hello, eloise!

i love love love LOVE this show as a child.



and i still do. <3

Watch the rain play on the ocean top.

after what seemed like a long time, i'm back on the road once again with the steering wheel in my hands and the whole world in a fast-motion blur behind the windows.


the moments spent with siying tonight was a good one. i haven't seen her for almost a year now and we caught up on a lot of things. we shared stories and laughed like how we used to; it felt really good. that's one of the things i love about catching up with long-lost loved ones: you'll never know what stories they have up their sleeves. : )



....................................


it's only been a week but being back here has got me thinking about so many things. thoughts perpetually raced through my mind and they haven't stopped since. i have yet to meet up with the rest of the lovelies and i keep thinking there's not enough time for everyone, even when i still have until february. i guess it just feels that way, not because i don't have enough time in the world but rather what's left of 2009. time passes us by so fast; it feels like only yesterday my high school friends and i were waiting for the dawn on 2009 to arrive, camwhoring at the carpark in marriott hotel during our last seconds of 2008 together.


and yet, look at all of us now: we've survived another year of college.






it struck me as amazing how a year had gone by and changed so many things. i come back home now and i sit down with everyone else at the table, each and every one of us sharing our own stories that no longer consisted of old friends but rather the new ones. most of us have changed, trying to catch up with the current life that's pushing us to a better future. life takes away certain things, but places them with new ones.


it's something that i've learnt about growing up: people leave, and they move on. sometimes it's not the best feeling in the world, knowing that once we had been inseparable, connected... and now all of us have our own lives to live. debbers said it's something that we have to come to terms with - letting go of old friends so that they find their own ways in life, even if it meant hurting inside and feeling left out, going against what used to be.


but then again, without the separation we won't be able to experience that warmth that embraces you when catching-up with friends. it feels so good: a kind of adrenaline rush that you get when you sit down yourselves down and hear so many different stories about each others' lives, then comparing it to the past and laughing at ourselves and the things we've done together. it's amazing.





....................................



i drove at 120, with the windows turned down and the wind running its delicate fingers through my hair. i can't remember the last time i ever felt like this, so free and liberated as if there was nothing in the world that could stop me.


it's one of the things i love about returning home. it's like being back in my very own one tree hill. the feelings were familiar; the places, the people. every corner lingered with a memory just waiting to be discovered again. i felt at ease with the familiar faces, even though it's not always smooth sailing. my family is here, my memories are here. my heart will always be here.


but people move out and move on, i suppose. people always leave.




it's christmas, and i couldn't help but think about him for the past few days. he was my first christmas memory, as all the rest seemed vague and fade in comparison. but what's left of us is no longer worth anything but a mere retention in my mind and an emotion in my heart. however, he had once been in my life nonetheless, and for that he will always occupy that space in my heart. and i still miss him.





i drove on towards home, with jimmy eats world in the player.

"Could've been a night like any other
One of us has to drive
One of us gets to think
I'll force a laugh to break the silence
It's gonna get harder still
Before it gets easy
You can't keep safe what what's to break."

i think of her, and i smile. memories of us are still intact - as vivid in my mind as the feel of the keyboard that i am now typing underneath my fingertips. people have always awed at our friendship; how it was formed under such a short period of time but have remained so solid through these years even though we're two worlds apart. this has always been our song, and i'll always count down the days until we see each other again.


maybe next summer ey, tiffo? : )







it's been a long year, 2009. but why do i feel like i want it to last forever?

Christmas day...

... is about loving and feeling loved. :D

December never felt so wrong, 'cause you're not where you belong - inside my arms.

currently crooning The Hotel Cafe Winter Songs on the playlist.



have a merry christmas, everyone. may all your wishes come true in the new year to come. : )

Resisting.

i've never liked numbers. ascending, descending.





the way it grows from a miniscule nothing of a zero to an infinite number made up of a lot of zeros.


the way it defines the amount of money, and people using it to measure up their wealth.


the way it turns up in a mathematical equation.


the way it is used as an identification in prison.


the way it presents itself, so vast and neverending.


the way it shows how much time has passed.



and the way it shows how many days one has left to live.

翻! Taiwan, Pt. 3 of 3.

the last post of my visit to taiwan - here goes! : )



the beautiful scenery taken from one of the visiting sites at 阳明山Yang-Ming Mountain. we wanted to go for the hot springs there and i couldn't bring my camera along for the trip. : ( the scenery there was to DIE for. i wanted to scream so badly because it was so breath-taking up there but i haven't gotten any cameras to take pictures of.

my first MOS burger meal!

i've always wanted to try their burgers as they have the burger where their buns are made out of organic rice. : ) it's not the cheapest thing to have (my meal was NTD148 which converted would amount up to about RM14.80) but i bought it for the sake of trying.

their simple designs are what i like best. : )

mine was pork chop and curry in the organic rice bun. i love. : )

the designs on the beverages. *squeals*

then we headed down for a trip to 九份Jiu-Fen, one of the famous tourist spots because it overlooks the whole of Taipei.

i love these little rice dumplings sold at 7-Eleven. : )

grandma and grandpa Pan's place.

we went to visit one of the temples there. it was SO.BIG. but so divine. :D

it's so fairytale-like, don't you think?

this is almost beyond beauty. :D

maple leaf! <3

i was trying to take a picture but suddenly cousin jason jumped to take a picture...

