Next time you want to go to Eslite to buy a book, DON"T WASTE MONEY!!!Leave your wallet at home. Instead, take a packed lunch and a comfy pillow. You can sit on the floor and eat a nutritious meal, while you read the book you want from cover to cover.
Make sure you get there early though, before all the good spots are taken.
What’s your Taipei survival tip?
The cars zoom thru our narrow lane at such high rates of speed. I find that when I move to the side of the lane to yield way to these racers, I usually get clipped by the side mirror or have my groceries knocked about.
To counter this problem, I now make a point of walking into the middle of the lane and thus forcing the race car driver to come to a complete and abrupt stop only inches in front of me, then I move to the side of the lane. This usually infuriates the drivers, but what do I care… I fear no man.
My wife insists that this is dangerous… but then again, she worries about everything!
When there is a long queue at the bank, stuff as many of those numbered tickets in your pockets as possible and go and get a bagel and a cup of coffee.
It will take ages for the clerk to work through your pile of numbers. You can enjoy a leisurely lunch, as the hapless bank staff “bing-bong” their way through your stash of tickets. And you avoid the mind-numbing frustration of staring at a bank counter staffed by slow-motion replays.
[quote=“imyourbiggestfan”]When there is a long queue at the bank, stuff as many of those numbered tickets in your pockets as possible and go and get a bagel and a cup of coffee.
It will take ages for the clerk to work through your pile of numbers. You can enjoy a leisurely lunch, as the hapless bank staff “bing-bong” their way through your stash of tickets. And you avoid the mind-numbing frustration of staring at a bank counter staffed by slow-motion replays.[/quote]
You go to my bank, right? Always right before I get there?
always negotiate prices as everything is negotiable. better yet, before making a major purchase (like renting an apartment), have a local friend hammer out the final price for you. i find that most shop owners charge you more if you are a hapless foreigner. remember, the local economy is in a major slump. if you have money to spend, always ask for a discount. usually you will get 20 or 10% off just for asking.
" the local economy is in a major slump"
and you read this where???
So the message there is “don’t be hapless,” I suppose. I’ve seldom been overcharged – maybe its just because you look like a sucker?
When catching a taxi, always take something to read.
That way, if the driver refuses to take you where you want to go, you can sit in the back of his motionless cab and wait him out.
They always cave…
When do drivers ever refuse to take you where you want to go? :?: :?:
imyourbiggestfan: funny! re the bank tix line! LOL!
My fave is the guy in Tamshui who re=uses the same McDonald’s coffee cup day after day for a free refill… I heard he is up to six months now.
[quote=“Judge Melty”]Next time you want to go to Eslite to buy a book, DON"T WASTE MONEY!!!Leave your wallet at home. Instead, take a packed lunch and a comfy pillow. You can sit on the floor and eat a nutritious meal, while you read the book you want from cover to cover.
Make sure you get there early though, before all the good spots are taken.
What’s your Taipei survival tip?[/quote]
One of the main reasons I never go to Eslite. I hate stepping over cheapskates who never buy books and just go there to get a free read or worse, just go there to hang out with the plastic Taiwanese high-brow crowd.
Segue
Always have photocopies made of your ARC and photocopies of them after any updates. And stock up on passport photos. And get hepatitis shots if you haven’t already. And don’t let one night stands know where you work, less they turn into pscycho stalkers.
I eventually started just giving out my email to ladies I just meet; sometimes (often) you run into someone who calls you over and over again, even when you show no interest. It’s always easier to just ignore an email or two, and you won’t have to find a nice way to tell her to stop calling. (And most people are ok with you being frank, “sorry, I don’t usually give out my phone number, but you can have my email…”)
If you’re trying to save every penny, take a plastic bag when shopping 
"Next time you want to go to Eslite to buy a book, DON"T WASTE MONEY!!!Leave your wallet at home. Instead, take a packed lunch and a comfy pillow. You can sit on the floor and eat a nutritious meal, while you read the book you want from cover to cover.
Make sure you get there early though, before all the good spots are taken."
Judge Melty, Surely, if a book is worth reading from cover to cover it is worth buying. Don’t the writer, publisher and bookstore deserve to be paid?
I hope you are not serious when you mention eating and reading at the same time. If you want to read for free there is a special place designed for this purpose; it’s called a library.
When you’ve been here for a week or two, and each time you go out to Roxy 99, Spin, or Vibe, some woman tells you how handsome you are and wants to sleep with you, realize that you might not have suddenly become Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt.
So the message there is “don’t be hapless,” I suppose. I’ve seldom been overcharged – maybe its just because you look like a sucker?[/quote]
That’s right. It always pays to be hapful.
I never felt I got ripped off b/c I’m a foreigner, but then again I always negotiated for major purchases–except at Costco or other places with fixed prices. Unless things ave changed, you can sometimes get 10% off at department stores such as SOGO just for asking for a discount (not for everything, but for jewelry at least).
[quote=“almas john”]"
Judge Melty, Surely, if a book is worth reading from cover to cover it is worth buying. Don’t the writer, publisher and bookstore deserve to be paid?
I hope you are not serious when you mention eating and reading at the same time. If you want to read for free there is a special place designed for this purpose; it’s called a library.[/quote]