Taiwan - DanShui

5Dec2008, Friday

China Airline, 2:20pm flight

KLIA to Tao Yuen airport, Taiwan

Arrival 7pm

To be frank, it was my first time taking a flight all ALONE by myself. For my past several bis trips, I had either friends or family members tagging me along. So the thought of having to bear for at least 1 hour before boarding the flight plus a 4 hours journey can really bored me to hell. And it was evidently that I hated this feeling of lonesome so much, really…. not having anyone to talk to is just…. SUCKS!! So obviously a BOOK would be a good companion at time like this. What luck….. coincidentally I received a Christmas magazine as souvenir recently. I literally flipped the pages over & over again that I reckon I had never read a magazine so thorough & detailed…..thks uncleBob for the ‘right’ gift !!

By the time I touched down & claimed my luggage, it was already closed to 8pm. The taxi journey to my colleague (Jen’s) home took another 45 mins at least. So once I settled down, I knew we were left with very little time to do anything for the night. Once I got down the taxi, the sight of very huge stainless steel doors greeted me with a side garage some more…..i was like ‘wow’…..totally different taste, unique set-up, unusual atmosphere…. That was my feeling of “a taiwanese house” !!

Our dinner was spared as I had a heavy flight meal. So Jen walked me out to a nearby ‘good spot’ to have a glimpse of the night view of Taipei city.

Practically, it was a train station but one that was built with a huge compound for the surrounded folks to hang-out, picnic, exercise, ‘phak tor’ & etc etc…..there was even a café sighted but due to the cold weather, it was closed that night. Btw, temperature was about 16 degree Celsius (according to Jen, it was the coldest temperature in the city of Taipei). It was just so nice to me……geee!!!

On our way to this place, the weird sight of a van hanging with some food for sale caught my attention.

After taking a closer look, I came to know that it was the “lin kok” which we only get to eat during the Mid Autumn festival.

We grabbed some to munch while chatting at the sightseeing spot & embracing ourselves in an effort to combat the chilling breeze!! Unfortunately, our chatting session couldn’t last very long as it started to drizzle shortly after. We quickly made our move & stopped over at a dessert shop for a bowl of warm tau foo fah !!!

With a totally different environment & bed, I thought it would be hard for me to sleep. In fact, we did continue our chat until quite late but Jen claimed that out of sudden she ‘heard’ me collapsing into deep sleep….LOL, guess must be god darn tiring lar!!

Actually it was my plan to do a 1 day transit at Taipei before departing to Japan on Sunday together with Jen, just so that I had a feel of Taipei with this full day exploration! So what did I achieved on that day, lets embark together ……

We started our day with a 45mins drive journey to a popular tourist spot Danshui:

Danshui [1] (淡水, or Tamsui, Danshuei) is a smaller city to the north of Taipei that was the center of shipping and commerce in northern Taiwan in the 19th century. The city is still popular with visitors from Taipei and boasts many historical attractions, and is a popular location for viewing the sunset. Due to its close proximity to Taipei City, Danshui has become a favorite destination for city dwellers to take a stroll and enjoy a coffee along the riverside.

Before arriving Danshui, we made a stopover at an apparently popular temple.

Coincidently, it was a custom for Jen to do a prayer seeking for a safety trip & safe return whenever she travels overseas. So visiting this place was like a stone that kills two birds……while Jen got to do her errands, I got the pleasure to appreciate the beautiful, fine & remarkable crafting of the temple.

See....ppl so holy & i 'main-main pulak'....LOL

Jen said i would get loads of $$$ after touching this huge coin box.....haha

We then proceeded to satisfy our growling stomachs. Back here before I even flew to Taipei, I was already highly recommended to testify a famous delicacy of Danshui called “Arcade” (pronounced as Ah Geh in Taiwan). And according to Jen, there was this so-called pioneer shop that offers the ‘best’ "arcade" in Danshui, despite having to travel a little further & despite many other versions of “arcade” surrounding Danshui, Jen insisted to go just there....

Here u go…..the “Arcade”

Now what’s in there you may asked???

A piece of taufu skin stuffed with glass noodle & wrapped with fish paste.

It could be eaten with chilli sauce or without. Needless to say, I had it with loads of chillies….yummy!! This combination was simply awesome & delicious….i will certainly be back for more!!!

