Vacation frenzy

My colleague and I were checking how many days of leaves left for the rest of the year. I still have 31.5 days!! There's a sudden rush of impulse to go for a long, long vacation. My sister and I was actually talking about going to Australia.

Much to my desperation, I checked each and every possible dates in AirAsia's website to obtain the best price. I was ambitious to even think of covering South Australia, a small part of Western Australia and Tasmania in about 14 days! Yeah, nuts I am.

Taiwan Trip Photos VII - LeoFoo Village and Doraemon Theme Park

After my last visit to theme park a couple of years ago, I never thought I would step my foot into another one that soon. Well, this is a much smaller one compared to Sunway Lagoon. I do not really recall the exact location but in Taiwan, it's known as the LeoFoo Village Themepark.

This is one of the scarce photos where we had a group photo and yet, it's not a full group! If I recall correctly, we were on our way to the "Jurassic Park" or the like. "Lost World"? Oh well, it's about dinosaurs. Basically, we saw huge figures of dinosaurs and the dinosaur-like species around.Interesting. LeoFoo Village dubbed this as Pagoda's Revenge. To most people, it's known as "Solaris Shot". Not that scary as the time allocated for the ride was relatively short. No time to scream! LOL Good one if you plan to swirl yourself to sleep. Doraemon Themepark! It's just located somewhat next to LeoFoo Village. Honestly, it's really a place for KIDS. How odd to see grown up like us standing tall among the little ones. Apart from Doraemon, the highlight of the themepark was the miniatures of famous places. Impressive and excellent for photo-shooting.Miniatures and Me :) Little Playland! Cannot recall what was that little building =p Boats and little vesselsWe did see quite a number of such manufacturing plants in Taiwan

Taiwan Trip Photos VI - Jiu Fen

It's been a month already since my Taiwan trip. Time flies. I finally got all the pictures from Jolene! Phew. We are so near yet so far. Had it not been the trip, her hectic schedule would not bring us together. I couldn't help but grinning foolishly when I browsed through the photos again.

Jiu Fen is a place located at high up in the hill. Not exactly sure how many metres above sea level. It's a quaint place with many shops and stalls selling food, accessories, clothings and souvenirs. We didn't cover the entire place, I believe but most of it ;)

Ah, how could we forget the look-back post, introduced by Jolene!

Strolling along the streets of Jiu Fen
Luxurious western restaurant in the streets of Jiu Fen

**Cheese** Scenic view from the top of the hill. Heard that many dramas/movies were shot here.

Esplanade, Bugis, Suntec City, Mos Burger

Yay! After getting a new hard disk, my laptop is alive and kicking once again :D So here I am, uploading the photos which have been sitting patiently in my mobile phone.

Continuing from my previous post on Singapore trip, here are the photos.

Enjoying a cup of chocolate milk shake at the Chocolat (not sure if the spelling is correct) while awaiting for my flight at LCCT.
My first meal in Singapore was at the Mos Burger! Had awaited for this since I heard about this Japanese healthy fast food outlet.
Frozen strawberries.

Here is the entree. Scallop Rice Burger. It's a new product. Am I the guinea pig? Hehe. It tasted not bad.

After the meal, Mandy and I set off to Suntec City and Merlion.

Interesting looking food court at Suntec.
Fountain in the shopping mall.

Koi Garden. The fishes were very well-endowed. LOL. Huge and fat.

The walk-way to Esplanade. Artistic drawings were found all over the wall. Impressive and each drawings had a message. Mostly quite hilarious.

This is the master piece of an artist from Indonesia. It means "I Love You"

External view of Esplanaden. Lovely.

Missing You...

Your silence is deafening.

Where has gone your vibrancy...

and the memories within you....?

When will you get back on your feet

to keep me company?

Missing you.....

Dedicate this post to you, my poor laptop. Get well soon!

