brioche please

is love real?

2011-12-25T15:11:00.001+08:00

merry xmas encore!

mele:kalikimaka

2011-12-25T14:32:00.002+08:00

Happy Christmas!

15 minutes earlier

2011-11-24T08:16:00.001+08:00

It's amazing how much one can accomplish when one uses time wisely. I woke up 15 minutes earlier than usual and was able to make myself a healthy, delish omelette. :)

Happy Thursday!

feeling special

2011-11-16T21:24:00.004+08:00

It's saying a lot to have the dom as a pre-dinner drink. I mean, at least for someone in my position. We were invited to a birthday party, his 13th one this year. Just by looking at the guests, one can see that he is a pretty well-respected person.

The other drinks are all finely selected. The Chapelle Chambertin had a rosey smell to it, thought I do prefer the Griotte Chambertin. The 1955 armagnac de Montal, his birthyear, was absolutely magnificent.

For appetizers, we had fresh oysters imported from France, Iberico jamon melon wraps from Spain and assorted cheese. Yum yum yum...Oh, and mussles in little staub containers. The mussles were delectable. I counted, I had 17 mussles in here. Here are the before and after pictures.

For the main course, I chose steak over fish and duck confit. Looks delicious eh? The hawaiian salt was very unique. It's coarse and dark gray in color. It was a dash of heaven with the steak.

So here you go, delicious food, fabulous night.

It's fruity!

2011-11-13T13:59:00.003+08:00

My little cousin started his first-year university couple of months ago in Hualian. It is his first time living away from home, and I think he is enjoying it.

So he is in town this weekend and my aunt and cousin came to visit us. We went for lunch at an Italian restaurant near my house and had a wonderful time catching up.

an important meal

2011-11-13T11:30:00.002+08:00

I love breakfast. it's the best part of the day! A lot of people can't seem to eat when they first wake up. I'm not saying to eat right away. I mean, that's why they discovered brunch right?

butter flour milk sugar

2011-11-12T13:37:00.006+08:00

aunt stella's handmade cookies & cakes.

Currently Twiningsing

2011-11-11T19:49:00.002+08:00

I am. huge fan of chai, though it seems impossible to find in khh. boo :(

my good friend Alexis had been so kind to mail some tea bags over from Canada. (best gifts ever! millions of hugs and kisses) My stash is running low so I kept my eyes out today for some comforting-flavored tea.

Still no chai, but cinnamon is the closest thing. Seriously, how can the Taiwanese people not like chai? sad.

A Little Treat

2011-11-11T16:33:00.002+08:00

Friday afternoon, I'm sitting in a cafe reading a mag, sipping on coffee. Is this all too good to be true? How long will this last?

Keep it up folks. The world is your oyster.

Find a Little Peace

2011-11-11T16:12:00.002+08:00

I was going through my photos today and found a lot of them being close-up flower shots. Here's some of them before the next flower post.

happy friday :)

tapa craving

2011-11-10T18:36:00.001+08:00

I miss Spanish food.

2011-11-09T11:18:00.002+08:00

Semana Grande, Spanish for Big Week, is Bilbao's main festival that starts on the 3rd Saturday in the month of August, lasting 9 days. Bilbao, 14 km south of Bay of Biscay, is the largest city of the Basque Country.

We were there for two days, arriving on the 1st day of the festival!

The architecture in Bilbao is a little mixed. I found it a bit strange to find modern looking buildings sitting on one side of the street and classical style buildings on the other.

There it is again! Garbage bins out on the streets...

I quite like this. There is one single tree planted right in front of a police station.

Booths are set up for the festival...

Churro stands...

A walker that I am, I once again dragged my brother into touring the city on foot for hours... The downtown area is surrounded by two mountain ranges with an average elevation of 400 metres. Within the urban area, there are steep hills. And when I see hills, I want to go up on those hills...

This walkway on the right brings you to an elevator, which takes you down to street level at just less than 1 euro per person. I'm not sure how many metres above it is but from the photo, you can see how high up it is.

These condos look pretty fancy...

This is quite an awesome looking pedestrian bridge. The walkway is actually see-through, but because they've had some accidents with that, now the walkway is mostly covered with carpet.

Gehry's famous Guggenheim...

Its more overwhelming to see it in person...

Festival parade...

they were extremely efficient at cleaning the streets....

2011-11-08T15:08:00.003+08:00

The Fiestas de la Virgen Blanca is celebrated each year from Aug. 4th to 9th. While the Spanish bullfighting - corrida de toros - is common in Spain, it only takes place during the festivals in the northern provinces. It is more common and occurs more often in the south of the country. I've never seen a bullfight nor do i know much about it. The only bits of knowledge I have of bullfighting is from the opera Carmen. That is saying a lot...

There are some pretty modern looking buildings. This is the library...It kind of looks like a ship.

In spain, all the garbage and recycling bins (big and small) are not even hidden in small alleys, but lined up along the sides of big streets. They're very obtrusive in the street scene. You occasionally see different, more artistic designs, which can pass as public art.

Like Hong Kong, Vitoria is quite a hilly town. So like Hong Kong, they've implemented these moving walkways to save people the trouble of walking uphill.

Basque is an ancestral language of the Basque people (665,800 native speakers in 2006), who inhabit in the Basque Country ( a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France).

Being the second largest Basque city, here in Vitoria one can observe distinctly the Basque culture.

Setting up the stage for music performances...

Locals in traditional attire of each clan drinking alcohol and getting ready for the festival...

Even the bullring is modern?

2011-11-08T14:04:00.001+08:00

Olite is a gorgeous small town about an hour away by bus from Pamplona. We visited this little town on a Saturday with some other students from school. It was the perfect weather for a little trip. While we had the entire day to visit this town, most of us got bored after 3 hours. It's that small...

The Palacio Real de Olite is a gothic style castle, a former residence of the Kings of Navarra. Our teacher had signed us up with a tour guide. I don't know what she was thinking because the tour guide was speaking only in Spanish. Forget me, she was speaking so fast that the more advanced students didn't even have a clue what she was saying.

we still had fun anyway...

aren't these beautiful?

I love the rustic colors...

So since it was Saturday and because we're in Spain, all the stores are closed after 12pm. (They really know how to live, don't they!) Maybe that's why we got too bored...

I dragged my brother to walk around with me. We came across a Spanish wedding, which I didn't have a chance to take any photos of. Shame on me. It was a beautiful event. It's amazing how much you learn and appreciate as an observer. The Spanish culture is everything a novel describes, is everything a painting portraits.

Then, we walked further... and further.. I think to a less touristy and more residential area. It was really interesting to see some of the more "local" scenes.

I've never seen anything like this on garage doors in Canada, but it's very common in Europe (at least in Spain and southern France).

I think it's pretty sweet...

2011-11-07T15:01:00.001+08:00

Pamplona is the historical capital in Navarre, Spain. This little city gets a lot of tourists in July. Why? It is famous for its San Fermin festival from July 7 to 14. Its "running of the bulls" is one of the main attractions and had been made world-known in Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises. (...it's on my booklist...)

Luckily and unluckily we weren't here in time for the festivals..Hooray for not crowding around with too many tourists and Boo for not seeing the bulls...

Statue of Ernest Hemingway outside of the bullring

This plaza is packed with people in white and red scarves (the traditional attire for San Fermin) during the festivals. Somebody fires a gun on the balcony of this building each year on July 7th to announce the start of the San Fermin festival.

This gated "parking lot" is where they keep the bulls the day before the "run". Each day, 12 bulls (6 tame and 6 wild) are "released" from this lot and they run along the designated route of 825 metres towards the bullring. The bull run or Encierro consists of participates who are sober and over the age of 18 running with the bulls. It's quite a dangerous activity where accidents do happen each year. This doesn't really stop many young men from participating the run though.

This used to be the only entrance into the fort...

