Golden Formosa, Smith and Hsu

1/17/10 -- Today was an idyllic Sunday for sure. As I woke up today I hurried to the Golden Formosa Restaurant for a family gathering. The occassion? My aunt Shirley wanted to rehearse the Chinese New Year's Eve. While I have never been enthused about having to rehearse anything at all ever in my life, I did welcome this very rehearsal with all my heart.

We arrived at the restaurant to find two tables waiting for us, so I figured the luncheon would be attended by 20 folks or so. Cousin Ying Ying's daughter Keli was already waiting there. Everyone soon arrived and the food came on in robust amount and lightening fast speed.This was my first time visiting the Golden Formosa Restaurant, even though it has been in the Tianmu District for about 30 years. I have to say I'm quite impressed with the orderly service, and the rather joyful ambiance. The food was good too. My only question would be whether the dishes that we will have on New Year's Eve would be exactly the same as we had it today--if so, I guess the rehearsal spoiled the fun!!

After going home to rest a bit, cousin Jane and her fiancee Murphy decided to meet up with me in Tianmu for a rare get-together. We didn't have enough time to talk during lunch and thought it would be nice to catch up a bit! Smith and Hsu opened up in Tianmu recently and so I suggested we went there. Well! What a lovely afternoon tea we had. In the stark and industrial looking cool toned room, we finished the entire high tea set. Everything was really delicious; the service was acceptable--not great, but acceptable.

Just here in Tianmu area we have so much to choose from. I definitely find this part of town convenient and fun!

Taipei the City of Cultural Activities, WOW

1/16/10 -- Today I went with Friend S to the Huashan 1914 Creative Park, to visit with Mr. Chang Yun-Ming, an artist who is holding his oil painting exhibit that opened today.

This was my first time visiting the Huashan Creative Park. I was curious to see such a historic-looking complex with chic restaurants, exhibits, boutiques and artifacts booths all in one place. On a Saturday night the crowd seemed happy and at leisure. Music flowed from the stage with the band playing. The aroma of popcorn and pizza from nearby eateries filled the air.

We found the building where the exhibit was held. This lovely complex used to be the Taipei Huashan Wine Factory, which was part of the government monopolized alcohol and tobacco bureau. The gallery we were headed to was the fruit wine distillery.

Mr. Chang's lovely daughter was sitting with a group of cheerful visitors who came to the opening of the exhibit today. She greeted S and myself and we three sat and chatted for a long while. Mr. Chang later joined us and we had a nice time chatting about his work, his creative process, and the life of an artist.

Mr. Chang is apparently very prolific. The works exhibited numbered about 40, and they are all very different, yet all very charming. Some are realistic, others are abstract. Yet some others are impressionistic. I saw a few that were quite Fauvist-like and several that remind me of Paul Klee in their humorous composition.

This was certainly a very pleasant surprise as I had not expected to find such a cute corner in Taipei.

While online just now, Friend Y told me about the Taipei Film House. I checked out the website. Turned out this is the former American Embassy in Taipei! It is now a movie theater that plays artsy and indie films. I am going to go check it out soon.

Nice to know there are such impressive cultural venues in my city.

Cold Weather??

1/5/10--Having been acclimated to the weather in San Francisco and previously Washington DC, I practically never feel cold in Taipei. You see, what is considered a cold front here is around 5 degrees Celcius. That's a bit cold, for sure; but it's not skiing jacket weather. It's very tough to be walking around in what I feel is "weather appropriate attire" for me, in Taipei, in my own opinion. While everyone else is bundled up in heavy clothing, I'm usually perfectly comfortable in short-sleeve t-shirt or just a very thin jacket. However, the hazard of doing so is not so much as to catch a cold, but rather everyone will ask me whether I'm cold, why I'm not cold, how come I don't want to put on a coat...I ended up having to answer these questions many times, to the point of reaching irrability boiling point!

So the strategy I have developed is as follows:

To the question: "Sue, how come you're not cold?" My answer is: "Fine! Thank you!!"
To the question: "How come you're wearing so little?" My answer is: "Fine! Thank you!!"
To the question: "Aren't you cold?" My answer is: "Fine! Thank you!!"
To the question: "PUT ON A COAT!" My answer is: "OK! Thank you!" and proceed to walk away.

So far so good! It works just fine! And everyone is happy!

Yoga All Over Again...

1/4/10--It is my new year resolution for 2010 to lose weight (oh, cliche, but hey) and exercise daily. As such I started my yoga lessons again. Today, at the basic yoga studio, we had to do this pose which was...challenging, to say the least. This here is the Eagle Pose. We also did a few other poses that focused on balance and core muscle strength. I can only say I must be very out of shape because I'm TIRED!!

That said it's good to exercise and I do feel less achey compared to yesterday. Well, diligence and perseverence are the keys...I hope my yoga efforts continue!!

OMMMMMMmmmmmm......

Sherlock Holmes

1/3/10: I do like going to a movie from time to time. But all that everyone wants to see these days are the disaster movies (2010) and sci-fi (Avator) and the one I really had my eyes on was Sherlock Holmes. Well, after asking around for an entire week, finally I found Friend K who would go with me!!

