Oceanic khanas

Out of grief over Miki's loss, Ate Rosie and Kuya Jack decided not to spend the rest of the day in their home last Friday. After hours of trying to calm themselves, Ate invited me and Jade to go with them to the seashore somewhere in Taoyuan. They prefer to keep themselves busy to help them somehow forgot what just happened earlier. Taking this opportunity to see the place, I said yes right away.

On their last visit to the place, Ate gave me a share of the squid she bought from the wet market in Taoyuan. She boasted about the handful yet cheap seafood varieties they saw in the place and her thought of buying one basin full of different fishes. Asked by her husband how she'll consume them all gave her second thoughts though so she shrugged off the idea from her mind. When she told me about it, I told her she should have just bought them all and we could share among our other friends and pay her back. Knowing that we were interested, she planned bringing us to the place two weeks from now to match her hubby's day-off from work. Somehow, the waiting time was shortened.

Taoyuan is a county located in the northwestern part of Taiwan, next to Taipei County. In Chinese, "Taoyuan" means "peach garden," since the area used to have many peach blossoms. One of the main reasons this county is popular is because the Taoyuan City is home to the then called Chiang-Kai-Shek International Airport, the gateway to Taiwan. The airport's name has eventually been changed to Taoyuan International Airport. So it's not really our first time to set foot on the place because we have been in and out of the airport several times already. That also prompted me to tell them to drive us straight to the airport instead of tagging us home back to Taipei after visiting the wet market.

Anyway, on our way, we saw the usual huge waves by the sea - the highway was beside the Taiwan Strait. I only knew now that the body of water is called Taiwan Strait - earlier during our trip, I asked Kuya if it was part of the China Sea - being sensitive to China-Taiwan things - he looked at me and uttered seriously "this is no China - this is Taiwan!" I should be very careful next time. Locals here are sensitive about this issue nowadays.

The drive to the place was around one hour - I guess it was less than an hour. We headed to the port right away and from today's research, I found out that the place we went to is just one of the ports in Taoyuan and it is called Jhuwei Fishing Port. At the back of my mind, I remember seeing a sign "Taipei port". I captured some excerpt from Taiwan's Council of Agriculture website to tell a little more about the place.

Jhuwei is located in the Dayuan Township near Bali Township in Taipei County. Because of its beauty, it has become one of the top recreational areas for Taipei residents. Tourists go there for the glorious sunset and the grand splashing of the waves against the northern bank. The Jhuwei Tourism Fish Market, the most famous and the biggest fish market in northern Taoyuan, opens all-year round. It has an area of more than 25,000 sq feet (700 ping) and packs 77 stalls. Tourists can buy fresh seafood on the first floor or eat seafood on the second floor. The chefs on the second floor are more than happy to cook the seafood bought on the first floor. (BTW, ping is the unit of measurement they use for floor areas. One ping is equivalent to around 36 sq. feet or 3.5 square meters.)

One of the significant things I noticed as we entered the market place is the absence of foul odors or in other words, fishy smell. The other thing is that I expected the floor to be wet because I am used to going to the fish market that is literally wet, but no, the floor is dry. The first stall that we saw was selling huge fish varieties. All I uttered is "wow" and of course, click click click went my small camera.

We went from one stall to the other looking for the items listed in our minds - salmon, shrimps, squid and anything else (that could be a lot huh!). We surveyed the place first before buying.

Ate and Kuya kept talking to me as I also kept asking them what kind of fish is this or that or what part of a fish is that, is that really part of the fish, etc. etc. Of course, Jade also looked around with curiousity and followed me saying "wow". In one stalls, the owner was talking in a loud voice, I thought he was fighting with the customer but noting that there was no air of fight, I asked Ate why his voice is that loud. I figured out he was just reacting that way because nobody wanted to buy the fishes in his stall. You know why? It's because they're so huge and bunched up in a basin where one contained around three pieces of huge fishes and they are sold not by piece but by bunch. My, I wouldn't by one myself. We can't consume them all. We passed through stalls that sell any of the these - fishes alone, fish varieties, shrimp varieties, squids, crabs, seashells, seaweeds, lobsters, clams, combination of them all, sashimi, octopus tentacles, fish egg, etc. There's this fish meat that looked like a jelly - silky and very white - I was told, it's a part of a fish stomach wall - could be of a shark's. I also saw a quite ugly fish and Kuya told me it's from deep water - the uglier the fish is, the deeper it came from. It reminded me of one show I saw on TV about the discovery of grotesque fishes on one part of the ocean somewhere around the world.

Anyhow, the sea wonder that amazed me most was the humongous crabs that were even bigger than my face. Ate and Kuya kept telling me about it on our way to the stall. At first, I couldn't believe when they told me about its size, and especially its cost - 3000NTD per piece - that's around 4000PHP based on the current forex rate. My, who buy that? I already saw the biggest lobster around the market but was yet to see the largest crab in my entire life. When we reached the stall, I was finally convinced about its size because I saw it myself. They had something like thorns on their shells. I unit thought the length of the legs I saw was just it only to be told they're folded so when I looked closer, I realized how huge they really are. In Taiwan, the common unit of measurement is by 600grams or jin as it is locally termed. Thus 600 grams would be i-jin while 1200grams would be er-jin. "I" (pronounced as "ee") and "er" mean one and two respectively. The stall owner informed us that i-jin of the crab costs 680NTD, Ate and Kuya said it's cheaper this time of the year compared to its price during the Chinese New Year where i-jin would cost more than 800NTD. The couple had already tried this kind of crab and they described it to be very very delicious - I am convinced merely by their facial and verbal expressions. I could put exclamation point at the end of their statements. They told me the shell is very soft and the crabs are from the deep waters of Japan. That time, I learned further that not all seafoods sold in that market are from Taiwan itself but most are imported from Japan.

After seeing most of the place and ending in that humongous crab stall for several minutes, we bought the bunch of shrimps from the ladyowner - it costs 380NTD - we shared it with our other friend. We decided it's time to do the "fishing" but before that, Ate asked me to call our friend Juvel to check what she wanted us to buy for her then off we went to get our shares. We bought squid, crab legs (I prefer the legs because it's meaty compared to the crab body), shrimps, fresh dilis, clams and sashimi. We couldn't find a desirable salmon meat and we didn't want the head part this time so we took it out from our list. I wanted to buy even more but thinking of how small our storage bin is stopped me from getting more than planned. There'll be another chance anyway.

Outside the market building, cooked and ready to eat varieties were also sold. At the entrance/exit door, they were selling cooked small crabs at a price of 100NTD for three pieces. Other than that, the rest includes fried varieties and the popular spiced seashells (bisukol). I asked Ate if she tried that and she said yes and it tasted good. I wondered how they suck the meat out without cracking/biting the tip - the procedure I knew since childhood. They kept asking me what I liked them to buy among the cooked ones but I told them seeing the variety of seafoods inside the market was enough for me. We just went to the store to get hot coffee which we finished outside the store while Jade run around the place.

We strolled further along the shore and I saw that there are other stalls there as well but more of the real wet ones where the fishes are scattered on the floor. I guess it's cheaper there. We didn't stay long because it was too windy. Again, there'll be another chance anyway. We decided to head back home and on our way, Kuya bought us hot sugarcane juice which he said is good for our coughs. We also dropped by a store in Bali to buy salted eggs. We arrived home just before dinner giving me time to cook the first dish out from our "fishing".

