Explore!

Location | New York, NY

This is Steel Train

Today’s 365 is brought to you by Steel Train. What is Steel Train you ask? Well I didn’t know until about 2 hours ago. They’re an indie rock group from Jersey. I went to the Brooklyn Bowl tonight for Albert’s birthday and part of the Brooklyn Bowl is a music venue so there was a Steel Train concert! I’ve never really been into indie rock, but I have to admit that they were pretty good.

It reminded me of the days when I used to be more into music. I’d know all the latest bands and try to essentially “keep up with the Joneses.”

Anyway, while at the Brooklyn Bowl, I made friends with a guy from Japan who’s a guitarist in a band. Didn’t get his contact info though, or else maybe I’d be going to more indie rock concerts?

Location | New York City

Glenfidditch Scotch - Aged 12 Years

Yesterday was the beginning of what would turn into a long (and fun) night. It was New Year’s Eve, I was hosting a bash at my friend, Ning’s, and with a fridge filled only with alcohol (beer, beer and more beer) as well as a bar stocked with whiskey, vodka, rum, etc, we were ready to party.

When the night was winding down, my friend John decided he’d take it upon himself to teach me how to drink (and enjoy!?) scotch. Ning had 2 bottles of scotch in his apartment, Glenlivet, Aged 12 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Glenfidditch, also Aged 12 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about scotch. Frankly, I had no idea that it had to be distilled in Scotland. You’d think I’d make a connection… scotch… Scotland… scotch… Scotland… and no… I did not.

So here’s John’s advice (and this is assuming that you’re like me, knowing nothing about scotch):

• Scotch is a sipping drink. It must never be swallowed like a shot.
• Scotch is a sweet drink. Smell it before you sip.
• Sip the scotch so that it is at the front of your mouth, where the tip of your tongue is (where the sweet receptors are) and swirl slightly to taste
• Swallow the scotch and breathe out through your nose. Keep mouth shut (or else you’ll feel the scotch burn).

As strange as this all sounds (and also slightly obvious). This took me FOREVER to master. Boy, I felt completely ridiculous trying to do this careful “dance” in my mouth with tongue, scotch, breathing, mouth shut. Of course, my mouth and throat were burning after awhile because I was having trouble trying to understand how someone could enjoy scotch.

I have a feeling that it’s going to be one of those “acquired taste” things, but maybe I can get into it? Despite that completely tipsy drunken feeling I had only after a little bit.

Location | New York City

So until I actually get the blog up and running, I’m starting my new project here. It’s called 365. Essentially I’m going to try to blog about 1 thing every day that I find inspiration in, or something that I’ve learned about. The cool thing is… it goes really well in conjunction with the Explore! blog. It’s part of my resolution to explore and seek out new things and find inspiration in the everyday. Hopefully I’ll be able to move these entries off of Explore to their own home soon.

Location | New York City

One thing I’m always thankful for is that I live in a city where there’s plenty to explore. My cousins are currently visiting from Michigan, so I took them on a mini tour of New York. We went up to Central Park to walk around. The lighting was perfect, but I wish I had someone who enjoyed shooting as much as me there. The weather was beautiful, it was around 50 degrees, beautiful clear blue skies and sunny.

Perfect lighting in "The Mall" section of Central Park

We strolled through the section of the park known as “The Mall” over to where the Bethesda Terrance & Fountain, where we found that the fountain had been drained. We walked up to where the sailboat pond (known as The Conservatory Water) is and found that it too had been drained! Earlier in the summer Greg and I had visited to go inside the Kerbs Memorial Boathouse where the Central Park Model Yacht Club houses their boats.

We walked upwards toward the Met and over to Belvedere Castle. I’d never gone there before and this was a treat. The view is pretty breathtaking up there. Although when you look south, you can only see treetops, but when you look north you get an amazing view of the Turtle Pond below, then over the Great Lawn and into the Upper East Side.

The view from Belvedere Castle

After spending some time there, we walked through The Ramble over to Strawberry Fields near the Upper West Side. I’d never seen the Imagine memorial (for John Lennon) and stopped a second to take a picture.

I love this song.

After that we exited the park and took the train down to Midtown and walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the big tree. The crowd was insane. They blocked off the roads because there were just too many people flocking to see the tree. It took us about half an hour just to get through the crowd.

We walked down Fifth Avenue (a bad idea during the holiday season) toward the New York Public Library on 42nd street. We sat in front of the library for a bit to rest before we went around to Bryant Park. They had their holiday shops up and their lovely little tree and ice skating rink. They rename the winter version “The Pond.” We took a bunch of pictures around the tree and watch the Zamboni go round and round on the rink.

Bryant Park Tree

After that we walked over to Grand Central where I showed them the inside and then we went our separate ways.

My cousins, Billy, me, Andrew and Tim.

Location | New York City

If there’s one place I’ve been meaning to visit for awhile, it’s The High Line. Sometimes I just love being a tourist in my own city! Yesterday was a chilly 17 degrees while also the calm before the biggest snowstorm of 2009 (well the end of 2009). We accumulated around 12-15 inches last night.

