johansvennung(臺灣)

I have a 1 week vacation starting from tomorrow.
I started the day by going to Hsinchu downtown to buy locally produced peanut butter...

Since im in this burger era right now, I went to a brunch place and had a burger...

Then I went to the store with my classmate and bought peanut butter and sesame butter...

Then i cycled to my Qing hua class...

After class I went to a birthday party...but we skipped the preparty and went to a nice pizza place in nan liao where the rest were about to join up later...to bad we just met one of the birthday people for 5 minutes before we needed to go

They bakes the pizzas in a stone oven...so exotic

The pizzas looked almost like home

And after a while the restaurant staff brought some djembe drums...so we played for a while...before we went back and other adventures begun.

The chalmers students had some visit from New Zeeland here...
So we were going to taipei with him...

I started the afternoon by making a pizza...

I met p my swedish friends after that...we were late...

We were heading to Roxy 99, since it use to be free beers if u come early. But we missed it...

It is usually free entreance on wednesdays..so manyppl go to 7-11 and buy cheap beers...but I ordered a pinacoloada...it came with umbrella and everything...

After that we went to Underworld that is a bar in Xida night market...it was very small. I found some interesting hamburger bars on the way...,which i need to revisit.

After that we went to Luxy...(as usual with the swedes)

It was not that much people out this night...but still the dancefloor was full on luxy.

I have a chinese quiz tomorrow...
I havnt really started to study yet...

We, (some classmates) went for teppanyaki during the evening...
Tomorrow I have class...after that I only have 1 class on thursday, and then I have vacation.

Today both my classmate and my teacher had a birthday...
(even though we celebrated my classmate last saturday)
We ate cake at the first class in Hsinchu...

I was heavily responsible for plates and spoons...
I got many different kinds...but in the end it seemed like ppl only needed plates...
After the second class there was another celetration...(more advanced).
First I attended an indonesia presentation.

It was about ethnic groups etc.
After a dragon boat practice...

...I went back to the class, since we were about to celebrate my teacher with cake and food.

And the whole class (plus other pll from my program and the professors family) joined up eating chips etc outside the class room.

I went to taipei at 18 on sunday...

We were heading to my classmates Henryy's wifes restaurant (said to be at a hooker district).
It was raining the whole day...perhaps I will get a cold now :S
I tried to use an umbrella...
The problem with the restaurant was that they were closing when we entered...so instead we went to another bar near by, and ate sweet and sour sauce-dishes...it was good.
After this we went to out classmate Emerson who is about to move...
We stayed the night and in the morning we had class at NCTU taipei's campus again...

We ate an typical taiwanese breakfast that morning...some bread and fried eggs.
Class ended at 12.05 and at 15.20 I was back in Hsinchu

I ate at tepanyaki.

I ate with some mongoilan friends...
Later on i droped my student ID...

I found my etui on the ground so someone must have found it, and (I assume) delivered it to some staff at NCTU.

I went to Taipei last night...
It was my classmates birthdayparty at some nightmarket...(atr a mediterranean restaurant)

We arrivesd a little late, but they saved a table for us...(me and some other classmates from NCTU)

I had some egyptian cigars (it is like a spring roll)

Then I had a marocco burger (it is a pita bread)

It seemed like most of the other people were from Taipei ( we recognized some of them from some latino bars we visited some week ago)

Then we went to a bar where they brew their own beer. We had some beer with honey flavour.

It is a really soft flavour.

We ended up taking the last bus back to Hsinshu. Hui zi, a taiwanese girl, brought her cello, and played the song that the library plays when it is about to close., while waiting for the bus...

I went to taipei with my chinese class...

They had the creator (or similair) of taiwan as a statue...very popular guy, inside the museum...

Strangely enough, humans were not allowed to some places inside...

This is how the palace looks like from outside...
100 stands for 100 years (since 1911, an important day for Taiwan).

Then we went to Shilin night market (even if it was day time), to eat...I ate lasange...I love italian food.

Then we went to a confucius temple, the guide was wearing an interesting dress...

The temple atmosphere was nice...with trees and ponds etc

And some school kids where performing some local dance (I guess)

Then we went to another temple...also very exotic.

After that i Went to meet up my chalmers friends...at a beer facotry in taipei downtown. The MRT was crowded. I met Allen my friends there...I will visit him later on in kaohsiung. It will be interesting.

At beer factory it was as I remembered it...loud music and a festival atmosphere was festival like...

But it was to noisy to talk, so we went to another place...where I saw this 7-11 look alike firm (typical asia to copy like this)

We ate for some hours...it was one of the guys birthday as well...


One of the girls walked barefeet, just like I use to go (but never in Taipei).

While in luxy the police were there and closed the entrance from some half an hours...it becomes more and moce common here that they police visits the night clubs...

The super mario brothers were on the stage at luxy...

I came back about 7, 25 hours after I woke up...and took of to taipei...(taipei part 1/3, since now im going back)

Tomorrow I will go to taipei, visit the national palace muesum with my chinese class (meaning I need to get up at 6). After that I plan to go to a beer factory with the Chalners student...
Today I ate breakfast at mosburger..., after my only class I had fika at qing hua university, and I also made a short visit to the dragon boat traning, since my IP-management class was canelled...
After that I went to a birthday party...more downtown. I cycelled there with my bike, which tired really needs to be pumped up...it iw probably 2-3 kg...it suppose to be 7-8...
Yesterday I visited a malaysian fare in school...I drank some red juice...it tasted almost like soap...interesting!
Tuesday I had chinese quiz and I also tried to buy a pump to my bike...but I didnt find one suitable at the moment.
AT monday I vivited an indoneian presentation...after that I wanted to go draonboat training, but it is not that appreciated to come late...so i went exercising on my own instead.

There is a meditation club that had a party at the ISC at NCTU...

They served food (or snax).

And they showed us some strange dance...

And they had a magic show.
Then alot of time was spent on learning the names in the groups we were divided into...
After the party I took of to taipei...since I had a meeting there...
on monday it is a normal day with taipei class, then i have a short presentation about projects (i will talk about when i did a project selection tool for Volvo Powertrain), and then i will listen to a short indonesian presentation...

We are trying out new restaurants in Taiwan for the moment...
Yesterday we went to a new indian restaurant in Hsinchu downtown.
We had an indian guy with us, who could recommend some dishes...

It is hard to find ice cream bars in Taiwan. We went to the only one we know,, near Hsinchu train station. There you usually order sets, I took som cream flavour and added a peanut butter cup.
Then we went to 7-11 near school.

I went to a latino bar yesterday...
It was nice, I met some classmates there...

it was all you can drink...
\
They also had competitions...first they had some hongkong airplain tickets that you could win (a lottery).
And after that they had some dancin competition (latoni dance).

Afterwards we went to Mcdonalds...before taking the morningbus home.
Pablo was inspecting the kitchen.

Many of my classmates are looking for internship...

Some binglang place were recruiting...I wonder if i fulfill the requirements

I went to the international service center and international affairs at NCTU half a ear ago, to make them put english translation on the trashcans at the food courts...(and i reminded them a couple of times since nothing happened). Still they are doing nothing about it...(i tried to speak to the guys in the food courts to change it, but they refuse to do anything without an order from higher authorities, as usual here in Taiwan).

At the neighbour university, the restaurants are doing progress...there they both have chinese and english signs...
I hope my university some time will benchmark them...

You really never need to leave campus, they have most of the facilities and stores that a student need.

Yesterday my friend pablo went to the parbershop in campus...it was cheap i think..even if many taiwanese people claim that it is better to go downtown to do it...

I just bought new batteries for my old camera...So now that one is working again...

Since 2 years ago my university does not sell beer in campus...but there is a 7-11 just outside the front gate,. So there is where we usualy go...after school ( i tried a new hamburger that the 7-11's started to sell since some week ago...). Me some classmates and a new indian guy who works in science park.
Today I also had 2 classes after lunch.
Before lunch I went downtown, trying to get a pump for my bike and some other stuff. But the bike stor was closed. I'll get it another time...