I have the complete set of pictures taken inside the market in an album HERE.

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When a dog gets treated like a human...

...grief prevails over all other emotions when its time on earth has come to an end.

Ate Rosie, our friend who takes care of our daughter, called me this morning minutes before we were about to leave the house and bring Jade to her place. She was sobbing and I knew right away that something is wrong. Miki has been sick for several days now and he has been constantly vomiting and running out breath lately. She asked if I can take a leave of absence from work and she'll just call me back when she gets sober. I didn't have to ask why, I told her it's fine for me and I understand her position. I dressed back to then also thinking what a TGIF it is spent with Jade. At the back of my mind, I was also thankful she called giving me a valid reason not to report to work as I dreaded another day without anything to do but pretending to be busy in my work table.

After an hour, she called back, this time calm and able to tell me clearly what happened. She and her husband, Kuya Jack, were awake almost the whole night tending to Miki as he gasped for breath and could barely stand up from his bed wetting himself with his own urine. Ate had to stay in their living room where his bed was located. She had to call back Kuya, who already reached his workplace an hour drive away from our place, so they could bring Miki to a better hospital in Taipei City.

Miki came to the couple's life 5 years ago in time for them to get over the lose of their son Daniel. They found him along the way and brought him to the vet to report for being lost and found, and at the same time to check if the owner has already made an action to search for him. They found a badge around his neck but the vet advised them not to call instead wait for several days. Number of days passed but nobody seemed to look for him. This then was the signal for the couple to bring him home and call him their own.

Without a child in the family, all their love were poured over Miki. They bought him his own beddings, clothes, bathing stuffs and food. During his younger years, he would even sleep on their bed and like a real baby, he would do gestures to catch their attention or even display actions of jealousy during the couple's sweet moments in the living room. Anybody who says anything against him becomes the enemy. Ate had been into several verbal fights with some of the ill-mannered people in the neighborhood all because of her love over Miki. She really stood by his side all the way.

At the time he was found, the vet estimated him to be 7 years old. That being said, he should be 12 years old now. He had been brought to the hospital last year for getting into a serious medical condition where his life was almost gauged not to reach another year. This really hurt the couple. Miki had ailment in the liver and in his stomach walls. He had to be given a number of medications and vitamins. As he aged, he settled into his own place in the living room as he was no longer able to jump out of the bed to pee. His breath started to give out a foul smell because he regularly salivates. This didn't stop the couple from kissing and hugging him. Few months ago, they brought her to the vet for his regular check-up and to get the vet see his teeth because one of them got simply uprooted by itself. The vet cleaned his set of teeth removing all the tartars that contributed to the foul smell and magically, the unwanted odor was out.

Ate Rosie watching - making sure that Jade's not going to hurt Miki

I am not a pet lover but I tried to understand and accept the treatment they give to him. Ate would even refer to Miki as Jade's kuya (elder brother). My daughter, seeing how she treats him, also started to love him. She would hug or pat him. At first, she would even ride on his back thinking maybe that he is a toy. But through the months of being together in one place, she learned to befriend him. One thing that really surprised me was when she kissed Miki right on his mouth. She accidentally hit him on her way to the bedroom and he stumbled. Ate asked her to say sorry and in response, she hugged Miki and a kiss followed. A gesture I taught her in lieu of verbally apologizing.

Miki and Jade on one hot summer day - oh, is she pulling his left ear?

This week, they were both sick, Jade with a cough and Miki with several complications. Jade vomits because of the phlegm while he vomits because of his stomach ailment. Seeing him vomit would also make her nauseated. At one time, they even took turns in spitting out making Ate map the floor one after the other. Seeing him getting weaker as the days passed by, Ate prayed hard for a longer life for Miki. Some of her elderly friends in the neighborhood started to tease her saying he would pass away soon – she fought back. Noticing Miki's health diminishing, Dennis suggested that they get a new one to give life to Miki but Ate said she didn't like as she still hopes for Miki to stay longer and that she's not ready for a new one yet.

Thursday, a day before he left, Ate, being the mother, felt something different's going to happen. He wouldn't eat anything, not even his favorite cookie or chicken meal, even his medications. He threw up most of the time. They brought her to the nearby vet but of no use. That prompted them to bring him to a better vet hospital in Taipei so he could get injected with an IV to help him restore his health. Ate was crying all the way to the hospital talking to Miki to hang on.

Reaching the hospital, the vet attended to him right away. He was given an IV and was suggested to be brought to the incubator to calm him. He was by the way having a high fever that time. The vet placed him in a bed for a while so the vet could tend to his other patients but after few minutes, he started to gasp. The vet immediately transferred him to one area where he was given some resuscitating aids. Given all the attention, he still was not able to survive his plight. The couple weeped so much that even the vet and other pet owners around were moved. This is their second loss.

They left him in the hospital and asked the vet to have him incinerated and have his ashes be thrown in the sea. They headed home mourning. They weeped even more when they opened their home and saw no one waiting for them on the door. She called me after hours of getting herself to accept the reality that Miki, their pet dog, the one they considered their child has already left them. I really never mourned over the loss of pets but I did at this time. It dawned to me how Ate and Kuya really loved him so much that they really treated him as their own child – not just a pet but as a human. I shared with their grief, so did our other friends.

This is avgrief over a beloved pet like Miki – what more if he's beyond a dog?

To Ate Rosie and Kuya Jack, kudos to you for all the love and care you have showered to your Miki, your child. May you eventually get over his passing. In time, you'll find comfort knowing he has gone to rest and end his battle against life. His spirit is always with you.

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Crayfish

Contemplating over the non-approval of my blog in the marketplace after two weeks of being in queue, I decided to retract my application in PPP and in the other two blog paying sites I signed up at. I felt sad that I did this after all the excitement I even shared here but I think it's not the right time for me to get into this kind of thing. Two of the sites I signed up are very particular with the blog's stat to which I really don't have a good one yet. Guess, I have to earn more traffic first then renew my applications on these post paying sites. I should have thought about this in the first place - but didn't I? I did? Yes, I did! Anyway, these sites won't go away. Need to work more on the stats, huh!

Lesson learned - don't just plunge in into something not really thought about. But hey, I knew this even before. Ah, the silly me's here again.

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Addicted to blogging

One of my friends way back highschool, Hannah, worked around this CMA logo for our group Joseans_92 and eventually, it has been grabbed by the group members and has been posted in their own blogs attesting their "addiction" to blogging in multiply. It has been for several months now but I never really thought of grabbing it for myself as I thought I'm not a blog addict, just a blog regular.

Today, I came across a blog that posted a means of measuring how addicted one is on blogging. Finding it interesting and knowing that I have blogged most of the time recently drove me to check my level of blog addiction and to my surprise, I am just 67% addicted. I expected to get higher rating but then if I get that, it would mean that I am not really doing anything at work anymore except to blog meaning - posting in my site, visiting the links in my blogroll, leaving comments here and there and hopping from one blog to the other. And yes, I really do that.

