Suuup Nooabs!

Delicious home food. :) 

Yoyoyoyo. (this is a compilation of a few days, gomen for the messiness! Think of it as a puzzle of piecing together the order of events. :D)

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Todaaay is Thursdaaay! Means I don't have uni tomorrow...heck yes!

So yeah, here is the long owed update for le blog. Uni is more tiring this year, I want to actually do well because things that I know now and do now will influence my practice when I graduate I guess. =D

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Although I dunno if it's stress or what, but I haven't been sleeping well or feeling tired at night. T_T. Yesterday, I'm pretty sure I was tired, and mind you my cup of coffee was before my 9am lecture. I ended up 'going to sleep' at 1, but actually slept around 3:30am, and still woke up at like 7:05am without my alarm or anything.

My introvert energy is running on power saver mode I think.

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But yeah, what else is I'm losing that fire and motivation I found overseas. I can still feel it, but it's a weaker fire. Don't leave me. Give me strength to persevere for my ambitions. =D

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So I think I left off at Chinese New Years. Chinese New Years has a lot of small traditions, and I think one of them is going down to the 'Dad's house' for the first few days? Iono, Like in Asian culture, the male is more dominant (i.e. last name, blah blah) So yeh.

Red pockets!

So there are the red pockets, which is pretty much supposed to be given by anyone who has a 'proper' job. (I.e. not studying, or casual, but an actual full time job). It's not restricted to age, so my Dad and his sister and my grandparents (and to each other all exchanged red pockets. The funny thing is it's pretty much giving and receiving money for everyone with jobs. The luckier ones (my sister, my cousin, and me) were the ones who didn't have to give but received. =D No complaints. there. 

Another tradition is kind of...Asian prayer to the ancestors and buddha? What usually happens is that there's an offering of food, (seen in the pick below), and that food is 'eaten' by the spirits. And then you light those incense sticks, stick them in, and wish for happiness, luck, fortune, health. =D

Can you see the design on the brocolli?

So yeah, we spent a few days doing that at Chutung. We also went to this huge arse family reunion where I didn't really know many people. Some of the faces were familiar, but the only people I actually recognized where the family friends that kind of took care of us years ago when my sister and I decided to go for a month to a Chinese school in Chutung. It's one of my fonder childhood memories, and an experience I'll cherish for awhile. (: 

Oh yeah, we also did fireworks at 7am, or some crazy time.

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Then the days after were pretty much chilling around Taipei until we set off for Japan. We went around to Taipei 101, and Danshui. (again). Pretty much just eating around. Food sluts.

Gelatooo

Matcha red bean pearl milk tea +D 

Mochi hiding in peanut powder

Cake

 My sister is the biggest poser I know.

 --Japan Hajimete~!

So dude. Japan. Was the most amazing freaking experience I have ever had. Like ever since...well even America, I've always felt something call for me from Japan. Like I just love how the culture is so different; it's like a different world. I love the unspoken rules, and the respect.

But before that! We rode the freakin hello kitty lover's dream come true. No joke. everything from the pillows, to the safety manual, to the cutlery, the barf bag, and toilet paper were hello kitty. Yes, people wiped their butt with hello kitty's face.

Hello! Kitty! Ahhh!

 The flight to Fukuoka wasn't that long...3 hours or something? Although there weren't many good things to watch on the TV program...I think I ended up watching some old episodes of big bang theory. The food was soso as well, nothing memorable.

First step into Japan. 

So yeah. We were with a tour, so first place we went to was a really Japanese ramen place. I don't think I like being associated with a tour group, because in comparison, Taiwanese and Chinese quite honestly seem rather rude compared to the delicate and consistently bowing Japanese. 

Japanese Ramen

The ramen was delicious. The only problem was we weren't really that hungry after being on the plane, but the ramen soup was so rich, but not overwhelming, and the noodles...and pork. Yum. 

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Other highlights of the trip: 

We went to this Japanese town with a temple and a few small shops. The community was awesome in the sense that it was so different and alive. Another thing was, there was soft serve ice cream everywhere. And it was so good. Imagine a McDonalds soft serve, but thicker, and not as sweet, nor as cheap tasting, with more subtle flavors. And green tea potentially. 

Dad-he looks happy. : )

poser. 

Candied strawberries. 

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We also went to Hos ten bois, or something like that. I don't know, but it's a Holland based tourist town located in Fukuoka. I personally didn't like most of it, because it was a lot of Holland based buildings and attractions, and frankly I came to visit Japan, not Holland. >D Although I'm sure for the other tourists who are all Asian and have never properly experienced European culture, it must have been fascinating.

Our tour guide kept recommending that we ate this ramen. It was alright. It reminds me of disney world restaurant food though; looks pretty but tastes kind of average. This was a seafood bowl. Kinda tasted like pasta to be honest.

Ramen

 But that being said, one of the best parts of the trip was the ONE PIECE LAND located inside Huis Ten Bois. It was amazing. Like it's this little area/peninsula next to the sea, so it actually feels like a part of the anime. They created the section after the Saboady Archipelago arc, and they had all the one piece intro songs playing, and bubbles floating. It was like a dream. =D

Chopper popcorn

 How amazing is this. Like right out of the anime. Usually it's supposed to be driven out, but the engine was under maintenance...or they're just too lazy to drive it out and give tourists that excuse.

1000 Sunnies

Franky!

Oh sanji, you shouldn't have. 

 For dinner, we went to a Japanese restaurant. I was so hungry that night. But yeh, have a look:

Fried fishcake things

Nigiri and tempura set

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We also went to a Japanese castle. It was another one of my favorite parts. What I found most amazing about it is that, compared to Western castles, Japanese castles are both powerful and beautiful. (whereas the impression I got from Western ones was that, as long as you can't shoot me in here I win.)

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Salmon snack!..

What else that I found really nice was the amount of family time. Back home, I found that our family time kinda...depreciated to a point where it was almost nonexistent  Like even for dinner, everyone came home at different times (usually me >D), thus everyone kind of just ate dinner at their computers. I think family time is really important in sharing important things that are going on in people's minds and planning for the future. I think I'm making more of an effort to make sure we keep that this year. Because even though the initial thought would be that sitting at the computer and watching tv shows is more entertaining, I find quality family time much more fulfilling and makes you a happier person.

Family feast after dinner :D 

Japanese cake

Matcha ice cream everyday!

 So that's it for Japan. I'm actually being really brief because I'm kind of tired and I want to get this blog out of the way. But I highly recommend going, and I'm sure this will not be the last time. ^^

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Back in Taiwan after Japan: My dad took us to this standing Japanese restaurant. The food was delicious and decently cheap, but the main impression I got from the place was productivity and economical standards, rather than the dining experience. I found that a shame because the food was so good, yet it was set up in a way and in an environment in which people couldn't enjoy it to it's full potential.

Ginormous crabs trying to get out

Sushi

Hand rolls

Sushi

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Yep, that's all from me today. Frankly life has been kind of tiring, and plus it's been raining non stop here at home. There's this huge coagulation of water in our backyard, and we've spent the last two days scooping it out bucket by bucket to make sure that it doesn't overflow to the house. My back is kind of sore and I swear we've at least done 300+ buckets and a few hours of work. Sun we miss you!

I've got a lovely bunch of melon breads, there they are all standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head...

 <33 Till next time! Everyone ganbatte ne! And don't forget to cherish and pay attention to all aspects of your life and future; not just the ones that are immediately interesting or attractive.

In the mean time, I will be working on the following. >D It's already mostly gone actually.

Food hoard

 Cya!