Dave Fisherman's Rubbish Bin

I've reached Taipei safe and sound!

Really want to thank PaPa, MaMa, Kor and Ah Ping for sending me to the airport so early in the morning!

At Changi Airport, Jiakseng arrived while I was checking in my luggage and KeanKa reached awhile later. I'll like to thank both of you also! You guys really touched me!

KeanKa, Andrew and Gerald shared to buy me a Levi's digital watch which is just what I needed! A digital watch! You guys rock! V. Chair and Programmers rock! and of course my best brother, Andrew, YOU ROCK TOO!

Kor, I'm very sorry for losing my temper over the extra food you bought at Changi Airport, but, I'm really not hungry and the anxiety made it worst! Really very sorry for that!

Upon reaching Taipei 中正机场， we were picked up by Eve. Eve is a teaching assistant with National Taiwan University and she's around to facilitate our trip and help us as much as she could. Thanks Eve!

Ever sent us to our hostel and allowed us to settle down for a while before picking us up for a welcome dinner. When I reach my hostel, I'm utterly disappointed! It's a "4 Men Bunk"! The space is just as big as my hostel room back in NTU, but it accomodates 4 guys here!. My space was very messy and dusty as it was vacant for the previous few months. I picked up abit, arranged my luggage and set off for dinner with the other guys.

Eve brought us to the district just outside Taiwan University. Its bustling with life! Bright lights, busy road (very, very busy!) and alot of young and trendy people on the streets!

We're lead to a pasta resturant for dinner. I ordered for a chicken mushroom spaghetti, expeceting a very cheesey dish. Instead, the spaghetti is covered in a green sauce rich with spice, nuts and leaves. Their serving's very big too! The regular serving is about 1.5 times ours!

Here's a view of the wall tallest tower from inside the resturant. Taipei 101!

After dinner, Eve passed us some basic directions on how to navigate around and she left, leaving us to roam around by ourselves.

Walked around and saw a petshop and of course I got to go in!

Inside, the fishies were the same back in S'pore, or maybe I should say we got prettier and more variety to choose from. But their pet shop also sells exotic pets! Snakes, hedgehogs, armoured bettles, land tortoise and alot more exotics that I can't name! Things are quite pricey in this shop. eg, A 2 feet glass tank was quoted for S$50. I can get it for S$30 back home.

We later walked into Watson's. Watson's BIG here! 3 storeys high, selling everything from toiletries to cosmetics to medicine to instant noodles to basic houshold furnitures. We bought some box tissue. Apparently toilet rolls are not used here, they use our "box tissue paper" in the toilet.

Next, we took some passport photos needed in school tomorrow. There photographer here is super professional and services oriented! Very courteous and made us posed nicely just to get the perfect few shots. She took 3 shots for each of us and allow us to choose our favourite before sending for print. S$15 for 12 photos and soft copy in a mini CD.

After roaming around for a while more, we walked back to our hostel. Its very windy and really cold! There's a " 寒流” now and when the wind blows, it gets very cold! But when there's no wind (which is like 10 seconds only!) its like air con temperature.

Reached hostel to clean up my space. As I was cleaning up, one of my roomie returned. He's Qi Zhen, History Major, 3rd year. A very studious guy who also games alot! He's got PS2, XboX, PSP, PC and GBA in the room!

He reminded me that security is poor in the hostel and I must lock my room everytime I step out. Reminded me to take care of my belongings properly and I should bring my laptop out everywhere I go and I should sleep with my expensive belongings beside me. Hmm... Seems like I've got to be super careful now!

After cleaning up, my space feels much better! Chit chat with QiZhen abit and I'm in bed to sleep. Very tired and a very long day!

“摇啊摇，火车摇，摇到阿妈厝。。。
摇呀摇，火车摇，摇到外妈厝。。。” (in hokkien)

This is the first track I heard on my in-flight entertainment system as my Airbus heads out of Singapore towards Taipei for the next 24 weeks.

By the 2nd time when the kids singers repeats the above phrase, tears are already trickling down my cheeks. I'm starting to miss home, getting worried for my 阿妈 & 外妈 (father's mom and mother's mom ). Just the nite before, I had confided in mom that my major worries are both my grannies and both Dad and Mom. I know both Mom and Dad will be alright because they're still strong and can take care of themselves. And there's also Bro and Ah Ping to look out for them daily. Both my grandmothers are old and getting weaker by the day, I'm really worried I might lose them when I'm not around.

The Saturday before I leave, I went to 外妈's house to bid farewell and burn some incense for 外公。As I'm leaving, I told her that I'm going home and mom will be back the following Saturday. Decided not to mention about my trip as I know she'll cry and it always break my heart to see her cry. She put out her hand to reach for mine and grab it tightly, something which had not happened since she last brought me to the playground more than a decade ago. Grabbing it real hard, refusing to let go. Her face frowned and her eyes wetted. I held myself strong and told her, it's ok, I'll be fine and will be back to see her real soon. With a heavy heart, I turn around and walked out, without the courage to turn back for a second look.

