Town Hall/Information Session: Getting Your Child Into Modeling and Other Talent Work (with V&L)

At the end of 2012, I posted about modelling opportunities at V&L Models.  On February 23rd 2013, V&L will hold a "Town Hall" information event at Parents' Place in Neihu.  This is a great opportunity to hear about modelling in Taiwan, the situation for kids in particular, and for getting your child on the books of this company if you so choose.

I have taken a few bits of information from the Facebook page for the event.  You can also register or ask questions by using the Registration Page on the Parent's Place website.

Event Information:

2F, No. 315, Section 4, ChenGong Rd, Neihu District, 台北市內湖區成功路四段315號2F, Taipei, Taiwan 114 -February 23rd, 2013

A chance for parents to learn about modeling in Taiwan, in particluar working with V&L International Models. Time: Feb. 23rd, 2013, 10am-12 noon Snacks provided. Bring your kids along so they can have a photo taken for a portfolio if it is something you decide to try with your children. For more information about V&L International Models, go to: http://www.vnlmodels.com/   Just another quick note for those of you wanting to take advantage of our photo session. Please dress your children in their "Sunday Best". You might also want to consider bringing along a change of clothes so we might shoot them with a different look. We will also bring along our contract for those of you that do decide that this is something you want to pursue. So just in case, please also bring along your passports and ARCs/IDs. Warland and I am truly looking forward to meeting with you on the 23rd. We are very exciting about sharing our expertise with you in order for you to make a very informed decision about joining the exciting world of Children's Modeling.    You can contact Stewart Glen directly on tel.  0912-910-500 (TAIWAN) for more information.

[Dec 9, 2012] Animals Taiwan Bake Sale

I'm going to send you off to another fabulous blogsite, A Handful of Sapphires, for information about this event.  A Handful of Sapphires lists events hosted by charities in Taiwan that don't usually get much coverage.

This bake sale is huge.  You will be able pick up some fantastic Christmas-y treats this time round.

[Nov 24, 2012] Taipei European School Christmas Bazaar

With over 6,000 visitors last year, the TES Christmas Bazaar is always a fun day for the whole family.  There are stalls selling Christmas items, games to play, and lots of food and music, too. Entry is usually something like 10NT per person.

When: 10am to 4pm, Saturday November 24^th 
Where: Swire European Primary Campus (727 WenLin Road, ShihLin District, Taipei 11159)
Suitable Ages: All

[Oct 13, 2012] AGAPE Children's, Adult, & Maternity Rummage Sale

Whilst I don't particularly agree with the philosphy of the charity this sale is supporting this time round, its still a great sale and a chance to pick up some fantastic stuff for your family whilst making some new friends.  The sale is pretty crazy so be prepared! Take your own bags and change/small notes.

They are still taking donations.

AGAPE Children's, Adult, & Maternity RUMMAGE SALE, October 13th:
Dear Parents and Friends of City Playgroup,
We are excited to announce that the AGAPE rummage sale will be on Saturday, October 13th, from 9:00am - 12:00noon. 

This is a semi-annual event that allows families to reuse and recycle, as well as de-clutter for a good cause. We are asking for donations especially of infant and children's clothing, books, toys, and infant and maternity related items since this has always been the main focus of our rummage sale. We also accept adult clothing of men and women, household goods, and simple useful items that are acceptable for rummage sales. Note: the only furniture we can take is infant related such as beds, strollers, playpens, and highchairs, etc.

We are very grateful to all of you who will make donations over these next few weeks, through drop offs and directly on the day of the sale. This time all cash proceeds will be given to His Hands Taiwan, Inc., which is an organization which assists unwed mothers, by providing a home for them to live in during their pregnancy. His Hands Taiwan also helps the mother raise her child, or places the child in a loving Christian home, through adoption. Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/His-Hands-Taiwan-Inc/107210602034

All remaining items will be donated to either a local infant / toddler orphanage in Taipei City or to a charity working with aboriginal villages of Taiwan, of which both we have donated extra things to for several years now. If you have any items to donate, we ask that you bring them to the following places:

Taipei Area:
City Playgroup Thursday Outing Locations / Kelly Manske
And also to my home address: 台北市慶城街69號11樓 11F., Building No. 69, Qingcheng St ., Songshan Dist., Taipei City Cell #091-664-1144 / Home # (02) 2545-0459
AGAPE Church office / Wendy Chen: 53 MinQuan W. Rd, Taipei City, #2598 - 1009 / #0922-174-083
In Taipei area, if you have larger items to donate (infant furniture / large boxes of items) that you are not able to drop off, please contact Kelly about a pick-up at #091-664-1144.

