HK SNAPSHOTS

PITSTOP

On our epic 1 hour trek from village to village on Lamma Island (paved path all the way!) we had to stop and regain strength at a little roadside douhua vendor. Soft beancurd with a sweet syrup on top. Delicious, but you know how I love anything pudding.

INTO THE KITCHEN

While in HK we went to Da Ping Huo, a private dining room serving Sichuan home style cooking in Central.

Located in a basement, this husband wife run operation offers two sittings of a set menu each evening, cash only.

MERRY LAMMA CHRISTMAS

We spent Christmas day on Lamma island, a 30 minute ferry ride from Central, Hong Kong. An hour long walk from one side of the island to the other before the main event, lunch by the waterside at the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant.

OUTLETS

The Prada outlet opens at 10.30am, and at 10.20am this morning, there was already a substantial crowd. People from the mainland came armed with suitcases for all their purchases!

See us reflected in the window, in what is possibly our only family portrait from this trip!

THE PEAK

Conquered, with the help of the Tram of course.

Not as clear as it was in summer but pretty cool none the less. I love this city.

THE ULTIMATE WAFFLE

Butter, peanut butter (the crunchy type), sweetened condensed milk.

It shouldn't work, but it does.

AND SO IT BEGINS

photo: Thick toast with peanut butter and condensed milk

I arrived here in HK last night, too late unfortunately to go out and eat, but I have definitely made up for it today.

Up early to meet a friend from Taipei and hit the visa office. That sorted, we headed for a late breakfast at the classic HK style dinner.

I love these places, the east meets west, don't want to think about how much fat and sugar is involved deliciousness of it.

AU REVOIR TAIPEI

Off to Hong Kong I go!

I saw this movie last week, a cute rom com set in Taipei, it gives you a pretty good idea of what Taipei looks like - scooters, night markets, noodles etc. Just make the addition of constant rainfall and you'll have the Taipei I'm living in right now.

If you have nothing better to do then you can watch the full thing, but here are the first 10 minutes.

Au revoir Taipei, see you in a week (that is if C & G successfully manage to get me on the return flight back. I warn you now, you've got your work cut out for you!)

BACK AGAIN

This is where people who live in Taipei, only have one set of bed linen and no drier at home spend their Saturday afternoons. Damn this weather! It's actually taking over my life... all I ever seem to talk (or think) about anymore.

My apologies.

HALSTON

Looking forward to seeing this.

I love a good fashion documentary, there hasn't been anything for a while...

HAPPY FOOD

Today I visited my favourite vegetarian buffet for the first time in a couple of weeks, it was so good! I haven't enjoyed a meal (that was not of my own making!) this much in months. I think I was actually  grinning ear to ear as I was eating.... What has become of me?

Particular favourites here, the mushrooms (why do the Chinese do them so well?) and the imitation meat front and center, it tastes really good - now there is something I thought I would never say. I hate to think what the nutritional information is....

CRAVING SUMMER

I am so cold!

We are only experiencing lows of around 15 degrees, but it feels so much cooler with all the humidity, not to mention the constant rain.

None of the buildings are insulated, so my room the same temperature as outside, in fact sometimes, it feels warmer outside.

The photo above was taken at Shek-O beach in Hong Kong, it was about 35 degrees on this day, and possibly the hottest I've ever felt, the water didn't cool you down at all, it was like taking a luke warm bath. I kind of look back at this and wish I'd savoured the moment a bit more.

The grass is always greener I suppose.

POLAR OPPOSITES

Lately when discussing the weather with people here, everyone says that a good dehumidifier is a must for spending a comfortable Taipei winter. My AC has this function, but then it makes the room unbearably cold, I think I'd rather brave the elements than make the investment, unless my clothes start to suffer of course!

It's ironic that back in Lanzhou, we used a humidifier to increase humidity! A rabbit that emitted steam from it's ears! Only in China.

MV #2

Last Friday evening was spent freezing in an abandoned bottle top factory filming another music video. The concept was "it's the end of the world and you are the only ones left, you're sad.... but happy too."

I spent most of the time mucking around with Instagram... too addictive!

WEEKEND WARMER

This weekend has been deadly cold, one of those weekends that makes everyone rush out to the shops to buy more clothes. Case in point, the line outside Zara today stretched for 100 metres, no joke.

I spent my time far more wisely, eating.

THE NIGHTLIFE

The Taipei nightlife scene. I have gone out a bit but.... let's just say it's not Shanghai. At least they know how to make a good Gimlet.

