Bike Trip in Bakurasu: Tiger Yang, Grade 10

Bike Trip in Bakurasu: Tiger Yang, Grade 10

What makes Bakurasu unique is not just how quaint it is, but the friendliness of the people there. One should never go alone; get a professional guide with plenty of experience. Get an off-road bike for the journey. When thinking about cycling, people generally think about riding on roads, but rarely do people think about […]

A Game of Thrones vs. A Song of Ice and Fire: Brian Tu – Grade 9

A Game of Thrones vs. A Song of Ice and Fire: Brian Tu – Grade 9

There are quite some big differences for characters and events between the books and the show. The books have more backstory. The television show doesn’t present the story through the same points of view as the characters in the books. With its outstanding acting, unpredictable plot, and complex characters, Game of Thrones has dominated primetime […]

Movie Review: Boss Baby: Estella Tong – Grade 7

Movie Review: Boss Baby: Estella Tong – Grade 7

Boss Baby is an American computer animated comedy film. It was released on March 31, 2017 and produced by DreamWorks Animation. It was directed by Tom McGrath and written by Michael McCullers. Boss Baby was based on the children’s book The Boss Baby written by American author, Marla Frazee. The movie begins by talking about […]

How students volunteer needs to change: Lily Chen – Grade 8

How students volunteer needs to change: Lily Chen – Grade 8

In Taiwan, community service is a requirement for junior high students to graduate and apply for high school. However, many students cheat on their volunteering hours. Volunteering should not be tied to a student’s scores, as it encourages cheating. Volunteering is an important part of learning. Through volunteering, students gain new experiences and insights, improve […]

Why kids should code: Irvin Fang – Grade 7

Why kids should code: Irvin Fang – Grade 7

Learning how to code turns children from consumers into creators. Inexpensive coding websites and devices are readily available. Kids love to play video games, which is a good sign that they may have some interest in coding. They can learn how their games are made and will want to learn how to create their own […]

Why tests are an evil instrument of torture: Kyle Huang – Grade 8

Why tests are an evil instrument of torture: Kyle Huang – Grade 8

Tests are teachers’ secret weapons. Not testing well greatly diminishes students’ self-esteem. Testing takes up an inordinate amount of students’ time. Tests are incredible wastes of time for Jr. High students. They are useless sheets of old paper that torture our minds to answer completely out of topic questions. It depresses students and sucks the […]

How Trump’s presidency could affect Taiwan: Brian Tu – Grade 9

How Trump’s presidency could affect Taiwan: Brian Tu – Grade 9

If Trump raises import tariffs and makes deals with US companies to move factories back to America, this could lower Taiwan’s trade income. As long as America is making money, Trump will likely continue selling arms to Taiwan. However, Trump may use Taiwan as a bargaining chip in a deal with China. The American people […]

Bike Taiwan – Biking the Northern-Cross Highway: Tiger Yang, Grade 9

Bike Taiwan – Biking the Northern-Cross Highway: Tiger Yang, Grade 9

Driving is always a good way to travel, but most people just rush through their journey. Imagine slowing down the pace and enjoying everything around you: the warmth of the sunlight, the rush of the air, and the staggering beauty of the scenery. Cycling is by far the best opportunity for such an amazing experience. […]

6 Best Snacks to Eat in Nightmarkets: Lily Chen – Grade 8

6 Best Snacks to Eat in Nightmarkets: Lily Chen – Grade 8

One of my favorite places to go is the traditional night market. You can get all kinds of cheap and tasty snacks there. Here are some you can’t miss: 1. Egg Cakes Egg cake is a kind of snack made by flour and eggs. The vendor will pour all the ingredients into a mold until […]

What is Steam: Phil Wang, Grade 9

What is Steam: Phil Wang, Grade 9

Everyone who uses the internet should have heard of “Steam” at least once. At first, you may think that it’s a word you learned when your history teacher was teaching you about the Industrial Revolution. However, this isn’t the steam you’re thinking of. Steam is the largest and the most famous gaming platform on PC. It […]

Practical uses for subjects learned in high school: Raymond Hu – Grade 12

Practical uses for subjects learned in high school: Raymond Hu – Grade 12

School is a place full of wonderful knowledge and fascinating exploration, but students always think that it is a waste of time learning some of these subjects. They believe that they will hardly use any of this “knowledge” in the future. That is wrong. They just don’t know when to use it, and I am […]

