Day 5 - What did I do today?

I watched TV. A lot of TV. Started off the morning with a classic - Doraemon. I proceeded to watch Mythbusters on Discovery where they were busting some of the stunts/blowups in The Green Hornet. Then I started watching this other Japanese cartoon called 小红豆...I think it's called Azuki.

Azuki is really cute because it reminded me of elementary school crushes! Except the main character, 小红豆, gets a lot closer to her crush than I ever did haha. 

I then went up the Mountain (陽明山國家公園) with my mom to help her clean. It was freezing up there. Houses in Asia are generally constructed out of concrete, which is a terrible insulator. It's been "cold" for Taiwan standards but up in the mountain, in a house with no insulation, it is quite cold inside. After I cleaned, I watched some more TV - National Geographic. It didn't last long because I fell asleep on the couch. 

Time passed and I headed out to dinner with my parents and their friends. I really don't have many friends in Taiwan...so I hang out with my mom a lot since my sister works. I think it's time I make some friends. Unproductive day but I found out about a Wedgewood Cafe where they use Wedgewood china and such. I also found out that my favourite clothing store, Club Monaco, is open in Taipei! 

Anyhow, that's it for today. Shower and sleep. I think I'm gaining weight already. By the way, check out the cover of Damien Rice's The Blower's Daughter by the oh so cute Anthony Neely: 

Day 4 - in photos

I was supposed to write last night but I got lazy and tired. BUT I did take photos so that will be sufficient for my activities yesterday :)

 Puppies at a nearby pet store! Adorable! 

 Chinese New Year treats! 

 The street filled with Chinese New Year goodies! 

 Classic/colonial style architecture of Taipei

Ended with vegetarian hotpot!

Day 3 - eat shop eat groove eat shop eat

Yes...today was a day of eating and fruitless shopping with my sister. Did some window shopping at Mitsukoshi department store, looking for a nice winter coat and a pair of riding boots. The clothes were just really untasteful and I couldn't find anything I really liked. Shoes - overwhelming. Too many styles all clustered in a small square footage. I'm going to have to take my time with the shoes.

After a lunch at...Ajisen ramen (blah did not come all this way to eat this), which was unbeknown to me until we sat down and I saw the logo on the menu, went  to the Taipei Cultural Center to attend a free jazz concert. The description called it "French gypsy jazz", which is somewhat vague. It wasn't until they started that I knew that it was django - named after the founder of the style - Django Reinhardt, who himself was a gypsy of sorts growing up. I really do enjoy this style and I remembered the amazing performance I saw at the Vancouver Jazz Festival by Van Django. There were a variety of people who showed up to the performance, although there were many seniors (I think the Cultural Center was more like a seniors community center). There was a very supportive and enthusiastic uncle in the audience who clapped the loudest and was yelling "Bravo!" and "Encore" after each song. Yes, he yelled encore after each song. I really did enjoy this performance because as the band pointed out, there is a lack of a django band presence in Taiwan that are Taiwanese.



Headed over to Taipei main station to meet up with the parents at this new-ish mall to walk around and have some dinner. My dad really wanted to check out this new hotel next door, Palais de Chine. It was really beautifully designed inside. Afterwards, just window shopped and had some decent Thai food for dinner!

Now, I'm home. Showered. Brushed. Watching the American Idol equivalent. There's this really cute mixed competitor, Anthony Neely, singing Jason Mraz's "Lucky". Oh my he is really good looking and tall! I shall leave you with photos of him...as I did not bring my camera out with me today. Will borrow my sister's camera tomorrow when I head out!

Day 2 - a day of a censored event, applications, jetlag, and the beginning of family

OMG. I am incapable of staying up any longer. Jet lag is kicking me in the ass right now and I have to go out to dinner with family in 10 minutes when all I want to do is stay home and snooze. So what's up with me on day 2? No, I haven't gotten that straight perm, in case you're wondering. My hair is still tied up to prevent chaos in public. I woke up today with some great news from a friend who got a job at Translink! What a great start to my morning and quite energizing. The censored event ensued (not related to the good news haha) but I survived and rewarded myself with a cheap espresso which used fructose as sweetener (weird). Lunch at a family friend's vegetarian restaurant was great - smelly tofu pot! I proceeded home and Skyped with RMak for around 2 hours.

Job applications followed and my cousin, aunt, and uncle dropped by before heading to the Cirque du Soleil show (Varekai). I'll be going myself in February and I'm quite looking forward to my...4th Cirque show! My aunt wants me to send her my graduation photo so she can play matchmaker for me. Yeah. Never gonna happen.

Now I have to keep my eyes wide open and walk through the streets, keeping an eye out for dog shit on the sidewalk. Merde!

I apologize for my brief and irritable tone in this entry. I am attempting to kick jet lag in the ass back.
A demain tout le monde.

I'm in Asia - Day 1

I decided that I could really blog about my travels here in Asia. It's only been two years since I've been away but I don't know what it is about my first day here that feels like a culture shock in the country that I was born in. I'm going to be travelling around Asia until early April so I thought it'd be interesting to write down some of my observations now that I'm older (and wiser).

