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12.31.04
Here's a recap of 2004. There was no drama at least but it seemed too quiet. Perhaps I've become a little too apathetic. And as usual, the less you see people the further apart you grow from them.

January
* SF Museums
* Dance Theatre of Harlem

February
* Merce Cunningham
* East Ocean Dim Sum with Katie, Louise and Sandy
* Rincon Center Lunch with Katie
* Spotted Cow Dinner at Buca di Beppo
* BAP Family Bowling
* Ballet Flamenco

March
* Watched Havana Nights with Katie
* Lunch with Yusing near the Embarcadero
* Birthday lunch at Rick and Ann's

April
* Yusing's BBQ in SF
* Barney's Lunch with Richard
* Mamma Mia
* Lake Tahoe Snowboarding Trip
* La Note Lunch with Cami and Emily
* Girl's Night Out, Dinner at Calzones and Clubbing at the Rouge

May
* Mark's Birthday BBQ in Marin
* BAP BBQ in the South Bay
* Bay to Breakers with Katie
* Crissy's Graduation
* Pasta Pomodoro Lunch and Shrek 2 with Jason
* Pedicure with the girls

June
* Legion of Honor
* SFMOMA
* Hukilau Birthday Lunch for Sandy
* Brian Chu's BBQ
* Rick and Ann's Lunch with the girls
* Sushi House Lunch and Lost in Translation with Jason

July
* Christine Lin in SF
* Richard's Going Away Party

August
* Thai House Lunch with Jason
* Izuma Ya Dinner with Helen and Stacy
* Cheesecake Factory Dinner with Cami, Jean, and Lise
* Katie's Birthday Lunch at Hanh's Hibachi

September
* Legion of Honor
* Asian Art Museum
* Cha cha cha lunch with Crissy and Windy
* Cal Football Game
* Pasta Pomodoro Lunch with Noel
* Thai House Lunch with Stephanie
* Ajanta DInner with Ken, Kent, and Vee

October
* Steve's Birthday Dinner at Shiok
* Bowling
* Lunch with Louise and Sandy
* Emily's Birthday Dinner at Skates
* BAP Family Cookoff
* The Producers

November
* Ebb Tide Brunch with Leslie
* DNA Cafe Lunch with Katie, Louise, Sandy
* Ice Cream Cake for Frances and Mark

December
* Louise's Birthday dinner at Venezia
* Two weeks in Taiwan

12.30.04
Retail Therapy
* Black ballet flats
* Black sandals
* Ivory wool toggle coat
* Olivia calendar (cute piggy)
* Scented blotting papers (oily face begone)
* Vintage posters
* White Snoopy hooded sweatshirt (what a great combination, Snoopy and a fuzzy hoody)

12.29.04
Sigh, that flight was brutal, tons of turbulence, a good ten hours of torture. Being sick already did not help. There was a point where I kept looking at my watch and thinking f*%$, five more hours, someone shoot me. My watch didn't seem to be moving at all. =/ It was just one of those classic moments where you wished you could fast forward time.

Overall, the best part of Taiwan was the food, which I didn't get to try enough of and seeing my relatives, many who I haven't seen for more than six years. The bakeries in Taiwan are the best and I can't get enough of the bread which always tends to be flavorful, soft textured, and light. And there are tons of snacks to munch on; I'm going to make sure I try more different dishes the next time I visit.

12.27.04
Stressed out from the holidays? Have some yummy chocolate.

12.26.04
We took a day trip to Kenting. This always tends to be a highlight whenever I'm in Taiwan because the water and the beaches are so gorgeous. Kenting is an area on the southern portion of Taiwan. There's one part of Taiwan where if you look to the right you'll see the Taiwan Strait and to the left the Pacific Ocean. We drove by an area known for it's red colored sand. One week the sand will be on one side of the road near the waters and the next the wind will blow the sand up towards the hills. On the sides of the roads, there were tons of food stalls selling chestnuts that are shapped like horns. The only thing I wished was that we had more time to hike around the beaches and trails.

12.25.04
My uncle threw a Christmas dinner party for all my relatives and his friends. There was an outdoor buffet and live music. It felt very Sabrina-esque, except no dancing, I don't think Taiwanese people dance.

Christmas Gifts Received
* Dior watch
* Estee Lauder cosmetic bag
* Godiva truffles
* Ivory scarf
* L'Occitane hand cream and shea butter
* Leather travel journal
* Necklace with colored stones
* Sonia Kashuk brush set
* Squishy radio cube

12.21.04
I've spent most of my time playing with my grandparents' dogs. They're very spoiled; they get fed three times a day and their dinner takes about half a day to stew. They're quite clever though; they know how to use their paws and nose to open screen doors. They even managed to learn how to open the heavy bronze door.

Here's Lucky, very sleepy and not wanting to be bothered; these dogs are night owls and seem like they're constantly napping. Lucky is extremely scared of fireworks and will get panicky if he can't get inside. He'll resort to sitting up very still in a corner until someone takes pity on him and lets him in. However, Lucky is also the most power hungry of the dogs. He's already attacked Kuma, one of the older dogs, several times. Quite bloody, and I feel so bad for Kuma, who's now scared to leave his cage.

Kudo tends to slobber a lot but is quite the sweetie. He's the largest of all the dogs and also the most chill. Kudo enjoys being pet and receiving attention. If he likes you, he'll start shaking paws with you for no reason.

Speed is the baby of the dogs and enjoys napping under the dining table when people play Mah Jong. He also hates my digital camera and will start growling at me if I try to take a photo of him. He has this chew toy that he can entertain him for hours.