Beautiful works...

I freaked out the first time I saw this. It's creepy no? Then I started to realize that they are everywhere...

Cathedral of Pamplona...

Technically Pamplona isn't one of the Basque countries; however, there is still a Basque population here. You can see their cultures in restaurants, in the streets and well, on the balconies.

Plaza de Castillo is where we spent most of our afternoons

I LOVE spanish food... The variety... the pinchos... the jamons....the pimientos....the fritos....the tortillas.......yum yum yum.....

2011-11-07T13:52:00.001+08:00

7.27.2011

Time to get on the plane. This is my first time flying KLM and to be totally honest, I was very very impressed. The service is better than all of the other airlines I've ever been on. The food is surprisingly delicious.

Flying from Taipei, we made a brief stop in Bangkok, and continued to Amsterdam. From there, I got the stamp entering EU in my passport (woot!) and transfered on another plane to Madrid, Spain.

This was my first time in Spain. I did not know a single word of Spanish, which is a little surprising for someone who's lived in Western Canada. Also, the Spanish really don't like to speak English. I'm not if it is because they don't know how or they just refuse to. There were some interesting moments when I did try to speak spanish from the phrasebook in my hand.

I stayed at a hostel (which is a lot nicer and cleaner than most hostels that I'm aware of in North America). The location was perfect. It was a block away from Plaza Mayor and a few from Puerta de Sol.

I absolutely love the street signs. These tile street signs are hung on the walls of the buildings. Aren't they adorable?

Palacio Real

Catedral de la Almudena

The plan of the cathedral is actually quite bizarre...

The later the night, the more lively it gets. Around 9pm is when people start coming out for dinner. Madrid is a very energetic city.

Madrid is quite cheap for food. This place has the best calamari sandwiches (bocadillos de calamares). I spent 2 euros for the sandwich and 1 euro for a beer. 1 EURO FOR BEER! I swear this is all I drank in Spain..

Of course they are also more pricy places as well, mostly for tourists. I was a tourist and after hours of walking around, all I wanted to do during the siesta hours ( ~ 2-5pm) is to have paella, drink sangria, and people-watch. That, is exactly what I did.

A trip to Spain is not the same without tasting the famous churros! Chocolateria San Gines is in every single travel book for Spain (at least the ones I've ever flipped through). Unlike the churros you can get in Canada that's covered with cinnamon and sugar, most people here like it plain with just icing sugar. Since I was at a chocolateria, I figured it'd be worth my dollars, i mean euros, to try their chocolate. The hot chocolate sauce you dip into with the churros is delectable. It's extremely rich and thick, in the best possible way.

Lots of scooters. Lots of vespas.

Why not? It's the perfect weather for it..

Told you Madrid was cheap...

I followed Minnie for awhile...

We spent two days in Madrid, Spain. I wished we were there for a couple of days more to visit the parks, the museums etc... but now it's time to take the Renfe and move on to our next destination.

2011-11-07T10:55:00.001+08:00

Hello!

It's been 3-days-till-7-months since my last blog post. Shame on me. I haven't been very good at updating my blog, but I assure you that a lot has happened. Not only did I quit my job, I had been traveling in Europe for 3 months. It had been an amazing experience and I plan to share this with photos. Soon. I promise.

In the mean time, I am now back in KHH and am going to take the next couple of months refurbishing my room/house.

Ciao for now.

2011-04-10T22:54:00.000+08:00

Is it possible that there is no longer any means of knowing how you are?

I'm thinking about you

2011-04-08T20:44:00.000+08:00

Time is a scary thing.. then again so is love.

It's scary because it's vulnerable, and uncontrollable.

It's scary because it's without logic, and without reason.

It's scary because its beginning and end comes without notice.

This must the phase that so many songs, poetry and stories are about.

This must be the feeling that so many artists express with passion in public spaces.

This must be the part of our lives where we learned the most about life itself,

and most of all, about ourselves.

2011-03-26T01:03:00.000+08:00

I'm not afraid
Of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me
That I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find
A decent melody
A song that I can sing
In my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling, look at you. Ooh.
You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight
'Cause tears are going nowhere baby

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it

I will not forsake
The colors that you bring
The nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted
By the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears
Through your eyes I can see

You are such a fool
To worry like you do.. Oh
I know it's tough
And you can never get enough
Of what you don't really need now
My, oh my

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it
Oh love, look at you now
You've got yourself stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it
Oh lord look at you now
You've got yourself stuck in a moment
And you cant get out of it

I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm 'til you discover how deep
I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall
It's a long way down to nothing at all

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it

And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass

It's just a moment
This time will pas

2011-03-14T21:34:00.000+08:00

Nothing quite says peace like the serenity of "white". My thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been affected by the tragedy that has happened in the past few days. Stand firm and stay grounded. It is time for the world to reunite and help those in need. It isn't a time to dig up history, but a time to lend out our hands.

The world is sick, but we need to keep living, keep understanding, keep discovering and keep searching for ways to make this world a better place.

photos via lilacandgrey

2011-03-06T22:32:00.000+08:00

Recently I've been thinking about my life and how both amazing and ridiculous it can be. I'm in the process of learning to enjoy life more, not letting the little things get to me. At the end of the day, what's the use of wasting time on frowns and anxiety? Yes, we are only human and we can be emotionally unstable. Yes, we are only human and we can be selfish. The Stones said that "we can't always get what we want", but that doesn't mean we want others to have it either.

It's easy to think too much when you're alone and it's difficult to distract the minds from the thoughts. It's painful to learn the truth. It makes you feel hopelessly empty when he doesn't anymore have eyes only for you. The world is endless and full of possibilities that nobody can be certain of. Yet, when it's just the two of you, life can be so balanced, almost perfect. Why is that?

2011-02-26T09:50:00.000+08:00

Wouldn't it be great if we could travel wherever whenever we want?

via le petit happy

You've been visited by so many including me, yet my memory of you is slipping away. Have you changed? Does time change all things? I think it does. It's part of life. You grow just as I do. We become more mature, more sophisticated, more full of secrets. But I, like you, enjoy the warm beam of sunlight, the smell of fresh baguettes, the colors of strangers' attire, the soothing comfort of flowers, the red lips on beautiful women, and the smell of wine in the afternoon.

When will I see you? Will you still be there when I grow up?

2011-02-26T09:48:00.000+08:00

via le petit happy

Life may be cruel, but life is colorful

2011-02-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

you were everything to me

and now i'm nobody to you

2011-02-18T00:39:00.000+08:00

The combination of the wood flooring and wood beam framework is truly beautiful. I love the paintings on the wall. They stand out yet blend in so smoothly with the theme of the space. It's sensational.

2011-02-18T00:37:00.001+08:00

J Crew. How I miss thee..

{whiteness rules}

2011-02-18T00:21:00.000+08:00

via le petit happy

So pure and pretty....

2011-01-27T22:19:00.000+08:00

I've forgotten how I used to love reading blogs; food blogs, fashion blogs, interior blogs, home decor blogs etc etc... It's such a heart-warming past-time. The creativity that flows around is so inspiring and looking at beautiful photographs makes me feel so relaxed, so calm and most importantly, so happy.

Work has not only been more than I imagined, it has been a bit of a disappointment to my expectations. I'm not going to argue to the fact that this job has a lot to offer me, a learning opportunity no doubt, but we live in a time where people insist on following their passion, having a career that they love. We can do that now, can't we?

So, a lost soul. Time is suppose to be this amazing medium that heals people and that guides people, but it also flies past us. I think sometimes we have to stop for time. Wild idea, but that's what I feel like I should do now.

Tape It

2011-01-27T22:15:00.001+08:00

Stop button
Originally uploaded by Happysmurfday

The tape is town; it's wrecked
It's wrinkled.
It's faded.
It's obscure.
This time it won't pause
This time it won't replay
This time the music stops.

