Mu-An Chiou

A software designer and engineer. Makes modest websites. Member of the Anti JavaScript JavaScript Club.

Lives in Taipei, Taiwan, and sometimes in Berlin. Previous home bases include New York, London, and Birmingham, UK.

As recent as Feb 6, 2026, self-employed. Sleeps, codes, crafts, learns German, bakes pretzels, and contributes accessibility and civic causes through advocacy and tech.


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Stories

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24h Meow × 63 Hobby × 31 Books × 30 Cook × 31 Taiwan × 102 Travel × 64 Mails × 35 Self × 30 Plants × 38 Animals × 78 Polaroid × 16 Chat × 21 Oven × 55 Friends × 44

Photos

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a brown tabby cat sitting on a floor map looking out a window screen in daylight A tabby cat with blue eyes perching on a floor mat by a window, looking forward. Brown tabby cat with white nose and yellow eyes rests on window bed, looking forward, close-up from outside of a window, softly-lit. Dark narrow alley between buildings with tangled wires, purple striped umbrella, green sign “工作室”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Train interior with velvet emerald green seats and honey wood wall and brass trims Scaffolding for a building construction with a worker sitting on it working and a passerby looking towards it. Sun casting on the tarp showing it was in the afternoon Harsh shadow casted on a fence separating asphalt and rubble train track with banner of notice in Japanese hanging Train track in an urban environment with raised pavement and lots of cables running across on an autumn day with red leaves Tall beige tower with red antenna rising above green and orange autumn trees under sky A small Asian magpie, no blue feathers, stands on a wooden plant against a blurry forest background

Film photos

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a tabby cat with white spots lying in a cardboard cat bed looking at the camera through leaves a cat looking at the camera through foreground leaves with darken edges pretzels on a parchment paper on a table cloth of black and white pigs flying a cat sitting on a wood floor looking to the camera in front of USM cabinets a table with a dinosaur figurine and other objects at a flea market two cats sitting on window cat beds a room with a bass guitar and bookshelves, with paintings hung with wooden frames on a concrete wall, with natural light coming from one side of the room. a restaurant with a large lantern from the ceiling The front of a temple, a stone pillar with dragon cravings on it a green metal street stand with various metal sea creature decorations on it

Notes

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As someone who has lived in two countries paying tax and going through medical systems in a foreign language with no support systems in place, I can not emphasize more on how difficult and stressful it is on one’s daily life. That is partly why I had it in the US amidst COVID and visa issues with my employer and HR being useless in terms of support.

My rule of thumb now is, unless you have family, partner, or close friends in the different country you aim to uproot your life to (close enough that you can let them decide legal matters—so legal professionals you can afford would count too), expect a very hard transition and ongoing stress.

I see so many Americans acting like surprised Pikachu when they realize being an immigrant is hard when they finally trial it. And their attempt isn’t even on hard (level); Treating these moves as an extended stay and easily reversible. I am talking about navigating language and cultural difference, tax implications, different government bureaucracies.

Respect immigrants!

Life

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