Day 13: Taroko

Didn't have much sleep at all last night. Woke up at 4am feeling damn hungry and can't sleep after that. Finally woke up at 6:50am. Damn..... After cleaning myself, I came out and found breakfast on the table with latte! CM went out and got it for me (coz I said would be good to get some breakfast just in case.. but the night before we can't find any bakery that's still open). How thoughtful! Then we head out to Taroko! Wooo hooo... Finally something that's not city.

Taroko is an absolute place to visit! It is just so perfect and could be romantic too. There are mist in the air because of the water fall and the sun ray double up as spotlight highlighting certain pretty spots. Perfect.

The day tour also stopped at some seaside which we planned to go the night before. It's just perfect. We walked the seashore for hourssss... and had ice cream and took a cab back to the city.

Tomorrow he will head back to Taipei and me to Kaoshiong... more travelling. Hopefully will meet great friends like that along the way! :)

Day 12: Hualian

Woke up really early today! 8am... Joan, try waking this early sometime... it's good for you. :P Finally have the chance to have a proper breakfast in Taiwan. Had this egg roll sandwich thing with coffee. It's really yummy!

Then head out to take a train to Hualian. The train ride is fantastic! It's scenic. Imagine a backdrop of mountains so high that the peak is surrounded with clouds. It's luscious green is dotted with red temples and there are flows of river going through it. The other side of this view it's an equally awesome view of the ocean. The air is cool and fresh... no pollution whatsoever. Feel like writing a poem! Okie... maybe not... i'm not an artsy fartsy person. On the contrary, I met an artistic person in the train ride! A Hong Konger who is an independent film director travelling alone to Hualian. His name is erm... shit.. let me think.. Zhi Mo. His hair is longer than mine! And is super pleasant to talk to (10 times better than the Korean I met in Taipei).

Okie... I know you want to know this... let's see.. He is not handsome. He is probably cute. If I imagine him in a nice hair cut (short of course... since I like men with short hairs). he will probably get a 7.5? He has his own charm. And he is just sooooooooooo pleasant and easy going!

So, ZM has no idea where to stay but he wants to go to Taroko. And.. I know where to stay (no bookings made) and wants to go to Taroko! So, after hearing what an awesome hostel I'm planning to go, he ask if he can tag along. Of course I said yes. I'm nice. :) And he is nice to talk to. The poor chap help to carry my luggage for 20 mins until we found the place. I have got my travel mate!

We had lunch, walked to the ocean, had coffee and kept walking for 5 hours. Had dinner and walked back. Of course we stay in the same dorm i.e. a room of 6. The other beds are empty. And nope... I'm not thinking what you are thinking.

Oh... the Taiwanese are super friendly! When we got lost, they offered to drive us to the target destination. When it's raining, they offered their umbrella for free! Even when we started walking after getting lost again, they drove around and offer the ride. It's so touching!

Taroko tomorrow! The tour that I have booked starts at 8am! *yawnnnn...* I need a strong cuppa to start the day tom. Night!

Day 11: Taiwan National Palace Museum and City Hall Taipei 101

Today is kinda boring. Went to the National Museum which is absolutely boring! It's full of clay, porcelain, jade, caligraphy and maps and drawings. Not compareable with the New York's Natural History Museum at all. So within less than 3 hours, I'm done with it. The NY's NHM took me like 7 hours or so. The one drawing that is really spectacular is the Along the River painting. It's is breathe taking.

Taipei 101 is boring too. The only nice thing is that the shopping complex around that area is super classy! Nice nice nice! I found a really nice working jacket which cost NT11800. : Damn... Of course I din buy it.

Wasn't feeling right the whole day. Stomach feeling funny, having a temperature and got so tired that I fell asleep in the transit.

Tomorrow will be going off to Hualian! Didn't manage to book the train tix online. Apparently you have to book it 2 weeks in advance! Doesn't make sense... Don't people here decide to go back to their hometown a day before the trip? I will just go there and see if there's any available seat. Wish me luck!