We started w/ hotpot in Shihlin, then the quintessential girly thing to do in Taipei--hair wash, neck+shoulder massage and styling. After that, we ventured out to Tianmu where we headed for the Shingkong Mitsukoshi Department Store. The great thing about this department store is that it is conveniently located and it's got a 13-screen cineplex right in the building.

We got our seats, got the coffee from the *$ across the street, and enjoyed the next two hours of mindless entertainment. The best thing about going to a movie is that one can lose oneself in the story completely and resurface in the real world with a bit more imagination and some pretty neat new ideas. I would love going to movies more if I had the time...especially in Taipei there're so many more theaters that play movies from around the world, rather than just Hollywood productions. Well, that said, today we did go to a Hollywood production.

Sherlock Holmes was a good movie with enough suspence to keep me at my toes throughout. The cast did a good job and I have always liked reading Sherlock Holmes and the setting of 19th century London. It was certainly a good 2 hours of fun.

The next movie I want to go see would be the Japanese animation of "Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva", which should be playing at the same Miramar theater in Tianmu soon. So glad all these movie theaters are so close to me now!

Family Luncheon and More Fun to Come

1/2/10--Not that I haven't visited the Night Market just the night before w/ Jerome, but this morning I'm waking up to yet another big meal ahead! Lunch with Ma's side of relatives at Leo Fu Hotel's Buffett. OH GOSH. Yet another big production--all-you-can-eat, lotsa people. I braced myself.

Mom and I were the first to arrive and very soon everyone was there. The 28 of us were in a room separately from all the other Buffett diners. It was good to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles. Just as we were settling down to our meal, Dad's brother Uncle William showed up...we were wondering how he was invited to Mom's side's family event. But it turned out he was here to attend another party and the hotel ushered him to the wrong table, since both reservations were made by "Mrs. Wun". Uncle William and some of Dad's sister Aunt Tsui-Mei's children and grand children were sitting on the far end of the same buffett restaurant. All these relatives quickly started intermingling with each other, catching up, saying hello, extending New Year wishes. It was a very busy lunch with lots of walking around for sure!

After lunch I rushed on to the Toastmasters meeting, and then on to dinner w/ my cousin Jerome again. Jerome and I met up at the Jiantan Station, but we decided to venture out to the Shida neighborhood off of the Taipower Building MRT Station area. Friend R nicely provided much needed information on where to go...we went to the Red House where we had a bottle of wine on the balcony overlooking the rainy yet busy Shida Road. Following yesterday's VERY LARGE FRIED CHICKEN, I decided to treat Jerome to some more fried bits. We stopped at a salty-crunchy chicken stall, where I bought some more fried bits of food for Jerome. He devoured them in no time, and swore to introduce the fried bits to the general Canadian public. Fried food. So bad for you but so good to eat. What more do I need to say.

After Shida, at Jerome's insistance, we went on to Ximen area for a drink. Ximen was the place to be when I was little--I am quite surprised it's been regentrified and there are so many chic little stores here, especially inside the Red House Building (how come there are so many "red houses" in Taipei?) Jerome seems to have come here before b/c it's close to Uncle Sidney's office. Instead of me leading the way, he lead me to this outside cafe where we sat and I relaxed over drinks and chit chatted about, oh, family stuff, enjoying a cousinly good time. The people at the bar were very friendly and they were curious about Jerome since he speaks no Mandarin but only Taiwanese and English. We ended up chatting with the Waiter Amis for a really long time before heading back home on the very last MRT train.

Afternoon with Jerome

1/2/10--After the lunch my Canadian-Born cousin Jerome who is visiting Taipei for 10 days decided to bestowe me with the honor of taking him around for some fun time hanging out. We headed to Tianmu first. I dropped by Tianmu Sogo to pick up some Beard Papa's cream puffs, to take with us to Mr. Lin's tea house.

At the tea house we devoured the delicious puffs. Mr. and Mrs. Lin who treated me as usual with such wonderful tea also agreed that the cream puffs were delicious, and they go with the tea so well! Jerome and the Lins chatted in Taiwanese which was hilarious for me to watch...it's good to see the Lins on the first day of the New Year.

After tea we went up the street and there the handsome carpet dealer Mian stopped me and greeted me happily as we haven't seen each other since my office moved down to nearing the Shih-Lin MRT station. Mian spent many months in London but now he's back in Taipei. He and Ilias were busy rolling the carpets and sorting the inventory so we just briefly said hello and parted ways. Mian said he would take me and V out for dinner. I'm certainly looking forward to that! Dinner invite already on the 2nd of the New Year!

We went on to the Shih-Lin Night Market, where Jerome bought a set of mahjong at my recommendation as presents for Stan and Sara. Then, we went around the night market and had: LARGE FRIED CHICKEN, bitter melon juice, fried fish cake, shredded ice with red bean and pudding topping, sausage stuffed with basil, and pork and cabbage buns. Jerome also bought a scarf and a belt. I helped bargain a little bit successfully. OH! How I love the night market!!!!!

We stopped at Ikari Coffee where I had my first cup of coffee of the day (ha!) before parting ways. Jerome and I knew we had another big meals ahead of us...yet we still ate until we were about to pop. I don't know how I'm going to carry out my rather cliche but necessary new year resolution of losing some more weight...

Yet Another Year!