爱我别走

Jay Chou's Night

I was exhausted after work. My eyes felt heavy when I was out for dinner about 2 hours ago. Yet, here I am, watching Jay Chou's video after video.
This is a rather touching song <蒲公英的约定> from the movie The Secret.I like the movie and of course, the song! Enjoy ;)

Time Machine?

Phew....a sigh of relief. My presentation is over! It turned out better than I expected. My heart wasn't thumping hard at all! Perhaps my team was in the presentation as well. Thank you for the moral support. You guys rock!

Here I am, relaxing, listening to musics and watching MTVs via Youtube. Came across Jay's song Time Machine <时光机> and it's one of his very rare "cute" MV.

Greetings from Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

It's been a wonderful day of non-stop walking and talking. Thanks Mandy, for bringing me around Singapore from 12.30PM through 6.30PM! Why do I even need someone to bring me around Singapore, one may ask but it's more fun to have someone with you, don't you agree?

Just landed at the Lion City about 10.45AM. Reached hotel about 11.30AM and dashed off to meet Mandy at Bugis Street at about 11.50AM. What a day to start off. It was great, I must say. I finally tried Mos Burger (I know, no big deal eh but it's to me. Hehe. How easy to be pleased) and it's a new product - Rice Burger with scallop. I am staying at Amara, Tanjong Pagar. Lovely place. My room is facing a good view ;) Lucky me.

After having lunch and exchanging updates with Mandy, we headed off to Suntec City. It's a very happening place. Sales is every where but I am not that interested. How unfortunate that the fountain at Suntec City was not operating when we reached there.

We then headed to Merlion which is a stone's throw away from Suntec City. There were lots of tourists and they were all trying to photograph with Singapore's landmark. I merely took photos of the scenery with my modest phone camera. I didn't bring my digital camera this time. Wanted to save the hassle of carrying another gadget. As a result, my phone camera's memory was full =_=" Time to add memory!

Next, we indulged ourselves into art and culture at Esplanade. I am impressed how the Lion City promotes arts, music and culture. So, Singaporeans are cultural lots(?) We enjoyed a free performance at Esplanade from Alarice Thio. Not only she's pretty and humorous, she is a songbird! I love her voice. This talented lady plays the guitar and compose songs in her EP. Perhaps those who are in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand might know her as her childhood roots spreaded across these Asia Pacific countries. Check a sample of her self-composed song here and her demos here. More news about her can be found this website. I am totally hooked up with her songs now. It's simply enticing to listen to her songs while dining (alone right now, to be precise). I even became her fan at Facebook. Yeah, I know I sound like a freak. Hehe.....Perhaps you would react the same if you heard her songs.

I like Esplanade a lot. I am so tempted to come to Singapore in June again when my sister would be there for training. There will be a lot of performances at Esplanade then. What should I do? Mmm....

Ok, I need to focus on my presentation. It's on this coming Tuesday and the thought of presenting to a group of managers (about 14 of them) did make me sweat. Phew....Wish me luck.

Ciao...

P/S: Pictures later, okies. My personal laptop just certified by my sis as dead. Boohoo...I still have some photos which I have not uploaded to my little space here =(

The Camel Story

A couple of days ago, I received an email from Evelyn (the lovely mommy who was in the same tour group as us in the recent Taiwan trip) which I find it rather inspiring and humorous. Here's the content.

Smooth roads never make good drivers;
Smooth sea never makes good sailors;
Clear skies never makes good pilots.
Problem and hassle-free life NEVER makes a person strong;
Be srtong enough to accept the challenges in life.
Don't ask Life "Why Me?"
Instead say "Try Me"

P/S: I don't know the source of these illustrations but certainly a good piece of work ;)

Working Out

I tagged along when Michelle went to the gym this morning. When was the last time I hit the gym? Mmm,....I could not recall. Not a gym person. Curiosity sunk in when Michelle told me she had signed up as a member at Celebrity Fitness and she had also engaged a personal trainer to help her work out.

