Tetsuya's lookalike in Taipei

Link

This post is not related to Shanghai

Tetsuya's is a French-Japanese fusion restaurant in Sydney, owned by Tetsuya Wakuda. I first heard about this restaurant sometime in 2000. I read about it in the SMH Good Food Guide book. I thought it sounded really good. Never got a a chance to go there though because:
1) the price for their degustation menu is something ridiculous like $180/head
2) it is so popular with yuppies you have to book at least 3 months in advance
3) I realised that the menu is mostly seafood and I don't even like seafood that much. Unlike most people I don't go gaga over prawns or raw fish!

But, you can get your Tetsuya fix in Taiwan for only $50/head! Amazing!

Taiwan is a foodie's dream come true. You can get all sorts of different Asian cuisines and European ones, catering for all price ranges. The foreign food there is cheaper than here in Shanghai! As well as that most restaurants are smoke-free and the staff are super friendly and polite. And despite me being paranoid about eating street food, I ate at Taiwan's famous night markets and didn't get sick. It is so cheap (approx. $1 a meal) and quick and tasty! How can I not promote Taiwan as an eating destination? ;)

Shortly before a recent trip to Taiwan, I was given a red-hot tip for a restaurant just outside the capital, Taipei. A colleague's friend had dined there last year and reckoned it was in the same league as Sydney's Tetsuya's but one-third of the price. It sounded like an ambitious claim. Last year Tetsuya's was named as the fifth best restaurant in the world by London's Restaurant Magazine, and was awarded the top accolade of three chefs hats by The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. It would be fair to say I was curious but sceptical.

Armed with a name - Da Shan Wu Jia - and an address, a group of us took the plunge and headed away from the bright lights and scuffle of Taipei. We hit the foothills that surround the city and followed a narrow, winding road to the restaurant. We were greeted by an elegant waitress dressed in black and ushered to a long wooden Japanese-style table.

It was one of only six such tables, each cordoned off by bamboo screens. The decoration was simple but striking. Japanese prints and mandolins on the walls; plants and decorative ornaments placed sparingly around the room. Candles and Chinese lanterns provided a flickering, intimate light while traditional Chinese music played softly in the background.

The staff spoke very little English and although we were accompanied by a Mandarin-speaking guide, it wasn't a necessity. There are no menus to labour over and only one option available to order: a 10-course set menu.

Ten minutes later a platter of beautifully sculpted white dishes arrived on an engraved wooden serving board. Each dish contained a cube of red wine jelly which, after exchanging quizzical glances, we slurped like an oyster. It was a deliciously sweet but potent palate cleanser.

Next up was a creamy square of tofu studded with wasabi and goji (a berry often used in Chinese medicine), together with a spoonful of succulent lobster garnished with white Japanese seaweed powder.

By now my initial scepticism had been replaced with bewildered astonishment. Each course that arrived set a fresh benchmark in terms of presentation and flavour.

Over the course of three hours we sampled 10 intricately prepared culinary treats. Highlights included a citrus salad topped with juicy chunks of tuna and salmon sashimi, whole shrimps with roasted pumpkin and eggplant and a steamed egg topped with grapefruit foam served with mountain potato and crabmeat.

Some courses were better than others, but they were never less than beautifully presented in an elaborate array of ceramic, stone and glass dishes.

With regard to the comparison with Tetsuya's, two of our group had dined there recently and said that Da Shan Wu Jia was definitely in the same league. In fact, the only area in which it let itself down was the bill, which came to a very un-Tetsuya's-like $50 a head, including wine.

The chef and owner of the restaurant, Mr Yo, joined us briefly at the end of the meal and through our guide we learned that despite the Japanese influences in his cooking, he's never been to Japan. The menu changes seasonally and he often experiments with new dishes to keep his regular clientele happy. He has no website, never advertises and relies purely on word of mouth for business.

So, if you ever find yourself in Taipei and fancy both a culinary and a cultural adventure, I know this great little restaurant you simply must try.

Da Shan Wu Jia (meaning Priceless Big Mountain) is an hour from the centre of Taipei:
No. 62 Sec. 3, Beiyi Road, Xiandian City, Taipei County.
Phone (+886) (0)2 2217 8891

(I think they have a typo in the address and it's supposed to be Xindian, not Xindan! I was staying in Xindian for some of my time in Taipei too!)

