GREETINGS from Taipei, Taiwan

Sipping an iced latte at the world renowned Grand Hotel 圓山大飯店 in Taipei that I visited 35 years is truly a rare experience…

While it’s a blessing to revisit some place after more than three long decades,  it also reminds me that time flies and will never return back!

There was no MRT here back then nor was there any Internet at that time. Certainly, there was no shuttle bus to ferry us from this hotel to the nearest MRT station but just a barrage of motorbikes ferrying passengers along the sloping side roads up and down the hotel.

Anyway, here’s my impression and highlights of Taipei after spending almost a week here:

>>> Internet Access <<<

I was surprised that many cafes charge for internet access including Starbucks!

However, there are still cafes that offer free Internet access. The key is to ask first. There was once I assumed, ordered my cappuccino and was ready to chill out there for two hours and when I asked, the serving staff told me there’s no Internet access there.

As I continue to write this in Jiufen, a beautiful place (see below), there is internet access through the public ‘New Taipei City’ network and the signal was very strong! I could even upload a video about 20 seconds long to my Facebook profile!

>>> Food <<<

Food in Taiwan, specifically Taipei, is incredible!

You can literally eat a whole range of Taiwanese delicacy from fish balls, noodles, bee noon and mee sua to all sorts of fried stuff from fried bird egg, fried sotong ball, fried miniature lobster, pig blood cake, etc!

The best place to savor all this is to visit the many night markets around Taipei.

During the trip, I fell in love with 魯肉飯, which is the Taiwanese pork stewed rice or braised pork rice, it’s very nice! The one highly recommended is from my Facebook friend ‘Yk BobcatSysop Chan’ located near Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

It is best known for its braised pork rice since 1977,along with 30 dishes,credited Taiwan snack restaurant as a must eat place for Japan tourists and China packaged tourists.Address: 104台灣台北市中山區民族東路32號. Watch the video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN8Y0-pbkmE

>>> Places <<<

1) Ximen Ting: a great place to begin our adventure as we browsed many streets and lanes with lots of eateries and specialty shops. There was also a ton of bookshops near the hotel we stayed in.

NOTE: People used to go there to buy non-original copies of expensive books such as engineering handbooks which is at a fraction of the original price.

2) Bitan Scenic Spot: It’s like a little reservoir and it’s a nice place to chill out for an afternoon with activities like boating, cycling, walking the dog, etc. There’s a long row of food stalls along the bank that offers a good range of food especially Japanese food.

NOTE: Where we ate, the serving staff told us upfront that we are limited to stay for just 90 minutes, how interesting!

3) Danshui: This is a town right next to the Danshui River. Make sure you reach here by 5pm (in Autumn, that is; for other times of the year, please check it up) to catch the sunset from the beach… it’s really one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen!

We literally spent hours walking both the street adjacent to the beach Aw well as the ‘old’ street 老街 parallel to it. There are tons of Taiwanese delicacies to sample.

Plus…catch the ferry (10 mins) to the Fisherman’s Wharf for another unique experience.

NOTE: Buy the smallest quantity you can and share if possible so that you can try out as many varieties as possible!

4) Shiling Night Market: This is the largest of its kind in Taiwan, comprising three streets peddling all sorts of foodstuff, goods and souvenirs. It attracts thousands of visitors nightly and can become super crowded!

Taiwanese delicacies you can find here include the usual fare as well as the LARGE chicken fillet which we dare not try after downing more than a dozen different foodstuff all the way from Danshui (see above). Anyway, we did try some oyster omelette and mee sua there which was very yummy!

NOTE: Buy the smallest quantity you can and share if possible so that you can try out as many varieties as possible!

The Grand Hotel, Taipei

5) The Grand Hotel: This is a MUST SEE! This is really a landmark in Taipei as well as Taiwan! It is one of the world’s tallest Chinese classical building, it is 87 metres (285 ft) high.It was also the tallest building in Taiwan from 1973 to 1981!

This is where I stayed for a few days back in 1976 and now, I’m glad to re-visit. If you come to Taiwan, I suggest you at least visit this hotel to have a taste of its grandeur

6) Sun Yat Sen Memorial: This is another MUST SEE! It is a memorial to the Republic of China’s National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on 1972. It contains displays of Sun’s life and the revolution he led, and is also a multi-purpose social, educational and cultural center for the public.

