They are nearly here.   I can honestly say I am relieved this event is almost started (and finished).   If you don’t know about the World games, the can be looked at as the bastard son of the Olympics and contains an assortment of pseudo-sports.   Have you ever played tchoukball?  Tried your hand at korfball? I think korfball will stump even the best of you.  There are, however, some more normal sports mixed into the medley backyard games.   Softball and racquetball are included.

I’ll admit it does have some cool sports as well.  It has a martial arts division, as well as tug of war, bowling adn billiards. I am all for sports where you can drink a six-pack and become better at it.  And by the way, I will be glued to the sumo wrestling component.

Kaoshiung has undergone a great transformation in advance of the games, so make sure to go if you can.  I know it won’t make upo for all of the traffic you had to wait in for the past 5 years but I know you’ll take comfort in knowing that other foreigners won’t have any idea about the crap that was there before.

For more information about the games, check out their website or jump straight to the important stuff:

Taiwan World Games 2009 Schedule

A list of included sports

World games 2009 venues

Info for those wishing to get tickets and what not

Their main website

Come out and celebrate the release of SEASIDE CARAVAN, the much-anticipated second full-length album from THE RISING HEDONS (mixed and mastered by Bruce A. Miller (White Stripes, Miles Davis etc) and with mixes from Grammy Award Winner Charles Dye) The album will be available at the show and at http://www.therisinghedons.com/ on July 10th.

FRIDAY, JULY 10TH, 2009 - 10PM - 89K

idPRODUCTIONS will be releasing their video for the song MONEY from SEASIDE CARAVAN! You can check it out for the first time on A HUGE SCREEN inside the club at MIDNIGHT!

THREE! HD Cameras will capture the night! Dress to impress and be a part of Taiwan Rock & Roll history! Live DVD to be released later next year.

BIG SHINY LIGHTS AND LOTS OF THEM! The orange box is gonna sparkle on Friday, July 10th! Bring your dancing shoes and party all night!

================

THE DEATH OF ROCK AND ROLL – LIVE AT 89K - 21 DaGuan RD 大觀路21號
First Band at 10PM

Featuring:

THE RISING HEDONS (Their final performance in Taiwan!)
http://www.therisinghedons.com/
The Rising Hedons are genre jumping bohemian minstrels. If you have yet to see this 6-piece monster Rock & Roll band, this is your very last chance!

A couple of weeks after the condom ad we had the apartment building complex shoot.

“Jesus. Why am I a waiter again?” complained Eric while we were on the way.

“It is your fault, you choose to be the waiter in the bar ad,” answered Pierre. “Now you are type-cast. You Americans should understand that principle: all French are arrogant gigolos, and English psychos or gays, no?”

“Hey, less of the gay thing,” interrupted John.

“What are you looking at?” said Pierre, as for a moment we all thought the French stereotype was spot-on.

I continued,“You will always be remembered affectionately as the waiter, dude.”

“Harvard to waiter,” said Eric, “just glad my parents won’t see.”

“Besides, I have to be concert pianist because I can actually play the piano,” said Pierre.

“I don’t think they will require you to play,”said Eric not prepared to give up quite yet.

“No he is right, he has to do it – even if you wear a dinner jacket you will still stink of a baseball cap and trainers. He has the big nose and the stuck up look that is unmistakably European,”said John.

“And you can’t do since no concert pianist ever looked like he can bench press the piano, and will rip it apart with his bare hands if it doesn’t listen,” replied Eric.

“Exactly,” replied John. “That is why I am the gym instructor and lifeguard.”

“Anyway, you know I get the best paid role, because I found the work,” said Pierre who was no doubt thinking we weren’t grateful for the work he had given us.

A few weeks back Pierre had met a girl who was an agent. She asked him if he wanted to pretend to be a French doctor promoting this strange cream that would apparently make your breasts bigger, and he hasn’t looked back since. That was what kept us hanging around with Pierre: he spoke perfect English, his limited Chinese had perfect pronunciation; in short, his extreme confidence seemed to have due cause.

As we arrived at the shoot, I looked up at the name of the apartment complex we were going to do the advert for, ‘Taste of Paris.’That was why I liked the Taiwanese, they weren’t afraid to pander to national stereotypes: If you were selling watches get a picture of a little blonde girl on a mountain; wedding clothes shops were always called Taipei-Paris or Taipei-Rome (which was a bit like saying Paris-Wigan); and, anything to do with engineering, a big fat guy with an over large moustache. Westerners - well, in fact Americans - were regarded as being creative and outgoing and cool, so if they were naming a new restaurant, or bar, or coffee shop and were trying to bring in young hip crowd, they had to call it California Dreaming, or Californian Heaven, or California something… And then you hired a couple of Westerners to hang around pulling exaggerated facial movements (remember all Westerners are very expressive).