CONVENIENCES

A new school term means a new textbook, way too heavy to carry in my bag everyday without the risk of developing lopsided posture.

Luckily there is a solution. For less than NZ$5, you can get your textbook cut into two or three volumes, rebound and covered for your convenience. I went for the two volume option, choosing blue for my covers because that is the colour theme inside this volume.

What a great idea, why don't we have this at home?

Unfortunately, this textbook isn't so great on the inside, the entire book is set in the US.... bizarre and unnecessary considering that we are in Taiwan - learning Chinese. Whatever. In a few months I won't have to deal with this crazy America obsession any longer.

Happy weekend!

ON THE ROAD

I have just discovered Instagram, why did I not know about this earlier? It is like photoshop for iPhone for technically challenged people. Very addictive.

This morning I woke up early and felt like a bike ride, a proper one. Out the door at 8am, I headed for the riverside bike path that Taipei is famous for... but I had yet to visit!

Goodbye gross traffic and petrol fumes, hello waterside, green grass and fresh air.

I HEART QUINOA

Inspired to cook at home this week. Quinoa is fabulous, so versatile you can put it with anything. I've taken to cooking it in big batches and keeping it in the fridge for quick meal prep. It refrigerates really well which I love.

I WANT

Unfortunately it isn't released until March 13th, I'll be back in NZ by then! What luck. 

H&M isn't in Taiwan yet but it is coming soon hot on the heels of UNIQLO and Zara. It is already in China and Hong Kong though... Perhaps a long weekend is in order?

STARTING AGAIN

A new school term requires a new outfit. Yesterday I stopped by UNIQLO to pick up a little something. A mens shirt from the Jil Sander collaboration +J.

I had very good reasons for buying - 

1. It's the last season that this collaboration is available.
2. When does a shirt ever go out of style?
3. It was on sale.
4. Jil Sander - enough said.

Off I go, to do it all over again. 10 weeks of class and then I will be homeward bound.

SNAPSHOT

Fresh pomegranate seeds (well fresh from California!), troublesome to prepare but worth the effort.

BIG BLUE

It is a beautiful day here shock horror, I still can't quite believe it is almost December (i.e winter!) and I am wearing things that only a high summer Wellington day would warrant.

This housing community is nearby my house and home to the nearest (but not the most well stocked) supermarket. It is quite a sight, these towers seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. I don't know how many there are in total but at least 38! Can you imagine living like this? I don't think I could.

HOLIDAY READING

The winter term starts on Thursday so I have a few free days ahead of me. I got up early this morning and cycled to 101 to go to PageOne, a bookstore with the best english language selection in town.

FRIDAY FRY #2

Kumara chips.... yum.

It has been a while since I indulged in Night Market fare. All in all a successful evening despite waking up in the middle of the night with the driest mouth ever - related? I can't say for sure.

These chips were post foot massage, pre pikelet type thing covered in chocolate sauce. 

I figure all of this junk food is negated by the fresh juice I had on the way home?

DRIED OUT

I am allergic to Taipei.

The climate is playing havoc on my skin. Be it the humidity, the scooter exhaust fumes in the air, changing seasons.... whatever it is my skin does not like it.

I have developed what I think is eczema for the first time ever (on my face!), my skin has gone become all "sensitive" and is now "combination", dry and oily at the same time, stinging sometimes for no apparent reason.... so not cool.

Today I decided that enough is enough. My Dr Hauschka routine has been shelved in favour of Eau Thermale Avene. It's french, made up of a primarily (french) mineral water base and is supposedly super gentle for sensitive skin, which I now have!

I did a lot of research beforehand and I hope that this is the answer. I love the first few days of using a new product when you can dream about how quickly it is going to solve all of your problems and leave you looking like perfection....

We will see.

VOTING IN 2011

I voted today, finally sending off my papers over a week after I printed them off.

To be honest though, if it wasn't for the novelty of the first time, it was so much trouble that I really wouldn't have bothered. That's a horrible thing to say, but unfortunately it's the truth.

HK DILEMMA

It will not stop raining so I am stuck indoors today (like every other day this week gah!)

Thinking about Christmas and am faced with a terrible dilemma that has basically consumed me all afternoon - what to eat at the first supper?

Yuanyang (coffee with tea) pictured above is a timeless classic and a complete no brainer, but what do I get with it?

