Taiwan Today--by Perry Nunes, a Tech Intern

choi

In chronological order.

(1) Perry Nunes, Taiwan Today: A Modest Paradise. Neon Tommy; Annenberg Digital News, June 10, 2013 (columnist)
http://www.neontommy.com/news/20 ... one-modest-paradise
("People wait patiently in line for the subway, and cars stop for pedestrians")

My comment:
(a) I heard about the first clause of the quotation, but the second clause is new to me--maybe Taiwanese really are Americanized. When I came to US, I was impressed that (here in US) "cars stop[ped] for pedestrians."
(b) Perry Nunes is "a sophomore majoring in economics and critical studies" at University of California.
Austin Reagan, USC to Seek Strong Ties With New Mayor. Daily Trojan (USC campus press), Mar 3, 2013.
http://dailytrojan.com/2013/03/0 ... ies-with-new-mayor/
(c) "Taipei 101 — the city’s magnum opus"

magnum opus (n; Latin): "a great work; especially : the greatest achievement of an artist or writer"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnum%20opus

(d) "hole-in-the-wall boutiques"
(i) hole-in-the-wall  (n; plural  holes–in–the–wall; First Known Use 1856):
"a small and often unpretentious out-of-the-way place (as a restaurant)"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole-in-the-wall
(ii) The origin of the word/ phrase seems intuitive. See

Online Etymology Dictionary, undated
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=hole-in-the-wall
("Hole in the wall 'small and unpretentious place' is from 1822")

choi

(2) Perry Nunes, Taiwan Today: A Tale Of Two Cities, Taipei And Hong Kong. Neon Tommy, June 14, 2013
http://www.neontommy.com/news/20 ... day-tale-two-cities
("With Hong Kong’s high energy and fast-paced lifestyle come high quality and thus equally high prices. I’ve grown accustomed to having cheap options for food in Taiwan so I was a bit shocked when I found myself paying for $15 dinners and $10 drinks. Average by U.S. standards but definitely way overpriced than what I’m used to")

Note:
(a) "Here goes nothing with my first Asia-to-Asia comparison between Hong Kong and Taipei."

here goes! (also here goes nothing!): "INFORMAL  said just before you do something brave or something that you have never done before <Well, I've never ridden a motorbike before, so here goes!>"
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/british/here-goes
(b) "Many of Hong Kong’s sights seem to surround the sleek, modern beauty of the city itself: the well-maintained Nan Lian Garden in the city’s center; the stunning skyline panoramas at the Peak and the Ritz Carlton’s Ozone Bar; and the world’s longest continuous escalator and moving walkway with a total length of 800 meters, or half a mile."
(i) Nan Lian Garden  南蓮園池
(ii) Victoria Peak  太平山
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Peak
(known locally as The Peak; altitude 522m)
(iii) Ritz Carlton’s Ozone Bar
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Pr ... /ozone/Default.htm#
(iv) Central–Mid-levels escalators
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ce ... d-levels_escalators
(covered; constructed in 1993)
(c) "If you want to be thrifty [in Taiwan], you can hit up one of countless 7/11s and night markets for cheap shopping, food and drinks."

hit up (v): "To go somewhere or do something <Let's hit up this Drum and Bass Party tonight>"
Urban Dictionary, undated.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hit%20up

choi

(3) Perry Nunes, Taiwan Today: Life As A Taiwanese Employee. Neon Tommy, June 23, 2013.
http://www.neontommy.com/news/20 ... -taiwanese-employee

Note: "I found out that essentially everyone except me worked during the national Dragon Boat Festival when they were supposed to have the day off."
(a) public holidays in Taiwan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Taiwan
(b) In Taiwan 端午節是國定假日 an official holiday.

公務人員週休二日實施辦法. Laws & Regulations Database of Republic of China 全國法規資料庫, undated
http://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?PCode=A0030127
(第 3 條; 自中華民國九十 [2001] 年一月一日施行)