In this case, to keep with stereotypes, all new apartment projects had a European architectural theme, and names like “Tuscan Dream” or ‘Bordeaux Chateaus’ to evoke images of European grandeur of old. Today, a minibus had picked them up in Taipei and then headed out the city, got off the freeway, onto a road wide enough for just one truck, cutting through some rice fields, past a couple of traditional red brick courtyard houses, and a defunct ball bearing factory – they had to go this way because the road connecting the community up to the freeway was still being built – before suddenly arriving at a ‘Taste of Paris’, this new upscale apartment complex in Taipei County. There were eight tower blocks surrounding a courtyard; fountains, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, spa baths, a fitness center, basketball court, obligatory convenience store and cash machine, and even its own cinema.

Twenty minutes later we had started to film our parts. The first was John so we were walking to the gym to shoot his part.

“Hey, it is John…Yes? Hah, so strong. Very good,” said the director. “So where are you from?”

“England, mate,”replied John.

“Very good. Oh – a gentleman.”

“Hmm, something like that,” smiled John because he didn’t exactly fit the gentleman stereotype.

But the director wasn’t finished.“Hmm, I think you more like the American.”

“So I have heard,”said John now bored to indulge the discussion. I was also British and so had heard this before: it seemed all British were supposed to be lily-livered, wimps, scared to say boo to a goose; Hugh Grant had a lot to answer for!

Two minutes later, they had arrived at the gym in the basement. The slim model who came with them would have to lie on the bench press while John taught her how to use it.

“Ok?” asked the director.

“No problem.” This was John’s second assignment so he got the idea about exaggerated actions. The model pushed out one repetition and John gave her a long high clap in front his face followed by a thumbs up.

“So now you push the weight. Show how strong you are,” asked the director who was taking a more than professional interest in John.

John benched the whole stack.“Wow! You sure you not the American?”exclaimed the director.
“Very sure, mate.” John swore if he ever saw Hugh Grant or any other member of the Four Weddings and a Funeral cast, he would -.

Outside by the pool.

“Hey, what is up with this girl?” asked Eric because the model in the swimsuit he had to serve cocktails to wouldn’t stay on her sun bed. Every time the scene had a hold up or went longer than twenty seconds, she broke away into the shade.

“She wants to stay white. If she gets some suntan she cannot get any other work for a while,” replied the translator.

“Selfish,” replied Pierre. “You think I am happy in this heat. These people just aren’t team players. It is the top-down structure here that stops them being able to work together. We are more flexible - will just get on with things.”

“The director is asking if someone can move the sun canopy nearer her,” said the translator moments later..

“Sure, man,” replied Eric. “Come on Pierre.”

“We don’t need to do this – we are the actors - superior status,” said Pierre.

“Just lift the fucking canopy.”

“So have you managed to get your stuff yet?” asked John to Pierre who had left half of his belonging in his old apartment when he moved.

“Typical Taiwan story. The girlfriend phones me and says the boss has asked her to go to work on Saturday and Sunday…It is very important, apparently. You know, I am actually sympathetic. Well at first I got angry, and she started to cry - So anyway I ask her, if he said why, and she says no. So I asked her why she didn’t want to challenge the guy, find out why she had to give up her weekend. That is what we would do, right? At least you ask why you have to do something? Am i not right?”

“Hmm, what does this guy want us to do now?” asked John bored with the subject. He was supposed to be the lifeguard, but all he had done for half an hour was stand in the sun. “Do I have to rescue someone later?”

Pierre:“Fuck, I don’t know. Just hang around and follow whatever he says is my attitude.”

“Cut,”screamed the director and the cool Taiwanese enjoying the good life lounging by the pool, soaking up the sun, and drinking cocktails, sprinted inside out of the sun and into the aircon.

At six 0′clock the sun went down and they were ready to do Pierre’s part.

“So you pretend to play the piano,” instructed the director to Pierre. Pierre was sat at the grand piano surrounded by all the Taiwanese who had earlier been lounging around the pool. However, now they wearing dinner jackets, trying to ignore the mosquitoes, and preparing to listen to Pierre’s piano recital, above the noise from the freeway.

“I don’t need to pretend.” Not one to miss a chance to show-off Pierre played a couple of verses of Beethoven. Then, because of it, the finish, the walk around the tables of applauding Chinese being toasted with champagne for his performance, was more genuine than expected.

