My own path- Szymon Bielecki

If you're wondering how it is to buy second hand in Taiwan, I hope this post will give you a better insight into the topic. Why shop second hand? Starting off, why do we buy second hand? Second hand products purchases are an alternative option to buying brand new products at the store. Most of us do that to avoid the high commission margin the retail stores are clocking in. It is not uncommon for goods to lose 30% of value at the moment of leaving the dealership, especially luxurious goods like cars. Therefore, second hand goods are usually the much-cheaper option for many of us. We buy second hand: cars, clothes, electronics, home appliance, furniture... in general, durable goods. But once I moved to Taiwan, my world with regard to second-hand shopping got twisted around. Second hand pricing in Taiwan To start with, the prices. In Taiwan, we often encounter second hand goods priced very similarly to new, or at least, with not as much a price difference as normally expected. ...

Hello all! Brand is a very popular word nowadays. We are surrounded by brands, we have our favorite brands, maybe some of us do own brands themselves. But what exactly is a brand? Oxford provides us with many definitions of the word "brand", two most relevant in my opinion: A type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name. A particular identity or image regarded as an asset. Most of us associate brands with few obvious components of brand identity: logo- the graphical representation of brand identity- Adidas' Three Stripes logo slogan- a sort of motto that leads the company and creates its image- Nike's "Just Do It!" colors- the certain combinations of colors that a company chooses as theirs e.g. white, red and navy of Tommy Hilfiger faces- celebrities and experts associated with the brand e.g. Cristiano Ronaldo as a Nike face tune- musical jingles that brands make their own, eg. McDon...

Hello there! In today's post, we will talk a little bit in choosing the right educational path for yourself. My sweet little sister, Zuzia, is facing a choice of a high school for herself, now graduating from secondary school. Back in Poland, the educational system changed recently, from 6-3-3 (6 years elementary education, 3 years "gimnazjum"- secondary school, and 3 years of profiled high school) to 8-4 (8 years general elementary education plus 4 years profiled high school). This means that 15 years olds are asked to make decisions that will direct them for the rest of the life. Zuzia was lucky enough to be one of the last students to follow the old system. In my opinion, the most important exam a Polish person takes is the one at the end of secondary school, not the maturity exam at the end of high school. Why? High school is the time of your life when you figure out who the hell you are. That is when our personalities are starting to become strong, firm, and...

It seems Taiwan is reducing the ally-count by 1 once again. Today, the Taiwan's MOFA announced Burkina Faso is breaking up diplomatic ties with Taiwan. This news follows the recent breakup Taiwan went through- with Dominican Republic. Am I surprised? Absolutely not. Taiwanese government forms a lot of alliances based on donations- unfortunately, never in the direction of Taiwan. Now, is this what a relationship should be about? I've been told relationships work two ways, and are about trust, assurance, safety, and support. So Taiwan has been in toxic relationships, similar to (unfortunately) many actual Taiwanese marriages: the man (Taiwan) pays, and the woman (the ally) uses it. However, if richer man appears, she'll abandon her husband, and tie herself with the new, richer man.* There is a richer man on the horizon- China. Taiwan bases it's diplomacy on donations, on giving, but it will never be able to give as much as China. China will not only offer more, but ...

Hey all! Some of you know me (at this stage, probably most of my readers do), and you know I like to talk. I like conversations. I like to discuss things. I only get to have discussions with the very few of you who I am in close touch with, also due to geography. I like to share my opinions with people. I thought, well, I cannot just have deep meaningful conversations with everyone all the time. It would be just weird. But I do enjoy discussing various things: issues, beliefs, business, dreams and hopes, opinions on current affairs, and many others. I thought to myself, well, why don't I just start a blog? I find this to be an opportunity for me to pour out my thought onto the... paper? Well, more like screen. I want to share my opinions and observations with all of you, and know what you think as well. I highly encourage comments! Please remember, I'm not an expert in anything, but I'm an observer of everything. On this blog, the posts will be categorized into fe...