Singapura: Lion City, Garden City, Little Red Dot.

I don't remember much of what my pre-visit impression was. I'd heard that it was a very clean place (gum is illegal! ...kinda. I believe you can chew it, but nowhere sells it) and sort of expensive. Changi airport is rated as one of the world's best as it has a movie theater, swimming pool, gardens, and probably a bathroom as well. Getting from the airport into the city is very easy with an MRT stop at the airport. With their MRT card you have to top it off if it gets too low (under 3 Singapore dollars, I think) and you have to top off with a minimum of 10 SGD, but you can get that refunded when you return the card. Unless, of course, you developed an emotional attachment to the card and would rather not part with it.

This being my first stop, I was pumped and ready to venture out! Kaya (Keye-uh?) toast, I come for you! Kaya spread is like a coconut jam they smear in your toast, matched with two legit slices of butter. But the butter doesn't end there. You can get it in your coffee, too. As a first meal of a 6 week trip, I "butter" not overdo myself, so I had my coffee black, HOW I LIKES IT. Submerge your kaya toast in the runny, soft-boiled egg (soy sauce, optional) and you're set for the day. Or at least until next feeding time.

Singapore is a relatively walkable city as the MRT will take you to most of the tourist spots. I really dig the "green" in the city-state also known as the "Little Red Dot." They call it a garden city, but are actually striving for it to be a city in a garden. One of the main attractions would be to check out the Gardens by the Bay. There you'll find greenhouse-y domes (that sort of reminded me of the domes in Wisconsin, but like, cool.) that contain indoor gardens, an indoor waterfall, and it's also the area where those supertrees are.

Splash.

Super duper.

If you're the type that enjoys strolls, hit up the Southern Ridges. 

History and hipsters? Hit up the Tiong Bahru area. The residential complexes in the area have a history of being a part of an affordable housing development plan following WWII. The market offers some shopping and is also a hawker center for delicious foods.

chwee kueh, 水粿; the well-known hawker didn't want me to take pictures of her stand

This was one of those "I'd-already-eaten-but-I-was-strolling-by-and-I-saw-a-queue-so-I-had-to-eat-again" type situations.

And it was grand. 

It's kinda like Chipotle/Subway for curry! You pick the types of toppings you want on your bed of rice and curry and pay per item.

Took a picture of the sauce 'cause I smiled when I ate it. Don't think I'll ever find it again. No more smiling.

And here's some of the hipster-ism I'd mentioned. 

Dope ass bookstore

Erudite cat in dope ass bookstore

Ok but real talk, how many Asians are actually able to get beard designs

foh-dee hands?! Where them King Cobras at?

Truf.

Different flavored 養樂多?!?!?!??!

One of the landmarks to see in Singapore is the Merlion - head of a lion, body of a fish. Dude was on vacation when I was there. 

Hibernation time

A traveler friend of mine had been eager to see the Trevi Fountains in Rome and when she finally got there, it was also under construction. I told her, you know what, hundreds of thousands of people have seen the Trevi Fountains, how many people can say they've seen them under repair? We are perhaps more blessed to see these iconic landmarks at such unique moments under scaffolding and many many square feet of tarp. 

Close up of awesomeness

When I talk to Singaporeans most of them say that there's nothing really to do in Singapore, which is why many will plane/bus on over to neighboring, (way) cheaper Malaysia. I found that interesting to hear because at seemed like there were activities/landmarks/foods abound. They have Universal Studios, theater/concert halls, museums, even a damn casino (interestingly, residents have a cover fee while foreigners don't; Singapore is genius, they'd rather snatch up foreign money and deter their residents from the downward spirals of gambling). Compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, it didn't feel different enough for someone who wants to really explore a new, adventurous place. Even language-wise, English is everywhere.