Most notably, Taiwan’s highest movie award ceremony, the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, is held annually in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.

7) Taipei 101: This is another MUST SEE!  The building ranked officially as the world’s tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.

Jiufen: I am very tempted to say that this is a MUST SEE also! However, this is really outside of Taipei where you can take a day trip or better still stay the night there and that’s what I did!

Jioufen

Jiufen is a mountain area in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City near Keelung, which you can reach by train in under 45 mins, then transfering to a local bus which takes just approximately 15 minutes.

In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A City of Sadness, the first film to touch on the 228 Incident, a taboo subject in Taiwan, became a big hit in the theatres.

As a result Jiufen, where the film was set, revived due to the film’s popularity. The nostalgic scenery of Jiufen as seen in the film, as well as appearances in other media, charmed many people into visiting Jiufen.

For the beginning of the 90s, Jiufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town as a tourist attraction. Soon retro-Chinese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir stores bearing the name “City of Sadness” were built.

Jiufen also became popular in 2001, when its downtown was used as a model in the anime movie Spirited Away.

At present, Jiufen is a renowned tourist attraction representative of Taiwan. It draws many tourists from Taipei during the weekends.

Last month, in August 2011, I visited Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, Vietnam…

Though many of my country mates have visited in the past decades since the war, it was my first!

Frankly, it’s been a long while since I learned much about Vietnam from Anthony Grey (a journalist)’s book, ‘Saigon’, a novel that helped me understand the Vietnam war. That was back in the 1980s. Time flies.

Well… as you would expect, since so many had gone there before me, I already knew what to expect even before the trip. But still, it was an interesting trip and experience and I will be delighted to visit again

In this short article, I’ll share with you my thoughts and experience of HCM, Vietnam:

• HCM is touted by many to be like Singapore back in the 1970s. Well, I agree to a certain extent because the city is ultra modern in some areas. In the ’70s, the most popular shopping centre here was People’s Park Centre and then later People’s Park Complex whereas now, in 2011, there are some huge and modern office-cum-shopping complex like Vincom Center. Having said that, there are indeed old-style markets like the Ben Thanh market (which is much like Chak Tu Chak in Bangkok).
• There are millions of motorcycles there which is pretty much unseen here (not even in the 70s!) and it was an amazing sight to me Crossing every street becomes a challenge of guts and estimation. And the interesting thing is… they have people at some places like hotels, restaurants, etc who are watching tourists and will volunteer to come hold your hand and lead you across the street otherwise being  Singaporeans, we might end up standing till the traffic wanes at night.
• Coffee places are everywhere! That is something pleasing to me as you might be aware. Plus… iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk is unique and tasteful! Thus, it’s an excellent place for tired feet whenever you need a break or if you just want to have a more relaxed pace.
• Vietnamese food is healthy, by nature as they use plenty of vegetables. Particularly I like their ‘pho’ which is a white-flour noodles which is smooth as silk. I happen to eat a bowl also at the world famous Pho 2000 Restaurant at District 1, just opposite Ben Thanh market because former US President Bill Clinton visited in the early 2000s!
• We had international buffet at the Atrium Cafe of the Legend Hotel which was touted as the Mother of all buffets! I fully agreed as the spread is truly generous, with lots of varieties including sashimi, oysters, mushrooms, chocolate fondue and lots of desserts laid out in terraced displays… what a feast for the eyes in addition to our taste buds
• We visited the Ho Chi Minh City Museum which was kind of a letdown because we expected a lot more. But still there are some artifacts to explore as well as a cross-section of the Cu Chi Tunnel during the Vietcong days.
• Hotels, toilets and streets are generally quite clean. In fact, the budget Hotel Lavender is highly recommended at less than US$50 per night and they provided excellent service by sharing tips of where to eat and go to the guests like us voluntarily. There is also a foot massage joint in the hotel which provided a very good service which is definitely recommended.

For this first visit, we deliberately stay in District 1 (which is their ‘Orchard Road’) for the entire week to experience the hustle and bustle of the city rather than going outbound into popular tourist spots like the Cu Chi Tunnel or some sea food places a few hours away along the Mekong River.

