Sacred Heart High School for Girls in New Taipei City’s Bali District held a coming-of-age ceremony on May 7 for the students. The ceremony included praying to ancestors, crowning and having coming-of-age drinks, symbolizing the girls’ transition from adolescence to adulthood and entering another stage in life. Parents accompanying the girls in the ceremony received gratitude and hand-made pottery from their daughters. A lot of parents were moved to tears.
Third-year student Chuang To-ya’s father tragically passed away last year in the Transasia Airways plane crash, so this coming-of-age ceremony was especially meaningful for Chuang and her mother. Chuang’s father used to tell her she should see the world, and so after graduation she plans to study abroad in Japan, and flew to Japan recently for a visit. Chuang, who is fearful of flying, said, “I must make the leap. Otherwise I will not be able to fulfill the promise I made to my dad.” Chuang’s mother said, Chuang was considerate and optimistic, just like her dad; she was very touched to see her grow into an adult and will forever treasure the gift and card that her daughter made for her. (Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
新北市八里區聖心女中五月七日為學生舉辦成年禮,內容包括祭祖、加冠、飲成年酒,宣示少女們已成長,邁向另一個生命階段。陪同出席的爸爸或媽媽接受女兒行感恩禮及女兒自製的手工陶瓷,不少父母感動得頻頻拭淚。
Photo: Yeh Kuan-yu, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者葉冠妤
高三學生莊朵雅的父親去年在復興空難中不幸逝世,成年禮這天對朵雅和媽媽來說別具意義。朵雅的爸爸曾說希望她多到世界各地看看,因此朵雅畢業後準備赴日求學,日前更搭機前往日本參訪。原本害怕搭飛機的她說:「一定要跨出去!不然無法實現對爸爸的承諾。」她母親則說,女兒貼心又樂觀,像極爸爸,很感動看到朵雅的成長,會一輩子珍藏女兒特製的禮物與卡片。(自由時報記者葉冠妤)
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
A: Wow, YouTuber Xander 73’s channel “73_Tricking” now has over 10 million subscribers, making him Taiwan’s first 10-million YTR. B: Cool! But what’s “tricking?” A: Basically, it’s a sport derived from extreme martial arts. B: Xander 73’s income is as high as NT$600,000 per month. What’s the secret of his success? A: He often uses English catchphrases in his videos to attract more viewers from around the world. This shows how important English is. A: 哇,YouTuber奇軒的「奇軒Tricking」頻道訂閱突破千萬人, 成為台灣首位千萬YTR! B: 好厲害,但什麼是tricking啊? A: 聽說是極限武術所衍生的運動。 B: 奇軒月入60萬,成功的秘訣是什麼呢? A: 他常使用英文標語,所以能吸引全球觀眾,可見英文多重要。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One of the primary reasons for implementing DST is to make better use of natural daylight so that people can reduce energy consumption. The concept originated with Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and became widely adopted during World War I. Today, this system is in place