Singapore is really quite impressive though. This was their 50th year of independence (happy SG50, Singapore!) and so quickly it developed to such a modern city-state-country thanks to big time game-changers like Lee Kuan Yew. Amazing night views, diverse, good/cheap traditional hawker foods, easy public transportation, trendy restaurants, tons urban runners getting their fitness on, Singapore would be a great place to grow up, or visit with friends and hear some fun Singlish filled with lah's and ah's.

Hawker centers

Free Fantasmic-y show in front of the casino during which I might've taken a nap

I returned to Singapore for a layover and celebrated SG50 with the Singaporeans, best time ever!

And don't you dare forget to eat their national dish: Hainanese chicken rice.

Fragrant rice, juicy whites; components to the best Hainan Chicken Rice I've ever had.  天天海南雞飯 @ Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown

Southeast Asia - a backpacker's trip, but without the backpacking.

I believe I'd mentioned this before (oh, memory, you tricky son of a bitch), but it doesn't hurt to reiterate, I suppose. A secondary goal of coming to Taiwan was to pay visits to neighboring - ok, more like "nearby" because Taiwan is an island - countries. As my time here was drawing near an end, it was time to get out! Shout-out to my friend, Cindy, who let me know of this awesome deal Air Asia was having: the ASEAN pass. You had the option of purchasing 10 credits or 20 credits to use on flights. I purchased the 10 credit, $160 pass. Stipulations:

- no repeat routes, return routes are okay
- must book flight with 2 week's notice
- obviously, some flight routes don't exist
- most flights are 1 credit each; travel within Indonesia and also flying to Laos are 3 credits per flight
- Air Asia is a budget airline so that means: 1) no in-flight meals, 2) pay extra for check-in luggage, 3) carry-ons were limited to certain dimensions and 7 kg - which is essentially the weight of my suitcase with a pack of tissues in it
- pass does not include airport taxes, so each booking will require additional payment
*how much money the pass saved versus booking each flight separately is almost insignificant to me;  the pass forced me to make that step to go exploring instead of loitering around saying, "eventually, eventually, eventually"
- pass expires 30 days after first flight
- Southeast Asia doesn't include Taiwan so I'd have to purchase a separate ticket to get to SEAsia

Now, shout-out to Christy who helped me book these flights because I thought the payments weren't going through. One of the downfalls of this thing is the poor webmastering of Air Asia's site.

This page is full of lies. Transactions were, in fact, successful.

Some time after pulling the trigger on purchasing the pass, I had to do the intense planning of where I wanted to go, what flights were available, how much time to spend at each place. And this is one of the differences between using this pass and true backpacking (aside from me not using a X-liter, breathable, waterproof backpack). With backpacking there're less time constraints and people can go as they please.

My well-crafted, completely legible plan of attack

Aligning Air Asia credit usage and available routes, this was the itinerary I came up with: Taipei -> Singapore -> Kuala Lumpur -> Cameron Highlands -> Penang -> Bangkok -> Mandalay -> Bagan -> Yangon -> Bangkok -> Siem Reap -> Phnom Penh -> Kuala Lumpur -> Vientiane -> Vang Vieng -> Luang Prabang -> Singapore -> Jakarta -> Singapore -> Taiwan.

I'd decided to not book every flight all at once because I did want some sort of freedom. I'd have to book the remaining flights while I was on the trip, ideally in some local coffee shop that served delightfully fragrant fair trade organic coffee and had the interior decoration worthy of an enchanting fairytale. In reality, some of the remaining flights were booked in the dimly-lit quarters where I slept, often covered in citronella balm and batting at the air constantly to avoid mosquito bites.

Allowing some freedom proved to be useful as I'd changed from Cameron Highlands to Malacca and Jakarta to Kuching, based on what people suggested to me along the way. As first flight day drew nearer and nearer, I was pumped, but honestly, also a bit overwhelmed. It was hard to think that I'd be gone for so long away from my home away from home; 6 weeks of me, my music, and the voices in my head. Anxiety also set in as I felt like there was so much to keep track of with flight dates/times/etc. and knowing me, I'd likely miss a flight or forgotten to pack some things like a passport. I'd, of course, remember sunscreen. And my machete. You just never know.