Yesterday, in snow and cold wind, my friends Yaya, Matty and Steve walked from my apartment to The High Line. The High Line is a park built on the remnants of an elevated rail line that lifted freight cars 30 feet above the streets in the west side of Manhattan. It runs from the Meatpacking district (Gansevoort St) up to 34th Street.

The High Line is really pretty lit-up

So The High Line is a cemented sidewalk with some wildlife on each side. At night they light it up so it is a really beautiful setting against the backdrop of the city.

Keep It Wild! Stay on the Path!

Location | New York, NY

This past Sunday, I went to Philadelphia to meet up with my cousin, Jessie. Billy, Jessie’s brother, drove us there. We left around 9 and arrived around 11. We met up with Jessie and her research assistant Yi-zhen. The first stop was South Street. We headed to Ishkabibble’s Eatery to have some Philly Cheesesteaks. I noticed that the line for Jim’s Steaks, the typical tourist stop, was already out the door and down the block. Ishkabibble is rated highly on Yelp, which tends to be my bible for finding delicious places.

Although I wasn’t elated about the quality of food, I wasn’t quite disappointed either. Between the four of us, we ordered 3 South Philly Cheesesteaks (red pepper, spinach, provolone and beef), 1 South Philly Chicken Cheesesteak (same, but with chicken), a large order of fries, 2 Gremlins (half grape juice, half lemonade), 1 Diet Coke, 1 Apple Juice.

The inside of Ishkabibble’s is tiny, but we found a space for the 4 of us at the counter. There we chowed down, but I was only able to get through half of mine, but I also ate half of the large fries (oh man!) and also downed the Gremlin, which was amaaaaazing.

Making Philly Cheesesteaks!

After Ishkabibble’s, Jessie needed to get back to the conference center (she was there to give a speech on public health), so we dropped her off and took Yi-zhen to the Eastern State Penitentiary. I called up Danny (my friend from college) to come chill with us as well.

The outside of the Eastern State Penitentiary looks like a castle. It looks completely out of place in the outskirts of Philly. Due to Halloween, the haunted house decorations were still up. $8 for a student ticket, and $12 for regular adult. With every entrance ticket you get an audio set to take you on your own tour. There’s also free tours with guides if you go at the right time.

Creepy Hallway

Walking in, you just go between a thick wall and you see the old buildings to your left. When you enter for the first time, you realize that it’s cold. Not just cold temperature wise, but just like that eerie cold you get when you feel like you’re all alone. It was actually a nice day outside (where jackets were not needed), but I was practically shivering inside the building.

Who is this prisoner!?

Walking hallway through hallway, I knew that I would never want to experience prison or jail. Even if it is supposedly “nicer” these days (whatever that means).

We walked down the different cells peeking in doors (if possible) and just feeling the eeriness of the prison. We went past death row, the greenhouse, outdoor area, and completely dilapidated cells. It was a great and surreal experience.

We walked by Al Capone’s old cell (which was “beautifully” furnished). Over all it was highly recommended.

After the penitentiary, we headed back to find my cousin. We went to Capogiro Artisan Gelato and had some truly divine gelato. Pera, heirloom apple and bacio (chocolate w/ hazelnut). Not only those 3 flavours, but also a huge dollop of homemade whipped cream! YUM!

Delicious gelato! YUM!

We walked a mile or so to a small store that sold some Japanese goodies, but otherwise, we didn’t do much besides drop off my cousin and her assistant back at the hotel and then my cousin and I headed back to NY.

Location | Taichung, Taiwan

Wow, this trip went by incredibly fast. I’m going to miss Taiwan a lot. Now that I’m older, I have more money, I can appreciate Taiwan a lot more than I used to. Even though my best time in Taiwan was still the summer of 2005 (I miss you TTT-ers!), this time was just as great hanging out with family and old friends.

We got back from Sydney around 6pm and back to Taichung around 8. My cousin and his girlfriend stopped by with bubble tea and their dog Manto. It wasn’t very eventful except the unpacking.

Friday started out early. First I woke up early to go get my eyeliner tattoo redone on the left eye. The under-eye line was faded. After another horrific 20 or so minutes, we were off to go do some shopping. We went to Mei Hwa Tai, Sogo and Net. At Net I spent US$400 on a new wardrobe… heh. I’m a big spender.

We had lunch at Chun Shui Tang. I got the Kung Fu Noodles, turnip cake and bubble tea. We spent the afternoon chatting at my Grandma’s before my aunt took me home with her to use the internet. I hung out with her, my cousin, Jack, and their dog Manto until it was time to go back to my Grandma’s so I could quickly change and we could go to teppenyaki!

This is Manto. He says "hello!"

Teppenyaki was easily the coolest part of the night. We went to this fancy-looking place where they have impeccable service and really delicious food. It was French-style teppenyaki. Here are the things we ate in order:

Amuse Bouche

Fish Soup

Nicoise Salad

Duck Breast!

Vegetables!

Sakura Fried Rice

Ice cream covered in a shell of chocolate

Milk Tea w/ Grass Jelly

It was a really satisfying and filling meal. Looking at the pictures makes me really hungry. I’d really love to eat some more of the Sakura fried rice. It was really amazing, but I couldn’t enjoy it that much because I was completely STUFFED.