Hello Kitty Cafe - Taipei, Taiwan

I have to admit, I like Hello Kitty. I know I'm a bit too old but I don't care. Heck if Hello Kitty was a real person (er cat?) she'd be the same age as me! I don't buy a great deal of HK things (in fact I have hardly any) but I really enjoy looking at HK things in stores and when I heard a new cafe had just opened in Taipei I had to go there! What were the chances that I was in Taipei at the same time? Of course I couldn't miss this opportunity!

First of all, let me backtrack a bit. When I went to Taiwan in Feb '05, my cousin (10 years older, on my mother's side) took us to Danshui and we ate at a HK cafe. It was really nice and cosy, and the food/tea there was delicious. I was dying to get back there. This time, I took my other cousin (6 years younger, on my father's side) back to Danshui and show her this great cafe. Well, we got there and were sorely disappointed to discover it does not exist anymore! Boohoo. Downstairs there is still a HK gift store, the upstairs cafe has now turned into a Japanese toy store. Hmm..

Anyway, here is a pic of the cute house-shaped cake we had at the cafe back in 2005.



And here is a selection of pics I took of the NEW Taipei HK cafe. More can be found in my Flickr photos (click any of the photos in the right hand column on this page).













This cafe opened on 18th January, 2008. I was giddy with excitement when I finally arrived there. I was so proud of myself I had just come from the Core Pacific City Living Mall and managed to read lots and lots bus signs (all with traditional Chinese characters) and figure out which bus I could take to get me there. There was only one bus that could get me there and luckily I didn't have to wait long for it.

I was very disappointed when told I'd have to wait at least 1.5 hours for a seat! There were already lots of people waiting and apparently you should book. I was so disappointed, I left empty handed and didn't even buy anything to take away :(

I did spend a while in there taking photos though (LOL). I absolutely loved the decor. My sister will tell you that growing up I was obsessed with pink and everything in my bedroom had to be pink or white so this interior was like my dream bedroom... (sigh).

Please book before you go otherwise you will have to wait hours. This cafe is very popular!


Hello Kitty Sweets

台北市大安路一段90號

90 Da'An Road, Taipei, Taiwan

(Da'An Road is across the road and perpendicular to the big Sogo department store on 45 Zhongxiao East Road (Sec. 4)).

Ph: (02) 2711-1132

Last few days in Taipei / A couple of hours in Hong Kong ...

What did I do? Random stuff in no particular order...

* With Chinese New Year coming up (tomorrow actually) I got some red packets. Woohoo! I felt bad about taking them but I couldn't not take them so...

* I went to Guanghua market on Bade Lu and near the Technology University and Nova across the road from Taipei Main station to get me a graphics tablet. My dad took me and we traipsed around in the rain to compare prices. Unlike China they have set prices (price tags) and you can't really bargain much at all which makes it easier to compare prices. I didn't know which size I wanted/needed nor which type. In the end I went for a cheaper, smaller one as I figure I'm not gonna be drawing masterpieces or anything so I didn't really need the high end Intuous model (which cost double the price!). I got the Bamboo Fun model (from Wacom) which has a 'Fun' name (LOL) and from reviews I read online it seems to be pretty good. Yes, this research-aholic actually bought something without researching it beforehand! It cost 3420 NT, which we 'bargained' down from 3490 (other stores were selling it for 3600 and 3700). (and no, it would not be cheaper in China and comparing prices is a nightmare here). I was actually after the Hello Kitty model but they didn't sell it. The Graphire line is being phased out and replaced with the Bamboo/Bamboo Fun line.



* I went to the new Hello Kitty Cafe only to be told there was a minimum 1.5 hour wait (it was that popular) and that next time I should pre-book beforehand!

90 Da'An Road
(very close to Sogo Zhongxiao Fuxing / Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station).

* Got my Swatch (Menthol Tone - HKD$480) only to realise it was cheaper in Taiwan (2050 NT). ARGH!

* Met up with a friend in Hong Kong (at Times Square, Causeway Bay) for one hour. She is from Taiwan originally, met her in Sydney and now living in Hong Kong.

* Nearly missed my flight in HK after telling myself I wouldn't let that happen again. Of course my plane had to be literally right at the very end of the long terminal in the very huge airport (again!) I don't know how this happened. I checked the board and it didn't say anything. It did not say "Boarding". A few minutes later I looked at it again and it said "Final Call". WTF? Needless to say I ran like crazy but I was surprisingly not even the last person to go on board. You don't want to know what it is like to travel with Mainland Chinese people (roll eyes). They think catching a plane is like catching a bus or a train!