“It is weird how a man can be so talented and stupid,” said Eric.

“People always manage to surprise,” replied John.

I was once recruited to do a condom ad.

When i asked the agent why she wanted a foreigner, she explained it thus: abortion rates were among the highest in the world, and the condom manufacturer believed there was a market if he could get his message out. Unfortunately, when he had done an advert before with a couple of Taiwanese, but there had been a public outcry: parents’ groups complained the advert was corrupting Taiwan’s youth – and pointless because they just weren’t having sex. The two actors even had to go on TV to say sorry for taking part in the advert. Now, the manufacturer was employing a different tact - He was employing a bunch of westerners to make his advert.

One Saturday morning Pierre, John (the ex-army guy), Eric (Mr. Authentic), two female friends of Pierre, myself and a film crew were sat in a bar at ten in the morning with the windows blacked out.

“No way I am doing this, man. Show up my fellow Westerner by enforcing stereotypes about us and one night stands and casual sex,” railed Eric.

“But we do all like to shag around, don’t we?” said John. “Anyway, the stereotype has its advantages.”

He then recounted the story of the girl last night who had spent most of the evening saying: “I don’t normally do this sort of thing. I am not a bad girl, you understand.” He explained he had started to walk off when she had said, “Are we leaving?” It had occurred to him at the time there was a slight contradiction between her actions and words, but he wasn’t about to resolve his confusion that evening. Then, this morning he had been curious: “You are a brave girl having a one-night stand in this society? What made you do it?” he asked.

She replied, “I know you foreigner don’t look down on the girl who do this. It is everyday thing for you.”

To which he said he replied, “Ideally it would be, but a man has to work.”

“Look at it this way,” continued John. “You are actually doing a public service, some social good…teaching the Taiwanese to be promiscuously responsible. It is a pain in the ass trying to convince a girl to let me wear a condom. Do it for me, mate.”

“Yeah, lighten up – It is not their fault they have modernity issues,” offered Pierre.

Eric grunted and turned to Rachel and Clare, the two American girls who had also agreed to do the ad. “You are going to sell yourself out?” he asked. “You are women.”

“Whatever. We’re out of here in a few months and it means less running around dealing with kids,” answered Clare to nods from Rachel.

“Jesus! You are women,” repeated Eric shaking his head.

“I’ll give you the apartment complex job if you do it. Come on, you are here now,” tugged Pierre (Pierre had found himself a nice sideline in TV ads).

“Jesus fucking Christ. I am going to shame myself. This better be quick.”

Five minutes later and they were about to start. There wasn’t much of a script: Pierre and John were to pick up the two girls while Eric was the barman and waiter.

“Uh, girls that table. Boys that one. Ok…talk. Conversation. Drink beer…” said the director.
“Good. Ok. You - Uh, smile. She, you wave him.” “OK. Gooda. Cut.”

“Take a break,”said the agent who was here to translate.

“This is original shit, eh? What does everyone say about the creativity here,”said Pierre.

“I know mate. This school I am working at is pushing me every day for new games, new ways to teach the same thing. It is driving me crazy,” confessed John changing the subject.

“Of course. That is why they employ us. They want to use our creativity,” answered Pierre.

“So you say. Anyway, you know any good teaching games? I really need a lifeline,” asked John.

“You just copy it from a book or someone else - Like you did in college.”

The director then started to get angry with us. “OK. Now. Go sit with the girls. Cheers the glass. Hold her hand…No, no, no. Stop. Cut. Cut. Cut,” shouted the director. “Hey, more feeling. Passion. What is the matter? – You foreigners are passionate. ”

The director then shouted at the girl from the agency.“I am so unlucky. Why you get me the shy foreigner?”

“No. No. No,” shouted the director again because John and Pierre were quietly asking the girls to go back to the hotel. “You are the foreigner. You like to fuck, no? Imagine you in the bar at home. You say, ‘Hey girl you are sexy. You want to make love. Easy. Natural. You have the lot of experience, no?”

“Can always have more kind sir,” said John.

“Guys,” said Eric. “He doesn’t want subtle. Don’t you ever watch the soap operas.”

“Yeah, but they’re ridiculous, over-the-top.”

“I got it mate,” shouted John. “Follow this Pierre.”

John pointed at Clare…himself…the door…raised a high eyebrow…and pulled a lewd grin.

“There you go – a Roger Moore, followed by a Sid James; that was a grin that would get a smack in the mouth of rejection by a fifteen stone buffer after she’s had ten pints,”he said.

Two minutes later – “Very gooda,” shouted the director. “That is what I like. You foreigners are so funny.”