After our meal, Jen brought me to the back of the shop to view the making of "arcade".
Here are a few "opasang" doing the jobs (a japanese word that refers to middle age women which apparently widely used in Taiwan)

After our brunch, we headed back to the main attraction of Danshui. The place was indeed a very relaxing & soothing place to take a stroll yet one that offers a varieties of interesting stuffs....ranging from foods, souvenirs, shopping, entertainment to breathtaking view!! So there were people of all ages pouring into the place.

it was a good place for the young ones to 'phak thor' / courting

taiwanese sausage .....my favourite snack there

ai yi ping .... my favourite dessert

a somewhat different experience eating ice-cream in a cold place

century eggs seemed to be popular there....something like the 'pickled' version

entertainment for youngsters

the other side of the street was another shopping heaven

Initially i did not planned for much shopping in Taipei as my heart was all out for Japan but as i started to delve into the various shops, it was a welcoming shock to discover that pricing wise, it was very reasonable in Taipei (mostly few dollars like not more than RM10)..... not that i meant everything but only save for those items that attract & interest me!! So i ended up with quite a lot of little stuffs !!

Check it out:
pair of neck tie for my boys as they will be 'ring boys' for a cousin's wedding
cute hankys & melody bags
matching hello kitty tissue holder & cosmetic case
pair of gloves for the boys' cycling session
cheap & pretty earrings, keychains, fridge magnets
cute little handbags for all my nieces

i like the above the most....so cute, sweet yet cheap...haha

We consumed nearly half of our day in Danshui. We left around 1pm...ish and Jen droved me around the city just so that i can take a look at their landmark 101 Building but since we don't have much time, we gave this a pass for this time around!!

Our next stop was at a long under bridge markets which were devided into a few segments that sell different things. The first was a flower market. The colours & beauty of the flowers made me went 'awwww'........ and 'wuah'....... another very scenic, pleasing & delightful place to visit!! If only i can carry these flowers right to my door step, i would have another crazy round of shopping spree, i tell you !!!

....GORGEOUS .....

Then i came across a stall selling super little cutie pots ..... i was forced to stop there!! I wondered round & round this stall figuring if i should just grabbed them. Finally i risked myself.....yes, i bought 3 of them, just couldn't resist !!

a closer look.....see so pretty & cute !!!

here are my picks.....geeee, hello kitty!!

All along the long stretched market, there were foods & snacks too!! So they made up our lunch that afternoon!!

..... saw this cutely dressed up doggy in the market too .....

As we walked back to the carpark, we took a rest at a nearby park which seemed to be still very busy with people at 2-3pm.......a time when our parks here are in a burning state!! So i was having a big time indulgence with the cooling weather at such time & place......lol, so nice!!

We also did checked out the jade market but it was a super quick one as i'm not at all a jade person !!

Since 8 in the morning, we had been torturing our legs.....so by 5pm, we surrendered. Basically resting at home & started doing some re-packing & re-adjusting of the luggage to make way for our next trip to Japan!!

Our night time exploration was none other than the popular "Shi Lin" market.

Shilin (士林區) is a northern district of Taipei. The district is home to many museums, including the world famous National Palace Museum. In addition, one of Taipei's largest night markets is located in Shilin, as well as the ex-pat enclave of Tianmu.

It was a super huge night market which sells lots & lots of things!!! But unfortunately....or should i say lucky that we had too little time to shop....haha
Bcoz we had to accomplish an important task ....... TO EAT !!!

I only managed to grab these 2 cute bags at RM10 each .....!!!

too many varieties....so it was hard to decide what to choose, so we ended up eating at 3 different stalls just so that we get to try more !!!

desserts:
black sesame glutinous rice balls

again....ai yi ping.....

My only regret was i didn't get to try their famous 'fried chicken breast' bcoz the queue was unbelievably LONG ..... gosh!! next time.....

Despite only a full Saturday in Taipei, i think i'm very much contended that i had such great companion to guide me around a few interesting places, savour many delicious foods & chanced upon many good buys!! So i can say my airfare to Japan was very worthy in view that this additional short trip was inclusive!!!

** Hope u had a good 'VIRTUAL' touring of Danshui **

p/s: sorry for d late updates....if i had kept anyone waited ya !!! (perasan to rot....)

Merry X'mas & A Happy New Year !!

Christmas is always a JOYFUL & MERRY occasion to me even before i married a Catholic!!
It was only after my marriage that i take the effort to make X'mas an important celebration in my household !!
It used to be an annual family affair to have a thanks giving dinner on the EVE of X'mas!!
But this year, we'll be celebrating it at a highland, few thousands feet above ground!
I have been traveling a lot lately leaving my kids behind so since it coincides with school holiday, huby & I decided to bring them to Cameron Highland tomorrow. This is the boys' first visit and my last visit was before marriage so time is due for a re-visit!!

