2008 Enter South Korea Leave Taiwan
I am in the Taiwan Airport, an airport that will make sure you know you do not speak or read Chinese.
I will get on a China Air flight from Taiwan to Seoul in about 30 minutes, I had a good time in Taiwan.
South Korea will be a new country for me, I have not been there before, and number 78.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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It will be interesting in Korea, from studying the maps in the PDF Lonely Planet chapter on Seoul, it appears that there are more travelers and tourist in Korea. I have decided to get off at the Anguk Metro stop and find a room when I get there, I just could not trust clearly any of the comments I read in the book or in WikiTravel.org to get a reservation. I despise reservation and always think of getting reservations as a great way to,
“Reserve a crappy room.”
I now know on the map four Hostels or Hotels to visit, and I suspect that are many more. I will arrive around noon, so plenty of time to find the ideal Hobo Hideout for me. The four I know of must all be with in sight of each other, and this make life good when looking for a Travel Room.
I almost refuse to arrive in a country in the afternoon or evening, it is just too silly of a move.
Note, Korea is supposed to be one of the most Wirelesss Internet connected countries on the planet, I am not sure, but I will give a report soon.
2008 Enter South Korea Leave Taiwan
Advertise in Japan
I am using Google to advertise our Hotel site called HoboHideOut.com in Japan and also China.
I have many experiences with translators and know they are not to be trusted. Heheheh
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Taipei, Taiwan
Saturday, September 20, 2008
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A young man in the TaiwanMex Hostel assisted me in Translating this small advertisement in to the Japanese language.
ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENT
Free Hotel Advertisement
USA Internet Website
Contact American Tourist
JAPANESE ADVERTISMENT
?????????
?????????????????
????????????????
It is a very taxing job, even though the young Japanese man tries to help the best he can, I know I cannot trust his translation fully. He must also understand the intention of my advertisement.
I am a lucky man here, I can feel and see in the person eyes if they understand me, I instinctually know how close they are too a good translation.
I know this one is only about 70 percent conveying my intentions, so I still need to refine the advertisement and test it until I achieves my goal.
This is the job of a marketing perfectionist, a truly difficult to accomplish task, to advertise cost effectively in a second language.
Advertise in Japan
Five Anthropology Students and Andy
I met last night with Mira of Ladythetramp.com, I met her before with Wade of VagabondJourney.com in Guatemala.
Mira is studying something about religions and related to Anthropology here in Taiwan, she is with four other students who are "something Anthropology."
Go and read Mira's blog, she has a good perspective about the world and does not try to elevate this perspective above reality. LadytheTramp.com
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Taipei, Taiwan
Friday, September 19, 2008
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The word “Anthropology” is an annoying word to me, I truly can never get my mind around what is means, and it there is indeed really a person that is entitled to be called an “Anthropologist.”
Too funny, I was just reading about “Cultural Anthropology” on WikiPedia.org, the online Encyclopedia when it said,
“Cultural anthropology is one of four fields of anthropology (the holistic study of humanity) as it developed in the United States. It is the branch of anthropology that has developed and promoted "culture" as a meaningful scientific concept, studied cultural variation among humans, and examined the impact of global economic and political processes on local cultural realities.”
I think this is my problem with the word “Anthropology.” I am not sure the study of Anthropology even twinges up close to be a true science, more to me a group of people who go to coffee shops and like to talk about subjects they know very little about, however find interesting.
Think about it, I have been to 77 countries and stayed in each country from 1-2 two months minimum and in reality a lot longer. Not many people on the planet can talk in specifics about 77 cultures, with a ton of life experiences under my belt.
What there is in life are many students of Anthropology and a many a teacher, and a sincere lacking in Anthropologist who visit and learn about the cultures of countries. How do you talk about culture or a society when you cannot compare it to many others and know the classroom more than the country?
Well, I had an enjoyable evening discussing some cultural aspects of the world, this groups of student studying something to do with Anthropology were a great study of humans. There were from age 20-23 maybe, and all from the USA, a nice groups, and a culture I understand well, however we share very little in common values and culture as I have drifted far away into the sea of other cultures.
Trying to understand the word the term Mira used to described me, as her interpretation of how I affected this group. As she walked me to the bus, she said,
“You Rock them.”
