Terrific Taiwan articles
Pipes Output
Updated: 15 min 20 sec ago
Ways the Taiwanese government gets citizens to do what they’re supposed to…
Give Prizes!!!
For taxpayers residing in Taipei County, you have a chance to win a motorbike in a prize draw if you pay the second term commercial vehicle license tax on time by October, and the land value tax, to be launched in November!
From the Taipei Revenue Office website…
This is not unlike the receipt lottery (fa piao lottery) used to try to get businesses to issue receipts (and thus pay their taxes). Every receipt has a lottery number on it, so every purchase one makes is an opportunity to win money… Being a packrat, I’ve collected lots, checked a few, but have yet to get lucky.
Now if the IRS in the US gave prizes for on-time filings, maybe I’d stop getting my automatic extension… Oh wait, that deadline’s next Friday. Excuse me…
Oh, but if you’re a foreigner in Taiwan needing to figure out taxes–the Tax Guide for Foreigners and Foreigner’s Income Tax Q&A links may be helpful for you.
Good luck getting your refunds!
Taipei Times - Dictionaries for Learning Chinese
This month, I review two electronic learning aids developed for people learning Chinese. This time, however, they are produced by Asian companies.
Read the reviews here:
XCome Dictionary for Asus EeePC & Dr Eye Han Easy (html page) (pdf)
Enjoy!The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan...
Internet Censorship and the Hierarchy of Needs, Perhaps.
As a responsible human being, it is always a good policy to comprehend something before you criticize it. This applies equally to interpersonal and international relationships. I think a lot of criticism China receives on many policy issues is spat without sufficient understanding of local culture, history and conditions. Though I am a comparativist, I am by no means a relativist. I will call a spade a spade and criticize something I understand and disagree with.
Over the course of this year I have come to comprehend the official Chinese side to many issues considered controversial in the West. The China-Nationalist explanations for the One-Child Policy, African diplomacy, Taiwan and Tibet all make sense if I suspend my predispositions and step one degree beyond objectivity into that mindset. Even the painfully slow transition to democracy has a theoretically plausible explanation in light of local social conditions. One thing that I absolutely can not understand at all, however hard I would like to try, is the Chinese policy of internet censorship.
In pondering this humble blog post I have been, in part, trying to convince myself why full access to Al Gore's internet would be bad for China. Afterall, in the 21st century West, knowledge is free. Despite our own long history of holy inquisitions, seditious libel and book burnings, today we rightly regard access to information as a basic human need. Information buzzes through the air and under the ground from satellite emissions, radio waves and fiberoptic cable. This is the best I can do on comprehending the potential Chinese position, and though I fundamentally disagree with it, here goes:
Alexis deTocqueville begins his famous "Democracy in America" by noting in the first paragraph that, "nothing struck me more forcibly than the general equality of condition among the [American] people...this equality of condition is the fundamental fact from which all others seem to be derived." This condition couldn't be further from the truth vis-a-vis China. And that fact plays a key role here.
Over the course of this year I have come to comprehend the official Chinese side to many issues considered controversial in the West. The China-Nationalist explanations for the One-Child Policy, African diplomacy, Taiwan and Tibet all make sense if I suspend my predispositions and step one degree beyond objectivity into that mindset. Even the painfully slow transition to democracy has a theoretically plausible explanation in light of local social conditions. One thing that I absolutely can not understand at all, however hard I would like to try, is the Chinese policy of internet censorship.
In pondering this humble blog post I have been, in part, trying to convince myself why full access to Al Gore's internet would be bad for China. Afterall, in the 21st century West, knowledge is free. Despite our own long history of holy inquisitions, seditious libel and book burnings, today we rightly regard access to information as a basic human need. Information buzzes through the air and under the ground from satellite emissions, radio waves and fiberoptic cable. This is the best I can do on comprehending the potential Chinese position, and though I fundamentally disagree with it, here goes:
Alexis deTocqueville begins his famous "Democracy in America" by noting in the first paragraph that, "nothing struck me more forcibly than the general equality of condition among the [American] people...this equality of condition is the fundamental fact from which all others seem to be derived." This condition couldn't be further from the truth vis-a-vis China. And that fact plays a key role here.
It's a well-accepted tenet of psychology (and perhaps, sociology?) that there is a hierarchy of human needs. This pyramid theory was developed by Abraham Maslow. At the most basic level, people must be fed. Next most importantly come security, shelther and safety. The Chinese government has managed to provide this (or at least prepare the conditions for people to provide themselves) for a growing number of its citizens. As economic development continues, the Chinese will continue up this pyramid towards the realization of more luxurious needs. Many Chinese have already achieved the pinnacle of self-actualization that we take for granted in the West, but hundreds of millions still straddle the subsistence line between physiological and safety concerns. The ruling Party (which I will no longer call "Communist" since it isn't, and better represents China's elite than its peasant masses) fears a mass uprising by its largely uneducated and easily volatile peasant population. If 500 million of them got around to Facebooking and Blogging about a revolution, their will would be unstoppable. But a riot, instead of leading to the instant democratization the West naively desires, would more likely mean descent back into the dark ages of bloody revolution and counterrevolution.
