Views from Taipei

Man. Midterms are hard. ()-__- Especially coming from someone that usually gets out in May, I’m feeling a little bit burnt out. Following the Taiwanese school system my summer break states in late June. Call me soft, but….I CAN’T WAIT THAT LONG. Lately, I’ve been bumming around in sweats, pajamas or wearing variations of the same outfits over and over again.

It seems the midterm monotony has not only bled over into my clothing choices, but also to my meals and the weather. Basically, my meals are divided between the small mom and pop shops surrounding my dormitory and 7-11. The weather has always been shifting between extremely hot and frigidly cold, but the sky never changes….it’s always this pallid grey, white. It leads to some funky lighting situations.

Altogether it’s actually been quite uneventful, there have been some good things about this week. ^__^ I’ve discovered a new Thai place with friends, reestablished connections with a couple of lovely people, and I’ve (for once in my entire life) have been on top of essays, tests, and projects. <3
I don’t think that you need the start of the new year to change things, but before this week I was feeling really depressed and listless. I think it was a combination of being abroad, toxic social situations, crap weather, and a million applications being due at once. I’m not fishing for compliments or anything, but I think I’ve finally figured out responsibility and productiveness. I am so happy right now. ^__^ I cut the things out of my life that were bad and now I’m looking towards the future. I can’t wait for the summer to start, to see boyfriend (we’ve been in long distance for 1.5 years >__<), to see my family, and assume the Presidency of the Business Asia Club at my school. Things are looking up!  Haha. =) Let’s hope this attitude of mine bleeds into photos and blogposts as well. And…job searching. =__= All I have to do now is to wait for the weather to turn better. ^__^
My dad is coming to visit this week! <3 I’m headed off to dinner with him. ^__^ I hope things are going well for you all too.

Thanks for coming. <3
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Finally...

It's been a bit hard finding someone that's willing to take a ridiculous number of photos for my fashion posts. >__< Do you guys have that problem? Boyfriend enthusiastically offered to help, he was so cute about it, but unfortunately he's stationed in Boston at the moment. Here are some silly pics!

Tank tops/wife beaters are my favorite styled top in the world. I recently got this long, vest, blazer, jacket thing from a nameless shop in 忠孝敦化, that tiny nameless shop is quickly becoming my favorite shop in the world! After Uniqlo and Forever 21 and H&M. >__< I'm still looking for the perfect white blazer though... 

Before I bore you all to death of Hong Kong I'd just like to put some photos here that I particularly liked. Overall it seems...I think I like my photos too much ;) I'm experimenting with "jumps", please be patient!! <3 I don't know where my head was I should have included most of these with my "Thoughts from HK" post, but they were hiding in some deep recess of my computer. *facepalm* D'oh!!

What's New Scooby Doo?

Fortunately this time when I went to Hong Kong, I didn't break the bank. =P Although it was hard since Hong Kong is almost literally made up of malls...My dad knows the pain only a male can feel when the three woman in the household go on a shopping spree. However, this time he'd be proud! I only bought two things! Which I'm loving o' course.

It's always hard for me to find rings...not only because my fingers are super tiny (size 3!), but also because my skin is really sensitive and allergic to a lot of the metals and alloys cool rings are made from. =/ Needless to say I'm very envious of Joey's ring collection. =P  Most of the rings I have are too dainty and small to "layer up" or "make a statement." So I've been looking for bigger more chunky rings to add a bit of variety to what I have. I found this beauty at Agnes B. Sport, it's designed to look like a feather wrapping around your finger...

I never realized how many branches Agnes B. had until I went to Hong Kong...her brand is so popular in Asia! Agnes B. Homme, Agnes B. Femme, Agnes B. Sport, Agnes B. Travel, Agnes B. Beate, not to mention her florist and cafe lines. It's crazy. I could pass on the bags though honestly...but I am more than in love with her jewelry.

The second thing I bought were these Camper Sandals. I wanted nice sleek simple sandals that I could just throw on and walk around all day in, meaning no heels, wedges, or pinchy hurty bits. I saw these and they were absolutely perfect. I hemmed and hawed about getting them for two days and I finally just took the plunge.

I'm in love with the non-symmetrical zipper detailing. I think it makes them look quite adorable. 

However, I was sorely tempted to buy these.

Aren't they the cutest things in the world?!??!? Eeeeeee!! I saw a guy walking down the street in the male version. his looked pretty dirty though....=/

I am a worrywart. It drives my boyfriend, friends, and family crazy...but my terrible worrywart-ness also translates into my shopping habits and tendencies! I always worry if I don't buy it now, they won't have it later or won't have it in my size or I'll regret forever that I didn't buy that certain colored thingamabob. This habit leads to many impulse buys. However now, after many years of worrywart-ting I've realized don't settle. Just buy things you like and will use, not things that are just cheap or the "last one left." Haha, it feels so good to say that! Hopefully this new developments will translate into other worrywartsome aspects of my life. =)

Here's more gratuitous food shots:

Cheers! Thanks for coming everyone!

