My Little Piece Of Heaven ♪

Getting a bit 'bo liao' (bored) at home as the kids are having school holidays. After doing a nice pedicure for 丫頭 and left with some stickers, I decided to 'dress up' my cosmetics.

This is what I've come up with :-



Love this Maybelline Angelfit Limited Edition powder case. I like the paper crane which symbolise peace, happiness and luck in the Japanese tradition. My case look more *bling* now eh



Love this Eight hour cream protectant from Elizabeth Arden . It not only moisturises, it has SPF15 to protect against the sun. I love the simple packaging. I got bored after a while hence I decorated it with the Powerpuff Girls stickers. Hee...talking about 童心未泯 (being a child at heart).....

Guess what? Yes, Christmas comes early for me this year and Vivi made it possible. *Million thanks, sista!*

Besides getting one year's worth of contact lens supply, she helped me to buy something that I've been lemming for a long long time

~TA DA~



NARS BLUSHERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Left : Orgasm
A very pigmented peachy pink. Have not use it on my face. By the look of it, I guess I need to pile on more as I'm rather tan. For the fair skin, I believe it will give a nice natural flush.

Right : Exhibit A
A brilliant orangey red. This is a gorgeous color. I tried it on my cheeks and suddenly my face glow :D Gotta use a light hand with this.

They are simply stunning, aren't they *I'm in cloud nine now*......

Jo, the swatches you've asked for :-



Left : Orgasm
Right : Exhibit A

Oh, while applying Exhibit A on my cheeks, I saw the bottle of benetint and I'm struck with this thought. I used a nude lipgloss on my lips and pick up a little Exhibit A with my pinky and apply on my lips. Gosh, it look so beautiful! I've gained an extra new lippy *yippee*



*smoochy smoochy*

Before I removed all my make-up for the day, I decided to see for myself the 'before and after' effects of eye make-up.



With eyeliner & mascara, my eyes definitely look much bigger and alive. The wonders of make-up. ~How do I live without you~ooh~ooh~

Bitter Chocolate from Royce and Nelson Riesling Ice Wine.

貳人既不年輕又不上相, 照片就免了。

再說, 我們沒有為對方買生日禮物的習慣。今年破例, 買了冰酒和黑巧克力共同慶生。

愛上黑巧克力如同愛上黑啤酒. 兩者都具備持久回味的濃鬱口感。一打開碧藍的盒子, 空氣中立即瀰漫一股醕醕的可可香。對我爾言, 那份喜悅不會輸給打開帶銀色絲帶的淺藍盒子。雖然我不曾打開過 :P 小小一塊入口即融再小酌一杯, 可可的苦加上冰酒的甜, 真是絕配! 剎那間, 幸福满满地從嘴里傳遞心里。

從一個聚餐, 我學會了品嚐冰酒也因此愛上它。冰酒是采用結了冰的葡萄釀製爾成。傳聞某個葡萄園主因為一些事情出遠門以致錯過了收成。當他返回葡萄園, 所有的葡萄已結了冰。為了不浪費, 他便將結了冰的葡萄釀成酒。

能與心愛的人共享美食, what more can I ask?

I love November -

1. Birthdays! SP (end-october, he was supposed to be a November baby. I guess he was too eager to meet his family before due day :D) Princess, Ah Hia, yours truly, Lok and meow meow (today is meow's birthday).

2. Christmas is near. Time for gatherings, gifts and strolling along the nicely lighted streets of Orchard.

3. Weather is cooler towards year end.

Many many more......

**********************************************************************************************

No baking of birthday cakes this year (getting old and lazy :P)

SP's 5th birthday!

Love Polar Cakes not only the cakes are delicious, the boxes are very nicely printed.




SP is having a 'bad hair' day...kekeke....



My 3 handsome 仔仔 :D

Princess's 9th birthday!
(going to be 2 digits next year on....)



丫頭 is growing up fast. This year, no more Princess or Barbie's girly stuff for her. She specifically asked for a fruit cake.





Holding on to her present from 姑姑.

Lok's 7th birthday!



This is a surprise cake for Lok. He loves "Mr. Men and Little Miss" a lot. Love the look on his face when he saw this cake ^.^



A happy boy.

Packed my cosmetics recently and there are a few new additions. Realised that my favourite cosmetics is the Lippy! Love them all. Sharing with you :-



Glorious Gloss
This is what makes my lips look dewy & kissable. Ah hia, correct or not? kekeke.....

From left :
Chic Choc - Gives a very nice shimmer, very *bling.
Dior - This may look very red but on lips, it gives a nice sheen.
Majolica Majorca - Both are my fav but I do find them a lil' drying if I did not apply lip balm first.
Benefit - The Gloss : nice vanilla scent, I like the pinkish gold shine. California Kissing : horrid blue hint, like the minty feel tho'. Luckily this is a gift with purchase otherwise I go bang walls.
Canmake - Lip concealer. Nice coverage but very drying, can see crack lines after sometimes. I prefer Benefit lip plump to this.



Lustrous LIpsticks
I discovered I have lots of nude colors. Can't help it coz I love smokey eyes with nude lips look. If you know of a nice nude color, let me know :D

From Left :
Benefit 24K Gold - Nice gold sheen. Looks good even if it's on its own. Perfect with bronze/tan look.
Shiseido Maquillage - This is a limited edition color. THE perfect nude color. Thanks to Vivi, love this to bits. 超靚!
Integrate - Shiseido's sister brand. Never thought that I can actually wear pink. Sweet!
Lancome - Color Fever : this one is just a hint, sweet and not too pinky as it appears to be. L'Absolu Rouge : Love to play with the magnetic cap :D Nude brown, very moisturising. Le Rouge Absolu : The first anti-aging lippy in the market. Nude pink.
Chanel : Dark plum. Very gothic. Very edgy.

Next on my list if to look for a nice red. Should I get a cool red? warm red?.... hmm....

Kekeke....not the kind of 'love boat' thingy you saw on TV. Our family went for a cruise over the weekend. Our family refers to the grandparents, aunts & uncles and cousins. I vividly remembered the last time when all of us travelled together was at least 9 years ago?

