Updates from Taiwan (1)

Some updates about my 1 1/2 weeks here so far...Arrived in Taipei two Sundays ago and spent that day familiarizing myself with the surroundings. Getting to work from the lodgings is fairly simple and the buses and MRT are quite easy to navigate. The way people drive here is rather 'fiercer' compared to those in Sg so think you just need to be 'fierce' too.

Didn't know that winter in Taiwan can be so COLD! Last week I was absolutely freezing!!! Need some fats! Not surprisingly, the time I hated most was bathing time...brrrrr, but no matter what I can't stand not bathing or washing my hair everyday so I just have to bear with it! And the worst thing was the cold made my nose run...don't think it's a real cold as in illness, but still annoying...

First day at work...was brought around to the various labs for intros. Some thought I was still a student, haha! The first week or so was quite interesting...got to look at some case exhibits, use the equipment, read through past reports, visit a Disaster Prevention Museum and best of all exchange ideas through many casual discussions.

Taiwanese people are very friendly, maybe too friendly at times? Always fighting to make payment...after a while I just let them pay if they offer. I think that fighting to pay looks very ‘unglam’so I just stick to my usual practice: offer to pay next time.

One of the colleagues here brings me around a lot. While I think it's easier for me to remember the streets if I wander around on my own, after a while, I feel very grateful for her kindness. 被關心的感覺真好! My workplace is near the major shopping belt, so I've been to Mitsukoshi, 誠品 (a really huge bookstore), Taipei 101 and New York New York so far. But the place I like best so far is 西門町, lots of interesting stuff and CD shops! I found one that has lots of HK and Jap CDs; they've actually got the most hocc CDs I've seen so far in a single shop in any country - hocc2, free love, dress me up, best, glam, Butterfly Lovers etc and even the Leung Joke musical DVD/VCD! But HK stuff must buy in HK...it's too expensive here. I did grab quite a few Japanese ones tho...old habits die hard!

Visited 淡水 last weekend and also went to the Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Halls...will upload pics after I get back to Sg.

I find that they are all very respectful toward their elders or seniors here, calling their seniors 學長 or 學姊. One young colleague called me 學長! And this guy in my lab told me 如果你是男生應該很帥! Hmm...I don’t think so, but I'll take it as a compliment...hee...