Forget temples, praying to Buddha, burning money paper for good fortune and the whole other host of ways that exist to connect to the celestial world.
In Taiwan, a girl’s parents are god.
Going against one’s parents is unheard of, no matter how absurd or selfish the request. For this reason when it comes to sex a [...]
I’ve often wondered how the roads of Taiwan function. Bad driving Asian stereotypes are nothing new but it’s not until you actually mix it up with Asian traffic that you develop a whole new appreciation for it.
Confidence on Taiwan’s roads seems to be a massive problem. People will seriously half pull out of a car [...]
One of the most common questions I encountered back in Australia when I told people I was moving to Taiwan was ‘have you travelled much?’
The last time I left Australia was back in 1993 on a family trip.
The reaction I got when I told people I was moving abroad was thus usually one of surprise. [...]
One of the stops I made during the 2010 Chinese New Year was a little town in Taichung County called Tachia (also spelt as Dajia).
Tachia is in central Taiwan and is home to the Chenlan temple (Chenlan is also spelt Zhen-lan). In Taiwan Chenlan temple is the place to go to if you’re interested in [...]
The concept of Chinese New Year in Australia has always been a novelty for me. All I really knew about the day was that in school some Asians would take a day off. Down in Footscray there’d be some fireworks and dragon displays and for some of my friends got little red envelopes stuffed with [...]
It was about 8:30am on a Monday morning and still a little bit groggy I was waiting for a train at Taichung station.
As I stood there in my shirt and pants, the sting of a lazy imprecise morning shave still tingling over my jawline I looked around at the ensemble of waiting passengers.
You had your [...]
I’ve never really been an art person. I can tell you when I like something but take me to a gallery or get me to look at an art book and I’ll probably get bored pretty quickly.
Since coming to Taiwan I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my stance on art and how I perceive it.
Back home I’m an individual, with individual thoughts, individual actions and individual behaviour.
You wouldn’t ask me why that guy over was doing what he was doing, or why she wanted to break up with you, or what sense of satisfaction they got by throwing up all over the sidewalk after a night out.
Why?
Because most likely [...]
Thinking of myself as somewhat mildly intuitive of being able to distinguish visually between people of different Asian origin, I have since learnt it’s not just about how they look but how they behave.
Using looks to determine where someone comes from in Taiwan is about as relevant as English at night market.