* Can't get the Chinese New Year song out of my head. I am sure there is only one song? They play the same song in stores in China and in Taiwan. There is an English version too. OMG. It is so annoying yet so funny, I can't get that crazy song and wacky lyrics out of my head. "Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni..."

* I went to Core Pacific Living Mall - A 19 storeys and open 24 hours a day mall in Taipei

* I left my video camera at my grandparent's place! :(

* When I came home last night I thought "Wow, our place looks so big and so clean and tidy!" (the joys of having an ayi who cleaned our place and washed and dried and put back on all our bedding and stuff was pretty nice, as was having a chauffeur-driven taxi take me home from the airport at around midnight!)

* I'm feeling quite sad and missing my family :(

* I'm feeling quite hungry and cold so must go out now to buy food and another heater!!

Breeze Center (Mall), Taipei 微風廣場

(View from Zhongxiao Fuxing station)

24 January

I went to Breeze Mall in Taipei. I had to go to this place because I am still suffering from Japan-withdrawal symptoms and I could get my fix by going there because they have: Kinokuniya (bookstore), Hands (lifestyle/homewares store) and Muji (clothing and general goods). As well as that they have other cool shops and a great food court. I lost count of how many hours I spent browsing in here! About 3 or 4 I think. I think it is my favourite mall in Taipei so far...

The lower floors feature all the impossibly gorgeous and impossibly expensive goods from brands such as LV, Gucci, Prada, Cartier etc.. but I was after something a little more affordable, and a little more interesting.






First stop: (Sony) Plaza store
They sell lots of cute licensed character goods and homewares. At the entrance there were Barbapapa character seats. I have an affinity with these characters because my sister and I owned books featuring these in our childhood, and we discovered through our baby photos that we also had a purple Barbapapa plastic doll too. Then, a few years ago we discovered what they actually were and both fell in love with them again.

From Wikipedia:

Barbapapa is both the title character, and name of the "species" of said character, of a series of children's books written in the 1970s by Annette Tison and Talus Taylor, who resided in Paris, France. The books were originally written in French, and were later translated into many languages.

Barbapapa himself is a generally pear-shaped, pink shapeshifting blob-like creature who stumbles upon the human world and tries to fit in. The shapeshifting is usually accompanied by the saying "Clickety Click—Barba Trick". After various amusing adventures, he comes across a female of his species (more shapely, and black-coloured), named Barbamama. They produce seven children, known as the Barbababies, each a different colour.

Obviously the Japanese loved the darling characters too, and made lots of merchandise featuring these 'blobs'.





Second stop: Hands Tailung
Known as Tokyu Hands (that's not Tokyo) in Japan, Hands features the most amazing stuff that is mostly Japanese-designed but also some cool American or European things for your home. They are all beautiful, cute, useful and practical. I could go on and on about how great this store is! Check out the photo - unbelievable how many types of food package clips they can design and sell!




Third stop: Kinokuniya
A Japanese bookstore I am familiar with having visited their large Galleries Victoria/Sydney store many times (I also visited their tiny Neutral Bay store way before they became so widely known). I also visited a Kinokuniya store in Osaka JR station. The bookstore here (just like the Sydney store) sells books in three languages: Chinese, Japanese, and English. I browsed through all three languages to find books on my topics of interest. I can't read the Chinese or Japanese ones much of course but for design/art/craft books it doesn't really matter - all you want to see are the pictures anyway and most of it is pretty self explanatory. Their English section is fairly decent but there are no computer/software/internet/web related books in English (in fact NO bookstore in Taipei sells computer books in English. ARGH! :( ). Also like the other bookstores in Taipei/Taiwan, if the books are shrink wrapped you can ask them to unwrap them for you so you can look at them. Not sure if this applies to magazines though - probably not!









Fourth Stop: The Basement (B1 and B2) floors
Featuring the food court and supermarket known as Breeze Super. I particularly wanted to check out "Dean and Deluca", a NYC deli which was featured widely on one of my fave tv series "Felicity" starring Keri Russell. (See what I mean about Australia never getting anything cool like this?)

(order of photos) 1: Lamingtons from Australia... really? I found the koala motif rather amusing.

2,3: Maison Kayser - Amazing French bakery selling DELICIOUS bread. I bought some to take home to have for breakfast the next morning (ditto above comment about Australia getting cool stores...)