DRINK OF THE WEEK

There are hundreds of beverages to choose from here, the selection at any convenience store is overwhelming and I tend to go through phases with drinks lasting about a week or so.

Currently I am loving this Japanese Style Green Tea. I'm always super careful to get sugar free as the alternative is truly undrinkable - so sweet! I'm also drinking more green tea rather than oolong or black tea now as it has higher levels of antioxidants (due to less oxidation in processing.) The information on this bottle says that it is the number one bottle in the country and really good for improving blood lipid levels, therefore reducing the risk of getting heart disease etc.

The road to graceful ageing starts here.

MAKING PLANS

It has been done. The flights have been booked, hotel reservations made and it will be a Hong Kong Christmas for us this year!

I am so excited, this was just the pick me up I needed, how I love planning a trip. I'm looking forward to introducing C to all of our favourite haunts - so much to eat so little time, and he's never been before!

We'll be there for a week, and unfortunately there is no school break for the holiday (it's not a holiday here!) so I'll be maxing out my 10 hours of absence allowed for the month of December. Oh well, you're only young once!

IT'S CATCHING

The Occupy Taipei movement. Perhaps not quite as intense as NY right now.

THANKS?

Watsons is a chain of pharmacies that is as ubiquitous as 711 here in Taiwan.

The scene in store tonight, when I was buying moisturiser.

Cashier: "Would you like some free Glucosamine with that?"
Me: "Sure. Ok. Thanks."

Random, but really just another day living the Taiwan dream.

Should I try it out? Wikipedia informs me that it is supposedly beneficial for those suffering from osteoarthritis, which as of last week, we have in the family. Preventative measure?

MY 15 MINUTES?

I really hope not! I hope that my 15 minutes will actually last 15 minutes..... and I won't be drooling, urgh! (full disclosure: it's all water, I cannot drool, it goes against nature.)

The singer is called Tanya, originally from Singapore but has had a really successful career here, lots of local awards etc.

I MISS CHINA

photo: the label on my scarf.

Just little things like this that make me smile. At least it feels like cotton. I picked this up at the local night market, made in China of course.

RAIN RAIN RAIN... MORE RAIN

And it's meant to continue for the rest of the week which is super depressing; the only good thing  to take from this is that I can wear my gumboots everyday, the price per wear is rapidly declining.

Sadly I'm not as skillful as the Taiwanese girls when it comes to holding an umbrella and cycling at the same time so I'm relegated to the bus. (I admit I did think about buying one of those rain ponchos... for about 2 seconds before I regained my self respect.)

You have to actually stand on the road by the bus stop and hail it if you want to get on which makes me feel a bit ridiculous. Today a nice man asked me which bus I was waiting for and did this for me so I had a lucky escape.

In other rainy day news I got my first utility bill, here below, how does it compare to NZ?

ON THE TUBE

CNN is the one english language news channel I get so naturally I watch it a lot, just whatever happens to be on. This show was interesting, I kind of enjoyed seeing how they present Auckland to tourists, not to mention just being able to hear to great Karen Walker speak....

Maybe moving to Auckland when I get back home wouldn't be the worst idea? It doesn't look so bad.

The full video can be found here.

06.11.11

photo: the view from my window

Apologies for the lack of updates, but I've had a quiet few days so nothing to share!

This weekend we have experienced a bit of a relapse into summer- 30 degrees, sunshine.... Right now I'm sitting in my room with the AC on and all the curtains pulled! I had to take a picture as it is a very special day indeed when we get a bit of blue sky.

This afternoon I treated myself with what was my first proper haircut in months at the Aveda salon down the street. It came complete with peppermint tea, shoulder and hand massage with my choice of essential oil and the latest British Vogue, all of this for $40, I am one happy camper.

Now I am refreshed and all set to face the final exam I have this Thursday, goodness knows why they hold finals one month before the end of the term but I'm not complaining, less to review.

Happy Sunday!

AUTUMN'S FRUIT BOWL

The autumn fruit is starting to come in now, which makes shopping a bit more exciting. Mangoes and melons are on the way out, pears and tangerines are coming in. Guavas are still going strong too.

I loved the colour of this Asian Pear but was a bit disappointed upon trying it - tasted just like a regular pear. Still, it livens up the bowl don't you think?

SNAPSHOT

The mosquitoes are eating me alive right now, so vicious here!

This stuff is the only thing that keeps me sane. It is basically just vaseline with menthol and eucalyptus but it totally helps relieve the itching, albeit only briefly.