1/2/10: it's too late to catch up on last year's activities but one of my new year resolutions is to update this blog as a personal record as frequently and diligently as possible...the world as my witness we will see how long this effort lasts...

December 31st of last year was a memorable day as the last day of the year is not only just the last day of the year, it is also Dad's birthday. On the eve of Dec. 30th I went to book dinner, Moet and Chandon, and the cake. I also dropped by Sogo to buy socks as Dad's birthday. It's really hard to pick presents for Dad, as he has one of everything, if not more.

finally Dad's birthday came. I rushed home after a hectic day and picked up all the food items. Suyi and Ruby and Andy all came to have dinner, along with Omar and his GF. We had a wonderful time, before everyone split up for fireworks viewing and count down.

For the count down, I went with Friends from the TMC, and cleverly combined two parties into one. What happened was Friend W1 and W2 already asked whether I was interested to see TPE 101 fireworks from afar in Neihu. That sounded really good cuz I had no interest in getting into the Hsin-Yi District whatsover today to be amongst the horrible crowd. Meanwhile Friend C called to see if I wanted to go to Friend L's home to watch the Red-White singing competition on his HDTV. Since Friend L lives in Neihu, I decided to ask Friend W1 to go and get Friends C, L, and myself. This plan worked out fantastically in the end!! Everything went as planned and we successfully found a spot to park the car nearing the ramp where we watched the fireworks as we counted down. Here's the pic from the TPE 101 as captured by Friend W1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22725554@N08/sets/72157623111327988/show/with/4233005204/

The drive back home was not too bad either since the general direction taken mostly went against the traffic flow. Went right to sleep and got up to see that Mom was rushing to leave. I forgot that it was the anniversary of Grandmother's passing and traditionally Mom's siblings and their children would go visit Grandma--and now Grandpa who passed in May of '09--to commemorate them. I went with Mom to pick up Aunt Lishya and Uncle. Then we drove to the Christian Cemetary in Tamsui where Grandma and Grandpa were laid to rest. We had some quiet time reflecting on their lives, and pleasant conversations catching up, before moving on to the lunch. Yes, the lunch. How can family gatherings go without meals!

Paul and Hanano Kura

11/7/09 After rehearsal I joined friend H and K for a dinner at Paul on the Jenai Circle. What a lovely spot! The bistro faces the most recognized street corner in Taipei City. However noisy it is out there, the moment we stepped into Paul, it is as if we entered a small corner in Montmartre. The ambiance of the restuarant is serene and relaxing. The aroma of freshly baked baguettes and palmier fill the air. I felt like I was in a fluff for a while.

H and K and I made a reservation. Everything looked delicious and decidedly French bistro. We wanted to try it all and had to go through a complicated process of selection by elimination. We finally decided on a roast beef sandwich dish, a salad with smoke salmon, and a french appetizer platter.

Every bite was delicious and the meal was very satisfying! This was the first time K and I met, and we talked as if we were old friends. Not only are we about the same age, she has been in Taipei for 10 years, and spent a few years in California prior to coming to Taipei. Before then, she was in her native Japan. We have many things in common indeed! It's nice to meet someone with similar background and likings.

After the meal in Paul, H had to go home and K and I decided to find another place for a drink. We ended up at the Hamano Kura, that would be "the Wine Cellar of Flower" in English. This is a trendy sake bar where one can enjoy sake cocktails, various kinds of sake, and great sushi. We decided on Otokoyama, which is a sake with an umph. Over the sake we talked some more until it was passed the metro operation hours. Therefore we had to take taxis home. For safety reasons we called taxis over the phone (despite the fact that they are everywhere if you want to hail one) and two showed up very quickly. As soon as we were going to step into the taxi, the Hama no Kura person rushed on out of the sake bar to tell us that they got our tab wrong--instead of paying for a carafe, we paid for a whole bottle!!! Thank goodness they are honest.

The Taiheiyo Heiwa Toastmasters Japanese Club in Taipei

11/07/09: Today I get to do my first "ice breaker" speech in Japanese at my Toastmasters Club. I thought I was not going to be nervous but for whatever reason I was on pins and needles all the way until I went OFF the stage!! And it was only a short speech! I think the nerve came from lack of practice...I wonder how preachers like Billy Graham and Joel Osteen, or great orators like Obama and Kennedy get to speak without stage freight.

This is such a nice bunch of people and my speech received great response. In order not to make my self-introduction so boring and routined just like every one else's, I decided to quickly go through my basic data, and then move on to a quiz, including questions like what food do I not like, what sports am I not good at, which island have I not gone to, etc. It was a relief to hear laughters coming from the audience.

I am glad to say I'm liking my Toastmasters Club. Seems like I'll be able to make some good new friends there besides reaping other great side benefits such as polishing my public speaking skills and communication skills.

The Taipei Zoo

11/08/09 Yesterday there was a company-wide outing to the Taipei Zoo. Got up early and went to the 7 to buy breakfast. "The Seven" is how people call Seven-Elevens here, and the food selection is astounding. I shall have to write about that some other time.

Anyway I went to the 7 to buy breakfast and then waited on Chungshan N. for my cherubic coworker H to come and pick me up. His car came and as expected, the entire car is filled with people and McDonald bags. Ha! We had a huge breakfast match in the car, and but 20 min later we arrived at the Zoo.

