Taipei

First time in Taiwan. I traveled with Fanni, Daniel, and Angie.

Some observations:

1) Taiwan (called Formosa before) still has strong Japanese influence, based on how people dress up and the shops that line the streets.

2) Taipei is known for its night markets but sadly, they didn't impress me. I'm really a mall person.

3) Lots of mountain ranges -- never seen a city like that

4) Much cleaner than Shanghai and Hong Kong.

5) Public transport -- highly intuitive (referring to the MRT); there are priority seats for the disabled, elderly, and pregnant women (they treat this spot seriously so stay away from the blue seats or be kicked out)

Taipei 101 (the highest building in the world so far)

Front page of local newspaper - general elections were happening on the weekend we visited. The two opposing political parties had green and blue as their official colors so I had to change my travel wardrobe to white, yellow, and black!

Grand Hotel , the first (and/or only?) ancient Chinese looking hotel in Taiwan


Gigantic breaded chicken cutlet - I finished most of the piece I bought. 300x bigger than the Shihlin Taiwanese street snacks they sell here in Singapore



Night market featuring Fanni's long hair.


Angie, me, Daniel, Fanni with the lover's bridge at the background



Interesting. How come we don't have this sign in Singapore MRT stations?



These are the priority seats I was referring to in my entry above. If a passenger sitting in this area pretended not to see, he/she will be an outcast. :-)

More photos : http://leocab.zenfolio.com/p616871095/

Sunday Singapore Tour

Quite a busy Sunday.

After sleeping for around 9 hrs, I caught the 11am screening of "Step Up 2 : The Streets". I love morning screenings -- my attention span is extremely high and there is still much time left in the day to do other things.

"Step Up 2" is really a notch higher than the previous one. Here's the trailer:

I also bought the soundtrack.

After the movie, I went to Cedele to grab a sandwich, a cake, and a drink called... (drumroll please)

(read the label) and continue singing "... such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue..."

They should give me free samples for advertising their product on my blog.

I resumed my "tour Singapore by taking random buses" activity today. I started it last year to enjoy my Sunday afternoon whenever I'm in town. I took the first bus from one of the stops near City Hall. Such journey brought me to Bukit Batok which is somewhere west. After an hour of warming the bus seat, I settled for a snack at McDonalds only to discover that there is a nearby shopping mall that offered more options. *sigh*

Bukit Batok bus interchange taken at an angle I use when taking photos at airports.

Had extra time so also decided to take the MRT to nearby Chou Chu Kang. It was also an interchange so I knew there was an easy way to get back home. What struck me about this part of the country is the number of people who jog, especially at the Bukit Batok area. I've never seen this many people jog on a weekend.

Saw around 10-12 joggers in a span of 10 mins, mostly in the proper running attire.

I should join the bandwagon soon (without the shorty shorts).

Time spent exploring new places : 4 hrs

Malls visited : 2

Unplanned purchases : SGD 60

Types of songs played in my MP3 player : Chinese pop and other English songs that make you cry

My survival pack (stuff in my bag) : Bus guide, street directory, foldable umbrella, MP3 player, digicam, toiletry bag, Time Out magazine, sunglasses, water spray.

Wonder What the 11th Is

The last time I bought Time magazine was when Italy won the 2006 World Cup. I thought the value of such edition will appreciate and I can make money out of it hehe.

I got attracted to this edition though while I was trying to force myself to buy something intellectually stimulating at Page One.

Vol 171, No. 11, 2008 (March 24, 2008)

Excerpts based on sub-headings

1. Common Wealth - National interests aren't what they used to be. Our survival requires global solutions.

2. The End of Customer Service - With self-serve technology, you'll never have to see a clerk again.

3. The Post-Move-Star Era - Get ready for more films in which the leading man is not "he" but "who?"

4. Reverse Radicalism - Want to stop terrorism? Start talking to terrorists who stop themselves.

5. Kitchen Chemistry - Why the squishy art of cooking is giving way to cold, hard science.

6. Geoengineering - Messing with nature caused global warming. Messing with it more might fix it.

7. Aging Gracefully - Forget conventional wisdom; gray-haired societies aren't a problem.

8. Curing the "Dutch Disease" - How resource-rich nations can unravel the paradox of reality.

9. Women's Work - Tapping the female entrepreneurial spirit can pay big dividends.

10. Beyond the Olympics - Coming : constant TV coverage of global sporting events.

Wonder which spot "blogging" occupies further down the list.

Dandelion's Promise

For the benefit of my local friends during KTV sessions, I will learn this song. This will bring the number of Mandarin songs I know to three (3) since 2007.

"Dandelion's Promise"
Jay Chou
featured in the movie "The Secret"

IT Show

After my long journey to Woodlands where the Singapore Sports School is located (seriously, Woodlands is quite a far away place from where I stay, $20 cab fare with booking fee), I endured yet another long trip though less costly via the MRT to City Hall.

Upon exiting City Hall station, I had a glimpse of what was to come -- the sea of humanity that would welcome me at the IT Show over at Suntec Convention Centre. Hundreds of people were walking towards Suntec, getting ready to splurge or collect heaps of brochures.

I really didn't have anything in mind to buy but in the end I got :

- a cooling fan for my laptop (the best looking one among all the cheapo fans I've seen in computer shops)

- Norton Internet Security 2008 software

Grand total of approx $150

Multi-tasking

Models with a vengeance.

39th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships

I woke up early today after a night of partying to catch the 39th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships 2008 sponsored by Manulife. This serves as the selection trials for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 32nd Age Group Swimming Championships 2008 in Thailand, each with its own qualification details.

This is the 2nd swimming competition I've caught at the Singapore Sports School, one of the venues for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games which the country will host. (The first one was the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup which had Singapore as one of its stops).

Since there were younger people in this event, the venue was packed with parents. I can just imagine how pressured these kids felt to perform according to their parents' expectations. Well, I hope they did well.

After my company's pay review which I am very much involved in, I will resume my attempt to learn swimming. Yes, this has consistently been on my annual list of personal targets and almost got replaced by tennis last year which also didn't happen. *sigh*