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.