Unfortunately this time around, i wasn't excited at all..... guess i'm just exhausted....my whole body feels so soft!! In fact, i'm so sick of packing luggage...particularly so when i'm traveling with my kids. Despite only a 1 night stay, there seems to be so much necessities to bring along...... *sien*!!

check it out
.......The boys & my clothings.......
.... this is a super big bag u know .....


...........Cleansing necessities...............

.........After-Wash necessities..........

.........Only Simple Make-Up necessity.........

...........Light Food necessity..........

Do you also consider these as necessities?? Will you also be compel to bring these much when you travel (alone or with kids) or is it bcoz i'm so " CHAR POU " only???


Luckily this time we have the grandparents (maternal side) & 2 of my younger sis tagging along the trip so i trust this would further add JOYS to the festival !!
And this year our thanks giving dinner will be a warm STEAMBOAT with a slightly cooling weather (hopefully) !!!

Here's our boring recycled X'mas Tree ..... economy no good ler .... so nothing new to the tree, except with my fatty Sean sitting beside it (whom has since grown so much "wider" this year)!!


Finally, a significant task for the occassion.......how can I not bake something for X'mas??
Yet it was only a simple & lazy version.

Banana Macademia Nuts Cupcakes
with Santa Claus & his gifts sack on his motorbike!!
Given more time, i wana try doing fondant on the X'mas cupcakes!!

Again, may you & your family be granted with a
WARM, JOYOUS & MERRY X'MAS !!!

and

A HAPPY "OX" NEW YEAR !!

MIXED feelings .....

First of all, i hope i'm not too late to wish everyone a
Happy " Dong Zhi " festival !!!

I woke up very early today with a mission to accomplish....i.e. i 'grabbed' the task of making the Tong Yuen (glutinous rice ball) soup from mom. Mom needed them for prayers in the afternoon and i had to make them in time which i did of course!!

I admit that i was so much looking forward to this day so that i could make this favorite delicacy of mine & gave a little 'extra' touch on it to impress my family members. Mom being the usual 'boring' cook, would only have the balls in the original white & pink color with NO fillings !! And since i had many food colorings in store, i was eager to play around with colors!! And i must have missed working in the kitchen so much that i even decided to make fillings for the balls. An uncle has given us a pack of Aust. macademia nuts as souvenir recently which not only was a very much welcomed ingredient to my baking journey but also the only favourite nuts of mine....giggle!!

I blended them & added some sugar to make the fillings!!

I'm proud to say that i'm not letting this custom of rolling 'tong yuen' die in my hands....thou i might not be able to tell what's the history/story behind celebrating this festival....yikes so shame !!

Very happy to see the balls.....even more so when tasting them!!

See so beautiful they are...do you like the colors....as much as i do, hahaha.... yea, not too good but heck, who cares lar....once a while only ma!!

Unfortunately this year it was not a very big family gathering bcoz 2 of my sisters can't joined us for the dinner. So it was just another small gathering yet with the same amount of foods cooked by mom on the table : chicken, duck, prawns, mushroom with chicken feet & wrap 'sang choi' !!

Over dinner, a younger sis broke the news that she & her hub had decided to part for their separate ways !!! Guess not only me who felt devastated with the shocking news despite knowing that there were bits & pieces of cracks in the marriage. Gotta admit there was immediate pain in my heart, sour taste to the food & the festival mood has collapsed to fatality....esp after seeing the tears rolled down her cheek!! It was really hard to swallow the fact that they gave it up so easily!! Stating constant arguments, uncompromising, intolerance, irreconcilable & etc etc as reasons, yet the question that kept loitering in my mind was: why they could endured many years of courtship but could barely made a marriage worked for more than a year ???? why?? why?? why?? I tried not to judge but it was hard....deep beneath me i knew i would blamed 'him' .... no matter how in actual fact they were just not meant for each other!!
it's always easy said than done : 'try to put yourself in others' shoe' .....it's never easy to do!!