Tien Mu / Shilin / Beitou:
Community Services Center / In care of Jennifer Chau No. 25, Lane 290 Zhong Shan North Rd., Sec. 6 Telephones: (02) 2836-8134 · 2838-4947

Neihu Area:
Parent's Place / Angela Chang #315, 2F, Cheng Gong Road, Section 4, Neihu Tele: 097-066-9040 - Please call first! Website: http://www.parentsplace.com.tw/

When: October 13, 2012, 9:00am-12 noon. 

Where: AGAPE Church at: 3F, Building No. 21, Chang Chun Rd., Taipei City / 台灣台北市中山區長春路21 號 3 樓 (Near the intersection of ZhongShan North Rd.)
The church is located a few blocks from the Zhongshan MRT stop, EXIT 9, on the red line. The 5th exit is in the underground mall area and that you have to head north towards the direction of the Shuanglian MRT stop while underground. You will actually take an elevator at Exit 9, It is less than a 2-block way from there.

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park - Lego and Barbie and That's Not All!

Nature goes wild in the heart of Taipei.

Who would have imagined an old Tobacco Plant could be turned into such an amazing cultural and artistic center?  I remember coming here over ten years ago, to see the Beastie Boys perform at a Free Tibet concert.  At that time, the area was rough, and I was fearful it was going to be torn down and turned into highrises.  Yet, here it is, a wonderful venue for art and culture, and a very safe place to let children of all ages run around in a safe environment, without fear of being run over by cars or scooters.

We parked in the carpark under the elementary school by the park.  The guard told me that was really the best place to park.  There are many buses and an MRT station nearby, too.

Well sign-posted.

We had tickets to the Lego exhibit so we headed over to the area.

Bilingual map.

Wooden decking leads to the cafe and bathrooms.

Lots and lots of great things to see.

Such a temptation; Run baby, run!

Lots of grassy area to enjoy.

Wild, open spaces.

Way down there is the entry to the Lego Exhibit.

The "Nathan Sawaya Art of Brick" Lego exhibit is doing the international rounds.  In Taipei until October 14th, it's actually a very artistic installation and not really aimed at children.  Because the models are not put up far from visitors, I saw many parents with toddlers getting frustrated with their kids.  It was just too tempting for the little ones. Especially the dinosaur!  My children (6 and 8 years) were old enough to appreciate some of the art ideas behind the models.  My daughter was told off for walking too fast and cried, but that was our only issue.  The poor custodians were very busy making sure people didn't fall on the models.

My son's favorite model.

Amazing.

Cost is 250/person, 220/students, with little ones free.  I was lucky enough to get tickets off Gomaji, so they were half-price.  I don't think I would have been excited if we had paid 250 each.  It was great for adults or older children with some artistic inclination but I wouldn't recommend it for real little ones.  We went during the week and it was not crowded at all.  They are selling a lot of LEGO items in the store at the exit of the exhibit.

Yay! Barbie!  I found some of my Barbies in there.

Great value is the TWD80 tickets to see five exhibits by local artists. Barbie was included in this.  You get an armband that gets you into the five exhibits.   My kids LOVED the moving buckets and the room with the fake mirror.  Very dark, very scary, very cool.

I highly recommend the giftshop to find things to take home for friends and family.  The items in the store have a high design aesthetic, and the price range is wide enough to cater for every budget.

No misunderstanding this sign.

I recommend this park as a place to go and relax with your baby or toddler to let them run around, with your older children to introduce them to art and culture, or for yourself to get a break from the chaos of daily Taipei life.

