staying warm in taiwan winter

winters in taiwan are dreary,thanks to Siberan cold fronts mixed with local dampness. on top of that, houses in taiwan have no insulation! they are built of steel and concrete to withstand earthquakes and typhoons. for that purpose they do very well. but nobody thought to put in another wall with insulation behind it. at any rate, there are things you can do to keep yourself and your "tao fang" (small suite, as i presume most foriegners will rent this kind of house) warm, and they don't cost much: 1. go get some "tatami squares". these are artificial tatamis cut into pieces with jigsaw edges to fit them together. very cheap, and VERY effective for keeping the cold from coming up thru the concrete floors. your room will feel TOTALLY different with these. 2. make sure you have curtains on your windows. tons of cold comes thru glass via osmosis. 3. you need TWO kinds of blankets on your bed (DO NOT SLEEP ON THE FLOOR). the first blanket is the "fuzzy" kind. that goes on the bed, under you. the second is a japanese futon style blanket. ALWAYS BUY 100% natural flller and covering for these or you will wake up wet from sweat. 4. turn your small space heater on at regular intervals, but not all night. 5. this sounds backwards, but you MUST keep your window cracked a little during the night. waking up choking from CO2 that you've breathed back and forth IS NOT FUN. 6. sleep with a cap on. 7. outside wear should consist of a gortex undewear layer, followed by a T shirt and jeans, then a cotton jacket, followed by a wind breaker. this is so you can peel layers if/when it warms up sometimes in the day. a scarf, gloves, winter socks, and cap round out the ensemble. most of your heat escapes thru your head, hands and feet. 8. on your scooter, wear a wind breaker and make sure you have a raincoat AND rainboots and gloves. having any part of your body wet and cold on a scooter is not fun. also wear a FULL FACE HELMET! it's safer, and keeps your head warm and dry. 9. try to drink more soup and hot tea. 10. do your computer work at starbucks or other warm place.^^ that's all. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!