What we did last summer: Part II

After a good night's sleep, we woke up to this magificient view!

The room had a huge window that looked out to the sea and that view would propel you to get out of bed so that you can receive as much as what the beautiful day has to offer.

The room was clean, spacious and comfortable.

I was pretty impressed with the bathroom. You can see the towels but the rest of the amenities were places on the shelves on the right hand side of the bathroom.

That huge window that looks out to the sea.

 Time to take that long walk out of the commercial street of Jiufen and have breakfast before making our way back to Taipei.

There weren't many places open early in the morning so we went for this shop that served "Jiufen breakfast"

I had an onion pancake with my favourite hot drink, soybean milk.

H went for the egg and bacon sandwich.

Then we took a bus that would take us on a scenic route round the back of Jiufen before getting off at a bus stop and wait for the bus that would take us to Taipei.

The bus stop

On e more look at the view of the sea before getting on the bus.

Hopped off the bus and took a walk along the seaside before heading to take the bus that the hotel owner told us to get on.

 We waited for over an hour but the bus never came.

Fortunately a local came to the bus stop and advised us to take one of the buses to Keelung instead as there are bus terminals there which have direct buses to Taipei. And so we did.

How thoughtful. Just so that we know for sure that we are in Keelung. Hehehe.

And it is time to look for lunch noms. After walking around for a fair bit we decided on having noodles and oyster omelette.

With a happy tummy we then made our way back to Taipei. One of the places we went to that day was the Chiang Kai Shek National Memorial Hall.

As for the evening we decided to visit a night market but there were so many to choose from. After looking at the map, Raohe night market it is.

We had grilled scallops

And assorted deep fried seafood. Delicious!

 The whole trip wouldn't be complete without a foot massage session, according to H, who is a foot massage fanatic. Foot massage prices in here are half of that in Japan so H was on a mission to get his feet massaged everyday.

We came across a stall selling cakes with a local taste add perhaps bought a little too much cake. We were so full that even after going back to the hotel we couldn't have any of it until the next morning.

It was a well paced and enjoyable second day. I fell asleep as soon as I laid my head on the pillow.

What we did last summer : Part I

 Got to Taipei safe and sound and first order of things is to replenish our tired bodies.

 After filling our tummies we made our way to Jiufen. We were planning to take a bus but decided to take a taxi instead which proved to be a prudent decision.

We had fun maneuvering our way through the streets of Jiufen. Our accommodation was located right at the back so it was a good walk. 

Made a pit stop to get some bubble tea. We liked how it wasn't too sweet.

And the walk continues.

More stairs. I'm not a fan of stairs but I know they will eventually lead to a beautiful view.

And true enough, the view did not disappoint. As it was getting late and we had travelled quite a bit since touching down we decided to call it a night.

A walk down the Tokoname Pottery Path

For more information, visit http://www.tokoname.or.jp/cerapath/path-e.htm

So near yet so far

I love mangoes. They are my favourite fruit. I haven't had them in a while. Oh, I must have some right now! 

*makes trip to the supermarket*

*arrives at supermarket and makes a dash for the produce section*

*sees mangoes*

*takes deep breath, turn around and goes home*

Now I remember why I haven't had mangoes in a while.

Pretty feet

The last few months have been unprecedented for many if not all of us. For me, shielding at home had been difficult and at a certain point, suffocating for me. Being confined to just moving around in the apartment and the occasional essential trips to the supermarket has given birth to rather disheartening thoughts, which concerned me a great deal. I went into depression several years ago and it has taken a great deal of effort for me to walk out of that dark cave so I wish to avoid relapsing at all costs. Having someone with you makes a significant difference but you have still got to work at it yourself. I couldn't do my weapons training at home because there wasn't enough space and the ceilings are too low. I had gone to the park behind my place in the mornings to train on several occasions but stopped as I was getting stares from a couple of ojisan. Sure, if they call the police to make a complain I could easily explain what I was doing and show that I am a law abiding resident but that also means that I would become a potential problem maker in their books. I'd rather not be in their records at all.

After two months, the state of emergency was lifted but there were still calls to refrain from inter-prefecture travels and to maintain social distancing. H and I went for a drive to the seaside to get some fresh air on the first weekend after the declaration and it really helped to reinvigorate my spirits. I much prefer the sea to the mountains and the sea breeze does miracles in blowing away whatever troubles you might have at the time. 

Well, I did cheer myself up by doing a wee bit of retail therapy and got...you guessed it. Shoes. 

 

Hehehe.

Impressively enough, these shoes are the pair of shoes that didn't give my feet any blisters in the inaugural fitting unlike all my other pumps. They are a bit pricey eventhough I bought them on sale but definitely worth the investment as my pretty feet are properly laboured on a daily basis.  My pumps have lasted me at least 6 years or more so I expected these to have the same life expectancy as well. 

Oh look at the time. Dinner noms.

