12/11/2006

WuiT #054: Tony Masalonis


Filed Under: Learning Chinese, Lu-Wei, Matzu.
Download this interview!

Tony Masalonis if from The U.S. and currently working in as an aviation safety consultant. He is very serious about studying Chinese during his leisure hours and gave us a very detailed explanation of his Chinese name during the interview. He enjoys Taiwan very much and shared his love for lu-wei ( a Taiwanese dish with meat or fowl stewed with soy sauce and strained before serving) and the Kinmen and Matsu Islands.

This interview was conducted in terminal 2 of Song-Shan Airport, a place where even many locals are unaware of its existence. Mr. Masalonis gave us a brief introduction of the history and background of the building.

Tony(his web site) also writes as a hobby. The following is a sample of his work which he tries to capture the harmony of nature and urban intenseness that is Taipei and Taiwan.

"The Wind partners with streetlights to light green leaves into sparkle.
But the bus’s bright green numbers outshine it all.
Despite a high pitched dog, and subdued traffic hum
There’s a relative stillness, peaceful waiting

Back at eye level the haggard hookers hello-hello aggressively
At clearly Asiafied foreigners with faces creased from sorrow and joy of adapting, of being adopted, of wincing quizically,
mouths curled garishly from pronouncing x and q
pupils dilated from gazing at followed stars, moons and bus-lit trees –

perhaps irreparably but if it’s reparable why gaze?"



Rate Episode #054:
***** **** *** ** *


Tony 在台灣擔任航空安全顧問。平常工作之餘,他很認真的學習中文,訪問中並解釋了他自己選擇的中文名字:嗎簡謄。他很喜歡台灣的滷味並推薦馬祖。

本次訪問在松山機場第二航站進行,很多人都不知道台北松山機場有第二航站,Tony也在訪問中簡單介紹了一下松山第二航站的背景。

閒暇時間,Tony還喜歡寫詩、作詞,他特別寄了一首描寫他的台灣(台北)印象的詩,有興趣的朋友不妨將它翻譯出來。

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tony,
Great comment on the language thing. I an American and have lived in Japan for about 8 years, and my first 3 years here, man did I struggle with the same thing...all my efforts to learn Japanese were even doubled when I actually faced a native Japanese speaker only to receive an English utterance...Yet, don't let this stand in your way, as I am sure you don't! I have found, once you become more fluent the Chinese-English ping-pong conversations will soon vanish...as that was the case in my situation...and for the stubborn folks who are determined to only speak Chinese to you...my best advice is to be patient.w

Anonymous said...

Gee, think about what the wacko did to our Vice President Annet Lu a few years ago. Remember the proposing billboard on the free way? I can't believe you guys chose to reduce yourselves to...><

Anonymous said...

Here's a suggestion. If you guys really think transvestites, lady men, weirdos, psychos..can boost Taiwan's image and bring more travellers to Taiwan, you might as well invite 阿美 賜海(celebrities from Taiwan).. to talk in English on this podcast. That'll assure you an instant increase in listeners and popularity..Hahaha..

Anonymous said...

There are hundreds of, or thousands of ways of being funny. This is the WORST of ALL. You hear nothing in it, but artificial, affected, ostentatious, pathetic and sissy tone of speaking.

Native speakers don't find it funny at all. You bet your boots!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Henry,

This Tony gay is a joke. I dun know how he got on your show initially but pretty sure he came over and advertised himself to you.

Consisering what he has done in the past like proposing to TW's Vice-president and guesting TV shows(which he got in the same way as to your show I am sure), I'll say he's just abusing your podcast to promote his Tony-propaganda thing.

I wasn't planing to write more on this dude but since obviously I am not the only one here on the same page...don't fall for this guy's trap pls. Your podacast isn't a joke.

Well, I stop writing. It's your show.

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that some people didn't appreciate the opening of this interview and that interview between Tony and Henry cuz i really think it's pretty funny~ Sometiems, some parts of that interveiw will pop out in my head, like "cliche" , which makes me laugh everytiem. Anyway,I prefer the Tony here to that Tony on TV!

Anonymous said...

The Tony in the show speaks far more better than that on TV. More fluent and better in pronunciation--oh yeah trust me. Next time, if anyone attempts to imitate him, try to pronounce the final consonant as if there's a vowel following behind.
Ex. Test-->testeh nice--->耐"死"

Anonymous said...

Seriously, it's my favorite podcast, but....please don't invite Tony Chen to be in your show again. I will really appreciate that!!

Anonymous said...

This is Tony, the subject of this interview. The comments about the transvestite who proposed to Annette Lu are about some other Tony, not me. Jeezly Crow, I may eat lu wei and drink kaoliang but I do have some taste OK? In fact, it seems that every comment on this page except the first is completely irrelevant to me or my interview, and it would be very cool if the moderators took those comments off... thanks!