The last time and the only time I went to the current Taipei Zoo was when it first opened 20-some years ago...it was very huge but barren at the time. It's nice to see the park is all filled with lush plants and trees now.

Before entering the zoo, we walked pass the new Taipei City Children's Entertainment Park. I can't wait to bring my nieces and nephew here when they come to Taipei. We also walked passed the recently built but quickly defunct Mao-Kung Cable Car. This was indeed a good idea, but it was a pity that the City Government missed the construction survey, causing the Cable Car to become a dangerous structure only shortly after its completion. Even so, The Wen-Shan area is still rich in touristic resources.

We first signed in and fetched our souvenirs for today's participation of the Zoo outing. Then, we darted towards the latest attraction inside the park--the Panda Colony. We got the timed ticket to the Panda Hall, lined up, and slowly approached the pandas. The pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan came from Sichuang. They were given to the Taipei Zoo last year. I have not seen them because thousands of visitors crowd this part of the Zoo every day then. Now that the panda craze is over by a little bit, I can see the panda in relative ease without too much pain. They were very cute! Tuan Tuan was sitting on the ground eating bamboo, while Tuan Tuan was hiding behind the playground set in the "room", scratching her behind...HA~

We then went up the slope and met up with more coworkers. The entire park was swamped with people I know and recognize; it's great to see their kids, too.

I didn't realize this was such a vast ground. The old zoo near northern part of the city moved to the current site in 1986. The current zoo is said to be the largest zoo in Southest Asia. After seeing the panda and hanging out at the Hippo Plaza eateries, we made our way up the tropical forrest walkway and meandered up to see the koalas. The koalas were at ease sleeping, chewing on eucalyptus leaves, and playing among the branches, respectively. They were very cute and much smaller than I expected--this was my first time seeing koalas, come to think of it!!

The Taipei Zoo was much more fun than I thought it would be--next time I come here I want to go up to the nearby and famous Mao-Kong Hill to have some Chinese tea also.

Thus Began the Whirlwind City Tour...

1/30/09 After getting back to the hotel, friend B already woke up. We went down to the hotel restaurant to the inclusive breakfast buffet. I was expecting nothing spectacular, and to my amazement, the hotel cafe was not just a cafe. It was the banquet room of the hotel converted into the breakfast buffet room. The buffet was in grand style also. There were at least 10 different food stations. Anything that one can think of--Chinese style breakfast items, Japanese and Korean style breakfast items, Western style breakfast items, coffee of different kinds, tea of different kinds, salad bar, pastry shop, and the list goes on. We ended up having this completely luxurious meal in this atrium banquet hall. That's Kaohsiung right there, everything is uh, bigger and better!! It would make my brother-in-law Jim, a son of Kaohsiung, very proud!!

After the breakfast, we checked out of the hotel. I quite liked the stay and would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone visting Kaohsiung. Upon checking out, Friend B got in touch with her friend Sophie, who moved with her family from Taipei to Kaohsiung some years ago. Sophie said she would come and get us, and spend some time with us. We didn't purchase the return leg of High Speed Railway ticket in advance, but we thought the trip would be but a few hours. How wrong we were. Little did we know we were about to go on THE day trip of Kaohsiung.

Sophie, her boyfriend P and his daughter Z arrived in this very nice SUV. That's another thing--one hardly sees an SUV in Taipei; the roads are narrower, and the cars are smaller. However, in the South of Taiwan, it seems every other car is an SUV. After happy exchanges of greetings, we hopped into the SUV and off we started the tour around Kaohsiung.

The first stop of the tour was the Fisherman's Wharf. Kaohsiung is a port city. In fact the Port of Kaohsiung is the largest port in Taiwan and to date the Port is still one of the largest in East Asia. Along the harbour there's the Fisherman's Wharf, which is a long strip of nice waterfront cafes. We took pictures and walked about. Here I saw some bicycles (which I don't yet know how to ride...) for public use. This is a new thing here in Taiwan but Taiwan boasts one of the world's highest density of cyclists, and it seems everyone on the island rides a bicycle. More and more there are free bicycles all around the island especially at major scenic spots available for public use. I have never seen it before and am glad to see such good ideas taking off in Taiwan.

The Love River

1/30/09 Every famous city is associated with a famous river, it seems. When one thinks of Rome, it is the Tiber River; Paris is not Paris without the Seine. Kaohsiung has its river, too--it is the Love River.

The Love River used to be very extremely polluted during the 70s and 80s, with raw sewage and industrial wastewater flowing directly into the river (yiew.) Today it is one of the most successful examples of pollution reversal, with more than a dozen species of fish swimming happily (or they seem so...) in the Love River.

I woke up quite early despite the beer consumption the previous night. For my morning walk, I decided to walk to and along the Love River.

As I obtained the map and checked direction with the front desk, the gentleman was very surprised I would walk it. He advised that the preferred way to travel in Kaohsiung is by motorcycle or scooter. Since I had no access to either and can operate neither, I thanked him and embarked on my journey on foot.