Day 10: Longshan Temple and Shilin Night Market

I slept for 10 hours last night!!! Haven't done that for erm... ever since I joined SIT iCP which is maybe December last year? Awesomeeeeeeeeee.... *feel prettier!*

I was researching on what to do in Taipei in the Eslite bookshop (this is like MPH equivalent) and found the National Geog recommendation i.e. a trail visitting temples and some areas near Xi Men. To sum it all, I went to 3 temples and one of them is the FAMOUS #1 temple in Taipei i.e. Longshan (dragon moutain) which I have asked QuanYin on my relationship luck. (Note: Since I have asked about my career in a temple near Petaling Street 2 days ago, I decided to ask something else). Erm... to sum it all up, it says "Go with the Flow". But, which flow? *shrug*

I was lucky enough to coincide the travelling with some festival. There're road parades and some performance on the taoist god. Pretty interesting. Wish I can upload my pix. Maybe when I'm back next month. I also went to this herb lane which is really cool. Sooo many dried and fresh herbs around and the air smell of that too! There's also this street where you can find all kinds of kitchen equipment from peddling to restaurant to household usage. I want to come back here if I'm a proud house owner someday! :) Then, there is this street with ladies sitting around on scooters waiting for their prey. And shops that openly sells dildo/vibrator.

After 4 hours of walking nonstop and with my camera battery running out, I decided to head back to the lodge for a rest. Fell asleep... zzzz.... And woke up with a man on the top bunk (I'm sleeping on the lower bunk). He was reading on some map and so I decided to be friendly and initiated a conversation. Ben from Australia (Korean descendant). Nope... not good looking. : I am planning to go Shilin Night Market and asked if he wants to tag along. And so we went.

Frankly, I can't communicate with him. I can't understand what he is saying half the time! And the same for him. How frustrating. But he is such a gentlemen! He carried my backpack for me and wanted to pay for my food. (Of course I said no! It's not a date or something... ) The poor chap has to wait while I shop. I feel sorry for him actually. So I try my very best to control my shopping impulse and ended up with 2 dresses, 1 jacket, one skirt and one necklace ONLY! It's like Sungai Wang cheap here with more style and choices! Sheer test of will power! Joan, are you proud of me that I have done so well in controlling myself and with the minimal purchase? Should I go back there? I'm sooooooooooo tempted to unleash the tiger within and show the Taiwanese how a Malaysian can shop!

The food in Shilin Night Market is over rated. I don't enjoy it that much to be honest. Everything is sooo porky with chucks of pork lard.. YUKKKK... I had a very nice mua chi from the bakery though. It's superb coming from a person whom dislike it. Let's see I can buy some home.

PS: Ben will be going to YangMingSan tomorrow and asked if I want to go. What do you think?

Day 9: Verdict of Taipei

I spent 1 full hour talking to 3 people today. Full time (not watching tv, walking or any multi tasking) face-to-face talking. They are trying to sell me a photoshoot package in ximending. I have to say... they are really good. It's so good that I would like them to be in my team to get sign off from TM or even Maybank.

2 out of 3 of them are males. When they speak, they LOOK INTO my eyes! *shy and scared* So when they asked if I have a bf, I immediately said yes! It's a good lie... I know it is stupid to, but I felt it was necessary at that time.

Anyway, I didn't go to the famous shilin night market. By the time I went to a quick bite, I was full! So, I have decided to check out ximending shopping area. It's full of good looking people! My observation - good looking girls usually have fake eye lasher, dark eye shadow, sexy stockings with short skirt and tank top with a jacket. Joan, go try that out! :)

Snacks are fantastic here. Every turn of corner has something nice to eat. So far, I had
1. one ball thinggie with red bean paste
2. some bread which is crunchy on the outside and soft inside with eggs, vege and maybe bacon.
3. papaya milk.. (sooooooo nice)
4. fried pop chicken (similar to the one we have in pasar malam but this is nicer and they deep fry a certain vege to go with it too!)

Soooooooooooooooooooooo full and tired and sleepy. Nighty!

Day 9: Here @Taipei

Wooo hooo... I'm at Taipei! The weather is nice! Though I wonder what should I do with all my tank tops since it's freaking cold to wear only that.

This is like a scooter city or something... they are everywhere! But then again, maybe it's just ximending. This is like the uni area so... that probably explains.

Sooo hungry now. Okie.. this is the plan:
1. Grab a quick bite
2. Talk to reception to find out the nearest park to jog
3. Shower. Head out to Shilin Night Market
4. SLEEP!!! TCM gave me a 5:30am morning call and I have only 2 hours to sleep. Didn't get much sleep on the flight too... *yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn*

PS: I'm so scared and nervous still. I need a 101 on making friends!

Day 8.2: Excited!