Thus, the Chinese leadership -- if it weren't so opaque, to it's own detriment -- probably would try to convince us that access to information as a top-of-the-pyramid, or "self-actualization" right that will come in time, as basic needs are satisfied and Chinese society finds a measure of permanent stability. As a Westerner, I see access to information as a basic "safety" right, key to security, resources, morality and employment. As an American, it is a fundamental political, social and civil right. I believe that an enlightened citizen is the easiest to administer, and thus its in China's best long term interest to trust its citizens and open up the airwaves. No doubt former President Zhang Jemin (and even Tocqueville, perhaps) would call me, "too simple...sometimes naive." I have GOT to get a shorter version of that clip...
But eh. I wrote this because Microsoft and Yahoo! finally put down their hostile takeover saga long enough to negotiate a code of conduct regarding internet access for their search browsers in China. Details aren't out yet, so the world waits for the internet corporations to reveal humanity's information rights.
When there's no news, make some
Nothing serious happening today.
The Presidential Office has indicated it will probably decide whether or not to declassify documents related to President Chen's special affairs within a day or two.
Green groups are preparing for a parade on 8-30 in Taipei in front of the Presidential Office.
The name change of Taiwan Post to Chunghwa Post continues to draw cross-partisan fire.
Robberies in Taiwan are largely committed by meth addicts, and the problem makes for ugly crime statistics.
The Taitung County Commissioner's ill-timed trip abroad continues to provide fodder for the green camp.
Ma denies a shifting policy on purchasing US weapons.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu may have taken official observation leave as an excuse for vacation in April.
Ma pledges good relations with Japan.
The Presidential Office has indicated it will probably decide whether or not to declassify documents related to President Chen's special affairs within a day or two.
Green groups are preparing for a parade on 8-30 in Taipei in front of the Presidential Office.
The name change of Taiwan Post to Chunghwa Post continues to draw cross-partisan fire.
Robberies in Taiwan are largely committed by meth addicts, and the problem makes for ugly crime statistics.
The Taitung County Commissioner's ill-timed trip abroad continues to provide fodder for the green camp.
Ma denies a shifting policy on purchasing US weapons.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu may have taken official observation leave as an excuse for vacation in April.
Ma pledges good relations with Japan.
Taoist Dance
I have lots of photographs from Taoist dance performances from the troupe at the temple (松山慈惠堂) we attend regularly. The group of women perform all over Taiwan (and internationally), and so we often have karaoke bus rides down South with stops at large vegetarian mess halls and host temples on the weekends.
There should be a real post to do it justice, but here's a shot from a recent performance.
There should be a real post to do it justice, but here's a shot from a recent performance.
Last Days of Tainan
A whole month just flew by.
Day 36: Wed., 7/30
- Mah Jong day! We, being a culturally comprehensive class, decided to learn mah jong. Well, half the class learned; the other half got right to it.
- Now every time somebody "pong"s the card, I'm seeing "PWN!" in my head.
- We kind of anglicized it.
- Drew trees in Chinese painting class. You do a whole bunch of dots, draw branches, let it dry, blot it all into one connecty mess again, and draw a few lines of grass at the base to ensure a lack of floatage.
Day 37: Thurs., 7/31
- Final exams!
-...were alright.
- Tai chi - more translating, more shifting of strength/weight/chi/The Force; can now defend my self against guys who try to attack me by 1) trying to capture me by hugging, 2) leaving their toes vulnerable for stomping, or 3) attempting a slow, ponderous sidekick. [As in a kick that goes sideways, not a glorified minion.]
- We celebrated after class by going to the South Park area, which is actually just a wide strip of shops with an outdoor sitting plaza-esque area, and lots of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi-ish malls and shops. Had some food (there's no way to go wrong with won-ton soup. Well, at least where we ate. It was really good, anyway.)
- Went to the massive arcade level and spent a bunch of cents playing air hockey and video games and weird basketball throwing games which are actually very good for developing arm strength. I definitely felt my lack of arm strength after one round.
- Did a huge group photo-booth picture; they call them "da tou tie" or "big head sticker", literally translated, here. You go in front of a green screen, pick your background colors and whatnot, then you get to edit it (draw funky neon lines, add words, whatever) and choose your size and print out a sheet of the photobooth pictures in sticker form.
- That's more arcade-ing than I think I've ever done in my life.
- Went shopping round the other streets for a bit, looking at various electronics and memorabilia and standout deals. A lot of the smaller shops straight-out tell you that their value is in their service, not their awesome prices. Those places have been around forever, and are great for those who live a bike ride away, but not as much use to the once-in-ten-years traveler.
- That said, most places can definitely perform basic services for free if you just ask. (My only experiences fall in the 'adding additional chain to a necklace' and fixing glasses [and gifting you cases and cleaning cloths, yay] and watches range, though.)
Day 38: Fri., 8/1
- Last day of class:
- Sang a bunch of popular Chinese songs.
- Went out as a class, along with both teachers, to the little soup dumpling place that is all kinds of awesome. On Dong-an Road for anyone who ever treks to Tainan and wants some great food, albeit a tad pricier.
- Ended up playing rounds of mah-jong together till 5pm (skipping calligraphy) and then saying our goodbyes.
- Aww. Goodbye people I'll never see again unless I visit Russia or Hong Kong or Australia or Canada (again) or Japan (later) or Taiwan (again, again) or other states in the U.S.A...
- It was a great program and a great class, anyway.
