Jan 30th: The nite before the Tainan Ancient Capital International Marathon

In Taiwan, I always get the feeling I'm too full.

Went to the local night market for dinner and obviously ate too much.
With Tainan, it is well known locally for their local bites and especially the one at Hua Yuan. It is 4 times the size of the one I went to last nite. Oh yeah, their nite markets are held on alternate days and in different locations. This one is BIG. It was the Carrefour of pasar malams.

And here is my dinner.

So oily! I know. Guess I better go to the toilet before the run tomorrow.

Weather here in Tainan City is very hot in the day and colder at nite. Probably a difference of 10 degrees.

I was sweating heaps as I walked to the City Office to collect my certificates.
It's located in the middle of nowhere. Either that or it has enuff space for all the administrative offices of Singapore. Quite a new building and it has the name of the current mayor on the outside facade. I guess this helps to remind pp. I hear fireworks around the corner. Funky. Maybe it's a religious festival.

There is a big canal that cuts thru the city which divides it into north and south. Much like Shanghai, the roads go east/west and north/south. And from the last 4 days of map reading, all the road names repeat themselves in all Taiwanese cities. Zhong Zheng, Yong Hua, An Ping. It made my head spin as I tried to book hostels in Kaohsiung with the same orientation in mind as Taipei.

Here's me looking lost after walking in the hot sun for an hour. I think I'm a shade darker.

Because this city is known for its old fort, temples and historic importance as a trading port for the Spanish first, followed by the Dutch and Japanese. Of course, the Chinese government too was in control then. Qing officials were assigned here and they had their statues and temples. The one thing I took from the historic sites was the adaptation of the town people to their changing leaders. Sure, they might have had one revolt in the last 300 years and 4,000 people died. Things did not improve for them. And it can be seen in the infrastructure here. It's difficult walking from one road to the other, not to mention the uneven pavements. Taipei is as modern to Tainan as the computer is to the notepad.

Of course, not all is undeveloped. I appreciate the food. It's everywhere and people here are generally friendlier than Taipei. Maybe I should say they give very honest opinions here and are not as commercial as Taipei. I love the post office. They are so cute and lovely people. I had to walk to 3 different offices to post my postcards and buy stamps but it is so retro. BTW, if u want a postcard from me, email me your addresses. The stamps here are cheap!

And lastly, here's a picture of my breakfast and something I don't understand. Braised quail eggs aka Iron Egg

One day in Tamshui

Jan 27th

Did my train and Tokyo flights. One load off my mind. Accommodation next.

Off to Tainan tomorrow.

So exciting! BTW, I got a Taiwan mobile number now. (886) 09 - 833-84037

26 Jan: Start of my Taiwan/Japan trip

Reached Taoyuan Airport early at 6.15pm

Went straight to the bus counter and got a nice seat and off the bus went. Only hitch in my travel was the slight tear in my cousin's rain cover for the bag. I'm so sorry! I'll get a new one to replace the borrowed one.

Didn't take much pictures since it was all dark by 6 pm.

Hostel is located very centrally. Right next to Taipei Main Station. Now I understand why this is called the tuition mecca for Taiwan. I'm surrounded by centres for TOEFL, GRE, GMAT etc. Taiwanese have a voracious appetite for learning.

Tomorrow I have to book my ticket to Tainan via the high speed rail, get a phone card and book my tour to Japan for the CNY period. So busy :)

P.S: Latest financial headlines likely to move markets lower.

Sunday, 10th Jan:

Woke up early for the feng shui extravaganza at KLCC. Stood there real early before the doors were opened. People were very excited and came an hour early. I was half-asleep as usual.

Here's the very big launch of Lillian Too's new book, Living with Good Feng Shui. Apparently sold out in Singapore.



I took more pictures of the conference but somehow, they turned out crooked or not in focus. So I can't upload them here. It was very interesting. I thought it felt like the hall of a charismatic church. Lillian Too went around shaking the hands of people and kissing babies or grandmothers etc. Felt like I was at a rock concert with fans of the idol rushing to catch a hold of their hands or hair. She looked very different from the covers of her books. Maybe she was dressed to impress for the book signing to be held during the intermission. She even had costume changes. 3 outfits from a green fitted dress, to purple slacks and later to a red dress for the ending.