We were greeted by the receptionist and Customer Service personnel at the entrance. CK, the Customer Service personnel explained to my sister and I on the facilities and the membership details before letting us off to try out the equipments as well as the classes available.

It was barely 10AM when we arrived but surprisingly there were already quite a number of people working out on the equipments. The environment is rather clean and comfortable. I like the idea of having Sauna and steam shower in the fitness centre. It's like a one-stop healthy centre.

After working on the threadmill, we headed off to a class. Latin Mix dance class. Phew, the blonde instructor was lean, rigorous and sexy in a sporty way. A rather attractive lady, I would say. I had problems co-ordinating my mind and my body. Gee, they just didn't co-operate. The existing students were quick and sleek. I felt retarded. LOL. Anyway, it was an interesting class.

At the restroom and shower room, there were groups of ladies chattering away while applying make up and blow-drying their hairs after shower. Yeah, the restrooms(Ladies) are always the chosen spot for gossips and meetings.

I am now awaiting for my muscles to ache. It will most probably take effect tomorrow. Ouch ;p

Will I sign up as a member? Mmm....I don't know. I doubt I will diligently hit the gym daily. Having some fresh air while jogging around the neighbourhood is more appealing at times while being able to use the equipments and attend classes unlimitedly sounds great. Anyway, I have a week of trial membership session. Shall decide after that.

Hot Dip

It's addictive.

It makes your heart pound.

It makes your skin tickled with warmth.

It makes your cheek blush.

It makes your heart yearn for more......

My previous experience with hot spring wasn't exactly a pleasant one. It's a public hot spring in Malaysia. Perhaps I had high expectations as my colleague kept telling me how much fun she had. I, on the other hand, was utterly disappointed.

Nevertheless, the recent visit to hot spring in Taiwan brought back my interest in hot springs. I am in fact looking forward for more hot spring baths! It's definitely one of the things I enjoyed the most during the entire trip. It's such a pity that we only had a night (actually a mere 2 hours) to indulge ourselves.

The highlight of the hot spring is that its water is being kept hot by charcoals. We were staying in a Charcoal Musuem. Shower gels and shampoos provided were made up of charcoal! Even the food we ate consist of charcoals. Interesting...

Our room at the resort. Outdoor hot spring. Only spotted one while strolling early in the morning. The ones we bathed in were indoor.

It's a pity that the resort does not allow photography. That's why I do not have any photos of the resort's interior design. I like the design of the resort. Quaint and cosy.

I am now looking out for more hot spring baths and spas. A hot dip, anyone? =)

Taiwan Trip Photos V - Temple around Sun Moon Lake

Continuing from my post on Sun Moon Lake, we visited a temple which was located above the hill. The view from the top was simply scenic.

The Dragon Human robot. According to our tour guide Chris, this guy is mute. He's cute :) Many visitors wrote their wishes on the golden plates and hung them over the wall. Deadly weapon!
Modern age fortune teller.

Temples are indeed abundant in Taiwan. The architecture and interior design of each temples are mesmerising. If you are in for photography, temples should be one of your destinations. Otherwise, visiting two or three would be more than enough. I am sure you would not want to waste any precious time away from shopping, food and spa!

Getting Quiet....

Today is the second day my boss did not turn up for work. He's down with fever and sore throat. Nah, he's not infected with Swine Flu. Doctor said it's just the normal flu and fever. Phew...

It's pretty quiet at work. My colleague who sits next to me has been away for 2 weeks. Starting to miss her voice and laughter. She'll only be back from Copenhagen the following week. Hope she'll be fine. I got to know from my other colleague that someone from Copenhagen who flew into Malaysia was quarantined for 48 hours as a precaution measure :S

I am so happy it's Friday tomorrow! Yippie. My mind is starting to wonder what to do over the weekend. Gee, I am still not over the vacation mood. Was actually close to falling asleep during a 3 hours long conference call. Luckily, I hop in an hour later. How unappreciative of my colleague (she hosted the conference call). Sorry, it was after lunch and all the oxygen was loitering in the stomach area =p What a great excuse!