Then we were about to watch a movie...but we did not find any suitable room.
I downloaded some songs to my usb sticks, to play in the DJ room.
now im super tired, did not get that much sleep last night and not it is almost 2...
tomorrow it is taipei.

There were free food at school yesterday.

It was the Chinese language cetner that hosted it...
Later on there was a tutorial for economics...it is considered a "hard" course, so many wanted to waive it, to get an easier semester...

I was suppose to study to wednesdays quiz later on, but I ended up drinking beer and playing music in the DJ room with friends who did not have a quiz...
it was more fun...

It was anounced that I have a quiz on wednesday...

to bad that I am a lazy student...
right now im busy doing other things...
Far east movement will come to taipei tomorrrow , no one wants to join...

I had my monday class in taipei...so I went there sunday afternoon.

It was a concert near Taipei city hall...
I ate dinner at a mexican restaurant...but the kitchen there broke just before I came...so they had limited things to offer...

I had a BBQ burger and some mashed potatoes and Corona Extra
I dont need to get up that early since I sleep in a place called Jingan...

No chewing in the tube...
The day after I had my taipei class...
Then I went back by car with my classmate...
And after some class I was suppose to attend dragon boat practice, but since some classmates held a presentation about indonesia, and i might go there this summer I joined that first...

This caused a delay, so i was late for the practice and I went running instead (since I might get a punishment in the training for beeing late...).
After that it was tepanyaki time.

Today it was the sportsday (NCTU vs NTHU), I was signed up footaball and basketball (the second one just to ensure a full team, it is fun to play, but not in competitions...)

We won by 50-30 something...I put alot of efforts in not playing...

Then we ate some pizza and softdrinks...

And after waiting some hours for the cricket game to end we started the football...
I wondered if I can finish the day by not participate in any sport...I succeeded in not joining the football either (thus only warming the bench...), but since we won this game, the total points for all the games of the day between the universities were the same. So we had to do something to get the final winner...thus I joined some walking competition where our legs were stuck to each other...(10 people walked on a line). We were we of totally different lenght in our team, so some fell when walking, and we lost...
On the night I went to a friends birthday...

I treid a beer from boston...as a change, kind of dark.

It was an all-you-can-drink in Taoyuan (it was easy to reach by High speed rail), interesting was that it was only 1 bartender...creating a long queue, but we were many in the company, so it was always one that I knew who helped with orders...
I was expecting gang fights since this city is famous for it (we were in Zhongli, which is near the bigger international airport city of taiwan). The police came one and shut down the music for a while, but else it was no fights...

It was entertainment as usual when clubing in Taiwan...
Some singer boosting the atmosphere...

I dont have classes on friday...but today I had 2 company presentations to visit. 1 in taipei and 1 in Hsinchu...
But I started they day by visiting a new hotpot that opened just outside school.

It was a Japanese Barbeque (a.k.a. Yakiniku) and hotpot...all-you-can-eat, plus ice cream...

Then I visited Mckinsey's presentation at school, conclusions: they are looking for Tai-people

I went by car with some classmates to Taipei...


It was during rush-hour, while in taipei we took road 1, the same that goes form Kenting in the very south to taipei in the noorth (or keelung?)

I was dropped of near Danshui at the coast, and the I went by MRT to Taiwan university campus...
I did the mistake to as taipeipke for directons, it took me 5 pddifferent people and 40 minutes...to find the right place (the frists guy pointed in 1 direction and said it was 4km to the builing, the second pointed in anohter direction and gave me another distance....and said it was 20 mins...the third said like the second, while the forth just ignored me and the fifth had a map...)

I went to Taipei center to meet up my chalmers friends after ther presentation, then we headed to the Neo19 builing near taipei city hall...the japanese all-you-can-eat ther was closed...so we took a Thai-restaurant instead...

I tried a new beer, it was very soft taste...but 10,5% alcohole, kind of strong.

After the dinner, some of the guys took of to some bar...While I had to go up early the day after...

So I took the last bus back to Hsinchu, it is like airplain seats...it is easy to sleep in those.

I just had my last classes for the week...

