I must admit, I didn’t know much of their music when I created their fanpage on ThinkTaiwan but I did so because I made friends with some of the group members via Facebook. About 5 days ago MJ116 uploaded a brand new MV called Just Believe. At the time, I was very busy and couldn’t really watch the music video.

Today, I decided to take time on my day off and watch the music video. And really OMG ! MJ116 has got to be one of my number 1 Taiwanese music groups now! Their music video “Just believe”, actually brought me to tears! The song includes an English chorus which is why I was able to understand it so much. But not even just that. It includes amazing visuals which tell the story without needing to know all the lyrics.

The MV is about a young Taiwanese boy who grows up to be a man but  feels defeated by all of life’s challenges throughout each stage of a man’s life. It depicts each hardship that many Taiwanese men have to face which include, school, military, business, and family. Each with its own particular stage of difficulty. The message of this beautiful song is Just Believe and continue to keep your head up no matter what you face in your life.

It certainly does not suggest that your life will not have challenges. In fact, it goes out of its way to show you that life will indeed have all of these challenges and more. However, the beauty is in the fact that a man (Taiwanese or not) can keep his head up and keep his faith. Belief comes from the soul of man and can keep one going throughout the physical and mental challenges of a man’s life. My hats go off to MJ116 and E so chen 冒險王 (Lead vocal) for putting together the best Taiwanesse MV I have seen!

So please watch this video and be prepared to tear up a little bit (if you have a heart) Help support the great Taiwanese music group MJ116 as well by following them at the following links. Please let me know what you think about this MV Just Believe by MJ116!

MJ116 Main Website

MJ116 E So Chen Facebook Fan Page

MJ116 ThinkTaiwan Fanpage

Steven Crook is an author and long time resident of Taiwan. Steven has visited over 40 countries but this still doesn’t stop him from wanting to live in Taiwan as he has already lived in Taiwan for over 20 years! Taiwan for Culture Vultures has so much fresh insight and expert information from someone who knows Taiwan inside and out.

Below are links to more information about the Taiwan Iphone App itself including the Press Release about Steven Crook’s Taiwan for Culture Vultures App! So try it out today! It is most definitely worth the $2.99 and will help Steven Crook continue to live his dream adventure in the great Island of Bobee!

 http://thinktaiwan.com/taiwan-culture-vultures-press-release/

http://appshopper.com/travel/taiwan-for-culture-vultures

The style of clothing that Delite is would be considered “urban clothing” that is both casual and comfy. All of the designs are truly unique and very fun. My Captain Taiwan shirt is of course poking fun at Captain America, while their “Singleman” shirt is poking fun at “Superman”. I highly encourage you to support Delite by purchasing a shirt if you are living in Taiwan.

If you don’t live in Taiwan but do speak Chinese you can order from wherever you are. The site to purchase the shirts is not yet in English unfortunately. Below are the essentials links for you to learn more about Delite and to purchase some of their awesome clothing. Please do not forget to like their Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/DELITE.URBAN.CLOTHING

Delite’s Official Website: http://www.delite.com.tw/

Delite’s Yahoo Online Store: http://tw.user.bid.yahoo.com/tw/booth/Y1466928216

Delite’s Flickr Account with Designs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delite_clothing/sets/

So please, help support Taiwan made brands and spread the word about Delite ! Thank you friends!

Click Image to Make bigger !

Currently, Taiwan enjoys a free and open democracy unlike most all countries in Asia. But in order to keep this freedom and democracy alive, its citizens must get out and vote on election day!  I have never once gotten political on ThinkTaiwan and do not intend to start at all. This is not the intention of my post.