Address: No. 133, Guangfu South Road, Xinyi District, Taipei (Please access from No.553, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd)
Official Site: http://www.songshanculturalpark.org/en/

Opening hours：
Inside the park: Indoor areas: 9:00a.m.~6:00p.m. Inside the park: Outdoor areas: 8:00a.m.~10:00p.m.
Outside the park (including the Ecology Pond and areas surrounding the boiler room): Open 24 hours
The above hours are general opening hours. During special circumstances such as exhibitions or activities, the hours will be posted on the park’s official website and social networking platforms.
 

2011 Halloween - Where to Buy Costumes

This is from last year's information, reposted for those that are still looking for costumes.

Where to Buy Costumes:

1. There is a group of "holiday" stores along Chungshan West Road, just north of Taipei Station. They change their themes throughout the year, so now is a good time for Halloween and Christmas.

2. Lococo is a very large outlet store, with some fantastic costumes available all year round for good prices. We just got a beautiful princess dress for my daughter for TWD290. I also picked up some nice Old Navy sweater jackets in preparation for the winter. Oh, and they have real ballet outfits for just TWD100!
Beitou Road Sec. 1, No. 7 (Beitou District). This is just off the MRT line, so not as hard to get to as it sounds.
北投路一段七號

3. Best Buy up on Section 7 of Chungshan North Road. If you walk up the hill north of Taipei American School (north side of Tienmu Road), there are several outlet stores that carry costumes.  You can get some really good deals very close to and just after Halloween.

Zoolloween 2011 - Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo is really getting into Halloween this year, with its "Be Wild" themed Zoolloween events.

Chinese info here.
English info here.

2011 Halloween Tianmu - Tons of Stuff on Oct 29th and 30th

Every year, Tianmu seems to add just a little more to their Halloween events.  I found the Chinese information blog for this upcoming weekend.  There is so much stuff listed I don't know where to start with translation, so I might just dig round and see what I can find that is in English already.  In the meantime, it looks like things kick off at 3pm on Saturday.  Kids can have rides, take part in DIY, and watch different shows from that time.

This all takes place at the intersection of Tianmu East and West Roads, just north of Taipei American School.

Halloween 2011 - Carnegies Family Party

I've been knocked out by the flu, and haven't kept uptodate on this year's Halloween events, so I hope I can post at least a couple in time for readers to have an enjoyable family day in Taipei.

The Carnegies family Halloween party always gets great comments from those families that attend.  Here is the information for this year's event:

Sunday, October 30, 3pm
$450 per child which includes a nice little goodie bag
Dress up and go trick-or-treating and play some games

Website here.

Haunted House (7 year olds and older only) at Taipei Evil Eye

Until October 31st, enjoy the scary sensation of entering a haunted house.  Children under 7 are not allowed to enter, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

This is a link to some photos of the house, as well as a Chinese site with a lot more detailed information.

Chungsiao West Road Sec 1, No. 50, B3 (Near Taipei Station, KMALL next to ShingGuang Mitsokushi MRT entrance)

Children 7-12 $200 for one house, $400 for two houses
Adults $299 for one house, $499 for two houses
Hours: Mon-Fri noon-9pm (enter before 8pm); Sat&Sun 11am-9pm (enter before 8pm)

(First Week of Sept 2011) English-Language Theater

A friend of mine posted about this Engish language performance, and I am sure she won't mind me cutting and pasting information, about the show that is part of the Taipei Fringe festival:

Their website is here: http://littlefriendstheatre.blogspot.com/
 
Searching for a Song 歌聲奇緣

The 4th Annual Taipei Fringe Festival is coming up at the end of August, and we're getting ready for the premiere of our first show, Searching for a Song, an original children’s play about finding your own way to make your dreams come true. Canta, the main character, is a young girl who lives in a world where words must be bought on paper and then eaten before they may be spoken. Her dream is to be a singer, but she is very poor and unable to buy the words to sing the lyrics to any songs. With her friend Leela, she goes searching to find the perfect words to her own song. Filled with games and songs, this is a play in English for young learners of language.