... of this leetle spider. : )

my photography did not do this justice i swear. the mixture of red, orange and green will blow your mind. : )

we climbed all the way up here just for the pictures hehe. : )

the next morning cousin m and my sister decided to sleep in while cousin jason, aunt tracy and i brought the bikes up and went for a long ride.

the beautiful scenery we have when cycling alone the river.

taking a break halfway through.

we had to go through these little plots of farming lands and it was awesome. the plantations were green and beautiful, the sun was shining (not my favourite thing in the world but a little sweating will do me good), and the air was fresh. sometimes we would ride by spring onion and chive farms and the breeze would be filled with their scent.

staccato-ed with hints of manure, nonetheless. haha.




not long afterwards, we reached the top of the hill where the little temple was, along with some really old shops that sold trinkets and such. we had breakfast there and also some shaved ice and red bean. : )

one of the old shops there.

on your left we have chives and on your right we have spring onions. : )

the happiest sight of nature ever.

i think that if people were to wake up in the mornings and have this view presented to them everyday, the world would be a happier place.

daisies were abundant as well. i couldn't help loving them. : )

duckies lounging beside the computer in the study room at 三峡San-Xia.

i spent my last few days here briefly roaming around with the rest or sometimes by myself. i was slightly sad because i didn't set out and adventure on my own during my first week when i had loads of time. i only managed to venture out during my last two days in taiwan and i found this really cute place just around the corner from my aunt's place in taipei.

my favourite diner in taiwan: Shih's Bagels.

my first breakfast set at shih's.

in 1995 mr. shih first arrived in america and had his first bagel, but after coming back to taiwan he couldn't find any around the city so he decided to look up for information about bagels. that was when his journey of bagels began. finally, in 2007, shih's bagels established its first main store situated right there where i had my first bagel breakfast set.


mr. shih also made cream cheese of 6 flavours, ranging from sweet to sour, to suit the customer's choices (standing at NTD45/RM4.50 per tub of 50g).



he also has his own homemade caramel creme pudding (standing at NTD40/RM4 per tub or 3 tubs for NTD100/RM10).


homemade yogurt is also available for the same price as the caramel pudding.


homemade pasta sauce is also available @ NTD180/RM18 per 170ml.


shih's bagels famous marmalade is really nice as well. it's not too sweet and contains no perservatives, just right for those who love the natural taste of fruit on their bread (standing at NTD220/RM20 per 170ml).


mr. shih's 11 flavour bagels, standing at NTD45/RM4.50 each: green tea, olive basil, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, sesame, wholewheat, plain, earl grey, garlic, onion and cheese(NTD55/RM5.50).


if you want something more filling, there's also the breakfast set menus to choose from. they're all freshly made upon order and they taste super good. :D








the interior of shih's bagels is homey and comfortable, giving its customers a welcoming hug everytime they take their first step into the place.


the nice little table top area. my favourite spot is the first working lamp from the left, where i usually have a bagel and apple juice and do my usual people-watching. : )

the little notes that satisfied customers have left on the walls in the shop. : )

my second breakfast set at shih's.

i think one of the things that i'll miss the most is the little shops they have in the area. at every turn and every corner of those little old apartments there would be a little cosy shop tucked away somewhere, just waiting for people to discover them and claim it their own little space to hang out and relax.

galoop, a clothing/lifestyle store that's situated right below my aunt's place.

"more & more" lunch bar.

cafe bastille, the belgium beer place right beside more & more lunch bar.

odeon bar and bistro.

asha brunch house right across the road from shih's bagels.

the view from the plane during our flight back.

in a nutshell, my visit to taiwan was great. good food, fun people, seeing new things, experiences. i've seen a few things and learned some more. i'm grateful beyond words to say the least. my heart felt heavy when i had to leave. i miss quite a lot of things.

i miss the cool weather that kisses my face and leaving it cold and nice.

i miss the little secluded shops that are always so cosy and makes me feel safe when i'm there.

i miss eslite bookstore that's just around the corner whenever i feel like getting away.

i miss the CD stores in which i've spent hours alone just trying out new indie music albums.

i miss shih's bagels.

i miss walking along the streets without having to worry that someone from nowhere will steal my bag or what-not *coughmalaysiacough*.

i miss visiting the 7-eleven stores and family marts just to roam around the isles and looking at products on the shelves.

i miss taking the super clean and super punctual metro.

i miss the beautiful scenery and flowers and clean pavements.

i miss how hospitable the people in taiwan is.

i miss the street food.

and i miss tiff.




taiwan was good. really good. it's been 13 years since i've been there, and i had finally set foot there again. i wonder when'll be the next?