One Fine Summer Holiday

August 17, 2012.
Good to be back again to Taiwan after a year (or to be exact a year and a week).
A late summer holiday with spark of love and lots of laughter.
Road trip, brunch, supper and beloved one. What more can I ask?

Flying Ace was thrilled to pose again. Enjoy some snapshots!

On the way to K-town by High Speed Railway

My favorite milk tea... slurp

Stinky tofu and duck blood

Expensive supper :p

Nixon's Head, Kenting

Budai salt mountain & salty popsicles

Jiji Train Station

Chicken karaage hamburger

Mango ice

KFC custard tart

Btw, this is my first post in 2012! Finally, YEAY!!!

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

At the Crossroads

I'm a very indecisive person. It's easy for me to have a second thought. Every time I made a decision, the next second I'll doubt it. There is this one time when I was craving for cheesecake and I went to have one. The shop has so many kinds of cheesecake, I had a hard time deciding which slice I want. I eventually chose the blueberry cheesecake, but I ended up eating that blueberry cheesecake while thinking about how the marble cheesecake will taste like. So, that is me, greedy as it is. I want everything, but too afraid to take the risk. A greedy safe-player.

Standing at the crossroads again, I hate when it comes to the time of making essential decisions in life. Job, life's direction, relationship, etc. Sometimes the things you want aren't realistic and the realistic ones aren't what you want. Wonder what should I use as a basis of making those decisions.

As life never changes in providing misery, I know my God too never changes in providing blessing. So, it makes sense when you hold on to Him. In the middle of worry and confusion, I need to convince myself that everything is gonna be all right at the right time, that I will have the wisdom to choose the right one and to do the right thing, that all I need to do is put effort, believe, and surrender.

I hope that Word, prayer, and peace in heart will guide me through. And may this writing prove itself when I look back a year from now. A proof that God has a wonderful plan for me.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matt 6:34

Stages of Flying

Does it make you sad when you pack your bags and go
Somewhere far away far away

Does nostalgia grow along the way
Seeing your house behind for behind

Your heart by now must grow fond
Of the new things to come

Your heart by now is filled
With a feeling you can't explain

Does it make you sad when you pack your bags and go

Goodbye goodbye
So long so long
Farewell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song by Joanna Wang

Stress Reducer

This is my favorite stress reducer:
Cold Stone Tie Guan Yin Tea Ice Cream (鐵觀音茶冰淇淋).
It's solely sold in Taiwan!!! A MUST TRY for tea lovers.

Toppings: raisins and pumpkin seeds

Kaohsiung Stores: Kaohsiung Arena Hanshin, Zuoying Shin Kong Mitsukoshi , Dream Mall, Sanduo FE21 Mega Department Store, DaShun.
Website: http://www.coldstone.com.tw

“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts!” ~Author Unknown

Delizioso Cucina Pasta

Flying Ace and I heart this Italian restaurant. Cucina Pasta (佐佐義).
(Seriously, I'm not trying to be sm*sh-y here :)

After a long search of decent Italian restaurant in this city, I'm so glad I've finally found the one. Most of the restaurant labeled themselves as Italian here, should really change it into Taiwanese-Italian. Everything is just so localized, I can't hardly taste the sensation of fresh and authentic Italian flavor.

I first went here with my beloved Wenzao mates (miss you girls!), and have fallen in love since. With the menu, with the food, with the decoration and the atmosphere. It's some kind of a perfect place for a romantic Christmas dinner. Although the queue sucks (and you can't make any reservation on the weekend), but queue has always been an implicit guarantee of good restaurant in Taiwan, rite?!

Let's jump to the food. The garlic bread is a must, very nice as an appetizer and you can also have it with the soup of the day. Lasagna and tiramisu are their special offer on Saturday and Sunday. They don't serve any set meal, so everything must be ordered separately. The pasta price is ranging from 100-180 NT. And they will provide you with lemon water if you don't want to order any drink, but how about wine sometimes?

