Tag Archives: fashion

December 12, 2011 · 8:07 pm

From the Ministry of Silly Chinglish Shirts

I dearly wanted to ask this kid whether his choice of t-shirt was intentional or not; and also, whether his parents understood it!

Well, now that I’m finally back in good old New York and my last silly t-shirt gift has been posted to its recipient, it’s time to collate my best photos– of the best silly t-shirts with broken English (or, Chinglish) spotted in Taiwan.

Given to a friend and former roommate, we puzzled about what the intended meaning might have been. Perhaps, "Every setback is a hidden opportunity?" What do you think??

So although these shirts are not brought to you BY the Ministry of Silly Walks, they were photographed in the same gently-poking fun spirit. Other amazingly silly captions spotted over the year (but lacking in pics) are listed below, in order of remembered hilarity: Continue reading →

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November 28, 2010 · 1:41 pm

Running with Scissors: My First Taiwanese Haircut

This post goes out to Alexandra at Stilisti in Boston, who cut my hair for the last few years, and to whom I promised I'd watch the hair trends in Asia! Here's one, especially Taiwan: wavy hair for women, even perms! Also, I like that this girl is holding either wasabi peas or edamame to her face. A classy touch, always.

The first thing my mother said when she saw my new haircut was, “You must be feeling pretty comfortable in Taiwan, if you chopped off that much of your hair!”  I suppose she was right.  Also, I conducted the entire exchange with my stylist in Chinese, just about.  So I got what I deserved. Continue reading →

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October 21, 2010 · 10:23 am

What if Every Season is Rainy Season?

This week the general southeast Asia environs has been weathering Typhoon Megi– formerly downgraded to a tropical storm, and then upgraded again to a Typhoon.  Luckily, it has not actually HIT Taiwan, per se, but we have had steady and at times relentless rain all week. Today, we have some wind!  Yum.

I’ve realized that Taipei weather is not unlike Boston weather, so no surprise that locals and visitors to both places love to talk (and complain) about it!  This has led me to compose a “Weather Mad Lib,” in which you can plug in either Boston terms (rain, snow, sleet, cold, “wintry mix”), or Taipei terms (rain, humidity, hot, fog, wind, typhoon, earthquake):

Hi there, can you believe the _______ today?  I mean, come on, yesterday’s ______ was pretty bad, I didn’t think it would get worse!   I know, right?  It’s more _____ than I remember it being, since the ______ in ____ of last year.   Well, that’s not so bad. This morning, it ______ed, maybe it will _______ again later today.  Don’t count your chickens.  Usually when it ______s here, you’ll be _____ing ____ all day, maybe even all week.  Has anyone seen the weather report?  Oh, don’t trust them, they said it would be only a 20% chance of _____, and it’s been _____ like this since last night.  The _____ woke me up at dawn! Continue reading →

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September 8, 2010 · 4:58 pm

Travel Fashion: 12 pieces of clothing for a year

12 pieces

These were the 12 easy pieces. For more on literary folks thinking about fashion, visist LooksAndBooks.com!

I am currently in the last days of a fashion diet—although not entirely by choice.  The term came from a New York Times article about the benefits of living on 6 pieces of clothing for a month: a “fashion diet” of sorts.  Women, primarily, decided to downsize their wardrobes to see what would happen— and the results were surprisingly good.  They wore lots of black, felt less materialistic, and spent absolutely no time deciding what to wear each day. The best (or maybe worst) part?  No one else even noticed.

I saw the article when I started packing for a year on the other side of the world. I am NOT a light packer. I never have been, my travel fashion philosophy being, “But what if I suddenly need another sweater/skirt/dress/pair of shoes?”  This of course, with the disclaimer that nothing ever happens to me that would fortuitously require a backup evening gown or glittery sandals. (And of course, one could always go shopping—ahem, Pretty Woman?)

But the challenge struck me: could I live on 6 pieces of clothing for a month? Then I thought, maybe 12 for a year? Continue reading →

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September 5, 2010 · 3:14 am

Week in Review in Photos

Hello, dear blog readers!  As I write this, I have finished my first full week in Taiwan. So far, I have found Taipei to be wonderfully accessible, vibrant, and welcoming. This week, I successfully moved into an apartment in Taipei where I will stay for a year during my Chinese language class and research fellowship. I registered for my class that will begin on Monday.  I’ve even made some friends, and have pushed myself to speak, listen, observe, and experience the world past my comfort zone.

So here’s a little week in review in some favorite photos not yet posted: Top Five Things that Have Made Life in Taipei Easier and Fun. Continue reading →

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