Hong Kong Kosha

Will I am in Hong Kong and waiting to get my 8am flight home to England. Wow I feel pretty shattered hope I can stay awake until I need to board.

It's been six months since I was last home and I have realised that I should aim to see my family and friend at least every six months in England.

I've spend a whole year working for AmTRAN and time has really passed quickly there!

Also Gorge and Norbert finally got me in to down hill biking which has been totally awesome fun and a great way to spend your weekends in the jungle mountains of Taipei.

2010 Taipei

It's been over a year now in Taiwan. I am still having a great time although I miss my family back home. I still lucky enough to have a full time job do design and compared to last year where I struggled to find full time employment in the warm up to the recession and had to rely on freelance work. I am just about to head of too watch the new year fireworks from the 101 which will be a great way to end the year!

Hello December

Wow it's the beginning of December in Taiwan, it seems like time flys bye so fast out here! It's nearly been a whole year at AmTran. Not much has happened over last weekend as I have been desk bound in the office.

I was suppose to go mountain biking in the morning on Saturday and I was looking really forward to my lesson from the sensei, but i got an 8.00am phone call saying the ground was a tad wet so maybe next weekend!

It's starting to get a little colder now in Taipei. I have been debating with myself if it's best to buy a mini oven to heat my room or a fan heater both are the same price, but I can cook on one while staying warm, bring on those cheese sticks I say.

Simply Star Stuck

I was on my way down to Taichung today for the Love & Money 50 years of creative Briton. In a nut shell the British Arts Council get various UK creatives to give presentation about them or there company and to promote Britons creativity.

The talk I was going to had Dick Powell talking about Design and Innovation and various others UK creatives. I knew I had to go too see the Dick Powell speech, maybe I would get the chance to talk to him plus he is one of my favorite designers in fact I think if I could turn out to be like any type of designer it would be him. I really do believed in what he talks about and what his company Seymour Powell stands for.













Entrance to the TDC Taichung, and miniature windmills it is!













Taiwan's new design mark, The Gold Pin.

In order to make the talk I pulled a few night shifts to get my work done and by Wednesday evening things were looking good. Come Thursday morning I was off down to Taichung to represent the design arm of AmTran. When I arrived at the Taichung Design Centre I realised they had a large exhibition on which was a surprise and I didn't really have much time to go around it as it was about 12 when I arrived and the talks started at 1.20pm.














LED lights by Process Design far right.














Slightly more of a student approach in layout I felt.

Feeling peckish I went off to find a restaurant, as I was walking around I saw a slightly colonial looking coffee house so I though I would check it out. As I entered low and be hold, there is Dick Powell, Deyan Sudjic and a few others waiting to have lunch. I though I am on my own so I might as well ask if I can join them for lunch I mean this is one of the cool things about been a foreigner in Taiwan, because you all have one thing in common you're in Taiwan!


I got introduced to everyone and I have to say everybody was really friendly, considering the heavy weights in the design world sitting at the table. They asked me what I was doing out here etc and instead of talking too much about TV design I told them about this company called Inscentinel I use to work for who train honey bees to find explosives though smell so I manage to hold my conversation fairly well.

The creative talks were all interesting in there own way, I also got the chance to talk to Dick and I have to say I was a bit star struck and did not really know what to ask!














The something about the fast train.














On the move.

Triple 4

I am still curious to know what well happen on my return to England I would have been away for Four Hundred and Forty For days which is a nice number to round up and go home on.

But will customs quiz me me on where I have been four nearly a year and half?? Who know, I'll get I'll find out when I get out of LHR!

Let's Roll

Here I am at Taoyuan International airport just waiting to board the plane to Hong Kong and then home to England, I can't wait to leave and see my family. I am just think about what an incredible time I've had on this amazing island.

I rather liked all the cargo trolleys lined up outside face the baron landscape.

Going to get the trolleys

Got the trolleys.

Return to England

I've booked my flights back to England today and I'll be leaving Taiwan and going back home for a two week trip which has been a much need one! I have not seen my family for ages now and I think it's been having an effect on me. Obviously the is the Skype video call when I can get it to work but it's been over a year since I've seen them in person and that's a very long time.

But it's been good to have a target to aim for over the last few weeks, especially at work where I think I have had one of the best weeks ever but I did some fantastic concepts.

Frustrated & Homesick

The mental effort which has been required for this week has really taken it out of me. I have found it very tough and very stressful. This evening I had to come back and have 2 beers just to level my nerves, and I never drink mid week unless it's socially.

Working in Asian management is really tough and not for the faint hearted, not that I know how Korean, Chinese or Japanese management is. But Taiwanese management is a mixture of culture, tradition and business which makes the working process tough!

I have also been tucking into comfort junk food and I have let my running slip this week partly because of the rain, but next week I want to make the effort to hit the track with my Asics as they still smell fresh.

I also think the fact that I have not been home now for 14 months is beginning to have it's effects on me. I need to get back for a two week break or at least one week to see my family, the only thing which cheered me up was the fact that Laurence said he might pop over in September which would be wonderful.

1 Year On Away From Home

Wow it's been 1 Year to the day since I was last in England, I was so close to making it the whole year in the Asian block but I fell short by just a few days.

Life: A lot has happen over the year, and a heck of a lot has happened in the past six months. But I have spent my time with amazing people who have taken me too visit fantastic places and have been truly wonderful and kind to me. Especially Rita who was just simply great and very supportive!

Work: I've been lucky enough to worked with some amazing design offices in Taipei from DEMinc 橙果設計, Process to AmTran 瑞軒科技, which is where I am working now.