Just a short 10 minutes down the road I came across the Central Park of Kaohsiung. I must say it is of no particular significance to me, since I do see a lot more nice city parks either in Taipei or elsewhere in the world. I later learned that the Park is most beautiful at night and is known as the Light Corridor of Kaohsiung City, since the Park is nicely illuminated at night. I suppose that makes up for its...so-so-ness during the day.

After walking through the park, I went for another 20 minutes by foot and I arrived at the Love River. It is beautiful ineed, very serene, not too many people walking despite the fact that the paths along the bank is nicely paved. On the other hand there were quite a lot of scooters on the streets --as the hotel staff correctly advised.

I walked along the river and realized there were many people there busy putting some kind of festival together. A closer look revealed that the city and its people are preparing for the upcoming Lantern Festival. It is afterall still the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival is the last day of the Chinese New Year, the 15th of the month of January on the Lunar Calendar, and there will be lanterns displayed all the way along the river bank.

While walking, I encountered a middle-aged couple asking for directions from me. I apologetically told them I am not a local, and then during the next 30 seconds of conversation while walking down the road together, we found that we were all "from" California!! What a small world!!

Kaohsiung at Night!!

1/29/09 After dinner we roamed some more and ended up on the top terrace of the mall, which is a pretty good size playground and amusement park and was packed with people. The ferris wheel with completely see through gondolas is all the rage and the line was long beyond my wildest belief, so I decided to skip it.

With the afternoon nap, the walking about, and the long wait to the meal, plus the meal time, plus the shopping afterwards, it was actually very late already. We decided to head back to the hotel.

As if the meal was not satisfying enough, seeing that we were on a trip, indulging ourselves a little bit would not be the end of the day--hey, I survived a 10-day Alaska cruise with regular 6-time-feedings throughout the day, what's one night in Kaohsiung gonna do for me!?

Friend and I decided we needed some BEER. If you get beer here, you need snacks to go with the beer. Our choice of snack for the evening is the down home southern garlic flavored dried tofu curds. While they look very brown and dubius to those who are not from Taiwan, dried tofu curds are bar-none the BEST snack to go with beer. Period. No discussion necessary. If I signed up for the Amazing Race and they feed me this stuff, I would surely beat the others to the million bucks.

At this late hour of the night, thank goodness Taiwan is an island filled to the brim with 24-7 convenient stores at every street corner. We hit the one right near the hotel, and bought the beers and the snacks, and went back to our hotel. Now with refreshments in our hands, we watched TV and chatted late into the night. From our hotel room, we could see the very dramatic and beautiful night view of the city. I know I haven't seen much of Kaohsiung except for one shopping mall, but for some reason I like the fact that I'm taking in the slower southern pace, kicking back, relaxing, and just having a good time. I know somehow we will see KS plenty within the remainder of the weekend...

The Dream Mall

1/29/09 For dinner and entertainment that evening, we decided to head to the Dream Mall.

The Dream Mall is one of the most popular shopping destinations in Kaohsiung. We took a taxi to the Dream Mall, and before even approaching, I discovered that Kaohsiung streets are all wider by a lot compared to Taipei City.

The Dream Mall is HUGE!!! What's more, as soon as I stepped into the lobby atrium, there's the Cold Stone Ice Creamry! What can't you find in Taiwan these days!?!

We were quite hungry and headed for the restaurants within the mall, almost all of which were on the same level. WELL!! We arrived a little bit behind the crowd, and as a result, many restuarants already were fully booked for the night! We found one hot pot+table top grilling restaurant which were still accepting walk-ins, at 45 minutes of wait time. Better than nothing, I suppose. We browsed for 45 minutes and then arrived at the restaurant to be seated.

The restaurant is nicely decorated, with fish tanks atop the dividing walls separating each seating booth. It's kind of an interesting experience cooking and viewing the swimming fishies at the same time.

The meal consists of two parts--a hot pot on my left, and a table top grill to my right. The wait staff started bringing enormous amounts of food to our table. This is Kaohsiung indeed!! Even food portions are larger down south. We had plentiful vegetables and slices of delicious beef. It was a very satisfying meal indeed.

After eating, we continued roaming around and came by a beautiful traditional Taiwanese pastry shop, Yu-Jen-Zai. The pastry shop is famous the island over and originated from my dad's home town in Zhanghua County. Even traditional pastry shops are franchised these days. So it is not strange to see one of their stores here at the Dream Mall. I saw one of my favorite snacks, Mua-Lao, which is this sticky-skinned pastry with foamy insides. The skin is sticky because the crunchy exterior of the pastry is covered with wheat-germ syrup and then coated with either sesame seeds or almond slices. YUM YUM!! Bought some, and moved on to the top floor.

To the South...(I)

(picture: Tuntex Sky Tower and the City of Kaohsiung, taken from the room window at Han-Hsien International Hotel)

1/29/09 Ever since coming back to Taiwan this time, I haven't left the City of Taipei. Today marked the first time I'll be visiting another city since my return. Destination: Kaohsiung, the 2nd largest city in Taipei, and one of the largest port cities of Taiwan. When Friend B suggested that we take an overnight mini vacation in Kaohsiung, I happy obliged.