The tape is linked, it's blown.
It's mature.
It's nostalgic.
It's powerful.
Yet, it remains still
Yet, it whispers in silence
This time, the song lives.

2011-01-23T23:46:00.001+08:00

The temperature is higher today. Not only was the sun out, the breeze made it a perfect day for walks. I put on my puffy jacket over my lulus and pj top (not exactly formal attire...) and grabbed my headphones as I walked out my door. It was a lovely day, despite the ongoing traffic. For the first time in a very long time, I felt a bit of liveliness in me. Sad, but true. I miss the warm weather.

Things I miss:

Fit body

Water

Yoga

Beach

Sand

Sun

Granola

and cheap pizza.

2011-01-22T23:40:00.000+08:00

Five months have passed since my last Bikram session

Four months have passed since my last post

Three months have passed since my last enjoyable party

Two months have passed since my last outdoor adventure

One months have passed since my last unemployed days

It's been too long. I need to reorganize.

Tomorrow, is a day of rest.

2010-09-25T00:09:00.000+08:00

I was a day late at taking the photo, but you can't really tell. Can you?

2010-09-24T23:37:00.001+08:00

The day after the typhoon hit, we were left with only one scooter. My dad's scooter, which had been left at his friend's house, had been covered by water. In other words, it needed a visit to the repair shop.

My dad took me around the neighborhood to observe the aftermath of Fanapi. Piles and piles of ruined furniture lined up along narrow streets. Big pipes were seen to pump out water from several houses and underground parking lots. Fallen trees and signs were visible everywhere. It was a depressing sight.

The soldiers were here to help.

During this devastating time, I came across a happier scenery. The fish farms nearby had overflown, which left the fishes out and about! In some parts of my neighborhood where residue of the flood was still apparent, people of different ages were here to catch free fish!

Lost and gain. It's all part of the experience.

2010-09-19T23:12:00.003+08:00

In my memory, my house has only ever been flooded once, and that was before my family immigrated to Canada. I remember coming downstairs to the ground floor and stepping my small foot into the disgusting rainwater with the occasional floating cockroaches that filled up my house. I don't remember much other than that, but today, September 19, 2010, History has replayed itself.

There had been much warning about this particular typhoon because its expected path that runs right through Taiwan entering Hualian from the east and out Taichung in the west is almost identical to that of Typhoon Mulaka, which destroyed much of this beautiful island last summer on August 8th.

The last couple of days were as calm as the scenery from a Monet painting. The sky wasn't bright blue, but if detached from any source of media, a typhoon is the last thing on one's mind. One can be easily deceived by what one sees and what one hears. My mother tells me that the prettier the sky appears to be before the arrival of the typhoon, the more chaotic and dangerous the storm will be.

The center of Typhoon Fanapi (I'm going to find the list of typhoon names...and read it) entered Hualian early this morning. I woke up to find a comfortable breeze coming through the doors and light misty rain drowning the sky. The newscast reported that the central mountain range had altered the path of Tyhpoon Fanapi and it was curving its way down south and expected to cut through Tainan, which is located just above Kaohsiung. This was bad news. This means we are _____ed.

After a couple of hours (including several times staring blankly out the window and door and hoping for something exciting will happen), the wind picked up its speed and the heavy rain started to diagonally attack whatever comes in its way. The metal doors were rattling, the heavy raindrops sounded painful while the vente was whistling so loudly that it sounded like ghosts to the superstitious asian population.

It started to flood out on the street, then in the front of my house, and then at the back in my garden, and then water started to come out of the bathroom drain, then the courtyard drain...filling up my whole ground floor. The brown rainwater was flowing in from my backdoor and out of the drains inside my house at such a fast rate that all I could think of at that moment was "eff.. Q=VA". Thankfully Ryan's head was in the right place so we started unplugging electrical chords, removing things from the floor and clearing out bottom cabinets and drawers. Placing one thing on top of another, my house looked chaotic. The flood wasn't caused by plugging of the drainage system, but an overflow. There must be some way to solve this problem.

Brooms, buckets, rain boots, sandals, "STRUGGLING" cockroachs (hahaha..), blown-off leaves, family mart stickers, etc, we, all drenched in sweat and rainwater, tried to get as much water as we could out of the house. It was a pain in the a** to do because the rain was harder and the wind was stronger.

Upstairs on the 3rd story in my brother's room, the ceiling started leaking. Then it started to leak a lot. It continues to leak right now. Buckets are placed underneath and the towels that are also placed on the ground to absorb water need to be squeezed every 10 minutes. The ceiling is drenched and sagging a little. It might collapse. The noise of the storm is worst on the 3rd floor. It sounds as if the doors are going to get blown off any minute now and it's quite an intimidating experience.

Right now I can still hear the wind but am scared to open the bedroom door. The rain and wind should die down soon (I hope) but the entire storm won't leave Taiwan until tomorrow around noon. The worst is over but I hope my goddamn ceiling won't collapse.

2010-08-17T18:25:00.001+08:00

Sunday I went shopping. The metro was packed with young lovers, doing last minute shopping for Valentine's Day. I was starving when I arrived at the Central Park station. I went to Talee, which is one of the oldest department stores in Kaohsiung. Being a food addict, I went right to the food court.

This is a new restaurant in the food court. Their specialties include sticky rice, zhongzhi, white carrot cake, and wongua (in Taiwanese). I totally made up the spelling for this because I don't know what it's called in Mandarin. Anyhow, I decided to get this because it's been such a long time since I've last had wongua.

Wongua is made from rice. First, the grains of rice are milled into powdered form. Then, with water, the mixture is steamed in a bowl to get the shape as shown above. There is meat inside the bowl-shaped wongua and it is served with minced meat and diced, dried white carrot on top.

It is quite delicious and the taste of it, so nostalgic.

2010-08-17T11:49:00.000+08:00

Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park is one of the most popular public parks in Northern Kaohsiung. The site used to be a landfill, but after years of planning and executing, the park now treats 19 million cubic meters of methane. By burning it as a fuel in a gas turbine or steam boiler, methane is important for electrical generation.

The park itself is huge and beautiful. Across the bridge (above), there is a hill, perfect for watching sunset. Next time I come, I will be bringing my camera.

This park provides a habitat for 137 different species of birds, 9 types of amphibians, 15 types of reptiles, 8 types of fish and more than 100 types of common insects and more than 400 types of plants.

The Visitor Center plays a short film everyday at 9 am. The day we went, I learned a little bit about Yu Shan (Jade Mountain), which is the tallest mountain in Taiwan and the tallest in Northeast Asia. The highest point of Yu Shan range is 3952 m and is covered with thick snow in the winter.

The "Golden Rooster Sundial" is one of the attractions at the park. It designates one of the twelve animals in the Chinese culture.

Locals crowd the park in the morning, doing their morning exercises. From cyclists to Tai Chi-ers to yogis, the park is filled with the young and the old, all of them searching for that balanced lifestyle in the hustle and bustle of city life.

2010-08-17T11:10:00.000+08:00

No need to say more....

2010-08-17T10:30:00.000+08:00

Saturday night, my parents and I met up with my uncle and my little cousin Jeff for dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant called "Fubaku". The sushi there was delicious, especially the beef rolls. I haven't eaten anything that I didn't enjoy since I've been back, which is a pretty good thing!

Instead of going to my uncle's place for delicious coffee after dinner, my parents and I decided to go for a evening walk at Chijin Island. It's a long-striped island off the Port of Kaohsiung and it is a popular place to go for seafood. There is a tunnel that goes to the island from the mainland, but most people (walk-ons, scooter-ers, cyclists) take the ferry instead.