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Thoughts From Places...HK

It almost makes me laugh how relaxed I get when I hear Cantonese being spoken. I can't speak a word of it, but ever since I was little I've heard my father speak Cantonese, watched Hong Kong martial arts films, and went "yum cha" every week to meet up with friends and family. My father always jokes that I have a HK "mouth" and palate, but the true irony is that I can't speak a word of Cantonese.

Maybe it's my father's influence, but whenever we touchdown in Hong Kong it feels like "home." I always have a good time when I'm in Hong Kong and I love revisiting my family's "old haunts." Making your way around the streets of Hong Kong you can't help but notice the odd he juxtaposition between the old alleyways and the large stainless steel and glass mall behemoths that take up most of the island's space. It almost seems like everything is in Hong Kong. People, things, cultural diversity, brands, and FOOD. It's lovely.

Like I said previously whenever my family and I go to Hong Kong it's like a cavalcade of eating, shopping, meeting old friends, massages, and eating. Did I say eating? =) Inevitably every blog post of mine will degrade down to food analysis it seems. There are some things I always have to eat when I'm in HK: HK "pantyhose" milk tea, gai dan jai, sugar cane juice, lung soup, soft serve and of course dim sum/yum cha. My favorite part about Hong Kong is how international it is...not only in it's social diversity, but in its culinary diversity as well. I can eat French, Cantonese Street Food, Italian, Northern Chinese Food, Mexican and the best white chocolate cheesecake in the world if I wanted to!

I remember the first time I went to Hong Kong I was still in middle school and it was one of my first trips to Asia. When I went it wasn't too long after Hong Kong's sovereignty had been transferred back to China from the British...."the Return." So dramatic. However, to be honest I don't exactly remember much, but I remembered how exhilarated I was to be in Hong Kong for the first time and how everything was shiny, clean and foreign.

Here I am coming back a couple of years later and it's so different. I think time is accelerated in all developing parts of Asia. There was an ever present feeling of building and construction...on almost every street we passed there was bamboo scaffolding wrapped around a gutted out cadaver of a building. The whole world is changing and shifting, but I feel that Hong Kong is on an accelerated path. The number of mainland Chinese tourists had gone up dramatically, the streets have gotten much dirtier, and the feeling of living in a small crowded place, I feel, has only been amplified. It makes me wonder what Hong Kong will be like in say...ten years. However, going to Hong Kong made me miss my family more than ever. I think I might be ready to go home. =P Sorry Taipei!

However before I sign off...one of the things I love about Hong Kong is that even in a crowded iron metropolis of at city you can still accidentally stumble into some verdant green parks, so lush and so quiet you can forget that you're surrounded by a city. I think it's the fact that I'm so in love and so intrigued with Hong Kong is simply because it has so many faces. If you've never been I encourage you all to go. =) If you've visited already....I encourage you to visit again! You'll be surprised at what changed and what hasn't. <3

Thanks so much for coming! <3

+Love 

Hong Kong

We got into Hong Kong pretty late actually, the weather was cool, but not unbearably so. Basically, we just cavorted around eating everything that we passed by and liked. First was curried fish balls, then gai dan jai, and then congee with some gai lan.

My dad always likes to tell the story about when he was a kid in Hong Kong everyone always liked to sneak out and buy curried fishballs in between classes, but if you were caught you had to wear a "I got caught buying curried fishballs/I'm stupid" sign. How sad! They're so good though, I can imagine why people would risk being caught. 

This is the outfit I wore on the plane, it was comfy and stylish. ;) My dad always scolds me for not traveling like him, wearing pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt, but I don't like coming off of a plane looking like I just rolled out of bed in my PJ's. 

Honestly, sometimes I think that the only things to do in Hong Kong are eating, shopping, massages, and walking. It's not a bad life! ;) Sometimes it can get a little repetitive though...

Best thing in the world. I've been eating this ever since I was little, it's like a super eggy waffle. Crunchy and light on the outside, but with a a little nugget of chewy goodness on the inside. So good!! I find you can only get the real egg waffles in Hong Kong...nothing else compares. 

 See that? It's not full all the way so it's like crunchy and delicious, but not overly filling. MMMMM! I miss it already...

Some of my next posts will be about Hong Kong. =) Ask me anything! I'll cover food, things to do, and Hong Kong questions if you have them. ^^ I'm by no means a local, but my dad is! So I have someone reliable to ask if I don't know the answer. ;) 

Ask me anything! Thanks for coming! <3 

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