Tag Archives: taipei

Flying 8,108* miles home

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I bet’ya that I was given the best Christmas present this year. Hands down.

I will be flying home. Today. By myself.

A while ago I wrote about how I wish I could go home and see my parents. Many of you commented that I should just take the trip… Before it’s too late. I want to thank you all for bringing me to my senses. Really. I asked myself: What’s stopping me? All the “I can’ts” are just excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

After the plane rides and time spent waiting at the airports, I will only have two full days over there. But I am content. Because I will be home. BY MYSELF. I don’t have to translate for anybody and feel being pulled on by both sides. Feeling guilty towards all involved. Feeling schizophrenic.

My mother, who is almost 80 and still behaves like a school girl sometimes (Seriously. At one point, one should just admit to the fact that anti-aging cosmetic creams are just not going to do anything for you any more, no matter how expensive… But, yes,  of course I have 3 jars in my luggage that I am bringing home for my mother) told me over the phone,

“Just don’t sleep when you are here. Sleep on the plane!”

I wish she could speak English because I wanted her to say, “Sleep is overrated anyway.”

“I will not even bother with my jet lag. We will hit the night market as soon as I land. And I can sleep during the day.” I replied.

She fully approved of my plan.

The trouble is: I haven’t even left yet and I am already dreading saying goodbye to my folks. I know already that on the day when I come back, I will be a crying mess, because my dad will cry for sure, he’s such a softie, and when he cries, I cry too. Once we get it going, there is no stopping us. Very annoying… On account of that, I am having an early start on my own already…

Seriously. Me. WTF.

* Miles calculated according to United Airline’s mileage display. 14 hours + 4 hours.

SOGO Department Store in Taipei : There is a recession here in Taiwan?

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From what I was told, yes there is. 
 
This is inside the SOGO department store in Taipei.
 
So who is buying the Hermès, the Louie Vuittons, the Tods, and the Cartiers? I guess it is the same everywhere you go. The top of the pyramid is not really affected despite the global economic downturn. So they have to downsize from Mercedes Benz to Lexus. No tears from me for them…

I finally saw it with my own eyes! Sound machine inside public toilet to mask the embarrassing noise…

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I have heard about this along time ago: Japanese women often flush the toilet as soon as they enter the stall to mask the embarrassing noise people naturally make when in the bathroom. This act of civility turned out to waste a lot of water resource. At first, they tried sound machines with music, etc., but still did not see significant reduction in water usage. Finally someone (or some company) came up with the idea of duplicating the sound of toilet flushing. This time, success.
I have always wanted to see one and after so many years, finally saw one in the luxurious restroom at the Takashimaya Department Store in Taipei (which also has the bidet-toilet seat…)
I only took a picture of it (while fully clothed mind you!! Was just there to take the picture…)  But someone actually videotaped it here on Boing Boing. Glad to know I was not the only one fascinated by this thing.

A great yet little known Taiwanese-style restaurant in Taipei

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I did not know about this tiny gem of a restaurant until my girlfriend from college took me there last night. Lu Sang restaurant in Yongkang Street may strike you as yet another roadside Japanese restaurant in Taipei from outside because of its bamboo-focused decor, but a quick peek inside, the modernized traditional-style tables and chairs will tell you that this is a restaurant for Taiwanese food.  Great Taiwanese dishes with ingenuous twists. Experiments that actually worked. 
 
We tried miso tripe, baked pumpkins, deep fried Japanese tofu. All were done with great aplomb. Kudos to the chef really.

Best scallion pancake in Taipei

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When you are in Taipei, you need to seek out scallion pancakes no matter where you are.  Chances are, they are good. But if you are adventurous and are a foodie, then you need to make a track to 永康街 Yongkang Street.  This stand is at the corner of a building, on the first floor of a Vietnamese restaurant. And there is always a line.  I was there at 11 pm last night, and there was a line!  On a Wednesday night!  No wonder I am always so bored in the suburbs… 

“Gashapon”, cheap souvenirs for kids, sort of like pressed pennies…

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Ok, maybe not really like Press Pennie. But in spirit, just like pressed pennies, these "toys in a plastic egg" thingy are low-cost souvenirs that get my kids motivated.  They are called Gashapon in Japanese and are everywhere we go, and the varieties are impressive, so is the quality.  Only that, as you could see, some of the toys may get the not-so-young crowd motivated as well, albeit for completely different things… 
 
Can't imagine anything like this to be mixed up with Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh…  Asia is a place where, whichever way you turn, you stare at paradox right in the face. 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Corporate Sponsorship at Its Finest… Microsoft invading school?

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Saw this sign outside of a high school that we past by and was amused.  Folks are probably simply happy that their kids are using the latest computers at school, but I cannot help but feel mildly concerned…  (That's also a sign I spent way too much time reading the anti-MS talks on the bulletin board at work…)

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What the hack is this? The simple plant that inspired so many jokes…

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After my son posted with the REAL plant from which Wasabi is made from, he was horrified when we came up with many nicknames for the said plant…
 
Somehow I doubt he would include the picture with him holding this in his scrapbook for this trip which is to be shared with his classmates upon his return… 

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The HOT Netbook, aka my son’s new toy…

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Right after I finished reading the article in Wired, "The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time" in the latest issue, my nephew called me and said, "I have bought two netbooks for my cousins!" Apparently, these are the hottest "accessories" in Asia, since almost everybody has an iPhone now.  (Not in Japan though, despite the "controversy", I have been told by a few folks in Taipei that Japanese for some reason are not going gaga over iPhone, unlike people here in Taiwan…) 
 
Granted that the netbooks my kids got, at 4GB, would be considered a joke, my kids absolutely LOVE their new "toys."  Asus Eee PC costs just a bit more than Nintendo DS here. No processing power to speak of, nevertheless, perfectly fine for surfing the web.
 
Although I thought about whether it is a good parenting choice to let my kids consider YouTube as just another standard entertainment channel, I feel optimistic about Pros weighing more than Cons: my 6-year-old boy googled the weather in Beijing on his own when I wondered out loud, "Hmm, I hope we don't need jackets when we go to Beijing,"
 
Here is another prediction about this phenom: Soon Oxford Dictionary will add "netbook" as one of the new English words. 

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