Transiting in Taiwan

Currently in transit and waiting for my connnecting flight, couple more hours before I can touch down to home. With more time on hand this transit, I walked around the airport and found the very cute waiting room, with Hello Kitty chair. Here you go, the cute waiting hall.

Off I go...

In couple more hours I will be on my way back to Malaysia. So, most likely I won't be updating this site for the next 2 weeks unless I'm bore to death (very unlikely, don't envy me too much) or internet bugs are biting too much (more likely) that I will have to go online.

If not I will be back online in 2 weeks time. Enjoy your long weekend wherever you plan on going and remember to drive safely if you are going to be on the road. Happy Labor Day, all.

Stanford University

Prior to visiting Stanford U, I always think that my school in the little town in Midwest has a very beautiful campus. I was so wrong, there are more beautiful campuses out there (world is bigger than I thought, bleh). Stanford U indeed does have a very beautiful campus, which is why on weekend you will see people taking wedding photograph there.

I have been wanting to post some pictures for some time now, after each of my trip there but never get to it. So, I'm not cutting myself anymore slack this time. Here are couple photos just for you.


Clock tower, a landmark you will see in most campuses

The main courtyard

They have a church in the campus with very nice painting on the wall, a very nice little church

Everywhere else on the campus looks really clean however, when I stand outside the entrance to the church, I looked up and saw this, spider web. Maybe people just don't look up as much (wink).

As for myself, I haven't look down as much. This time I saw this on the floor, they have the year people graduated engraved the floor. So, I can't help it, I need to take a picture with the year I graduated (i know, I'm no Stanford U alumni). It's just an excuse to take another picture.
All in all, it is a very nice place to go for a stroll if you have time or if you are in the area. Next time I go, I have to look for the big sign with Stanford U on it.

Make way for tomatoes

I'm so excited to see those little round tomatoes growing on the tree after a month and a half taking care of it. Here is the proof:


Still wondering when it will turn red and becomes edible. Probably it will take another month. I really think I don't have a green thumb because this is the only plant that is bearing fruits out of all of those I planted. I'm not giving up though, as long as they don't die on me, I will try my best.

I planted some yellow cucumber couple days ago and it was growing nicely for now (more picture next time). However, it seems like there is something that is eating the sprouting leaves away. I'm so curious to find out what it is that I tempted to put a camcorder outside, but it seems like a silly idea since I won't be able to see since I don't have light at the garden. Hopefully it will turn out ok.

Next Station: Malaysia & Indonesia

Countdown: 3 days

I will be leaving for my yearly trip to go home to visit mom and dad. Although I go home every year (or once in 2 year, if I can't make it), I'm ever so excited about going home. No matter how far I'm away, deep down HOME to me is still back in the small town call Sitiawan. A place that give me warm and peace. As the saying goes, there is no place else like home and I agree.

This time I will be taking a short trip to Jakarta as well. Don't really know what to expect of Jakarta however, I do love the kueh lapis there. So, I guess I will have to judge after the trip.

Everyone of us would be home this time for mom's big 70 birthday, so this shall be a fun trip. So much catching up to do... ah, can't wait. Also can't wait to see this cutie at home.

My cutie pie nephew

Biking Around San Francisco

One of the sight that you will see everyday around the stretch of SF bay is bikers zig-zagging in the bike around town bicycles, with the black pouch hanging in front of the bike and a route map on the handle bar. Ever such a familiar sight. Is biking around SF really the best way to see SF?

So, when my friend asked me whether I wanna join him on a bike ride around SF, I'm just too excited. A big part of it is because I wanna say 'Yes, I did it', next time someone ask me whether I have bike around SF or not.

A must have group picture

Thus, on Saturday, I bike to Sunnyvale downtown Caltrain station to meet up with the gang, we took train all the way to SF. I was so surprised by the fact that the train was full (with mouth wide open) on a Saturday. At every stop, the Caltrain lady keep yelling for people not to board the train, a little annoying however can't really blame her since she is just doing her job. Never thought that so many people are really opting for public transportation these days.

