Sleep

It is great to have someone caring for me ... someone to depend on during my weakest moments ... Thank you God for that someone =)

I'm back!!!

It's good to be home ... very happy to see my Chica and family (^o^)

I had a dream ...

... and then I woke up ... =P

This is most likely going to be my last blog before I head back ... I’m ready to go back ... this is nice place to visit, but I don’t belong here. However, I do want to come back here to see/interact more in the future ... but for now, home sweet home is what is on my mind. Oh ... I’m kinda excited about flying again ... hehe ... just like a curious, hyper little boy =P

So ... I will see ya in person =)

edit: sorry if I'm too open ... "absence makes the heart grow fonder" ...

So lonely

Here I am ... sitting here in my hotel room waiting for time to pass ... I feel so lonely =(

A Weekend Away

This weekend is special ... I get to spend it all by myself in a place half way around the world from home. This is going to be a long blog ... so take your time =)

Originally, I wanted to take a 2 day tour to Ali Mountain ... for the past few years, I really wanted to see a sunrise from the top of a mountain ... and here is my chance to see what God has created ... but no one signed up for this weekend and the tour company wanted to charge me 3x the amount =( ... I can try to go there by myself, but I don’t know the lingo and it is going to be in the middle of nowhere ... maybe next time ... gives me an excuse to come back. ;) (the pic is from the web)

So on Sat. morning here ... Chica calls me =D ... I was very happy to hear my sweetheart ... so, it is good thing that I did not leave town. <3

That afternoon, I decided to tackle a smaller mountain ... the “bump” next to the city. I made it up as far as the Buddhist temple ... there is a wall preventing me from getting to the top ... there is some kind of base up there. I got pics to show ... so, don’t forget to ask them when I get back.

It did not take long to come back down ... of course the fastest way down is to tuck yourself in to a ball and roll =P

So I wander the north side of the city ... went to a mall ... no grand corridors, it just look like a department store (i.e. JC Penny/Macy) on steroid. It has super market in the basement ... that is normal around here because if you want fresh fruits/vegetable ... you would go to the street market instead. The top floors are usually restaurants/arcade. Even the roof is used as an amusement park (for the little ones of course).

Oh, here is something new to me. In order to promote the mall, they usually have guest stars and even lingerie models show up ... and yes, I looked =P... but I would ratter see Chica in her regular tee shirt and sweat pants ... what would I give to see her now ...

Last night (Sat here) ... there was a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at my hotel ... yea, it is for the mall in the hotel (provided by Tiffany & Co.) ... and some stars showed up ... singers I think. Of course, the tree is fake and much smaller than the one in Rockefeller center back at home.

Today (Sun here) is much more interesting. I went to the south side of the city this time ... and headed to the largest mall I can find. I got spooked when I enter the mall ... everyone in the room (the makeup section) looked at me ... greeted and bowed at the same time ... wow ... that was unexpected when entering a mall. The mall is the same as the other ... not as grand as HK ... just very tall ... there is a movie theater at the top of this one. I was about to go back to the hotel ... but then a blue building caught my eye when I looked out the window ... it was IKEA ... haha

So, I went to IKEA ... it look exactly the same as the one at home ... for a moment there, it feels like home. =P

Then I saw a church ... nothing grand ... I would not have known if it did not have crosses all over the place. I hesitated to go in because I did not know if anyone can speak Cantonese or English ... after a while, He gives me the courage to step in ... at first, it was as I expected ... “chicken and duck talk” ... but I follow them upstairs. Thank God!!! ... the assistance pastor (I think), Anne is from Hong Kong ... and she can speak Cantonese and some English too ... then to my surprise, her son Samuel (24 years old) can also speak both (just enough to understand each other). Anne also mentioned that her husband is a Taiwanese and her son is home on leave from serving his country ... apparently that it is mandatory for citizens to serve for a term.

Their service is very similar ... communion is on the first Sunday of every month ... yea!!!, I did not miss my communion for this month. To come to think about it, it is almost exactly the same ... the use of a project to aid the message, the layout of the program, the greeting of the guests, etc. Anne and Samuel were kind enough to translate for me ... God is really wonderful. I even got to eat lunch with them (free for first time comer... hehe ... same thing) ... I even got to meet the fellowship ... and we talked for a while ... very cool 8) I was very happy to meet them ... knowing the world is not as big as I thought ... everyone can relate to everyone ... as brothers and sisters =)

Then ... lol ... I found Costco ... and it also looks the same. At first, Taiwan looks so foreign ... maybe because I don’t speak the lingo ... but now, it does not feel so different.

After I got back ... I took a swim ... =)

Thank God for letting me see the world ... there is so much indeed to see and learn. I look forward to future travel ... hopefully it would be even better with Chica =)

btw ... for people working too hard ... remember to not go off the deep end =P

December of 95

I just realize that today is December ... and yet it feels like early fall or late spring. Every time I look up into the sky, it looks different ... everything is slightly different here. It’s usually hazy around here (same in HK) ... you don’t get the sun glare during sunrise/sunset ... at that time, you can actually look directly into the sun ... a little orange circle in the big hazy sky. No wonder that their national symbol is a “sun” ... because if you live here, you will see that all the time.

Here are some other interesting facts. The year is 95 for Taiwan ... not 2006. Driving on the wrong side of the road and running red lights are accepted here in small towns (to them, it is similar to running a yellow light/stop sign back on LI).

Very similar to HK ... men’s urinal automatically flushes twice ... before and after. What is strange (to me) is that they have squat toilet bowls ... no sitting ... similar to a hole in the ground, but a little bit nicer looking ... better not slip =P.

I was told that traditional wedding banquets are held on the street next to the wedding party’s home ... so, how many guests are going to fit into your home =P.

Many eateries/shops have patios ... many extend their sitting area to the outside. Tea shops are everywhere ... bubble tea anyone? =P

My hotel has everything ... basement level 3, there is a large grocery store with local and imported goods ... and a food court (with picture menu). From there up to the 7th floor is a mall ... very expensive. Lol ... LV is right there on the ground floor ... I know someone is going to shop there all the time =P Afterward, there are restaurants, gym and guest rooms above that ... and if you want to get to the very top, you will need a very expensive VIP card to access room with it’s own maids ... wow =O

I have been trying to read and speak mandarin, but I’m far from kindergarten level ... to be precise, far below =P I think I may have better luck learning sign language.

It is about 3 weeks since I’ve seen anyone from home ... this is the longest that I have been away ... one more to go. Lol ... I wonder if anyone else misses me? =P