I don't really fancy cruise personally because :-
1. I don't gamble.
2. Cruise to nowhere means you are stuck in the ship for days.
3. Nothing much to do means eat & eat...certainly do no good to my waistline.

On the other hand, it was really nice to be able to travel & have fun with everyone in the family. The kids enjoyed themselves the most. They even said that this cruise trip is much more enjoyable than the Taiwan trip *gwa gwa*

There are some changes and features that are different from the last time. Here are some pics I've taken. Enjoy.



The kids waiting for us to check-in.

Superstar Virgo.

This is the room with window. Not bad eh.



All the children. Urgghhh....it's so difficult to get a good shot (or I should say my camera is lousy..keke..) of the kids. They are always moving around.



At the lobby. These three horses are still as shiny..heehee... *O*



Casino - The highlight of going to Cruise for most people.



Galaxy of the stars - This is where ah hia did his first Bollywood dance...kakaka....



See the cute hand gestures from bil's kids? Cute-to, cute-to!

 

Swimming time. This is the time the kids enjoyed best. Although that was not a very sunny day, all of them were very tan after the swim.



Kiddos swimming pool. Looking at this picture, I still can't forget the little 'accident' that took place. SP went to the right slide all by himself and was pushed down by some older kids. Nobody was at the other end to lookout for him. Luckily he was saved by a very alert guard. Thank God for his grace! SP could have drown :P



The kids 依依不捨 (can't bear to leave).....




I love to take pictures of the sky. It gives me a calm feel.

p.s. For those 姊妹們 who thought I've M.I.A., 歹勢啦! Lately the younger kids are sick and I'm busy chasing TV dramas...

The second day upon returning home, I was pleasantly greeted by a package :D

My good buys from Benefit Cosmetics :-



Free shipping + Free Sexy Gold Set + Free California Kissing Lip Gloss + 2 samples - Eyecon & Erase Paste.

Total Savings : $20 + $32 + $18 = $70+ (This is USD hor.......I happy like mad.)

Vivi, like you always said, spend to save. I saved about SGD105 this time...bwahaha.....

What I bought are :
Realness of Concealness (not in picture) - This is my second set. Love it to bits. It's easy to use, effective and travel friendly.
Benetint - My second bottle. Love the fragrance, the color. It gives a natural flush to my cheeks.
The Gloss - Gives dewy look on lips. I like the fact that the *bling bling* particles are very fine.
That Gal - I don't quite like this one. First of all, I don't appreciate the smell. Secondly, after applying compact powder on it, there are lots of flakes. It seems like it does not blend well with my powder. I'm gonna give it a try again and see if the same thing happens.
Bad Gal Lash - If you like thick full lashes, you will like this. *flutter flutter* 

On the country
Taiwan is really a "Treasure Island". There are so many places to explore, so many food to eat, so many shoppings to go and I have little time to do all that. It's nice to be in a place where everyone speaks your language.

On the people
According to Mr. Lu ( our Hualien cabby), Taiwan was under Japanese rule for 50 years!! Imagine the cultural influence the Japanese had on the Taiwanese. Most Taiwanese are very polite & helpful. Whenever I askied for directions, people on the streets are so willing to help. The service provided by the sales people is TIP-TOP. This made my shopping in Taiwan a pleasurable one. The privilege seats on MRT are always empty even when the carriage is full. People 'automatically' reserve those seats in case some people need them. Rubbish are classified specifically for recycling or not.

On food
There are a lot of snacks and whatsnot. I do not enjoy the food at Shilin at all. Love the ones at Jioufen.

Places that I want to visit again :
Hello Kitty Restaurant - To get another shot of saccharine rush.
李儀 sun biscuits - Next time gotta buy 2doz.
忠孝 - Shopping!!! Taiwan carries a lot of Japanese brands that we do not have.
XMD - not enough. Should go at night. I heard it's more happening at night.
胡须张鲁肉饭 - can't get enough of their rice.
淡水 - To take a ferry to the fisherman's wharf, to see the lovers' bridge.
Jioufen - yum yum, need I say more?

Places that I had planned to go but did not go :
誠品116 - maybe go to the branch at XMD, can shop at anytime I want.
永康街 - To try 鼎泰豐 or 高记, 冰馆, 永康公园牛肉麵.
後車站 - Although this place is just opposite our hotel, I did not have enough time to check out the wholesale accessories.
五分埔 - More children clothing. I only walk 1 aisle to be exact.
饶河街观光夜市 - To try the pepper biscuits (胡椒餅).
白杨步道 @ Hualien - It was closed for maintenance.
七星潭 - Should be a nice place to go.
天母 - To P.S. Bu Bu restaurant.
金瓜石 - 黄金瀑布, 阴阳海, 南鼻头
基隆庙口夜市 - 三兄弟 desserts, 营养三文治, 上海生煎包

Next Taiwan Trip, I hope to explore these places :
Cing Jing Farm - Mr. Lu said that if we are lucky and were there during December, we might see snow!!!
Yangmingshan - If we go in Spring, can see flowers blooming. I wish to see Calla lilies (海芋).
Alishan - Mr. Lu said that in years to come, the trains at Alishan might stop service and cable cars will replace them. I want to take the retro toot toot train before it's gone for good.
烏來溫泉 - I wish to go back 春天酒店 for hotspring and stay for a night but the 'commandos' there put me off. Perhaps try another place like Wulai or YMS.
Miaoli - Some farmstay looks cool there. 
Got to do some research on these places : Taichung & Tainan.

Till then, 再見臺灣!

My loot from last minute shopping at XMD & Station Front Mall.

 

View from the window while travelling to 野柳 (Yeliu).

 

After one hour or so, we finally arrived at 野柳地质公园 (Yeliu Geopark). This park is located at the north coast of Taiwan.

野柳地质公园 (Yeliu Geopark)
Opening hours : 8.00am to 5.00pm
Admission : NT50 per adult NT25 per child
How to get there : You can take 国光客运 (Guo Guang Bus) at Taipei Main Station, it's about NT102 per adult one way, an hour's journey to Yeliu.
Note : Sunscreen and brolly are a MUST!!

 

Love this heart-shaped rock or should I say catapult..keke..

 

My three little precious.

 

The waves were very strong at the coast.