Starting this Saturday 27th !! [Free entrance]

Music by Black reign Crew from 5pm to 12am or more ! .. depend if people want to leave or not aha ..

Schedule

June 27 /// July 11, 25 /// August 8, 22 /// September 5, 19 /// October 3, 17, 31

Reggae Saturday is a Special concept for the summer for who want to enjoy the beach , Reggae music , Jamaican Cocktail and great food [pizza, pasta, BBQ..]!

Walilei [cian shuei wan beach] is a wicked place for the summer time ! Dj Booth, live music, , dance floor outside , party room 2 floor, big bar with nice food and authentic Jamaican cocktails and special drink, beer etc.. ! High quality sound system [speaker outside] and more.. Come and hear the original Roots Reggae, Dance hall, Dub.. in relaxed vibes, take a drink with friends, take a nice dance or meet up with people…

Swimming ? no problem …just walk 2 min from the bar then you can get in the water !! ..we start to spin at 5pm but get there anytime you want , Walilei will be open in the morning too ! music/ food/drink will be there anytime ! so just come and relax it is the summer !!!

Where’s Walilei? 哇哩咧在那裡?

Take hwy 2 north towards Danshui, follows signs to Baishawan, after entering Sanjhih township you will pass a large sign for Cian Shui Wan(淺水灣). Go 1.6km and Walilei is on the left about 100m after the small blue over-pass.
地址:台北縣三芝鄉北勢子12-1號
(2號公路16.5K)
電話: (02) 2636-8515
FAX: (02) 2636-1750
啊丁行動: 0921-053242

GETTING THERE AND GETTING BACK/我要如何到達活動地點？回程有交通運輸？

By MRT搭乘捷運: Red line to Hongshulin(紅樹林) MRT from The station. You can take a taxi from Hongshulin MRT to Walilei in Sanjhih township. 搭乘捷運紅線到紅樹林站，出口將會有Beachfest免費巴士直達哇哩咧餐廳。

Reggae events sumemr 2009

From the MRT to Walilei by Taxi its the easier way to get there quickly.. try to find people then will be more cheap !

Then if you want go back to taipei after 12am [coo no more MRT] , just ask Walilei staff to call a taxi for you .

From Walilei to Taipei with 4 people in the taxi that will be only 200nt ~ for each person ! 40min …

For more details feel free to contact us ! 0936952034 – Islandjam08@gmail.com

The ISLANDJAM team wishes you a nice summer !!

Positives vibes everytimes !

May 16, 2009 @ Bliss Livehouse
Presented by MalFunction

Track Selectahs: Mixter-T, Elemence, Coffeepot, V-Dub
Lyrical Stylahs: BabbleOn, Shaman, Stoppa MC, Cortez

This might have been the first time a drum and bass event was ever held at Bliss… and the livehouse was rockin! It’s not really that big of a place because performances usually only happen on the second floor, but on that sweet Saturday night, deejays were set up on both levels: dnb/jungle/electro-breaks upstairs and hip-hop/downtempo downstairs.

With a two-for-one entry before eleven o’clock as well as drink specials, the place was packed and groovin all night long—10pm to 4am! A few “Name That Tune” contests were also held during the night, where the audience had to name the original song after hearing a clip of a remixed version. Free drinks and CDs were given out for prizes.

Altogether, eight performers came and laid down their skills for the audience. The “Remix Fusion” theme was all about deejays mixing up their dnb style with another genre (rock, ragga and samba/Brazilian), which gave this party quite a different flavour than what you see at most drum and bass events.

Now, get ready to get down at the next REPRESENT: DnB vs. Hip-Hop – Saturday, July 25, 2009 @ Bliss.

* Join the [Taiwan Drum and Bass] Facebook group and get all the info.

Here is some info from a friend of mine that is going to have a fundraiser for his hip replacement surgery. Make sure to go to the Red Wolf tavern and drink your asses off and help raise some money for him. Consider it charity work.

Fundraiser party at The Red Wolf in Tainan this Saturday June 20

Here’s the news- Owing to my scooter wreck a few years ago I’ve decided to go in for a total hip replacement. This is good news for me, the way these surgeries are done today I could very well be breakdancing and running triathalons in a matter of months. The downside is that it costs $$$, even with Taiwan’s excellent health coverage. That being the case the good people of The Red Wolf Tavern on Gongyuan have stepped up and offered to hold a fundraiser for me. Publicans Eric, Key et al will donate 20NTD for every Heineken sold to my operation & recovery fund. It also promises to be a great night with three bands, DJ’s and appropriate mayhem. Should also be one of my last nights in a bar for a while as I plan to go on the wagon whilst rehabilitating (I go under the knife June 30). Hope I can hoist one with you.
Cheers,
D. Aaron

ps-for anybody who’s prone to get worried over me please don’t. This stuff (Total Hip Replacement or THR) has become a routine operation with a relatively quick recovery time. I’ll post a few links about it below if you’re interested

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=98472687186

Check out video for the reggae party at Wa li lei. Looked like it was a great time for everyone.

