VIDEO | This is how I spent my weekend in Taipei

Here with another video, don't worry I'll be posting outfit pictures soon as well. But last weekend was filled with cultural activities, so you can imagine how much I filmed and I had to put in a video of course.

I visited three cultural attractions. First one is the 'National Palace Museum'. This museum was filled with all kinds of historic scriptures, ornaments and art from wayyy back. First let me give you my backstory. I know absolutely nothing about the history of Taiwan, which is shameful I know. So when I got there I was kinda lost. I was seeing all this old ornaments without really knowing what it's about and the museum was packed. And I mean really packed. There were probably 10 tour groups at a time. So walking around at your own pace was quite difficult. There was this area about an emperor ordering frenchmen to make copper plates which really blew my mind. You could watch a short (not really though it was about 45min and without sound) film about how art played an important role in eternalising accomplishments of emperors at that time. And how France was important to them. This suddenly made me realise how real this was. How much history everything had. So my time there was quite pleasant. 

Second thing was the Chiang Kai Sheik Shilin Residences. This place was packed as well. As the previous attraction, I didn't really know much about the place. I went there with a family whom I'm acquainted to (to make it short) and she told me several things about the place, which I guess is pretty important for Taiwanese people. We went to see the flower garden. It was supposedly the last weekend that they'll be exhibited. So we went there. The flowers weren't that spectaculair, but it's quite nice to see a bit of nature and green. I was more interested in the buildings and people there actually.

My favourite cultural activity, which you probably can guess already was the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. It was a really last minute thing to go to. I was just browsing in my LonelyPlanet guidebook and after I saw it, I was at that place within 45 minutes (roughly). I went there with a purpose to visit the Taiwan Design Museum and (if I could make it) the Red Dot Museum. The museums were situated in an old tobacco factory, which made the inside kinda industrial and interesting. There was this Deutsch Design exhibit and European Design at the (International part) of the museum, which was fine but I've seen it quite often already. You could see some stuff for Braun and Alessi, nothing I haven't seen already. Which was a bummer but nothing I can do about. Other designs were interesting though. I don't know if I've missed anything, but I was done looking around after an hour, so I went outside and walked around the area a bit and saw this other exhibit by GQ. This was most definitely my favourite. It was interesting and inspiring. It reminded me a bit of the 'Kunsthal' at Rotterdam. It was about dreaming big and having the courage to do so. I didn't want it to be a long post, which it already is. But I wanted to expand on my experience of this particular exhibition in an other post.

I like the way the video turned out. I think this is more up in my alley than the vloggy type of videos. I'm just still so awkward on video. I'll learn in time though. Let me know what you think of the video in the comments below.

x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

GRWM + TALK | First week in Taipei

Say whaaattt? Another post? I thought it would be nice to sit down and talk to you guys a bit about my first impressions and findings in the first week in Taipei. So I filmed a Get Ready With Me video while blabbering about random stuff. Stuff about Taiwanese people, Food, MRT system and having a Chinese name. Not exactly how I wanted this video to be, but practice makes perfect right? Enjoy this video! And let me know your thoughts on this video in the comments below :)

x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

OOTD | Hello new pants!

Hi guys! I'm back with an outfit of the day! I'm slowly getting used to everything here in Taipei and starting to feel a bit more myself. My parents aren't here anymore so I'm by myself from now on, which means more time to take outfit pictures! I bought this uber cute pants on sale at Forever21 here in Taipei. it was 475NT which is approximately €13, such a deal! I decided to wear more patterns in my outfits and I think this is a good start. It's quite chilly in Taipei so I'm wearing my leather jacket today. I planned to walk around a bit around the neighbourhood and around my uni. 

What do you think of this outfit?

x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

Quick update | Taiwan winter essentials

I've been 'living' in Taipei for almost a week now and I say 'living' in between quotations because up until now it just feels like going on a holiday. In case you haven't seen my latest vlog, I was travelling to Taiwan with my parents. I'm 23 years old and my parents still worry over me, so that's why they wanted to join me for a few days first. I've been busy with arranging school, getting a bank account and getting a Taiwanese phone number. I've also been exploring the neighbourhood, the metro system and visited some night markets. In the next vlog I'll be talking to you about my first impressions and show you a bit of Taipei. In the upcoming days I'm a free agent and will be able to do this vlog!

But first. I thought it would be fun on my thoughts on how to dress for Taipei in the winter season.

The weather is nothing like in the Netherlands.. at least for what I'm experiencing at this moment. The weather in the afternoon is hot but still windy and sometimes even rainy.

So this Rains raincoat is perfect for the weather in Taipei. The material of this raincoat is light, so it doesn't get too hot but still manage to break the wind and shelter you from the rain. I'm so happy I got this eventually over the ones from Stutterheim which I was dying to have. Another thing I have been into lately is wearing a plain black cap. I just think it makes the outfit a tat more interesting and it will help me through the rain as well.

As I'll be going to school, this leather laptopbag is a musthave. I think the model is classic and timeless. I think it will suit with any outfit. I found this one from Burkely at marington.nl. They have other classic and timeless designs on the website. They are a bit pricey but for genuine quality leather it's okay to splurge sometimes.

