30 August 2006: A Day of Relative Inactivity

Oh yes, I had forgotten in my previous post to thank Marc, Raymond, and Chee Ming for taking the time and effort off early in the wee hours of Sunday morning to see me off at the airport. I actually didn't expect anyone at the airport prior to this, since I had kept my departure at low profile and Tipin even chided me over the phone right before I left for not informing my dear friends about my impending trip. Sorry guys, but it's only for five months, so please take care and feel free to tell me if you need anything from Taiwan, say limited editions and collectibles.

Today, 30 August, has been cosy and quiet. I bought a Starbucks tumbler after lunch, and like any other tumbler across the world, it is unique to the city of purchase. Thanks to Daniel Chua for this great suggestion years ago. Sounds like those Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts, isn't it? I think that with the purchase, I still fall in the league of people who need to depend on physical mementoes or souvenirs for fond memories of their past tracks in life. No offence to anyone, but I aim to go beyond the material and seek to keep the best memories only in the heart, without the need to infer from any source. I mean, if you require photographs and the like to remember an event or incident, then it may not be that enduring or steadfast after all, isn't it?

Oh here's to mention that my volunteer a.k.a. buddy is Connie Lin, who is a kind and nice lady majoring in Agriculture in the National Taiwan University. Along with her are two friends, Zhang Gang and Tuo Ping who have been assisting us with the nitty-gritties ever since we came in the weekend. Here's thanks to all three all them! I have also known David who studies Agricultural Chemistry in the University, and his birthday falls on 15 December. I plan to play possum by either making a quick leave for somewhere or reducing my dosage of gingko nuts on that day in order to save some cash for my pending trips. But in all seriousness, he's a very nice chap and I enjoy talking to him. My neck aches when doing so, because I'm a pygmy when it comes to facing this 1.8m tall guy.

David (also known as Kang Rong) and his friend Bing Xun, as well as Tuo Ping brought us to a steamboat buffet and we gorged ourselves with the goodies served there. Kinda Singaporean style, I would say. Dead beat now, as I'm typing this in early morning and the internet had been down until now. Thanks again to saviour-of-the-day David who helped me gain access once more.

Early Days in Taipei

I went to Ximending（西门町）today, and bagged nothing from my shopping experience there. It has been unproductive for the past day, so I decide that before heading for bed, I had better set my blog up as a fulfilment of a self-promise when I embark on my SEP to Taiwan. Here it is, the start of records of my SEP experience in Taiwan.

I arrived in Taipei in the afternoon of 27 August, and three kind Taiwanese students from the National Taiwan University picked us up at the Chiang Kai Shek International Airport. They drove us to the dormitory, and after we had dropped our luggage there, ferried us to the local Carrefour hypermarket in the vicinity.

The Carrefour is humongous. I purchased bed linen, mattress, blanket, pillow, and other necessities and all these have cost me a hefty NTD 3000+. Looks like I have to settle on cheap air tickets to my preferred destinations from Taiwan.

I went back to the dormitory and made friends with my Austrian roommate, Marcus. For a split second, I thought he's gonna speak German to me but it turned out that he can converse well in English. If linguistics have not posed a problem, the living conditions in my room surely do. I won't deem them appalling, but I spent a good two days srubbing and cleaning until my fingers went all wrinkled. I think I had not done so much housework before this. Despite these efforts, ants still come crawling in from the windows. I continued my efforts at keeping the room clean, till Marcus made a remark that I'm a Singaporean who's always kept himself busy all the time. I can't help it, I guess, though I'm not exactly a hygiene freak.

The second day, 28 August, saw me settling my accomodation with the administration in the university. I had also bought a bicycle for convenience in the campus. Here's thanks to Raymond Kwan who had taught me the now-crucial skills of cycling early this year. I still have difficulties make swerves and acute turns, but I hope that things will work out fine without too many falls on my part. After all, the mosquitoes have reinforced the ants to terrorize me at nights, and my legs are now covered with bites that glow on my fair complexion. Nevertheless, I had garnered enough spirit in the evening to buy a Levi's buttoned shirt. My first and only merchandise in Taiwan, at least for the time being.

Anyway, footages or photographs will be uploaded soon. This blog shall serve as my personal diary on my SEP experience in Taiwan, and as a check on my English proficiency and standard, lest it deterioates during my stay here.