invoice-lottery

I have been waiting for the right time to post this in my blog… and it has come – I just won 200 NT$ (about 6 US Dollars) in the Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery! Well, it’s not really that much. It took me more than a hundred receipts before I got lucky. All you have to [...]

toilet-restaurant

I bet you’ve heard of this restaurant before… Now who in his right mind would try to eat in a toilet? Fortunately, it’s just a theme – whew! Anyway, since I was visiting Kaohsiung over the weekend, I tried it. To go to the Modern Toilet Restaurant, you have to take the Red KMRT line [...]

Has anyone noticed that the summer this year is way hotter than before? It must be due to global warming. While waiting for the bus at downtown HsinChu, I noticed the long line at ColdStone. Wow! The solution to cool-off at the end of a very hot day. The line shown on the picture is [...]

Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery

I have been waiting for the right time to post this in my blog… and it has come – I just won 200 NT$ (about 6 US Dollars) in the Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery! Well, it’s not really that much. It took me more than a hundred receipts before I got lucky. All you have to do is KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!

The receipt number is your “ticket” to the Taiwan Uniform-Invoice Lottery. There’s also a line on top which will tell you the draw “month”. In this case, my receipt shows “9-10″ (hard to see on the picture below, but

you’ll easily find it in your receipt).

Once you know the draw date, you should check that section on Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance Website:
http://english.etax.nat.gov.tw/wSite/ct?xItem=58408&ctNode=11647

The Grand prize is 2 Million NT$ (Wow! gotta keep those receipts!) – just one winning number.

  • The First prize is 200,000 NT$ (still great!) – three winning numbers.
  • Second prize is 40,000 NT$ (last 7 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).
  • Third prize is 10,000 NT$ (last 6 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).
  • Fourth prize is 4,000 NT$ (last 5 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).
  • Fifth prize is 1,000 NT$. (last 4 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers).
  • Sixth prize (last 3 digits on any of the 1st prize numbers). Yeah, I got the sixth prize…

You can claim your prize on your nearest post office – ChungHwa Post.

Do not forget to bring your ID, and fill up the back with your name, address and phone number (yeah, instructions in the back are in chinese so get some help)

200NT$ is a small amount, but
hey, at least I get something back. It’s an incentive from the Taiwan
government to make sure you are buying from tax-paying establishments.

Merry Christmas To All!

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Taiwan NT10$ Coin: Dr. Sun Yat Sen

A friend of mine showed me an unusual 10NT$ coin. At first, I thought it was a just another shiny coin, but upon close inspection, I found that it’s a bit different. The coin on the left is the regular 10NT$, the coin on the right is the shiny “unusual” one.

On the “face” side, the portraits are different too

The one on the left (the regular 10NT$) is Chiang Kai Shek. The one on the right (the shiny one) is Dr. Sun Yat Sen. I checked up the website of Taiwan’s Central Bank but did not find any information on this particular coin.
From the looks of it, it looks like a commemorative coin for the 90th anniversary of the Republic of China because it shows the date 1911-2001 (but it’s already 2008, now I’m confused!).

This, most likely, is a new coin because it has the security features of the 50NT$ coin (see below):

Anyway, I have yet to find any other information about this coin on the web. I’ll try to ask my Taiwanese friends if they’re familiar with it…

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Taiwan Calendar System – What’s wrong with my Orange Juice?

You might notice something weird when buying food in Taiwan. A lot of stuff expired 11 years ago! Check out the orange juice I bought on the picture – the expiration day states 97 03 01. Nope, there’s nothing wrong with this orange juice. Some stuff in the convenience store show the year “97″ and some show the correct year (2008). But what’s with the “best consumed before 1997″ thing? Well, it’s not really 1997… It’s not 1997 AD – Christians, and most of the world, follow the AD format since it’s how old Jesus Christ would be if he lived up to this day. It’s 97. The year 97.

Ok, so what’s with the year 97? Someone (or something) was born 97 years
ago and he (or it) was special? Yes, to the Taiwanese (and Chinese) people, the answer is YES. On October 10, 1911, there was this WuChang Uprising in China which eventually led to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the “Birth” of the Republic of China. This “10/10” or Double Ten Day is a holiday (wooohooo!) and is called National Celebration Day ???. Going back to the story, a couple of months later after the uprising,they have set January 1, 1912 as the First Year of the Republic. And so, the year 2008 is the 97th year of the Republic.

So anyway, the next time you buy orange juice, or milk, or any stuff with a weird year, confirm it by adding 1,911. 97 + 1911 = 2008! The year would look more weird on 2011, the expiration date on my juice would be 100 03 01, it would not look like a date at all!

Whew! The history stuff made me thirsty, let’s drink that orange juice!

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Taiwan Climate

Now that you’re familiar with the directions: Bei or Pei (North), Dong (East), Nan (South) and Xi or Si (West), let’s take a look at Taiwan’s Climate.

In the Philippines, we have two seasons. As a friend of mine would say, we only have the Hot Season and the Hotter Season =D. It’s hot all year round in the Philippines. In Taiwan, they also have two seasons, a hot season (from May to October) and a cool season (from
November to April). It does not snow in Taiwan (except on the mountains), but it does get as cold as 5C during the winter.

The map on the left, courtesy of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau,shows today’s weather forecast (February) so you have an idea where the warmer places are… down South! You should make it a habit to visit the website of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.

This site shows you the weekly and monthly weather forecast fairly accurately. It also has records of recent Earthquakes in Taiwan (Yes! Earthquakes are pretty frequent in this island).

Quick Taiwan Tip: Since it gets a bit cold in Taiwan, you will need two sets of clothes – one set for the hot season and one set for the cold season. Of course, if you’re not from the Philippines (or you live in Baguio City), and are used to cold weather, you already know this! You would also notice from the map that the Urban Areas of Taiwan are on the edges of the Island – so this means most of these areas are coastal towns/cities, which means, aside from the cold weather, you have to think about the wind from the sea, which adds up to the chill factor(especially if you are going to Hsin Chu area… it’s pretty windy up there).

By the way, this week, the Chinese are celebrating their Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Rat! Let’s greet them by saying:

Xin nián kuài lè / Happy New Year!!!

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Welcome to the Pinoy’s Guide to Taiwan

Thank you for visiting the The Pinoy’s Guide To Taiwan. In this blog, you’ll be reading on how to go around Taiwan, where to eat (cheap, chinese food, filipino foods), places to buy your pasalubong, where to find the nearest Filipino store and other tips on how to survive in Taiwan.

Where exactly is Taiwan? If you look at the Map of the of Asia, Taiwan is the leaf-shaped island just north of the Philippines.

Taiwan quick tip: In Mandarin, Pei (or Bei) means North. Dong means East. Nan means South. Si (or Xi) means West. So TaiPei is the Taiwan City at the North. TaiDong is the Taiwan City at the East. TaiNan is in the South. You may encounter these four “words” from time to time, like, there are roads named BeiDa, DongDa, NanDa and Xida. There are also towns named ChuPei, ChuNan and ChuDong. Easy enough? Not really… not all places describe which where it is, but it’s a start.

Till my next post… Enjoy Taiwan…

?????/Taiwan Huan Ying Ni/ Taiwan Welcomes You!!!