BECAUSE I'M ADDICTED

Sportswear is big in Asia.

All the department stores have stores for the major brands and lets not get started on the 3 storey flagships. They have a selection that NZ customers could only dream of, colours, styles, limited editions releases, and it all looks so pretty in the displays!

I was never very interested in this kind of thing at home but now, I never miss an opportunity to pop into the store and see what's on offer. 90% of the time there is some kind of sales promotion happening and like I said, everything is so pretty!

I'm going to have a large influx of cash in the last few days before I leave here so I think I'll have to shop for a new gym outfit. For now though, I'll make do with the gym bag!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

A new family member entered my life today.

At the border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong last month, right where you need to walk through all the various immigration blah blah blah, my carry-on size suitcase decided rather inconveniently to give up and die right there (the pull up handle is jammed and I can't wheel it therefore it is now useless.) After much umm-ing and ahh-ing I've decided to take this as a sign to invest in a Rimowa, which I have been coveting for as long as I can remember. The entry level model yes, but totally gorgeous, I am 100% satisfied. Can't wait to try it out on a weekend trip!

CRUISING

I have to admit, I am not very impressed with Taipei's public transport. Taking the metro involves numerous line changes and there can be a 20 minute wait for the bus. I'm over it and it's only been 2 weeks! Being in China spoilt me..

Luckily, I don't need to worry about it anymore because I have independent means of getting around... and I bought it from Carrefour.

OUTLET OASIS

Outside of the central city, in the suburb of Ap Lei Chau lies paradise. At first look, it seems a bit dubious but the inside was pure gold. Floors of outlet stores with up to 90% off original retail price. Lanvin, Prada, Balenciaga, Marni, Jil Sander, Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten, Yves Sant Laurent, Margiela, Marc Jacobs……. It goes on and on. Such a fun day spent looking through everything and trying things on. This building also had some fabulous furniture stores, it was total heaven. We both got a little something to remind us of the most perfect day so everyone went home happy.

CHENGDU EXPAT

So, after 6 days, I had basically done everything "cultural" that I wanted to do. With one more day, and it being a Sunday, I decided to live like a Chengdu expat for a day, and see what the city had to offer on that front.

THE CHINESE VERSIONS

The weather was stunning today, the first blue sky in a week! Spent the afternoon wandering the main pedestrian street, similar to Nanjing Lu in Shanghai, or Cuba Mall in Wellington :)

People watching was excellent because it was the weekend, lots of consumer spending going on. I had a fantastic iced coffee, from the same shops that sell my favourite bubble tea, which was a nice surprise.

OLD HABITS

It is raining today so not the best conditions for wandering the streets. The footpaths here are not only slippery, but also cracked, uneven and filled with holes, its not a risk I’m willing to take without good reason! Thus, I am spending the afternoon inside, catching up on some reading. Bliss.

Since I’ve been here, I have to admit to experiencing rather painful pangs of longing for magazines! I am in serious withdrawal.