Overall, it was a memorable trip… and surely I’ll go back to relive the experience, the coffee, the pho as well as the international buffet which is really superb! Plus, there are so many outstation destinations with fresh seafood I heard that must not be missed! So… till the next time

Last week was pretty EXCITING for me…

Here are THREE updates to share:

UPDATE #1: My FIRST iPhone workshop

I conducted my first iPhone workshop last week. It was supposed to be a mini workshop from 7-10 pm. Guess what time we finished?

Well… it was the LATEST workshop I ever conducted!!

The class left at 11.30 pm!!!

There was SO much to teach and I promised the participants that they will know about the iPhone MORE than 80% of the iPhone
users out there

Frankly, I’m not sure if I fulfilled my promise in such a short time but they all got:

• 15 pages of notes
• an Video Tutorial blog on the iPhone!

And all that for just $45

UPDATE #2: I sold a SECONDHAND iPad

I helped my nephew sell his iPad because he seldom used it. It was the ORIGINAL model.

Well, at least this iPad (only 6 months old) went to someone in need of it who will use it to DOUBLE her productivity!

Why am I so sure?

Well, because she’s going to attend my FIRST iPad Productivity workshop on 2 July 11

UPDATE #3: G.O.A.L.S. Networking

On behalf of WIN WIN Networking, I invited more than a dozen people for a SPECIAL brand of G.O.A.L.S. networking which stands for:

G = Goals
O = Occupation
A = Achievements
L = Leisure
S = Skills

Participants had to share their G.O.A.L.S. with one another and as a result, got to know each other rather quickly, thus speeding up the networking process. For more information on networking, visit

http://www.Autoprofit-Team.com/winwin

NOTE: The above website is being revamped, so please visit again soon.

Once upon a time, creating videos or making movies was an expensive and time-consuming affair…

…I used to dream of making my own videos with subtitles, transitions and music back in the 1980s but the PC was in it’s infancy at that time, pricing of video equipment goes through the roof… and my dream remains a dream.

>>> Fast Forward 25 years >>>

TODAY, living in science fiction times, creating videos is not only inexpensive but it’s a breeze!

In fact, last night, when our eLifeInspire membership club celebrated Patrick Koh’s birthday at my office, I did just that – taking a few stills and one video.

And this morning, before even getting out of bed, I grabbed my Apple iPhone4, made a couple of backgrounds (using an app called Photowall) and then launched the iMovie app and started creating a video… right in bed!! (This was totally unthinkable back then

It took me perhaps half an hour putting together the backgrounds, stills and video, music and voila it’s done! Next, I double press the HOME button and switched task to my favorite iLoader app, typed in a few captions, tagged a few friends and in less than five minutes uploaded that video to Facebook!!

And… that video would be seen by thousands of people as it spread virally through Facebook, thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and the power of social media Isn’t modern life AMAZING?

Guess what? This blog post was written on my iPad2 via WordPress, a free open source blogging platform. What a wonderful world

TODAY, 31 May 2011, is ‘World No Tobacco Day’

NOTE: For more info on World No Tobacco Day, please see the excerpt from Wikipedia below.

When I heard about this special day on radio this morning, it brought back a flood of memories of how I once was a compulsive smoker for a quarter of a century before I come to my senses!

In those days back in the 1980s, most people don’t smoke – I’m referring to the teenagers and young adults. As for me, I was one of those rebellious who advocate non-conformist values though in reality I didn’t have the guts to keep a ponytail to follow the hippie movement So… smoking offers me a way to stand out among my peers…

I still remember the joy of drawing deeply on the cigarette — my best friend at that time — and puffing out smoke and ‘rings’ to the amazement of my friends around me. After all, it was COOL to be the one in ten who dared to smoke, so to speak

First, as a fad, it turned into a habit before long. And I happen to be one of those who really got hooked deeply to tobacco.

(Fortunately, I do not have such a love affair with alcohol though I enjoyed getting drunk at least a dozen times during my journey into adulthood, sometimes driving recklessly into the night! Thank GOD He protected me from making any serious mistakes like some of my friends did but that’s a story for another day.)

In my later years when I wanted to quit this downright dirty habit, I really envied those social smokers who could puff one day and stop another!