The nurse on the front never fails to bring a smile to my face, so random.

THE BASICS

In Taiwan, as people don't cook at home so much, the supermarket is not the big deal that I'm used too.

ON MY TABLE

Spent a very lazy Sunday trying to ward of a cold with a fresh lemon juice and a fresh copy of the Economist.

The weather is madness, sunny and 30 degrees one day, windy and a chilly 25 degrees the next. I am having such issues trying to plan appropriate outfits, and it is no wonder there are lots of illnesses going around right now.

The Taiwanese news channels are not the best, they only have local news so I have to buy magazines to keep up to date, well that is my excuse anyway, there may or may not also be a Vanity Fair in that paper bag....

Also note the sticker on my juice, all the drink stores do it and I love it. When you order, the till prints out a sticker with your drink order - sugar, milk, ice preferences etc, which is then stuck on the cup, so simple yet so helpful, especially during a rush.

GOING BUSH

After all my talk about how I would go walking around Taipei every weekend blah blah blah, only this weekend did I finally do it.

After a quick consult with the Lonely Planet, I picked a nice little trail just south of the city that would lead us to a waterfall, luckily the path did not stay paved (as above) for long!

PLEASANT DISTRACTIONS

I can't stand listening to the audio in the listening lab at school, and I find it impossible to study in there, so when I'm doing my mandatory hours for the month, I tend to read magazines or watch these TED talks on my phone.... it's not really wasting time if I'm improving my general knowledge right?

I think we can all take something from this one.

OBSESSED

photo: NY Mag

I am seriously obsessed with everything Alexander Wang right now. It is really quite fitting as his family is originally from Taiwan. Sadly he does not yet have a store here. 

I have been looking at this skirt everyday for about three weeks now, I sometimes wake up at night thinking about it... but of course it's not really attainable in my current situation. Unemployment is terrible!!!

If anyone wants to buy it for me, or just salivate over more pictures (from different angles, with the option of zoom) you can do so here or here, ok thanks!

Happy Weekend :)

REALITY CHECK

photo: home cooking, a currently lost art that is slowly returning to me.

If I look back through what I have been posting lately, the majority seems to be food of the unhealthy, sugary variety. Aside from the frozen yoghurt (I can't give it up, too delicious, it will stay as a special treat) all of the other stuff is no longer.

(Says the girl who ate an ice cream sandwich yesterday.... well I suppose I will be weaning myself off the sugar slowly.)

SOFT AND CHEWY

So many things here are in the "American Style" it seems that this is what the Taiwanese kids are into these days. American style soft, chewy cookies, here in the classic ice cream sandwich form.

HEAVEN.

Self serve, pay by weight frozen yoghurt, could there be anything better than this?

BEWARE

A novel way of keeping ones bike dry. 

This is quite important here in Taipei as the rain is relatively acidic. My teacher last week advised to always use an umbrella or if you don't have one on hand, get inside immediately as it will eventually ruin your clothes and could even make your hair fall out! Perhaps this is why my bike is rusting so quickly? It's scary to think about.

COMPLETE

This is what a completed time card looks like.

We had four weeks of class in October, so needed 20 supplementary hours. The different types of class are colour coded; red for library, blue for listening lab and black for big class. I think it is obvious which of the three I prefer..

DRINK OF THE MOMENT

This month my go to beverage has been green tea with fresh passionfruit..... delicious. It definitely makes studying that much sweeter.

PASSING TIME

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream.... be an extra in a Taiwanese music video.

AB'S FOR THE WIN

This afternoon, an Australian friend and I went to the Brass Monkey, a Taipei pub owned by an Australian expat, that has live coverage of all the Rugby World Cup matches.

TURNING TAIWANESE

I spent yesterday evening in true Taiwanese fashion.

Late afternoon I went to one of the main shopping areas (walking distance from home = bad) thinking I would spent the evening browsing the department stores.

Wrong.

TWO MONTH MARK

photo: the view from my bedroom window; it has been raining a lot lately.

So after two months of study here in Taipei, what has happened to my Chinese? 

Let’s break it down in a review of sorts –

AND IT GOES ON...

Something to bring us into the weekend.

Another sweet, borrowed from the US so of course crazy popular, frozen yoghurt. Though the store looks dubiously empty in the picture, while we were here I promise that there were actually other customers.

This dessert you don't need to feel quite so bad about eating....