Bleh, my mom asked me how come I took so many photos of the dogs and not of the sights we visited in Taiwan. =p

12.20.04
We took the train to Kaohsiung where my parents grew up and tons of my relatives still live. Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan. It's about a four hour train ride from Taipei. My grandparents live near Cheng Ching Lake. My dad and my sisters went hiking there one morning. We left around 5:30 am and were hiking in darkness for the first 45 minutes. It's relatively safe because there are lots of morning hikers and not too chilly in the mornings, around the low 60s. It's about a two hour walk around the lake.

Outside in my grandparents' garden

12.19.04
We took a bus ride to Yehliu, which is about an hour away from Taipei along the coast. It rained today and we didn't pack any umbrellas. =( I wanted to stay longer to explore the area but my dad hates walking in the rain. Here are some photos I took hastily as we breezed through the park. There's a strange rock that looks like the profile of a Egyptian queen but my photo didn't turn out very well.

Strange rock formations at Yehliu

More oddities

Afterwards, we walked around the Taipei 101 area. Taipei 101 is currently the tallest building in the world right now. There are tons of high end boutiques in the malls around here, so it's been mainly window shopping.

12.18.04
Today we visited Danshui and tried to see Fort San Domingo which was unfortunately closed for renovations. There was a interesting pedestrian bridge called the Lover's Bridge. Next we visited the former estate of Chiang Kai-shek which had an expansive flower gardens. Afterwards, we explored the National Palace Museum. There were lots of Buddhist figurines and statues. I definitely tend to favor paintings over sculptures and pottery. Later, we decided to have a late lunch at the Miramar Entertainment Park, where they have Taiwan's largest Ferris Wheel but I think the shopping mall was a big disappointment. However, on the way to the mall we passed the Grand Hotel and the Martyrs Shrine.

12.17.04
So I'm in Taipei, Taiwan with my two sisters and dad. The flight was fine with a barely noticeable landing. We're staying at the Holiday Inn next to AsiaWorld. Hours of research and planning finally paid off and I was able to navigate through Taipei fairly well. I borrowed this travel guide from the library and I like it because it has so many color photos; I'm a very visual person: Insight Guide Taiwan by Viven Kim. The following are some good websites to help you if you ever want to tour around Taiwan:

Taiwan

Taipei

Kaohsiung

We took the subway mostly and the taxi from the train station to our hotel. The subways all have clearly marked signs in English but are very, very crowded. Quite a few times, I was worried of losing my sisters in the crowds.

On the first day we visited Lungshan Temple which had some pretty waterfalls in the front. Next we visited the 2-28 Peace Park. On February 28, 1947, the KMT killed thousands of civilians. Afterwards, we wandered a few blocks and saw the Presidential Office Building. My mom's old high school is a few blocks away from the Presidential Office Building. We hopped back on the subway and visited the CKS Memorial Hall which is adjacent to the National Concert Hall and National Theater. Lastly, we had a late lunch at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store. Food courts in department stores are a cost friendly place to eat but it gets really loud and it is difficult to find seating.

12.14.04
Eep, I just chopped ten inches off of my hair. The hair is going to a worthy cause, Locks of Love. It took me almost three years to grow out my hair this long. But it's a good thing that I cut it. My sister thought I looked like the demented girl from the Ring whenever I walked around with my hair down, not exactly the impression I want to give. Now I have poofy hair again. =/ I'll need to grow out the layers.

My hair before I chopped it all off

12.12.04
I went window shopping with Crissy and my mom in SF. We had so much fun at Brookstone; they have tons of cool, expensive gadgets for yuppies but very fun to play with nonetheless. I love looking at holiday decorations so we dropped by Macy's Holiday Lane; everything was so festive, hundreds of ornaments, dancing bears, carolers; it was holiday overkill. I saw this huge, sparkling ornament that was selling for $130. Mmm, I think I'll pass. According to Mark, I missed the horde of Santas by an hour; they invaded Union Square spreading good cheer and all. =p OK, I got to stop listening to Christmas songs.

12.09.04
Woot, one more quarter to go, yet it will be my toughest quarter yet. I forsee a nervous breakdown. I think I'm going to have to give up photography for half a year. =/ Meanwhile, I'm just gonna kick back and savor my three weeks.

12.04.04
I just watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and for some reason the movie really struck a chord with me. I like how Kate Winslet's character is so spontaneous and quirky. Interesting message on how even if memories are magically erased, under similar circumstances, we do the same thing, make the same mistakes, and connect the same way to people. Anyway, go watch the movie. It has Lena's stamp of approval. =)

12.02.04
I like the new Chanel ad with Nicole Kidman; it was directed by Baz Luhrmann. Her "costar" is the yummy Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro who was in Love Actually. Anyway, it looks like it's a new trend for luxury brands to use commercials that seem more like film shorts. For example, BMW had all those film shorts with famous directors that starred Clive Owen.

12.01.04
Mmm, I just bought some smoked gouda and it's heavenly. I love smoked cheeses and their dark flavors. From www.cheese.com:

Smoked slowly in ancient, brick ovens over smoldering hickory chip embers, this sausage shaped cheese is perfect for impromptu picnics party platters or midnight snacks. Sensational with beer, this hard cheese has an edible, brown rind and a creamy, yellow interior.

Crissy and I have also rediscovered the Laughing Cow cheeses. Our aunt used to give them to us as treats when we were really little. I can't seem to find the ones that were little silver cubes. I know Trader Joe's has the spreadable wedges and the little coin sized ones.

Redesigned in September 2003, version 3.0