Really wish 阿妈 and 外妈 will stay healthy and happy for alot more years to come!

Friends, I've met up with ppl whom I wanted to meet and whom can meet me.
I've spent great times with my family through this holiday period.
I've spent enough time learning about myself.

Its about time I fly out and try myself somewhere else.

Date: 08 Feb 06
Departure (Singapore): Time=0810 Flight=CI 662 Terminal= 1
Arrival (Taiwan): Time=1240 Terminal = Taipei Terminal 1

Will be at terminal 1 on Wednesday morning, 6+. Got to check in by 7am.

On the 2nd day of Lunar New Year, We got up really early to visit a temple in loyang. We're there earlier to beat the crowd because after 8am, the worshippers will start pouring in by the busloads! Was there just in time to catch the sunrise.

This temple is situated by the beach and they have great seaview just infront of the temple. Everything's still cool and peaceful when we got there.


After our praying session, we continue with house visiting. Ended our day in a seafood resturant in Jalan Kayu. Because of the holiday season, the dishes were the usual CNY dishes and nothing special caught my eyes until this came out...
Orni! With pumpkin added here! Nice! But, maybe because I'm not used to the pumpkin, I find that it's not as smooth but still nice!!


On the fifth day of Lunar New Year, my family decided to give ourselves a good treat and we headed to Toa Payoh for some Dim Sum High Tea. Its long since we last sat down for a relaxing chat, dine and hang out.
Xia Jiao (prawn dumplings), Pai Ku (Ribs), You Ji (Soy Sauce chicken), Egg Tarts, Braised Trotters, Feng Zhao (Chicken Feet), Char Siew Pau and more...


Nothing beats ending the meal with sweet desserts washing everything down... Red Bean Paste and Sesame Paste below...

The Lunar New Year Holidays had just past and here's a pictorial summary of my holidays.
1st Day of Lunar New Year:
In the first few hours of the new lunar year, my family and I went temples visiting. Out to pray for a great year ahead! This is our first stop, a buddhist temple in Joo Chiat.

At one temple in Chai Chee, they kept big fishes and here's 3 of the bigger fishes. Above is a Giant Purple Gourami which looks very greedy! Below is a Luo Han with a Bichir.




Later that day, My extended family will gather at my grandmother's house. Looking at the shoes gathered outside and you'll know how packed is the house!

Everyone will try their luck in some card games or mahjong in hope to be lucky for the comming year. Others (like me) just sit around, chit chat and stuff our mouth full of new year goodies.

We've just enter a new lunar year and this is the Year of the Dog!
While out celebrating this festive season, I've collected some pictures of dogs.

Enjoy!

These 3 dogs are the resident mongrels of a Loyang Temple. There's another batch of puppies with their mom nearby. I decided not to get near for their mom might get aggressive.

This is Xi Wang，喜旺

This is Blackie. It had no clothes because it doesn't like to be dressed. According to their caretaker, it'll try to bite whoever tries to dress it and its supposedly very fierce because it lost a tail.

This is Wang Cai, 旺财. The biggest among the 3 of them.

Wang Cai with Blackie, Xi Wang ran away to sleep.

This is Fifi, 2 years old Chihuahua.

Its ears can be folded for better aerodynamics while chasing food.

1 more shot!

This is Ah Cue, 1 Year old Chihuahua which grew bigger than Fifi.

It hates to be disturbed when its sleepy. Turns really grouchy!

Was at Hilton hotel to check out some things on a sunday last month. In the end, we found more than what we asked for. An eye candy feast for car lovers like me.



A red Ferrari in its racing paint work.



A sexy Gun Metal Lambo



Eyes of a Bentley with the Ferrari behind


The Lambo, The Ferrari and butt of a Bently


A black Baby Lambo

There's actually a Lotus elise parked behind the baby lambo. But these monsters just overshadows it.
As we are hanging around eating ice cream and eyeing at these monsters, a yellow hyundai coupe rolled pass slowly (as if waiting for service by the valet). But, nobody bothers about it and the valet just flags it towards their underground car park...

and its driver looks pathetically disappointed...

hahaha...

Met hallmates 2 weeks ago at milenia walk for a drink.
To welcome Gary home and to celebrate Perl's birthday.

Here's some pics:


There's about 20+ of us there. We joined 6 tables and each table seats 4.


Andrew, Gary and Davis


Perl and me.


Don, Junx and Lishan far behind


Perl was made to drink a digustingly mixed drink. There's 3 types of beer with raspberry cake, chilli sauce, barbercue sauce, ketchup, mayo, eye drop, lettuce, cigarette ash and more...