Angel

主唱 :陶喆 作词 :陶喆 . 娃娃 作曲 :陶喆

镜子中 看见一张陌生的脸 那眼神如此黯淡 笑一笑
只牵动苦涩的嘴角 我的寂寞谁知道 像条船在水上飘
北斗星也看不到 谁能够扬起了帆 远远离开这黑潮

Angel Angel 盼望你在我身边
Angel Angel 请你 紧紧抓住我的手

有时候 我想不会有人了解 心理面藏着的痛
我害怕 用真心面对这世界 只好越来越沉默
一个人(一个人) 在人海漂 说话的人找不到
谁给我温柔(拥抱我) 拥抱 当我感觉心快要碎了

Angel Angel 盼望你在我身边
Angel Angel 是否 听见我在呼唤你
能不能 告诉疲惫的我 你永远为我守候
Angel Angel 请你留在我的身边
Angel Angel 请你不要放开我的手

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那么多年了。。始终仍然一个人。。
有时候真的怀疑我的Angel是否真的存在。。
但无论如何我还是会继续期待着“天使”的出现。。

First jog

Just went for my first jog in Japan... :p

Before coming to Japan, I used to jog at least twice a week at the park near my house in AMK, Singapore.. I would normally run for an hour, doing between 5 to 7km... I even did the Standard Chartered Marathon 10km run two years in a roll (2005 and 2006).. But after arriving in Japan, I stopped.. either I was too lazy or too self-conscious (don't really see that many joggers around in Japan).. and I was not going to buy different sets of running attire to suit the season of the year.. In Singapore, it was so convenient.. just a pair of shorts, t'shirt and jogging shoes, and I am ready to hit the road... Here, I need to make sure that I am warm enough to jog but not too warm to be perspiring even before I start my jog.. So very troublesome... :x

So why start now? Well, for one thing, I am trying to lose that 4kg that I gained while holidaying in Malaysia last Feb.. :p Still have about 3kg to go.. Also, I wanna be ready for the year-end Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore, since the chances of me going back to Singapore after my graduation this Sept is very very high.. :) :) It is good to have a goal or target to work towards, gives me the motivation to persevere..

Had wanted to start early, but with my bed time being 2am for the past few months, it was quite difficult to change that overnight.. so I set my alarm at 7.30am instead.. which was already 2 hours earlier than my usual wake-up time... Wore 2 layers of t'shirts with a wind-breaker on top.. Did some quick warm-up in my room before going out..

I jogged along the river, Kanda River (神田川), I think.. Plenty of sakura trees along the path, already blooming.. The scenery was very beautiful.. Saw a few fellow joggers too.. And a few old folks were walking their dogs.. It was very tranquil.. actually, I can't really hear anything as I had my mp3 player blasting away.. :p

At first, it was no fun.. the cold wind on my face and my body... my fingers were beginning to feel numb.. luckily my legs weren't.. but I just kept jogging.. Slowly, my body began to warm up and I even perspired a bit.. Jogged all the way to Takadobashi (高戸橋) and would have jogged further if not for the construction works that blocked the pathway.. On my way back, I walked up the staircases at the Edogawa Park to let my calves do some more work.. :p then I did some stretching and warm down before walking back home... Had managed to jog non-stop for more than 20 minutes before stopping and walking.. I had covered less than 3km which was quite pathetic if compared to what I was able to do not too long ago.. all in all, I did almost 4km today... This was but a small beginning.. didn't want to overexert myself in this first jog.. :p

Plan to jog at least twice a week.. and maybe more once I get in the groove.. :) Especially since I no longer need to go to school everyday for this coming semester.. I should have time for this.. :) ;) :)

Taiwan: Lodging

In this trip, I had wanted to stay in one of the hotels that was recommended by my friend, but too bad the single rooms there were fully booked.. Then I stumbled upon a backpacker's hostel, named aptly as Taipei Backpackers Hostel (http://www.taipei-backpackers.com/hostel/index.php). It offers single room for NT$700 (around ¥2,100/SGD$32)... Thus I took a chance and booked 6 nights... It was a calculated risk as I have read through many reviews of the hostel, and most of them had good things to say..

The location of the hostel was also rather convenient, being near one of the teen hangouts at 西门町. I managed to find the place quite easily, following the directions given on the website.