If Taipei were like New York, then Kaohsiung would be like Los Angeles, so to speak. Taipei is built up, squishy, sophisticated, slightly harsh and rushed. Kaohsiung on the other hand is sprawling, spread out, relaxed, slower in pace, and leisurely. Even people's tastes and taste buds are different--Taipei folks like solid colors and savory food; whereas Kaohsiung folks like splashy outfits and sweetened dishes. Of course this is generalization, but there's some truth to these stereotypical impressions that come to mind every time one speaks of these two cities.

Friend B and I took off half way through the afternoon. We were going to drive there; but decided to take the High Speed Railway instead. The HSR was completed just a few years ago, and it's really fantastic. We arrived in Kaohsiung mid-afternoon and checked into the hotel.

Perhaps due to lingering jetlag or time difference, perhaps due to the heat of Southern Taiwan, I felt quite tired upon arrival and took a nap as soon as we got to the hotel. The nap turned out to be four hours long. By the time I woke up, it was already getting dark outside. Looking out the window, I got my first impression of Kaohsiung--the beautiful skyline and the hustle bustle of the port city.

Sing Your Heart Out...

(Picture: Ella singing, Omar looking for a song, Jane putting in her song's order, and Chiyue working the coffee pot. Inside of the KTV compartment.)

1/28/09 After the meal, the Wun cousins decided to leave the township of Tamsui and venture into the City of Taipei. It's been a while for any of us to go to a KTV, and we were in the mood to sing--hard to explain, but hey, this is the land of Karaoke we're talking about--so off we went to the Cash Box "KTV" in Eastern Taipei.

Ella drove Jane, Chiyue and myself across town and we arrived at the Cash Box KTV. Omar joined us in about an hour. I am out of practice either in singing or in going to a KTV, so I stood back and let others take charge of getting us a private room with the singing machine, the screen, and the rest of the gadgets.

the Cash Box KTV that we went to was one of the first and the most well established of all the KTVs in--I dare say--all of Taiwan, if not the rest of Asia. The entrance hall looks like that of a 5-star hotel, with chandelier and marbled floor. We registered for a room, were ushered to the elevator, and then were shown a room on the 5th floor of this entire enormous KTV building. The room was spacious and has cushy couches, granite tables and even a bathroom within the room itself. It could comfortably seat 6 or 7 people, so we made ourselves quite at home as soon as we stepped in.

Here's some sidebar info on KTV and Kareoke...the concept of Karaoke, which is a form of entertainment where people sing along with music and music video with the lyrics on a screen, originated in Japan. It has taken off in Taiwan during the early 80s, and I venture to say one cannot easily find a Taiwanese who hasn't been to a Karaoke at least once. Does everyone sing, or sing well? The answer is...Who cares!! The quality of singing is never the issue. Especially considering KTVs are in small room settings. You are singing among friends and family. The fun of getting over the initial embarrasement to sing before people you know--or don't know--is the entire point. Music and tension release are both good for health. Truly, it's a life enriching experience. Gotta give it a try.

Back to the KTV scene...We excitedly got into the room and little to my surprise, my cousins grabbed the remote control and the index folders listing all the songs available on the singing machine system, and started entering the songs like mad.

Very soon, the first song came up on the system and the microphones were passed around. Each person whose chosen song came up on the screen enthusiastically jumped to get the mic, and the rest of us were there to give the utmost support. To my great amazement, all my cousins sang like pros! On the other hand I have been out of loop and out of practice at singing any Chinese pop songs, so I opted for some old time favorites. Thankfully my cousins were equally encouraging.

The KTVs are known for tasty snacks, too. There are some menus and some KTVs even boast a little buffet bar on each floor. We ordered some food and drinks and had our dinner here--after that big lunch at such late hour, we really couldn't eat another full blown meal anymore. These snacks were just right for this time.

All of us had a great time singing, chit chatting, and eating. Three hours passed and we barely noticed. It wasn't until it was really late that we decided to call it a night.

Chiyue was leaving for Japan the following day early in the morning; we all said goodbye reluctantly. I am already longing for the next family get-together where I would be able to see all my cousins soon.

On the Third Day of New Year Aunt Tsui-Mei Came to Us...

(picture: Dumplings, a typical Chinese New Year food especially in the North of China.)

1/28/09 OK, 3rd day of the New Year. Big day ahead of everyone. Dad's older sister Aunt Tsui-Mei, her husband Uncle Ga-Lock and their children and grand children stage the Wu Clan's visit on this very day.

The fare is hosted by Aunt Shirley and Uncle William. Mom, Dad and myself took our time getting up in the morning, and getting ready. This was because the Wu Clan was somehow known to arrive behind scheduled time. I mean, really, really late. Like several hours late. Normally it is not ok really to make such an, uh, unfashionably late arrival, honestly. Knowning my dad and uncles, late arrival may very well trigger a nuclear melt down and the island could be shaken. BUT, it being the Chinese New Year and it being Aunt Tsui-Mei's day to visit with her brothers, we go by her schedule. This is the Grand Dame of the Wun's and the Wu's. Aunt Tsui-Mei calls the shots. She's the Queen Mother of our big extended family. And she always so impeccably, elegantly and beautifully put together that she looks like one, too!!