LEZZGO

Took me 30 years, but it happened. I doody-ed using a squat toilet. Life, I'm ready.

Shida: Mandarin Training Center. 師大國語學校中心

Simba, Chess, Sita, Shida

Today is the day our last Shida Mandarin Training Center classmate leaves to go back home so I figured it'd be fitting to post a little ditty about MTC. Yes, a couple classmates are still here, but they may or may not be here for the long run (or at least an extended stay), so I might as well consider them locals from now on :) Coming to Taiwan, one of Jeff and my objectives was to improve Chinese. We decided to go with Shida, which is actually my mom's college so that makes her my 學姐 <-- like an alumnus sister! 

MTC was hugely beneficial and such a great decision that we made to take class there. I had an amazing, extremely energetic, and short teacher that really boosted my Chinese and I learned things that probably wouldn't have come naturally from living here. Not only did MTC provide a place of education for Chinese, but global education as well. 

At MTC, I met all kinds of people with such varying backgrounds and fascinating stories. For example, Sita, who left today, is part Taiwanese, born in Germany, but moved to the UK when she was 16. She knows German, English, Chinese, Taiwanese and some Japanese. Another classmate, Martina, is full Taiwanese, is more fluent in Taiwanese than Chinese, and she is South African. Stephen was born in Monterey Park. Oh, ok that's not too special. Except that he moved to Argentina when he was little and grew up there. Then eventually ended up in Dallas. Then served in the Army for X years. He is an awesome hairstylist. So you can see, MTC is such an interesting place; an eclectic bunch of kids, each with their own stories and for a semester we are all united in Taipei. I was able to get a tiny slice of everyone's thoughts on their own cultures and hometowns and coming into contact with these amazing individuals has helped widen my view of the world even more - another objective I had coming to Taiwan, though not expecting it in this way at MTC. 

I'm thankful to have met these people and hung out with them, and even for the short 2.5 months we had together, I've learned a lot from them and I appreciate it. With a touch of 緣份 I know we'll meet again because it is in our power to. In fact, we bonded enough that I'll be attending a wedding in the coming months! Yahoo! Thanks for the opportunity! How did you know that I love weddings!?! ;)

May everyone lead exciting, fulfilling lives and I hope you all get what you are going for. But, more importantly, enjoy the ride because it's not always about the destination, it's about the footprints you leave, the memories you make, the feels you experience, and the exhilarating journey you have on the way there. 

with<3,

愷

To: 2015, "Welcome!" From: Procrastination

The new year!

I'd been thinking about this post for awhile, and now, nearly halfway through the year, I've begun it! On top of my game! As a prologue, I need to talk about how amazing 2014 was. I think 2014 was quite possibly the best year of my life. I had a job, I went to fantastic music festivals, I was booking stuff every so often, I had the closest, most amazing friends, and I was feeling confident (for the most part). My schedule was so wonky, I would be working weekends and some holidays at a job that started at 7:00 am in Carson a.k.a. a far, distant land. But that couldn't stop me from going out because, hey, it's the freaking weekend, baby I'm about to have me some fun (eProps to those who know the reference). My friends slash most people are free on the weekend, there're activities, and there's nothing I could've done except go out at night, get home at 4 (or not go home; shoutout to Club332, Babbitt, and my dad's van) sleep for an hour or so then head to work. Sometimes these would be back-to-back nights. Sometimes I slept for 20 minutes. Sometimes I drove more than I slept (damn you LA distance and traffic!). Always I looked like ass the next day. Many times I was exhausted. Always I felt fulfilled. Sometimes I still took days off of my 3-day workweek #slacker. If you ask any of my friends, they'll tell you what I was doing is probably not recommended if you'd like a healthy lifestyle. I'd argue that it was. Because my friends gave me life and it's definitely what I needed. It was pretty wild, but I liked it. I thought it was really cool to be living such a not-average life. And isn't it weird that I was so happy, but wanted to move? I feel like most people move because they're not happy with their current situation. I, however, was riding unicorns when I wanted to explore more. But I think that's the way my neurons fire, the more I do, the more I want. I think that's similar to thrill-seekers; once you get it going, you get adventure-bit. Daredevils want more and more and more. And so I came to 台灣. I'll leave objectives, goals, etc. for another post (that, let's face it, may be a number of months down the line).
Thank you 2014! May the best of 2014, be the worst of 2015!

