Tuesday 6 November 2012

The masters of stationery...

I hereby crown Taiwan the king of stationery! I remember having a perusal in Paperchase before I came out here and noticing how a great majority of the stuff was 'Made in Taiwan'. Well yes, they really are the masters of stationery. Stickers galore (I think we all know how much I love stickers!), all sorts of stationery! It's fabulous! And it's so cheap! Importing stuff really does whack on a lot to the price of stuff!! I'm not sure why but I find stationery wonderful! All stationery lovers should unite in Taiwan.

Oh and on the point of 'Made in Taiwan'...I always imagined everything was made in factories. I think that's a fairly reasonable assumption. And yes, a lot of stuff is made in factories. But also a lot of stuff is just made by people in their homes. A lot of people seem to have their front room as a workshoppy kinda place. People just make stuff or sell stuff from their living room. I've seen all manor of things people sell from their living rooms...clothes, cosmetics, car/scooter parts, accessories and the list goes on. They either just sell it from their homes or sell it to other companies/shops. So now when I see something that says 'Made in Taiwan' I shall wonder whether it was made in a factory or just in persons home.

Today I had a real confidence boost regarding my Chinese. (I am by no means good, but compared to 2 months ago, I feel like it's a nice little bit of progress!) First, today I had a study with a Taiwanese lady, she is so lovely and so patient with me. I managed to speak to her in Chinese the whole time I was there with her. I am sure my tones were all over the place but she seemed to understand what I was trying to say! It was difficult at times and I didn't understand absolutely everything she said, but I muddled through nonetheless. Though hopefully in another 4 months I will have improved even more. And secondly, I went to Carrefour again today and well it was very exciting...today they were giving out samples of stuff. Because I'm a foreigner everyone seemed to stop me and ask if I wanted a sample...I reckon you could probably skip lunch and just go to Carrefour and make a lunch of all the samples hehe! Anyhow, as they stop me they spiel something out, in Chinese of course. I was really surprised how much I could understand. At the minute I feel like I can understand more than I can speak. But it's all steps in the right direction. It's just incredible how much your brain can absorb when you are immersed into something. 

I am now ready to truly embrace the roads of Taiwan! Vrooooooom! I bought a new helmet today. I have been using a spare one we had at the house, which is a little naff as it's just like a bicycle helmet...so if I did ever plummet to the ground (I don't plan to, but you never know!) it wouldn't be all that useful. But now I am completely ready for the madness that is Taiwan scooting! Bring it on! Hehe.

I don't have a tune of the day, I bring you a band of the day instead. They are a new discovery to me and I think they are amazing! Think White Stripes meets The Black Keys and out of that equation comes Little Hurricane. Check out their tracks Crocodile Tears and Give 'Em Hell. They are truly epic! Plus the female drummer CC gives me hope that female drummers can be good. (I also just love how she pulls off playing the drums in the cutest tea dresses!!) 


my wonderful assortment of stickers and stationery...all bought for a measly few pounds

bring it on Taiwan...me and my red helmet are ready for ya!

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