A hot summer evening

Saturday the 27th August 2019 was 土用の丑の日which is read as doyou no ushi no hi. It is the day of the ox in mid summer and supposedly the hottest day of the season. Apparently people in Japan eat eel on this day. There is a theory as to how this practice started but it is generally believed that “eating items  that start with the same vowel as ushi no hi, such as unagi, gives one strength to survive the summer”.https://wow-j.com/en/sp/Allguides/other/tips_manners/01801_en/ H wanted to have some eel so we went to a supermarket to get a fillet of grilled eel. Depending on the origin of the eel a piece  could cost anywhere between BND20 to BND30. It comes with topping sauce and seasoning. 

I don’t usually eat eel but have grown to be fond of it eversince I moved to Nagoya, thanks to its famous eel dish Hitsumabushi. I’ll save that for another entry. The marinade is slightly sweet and has a slightly sticky texture but suits the eel well. The pictures were taken before the eel was topped with the sauce but having it as it with spring onions was the ultimate combination for me. And the portion hit the spot. Ahhh, it was a good evening. 

Frozen noms: Char sao bao!

It is one of those days where I feel like having a quick dinner instead of cooking from scratch. I had a look in my fridge and saw that there is a pack of frozen char sao bao (barbecued pork buns), hereinafter referred to as "CSB", that I had bought earlier this week. 

I moved to Nagoya from Tokyo five years ago and have been living in Kasugai city since then. AEON mall is my usual go-to for grocery shopping as its supermarket offers a pretty comprehensive selection of ingredients and there is a also an adjacent outlet that sells imported foodstuff. Although I was never a fan of frozen food as it was never a mainstay in my mother's kitchen. However, there was a "World Dining" section that caught my eye and I decided to have a closer look. Basically as the name of the section suggests it offers popular frozen dishes from different countries. I am a huge fan of CSBs and meatbuns in Japan don't really suit my palate hence I was delighted by the find. The CSBs are a product of Taiwan.

Apparently today is a good day to try them out.

You get a pair of CSBs in the pack which can be steamed or re-heated in a microwave oven.

Of course I'd go for steaming. Hahaha. Once in the steamer it is a 17 minute wait.

I knew that these buns won't taste like the authentic once the moment I took the lid off the steamer. The smell of the buns suggest that the filling has been tweaked to be more agreeable to the local palate. 

The skin has the texture of a chinese meat bun and has a good consistency for frozen food. The filling is typical of a CSB filling but somehow has a "Japanese" taste to it. For BND5.50 they were pretty good and were just the right portion for one person. On my next trip to the supermarket I'll get a pack for H and see what he thinks of them.

To my beautiful you

Yesterday was a very painful day for me. I had to make a very difficult but necessary decision. Even in my quiet time I thought of you constantly.

But today is a new day. As I look upon the skies I am reminded of someone: the warm, bright, open and beautiful you that captivated and still continues to captivate my heart.

I miss you dearly.

More importantly, I hope you are well.

Happy birthday to my dearest Sai Mui

Sai Mui, it just occurred to me as I started writing this post that this year marks the second decade of our friendship. 20 years. That's about a quarter of one's average lifespan and that's how long we've been in each others' lives.

We first met in university but didn't start becoming close until our second year. You exposed me to the world of clubbing and we sure had lots of fun. I remember how you got me on the "consumption initiation programme" after showing your displeasure to my Ribena habit. Hahaha. That programme turned out to be a real eye opener, didn't it? When push comes to shove, you were the only one that could handle and tame me. I remember those instances fondly. In our uni years we went through a multitude of life events and good or bad they brought us ever closer together. We had a bond, a bond that continues to strengthen and deepen to this day. 

After graduation we went had to go our separate ways. I tried my best to stay in my second home but being stateless and the profession that I am in it was an insurmountable challenge. I returned to my country of birth and began my practice there eventually. But I was eager to stay close to you in anyway I can. Thank to budget airlines like AirAsia I was able to see you once a month or every other month. It certainly didn't help with my savings but I never regretted any of those trips. You had your own place and we'd hang out with the others for tea or a meal and then go back to spend time with each other talking about all sorts of stuff. I love how we could be so open and comfortable with each other. Over time you went on to excel in your practice and became your own boss. I, on the other hand, decided to leave everything behind and start anew in another country, for something called aikido.

I want you to know that I am very proud of what you have achieved thus far and I know there will be more to come. I also want to tell you how lucky I am to have a friend like you; loving, supportive and never judgmental. You've helped me through some very difficult times and held me together where I would have otherwise fallen.

Most of all, I could not be more thrilled to see you finding you partner in life, who will be there for you for the rest of your life. Now that there is someone to take care of you, 我就放心了.

Happy birthday my dearest friend. May you continue to be the wonderful person that you are and I wish for all things good in your life. As we both cross the half way mark of our lives, let us make true our plans to celebrate it together. 

I love you.