Recently a friend asked me what are the best tools for learning Mandarin and I gave him a long list of apps to download. Some free, but most of them are going to cost you a pretty penny. Some of them are justifiable because the functionality and usefulness of some apps for Mandarin learning are […]
Carnegie’s is one of the few British bars in Taipei, and as such, I have made quite a few trips here. Unlike a lot of bars I give my patronage to, Carnegie’s is a big place. That might not sound impressive, but it is when you have spent most of your time in bars with […]
If you really want to know if you are fluent in any language or understand any culture, then you should test yourself with what the humor a given people/culture is. For me, I can wholeheartedly say, I don’t get the humor in Taiwan or in China and for that, I can say I am not […]
I am starting a new semester in my Master’s program, and frankly, it has all been a mixed bag of sorts. In short, Taiwanese university level education – especially for a master’s program – Teaches you only one skill; how to be a university researcher. Sure, it might teach you critical skills, like how to […]
As stereotypical as it might sound for an Irishman, I have been around a lot of bars in Taipei. For the most part I have had good experiences and met plenty of interesting folks from many different strokes. With that said, I have always found it hard to find a bar with all the elements […]
A guy by the name of Confucius once said that it is a delight to have friends coming from afar (有朋自遠方來不亦樂乎). In Taiwan, there seems to be a lot of friends from afar coming to these shores and settling for both the short and long-term. Yet, one key complaint that some make is that it is […]
In three weeks time, I will be celebrating one year in Taiwan. For most people reading this, that will sound either as a long time, or a short time. Either way, I have really come to love my life in Taiwan. There are many things about Taipei that I love and hate, and rightly so. […]
One of the best parts about living in Taiwan is that this island is very safe. I had always assumed that Taiwan would be safe, but I had also expected, like I would in most other countries, that I wouldn’t want stay past a certain hour in certain areas of Taipei City. In my own […]
Before coming to Taiwan, I was worried about supporting myself. I was fortunate enough to have been awarded a scholarship, but the monthly stipend could only afford me the essentials. If my laptop broke, or if I needed an emergency flight or if a large expense popped up out of nowhere, I wouldn’t be able […]