This statue was built in remembrance of this guy who risked his life to save a student who had fell into the sea. Sad to say that none of them survived. His spirit is commendable.



Can you guess where the kids are pointing to? They are pointing to HOME :D



This is the famous  女王頭 (Queen's head). There was a guard guarding this rock to make sure no one touches it. There are other rocks like fairy shoes and sea candles to see but we did not walk further in as the weather was very hot.



While we bring the kids to the park, the old folks went to the market that sells dry seafood stuff next to the park. This is the beautiful lady boss whom we bought our stuff from.

九份 (Jioufen)
How to get there : By Rail Tze Chiang No.1061 to Rueifang, abt 37mins, est. NT80 per adult. Take a bus to 金瓜石, alight at 舊街道, abt 20mins. OR take MRT to 忠孝復興 Exit 1, take 九份 bus, abt 1hr, NT90 per adult.

This city on the mountain was made famous by director 侯孝賢 when he filmed the show 悲情城市 (A city of sadness) at Jioufen. In Qing Dynasty, there were only 9 families living in this village. When they needed to replenish their stuff, they will request 9 portions from the shipments from town. This is how Jioufen (means 9 portions in Chinese) got its name.



Love the nostalgic scenery of this place. This is one place I will re-visit :D




This is the place where you will alight from the bus to Jioufen. However, the sign you saw here is not the bus-stop sign. It's a sign to tell the dog owners to clear up their dog's poo poo ;p

 

Bought a mixed flavoured 黑糖麻薯 (brown sugar mochi). Eh, I can't tell the difference after wating almost half a box. Gimme 曾记麻薯 from Hualien anytime. They taste better.

 

We ate beef noodles here.



See the brown balls? They are called 爱玉. This is a fruit and its outer covering looks like it's being covered with sesame seeds. After being processed, it looks like konnyaku jelly and it's tasteless. When mixed with lemon, some syrup and shaved ice, it's like our ice jelly.

 

There is one branch at our hotel that we passed by very often but I did not get a chance to step in. Since we were rather R&R for lunch here, I went to 阿原肥皂. All soaps are handmade and they are not cheap. A friend said that these soaps cost even more back home. I cannot imagine :P

 

The kids love this love letters made from sweet potatoes. Initially I bought one box. Ten minutes away from the shop and the whole box was being emptied!! When we walked back, I bought another box. This is highly recommended 哦!

 

Bright red lips seems to be this lady boss of this fishballs stall. I gathered this while looking at all the photos on the walls in the shop. From the photos, it seems that she travelled quite a bit and a lot of celebrities patronizing this shop. Frankly, the fishballs here do taste better than Danshui's.

 

阿蘭草仔糕 - A snack made from 艾草 (woodworm - a kind of herb) and glutinous rice flour  with fillings like green beans, yam and stuff. Woodworm's characteristics odor makes a good insect repellent. It is also a wonderful stomach medicine that cures gastric pains and helps indigestion.

 

Around the corner, we came to 賴阿婆芋圓. This is my favourite! I love yam and sweet potato balls. With some syrup & shaved ice, this dessert is wonderful for a sunny day!

 

There's another stall selling yam & sweet potato balls soup called 阿柑姨芋圓 up the stairs that most forumers raved about.



阿妹茶楼 - Time for tea. This place is rather expensive but it has a good ambience for afternnoon tea. If you have time, with the right company, it is a good way to spend one afternoon. The deco & menu have a heavy
古早味 - retro feel.



See the tall cups? They are for your to smell the tea. The shorter ones are for drinking. First


Lovely view from the top.

 

There are quite a lot of stairways like this around Jioufen.

 After lunch, it's time to hit  金瓜石 (Jinguashi).



黄金博物园区 (Gold Ecological Park)
How to get there : Take a bus or cab from Jioufen.
Admission : NT100 per adult NT70 per child. Admission is FREE if you present some receipts you gathered from shopping. Luckily, there were some receipts from my last few days of shopping that I do not need. We all had FREE admission *yeah*


 

Since we missed the gold panning session at 3pm, we decided to go 本山五坑 - Benshan Fifth Tunnel. After a long long walk and long long stairs to climb, everyone was tired. All took a rest in the carts. These carts were used to transport gold and stuff in the past.

 

This is a real mining tunnel. I think it was a good experience because all of us have never been to one.

本山五坑 - Benshan Fifth Tunnel
Admission : NT50 per person.



We were handed a blue head covering and a card. The blue head covering is to be put on before we wear the helmets upon entry to the tunnel. The card is for the miners to record their working hours in order to collect pay end month.



Near the entrance of the tunnel on our left, we saw this 茶壺山 (tea-pot mountain). The guide said that sometimes a cloud may pass by and it look like the pot is boiling :D That must be cute!

 

開工喽! (Time to get working).....

Our young miners at work. Before I enter the tunnel, I thought that it's going to be stuffy in the tunnel. I was wrong. It was much much cooler in the tunnel than out in the open.

I can see real GOLD in the mine but cannot touch.

Next, I'm going to show you a place where I saw gold and it's a BIG GOLD SLAB and I got to touch it!

Get ready!

BLING BLING BLING *BIG TIME*

 

This is the 220kg Gold ingot in the Gold Ecological Park Museum. The numbers you see here is the amount of money it worth that day!

After visiting the Museum, we could have gone to other interesting places but we decided to go back to Taipei. SB's fist had swollen to the size of a meat bun! Poor thing! I do not know what bit him but I knew that he got bitten at Beitou. Afraid that it might be poisonous, we thought it's best we bring him to the doctor.

Back in Taipei, while the rest went to take a rest at the hotel, ah hia & me brought SB to 台大醫院. Wah man, this is the first time we visited a hospital during a vacation. Nevertheless, I thank God for His covering that everything turns out well. No mood to go 'jalan jalan' (walk), we decided to rest early after a nice BBQ + Steamboat dinner.

  
My good buys. If you noticed, I bought both  犁記 (from 忠孝) & 李儀 (from 九份) 鳳梨酥 and 太陽餅 (Pineapple & sun biscuits).

Verdict :
Best sun biscuits award goes to 李儀!!!!! *clap clap clap* Their biscuits have a stronger milky flavour. Main branch is in Jioufen. However, there is a outlet at the underground malls in Taipei Main Station.