For those interested in the feng shui for 2010, it is the year of the Tiger and we have the metal and earth elements clashing. Usually when this happens, it is not a very good year but not a bad bad year. The year should see more natural disasters and earthquakes or events that occur with a disruption in the earth's core. It will be a dry year so water and liquid elements are prized and people should carry them around. Lillian Too also made some funky predictions which I think is courting controversy. Her industries and stock predictions are quite wonky but maybe of interest to punters. I think she mentioned her consultation fees are US$10,000 per hour so maybe these punters can take last year's gains and go consult her :)

Overall, I think it was a very successful convention. She clearly delivered her message on what she sees for the coming year in the astrological and geomancy point of view. Her numerous products/remedies were made available to the public. I think she can be a much bigger success in the English-speaking countries like US, England and Australia but chose to focus on Asia where her roots are. So she is not as commercial as others have written. Instead, me thinks she is a smart businesswoman who knows what makes her happy and is content with what she has had. Good qualities for a banker too, may I add.

To round up our KL trip, we went back to Chinatown and bought a whole lot more food and polished it off all in the hotel room. I love Ipoh hor fun here. Very smooth. The sambal grilled stuff was too hot for my liking but I guess, the chilly lovers really enjoyed it. Give me my Chomp Chomp sambal stingray anytime.

Next time in KL, I would love to go to the Beach Club and eat at Bangsar again.

Sat, 9th Jan:

After a hectic schedule yesterday which saw the girls and I singing KTV til 1.30am. Actually, I was snoring away by the side once midnite came around. Sorry, gals. My snores must have been really loud.

I was supposed to wake up at 7am to meet my KL friend, Zoe for breakfast. My stupid &(##$@ iphone hung and hence, the alarm didn't ring. I swear, everytime I arrange to meet people, the iphone bricks and hangs for like 20 minutes. As of today, it has hung 3 times and every time on occasions when I set up a meeting with friends. I am so switching back to Nokia. Apple, it has been fun but all I want is a stable phone which does not randomly decide to switch itself off. I will probably not buy any more Apple products, even the Macbook, which relies so much on marketing and falls short on usability.

So, after a very rushed and fumbling start in the morning, I managed to catch more zzz while waiting for my other friends to finish their breakfast. I did talk a bit to my friend Zoe, but she had a busy schedule as well. Off to Port Dickson with her friends. Good to know she has been well.

Lunch was at Madam Kwan's in MidValley. No pictures as I was too busy eating, looking at guys or all of the above. Got a very interesting foot reflexology session and a pedicure later. The gal who did me was not very service oriented. Hey, if I have very rough soles, it is because I like to walk around my house barefoot. You don't have to shout it out that "yes, you have very bad dry skin". Geezs.

Dinner was at a posh Italian restuarant called Nero something near Ascott service apartments. I think the food was good but seriously, I'm not walking 15 mins from the hotel in heels on a rainy nite to eat there again! On the menu was grilled seafood platter.



Their specialty was odd for a place located in a Muslim country. Roast suckling pig.



Oh, and not forgetting, a very nice picture of myself that nite.



We rounded off the nite with a drink at Lunar bar where I could see the skyline of KL up close and a raging fire down near the Beach Club.



Of course, I was not alone at the bar. There were plenty of beautiful gals there.



And last but not least, another hammy shot.

KL trip: 8 - 11 Jan 2010

Friday, 8th Jan:

Left Singapore via Second Link. Woke up really early despite only going to bed around 4am. Spent the nite deciding on what toiletries and makeup to bring. Man, this would be the time I wished I had a personal stylist or even better yet, if I am young enough to pass without wearing makeup :)

Took a bus which had a very corny tagline. Darn, I didn't take pictures of the coach or the funny steward. He's a beautiful man with a very thick English accent. 'Your safety is our purity'

Reached Kuala Lumpur by 1pm. Dropped out bags at the hotel before heading for our first foodie stop Chinatown.















This stall's roast duck is apparently very famous and the owner only has ONE outlet in the whole of KL.




















The sad part: I'm allergic to the MSG added to the duck. About an hour after eating it, my fingers swelled up to the size of Tim Tams. It was a very discomforting thing to see but hey, the duck was really tasty!

Because it was my 2nd time in KL, I had already seen and done the usual Chinatown shopping. Instead, I was here to eat good food, chill out and listen to a Feng Shui Grand Master.

In the evening, we headed back to the hotel which was located in Bukit Bintang area, along with this very grand shopping centre.



And of course, I can't resist my usual hammy shots.

First post and hopefully a good year for all

Howdy!

I decided to start a travel blog to record my journeys this yr as a way to keep in contact with friends and family. As for why I am traveling, it may seem corny but yes, I've caught the travel bug and the only remedy is to go out and explore. I'm leaving for Taiwan first before deciding to go Japan or China, if the time permits.

I will be bringing my notebook and camera to post pictures. There should be plenty of opportunities for staying in contact as long as there is access to Wifi and internet. So stay tuned and thank you for your attention!

Peace! J