The ferry costs $15NT per person and a little bit more (not that much, maybe $35 NT) per scooter. I'm not sure about bikes. Anyway, the transportation department of Kaohsiung City has made it convenient enough for MRT users by permitting the use of MRT passes (MRT is the subway system in Kaohsiung). The ferry ride is only about 8 minutes - maybe not even. It's lovely to go in the evening because you get a beautiful night view of downtown Kaohsiung. There are many ferry terminals on the mainland and a popular place to take it is by Sizihwan, where Sun Yat-Sen University is close to.

This area is famous for their shaved-ice-in-a-huge-bowl-topped-with-whatever-toppings-you-want (usually fruits). We were too full from dinner to have any, so I'll save the details for another post.

This temple on the island is celebrating its 337 year anniversary this year.

All in all, it was a very busy day. Other than families with young children, there were a lot of young couples out walking about. Chinese Valentine's Day is coming up. It falls on July 7th every year on the Lunar Calendar. There is a depressing love story that explains the origin of this holiday, but I'll elaborate on that later.

There is a lighthouse on Chijin Island that is supposed to be quite beautiful. It was too dark to visit on this particular evening. I plan to purchase a bike, perhaps second hand. I can then bike around the island with a biking group that I've recently joined (on facebook).

2010-08-15T10:34:00.000+08:00

My father is an amazing singer. He, who never had any training, has a beautiful voice and like most non-professional singers, he frequents karaoke bars.

Now, karaoke is like crack to Asians. Apart from the big kara

oke chains such as Holidays where you get your own room and etc, there are BEAUCOUP family owned karaoke places. The big chains are popular for younger people; by that I mean younger than the age of say..40. The latter is a hit for older, married working people (aka, people like my dad). It is usually part of the owner's house, located on the first storey. It has 3 ~ 5 tables with a stage in the front. Now each party has their own table and the owner will play the requests table by table. This means that you can be singing up on the stage in front of people you don't even know. It's great fun because of the excessive amount of echo from the mic and that people there are usually drunk anyways.

My dad likes to go to these places after work. Nobody in my family really enjoys singing besides him and I; so now that I'm here, we go together. People at these places are always giving unnecessary compliments and asking awkward questions.

"Your daughter is so beautiful"

"She sings so well"

"How old is she? Oh! She's from Canada? Does she have a boyfriend?"

"I have a son..."

and it goes on and on

I understand that this type of conversation is completely normal in this part of the world. Our small and dense neighborhood prohibits solitude. Everybody pretty much knows everybody so it is no surprise that my dad has befriended these frequent customers. Despite of all that I understand about this culture, when you're the youngest soul present, surrounded by strangers, it is a little uncomfortable to hear what they have to say.

It is all part of the way of life that I still have to slowly adapt to. I enjoy going to karaoke because it's just me and my dad. He doesn't have many interests but for as long as I can remember, singing has always been his favourite past time.

2010-08-13T23:52:00.000+08:00

I started teaching English to little kids last Thursday. Thanks to Julia and her helpful comments, my teaching skills have improved. The same goes for Ryan. He is doing so much better now that he's taught a couple of classes. The kids are adorable, but they have amazingly SHORT attention span. It isn't personal, but it is very easy for them to get tired and bored if the classroom energy isn't kept at 100%. It is more of a challenge teaching young children than teaching adults. That is a fact. Creativity is so essential in children education. It has been a week and I can only see both Ryan and myself getting better at this.

Good luck to us!

2010-08-13T23:08:00.000+08:00

Mike and I wanted to get something special for my dad this year for Father's Day. Two of my brother's friends came along with us on our little shopping spree. We've known each other for as long as I could remember - family friends. So the five of us (including Ryan of course) went from department stores to department stores without any idea of what kind of presents to get.

In the end, we decided to go with this....

My dad likes fishes. He used to have a fish tank in his clinic, but that was before we left for Canada. We figured that the little swimmers can keep him company when we are not here in Taiwan.

We bought each things individually. The tank set was on sale. It included the tank, the light, the sand, the fish food, and the little motor for water circulation. We chose our own vegetation to plant and the other ornaments such as the cranes, frogs and bridge. We bought 5 little tiny fish to start ( the pet care difficulty for this type was labelled 'EASY'). It was buy 5 get 3, so we ended up with 8 little swimmers.

We surprised dad in the morning of August 8th by bringing the tank down to the clinic early in the morning. I think he liked it =)

2010-08-11T18:38:00.000+08:00

"Eight" is an auspicious number in the Chinese culture. This is probably because the word 'eight' sounds very similar to the word for 'bringing fortune'. The word 'eight' also sounds like the word for 'dad'. Thus, August 8 sounds like the word 'father'. Every year on August 8, the Taiwanese people celebrate Father's Day*.

* I don't think this is the case for Mainland Chinese or Hkers. August 8 is only celebrated by Taiwanese.

Sunday, August 8

We got all dressed up to go to our Father's day lunch/family reunion at the Ambassador Hotel. Mama had booked this reservation (more than) a week in advance since the restaurant in this hotel is a popular place for family gatherings. Many members of my family showed up, including an uncle who I haven't seen in years. It was so lovely to see my little cousin, who is going into grade 12. So much pressure is put on him because his university entry examination will be coming up shortly. He's a good kid and he works so hard to make his parents proud.

My great aunt and uncle are very close with my family. I have known them my entire life and they are the most wonderful people I know. My great aunt kept speaking Chinese to Ryan, telling him that she can and will only speak Chinese to him from now on. Her intention was simple, to force him to learn Chinese ASAP! Ha, but as we all know too well, learning a new language is easier said than done.

One of my uncles brought some bottles of wine to have with dinner. The white Chateauneuf-du-Papes and a German riesling were among them. The riesling was sweeter than most and was a good aperitif. We had mediocre red bordeaux with our main dishes. It's almost a waste to have delicate bordeaux with Chinese food. It is not because the food is not delicious (IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING), but the authentic taste of traditional Chinese cuisine just isn't compatible with most delicate European wine. I don't drink many white wines, but this bottle of Chateauneuf was unlike anything I've had before. The rich flavor lingers long after the sip.

After lunch, we went to the courtyard on 4th floor to take some photos. More on facebook.

I like family gatherings. There are promises for more, now that I'm back in Taiwan for awhile. I look forward to see my relatives more and I loo

k forward to spending Chinese holidays here in REAL CHINA TOWN.

2010-08-05T23:39:00.000+08:00

Today was a pretty hectic day.

6:00 am: woke up and went for a walk with mama and papa to World Games Stadium, which is 5 min scooter ride away. In the morning is where you'd see a lot of elderly people doing tai chi and today was no exception. It's serene and soothing for practitioners as well as for viewers such as myself. The stadium was built for the World Games that took place last year. The dragon-shaped stadium contains 8000+ solar panels that almost look like the scales o

f this auspicious creature. It's a beautiful structure and the landscaping around it makes it a popular place for locals to spend their early mornings and cool evenings.

7:15 am: Mama, papa and I were going to Mei & Mei after our walk to buy breakfast (nobody really eats at home here...), but I told them that Ryan enjoys going out to breakfasts with us. So we went home first to get Ryan and off we go again. mama and papa on one scooter; Ryan and I on another.

9:00 am: The water pipe from our hot water tank had burst 2 days ago and we had about 6 people working on our roof this morning. My house is 3 storeys high and the only way to get to the roof is from my brother's room on the 3rd floor. I kept running up and down the stairs trying to make sense of the situation.

The source of our water comes from underground. It gets pumped up to the roof and is stored in a water tank. The cold water gets heated by the two huge solar panels that are positioned diagonally by the hot water tank. The system is quite simple but there are about a billion useless pipes sticking out from random places on the roof.

