04 June 2009

The things you can buy for 一百塊

When I am at a night market, particularly 新崛江 in Kaohsiung, I am rarely looking for anything specific. (Though "funny t-shirts" is a permanent item on my shopping list.) However I often come home with at least a few items. But... I'm so cheap! And my salary is so nonexistent! How can I afford such behavior?? Here's your answer: almost everything I buy costs one hundred Taiwan dollars, roughly equivalent to US $3 (give or take a quarter, depending on the exchange rate).

So, the question is... What can you buy for 100 dollars?

Answer: Ridiculous handbags.

Answer: Colorful hats.
(...that you can make your boyfriend wear!)

Answer: Graphic T-shirts with bad English.

Answer: Multiple face masks to protect you from SARS, swine flu, or industrialized air.
Answer: Cloth or (p)leather belts of any color.

Answer: These sunglasses, or any of the others that I've purchased since I got to Taiwan.

Answer: This watch, or many others like it.

Answer: A USB-powered keyboard vaccuum cleaner?

So this, my friends, is how things like fanny packs, orange t-shirts, and neon pink hats happen. Remember this when you see me (and what I'm wearing) back home.

PS: Let this also be a catalogue for you of the many souvenirs I could bring back for you from Taiwan. Because with my salary, I can't afford much more. If you don't believe me, you can look in my neon rainbow-zippered wallet.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

you're gonna be so cool when you come back. i'm gonna have to buy a lot more fluorescent things so i dont look lame and boring when we're hanging out.

also, dibs neon mini keyboard vacuum cleaner! haha

Aubrey said...

So basically you wrote this entry to tell us that yes, Heaven does exist, and it just happens to be in Taiwan? Because I know that's what I got out of this post.

Mom said...

I'll risk interfering with peer to peer communicating -- to say I love you and I will miss your blog, because it shares a side of Katie that many of us only dream of. And it introduces me to sides of your "peers" that I could only have imagined (inaccurately).

glennie said...

Hahaha, oh, I'm kind of in love the the handbags, or t-shirts, for that matter, anything ridiculous.

Do you find any absurd mistranslations of english? (if you don't get my meaning try engrish.com)

Can't wait to see you hon!

Joanna Leigh said...

SARS mask please.