- We have a slideshow our teacher put together for us that's pretty cute though, so I'll never have to forget what everyone's...made-up Chinese names are. Or what they look like. Not that I would've, especially with the ones with Facebook.
- I'll stop here and just say I'll miss Cheng Kung University and all the friendly people.
- Went out to get a haircut after (friend of the family hair-stylist, and therefore a better deal) and loved the whole hair-washing/massage thing that always costs extra in the U.S. and therefore never do. Also enjoyed the ability to actually seem to communicate my thoughts to the hair stylist, considering most haircuts end up with me doing weird hand gestures and trying to guess how many inches I want off.
- It went smoothly anyway, and the price was all kinds of awesome.
- I'll now drop my general silent comparison of haircut-getting and dentist visits. (Dentists seem to feel that you should be able to answer their questions when your mouth is full of pointy metal things and spit. It's the whole feeling painfully misunderstood during the process, but ending up a bit healthier and shinier at the very end thing.)
Day 39: Sat., 8/2
- Went to a restaurant that is historically themed, with old-style school desks pushed together as the tables, all intact with the chalky line down the middle of each desk that would separate the boy from the girl, since boys always sat next to girls, and the girls were supposed to be all "Hey, you can't cross this line!"
- The fire alarm went off, demonstrating the wonder of fire exits, as everyone rushed to the front door despite many back and side exits.
- Fine, I did it too. But I was facing the front, so technically...
- Well, it was a false alarm.
- Then it went off again, and no one moved.
- Also a false alarm. Apparently the dishwashing takes place within an elbow-knocking distance of the fire alarm?
- The tofu happened to be a bit sour, so they made it up to us with free desserts.
- Really, all in all, it was a pretty cool restaurant, though.
Day 40: Sun., 8/3
- Finished the 1,000 piece puzzle my cousins and I have been working on for around 3 days (with a long hiatus between the first day and this weekend).
- Let's not speak of the cheating.
- Anyway, it's a pretty view of the Manhattan Bridge.
- Packed, packed, bought some bread, played some badminton, packed, ate some bread, ate some fruit, packed...
- Last day in Tainan!
Now leaving for Kyushu, Japan! Southwest island area, birthplace of porcelain, home of hot springs and, well, a lot of things.
Laptop-less till Aug.10, when I get back; will update then.
Sayonara!
Day 36: Wed., 7/30
- Mah Jong day! We, being a culturally comprehensive class, decided to learn mah jong. Well, half the class learned; the other half got right to it.
- Now every time somebody "pong"s the card, I'm seeing "PWN!" in my head.
- We kind of anglicized it.
- Drew trees in Chinese painting class. You do a whole bunch of dots, draw branches, let it dry, blot it all into one connecty mess again, and draw a few lines of grass at the base to ensure a lack of floatage.
Day 37: Thurs., 7/31
- Final exams!
-...were alright.
- Tai chi - more translating, more shifting of strength/weight/chi/The Force; can now defend my self against guys who try to attack me by 1) trying to capture me by hugging, 2) leaving their toes vulnerable for stomping, or 3) attempting a slow, ponderous sidekick. [As in a kick that goes sideways, not a glorified minion.]
- We celebrated after class by going to the South Park area, which is actually just a wide strip of shops with an outdoor sitting plaza-esque area, and lots of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi-ish malls and shops. Had some food (there's no way to go wrong with won-ton soup. Well, at least where we ate. It was really good, anyway.)
- Went to the massive arcade level and spent a bunch of cents playing air hockey and video games and weird basketball throwing games which are actually very good for developing arm strength. I definitely felt my lack of arm strength after one round.
- Did a huge group photo-booth picture; they call them "da tou tie" or "big head sticker", literally translated, here. You go in front of a green screen, pick your background colors and whatnot, then you get to edit it (draw funky neon lines, add words, whatever) and choose your size and print out a sheet of the photobooth pictures in sticker form.
- That's more arcade-ing than I think I've ever done in my life.
- Went shopping round the other streets for a bit, looking at various electronics and memorabilia and standout deals. A lot of the smaller shops straight-out tell you that their value is in their service, not their awesome prices. Those places have been around forever, and are great for those who live a bike ride away, but not as much use to the once-in-ten-years traveler.
- That said, most places can definitely perform basic services for free if you just ask. (My only experiences fall in the 'adding additional chain to a necklace' and fixing glasses [and gifting you cases and cleaning cloths, yay] and watches range, though.)
Day 38: Fri., 8/1
- Last day of class:
- Sang a bunch of popular Chinese songs.
- Went out as a class, along with both teachers, to the little soup dumpling place that is all kinds of awesome. On Dong-an Road for anyone who ever treks to Tainan and wants some great food, albeit a tad pricier.
- Ended up playing rounds of mah-jong together till 5pm (skipping calligraphy) and then saying our goodbyes.
- Aww. Goodbye people I'll never see again unless I visit Russia or Hong Kong or Australia or Canada (again) or Japan (later) or Taiwan (again, again) or other states in the U.S.A...
- It was a great program and a great class, anyway.
- We have a slideshow our teacher put together for us that's pretty cute though, so I'll never have to forget what everyone's...made-up Chinese names are. Or what they look like. Not that I would've, especially with the ones with Facebook.