67%

I think getting 67% and putting the CMA logo in my blog do not call for rehab yet so I can still go on with my regular blogging activities. On second thought, I wonder what the rehab activities will be if I hit 100% blog addiction. Nah, rehab for me simply means locking myself out from the internet and spending all my time with my daughter.

Now, how about you check your own level of blog addiction and see if your rating is really matches your blogging activities? I found this fun so I thought of passing it on from here.

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Office rant 3...

My colleague (let’s call her MC) and I (JM) were preparing our chopsticks for lunch today when…

Girl 1: Hey, MC, aren’t you going to the eng’g lab for lunch?

MC: Why? No, we’re going to the cafeteria.

Girl 1: Wait, girl 2 sent an email to everyone saying we all go together to the lab because packed lunched from outside will be served to the group.

MC: Huh! Really? What’s the occasion?

Girl 1: Wait, wait, wait …

(girl 1 looks at her email)

Girl 1: Sorry, sorry, I realized you’re not in the email chain

PS: Above conversation was in Chinese

_________________

On our way to the wash area:

MC: Girl 1 said … (related the above conversation to me)

JM: They always do that to us, that girl 2… she always leave us out of the list

MC: But why? She can do a mistake once, twice or thrice but not more than three times

JM: Maybe she intentionally does that – get rid of us

MC: But I still can’t understand

JM: You know, everytime I asked hubby why we’re not included, he tells me it’s time for us to move to that place so girl 2 will feel our presence…

- but then, I think, it won’t make a difference

- You know what, somebody from the group should somehow be curious why we’re not around, don’t you think?

MC: Yes, somebody should fight for us… pauses

JM and MC: But nobody seems to look for us…

________________

We headed down to the cafeteria and while queueing…

MC: I don’t feel bad because we don’t have the lunch box but I feel bad being not included in the chain. You see, they even included girl 1 (not a part of the group anymore) and the other lady whom we don’t even know

JM: Girl 2 also invited one of the girls downstairs before

MC turns back to our two other lunch buddies and told them what we were ranting about. Feeling for us, the other girl said we’d order our own drinks then. And MC blurted out “Yes, I’ll order drinks for everyone except her.”

MC: But that will be too obvious already

_____________

While we were eating our meals, we talked further:

JM: Who’s birthday is it today?

MC: I don’t know – I’m not sure – it could be the same guy who bought the 85degC drinks yesterday

JM: You mean the new guy

MC: No, should be from the other group

JM: Ah ok.

_________________

We finished our meal and as a final comment to our sentiments over not being invited to our group’s lunch-together, I looked at my platter and uttered – we got better meal than what they have in their lunchboxes!

___________________

THE END

_____________

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Somebody needs to win a free domain - PLEASE BE OF HELP

Lovelyn of "A Raconteur's Attempt" is staging some form of web campaign to help Bill of "From the Boondocks" win a free domain contest run by Tina of "mygoodfinds.org". As Bill is a "kailyan" from the Cordilleras, I asked Lovelyn if I can copy her idea and campaign for Bill in my blog and she willingly said yes. Bill desperately needs a domain of his own so he could compile all his articles in a website he can really call his own and will soon have his site's URL "http://igorotblogger.com/. Sounds nice, right? Please help us by visiting his quest HERE and another attempt HERE. It's as easy as getting into his site and clicking all the links he placed for the votes to be counted in. This is not a political thing, promise! If Bill will win, he's in the second spot right now, we'd all have a cup of native coffee pouring from somebody else's "takore". Let's make this real.

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TEA on my phone

"IT IS better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one," so goes a popular Chinese saying. Line from "The wonders of tea" article of Sunstar Davao.

We all know how tea or cha/tsa/tsa-a/it-cha became a regular part of most people's daily meals. This is especially true here in Taiwan. Tea comes in different varieties and costs. It surprised us a lot to see a bag of tea (around 500grams) worth 10,000NTD and we're even told that there's more to that - a bag tea that can cost as much as 100,000NTD. Definitely, I won't buy either. Those amounts are really very very expensive I'd rather buy an electronic stuff that can't be dispensed that fast. But for sure, tea lovers won't mind that cost, don't you think?

The history of the origin of tea comes a long way back and I just learned today that there's still a debate about it's country of origin - China or India.

In our office, I see how people love tea and I see how our officemates brew their teas at any time of the day. Most of them prefer the loose tea (no bags) and they'd have the common glass container with a filter on top where the tea leaves are placed and soaked in the water. For others, they mix it in the water and let the leaves settle at the bottom. Some prefer it served hot while others do like them cold.

It also comes great with milk - it's called nay-cha ("nay" or "nai" means milk). This is a very popular drink here in Taiwan at any time of the year as they come hot or cold. They'd also use the tea to boil the eggs that makes the egg-white turn into brown. They're commonly sold in the stores - some with pungent smells ( but don't know where the smell comes from) and they're also served in our cafeteria during lunch or dinner.

Teabags are also used in spas where they are placed on the eyes for the sake of relaxation.

But here in Taiwan, one of the many other uses uses of tea (in a teabag, not the loose ones) that I learned is it's application as telephone "deodorant" if I may call it that way. Yes, it works pretty well. You see, they don't have rubbing alcohols here ( we only get them from the Pinoy stores) and they don't clean their handsets but you'd see a bag of tea in the area where the phone's mouthpiece is placed. I don't know if other nationalities do these but this really amazed me. If you'd ask if I have a teabag in my phone set, my answer is "YES, I do", not only in my office phone but also at home. I love the smell of tea each time I pick up the phone to answer a call or to ring somebody. Who would have thought of that? Now, if you want to try it, please note that it won't work to old modelled home phones like this. You may ask why and I'll tell you "isn't it obvious?"

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Parenting job anyone?

I've been thinking of looking for a new job opportunity lately as my "self-declared deadline" is fast approaching. The decision is still open as to whether or not I will pursue my plan of quitting even if I don't find a new job. Somehow, one of my wishes is to try being a "stay at home mother/wife" even for some time only. I have already uploaded my CV in a data bank and had it sent out to a friend too.

Then, I received a "job advertisement" from a friend and reading it made me think "is this really how parenting is described if it were put in the ads?". If so, do you wanna apply?

Job Description: PARENT

POSITION: Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment.

• Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
• Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed.
• Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

• The rest of your life.
• Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
• Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
• Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
• Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
• Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

• Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
• Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
• Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

• Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
• Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
• 

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS : While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life, if you play your cards right.

FOOTNOTE "THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

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Earning online starts from here

My first application to a site that pays posts seems not be approved or it maybe taking the site owners quite some time to look well into my blog and to decide whether or not to get me in their group. It has been more than a week now so I almost thought of withdrawing that application. Then the friend who attested her membership to that site recommended me to join another blog paying site, the Bloggerwave . At first, I had some hesitations but then, the drive of getting paid for what I write somehow encouraged me to just give it a try. So I did explore that site and eventually signed up.

My friend's application was accepted within 24 hours but mine being not much of a traffic generator was approved within 3 days. Not to bad, at least Bloggerwave gave me my first opportunity to finally earn online while I continue with my regular blogging routine. Now this should be the kick-off of it all.

To all other friends who have the interest in earning online, why not explore the site and sign up so you could start earn your own bucks as well? Christmas is not that far from now, we could buy gifts out of what we could earn. Plunge in!