New Year's in another country was actually pretty not lonely thanks to all the visitors we had!! The difficulty was locking down plans especially since we were in a not familiar place. Hard to get into a club? Do we need a table? Should we have bought tickets way way way in advance? How much would it cost? Also, gotta see 101's fireworks while we're here right? But fearing crowds of people, we didn't know the best way to go about this. So yeah, not the most stress-free. We decided to hang out on the roof of Jeff's building since he has a pretty sweet view of 101. And then JFan and I wandered around on the street and found space near where the City Hall concert was happening, which was closer to 101. So it turns out, yeah, there are lots of people, but it's not as insanely crowded as say Times Square. We found some decent space pretty late (circa 10-11pm...?), so it was all good. Tons of places you can check out 101's fireworks and still one of the most convenient things about Taipei is the transportation. Ahhhhhhh so happy we didn't have to drive anywhere and worry about getting home safely. ESPECIALLY because on New Year's Eve, they keep the MRT running all night! WHAT.

So much face in this picture!

Miss that case. And that Jeff Fan!

Special guests: Keywee, Spoonbutt

Blurry, but it has everyone! I think!

So if you plan on doing 跨年 aka New Year's Eve in Taipei, you should check out the 101 fireworks, it's not extremely hard finding space, and dispersing afterwards wasn't nutso either. We were also mentally well prepared.

Then there was the second New Year's to celebrate! Lunar New Year! Though you might expect it to be party central up in Taipei, it's quite the contrary. Good thing we'd received warning that during Chinese New Year ("CNY" from here on out), the city is actually dead. Like... zombie apocalypse dead. For a week. This includes ma and pa food stalls. Eep! One of the things I've learned is that for the most part, people aren't from Taipei. Most people work in Taipei, but their homes are elsewhere. So come CNY, it's time to go home and celebrate with family. And it's usually a week-ish because Taiwanese people are extremely hard workers and throughout the year they hardly get any holidays, so CNY is special and people can take multiple days off.

I think picking a year to live in Taiwan was a good choice so I can experience the different seasons as well as the traditions throughout the year. My CNY was quite.. interesting! I was able to hang out with family (both sides), and I sort of didn't sleep much, but it was such a great experience to bond with family I wouln't have had it any other way. Like I always say, I'll sleep when I'm dead. Thank you family for lifting me to cloud nine!! How cool would it be to be able to come back to Taiwan every CNY? Food for thought. Except no food. I won't be hungry.

Mom's side:

The first time I even heard of 佛跳牆 (Buddha jumps over the wall) was at 師大 in Chinese class. Didn't know I'd able to try it only a couple months later!

 Dad's side:

And the rest of CNY can only be defined by this -

開心開心 <3

Not like I haven't cried that much in a movie before... but, man, wasn't expecting to come out of Fast 7 like that. The LA cityscape, the beautiful tribute to Paul Walker, the change in the coming 6 months, everything made me miss you all that much more tonight. Can't wait 'til I hug your faces again!

with<3

Seoul part 5: Until next time!

The last thing I'll say about Korea is sorry to Jeff because the bathroom and shower is the same. I'd very consistently leave it on shower mode when Jeff wanted to use the sink and he'd get sprayed everywhere. I'm sorry. Sorry mostly because I thought it was hilarious.

Thank you for the bestest time! My own regret is that I didn't check out a Korea spa. AKA I'll have to go back someday. :)