It was a Sunday evening so it’s time for another weekend travel adventure. I went to Banqiao District in New Taipei City to see their famous LED Christmas tree. I posted a youtube video last Nov. 30 about the lighting of their Christmas tree which was televised in Taiwan . New Taipei and Taipei are different places just like Manila and New Manila. New Taipei City surrounds Taipei...
To officially start the "Rest and Recreation Week" given to TIGP Bioinformatics students, I went to Taipei Zoo to have some adventure!
The entrance gate of Taipei Zoo on the left while on the right are the ticket booths.
Taipei Zoo is accessible via the Wen...
The Filipino Scholars in Taiwan (FSiT) have gathered for a Halloween Party at the Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) of the TIGP dorm. There was also a costume contest but I didn't join the contest. If I will be wearing a costume in that party, I will portray the character of Hero in Gundam Wing. I would just wear a sando and a short. hehe! It was my first party with them and I have a lot ...
I remember the night I first arrived in Taiwan. I took a bus to Nangang Exhibition Center then transferred to a taxi to reach TIGP Dorm. It was already 1am when I reached the dorm. I was really hungry at that time but I decided to just sleep and eat in the morning. I woke up at 3am. My stomach really needs something to digest. I asked the guard if there is any 7-eleven nearby the ...
I attended the first day of the 2013 BIT (Bioinformatics in Taiwan) conference in NYMU (National Yang Ming University). Although there is a free shuttle bus from Academia Sinica to NYMU, I decided to take the MRT to have some adventure. I wanted to see Shipai Station of the Tamsui Line. This station is in the same train track as the Jiantan Station (Taiwan Day 42). There is nothin...
I went to Carrefour to buy some stuff and one of the things that I need is a broom and dustpan. I don't expext to find a "walis tambo" in Taiwan but I was just surprised that the broom and dustpan are in a set and you can even hang the synthetic broom to the handle of the dustpan. The handle of the broom is connected at an angle unlike our locally made "walis tambo" which is conne...
I went to National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in the morning to submit my registration credentials. NTHU is not in Taipie, it is in Hsinchu and it is a province of Taiwan. After submitting my documents I went back to Taipei to find and buy the reference book for my Chinese Class I. I went to Taipei Main Station and started to walk to find Chongqing South Road because this is wher...
I just received my first stipend as a TIGP fellow. I was supposed to received NTD 34,000 for the month of September, but since I have to pay two months advance and 1 month deposit for my stay in the TIGP dorm I was deducted NTD 16,500. I was deducted another NTD 5,000 for my installment payment of my tuition fee in Tsing Hua University. During the enrollment, I borrowed money from...
After my Python programming class, I hurriedly went to the 2nd Floor of the Center of Academic Activities to find the First Conference Room and listen to the talk of Dr. Li. He is my professor in my lab rotation and he is the Bioinformatics Division Director of the Genomics Research Center. I can say that I am lucky that I am doing my rotation in his lab. Thanks to PGC, I have s...
I was able to open a bank account today at the Post Office in Academia Sinica. I also have now a stamp bearing my Chinese name. I am sure my brothers will be envy of me having my Chinese name in a stamp. I don't know if this kind of wooden stamp can be made in the Philippines but what I am proud about it is that it is an authentic wooden stamp and it was made in Taiwan. This stamp...
It was my first time to attend a mass in Taiwan since I arrived here in September 1. Today was also the first time I used my EasyCard in paying my fare in the bus and Taipei MRT and I find it convenient. I just placed my EasyCard in the senor and I'm good to go. I don't know the name of the church that I went to because the signs are in Chinese. All that I know is that there are a...
I just got my Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) last Monday! With my ARC, I can now leave and re-enter Taiwan without the need of a visa. Haha! I'm now studying and living legally in Taiwan! As suggested by my classmates in the Chinese class, that I can now open my bank account at the postal bank in Academia Sinica. I hurriedly went there to open an account, but to my surprise al...
I went together with fellow Filipinos in Academia Sinica to Ximending to eat and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival. It was a full moon that night and it was not raining. We went to Saizeriya to eat and the food was not expensive. My meal cost NTD 158. We roam around the shopping district and I went inside Uniqlo. The price...
This was the first day of our class as PhD students and our very first class is B1 or Basic Molecular Biology. Just look at the faces of my classmates on how excited and happy they are for our first day. I want to take a photo of them again on the last day of our class to see if they are still smiling and happy. Haha!
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It was my first taste of a microwave food in Taiwan. It was Sunday evening. I went to KLG to eat but the lady at the counter said that they have no rice so I just went to Family Mart to buy a microwave food. I bought rice omelette in tomato sauce and it cost NTD 60. After paying the bill, the person in the counter placed the food in a microwave and since it was hot it was placed i...
My first attendance in a TIGP Distinguished Lecture. The title of the talk is "How To Do Ethical or at Least Complying Research" and it was presented by Dr. Ming F. Tam. All those who attended received a box containing 4 different kinds of bread. This saved me around NTD 40 for my snacks.
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It was a hot and sunny Sunday in Taipei. I was suprised when I woke up that it was already 10:19am. As usual I bought two sandwiches for my breakfast. I just ate one and then reserve the other since in just 100 minutes it will be lunch time. I went out of the dorm to eat in my favorite taiwanese "turo-turo". Unfortunately, they are closed. Here in Taiwan, normal opening hours (Mo...
Jake and I went to Carrefour to buy my needed paraphernalia to survive in Taiwan. We took Bus 205. The fare was NTD 12 but I paid NTD 15 because I don't have one taiwan dollar coins in my pocket. We drop off near Nankang District Administration Center. Carrefour is much like SM Hypermart in the Philippines. You can buy food, plastic products and even electronic accessories. It's a...