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Greens are out for now

It has been two weeks after the last typhoon hit Taiwan but we could still feel its impact until now. In the canteen, we noticed that most of the vegetable dishes are cooked out from root crops, bamboo shoots or bean/pea sprouts. Greens are just too expensive these days. I dropped by the grocery two days ago and to my surprise, green beans which usually cost 39NTD is now worth 99NTD, a bag of "pechay" costs 59NTD (from 20+NTD), half slice of small cabbage is 45NTD, a bag of onion leeks costs 79NTD, one piece of large bitter gourd costs 149NTD, and so on...

Whew, seeing all these incredible prices, I picked one half slice of cabbage and headed to the counter. I don't know when the prices will normalize but for sure, we may have to go for potatoes and carrots this weekend.

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People management at a time when crisis strikes

The picture says it all...bow!

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The conscience-smitten mom and the joy that results from conciliation treat

Guilt over scolding Jade to sleep the other night hit me as I saw her cuddle to her dad in an attempt to get the right position to sleep. At that time, I ran out of patient because after more than an hour of trying to put her to sleep, all she did was toss and turn and either scratch the back of my arms so lightly that it tickles or kick my tummy and legs with all her might. I started to tuck her to bed at 9:30pm after the usual evening games but she just couldn’t keep still. She would pull me up so I’d carry and swing her then she’d point at the bed as her way of telling she wants to lay down. Then she would pull me up again and point back to bed. She has been doing that for sometime now but that night was different. We actually allot one hour till she gets to doze off as we know that much as her eyes are already drooping, she wouldn’t really get into wonderland yet. But then an hour passed and she was still turning, hitting me here and there. Her dad arrived and offered to put her to sleep but I hesitated knowing that she would be crying instead and will make her awake even more. 11pm ticked and I decided to just get her up to play such that she’ll eventually get exhausted and sleep. I tickled her and made her laugh then I brought her out to the living room to play her toys and I even gave her a cookie to munch. I didn’t check the time anymore but when I noticed that her eyes were already turning red and she kept on yawning and started scratching the eyes, we put her back to the bedroom but no, she didn’t sleep right away. I think it was already past 12MN when she finally went to wonderland.

I felt slight aches from her powerful kicks but when I embraced her, I shed tears resulting from the guilt feeling of the scoldings in between the attempt of putting her into sleep. With that in mind until yesterday afternoon, I decided to bring her out to make up for the night before. Hubby’s working overtime again so date was only for me and Jade. I fetched her up and with her porridge ready, we went to the apartment to pick up the backpack with the entire toddler’s stuff and off we headed to the bus stop.

Jade may not really know and understand that I’m bringing her out to “pay” for mom’s misbehavior the other night but I didn’t really care. The treat was part of the mother-daughter bonding anyway. I brought her to KFC – with her porridge, we dined and shared the set of meal I ordered then I brought her up to the kid’s playpen and allowed her to enjoy. She was really very happy to be there and it was the first time that she slid down the slides in a correct way, and to her delight, she did it several times happy to know that she got it right this time. She also got the chance to play with another toddler whose mother was trying to converse with me but in the language that I still don’t understand. She wanted to play more but it was time to get back home. Good thing she was satisfied that she didn’t resist when I placed back her shoes signalling her it’s time to leave. Last night, she still did the toss and turns but mommy had the patient afterall.

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Alphabet tag

I got tagged by a newly added blog friend named Mari from life starts together.

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

7 facts about me

1. I’m a working mother wishing to be a SAHW/M even for several months only

2. I’ve been an OFW for more than 2 years now

3. A loyal friend, good listener and good advisor as well

4. Proud mother to one daughter

5. Loves window shopping, weekends outing, summer swimming

6. I haven’t watch a single movie in a moviehouse since I was pregnant (til now)

7. I’m a strong-willed woman

A - Age: 31 years, 3 months & 3 days old

B - Band Listening To Right Now: none really (the last band I listened to is Freestyle – got the CD at home)

C - Career: office woman

D - Drink or Smoke: occasionally

E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: Ella, Arlene, Claire, Nanet (I suddenly miss all of them)

G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Gummy Bears

H - Have a Boyfriend: had one before – now the hubby

I - In love: yes

J- Junk Food You Like: Doritos, cheese flavor, chippy, nagaraya bbq

K - Kids: one beautiful daughter (just like mom J )

L - Longest Ride Ever: Cubao to Tabaco City (Bicol)

N - Names For Your Future Kids: baby boy – Joshua

O - One Wish You Have Now: be a SAHW/M

P - Phobias: earthquakes

Q - Favorite Quote: Aim high and hit the mark…

R - Reasons To Smile: a good night sleep, time to go home and be with Jade

S - Sleeping Hours: 6-8 hours

T - Time You Woke Up: 7:40am – it’s so cold and it’s so hard to wake up to catch the service bus

U - Unknown Fact About You: I had an ex-bf, lol

V - Vegetable You Hate: I don’t remember any

W - Worst Habit: nagging

X - X-rays You’ve Had: chest x-ray (annual medical checkup at work), urinary tract x-ray

Y - Yummy Foods: various

Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Now, that gives tidbits about me. I am tagging Jolana, Elanie, Lovelyn, Hannah, Noeds, Sharon and Ruel. Keep the ball rolling guys.

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Shoes, shoes and shoes... treading with sneakers is still one of the best

I have several collections of shoes - most are from selective yet necessary buying, while some are results of impulse buying. There's this pair I used only once - on the wedding of our friends here. There are these two pairs I used when I was pregnant but didn't feel like using them again after I gave birth. I have this pair of cheap orange sandals I used last summer but it didn’t last that long because one side of one shoe started to tear off and I was not able to find time to fix it. While there's this pair of slip-in shoes I bought also during the time of my pregnancy that I use until now. It's a regular wear for all seasons as I can wear it with short stockings on summer and with socks on winter. I liked it so much that even if the color starts to fade, they're still regularly intact in my feet. There's this slip-in high heeled favorite pair of mine that's now in storage because I can already feel the water getting in on my way to office during the rainy days.

Wanting to change image, my sister urged me to buy a formal office shoes back home but it turned out to be of one usage only because it hurt my feet a lot and I didn't want to use it anymore. (I am planning to sell it at a discounted to some friend's friend.) Forget about changing the looks, I'd rather enjoy the comfort of moving around. Got also this pair of authentic Macanna striped multicolored shoes I haven't worn for few months now. It's time to bring out of from the box now that it's cold. It'll keep the feet warm. There's also this pair of branded rubber shoes bought together with hubby's now almost worn-out shoes.' haven't used it for more than a year now so I might as well sell it out. Hey, I also have this trendy shoes I brought from SM Baguio - twas used less than ten times.Another one I almost forgot on the list is the pair of boots I bought from a friend selling goods from the Philippines. It's a rugged type shoes and I love to wear it with jeans. I couldn't simply pass these pairs to my sisters as I have the largest feet compared to all of them, including my mom. Definitely, I can't pass them to my only brother (err, I was able to pass him a pair of rubber shoes I brought in LK but I don't think the rubber shoes now will fit him).

