First: Thanks, J.R. for pimping me out.

Second: A description:
In Taiwan, you cannot set your trash out by the curb. You have to wait for the garbage truck to come by, which it does once a day in the city. So you know it's coming, it plays a little electronic ditty like an ice cream truck. Following behind it is a truck that picks up recyclables, which plays an unpleasant digital version of "Fur Elise" You all know the piece, if not the name.
Every morning at about 8:25, these two trucks come by my window. Two different high-pitched electronic noises. Which, of course, sets the dogs in the neighborhood to howling. It is an amazing sound. Add an ambulance and a speaker-truck (trucks that drive through neighborhoods at 3 mph blaring advertisements), and you have a wonderful wake up call.

Third: A rhetorical question, posed by some comedian or other:
Why do the 24 hour convenience stores have locks on their doors?

Fourth: Wish me luck. Every morning I buy a paper and see what the latest SARS disaster is in Taiwan. When they start quarantining people in Taichung, then I'll know there's trouble.

Fifth: Question: What kind of beer is available in Taiwan
Answer: Taiwan Beer, Yankee Beer (Taiwan)
Asahi, Sapporo, Bar Beer (Japan)
Corona
Heiniken
Qingdao, Yanjing (China)
Busch, Old Milwaukee, Budweiser (!)
That's about it. The occasional Carlsberg.