- I'll stop here and just say I'll miss Cheng Kung University and all the friendly people.
- Went out to get a haircut after (friend of the family hair-stylist, and therefore a better deal) and loved the whole hair-washing/massage thing that always costs extra in the U.S. and therefore never do. Also enjoyed the ability to actually seem to communicate my thoughts to the hair stylist, considering most haircuts end up with me doing weird hand gestures and trying to guess how many inches I want off.
- It went smoothly anyway, and the price was all kinds of awesome.
- I'll now drop my general silent comparison of haircut-getting and dentist visits. (Dentists seem to feel that you should be able to answer their questions when your mouth is full of pointy metal things and spit. It's the whole feeling painfully misunderstood during the process, but ending up a bit healthier and shinier at the very end thing.)
Day 39: Sat., 8/2
- Went to a restaurant that is historically themed, with old-style school desks pushed together as the tables, all intact with the chalky line down the middle of each desk that would separate the boy from the girl, since boys always sat next to girls, and the girls were supposed to be all "Hey, you can't cross this line!"
- The fire alarm went off, demonstrating the wonder of fire exits, as everyone rushed to the front door despite many back and side exits.
- Fine, I did it too. But I was facing the front, so technically...
- Well, it was a false alarm.
- Then it went off again, and no one moved.
- Also a false alarm. Apparently the dishwashing takes place within an elbow-knocking distance of the fire alarm?
- The tofu happened to be a bit sour, so they made it up to us with free desserts.
- Really, all in all, it was a pretty cool restaurant, though.
Day 40: Sun., 8/3
- Finished the 1,000 piece puzzle my cousins and I have been working on for around 3 days (with a long hiatus between the first day and this weekend).
- Let's not speak of the cheating.
- Anyway, it's a pretty view of the Manhattan Bridge.
- Packed, packed, bought some bread, played some badminton, packed, ate some bread, ate some fruit, packed...
- Last day in Tainan!
Now leaving for Kyushu, Japan! Southwest island area, birthplace of porcelain, home of hot springs and, well, a lot of things.
Laptop-less till Aug.10, when I get back; will update then.
Sayonara!
July DPP Newsletter (English)
Here's the DPP newsletter in English for the month of July:
July DPP Newsletter
By the way, I receive these monthly newsletters as I am on their (the DPP's) foreign mailing list, and you can probably contact them to receive these also by e-mailing foreign@dpp.org.tw.
And these are put out by their international affairs department, which I recently found that you can view them also on their English version of their website, here. Although it seems like the July newsletter is not yet up though. Anyways, so I will probably stop uploading them as they are easily accessible from their website.
July DPP Newsletter
By the way, I receive these monthly newsletters as I am on their (the DPP's) foreign mailing list, and you can probably contact them to receive these also by e-mailing foreign@dpp.org.tw.
And these are put out by their international affairs department, which I recently found that you can view them also on their English version of their website, here. Although it seems like the July newsletter is not yet up though. Anyways, so I will probably stop uploading them as they are easily accessible from their website.
Accident #3: Shaken, Sore, and Angry
Driving in Taiwan can be chaos, and you never know who is going to be creeping out of the unknown to cut you off or be in your space. There was a large bus dropping people off, and I was accelerating into a traffic circle (which is one way) with a bus blocking my view of any traffic from the right (which is theoretically impossible considering that it is a one way road).
It was a perfect storm of sorts, as I had to be in exactly the wrong spot at the wrong time to make contact with the man that was coming out on his scooter from behind the bus, against traffic, in one of the busier areas of town.
I nailed him in a violent collision that took the front lighting structure on my scooter clear off. I flew up a bit, hitting the front of my bike with my legs and waist, twisted around, landed on my butt and hit the back of my helmet on the ground. I got up off the ground in a rage.
I was livid. Any safe driver in Taiwan has to expect people to be doing illegal maneuvers all of the time, but I really had no chance on this one because my view was obscured by the bus and it was a one way road. I think 2 or 3 seconds earlier or later and it wouldn’t have happened.
I yelled at the man right away, not knowing what to expect. I figured if he tried to flee I would do my best beat him to a pulp right there in the street. I hit a scooter that went through a red light years ago and they fled, leaving me with a broken motorcycle in the middle of an industrial area.
He ended up being really sorry, polite, and genuinely concerned and we took the bike to a repair shop where he asked how much it would be and he paid them on the spot. He offered to take me to the hospital, which I declined. I had bumps and bruises, but I didn’t think anything was life threatening. I didn’t have any deep cuts or obviously broken bones so I figured I would wait a few days to see if things don’t get better.
So what were the injuries? I have a purple, very jammed middle toe on my left foot and a painful bump on my left foot that makes walking a painful reminder of last night. Also, a sore right elbow. scratches on my right calf, right thigh, right hand pinky, and a jammed left ring finger. It is an odd, random assortment of injuries. I feel I got lucky. Too many people have died or been injured at the hands of Taiwanese drivers. So what is the moral of the story?
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Entrepreneurs Talk - Interview with Mr. Reynald Katz – Panama International Merchandise Mart
1.- How were your early years, early influences and early career?
I was born in France and my father always had his own business. I think that, and the fact that I like to be independent, gave me an entrepreneurial mindset and attitude from the time I was a young boy. For example, when I was 19, a partner and I developed an anti-cracking nail polish which soon accounted for 80% of market share worldwide. In fact, we sold the business for $8 million and I was a millionaire at age 21.
