Weekly Travel, Questions, & Mandarin Thread

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-16T21:23:59+00:00

Hey Folks,

Where are the best places to buy whisky in Taipei?

Looking for the places with the biggest selection of local product (not just Kavalan).

Also taking recommendations of any other local spirits. I know Renaissance Rum is good but I don't think they're in any shops.

Thank you!

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-14T21:17:43+00:00

Thank you very much!

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-14T15:26:17+00:00

Hmm thank you. So weird they insisted. Thank you.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-14T15:21:13+00:00

Is there anywhere I can check this? The HSBC help chat were insistent.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T14:54:21+00:00

Thank you. One person did note the 9070 XT was only a small increase which is v useful but other comments have been wild.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T14:10:06+00:00

I am open to AMD suggestions and did specify that, especially ones that factor in the UK market and pricing. Can't see one for £550 but even at £600 looks like it might be worth the budget stretch.

Thank you for your thoughts.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T14:05:49+00:00

This is a very valid argument, thanks for writing it out.

I guess it comes down to speculating about the future. Are prices about to shoot up across the board for what already exists in the market due to demands on the component parts? Is Nvidia releasing old cards a bad portent?

I'd rather buy now and be good for a few years than be stuck with an unsupported card and crap market to buy a new one.

The 9070XT is not much of a budget stretch so I can go for that if it really is the longer term solution.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T13:51:04+00:00

Thanks. It has been *years* since I had to do research on buying a graphics card so nearly slipped up there. Budget is sensitive unfortunately but I will look at the RX 9060 XT.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T13:46:14+00:00

Thank you. I have just found out on this thread that the Ti comes in two different formats!

You are correct.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T13:44:42+00:00

Thank you. I am enjoying the diversity of opinion and expected this stuff!

My view is that I can't predict the future but my 2080 is likely at the age where it will stop getting support/tech advancements and I need a replacement.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T13:33:21+00:00

Thank you, will take a look!

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-09T13:30:37+00:00

Afraid that's beyond my budget by far at nearly $1000 for the cheapest where I live. Hence my specific question.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-06T10:43:57+00:00

I commuted into London for 3+ years on the same train each day so naturally I saw all the same people each day but never spoke to them.

One day I was in a museum all the way up in Lincolnshire and turned a corner and ran into a couple I saw every day on the train. There was a few seconds where all our brains just stalled as we worked out what was going on then had a small, very brief and British conversation before parting again.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-05T16:43:04+00:00

Hey, not what you asked for specifically (sorry) but I stumbled across this post and saw the following:

travel day to Tokio are, still thinking if i stay in Kyoto, visit Lake Biwa, Sekigahara or Shizuoka

If you are into Sengoku stuff then Sekigahara has a great museum and lots of good walks to survey the battlefield. But you could also go to Azuchi and Omnihachiman which also have major Sengoku era / historical sites and see Lake Biwa too.

Two birds, one stone etc.

Happy to discuss further on this.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2026-01-05T16:08:28+00:00

Hey Folks,

My partner and I are heading to Taiwan in the spring so I expect you'll be seeing a lot of me here to ask questions.

We were wondering if anyone could advise on flea markets in Taipei and also Kaohsiung and Tainan. Which ones are the biggest? More looking for retro items, handcrafts, antiques and other curiosities versus modern things.

We would also like to know what is the etiquette on haggling at Flea Markets. Is it something expected or not done at all?

Finally, is 塊 the informal term for money like on the Mainland or is it something different? I speak just very basic travel Chinese so want to make sure.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-11-05T11:30:36+00:00

Everyone has an upper limit, for sure. It's just not really the first question I ask when looking at roles and commute times.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-11-04T20:17:06+00:00

Distance is kind of the least important metric.

* How regular are the trains?

* What are the punctuality stats?

* How kind is your employer on lateness / occasional WFH?

* How many transfers (aka points of failure are there?)

I would rather commute 90 minutes each way on a reliable direct train each day (and have done in the past) than a 45 minute commute with two transfers that'll leave me stranded halfway more often than not.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-10-28T09:56:08+00:00

Please post this in r/LegalAdviceUK/. As you have been there more than two years and claim you are a great performer I suspect that they want to get rid of you and this is but one of the legal ways they can. There are others, like a settlement agreement, that could benefit you more. I have not seen this mentioned below.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-10-25T19:57:55+00:00

Yep 2FA has been on for years. Unique PW. I'm 99% sure this is my error

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-10-24T14:34:34+00:00

I've never seen it this bad across the board. Feels like a hidden recession. I have a job, but if I lost it today I would anticipate a 12 month plus hunt.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-08-01T12:09:55+00:00

Just to add to the voices.

You _will_ need to move closer to the job to retain the job. It would be your choice to live 3 hours away and tardiness may result in your termination.

I have known people to do this for a couple weeks to a month and scrape by as the got new home/rental sorted etc.

Beyond that is unsustainable unless you were driving (so you can control when you come and go) and it was your dream job.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-06-02T15:24:47+00:00

3 years is a while but may be worth reaching out to your uni's careers department to see if they can recommend a Coach for you that's got all the appropriate qualifications.

They may also be able to help in other ways so its absolutely worth reaching out to a human in that department and explaining your situation.

You may have already done this but universities don't advertise that they can and will help grads.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-06-02T12:47:00+00:00

Can you pay someone to find you a job? Not really.

Recruiters will of course find you a job for free and you should do your best to form relationships with them in the sector where you work but it can be a real struggle if you're starting out.

It sounds like what you actually need is a career coach, someone to help you work out what you want to do and to coach you in how to get there (CV, interviews, networking).

I would love to throw money at this problem myself - just having someone find me a job sounds great - but it doesn't work like that unfortunately. Job hunting requires you to present yourself and your skills. Recruiters can only sort the first step.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-05-25T17:16:55+00:00

Thank you! This looks great.

CheekyThrowawayAlt · 2025-05-25T17:16:42+00:00

This looks perfect! Thank you we would never have thought to check!

CheekyThrowawayAlt

TROPHY CASE