As for 鳳梨酥, it got to be 犁記! The ones from 李儀 has a funny taste.

Next time when we go Taiwan, must buy other stuff to try.

 

See the darker blue seats? Those are priority seats. No one will take the seats even though the train is full. That just show how considerate the people are.

We chose 春天酒店 (Spring City Resort) for hotspring. There are 9 pools cater for different purpose at their
露天風呂. Once you get out of the station, you will see a bus-stop. You can catch a free shuttle bus that bring you to the resort. Initially, I had planned to visit Hell Valley as I read that the temperature in the hot spring is very high. Someone ever fell into the pool and his leg was 'cooked'. 2-3 days before I left for Taiwan, I heard that this place was closed for construction. To avoid making a futile trip, I omitted this place.

Spring City Resort
Opening hours : 9.00am to 10.00pm
Charges : NT800 per adult and NT550 per child.
T & C : All guests have to bring their own swimsuits. Swimming caps, towels, slippers and lockers will be provided. No need for toiletires are there are shampoo & bodywash in the bathroom. There is a dryer for the swimsuits too. If you have time, it's best to check in the hotel for 1 night. Hotspring pools is open to hotel guests for free.

Here are some tips before you go for hotspring :-
1. Do not go with a full stomach.
2. Do not jump into the pool immediately. Always dip your feet, legs then lower your body into the pool.
3. Go for warm pools followed by hot pools then cold pools.
4. Do not soak for too long. Best is to stay for 10-15mins, get out of the pool to rest and dip again.
5. Remember to drink lots of water.
Last but not least : The mossies at this resort are the commandos type. It is very important to arm yourself with insect repellent. SB got stabbed and infected and his poor little hand was swollen like a meat bun :(

 

No. 1 - 浮浴 (floating bath) - warm around 35 deg. c. The water jet wil massage your body. It is said to help improve the fuctions of intestines.

No. 2 - Next to the floating bath is an aroma bath. Essential oils are added to the cold pool. No pics, I forgot to take this :P



No. 3 - This is a very special bath called 石板浴 (marble bath). This big piece of marble is heated and it's good for people with rheumatism.

No. 4 - After marble bath, it's good to soak in the Octagonal Calm Pool which is about 40 deg. C. This is said to help to improve one's Qi,

 
 
No. 5 - 氣泡浴 (bubble bath) is good for skin. I should stay longer :D



The late afternoon sun was not so harsh. It was warm & nice. I went for sun bathing. When I looked up, I saw clear blue sky and a little bit of green. Nice!



No. 6 - 寢浴 (Sleeping bath). It is very nice to close your eyes and enjoy the massage.

No. 7 - 超音波浴 (Ultrasonic Pool). Ultrasonic waves are emitted in this hot pool (abt 40 deg. c.) to help those with lower back ailments and for slimming purpose. Sorry no picture for this.

No. 8 - 衝擊浴 (Waterfall Bath). Yours truly was enjoyed the shoulder and upper back massage so much that I forgot to take a picture of this too :P

 

No. 9 -  親子戲水池 (Family Pool). This cold bath is fun for the kids!

 

Originally, we planned to catch sunset at 渔人码头 (Danshui Fisherman's Wharf). I heard that sunset at the horizon is very beautiful. Since hotspring was so much fun, we decided to stay longer and see sunset there. This big red fireball is so full of energy! Love how it paints the sky in shades of red & orange. By the way, it's near end summer in Taipei and the sunset earlier. By 6pm, the sky was almost dark.

淡水老街 (Danshui old street)
How to get there : Take MRT 淡水線 to the last station 淡水站.
What to eat : see below
What to buy : 阿婆铁蛋 - Bascially eggs are braised and dried for 3 cycles. Quail eggs taste better than chicken eggs. It's very hard and I prefer normal braised eggs. 許義魚酥 (fish floss) - Did not find this hence did not buy.

With the sun going down, our tum tums started to revolt. We hurried to 淡水老街 for food and some shopping. It is best to reach Danshui around 3-4pm, stroll along the old street as it closes early in the evening. There's Naraya, Birkenstock (I heard shoes here are much cheaper) and Momo. After strolling, it is time to catch sunset at the fisherman's wharf or you can take a ferry ride to 八裡 about NT50 per trip. Last ferry leaves around 7+pm. You can go to their night market later in the evening. It is located directly opposite the MRT station.

Guess what I saw at Dansui MRT station? When you make a left turn, you will see MISTER DONUT - my favourite donut outlet! Wahahaha....very happy. They served different flavours from those in Thailand. Yummy! From there, turn right and you will see Danshui old street. 

 

Dinner at 盧媽媽 was wonderful. I tried the famous 阿給. Noticed I said The not Their? According to the lady whom I bought the crossiant - 牛角麵包, the original 阿給 shop was closed long time ago and no one come close to them. Nevertheless, I love the taste of 阿給 - meat wrapped with Tofu and sauce. Yum Yum! Their fishball is so so. Braised minced meat rice is superb. Mother-in-law said it tasted better than 鬍鬚張.

 

洪妈酸梅汤 - Sour Plum drink. I drank 2 cups at a go. Cannot get enough of this. It is not very sour yet the plum taste is very thick. Thinking of it now makes me salivate *drool*

 

The kids eating the famous 雪淇淋 (ice-cream cone). This was the short version. The tall can go as high as 50cm and cost only NT20! It was so much cheaper than Mac's.

 

*Train arriving in station* The old folks were tired and decided to go back to the hotel. We gave the Lovers' bridge a miss and brought the kids to a surprise destination.



Right : Breastfeeding room - You can find this in most stations. I do not know if all stations has this rooms. This is so convenient for breastfeeding moms.
Left : The first cabin in the MRT is dedicated to the disabled, so thoughtful. 

美麗華百樂園 (Miramar Entertainment Park)
How to get there : Take MRT 內湖線 to 劍南路站



See this 70m tall ferries wheel on the building? For those who have watched 換換愛 (why why love), this place looks very familiar hor? The ride cost NT150 per adult and NT120 per child. There were discounts for merry-go-round with the ferries wheel tickets.



