 Flower Power
ISS. 6 VOL. 1 2010. 12
J.G. SHELLNUTT .. 1
 Cup of Joe
G. IMREH................. 2
 Taipei Cinema Talk
K. TAKAHASHI,....... 2
ACADEMICA SINICA.
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF
Academia Sinica is keen to address the specific interests of our
international colleagues. By establishing ASICC we hope to offer a
dynamic environment and ensure a strong work/life balance.
Flower Power
If you haven’t noticed already, the 2010
International Flora Expo is underway in
Taipei. The Flore Expo is an officially
sanctioned event by the Association
Internationale des Producteurs de l'
Horticulture (AIPH/IAHP) and the
Bureau of International Expositions
(BIE) as a means to showcase diverse
flower and plant species from all over
the world for the general public and the
horticulture industry. The purpose of the
Expo is to exhibit and display new
gardening and environmental protection
technology as well as combining culture
and art as parts of eco-friendly living.
I must confess that until I moved to
Taipei I was not aware of ‘Flower
Expos’ or their purpose. After a little
investigation I found out that the
‘Flower Expo’ was established in 1960
when the first was held in Rotterdam.
ASICC
times
Since then 17 Expos have been hosted
across Europe, North America and
Asia.
The primary venue for Taipei
exhibition is at Yuanshan which is
accessible by MRT and free shuttle
bus service from select locations
around Taipei (e.g. Song Shan
airport). ASICC organized a trip to the
Flora Expo on December 4th. Since no
one had been to this type of event
before we did not know what to
expect. One has to ask oneself, how
exciting can flower exhibits really be?
As it turned out, they can be very
exciting. There are numerous displays
from 50 countries and territories and
special Pavilions which are based
around specific themes. The Pavilions
are an additional cost and it is
recommended that you book tickets
before you arrive. There are numerous gardens
as well as music and dance performances and
fireworks displays. There are four expo sites
(Yuanshan, Fine Arts, Xinsheng and Dajia)
covering an area of 71 hectares so don’t expect
to see everything in one day.
Next term for an individual discount NanKang
residency (NT150 per person) is from Feb.
14~20, 2011.
J.G. Shellnutt
Institute of Earth Sciences

We are nearing the end of year
2010, how have your plans for the
year gone? Things went as planned
things didn’t, I guess when the four
siblings wandered into the world of
Narnia from the wardrobe things
must have not been planned. Well
this winter Narnia is back with its
newest version “The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn
Treader”. This time around it’s the
two young ones, Lucy and
Edmund, who end up in Narnia
with their cousin Eustace.
Cup of Joe
If you go down the streets of Taipei, it is
more likely every day that you come
across the distinct scent of coffee roasting.
I haven't thought it possible, but cafes are
getting even more popular than before.
There are downtown areas where one
could find more cafes than 7-Elevens. But
this proliferation is not a bad thing: it also
means that many different cafes exists
side by side, for different needs. The
coffee-junkie or you when in a hurry, can
grab a "cuppa" from any of the chain
stores - Ikari (my current quick-stop
favorite), 85C (love the cakes), Dante,
Barista, Mr. Brown, Starbucks...
128 Academia Road
ASICC Newsletter Nankang, Taipei 11529
Taipei Cinema Talk UPCOMING
They are on the royal ship Dawn Treader lead EVENTS
by Prince Caspian for a trip to the edge of the
world. With dragons and dwarves showing up
along the way will they safely get to their
destination. Speaking of trips, in “The
Tourist”, an American tourist (Johnny Depp)
meets an extraordinary women (Angelina Jolie)
while on a heart mending trip in Italy. As the
two get closer they are being chased by an
agent and how will their dangerous journey in
Venice end up?
With people having many different types of
relationships, different types of movies emerge. ICE SKATING @
In “Kids Are All Right” two teenage kids (each Taipei Arena
born from separate mothers) of a lesbian couple Date: Sat. Jan. 22, 2011
are out to find their biological father, the sperm Cost: NTD 290 plus drink/food
donor. Once they find out that their father is Registration Online
the same guy, the two teenagers want to live
with him. Now how will the five balance out ASICC website:
their lives. http://www.ifs.sinica.edu.tw/asicc/
index.php
If you can see Japanese movies, every popular
Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood is here
Don’t forget there are many second run
as a movie. Set in the Japan in the 60’s, it is a
cinemas throughout Taipei which offer
story of a young college students trying to find
double features for low prices.
ways of life and contending with grief. The
novel was a best seller hit that was translated to
English, French, Chinese, and of course K. Takahashi,
Norwegian. How will the movie go. Institute of Atomic & Molecular Sciences
When you want to meet friends, read a book, study, or
browse the Internet, there are myriads of cafes for that
too. And on the other end of the spectrum, if you are
going there to fully enjoy your black gold: just
follow that scent of roasting, most likely you'll end up at
a place bursting with the best beans from Kenyan
Peaberry to Jamaican Blue Mountain. There are more
different types of coffees here than I have ever seen in
any European shop. If you want something special,
though, something that you cannot really try anywhere
else, find a store with Taiwanese coffee: the Chiayi,
Pingtung, Alishan areas all produce amazing beans and
almost exclusively for local consumption. The hosts at
Jemending, a store the western end of Ximending seem
to be always happy to introduce them to you. Cheers!
G. Imreh
Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences
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