My room was just in front of the reception counter and lounge area, so I can safely leave my laptop there when I go for sight-seeing.. It was really very small but relatively clean.. anyway it was okay, since I don't plan to stay in my room much except to sleep.. :) I had problem sleeping the first two nights, because the sound insulation is bad and there were people talking at the lounge late into the night.. but from the 3rd night onwards I was too tired to be bothered by the noise.. :p


The toilets and bathrooms were kept very clean.. the kitchen too.. it was the only place that people could smoke, which suited me the best since I hate cigarette smell.. wireless broadband are provided, the signal are strong enough for us to access it in our rooms...

The best thing however was the people managing the place.. Ice and Jan are friendly and very helpful.. They are there 24/7 to help with anything that we might need.. There are a couple of foreigners who had been staying there for months.. and occasionally friends would come over and play board games.. so it was a place to hang-out and chit-chat..

Many of the backpackers know the basic etiquette of living in a backpackers' hostel, while some were really a big pain in the ass.. With those thin walls, one could really hear even the crumpling of plastic bags next door, not to mention "king-kong" footsteps of some in the common area.. Many Singaporeans and Malaysians stayed in this hostel.. Most of the guests are young people in their twenties, with the occasional couples and families..

I must say that I had a very good time staying in this hostel.. I would recommend this hostel to those who are visiting Taipei, and don't mind a bit of noise (depending on your room, actually)..

Alone in a Crowded Room

Bustling and in motion
The crowds of strangers and friends alike
Moves by, day in and day out

Yet how can it be
In this sea of faces and smiles
That one can feel so alone?

A smile, a penetrating stare
Only glances the surface
Of what is there

Buried deep within is
A fear, a hate, a sadness and despair
That rages within like a great battle,

Hollow, you feel,
When everything about you
Is good and warm

And you have no reason,
Yet you feel distant and cold
Inside the great ruined maze of your mind

Paralyzed by emotion and thought
A hand stretches out and breaks the barrier
But changing your life, to grab that hand

Is the hardest fight,
The tallest climb,
The longest run that you can ever make...

~ taken from http://bobby.queerlydigital.com/aloneroom.html
==============================================
Googled this poem from the Net.. there was no indication who the author was..
It described very aptly how I feel most of the time.. still waiting for "that hand"...

Taiwan: Day Six (16 Mar)

Last day in Taipei.. Really don't feel like leaving.. I liked it so much here... :(

Since my flight was 2:50pm, thus I need to reach the airport by 12:30pm.. so I have asked the hostel that I am staying to book me a bus to take me to the airport at 11am.. thus I have only time to go to nearby places in the morning.. still wanna make full use of my stay in Taipei.. :p

Was to meet another of my Taiwanese classmate in the morning.. she lived nearby.. so we arranged to meet at 9am.. but because I went to the wrong location, we almost didn't manage to meet up.. :p

We went to the President's Residence.. and took some photos from afar..





Then we walked around the 228 Memorial Park which was just a short walk away..



After this, we went to 永和 for breakfast.. I ordered 米浆 and 烧饼.. It was good.. :) Chrissy then accompanied me back to the hostel... Along the way, I bought 刈包 and 菠萝面包 for lunch at the airport later..

The journey to the airport took about 1 hour and cost me NT$140 (around ¥410/SGD$6.30) which was the cheapest fare I ever paid for a trip to an airport.. Again, because my flight was JAL, almost 90% of the passengers on board were Japanese..

And thus the end of my first solo overseas budget trip.. :) :p



Summary of what I ate for the day:
永和豆浆，米浆，烧饼，刈包，菠萝面包

Click here for more photos..
Same photos available in Facebook.

Taiwan: Day Five (15 Mar)

The itinerary for the day was to go hiking at 阳明山 with Sharon and Kelvin. We weren't gonna do some serious hiking, just going up an easy hiking trail to enjoy the greenery that 阳明山 had to offer..

Met up with Kelvin at 芝山站, then we went to fetch Sharon at her place nearby before driving up 阳明山.. We stopped by a temple along the way, 慈悟寺. The scenery from the temple was beautiful... Some photos of the temple..




Then we reached our starting point.. Kelvin just parked his car along the road and off we go! :) Sharon chose one of the easier hiking trails, 绢丝瀑布步道.. Some photos along the way..





