Taipei 101 Part 2 (August, 2014)

Before arriving in Taipei, the boys were bragging about how most of the girls in Taipei are gorgeous and the percentage of finding a bad looking girl is almost impossible! well obviously i couldn't believe such exaggeration -.-'

So this is me scouting for some pretty Taiwanese babes in the morning by our mini balcony! ok..I lied, it's just me posing by the balcony :p 

Back to the topic of Taiwanese girls, I've gotta agree that a large number of Taiwanese girls here in Taipei are slim, has legs for days, owns dark colored hair (yes it's rare for you to see girls there with very bright colored hair, which really surprised me as fashion is everything over to them!) and lastly the most obvious trait would be their way of speaking Mandarin, super cute with a sing-song tone which can come across as either adorable or annoying to some people. I personally thought it was fine because it sounded pleasant to the ears, better than speaking in a rude and loud manner.. no? The boys of course were in much fascination, some kind of "eargasm" to them, tsktsk :p

 

banana milk was YUMMY!

We decided to travel out of the city area to Jhuzihu, Yangmingshan! The taxi driver got lost for quite sometime on our way to our destination and to make things worse, the driver drove a bit recklessly and to top it off.. the roads in that area didn't have any bumps! HAHA it was quite a hell of a ride. With the help of strangers and the internet we managed to finally find the place! No complains though, the view on the way up was breathtaking and thankfully for the perfect weather, everything went well :)

Kuan Chen Restaurant is a 11 year old Chinese restaurant famous for its mountain chicken and everything else mountain grown, vegetables and etc!

 


Being this close to nature is something we Kuala Lumpurians don't experience often at all, felt amazing to be surrounded bygreen green mountains.

  

Just like the scene from 22 Jump Street! HAHAHA!

cute windmill house by a pond with ducks, geese and chicken¯\▁(◔◡◔)▁/¯

The amount of hungry people waiting for their turn to be seated was overwhelming!

Sweet boy Jone had to wait for our table number and pre-order the food while we bad people went off taking pictures with the mountains :3 thank you muack muack!

Boiled Chicken
Fresh and tender! We climbed up the mountain mainly for this and well it was worth the crazy ride ;)

Crispy Deep Fried Intestine
You'll love this if you enjoy innards, the boys were practically fighting over the last piece!

Steamed Yam bits with Minced Meat
THIS WAS THE BOMB! i couldn't stop eating it :3 lucky for me not everyone liked yam so LESS MEN MORE SHARE HAHA! :p

ps: the names of the food might not be accurate because everything's in mandarin so i made them up accordingly :) 

More pictures with the almighty mountains :)

handsome boy Jone :D

Love this candid shot ƪ(♡◡♡)ʃ


So there were no taxis around AT ALL, we had no choice but to walk down till we found a bus stop along the way. The sweat didn't matter when you're with great company, AWWW :3

The bus driver was a chatterbox, he couldn't stop rattling off to Jone about what we could do in Taipei and just basically about everything under the sun. Poor jone felt so obliged to listen and respond when he was dead tired from the heat, he ended up falling asleep (his only escape from anymore grandfather stories!!). lol!

We got dropped off safe and sound around the town area and started walking once more!                                                                   

Our legs brought us to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall located in Zhongzheng District.

Yang took this shot which i kinda hate...LOL I can't deny i was a bit impressed though.

spot the similarity :)

Such weather calls for some famous Taiwanese dessert! Ice Monster here we come!


We couldn't stop perspiring, especially me who can't stand the slightest heat.. damn the queue was hella long!

After so much sweat, we've made it to the front ma beetches!

SOOOOOO FRIGGING WORTH THE SWEAT NO JOKE!
During the lineup, boys asked me what flavor i wanted and being that typical girl i said "Strawberry" and all of them disagreed! wtf right? Ask me for what?? Then they even said there isn't anymore BUT TADAAAAH STRAWBERRY FOR THIS BERRYBITCH! sweet boys :3

So we got Mango, Strawberry and Peanut! A bit regretful that we didn't order their special flavors (partially my fault because i kept insisting on strawberry and mango hehehe) like Milk Tea, Red Bean and etc. They do have hot desserts too and other delish treats! Our favorite was Peanut, that bowl of peanut puree thing is sticky and gooey, goes really well with the fine peanut ice! The prices are a bit on the high side but who cares SO GOOD and underneath all that ice is a generous amount of fresh strawberries and mango! Average of $200 per bowl :)


The REAL Ice Monster!

HAHAHAHA, please don't kill me..

Tired faces and an extra hand digging in.. -.-'

We stopped by 711 to get some food, drinks and snacks!

How delicious can instant food be anyway? :p 

 

cleaned up to chill on the bed for a bit before we decided to go out again for some drinks and food!

was lazy to bring out the DSLR so here are some iPhone pictures :D

Ended up at a cute Yakitori Restaurant called Tomodachi by the alley in Da'an District which is just a 10 minute walk away from where we were staying. It's ambiance makes you feel like you're in Japan, small and cozy!
 

Cheers to good food and friendship!

 

Mushroom, yumm yummm!

Pregnant fish! I can finally appreciate this :3 eggs popping in my mouth!

FAVORITE! Potato slices topped with roe!

Grilled Onion, ONIONSSSS!

Grilled Fish :3
There were probably a few more plates of yakitori but we monsters gobbled it down :D camera eats first? I think not :p

to be continued...