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: Irvin Fang – Grade 7

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: Irvin Fang – Grade 7

Have you ever wondered if one day zombies could appear in our cities and start eating and killing people, causing a zombie apocalypse? Want to know how to fight off zombies and be the hero? Or do you just want to hide and be safe until the apocalypse is over? No matter which type of […]

5 Reasons to Join Biology Club | Kevin Chen – Grade 11

5 Reasons to Join Biology Club | Kevin Chen – Grade 11

Have you ever actually seen and made contact with animals, plants when learning about nature? If you haven’t had the opportunity in your everyday life, you should join the biology club. Here’s why: 1. Caring for animals that you are fond of For those who are not allowed to keep pets or go near them, […]

4 ways that modern technology is negatively affecting kids: Kyle Huang – Grade 7

4 ways that modern technology is negatively affecting kids: Kyle Huang – Grade 7

Technology is everywhere! TVs in our houses, phones in our pockets, even the smart-watches on our wrists. It has became an essential part of our lives. It’s great to have such awesome technologies: a laptop to search on, games on phones to play on when bored, etc. But, it also changes kids’ life and behavior, […]

News Media in Taiwan: Tiger Yang – Grade 10

News Media in Taiwan: Tiger Yang – Grade 10

The most basic job for news media is to provide important facts to the public. However, it seems like Taiwanese media is doing a fairly good job going the opposite way. Here is some evidence exposing the darker side of media in Taiwan. 1. Too Much Emphasis on Entertainment Despite the fact that there are […]

Op-Ed – Why Taiwan needs renewable energy: Carson Hu – Grade 9

Op-Ed – Why Taiwan needs renewable energy: Carson Hu – Grade 9

Taiwan needs to stop using non-renewable energy; it has polluted the environment, cost tons of money, and is still not “renewable”. We should use things that can be reused, shouldn’t we ? Non-renewable energy is the current way Taiwan is powered. The government built coal power plants here in the 20th century, a time when […]

Differences Between AP and IB: Phil Wang – Grade 9

Differences Between AP and IB: Phil Wang – Grade 9

To go to a great college, you have to start working hard from when you’re in grade 9. Most people go to honors at grade 9 and 10. At grade 11, some people will go to classes called AP or IB. You might think that AP and IB are the same as the honor classes, […]

4 Famous Girl Athletes: Estella Tong – Grade 7

4 Famous Girl Athletes: Estella Tong – Grade 7

Sometimes, people think that boys play sports better than girls. They think girls don’t know how to play sports. People think that girls are bad at sports and make fun of their actions. However, it is definitely not true, and it is a really mean thing to do. There are many famous female athletes; here […]

OpEd: Why News Media Shouldn’t Have a Political Slant: Irene Lin – Grade 10

OpEd: Why News Media Shouldn’t Have a Political Slant: Irene Lin – Grade 10

People in Taiwan are being brainwashed by the news media. News reports aren’t objective and are often reported in different ways based on a network’s political leaning. The KMT (Kuomintang) and DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) are two major political parties in Taiwan and also dominate most of the media. Different political views in media force […]

5 Differences Between Eastern Learning and Western Learning: Brian Tu – Grade 9

5 Differences Between Eastern Learning and Western Learning: Brian Tu – Grade 9

Do you think Western education is better than Eastern education? I totally agree, but both still have their strong points and weaknesses. Here are a few comparisons. 1. “Struggle” means different things Many researchers and psychologists, such as Dr. Jin Li and Dr. Jim Stigler say that many Easterners learn through struggle. On the other […]

Restaurant Review: Miss Green Vegan Food: Lily Chen – Grade 8

Restaurant Review: Miss Green Vegan Food: Lily Chen – Grade 8

Address: No. 143, Wenchang St, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106 Miss Green is a vegan restaurant on Wen Chang Street in Da’an district. It was pretty small, but the food was good and the décor was very special. Miss Green opened in April, 2014. The owner said she opened this restaurant because she is vegan, […]

Game Review – Minecraft: by Phil Wang – Grade 9

Game Review – Minecraft: by Phil Wang – Grade 9

Minecraft is a sandbox game where you can do a lot of things you can’t do in real life, such as build houses, chop down trees with your own hand, and fight zombies or skeletons. It was released on May 17, 2009 on PC with the alpha version and made a commotion with online players, […]

