Normally, I would consider a temperature in the 50's to be "great" if I were in Evanston. It would be warm enough for me to wear my short Zara trench coat with short sleeves inside. I would take a walk along the lake on the way back home, or even go shopping in downtown Chicago to celebrate the warmness regardless of the actual season of the year. However, for the last few days, I felt like I was freezing my butt off when it was in the low 50's in Taipei. Dressing in my winter gears including thick coats and beret hats didn't seem enough. I tried to stay indoor as much as possible, but I still found myself sneezing. Apparently heaters are not commonly installed in Taiwan. Therefore, I still had to wear exactly what I would wear outdoor when we went to any restaurants no matter how high-end they might be. This really puzzles me... how high-end or classy can a restaurant be when you are all bundled up and trying to enjoy a meal? Perhaps that's why there isn't any world-renowned, top-of-the-class restaurants in Taiwan.
This reminds me of my endless restaurant excursions in the US with Michelle and SooMin. Michelle also just emailed us a list of the best restaurants around the globe. I guess I will be missing out on the fun for an indefinitely long period of time... until I manage to get myself back to the US (hopefully in the near future).
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friendship
I had not felt so disappointed because of friends in a very long time, but to my surprise, it was you that made me feel this way.
I had always treated you as one of the best of the best friends. Although I'm not always as considerate and thoughtful as I should have been, I've always given you the most genuine opinion and help that I think a true friend would provide. Even though sometimes other friends would kindly remind me to not give in my whole heart, I had never hesistated when it comes to our friendship. I believed that you were different from what they told me, but unfortunately, I was once again fooled by myself.
Now that I have no values to you anymore, I guess the best-friendship will end here. I know I will move on eventually, just with much less faith in people. From now on, you'll be nothing more than one of those friends.
I had always treated you as one of the best of the best friends. Although I'm not always as considerate and thoughtful as I should have been, I've always given you the most genuine opinion and help that I think a true friend would provide. Even though sometimes other friends would kindly remind me to not give in my whole heart, I had never hesistated when it comes to our friendship. I believed that you were different from what they told me, but unfortunately, I was once again fooled by myself.
Now that I have no values to you anymore, I guess the best-friendship will end here. I know I will move on eventually, just with much less faith in people. From now on, you'll be nothing more than one of those friends.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Homemade dumplings
How did I spend the first day after I moved back?
Besides catching up on sleep (unbelievably many hours that I slept through), I made dumplings with Mom and Grandma on Thursday afternoon. I haven't made dumplings in a very long time; I think the last time was back in 9th grade when I learned how to make one from the maid from northeastern China. Needless to say, my artwork looked like anything but dumplings. But it was a warm afternoon: the family atmosphere that I have always missed when living abroad by myself. This is what it feels like to be back home. I think I like it so far. :)
Besides catching up on sleep (unbelievably many hours that I slept through), I made dumplings with Mom and Grandma on Thursday afternoon. I haven't made dumplings in a very long time; I think the last time was back in 9th grade when I learned how to make one from the maid from northeastern China. Needless to say, my artwork looked like anything but dumplings. But it was a warm afternoon: the family atmosphere that I have always missed when living abroad by myself. This is what it feels like to be back home. I think I like it so far. :)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thank you for being there still
After 18+ hours of plane ride, I was finally back to where I left 8.5 years ago. As expected, nothing had changed since the last time I visited: loud people, empty airport, and reckless driving. Knowing that this time is likely to be a unusally long stay (?) in Taiwan (it's funny how I no longer call it my home), I paid more attention to the surroundings on the way back home. Besides a few more construction sites along the hill, everything else seemed the same.
The moment the car turned into the alley, I heard familarly loud barking from our garden. The two black puppies, Maru and Mini, grew much bigger and had deeper, louder barks than 3 months ago. As I walked toward them, I started noticing something missing in the typical reunion scene. I immediately turned around and anxiously looked for Kawai, the old Schnauzer. I couldn't help but recalling four years ago when I found out that my beloved Chinchilla feline brother, Mimi, had passed away. It also happened when I came back from Beijing for vacation. I was afraid that my parents decided to hide a similar news about Kawai from me until I come back to see it for myself. Fortunately I finally found her in the garage, waiting eagerly for my attention. Suddenly I felt really happy for the first time after I left Chicago; it was the first and possibly the only thing I had hoped to stay the same.
The moment the car turned into the alley, I heard familarly loud barking from our garden. The two black puppies, Maru and Mini, grew much bigger and had deeper, louder barks than 3 months ago. As I walked toward them, I started noticing something missing in the typical reunion scene. I immediately turned around and anxiously looked for Kawai, the old Schnauzer. I couldn't help but recalling four years ago when I found out that my beloved Chinchilla feline brother, Mimi, had passed away. It also happened when I came back from Beijing for vacation. I was afraid that my parents decided to hide a similar news about Kawai from me until I come back to see it for myself. Fortunately I finally found her in the garage, waiting eagerly for my attention. Suddenly I felt really happy for the first time after I left Chicago; it was the first and possibly the only thing I had hoped to stay the same.
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