Uncle Jack's family was there too by the time Mom, Dad and I arrived. All of the Wuns from my generation--with the exception of my sister Sabrina--were present. Good! It was especially good to see Cousin Chiyue, who works in Japan and Mainland China and I hardly ever see him. I was one of the very few family members visiting him while he studied in Japan many years ago. I still think very fondly of our time spent together in Japan. Chiyue was so kind and took very good care of me, even though we are quite far apart in age, with me being much older. With his fluency in Japanese and familiarity with the culture and the places, I always felt very safe with him leading the way while visiting him in Japan.

Suddenly there were many dogs on the scene. My cousin Jane somehow teamed up with Uncle William and are known for their stray dog neighborhood rescue mission. This has been going on for many years. Between the two of them, we now have a house full of people, and 5 dogs on premise.

Time was still early because it was barely lunch time. Aunt Tsui-Mei's family will not be coming until it's LUPPER time (meaning 2-4pm.) We watched TV, played with the dogs, snacked away, chatted, tried out the very fancy massage chairs and exercise equipment all about Uncle William's spacious flat. The moms and the helpers busied themselves in the kitchen. Everyone had something to do and we were really quite ok waiting.

By 3pm, the front door opened and people started pouring in. All these cousins and their kids from the Wu clans showed up. Aunt Tsui-Mei looking her usual gorgeous self swept in, everyone greeted each other enthusiastically.

Before the meal even started, in her grandios style, Aunt Tsui-Mei whipped out a thick stack of red envelopes--with a wad of cash inside each of the envelopes--and started dispening them to those of us who are of the younger generation among the Wuns. This, ladies and gentlemen, would be the only red envelope to be received by me this year, and it is received with a bit of thick skin for sure. As far back as I can remember, Aunt Tsui-Mei is always famous for her exceeding generosity with her red envelopes. Even though my dad and his brothers and their wives all decided that we should stop the red envelopes practice among the Wuns, Aunt Tsui-Mei will not have it. She insisted that she must give red envelopes to each and every of her niece and nephew. As one can imagine, this was a somewhat awkward moment for the grown "kids" of my generation. We really were quite beyond the legitimate age to be receiving red envelopes. They are for children--liberally defined; but then again the youngest Wun cousin of my generation is already 31 this year. Aunt Tsui-Mei tracked us down one by one, stuck a fire-engine red envelope in each of our hands, and we gratefully and giddily said thank-you. I especially profusely thanked her for the New Year envelope, and my very petite Aunt Tsui-Mei slapped me hard on my right shoulder, gesturing me to clutch my envelope hard and go off with it...

The meal started and everyone was in good spirit. There were too many of us to sit at one table so we sat divided by our respective generation. All the aunts and uncles sat together in the dining room; while there's another round table seating the 12 of us from the younger generation.

Aunt Shirley's help A-Hen kept bringing out more and more and more and more food, until finally our table was barely visible and completely covered with dishes. We ate enthusiastically and admiringly as each dish came out. But very soon we were completely in awe of the amount of food brought out from that kitchen. We looked at each other, some of us looked a bit, what's the word? Overwhelmed, by the sheer quantity of the food present. They were all extremely tasty, and were being produced at an astonishing speed.

Half way through the meal I realized maybe it was time to stage that New Year greeting toast from our table to the Aunts and Uncles. I looked around and found that I was the oldest cousin. Well, that means I had to lead the pack! I filled my glass with the liquor there on the table, and motioned EVERYONE to walk over to the Auntie and Uncle Table (AUT) with me. Everyone slowly stood up and followed suit. It was visibly clear that we were in that mode of overconsumption. Will power to diet can drastically weaken in the presence of food, especially during the Chinese New Year. We were living proof of that!!

Arriving at Destination AUT, we made a round of raucous toast, and the aunts and uncles were happy to see us. We clanked glasses and toasted, drank, filled our glasses and drank some more. This was the epitome of the New Year for all of us. The Big Reunion. I suddenly realized I have been missing this scene for almost 20 years. It almost brought tears to my eyes!

As we finally wrapped up the meal, Aunt Tsui-Mei cheerfully said to me, "come for the Walk-of-Spring very soon!!" The Walk-of-Spring is the New Year expression of a visit to a relatives' home. It sure would be nice to do the Walk-of-Spring up the hill to visit Aunt Tsui-Mei. Maybe I'll do so to mark the reinitiation of my continued dieting, after all this crazy amount of food!!

The Idyllic Villa 32

1/27/09 As I was enjoying the meal with Mom, Dad, Siu-Wan and Edward, the phone rang, and it was my cousin Jane looking for me!

I curiously took the phone from Mom and Jane told me that Aunt Shirley just called her and was wondering if I would be free to visit the hot spring in Beitou with Jane and herself. Well, would I ever say no to a hot spring soak? We quickly said ok and agreed to meet at the Shin-Beitou MRT station in 1.5 hours.

I knew I was in for a treat--but I didn't know it was a really special treat. Aunt Shirley picked Jane and I up at the Shin-Beitou MRT station, which is famous for its plentiful hot spring spas and resorts nearby. We drove up this little hill, arrived at a nondescript entrance. Two valet men greeted us. A cement block was before us. It read "32".