It's nearing 3am on Monday morning (Day 8). I'm going to fly off to Taiwan in the next 7 hours alone! This is really scaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.... I'm quite nervous to be honest. Why did I want to do this in the first place? Oh right, no one is free to go with me. Right...

Okie... so what's next? TCM will give me a wake up call at maybe 5:30am then come over to pick me up. This is actually a puzzle. He said it's on the way. Come on!!! He must be kidding me. Melawati to Shah Alam then to LCCT is not exactly on the way to Singapore right? Which highway is this that will make it "on the way"? So this is my thoughts:
1. He has a fight with the gf to be and want some advise
2. He doesn't want to drive alone
3. He is crazy

Probably all of the above.

Suddenly I remember something that's totally out of the context. I didn't change enough Taiwanese Dollar (only 9000 dollars - RM1k equivalent) and need to withdraw money! Why do I always not do the most important thing first? *smack forehead*

Okie.. time to sleep! *scared again*

Day 7: Hema's Wedding

I spent more than an hour tying saree! And it looks so bad. Really really bad. When I got to the wedding, I noticed that most girls / ladies have their saree on the other shoulder except for me. $h!+ I have the sudden impulse to head to the nearest ladies toilet and redo the saree. Another hour doesn't appeal to me though. So I decided to ask the girl next to me.

Me: Erm... does it mean anything to have the tail of the saree on the right instead of left? Does it mean like I'm gay or anything like how it works with the ear piercing with men?

Girl next to me: Erm.. No... it's just a different style.

Me: *relief!* Oh thank goodness! I thought I was doing something very wrong.

Mother of girl next to me: No no no... it's just that different ethnic has different style. Your style is similar to the Telegul.... *more talking which I wasn't really paying attention... there's a really cute indian girl with STUNNING pink saree!*

With MK, driver for the day.

The ceremony

MK, me, Kavitha and Ming Ee.

With the couple!

PS: Need to youtube before doing my saree next time!

Day 6: Meet Ups

Today is just a day full with meet ups! Afternoon tea and dinner with TCM and Li Teng and drinking @21 with Gio abd Vito.

TCM, since you are not reading this... Want to tell you that you have put on weights! Hehe.. Oh well, as long as you are happy then it's OK. :) I'm just happy that he has finally found someone special! As for Li Teng, she looks the same! Can't phantom why someone with a degree and master from UK still wants to do certification on secretary and eventually find a job as one. Strange.

I learnt a thing or two from drinking with Vito and Gio --> how to talk to random strange. Step #1, identify target and make eye contact. Step #2, walk over and talk nonsense. Not sure if this really works though since I have not field tested it. I think this will be handly when I'm alone in Taiwan. Cannot imagine travelling alone and not talking to anyone for 16 days other than the essential like ordering for food. :( Let's see how it goes.

Day 5: Lunch and Shopping!

Woke up feeling really tired today! Guess the 60 minutes running on the night before has taken its toll. But the run is really nice. I should do this more often. :)

Anyway, went to lunch with the iCP gang @ Delicious Bangsar. It's nice catching up with them again. Everyone looks the same! Okie.. it's just been 5 days Vick, what are you expecting?

I went to Sg Wang to shop a little after that. Ever since went there to shop with Carol (bought 3 dresses!), I have been wanting to go back there. I like shopping in Sg Wang, it's so easy coz the stuff is so cheap that it doesn't require a lot of thinking! I don't hesitate, I just buy! Wooo hooo... Perfectly inline with my LOA mode; no brain activity. Nice..

Didn't buy a lot though. Just one dress, one legging, one pair of sandals and necklace. So under achieved!

Day 4: Confused!

I have been waiting for this call for 2 days and finally at about 3pm today, I got the call. It's from one of the M in the firm. It only take less than 20 mins to get me all confused! Should I
a) stay with the firm in a FS project and aim for M
b) go ahead with original plan
c) find other opportunities

I got so worked out that I even text MS for advise. But the PM that she is, she replied "I will call u at 10pm okie?" Wah lau... I feel like being in a bank/government bodies and have to take number so I can talk to the officer or something... Geezz... so busy meh?!? But then again, maybe it's just me being too free! Kakakakakka...

I miss those days when things are so straightforward; when there're not a lot of choices. I DO NOT like to choose. If it's as straightforward as choosing between a milk chocolate or 90% cocoa chocolate then it's easy peasy. But this?!?!?!

Ok, time for objective and self input. :

Day 3: Shopping and Haggling

I’m tired… Shopping is really tiring! Bought one pair of prescriptive glasses @ Reliance Bangsar and a laptop bag @ Isetan KLCC.