Long story short, in a way I ‘enjoyed’ smoking for 20+ years before struggling for about 2 years before I completely quit the habit. (That was about 7-8 years ago.)

How did I quit? Well, I’ll talk about that another day, so stay tuned if you’re keen…

Last but not least, coincidentally (or was it?) I read in a business book TODAY where the author declared that there’s nothing wrong to smoke if they want! (Gosh! What sound advice that business guru gave to the young and innocent!) That I must say I totally disagree!!!

I believe that most teenagers today got into the habit because it’s the IN thing or COOL thing to do. (Do leave a COMMENT BELOW to share your views on this.) However, many got trapped somewhat innocently and got stuck to this addictive habit for years afterward! I sincerely hope that most will come to their senses much earlier than my 25 years and quit smoking as soon as they can, saving not just their precious money but the priceless lives of theirs and their loved ones.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.

Yesterday, on Vesak Day, 17th May 2011, Internet Business Coaching Pte Ltd — one of my companies — celebrated our first office anniversary at Waterloo Centre. Before we know it, it’s already a year since we moved into this office at from Bylands Building, our previous office.

Since Bylands, this has become a tradition whereby we celebrate every anniversary and we’re glad to have taken the opportunity to invite our business associates, contacts, students and friends.

There were over 60 guests and we had quite a bit of fun and activities and… food, of course! (Frankly, we wish we have a bigger office, well that’s our aim for next year Anyway, following is a video that I put together using my iPhone4 and brand new iPad2 (amazing what technology can do these days!):

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Once again, I’m visiting Beijing — and taking a couple of days to visit Tianjin — again since my last visit in December last year in 2010.

Ordinarily, just the thought of a temperature of 5 deg C is  downright scary to a person like me who spent several decades in Singapore with temperatures around 30 deg C all year round…

… however, this time, when the plane was about to touch down in Beijing, hearing the pilot announce 5 deg C was rather heart warming

What happened?

That’s because last year when I visited Beijing in the cold winter, the temperatures plummeted to almost -10 deg C!

So, in comparison, having 5 deg C is really a luxury

In fact, this time, I only wore a thick jacket with an ordinary long sleeve shirt and I could weather most of the time. The last time, I had to put on 4 layers, my gosh!

BEIJING

This round, I’m going to re-visit the Palace Museum in Beijing as it was far too cold the last trip…

Preparing the Beijing Duck

Then, I’ll be visiting Temple of Heaven (already did a few days ago) as well as the Summer Palace. In addition, if time permits, I’ll be dropping the major reputable universities here.

Oh yes, I absolutely enjoy some of the specialty food in Beijing, especially my favorite – the Beijing Duck! Oops… it was really good and mouth watering

TIANJIN

I went to Tianjin for a short visit.

Tianjin is one of the four municipalities (under direct administration of the central government) — the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and  Zhongqing.

It was quite a noticeable change from Beijing as we arrived by the high speed train which took just 30 minutes to traverse the 117 km! Isn’t life fast moving?

During the short time, we managed to visit the Ancient culture street as well as the Five Main Avenues (which reeked of European architecture of the recent past).

Business Networking IS the most beneficial event to invest our time in.

I just want to share with you … last nite, I attended Bon Ami networking session at Yakun Coffee, Orchard Central and benefited alot!

Here’s what happened in less than two hours well spent:

…won the FIRST book prize (worth $18.60) <— it was my Beginner’s Luck as I couldn’t attend a single Bon Ami last year due to my frequent holiday trips in 2010. Thank GOD for His Blessing!

… met many good contacts, including a Book Publisher (someone whom I wanted to meet for a long time)

… participated in a joint book publishing project to get my article in so that it would generate a lot more business in future!

… had coffee and tea and 2 slices of bread (Shh! Don’t tell the organizer I ate more than my fair share

… learned some stuff about business and entrepreneurship and book publishing

… even struck up a business deal, expecting to convert to REAL $$$ for a long, long time to come

NOTE: Just a word of caution: this is a BONUS and NOT an often occurrence; when we attend networking events, our primary purpose is to get to know more contacts and then follow up to build relationships and explore possibilities, not to solicit for business there and then.

