Dude, im not competeing with you here. Chill. All that stuff is genuine friendliness. What more do you expect from strangers?
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You chill. Then I’ll chill.
Are you chilled yet?
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… the likes of which you’d never imagine! 
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Just as a point of interest, do you have many local friends or interactions with peers of your age?
I personally find it a little difficult and probably have a bit more in common with slightly younger age group, but they see me as ‘uncle’ now I’m pretty sure.
But then again making friends is tougher for most of us as we get older. I think the best way to make friends with your peers is obviously join a club here and also they like to show equivalent status so you have to own the same brands of cars, bikes, accessories, camping gear, costco food, cameras etc. That kind of turns me off though. Another way is through work, but again , work is work and mixing friends and work can be a bit tricky.
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Guess the movie…
For those of us who are middle aged, I find the “age peer” thing a bit challenging as these folks were educated during the martial law period and often have what I could politely call a different way of viewing the world. No such problem with the younger folks who I find easier to relate to based on their education and outlook.
Guy
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I wouldnt say many. A handful, sure. You are right about getting older. Im married and have kids so finding time to hang out with people who dont have kids and are not married is difficult. My hanging out friends are now fellow parents.
I too grew up in Taipei and now after living in the USA almost two decades straight I still do not look people in the eye in one go.
Goes like this … I see someone even someone I know and he/she looks at me…I will automatically glance elsewhere and then look them in the eye.
This is probably from growing up in taipei.
Where it’s a sign of aggression or possible mental illness to catch someone’s eye in public and look them in the eye with prolonged contact.
That may not be the case in other countries where holding your gaze may be preferred.
I think most Asians will avert their gaze when you catch them looking at you.
That may be the tiger in them. When visiting inside a tiger enclosure in Thailand my wife was strongly cautioned not to look at the tigers in the eye because it’s a sign of aggression to them and they may attack.
When she came upon a puma on a trail here in Lafayette she said the way the puma looked at her was very scary and now she won’t hike there anymore because she can’t get this look the puma gave her out of her mind even though it was only a baby puma. The mother was probably close by unseen.
My experience in Taiwan is to not have prolonged eye contact
Ps about the eye contact at least as far as looking at pretty girls go it isn’t that different for me.
I see a cutie in Taipei I sort of look at her a second time and she looks away. Here in calif I do the same…look at a pretty white girl twice…she averts my eyes …and finds a different spot to sit. I must have looked st her the same way that puma looked at my wife…Hungry!
And on another bent, people here are so friendly in Oakland.
Just yesterday I was going to park at a KFC and this middle aged black woman cautioned me not to park there because of broken glass there. I parked in a different spot and she approached me and started up a bit of a chit chat about the glass.
while walking inside next to me. I thought how weirdly friendly…maybe she worked there…maybe she was the manager there…she then proceeded to bum Two meals off me. I said I will buy her one.
She got her meal…cost me 7 bucks and immediately came back in with a woman she did the same thing to…with the glass on the parking space and got her second free meal.
It’s good to help the poor and all that but I’m using the drive thru next time and I prefer the unfriendliness of taipeiians for sure.
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It really contrasts with a country only 2 hours away, Philippines, where most everyone looks everyone straight in the eye anytime anywhere.
Everytime I travel to/from Philippines, that’s one of the first things I notice going either direction. Arriving in Philippines, and I have to adjust to the direct eye contact and realize they aren’t trying to make a contact, it’s just the culture… Arriving in Taiwan, I have to realize to not question myself about having something wrong with me because few people make eye contact.
Part of the fun of being in different cultures…things are …different.
They look you straight in the eyes and you look straight down their gun barrel or pointy knife. Welcome to the Pilipins, number one country in Asia!
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Hmm, seems like completely useless obvious advice.
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I dont get why people are complaining about eye contact. Looking in someones eyes for more than a casual glance is extremely personal. Anything longer than a glance is like, well…freaky. its like you are staring.
Flirting is a glance, contact, divert, glance again, contact hold a bit longer and smile. If the other person does the same, game on! 
Making eye contact while walking is usually glance, contact, nod or smile or quick wave and divert. That is a polite recognition of a person passing by letting them know you are a friendly passerby.
Eye contact during a conversation is polite and shows you are listening.
Making eye contact, holding it and not diverting is kind of psycho, IMO.
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Who taught you all of that? Ted Bundy?
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It’s called basic maturity and common sense.
Read up on it.
No need to defend your position over a stupid joke.
Please, post something about how to make eye contact when the other person is looking the other way.
Sorry, didnt realize you were joking.
As far as getting someone to notice you…
Have to use telepathy for that 
Or you could try to get their attention…
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…not everyone knows, so got to let the unexpected to be prepared.
Telepathy it sometimes works…
Eons ago in Taichung I saw this pretty girl walking on the street with another girl talking to each other and I thought “let’s do an experiment, let’s send her a brain wave to come sit next to me”.
I kept sending her these thoughts…she kept walking and walking …right past the McDonald’s.
Well that didn’t work.
I turned my eyes from the window and…there she was , standing next to me tapping my shoulders asking me if her and her friend could sit at my table…she sat next to me.
She had come in through the other door and not the main door . Imagine that,
The place was rather empty and she had plenty of seats to choose from.
The story continues…but that is another story.