School uniforms are the worst | Raymond Hu – Grade 11

High school students in Taiwan always wear uniforms. This has been a tradition for decades, a tradition that annihilates students’ self-esteem, a tradition that should be completely deleted. First, schools are already prison. Schools use classrooms to restrain students, take away their freedom, prohibit items unnecessary for learning, and even monitor what kids can eat. […]

Movie Review – Spectre: Brian Tu – Grade 8

Movie Review – Spectre: Brian Tu – Grade 8

James Bond returns in a smashing two-hour action-packed joyride and continues to keep the high standard of the beloved Bond franchise. With an awesome plot, endless action, and stunning stunts, Spectre dominated the box office and caused waves across the globe. Many critics have even been ranking it as the top 007 film ever to […]

Comparing H&M and Forever 21: Tricia Liao – Grade 9

Comparing H&M and Forever 21: Tricia Liao – Grade 9

There have been many discount clothing stores opening in Taipei recently. Choosing the better store to shop at can save your time, and also can help you find the best products. Customers and this critic prefer H&M to Forever21. According to http://www.newbrandanalytics.com, H&M’s items were rated at 86% positive, while Forever21 received only 65%, which […]

New school, new life: Kevin Chen – Grade 10

New school, new life: Kevin Chen – Grade 10

As we get older we enter an environment where we learn to not only study, but also to have fun — this is high school. School is now a blank slate; new friends and new schedule, it all starts from zero again. At the end of junior high, we have an important test to judge […]

Restaurant Review – Caliburger: Roy Chang – Grade 9

Restaurant Review – Caliburger: Roy Chang – Grade 9

Caliburger Address: 106, Taipei City, Da’an District, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, Zhongxiao E Rd, #7 People are tired of McDonalds and other cheap, unhealthy, and low quality burgers. Recently, more and more burger joints have opened in Taipei, and one of them is Caliburger. Caliburger is located off of Zhongxiao E. Road. It […]

5 important periods in Taiwan’s history Carson Hu – Grade 9

5 important periods in Taiwan’s history Carson Hu – Grade 9

Taiwan is one of the richest countries in Asia. It has a strong and active economy. More than twenty million people live on the island that sits off the shore of China. To really understand Taiwan though, you need to know about the history of the island. 1. Koxinga kicks out the Dutch In the […]

Testing in Taiwan: Irene Lin – Grade 10

Testing in Taiwan: Irene Lin – Grade 10

Tests are often used in our education system; they aren’t only used to tell how much we’ve learned but also to decide which schools we can attend. Testing has become one of students’ daily tasks and concerns. Many commentators claim that by taking so many tests students only learn things are put into tests, so […]

5 things you didn’t know about cram schools in Taiwan: Hanna Hsu – Grade 8

5 things you didn’t know about cram schools in Taiwan: Hanna Hsu – Grade 8

There are many cram schools in Taiwan. Families often send their kids there. Still, you may never know that these five things happen at cram schools. 1. You have to stay there for hours Parents send their kids to cram schools because parents don’t have time to pick them up when they finish regular school. […]

How 7-11 affects our lives: Lily Chen – Grade 8

How 7-11 affects our lives: Lily Chen – Grade 8

7-11 is a convenience store we can see all over the world. There are so many 7-11s in Taipei, you can see 10 of them every kilometer. People may think that convenience stores help society a lot, since they offer so many services. Besides buying food or drinks, you can use the bathroom, print documents, […]

Subjects they should teach in Taiwanese high schools: Raymond Hu – Grade 12

Subjects they should teach in Taiwanese high schools: Raymond Hu – Grade 12

Taiwanese high schools are hell, made to make teenagers suffer. Students can do almost nothing they enjoy and have very little break time. Teachers teach topics that are not beneficial to students’ futures. High school has become a place to fulfill the government’s so-called “education requirements”. This needs to change. First, students should choose the […]

Manga: Phil Wang – Grade 9

Manga: Phil Wang – Grade 9

Many people are interested in manga all over the world. Some people think that it’s just a kind of comic, but it’s so different from traditional comics. Manga comes from Japan, and characters in it are so much cuter than characters in comic books. People love manga for different reasons. One of them is because […]