Well…

Can you imagine if I did’t go to that event? It would be such a GREAT LOSS!!

Networking IS truly very beneficial if we know how to harness it to market ourselves, our business, our products and services and NOT to treat networking events as prospecting events. That’s a *BIG* NO NO!

And… that’s the reason why I meet people for coffee almost every day, just to explore opportunities, exchange ideas, knowledge and get to know each other better… it’s so fun and so cool and yet, so few people realize the benefits

I hope you go out there and network the heck out of it… next week, I already committed to TWO networking events:

… visiting BNI Prosperity Chapter on Tuesday 22 Feb 11, 7.30 to 9.30 am

… hosting our own WIN WIN Networking Nite on Thursday 24 Feb 11, 7 to 10 pm <— do join us if you can, the details are at http://www.Autoprofit-team.com/winwin

For nearly four years, I have taught hundreds of beginners (or newbies) in our flagship 2-day internet marketing course in Singapore.

The most rewarding part is when some students literally struggled for months and then finally got a breakthrough and then start making money online.

However, to be frank, those successful is something like one or two in a hundred!

Why such a paltry figure for this internet marketing course? Is it our fault? Let’s see…

Well, if you think about it, the success rate is almost the same for every industry. Just think about:

• How many percent of businesses succeed?
• How many percent of students go to university or a tertiary education?
• How many people succeed in network marketing?
• How many people become CEOs or promoted to top management positions in companies?

I guess that’s what life is about. It’s only the serious and committed few who will eventually overcome obstacles and challenges and succeed after taking our internet marketing course. If you’re ready to learn and most importantly, take action, then visit http://www.internet-business-coaching.com

As I reflect on where to eat during Chinese New Year (CNY) in Singapore this year 2011…

…I thought I better do some quick research because I’ll be meeting some friends and eating out during the first two days.

Some three or four decades ago in Singapore, almost every restaurant, coffee house or coffee shop were closed during the first two days of CNY!

If you’re nearer my age, then you would probably remember that the only places we can get some food were the Malay satay stalls that sprang up from nowhere in the HDB estates. And… we’re so happy to see them because we were sick of eating all the Chinese New Year cookies, pineapple tarts, love letters and so on all day long!

Today, the situation in modern Singapore is so different. Some coffee shops are open throughout CNY!

Plus… many restaurants in the hotels are also open.

Anyway, here are some places I researched where you can eat or have coffee during the first two days of CNY:

*** EATING PLACES ***

Sakae Sushi (Japanese food)

It is stated on their website that ALL outlets are open from 11.30 am to 6 pm on CNY Day 1, while some outlets will open till 10 pm on CNY Day 2. For more info, visit http://www.sakaesushi.com.sg/

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Tawandang Microbrewery (Thai food)

I had a meal there earlier today and it was stated on their signboard that they will be open throughout CNY from 5 pm till midnight.

It is located at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Raffles Boulevard, Suntec City.

For more info, call 62432291 or visit http://www.tawandang.com/contact.html

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Ting Heng Seafood restaurant (Chinese food)

(I couldn’t locate where I got this)

It is opened throughout CNY and their address is Blk 82 Tiong Poh Road, #01-03.

For more info, call Tel 6323 6093

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Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe

According to their website, they will be open during CNY from 10 or 11 am till late at night.

For more info, visit http://www.xinwang.com.sg/cny.html

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Other Restaurants

According to AsiaOne website, here are some restaurants opened throughout CNY:

http://www.asiaone.com/Wine%252CDine%2B%2526%2BUnwind/Features/Topics/Story/A1Story20080116-45251.html

(sorry I cannnot give you a shortened URL because somehow it just cannot work after shortening)

*** COFFEE PLACES ***

Oldtown

From their serving staff, I know that two of their outlets are operating on CNY Day 1 & 2:

- Cineleisure, Orchard

- Novena Square 2

Sorry, I have no further info on opening hours, etc.

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Toastbox

On CNY Day 1, most of the outlets are open from 11 am to 7 pm whereas those at Vivo City are open till 11 pm.

On Day 2, most outlets are returned to normal operating hours.

The information is not available on their website. For more info, please drop a comment here and I will send you the details.

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I wish you a Happy & Prosperous Year of the Rabbit!