A Lack of Bins Promotes Commerce

Does reducing the number of bins on the streets promote commerce?

Join these words together.
1. Flyer marketers handing out flyers.
2. People take.
3. No bins to throw unliked advertising.
4. Throwing rubbish on the ground incurs a NTD$1000+ fine.
5. Puts flyer in pocket, or holds flyer.
6. Flyers end up at home.

Overall effect, advertising material viewed more times by potential consumers - a positive outcome for marketers in the short run.

In the long run, as people learn, they stop taking advertising materials, which leads to more creative ways for marketers to distribute flyers - including giving out a packet of tissues with advertising printed on top of the stack. These are hard to refuse for some potential consumers. But once again, the lack of bins provide nowhere to throw the printed advertising once the pack of 4 tissues are finished.

Thus, a lack of bins affects commerce ambiguously, in the long run.

Favourite Christmas Song Live

It was required of me to write a recommendation letter for myself to my host before I arrived in Taiwan. After writing all the formal stuff, I wanted to add in my special interests, to give my host a better understanding of who I am. So I was thinking, thinking and I came up with the four following interests: 1. Eating fruits 2. Punching 3. Talking to strangers about special interests 4. Giving massages. I realized soon after that these interests can be connected and done all at once, as in: Eating fruits and punch-massaging, a stranger while talking to him about special interests. Of course, I didn't write any of this in the recommendation letter.

A lot of people in Taiwan wear mouth smocks to help reduce the amount of pollution being breathed into the body. I have tried a few times, and it not only relieves me of the traffic/factory/cigarette/general atmospheric pollution, but also gives me two new senses of freedom.

Firstly, there's the freedom which is similar to that of wearing sunglasses – which is the less people can see of you, the more secret you feel. Secondly, there's a freedom to say anything to yourself, and not be conscious of what other people think of you because people can't see your mouth move, and your voice is muffled. So for those times where I need to say things like “Oooh baby”, I have the full liberty.

I have discovered that Taiwan girls are prettier than I thought. Someone said a comment which I thought was quite fair: “Speaking of prettiness in the form of the makeup-less look, Taiwan girls come in the top few out of the typical Asian countries.” But, for me, unless I get to know the girl, there are only a few forms of pretty girls. In other words, to me, a lot of them look the same. This concept has inspired me to take photos of Taiwanese girls and label them into categories/types. If this does go ahead, I will NOT ask them if they would like to see their photos on my blog. Easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, some of the times.

My favourite Christmas song, live.

Taiwan breeds a culture of excellence. So therefore, one thing is for certain.

"English translation mistakes are very hard to find!"

In fact, i could find more mistakes in Melbourne taking a walk down a street of restaurants, Chinese or not.

But one other thing is for certain. That i will require to find other types of funny things to laugh at (and take photos of), and i also believe that every culture has cultural-specific habits/"traditions" that other cultures find ridiculous in humour.

The first sight of a welcoming Abe in Taiwan

I will update you often, about the new things that i discover.

Thanks.

p.s. a shower is not really required here...

Are You Sexually Biased?

This post uses the term: "sexually biased"

TBC...

Girls - by Sam

My dad talks to me about girls. I like to talk about girls with my dad.

Some girls are nice, but not good to marry.
Some girls are good to be friends with, but not good to marry.
Some girls are stunningly beautiful, but are only good for looking from a distance.
Some girls are very able, helpful, generous, and pretty, but if you marry them, you will surely die.

My "Top 10" is set to slightly alter, 1 year on.

*Note: not applicable for all guys.

My Name is Sam Hu

One day, I searched facebook for the number of "Sam Hu"s on facebook. There were many, to my surprise!

So i had an idea to create a facebook group with the name: "My Name is Sam Hu".

While inviting members to join, i, for the first time in my life, was sending personally addressed messages to individuals WITHOUT changing the name of the addressee! It was a funny experience.

It was funny also, because facebook thought i, personally and legitimately addressing other facebook members, was sending spam, because all my messages had the exact same content!


And therefore blocked my messaging capabilities for an undefined period of time! Too bad facebook's spam detection isn't as good as to detect that all the people whom i was sending messages to, were called Sam Hu.

Latest question from one of the Sam Hus' friends:

Hahaha!

Scammers Are Getting Smarter (HK Saga) - 香港詐騙集團

There was a call that i received 3 months ago, that claimed themselves as the Hong Kong Tourism Bureau. The purpose of their call was to invite me to a grand opening ceremony of one of their programs - in Hong Kong of course. I said that i am not in Hong Kong. They said that i can watch it on satellite. I said that i don't have satellite. They said that i can go to a friend's house to watch it. I have friends. . .

Anyway, 1 month ago, they called again. And said that they are able to send some discount vouchers for tourism activities in Hong Kong. I said, okay send them over.

1 day ago, i received a letter, from the "Hong Kong Tourism Bureau". It looked like this from cover to cover:

Good-feel texture booklet, with nice colour.

Uses the HKTB website, as well as adopting their logo.

The booklet is very detailed, it even had this:

Free advertising for Tissot! This made me laugh.

There is a prize pool, on a particular page, and corresponding winning numbers. How to play, is scratch the silver off the silver scratch, and see if your codes match up with any of the winning numbers.
...
And guess what??

Check out the busy-looking "lawyer" photos, and how you sort of expect to win, with so many numbers to call.

Conclusions:

A. I really wonder what a chat would be like with one of those lawyers, when i call their hotline =].
B. Hong Kong scammers are putting in a lot more effort by sending colour brochures and even investing a 3 month time period in their clients!
C. These guys are continuing to operate and evolve in practices, because of some people in the world who are falling for their trick. Thence, here it is, EXPOSED.