We had to relocate our cold water tank about 1 meter higher in order to provide sufficient pressure head. Our neighbor's roof shade (made of sheet aluminum) was in the way so the workers decided to remove a chunk of it out. They then got anxious because there was a girder in the way but they managed to do it anyway. The missing rectangular piece made the entire roof hideous. After placing the water tank onto the new rack, the workers chuckled because they realized then that they really didn't need to remove any of it. I almost died from their lack of precision, organization, and preparation. Despite of this, these good-humored people possessed the most defining characteristics of Kaohsiung locals.

It was a hot day and dad bought drinks for everybody. Mama and I were watching the men work while Ryan snapped a couple of photos. They didn't mind our curiosity even though our actions may be considered weird to other local Taiwanese.

It took forever to finish reinstalling everything though it is, without a doubt, considered rocket speed compared to Canadian standards. It was a long but educational morning. The maths and physics I learned at UBC had come to visit from half way across the world.

12:30 pm: I had an appointment at a computer drafting school and during out scooter ride to Nan-Tzu, it started pouring. The raindrops were unlike anything in Vancouver. You can get completely drenched within minutes and the raindrops can be ridiculously painful.

4:00 pm: There is a local English kindergarden/bushiban just around the corner of my house. Ryan and I paid a visit the day before and was offered the opportunity to teach for an hour each today. Ryan was so nervous and I could tell. I think this will be a very challenging job for him (maybe the first he has ever encountered) but overall a very rewarding experience. Knowing how the educational systems works here in Asia, understanding how difficult it is for a kid to learn a new language, and having experience in communicating with non-english speakers, I was able to "cheat" a little bit. I am the nervous type. My legs wouldn't stop shaking..

Julia, an exceptionally nice lady whose family owns the bushiban, immediately offered me a permanent part-time job. I didn't even ask for the details because 1. I wasn't even expecting to get a job here 2. I had thought this opportunity was mostly for Ryan 3. I didn't think I did a decent enough job 4. I live so close to the school and I start teaching on Monday. I figure she will tell me more about it. ETC..

In the mean time, Julia is giving Ryan the opportunity to teach at the school to gain experience. I thought this was so nice of her. I believe with some practice and adjustments, Ryan will be a very brilliant, engaging teacher.

8:00 pm: The walk home from the bushiban took all of 3 minutes. We were starving. Life here is very structured, especially with my family: 7:15 am breakfast, 12:00 pm lunch, 5:30 pm dinner. Ryan and I wandered around and found a cheap family restaurant. Like everything else we've had already since we've been here, the food was delicious. To celebrate/de-stress, we shared a bottle of Taiwan Beer (Gold Metal) with dinner.

I had trouble trying to remember it all because so much happened in one day. So far, I am enjoying every minute of everyday. I look forward to new adventures and discoveries.

R.O.C.

2010-08-04T15:39:00.000+08:00

Bonjour! Or Ni hao!

It seemed like it was only yesterday that I was leaving Victoria for Quebec. All of a sudden, I am half way across the world, away from my friends from Vancouver and my new friends from Trois-Rivieres. My flights from Montreal to Toronto to Vancouver went by really fast. My flights from Vancouver to Beijing to Taipei seemed even faster!

Beijing was gloomy. It was my first time in China (in my opinion, HK is still on its own..) People were a little intimidating, but maybe it was because I was holding a Taiwanese passport. Who knows. I was glad to leave when I did.

Despite the gray sunlight, Terminal 3 was massive and impressive. The columns, the scale-like skylights, and the spacious layout are all very artistic I thought. Norman Foster designed it for Beijing Olympics 2008. I believe it contained one of the fastest baggage transfer systems in the world. I would've loved to see the city of Beijing, but it was quite a long way away. It would've been interesting to see / compare the lifestyle, architecture and food to the Taiwanese.

Upon arrival in Taipei, we were greeted (by surprise!) by my brother! He hadn't planned on coming to pick us up at the airport nor was he planning on heading back to Kaohsiung on the same day! We managed to fit 4 suitcases, 3 backpacks, a computer monitor, some bags full of Mike's stuff and 2 (haha) straw hats into the car and drove ~300km southbound to my lovely home city Kaohsiung.

I missed this humid, hot weather. It sounds gross but I actually missed the feeling of sweat dripping down my spine. The burning sun beams, the noisy traffic, the dirty squatter toilets, the huge selection of drinks at any convenient store, the chewing tabacco stains on asphalt, the creepy men standing around random places and the green banana/palm trees are just some of the familiar things I remember from my childhood.

It feels awkwardly strange and normal to be back home!

This trip is different from past summers. This trip is to last for a year. This trip is for me to rediscover my roots, culture, language and of course, to EAT LOTS OF TROPICAL FRUITS! I have a little friend with me this time. Ryan is here again in Taiwan 3 years later. He is remembering places he's been and food he's tried. There is a lot more to be discovered and learned for the both of us. Huan ying Ryan =)

2010-07-09T12:08:00.000+08:00

The beaming sunlight is darkening my body. While everybody is melting in this humid and boiling place, I take great pleasure in sweating. It is a bit awkward to say that I guess, but I enjoy sweating. Your body is adjusting itself to the environment and it is getting rid of the toxins inside. I feel a little unbalanced; maybe it is because I miss doing Bikram. But hey, I like what I do and I do what I want. Some people grow up to be less confident, less opinionated and more worrisome. What's the point? Stand firm on your feet and live your life with courage.

"Only thing we have to fear is fear itself" -FDR

PS. summer is getting rowdy. please drink lots of water.

2010-07-09T02:28:00.000+08:00

crawl.....ing

craving

2010-07-07T03:05:00.001+08:00

Italy: Olives
Originally uploaded by camillestyles

" hidden away in a grove of olive and clementine and lemon trees.."

just got back from a lovely promenade..

l'atelier a trois heure demi

Raindrops Or Teardrops

2010-07-06T11:16:00.001+08:00

Pleasures of Raindrops.
Originally uploaded by algo

It is so funny how such a little thing can affect your whole mood.

Is it wrong to have high expectations? Is it normal to be disappointed?

Is it bad to let your emotions get in the way and somehow strangers have to take the blame?

What I seek is self control.

What I seek is the ability to balance.

What I seek is the way to happiness.

2010-05-03T02:03:00.001+08:00

Originally uploaded by brainsforlunch

I am back in Victoria! Despite the horrifying windy weather and the amount of laundry and clean up that I have to do, it's good to be back home.

I got my ukulele in the mail on Friday and I have been playing it constantly. My fingers are still getting used to playing a string instrument ie. they are in a lot of pain right now..

The house is a mess... when will it get better!

2010-04-28T09:21:00.001+08:00

unique.

2010-04-27T06:10:00.001+08:00

enchanted garden cupcakes, originally uploaded by hello naomi.

Happy Birthday !

2010-04-26T05:15:00.001+08:00

286\365 summer or winter ??, originally uploaded by ‘Daisy.

As stated.

2010-04-25T13:50:00.001+08:00

The Analyst, originally uploaded by Veronique (Image Focus Australia).

focus. focus. focus.

2 more exams. focus.

focus. focus. focus.

2010-04-25T02:18:00.000+08:00

I can't wait until the end of exams. I'm studying Econ right now and.. err.. well lets just say I slacked off near the end of term and I have no idea what this capital cost allowance is..

Anyway, in 5 days I will be done. Summer will begin and I will start learning the ukulele. I want to buy this as my first ukulele. It's a Kamoa Mahogany pineapple.

I don't think L&M carries them. I'll have to buy it online.

Maybe I'll go to L&M when I move back to Vic and see what other ones attract my eyes. The Kala KA-S seems to be a popular beginner's choice.

2010-04-24T14:24:00.001+08:00

[109-365] Welcome to Spain!!, originally uploaded by Beatriz AG.

I went to see my mum at the airport today. While I was waiting for her, I wandered around the airport, observing people. I wanted to go somewhere. I wanted to fly somewhere. The airport has a very peculiar smell.. do you know that smell?

Lots of traveling planned for this summer. I can't wait!