I took the Technology Marketing at Tsing Hua university...it s in the TSMC building...kind of cool and modern building...

And after a short visit at Burger King...

Then I had IP Management in the room that the school choose to call the Harvard room, which is strange, I heard because the seats are semi circle shaped. It also reflects how much Taiwanese people loves USA, since most rooms in Gothenburg business school also has this shape...but it is not called "the Handels room".
Tomorrow I will go for company presentations...
First Mckinsey and Co, and then Boston Consulting Group... it will be interesting...

today it was dragonboat training.since i waived the evening class on mondays ans wednesdays i have time to participate. itis interesting to see the physical status of students from other countries. tomorrow i dont start at 9.so i can catch up on things.
I also sorted my boarding passes today, since the school wanted them in order...

Now I ordered them in time, it was easier for the school to get the round trip in that way...

I ended up msn-chating with friends in the lab, using my cellphone...I need a computer soon!

On saturday NCTU and NTHU will have competition in several sports...
Today me and other students played football...to practise...(it was more just for fun).

Initially the lights was off,  so it was kind of dark, especially at sun set at 18. but around 20 it was light again...when the lights was turned on.
Today I also weared my new white shoes to school, I wonder how long they will stay white...
And at home it is semeldagen...

Either I bake one myself..or I hope that the chalmers office will serve/sell later on this semester...

I went to Taipei Sunday afternoon, just to travell around (who wanna be stuck in Hsinchu a sunday night?)

Me and Pablo took the Bus in...we passed by this crappy car on the freeday...I want a koenigsegg, which I will buy when I get older...I think...perhaps a ferrari will be my extra car...

We went to Shihlin night market...initially there were no people there...but after some hours it was crowded...

It took long time to walk to the place where we wanted to go, since people walked very slow...
We also met up my other classmate Emerson and his friend Johnson there...(who just made some test to enter the GMBA program next year)

We bought some strange bread with meat inside...

They Bar-BQed them in some container...
It was good.

Then Johnson went home, while another friend, Ellison met us up, and we went to a burger bar that a friend of mine recommended some week ago (it was said to be the best in town).

It was greasy but ok...

Then we went to a memorial hall, the one near Taipei 101 (I always mix the 2 ones together, I think it was not S.Y.S memorial hall).
We have class in taipei the next morning (in the Taipei campus). Emerson offered me and pablo to sleep at his place...

It was really nice, like a hotel...it took just some minutes to the campus...

The NCTU campus is just at the Taipei main station...so central...
We had Operations Management..the teacher was good.

I bought Swedish coffee at IKEA last week, and i tried it for breakfast yesterday..it was good.

I also ate on of the cigar bananas...

the swedish krona is strong compare to the taiwanese dollar again. it is above 4,6. it was close to 4,0 recently. i save money by buying stuff now.perhaps time for a computer and camera purchase?

It is 12% higher now than in the beginning of the year...so everything is cheaper. As can be seen on the graph it might be on its way down again...

I participated in the race 媽祖. It starts in Miao Li...
Me and a friend were invited to participate...we were suppose to be picked up at 5, so i set the alarm on 4.40, but my friend called me 4.09, so i did not get so much sleep (went to bed at 24 the night before)

Me and Pablo waiting at guang fu lu

We went with a cycling team from Taipei, by bus

In Miao li about 5000 people were participating...

It took a while for the truck with the other peoples bikes to arrive so we got delayed...but at 9.30 we started

The route passes by many temples where u get stamps...everyone visits the temple (and the tais pray).

There is also time for picture taking...

Then we stopped for food.

We tried some local speciality

The weather was nice. I used sunblock...
We passed by many cities and 1000's of traffic lights...

Another city another temple...
We were collecting stamps at each mjor city...in total 4, in a book we got...

There were also some small temples that were worth a visit

In Chang Hua we ate some other local food

Up on the mountain you can see a big buddha statue...

It is nice with temples, u can refill water and visit the toilet...

It seemed to be well organised...many traffic polices were on duty...

Every time we got a stamp, they also offered some snacks...

