& put your footprints on // 6:51 AM &

Found this on Clar's blog, thought it was really meaningful. Ah that says alot, coming from a guy. Kinda like the Ode to Nice Guys I read. My guess; probably a couple did them.

No matter how I look at it, we're all selfish people. Though we may often play the role of being the friend in need, the one who's always caring for others, when it comes to the crunch; we always take the road that benefits us the most.

Like they say; randomness here. I really am bored. :(

Lol, emo stuff this is. I see heartwarming words like these, penned down by those kind souls who care enough to lift other people like myself out of their misery and cold, it makes my day.

And it's hard to come by.

& put your footprints on // 6:42 AM &

For the benefit of those TIPers who come here (dunno how many).

台湾
Taiwan

The main areas I got to visit were Taipei(台北), Hualien(花蓮), Taitung(台東), Kenting(墾丁), & Kaohsiung(高雄). Also Nantou(南投), but only its Sun Moon Lake.

Stuff to look out for:

1. Photo spots. Taiwan has some great scenery around the more sub-urban places, so do take lots and lots and lots of pics. I mean LOTS.
   
   Here are some shots I took.
   
   
   
   
   Great stuff eh? That's called perfectionisim. :P
   
   
   
2. Shopping. Ok this needs some coverage.
   Taiwan does have alot of stuff to shop, especially if you're planning on doing the window version. But if it comes to cold hard cash, consider first.
   
   The exchange rate from SG$ to NT$ (New Taiwan Dollar) is about 1:21, meaning one buck in sunny Singapore is worth 21 in Taiwan. Sounds good? Not exactly, because the stuff in Taiwan isn't exactly cheap. Most would go for clothing (Taiwanese fashion is hot!), and the price of one shirt in the night market ranges from NT$200-300 (SG$10-20).
   
   Another thing would be the food, which is really cheap. (I'll talk more later)
   
   One thing to note though; deciding to get anything special (like Royal Jelly or the infamous SK-I) will most undoubtably burn holes in your pocket. Prices are...crap. High.
   
   Ximenting in Taipei is good for trendy clothes and the latest fashion, but prices aren't very cheap.
   
   The various night markets, on the other hand, sell at cheap prices while having reasonably good quality. They're quite easy to find; almost every urban city will have one somewhere. The best ones are all listed in Wiki.
   
   
3. Food. Oh, my favourite part.
   Taiwanese cuisine is really a must-try! Stalls in the night market will spoil for choice, but do note that hygiene is important. A few dishes to note:
   
   1. Taiwanese meatball soup.
      
      Looks like ordinary meatball soup, but the meatballs are stuffed with a second layer of meat. Sometimes with soup inside.
      
      
   2. Xiaolongbao & Xiaolongtangbao. Definitely worth it, although hard to find on the streets. Make sure to suck it dry before eating.
      
      
   3. Dou Kou Beef Noodles. Didn't try this, but heard the beef is good.
      
      
   4. Fried Ice Cream.
      
      This one was recommended by my tour guide, but so far I've seen only one stall. (Leo Ho Night Market in 高雄)
      
      
      
   5. Muah Chee. Like a dessert, but these have jam inside. Bought 4 packets home. :)
      
      
   6. Grandma's Iron Egg (铁蛋). Tastes like a tea egg, said to be one of Taiwan's unique eats. Not fantastic, but try anyway.
      
      Last but not least...
      
      
   7. Chou Tofu.
      The stink is incredible. I smelled it from 4 or 5 shops away. The way they make this is...i'm not saying. It really isn't worth mentioning. Just...free your mind and eat. While holding your nose shut. I didn't dare try this, but it's supposed to be really tasty. If anyone finds out, tell me about it ok??
      
      With all that smell, it has to be. Very easy to find because of the smell.
      
      
      I would have added Peking Duck to the list, but it's too pricey. NT$1000 at its cheapest.
      
   
   
4. Locals. It's a real asset to be fluent in Mandarin if you wanna get around. Knowing Hokkien helps, too. But most of the people seem quite friendly. What's better, they get even friendlier when you give them money. In the night market, in particular.
   
   
5. Transport. Easiest way to get around in Taipei is by Metro, so make sure to get a full-day pass. Works exactly like our EZ-Link system, down to the NT$50 deposit. (Hmm might be wrong about the amount)
   Roads, on the other hand, are long and winding. I sat a bus throughout my tour and was duly rewarded with a splitting migrane. Ow.

That's my 101 guide to Taiwan.
Speaking of which, don't forget to take a pic of Taipei 101, the world's tallest building.

And light some fireworks before you get back! :)

-timT
Taiwanese survivor.

& put your footprints on // 6:15 AM &

Just came back from Taiwan! 9 days straight, and I'm beat. Toured almost the whole of Taiwan I think...mostly those major cities like Taipei, Danshui and Gaoxiong (can't rmb how to spell).

Updates when I get those pics onto the com! Stay tuned.

& put your footprints on // 2:09 PM &

PW's finally over! As the VERY LAST PW group to present in the entire school, I think we were under much heavier fire than other groups. However, all went well, and we still managed to pull off that "CC COOL!" thingy we planned. Haha...we rock!

Anyway, I love my PW group! Ying Han, Valerie, Geri & Liu Pan. All that crap we had to go through, all the nights we had no sleep; it was all worth it. I still remember the time we were screwed from Mr Chua's relentless orders to "specialise!". Which we did, then turned out we had specialised too much (Study Room??). But thanks to Mr Chua, I think our class was definitely one of the better ones in PW.

Congrats to Eahy's group as well for their OP! I think they did present very well. Maybe because of my video :P

I'm off to Taiwan from the 15th to the 25th of November. If need be, email me at tayyqt@gmail.com if anything's up. I won't be able to reply any sms or calls overseas.

Oh well, off to Taiwan! I'll scout the area for mines before you TIPpers come. :)

& put your footprints on // 6:12 AM &

Okay, the scores. It wasn't easy.

Terence 3 (Even though u didn't finish it)
Ty 3
Eahy 2
Pearly 1 (^^)

The false answers are:

1. I eat garlic and ginger salad every month to boost my chi.
That'll not only give me breath potent enough to blow Dracula clear into the next month, it'll scald my tongue so badly, you'd think i swallowed magma. I ate a piece of ginger accidentally and I almost died.
5. I love Yul.
I am not gay.
9. I have been knocked down by cars 3 times before in my life.
Tell me someone that's done that before, and i'll shake his hand.
11. One of my hobbies is doing push-ups on the piano.
Now who the hell does that. Push-ups, oookay, but on the piano? Would it be like; "Push-ups, C# Minor, 30 counts of 4, exercise begin!"
19. I am gay.
I am NOT gay! How many times must I say that!!

Pearly u think I'm GAY AH??! Wa lao. -_-''

On another note, Deathnote rocks! Just went to watch it today with the Scandalities. Awsome! Although I felt the anime was still much better. Can't wait for the 2nd to come out!

Oh yes, catch our own version of Death Newspaper in the Scandalnavian Times. Episode 1.