下雨天

下雨天, 早上跟Dee坐在大學路Starbucks二樓聊天, 聽著外面的雨聲, 一杯Starbucks的香草密斯朵, 配一塊西點麵包. 中午時晶片中心辦主任歡送會, 吃喝玩樂沒上到什麼班. 晚上衝去波哥(Bog)品嘗茶飲小點, 之後上二樓的誠品書店逛逛, 看了許多攝影書, 瞄了一些小說, 還研究了一本墾丁旅遊書, 準備八月中去墾丁玩!! 逛完後突然決定看電影, 選了特務間諜(Salt). 蠻緊張刺激的動作片, 可是結局讓大家很傻眼@@

豐富的一天, 謝謝Dee騎車載我! (喔對Luke也是, 麻煩他們倆啦!)

豆花

Here's an interesting story...

Tonight I was at a restaurant reading some magazines and came across a column about 豆花妹 (蔡黃汝), a newcomer celebrity who just became famous this past year. I saw some of the shows she hosted like "電玩快打," and apparently she'll have a new song album out... So one of the sentence was like "她2008年7月時在台灣故事館打工賣豆花, 之後受很多網友熱愛, 應此一路紅到今." Wait...台灣故事館(Taiwan Storyland)...I've been there two times and the first time was in 2008.

Flash back to August 3, 2008. I was at Taiwan Storyland with a few of my friends from Taiwan Tech Trek summer internship. I distintively remembered that I saw a cute girl selling 豆花 at a food court. After buying a bowl from her, I took a pic of the stand with her in it.

So after reading that bit in the magazine, I went back home, took out the external hard drive, and searched in my pile of photos from TTT 2008. I found the pic, connected the two and mystery solved! Funny how a seemingly insignificant photo would finish the puzzle haha.


(Left: August 3, 2008 from my camera, the focus wasn't that great but oh well. Right: 2010 from eh...facebook)

Also, I think it's amazing how some could become well-known in less than a year or so. But if they are not humble about it or don't put the effort keeping up, their several years of fame could very well be the average "5 minutes of fame." I guess this means that we can still make piles of money if we start working in small vendors...just kidding, best persevere at our own work and we'll eventually find 0ur moment!

50!!

拿到了!!! 兩個禮拜前預購的蠟筆小新第50集今天終於到手啦!

就先不多說啦! 我要趕快去看...
Hmm又有一點捨不得看耶...

花季冷泉會館 (Spring Hill Hotel)

高雄縣大崗山有一家2009年開幕的溫泉旅館, 今天跟我爸媽和他們的朋友一起去享受午後泡溫泉的感受. 我們的房間是專泡湯的, 沒有提共床過夜, 房間裡咖啡, 茶, 水, 應有盡有, 地面還是用木板鋪的, 裝潢散發著日式的風味, 而設備又有西洋的fu.

房間供我們用90分鐘, 裡面有分冷池跟熱池, 邊泡湯邊喝杯梅花茶 真是享受無比呀!

另外值得誇獎的是 它們整個溫泉區都很乾淨, 比起關仔嶺蟲蟲聚集的湯屋, 這裡真是舒服百倍. 泡完之後跟大家一起在外面涼椅下欣賞風景, 吹個微風, 聊個天, 讓星期天下午畫下了美好的句點!

Cite Paris (心巴黎)

Buffet style restaurant in Queena Plaza Hotel (桂田酒店). It had great atmosphere, live piano/singing, illuminated floors, and comfortable seating. The food is just like your average hotel buffet in Taiwan. Outside, trails intertwine the garden infused with tropical plants, waterfalls, and Japanese architectures and sculptures. It's a great place to take a walk at night!

Tasty and Cake

I'm in Taiwan from June 27 to September 2!

My parents celebrated my birthday yesterday. We ate at Tasty (西題牛排館). It was really good, and the service even better! The cake below was not a cake. It was made from a towel!

After, we bought a taro and pudding cake home and downed it...the next day because we were so full after the meal!

Toy Story 3

(Spoilers present)

I forgot how and when I first watched the first two TOY STORY films. I just know that I've seen them countless times, never got tired of them, and noticed more detail that I haven't picked up before. The first TOY STORY came out when I was 7, the same age as Andy in the film. Since then the films just stayed with me while growing up. And this second sequel sort of feels like revisiting an old friend after these years. After 15 years I had graduated from college. Similarly Andy, the owner of those toys, is going off to college and parting with these friends.

I collect a variety of toys...or, in a more non-childish way of saying, collectibles. They serve different purposes, whether to incite and practice our imagination, or to personally own a memory from certain media or places. Often there is a greater image behind the toy we see, and it is satisfying to have them around. This is why I "hang-out" with them again when I come home to the pile of toys that I haven't seen for an extended period of time. I kind of connect how the toys felt in the films, how they want to be played with and be there always for the owner. But there is a point in life where separation may become imminent, where a choice has to be made between lingering on to the past or moving on to a new one, and maybe onto a new cycle of life (there might be some Buddhist ideas here). Sheriff Woody in TOY STORY 3 has an epiphony that loving or staying loyal to someone does not mean to be physically with the person at all times. It may very well transcends space and time. Thus Woody made the decision to allow Andy to give him to a little girl. Sometimes letting go may be the best path to proceed. This is a powerful theme and idea that I can't even fully follow. I collect stuff because I am afraid of losing them and thus losing a part of my experience or memory. But new memories can't be create if one keeps on reminising at past ones right? (as cliche as it can sound...but true). I still am reluctant to throw some of my stuff away...sigh.

Oh right, the film...it is amazing. There are hundreds of other reviews that praise it in more articulate ways so I'll keep it simple. PIXAR team has again made a funny, creative, and thematically and emotionally powerful animation movie. It's amazing how emotional these films can become. In Japan, there is Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli. In U.S., there is Pixar. Good job Lee Unkrich and his team! I applaud them for giving an ideal example of a perfect trilogy (assuming this is the last one). Also, Pixar studios, Skywalker Ranch, and Studio Ghibli are three places I want to visit if they give out open tours...I know Ghibli does.

Now, time to do research on which new Toy Story toys I should get!

And happy Father's Day!