We didn't stop at the waterfall, instead we continued hiking to 擊天岗.. The place was beautiful.. plenty of space for picnics and even kite flying!! The wind was strong, but the sun was out, so not that cold.. Many who had hiked up took a rest there.. just sitting down on the grass, with some even lying down on their back, staring up to the clear blue sky..




The hike back down was much faster.. Then we went to a famous local restaurant which was jam-packed with people.. We waited for 30 minutes for seats and then another 15 minutes for food.. Yet all the waiting was worth it.. The food was simply DELICIOUS!!! (More on food in another blog entry later)

After lunch, we went for a walk at the calla lily (海芋) fields next to the restaurant.. Again, took more photos.. :)




Kelvin and Sharon then dropped me off at one of the train station where I took the train to 市政府站. Unable to find the shutter bus stop, I decided to walk to Taipei 101.. It was pretty easy locating it.. just walk towards it.. :p

Went up to 5th floor to take the world fastest lift up to the top of Taipei 101.. not before stashing my backpack in one of the lockers provided and also paying NT$400 (around ¥1,200/SGD$18).. Again, one can't missed the presence of those (noisy/annoying) tourists from MC..


Got a audio guide from the counter and started my own tour atop.. Took my own sweet time walking around and taking in the sight... I was fortunate to be there when the sun set.. A few nice photos.. :)





Left the place before 8pm.. on my way back to my hostel, I stumbled upon one of the famous 面线 stores in 西门町, 阿宗面线. Ordered myself a small bowl and stood on the street, like everyone else, and ate my 面线.. :) Again, it was delicious.. Came back early to pack my luggage as I would be leaving the next day..



Summary of what I ate for the day:
野菜，野苦瓜，芋糕，白切鸡，炸大肠，泡泡茶，阿宗面线

Click here for more photos of the day..
Same photos in Facebook..

Yasukuni Shrine

Went to the shrine that had stirred up so many controversial, Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社) today.. and I came back with mixed feelings...

Had wanted to go there early in the morning, but due to my nocturnal nature with me sleeping after 2am, I only managed to get up around 9am.. :p Had my breakfast and went out before 10am. Took a train to Ichigaya Station (市ヶ谷) and walked my way there..

Came in through the side entrance actually.. Many people were already there.. mostly elder folks.. Some photos..








As usual, the main shrine was full of people showing respects and praying.. I didn't. I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.. I don't think I would forgive myself for praying at a shrine that commemorates war dead, especially those who did horrible things to the civilians..

I then visited Yushukan (遊就館) which is the museum that keeps all the articles pertaining all the wars that Japan had fought and the people who had died in them..

The famous zero fighter..

It was indeed an eye-opening experience.. There were so many personal artifacts donated by the deceased's families.. Almost every photo has a story attached to it - clothes, hats/gloves, diaries, letters to family, final words, even the bullets/shrapnel that killed him/her! It was so surreal.. and eerie at the same time.. Even mundane items like toothbrushes, eye-glasses or comb somehow conveyed a sense of grimness.. These people were just like you and me, everyday-Joe/Jane!

There are walls and walls of photos of the soldiers who died during the wars... Each photo has a name, his/her rank, where he/she was from, and also where, when and how he/she died. Many were 戦死 (killed in combat) or 戦病死 (died of disease contracted at the front) while a couple of them were 公務死 and 法務死 (not too sure about these two terms). Of course, I saw the photos of the war-criminals that had been the center of all the controversies..

Looking at the museum and the way they portrayed those involved, no wonder it was hard for the people of Japan to believe that these "patriots", some were wide-eyed college graduates barely into their twenties, were capable of those horrendous deeds reported during the war.. yet, I think they are still unwilling to take their portion of the responsibility for the war.. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with honoring and paying respect to the dead, that is filial piety, but they have to separate the person and the deeds.. These people might be their relatives and families, but there is no doubt whatsoever that some of them really did perpetrate heinous deeds that had no justification..

Unlike Germans, who had taken full responsibility for the atrocities that the Nazis had perpetrated, the Japanese still thinks of themselves as the victims.. that is the feel that I get from this visit... The way they sort of "not telling" their young the facts is not helping them at all in the international arena.. Like they say, first one must admit that one has a problem before being able to fix it.. unless they never thought of fixing anything!!