My intention is only to inform those living in Taiwan that this is a very important moment in the history of the Country of Taiwan. What will YOU do to help protect the future freedom of your wonderful Homeland? Please take a moment to watch this video which emphasizes the importance of voting for Taiwan’s future freedom. This song is written and sung by my friend XenoYella (鍾翔宇)

So please go out and vote on election day if you are living in Taiwan! Do not take this for granted! Do not lose your freedom! Keep Taiwan free! For those of you who only speak English, here are the lyrics to the song written by XenoYella (鍾翔宇):

Our democracy is our greatest weapon 
Do not doubt Only it can protect the welfare and justice of the country 
So do not see politics as an affliction 
If you don’t care about politics the society is prone to fall into authoritarianism 
If you are dissatisfied or angry about the government 
Let us use our ballots to grade our government 
A nation under democracy, this is our responsibility 
Only by voting can we elect our representatives 
Who said the purpose of rapping is to act cool 
I wrote this song hoping that we can be represented by our government 
Heading toward the future of our generation 
This is the era to create another generation 
No matter how great the hardship Taiwanese will certainly not fail 
So if you have thoughts or opinions that you want to express 
Let the government hear your voice 
It’s simple, get out the vote on election day 
No matter how deep your political conviction 
If you want democracy to be effective 
You gotta go vote on the election day 
Let us shout out for the era of our generation 
For Taiwan’s future, Let us get out the vote 
The sacrifices of our forerunners we shall not forget 
Our homeland, Taiwan, our pride

There is a shirt that is getting really popular in Taiwan that says “Taiwan is my Homeland” which was created by my friend Gary. I am amazed at how popular this shirt got and how fast it got so popular. In fact, I am honored to say that I was the first person to ever get one of these shirts! I didn’t realize this until recently when Gary told me this! How excited I was to hear this!

However, it doesn’t stop at shirts! Gary has created a whole line of products with his Taiwan is my Homeland brand which include Towels, Hats, and even Headphones to listen to your music in Taiwan style! Be proud of being Taiwanese and get your hands on some of his items! Here is how: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=192886370759985

Gary is also the creator of the brand “Sure I’m Taiwanese“, “I’m from Taiwan“, “Love, Faith, Hope“, among others. Below is a video showing the fame and popularity of his brand “Taiwan is my Homeland”. I am proud to say that you can see me in the Taiwan is my Homeland shirt in the “About” section of ThinkTaiwan. Please follow his fan pages and watch this amazing video!

http://www.facebook.com/Taiwan.Is.My.Homeland

http://www.facebook.com/GarysMangrove

Email for more info: Taiwan.Is.My.Homeland@gmail.com

It was difficult for me to put into words exactly how important Taiwan Rap and Hip Hop is to the great Country of Taiwan. In fact, I never liked Rap music here in the United States. Rap music in the United States has a very different purpose than does rap music in Taiwan. I will do my best to explain.

Rap music in the United States is usually created by misfits and criminals who have nothing better to do than cause trouble and hurt people, whether it be emotionally or physically. However, this is not true for Taiwan Rap music. Rap and Hip Hop music in Taiwan serves as an emotional outlet for Taiwanese youth who are upset with the way society treats each other.

Taiwan Rap music seeks to upset the “system” through music, a peaceful way of protest. Every Country in the world has its problems and issues that need to be corrected and each Country has its own way of dealing with such troubles. Taiwanese youth have discovered that Rap and Hip hop is their way to express themselves freely against any injustices they see in society.

Just a few minutes ago, I discovered a fantastic video that explains exactly what I have been feeling about Taiwan Rap for quite some time now. I literally almost jumped out of my seat when finding this really  great video about the history and importance of Taiwan Rap music.

It appears that this video was done by an American who is also interested in Taiwanese culture. I would love it if you would take 7 minutes of your time to watch the video below which does a wonderful job of explaining both the history and importance of Taiwan Rap music. Be sure to “Like” the video and maybe even “Subscribe” to his Youtube Channel. Let me know what you think in the comment section below!

Jac007que’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/jac007que

The guy who created these videos of his Taiwan Trip is from Pasadena, California! And because he has so many videos of his trip to Taiwan, I encourage you to subscribe to his Youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/user/toorima2011 I also found you can follow him on Twitter for updates on his video too!: https://twitter.com/toorima

I would love for you to watch the below video because it shows Taiwan up close and personal with great detail as it was filmed in high quality. This video makes me miss Taiwan so much more and I look forward to my next trip there, which I hope is really soon! It is difficult to wait to long!