4,5,6,7: Dean & Deluca - Everything looked so delicious. Look at those cakes! I ended up having dinner there (vegetarian quiche) - 170 or 180 NT I think it was. It was nice but not as nice as it looked!

(sorry for the crappy layout of the photos. I still have no idea how Blogger lays out photos. Ugh. Also the photos are pretty crap because they were all taken without a flash and are unedited).


Breeze Center, Taipei, Taiwan
39, Fu Hsing (Fuxing) South Rd, Sec. 2
(about a 5-10min walk north from Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station along Zhongxiao Fuxing Road).

Swatch Fanatic

I've long been a fan of Swatch watches. I remember when my friend got one (she must've been around 10 years old or so) and I thought it was the coolest thing. She got one with a clear face where you could see right through the whole watch.

I ended up getting one when I was 14 or 15. My mum got it for me at a duty free store. I loved it so much and was devastated when I lost it. I don't even know where I lost it except the last memory I had of it was putting it on as I was heading out the door to go to piano lessons. After that I searched endlessly around our front door/yard area to no avail and realised I must've lost it before that in another place.

Every time I go past a Swatch stand or store I can't help but look at them and try them on. The next time I got a Swatch was in 2004. I was browsing Myer (a department store in Australia) and there were a few that caught my eye. Even better one of them was actually on sale - reduced to AUD $60 which is a bargain. (The metal bands cost more).I never liked the plastic bands and my first Swatch had a leather band, but now being older, I had 'graduated' from leather bands too and only wanted one with a metal band.

Not only that, I have another major criteria for the design and that's that the face must be small. My wrist is impossibly small so most of the faces are too big and look ridiculous on me! I can only ever wear the Swatches with the smallest faces.

So anyway I bought this watch and I wore it on my trip to Shanghai/China/Taiwan exactly 3 years ago. Then, when I was packing to go back home I discovered that it was gone. I was devastated. I thought "Not again!" But, funnily, when I got home I found it. Not even straight away but a few weeks later. And then I lost it again, but not really lost. Just misplaced it. I know it's somewhere in my room. Very strange and unfortunate but yes I am a muddle-head sometimes :(

Every time I go past the Swatch stand on the basement floor of Grand Gateway (in Shanghai) I check out the watches there. They are such a rip off in China. The kinds that I like (small face, metal band) are over 700 RMB which is more than $100 Australian.

Whilst I was at Hong Kong airport on the way over to Taiwan I saw them at the airport and they were pretty cheap (I can't recall the exact cost but I'm sure I couldn't get them cheaper anywhere else at this stage). I didn't have any time to look at them nor try them on but I said to myself if I have any money left by the time I get there I'm going to get me a(nother) Swatch!

I like them because they are fun and whimsical and can also be classy and in the scheme of watches are not that expensive. I also love Chopard watches but could buy about 500+ Swatches for one of those!

Yesterday I was at Taipei 101 (for the third time!) and checked out the Swatch store there. I saw a new one I hadn't seen before.

I have also had some el cheapo watches that never lasted the distance but the current watch that I'm wearing is still going strong. I bought it in Hawaii on our honeymoon as I wanted something cheap but was waterproof. (I also went to look at Swatches in a store in Waikiki - geez, I think I am obsessed?!) I went to the ABC store (which is like a 7-11 and souvenir store all in one) and bought a USD$15 watch. I didn't expect much from it but almost one year later it is still going strong. I've had to change the battery once but been snorkelling with it numerous times and it still works perfectly and is water tight. As good as it is, it isn't exactly classy or nice to look at. The band is a clear plastic rubber job which has now turned yellowish and greyish. The thing I like about the face though is that it is very clear to read. The background colour is light pink and the numerals are black. Very few Swatches are easy to read like this! Hmm...

Anyway, there are so many current and not-so-current Swatches that I love but at the same there there are none that I'm 100% happy with because I am so fussy. My criteria:
1. Small face of 24 or 25mm diameter.
2. Narrowish band. Band must be narrower than the face.
3. Metal band. Prefer silver colour since I already own one that is gold coloured.
4. No or limited colourised enamel metal (makes it look a bit cheap IMHO).
5. Numbers must be visible. I don't like the ones where there are no numbers or dots or anything. How are you supposed to tell the time?
6. Plain but not too plain. Swatch-type-whimsical but not too OTT and child-like.
7. Must be 'timeless' and elegant and suit a variety of clothing styles.
8. Must not feature too much of dark colours (hands or numbers are OK), green, orange, or yellow as I don't like those colours.