I soon became bored though and decided to find another business. So, I went to Italy and started a company to manufacture lipsticks for Europe and, increasingly, the Middle East. I saw another chance to explore new territory, moved to the region and made cosmetics there before moving to the U.S.
I have continued to look for business ideas that are new, necessary and have a real potential for success. My most recent love is the Panama International Merchandise Mart.
2.- How did you find the opportunity?
I have a liquor bottling and distribution business located in Panama’s Colon Free Zone. In 2006 I needed a showroom to promote my products. When I asked the Free Zone administration about renting a space, they told me that there was a 2,500 company waiting list.
The idea for PIMM was born simply because there was no space in Colon. So we decided to open showrooms to serve this need, just as the Americans have done in Miami and Los Angeles. We created PIMM in Panama as there is nowhere else to go locally and in Latin America.
3.- How much does you company sell nowdays?
I can’t tell you the exact figures because I don’t want the information made public. I can say, however, that PIMM will be a billion dollar business within five years.
4.- Can you comment us some managerial taken actions which implied a great risk,, but at the end was a good decision?
I mentioned earlier that I have a liquor business. Sales from it have been over a million dollars a year for several years. I am now selling it because I don’t have the time to properly manage and expand it since PIMM takes all my time. A lot of people have told me I’m crazy to give up my old company. I say that I would rather have a billion dollar company than a million dollar one. I took the risk and it is working out very well.
5.- Can you give some recommendations for current IMBA students who want to start their own business?
Make sure your idea is actually feasible. Do your research before you start up. Be ready to give up your personal life if necessary, at least in the beginning. Find and listen to some good advisors that know you and your potential business. Don’t let anyone slow you down or change your goals though. Last, love what you are trying to do or it will simply never happen.
Ma Ying-joke's Alternate Universe
Ma Ying-joke, the naive president of Taiwan continues to live in his own little alternate universe, a universe so distant that no one can figure out where he is coming from. If you remember that yesterday I posted on how Ma boasted of the great diplomatic coup his staff had achieved by getting China to agree to use the term Zhonghua Taibei instead of Zhongguo Taibei in reference to Taiwan in the Olympics. The reality was that all they had gotten China to do is to agree to honor what it had pledged back ages ago. ...
Overpacked yet still shopping
O.K. so I have too much baggage and have packed much, much too much. In my defense over the last five weeks I’ve traveled from the heat of Taipei to the warmth of Vancouver, to the winter of Buenos Aires, to the cool climate of Vancouver Island. Many sweaters, handbags, pants, t-shirts and other objects of comfort have been gathered along the way. Here I sit with an expensive extra baggage charge and a weeklong journey to Japan. What did I do today? What I am good at. One of my hobbies… I shopped!
Shopping is one of my skills. I am skilled at choosing a quality garment at a fair price. Even under dubious circumstances such as already having too much baggage or a heavy Visa bill incoming. At the Duty Free section of the Vancouver International Airport I saw the jacket at Mango. It was green my favorite color and had a good cut. There were many reasons not to buy it but….
Top Uni(s) at Taiwan
~ Public: NTU : National Taiwan Uni
NCTU : National Chiao Tung Uni
NCKU : National Cheng Kung Uni
NTHU : National Tsing Hua Uni
NSYSU : National Sun Yet-Sen Uni
NCU : National Central Uni
Check some others from MOE ~ Private: TKU : Tamkang Uni
Asia Uni
Aletheia University
Central Taiwan Uni of Science & Tech
Chang Jung Christian University
Chang-Gung University
Chaoyang University of Technology
Cheng Shiu University
Chia [...]
Museums at NTU
The NTU Museums were inaugurated in November 2007 as part of a project to preserve and promote the university’s collections. The various small museums contain some wonderful exhibitions. It’s best to start your tour at the Agricultural Exhibition Hall (農業陳列館) where you can pick up a guide to all the museums. The Hall is located near the Xinsheng South Road gate of NTU. I haven’t visited all the museums yet, but I’ll write about the ones I have.
The Zoology Museum (動物博物館) features the skeletons of four animals. The Asian Elephant and Cassowary are pictured above. There are also Minke Whale and Short-finned Pilot Whale skeletons. There are also nine stuffed birds on display including a Crested Serpent Eagle, Collared Scoops Owl and Brown Wood Owl.
The NTU Heritage Hall of Physics (物理文物館) has a Cockcroft-Walton Linear Accelerator as its centrepiece. This museum also has on display many old experimental apparatus and a working Geiger counter that you can test with a collection of rocks.
The Geo-specimen Cottage (地質標本館) is the place for anyone with an interest in geology. A variety of rock specimens are on display together with information about Taiwan’s geology (all in Chinese).
The Department of Anthropology Museum (人類學系標本陳列室) contains a wonderful collection of artifacts from the Austronesian speaking peoples of Taiwan and Pongso no Tao (蘭嶼; Orchid Island). There are also a few items from Melanesia and Polynesia. An excellent guide to this collection can be found in the book The Material Culture of Formosan Aborigines by Chen Chi-lu (陳奇祿). The museum is on the ground floor of the Anthropology Department building. You may have to ask one of the staff to open it for you.