I thought, hmm, interesting slang that truly is not very descriptive, however from and USA point of view, I do understand a little in a truly unclear and vague way.
American people have had their hamstrings cut mentally, emotionally and culturally by the USA culture. They have become incapable of open minded, objective, true and real understanding of other cultures. They have read so many starry eyes, love story Anthropology stories, the spin has become more important then truth and reality.
Ergo. I rock them, because I am sure I give the unedited, Non politically correct interpretations with no pretty wrappings, just reality as I see it and I believe know it.
Most people in life read about planet earth, very few people leave their own cultural cocoon and go out and live on planet earth.
In a way, I think the true study of other cultures is a solo act, I feel that Anthropology should concentrate on teaching the methodology of studying culture and stop having all these insanely stupid classed explaining the cultures. I want more people out studying and experiencing the real cultures and less people listening in a classroom.
Note, I find is culturally humorous that they all ended up talking in an expensive coffee shop similar to Starbucks more like the USA, and less like Asia.
We leave our own cultures and go searching American culture in other countries, the reason why the hamstring of Americans are culturally cut. The world live in a comfort zone of their own culture and refuse to leave the comfort zone, only want to peer out through the doors and windows to observe, too afraid to get dirty outside the classroom.
I did learn a funny phrase, "Yellow Fever," one of the girls seems to have Yellow Fever, this is when a person finds the Yellow colored skin of Asians attractive and normally goes and has sex with them.
ANTHROPOLOGY
Africa Cultural Anthropology Research
Africa Cultural Immersion
Anthro.Net Research Engine Anthropology and Archaeology
Anthropology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cultural anthropology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cultural Stages of Togo Homes
Culture
Customs of
Ethnographic realism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethnography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethnography
Hidden Treasure of Atakpame Togo
Intercultural Competence
Making a Record of a Culture
Margaret Mead - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mockery
One Dominant Female
Primitive and Uncivilized
Privilege
The 16th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences
Togo Culture Identifiers
Walk a Mile in my Shoes
Five Anthropology Students and Andy
What would you do if you was a millionaire?
Skype.com has lead me to believe the majority of my friends in the USA are incredibly poor, they really live under great hardship.
I can call the USA for 2 cents US per minute, this is cheap, therefore in the last year I have slowly tried to call old friends.
I am truly worried for their happiness,
“They have no time.”
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Taipei, Taiwan
Friday, September 19, 2008
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I sometimes believe I must be one of the richest men on the planet.
What would you do if you was a millionaire?
Well, I suppose you would say,
Not work.
Travel
Enjoy Life
Buy a Boat
Etc.
Well, what about time, would you buy yourself some time?
I have an over-abundance of time, I have time to sit around and watch TV, I can read a book, I can also get on the Skype.com telephone and try to call my friends.
I am always sad when I make a great effort to contact all my friends, I continually discover all my old friends are drastically poor.
They have no time, they have not worked hard enough to enjoy their lives, all they do is work work work and never have a moments breath to stop and relax.
I enjoy doing projects, and I have about 20 actively projects I work on from Malnutrition to working on my huge web sites. However, none of these project has any big priority levels. If I do nothing today, tomorrow and the next day nothing will change much, the project will still be there, and I will still be hanging around.
I am a rich man.
I have the gift of time.
What would you do if you was a millionaire?
The Fundamentals of the Economy are Sound
Hmm, I keep dwelling on this statement, I heard it from Obama and McCain in sound bites the last few days.
I think the problems is this, it has nothing to do with business,
“The Fundamentals of people are wrong.”
The economy of any country is about the people...
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Taipei, Taiwan
Friday, September 19, 2008
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I would say the problems is more about
“Moral Bankruptcy.”
We are in a world where fame, prestige, cleverness to earn money in any way is applauded and where just being a good person is considered being stupid.
The Fundamentals of the Economy are Sound
Live and Left Live Policy
I learned many years ago, I have zero responsibility for how another person lives their life. I also know I have no responsibility for the feeling of others, that is 100 percent their job, it is not truly possible to offend others, they offend themselves.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Friday, September 19, 2008
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I suppose in a live and let live policy stance we just keep our mouths shut so there is no backlash if we do open our mouths. I know the road of least of resistance is to not criticize or give opinions. Then if I am to criticize make sure everyone is already in agreement on the complaint, where by I am not criticizing, I am just agreeing.