第四屆台北藝穗節八月底要進行了而我們已經開始準備用我們第一個劇本《歌聲奇緣》在藝穗節中首演！這齣戲關於如何讓夢想成真的兒童劇。主角Canta是一位年輕姑娘住在一個必須用錢買文字的世界，在吃過買下的文字後，才能說出話。她的夢想是當一名歌手，但她很窮沒有能力購買足夠的文字來唱出歌曲。她和她的朋友Leela要尋找文字來唱出完美的歌。由於全劇多以遊戲和歌曲呈現，是一齣很適合年輕語言學習者觀賞的英語戲劇。

Showtimes/演出時間:

Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 at 3:00pm
Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 at 7:00pm
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011 at 3:00pm
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 at 3:00pm
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 at 7:00pm

All shows will be at Cafe Philo (CP地下沙龍), whose address can be found at their website.

Tickets are $300NTD for one ticket, or get two tickets for $500NTD when you purchase them together in a parent/child pack//一般票價:300元, 親子票(1大人+1小孩): 500元

Got any questions or need some help? 需要幫忙嗎?有什麼問題?  Email us at littlefriendstheatre@gmail.com 

Already Late Notice - Taipei Children's Art Festival 2011 (July/Aug)

My friend told me that the ticketed events are probably already sold out, but you could try to catch some of the free performance.

This year, the English version of the site is pretty complete, so go over and take a look at what's on offer.  Venues are spread all over Taipei City.

[May 28, 2011] Taipei European School Summer Fair

TES has its annual summer fair this Saturday.  There will be a flea market and used book stall, a French culture and information event and some activities for the children.

Time: 11am-3pm
Admission: TWD20
Address: 727 Wenlin Road, Shilin, Taipei (談北士林區文林路727號)
MRT: Red Line Zhi Shan Station

Wake Up! Wake Up! Get to the Taipei American School Fair!

The TAS Spring Fair is TODAY.  This is a big family event held on the school campus.  There are lots of stands, both the school's and private.  You should find a lot of baking, food, English-language books, and bargains on goods and services. 

The fair can get quite crowded, so go prepared to get a little squashed in the shopping hall.  It's a nice day out for the kids, with lots of activities to take part in.  If you make it, go to table #63, across from the pizza stand in the hall, and say hello to Jennifer, who runs the family forum http://www.parentpages.net/, and who is an active member of the Taipei City family playgroup.

Where: Taipei American School campus, 800 Chung Shan North Road, Section 6, Tienmu, Taipei City
When: Saturday, April 16th, 10am-3pm
Admission: 10NTD/person
Transport: Buses 220, 612, 285

National Taiwan Arts Education Center - Children's Artwork Exhibits Now On

From now until the end of February, the National Taiwan Arts Education Center is hosting two exhibits of art by children.  The Center is on Nanhai Road (the same grounds as the Botanical Gardens).  Here is the link to all the English information you need:
http://www.arte.gov.tw/eng/pro1_exh_nowlist.asp

Celebrating Halloween in Taipei (2010)

Many families miss the celebrations of holidays at home.  As the number of expat families staying longterm in Taiwan grows, more and more people are trying to recreate these holidays.  This year, there are several things you can do to enjoy a Happy Halloween, in Taipei at least.

Events:

Forumosa and Carnegie's (bar) are proud to be holding a Kids' Halloween Party on Sunday afternoon of the 31st.

There will be prizes for costumes, face painting, bobbing for apples, and there will be a piñata.
It's free for adults, and $200/per child (for a gift bag)

About Carnegie's:
Address: 100, Sec 2, Anhe Rd, Taipei (台北市安和路二段100號)

Telephone: (02) 2325 4433
Open: Monday, Tuesday Thursday, 11:30am to 2am. Wednesday, Friday, 11:30am to 5am or later. Saturday, 11am to 5am or later. Sunday, 11am to 2am.

