From Bubble Milk Teas To Mango Juice! Mabuhay!

So Taipei and the yummy bubble milk teas was last month. And Chiang Mai beginning of November..

And then just over the long weekend, I was sipping mango juice in one of my favourite destinations -Manila!



Now this trip is slightly different from the previous as its towards the year end and hence the Christmas deco are all up!! Which is partly the reason I visited Manila again.

And while it is a long weekend, 3 days and 2 nights sure is short when it comes to Manila!

More of this trip to come! For now it's back to work first.. haha!!

I Took My 1st MC At 30!

The new job while it's a dream job and all is quite stressful too..

Unlike most new jobs, there is no honeymoon period.

In any case, I made it through nearing 1 month.. haha!! But not before I caught the flu bug and took a day off.

Went to see the doctor.. and got my meds.. And that important MC! and guess what - that's my 1st MC in my life..

For all the while, I either didn't see the doc bearing it out or just seeing the pharmacist... or even if I really had to, I didn't request for the cert.

But now it's different.. and well yeah, I needed that. So well believe you me, yesterday was my very 1st MC.. talk bout 'virgins'!!

There sure is a 1st for everything!! haha!

Oh btw I've had a new hair cut too!! :)

Wat Prathat Doi Suthep

While in Chiang Mai, one of the must visit place that was recommended is the temple on the hill - the Wat Prathat Doi Suthep.

Before going there, we were told that there are about 200-300 steps to climb.. well I thought that was ok, having climbed the Batu Cave before.

But what we were not told is that the steps do not start from the foot hill. Instead one needs to take a ride up halfway of the hill first.

I took a public van first to the foot of the hill (where the zoo is). From there, I took another public van ride up at THB40/ person.

The steps uphill were pretty ok - not at all tiring. Instead, the walk up was quite nice - more like a stroll despite it was going uphill. The weather sure played a part.

Once up, the view of the temple come in sight.

Like many of the temples in Chiang Mai it is magnificent & grandeur. And very picturesque too!

I prayed and also got some blessings from the monks. Oh and I offered some flowers that I bought on the way up the stairs too.

The trip up to this temple truly relaxed the soul and yes, a must visit for visitors to Chiang Mai.. tho it wasn't the only temple I visited in the trip :)

My Lyrics: Superman Can Dream

Life - there are its ups & there are its down.

Somehow today, I feel a mix bag of emotions. I guess it's somehow accumulated, and today it kinda became really heavy.

Usually when I feel so, I try to listen to some songs for inspiration.

And while I may not be good at Chinese and all, but I like Jay Chou's songs - plus the lyrics. I guess his songs speaks to the heart.

So while listening to some of his songs just now, I thought I'd write some thoughts of my own - in a lyric style. And hence, it's in English & translated into Mandarin (albeit I believe it's a lil broken).

Anyway, here it is..



Superman Can Dream/ 超人可以梦想

Superman cannot fly.
As the lyrics go.
So says superstar Jay Chou.

I got to agree with him.
Cos life can be tiring.

We work hard to pay our bills.
Stress at work.
High cost of living.
Everything expensive.

I miss the simple life.
Life built on dreams.
Some call this crazy.
But shouldn't life be like that?

Now dreams are about money.
Making more money each day.
To survive.

Oh, dream, dream
I shall not forget you.

Dream, dream
I want to come back to you.

Dream, dream.
We shall meet again.

And then we will change everything.
Superman will soar above the skies.
Back to the simple life.
Happy and smiling.



超人不能飞。
由于歌词去。
所以说超级巨星周杰伦。

我同意他的看法。
因为生活是累人。

我们努力工作，以支付账单。
在工作中的应力。
生活费用高。
一切昂贵。

我错过了简单的的生活。
就梦想建造的生命。
有人称之为这个疯狂的。
但不应该生活是这样的？

现在的梦想是钱的问题。
每天赚更多的钱。
为了生存。

哦，梦，梦
我不会忘记你。

梦，梦
我要回来给你。

梦，梦想。
我们会再次见面。

然后，我们将改变一切。
超人将上面的天空翱翔。
回到简单的生活。
快乐和微笑。

Loy Khratong Chiang Mai!

Letting go lanterns into the sky.

Seeing the many lanterns lit the night.

Lighting the sky like a swarm of fireflies.

And letting go of floats into the river.

With wishes.

And a heart filled with joy.

That is Loy Khratong. Chiang Mai.

I Had An Elephant Ride (In Chiang Mai!!)

I arrived in Chiang Mai not knowing much bout the capital city except for its cool weather and the loy khratong festival.

So I went to get some info from the hotel.. and amongst many, one of the must do things - sit on the elephant ride!

So sign up we did.. where we traveled by the van tour the next morning. Bout slightly over an hour later, we arrived at the Maetang Elephant Park!