Can you feel R-O-M-A-N-T-I-C? Love is in the air ~ ~



Princess acting cute again....

 

In the car... Not even halfway through the ride, SP was scared and kept saying "I don't want to die yet" ~~Cry~~

 

Outside the mall. There was a Carrefour next to the mall. Heard from the cabby that it's open 24hrs. Oh, about the cabby, we took MRT to Shilin and thought of getting a ride from the free shuttle. The service was over by the time we reached the station so we took a cab not knowing that we can actually take MRT to Miramar's door-step.

 

The train for 內湖線 is like our LRT. The speed is faster than the normal ones. We waited outside this cabin that is meant for ladies only. When the train arrives, I found the passengers in this cabin are all males. Subsequently, most males got in to this cabin. Weird! I thought it's for female only ??!!

After breakfast, we crossed the street and arrived at the train station at 7.45am. Trains usually arrive around ten minutes before the next departure time.



If you can going to take a train to Hualien, be sure to book the Taroko Express (the ones with green mountain logo) or 自強號. The travelling time can be cut by half to an hour. It's best to book train no. 1091 @ 8.00am for departure and train no. 1096 @ 7.10pm for arrival. It cost NT794 per adult and NT398 per child both ways. After booking, do make payment online to secure the seats. Otherwise, you can make booking and collect your tickets within the next 48 hours. If you ask me, I prefer to book and pay and get confirmed seats. For last minute tickets, you can purchase at the counter. You can still get tickets without seats ie you will have to stand on the entire train ride unless there are empty seats for you. 


 
I slept and awaken.......when are we reaching? ~~

This train is new compared to the rest hence it is very clean and nice. The leg room is very good. Food tray is hidden inside the arm rest. There are hooks next to the window panel for you to hang your stuff. Below the hooks, there are 2 cup holders. Eating and drinking is allowed in the train. If they play soft music, I will give them 10/10.



Arrival time at Hualien was 10.05am. As we walked through the tunnel to the back of the station, we saw big, beautiful photos of places of interests in Taroko.

Taroko in 泰雅語 (an aboriginal tribe language) means Human - the tribe people called themselves. Another meaning is Huge.

We walked to the back of the station to meet Mr. Lu & his 'disciple' Mr. Hu. We had booked a 7 seater but Mr. Lu wanted us to travel more comfortably arranged 2 cars instead.

Cabby
吕来福 or Mr. Lu Lai Fu (He speaks a little English, not very fluent)
Ctc : +886-09-2856-9081, drop the first '0' when calling from Singapore
Charges : NT2200 for 4 pax sedan



Off we go.... In the car, I asked Mr. Lu about Cing Jing Farm and he told me it is high up on the mountains. If we go in December and we are lucky, we might get to see show *woo...exciting*. Mr. Lu is a very experienced guide. There was no bored moment with him. 

清水断崖 (Cing Shui Cliff)
Mr. Lu brought us to an eatery  to buy bentos for our lunch. I would say the bento is not so great hence I'm not going to post the photos. I thank God that the day we went Hualien, it was a beautiful sunny day. The best kind of weather for sight seeing. Our first stop was to 清水断崖 (Cing Shui Cliff). We had to pay additional NT500 for this place as it is further away from the rest of the scenic spots.



All of us fall in love with the magnificent Pacific Ocean View.

 

Never in my life have I seen waters so clear and blue. It is in different shades of blue. I really admire our Creator. He is indeed worthy to be praise! I almost did not want to leave the place :P According to Mr. Lu, this place is named after this Japanese guy (清水) who built a road around the mountain. Another reason is that the waters here is so clear (清水 means clear water).

太鲁阁国家公园 (Taroko National Park)
Next stop, lunch at Taroko National Park . There are a lot of write ups on the scenic spots in Taroko in the building.



At the back of the building where we had lunch.



砂卡礑步道 (Mysterious Valley trail) 



After lunch, we came to the trail. The stairways down was killing. It was narrow and the gap between each step was rather wide. I think we took a good 5-8mins to walk down.




The kids were so worried when they read about the warning sign that said :"Beware of wasps, poisonous snakes...." They wanted to make a U-turn immediately.



To complete the whole trail takes about 3-4hours. Mr. Lu told us that the most beautiful scene of the trail can be found for the first 15mins walk. After the initial 15mins walk, there will be nothing much interesting to see. The lake is so clear. Those big rocks you see by the side are marbles. Ever since a drowning case happened in 199+, swimming is banned here.

長春祠 (Chang Chun Shrine) 
This shrine was built in memory of those people who died while working on 中橫公路.



This is the 長春橋 (Chang Chun Bridge).



Waterfall from where the shrine is.



There is a pool next to the shrine. The water in the pool is so cooling! After dipping my legs, I was so tempted to take a swim. See the man in white shirt in the middle of the photo? That's Mr. lu. He came to join in fun as the kids were playing happily in the pool. Seeing we have so many kids to look after, he helped to keep an eye on our kids and cautioned us about the dangerous spot time and again on the entire trip.

燕子口 (Marble Cliff)
Initially, there was only one narrow road shared among buses and pedestrians. To ease traffice congestions, another road was built so that the buses and pedestrians will each have their own way to travel.



We did find some swallows with their nests at this place. According to Mr. Lu, the number of swallows building nests here are getting lesser each year. 

九曲洞 (Turnnel of Nine Turns)
Not far away from 燕子口, we arrived at the tunnels. As there are big rocks (we are talking about HUGE rocks) falling from the cliff from time to time, we were required to wear safety helmets and not to walk in the open. There are a lot of interesting rocks to see here. All one needs is good imagination.



This part of the lake is named 九曲蟠龍 because of the many turns.

        

Can you see something from these two pictures? 
Left : An Indian Chief head. 
Right : A fish facing the mountains.



A side view of King Kong.
 
 

A frog wearing a crown (Pavillion).

These people really do have good imagination, ya?

慈母桥 (Cih Mu Bridge)



This bridge was built by former Taiwan President Chiang Jing Guo - Chiang Kai Shek's son in memory of his mother. The bridge was destroyed by typhoon and later rebuilt by the people.