It doesn't end there... On Saturday, my feet ached a lot after a long walk around the shopping areas of Taipei City I went to the department store and you guess it right, I bought a new pair of shoes... this time, it's a pair of sneakers - brand unknown, twas on sale (from 990NTD to 560NTD) - color is white with a touch of orange. I am wearing it right now and this is actually the reason that drove me to blog about me and my shoes. It feels so good moving around and nah, it brings out the youth in me, lol.

It may appear that I am a shoe collector but you won't say that if you see my younger sister's collection - she's imeldific...

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From 1st to 3rd

Prior to the declaration of Taipei 101 as the tallest building in Taiwan (and in the world), there exists a commercial building that soar high in the midst of Taipei city and located just infront of the TRA building and just a few steps from the Taipei Main MRT station. This is the Shin Kong Life Tower which I used to know only as the Shinkong Mitsukoshi Department Store that sells only branded products which are definitely expensive. We just go there for window shopping and dining in the basement food court.

From Wikipedia, the Shin Kong Life Tower was Taiwan's tallest building when it opened in December 1993. In 1997 the building was surpassed as Taiwan's tallest by the Tuntex 85 Sky Tower in the city of Kaohsiung. Both were surpassed in height by Taipei 101 in 2004.

We haven’t seen the Tuntex 85 building and I’m not even sure if we’ll get the chance to see it as it is located in the southern part of Taiwan and could be reached via plane (less than one hour), bus (4 to 6hours) or that fast speed train (~2hours). Since Taipei 101 is located in Taipei City, we have seen it several times already.

The building as seen from one of the nearby Taipei Main MRT station exits.

The building as seen from the grounds of CKS Memorial Hall.

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Rapid weather change

From a high of 29degC to a low of 18degC – weather here seemed to change from summer straight to winter and no autumn in between. After the typhoon left the country two weekends ago, temperature was still fine, then it started to get cold yet still manageable. We still had the aircon turned on for a night but on the following evening, arriving late from a night call, I felt that the cold breeze has gotten into our apartment and air from a fan should suffice, and yes indeed. The following days were pretty same – letting us enjoy the balanced weather – cool air and no scorching sun heat. Then it started to get dark as early as 6pm and leaving the office at 5:40pm didn’t give us the chance to reach home before sunset anymore. Rain and wind started to come along together that our cheap umbrellas were of no use. Last Saturday, the weather was still great – no rain, not so cold, sun’s ok – which enabled us to go around Taipei City. But on Sunday, the change was so significant that we could feel the chills that came along with the rain in the early morning. That left me going out to town alone while hubs and Jade stayed at home. Sunday night was quite colder than the earlier evenings that waking up for a new headstart on Monday was one of the most difficult things to do. I ended up going to work late as I decided to sleep with Jade til 8am. Last night, no fans were used, the window next to our bed was closed and we had our own blankets. The little girl who used to shrug off the blankets gave in when I told her it’s cold. She had to wear a light jacket when she woke up today – and I didn’t see any single sweat from her which meant she really felt cold, an unusual thing because she’s the kind who sweats even when everyone else are in thick jackets. It was drizzling outside. Bbbrrr…what a sudden change! We have yet to enjoy the desirable temperature – not so hot, not so cold – but the weather bureau forecasts show that it will be cold this whole week. All I hope is that this weekend will still be suitable for an outdoor fun.

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Taking the plunge

Getting the boosts from some friends, I finally decided to take the plunge and register my Page 101 blog in PPP. It will take few days for them to review my blog for approval and then I'll know by then if I will have the opportunity to earn online or I'll need another try. I'm crossing my fingers and starting to think of what may come next if my blog was approved for PPP.

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Synchronizing my two blogs

Since I wanted to maintain my two blog sites, I hoped to come up with a common template, if not, something close to that. I am not good in CSS and wanting to keep my Page 102 home template, I explored into the different template options in Page 101 home. I came across the minima stretchy template and found the format to be close to to Page 102. Luckily, there's a very user friendly means of editing it further by not getting into the html code but by simply choosing the actual colors and fonts I wanted. I even asked hubby to check if the colors in my two pages now match each other. I had to choose this and that to eventually come up with the correct colors. My Page 101 edited template turned out just right except for the missing image on top of it. I had to make several trial and error in the html code and when I almost gave up, I saw in the dashboard option than I can actually add a photo into my page element. I tried but then I had the image posted on the side instead of on the header. Then exploring further, I figured out that in the header page element, a photo can also be directly added. I gave it a try and tada - I got what I wanted. I borrowed the background image from my multiply template and of course, I want to pay my tribute to multiply for that. Further to adding the image, I did some more twists and turns in the html code to come up with my formatting preferences. Now, I have both not really looking exactly the same but I can say, they are really that close. Check it out yourselves and let me know what you think.

Page 101 is here while Page 102 is here.

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double ten day

Double ten is the so called Taiwan's birthday - went to Taipei City to catch the ceremony but not so lucky - just saw bunch of policemen ready with their armors just in case of a riot. We went to the Palace but only saw the flags by the street. Jade got her own miniature flag which she attempted to wipe the sidewalk with. Her dad stopped her with a statement of "there could be war if somebody sees you do that!" Nah, that didn't stop her of course. Does her dad think she understands it anyway? We ended up having a not so early lunch in a nearby Thai restaurant. Food was quite satisfactory. Asked hubby what the occasion is, he simply said Taiwan's holiday - like Independence Day. I simply stared at him and asked "that only?" and he told me back "I know." I wonder if he really knew that we meant to go out not to celebrate Double Ten day but to celebrity our anniversary as the main reason.Seven years and we ended up still together...

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Earning Online

I once ran into a site that advertised a pay per post blog. I explored it for a while but one of the first questions that was raised by my curious mind is "does it really work, do people really get paid for their posts?" Definitely, to get the fee, one must provide an account number most probably a credit card account. It is risky, isn't it? There have been a lot of scams and it's hard for me to convince myself to go for the PPP thing.

This morning, one of my usual online e-chat friends told me about her friend earning few bucks from being a member of the PPP for almost a month now. You'd know my initial reaction - really??? Is it really real that she's started to get something back from it? The answer is "yes" and she can attest to that because her friend is using her paypal-SG account (PPP didn't acknowledge the paypal-Phils). Now, I started to be more curious so I asked her to send me her friend's blog URL and there I went exploring it and saw the link to PPP. Once again, I went into the site and learned more about it. It says you get paid for blogging something of your interest. So I thought, aha, anything under the sun will do. Then I went on searching one link to the other and one interesting I found out is that one can advertise one's self and get paid even more. Aha, nice idea huh! Now, what can one do to get more bucks? Offer to write something for someone - say, a product promotion or an ad. Hhhmmnn...

I went back to talk to my friend about it and mentioned that I may not have the knack of writing anymore. But then, on second thought, you really don't have to be a professional writer to come up with a piece, right? As long as you have a subject and you know how to present it - you already have the tools. Now, here's another catch. I learned from my friend that the bucks do not end in the paypal account as it needs to be linked to a bank account for ease of withdrawal - something she hasn't done yet. Do I need to wait and see how it finally works when my friend's friend is able to get the actual cash? I'd say maybe NO - I could start to give it a try so PPP can start to accumulate my posts. Note: the post needs to be submitted to PPP for review and approval before one gets paid. I don't have any question for this. What I plan to do now is to organize my blog posts, create another blog suitable for PPP, export my chosen blog posts and sign up for a PPP account. You may ask why do I need to create a separate blog - because I don't want my current blog sites to be flooded with even more advertisements. I noticed that the PPP members' blogs have a lot of ads popping in their sites - that's where the bucks are coming from.