But i thought i should be able to understand the whole situation 'better' than anyone else as i had encountered a very similar scenarios!! When i knew my huby, i was already 'attached' ..... in fact it was a courtship for many years. But only god knows that he was just NOT "the one"!! My heart has literally DIED for this person (reasons are no longer important) and it was only FAIR to the other party that the rel/ship be ended given the situation. Yet, some will reckon the act as 'cruel', 'bad', 'evil' & etc as the only thing that they were able to see was 'sympathy' for him (as i found my true love & not him.....)

but i was grateful that i 'followed' my heart then and not merely listening to others who would blindly advised you against the new rel/ship!! Initially, everyone was strongly against my decision to break-off....my parents, siblings & even good friends. I was left with no one to turn to at a point of time....feeling so lost....so bleak....and uncertain of the future !!! Despite the weak spirit then, i did not know where i managed to pick up the guts to pursue my dream of a happy family & future!! I was also at the same time acted very selfish....as i did not even bother how much i have upset the people surrounding me then. A break-up might be perceived as a trivial matter but mine doesn't came off easily at all. It was a night-mare when the ex would 'risked his life' in his effort to stop you from leaving him or being together with someone else!! My mom had to live in fright & worry, the minute i left home....fearing for my safety, fearing that the next day's newspaper would feature another story of a triangle love horrific ending (no need to tell so clearly right?) so dramatic wan i tell u.....until a friend accused that i resulted in my mom's sudden depressed & miserable life hence looking so much older, of which i felt strongly remorseful & sorry!! During that period, not only my family members were affected, my good friends became the victims too....they were constantly disturbed by the annoying stalker.... which led to my next regret, i lost a few good friends as a result. And of course the victims do not exclude my dearest one.... no need to even mention.....
A lesson learnt was the more 'He' did & the more 'He' was trying to win back a 'dead heart', the more 'He' was into no ends and i turned from disliking him to HATE him so much so until i wish him die......i tell u !!!

I had to endure this whole 'struggling' period for nearly 2 years & it was the most tormented period on my life!!

Today after 7 years into a marriage, i must say that I'm most grateful & indebted that i still lurveee 'him' to bits for being a very responsible & wonderful huby as well as a superb hero to his broods!!
To mark this down: we'd reached our 7th wedding anniversary last 15December!! For someone who was so particular about keeping this celebration on-going as it was reckoned to be an extremely important date, it was truly hard to believe that i was totally forgotten about this day..... this year. I bet the main reason to this miracle happening was that my mind was just too occupied lately. I reached home from Japan on the eve, 14th itself and my mind had no space to even think about it until huby's handset suddenly gave an alarm ring at 12 midnight reminding him of the Day.....hahaha He was already in bed and i got so rot of guiltiness that night!!! hahaha

Anyway, life was hectic so it was excusable.....but i won't be so hectic every year so next year i'll surely remember to celebrate it BIG BIG, wokay !!!!

You know what...... i used to be for many years..... felt very 'embarrass' about telling my past relationship and will kept it away like sweeping them under the bed but suddenly i realised i'm no longer feeling a shame about it.....haha In fact, i felt proud that i'd gained a lot from this lesson...... few of my good friends kept telling & reminding me how much i have changed....LOL! more matured.... more understanding.... more affectionate.... very decisive & wise & etc etc..... most importantly, we both appreciated our love for each other more than any ordinary couple!!

Anyway, having such a 'rich' & complicated relationships as background, i should acknowledge & understand that only the couples itself would "knew" if the marriage/rel-ship works for them as after all, they are well grown up adults with 'wise thinking' capability!! While we could sympathies & offer a listening ear, we should not blindly advice unnecessarily!! We'll give her some room to clear her mind & mom assured her that the family is always here to welcome her!! As my huby said, it doesn't matter now who is wrong, it is more significant for sis to NOT LOOK BACK but be strong to stand up tall all over again and look into the potentially bright, interesting & colorful future !!!

Marriage can be merry yet fragile at the same time.
So lets learn to treasure more.....
Here's wishing everyone a happy marriage !!!

BENTO gears from Tokyu Hands

** Hello.... Hai hai **
i'm back....

yes, despite the year-end craze (both with work & personally) i got to be back here to deal with the bento loots that i'd brought back from Japan ......

Some were pre-ordered & taken up while some are open on sale (if anyone interested).

Anyhow, you can have them first hand Christene as promised, bcoz i had mostly gotten them with you in mind ..... u being the persistent bentoist !!

I had initially thought of posting the original cost of the items in Yen currency and the converted amount in MYR but after giving some thought, i reckon it is not wise to do so as a form of respect to other sellers of the same items around the blogsphere as they might be earning a living out of this....