 

白杨步道 (Bai Yang Trail) - Because of Typhoon Morakat, some of the areas are closed. It was a pity. This is the place I wanted to visit most in Taroko. We only managed to walk through the tunnel and back. There were lots of bats in the tunnel. It was pitch dark. The kids were thrilled to see bats up close. Mr. Lu said there's a 水帘洞 (Water Curtain Cave) after a suspension bridge. The whole walk is about 2hours. We need to come out the same way as we went in. Probably next time...

 

東西橫貫公路 - also known as 中橫公路- Mr. Lu told us to take a picture of this. I forgot to ask him why. When I came back and did some research, I realised that this is the first road that links the east & west coast of Taiwan through many dangerous cliffs.

It was near dinner time and we were thinking to have our dinner near the train station or in town. I wanted to try some Hualien snacks so we decided to buy some food and eat it at the station.

Went to town and bought soup dumplings from 液香扁食店. Thanks to Mr. Lu's, he helped to call and order beforehand so that we do not have to join the long queue upon reaching the shop. We also bought 公正包 - meat buns. Mochi from 曾记嘛曙,. Wanted to try 炸蛋 but it was closed on Sundays. Due to time constraints, I did not take any pictures of these shops.

 

Back to the station. Nice train! toots toots.....



The twelve generations of Taiwan Railways Trains.

City --> Taipei 101 --> Wu Fen Pu (五分埔) --> Shilin Night Market

Original plan on the second day was to go 永康街 for breakfast then proceed to Taipei 101. Since we need to transfer to Caeser Park Hotel, we went to Starbucks for breakfast. The walk to Caeser was a short and easy one ( not stairs to climb). Upon reaching, I realised that most of the Deaflympics athletes were putting up at the same hotel. Everytime we passed by them, surely someone will asked our kids to take pictures with them. Hmm...I should set up a photo taking booth and earn some dough for this trip...kakaka... Oh, do you think Ah hia looks like Japanese? The hotel staff always greet and talk to him in Japanese. There was this old Japanese couple we met in the lift speaking Japanese to us too.



Like refugees or not...kekeke



Left : Taipei Main Station (which is across the road of Caeser Park Hotel
Right : Caeser Park Hotel  

It seems we arrived too early in the morning, the rooms for us were not ready yet. We left our luggages with  the concierge and proceed to our half day city tour. Choosing to stay around Taipei Main Station is a good choice as the Bus Terminal, Railway Station and MRT are just next to each other. As I've booked my train tickets online, I went to collect them at the train station to prevent mad morning rush the next day.



Train tickets to Hualien. Since online booking is open to 6 tickets per person, I got different seats number for all of us. If that happens to you, you can try to change the seat number at the counter or change the seat with passengers on board.

忠孝 Shopping Area
How to get there : Take MRT 南港線 to 忠孝復興站

Our first stop was to Hello Kitty restaurant. We were told that only 2 hours of dinning is allowed for each table. Each person has to spend at least NT300. Nevertheless, the food and ambience was good! I will definitely go back there again.



Address : 大安路1段90號 (Exit 4 from 忠孝復興站)
Opening hours : 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.00pm-9.00pm
Tel : 02-2711-1132 (Do make reservation early as the restaurant is almost always fully booked)



Only 3 words to describe this restaurant : kawaii! Kawaii! KAWAII! from the deco to the uniform of the waitress. Even the restroom look very good! I'm not really a Kitty fan but this place is way too cute!

There was this 怪伯伯 (funny old man) about the age of 40/50? dining alone. He was wearing a Doraemon cap, Doraemon tee, white socks with white crocs. @.@III    (I decided not to post his photo as not to expose him on the net).



Outside Sogo. It was sunny and hot hot hot!

After lunch, we went to SOGO 復興館. The elevator ladies were pretty and professional. I cannot image standing in and out of the lift announcing arrival of every level, telling people to beware of this and that. Her mouth never stop talking. Poor thing! No wonder the Japanese give a lot of respect to the elevator ladies. Those 專櫃小姐 (cosmetics counter girls) know their products well, willing to share tips on skincare/make-up, not pushy about selling and pretty. I noticed most of the products Taiwan carries are form Japan. We don't have them back home.

臺北101
How to get there : Take MRT to 市政府站, EXIT 2 and take free shuttle bus (11am to 9pm) to Taipei 101 with an interval of 15mins.



After shopping, we took a cab to Taipei 101 to save on travelling time. Taking cab in Taipei is easy and inexpenisve. The cabbies are helpful in loading and unloading our stuff, giving information of
touring Taiwan.

We purchased our tickets at 5th floor. It cost NT400 per adult and NT370 per child. There are lockers to store haversacks or biugger bags. These items are not allowed at the Observatory. It took 37secs for the express lift to take us from 5th to the 89th floor! That's about the time used to take our MRT escalator at City Hall Station to Raffles City. The guide spoke in 3 different languages - Mandarin, Japanese & English in the lift. The ceiling of the lift was lit up with tiny colourful bulbs. It was pretty.

The structure of this building, the view from the top was pure awesomeness! It was a good exprience. With old folks and kids travelling with us, the guides gave us privileges to take a private lift to 88th floor to see the world's largest wind damper. 



Left : World's largest wind damper.
Right : Outdoor observatory at 91st floor.

五分埔
Opening hours : 4pm to 1am on weekends. Do not go on Mondays as it's for retailers only.
How to get there : Take MRT 南港線 to 後山埤.
What to buy : Adult & children clothings.



To save time, we took a cab straight to 鬍鬚張鲁肉饭. There are a lot of branches for this eatery. If you travel by MRT, do use Exit 4. I LOVE THE 鲁肉饭!!!! It was so goood that I can eat it on its own without any side dishes. They used braised minced meat and short grain rice. Yummy to the power of infinity.



Princess feeding SB. Love the curtains, it has a very retro look.

Directly across the street where 鬍鬚張鲁肉饭 is, you can see Cosmed. I went for a 2nd round of 血拚 (shopping). I did not bring along my envirosax so I got to pay for the carriers. Shopping at Cosmed, Watsons and momos was good. Not only I got to buy stuff that local shops don't carry, there were gifts with purchase unlike our local ones.

