2 years of life

I'm trying to think really hard, what major events happens for the last 2 years, it is really not easy to just have it pop up.

Let's see...

1- We had 2 new additions in the family, my 2 very beautiful nieces of whom I adores. Muacks Qing and Sophia.
2- Learned how to do a S-turn for snowboarding after years, oh well I guess I'm just slow at sports.
3- Spent couple weeks over Christmas in 2009 at my sister since she gave birth to baby Sophia. Caught up with an old friend whom I haven't seen for years, spent some girly time with her shopping, eating and exploring New York. Skipped the countdown at Times Square since I didn't want to get my butt freezed up, so just watched it on TV.
3- Celebrated Dad's 80th birthday last year with a buffet dinner at home, met relatives that I haven't seen in ages and gosh how time flies because I didn't know there are so many kids now in the extended family and elderly has more white on their head now too.
4- Took a trip to Taipei, Taiwan for my wedding photoshoot last year. Once in a lifetime, even though I didn't have a big wedding celebration wanted to have something to remind me of the significant event in my life. People there made it a fun time too.
5- Took a trip to Bali, Indonesia last year, however what people normally remember from a trip to Bali didn't happen for me. All I remember was kids crying :).
6- Got married last year, FINALLY. With a small celebration as I'm too old for those fancy wedding planning.

So far that is all I remember for major events that happened in the last 2 years. I might keep coming back to update this post from time to time when I recall something new.

Over 30 miles biking

Yes you didn't read it wrong, it was over 30 miles of biking we did that day. It might not be a big deal for those who do it on a constant basis however to me it was my first. A hell of an experience and heap of fun.

We started off from the Caltrain station in San Francisco as usual. From there we took the trail by the beach and up the slope to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here is a picture of victory after climbing the first slope.


Here is one where boys act like boys, showing off their machoism.
From there we continued on to Sausalito for lunch. We had lunch at this family run small cafe called The Lighthouse. Of course since all of us had light breakfast, we can't help it but ordered up a table full of food.

After a very satisfying lunch, since time is still earlier we decided to continue on to Tiburon and make that our last stop of the day. From there we catch a ferry ride to take us back to San Francisco. On the ferry ride back, I have the opportunity to catch a closer look at 'The Rock'.


Yes although I have been in the area for a long time, I have not been to the island myself. Don't ask me why, maybe I just don't think there is a need to after all. I had been to Pudu Jail when they opened it for public visit and don't think I will ever want to visit another jail. Since we are heading towards San Francisco, here is the famous SF skyline from the ferry ride.

It was a complete fun day full with exercise and views to savor in. It gives me a different perspective of these places that I have been to so many times before. Lesson learned, if we slow down a little we might just discover things that we miss along the way. Weather wise, it is getting colder, probably won't be able to do this again until next summer. What a bummer.

Jakarta, Indonesia

A little disappointed with myself during this trip because I did not take enough photos. I was too busy playing with my little nephew rather than my camera. Jakarta is not even remotely close to what I picture in my mind before I got there. In my imagination, it is very similar to KL since it is the capital of Indonesia. Reality is, it is still far from it. When I looked down from my hotel room this is what I see, not many high rise buildings and most of them are crowded together.




On the street, there are a lot of those motorbike pedicab zooming in and out of the traffic. The one thing that capture my attention is their public bus stop. It looks more like one of those subway, or train platform and it's covers so you do not need to stand under the sun and smell the bad traffic emission gas. Too bad I do not have one to show you here.

Majority of this trip we spend exploring food. Aside from food, we went to visit a safari park, a volcano and outlet in Bandung.





It was a great trip to be able to spend time with family, although we did not visit a lot of tourist spot. One thing that is missing from this trip is a visit to buy some handicraft souvenier since I heard it is really cheap to buy handicraft in Indonesia. Next trip I shall go and visit Bali for the thing that I miss out this time.

Just Us!!

Yesterday I was looking through those photos I took when I was home couple weeks ago and came across this photo.

It's a photo of us siblings. For some reason I can't get my eyes off it and images of my childhood flash through my mind. My older sister is 6 years older than me and my brothers, one of them is 5 years older and the other one is one year older than me. While growing up I spent more time with the one who is closer to my age maybe because of the age gap. Older sister and brother left home when I entered high school. We are still very close to one another despite us living in different countries nowadays. I always believe that it's the blood that is flowing in our body that bonds us together.

We don't take photo that much together however I think we should start doing that more. This one was taken at Taman Safari at Puncak, Indonesia. I can tell you that even grown up can have so much fun at the Safari Park.

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.

Next station: Hong Kong and Taiwan

Countdown : 1 day
I will be on vacation to Hong Kong and Taiwan this time.
I will be traveling on Cathay Pacific, that is why Hong Kong is part of this trip although it seems to be rushing it for I will only be in Hong Kong for 1 day. The main point of this vacation is really Taiwan.

I have always wanted to visit Taiwan ever since I started watching Taiwanese TV programs and dramas. It seems to be a very attractive country especially with varieties of food they have in the country. I can't wait to try them all :). I hope I would have enough time to fit everything into 7 days although I seriously doubt I can, I just have to try. We plan to travel around the island, however there are forecast of typhoon might hit during our visit. Still hope that it will not happen. Taiwan, here I come.

Half Moon Bay, California

After looking over photos I took over the past couple months, I came across these that I took in Half Moon Bay. I don't think I have ever mentioned this place in my blog yet so I would like to tell you all about this place I love.


A view of the beach


Another view of the beach

Half Moon Bay is a coastal city that I frequent when I miss the beach. It has a long stretch of beaches overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It's about 45 minutes to an hour away from South Bay and around 20 minutes south of San Francisco. Since there are so many beaches around, most of them are not so crowded which is really nice if you want to spend some quiet and relaxing time on the beach. There is also a path overlooking the beach that you can do some biking, running, roller blading or just walking your dog. Along the path, there are chairs if you want to stay a little longer and enjoy the sunset.


What do you think? Isn't this captivating?
For those of you romantic out there who wants to impress your other half, you can also opt for the horseback riding on the beach they offer. I have never done it myself so can't tell you whether it is really that romantic.

I have just recently discover that there is also a Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay after visiting this city countless time. Here are some photos I took when I first drop by the hotel. Recently also attended a friend's wedding dinner there too.


This reminds me of my childhood with my siblings

I would love to live by the golf course too, enjoy a round of green after a long stressful day

Found this sea anemone among the rock bed by the beach

It is so well camouflage, if I didn't look carefully I would probably miss it, my lucky star

Weird photos of us, goofing around
If you are in the area, do drop by the city because it will be worth your time. For more information, you can check out this website:
Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau