June: I am stuck in Taiwan

This is why I don't get to go back to Spore in June:

05-08 Jun
Mommy arrives in Taiwan. Need to let her sponge off me for 3 days.

09/10 Jun
- aka Big bossie from Germany visits
- NSI Training

11 Jun
SOC Seminar

12 Jun
Supply Chain Seminar

14 Jun
Pan-U cycling trip

now till 24th Jun
- Intensive driving lessons
- Driving test on 24th Jun... & I WILL pass

26-29 Jun
Conquer Yushan

30Jun- 04 July
Sisters arrive.
Green Island
Taichung

My July trip back to Spore will be a LONG LONG one.

Here I come!

In 2007: I conquered this:

Mt Kinabalu. 4101m


And used up 2 of my 9 lives doing it...

0n 28/29 Jun 2008: I WILL conquer this!!
Yushan (aka Jade Mountain)3952m

picture from http://www.princeroy.org/?p=405
Look out! Fatcat is coming!!

I did NOT come to Taiwan for this

If this person asks me one more time if I have met any "potential" in the office, I swear I'll roll my eyes at him. I have managed to control myself so far.

To be fair, plenty of people have asked me the same qus. And I don't really mind answering. It's a perfectly legitimate question. But this person
i) does it way too often
ii) made it sound as if it's my mission for coming to Taiwan
It is farking annoying.

Veri updated

Merlinda's blog keeps me Veri updated on what's happening in the Business Center, the latest being Kim's bday celebration. Miss those good old days...

Smith & Hsu

Great place to rest one's sore feet (after shopping in the 101 district nearby) & enjoy a cup of tea.

Embrace myself

The last time I bought new clothes, it was in winter. Then I got fat. And I got utterly disgusted by the size of my arms, thighs & butt that I swore not to buy new clothes until I slim down.

That was 4 months ago. Enough is enough. I have decided to embrace the new, heavier me - jiggly bits & all.

Imagine 4 months of pent up frustration. Back in Singapore, every I walk past Mango or Zara I could only look. Imagine 4 months of foreplay & no sex.


And the result is:
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.
.
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.
.
.
.
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I came... 8 times?

Think I watched too much SATC.

And yes all the clothes are shapeless. Because shapeless clothes are IN! hurrah!!.

Clothes fatcat's own. All from Wu Fen Pu.
Shoes from Nine West, sort of FOC: (Charged it to the NTD5000 "Award" from my boss)

Tacky tourist?

I stumble across this quaint little bakery in Hsinchu & HAD to pop in to buy something. Anything. I love the bakeries in Taiwan. Like France, one can never go wrong with a bakery here. Everything is good.

Anyway back to my quaint Hsinchu bakery. Being a typical tacky tourist, I had to take a photo of the interior. Alas I was spotted & was told by one of the staff that photography wasn't allowed.
Lucky for me, it too late :)

At that moment, I suddenly remember doing the same thing in a supermarket (if u can call it that...) in Moscow:
Ok they are hardly in the same league but it goes to show that tourists will always be tacky.

Miaoli's Tong Flowers

It's Taiwan's Tong flower season in May & everybody goes to countryside to enjoy the Tong flower blooms. Miaoli is particularly famous for them.


Personally, I did't think it's THAT big a deal. The blooms are pretty, but not stunning. Still, it was nice to go relax & walk around the countryside.

A traditional Hakka home-cooked lunch at David's home in Miaoli.

BURP

A real cool rocking chair:

- Made of metal
- And the base doesn't move - no more toppling over!

Cafe with a view


Not so traditional Hakka mochi


50 year old chinchow stall - Before u get too impressed, Taiwan has shitloads 50-100 year old stores haha.



And the evening ends with a bowl of beef noodles in Hsinchu.