I don't ask for too much, do I? ;)


But these are my 'contenders' :

1. Very plain and classic but I don't like the style of the band. It has too many 'bits' like a basketweave. I love the face colour and design though. Very easy to read.




2. This one is absolutely beautiful and looks just as good in real life. It can also double as a bracelet and features my fave colours of light pink and light blue. The stones and pearl bits are gorgeous. The thing I don't like though is the face is too 'thick' and too 'high'. It makes it feel clunky. I prefer the thin flat faces (the Swatch 'Skin' series does these but there are no thin yet small face ones!





3. This is probably the one I'm leaning towards the most at the moment as it is the most versatile. I just wish it had a tiny bit of colour on it in the form of stones/crystals.




4. This one is really nice. I really love this one. The band reminds me of nomination link bracelets. It is plain but not too plain. Pretty and cute but not OTT. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is quite hard to read the time because all the colours are too similar. If the face was black (or dark blue like the first one), or the numbers were black it would be perfect!




5. This is an older design from last year. I loved it when I first saw it but now I'm not so sure. The bracelet is actually made of elastic (clear, thin elastic that is used in beading jewellery) and I'm worried about the longevity of it since I'd like to think of Swatches as collector's items. However, I saw it on a girl working at Kinokuniya in Breeze Mall and it looked great on her. The crystals are AB crystals and have a rainbow sheen to them.




6. I love the face and the crystals but I don't like the abstract and unsymmetrical shape of the strap. ARGH. I think I should just buy two watches so I can get the face that I want, and the strap that I want ;)





Gorgeous Packaging

Special Valentine's edition

7. Last but not least the gorgeous 2008 Valentine's special edition. It is by far the nicest Valentine's Swatch yet to date. I love anything with hearts on it, and heart-shaped items and I like that it's not too colourful or OTT BUT I don't like the dangly bit, and the colour combo on the face is also hard to read.





2008 Chinese Year of the Rat edition

8. I'm not interested in this one but just put the pics here as I love the packaging and cute purse. Swatch have some really great special edition packages!




Beijing Olympics edition

8. And finally, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games edition. Cute for a kid, I think.





PS - Swatch have also invented these very cool 'Puzzle Motion' watches. Check it out!

PPS - If you are in Taipei and are a Swatch collector you should go to Shilin Market and check out the Swatch shop there. There are loads of second hand Swatches for sale. It is on the corner of WenLin and JiHe Roads. It is across the street as you exit JianTan station, a bit to your right. The shop also has Coke collector's items.

The most densely populated cities/countries

I was reading over some of my old blog entries (where funnily, I'd forgotten some of the stuff I wrote about already) and found this post about stats about the most densely populated cities.

Taipei was 7th, and Shanghai was 10th. Boy oh boy do you feel it in Taipei. The people living in the building next door.. well when I sleep at night it feels like they are living in the same apartment, in the room next door!

Now take into account that Taipei has roughly 2.5 million people and Shanghai has roughly 18.5 million people and that gives you an idea of how much bigger in area/size Shanghai must be!

Weird.

Wikipedia also lists Taiwan as the 15th most densely populated country but other sites place it higher up in rank, like 7th or 10th.

Do I miss home? / Weather...

(Warning: Yes I'm a foul mood hence the tone of this post)

People constantly ask if I'm homesick and to be honest I'm not at all which is strange considering I definitely thought I'd start to get homesick around the 3-6 month period and now it's 7 months already. Of course I miss my family, friends, clean air, blue skies, beaches, my own bed/room, yadda yadda.. but apart from that, not much.

The reasons I don't miss home (Sydney, Australia) are as follows (in no particular order) or... WHY AUSTRALIA SUX:

* Everything is so much more expensive there, especially notable is food/eating out

* Everything that involves labour is slow, slow, slow. I mean in the time we've been in Shanghai they have built several new rail lines (officially opened on December 29) in God knows how many years Sydney hasn't even completed one part of one rail line. Here, if I ring the landlord with a problem regarding the plumbing, electricity, water, furniture, etc it is fixed within minutes, hours or at most 24 hours. In Sydney I'd be lucky if it was fixed within 2 days. What about something like the telephone line/internet? Here they will come to your house (usually within 2-3 hours of calling) and look at it and fix here. In Australia be lucky if they come within a week!