Although I strongly believed that history is written by the victors and will always be unfair to the defeated, there are still some truth in the history as we know now.. I do not believe that the Japanese did what they did because they liked it.. I believed that they were forced to invade other countries because they had no other choice..(That is what I think after reading a book by Helen Mears, Mirror for Americans: Japan) but there were no grounds for them to be so cruel and monstrous to their enemies/colonies. The Japanese needs to get the world to understand their reasons/circumstances for starting/joining the war. But they can't do that with their heads buried in the sands.. Own up and apologize, then every one can move on.. Is it that difficult??

书签。。

Memorable quotes.. XIV

More wisdom from Sex and the City... :)

"The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them, and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into and sometimes it's the one you make for yourself."

"That's the key to having it all: stop expecting it to look like what you thought it was going to look like."

"Relationships have been on the decline ever since women came out of the cave, looked around and said, "this isn't so bad."

"Some people are settling down, some are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less."

"Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens."

"In a town where everyone's dying to couple up, sometimes there's nothing better than being out of a relationship. You have time to do your laundry, freedom to play your favorite bad music really loudly... But the best part of being out of a relationship: plenty of time to catch up with your friends."

"Life gives you lots of chances to screw up which means you have just as many chances to get it right."

"So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. So many mistakes."

Taiwan: Day Four (14 Mar)

Today I am meeting up with one of my Japanese classmates who had came back to Taiwan to work after her graduation.. Sharon and I would be going to 淡水 to eat and to visit the famous 愚人码头..

Early in the morning, I went to 国父纪念馆 (National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall). Took the train there.. It was labeled clearly, so it is hard to miss.. Some photos taken around the area outside..



Then I went inside.. there seated high up looking out is the huge statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen.. I just missed the changing of guards ceremony, but I stayed on to view the two exhibition halls located on the left and right side of the statue.. so I did manage to catch the whole ceremony.. Too bad I couldn't put up the entire video as it is 6 minutes long.. :(



Took a few more photos on my way back to the train station..


Next stop, 诚品 at 敦南路.. Heard so much about this bookstore that I had to visit it.. This is 24-hour bookstore that allows anyone to just walk in and browse.. Truth be told how disappointed I was when I got there.. I was expecting to see a much bigger floorspace.. something to the scale of Kinokuniya in Singapore.. but instead I could walk around the entire bookstore in less than 10 minutes!! Most of the books are in Chinese, which is not surprising, with some Japanese books thrown in, but I was quite disappointed at the range of English books there.. I left after spending almost an hour checking out all the books, very slowly..

On my way to the train station, I then decided to have my lunch at a restaurant that boasted award-winning 牛肉面 (beef noodles).. I must admit that it was one of the better beef noodles that I have tasted, though not the best..

After lunch, I went to 中正纪念堂 (National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall), again taking the trains.. Around the vicinity are 國家戲劇院 (National Theater), 國家音樂廳(National Concert Hall) and 自由广场 (Freedom Square). Here are some of the photos of these places..



And some photos of the actual Memorial Hall..



And even a couple more photos... :)



As I need to meet with Sharon at 3:30pm at 芝山站, I didn't have the time to visit the exhibition hall nor the side gardens.. But frankly, I don't have much interest in CKS.. :p

I met her and her boyfriend, Kelvin there.. She drove me back to her place so that she could park her car. Kelvin was to be our driver for the night.. :) He drove us to 淡水老街.. It was almost sunset and the view was rather beautiful..

The place were crawling with people, but yet according to Sharon, it should have been much much more crowded than it was. Most probably people heeded the weatherman's advice and stay indoor because of the cold draft.. There were soo many stores selling all kinds of food stuffs... Sharon took me to the real original stores to try some of the delicacies, like fish balls, 阿给，肉包 and 酸甘汁... that's the perks of having a local guide.. :) We tried many of the food tasting samples along the way too.. would definitely go there again to eat all those that I had missed out this time.. Bought pretty of food stuff back too.. some are to give to others but guilty to say that most of it are for my own consumption.. :p :p :p

Kelvin then drove us to 愚人码头.. The wind was strong and cold.. there were very few people there.. we just walked one round of the area and headed back.. I then took a train from 红树林站 to get back to my hostel..


Summary of what I ate for the day:
豆花，鱼丸，阿给，肉包，酸甘汁

Up till today, I had almost visited all the popular tourist attractions, minus Taipei 101, which I am going to do the next day... Not too bad for a single female traveler.. :)

Click here for more photos
Same photos uploaded to my Facebook album..