Not a bad idea, err???

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Res publica unification

Taiwan's application for UN membership has been an issue here for some time now. It became hotter after the several denials. Up to this time, the country's still fighting for it and come March 2008, it will once again push its way to be approved and recognized in the global organization. Around Taipei city, you'd still see a number of "UN for Taiwan" banners. In Taipei Main MRT station, you'd see the huge banner up in the TRA building.

I'm not into political particulars - but I'd say why not go for "UN for Taiwan."

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The rainy weekend that it was and some sudden what if’s of motherhood

We survived the rainy weekend. Krosa was categorized as one next to a super typhoon. It hit Taiwan for two days but Saturday was the worst. The winds and rains were very strong that we could hear the winds whistle blowing through the stairs from the the main door. We saw different flying objects from the window and saw that the pool was filled with all sorts of dirts from plastic bags to fallen leaves. Hubby even saw a pair of pants flown from the neighborhood and we saw a window screen down the grounds as well. It could be the one producing that banging sound just below our kitchen windows. I saw our next door neighbor peeping from their laundry room’s window also checking what’s going on outside in the midst of the heavy storm.

Realizing that we don’t have enough rice on Saturday, I asked hubby to try to run to the nearby grocery and grab other stuffs as well. Knowing that an umbrella can’t stand the winds, I wrapped him with the huge garbage bag and put another smaller plastic in his head. I listed down all the stuffs he’d buy so he won’t forget any since going back is not a good option. Not even three minutes passed when the door bell rang with him on the door. That was way too fast – no, he didn’t dare to go out, he just reached the 1^st floor via the stairs (we live on the 8^th floor) and peeped through the glass window. Seeing he couldn’t get through the storm, he decided to return back again through the stairs. He feared he might get stuck in the elevator because of the intermittent power that afternoon. Twas better for him to back off anyway, we can eat the fried potatoes without ketchup and we called Ate Rosie to borrow cups of rice for dinner. Later we realized that there are still some leftovers in the ref so he reheat it so the “bahaw” (rice from earlier meal) turned out to be just enough for us.

Later in the afternoon, the storm calmed for a while and he decided to check on the grocery again so down he went, this time through the elevator since the power was already stable. Unfortunately, the grocery is closed and there were no bread in 7-11. The first floor of the main building was flooded and by the stairs, we could still hear the powerful wind blowing.

On Sunday, the weather got better but it was still raining and cloudy. We thought we could already go out later that day but when I checked on the weather bureau, the typhoon warning hasn’t been lifted yet and at the same time, the satellite images showed that Krosa is still in town. Its scope was really vast that we could still see its tail somewhere in the Philippine islands. Hubby went to check the grocery again and luckily this time, it’s open. On the other hand, there was not much supply so he just bought ketchup and cheese. After lunch, I went to check it myself and for the 1^st time, I saw the vegetable and fruit bins empty except for the green bell peppers. I bought water and some food including a bag of kamote for the afternoon snack. I thought I had 300 bucks in my purse but learned it was only 200 bucks when I was about to pay so I had to return back some items. The cashier willingly got it back and subtracted the price from the receipt but placed the item back to the bag. I gave it a second thought but headed to the stairs. Then it dawned to me that she should have not returned the item back to my bag so I went back and even had hard time convincing the other cashier to take back the item much as I showed the receipt with the original price and the deducted price. I couldn’t speak Chinese that’s why she had to call the original cashier who at first didn’t understand what I was trying to say. She eventually realized it and uttered “putung” (understand) and thank me.

Knowing the the vegetable price will significantly soar at the beginning of the week; I went back to the grocery to buy a handful of them especially for Jade’s porridge for the week. I knew Ate Rosie will buy some veggies too but I wanted to share knowing that goods are that expensive after typhoons. I guess we’re not really so lucky this weekend because I checked on the ATM next to the grocery and there’s no more money for dispensing. Argh, that meant we have to do with what we have. Twas not really bad, we had fried kamote for lunch and sausage for dinner.

While I was frying the kamote sticks, hubby and daughter were in the living room playing. Kitchen and sala are just few steps away so I could hear and see them giggling or fighting. Hubby took the blanket from the laundry basket and wrapped himself, something that caught Jade’s attention and wanted it turn to be wrapped. She willingly laid her back on top of the blanket while Dennis swaddled her like a baby. She behaved and liked what has become of it. Hubby enjoyed it too and carried Jade just like a one month old baby and wrapped her in his arms. We were all smiling. Knowing that she would soon start to perspire, he removed the blanket but she insisted to be wrapped again so they had another round of swaddling.

I removed the first batch of the kamote fries from the pan and put on the last batch then I went back to the two. I asked hubby to lay the blanket flat and we asked Jade to get into it then we started to swing her like she was in an “induyan” (hammock). Nah, she was enjoying it and we were too.

These scene plus the swaddling earlier and the kamote suddenly led me to think of “what if Jade was raised back home”. She would have the “induyan” experience and the usual “ubba” (carried at the back with blanket instead of the baby carrier) plus the meryenda of “sigget” (am) and instead of fried kamote, we would have the boiled one or the type cooked in the “dalikan” (wooden stove). I would have some helping hands in tending to her. Somebody could have been there to cook the kamote for us and her “lugaw” (porridge). She would be playing hide and seek with her cousins and aunts (though we already introduced the hide and seek to her). She would be playing sand outside and would be enjoying “panagluglug” (dipping) in the rainwater. We could be picking the sayote that fell from the vine during the typhoon and would have “ginisang sayote” for lunch, dinner and breakfast. We could be enjoying ginataan at the midst of the storm. We could be outside playing under the rain.

Stop… I stopped and we ate the kamote. That was it; we’re not home so I had to get back to reality. And that reality is, it’s time to eat the kamote but it’s not a good option to dip it in ketchup. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

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On dreams, rituals and out of this world experiences

Me: Kumusta kau amin dita,d2y ket madama pay lang ti bagyo.nagpigsa angin ken tudo
(How's everyone doing there? Typhoon's in here now, winds and rain are so strong.)
Daddy: Mayat met nako.Agtudtudo pay lang.
(We're doing ok my child.It's still raining.)
Me: Nalawa garud sakop na daytoy nga bagyo
(This typhoon's scope is wide.)
Daddy: Isugarud.Kalkalpas pay meeting mi.istay agsakit pay ni grandpa u.awan pay kwartak
(Yes. We just finished the meeting. Your grandpa almost got sick. I don't even have money)
Me: Anya kuma sakit na?
(What's would he be sick of?)
Daddy: Panggep minatay. awan pay kwartak.
(Something with the dead. I don't even have money)
Me: Imisaan u na lang ah.Ket agparti kayo manen?
(Why don't you offer mass instead? Will you butcher again?)
Daddy: Haan nga umobra kenya mi ta isu ti kadawyan na.
(It wouldn't work for us because it's our culture.)