Other museums at NTU include the Herbarium and Gallery of NTU History. The Insectarium (昆蟲標本室) is set to open in November this year and is something to get excited about. It contains over 330,000 specimens.
More information is available on the NTU Museums website or pickup one of the guide books from NTU. The opening hours of each museum vary so it is best to check the website in advance.
Related posts:- Visiting some museums in Taiwan
- Folk Arts Museum in Beitou
- End of semester at NCCU
- Photos from the weekend
- Shi-Da class outing to Yingge
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Krazy Karaoke
Video by MJ Klein
Hui-chen and I decided to travel to Bade, Taoyuan and see our old friends Mr. Sun and Mr. Lee (aka Paul and Lee). Now for some reason, it seems that whenever we go back to that neighborhood, something weird happens and it’s not the fault of our friends. A fight will break out among some gamblers or a drunk person will start bothering us. Well, something did happen and it was in the latter category this time.
We all went to a quiet little karaoke place to relax with some good food, drink and songs. I had my video camera with me and I was videotaping Paul and Lee singing some songs when all of a sudden, some drunk woman came in, went over to Paul and smacked him while he was singing. Then it got worse from there! So, naturally I made it into a feature video, and now you may enjoy it for yourself! Here it is:
Krazy Karaoke from MJ Klein on Vimeo.
Enjoy!
food court: BREEZE at TAIPEI MAIN STATION
Indian Fans
Yokohama Station
Sababa
Sweetberry &
Little South Gate at
BREEZE at TAIPEI MAIN STATION
3, BeiPing W Rd, 2F
(02) 6632-8999
website: breezecenter.com Chinese only
hours: 10 AM - 10 PM
$-$$
Kid friendliness: lots of options, relatively new and clean.
Visit reviewed: 2/22/2008
If you're looking for a casual place with something for everyone, or you don't have a lot of time but want to have a tasting menu of Taipei eateries, you should head to Breeze at Taipei Main Station. And with all the MRT lines going through the Main Station, you could stop by before you head home or off to your destination.
Essentially, it's a GIANT, full circle food court, with four main sections filled with lots of familiar eateries- Taiwan "Night Market" Chinese food; desserts/bakeries; Curries, and even a whole food court of eight different beef noodle soups shops to choose from. I guess you could have your own Iron Chef tasting if you wanted to. I'll have to give that a try next time.
When we went, we walked around the whole thing to see what our options were, and then settled on trying out the section that seemed to be where all the non-Chinese/foreign options were- curry from Indian Fans, Sababa chicken pitas and Yokohama Station's fried pork tonkatsu and omelette rice.
The Plata Sababa was reliably tasty (with hummus and roasted eggplant) and I introduced Sababa to my friend who enjoyed it. (Although I think the prices at Main Station are slightly higher than their other locations (maybe because of rent) or maybe they raised prices overall?)
The bite of omelette rice and tonkatsu I had were forgettable.
For some reason, my friend got some food from Indian Fans.The flatbread from Indian Fans didn't even look like naan, and the curry was watered down. I usually love Indian food, but the offerings on menu were not appealing to me- it seemed more adjusted to Taiwan flavors. I didn't see any tikka masala or saffron rice. This old Taipei Times article reinforces my gut reaction about the place. I'd rather eat at the other mall court staple, Indian Palace.
There is a lot of seating for each section with wooden benches and you can even take your food from one section to the next if you really want to eat something different from your family/friends.
Of course, you have to save room for dessert.
The desserts section is a white, brightly lit mod area with options like Xiao Nan Men (Little South Gate) do-hwa, Meet Fresh, Pinkberry knock off Sweetberry, Beard Papa or Oishii cream puffs, Movenpick, Mr. Donut, or various bakeries. There's also Starbucks or Mr. Brown coffee if you need a caffeine burst.
The pink and green branding of Sweetberry was just TOO similar to Pinkberry to not be a shameless knockoff. See the same shades of pink and green and similar font in exhibit number 1 from dessertbuzz.com! It's laughable that they even made the logo pretty much the same (but it's a heart). I guess since no one has heard of Pinkberry here, they thought they could get away with it. But I have!
exhibit number 1
exhibit number 2
The expensive price for the extremely small portion (NT$80) and even smaller portion of fruit was a big disappointment. The flavor was appropriately tart (like Pinkberry) and yogurt-like, but I was shocked at the lack of strawberries. I'd stick to the Xiao Nan Men do-hwa or soy tofu custard. If you want frozen yogurt in Taipei, then you'll have to head over to Yogurt Me.
Next time, I'd like to try Minder Vegetarian restaurant and some of the other desserts as well as the Beef Noodle Soup (Niao Rou Mien) section.
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Taiwan Blogger of a feather flock together
Annual Taiwan blogger BoF [zh] (named from “Birds of a feather”) is going to be held on Aug. 3rd in Taipei. Hundreds to thousands of Taiwan bloggers will enjoy the whole-day sessions from online to off-line, and from 00:00 to 24:00. Portnoy will introduce Rising Voice Project in one of those sessions. More detail agendas can be found in Chiao's article.
Taking the High-Speed Train: Taipei to Kaohsiung
Christine is sitting on the Taiwan HSR eagerly clutching her ticket, as we await departure from Taipei on the 11:00 express to Kaohsiung. It only stops a couple of times, and we arrive in Kaohsiung Zuoying Station on time in only 1 hour 36 minutes.
