DC's life in Taiwan

Usual disclaimer: Note the date of this blog post. As time goes by, things may change, so always try to find the most up to date information. Feel free to let me know if anything ever changes. If this article has Chinese characters / Pinyin and you are not sure about pronunciation, copy/paste the Chinese characters to Google Translate and use the text to voice feature. As a side note, the pronunciation of the neutral tone is usually not so good, but it should be close enough. Relevant links: Registering the NHI card online I just did it this very instant, so I'm writing this article while I still remember the process! Once you have downloaded the NHI app (pracitcally all in Chinese)  and bound your NHI card to it, you are ready to make the appointment.  Open the app, on the home page (bottom left icon that looks like a house), you will see a list of options, and luckily, they have English translations. Select Vaccine Appointment. Accept the disclaimer and you will be taken to ...

Usual disclaimer: Note the date of this blog post. As time goes by, things may change, so always try to find the most up to date information. Feel free to let me know if anything ever changes. If this article has Chinese characters / Pinyin and you are not sure about pronunciation, copy/paste the Chinese characters to Google Translate and use the text to voice feature. As a side note, the pronunciation of the neutral tone is usually not so good, but it should be close enough. Relevant links: Enrolling in the NHI program as a Gold Card holder NHI Online Services Registration Once you have the NHI card, you will want to register it online on the second link above. Once you register online, you can, for instance, file your tax online using the NHI card as your identification during tax season. You can also sign up for the Covid-19 vaccination program. You can also go to the closest NHI Administration office to do it in person. Search Google Maps for the closest one to you. I did mine onli...

From very early on, I have always been fascinated with people's behaviours. I have never studied psychology nor can I consider myself an expert, but my job and my life experiences have given me unique opportunities in life to encounter an extremely wide variety of situations. As a musician, sometimes I found myself in mansions interacting with high profile investors, bankers, diplomats, and the like. Other times, I am in ghettos sharing a meal with people on welfare. I have also had interactions with renowned alleged "gangsters". It's been quite an interesting life so far. All this to say, that I've been exposed to a wide range of personalities and points of views from different parts of the world and cultures. It wasn't until recent years that I started to make sense of a lot of behaviours that I previously had difficulty understanding, and I realize that many people may be on the same boat. This article is dedicated to what is known as being on the autism sp...

I don't know how relevant this information is for the rest of Taiwan but in this article, I'll share with you how to take out the trash when living in Taipei or New Taipei City. I actually may be doing certain things wrong, and if so, please let me know, and I will make the necessary edits. For the longest time, I stayed in an apartment complex that had their own garbage pickup system so I never used the actual public system until recently. It can appear rather daunting, but once I figured out the system, it was OK. I started by using Google to see if there was some kind of guide out there, and I did find this article . It was useful enough but there were certain things missing that would have made my life easier, and I'm going to share those tips with you. First you want to figure out the pickup schedule for your area. The trucks follow a fairly strict schedule.  Thanks Jerome for the tip: just get this app !  Otherwise, if you live in Taipei, this is   link you ca...

 "Money is not at all important to me" A very interesting statement, isn't it? Yet full of layers of complexity. From a very early age, I've rarely seen things in terms of black and white. As far as I can remember, I've always approached life in a holistic way: everything is interconnected in some way. To truly understand something, if at all possible, one has to explore the many layers of complexity.  Situation 1: if a billionaire were to say "money is not important", that would easily irritate quite a number of people. Billionaire is an exaggeration, but people who are financially secure can easily say this. Situation 2: If someone who lived a simple and frugal but comfortable life were to say it, it's perfectly fine as well. Their bills are paid on time and they have shelter, food, and loved ones. They may live paycheck to paycheck, but it's always worked out! Great!  Situation 3: A young teenager whose parents just died and now has to take ca...

I recently got my NHI card and while it is still somewhat fresh in my memory, I will share with you my process in getting it in Taipei as a self-employed Gold Card holder. The following Gold Card Community site helped me the most , and I basically followed the steps indicated. As always, do remember that things change, and that least on this date of July 8th, 2021, the information is valid. The process was very easy and smooth sailing but maybe there are a few things that I should point out based on my personal experience. I went to the office indicated in the above site:    Ministry of Health and Welfare Health Insurance Department Building (衛福部健康保險署臺北業務組-健保大樓辦公室) . It was very easy to find from Taipei Main Station exit M8.  This was at the beginning of May 2021, just before the pandemic actually hit Taiwan. Now, it could very well be a coincidence, but a lot of businesses (even government) that offer services in English might not actually offer services in English, and ...

Be sure to read the previous posts for some relevant background information. Also keep in mind that the Gold Card program is new and still in development. On this date of July 7th, 2021, the following information is still accurate, but be sure to always check updated sources.  This blog post is about applying for the Gold / Card under the Arts / Culture category. This is the category that I applied for. When I applied I did not have any contacts in any of the government branches that could help me. I mentioned in a previous post that I come from a family with deep political ties to Taiwan. The result of my application comes strictly from the application itself; my family's involvement with Taiwan politics was not mentioned at all. Of course, some of the information  that I will share may apply to other categories as well. Most importantly, this is about what I personally went through to give some of you folks an idea. As I mentioned a few times already, the Gold Card Office is...

In this post, I would like to talk a little bit more about the Taiwan Employment Gold Card program and whether you should apply for it or not! Please note that this is a new program and details are subject to change. Therefore, it is always best to find the most up to date information as possible .We are currently July 6th 2021. Furthermore, if I make any mistakes, please let me know. I am not involved with the government or the wonderful people at the Gold Card office. First things first: a quick summary of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card program. Simply put, it is a program to attract international talent. The goal is to boost Taiwan's international image. I suggest you read my introductory blog post for a little bit more info, and I eventually hope to talk more about Taiwan's international image in future posts. This program basically allows recipients to live and freely work in Taiwan. Basically, you have the same privileges as an actual citizen minus voting rights and thin...

Hello everyone! It's been over a year and a half that I, and I'm sure the vast majority of you, have been dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. To say that it changed my life would be quite the understatement. In a previous life, I was involved in the music industry. OK, I am still in the same industry, but everything is upside down. For work and life reasons, I divided my time between my native Montreal in the summer and fall seasons, and Tokyo and Taipei, in the winter and spring seasons. I also frequently traveled to the USA and Europe for work related reasons. I rarely stayed in one place for more than a few months (if even), and this is how my life had been for most of my adult life.  However, for the first time in my life, I stayed put in one place for over a year, and not only that, in a place where I did not have a resident status! How did this start? As I mentioned earlier, I always spent my winters in Asia, so in December of 2019, I packed my bags for Japan where I spen...