I texted home yesterday via chikka to check how they're doing. As I usually do, I sent the first message to everyone hoping anyone would send back a message. I didn't get a quick reply so I thought the signal back home is poor that they might have not received my message. But when I saw my dad online and got a response, I was glad to know that they are doing fine.

On the other hand, I know my father had a concern as he emphasized is his 2nd and 3rd text messages. I am guessing that somebody from the family (not from our direct circle but maybe in my cousin's side) had a dream related to a family member who has passed away asking for something. It is not the first time that this happened. When we went home last summer, my sister narrated to me how two of my cousins somehow got "possessed" with our grandma's soul, and yes, she is my father's mother and my grandpa's wife. One of my cousins did something unlawful and he reasoned out that "someone" urged him to do so that he can't control himself from doing it even if he knew it was not right. My other cousin on the other hand seemed to be so bothered and he related to his family that he dreamt of our grandma asking for something. They resorted to doing the usual ritual of "agparti ken ag-atang" - butcher and offer, but not really the whole canao practice. I also remember that years before that (I think I was still single then), my father and grandpa called a "mambunong" - tribal priest or spiritual leader in our house and they butchered chicken and offered several clothings including a pair of shoes. This was the result of my father's dream that his mother is asking for clothings because she fells so cold in her place.

On second thought, my father mentioned grandpa so this time, it could be him being reached by grandma's soul or so. When we were home for a vacation, I knew that he was on a regular medical appointments and I believed it was really health related. Now, I am thinking that they have seeked someone besides the doctors and were told that his health problem is not really health related but somebody wants to tell something by making him sick.

It's not that I am against the ritual practices but since my father joined the Knights of Columbus and attended regular meetings and religious seminars, he tried to do away from the practices and stick to the Christian way already. But I guess he cannot really do away from that afterall; else his family will put the blame on him and us as well. But then, look, it's not as simple as doing the ritual but it needs finances. It's not as simple as butchering a native chicken that would soon turn into pinikpikan but it could be starting from a chicken, then if not satisfied, they'd ask for an offering of a native pig, or cow or carabao and so on. That is something that my father and grandpa cannot afford at this time. They'd rather spend it for the check-ups and medications. But then, it's not as simple as saying that. I haven't heard back from my sisters yet but sooner or later, I'll know what's the real reason.

I had my own share of our father's experiences being possessed, not just once but several times. But I don't remember him doing the ritual at home or he could have done that in their home in Tublay Central. Way back college, we were all going to sleep when he arrived quite drank. He went to his room and dozed off for a while until he started to utter things then started to cry. We were all surprised and also afraid because he might start shouting again like what he used to do when he's not sober. Then we realized he was telling that he is somebody else. That was indeed scary. Mama went to his room and she talked to that somebody. It was really something I'd never forget. He started introducing himself as my father's cousin, they met somewhere and he mentioned how they used to be together for drinks, and started to speak in straight English. We first thought it was a product of him being that drank but then mama started to realize it's not, he was possessed. She started praying over him in an attempt to drive away that somebody while that somebody kept on telling stories. I took the courage to join mama in the room and asked him several questions which he did answer willingly. Then the voice changed. I went to get the recorder and my sisters went to the room with me. We engaged ourselves in a conversation and recorded it. Mama went to call our neighbor and they continued to pray over my dad. He was talking then crying then laughed from time to time and continues to talk. It was hard for me to convince myself of what I witnessed but I knew it was true that it wasn't my father in there talking back to us. One thing that struck me most is what he said about my father in some sort of personal trouble - I mean something related to his feelings. I pondered on that, so did my siblings. Then exactly at 12MN, that somebody decided to leave and the next thing we heard is our father's usual loud snore. We all went back to bed but I knew, all of us had troubles getting to sleep that night. The next day, we told our father about the incident and he told us that all he remembers is that he was humming on his way home and suddenly stumbled in one of the stairs then when he got up, he felt that he was like soaring in the clouds. Creepy huh! Then when he told him about the possession and all that, he didn't want to believe and even told us "ows, aglaslastog kayo lang ta nabartekak gamin" (you're just lying because I was drank). We attempted to let him hear the recorded conversations but to our surprise, there was nothing in the tape. But we knew that deep inside him, he believed specially when he learned who that somebody was. I guess he consulted his father after that.

That was not the first time our father experienced that. There came this time in our family life that we dreaded Thursday nights because for no reason at all, this is the time that he gets into that kind of thing again. I really didn't have much of that experience because I stayed in a boarding house way back college but my siblings did. They'd told me that at one time, he was eating his dinner then suddenly he started to murmur, cry and speak of some unusual things he never used to talk about. There's even this change of voice again, not just once but three times. My, I could imagine how scared my siblings were. They would just ignore him at times or they'd go down talk to him and talk to those whoever are inside him to go away and leave him and the family.

I myself would want to stick to the Christian/Catholic ways but I couldn't do away from hearing comments which I sometimes choose to banter or just keep silent. It's of course very good to keep old practices but then it could be a choice not to when it starts to contradict the Christian belief which you choose to stick to. My sister once told me "haan ka kadi nga agin-agin tu nu kuwan kenyam nga mangyari" (don't be pretentious, you may not know it would happen to you) - knock it on the woods, I pray it doesn't. Don't you worry, I still had my daughter wear the "bengaw" (dried wood believed to drive away evil spirits) when we went home for a vacation.

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Nice places to visit in Taiwan - 1st of a series

I was organizing our pictures when I realized I haven't really said much about Taiwan and the nice places in here so I thought of putting all these pictures together to show you the few places we have visited in our stay here. (i.e. aside from those already posted earlier).

The pictures are posted in this multiply album.
1. Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf - this is one of the tourist spots here in Tamsui where you would see a lot of people during the weekends esp. during the summer season. It's one bus ride (~10 to 15 mins) away from the MRT station
2. Tamsui River Park - our frequently visited place as it is very near to our place. It's right at the side of the MRT station. Like the Fisherman's Wharf, this place is jampacked during the weekends. There's really nothing much to see here but there are many and different kinds of food sold in the stalls by the riverside.
3. Taipei 101 - it used to be the highest building in the world. It is located right at the heart of Taipei City. We have to take an MRT right to Taipei main station and transfer to the blue line. We either take a walk to get to the place or take the free bus ride. We've been here several times already that it doesn't facinate me that much anymore. There are shopping centers inside but my, stuffs are very very expensive - all branded...
I've been on top (via the world's fastest elevator as it is claimed) once, lucky to have dined out with our customers and had a free ticket to get to the top. Entrance fee is quite expensive huh!
4. The Grand Hotel in Jiantan - we used to see the place from the MRT then we got the chance to get to the place when we had our company's year end party last year. I love the architecture of the building. I wonder how the hotel rooms look like.
5. National Palace Museum - one bus ride away from Shilin MRT station. We've been there twice already. The displays are changed every 3 or 6 months - that was at the time when the place was under renovation. I'm not quite sure how it is now. You'll be amazed at how the people preserved their culture. There's a coffeeshop in the place and there's a small nice park next to it (10NTD entrance fee, not bad!)
6. Guandu bridge - just a bridge but is famous though. The night shots I've seen are spectacular. The bridge is lit at night (blue and red I think). To get a good shot, you've got to know where to position yourself. Can't just take if from Guandu MRT station...