Okies, I better catch some sleep. Night! =)

Taiwan Trip Photos VI - Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake was one of the tourist spots I enjoyed the most during the trip. The boat ride was simply refreshing. We saw a couple shooting wedding photographs by the jetty. It seemed a little challenging as the jetty was not a fixed platform. It swayed from side to side as the wave hit against the light-weight platform. It did make me think that I wasn't walking straight. LOL. Anyway, the man-made lake is indeed a perfect spot for outdoor shootings.

Camwhoring while the boat speeding its way across the lake to the temple. The driver was actually explaining to the passengers about the lake and other attractions around the lake but we weren't listening (sorry, sir!) as we were at the front deck, talking, joking and laughing away while enjoying the scenic view before us. Just loved the wind!

View of the mountain ahead while enjoying the cooling breeze against our cheeks.

Yikes, that's all. Nothing much really. A relatively small platform on the water which one could camwhore. Next stop, the temple. Ooops,..I completely forgotten its name. My memory ain't that good lately. Sign of aging, I suppose =p

Recuperating

Perhaps it's the long vacation. I am slowing down. Recuperating from the layback lifestyle. Vacation always have a magical effect on me. I tend to dwell in the memorable moments and reluctant to set my foot again into the bustling world I left prior to my vacation.

Today is my last day lazing around at home (basically Facebook-ing and blogging away). I must appreciate the remaining hours I have.

I vowed to myself that I would travel once a year, at minimal. Being cautious and hesistant, I missed a number of fun and enjoyable moments in my life. It's time to gain all that I had missed. Time to take a different approach and view in my life.

Way to go.....

Taiwan Trip Photos V - Hualien & Taroko Gorge

We have been changing hotels every night. Felt like a nomad. Hehe. From a positive view, We were able to try out 5 different hotels at one go. That's cool. The first hotel we stayed in Taipei was Meadow Hotel and a taxi driver told us that our hotel was right next to a place full of sex workers. Whoa....@_@

Second night - at Hualien. This was one of the best hotels we stayed in apart from the Spa Resort at Guba. Look, Jolene was flashing her NTD1000 =p My sis took photos of Hualien while seated in the bus. We were on our way to Taroko Gorge, which is also one of the tourist spots everyone must visit at Taiwan.

We had finally arrived Taroko Gorge after hours of bus ride. We wasted no time in camwhoring. Time is precious!

View from the top

Cooling and refreshing water from the mountains. It's crystal clear.

Amitabha. Apparently, there're temples within the Taroko National Park.

Taiwan Trip Photos IV - Xi Men Ding & The Red House

The very first night we landed at Taipei, Taiwan, we were chauffeured to a spot where night life is wild - Xi Men Ding. Our hotel should have been in Xi Men Ding according to the initial plan of our itinerary. To our disappointment, it was changed to Meadow Hotel at Chang Chung Road in Taipei.

Xi Men Ding reminded me of Strøget (Walking Street) in Copenhagen. Only that the former has an Asian feel with Asian interesting delicacies and fashion.

Arrival at Xi Men Ding via bus straight from the airport. Can't wait to get down from the bus =p

The busy street of Xi Men Ding. It looked exactly like the streets in movies (Hong Kong/Taiwan), eh? Buzzing city during the night. *Peace* at The Red House, which was right opposite Xi Men Ding streets. Looked like Hebe of S.H.E. and He Jun Xiang eh? I didn't really notice that when I was there. Busy snapping photos as we were only given an hour to venture the streets of Xi Men Ding.

Cute miniature robots made up of electronic components. Cool!