2010-04-24T08:26:00.000+08:00

I plan to get this book

I've heard it's a fast and funny read.

I think I'll get it when I'm back in Victoria.

Anyway, so concrete was a hard exam.. It didn't seem like there was enough time. Bah. yes.. Bah.

This is what I felt like after the exam..

I got a little depressed after the exam so I went to DQ and had a blizzard. If it wasn't for the promotion of getting the 2nd blizzard for 25 cents, I wouldn't have gotten a blizzard. I don't like them. They are way too sweet and after 1/3 of the cup, you start to feel really nasty.

I much prefer the dipped cones. I've always liked them.

2010-04-22T23:53:00.001+08:00

snooze, please?, originally uploaded by yyelsel_ann.

2 down, 3 more exams to go.

I slacked off last night and had tacos with friends. I had a great time though.

an exam at 3:30 this afternoon: advance concrete design..

2010-04-18T00:24:00.000+08:00

I'm probably taking a little break from blogger because the exam period is starting. It has been most unfortunate that time always feel so limited. I'd made some pretty delicious (and quick!) dinners and lunches but didn't have the time to capture any photos. I'm looking forward to the end of exams. Big plans coming up! Lots of traveling. Hopefully the weather becomes nice immediately after exams then I'd really get into photography. I'm looking forward to that.

Also, I am thinking of making a switch to tumblr.

That's all for now.

Stress Monster.

2010-04-13T15:41:00.001+08:00

Pure Joy, originally uploaded by ::big daddy k::.

The birthday present I've ordered for myself finally arrived today.

I LOVE IT!

2010-04-11T02:32:00.001+08:00

DavidsTea

I've been getting a lot of tea from DavidsTea lately and well, drinking too much of it.

I had their Earl Grey this morning while studying and I think the caffeine is making me hallucinate.

anyway, this is just a random entry because my head is kind of spinning.

Oh!

I'm looking at videos of Paris and I have decided that I shall move to Paris by the age of 35 (preferably before 30).

2010-04-08T23:23:00.000+08:00

seriously?

combination of a strawberry and a pineapple.

an inside out strawberry that tastes like a pineapple.

why is a pineapple called a pineapple anyway..

from here

2010-04-08T13:17:00.001+08:00

the smell of good bread., originally uploaded by kvdl.

too much bread
too much butter
too much cheese
too many delicious cookies from capers..

too much food for one day

There was a time when I knew how to control my appetite.

2010-03-27T05:11:00.000+08:00

Late Update!

After watching Julie and Julia, Ryan and I became obsessed with Julia Child. Eventually I will buy her famous book Mastering the Art of French Cooking but in the mean time, we just search for her recipes online.

For our big five year anniversary, we decided to make a French dish: Coq au Vin. Julia Child's Cuq au Vin.

Traditionally a Burgundian dish so we got a Burgundy to drink with it =)

To start, we made some brushetta!

Julia Child's Coq au Vin

2.5 - 3 lb chicken

4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cognac

2 cups red wine ( we used Beaujolais)

2 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 clove garlic, mashed or minced ( minced!)

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

brown braised onions

mushrooms

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp butter, softened

parsley sprigs

steps will be updated soon...

cut up mushroom

Julia Child says "never crowd the mushrooms. They won't brown!"

all cut up

these potatoes are soooo gooood

final product! Delicious...

Unfortunately I was sick this day and couldn't smell and taste anything. I felt better and less stuffed up the next day and was finally able to savour the taste!

2010-03-21T02:56:00.000+08:00

Five years ago on March 19th, Ryan and I were wandering down the streets of Avignon. In that dry sunny day in Provence, our lives together began.

We were going to do a big dinner to celebrate our 5 year anniversary, but since Ryan didn't sleep the night before (he had to write a paper), we decided to postpone our big dinner plan to Saturday (today!)

However, we weren't going to eat junk food either. We made Japanese Katsu Curry! It was my first time making it and it turned out quite well!

Sauce:

3 carrots

1 potato

1 onion

glico curry cube

Cut all ingredients into bite size pieces. In a large skillet, stir fry onions with oil. Add all other ingredients and stir for few minutes. Add 2 cups (500ml) of water to the skillet and bring to boil. We used a little more than it asked for to keep all vegetables submerged. Cook in medium low heat with a lid for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and add Glico curry sauce (break into several pieces). Adjust amount based on how thick you want the sauce to be. Stir until completely melted. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

Deep frying Katsu:

pork tenderloin (it's the only type we had. Fattier meat will probably be better!)

1 egg

flour

panko

We sliced the pork tenderloin and bashed it flat with a knife because we didn't have a hammer... Drizzle the pork slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Prepare 3 plates: 1 with flour, 1 with an egg, beaten with a bit of water, 1 with panko. Like an assembly line, coat the pork slices with flour, dip in the egg, and coat it with sufficient panko.

Deep frying can be done in a small pot or a frying pan with sufficient oil. We heated a frying pan in med-high heat and placed the pork slices in it. Flip when the edges become golden.

When they are done, place the fried pork slices on a rack or on a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess grease. Cut them into 1 inch strips and serve with rice and curry sauce.

Yum!

Deep frying got quite messy but it was worth it. I would definitely make this again.

What to do with the leftover katsu? Put them in a sandwich!

2010-03-19T22:32:00.000+08:00

from here

Don't dwell on the past

Keep moving

Keep changing

Keep charging

2010-03-18T15:47:00.000+08:00

from here

So I bought my first pack of organic quinoa from Costco some months ago. I had heard of this grain-like crop, but had never tried it. Originated from South America, it is actually a species of goosefoot (some sort of flowering plant). It is extremely healthy (high in protein) and has very little fat.

I found a quinoa pilaf recipe from the Whole Foods website. This was so easy to make and the flavour of this simple dish was absolutely amazing.

Quinoa pilaf with Cranberries and Almond

Serve 4

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped ( i used white, and it was fine)

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth ( i used vegetable because i had one open)

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add quinoa and toast, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in broth and salt and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cranberries, cover again and continue to cook until liquid is completely absorbed and quinoa is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Toss with almonds and serve.

I sliced up some carrots and boiled them in water. I mixed the carrot slices with Japanese shiso dressing. (btw, I love the taste/smell of shiso). Another name for shiso is Perilla and it is a perennial herb in the mint family.

Like I said, this dish was so delicious, so easy. The combination of the broth, the nutty almond chunks and the sweet dried cranberries was not as weird as I had thought. I will definitely make this again.

PS. I want to try to make risotto. Does it work for any short-grain rice or does it have to be a specific kind?

2010-03-16T13:06:00.000+08:00

My next big purchase is going to be a DSLR and the one I have in mind is the Canon Rebel XSi or Canon 450D. When am I going to buy it?

Hopefully soon.

I've been to Future shop, and lens and shutter. I found out that the body is made in Japan and the 18-55mm lens is made in Taiwan. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but somehow I wish to get the lens that's made in Japan. The guy at Lens and Shutter said that the 18-55mm is inexpensively made and a good lens to begin with for people new to DSLR. It shouldn't matter too much where it is made. Suppose he is right, I still wish to compare prices.

On the same note, once I get my DSLR, I'm going to learn about food photography. I love food and well, I think that's a good enough reason.

PS. Daylight saving. We lost an hour. Boo. I wish my day was 48hrs.

2010-03-16T12:38:00.000+08:00

from here

On Sunday, we made crepes for breakfast. I love crepes and I haven't had one for so long! Not only had I not had crepes for a long time, I hadn't had nutella for a looooong time.

