, Robin did a strong middle leg and I managed to deliver a victory, with enough time to see the Americans choke on their juice. What can I say? Those years of training have paid off.



    Fallout



    Yi-Ju and I rocking out with face paints



    Anke ‘Betel Pimp’ Schabuschabu, Jonathan ‘Coughing Tiger’ Biddle, Mike ‘The Lethal Grin’, and Lars ‘Strike a Pose’ Torkhul



    I can see you!



    Robin and I went out later on the hunt for a late bar or club, but we got dumped in the middle of nowhere by an embarrassed cabbie, then we could not get into Luxy (though it was 4:30 in the morning!). Here is me with my street drinking Bar Beer.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Chilin in Shilin

    I had a quiet weekend (relatively speaking) and saw the Bienniel at the Contemporary Art Museum. I was quite impressed, and I plan to go back to catch the permanent exhibits as well. The building is pretty mental, in a modern Taiwanese mentally modern way. I’ll take some shots and you can judge for yourselves.

    On the way home I swung by Shilin night market and took some shots of the food area. It is an amazing place, truly, and at the heart of Taiwanese culture (ie: food) . My favourites tonight inclide this mini shrimp fishing zone. You may have seen my first shrimp fishing effort… if not, go here.



    As before, the general idea is to tempt the shrimps with tasty morsels of liver and shrimp babies, then you whip ’em out, ram a stick up their back-side, and burn them alive until cooked well.

    Doing a quick zoom in on the background you can see the kid fishing for something a little different … turtles. They each have a paper clip attached to their back (held on with some alarmingly-coloured tape) and the guys ‘fish’ for them with magnets … not quite sure if this is in the spirit of things, or if good old dynamite would be fairer. I will have to ask the guys at work on Monday if people eat the things… after going to Longshan market I know they do quite a bit more.



    Ninja Turtles



    And a quick one of a lady cooking oysters in a sort of Omelette – quite tasty.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Bright Lights of Taipei

    This week I have made a concerted effort to get back into exercise – it is too easy on this island to slip into a routine of staying until ever more impossible hours at the office.

    Tonight, while riding on my way home from the gym at work I spotted an old man selling disco lights by the side of the freeway. I had to stop, and to make it extra-Taiwanese the Lau Ban got on the phone as soon as I turned up.



    Disco Fever

    It also reminds me of a couple of other recent photos, or at least June! These are from near my house where a guy was selling lamps on the street.



    ‘Ave you got a light, boy?

    And finally, a rather nice effect outide on of my local bars along Jhongshan N Road (Bat 75).



    Happy trees

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Birds of a Feather

    Just a strange photo of a bike carrying pigeons – surely on the way to slaughter!

    The range of strange motorcycle – related vehicles you see over here is incredible. Everyday the ride to work yields another permutation on what is seen as possible to carry on a 150cc bike. I’ll gather together the images over the next few weeks and show them off… they even extend to mini sized Harley Davidsons.

    I have heard a story from one of my friends that he saw a scooter with a passenger on the back holding a medical drip in the air as they rode along – with the ambulance in the background syuck in traffic. It is common to see gas cylinders attached to motorbikes being transported to customers, families of 4 (plus dog), food vending stalls mounted on the back…. and so on. And of course the fork lift trucks on the motorway. Anyway – here is the first of the images:

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…