Current location: Taipei. My flight was long (12 hours) and turbulent but I got some sleep and watched The Social Network and The Switch. As an aside, I'm not sure The Social Network deserved all those Golden Globes but I'm no film critic. Anyhow, I arrived at 4:30 AM and was one of the first off the plane and through the customs (I walk much faster than regular people). The downside is that I waited forever and a half for my luggage since I checked in 2.5 hours before my flight. My parents were waiting for me as I walked out and I was ravenous. I had only had one meal on the flight (of congee) and it was lunch time PST. Got a couple of onigiri (yum) at 7-11 and an americano (bland) and set off back to my sister's place.

Maybe I've been studying urban planning too long or been living in North America too long but I felt like I was in a foreign country that I've never been to before. I think it was the fact that there were ongoing infrastructure expansions that did not exist when I was in Taiwan last. When I got to my sister's place, it wasn't really what I expected either. I've been spoiled by the North American vastness and square footage and also by my parents' significantly larger place in Taipei. I suppose for one person, her apartment is a good size, but I thought the bedrooms were so tiny.

I have not yet mentioned the humidity that is Taiwan. I felt my hair expanding as I walked off the airplane. This humidity keeps everything damp. It's time to get that straightening perm sometime this week because I doubt my efforts to straighten my hair will result in lasting results!

My Dad took me for a walk around the neighbourhood to get me acquainted and I quite liked it. I live across from an elementary school and there's an open-air market and several eat-in places and conveniences nearby. I can't wait for the rain to stop so I can go running along the river. I took a nap after some breakfast and unpacking and then headed out with my Mom to the Home Depot equivalent of B&Q looking for a new showerhead. Maybe it's because I'm jetlagged, but all the noises of cars was amplified. The air felt toxic and I was just a cesspool of negativity. I was nodding off a couple of hours later and was in desperate need of caffeine to keep me awake and fix this jetlag. Finally found a Starbucks and ordered a tall Americano. Then the guy asked me if I wanted it hot and I gave him a bit of unnecessary attitude: "Uhh, of course" I said in Mandarin. I guess people usually get more cold drinks in Taiwan so I was shocked that he would ask me such a silly question. I was then a bit more high-maintenance because apparently, people in Taiwan only add coffee cream to their drinks and not milk or soy...so I had to ask for their non-fat milk. The guy asked if he could add it for me but I wanted to add it myself! Ok, so I'm a bit of a coffee snob but I'll tone it down in the next few months!

When we got back to my sister's place, we had an ordeal with the key. The alarm kept going off and my mom rushed off to get the locksmith to come figure it out while I waited. While waiting, I observed the kids in the school across the street. The boys baseball team was still hard at work training and doing laps and cheers. It's weird seeing and hearing children after being in university all this time!

The next few days will be focused on getting rid of this jet lag and getting acquainted with this new neighbouhood. This initial shock will go away too after a few days. It's weird seeing high school kids now and how they dress, walk and talk. It's also hard to judge the ages of non-students on the streets. I just feel so out of place! I think I need to make some friends...maybe my sister can take me to work or something.

In the meantime, I'm going to stay awake for a few more hours and have some dinner! It's really been a wonky day. Honestly, I'm mostly irked about my hair!!!!

(Better) pictures...to follow.

Merry Belated Christmas

I've moved back home and there is no snow but a lot of rain. :(  It hasn't quite sunk in that I won't be going back to school next week! I do miss my independent lifestyle (a.k.a. do whatever I want) under the watchful eye of my mother. It's still rather nice to be in one place for a while without having the troubles of moving. My sojourn is over...and I wish to start another soon. Fingers crossed.

Moments

There are moments you wish would just pass by.
Moments you wish would slow down and stop.
Moments you wish you could relive.

I'm at a bittersweet moment. Should I stay or should I go? I want time to slow down, but I want to finish what I started.

Come December...life will be different. Not sure I'm ready for that Moment.
I've been through that Moment, and I'll have to go through it again.
This time, it feels a lot more intimidating.

I'll know when the time comes.

On hold

I'm usually not this happy to study. 

Enjoy this awesome cover in the meantime. I've listened to it at least a dozen times! 

à l’aise

It's been quite a stressful summer. Thus, I'm glad to be finishing off summer in Vancouver. Everytime I'm back, I see the City in a different light. My experiences away from home always bring me back to the same conclusion - there's no place like Vancouver. I'm always appreciative of this City - be it rain or shine, the City is always green, and I will never tire of looking north at the Coast Mountains. On the plane from Toronto to Vancouver, I sat next to a guy from Brampton who goes to Uvic for mechanical engineering. He kept asking, "Why on earth would you leave Vancouver to go to Ontario?" I laughed it off and thought to myself, if I haven't left, I wouldn't appreciate Vancouver as much as I do now.

Although I have a ton of work and studying to do in my last few days in Vancouver, just being out and about brings an indescribable inner peace. Though my personal goals may not bring me back to Vancouver permanently, I am appreciative and fortunate to call this City home.

Pictures to come.