This hazelnut flavoured chocolate spread is probably one of my favourite things in the world. It's great with thick toast (only with Asian bread though because they are sweeter in general. It's okay with regular white bread, but significantly not as good). It's great with banana slices in a sandwich and it's great with banana slices in a crepe. It's great. period.

note:

Unlike a regular white loaf of bread , asian white loaf doesn't have that round top, but is actually a perfect square in cross section. Slices of approximately 1" is most ideal for thick toast. Spread nutella on the bread and make a shallow cross with the knife across the top. Put this in the toaster oven until it's warm and a little crunchy at the top. yum!

Other common spreads for thick toast are: peanut butter, strawberry jam, butter, and, condensed milk.

As I was randomly searching on the internet, I found out that there is actually a World Nutella Day. I should've known. I mean, why wouldn't there be? It's on 5 February and I can't believe I missed it this year! Anyway, now i know for next year.

While we are talking about chocolate, I had a full pack of Ritter sport just now. It's my overeating self acting out again. I feel so sick and it's completely my fault. Where did my self-control go? I seem to be able to control myself better over the weekend. School sucks. Schools stresses me out. School makes me eat. I need to go to Bikram.

Anyway, Ryan and I have found great recipes that we want to try out this weekend. Excited!

2010-03-16T12:20:00.000+08:00

Ryan and I enjoy cooking. What to make for the weekend has become an important topic in our weekday conversations.

While I still had some pancetta left from when I bought them for the carbonara, I wanted to make something with it. Last Friday, I brought to Ryan's house some salmon fillets, pancetta slices and asparagus. We decided to make something from Mr. Oliver's cookbook!

So What's for dinner?

Jamie Oliver's Pan Roast Salmon with Green and White Asparagus, Rosemary, Wrapped in Bundles with pancetta and red and yellow cherry tomatoes.

adapted from here

Serves 2

16 spears of asparagus (we used green)

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (we used dried sage)

6 slices of pancetta (we had 4 thick slices)

2 thin salmon fillets

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

a handful of red and yellow cherry tomatoes ( we didn't have any )

a small handful of Kalamata olives

1/2 a lemon

Preheat your nonstick T-FAL frying pan until the T

ermo-Spot turns solid red

Snap the woody bottoms off the asparagus spears and divide the tops into 2 bunches. Add a sprig of rosemary and wrap each bunch up in 3 slices of pancetta to form a neat bundle. (we ended up slicing the pancetta slices into strips)

Season the salmon steaks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a splace of olive oil. Place the salmon in the hot pan with the cherry tomatoes, the olives and two bundles of asparagus and fry on each side, turning the asparagus over in the pan from time to time so that the pancetta and salmon brown evenly.

By the time the salmon's cooked, the pancetta should be lo

vely and crisp, the asparagus just cooked and the cheery tomatoes softened and bursting with sweet sticky juices. Squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the whole dish to finish off.

This recipe was extremely fast and absolutely delicious. I love salmon. I seasoned the fillets with a bit too much salt, which didn't balance with the natural saltiness of the pancetta. Overall, the dish was amazing.

2010-03-11T17:59:00.000+08:00

I just finished my econ homework.

After coming home from school today I tried to read. It is a VERY bad idea to read a book in bed because well, I fell asleep. Who takes a nap at 5pm? Apparently I do...

Anyway, I worked on my portfolio for hours after my nap, trying to put everything together and doing some final editing for my statements. It was very stressful especially because my head has been throbbing these couple of days. My goal was to finish both econ and steel homework today, but obviously that didn't happen. I just finished my econ homework and yay, now I can finally blog about the FAB meal I made today.

Originally I was going to make the spaghetti carbonara for dinner, but Ryan came over around lunch time without a lunch. So we made it for lunch instead!

From The Silver Spoon

the bible of authentic italian cooking

over 1200 pages!

spaghetti alla carbonara

serves 4

2 tbsp butter

generous 1/2 cup pancetta, diced

1 garlic clove

12 ounces spaghetti

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup romano cheese, freshly grated

salt and pepper

melt the butter in a pan, add the pancetta and garlic and cook until the garlic turns brown. Remove and discard the garlic. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted, boiling water until al dente, then drain and add to the pancetta. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the eggs, add hlaf the Parmesan and half the romano and season with pepper. Mix well so that the egg coats the pasta. Add the remaining cheese, mix again and serve.

This recipe is so easy and quick and it's made in my new T-FAL non-stick pan (30cm)! The taste is divine! I really enjoyed using pancetta instead of bacon. The flavour is quite different and is absolutely exquisite. Wonderful lunch!

PS What should I make with the remaining pancetta I got in the fridge...

2010-03-11T00:41:00.000+08:00

Many French and Italian dishes have pancetta in their ingredient lists. Since pancetta can be expensive here in North America, people tend to use an alternative, bacon! From what I've read, pancetta is similar to bacon but cured differently, thus giving a more old world flavour to dishes like carbonara.

I've only made carbonara once before and that was before I knew what carbonara was. I followed the recipe from an Italian cookbook that I can't seem to recall the name right now, and I substituted pancetta with bacon. Even though the flavour was delightful, it was very dry. So couple of years have passed since I've craved to have carbonara again. This time, it will be different!

I bought some pancetta from Meinhardt yesterday while I was wondering around South Granville. I plan to make spaghetti carbonara tonight following a recipe from The Silver Spoon.

I await, for the evening to come!

2010-02-25T15:54:00.000+08:00

Things I really want

hoop earrings
long necklaces
gladiator shoes
wedges
rings
bangles
skinny jeans
gray / green / blue contact lenses

2010-02-24T01:45:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to watch this movie. The first time I saw it was in 2005 when I was in France at Bigeon's house. I didn't understand..anything since there were no subtitles. A few years later I found out in music appreciation class which movie it was and wanted to watch it again from the beginning to end, with subtitles this time.

I stayed up last night watching it. It is a beautiful film.

2010-02-23T16:44:00.000+08:00

head up . straight ahead . powerful

Victory Square - Vancouver Public Library - Robson Square

2009-12-08T00:40:00.000+08:00

Cold Day. November 14th.

A couple of days after Remembrance Day.

wreaths all around the cenotaph, commemorating the lives lost at war.

solemn. respect. honor.

It was a windy day. The wreaths were blown down from the racks.

Across from the street is this beautiful building, housing OPUS, an store selling art supplies,

There's a group of people lingering there. I didn't want to stand too close not didn't want them to know I was taking photos of them. Hooray for optical and digital zoom.

They are just enjoying the day here at the park.

The tall "flatiron" building on the right is the Woodward Building. I think it's gorgeous.

Here it is again from a different view. The masonry walkways very distinctive of this part of town. (Also seen in Yaletown and bricks in Gastown).

The group had diminished to two people.

Note the awesome lamp posts with the helmet covers. Very creative I thought.

Here comes the strange group of people. I still can't figure out where they came from. They look like students but they don't...

Some sketchy action going on down there...

This man was riding his shopping cart around and around the park.

On the right is the little platform area with colourful mural around the side.

The heated topic: Woodward Building.

The red facade makes it very trendy.

Off I go to the Vancouver Public Library.

Built in 1995.

I like this photo of the biker in the front.

The tower structure on the left is an office building and the elliptical structure on the right is the library itself.

The courtyard connecting the tower and the library no only provided natural lighting from above, it provided lighting for the seats located by the glass windows.

Private businesses run along the left hand side.

Bulletin board located in the center.

Blue dome on top.
Cameraman. Really intense.
GE advertisement

Vancouver Art Gallery.

Note the lingering homeless people in front of this place.

Facing south: the sheraton tower is visible.
Facing North, the lights from the buildings and the Christmas lights on Robson is so pretty.
Taken from the walkway on top of the courtyard. Looking down, the blue is the Ice Rink.

2009-11-30T17:36:00.001+08:00

shhh, originally uploaded by broiche.

I am stoked.

I am very stoked.

