Who do you turn to for advice, help and suggestions?
Sep 4 at 7:07pm by ObverseView
One of the interesting things about life in Taiwan is the way that people in your family (albeit extended) are often the ones people turn to for all sorts of advice, whether it’s investing advice, medical advice, even English tips.
My sister-in-law is one of those who in past times worked for Aetna before they were sold, resold, and resold. She and my wife conspired to provide some great life insurance information.
But that’s the way it is here: family and friends are often sources for personal and business help. All and good, if they actually know what they are talking about. Unfortunately, many people tend to view their family advice as an authority by itself, over and above ‘real’ experts.
Who knows?
Toyota Prius
Sep 4 at 3:03pm by ObverseView
Finally, Prius is coming to Taiwan. We get to take part in the global environment saving efforts by buying friendly cars. I did price it, it’s about NT$1.2 million for the car, so it’s about double the conventional price.
The fuel savings at the moment won’t pay off the car within a reasonable time, as far as I can work out. But with a higher retail price, possibly you won’t lose a lot of money on its resale.
I’m curious to know why the retail price in Taiwan is nearly 50% higher than in the US for the base models. It’s weird.
Kenneth
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Updates on missing posts: they’re not missing really
Sep 3 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
Dear readers, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that I often post on Taiwan Life, well, I’ve decided to move as many as there are decent posts to my new Taipei City Guide Blog: a blog about the great things that Taipei (and Taiwan) have to offer the world.
So, if you click a link or post and end up there, don’t be worried! Just finish the story and come on back! Or stay there if you wish!
It’s not well designed yet, but we’re working to bring it upto speed, and get a semi-decent site functioning for 2011.
Kenneth
Going out in Style!
Jul 16 at 12:12am by ObverseView
Taiwan has an interesting tradition: I’m not sure why but when someone dies, especially an older person, the funeral arrangements are very public, especially the actual funeral procession. And no one seems to mind the funeral costs either!
It’s a huge affair with visitors from every neighborhood, every cousin, and even well known local celebrities and politicians are known to attend the funeral.
And the procession is often noisy, colorful and dramatic with a long train of cars, trucks and buses… actually it’s quite a spectacle.
The recent funeral of a prominent gangster in central Taiwan really emphasized that. I’ve found a local video of a funeral parade to show a flavor of what you can expect!
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Video: Taiwan Food
Jul 9 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
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Entry to the ICRT Competition: I didn’t win, I guess!
Jun 8 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
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Competition: 老外愛台灣徵文活動
May 30 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
just a few days left before ICRT’s competition closes:
Can you get your entry in for the…
老外愛台灣徵文活動
Join ICRT’s I Love Taiwan Essay ContestIf you hold a foreign passport and speak English, here’s an exciting opportunity for you! Join ICRT’s "I love Taiwan" essay contest! Pick your favorite Taiwan travel destination and describe it in roughly 100 words!
Send your article and your contact information to travel@icrt.com.tw! before May 31st! Finalists get a chance to win great prizes from ICRT and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and you’ll get to record your piece for broadcast on FM100! Prizes include an ICRT gift pack (T-shirt, bag, etc) plus a black tea gift set from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau!!! (The tea is from the Sun Moon Lake area.)
I’m entering so wish me good luck! I might even win a free pack! That would be cool! I’ll share my entry if I don’t win!
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Google provides on the fly translation help
May 19 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
Ever stuck typing Chinese…? Fear not, Google has got that one covered (well almost!). I had to type out a flyer in Chinese today for our school, and I was surprised how effective that tool was.
Thought it would take me forever with dictionary tools, I was able to type parts of sentences, think around the Chinese words, and come up with a flyer that needed only one correction!
The added benefit with the instant translation tool is that you get the characters as you type. Of course, if you can’t read Chinese, or don’t know any Chinese, the tool is largely useless as the translations will be … awful. Otherwise, it’s effective for partially competent individuals.
There are a couple of tools that make it superior to Yahoo!’s Chinese Dictionary (http://tw.dictionary.yahoo.com) but I had to use both occasionally.
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Creature Comforts: Needing a little comfort at the end of Winter
Apr 22 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
Ever needed an outdoor fireplace? It’s hard to imagine that in Taiwan anyone needs one of these features built-in, but there are certainly a few times in the year when the temperature drops down to the low teens or below.
That’s when I start wishing for a little bit more in the way of creature comforts: central heating, carpets, double or triple-glazing, and other benefits of modern living. Taiwanese houses often seem pretty ‘basic’ in the winter.
Most of the rest of the year, it’s just fine. The hard floors seem to keep the place cool, and the concrete walls serve the purpose of staying in one of the frequent earthquakes.
It’s just every so often I hanker for a little of the ‘West’ more luxurious standard of living. Now, we’re facing another seasonal low-temp bad weather all rain weekend. Ahhh!
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Video: Puppetry in Tamsui
Apr 12 at 12:12am by ObverseView
Recently, Tamsui has made a big fuss about its street artists, and there’s quite a variety of artists now singing, drawing, playing instruments, etc., on the streets of Tamsui, esp. near the subway stations. Some of them are truly talented, some awful. But however they are ‘gifted’, they do make a certain ambience for our ‘city’.
This one is worth watching!
What do you think?
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