We reached SF around 11.36 a.m., since it's Saturday, the farmer's market is open so we headed there for lunch. From there on we bike along the Embacacedero stretch, stopping along the way. It was definitely a very crowded Saturday. We bike all the way to the bottom of Golden Gate bridge. At first we decided to go all the way to Sausalito however, we think too great of ourselves. Most of us are tired by the time we reached the bottom of Golden Gate bridge. What do you do when you are tired? What else other than food and a place to rest (smirk on face), to ease the growling stomach and numb legs. It was a long ride to dinner. We went to Crab House at Pier 39 for some seafood. Something I have been craving for lately and I was a satisfied camper after dinner. The 'Crab Chowder' is just awesome, remember to try it next time you are there.

After dinner is time to go home. I reached home close to 10.30 p.m. What a day!!! The first time ever I bike for such a long period of time, the last time I remember biking for a long time (not even longer than this time) was at Anchorage, Alaska. I hit a new record this time. Today with my sore butt, I faintly remember I sweared after the Alaska bike ride not to do it again and somehow I forgot about it. Now back to the question, is that really the best way to see SF? Would I recommend it? Hmmm... other than a sore butt, I guess I would recommend it. It was a fun trip and I also get to exercise. If you know how to bike, try it out.

A lady's heaven @ Wu Fen Pu (五分埔), Taipei

... definitely a great place for any girls who want to do a little shopping while they are in Taipei. Don't get fool by just the look of this place, although it might seems a little rundown, it's definitely a gem. This place has almost the latest trend for those fashion forward and to make the place even sweeter, things here are sold at low prices so no big hole in your wallet after a shopping spree. The proof of their low price, you can see price tag of TWD 100 which is roughly USD 3. Furthermore, if your bargaining skills are good, then there are chances of you getting the good at even cheaper price tag. I do feel a little guilty for bargaining since the price is already so low. Heck, I did it anyway *grin*.

I was curious on the name so I did a little search online, here is a direct quote from this wiki:

Wufenpu (traditional Chinese: 五分埔; simplified Chinese: 五分埔; pinyin: Wǔfēnpǔ̄; Wade-Giles: Wu3-fen1-p'u3; Taiwanese: Gō͘-hun-po͘) is an area in the Hsinyi District of Taipei City, Taiwan. It locates at the foothill of “Sishoushan” (四獸山, “Mountains of the four beasts,”) and includes all five neighborhoods in Sec. 5 of ZhongXiao E. Rd., east to Songren Rd., and Zhongpo N. Rd. During the Chinese Qing Dynasty, is was the land of the “Malixikou” ( a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe.) In 1769, five families from Fuken Province, China bought this place from the Malixikou, that was how it got its name, (for “Wu-fen-pu” means “divide the land by five”). Most soil in this area was too poor to farm; in addition, there were mental hospitals and pig farms built in this place, and therefore it was thought to be the wasteland of the ignobility.

Wufenpu was mainly in the countryside until 13 years after World War II. In 1958, there was a typhoon that caused a major flood in Taiwan, called “the Flood of Aug. 7.” Taipei City was almost under water. To settle those veterans who were living in the back neighborhood of Taipei Train Station, Taiwan Province Government donated an area in Wufenpu, and the Ministry of National Defense helped to construct 1,200 one-and-a-half-story temporary homes for the veterans.

In 1960s, many people from FangYuan (芳苑, a town in Chang-Hua County, Central Taiwan) noticed that it was easier to make a living in Taipei and came to rent houses from the veterans. They used the first floor as a pret-a-porter (ready-made clothes) shop and the second story as their houses and the tailoring place. After a few years, the veterans all sold their houses to these inhabitants from FangYuan and many newcomers, and as of today Wufenpu is still a special pret-a-porter wholesale hub for clothes retailers in Taipei.

To get there you can either hail a cab to Wu Fen Pu or if you like the public transportation like me, you can take the subway to Houshanpi Station (后山埤站) and it is a short walk to reach there. If you are not sure which direction to get there once you get off the subway, just ask anyone on the street and you will get the information.

Too bad I didn't have more time, so just spend couple hours at this place, oh how I love to go back again, I heart this place.