Even though I know I can walk on my trusty ankleboots which I've been wearing non stop back in the Netherlands, it is so much better wearing sneakers around in Taipei. You'll be walking a lot even when you're planning to take the MRT, you'll find yourself walking more than you think. And it's so much easier when you have to take the stairs etc. 

Another thing you must have is a camera. You'd want to take pictures. There's always something interesting to capture on film. May it be the people, food (almost everytime it's the food) or just the streets of Taipei, you'll regret not taking it with you. I must admit I've been lazy to grab my camera when I see a great opportunity to do so, because I'm thinking myself I'll be here for a while, I can take the shot another time. But be honest, you won't do so till it's too late. Or the lightning or the moment isn't right anymore. So don't hesitate to take the shot! This is also a reminder for me.

What do you think of my musthaves?

x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

TAIWAN VLOG #1 | On my way to Taipei

I'm having some trouble with jet lag, which is a bad thing cause I have to be up early but a good thing since I can finish my first Taiwan vlog... Which isn't really about being in Taiwan but more about travelling to.

Couple of thoughts that went through my mind since I've arrived;

1. It's hot (I've been told that it's going to be cold, despite the weather forecasts)

2. Don't get run over by cars/bikes

3. Foodies!

4. I wish everyone just assume I can't speak Mandarin, so I won't have to embarrass myself first

5. How much is it in euros?

6. So cheap!

7. I wish I had a film crew

I'm now at my second night in Taipei and it still feels like I'm just on a holiday.

See you in the next vlog!

x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

OOTD | Last week before leaving

As I was curling my hair with a curling iron in sections, I decided to like this look. So I'm rocking the 'half up knot wavy like a surfer dude' hair. This is also my last week in the Netherlands for a while, so my schedule of meeting (mainly eating) with friends before leaving is quite tight but really nice to spend some time with them. I've been spending money as well on last minute stuff I think I need for in Taiwan. And I still need to pack.. Seriously I have been watching Youtube videos on how to pack, but still am not moving my ass. About my outfit, I felt like wearing black. To make it not too goth, I wore this electric blue jacket I got from the Calvin Klein sample sale. It makes the outfit look less boring.. I hope. That's it for now!

x J.

this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

PERSONAL | I am not a label

Usually I don't post about these kind of topics but I felt it was important to me enough to share it with you guys. Enough about that famous instagram model, who I've never heard about before she supposedly revealed social media secrets.. Talk about what really matters. I leave my thought about that matter in another post maybe. What I really want to talk about is this video I've stumbled upon on Facebook. You know when something just clicked. You just keep nodding your head because you completely agree with anything that's been said. This is what Prince Ea did to me with this video about 'labelling people'. It's something that's been bothering me a while.

I hate it when people have this prejudice against a certain label. Like when people ask me if I eat rice everyday because I'm Asian, I mean would that person be asking that if I was a caucasian? But what I hate the most are people who pity themselves for being a certain label. They feel offended for every criticism they get and blame it on their 'label'.  There was this interview about a new movie, the 'white' producer said to the 'black' interviewer that it was important to have a diverse cast for the movie but not necessarily in the crew. As you would've guessed. People were all going mad about what he had said. The interviewer responded with "Wow, ok", was clearly offended and people on twitter were already bashing on him. But if you listen closely and just let him explain a bit more, it's actually logical. You shouldn't base your crew upon racial diversity, but you should base it on skill. Who wouldn't want to have the best director or scriptwriter regardless of their race. The only thing that needs to be considered is to give everyone a chance to apply for the job.
People get so easily offended and are so touchy about their labels that it's sometimes hard to reason with them.

At first I couldn't put my annoyance into place. But after watching this, it suddenly was all clear to me. It's the labels! I hate being, using labels or even thinking in labels. It's hard not to do so, because we are already so used to it that it's almost impossible not to. Almost, which is why this message is so important. Labels won't go away within a decade, but as cheesy as it sounds, it all starts with changing yourself first. It won't be easy and probably something to easy forget. But try to remember before you judge someone, is it because of their own 'me' or is it because of their 'label'. Or just repeat this video over and over again so you'll be reminded. Seriously though this video is on point.

Imagine what great things will arise if we put labels behind us.

If there were no labels to hold us back. No label to define us.


What do you think of this message?


x J.

Like this post? To keep track, you can follow me on Bloglovin', GFC, or even Instagram.

PERSONAL | Final Countdown to Taiwan

Here's an update on my plans to go to Taiwan for 6 months. You can read more about why I'm leaving the Netherlands here. Now first thing's first. My plan to study abroad was really last minute. Usually people plan these things at least a year ahead. But as always I like to do things last minute.. And I arranged everything within approximately 2 months? And it's not like I've been on it full time, But it's definitely possible if you want to study abroad last minute. If you have enough saved up or have your parents (partly) support you financially.

I'll be taking classes at the Mandarin Training Center, which is like a special school for learning Mandarin provided by the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). I chose this school because it's one of the most well known ones and I've read some reviews about the courses. Not all reviews were positive but it's a risk you'll always be taking when you're studying abroad.  So after I applied for this school I needed to wait a month to receive the admission letter from the school through the post mail. A month, that means that I only had a month left to arrange all the other stuff because without this original letter I can not apply for my visa. And if I cannot apply for my visa, it's pretty much useless if I buy a planeticket and accommodation already and cannot enter the country.