mr. blue sky is living here today

We choose the perfect day to spend the morning in Yangmingshan....breezy weather, sun, and bright blue sky. Sighh, why can't Taipei be like this all the time!? We left Gongguan at 8am, rode the MRT up to Jiantan, waited for the R5 bus that goes directly to Yangmingshan base 1, and from base 1 took a little shuttle bus to Xiao Youkeng--a sulfur deposit. From there, we took another shuttle bus to Qingtinggang, a beautiful grassland area with grazing (apparently dangerous--see below image??) cattle. Witnessed a cow eat his/her own poo and some tourists [they like to live life on the edge] hanging out with the cattle. The grass was so green, sky so blue, and the mountains...it was so pretty, it was almost surreal. Then, we "hiked" to JuanSi Waterfall. Hiking in Taiwan basically means climbing stair after stair. Serious glutes and hamstring workout! I will probably go back again--the air is a fresh change from pollution, and there are various scenic spots there that we didn't get a chance to go since my friends had an afternoon class today.

sulfur -- stinky stink!

cattle attacks, really? the cattle all seemed pretty mellow to me...probably because they were busy munching on grass.

all they do is eat, too!

why, hello cow.

 it was sorta weird to go from grassland to shady bamboo forest. the main waterfall was hard to capture because the water was treading lightly...so here is the mini one.

quote of the day

Had to write in the 'N' in 'an', but I like this quote :) Took this at the 29th Young Designers' Exhibition on Saturday. This exhibition was held by the Taiwan government and universities from all over Taiwan (and a few from Australia, Italy, France, US). Art and design students displayed their projects. Some were so interesting and fresh. There were architecture models, short films, computer games, modern furniture, photography, little trinkets...lots of random stuff. 

[rain] all day, play all night

...this is the life of a, the life of a go-getta, go-gettaaaa. Yeah, anyways, it's been raining all weekend...and today was icky. Despite only having slept 4 hours last night, waking up with a nasty headache, and knowing that there would be a 100% chance of thunderstorm later today, I still went with my plans to enjoy xiaolongbao (at Kao Chi again) with friends. If it hadn't poured, we were going to walk to there, but instead we rode the bus. Ah, one of my most favorite, memorable meals. Good conversation with friends and best of all, amaaaazing food. We ordered crab egg xiaolongbao 蟹黃小籠包，ordinary pork xlb元籠小籠包，shrimp shao mai (dumplings) 蝦仁燒賣, Cantonese-style shrimp dumplings蝦餃, a chicken soup with 凍粉 fried tofu and wonton, flaky honey pastry stuffed with BBQ pork (pork siu, but this was Shanghai-style), and a "mash taro with sweet longan sauce." Yes, a carb-filled feast. 

 umm guts, anyone??

chicken soup for the soul (thankfully it had no traces of chicken meat)

Cantonese-style shrimp dumplings

 the yummiest, juiciest xlb ever ~ crab egg

I love the intricate folds of the xlb

Shanghai-style shrimp dumplings

flaky goodness ~ flaky honey pastry w/BBQ pork

ordinary pork xlb

 the "mash taro with sweet longan sauce" - all I gotta say about it is...it was interesting.

Afterward, we walked aimlessly, in the pouring rain, around Yong Kang St. There are unique antique shops and Chinese gift boutiques. We stumbled across a store that sells exotic gifts from Tibet and Yunnan (south province of China). I bought three gorgeous, unique pashmina scarves. Too bad it's too hot to wear them now, but I'm sure they'll be worn this summer in Cali chilly summer nights. It started to pour really hard, so hard that the rain leaked through all our umbrellas!! Thus, we went into many stores to stay dry. A French furniture boutique, aromatherapy/fragrance (with yucky smelly fragrances) store, a cutesy happy Japanese eclectic store selling the cutest Jinglish objects [one that cracked us up was a bag that had little red riding hood on it and it said "I like my hood"], and a few other stores I don't quite remember. There are many tea houses and cafes in that area. Ahh, Yong Kang has gotta be my current favorite place to explore. After getting fed up with rain leaking through our umbrella, we stopped by Dante Coffee and sat there for an hour or two, sipping lattes and telling stories. Then, we walked all the way home because I didn't know where the bus stop was. 

 one of the lanes of Yong Kang

the neighborhood

Mmmm, very good day even though it I came home with dirty feet since I wore sandals and jeans soaked with rain. Now it's time to catch up on a very much needed sleep. This week will be busy--I plan to hike around Yangmingshan 陽明山National Park early Tuesday morning, then I will be traveling next weekend to down to Kenting again and Xiao Liuqiu 小琉球!

kao chi >>> din tai fung

I have been hearing about a Xiao longbao 小籠包place called Kao Chi高記 that is a bit cheaper and tastier than Din Tai Fung, the worldly famous (overrated if you ask me) XLB place. Well, I finally got the chance to decide for myself... And it was better than Din Tai Fung. The atmosphere is definitely more relaxed and peaceful. You don't have people towering over you, waiting for you to finish eating, thus you don't have to force feed yourself and instead can take in the xlb's slowly and enjoy every bite. 