This was the renown Villa 32, one of the most reputable and luxurious hot spring spas not only in Beitou, but in the country and maybe even in all of Asia. Most recently it was named one of the six most romantic escapes in Asia by an international travel magazine. I had wanted to come here but haven't had the chance to. I thought our very elegant Aunt Shirley in her usual resourceful way has gotten some discount coupons or sorts for this special visit today. It turned out that she JUST wanted to come and she JUST wanted us to come with her. It's Aunt Shirley's New Year treat for Jane and I. Well, with pleasure, how could I possibly think of turning her down!!??

Even though it was dark, we started snatching pictures the moment we stepped into the door. The front garden was beautifully landscaped and we could see the mist of hot spring water even in the dark. The welcoming lighting in the reception building beckoned us and we slowly walked into it, admiring the beautiful and peaceful surroundings. We had to stop the photography as soon as we were exiting the reception area. As what was before us were the general public spa area, which means we were disrobing and there would be no more pictures! It's a shame really because the general spa was really, really, really pretty to look at. Thankfully the Villa's website has photos of the interior--Sans the naked poeple.

Aunt Shirley, Jane and myself first enjoyed a long and relaxing shower while trying out all the very luxurious bathing products at the shower. Then, we entered the zen-influenced garden spa where various pools of different types of hot springs awaited us. We soaked and drank mineral water, chatted and relaxed, watched the nearby sulpheric valley with fuming mist from the varendah which disguised and shielded us bathers cleverly from people walking about out there in the valley, while allowing us great vantage points of the very exotic volcanic landscape and views.

This was a cool evening and most ideal for hot spring visit. We took our time trying out every single pool out here in the vast garden, hardly seeing anyone else while we were in the spa. We knew there were others, but it's kind of interesting each pool was somewhat hidden from the other pools, and bathers sort of have this pact of not engaging in coversations or at times not even any eye contacts or polite knodding. It's kind of a move-on-as-others-come arrangement understood by everyone. Of course thank goodness there were no frequent movers. Everyone was taking in the hot spring pool of their choice at a slow and leisurely pace, before moving on to another pool.

After several hours(!!) we decided it was time to take a break from the hot water and move on to some beverage and refreshments. Hot spring tends to make one hungry, that's for sure!!

We wandered up to the 2nd floor of the spa building, where we found a quiet and nicely decorated relaxation room and some sleeping rooms. In the lounge area there's a huge huge huge flat screen TV, and many choices of tea, coffee, and magazines. We all sat down and tried out different beverages while reading the latest magazines, but it's hard to really do any kind of reading, even light reading such as that of a fashion magazine--I was in such a state of complete relaxation I found that I could barely even focus with my eyes open!! Thank goodness Aunt Shirley was the one to drive, ha. The service was impeccable and extremely friendly, by the way.

Finally, it was time to go...Jane, myself and Aunt Shirley reluctantly made our way out. The car was already waiting for us outside--too soon of an exit from a dreamy night at the hot spring at Villa 32!

I could see Aunt Shirley flashing her signature smile on the way home...who can resist smiling after such a great visit to such an idyllic spot!

Some Pleasant Surprise Visitors

1/27/09 Going to A-Gong's for a festive and abundant lunch turned out to be just the beginning of another exciting day of continued New Year celebration. The New Year is usually also time for friends and relatives to visit each other. This afternoon, after returning home, we received a pleasant bunch of visitors--The Chens from Hsin-Chu, which is a city south of Taipei known for its science park and many FABs (IT and semiconductor factory labs.)

We got to know the Chens back in the early 80s. Mom had an operation at a local hospital and her young nurse Siu-Wan was a pleasant and friendly girl. She became fast friends with my sister Sabrina and myself, as we visited Mom daily at the hospital and Siu-Wan found us among the very few who were somewhat close in age with her. My mom took such a liking to her that she became a "dry" daughter--the equivalence of a God daughter in the Western culture. When Siu-Wan met and started dating the very nice and handsome Mr. Edward Chen, I remembered my sister and I being invited to dinner with the pair. They are like big brother and big sister to us to this day.

Hsin-Chu my mother's hometown, and is also the city where Edward works, as he is an executive for a reputable company down at the Science Park. It is a bit far from Taipei by local standard of traveling distance and we don't see the Chens often. However in the afternoon we received news that the Chens will be coming for dinner and since Siu-Wan is a daughter of sorts to my mother, the timing is only just right for us to welcome her on the 2nd of the New Year.

A home-bound visit by a daughter is not to be taken lightly. Since neither of my sisters were coming for dinner--Su-Yi went home to rest and Sabrina is all the way in the States--Siu-Wan will be the daugther my mother will receive today on the 2nd of the New Year. Mom started cooking like mad, putting aside the fact that we just had a big fat meal at A-Gong's for lunch.

By early evening the Chens have arrived. Siu-Wan hasn't changed one bit and looks to me just like her sweet self back in the day; it's hard to believe she already has a teenage daugther and a 9-year-old son of her own. Edward also was in great spirit and being the ever so discerning gentleman that he is, he brought a great bottle of wine--which we happily drank over dinner enthusiastically prepared by Mom.

We enjoyed the meal and the conversation while the two lovely kids ran about in our flat. It was to me what the Chinese New Year is all about--family getting together, friendship reacquainted, and a good time and good food to be had.

Alas, this is not the end of my fun on the 2nd of the New Year...there's more to come all within 24 exciting hours.