Excess: I've added some images of the common night market street foods and some shots in one of the pinoy meeting place in Zhongshan Pei Lou (Zhongshan North Road)

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Krosa's coming to Taiwan this Friday

This morning, we were informed that a typhoon named Krosa is coming. I thought that this morning's outpour is already a part of it but then I learned that it is yet to landfall in Taiwan on Friday night. Everyone who heard it wondered why not on Thursday night so that we can have a holiday on Friday... Yes, that's how desperate we are on having holidays since we'll be having the last for the year next Wednesday and nothing more.

Anyway, I checked from Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau website the whereabouts of Krosa and I figured that it's on its way to the Philippines now carrying the local name "Ineng" and hitting most part of Northern Luzon. I hope it will not hit the place that much, on the other hand, may it bring sufficient water supply to the place specially the farmlands.

The satellite image shows Krosa's location as of 4:00PM today. Source: Taiwan CWB

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Unpredictable weather and what comes with it

Yesterday, Dennis went to our apartment ahead as I needed to fetch Jade on the second floor. When we arrived, I was surprised to see that the aircon in the living room has been turned on because we have been using only the fans for one week now. I asked Dennis why and he told me "parang pugon ang init ng bahay pagpasok ko." (The apartment is very hot, it's like an oven when I got in.")

I went to our room to change and whoa, it was really very very warm even if he already turned on the fan minutes earlier and even if we left the windows opened. I am glad he turned on the aircon otherwise we'll be suffocated. The weather has been weird lately. We thought it's starting to get cold, it's supposed to be autumn now, but no. The weather condition has caused us to get sick and when we thought we were already mending, it started to get warm again so the another set of virus attacked us. The temperature ranges from 28degC to 33degC almost like summer.

Jade and I have been sick almost two weeks ago, we both had our set of medicines - yes, several of them. Unlike in the Philippines where a one or two capsule/s can cover cough and colds plus body pain and headache, here in Taiwan, we get at least 5 different tablets. One or two is/are for cough, another is for the colds, one is for headache, the other is for the body pain and the doctor would even add some syrups.The syrups for the kids are fruity flavored but the common black fluid for the adults tastes so odd. We're finishing up on our medicines by tomorrow. We're set to have this year's flu vaccine shot not far from now.
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The huge swimming pool in our compound has been drained since last week but it seems to me that they should have extended the facility until it really gets cold. I think most people still think that dipping into the pool could still be of ease at this time of the year. The unoccassional rains don't really help that much.
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Heat rashes became very visible in Jade's body today even with the application of Fissan prickly heat powder and constant lotioning. She got it from the warm weather and also had her share of diaper rash. We bought the usual brand earlier this evening and decided to keep the unused new diapers. I gave it a try for budget's sake but it didn't really work.
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Turning on the aircon alone in the room still makes Jade sweat at some points in the night. Her sweat is literally "ga-monggo sized" (green bean sized) so I had to wake up regularly to wipe her head, nape, check her back and change her position. For the past two nights, I thought of turning on the fan as well. Luckily it helped. No more sweats all through the night.
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Ate Rosie noticed Jade's rashes today so she also decided to use the aircon. Good thing, they got it fixed yesterday. Now, she and her hubby no longer need to drag the cushion out from the bedrroom to set up in their living room. They've been sleeping in their sala for more than one month now as their bedroom's aircon has given up.

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In celebration of the mid-autumn festival

Sept 25 is the declared national holiday in celebration of the mid-autumn or the so called moon festival. Our company also declared Sept. 24 as a non-working holiday but we had to work on 09.29, Saturday, to "pay" for it. Anyway, moon festival is a time for moon cakes and outdoor barbequing. Several moon cakes were shared in the office and we also ordered a box of pineapple cakes from one of our former colleagues. Ate Rosie also gave us a box of curry flavored mooncakes which I only tasted once. Only hubby liked it. There’s also the pomelo which I think by its not so round shape somewhat represents the moon (?).

Other than the mooncake and pomelo, Taiwanese do not skip barbequing either on the night of the moon festival or earlier. Most of our colleagues in the office asked if we’re having barbeque, our common answer is that we’ll just savour the smell that will come in our apartment windows. Eventually, I asked Ate Rosie’s plan. Since they didn’t do any barbequing for the last couple of years, I persuaded her so that we can have a get together with our other friends. She also got excited so we planned on what to prepare. During the weekend, she started to buy seafoods and some frozen stuffs. Then on Monday afternoon, we went to the market to buy meat and vegetables. We prepared the typical pinoy barbeque marinated in soy sauce, ketchup and sprite plus of course, a lot of garlic. We also bought ingredients for pansit guisado and we asked our friend Juvel to prepare macaroni salad. We actually prepared a lot more than the planned varieties. There were sausages, a certain kind of Japanese fish, a local fish like the “espada”, chicken wings, pork pinoy bbq, mushroom and green pepper, shrimp, squid, chicken butt (kimmot in Ilokano) and oyster. The last two were both upon the request of Ate Rosie’s hubby, Kuya Jack. They actually went to buy it after we cooked the pansit guisado, just about an hour before we had lunch. Of course, we didn’t miss to prepare the famous dip sauce (sawsawan) – vinegar with diced onions, black pepper and salt. (Describing it now made me salivate, hehehe).

The men started to set-up our barbeque grills at 2PM and we followed shortly. The apartment compound designated a particular place near the basketball court for people to set-up their “picnic grounds”. Dennis cooked the sausage first and it turned out to be a “charcoaled sausage” so they eventually used a foil on top of the grill to avoid “burning” our food. Andrew even kidded him by saying “Yeah, I like my barbeque burnt”. The oyster was great. At first I was hesitant to eat it because of my fear of having stomach upset later but upon tasting it, yummy, I ate more than two.

While we were cooking, Jade on the other hand, enjoyed her own freedom running around the grounds. She was so proud that she would even run towards the court by herself not minding the people around her and running after her. Huh, it was one of the days where she made me and Dennis tired running after her. She eventually got tired and slept in my arms hours later. That gave me time to enjoy the rest of the food. We packed up at 6PM and went back to Ate Rosie’s home to have dinner. Most of the foods were consumed, that made us glad since at first, we thought there were so many foods prepared and only few came. Our local friends enjoyed the pinoy barbeque.

We ended up tired but satisfied. We look forward to next year’s mooncake festival for another outdoor fun.

I’ve managed to organize our presentable pictures here.

PS. I asked several Taiwanese friends what’s beyond having barbeque during moon festival. They tell me that it’s not really a tradition. It started when a barbeque sauce TV commercial was launched telling everyone to have barbeque during the moon festival. Huh, television commercials are really persuasive in here. Not only one or two people told me this so I really believed the origin is from that tv commercial. You see, one of my friends also told me about a tv commercial of a junk food/ snack food where in that commercial, it asked the viewers to bring that snack food everytime they go on trips, and yeah, people obeyed. My friend said she brings that kind of snack herself and when she taught in a cram school, the kids would bring the same kind of snack food on their educational trips.

On the other hand, some articles say that barbequing is their act of sharing and giving back the blessings they’ve received.

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