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BrysonMC
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Name: Mat
Country: Taiwan
Metro: Taipei
Birthday: 10/12/1974
Gender: Male
Expertise: Changing in phone booths, outrunning locomotives and once in a while I like to jump over a few builings... you know, just to keep in shape.
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Entertainment
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
9/23/2002
 Lifetime
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"Some Mornings It Just Doesn't Seem Worth it to Gnaw Through the Leather Straps."- Emo Phillips
"For a Long Time Now I Have Tried to Write the Best I Can. Sometimes I Have Good Luck and Write Better Than I Can."- Ernest Hemingway
"Nothing Worth Having Comes Without Some Kind of Fight. You've Got To Kick at the Darkness Till it Bleeds Daylight."- Bruce Cockburn
"Don't Worry About the World Coing to an End Toady. It's Already Tomorrow in Australia."- Charles M. Shultz
All writing on this site, unless stated otherwise is written by and the copyrighted property of Mat Thompson. Please do not reprint any of my material without my consent.
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| Back to Green Island for three days...  See you soon!!! | | |
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I got Ryuuk and Light today! Now if they would just hurry up and release the third movie on DVD so I can complete the set, I will be happy!
I started watching the anime series (subtitled, I like to hear the Japanese) and I'm not sure which I like more, the movies or the anime. Both are just way cool! I'm shocked that Death Note hasn't been scooped up by Hollywood yet and turned into an American rip-off like so many others.
Now tell me, how cool is this...
 The Japanese movies... | | |
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Movies, Movies and Movies...
Just a quick little difference in seeing movies over here.
1. Seating - When you buy your seat here, you are actually purchasing a seat, like you were at a play or a concert. There is no rush to get in the theatre to find the best seat since you already have an assigned seat. Sure, you can move if the theatre is less than full, but most just stay where they are. You have to ask for a certain area if you want it, or show them on a chart on the computer which shows you what is already taken, but the best thing is to use the automated ticket machines (if you are English) where you look, book and buy all in one. On that machine you find the seat(s) in the theatre you want, mark them and they are yours. It's so much better than the mad rush to get the best seats.
2. Entering - They only let you go into the theatre about five minutes or less before the movie starts. This way they can minimize the time between shows, and since all seats are assigned, it should be a fast thing to get everyone in and seated.
3. Subtitles - Every movie here has Mandarin subtitles... even the movies that are in Mandarin. Weird? Well, even all their TV shows have subtitles on them since Chinese is a hard language to hear and has so many different sounds to it, the subs help them. A few people I know are shocked that we don't have English subtitles on our TV shows back home.
4. Food - No candy here. You can get popcorn, pop or tea, hot dogs and churros. That's it. No candy or chocolate at all. This isn't as much of a candy culture, so a 200 pound bag of M&M's is not really something they require to watch a movie.
5. Renting - Sure, there is Blockbuster over here, but the local chains and small shops all have deals where you pay ahead and get credit on your card to rent. It is so much easier, plus they give you deals like the more you put on your card, the more bonus credit you get. I put $500nt on my card and I get a bonus 40% on top, so I get $700nt in rentals. For $1000nt, I get $1500nt in rentals and it just goes up from there. Blockbuster is about $100nt for a new release ($3.25 Can), but the smaller shops are much less. I pay $60nt ($2) for a new release at my shop, and I get the bonus credit at 40%, so really I pay $36nt ($1.20 Can) a movie, and way less for older releases.
6. Night Markets - Ummm... yeah. So if I go to Tonghua or Rouhe Street Night Markets on any night of the week there is always a bootleg stand there with the latest theatre releases there for $100nt. Most have good quality, some are from studio screeners, some are from DVDs and a lot are filmed int he theatre. It's cheap and an easy way to keep up with the latest stuff. A lot of the time the market will have things before the theatre if the movie was already released overseas. The selection is usually good with about 15-20 titles to choose from on any given night.
7. Chinese Bootlegs - These are usually pretty high quality rips of movies. The big thing here is American TV shows. One season of something like CSI in stores will cost you about $1700nt ($60+ Can), but online you can order the Chinese bootlegs that are much cheaper. With these you can get entire runs of shows with two, three or more seasons in the box usually for less than $600nt a box. I of course would never buy these, but as an example I would have bought these... Arrested Development Complete Series ($400nt), Rome Seasons 1-2 ($600nt), Las Vegas Seasons 1-4 ($500nt), CSI Miami Season 1-5 ($600nt), Lois and Clark Complete Series ($700nt) and so on. This of course is just an example and there is nothing showing you that I actually own these shows.
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I just finished Koji Suzuki's Spiral, the sequel to the novel Ring. I was never a fan of the movie when it came out and it didn't do much for me, but this book was amazing! It is so well written and delves really deep into science and reasoning that you forget sometimes that are reading a horror novel. It is actually doesn't fall into any specific category except for 'great'.
the story goes so much beyond the basic videotape and really gives a great explanation of the tape and why it was created, how it was created and why it was actually just the beginning. Some very chilling parts, especially when it all starts to come together for Ando near the end. I went and bought Loop, the third in the trilogy, but I am going to wait and read at least one in between. I have more books to pick up from the used book dealer this week so I have to finish at least one more to make room. He has a copy of Journey to the West for me, so I have to make sure to meet up with him.
I also recently read Post Office by Charles Buckowski. Can't remember if I mentioned it, but it was amazing. Anyone who has hated a job or felt stuck in one will love that book. I think I am going to start The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. I never saw the movie (due to a hatred of both Damon and Law), but the book sounds interesting.
Off to the books... gotta get some reading done!
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Fun Taiwan Fact #472...
Mosquitoes don't bite me here. They did when I first arrived and I had to put on a load of spray to get them to go away, but now... nothing! It can't be a foreigner thing as my friends get eaten alive. There are little plug-in bug repellent things that everyone uses, and even when I have a mosquito in my room I don't need it as all they do is buzz around me driving me insane and once in a while landing on me, then thinking twice about it, flying away.
Last night there were two mosquitoes in my room while I was watching my UFC event. They tried, but never fully bit me. I even watched them land, try then stop immediately, only to fly away and come back a few minutes later as if they forgot I am not their type.
Maybe it's something I eat. Do mosquitoes like goat because I eat a hell of a lot of that. But then again, so does Eva and mosquitoes attack her like a cute, little Chinese blood buffet (that would make for a cool horror movie title).
Maybe I've evolved and now am immune to bites and stings from insects and animals. I may have to try out this theory. Next will be bees, then stray dogs and if all goes well, piranha will be the final test. I wonder if it was his impenetrable skin that Superman noticed first...
   (I may have watched to many Heroes and Smallville episodes lately) | | |
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