It's been a real eye opener to how things are done out here and I had a steep learning curve which is still getting steeper!

Traveling: I've managed to visit Lanyu (Taiwan, but still an island in it's own right) Thailand (Bangkok), Macau and now America (California).

Rita also took me all over Taiwan, which gave me one of the best insights and cultural experience I think anybody could ever get and I was extremely privileged and honored to of had such a wonderful experience.

Languages: I wish I could speak more Chinese, but then I have not made enough effort to improve, I did find it tricky but I really want to improve now.

Music: I suppose my end of the year away from home song is going to be Steinski - Let's get it on

California

I'm here in sunny California, I arrived last night, the flight was not too bad, even thought it was with China Airways they managed get me here in one peace. But I still think it's worth to pay the 20 dollars more and go with Cathy Pacific the cabin crew are so much more friendly.

First thoughts on California is it's quite open and residential in Irvine. The is very little public transport everybody drives here in huge cars. So far people seem nice, all I can say is everything is very American and what you would expect. Maggie my guide took me to lunch today where I was served a huge portion of food which could of fed two people!

My hotel that I stayed in last night was fine, but completely charmless, but I have just been move to the company apartment as I'm here for 3 weeks.

356 Days in Asia

I've spent nearly one year in the Asia belt, I'm just falling short by 9 days. Why?

I have a business trip out to California and I leave tomorrow evening, I suppose it's a pretty cool place to head too and my first visit to the USA and I am away for three weeks. It's not all going to be fun I imagine it's going to be pretty hard work. But it's still great to leave the East and head to the West again!

I had hoped to of completed a year in Asia, but I guess it will be nice to walk into a restaurant and not have complications ordering food for once, ah one hitch I have just got to avoid getting swine flu.

My New Apartment

I am now renting a little room for a good price from two lovely people. I am now living with a guy called Ocean and a girl called Peggy they are both Taiwanese. Ocean works for HTC so it's nice to have a another designer to live with again.

I have lot's of sorting out to do and I have started to repaint my room in a cream white, I hope I can have it all finished by Saturday as that's when I plan to move all my stuff in.

Apartment Taipei

I have been searching for a new apartment and I have had some fantastic help from Rita. I think I 'm going to go and live with a designer called Ocean. I still need to check to see if his room is available. But it's a very good price for me and plus Ocean loves to go cycling.

I also felt living on my own is now not a good idea I would become too lonely and I can't really afford to do it at the moment. My bank account spread sheet is completing diabolical. So I really have to start to save money and get reducing that rather large debt I occurred while trying to get a job here.

1000 Dollar Working Week

The title sounds better than it is, but i'm going to try and not spend more than 200 NT (二百) per day on Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

That's roughly about 4 pounds sterling per day on all these meals including drink, it doesn't seem like a lot money considering what my counter parts spend, but they get more cash to flash than me!

But I must be able to remain healthy and fit while on this more tuned budget. I think it's possible providing I eat only Taiwanese food and stay away from the westerner theme restaurants.

New Housemate

We have a new house mate called Judy from Germany she studies at Tai-Da and has been living in Taiwan for about 5-6 months. Her Chinese is very good and she also likes cat's which is wonderful.

Judy and Rita, near Taipei Main Station.

This also means I'll probably be moving out by the end of this month. I'm going to really miss the apartment and the lovely people who live there.

Acupuncher Round 2

Still in pain and not really understanding the Doctor from Mackay Hospital I decided to visit Dr._____ again at his clinic in Banciao, as he is a pro in this field he still part of the Mackay Hospital but runs his own practise (02) 2958 1778.

Dr.____ I can highly recommend and he is a real pro. He explained the X-Ray to me and said it was not too bad and I just had to take it easy for the first few weeks and things should go back to normal.

I've got to get the black back (tissue)

He gave me another round of acupuncher, loaded me up with some painkillers and told me to start stretching and take more hot baths.

Mackay Hospital Taipei

Still feeling extremely painful I decided that I had to go to hospital and have an X-Ray this was a rather odd experience as I did have a language barrier while in the X-Ray room with the medical staff behind the 2 inch thick glass on exactly how I had to lye on the table.

Not quite kimono.

I must admit that I was rather pleased and has a big smile on my face before having an X-Ray as I thought wow I'm really having the whole Taiwanese experience! But when talking to the doctor and he told me it is not-good but not-bad I had to admit I was rather shitting myself.

Back Relapse

I awoke on Monday with excruciating lower back pain, in fact it was pretty breath taking. I hurt my back on the 5 February and it’s has taken me a long time to recover and now I am back to square one again.

I stupidly had a couple of late nights from Friday to Monday evening. And I don’t think swimming at Ashley on Sunday did me much good either.

I have also had a very tight deadline from work, so I think that extra pressure just did it for me today.

Turning Over A New Leaf

Wow I am really not as good as Jonny with this blogging thing! I have really let it slip it’s almost 5 months with out any updates... what a shame, because it’s such a great online reference and diary about what you have been up too while away from home.

But from now on I’m going to make a real effort to post what I’ve been up too. It was my birthday on February 20^th I am 24 years old so it a great time to kick start the blog again.

So many exciting and wonderful things have happened I’ve got a lot of back writing to do! So I am renaming my blog “Taiwan Hustle”

Blogging Review & Thailand

Wow I haven’t updated my blog since September the 13! Things have been really busy and hectic work wise and I just haven’t been able to allocate any time to blogging!

I have a loads of stuff I want to put up about Taipei and all the other great places I have visited. So I think a bit of previous posts are going to be going up over the next couple of weeks.

But tomorrow I am jet setting off to Thailand for one week to renew my visa and do a bit of R&R!