Brief Taiwan Working Trip

Ok c'mon!

I used an hour to tidy up all the photos and upload to my blog! What i owe my reader i pay it off now!!

If you're following my blog, you should have know i went to Taiwan for a week of working trip. This is invited by Taipei county government (i just cant remember the department name) for a 3 days seminar + visit for deep sea water (i think i will blog about this later on, but if you have interest on this just google it.)

The event itself only 3 days, i stay for another 3 days with my boss because she wanted to meet some client and do stay for an exclusive interview. So i went off at 23 Nov, 220pm and got back by 29 Nov, 820am.

This is the first oversea working trip for me, and invited by the Taipei government, once we reached there were 2 guys with black suit and holding a A4 paper with my and my boss name printed on it.

I walked toward him and he took over my luggage, leaded me to his BENZ!!!

NO!

Not 2 people share 1 Benz, but 1 people 1 Benz with a driver who looks like a killer!!


I stayed in San Want Hotel which located in the most happening street of the heart of Taipei (Google it, i didn't take the photo down). Once we reached the hotel, my boss made call to her mum and her mum invited us to go over for dinner (My boss is a taiwanese and her home in taipei).

Jumped on the cab and we reached in 5 minutes, doesn't mean her home is near with the hotel BUT the cab driver driving skill is the most horrible that i had ever seen!!!!!!!!!

After dinner we got back to hotel, and i only have chance to took the photo of the room

The boss of San Want hotel is the famous rice cracker's boss!! My boss said the fella earn the hotel, private plane, building with the RICE CRACKER! >0<

The next morning we took our breakfast in the hotel, then my boss brough me to lepak lepak near by.

I love taipei because of basically this city was surrounding by FOODS AND BOOKS! Taipei fulfill every elements to being a developed city, which is convenience and systematic.

No. 1: Convenience

1 km long street with at least 4 convenience shops, you can almost do ANYTHING in the convenience shop, like posting, delivering, foods, grocery, photostate, email, receive or sent out fax, including let the shop help you to received parcel and letter!!

No. 2: BOOKS!!

"Cheng Pin" bookshop runs 24 hours, you can find almost ALL kinds of book there, you're welcome to spend all your time and read over there, no people will chase you leave, and they even ready a very confortable reader section with comfy lighting. Most important is.. the books there are DARN CHEAP!!!!! Very very very very cheap!

They provide the kinikuniya standard (even better than it!), but books only sold like 20 or 30 bucks in RM!

AND! Cheng Pin not the only bookshop in the city, in fact Taipei was surrounding by bookshop, Taiwaness love to read and they willing to spend for read. There are a lot of bookshop there with very cheap book price, if you don't want to buy, you could find the place for borrowing books too! The famous one call "Comic King", will intro later.

So after book shopping, boss bring me to the famous Beef Noodle nearby, the tiny store but with a lot of customer.

Boss: So what you would like to have?
Me: (looking at the menu) hmmm... Beef soup noodle :D
Boss: ok.. wait.. so you don't want beef?
Me: No i want beef, i said i want beef soup noodle wor..
Boss: ok mean you want roasted beef soup noodle la.. (Turn and make order)
Me: har.. i want normal beef soup noodle, i don't want roasted one :'(.
Boss: My dear, beef soup noodle here mean, beef soup + noodle, tak ada beef one. Roasted beef doesn't mean it really roasted la, they just cooked with soup only.
Me: ...

So you guys pandai pandai la when you want to order beef noodle in Taiwan

Next day, the govermen offer all the media (Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Shanghai and Beijing) to HuaLian, for the deep sea water factories visit.

The point is, we took plane..

and..

we're VIP!

The fist time in my life being offered to go into VIP lounge, hahahaha.

First we go makan.

The we go TaiLuGe (google la, i malas)

Later we go for the very boring factory visit, got back at the same day's night plane.

When we reached Taipei it was like... 8 or 9 something, i don't feel hungry when my boss invited me to makan nearby, so i said i feel want to stay room and online. Then she said she know there is a very tiny but cheap book price shop in the night market nearby call ShiDa YeShi (Shi Fan University Night Market).

Then i grab money and follow =.=

I'm not a picky person i swear! But i spend like 2 hours in the bookshop which only about a primary school classroom space. Just because of i bring only 500 NTD and i just have to be very careful to choose the books i want and caution on the book weight, i cant bare the luggage overweight fees.

I choose 2 books, and walked to the casher and asked the boss...

Me: Can i have some discount for these 2 books?
Boss: I will give you the best price, but you don't actually need this book (pick and throw to the storeroom, and i !!!!!!)
Me: but i want the....
Boss: take this, this is the best book, if not nice i pay you round trip ticket from malaysia to taiwan. (get a very very thick 2 books and put on the table, total 5 books now.)
Me: I would love that books (i really did consider to take that 2 books but its too heavy and i have not enough to pay for it.)
Boss: So i throw the other books, take this 5 books, 1000 NTD, pay me
Me: !!! (then) =.=" But i got only 500 NTD..
Boss: You got RM or not, RM also can.

Me: got!

Then i pay, and happily take the 5 books ready to go back.

Then i suddenly think of something, so i asked the boss.

Me: hmmm.. why you knew i'm a Malaysian but not Taiwanes?

Boss: Because you looks like a Malaysian.
Me: Mean i look like Malay? But i'm Chinese :(
Boss: No i knew you're chinese, and i know you're Malaysia
Me: Har...
Boss: Just like when you saw Japanese you knew they're Japanese, when you saw Korean you knew they're Korean.

Me: ...

So i'm just way too look like a Malaysian..

The 4th days

From reporter to business development executive, a.k.a event planner la.

Check out from hotel, move to my boss's parent home.

My boss's parent home has no internet coverage althougth we do have the portable modem, so we wake up early and go to the bookshop nearby for internet access.

This is for Griza, Zoe and Jenn!!!!!!!!!!!! A whole series of Hua TaiTai comic there!!!!

I told myself if someday i move to Taiwan, for the god sake 2 reason must be the BOOKS and FOODS there.

The bookshop we went to is Comic King (Google la), not only comic of course but magazine and book and internet access and drink and food too! Most important is the environment there, i just fall in love with the place.

Noon time, skip lunch and rush to Gao Xiong, the southern part of Taiwan to meet 2 potential exhibitor.

We took the famous High Speed Rail (HSR), from north to south, one and half hour, super fast as 6 hm/h, and super expensive, round trip ticket RM250 per person.

Got back to Taipei by 12 midnight, got all my stuff packed, showered and a short meeting with boss, got to bed by around 2am.

The next day i will have to meet a supplier, then another exlusive interview by 12pm.

Woke up early and get myself ready to go out. Pass by a building that only sold of the japan cartoon like these..

This is for you Ivan Yong!! Darn cheap, but i tak ada buy for you :D

After the interview i went to meet Jessica, that will be in another post. Stay tuned :P

Ok la i know my post very cin cai la, i will write the detail one IF i'm not malas la..

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20091201, 0607pm

Rach in MC at home but still blogging mood