I finally have my camera back!

While I may be no photographer, and while I'm usually very lazy about taking pictures, I missed my little point-and-shoot Canon so much once it was gone! It was dropped from quite a big height for a wee little digital camera months ago, and I've been waiting for it to get fixed ever since. I took it to a camera repair shop that came highly recommended and usually does good work, but for some reason they just kept not completely fixing it. Of course it would be fine at the shop when they gave it back to me, but then it would start acting funky again as soon as I got it home. Finally, after taking it back to the shop for the fourth time, I laid on the guilt pretty thick and told them that I was beginning to think that I would have no camera to capture my first child's first precious moments of life. They felt really bad and kept it for two weeks, and finally did a thorough check and discovered the real problem. The real problem ended up being much more complicated and expensive than the other minor problem that I paid them to repair, but they fixed it for free. So now, I've been trying extra hard to be mindful of photo opportunities and taking advantage of them when they come my way. I still kind of suck at taking pictures, but hopefully I'll improve with practice. Here's a few moments from my life that I've captured recently:


I don't know why I thought this looked cool. I'm spying on the comings and goings of the worshipers at Longshan Temple through a space in the outside wall.


Going to get some dou hua. I actually don't like this place so much because they're a chain and skimp on all the good gloopy bits, but they were there and I had a craving.


Here's my favorite dou hua combination: dou hua with boiled peanuts (I never cared much for peanuts until I came to Asia and had them boiled) and glutinous balls made from sweet potato and taro. There should be way more glutinous balls!


Wow, I just realized that most of my pictures seem to be food related! I spend a great part of my day looking for and consuming good food. Anyway, here is one of my favorite Zongzi places, which happens to be right outside Dingxi station, which happens to be the MRT near our apartment. As you can imagine, I come here a lot to take care of my Zongzi cravings.


Here's some of that delicious Zongzi hanging. I guess they're hanging out to dry? I'm not too sure of the process, but they always have to be hung for awhile.


Here's Ian looking handsome as ever. We were at Warner Village with our friend Catherine, who is my PPIC (pregnant partner in crime, she's the clever one who coined this phrase), about to go to the Taipei International Book Expo (where we bought our first children's books for Jonathan). You can tell that people are gearing up for Chinese New Year by all the lanterns hanging in the background.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more mediocre but interesting photography!

I'm sick!

I have a cold now, and although I've been trying to write an interesting post that's been swimming around in my head for the past 30 minutes, I don't seem to be capable of producing anything of any sense. I feel like crap! So here's a short little ditty for you. There's this really, really, really good Vietnamese restaurant by our apartment. Its so good that I took a picture of the food!


Here's a hot, steaming bowl of beef pho.


Here's me looking happy because I get to eat the pho.


Here's Ian drinking some sort of interesting green milk drink.


What the heck was going on in that head of his?

I have a few interesting things I want to post about, but I just don't feel very well now. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self soon!

The Best Pearl Milk Tea Ever

Last I checked, in America it's referred to as "bolba." In Taiwan it's called "pearl milk tea," and comparing it to it's counterpart in America is like comparing apples and oranges. Granted, I haven't tried every bolba place in America, but when I used to drink it in L.A. all you could get were the big gelatinous balls in some sort of a fruity shake drink. Here you have so many more choices! You can get little balls, big balls, pudding, herbal jelly, gelatinous coconut, gelatinous stuff that I can't identify, and so many other interesting gelatinous things (Taiwanese people like eating and drinking things that are gelatinous). And usually these things are added to actual tea (milk is optional). In my three years in Taiwan, I've drunk a lot of different kinds of pearl milk tea, but none are as good as this place:



What makes this place special? They don't just use regular gelatinous balls; they use gelatinous balls soaked in brown sugar! These pearls are kept heated and simmering in gooey brown sugar, and then a generous spoonful of them is ladled into the cup. Then they pour mostly milk with just a touch of tea over these sweet gelatinous balls of sugary goodness. Needless to say, there's always a line in front of this humble little tea cart. I'm not sure of the name because I can't read Chinese, but if you want to try it for yourself just go to Gongguan in Taipei and look for the tea vendor on the corner with an old man's face on the sign. I highly recommend it!

Taiwanese food that I ate over Chinese New Year (first picture is duck intestines, and I actually didn't eat any of that).

Get ready to be shocked...

I browned ground beef and heated up tortillas in the microwave -- I've got real cooking skills now!


Believe it or not, the pico de gallo and guacamole was made from scratch.


Here's the "taste of Mexico" spread I had out on the table when Ian came home.

Yes, I actually made this food. I was shocked! The food wasn't just edible, it was actually enjoyable to eat! For those of you who don't already know that I've been trying to learn how to cook and turn my dorm room-like house into a real home. I blogged about it a little here. I'm usually pretty busy during the week, but since Friday is my night off, I decided to experiment. It went so well, that I think I'll try to learn how to cook one new meal a week, always with a focus on dishes from back home that we miss. Tonight I made the kind of food that we miss most of all -- Mexican food! Next week I'd like to make meatloaf (the really good kind with congealed ketchup on top), mashed potatoes, and some kind of vegetable. So if any of you have a recipe for this, please email it to me or give it to me as a comment. And please, nothing too difficult (I'm still cooking impaired) and nothing that includes ingredients that I probably couldn't find in a typical Asian grocery store. The only downside about tonight's meal is that the amount of money I spent making it is almost what we'd spend if we had gone out and eaten it at a restaurant! I had to go to the fancy imported foods grocery store in the basement of Sogo Department Store just to buy tortillas, tortilla chips, sour cream, ground beef, and good avocados! And the taco seasoning I used was mailed from the U.S. of course. Oh well. It was worth it just to see the look on my husband's face when he got home from work tonight! I told him he better not ruin his appetite or I'd be super angry that he ruined my great experiment. Praise God, the experiment was a success!

Moonstruck -- My Moon Festival Photos

A bit late, but here they are. My photos of our Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Moon Festival) festivities! This is a holiday filled with BBQ, deliciously fattening mooncakes (that sit like a rock in your stomach after eating just one), and family reunions. Click on the wikipedia link above to get the more factual, less artsy explanation.


My ridiculously good-looking husband trying his hand at the BBQ. Wow ... he's a man's man!


Typical Taiwanese BBQ. Doesn't that squid look yummy?


This is 雞心 (chicken heart) and 雞屁股 (chicken butt) on a stick. Taiwanese people are adamant that chicken butt is good for the skin.


Look! I know how to BBQ!


Pomelos are in season during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and are often given as a gift along with mooncakes. My friend, Ali, is wearing the peel of one on her head. According to Taiwanese tradition, this is good luck.


How could I not fall in love with this man?


Our beautiful hostesses BBQing. Notice how the BBQs are very low to the ground, making it necessary to squat or sit on a low stool to cook. The BBQs here are somewhat disposable. You usually use them a few times and then throw them away.


BBQ bamboo. This is actually quite tasty!

A Visit from My Super Cool In-laws

One of the benefits of Ian's parents living in China is that we actually have some family that isn't located on the other side of the world. Their visits are always a welcome blessing! Feel free to check out their website.


Dave and Wendy about to chow down at the Korean BBQ restaurant we took them to.


A shot of the food at the restaurant. You'll notice that many restaurants have a little mini BBQ built into the table here. I never encountered this in the United States (although I'm sure they have them somewhere), and I expect that it's due to the lawsuits that could incur. Just use your imagination -- "Daddy, what happens if I touch this grill ..."


We walked to the flower market near our house the next day.


A gardener squatting for some reason unbeknown to me.


Beautiful flowers that I refrain from buying because I know I would just end up killing them.