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Articles in Taiwan

Night at the Opera – Bluebeard’s Castle

December 31, 2011 – 10:20 am
Bluebeard's Castle Program

The opera Bluebeard’s Castle by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was performed at the National Theater in Taipei on Friday night. I had never been to the National Theater and, on impulse, I picked up a ticket for NT$800. My seat was off to the left in the balcony on the second floor. My experiences at Zhongshan Hall and the National Concert Hall led me to believe …

School Singing Contest in Taiwan

December 26, 2011 – 5:23 pm
Daan Singing Contest

This video was shot two or three years ago, but it gives a pretty good taste of what a singing contest is like at a school here in Taipei. It opens with the teachers of the school doing a pretty impressive dance routine. Then we get various English classes (sometimes in full costume) singing songs in English. I was there as a guest judge and …

Say “I Do” in Year 100 & The Wind Journeys

December 25, 2011 – 9:05 pm
Scene from "The Wind Journeys"

I don’t have a big story to go along with these few images. It was just a nice Sunday afternoon concert and a movie. The concert took place at Zhongshan Hall here in Taipei. I wrote a bit about that beautiful and historic hall here.
The concert was put on by the Taipei Symphony Orchestra and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra Chorus. The concert was called Say …

Haircut Vending Machine

December 25, 2011 – 7:34 pm
Haircut Vending Machine

I was hanging out at an MRT station in Taipei last week waiting for my ride when I saw this little cubicle. I love anything that’s automated, so I wandered over to check it out. It turns out it’s a little barbershop. You purchase a haircut coupon or ticket from a vending machine. I believe it costs NT$100 for a basic cut. You just insert …

Ultimate Beethoven & School Contests

December 24, 2011 – 2:44 pm
National Theater of Taipei

I went to two school events this week for my company (an ESL publishing firm in Taipei, Taiwan). I was sent there to serve as a special judge for school English contests. The first was a drama contest at a junior high school here in Taipei. If I had written about it directly afterward, I’d probably have been inspired to write like a madman. These …

Lin An Tai House

December 18, 2011 – 4:29 pm
Lin An Tai House

[slickr-flickr tag=”Lin An Tai” captions=”on” items=”50″ type=”gallery” size=”m640″ sort=”date”]

Taiwan Latino Film Festival – To the Other Side

December 18, 2011 – 9:18 am
To the Other Side

The Taiwan Latino Film Festival titled “To the Other Side” is currently underway at the Spot Taipei Film House. It started on Friday, December 16th, and runs until January 6th. They’re showing twenty-six films from seventeen Latin American countries. Anyone familiar with films from Latin America knows that this is a real treat.
Individual tickets cost NT$200 and they can be purchased at the ticket counter …

Postal Museum, Taipei

December 17, 2011 – 4:54 pm
Postal Museum

[slickr-flickr tag=”Postal Museum” captions=”on” type=”gallery” size=”medium” sort=”date”]