* Hayfever. I suffer from very bad perennial (all year round) hayfever back home. Here I don't get it at all. It is such a relief not to have a constantly running sneezing nose (and being asked fifty billion times by people if I have a cold - no I don't!!), eyes so itchy I have constant thoughts of pulling my eyeballs out of their sockets (Itchy and Scratchy style) and dunking them in a bowl full of ice water for a few minutes before putting them back in, etc. Antihistamines and nasal sprays do shit-all for me too (not to mention the expense and the toll on your body by taking these things daily) so I'm stuck with this horrible condition. In Shanghai I only went through a few days where I got it in the beginning of autumn/fall. It was horrible but at least it was gone pretty quickly.

* Crap public transport. The public transport in Sydney is a joke. The buses are crowded and slow. The reason why they are constantly late is because the driver has to give people change. Imagine 20 people get on a bus and 10 pay with cash and need change. AT EVERY STOP. Of course this is gonna screw up the timetable. Trains. Never on time, either. The older ones are disgusting and don't have air conditioning nor heating so you either sweat like anything in summer or freeze in winter. Stations in the city are downright dirty and disgusting and signage? What signage!! They seriously need to get a clue and some brains about labelling and signage and giving names or numbers to the exits for example. I don't think anyone knows what 'information signage' is. And the privilege of riding transport... well it's not even cheap!! I could give them a billion and one suggestions (as a matter of fact have written them countless letters in the past) but when big decisions are made by big, fat, pot-bellied, balding, middle-aged, rich, white men who spend their entire lives in cars - it's not going to be a good outcome.

* Shopping. Expensive and crap. Nothing ever fits. I'll try the smallest size and it'll still be too big. Apparently the smallest size gets sold out the quickest but the dumb-ass buyers don't ever think of ordering more clothes in smaller sizes. Besides the sizing scale is a rort. All it does is make bigger people feel better about themselves.. Wow, I'm now a size 12 instead of a size 16! Cool! Meanwhile the size 8 girl is now a size 4 and not all clothes come in a size 4, hardly any in fact (but the thing is it's still a size 8 just labelled differently). The thing I don't get is Americans generally speaking are also big if not bigger than Australians. So why is in the US I can find clothes and shoes to fit me, but not in Australia? I don't get it. Maybe ALL the buyers for department and chain stores are brain dead. I once did an experiment. I went to Myer in the city and played a game. What would I buy if I had endless amounts of money? So I couldn't look at the price tags, just choose something I really liked. I so I went through the whole floor and chose random stuff and not one single thing I liked came in my size. Even the AUD$300 top or $1000 dress. I used to think it was because of my 'budget' that I couldn't find smaller sizes but nope... Shoes is even worse than clothes because if it doesn't fit you can't wear it at all. I have smallish feet (36-37 Euro, 5.5 Australian, 6.5 US) but not obscenely small but in Australia all I ever get told is "We've sold out of that size." "We can order it in for you... it'll take a week or two." "We don't make that style in that size." "The small sizes always get sold out the quickest." And all sorts of similar comments that just make my blood boil because there are heaps of people with feet my size and smaller! Besides, I don't want to pay $150 for a pair of uncomfortable FAKE leather shoes that are made in China anyway. So in Shanghai I have bought heaps and in Taiwan I have already bought two pairs. It's like a dream come true to know that there is a 90+ % chance they have my size in stock. Also, Australia very rarely gets any cool brands from overseas from Europe, the States, Japan or elsewhere. Zara or Gap? Nope... (in short, what is supposed to be a pleasant experience for any woman just leaves me angry, disheartened, and depressed. Trust me, it's not only the 'big girls' who feel like crap when they can't buy stuff in their size!)

* Uneducated labourers getting paid top dollar ie plumbers, electricians, builders, etc. It makes me feel like getting a degree is not worthwhile and just a waste of time, really. It's funny because the opposite is true here. Those people are paid lowly. Australians don't value education (yes I'm generalising!) and it seems now only rich peiople are allowed to get degrees given the cost these days. Hey I'm not smart enough to get into the course on my own merits so I'll get mummy and daddy to pay top dollar for my degree! Pfft! OK OK I know this is the same for many other countries but they used to have a decent system and are allowing more and more places for fee-paying students which sux IMHO.