Taiwan Trip Photos III - Yehliu Geopark

Known as one of the wonders in the world, Yehliu Geopark is a tourist spot one must visit when travelling to Taiwan. What's so special about the park? One is able to see the natural formation of rocks due to corrosion of wind and sea water. The gem of the park is the "Queen's Head". According to experts' analysis, the neck of the "Queen's Head" will break within these 10 years due to the strong wind and sea water that corrodes the rock. Few years back, visitors were still able to touch the "Queen's Head" but not anymore for fear its neck will break.

The entrance fee was only NTD50 (approximately MYR5.5). Definitely worth every cents ;)

While we were in the bus, our local tour guide Jimmy warned us not to go beyond the Red Line which can be found around the park. Needless to say, the Red Line signified danger. According to Jimmy, there were incidents where people were wiped off from the edge of the rocks as a result of surpassing the Red Line. Fair enough. When we were walking our way up to the "Queen's Head", the waves were beating against the rock fiercely and the water also made its way up to us so much so that it splashed on us.

Be cautious that when you are walking along the edges of the rocks. Try not to push your way through or if you notice people are pushing one another, stay away as the unfortunate one might end up at the bottom of the ocean or rocks. I did see people pushing through their way although there were senior visitors around. I was holding my breath, hoping nothing untoward would happen to these vulnerable ones. Where has gone the civilisation?

Does this look like frog or crocodile?

We are obedient lots - we stayed behind the Red Line ;p

Ah,...it's our turn finally! Posing with The Queen's Head.

The rocks behind us had a unique shape. My sis and I looked tiny in between the rocks, eh? Hehe.

Taiwan Trip Photos II - Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Place

The first stop on the second day was Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Place a.k.a Zhi You Square. Its scenery was simply breath-taking and due to time constrains, we ran God knows how many kilometres from the entrance to the building and then hurrily climbed the flight of stairs to reach the top of the building for camwhoring. At the end of the photo sessions, I felt heat enveloping me although it was really windy out there. Phew....

Taiwan Trip Photos I

Snacks and local delicacies are one of the attractions in Taiwan. We tried to taste as many as we could during the night market visits.White flesh bitter gourd juice. I had never seen bitter gourd of this kind. That was really an eye-opener. This stall was the first stop upon arrival at Xi Men Ding.

The lady boss was very friendly and humorous. Upon seeing us camwhoring in front of her stall, she offered 2 bitterguards for us to pose with ;)

Ah Chung Mee Sua. This stall was a must-try by merely looking at the long queue. The 3 of us could not tell what's so special about this Mee Sua. Perhaps, it's the gravy. If you love pork intestines or stomachs, you would definitely enjoy this Mee Sua.Chinese sausage. There were a lot of flavours to choose from. I went for the original flavour. Taiwanese likes to add pepper and spicy powder to its snacks. Again, I prefer to go for the original ;) My sis and Jolene posing with the sausages. Jolene's sausage was not meaty at all. It was made up of glutinous rice. Yippie! My turn to pose. Borrowed Jolene's sausage. Hehe. Yikes, let's pose together :) In case you are wondering, this is a cup cake made up of eggs and is filled with sweet potato.Stinky Beancurd (Chou Tofu). The smell was indeed provoking. Nevertheless, the tofu tasted surprisingly bland. We were expecting the taste to be as provoking.Next, we went to Jiu Fen. It's a nice place which is situated on the hill top. There were lots of shops and stalls lined along the sides from the bottom of the hill right up to the top. Jimmy (the local tour guide) recommended us to a quaint shop which sold fish ball noodles. Being Mandarin illiterate, we requested Jimmy to place order for us. Jimmy ordered different type of noodles for us - meehoon, mee, and kuey teow-like noodle. The latter had a great texture which I like the best. The mee was also good. I may sound mean but I can't help to notice this strangely dressed lady at a stall in Jiu Fen. She was selling sausages. You should have listened to how she spoke as well. Put it in a nice way, there're entertainment and food at one stop. Not bad. Apparently, a number of celebrities had stopped by her stall previously, according to photographs neatly posted around her stall. Er,....I am not exactly sure what this is. My guess would be its made up of glutinous rice flour and stuffed with vegetables. It looked like a sweet delicacy until you take a mouthful bite into it. Another interesting snack we found is Yam cake. Unlike the ones we have here, the cake/dough was springy and Yam of bite sizes were found all in one piece. Although I am not a huge fan of Yam cake, I would give a thumb up for this. It's not heavily flavoured - just a slight tinge of pepper and salt. Time for dessert! The colourful cubes were made up of sweet potatos. Though it's rather cooling up on the hill top, we opted for the chilled one (there were a selection of hot and chilled ones). The black pearl-looking beads were bubbles a.k.a black pearls! My favourite! They were chewy and springy - excellent to be chewed upon ;)This is a random shot. Scenery of the yard behind a restaurant where we had one of our lunches. It's rare for a city girl to see such a huge piece of greenland.