First off, we fed the elephants some bananas and bamboo. That was quite a fun experience getting up close to the elephants.. Now this may sound zoo-ish, but actually not.. as the elephant do sort of roam around too (guided).

Next was not at all elephant related.. we went on a bamboo raft cruise along the river.. it was fun as it was my 1st experience of such!

After that was watching the elephants take their shower.. where some were rather playful.. that was a nice watch.. kinda reminding me of Dumbo the elephant.



And too was the event after - where we watched the elephants paint!! Wow! Never knew they could paint - now that was a cool experience watching it live!



Lunch came and then the highlight... sitting on the elephant for the elephant ride!!! This was my 2nd experience and while we were rather high on that big elephant, I wasn't that afraid of falling off this time round.

Not even when the elephant we sat on actually banged the elephant in front on purpose - out of anger. Again, a wow!



After the elephant ride, it was time to head to the orchid garden - where I saw some really pretty orchids of various colours!



And last but not least, was the visit to see the long neck tribe.. which kinda made me a lil sad as seeing them earning a living on selling just souvenirs.. for not many tourists actually bought anyway (blame it on some of their products) :(

In all, this was still one wonderful experience - I must say Ill never see elephants the same again.

And now, I understand how the Thais can get affectionate to such big yet intelligent animal! :)

*The price of the tour was THB1300/ person, including lunch & transport. It would only cost THB1100/ person if without the visit to the long neck tribe. But of course, I wouldn't want to miss that, even tho it was for the 2nd time! :)

From Taiwan To Thailand!!

A few years back, I made a trip first to Thailand and not long later, my maiden trip to Taiwan.

This time round, I'm doing something of the opposite.

Having just visited Taipei/ Taiwan, I'm now visiting Thailand - or Chiang Mai to be exact.

This is my 1st trip here too, having previously only dream of coming here from the cool videos I see bout this city and the Loy Khrathong festival.

But now, this dream becomes a reality..!! :)

Sawadeekap!

I Flew A Plane (In KL)!!

When I was young, one of my ambition was to be a pilot. I went as far as going for interview with Singapore Airlines and selected to go for the final interview..

However I didn't pursue it further as I was already in the uni by then..

So the thought of me flying the plane was slim.. well not until just a few weeks back!

Yeap, hear me right - I flew a plane!! Haha!!

Oh yeah, I was the co pilot, flying above the skies of Kay El & Pea Jay! In fact I flew so close to the city centre of where the twin towers is!!

At some moments, that short time feels like I was in a movie. I imagined how action heroes uses planes to fly away.

At the other times, I felt happy seeing this new city I live in. For it is - Besutiful!

And the other times, I was a lil nervous - as a lil turn on the steering wheel really movies the aircraft.

But all in all, that was one fun experience - and for relishing an ambition I once have :)

Owh, and will I do this again? Most likely so - but maybe another bigger one next time round!! :)

Get Out In 10 Minutes Or We Will Charge You (Wonstar Hotel Taipei)

I'm not overly particular when it comes to hotels. My requirement is simple - decent, and 'value for money'.

Most of the times I've stayed in hotels that meet that criteria.. But this time round, there was one hotel in Taipei - the Wonstar (Songshan) went rather overboard.

On the check in day, I reached bout 1.5hours earlier (than 3pm) and was asked to wait till exactly 3pm. Okay, maybe they are fully booked and need time to clean the room so.. okay.

Now what happened the next day - I first got a call at 11am reminding me of the 12pm check out time.

Then at 1150am, I got another call which went something like this:
Reservation: Please note your check out time is 12pm.
Me: Yes I know. Just give me 10 minutes.
Reservation: You got to come now. If more than 10 minutes, we will charge you.

Well luckily I was quite ready to check out. And was just bout 3 minutes past 12 as I checked out.

This wasn't a pleasant experience. Not for the over RM300+ (TWD3000+) per night they charged.

I definitely won't be back to this hotel. And thought I'll just warn the other travelers to Taipei too. For we definitely don't want such experience to mar a beautiful holiday :)

Luckily I only stayed 1 night!

*The breakfast ________ too, and the room was just okay.. Which are things I can close my eyes on. But that phone call.. well it deserves a review! Haha!!

The window view from the hotel.. a lil pricey for the view. 

Taipei.. In Pictures

6 fun days in this lovely city.. here are some pics I took which roughly describes the wonderful holiday I had!

While some places were revisited, but Taipei is still charming.. love the friendliness of the people and the area around 101!

The new things this time round - staying at the hot spring area - Beitou!
And also trying the bubble milk teas after bubble milk teas! Haha!!

Oh and I also visited the Sun Yat Sen memorial - the most touristy thing I did there.

I'll definitely still come back to this city.. tho I also think the next time round, I'll be exploring the outskirts more! :)