After choosing the frames for 15 mins, I’m torn between a pink plastic Miu Miu which is in not one but two shades of my fav pink!!! (+50 points) but not so comfortable nor professional looking (-20 points) and a dark green titanium Marc Jacobs which is light and comfy (+40 points). Okay, maybe not so torn, I chose function within 2 mins. Hehe… practical ma…

Me: *in a soft tone* Hmmm.. ho yi peng di mou? (Canto - can it be cheaper?)
Chinese Sales Lady: *fierce* Ng tak!!!
Me: *pause… buying time* Ng ho yi peng di meh? (can’t it be cheaper?)
Chinese Sales Lady: Ng tak!!!
Me: Mmm… ok la. *defeated*

Damn! It’s not that I’m not good at haggling. Just ask TCL, she would gladly tell you the China Town story which she has told to all our common friends and even my childhood friends! K The problem is that I’m really good at haggling with Malay men only. Really!!! I can even get haggle in Isetan for my black Samsonite laptop bag!

Me: Bag ni ade discount?
Malay guy: Bag ni takde discount la.
Me: *super nice and soft tone… hehe* Mmm… Boleh bagi discount tak?
Malay guy: Mmm… Ok la… bagi 10% la.
Me: *thinking.. how easy is that!!??!?! Muahahhahah*
Feels good…

Day 1: Spa Day @ True Spa

It's just so pampering. Started the day with teh C kosong while reading newspaper. There's this weird article on hiring professional to handle your breakup! You can now pay somebody to deliver the bad news to your bf/hubby! How awesome is that! :

Then, off I go to the gym for some running and cycling followed by Hot Stone massage, foot massage and facial! It's my first experience with Hot Stone massage. Basically, the masseur uses warmed stone to massage all over you after rubbing you nicely with lots of body lotion. Kinda nice actually but will I go for it again? Probably not. I just wish that she would spend the 90 mins only on my head, shoulder and back. That's all I really need.

I tried new facial today too! Collagen facial. Yuki recommended it. She's my fav facial lady. (Note: she doesn't leave any nails imprint on my face unlike some others). The facial is ok. I don't feel/look any younger anyway... hehehe... no miracle there.

I didn't do anything particularly useful for the rest of the day though. I still have a lot to do. Let's see...

1. Pick up my IC (done on 20-Mar)
2. Go to JPJ and get my license done (done on 20-Mar)
3. Book hostel for Taiwan trip
4. Start packing for Taiwan
5. Buy backpack for Taiwan
6. Find a room to rent
7. Get my eyes check and buy prescriptive glasses @ Reliance.
8. Do my brow @ Bangsar
9. Pick up my letters and stuff from office and submit myTE
10. File tax
11. Scanned and signed my LOA letter

So many chores!!! Busy busy...

My last day in ACN before embarking my LOA

I woke up at 11am thinking "Shit.. I'm late to work!" and started rushing. (Note: I have started working on shift for the past 2 weeks as I finished work at 2am on average... So before you start to think that I am a lazy cow who goes to work damn late, this was why; but then again... I do think of myself as a lazy cow. hehe)

Went to work with mixed feeling. It's been almost 10 months in this project and have made great friends i.e. SDP and OSM gang whom I bully, SIT gang whom I hang out with, iCP PCC team whom I have worked with for the past weeks. Feels strange that all this will be came to a halt. I will miss the colleague and work for sure (but not enough to come to work in the coming week! :P)

What caught me by surprise was the little "thank you and happy holiday" cakes that the command center team has bought! I thought it will be a quiet departure, so that was REALLY a PLEASANT surprise! The whole iCP ACN team members on Level 8 gathered around and listened to my crappy farewell speech. Instead of saying anything inspiring, I said something stupid like.. "I've really learnt a lot from this huge project where it's strange to have different teams and different vibes"... By vibes I meant the love-hate relationship! : Okie.. Yea.. I know that's stupid to point THAT out in a farewell speech and the whole sentence is not even coherent! but oh well.. nobody will remember these things right?

The chocolate cake with "Happy Holiday" wording.

Okie.. what's next? Start listing down my to-dos in my LOA!

Pre-LOA Planning

I just log into AirAsia and bought my 16 days Taiwan backpack trip! Feels soooo damn awesome... Next... book a bed in a hostel and surfing the various areas that I can go around in Taiwan!