A family friend, visiting from my hometown, took me to eat at the branch on Yong Kang St. We shared a crab egg xlb 蟹黃小籠包, shrimp shaomai/Shanghainese dumpling 蝦仁燒賣，and noodle soup (made with chicken stock, fried tofu, dongfen thin glass noodles, and pieces of pork dumpling). The crab egg xlb was oh-so-heavenly. It is small enough to eat in one bite, but curious me wanted to see what the meat inside looked like. Well, the crab egg xlb is deliciously juicy, that taking that one tiny bite made the juice squeeze out all over my shirt. Oops! I learned that you're supposed to hold the spoon in one hand and the other with chopsticks, placing the xlb in the spoon to catch whatever spills out. 

Here is what the shrimp shaomai looks like.

Sorry, no pictures...I didn't bring my camera this time because I walked all the way over there from my dorm (approx. 3 mile walk in the humidity). But, I will certainly be back for more 小籠 包!!!

the artsy district of Taipei

I think Taipei is quite random. Yes, it is a big city and therefore, diverse...but there are some places that I go to and gush to friends this doesn't feel like Taipei. I dunno, maybe because the places aren't "Asian" enough. Ha. I mean even Pitbull came to Taipei last night - which by the way was an awesome concert!! 

I spent the day in Zhongshan 中山, which is known to be the artsy place of Taipei. It is where MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) is located, a bunch of cute cafes, cool eclectic boutiques, Taipei Film House/SPOT...it feels like Austin to me. I started my day in ShiDa, munching on a grilled salmon panini and fries + some kind of dijon dip for brunch. Then, met up with other friends to head to Zhongshan. We had plans to go to MOCA to see the David Lachapelle (brilliant photographer/digital artist), but the line was way too long. We will go again later in the week. Outside of the museum was a mini-art festival. 

inside the Zhongshan MRT station

outside of the MRT exit

:)

Taiwanese Avant-garde art...kinda creepy

the shape of Taiwan

After deciding to come back on Thursday to catch David Lachapelle's exhibition, I pulled out my Taipei map too see what else was in the area. I had circled the Taipei Film House/SPOT as a Taipei destination, and that was nearby so we all walked towards it. The Taipei Film House building was originally a US Ambassador's house. Inside is a mini-art gallery, a small indie movie theater, two cafes (one dedicated to Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien), and a really cool, eclectic gift shop.

 Taipei Film House

inside the gift shop

I heart crafty stuff like this.

cool chandelier - I wish I could afford to bring it home!

 on the ceiling

Around Zhongshan neighborhood...

construction in progress guy

Ended the trip at Forkers, a Western restaurant that serves REAL American portions, that we stumbled across when walking down the lane of cafes. I shared a wasabi tuna + fruits salad (huuuuge Cheesecake Factory portion) with a friend and a real cheesecake. 

i love taiwan, but....

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog. These past few days have been incredibly stressful. I had to sort out a very messy situation - something to do with my credits and not being officially registered for TWO of my classes [there goes six credits that don't exist on my transcript]... Yeah, I won't go into it, but that is what has been taking up my time and energy. And after all what happened, I decided that I won't come here, or Asia, to get my MBA or any grad degree. Maybe I will just stay in the US or move to Europe. Who knows. I am still not quite sure what I want to do after graduation. All I know is that I want to do some photojournalism or free lancing on the side. Perhaps get a post-grad degree in something related to fashion or advertising. Or I also have been considering Sothebv's Art Business/Marketing program in London. Who knows...still have a few months to make a plan.

Anyway, back to Taiwan...

I started a photoblog and plan to maintain it everyday, as in post a new picture. Some pictures I post will not be exactly new, like some photos will be from my stay in Taiwan last summer. But I made this photoblog to keep track of my best pictures...sort of like an amateur portfolio :) http://polkadotsnmoonbeams.aminus3.com/ 

And, by the way, I come home in five weeks, six days!!! 

what is that pork blood doing in my soup?

I don't understand the fascination with pork blood in Taiwan. It is made as a black spotted block--mixed with glutinous rice--that could pass as tofu...which I did accidentally eat one time because it was in my shabu shabu. It is usually found in hot pots and soups. At night markets, it is commonly found as a block on a stick, dipped in soy sauce, then rolled in peanut powder, and decorated with cilantro. Double yuck right there (I despise cilantro). 

Someone please explain to me how this looks sooo tasty!? And the other mystery meats around it don't look very appetizing either.

T

Took these pictures at ShiDa night market / 師大夜市. At these vendors, you pick and choose which meats and vegetables you want, and they dump it all in a plastic baggie for you to enjoy. Check out the chicken feet on the top level. I actually used to looove chicken feet (from dim sum) when I was younger...til I found out what it actually was...