Click below to read Part 1

♥Taipei Part 1♥

Baby, it's cold outside..mm maybe not.

up this early sipping on my tiny tea in my oversized sweater. i actually love this time of the day especially on a Sunday, everyone still in dreamland... old folks taking their morning strolls outside in this chilly weather. such bliss, such peace.. the not-so-peaceful part is Brandy randomly barking at the slightest thing out there. music at this time seems to be a lot more clearer and melodious.

addicted to these songs ever since i watched It's Okay, That's Love, was really surprised by the selection of music in this drama because for once there seemed to be more english songs than korean.

have a listen..

  close your eyes and bop your head to the beat.

on a random note, i'm actually turning 22 next week (so not hinting), on the 22nd (i'm just sayin') and i'm not happy about it at all.. i love being 21 :( why and how are you taking that number away from me, pfft. i've always looked forward to my birthdays but i've finally came to a point that feeling of growing older just seems all too real now. i'm sorry for making you feel like an old hag if you're older than me :p age IS just a number so chillax because you're only getting wiser.. or just getting wrinklier? HAHAHA! #sorryimnotsorry

anyway, i will work on my birthday because why not? one class wouldn't hurt, in fact.. it's pretty awesome! i love what i do.. well most of the time anyway. right after that i'll be attending my Les Mills quarterly workshop, more sweat for me! what a fantastic start to the day :)

i can't leave without a few vain pictures, these were taken in June.

long sunday ahead of  me :)

xx,

Mel

Singapore Trip in July 2014 Part 4

4 days had passed by too quickly, there wasn't enough time to just kickback and relax as we were on-the-go most the time.. My ideal holiday is as simple as it gets, free and easy days just discovering whatever that comes my way, enjoying the change of atmosphere and getting away from reality (that's most important). So, our last day was just filled with eating and some last minute shopping along Orchard Road going from mall to mall (duh... that's what Singapore is all about anyway :P). 

Orchard Gateway @ Orchard Road

A new mall is like music to my ears! Yes, Orchard Gateway at that time had just opened, damn ngam just in time for my visit! I was really surprised by the unique range of retail outlet, not your typical brands like TOPSHOP and such, very niche and fresh in today's trends!

Fascinating architecture, feels like i'm at a park or playground!

fake grass everywhere!
 

Supply & Demand @ Orchard Gateway, Lvl 2

We spotted this cozy looking cafe which seemed promising as there was a good crowd lunching away. Supply and Demand is an italian southeast asian bistro that basically serves italian food with a twist of asian taste. And what attracts customers more than a lovely rustic ambience (sorry to disappoint you but the plants around are fake) and some good sunlight (with good lighting, comes better looking pictures.. abuden?)! Perfect place for casual dates and gatherings :)

 

Hailey, such a pretty smile :)

They serve tea by Tea Forté, a global luxury tea brand and i must say it's definitely up to standard! Its aroma and most importantly the depth in flavor is strong. If you love fruity teas, you'll go crazy because they have a really wide selection of interesting mixes! Yang bought some back for my mommy, so sweet of him :) 

and... food time! We didn't order too much because lunch wasn't supposed to end just yet..

Arrabbiata Spaghetti

hungry till the tongue can stick out.. my my..

another one! ƪ(ړײ)‎ƪ​​ 

ahh.. food is getting cold!

The best prop for an asian is Food, food and just FOOD!

Grilled Chicken with Mash, now this tastes as good as it looks!

Our jalan-ing around the mall continues! Sorry there are not many pictures of the shops we entered, was very pre-occupied viewing stuff!

Came across this multi-brand concept store called Sects Shop located on level 4. Their fashion is over the edge, a lot of punkish and goth items as well! The girls section is very limited so that's a bit sad.. if you're into caps and other swagger headwear you probably should check this place out because they've got a good range! 

Spot Min purchasing..

us.. well let us take a Welfie!

WOODWOULD @ Mandarin Gallery 

This shop never fails to bring a smile to my face, the colors and deco just brings everything to life! They sell very cute random nicknack from all over the world, a mixture of the past and present! A perfect place to find a gift for somebody :)

We walked from the tail of orchard road to its head where ION Mall is located and guess what? It was time for more food!

Our last stop was Bécasse Bakery @ ION Mall located on the 4th floor. This Australian bakery and was brought in by jones the grocer. They are known for its French pastries by artisan bakers. 

Continuation of lunch...

waitress mixing my Mixed Berry Tea, if you're a berry lover like me you must order this!


Mixed Berried French Crepes (with honey and crème fraiche)
My idea of a perfect crepe! Look at the generous amount of fresh raspberry puree!

Banana Tart with Salted Peanut Brittle
I need to go back for this again! You probably would need to share this with someone who shares that same undying love for banana+peanut butter. The crunchy peanut brittle pieces on the top (sweet and salty) and soft, banana cream hiding underneath. 

Wagyu Foie Gras Burger 
This beats the one at DB Bistro flat, plus so much cheaper! Oozing with beefy goodness, i know the pictures don't do any justice to it  (i mean look at the fork omg!!) but oh well.. the person taking it couldn't wait to eat -.-' that an easy guess!

Yang and I walked back to the condo and thankfully for good weather, it was a pleasant stroll down Orchard Road. Got back in 20 minutes :)

Here's more pictures before leaving the house earlier in the day!

 

Thank you Min for being an amazing host and friend :) Going on this trip gave me the chance to make new friends, of course at first we were in our shy modes but that couldn't continue on for too long, after a while everyone just broke through those shy walls and had a blast! Even though it was just a few days of time spent together, friendships were discovered.

Goodbye luxury.

As much as he gets on my nerves at times (or vice versa), he has always been there for me, always so considerate and helpful in many ways. I'll always treasure the friendship we've built through these years. Thank you for taking good care of me, not only during this trip but like all the time! Love you much :)

Home.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading about my trip to Singapore! Will continue blogging about my Taiwan trip soon, there are so many pictures! So be patient ok? :D

xoxo,

Mel

Click on the links below to read part 1, 2 and 3 of this trip!

Part 1 ♥ Part 2 ♥ Part 3