After a while, the group separeted and I joined the lead

After the 3rd big city there was only the finish left.

The place where the group were suppose to eat at was close, so we stopped at 7-11.
It was a rumor that if we come to the goal after 17 we would not get a final stamp..so I got stressed, even though the others already decided not to make it...(just take it easy to the finish)

My friend pablo gave up at this point, his bike was a small one and he felt tired...

I saw "absolute vodka" in the store...it is amazaing that in almost every single 7-11 store in taiwan u find Absolute Vodka from sweden...

This is the bus last pickup place before we had 40km of cycling to the goal.

This is the finish, a port to the last temple...
I promised my friend not to be in the lead, since we took of to fast earlier on the day. But I wanted to see how fast I could go with my new bike...
I never got to discover it...I just went faster and faster...I came some half hour earlier to the goal than the main group...
Everyone got a diploma even if they arrived late to the finish.

Chiayi city had a really cool temple...

It took a while to find the place, where to pickup the diploma...even though they had signs showing the direction

They also had a stage where they presented some stuff...

My friends made some last prayers at the last temple

And as usualy they had toilets in to the left in this temple as well (it always seems to be in to the left of the temples...)

One guy had a bike  just like my swedish friend Carl, where the cog wheel is stuck to the wheel.

The groups gathered in front of the last temple...

It was by far the biggest on of the day (that we passed).

And it had a cool alley, with an interesting nightmarket. I bought some local candies...

Then we went to some family to eat, it was just near by.

I got a bag of tomatos...of different colours...

Some girl left her marks on the toilet. It is very common in this country that u stand on the toilet while peeing/shiting

On the way home I ate some of the local candies that I bougt...it was a dried banana looking like a cigar...

It is acctually the second friday, but since I was not here last friday it feels like the first one...
I went to a steak house to eat lunch with some class mates...

I had a T-bone...
Then i went to the supermarket...

I saw some interesting things, perhaps works on tai logic...
A package of serials (250grams) for 79 NT...

Then, if u choose the bigger package of 330 grams, it is 139NT. Thus the bigger package is more expensive than the small one... my tai friends said that some tai people acctually prefer the big one...(instead of taking 2 small...). That is funny...

I later on went downtown to a place where they have alot of international food. i tried some cheese..they have some danish (perhaps swedish) cheese there (arla).

Then I went to the night market near the hell temple in Hsinchu center...
From there I met some friend who took me and another friend to a hamburger bar...

Since my riend dont cycle as fast as I do, he hiked on my other friends motorcycle...holding his bike in is hand...

The hamburger bar ha a superstrong sauce...it was a nice label...

We ended they visit downtown by going to an icecream bar...i ordered chocolate, rose ice cream, peanutbutter cake and peanutbutter...it was good....

I wont 200 NT yesterday on the receipt lottery...
I got some receipt from a friend, and his win we divided 50/50
I just went to the post office to cash out the money

Today I practised basekball, since some friend asked if i could join the NCTU basketball team for some competition in weeks. I joined for some hour...then I went to meet up some classmates, who had a class that I waived...
Tomorrow me and some friends are going to call some companies in taiwan for intership and company visits. since our GMBA programs managemen said they will help providing internship, but then suddenly change their mind.
I wanna visit management consultant companies...

Stephen "TA" Downing is the TA in a economics class...
He is not taking the course...
They have some rules here, i heard...that TA cant take the course they are TA in... but some students are taking the same classes as they are TA in...it might help them get higher grades...since they are having a better relationship with the teacher...So far I only heard about 99 and 100 in grades for the TAs who is taking the courses...(TA stands for Teacher Assistant)

I saw a super cold water machines later on...it was 3 degress on the cold one...

Today I had 2 classes...even though I havnt decided which courses to take, since it is add and drop week.
After class I went to a GIANT store to pump up my wheels on my bike.

They offer free service every time I come. I really had low pressure, 2 bars in the wheels, it should atleast be 7...
Then I tried to look for a rear ligh, hopefyllt one with solarcells...but they did not have any.

I ended the day by a meeting and watching a film "the fighter", it was ok.