Shops selling childrens' clothing were located down the street where Cosmed is. We walked for a short distance and decided to send the old and young ones back to the hotel to rest.

We had a pleasant surprise when we checked into Caeser Park Hotel. Our room was clean, neat and modern. The best thing was the balcony. It was so big that the kids could play with their bicycle there.




Princess watched too much ANTM.....



The door behind SB was the access to the balcony.




Shiok! I love bath tubs.

Ah hia, SB & I headed for Shilin after settling the rest at the hotel. Saw 天藍小舖 (BIGI mall) at Shilin and bought a bag. I've bought a few bags online with this shop and love their bags. We left Shilin rather early as we need to wake up very early the next day.
         


My haul from Sogo :
Bought Albion toner. The interesting thing about this brand is in the steps of skincare regime. After cleansing, use moisturiser then toner. Pour the toner onto a cotton pad then apply on face as you do with a mask. I also bought Chic choc's (Japanese brand) much raved about eyeliner, an eyeshadow palette, lip gloss that comes with gifts like blusher & cream face wash.

From Cosmed :
My Beauty Diary Masks, Aqua Label (Shisedo's sister brand) toner & compact powders, Majorlica mascaras, clothing for the kids cousins and few tees for myself. I love long tees and there were so many shops carrying this style *yippee*

04 September 2009 (Friday)

Home --> Changi International Airport --> Taoyuan International Airport --> Hotel --> Shilin Night Market

Woke up early in the morning. It was not that I was too excited and could not sleep longer. We were going to be away for 6 days and I would like the house to be neat and clean before we left. We headed for the airport around 11am, checked in our luggages and had lunch at the cafeteria. We took 1.50pm flight and reached Taipei at 5.45pm.



Changi International Airport Terminal 1 : There is an aero-bridge, no need to walk under the hot sun and no need to climb into the plane *yoohoo*



The cabin crews handed the female passengers with gifts from Sunsilk. Not bad eh, take plane also got gift...kaka

Upon arriving at Taoyuan International Airport, Carr picked us up and we checked in City Inn Hotel (新驛旅店). Apparently there are 2 City Inn Hotels, one is in front of the Taipei Main Station (台北車站前站店) and another behind it (台北車站後站店). We stayed at the former one for a night. We had planned to book Caesar Park Hotel (凱撒大飯店) for our entire stay. Due to 21st Summer Deaflympics 2009, the hotel was fully booked on the 4th September 2009. The rest of the hotels around Caeser were fully booked too. We were lucky to get the last 2 rooms at City Inn *phew*.

City Inn Hotel
How to get there : As we have so many people travelling, I booked a cabby to take us to the hotel. There are a lot of stairs, escalators to walk up & down from the station to the hotel. i don't think it's a good idea when we have so many old folks, kids and luggages to look after. Otherwise you can take 國光客運 to Taipei Main Station, it takes about an hour, NT65 per adult and NT33 per child. You can check their schedule and price online. Another way is to take a cab from the airport.

Cabby
Carr Chang or 文堅 (He speaks English)
Handphone : 0933-761035
Email : carr.chang@msa.hinet.net
Charges : NT1300
He drives a 9 seater with 6 or so TVs attached to the back of each seat. You can watch cartoons, MVs, News or whatever. Very comfy.

 

I thank God that there was an extra room and we paid NT1690 (SDG75.78) for it. It was so much cheaper than SGD225.56 that we paid online for 2 rooms. I cannot imagine 9 of us squeezing into 2 rooms *.*
Plus : Good location for budget travellers. Looks new, clean and fuss free hotel. There is a LCD TV in every room.
Minus : Rooms are very small. My bedroom is bigger. No joke. Oh, the rooms are not sound proof. Can hear people talking at the aisle outside the rooms.

Did I mention that 郭蒸餃 is just opposite of this hotel? I heard that this shop is famous for it's steamed dumplings. They are open from 10am to 5pm, closed on Mondays. Wanted to try it but we were short of time. Anyway, while waiting for the guys to clean up the third room, we put our luggages in the first two rooms and went for dinner/supper. We did not take our dinner in the plane. Food is not nice and the price is exhorbitant!

We went to Taipei Main Station to take a train. As I figured we will be travelling quite a bit on MRT, I went to buy the Easy Card (悠游卡). This is like our EZlink Card. I paid NT500 per card for adult with deposit NT100 and NT400 to use. We got a refund of the balance and deposit when we returned the cards on the last day of our trip. You can check the MRT route, fares and which tourist spots around the station on the website.

Shilin Night Market (士林夜市)
Operating hours : 7pm to 1.30am
How to get there : Take MRT 淡水線 to 劍潭站, about 11mins, NT16 per adult or by cab. Exit station and you will see  士林夜市 on your left. The food street is one the left. For shopping street, it's twelve o'clock direction from the exit. Follow the crowd, you will not go wrong.
What to eat : BIG HINT - so long there's a queue, it must be good. Nah. Personally, I find that the food here is over-rated. Quite a big disappointment for me.
What to buy : cheap shoes, clothings, Watsons, Momo, skinfood. Besides small shops at the sides of the lane, there are also temporary stalls set up in the middle of the lane.

 

This crispy chicken fillet was good because it was salty. The fillet was very big - almost the size of my face.



Came all the way from Singapore to eat Taiwanese sausage and it tasted very much the same.
大肠包小肠 was sausage wrapped with glutinous rice.



In Shilin, the food street and shopping street was separated. From the MRT station, food is on the right and shopping on the left. We tried :-
大餅包小餅 - biscuits with a variety of flavours wrapped with popiah skin
爱玉冰 - I love the QQ taste
臭豆腐 - really stinko and taste yucky. I prefer hong Kong's version
十全排骨 - I think I make better soups

If you ask me to rate the food is Shilin, it will be a 3/10.
Verdict : I will not go back there for food.



Kids playing games and won some prizes.



Called me biased, bo bian. The girls clothing and accessories were too kawaii to resist!!

We went back to the hotel by cab around 1-2am. Zzzzzzzzz

Hi gals, I'm BACK!!!!!