Dishes we had in the Charcoal Resort at Guba. Most of the dishes had charcoal elements. I like the sandwich and "mantou". The charcoal noodle was kind of salty. Perhaps it was due to the mussles? *shrug*

Okies, the above all are the photos on food I have with me. I am awaiting others to send or post them in Facebook for grabs ;p

Taiwan Trip during Spring (26th April - 2nd May 2009)

A destination is now being scraped off from my "To-Go" list. Yay! One of my New Year Resolution is accomplished =)

I like the weather in Taiwan during Spring- cooling, refreshing and chilly. However, since my return, I notice that it's rather windy in Malaysia despite the mighty sun showing no mercy on us.

The trip wasn't one of the greatest but looking through the photos taken did bring chuckles and grins, which clearly showed that I did enjoy the trip nonetheless. Perhaps, it wasn't the places we went but the people we went with. I must say Jolene deserves the credit. She made the entire journey fun and enjoyable. Thank you, Jolene! Having said that, the others in the group also added fun to the trip. Thank you!

There were 2 tour guides accompanying us throughout the entire trip. They were Chris (tour leader from Malaysia) and Jimmy (local tour guide from Taiwan). Although my command in Mandarin language isn't all that good, I noticed that the pronunciation of some words spoken by Jimmy weren't that accurate due to his local accent, I believe. He spoke the exact same way as Rainie Yang in the drama "Miss No Good", which then stirred some laughter from me. I had been holding my laughter on the first 2 days.

I am uploading photos to Facebook (while awaiting another batch of photos from Jolene). So, those of you who have added me in Facebook, kindly check them out ;) At the same time, I am trying to organize my posts and photos on this blog. There are too much to talk about and I am trying my best to lay them out well. Right now, I am not sure where to start. Hehe.

Well, let's start from the basic information. The trip was a 7 days trip and it costed MYR 2396 inclusive of flight fare, accomodation (hotels ranged from 3-star to 4-star), meals, entrance fees to 2 theme parks, train ride, bullet train ride, boat ride at Sun Moon Lake, and tipping.

In terms of scenery, Taiwan indeed has a lot to offer. There are many mountains and temples. For those who are more adventurous, extreme water sports and mountain climbing are the options one can venture.

Taiwan is a shopping paradise to most women. Most night markets have quaint stalls selling cosmetics, accessories and clothings, apart from local delicacies. We did buy some masks to re-hydrate our dried skin. It's indeed very hydrating and the price is very reasonable, I must say. A box of mask (10 pieces/free 2 pieces) was only priced at NTD200 (about MYR22).

Taiwanese ladies know how to groom themselves very well. Most ladies I came across applied make-up and they dressed relatively fashionable. They also had very good complexion.

To food-lovers, there are a wide variety of local delicacies and specialties one must try. Just to name a few, "Smelly Tofu", Mee Suah, Oyster Mee suah, Fried Oyster, Bubble Tea, Fruity Ice Blends, Bittergourd (white flesh) juice, Chinese Sausage, Spring Onion Cake, Pork Chop, Pineapple cake, Taro cake, Salty soya milk with Youtiao (Chinese cruller fried bread stick or Chinese doughnut) and Pork organs (blood - in the form of rectangular blocks and black in colour, stomach, intestines, tongue and ear). Interesting?