* Travel. It costs a lot of money and a lot of time to travel anywhere. It takes around 5 hours to fly from Sydney to Perth, 4 hours Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, and 6 hours Sydney to Bali, Indonesia. Here I can fly to another country in 2 hours and 11 hours to London. Anyone flying from Sydney/Melbourne/Perth to Europe will tell you it's a nightmare especially if you cannot sleep on planes. I mean it takes 22-25 hours!! It's not just air travel.

---

I wrote the above post (in draft mode so it was offline) on 6th January.

Now it is 29th January and I find myself really missing home... weird. The number one reason I miss it right now is because of the weather. Because it is summer there! Sure it can get hot in summer but it rarely gets so hot where it is very uncomfortable, like say in Queensland where it is not only hot but extremely humid as well. Summer time in my parents' family home was a true joy. It is so cool in our house (because we live fairly close to the coast) that one year we didn't even need a fan. Most years we get the fan out and use it only about 5-10 days of the year. I shouldn't talk about how freezing our house gets in winter but in summer it is really nice and comfortable. It is 27 degrees right now in Sydney, 15 in Taipei and -1 in Shanghai. What a difference!

The day I arrived in Taipei it was 21 degrees and sunny. I was really happy knowing I had just come from a 4 degree place. It was not too hot and not too cold. It was perfect. Now it's been consistently raining every day and around 12-17 degrees and although it may not seem like it, I am freezing. Yesterday I wore 6 layers of clothes, 2 layers on my legs and I don't feel hot. I just don't get it. Temperatures don't really tell the whole story at all.

I know I think about the weather and temperature way too much and the reason I do is because I find it really affects my moods and my health. I actually find it impossible to be sad or grumpy when it is sunny (even if it is cold) but if it is constantly grey and cloudy and drizzly it is slowing driving me up the wall! If I wake up and look outside the window and it is cloudy, foggy, raining or all of the above I just want to go straight back to bed.

Funnily, as I write this I can see the sun peaking out through the clouds outside the window - Woohoo!

My Grandparents Part II

In contrast to my maternal grandparens my poor paternal grandparents have been riddled with health problems. My grandfather is generally OK (despite having diabetes and asthma and being quite underweight) and can get about and do things, but my grandmother is pretty much house-bound and has been for a very long time. From the last time I saw her (3 years ago) till now she seems roughly the same but now she has a walking frame, which she didn't before. She apparently fell over and hurt her foot or ankle so can't walk that well without it. It really pains me to see her in such pain. It also really sux why my family (on both sides) have been riddled with SO many health problems (many of which I've inherited). It really is sad... my poor grandmother (to list but a few.. I don't think I know everything) is partially deaf, has no natural teeth and refuses to wear dentures (can't talk well and everything she eats has to be mushy), extremely thin and underweight, thinning hair, constant stomach pain, feels the cold really easily, had a hysterectomy and heart operation, needs a catheter to go to the toilet, and the list goes on.. it's so so sad and depressing. She can't leave the house unless somebody accompanies her but there is not much point for her to go out anyway. At home she can't be alone either in case something happens or she needs help doing something. She is also no various different medications which she needs to keep track of. She is still sweet and lovely though. She offers me food and drink even though I tell her I am fine. I mean I don't need her hobbling around in her walking frame to get stuff for me! Sheez! But she tries so hard to be a good host/grandmother. It just pains me to see her in such pain. :(

Random thoughts

I'm at my paternal grandparents' apartment now. Using wireless I am 'stealing' from a neighbour (tee hee hee - don't tell!). After not having internet access when I was staying at my cousin's place in 'woop woop' I feel like I've struck the jackpot.

I was staying with my 40+ year old spinster (bachelorette?!) cousin and am now staying with my 80 year old grandparents. I don't know which is worse or which is better but I won't get into that.. it's a bit too personal and likely to bore you.

I am constantly checking up on weather reports whenever I am online and can't believe it is snowing in Shanghai AGAIN! Man! I'm going to freeze when I get back. (ETA: I just saw the snow on the news on TV. Waaah... as much as I hate cold weather there is that magical fairytale quality about snow. The snow in Shanghai is very light, does not stay on the ground and melts quickly.. it is kind of like white, solid rain. Apparently it is snowing all over northern China right now).

The weather in Taipei is... I won't lie... shite. It is what my husband would call "England weather." Cold, grey, dreary and drizzling. Constantly drizzly. It never rains like this in Sydney. It's either dry or it's raining, really raining. But in England and now here in Taipei it's just sprinkling which is kind of frustrating as you sort of need an umbrella and sort of don't. It is about 12-16 degrees here.