Inside the train the coaches are wide, fairly comfortable and quiet. We booked tickets so we pretty much had the carriage to ourselves for the largest part of the journey. The train is divided unofficially into three classes: Business Class, Reserved Standard, and Unreserved Standard. While the first distinction is obvious, the second is less so until you find out what it really means, courtesy of rather brusque treatment by the stewardess.
Lunch is served (at NT$120). Two traditional lunchboxes served with Pork or Chicken. A little lackluster in flavor or heat, but we were eager to eat them nevertheless. Who can resist the charm of having eaten the fastest lunchboxes in Taiwan.
Another surprise: Photography from the cabin was actually quite possible and resulted in a lot of images that showed the countryside. Things go so fast, so I had to cut down on the pointing and speed up the clicking. Still…
And in the tunnels, it was quite eerie… like this picture taken in the window!
Finally, I managed to photograph the speed we were traveling at: on occasion it reached 293km/h but most of the time hovered between 250-280km/h.
We finally arrived in Kaohsiung.
2008 Taipei Toy Festival
The Mira Department Store at Core Pacific City Mall (京華城)(also known as The Living Mall) in Taipei hosted the 5th annual Taipei Toy Festival early last month. The show, which ran from July 10-13th, brought thousands of insatiable toy collectors of all ages and uber-cool vinyl toy designers from around the globe through its doors. The crowds were insane. Imagine (if you’ve been) one of Taipei’s night market. The entire event was buzzing like a horde of bees. I had a really hard time getting any pictures, and was thankful that I had listened to John and brought along my Canon point-and-shoot instead of the Digital Rebel. The close-quarters made it awfully hard to get near any of the booths, however it was kinda cool bumping elbows with some of the designers. Most of my photos didn’t turn out. But I spent wads of cash and managed to nab a few of my favorites before they sold out.
Show organizer, Monster Taipei, arranged several special events and activities throughout the duration of the four day show. With over 90 exhibitors, the event was expected to draw in over 20,000 toy fanatics and addicts of all ages. Toy enthusiasts enjoyed free daily toy giveaways, auctions for rare limited edition toys, and a chance to meet the artists and exhibitors from every corner of the world.
This was my first toy show, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Neither one of us were expecting the enthusiastic crowds. I’m always extra grateful for John in situations like these. Not only is he great protection, but he also has a bird’s eye view of everything. He quickly managed to locate my favorite designers and we headed straight for the Medicom, Crazy Label, Red Magic and House of Liu booths to grab my goodies before making our way through the rest of the exhibit.
One of my favorite collectibles, CiBoys from Red Magic, had several custom DIY display booths for show on the floor. I was tempted to buy a kit for myself, but I can’t draw to save my life. I just settled for the chance to enjoy some of my favorites and I managed to purchase this super-cute set as a momento of my time here in Taiwan.
I was also on the hunt for House of Liu’s Little Mei Mei. I got a peek at Mei Mei back in May and scoured the city trying to find her, before finding out that Mei Mei and her little brother, Di Di are Taipei Toy Festival Exclusives. I managed to nab the last Mei Mei at the House of Liu booth on Sunday afternoon. I didn’t have any luck with Di Di. He had sold out earlier in the day.
My fascination with the vinyl toy industry started a few years ago when I started collecting a line of toys released by 7-11 convenience stores in Taiwan. The original set was based on the 12 signs of the zodiac. Since then, more and more artists have offered to design sets for convenience store as a means of advertising. The results have produced thousands of avid toy collectors. Soon after 7-11 released their line, Family Mart released a line of Chinese gods created by celebrity designer Demos Chiang (蔣友柏), the grandson of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
My obsession has continued to grow. Some time last year I stumbled upon Be@rbrick Love, a site totally devoted to the love and worship of all things Be@rbrick. I fell in love with the little anthropomorphized bears and quickly discovered why the vinyl art movement is so huge. These toys are works of art, fabricated by creators with backgrounds in graphic design and art. They are released as limited editions, and are considered to be very real and affordable works of art. No two are the same, and the amount of detail that goes into each piece is incredible.
For more taipei Toy Festival coverage, check out fellow toy aficionado at ToyzREvil.
First world transportation for Taiwan's second city (Taiwan Business Topics)
After two decades of planning, construction, cave-ins,and scandals over the use of foreign labor, Kaohsiung's mass rapid transit system (KMRT) carried its first paying passengers on April 7 this year.
During the 29-day free-travel period that preceded commercial operations, up to 400,000 people used the system each day. Inevitably there were glitches.A few passengers seemed not to understand the no-eating/no-drinking/no betel nut rule, and some first-timers using the ladies' restrooms sparked panic when they confused the emergency alarm button for the flush.
Since then things have been running smoothly. According to Vivian Wu, a public affairs assistant administrator at the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC), between April 7 and June 16 passenger numbers averaged 80,000 to 90,000 on weekdays, and 130,000 to 140,000 on Saturdays and Sundays.
Currently, there's just one line in operation. The 28.3-kilometer-long Red Line runs from Ciaotou Station (R23) in Kaohsiung County down through the northern part of Kaohsiung City to Kao- hsiung Main Station (R11). From there, it veers southeast to the Sanduo Shopping District (R8) and Kaohsiung International Airport (R4) before terminating in the sprawling blue-collar district of Siaogang (R3).