I am not sure about you, but I am rather particular about restrooms/public toilets. They are not very impressive in Taiwan mainly because they emit foul smell and some designs are really down to the basics - no sign of toilet bowls. What was found was an approximate 15cm width of drain for the discharges to flow into a waste respository. At one point of time, I was under the impression that I was in China. I also noticed that rubbish bins were scarce in the 36191 square kilometres island. Fear of bom attacks/pranks? *shrug*

The highlight of this trip is the hotspring spa. I really enjoyed it very much. With the help of the water pressure and 21st century technology, an ordinary looking pool is turned into a spa and "massage machine". They were meant to "massage" shoulders, legs, thighs, bottoms and spine/back. The water was only luke warm, which was more acceptable to a majority of people. Hopping into a hotspring gave a different sensation. The water was hot and if you are sensitive to your body reaction, you could probably feel you heart is beating faster and blood is circulating quicker. It was a pity that we only stayed for a night at the resort.

Two years back, I vowed to myself that I would not go for rides at theme parks that would make my heart skip a beat, after braving through rides that tossed and turned me 180 and 360 degrees. Two years had elapsed and I found myself entering another theme park - Leo Foo Village. It was relatively small compared to Sunway Lagoon. Most rides in Leo Foo Village were rather short although about 99% of them shared similarity with Sunway Lagoon. Anyway, there were a couple of the rides which caught us off guard. One actually tossed and turned us around up in the air once we reached a certain height. It was no wonder why there were 2 safety measurements taken for the ride - an overhead buckle and one in between the legs. That's a good surprise ;)

All in all, the trip did not actually meet my expectations. Perhaps, I had set high expectations owing to the extensive advertisements by the Taiwanese tourism board. I was warned by a friend previously that Taiwan was a boring place. It's actually not a boring place. If you love nature, there are plenty to do. If you are adventurous with food, Taiwan has plenty to offer. There's no need to reiterate how many night markets, departmental stores and shopping malls throughout Taiwan if you are there for shopping. The shoes are worth buying as I notice that the quality of the materials used as the sole were good - they are not slippery and the prices were fairly reasonable (about NTD 310 to NTD400 per pair, approximately MYR40 to MYR45).

Childish?

You would be surprised how you acted childish at times. It's really an act of simplicity and innocence, to a certain extent. While I was playing with 5 year old Shirley (a little girl I met during my recent Taiwan trip), my friend pointed out how childish I was. LOL. I reckon you would need to think like a child to click with one, just to ensure the wavelength is of the same frequency.

Probably I was really bored while seated in the bus and I suppose you could imagine what a bored person can do. I realised how easy and simple a kid can be pleased. Perhaps not all kids demand the same level of fun and complexity but Shirley can be warmed up pretty easily. A few simple tricks (and repeating ones) were enough to tickle her laughing buds. It took me by surprise how much I missed the gleeful laughter of a child.

Looking at Shirley reminded me the life of a child. It's usually care-free, innocent, simple and fun. Perhaps becoming childish once in a blue moon would free up one's mind for a while. At least, we remember to breathe and laugh =D

Greetings from TaoYuan, Taiwan

It feels good again to be able to blog after some time =) I am now at TaoYuan airport, awaiting to board. Apparently, we need to be in the airport two and a half hours prior to departure. I didn't know why at first. Now, I do. The security checking on luggages is pretty "manual". Officers would demand passengers to open luggages if they did not go through the screening. Passengers were told to wait at the counter until the luggages successfully went through. So, you can pretty imagine the queue at the counter.

I am not really looking forward to doing my laundry =p 7 days of laundry!! Argh! Anyway, I will try to post photos as soon as I get them downloaded to my laptop.

Okies, signing off.......Not used to blogging with people walking behind my back.