Taipei City Playgroup will be holding our annual Halloween Party in Neihu, at a member's community, on October 30th. This is a group event, but we welcome all English-speaking families to join our ever-growing community. If you would like to keep uptodate with our playgroup events, please register at ParentPages.  As this event needs an RSVP, you can also send me a message through this blog if you are interested in attending.

Where to Buy Costumes:

1. There is a group of "holiday" stores along Chungshan West Road, just north of Taipei Station.  They change their themes throughout the year, so now is a good time for Halloween and Christmas.

2. Lococo is a very large outlet store, with some fantastic costumes available all year round for good prices.  We just got a beautiful princess dress for my daughter for TWD290.  I also picked up some nice Old Navy sweater jackets in preparation for the winter.  Oh, and they have real ballet outfits for just TWD100!
Beitou Road Sec. 1, No. 7 (Beitou District).  This is just off the MRT line, so not as hard to get to as it sounds.
北投路一段七號

3. Best Buy up on Section 7 of Chungshan North Road.  If you walk up the hill north of Taipei American School (north side of Tienmu Road), there are several outlet stores that carry costumes.

Oct 2010: Japanese theater group performs "The Wizard of Oz" (suitable for ages 3 and up)

This show is really, really, REALLY good!  We got to see it with my children's school yesterday.  The Japanese group is performing "The Wizard of Oz".  It's not scary.  There are some moments when it is dark in the theater, but my little girl was not scared at all, even though she is scared easily.  The dialog is all Chinese recording. 

There are a few shows in Taipei city this weekend (Oct 2, Oct 3), then in a few places around Taiwan the next couple of weeks.  Scroll down to the blue text at the bottom of the page to see where the show is.

2010 JAN FREE STORYTELLING @ WENSHAN CULTURE ED'N CENTER

Suitable for ages 3 to 5, free storytelling is running again at the Wenshan District Culture Education Center. 
Stories are usually in Chinese.
Time: Every Wednesday afternoon 2:30-3:30pm
Address: Jing-Wen Street No. 32, Wen-Shan District, Taipei (Behind MRT Jingmei Exit 1)
Tel: 02-2933-2199

Dec19-Jan17 2010 - Fantasy Garden Exhibits

2010 will see Taipei hosting an International Flower Show.  Whilst personally I am not too impressed with how they have destroyed the Taipei Art Museum Park or started building permanent fixtures for the exhibits*, the event might bring some color to the city, and their first event at Da-An Park is supposed to be very nice.

Events at Da-An Park:
Jan 2: Some kind of music event from 2:30 until 4:30pm, at the music stage
Jan 3: Flower song from 4pm until 5pm, at the children's performance stage
Jan 9: Modern dance from 3pm until 4pm, at the music stage
Jan 10: Impressionist performance from 3pm until 4pm, at the dance stage
Jan 17: Flower song from 3pm until 4pm, at the children's performance stage

Da-An Park Address: Between Hsin-Yi Road Sec 2, Jien-Guo South Road, He-Ping East Road Sec 1, and Hsin-Sheng South Road.

Transport:  Lots of buses; MRT Muzha Line to Da-An Station and walk 10 minutes; drive and park in the underground carpark for 30TWD/hr


The Taipei Water Park also has a flower garden that is open from Dec 19 until Jan 17.  Entry is free.  This is the park at Gong-guan, Shui-Yuan Road.

*Christchurch, New Zealand also host a huge annual flower show.  It boast elaborate exhibits and a lot of different shows, classes, etc.  The whole thing is temporary, and the parks it is held at come out unscathed when everything is removed.  I just don't see why Taipei has to go and destroy some perfectly good parks to put up these fixtures, especially in this day and age when we are supposed to care about the environment and lessen waste.

Official site:  http://www.2010taipeiexpo.tw/welcome/welcome.html

Christmas Events around Taipei

This is a link to an English-language page listing some activities going on in Taipei area through to New Year.

The blog follower who kindly gave me this link visited the Christmas Alley at Shr Pai and said, there is nothing there anymore, so don't waste your time going to that one.  If you can, it is probably best to try to find a telephone number for places listed in this page, and check things are really as they are written!

http://mag.udn.com/mag/newsstand/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=221322