A second route, the 14.4-kilometer Orange Line, is scheduled to begin commercial operations before the end of October. Running east-west, it will link the harborside neighborhood of Yanchengpu (O2, also known by its old Japanese name, Hamasen) with the cultural center (O7, actually 15 minutes' walk from the auditorium complex) and Fongshan (O12), the most populous city in Kaohsiung County.
By international standards, the 20 years it took to make the KMRT a reality isn't embarrassingly long. Copenhagen needed just 10 years to get its metro going. However, construction of the Second Avenue line of New York's subway, which was conceived in 1929, began only last year.
A feeder-bus network links the Red Line with points throughout the city. A leaflet available from KMRT stations explains the various routes, all of which are prefixed by the Chinese character for "red." Unfortunately, this leaflet has very little English, and it doesn't list useful bus routes that predate the KMRT. City bus 50, for example, serves both the Love River and the cultural center, and stops very close to Central Park (R9). The leaflet's city map lacks a scale, so visitors who like walking can only guess whether their ultimate destination is 500 meters or three kilometers from the nearest KMRT stop.
The complete article is on AmCham's website. The photo here shows one of the entrances to the 05/R10 Formosa Boulevard Station.
During the 29-day free-travel period that preceded commercial operations, up to 400,000 people used the system each day. Inevitably there were glitches.A few passengers seemed not to understand the no-eating/no-drinking/no betel nut rule, and some first-timers using the ladies' restrooms sparked panic when they confused the emergency alarm button for the flush.
Since then things have been running smoothly. According to Vivian Wu, a public affairs assistant administrator at the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC), between April 7 and June 16 passenger numbers averaged 80,000 to 90,000 on weekdays, and 130,000 to 140,000 on Saturdays and Sundays.
Currently, there's just one line in operation. The 28.3-kilometer-long Red Line runs from Ciaotou Station (R23) in Kaohsiung County down through the northern part of Kaohsiung City to Kao- hsiung Main Station (R11). From there, it veers southeast to the Sanduo Shopping District (R8) and Kaohsiung International Airport (R4) before terminating in the sprawling blue-collar district of Siaogang (R3).
A second route, the 14.4-kilometer Orange Line, is scheduled to begin commercial operations before the end of October. Running east-west, it will link the harborside neighborhood of Yanchengpu (O2, also known by its old Japanese name, Hamasen) with the cultural center (O7, actually 15 minutes' walk from the auditorium complex) and Fongshan (O12), the most populous city in Kaohsiung County.
By international standards, the 20 years it took to make the KMRT a reality isn't embarrassingly long. Copenhagen needed just 10 years to get its metro going. However, construction of the Second Avenue line of New York's subway, which was conceived in 1929, began only last year.
A feeder-bus network links the Red Line with points throughout the city. A leaflet available from KMRT stations explains the various routes, all of which are prefixed by the Chinese character for "red." Unfortunately, this leaflet has very little English, and it doesn't list useful bus routes that predate the KMRT. City bus 50, for example, serves both the Love River and the cultural center, and stops very close to Central Park (R9). The leaflet's city map lacks a scale, so visitors who like walking can only guess whether their ultimate destination is 500 meters or three kilometers from the nearest KMRT stop.
The complete article is on AmCham's website. The photo here shows one of the entrances to the 05/R10 Formosa Boulevard Station.
Capital Gains Taxes for Taiwan
Currently Taiwan does not have capital gains taxes for things such as stocks and real-estate/land sales. According to this report in Reuters UK, the Taiwan Tax Reform Committee will be doing a study on whether to put back in place the capital gains tax. Although the report says its largely unlikely to be implemented, why would they even consider it then? Especially, as the article states, at a time like this when the market is in a slump. At least Bevan Yeh knows something about capital gains taxes and its effect on the markets.
"It's not likely that the government will impose the capital gains tax while the stock market is still struggling," said Bevan Yeh, fund manager at Prudential Financial Securities Investment Trust.
Can't say the same for the Democrats in the United States. Although we already have a good ~30% tax on short-term gains, and 15% on long-term gains, Obama feels the need to strip the tax break given to those "rich" Americans, which apparently Obama considers me as since I'm a college student who is working part-time, but invests in stocks. Maybe the Democrats need to learn from people like Mr. Yeh in Taiwan- raising capital gains tax during a recession and a bear market is only going to send stocks down further. When people start seeing their account values of their stock account continue to slide, they get scared and pull out- that's when we get a crash.
"It's not likely that the government will impose the capital gains tax while the stock market is still struggling," said Bevan Yeh, fund manager at Prudential Financial Securities Investment Trust.
Can't say the same for the Democrats in the United States. Although we already have a good ~30% tax on short-term gains, and 15% on long-term gains, Obama feels the need to strip the tax break given to those "rich" Americans, which apparently Obama considers me as since I'm a college student who is working part-time, but invests in stocks. Maybe the Democrats need to learn from people like Mr. Yeh in Taiwan- raising capital gains tax during a recession and a bear market is only going to send stocks down further. When people start seeing their account values of their stock account continue to slide, they get scared and pull out- that's when we get a crash.