Oh yeah, the chefs and waiters are all extremely attractive. Apparently it’s part of the way they choose employees. You have to fit a certain standard of good looks. I didn’t think our chefs were that good looking, but not bad.

Our Chefs

After dinner I got dropped back off at my grandma’s and my aunt took me and my mom to go see my aunt on my dad’s side. On the way there I learned that the uncle of the youngest aunt (my dad has 5 sisters) was (or still is!?) in the Taiwanese mafia… and apparently he’s on the lam after doing some jail time? Interesting…

Anyway, my aunts (the oldest and the 4th oldest) run a food stand on a small street. There they sell fried leek pancakes, oyster pancakes, noodles, fried leek, fried tofu, etc. I took a few shots while I was there.

Giant Fryer

Fried Foods

Later that night we headed of Fong-Chia Night Market. My cousin, Jack, his gf, Zhiyan, me and my cousin, Jessie just roamed around. Jack and Jessie ended up eating stinky tofu while Zhiyan and I walked around searching for accessories. In the end we ended up in this store with an absurd amount of stuffed animals. Here’s me with a giant pig.

Giant Pig!

Now I’m back in the states scheming about when I’ll go back to Taiwan next!!

Location | Parammata, Australia

Today was the last day before returning to Taiwan. The morning started out by heading to the Sydney Opera House. We went on a short tour to see the inside of the largest performance hall.

Inside the Opera House

Then we headed over to a park to take some sweeping views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as a backdrop.

Opera House and Harbour Bridge

We drove over to a harbour where we got on a boat and had lunch. The boat took us all around Sydney so we could see the coastline.

Sydney Coastline

Then it was off to the Harbour Bridge to take a walk across it. After the bridge we stopped at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Jumping at St. Mary's!

Then to another SCAM Duty Free. Next door we discovered a t-shirt wholesaler who was selling shirts for $5. I got 2 shirts and made friends with the lady who owned the place.

Then it was to a casino where we easily had the best meal of the whole trip. They had some amazing Indian food! I was surprised that it was so good.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel.

There was nothing truly eventful except for the photos, which I guess is the important thing. Tomorrow, it’s back to Taiwan!

Location | Parramatta, Australia

Woke up at 5am to head out to catch a flight to Sydney. Arrived and met our new tour guide, Michael and also got onto a very smelly and old bus. We drove through Sydney and got to a Chinese buffet (which was absolutely terrible). I left it early and walked half a mile to go buy 2 umbrellas (which we didn’t end up using). We then got on the bus and drove to the Sydney Olympic Stadium from 2000. Although it was interesting to be there, it was completely unimpressive. We only stopped outside the main stadium. There wasn’t much to see.

Then it was off to Blue Mountain which was an hour and a half away. After what seemed like forever, we ended up at this completely drenched mountain covered in dense fog. We could see absolutely nothing. We took this “ride” on this train that literally went down the mountain at an incredibly steep incline (Which felt like 90 degrees). Apparently it’s the Kotoomba Railroad and it’s the steepest incline in the world – that explains things.

Katoomba Rail

We took a short nature walk where Michael pointed out we could see nothing. Then up a tram, to the gift shop, back on the bus and back to Sydney.

The Forest

We got to this casino type place where we had dinner then went to our hotel…

Once inside the hotel… I went to my aunt’s room where I looked up and we counted 20+ mosquitoes on the ceiling. It was HORRIFIC. I went down and the manager came up with a can of bug spray to kill them. Then we discovered our hotel room ALSO had mosquitoes. He also came by to spray all of those. I’m just glad I don’t see any other bugs.

Location | Gold Coast, Australia

We started the day at the Mt. Nathan Winery. Yes, I did go wine tasting. Yes, I did turn bright red. Yes, I am a lush. The winery was incredibly small, I wonder where they grow the majority of their grapes, because from what I saw, they could probably make barely 1 bottle of wine. I ended up buying 2 bottles of wine – a 17-year Tawny and an Autumn White w/ Honey. I know nothing about wine, so someone is going to have to come over and drink it with me.

Winery Grapes

We left the winery and headed to Bond University to check out their campus. It really has a great campus, and apparently is considered one of the top law schools in Australia.

Our tour group at Bond University

Afterwards we went to the Duty Free Store, which turned out to be such a scam. Essentially tour groups are taken their to earn their tour guides commission. Because most tour groups don’t speak English, they are “at home” at these Duty Free Stores because they are owned by other (in this case) Chinese/Taiwanese people. S-C-A-M.

Across the street we stopped at this park to look at fruit bats. Apparently there was a very large concentration of fruit bats in the area, so I led a pack of our tour over to the trees the fruit bats were hanging from to take some shots. I think we were talking a bit too loudly because they started to wake up. I left quickly, I didn’t want to get hit with any guano.

I am Darkwing Duck!

We went to the Gold Coast beach and walked along the shore for awhile before going to have a nice cup of coffee and to a shopping mall to look at other souvenirs. Then dinner was Chinese and back to the hotel where I anticipate a VERY early morning wake up to catch a flight to Sydney.

Self Shot at the Beach