Miramar Mall

Hubby had to photograph a wedding in Taipei this past weekend. So he brought me along for his trip so that we could enjoy some time together in Taipei after he finishes work. He worked all day Saturday and I was so happy when we finally could check into a motel and head out to dinner. On Sunday, we visited the Miramar Mall, which has this giant ferry ride on the top of the mall. Since opening, Miramar Mall has been the favorite dating spot for couples in Taipei because of the ferry ride.






We both didn't feel particularly in the mood for shopping on that day so we had a little fun at the mall's arcade. Normally I'm not a video game person, but this arcade offers up many choices besides video games.



Oh I love bowling! This is fun!

Want an electronic horse ride?


How about a little drum playing?


Hubby's totally into violet gun shooting.


And we sang karaoke in a private booth.


With the touch of a few buttons, the KTV booth gives you and a friend enough space to rewind and relax for cheaper.

Sushi Express

When I was still a girl, Sushi just wasn't my favorite dish on our table no matter how hard my parents tried to convince me otherwise. Maybe it's because it's raw? Plus the taste of wasabi in your mounth is probably too overwhelming for a child.


During college I started to warm up to raw fish by taking on Terriyaki, Sushi, then finally Sashimi, and in the process discovered some excellent Japanese restaurants in Chicago. Ha.. just an example of how life-changing college was for me!! Sushi has been one of my favorite foods in the world ever since. And the restaurant chain "Sushi Express" here in Taiwan is simply Sushi heaven for me!








At Sushi Express, freshly made Sushi on small yellow plates are rotated around the Sushi bar on a moving belt. Delicious, ready to eat Sushi is only an arm's length away on the rotating belt for every customer.



Menu, soy Sauce, wasabi, napkins, chopsticks, and tea bags are already all set on the table when a customer is seated. A tap (serving hot water) is also right there on the table for you to make yourself a cup of green tea.



Each plate of Sushi costs 1USD, and the waiter only need to count the number of plates on your table to determine the check total. It's fast, delicious, and relatively cheaper than the Japanese restaurants in the States.





Yum!

Contrary to popular belief...

HG and I did not get into a fight and decided to stop working together on I am Fashion and started our own blogs instead. (Even our mutual friends wondered about it!) We still email each other daily about the intricate details of our lives and random thoughts we have, and feel extremely empty when the other is away and has no access to the internet. When I freak out, she is the first person I call and she is still my maid of honor when I fantasize about my wedding. Our reasons for closing down I am Fashion still stands, though I do think that my later rationalization of it in this blog is a better articulation of how we feel.

As for us continuing to blog even more regularly than before, I attribute it to the "newness" of our blogs. Starting a new blog is like starting a relationship. At the beginning everything is new and exciting as you get to know the other person and watch your relationship grow and mature. Every up and every down is a significant moment. Then the honeymoon phase eventually wears off and you reach a happy medium, where your relationship becomes a part of your daily life. With any luck, you will live happily ever after in this state with a few surprises here and there to spice up the norm. If not, your relationship will wane and you grow apart, eventually deciding that you are both better off parting ways.

Clearly I'm in the honeymoon phase. We are starting to explore new things together, trying to figure out what works best for the both of us. Every new post is an adventure. Every comment and email is exciting. I want to spend every moment of everyday with it, checking on its progress i.e. stalking the traffic, the incoming and outgoing links etc. It's an exhilarating feeling that I'd almost forgotten about!

Analogy aside, it is heartwarming to read everyone's encouraging comments and to know that we were able to leave a small footprint on some people's lives. We appreciate your support and remember that we've not left the blogging world for good. Come visit us some time at our new blogs -(Find the links to our new blogs in the post below). We miss you guys!

CowParade in Taipei

What better time to welcome the CowParade to Taipei than the Year of the Boar!! The CowParade, the world's largest public art event, is currently also going on in Hong Kong, and Madrid. CowParade first debuted in 1999 in Chicago (I was there, too :-) which is why I'm so glad it's finally coming to Taipei) Over 50 cities worldwide has hosted the event since.






The cows on display are created by local city/country artists. It's amazing seeing how the locally created cows reflect the different culture, histories of their respective cities.






Below is a close-up of a cow appropriately named "night market cow". The Taipei CowParade runs Feb 03 - March 31.

Cosplay Photo Shoot

I had never witnessed cosplay in person, so I was thrilled to join hubby on this particular photo shoot. This time I was asked to help Wendy, our cosplay model, with her makeup. The photo shoot took place outdoor in a park. I'm surprised how dreamy Wendy looks in the photos. Can you guess which character she was trying to emulate?

Outdoor Photo Shoot and Mini Dress

I love tagging along on hubby's photo projects, especially one that I could put my style savvy to use - helping dress the client. Jessica and her boyfriend, Jake, both still high school seniors, wanted to do an outdoor couple's photo shoot. Hubby asked me to help dress/accessorize Jessica for this shoot. Jessica is very young, with an outgoing personality so I picked out a sporty cobalt blue mini sweater dress for her. The shoot took place at an old wine refinery factory, thus giving the photos their beautiful color and interesting mood. I am loving how the photos turn out. What do you all think of the photos?

Night Market Continued: Tan Sui Fisherman's Wharf

After the "Shih-Lin" night market, We arrived at our destination, Tan Sui, late at night. We checked into a hotel that we previously looked up on the Internet. The next morning, we wasted no time packing up again and leaving the hotel behind for a full day of sightseeing.



The hotel is just 5 min away from the Tan Sui coast:



It was a gloomy-weather day with strong winds. (The winds remind me of San Francisco Bay.) All the photos look a bit gray :-( This is a shot of Tan Sui Fisherman's Wharf, complete with the block of pedestrian stores and the shoreline right behind it. This is the place where the river of Tan Sui meets the Pacific Ocean.







We strolled along the river of Tan Sui.



Boats ferry tourists across the river and back.



Where there are tourists, there will be no shortage of snack vendors. A little girl is selling glazed cherry tomato w/ plum.





A trip to Tan Sui is not complete with a taste of its local specialty - Tan Tofu, Fish Ball Soup, and Steamed Pork Buns.



Turkish immigrants also set up shops along the river.





Wow..what's with the long line? Let's get a closer look....



Huge sweet potatos hang on the mobil mini cart. How cool is that!



Yummy!