(One of) the most handsome guy(s) in my mind- July 30, 2008 My favourite female star is Madonna, and male star Kimura Takuya (from Japan.) That day Andy and I were walking on the street, and in front of a video shop I saw Kimuras poster on the wall! I was so surprised that I screamed. The owner of the shop- a middle-aged man- showed up: Do you like it Let me see if there are any left. He went back to the shop but showed up again 5 minutes later with empty hands: Too bad there is none left. This movie was released last year and we got a lot of posters...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/one-of-most-handsome-guys-in-my-mind.html My night snack- July 30, 2008 I eat a lot while staying in Taiwan, probably because I havent seen the paradise of food for a long time. At the same time, Taiwanese restaurants are so hard-working that they open until midnight, so I can always find a restaurant around the corner serving inexpensive but delicious food. So although taking too much night snack is not good for the health Ive done it quite a lot. Just within a walking distance there is a restaurant serving Chinese-style light food: soya milk, rice milk, omelet...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-night-snack.html Looking for Ramen- July 30, 2008 I love Ramen, but too bad in Montreal although we got a lot of great European food, there are not many restaurants making delicious soup and noodle. I guess this situation results from the small number 60,000 - of East Asian immigrants. My coach at the driving class is from Shanghai, and he said: Ramen here is like a joke. So on the first day of my arrival in Taiwan when Amanda asked me what kind of food Id like to have for lunch I answered right away: Ramen! She kindly drove me to the Xinyi.http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/looking-for-ramen.html Roxy 99- July 22, 2008 I havent seen one of my best friends, Thomas, in Taiwan for years. Last weekend he called me do you want to go to a night shop (Ye Dian) Of course! A night shop doesnt mean a shop open until very late, since all shops open until very late in Taiwan; instead, it means a club or a pub. I guess this is a new term which was invented recently.So Thomas and I had dinner together, but we kept talking and forgot the time. When we realized its already 12:00 I said since I stay in my friends place its...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/roxy-99.html The most relaxing moment of a day- July 22, 2008 In Taipei I stay in my friends place. This is a comfortable and quiet room; however, I cant work while staying here because there are a big bed and a big TV, and I cant stop myself from being lazy. Hence I force myself to go to the library or my friends office to work when I need to transcribe the result of the interviews. After a productive day, I went to the market near to the dorm to have a nice dinner, and then I came back to the room. I first of all take a shower to wash away all the...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/most-relaxing-moment-of-day.html Kitty is everywhere- July 19, 2008 I love cats, and I love pink, so no wonder I love Hello Kitty. Long time ago I walked my beloved cat Akan in NDG, Montreal, with a Hello Kitty leash, and the guy I ran into on the pavement said: Is he a boy Then he will get problems of gender identity! Indeed, most of the time Hello Kittys fans are girlswomen. Taipei, of course, got a lot of Hello Kitty stores. I have enough Kitty stuff, and whenever going to the stores I feel like having more!Hello Kitty coffee shop (authorized by Sanrio)in...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/kitty-is-everywhere.html To the sea: facing the Taiwan Strait- July 19, 2008 After my interviews with a couple of informants, my friend Zeng drove me to Qijin a small island outside of the harbor-. Disappointingly, the island is not as lively as when I visited long time ago. Zeng was curious, too: where did people go The main street of Qijin is so quiet; only a few shops are open, and we drove back and forth and finally found one restaurant. Qijin is a famous tourist spot in Taiwan, and there are two possible reasons which make this island so quiet. First, the day we...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/to-sea-facing-taiwan-strait.html Trip to the South: Kaohsiung- July 19, 2008 I visited Kaohsiung last week for my fieldwork. Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan, and as a harbour city it got very different personality from Taipei. For example, it got a lot of beautiful boulevards and huge buildings, but at the same time people dont seem to care about the rules and drive super fast, and pedestrians J walk everywhere. However, this city is energetic, which means a lot of cultural festivals have been launched, and new shopping malls and office buildings have...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/trip-to-south-kaohsiung.html Way down to Xinzhu- July 13, 2008 For my fieldwork I went to Xinzhu last week. Transportation system in Taiwan is convenient. In addition to buses and airplanes, I can choose trains or the High-Speed Rail. When I arrived in the Taipei train station, the clerk asked me do you want to take Local Express I dont know what Local Express is, but it sounds interesting so I got the ticket and took the train right away.Local Express means the train goes through different regions in certain area; for example, the train I took goes south..http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/way-down-to-xinzhu.html Joy in the Taipei Metro- July 2, 2008 I keep asking myself to enjoy good things about Taiwan and make it a nice stay. A lot of people might agree that these could include food, shopping and transportation. I like the Taipei Metro a lot, and indeed, a lot of people call it the most civilized place in Taipei. First, its clean since there is always someone doing cleaning in the train. Second, its organized since people queue to get in the train. Third, its considerate since now with the new automatic sensors at the entrance of each...http://gracechengyinglin.blogspot.com/2008/07/joy-in-taipei-metro.html |