Some of the things I really like about Taiwan so far: The variety and cheapness of food, the amazing food courts, the shopping malls and shops in general (where I am free to browse at my own leisure and don't have to bargain unlike in Shanghai!), the politeness and helpfulness of the local people. The non-smoking-ness is unbelievable. It's not just the non-smoking law but the fact that it seems people rarely smoke full stop! It is even better than Sydney where my lungs are accosted by stupid smokers whenever I walk along a busy city footpath. I also love the Japanese-ness of so many things from the shop layouts to the products that they sell to the quirky behaviour (like the elevator ladies who wear hats).. it's all pretty cool.

Some things I don't like at all: The masses of stairs everywhere. (Counted 75 steps from one MRT station exit to the street level). The stupid footpaths that step up and down and are narrow enough as it is but also littered with scooters, motorcycles, stands selling random things, it makes me feel so ugh and so claustrophobic. Not to mention if you have luggage with wheels, a pram, a wheelchair, am elderly with a walking stick/frame, heavily pregnant, or have a broken foot/ankle/leg you are stuffed. You have to go onto the road which is downright dangerous. Or just stay at home and become a hermit. And then when it's raining everything is slippery and disgusting. Also the steps on the bus. The first step is huge. When I came back from Kaohsiung my legs actually buckled underneath me while I was trying to get onto/into the bus! I had a heavy backpack on and a bag in each hand so no hands to hold the rail and gosh it was embarrassing. This man kinda pushed my bag up the stairs for me. and luckily the door didn't trap me I was taking so long to get up those damn steps!

It sounds pretty weird but the stupid up-and-down narrow, crowded footpaths are actually one of the things I remember the most about Taiwan.

I keep thinking I want to move here instead as so many things are better than in Shanghai but I think I still prefer Shanghai more because if I lived here we'd probably live in a tiny place and lots of things would go mouldy and mildew due to the year-round high humidity, we wouldn't be able to afford an ayi or take taxis very often, plus the crowded claustrophobic feeling I just don't like. Kaohsiung is nicer and more spacious (not to mention has warmer weather which is good in winter time) but the air pollution is really bad there, probably even worse than Taipei due to the industrial zone and shipping harbour there. I probably sound like a spoiled brat but after lugging my heavy bags back and forth I really miss the convenience of taking a taxi when I really need to. Besides, I am not 'allowed' to anyway due to my paranoid family. But that's another story.

PS Another great thing about Taiwan is that there is no TGF (the great firewall)!

Taiwan revisited

Well after all the hooha with travel agents being slack in getting back to me the price mysteriously jumped from 3500 to 5500 (RMB inc. tax)! I was horrified. In the end I decide not to go to Jeju (way too cold) and Okinawa became booked out and some dates were either fully booked or mega expensive so I gave them a 10 day range of leaving and returning and said I wanted the "cheapest" flight within those days. They came back to me and I got the ticket for 3900, so not too far off the original quote. Also I had no choice but to go through Hong Kong. I purposely planned an 8 hour transfer on the way back so I have plenty of time to kill in Hongkers :)

So yes, I am leaving for Taiwan in just 6 days! Woohoo! I have a LOT of planning to do. Despite the numerous times I've been before this will be the first time where I will be planning my own trip AND the first time I'll be going there by myself. Before, my parents or either parent took us around. The previous time I went with my sister and hubby.

Taiwan is rapidly changing and there are so many things I'm looking forward to doing, seeing, and experiencing.

First of all, I want to take the bullet train from Taipei to Kaohsiung. It cuts travelling time from 4.5 hours to 1.5 hours!



Second of all, I want to go to the new mega mall (Dream Mall) in Kaohsiung, the sixth largest in Asia

Thirdly, I want to go to Ximending (which I have been to before but it has changed a lot!)

Ximending

Fourthly, I want to go to Danshui and have a hot spring in Beitou (also done before but want to do again)

Fifthly, I want to go to some natural landscape place. Hard to pick, so many good ones and I've actually already been to them all before!

I think that's about it. I will be chillin' and relaxing and visiting as many relatives and friends as possible :D

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Adding my comment here because I can't comment due to TGF.

I'm not doing the whole travelling around the country thing because I have already seen the whole country when I did the Taiwan tour :) Plus, I don't think it's that nice during winter and also I don't have a travelling companion so I don't think it'll be that fun at all, unfortunately.