I have truly been enjoying how everyone in the USA is blaming everyone else for all the problems of the world. I think we need to sent them all to a 12-step program, they would all be getting some harsh reality thrown in their faces.
“You cannot make another person responsible for your life.”
- The government is not responsible for my money, I am.
- The president is not responsible for my life.
- The price of oil is not controlled by one person
- A war is not fought by one person
- I would guess 50 percent of Wall Street are Democrats.
Too funny, maybe the whole world is dysfunctional, and truly being a functional, reasonable, and responsible human is abnormal.
Live and Left Live Policy
Rice Cooker
If I had a house, I would buy a rice cooker. Here are a couple of photos from inside the TaiwanMex. They have a rice cooker in the building I am in and almost daily cook rice.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Thursday, September 18, 2008
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Rice is the staple food of the majority of the planet, I often tell people in Asia,
“I do not eat rice, it would make me small.”
Many a small person on the planet eat rice, that correlation makes me nervous…. Hehehe
Ok, Rice is boring to eat, about as bland and tasteless as you can get, however it is make the perfect medium to add many flavoring. I have been on strict diet, no hot and spicy this or that, no adding pepper, no adding anything tasty, so trust me plain rice is boring.
I do eat chicken fried rice, however I do not add anything to my foods now, so the spice is gone.
This is a rice cooker, at least they call it a rice cooker, it works sort of like a crock pot, however not the same. It has all the insulation, however must have some sensors to stop it when finished.
Ok, they put the rice in this big steal pot, then put the pot inside the crock like cooker, I believe they put water in the bottom also. The steam boils off, yet does not leave the container, so it more or less stays in like a crock pot, however slowly evaporates away until the rice is dry and not soggy.
There are many types of rice, more than I can possibly explain or have a desire a desire to explains. Rice is boring, however the ways they grow rice and cook and serve rice is interesting.
Note, I truly believe the growing of rice is unnatural, they have turned the whole world into a pond thereby increasing the water surface of the planet by maybe 10 percent.
RICE
Batad Rice Terraces
Malaysian Border and Rice Paddies outside of Pak Bara
Rice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rice cooker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rice Lakes
System of Rice Intensification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thailand Rice
Thailand Sticky Rice
Rice Cooker
My Instinctual Feel on the Economy of USA
I for a few year have felt nervous about the way the world views money, investments and their future. It feels like a gnawing thought trying to push it way to the surface of my mind.
There is something critically wrong about the way people spend money.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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The majority of people appear as if they had 100 dollars in coins walking around in casino full of slot machines, because they have the coins, they fell they need to spend them.
I used to think up until a couple of weeks ago, that the majority of people budgeted their money and used it wisely. I now believe the whole herd of people spend all the money they have, save almost nothing and when they invest, it is only with the dream of becoming rich.
Money is meant to be used to enjoy life, however this paycheck to paycheck lifestyle is really boring.
I live inside a tourist bubble, I see the spending habits of people, I rarely see one person who says no to any purchase, people do not have the abilty to say no.
Hmm, trying to think of a good example.
Maybe this is a good explanation, I am often in Airports, there are many people walking around who maybe are hungry. I would say,
“The food here is too expensive.”
They would say,
“I have to eat.”
I would say,
“No you do not, you just think you have too.”
There is no ability of normal people to budget, if they have the money, they will spend it whatever the cost.
The USA economy presently thrives on the people on a constant splurge, no restraint of their spending, just buy anything and everything they get near too. This is a fragile economy, one good panicky moment and the whole house of cards could fall down. The USA needs it people to spend money like there is no tomorrow, or maybe there is no tomorrow for the economy.
Willpower in life is not about doing something, it is about not doing something.
If people do not work, they go spend money, there is no way the world can go travel for months or years, they would spend all their money too fast, therefore they are doomed to work by the sweat of their brow for the rest of their lives. Then retire and live from pension check to pension check until they die.
My Instinctual Feel on the Economy of USA