Though i'm not into making a profit out of doing this, yet i would like to ensure that i DON'T lose out on currency exchange......pretty fair & reasonable i suppose ??!!
So I had leave the original price tag intact & you can just lift up the sticker with converted currency to view it.

Your understanding are much appreciated !!

Btw, i enjoyed browsing & shopping the bento gears so much .... my colleagues got FREAK OUT seeing how much i walloped, hahaha
And i was surprise that only after doing all the currency conversion, i realised these stuffs are NOT as CHEAP as i would have thought. Now i began to understand why our 100yen shop here do not sell them ........
none of the things i picked up from Tokyu Hands are near the price of 100yen or RM5.00!!!

In particular, i was a tad disappointed that the price of the lunch boxes in Tokyu Hands are far beyond my imagination so i just couldn't extend my hands to pick any of them !!!

**************************************************

For you to choose first Chris
**************************************************

Let me know this thurs if you already have any of them.

(1) Seaweed face puncher - 1 set each for Chris & Amah
RM70.00 each set

(2) Triangle Sushi rice mould / case
RM23.00

(3) Sausage cutters
RM16.00

(4) Tulip flower rice mould

RM15.00

(5) Sauce bottles

RM10.00

(6) Pooh Bear rice mould

RM18.00

(7) Animal paper cup

RM9.00

(8) Shaped seaweed

RM10.00

(9) Pooh bear shaped seaweed

RM10.00

(10) Paper cup

RM7.00

(11) Pooh Bear anti-bac / protection sheet

RM12.00

(12) Anti-bac sheet

RM7.00

(13) Cute animal baran

RM11.00

(14) Japanese cat baran
RM10.00

(15) Rice ball wrapper

RM12.00

(16) Pooh Bear plastic bag

RM16.00

(17) Purplelish flora bag

RM12.00

(18) Animal paper cup

RM8.00

******************************************************

For Irene

******************************************************

(19) Bread / multi-purpose cutters
RM19.00 each
Total = RM57.00

(20) Pooh Bear Cutter with Face Stencil
RM22.00

U think u like this ??.... (21) little cute food picks with 5 round silicon cups at
RM22.00
i remember you said other food picks are very long & sharp so how about these short ones??



*****************************************************

For Chooi Peng
*****************************************************

thanks for recommending this to me.... else i wouldn't have been able to taste such a wonderful delicacies from Hokkaido !!!

Each box is RM57.00
Total 2 boxes = RM114.00

***********************************************************

Looking forward to meet you guys .....

SAYONARA ........

Here are my final bits of prep.....before i bid good bye to my little monsters tomorrow !!

My biggest worry with this trip is my super sensitive nostril system....i had been diagnosed with sinus problem since young & with the current cold weather in japan, it really doubted me how would my nose react so i just gotta do all means to minimize any discomfort that possibly hits me!!

Since it's school holiday now, the boys are going to tag along to the airport and send mumy off....now i wonder if they would 'whine' or 'sob' as separation sets in ???

Mummy gonna miss you 2 & your stunts for sure !! Behave well ya...

Feel extremely bad for not being there on this 9th of Dec as the boys start their 10 days holiday camp (serve like orientation) at their new primary school ......
ohh boy, they are going to std. 1 already !!
Gotta thank my dearest for bearing with the babysitting & "mother hen" job again .... he is just the best daddy in our eyes, no wonder the boys "lurve" him more than me......tsk tsk .....reflect..... time to reflect.... !!

Well, whatever it is ....... bet it wasn't good to feel bad when all the run downs planned ahead are exorbitantly interesting, exciting, wonderful for sure !!

So wake up...go enjoy it to the max !!

A lucky soul that i am, i had my Japanese colleague planned & organised us a comprehensive itineraries ..... transport, accommodation, food, shopping, sight seeings & etc etc.....all well taken care of, except that the wallet will be subjected to continuous burning !!!

*** much appreciation still ***
doh mor arigato Sch'yo !!

That's about it....a quick post to say 'good bye' for the time being.....to all bloggies!!

Heard that our hotel has complimentary internet connectivity....if so, might be able to greet from facebook.... *grin*

Till then, I shall be back with juicy photos & hopefully good things to tell about Taipei & Japan !!

Enjoy the year-end CRAZE folks !!

p/s : ooh ya...my beloved one can be sarcastic too....knowing that it was my first winter experience & seeing thru the excitement in me.... he went & teased me :

" ah ngau chut sang lor " (anyone can translate this ahh???) .... chis cilaka betul ......