Back to Reality... Bloody Reality

Dear Diary,

Today I spat at my son. Just when we were starting to bond, I had to screw it up. I couldn't help myself though... I got carried away with the scene and I forgot my lines; so I got a tad flustered and I was trying to enunciate and SPLAT! right on his nose. He didn't notice at first, not until I shrieked and went, "Oh my Gawd! I spat on you! I'm so sorry! SONNNNNNNNNN!!!!" Then he blushed and cowered when I tried to wipe it off. Sigh. But he was so professional about it. Picked himself up and continued with the scene, leaving me as the bumbling idiot. Ahhh.... my son.... I love my son.

On a more entertaining side, I decided to wish Them Boys & Deux a happy start to the new term and I was amused by the varied responses which I received. I'll share some:

• It's not my first day... my first day was years ago
• Aw dreads... hate it man... i got the start sch blues now... hahas thxs anyway :)
• Haha thank you? You too :) Don't kill anyone in school arh! Must be a good teacher :) haha
• Don't remind me :(
• Doubt I'll have one... dread it so much!
• HAHA BALLZ MAN. I can't wait to go to school. But I don't feel like going. What's wrong?
• No. It's always not great on the first day of school. I try.
• I loathe this day... I hate first days of sch... Cause it's the worst time to screw up
• I'm planning to pon sch and sleep

Cute aren't they?

Mmm... kitty's going psycho... she's licking my toes; I think she's hungry. Ciao.

Sharing is Caring

Sometimes one must really sit down and talk to your monsters. Get it all out... off of your chest... whatever. Just do it.

I feel so much better. I suggest you do the same too.

The key is to be honest to yourself. No holds barred... just tell it like it is... alright?

7-Eleven Game

I can't believe I forgot to mention this! Thanks Shu Yu, for your post!

I read in Lonely Planet that Taipei has numerous 7-Elevens spread across it. I mean, seriously, how many CAN you have? Boy were we in for a shock when we made our way to our hotel. In every street, there were at least 2! Some were situated right opposite each other. A rough estimate would be one 7-Eleven at every 300m. Even when we went up a mountain, there was one there! Our guide (one of our many) told us that Taipei has around 7000 7-Elevens. Yea.

I came up with a game, which I believe will take Taipei by storm. Play this, if you're travelling with friends. For every 7-Eleven you spot, smack your friend. It's that simple. Of course there are rules, like no premature slapping (you get smacked 3 times as punishment). Oh and it's a purely transportation game. Meaning, you can only play this game when you're on a bus, train, car, taxi etc.

MY GAME WILL TAKE TAIPEI BY STORM!!!

Dearest You...

I'm such a horrible friend.

I forgot your birthday.

Forgive me?

Taipei Spree

The pictures are on Facebook but below are my killings...

So the Journey Ends

I'm at the airport at this very moment. It's been an enjoyable 6 days here in Taipei. The pictures that I took will explain to you what I mean. But as much as the pictures can speak (my attempt at paraphrasing the a picture speaks a thousand words phrase), I can only rely on my memory to cherish the moments. My memory. Like that's ever reliable.

Greetings from Taipei

Yes, I brought my lappie with me and darling Leng managed to get me a cable. Note to self: It ain't wireless everywhere you go.

I'm enjoying myself over here albeit many reasons not to.

1. Almost impossible finding veg / Halal food
2. Majority do not speak English - quite a number do and are very approachable and very helpful :)
3. Signs and what-nots are in Chinese - I can identify the characters for fish and cow... but that's NOT ALWAYS helpful

I say it's good company and travel planning left to someone responsible!

The part of Taipei that we are in is right smack in the city so we've done and plan on doing some major shopping. We have been to some tourist attractions (nature, memorial etc) of course, but this isn't a cultural immersion trip but more of a return-home-with-a-hole-in-your-pocket trip. I have to say this trip is a good break. I'm so glad to be on this trip with Leng and her family. It'd be pretty dull to be going with a bunch of strangers.

Some observations about this place...

• Left side drivers - it's odd sitting on the right side of the bus, looking out of the window and seeing a driver (vehicle outside) next to you. Even odder, sitting on the left side of the bus, looking out and NOT seeing a driver (vehicle outside) next to you
• Train stations use coin tokens (like that in poker) and the trains have these sirens blasting to warn you that the train doors are closing
• EVERYONE obeys the rules here:

1. You cannot find dustbins on the streets at like every 50m or so BECAUSE you are expected to dispose of your trash at home. So you hang on to your trash till then. The streets are immaculate.
2. People here follow the rules of traffic and are very patient drivers. No honking heard since I stepped foot onto this land.
3. On escalators, you stand on the left and overtake on the right. Same case on the roads, or even when walking on the streets. It's an unspoken rule and no one seems to disobey them except for the tourists, of course.
4. Recycling is a huge thing here. Recycling bins are more abundant than trash bins and the locals do take their recycling seriously. They leave their homes with a bunch of bags, all sorted and wait for the melodic garbage truck to carry the bags away. Even when we ate at BK (I had fish), the patrons stood at the bins and sorted their trash. Everyone returned their trays; there was no sign or even staff wandering around cleaning tables.

• This is scooter land. A sizeable number here travels via scooter. I even saw a working woman in black pumps on a scooter.
• Not forgetting, the locals are very friendly, approachable, polite and obliging. They will come up to you if they notice that you are in trouble; no hesitation. If you ask them a question, they will politely answer you as best as they can. The customer service here is truly a gem.

What can I say, I like being a tourist here! I feel welcome and safe.