So go ahead, watch the video below and let me know what you think about it in the comments section below the video. Or, if you like it just click on the “Like” button to share it with your friends! Let’s show the whole world how beautiful and wonderful the Island of Bobee (Taiwan) is!

My friend Jewar is actually a dancer for this tribe and performs in many of these popular Pangcah dance rituals. The drama and beauty of these performances is spectacular and something very unique to the Formosa. The famous dance of the Pangcah (Amis) people is called 那魯灣舞曲 meaning Naruwan dance. Naruwan meaning “How are you?” or “Welcome”.

And I feel the spirit of the Pangcah is exactly that, welcoming. Their famous dance itself is called the Welcome Dance. How much more inviting could you get? I am including a video below that my friend Jewar Alex showed me of his people and the famous 那魯灣舞曲 Naruwan dance. You will notice a term in their song which is Naluwan.

Naluwan in English means “Hometown” And as you see in this video this term seems to be very special to the Pangcah people as I feel it is also very special to many Taiwanese people. The idea of “Home” or your “Hometown” has special power and feeling in Taiwan which I find very touching. Family and “welcoming” strangers is what Taiwanese do best. Watch this wonderful video and allow it to make you feel “welcome” to the beautiful Island and Country of Taiwan!

Tai Ku Chen and his team have managed to create a wonderful product that allows shoppers to get instant advice from their friends using their mobile device. If you are in Taiwan at a night market or at a shopping mall in America you can use the Gumhoo mobile app to take a picture of the item you are considering to buy. You can instantly send this photo to a friend or group of friends asking them to say “Get it” or “Hold it”.

They can then instantly respond with their advice on whether or not you should buy that particular item! This is a fantastic new way to shop with your friends when your friends can’t be by your side at that moment. No longer do you have to shop alone even if you are physically alone! This is the brilliance of the Gumhoo mobile app.

Gumhoo also has an online platform in which users can create shopping lists of things they have found on the web that they are considering to buy, but would first like the advice of their friends. Alternatively, you can also use their online platform for creating a unique bridal registry. Personally, I love the idea of using Gumhoo for a bridal registry because it is so simple.

Tai Ku Chen mentions in the video below that one amazing benefit of his product is the fact that you are not confined to one store or one website when using this tool so that gifts for the Bridal Registry can be unique and varied. I highly encourage you to share this tool with your friends especially those trying to plan a wedding!

Gumhoo mobile app is amazing! I hope that you will download the app now and find out how fun and cool it is to play with. This app works anywhere like I said before even if you are at a night market clothing booth in Taiwan or at a Macy’s in America. I am very proud to call Tai Ku Chen a friend as he has done an amazing job at getting this product created and released.

Tai Ku Chen is originally from Taichung, Taiwan but now lives in Taipei. I truly hope that Taiwan continues to develop such amazing talented Entrepreneurs so that the world can know how wonderful a place Taiwan is for many many things. Please watch the demo video below for Gumhoo to get a better idea of how it works. Also, please check out their website as well and sign up, it’s FREE! Oh, and “Like” their Fan page too Thanks !

www.gumhoo.com.tw

http://www.facebook.com/GumhooPage

El Cafe in 新莊區 (Xinzhuang District) is very close to the Fu Jen Catholic University 輔仁大學 in what was once called Taipei County but is now considered New Taipei City. Because of this, Nefi has a lot of University students that come in to enjoy the fantastic Western style food such as Hamburgers, Steaks, Salads, Beer, and much more!

El Cafe just finished their first video commercial which I have included in this post below. I encourage you to please check out my friend Nefi’s restaurant El Cafe as he is one of the friendliest guys you will ever meet! He is the one talking in the below video! He has a warm and friendly personality that allows him to get along with anyone!

If you do go don’t forget to mention that ThinkTaiwan sent you! haha! Please see the address and contact info below and do me a favor and make sure after watching the video to click below on  his Facebook page so you can “Like” it to share with your friends! Thanks!

Address: No. 75, Lane 514, ZhōngZhèng Rd., Xinzhuang District Phone: 0701 009 2189

El Cafe Taiwan Facebook Page

El Cafe Taiwan Official Website

El Cafe Taiwan Menu