From our friends at Island Jam

The Real Taiwan website was started to offer a window on Taiwan to anyone that was interested. The original goal of the site was to be a community site with many authors and contributors. I am looking for people that would like to join me in sharing Taiwan with the world with weekly or monthly articles, or even just a one time deal.

If you are a photographer, filmmaker, writer, musician, or creative type and you’d like to share your work regarding Taiwan with the world please contact me (therealtaiwan[at] gmail.com). As much as I like doing things for this website, I am starting to get sick of my own writing voice and hope that some new perspectives can shine through. I also live in Tainan, so it is harder for me to get out and see other parts of the island.

The theme is Taiwan, and just about anything is ok. Have a look around the site to see what I have done in the past. I have changed my attitude and grown in my ability running this site, so to be honest, I feel my standards are much higher now than they were before.

I am trying to make the online experience multimedia, and you can see more videos, audio tracks (MP3’s) and photographs accompanying the articles presented. If you can help in any aspect of that that would be great. I love exploring and seeing new places myself, and also love using technology to document and share the experience with others.

If you already have a blog, perhaps you’d like to do a guest article/interview here. I can also do something for your site as well so we can share perspectives if you will…

I also get tickets to festivals and shows as a part of the trade off for advertising them so if you’d like to be considered for going to these special events as a quasi reporter-bohemian please let me know.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me. I look forward to seeing what can develop.

Best regards,

~ John

Taipei, June 12th 2009

My-Cool-SMS, cutting-edge web based SMS messaging gateway and enterprise
service provider, has announced a partnership with WaaKao, an interactive
information portal dedicated to the promotion of art and culture,
political commentary, music and parties in Taiwan.

The partnership between My-Cool-SMS and WaaKao is based on a free SMS
notification service that informs subscribers of upcoming events, such as
music concerts, art exhibitions or political forums. Upon subscribing at
Waakao, users select event categories for which they will receive free notifications. The service will then automatically alert them
via SMS when matching events are about to take place. Subscribers are also
eligible to exclusive guest list invites and will even receive taxi
directions right on their cell phone. This service is free to WaaKao
subscribers and registration can be completed in a short three-step
process.

Step 1 - Select your categories of interest
Step 2 - Enter your cell phone number
Step 3 - Enter your verification code that was sent to your cell phone

This event notification service allows subscribers to change categories
and events they are interested in at any time and also allows them to
unsubscribe if they do not wish to receive future notifications.

WaaKao helps event organizers to promote their parties and events via SMS
notification, email marketing and advertisements on WaaKao.com. In order
to protect the privacy of subscriber data, information will not be shared
with the event organizers but it will be managed by My-Cool-SMS using
their secure data facility.

“We are glad to provide SMS notification to keep subscribers updated on
the fly”, said Oliver Marley, WaaKao Director. “Now we can offer last
minute invitations and exclusive promotions. Subscribers will also receive
taxi directions right to their cell-phone, which means that they will have
one thing less to worry about.”

Marcin Olszowy, My-Cool-Webservices CEO, says “Many people schedule their
weekend plans spontaneously and away from their computers. With this SMS
Notification Service, they don’t have to go online to find information
about upcoming events. All they need is a mobile phone. Once they have
registered for the service, it makes sure that they remain updated on the
events they care about for free”.

About My-Cool-SMS.com:

My-Cool-SMS is a cutting-edge web based SMS messaging gateway and
enterprise service provider that offers consumer and enterprise SMS
platforms. My-Cool-SMS integrates and deploys individual, business and
enterprise solutions and has developed the most intuitive and most cost
effective platform for consumer SMS messaging.

For additional information, Contact: Rahul Nautiyal, rahul@my-cool-sms.com
For free trials accounts visit us at http://www.my-cool-sms.com

About WaaKao.com
WaaKao is dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture, political
commentary, music, and the parties in Taiwan. The platform is a resource
for local information and educated commentary on political, current,
sophisticated, or humorous events that matter to people between 14 and 39.

For more information contact Oliver Marley, bizman@waakao.com or visit
http://www.waakao.com