My Sony Ericsson was pretty awesome, but it was time to say goodbye. Not only was the battery completely retarded, this piece of metal sometimes just decides not to show missed calls, voicemails, texts, etc...I started the Sony Ericsson 4 years ago - second hand from my brother. It was exciting for me because I never had a phone before then. Now that I'm old and gray and more mature and perhaps - i like to think this way- a little more knowledgeable of the world, I strive for something better.

Even though graduation isn't until May of 2010, my old phone was making me pretty miserable. On top of that, the battery for my ipod was questionable aussi. All in all, I received my grad gift early!

I should've started my paper last night when I got home around 9:30pm. Instead, I received my little surprise from my mum and I started playing with it like a little kid for a good 2 or 3 hours. It was sweet. It was very sweet. It was so sweet that toffee is considered bitter.

The cover is pretty sweet as well. I think it suits me quite well: weird, awkward, shy etc.. I love it!

I am extremely excited to have an iphone and like i said, i am super stoked.

Thanks Parents!

2009-11-29T03:15:00.000+08:00

photo via emmas designblogg

sing if you must, but quit thinking too much.

Let's focus. Let's concentrate. Let's get it done!

2009-11-29T01:19:00.001+08:00

The Great Wall of Bokehistan, originally uploaded by rogvon.

Things we cannot see are often scarier than the things we can see

2009-11-27T08:51:00.000+08:00

不知道為什麼

monday night

2009-10-31T01:28:00.000+08:00

Went to see this movie on Monday. It was a free screening at 5th Ave Cinema. It was a really classy cinema. There's even a balcony! The movie was very entertaining, very comical. It was a spontaneous, fun night for Ryan and I. It was fun.

When you're stressed, get away!

2009-10-27T04:38:00.000+08:00

Life is pretty hectic right now..

apple and cinnamon and brown sugar with oats is one solution.

photo via SimplyBreakfast

The weather has been strange lately.

During my walk to Save-on on Saturday, I felt almost "hot". The sun was blazing with the sky bright blue.

On Sunday, a couple of us went to the last Farmer's market of the year in Kits. The weather was gray and the ground, slimy and wet.

Today, it's windy. It's very windy. It poured this morning when I left the house. Now, the sun comes and goes. It's bright then it's dark.

Strange weather.

photo via coco+kelley

Let's get away to a place far far away. Provence sounds lovely. It's probably getting cold there now as well, but that's okay. I'll imagine Provence summers with lavenders and sunflowers... I long for freshly baked bread with cheese and delicious baked pasta with wine.

Memories live on. They are there to help me get through hard times.

ah woooooooo

2009-10-21T05:31:00.001+08:00

I went to see this movie on Saturday night.

I didn't grow up here so I've never heard about this book until quite recently. Scarfe didn't any any copies left because everyone wanted to read it before seeing the movie. Luckily, I came across a copy in the Bookstore and read it in all of 5 minutes. The illustrations were pretty amazing and the story, very creative. So i didn't know what to expect from the movie. I've heard mixed reviews and wondered how the movie could be 101 minutes. The music for the trailer sounded pretty awesome, so I looked forward to the soundtrack for the movie.

We arrived at Scotiabank theater around 6:15 for the 7pm show after getting some food from Johnny's Pizza ( a tad of disappointment with the food), and the lineup was already huge. The majority of the people weren't kids, which is ironic. After waiting for 45 minutes, in line and in the theater watching boring advertisements, the movie finally started.

Not to spoil any details, I was fully awake one minute after the movie started.

I like it. It's beautifully filmed. It's creative and touching. I think it speaks out to individuals who feel isolated at times, even in the presence of other people;especially in the presence of other people. The music is beautiful and it definitely adds to the effect of removing the audience to a different world. I really enjoyed the movie and I most definitely think that the movie isn't suitable for young children.

putting a smile on my face

2009-10-12T15:24:00.000+08:00

I am absolutely inspired by all the creative projects and photos and artworks you find floating around the internet. This "bow" is soo adorable and it suits the model very well. The technology today allows us to obtain unlimited information and it seems impossible to see and learn it all! Bit by bit we slowly absorb, but time is definitely a factor! How do you find the time to do all the things you want to do, and the things that you have planned to do? This can lead to madness and frustration. Emotional instability and overeating, which may have happened today when we had the most awesome Thanksgiving dinner ever, are my symptoms for ill time management. Good food is no cure for frustration. Great food is anesthesia to numb the mind. Looking through blogs and seeing pretty photos of people and things is the remedy for a troubled mind! This photo made my day. It often amazes me how such small of a thing can change my mood and thus my day. It's good. People should just try to be positive all the time.

It was good to be home for the long weekend. A day or two in a different city reminds me of how lucky I am. There's a house to go back to. There's a kitchen with all the ingredients you need to make a feast. There's comfort and there's warmth. There's family and there's love.

Also, there's Mount Royal bagels...

photo via ilovemuffins

words..

2009-10-09T09:07:00.001+08:00

Pen and paper, originally uploaded by Mack2.

I had a midterm today. It was an urban studies course titled "Cities". When I checked out the course last school year, I was extremely excited about it. It has been awhile since I've taken an arts course. Anyway, so I came out of classroom feeling completely stupefied. Writing used to be easy, or at least easier, for me. Now I can't seem to organize my thoughts into words. It's really frustrating. My midterm paper probably had more lines crossed out than lines with words so please excuse my ranting.

I came home, not wanting to study right away, watched an episode of gossip girl. This made me feel a little better, but still not 100% great.

I'm looking forward to something good happening soon.

brioche please

is love real?

mele:kalikimaka

15 minutes earlier

feeling special

It's fruity!

an important meal

butter flour milk sugar

Currently Twiningsing

A Little Treat

Find a Little Peace

tapa craving

{{ bilbao }}

{{ second largest Basque city: Vitoria-Gasteiz }}

{{ weekend trip: Olite }}

{{ Rocking Out in Pamplona }}

{{ TPE - AMS - MAD }}

{{ The river still flows }}

{{ waiting for magic }}

{{ 25 minutes }}

{{ where's the coolness now? }}

{{ peace is what we need }}

{{ Maybe one day we can go there }}

{{ a year is all I ask for }}

{{ just keep going }}

{{ a night with glenmorangie }}

{{elements}}

{{soft hue}}

{whiteness rules}

{{ white and blue }}

Tape It

{{ it's a little warmer }}

{{ easier to start than to maintain }}

{{ moon festival: the rabbit isn't off work }}

{{ free fish anyone? }}

{{ Fanapi: CNN quotes a "monstrous" storm }}

{{ the potatoes of Asia }}

{{ what? a rooster in the house! halt! }}

{{ so they are friends}}

{{ a little treasure a ferry ride away }}

{{ I tried to share his sense of passion }}

{{ the youngsters like their games }}

{{ eight more members }}

{{ You only get one Dad }}

{{ What a Day! }}

R.O.C.

{{ j'adore }}

{{ closer to nature }}

craving

Raindrops Or Teardrops

{{ home }}

{{ jp fashion }}

{{ Twenty - Two }}

{{ eff-ed in the head }}

{{ okay. stop slacking off }}

{{ i want!! }}

{{ a need to travel }}

{{ a read! }}

{{ a flickr: time is passing }}

{{ exams }}

{{ Birthday present to self !! }}

{{ dreaming }}

{{ pineberry }}

{{ not cool }}

{{ FIVE: coq au vin }}

{{ Big Five O }}

{{ motivation }}

{{ quinoa, south american love }}

{{ when do i see you? Canon! }}

{{ nutella in the morning }}

{{ jamie oh jamie! }}

{{ spaghetti carbonara: in the making }}

{{ spaghetti carbonara }}

{{ broke but i want... }}

{{ Finally }}

{{ a thought: what he said. }}

Victory Square - Vancouver Public Library - Robson Square

{{ early grad gift }}

{{ a thought: calm down to move forward }}

{{ a flickr: beyond the surface }}