Food Galores @ Night Markets

In the short span of time in Taiwan, I manage to visit the famous night market in each of the city. Night markets in Taiwan are famous for its small eats.

Tainan - Hua Yuan
Kaoshiung - Hsinshing instead of Liouho since it was not open
Keelung - Miaokou
Taipei - Shilin, Hwahsi Jie, Danshuei

There is always a famous dish for each of the city. For example in Tainan it is coffin cakes (棺材板), bread in the shape of a coffin which has been hollowed out and stuffed. Couple dishes that you can see in all those night markets are oyster omelette (蚵仔煎), chicken shawarma (沙威馬), stinky tofu (臭豆腐) and fish ball.

Basically a trip from the beginning to the end of the night market, you will have your dinner completed. Best of all you get to eat a variety of foods and it will not burn a hole in your pocket. One piece of advise though from my experience is to drink enough liquid if you are going on the night markets non-stop eating :) to avoid ulcer. Sharing my experience since at the end of my trip I had terrible ulcers and fell sick.

Aside from food, the shopping is also something not to be miss. There are lots of items sold there; for example, clothes, bags, shoes, trinkets, ironware, etc. There are also some games; customers can play the games by paying a few coins. One of the most common game I see is the mahjong game.

Out of those I went, Hwahsi Jie differ from all. In this night market you can see a lot of stores that sell snakes as local beliefs snakes are a healthy source of food. I walked past someone with a snake on his shoulder asking us to go in and try the food in the restaurant, urgh... I get goosebumps just from looking. In addition to the snake fever, there are also stores that provide massage services.

My impression of the night market is very similar to the 'Pasar Malam' we have in Malaysia except that goods sold in the night market in Taiwan especially clothing are more fashion forward and dirt cheap.

Taiwan - Touch Your Heart

Before we took off, we plan for a round the island tour of Taiwan although it seems to be rushing it since we were only there for a week.

Initial Plan:
TaoYuan (arriving) -> Tainan -> Kaoshiung -> Hualian - > Taipei -> TaoYuan (leaving)

However, due to the Phoenix Typhoon hitting Taiwan, we had to change our plan since it's impossible to travel to Hualian in that weather condition. Everyday when we turn on the news, you will hear news about so and so place being flooded due to rain from the typhoon in Hualian.

Actual Plan:
TaoYuan (arriving) -> Tainan -> Kaoshiung -> Taipei -> Keelung - > Taipei -> TaoYuan (leaving)

I was a little disappointed since I really want to visit the Taroko Gorge National Park in Hualian as Alishan National Park was not in our original trip planning already. I'm not so much into city besides shopping and eating, so I need a break to spend time with nature during any trip. All right, all right, I might be the weirdo, however I think we should see both sides of a country :P.

Our trip this time mainly comprises of national treasure architectures, temples, night market, couple famous tourist place, shopping and eating. There are still other places that I would like to visit in Taiwan. So, my conclusion is I would have to go back and visit this country again some other time :).

Nevertheless, it's a memorable trip since I get to experience a typhoon, had a toe nail taken out as a results from a incident during the trip, had a terrible ulcer and flu a couple days into the trip, lost my GPS charger and mount, and phone chargers.

08082008 -- One World One Dream

This is a date that every Chinese should be very proud of since it is the first time China ever host the Olympic Games, a moment in history, something to tell for many more generations to come.

I was fortunate enough that this time during my one day stop over in Hong Kong, there was an opening ceremony of some sort for the Olympic Games. They have the 'Fuwa' mascots for people to take picture with them. I will post some later after I sort out those photos. Save me a trip to China although I think the ambiance in China would be something not to be miss as well.

As we all know, the number '8' is an auspicious number for Chinese and I had a funny episode at work today because of today's date. A co-worker of mine came by and asked me whether I am getting married today or not since he said today is 08082008 and being that I'm a Chinese. With that the rumor started to spread around office that I am be getting married today. Every now and then another co-worker would walked up and asked me whether I'm truly getting married today, some would even say it's something to toast for. Ah... it's so embarrassing. I guess being the only single person in a team with all married people, I'm kinda asking for it :P, all those non-stop teasing.

There you go, I had a memorable 08082008 as well.