Woah, what a trip! This is one trip that I've spent more than 6 months planning :P We were very lucky to get cheap air tickets (SDG298 per person) from Jetstar Asia. I love to travel with Jetstar because the flexibility of seats selection, baggage allowance and best of all, boarding at Changi Airport Terminal I instead of Budget Terminal that means shopping can start right from home....kekeke...

We have total of 5 adults & 4 kiddos therefore planning the itinerary is the most difficult part. I need to make sure accomodation, transport, places of interests suit all ages and number of people. There are so many places I would like to go, so many places I would like to see and the bad news is we have little time *~*

2 months before departure
- booked cabbies for Hualien (花莲) & Jioufen (九份) trip.

2 weeks before departure
- booked train tickets to Hualien
- booked hotel
- called cabbies to confirm arrival time

1 week before departure
- change currency (New Taiwan Dollars denominations : 5C, 10C, 50C, NT100, NT500, NT1000)
- check weather (Typhoon Morakat had just swept across Taiwan, need to make sure places we are going is not affected)
- make up a contigency plan

2 days before departure
- MOST tedious part : pack luggage for our family of SIX !

Finally, we are ready to set off on 4th September 2009.

心情是期待喔!

p.s. I forgot to mention that :-

- If you are between the age of 15 to 30, you are eligible to apply for Youth Card at Taoyuan International Airport. There are lots of discount with the card.

- If you need to charge batteries for your handphones, cameras and whatsnot, please remember to bring along a 2 pin plug. The head of our 2 pin plug is rounded but their 2 pin plug is flat.

- Do bring along shopping bags as places like watsons, 7 eleven (they call it Seven) do not provide bags for your purchase unless you pay for it.

That's about all folks!

This was supposed to be our tenth wedding anniversary gift to each other. 

Ah hia wasn't interested in getting a new pair initially. He said he prefer to get a pair of watch. I nagged for 2 more years before we finally get a pair....heeeheee...

Just collected these in the afternoon :-



sui sui bo? I like it very much. After all these years of weight gained, I could no longer wear the original wedding ring. I used to wear it as a pendant to my necklace but ah hia was worried I might lose it so I took it off. I can wear this on my finger now :D

2 more days to go.......Taiwan, here i come......

My ah hia must either be very free or excited about the trip or ki siao liao....... Look what he has done .....



Some friends said that it's not easy to find a money changer or bank willing to take in Singapore dollars in Taiwan. A little worried if our cash is enough. Hmm.....

*so So SO excited*

“He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” - Proverbs 13: 24

To spank or not to spank? This is a very controversial topic. I’ve been thinking about it since the day Princess was born. Do I want to cane my kids or strictly no cane allowed in the house? Speaking from experience, I’m against caning initially. Why? I got caned madly when I was a kid (not often but good enough for me to remember for life). I see the negatives more than good. I was caned in anger to the point that I felt I was being caned for the adults to release their frustrations instead of my wrong-doing. As I grow older, I don’t even shed a tear when I was caned. You can never imagine the resentment & rebellious feelings in me. I tell myself that this is not how I will treat my children in future. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. They are good people. It’s just that at the point of time, I was angry with them. Also, the kind of parents we turned out to be in future - we either mirror imaged our parents or do the exact opposites.

Eventually, I got married and have children. Wanting to be a good parent, I went through tons and tons of parenting books. I came to realise that the only 1 book I need is my bible. I’m not the perfect parent and never will be but I hope I’ll be a just & loving one. God is forever faithful! “Seek and you shall find”, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and these are good quotes from the good old book. When I look upon Him for help, I will always get an answer.

Come back to the topic, if you ask me if I cane my kids, the answer is yes. If use correctly, the cane is a very powerful parenting tool. I have a few rules when I use the cane. They are :-

1. Always give warning before caning.

2. Never cane in an insane manner.

3. Only cane areas like buttocks & thighs.

I also make an effort to talk to the kids about why they got caned and what they can do to avoid being caned.

Lastly, the first sentence on this page is dedicated to all parents. For the kids, this is for you :-

“A wise son heeds his father’s instruction. But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” - Proverbs 13:1

p.s. Without my "上方寶劍", I wonder if my kids will go wild......hmmm.....

Vivi went for pedicure today. How I wish I could go along. The kids are having their CA2 next week hence we got to stay at home and 'work hard'. Still, I managed to 'steal' some time this afternoon and did this -







In love with pink recently. For my big fat toe, I applied a darker shade, dab a lighter shade near the edge and put on a bling bling coat. I think it's very sweet.

*********************************************************************************************************

Look what I've found.......




Kiddies Donuts. So cute!

Saw these @ Donut Factory Suntec City when we were there last weekend. I packed into the kids bento boxes late at night. They were pleasantly surprised the next day! My favourite is the one sticking out the tongue.

呃! 今天的內容很不搭耶! Don't care, 我好困喔.......

生平最..最..最..痛恨的一件事就是跑步。未踏上跑道, 我已敗給它。 看著一圈圈漫長的路, 我已感到惫累。

今日心血來潮, 不知哪來的勇氣, 穿上打入冷宮以久的球鞋, 直往Stadium 去。炎日當空, 幸好我早有準備 -  帽子与防曬霜是少不了的。

原本以為得上花上一小時才能完成2.4km的路程, 我竟不可思议地只用了25 分鐘!! Happy啦! 最難受的, 就是開始跑第二圈。心跳加速, 氣喘如牛, 仿佛快看到隧道另一頭光。這時, 耐力与毅力都不可缺。只好努力說服自己 - 我行的!! ^.^|| 邊跑邊想著臺灣下個月之旅, 心情顿时好了许多。琳瑯滿目的美食, 美景和血拚, 真讓人期待哟。慢跑结束后, 坐在石凳乘涼, 汗水像雨點直飇。雖然塗了防曬霜, 仍然曬黑。我懷疑我的黑色素是否太旺盛, 朋友之中，我總是那隻"黑"羊。唉! 抹去汗水, 整好儀容, 伸出雙腿, 正想起身站立, 兩條腿卻不聽使喚。廢了! 發軟的腿, 走起路來似小兒麻痹患者。没辙, "賓妹" 得咬緊牙根去接 missy 喽。

希望今後會更好! 加油! 加油! 記得為我打氣喔! \ ^.^ /