Summer Break!

Haven't shared this blog site to anyone yet... so if you're one of those that start reading now, you're going to notice a lot of "blank" periods in my life. Basically, time with a lot of school work and other things that take up TOO MUCH of my time and mind.

So summer break's here and glad I'm spending most of it out of Taipei (way hot and humid!). This is most probably my last free summer break since I foresee that once I re-start my career, I'll be giving all my time to work, to my boss and to my company and may have to give up most of my personal time. Most business school students are doing internships during their summers off, but I've decided to go off the beaten track... that's not to say I haven't done anything productive. I just spent the last two weeks at the 2nd Asia MBA Camp in Seoul, Korea (more about that in one of the next posts) where I interacted with people of 13 nationalities and learned more about Entrepreneurship & Financial Issues in Asia. I'm now back in the Philippines for a short visit before I go to Canada to get exposed once again to the Western culture. I think my time there will be really good for "recharging" myself, getting reconnected with friends and relatives... hopefully tighten the bond.

Semester's Almost Over!

I began my journey here at National Chengchi University last September, it's been a tough road.

6 assignments, 2 midterms, 8 reflection papers, 5 group presentations, 3 group written reports, 1 individual written report and 2 final examinations later, whether it is deserved or not, I am now known to be the most serious student in class.

Contrary to my earlier expectations of closely maintaining this blog space and getting my health back on track, I haven't been updating this blog (since September) and I've just grown less healthy. The only main achievements I'd take for myself health-wise would be:
1. that I have traversed the roads from Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT to Taipei City Hall MRT once, going through Guanghua 3C market, IKEA at Nanjing Dunhua, and Living Mall at Bade Road.
2. that I have walked from Taipei 101 to Ximending once, this time going through Xinyi Road, Jinshan Road, Renai Road, passing by the Presidential Palace, stopping near Shinkong Mitsukoshi to get myself some school supplies before walking the streets at Ximending.
3. Climbed the easy trail to Maokong once, almost fainted along the process, but I'm glad I went there!

Of course, these all happened before November, after which, I went into hybernation mode.

Christmas made me miss home a lot. New year? Well, I didn't do anything special except work on my Marketing final presentation and paper.

Going for My Favorite Drink

I went to Starbucks today. Yes, I was able to stop myself from going there for more than a week. I think the price of the drinks were a big motivation… and it's not really just that, it’s because there are lots of great tasting options here like to Pudding Milk Tea, Flavored Yogurt, Juices and what nots.

My order for today: Grande Personal Half-Caf Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Starbucks people, do I have the order wrong? Something’s supposed to come first before the other?)

So, the first time I went to a Starbucks store here in Taipei was with Dad last September 4 and I was only looking at the drinks. Today, I had more time to browse around and golly, I found out something new, while the drinks are around 30-50% more expensive than they are in the Philippines, the sandwiches and puddings are cheaper by 15-30%. Of course, they have pastries specially tailored for the season (it’s mooncake right now).

So far, the Starbucks experience has been okay. It’s pretty much like the one we have in the Philippines, except that:

1. The store was not used to the personalized requests. I don’t really know if it’s just because I’m near a school and people here aren’t used to Starbucks yet, or it’s just me who loves personalizing a drink.
2. The 2 Starbucks outlets I’ve been to are less personal than in the Philippines. They don’t ask for your name and when your order is ready, they’ll just call out your drink at the bar. There’s still some personality though, they chat with you a bit so that you feel that you’re not just merely a “customer”.

For now, that’s it about Starbucks.

Adjusting to Life in Taipei

It's been almost two weeks since I arrived here in Taipei and I'm still adjusting.

Arriving in Taipei with more than 15 kilos of excess baggage (not charged since it was technically not in excess because my parents were with me), I stayed with my parents for the first two days and got a stronger impression of how Taipei and its transport system work. The convenience brought by the MRT and the taxis are not lost on me, but I've discovered that buses are the affordable way and usually get you closer to where you need to go (unless, of course, you're going somewhere near the MRT station).

One of the best ways to save while travelling in Taipei is to get an Easy Card, this is available in MRT stations and some of the convenience stores. The card provides a 20% discount to cardholders when they take the MRT and a 50% discount if you transfer from a bus to the MRT or vice versa (on the second trip). Of course, as a student, I just had to get the student card, it has the bonus of also giving me a 20% discount on bus rides.

I planned to move in to my dorm room on September 4 but it was just a bit too dirty for me so I cleaned it up first and moved in the next day. One thing I immediately did for my dorm room was to get an airconditioning pre-paid card, yes, we need this to use our airconditioner, but at least the facility is available and since it's quite affordable, I'm not really complaining.

I enrolled in school and I've been going around town processing the needed documents to make my extended stay legal.

Being the introvert that I am, I've met a few people and I'm getting along with them. School started last September 13, while I didn't have classes on that day, I did have one for each 14, 15 and 16. I'm taking them for credit this semester and I just learned that I'll be having quite a few case studies and all of the courses will require a case presentation and/or a final paper at the end of the term so I'll try to immerse myself in the readings and see how things go.

Well, a lot has been happening but I hope I'll be able to continue my posts.

Typing what you're saying

Transcription specialists, I bow to you. Wow.

I recently came upon an opportunity to transcribe an hour-long recording of an internet marketing seminar preview and it took me over eight hours (with the aid of a transcription software) to almost fully decipher everything. I'm sure professional transcribers are now rolling on their stomachs laughing their hearts out, but I really did give my best effort, it just wasn't enough.

So there I was, running the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, and I couldn't help but notice that apart from the Uhmmms... and Ahhhhs... the speakers (internet marketers) had their favorite words that bugged me the entire session, here's my top 10 list:

1. You know (so many times)
2. I mean
3. Literally (yes, this was literally everywhere)
4. Like... (as a filler in a non-comparative context)
5. Absolutely! (with great emphasis)
6. Definitely
7. Amazing (yes, this reminded me of the Home TV Shopping Network we watch when there's really nothing interesting on cable)
8. Gonna
9. Wanna

And lastly:

10. Interesting

Okay, so that was my maiden transcription. I'm supposed to improve with time, and the person I submitted it to is pretty happy with what I've done. So... 'til the next transcription!

My second space...

I just created my first space at another blog site a few days ago, I had to move because it wasn't user friendly, hopefully, blogger's format will be easier to manage.