Bread

Lasagna

Spaghetti fried with mushroom and hot chili pepper

Penne with spicy tomato sauce

These pictures above are more to their classic pasta menu that tastes so delizioso, perfetto! But they also have some more to fusion-like pasta menu as pictures below, that (in my opinion) tastes weird or so-so. So, be smart in choosing the menu.

Spaghetti with seafood and basil in cream and tomato sauce

Spaghetti with broccoli and squid fried with spicy olive sauce

Still they have a lot and a lot of other menu, ranging from pasta, to pizza, risotto, gratin, pita, and dessert! I can't wait to try it all (especially the apple pie with ice cream). Should come with an empty stomach next time.


Place: 高雄市左營區裕誠路470號 (No. 470 YuCheng Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City) 
Direction: The nearest MRT station is Kaohsiung Arena, from exit 4 turn left at Joy Plaza (大八), walk several steps and the restaurant is on your left side.
Opening Hours: 11:30-14:00 ; 17:30-21:00
Phone: (07) 550-9879
Another stores: 高雄市新興區民享街97號 (No. 97 MinXiang St., Sinsing District, Kaohsiung City) - (07) 281-6869
高雄市中正二路56巷31號 (No. 31, Lane 56, ZhongZheng Er (2nd) Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City) - (07) 223-2819

“Life is too short. I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.” ~Sophia Bush

Let's Dine in the Toilet!

OK. It is such an appetite-killer title for a food review blog.

Sorry for that, but that's how this Modern Toilet restaurant concept, which inspired by Dr. Slump manga, built upon: Eat at where you excrete it!
Fortunately, with their devoted obsession on toilet and sh*t they manage to bring such a unique and fun dining experience. That's why, they have a lot of branches and you usually have to queue to get seated on weekend's peak time.

The menu

Modern Toilet Restaurant provides a wide variety of menu: Asian meals, gratin, spaghetti, hot pots, steak, risotto, snack, ice shavings, and various of drinks; all serve in the signature pee-pee or poo-poo pot. A friend recommended the Asian meals and added that this restaurant isn't good enough on serving the pasta-kind. So, here we are ordering different kinds of Asian meals. I love the Thai coconut chicken and Yunnan chili chicken, it whets the appetite! The meal comes in package with rice, soup, a bowl of edamame (soybean), and addition of soft ice cream for price around 180-220NT.

Modern Toilet chicken curry

Thai coconut chicken

Yunnan chili chicken

Chocolate soft ice cream - compliment from the meal

After the meal, we continued with the super big bowl of ice shaving as dessert. Full up! I need to go to the real toilet right now.

Chocolate ice shaving with chocolate sauce

Place: 高雄市左營區富民路420號 (No. 420 FuMin Rd., Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City) 
Direction: The nearest MRT station is Kaohsiung Arena, from exit 4 turn left at Joy Plaza (大八), walk straight until you find Burger King, and then turn left after Burger King, walk until you find the restaurant on the right side.
Opening Hours: Weekdays (11:30-22:00); Weekends (11:00-22:00)
Phone: (07) 558-0940
Website: http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/

From Vietnam with Love

Flying Ace and I had just flown back from Vietnam, and we're lovin' it!!! Great scenery, tasty food and nice shopping come with a fair price, additionally awesome people during the trip made it memorable. And even ask for more.

Hanoi has that sense of authenticity with the mixture of ancient heritage and gorgeous view of lakes inside the city.
Halong Bay is magnificent beyond words, beautiful like paintings.
Saigon is shifting modern, simply casual.

Here are some snapshots from the trip. Enjoy!

Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake Hanoi, oldest pagoda in Vietnam

Random street at Old Quarter, Hanoi (with random cute Viet guy *wink)

That's how they sell French bread

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

Spring rolls

Traditional lunch

Phở bò (beef rice noodle soup)

Fear factor: fertilized duck egg

For more information about the egg, check this link.

Halong Bay, here we go!

The signature yachts

View from the top of Ti Top Island

Seafood

Papaya salad

Saigon city view from motorbike

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica

The artworks

Vietnam coffee

Love how they eat the French bread

Special lunch treat

We love DESSERT!