Meeting up with old friends part II

Later on in the evening I met ViVi Zifu for a dinner at the Peter Rabbit restaurant. It's a cosy restaurant tucked away in a corner at the Zhong Xiao Fu Xing area.

Ordered a Salmon cream pasta (yes CREAM pasta) set meal. The appetizer was fruit salad that came on a Peter Rabbit ceramic plate. Sadly I didn't really get to see Peter Rabbit coz I don't really like fruits... I tried stuffing down all the fruits I usually don't eat.. honey dew, cherry tomatoes... it helped that we had a bowl of yoghurt to drizzle on the salad... but fruit is still fruit. The mushroom cream soup was really good though. It's not to creamy that it's "gelat". Though the soup is not so thick, you still get the full taste of mushroom with a hint of onion. The portion of pasta is really huge... if you're a small eater you probably can share it with a friend. Last I had an ice milk tea in a Peter Rabbit glass cup. Really wanted to bring one of the plush toys home...

The outside isn't very conspicuous and not very attractive. Only a small door with a few Peter Rabbit decorations, but stepping inside you feel like you're in a little English cottage. Lined along the shelves on the wall are Peter Rabbit soft toys of all sizes. Even the electric plug has Peter Rabbit emblazoned on it.

Thanks Vivi for the treat. Too bad you're going to LA for a month... who knows when we will meet again...

After dinner, went with her to pierce her ears at a old rundown mall in the midst of all the shiny new buildings. The place reminds me of Far East back home comprising of many small shops in a mall. Unlike our shopping mall culture back home, the shops here simply line the streets. Though there are chain stores like NET and the familiar Hang Ten, there are many startups. Also there are many illegal hawkers where you can pick up bargains NT200 (S$10) for dresses, accessories and little knick knacks. It's amazing how prosperous this underground market works. Racks of clothes equipped with wheels in case of emergencies allow the hawkers to make a quick escape when the police patrol their area. It's often like a hide and seek game with some running as quick as their legs take them or some just cover their wares and hide in a corner. Often the proper shops are pretty accomodating and don't give the game away. I even saw one hawker hiding in one of the shops. Actually I think the police just close one eye... times are bad.. as long as they are not as ostentatious as to hawk their wares right in front of the police.

Meeting up with old friends

Today I woke up real early at 7am. Thought I should get some early morning exercize so I flexed whatever arm muscles I had to mop the floor. Did I mention that mopping the floor with a Magic Clean mop is my favourite household chore. It's so easy to just manoveur it around corners and under sofas... I sound like a magic mop salesperson. Didn't bring my sports shoes along... may just get at NT200 pair at the "shoe street" at Taipei Main Station. Better watch my weight. At the rate I'm downing those cups of bubble tea...

Met Machiko at her hostel at Shi Da. Though it's a little rundown it's just opposite the Shi Da Night Market. Had a Green Tea Ice Kachang and yogurt.. Bought another dress (someone please stop me....)

oiishiiiiii

macha ice with milk and azuki beans

Storeroom at Shi Da sealed the ancient way

Machiko's dorm

Back in Taipei

It feels so surreal to be back in Taiwan. Just half a year ago, I thought it would be ages before I set foot on Taiwanese soil. But here I am using New Taiwan Dollars, speaking in my Singlish-accented Chinese and hearing Mandarin and Hokkein spoken inside of the all-too familiar Singlish. The best thing about being a foreigner in Taiwan is that your nationality itself is an ice-breaker. Today I just met two Taiwanese girls who casually asked me what time Sogo closes. Apparently I look pretty local (that’s good meaning I won’t be “cheated” when I go shopping, but then again when I open my mouth...). Have met my host AL, very easy-going chracter. I have a whole room to myself. Only drawback is that there is no wireless. So I have no idea when I’ll be able to update my blog. Knowing how “monophobic” I am, I’m pretty proud that I made it all the way to Taipei all by myself. Sure I was all jittery when I saw the flight announcement of how the gates were closing, trying hard to figure out which stop to get off the coach, but everything went pretty smoothly.

Taiwan from above

Taiwan here I come!

I'm taping into some random wireless signal which is highly unstable. So sadly I won’t be able to blog as often. Coming back to Taipei for a second time, it feels totally different. Somehow I feel so much more at home, as if I’m taking the MRT in Singapore. Revisiting the old places like Ban Qiao today but with a different friend this time (Machiko), feels like any other weekend outing to Orchard. Though only into the second day of my trip, I know I’m going to be Taiwan-sick when I leave this place a month later. Brought Machiko along to meet my Chengchi friends – Xiao Ji, Yifan and Ting Qi at my old hangout (when I was in ChengChi) – Shi Da night market. I love how welcoming my Chengchi friends are to new people. In fact we’ll be meeting for a round of karaoke in the near future. Counting down to my last day of holiday. Will start work in a day’s time. I have mixed feelings about going to work. On one hand I don’t want my free and easy lifestyle to end, but on the other hand I want to experience Taiwan in a whole new different way... part of the media frenzy here FYI: If I suddenly disappear while talking to you on MSN it's coz of the signal... DOES ANYONE KNOW IF HOW I CAN APPLY FOR WIRELESS INTERNET FOR A MONTH? ANY DEVICE OR SOMETHING? HELP...

(problem solved!)

Taipei again

*Cross my fingers* If all goes well... in about three weeks time I could be breathing in Taiwan air again!!! Yipee!