g'day cafe
Sunday, March 27, 2005
We’ve had a fabulous weekend, notwithstanding the various duties we had. Cass was the makeup director for the school play and the performances were on Friday and Saturday night and today for a matinee. Come to think of it maybe she didn’t have such a great weekend! She had to be on duty for many hours and didn’t get home till 10.30 each night. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d go back and change that “royal we” in the first sentence………
I went for a surf with Carl and Ross to the Pillbox on Friday afternoon after giving a talk to 50 trainee teachers of English from Taichung. The presentation went very well and the surf was just the ticket to wash away a bit of stress from the week. I had a bit of a cold on Friday, so even though I made the surf, I demurred from a party later that evening for one of my colleagues. Saturday was just a glorious day, very Australianesque and the blue skies and warm temperatures lured us on to the scooter for a trip into the city. We had an excellent lunch at the creatively named “G’day Café”. Tucked away in a little lane, we were initially quite excited, expecting some kind of Aussie influence. In actual fact, the café serves up quite mouthwatering Mexican cuisine cooked by a scrum of Filipino women! It was the second or third time we’ve been there and we hadn’t been back for a while, so it was quite a treat. Cass wanted to call in on “Joe” the jeweler on the way back to check his wares and she is also doing some internet research on some items as well. She plans to spend her play stipend from last year and this year on something and apparently it’s all very exciting. I’m suitably underwhelmed with the whole experience as you can probably tell, but I’m sure Cass was equally mesmerized as I perused LCD TVs a little later!
Taiwan appears to be on the edge of a precipice when it comes to its relationship with China. The Chinese rhetoric has gone up a notch with the passing of an anti-secession bill, which passes into law their right to attack Taiwan if Taiwan moves toward independence. The outrage has not been palpable here in that peculiar Chinese way, but a sight we saw on the way home Saturday will long stay with me. As we turned onto the main north south road back to Tienmu we saw the midpoint of the biggest peace rally ever in Taiwan. Bandana clad marchers waving green placards for peace were marching to a downtown staging venue. Called the “Million Man March”, I don’t know if it reached this target, but it was very impressive nonetheless. People marched 15 to 20 abreast in a continuous noisy line, loud hailers blaring, whistles shrilly piercing the air. The mood seemed happy, yet somehow very determined. These Taiwanese people resent strongly that China so unilaterally lays claim to their country and live under the spectre of the 700 missiles just across the Taiwan Strait that are all aimed straight at our city. I’ve included some photos here, but the sensory experiences are lacking and hard to describe.
We had our usual breakfast of champions today and enjoyed reading lots of clippings sent from Mum. I rang Mum today and asked her to read me an article that appeared on the front page of the Herald on Friday. I wont go into details here, but many Novocastrians will be aware of its contents. If it comes to the crunch, we’ll fight this tooth and nail and I know my fellow body corporate members will join us. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but a more tenacious and strong willed bunch would be hard to find, so look out Newcastle Council and Ray Robinson!
To end on a lighter note, one might think that with all this study I’m doing, the last thing I’d be reading for pleasure is the book featured in the photo. My colleague, the great Gurecki who is a renowned expert on brain research recommended it for my friend Mark after I asked for his advice. The reviews looked so good, I bought a copy myself. A little play-acting for the camera was not that far from the reality: perhaps not a good choice for light bedtime reading!! We’ll be in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam on Wednesday and be back on Sunday afternoon. I should have lots of material for next week’s blog!
I went for a surf with Carl and Ross to the Pillbox on Friday afternoon after giving a talk to 50 trainee teachers of English from Taichung. The presentation went very well and the surf was just the ticket to wash away a bit of stress from the week. I had a bit of a cold on Friday, so even though I made the surf, I demurred from a party later that evening for one of my colleagues. Saturday was just a glorious day, very Australianesque and the blue skies and warm temperatures lured us on to the scooter for a trip into the city. We had an excellent lunch at the creatively named “G’day Café”. Tucked away in a little lane, we were initially quite excited, expecting some kind of Aussie influence. In actual fact, the café serves up quite mouthwatering Mexican cuisine cooked by a scrum of Filipino women! It was the second or third time we’ve been there and we hadn’t been back for a while, so it was quite a treat. Cass wanted to call in on “Joe” the jeweler on the way back to check his wares and she is also doing some internet research on some items as well. She plans to spend her play stipend from last year and this year on something and apparently it’s all very exciting. I’m suitably underwhelmed with the whole experience as you can probably tell, but I’m sure Cass was equally mesmerized as I perused LCD TVs a little later!
Taiwan appears to be on the edge of a precipice when it comes to its relationship with China. The Chinese rhetoric has gone up a notch with the passing of an anti-secession bill, which passes into law their right to attack Taiwan if Taiwan moves toward independence. The outrage has not been palpable here in that peculiar Chinese way, but a sight we saw on the way home Saturday will long stay with me. As we turned onto the main north south road back to Tienmu we saw the midpoint of the biggest peace rally ever in Taiwan. Bandana clad marchers waving green placards for peace were marching to a downtown staging venue. Called the “Million Man March”, I don’t know if it reached this target, but it was very impressive nonetheless. People marched 15 to 20 abreast in a continuous noisy line, loud hailers blaring, whistles shrilly piercing the air. The mood seemed happy, yet somehow very determined. These Taiwanese people resent strongly that China so unilaterally lays claim to their country and live under the spectre of the 700 missiles just across the Taiwan Strait that are all aimed straight at our city. I’ve included some photos here, but the sensory experiences are lacking and hard to describe.
We had our usual breakfast of champions today and enjoyed reading lots of clippings sent from Mum. I rang Mum today and asked her to read me an article that appeared on the front page of the Herald on Friday. I wont go into details here, but many Novocastrians will be aware of its contents. If it comes to the crunch, we’ll fight this tooth and nail and I know my fellow body corporate members will join us. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but a more tenacious and strong willed bunch would be hard to find, so look out Newcastle Council and Ray Robinson!
To end on a lighter note, one might think that with all this study I’m doing, the last thing I’d be reading for pleasure is the book featured in the photo. My colleague, the great Gurecki who is a renowned expert on brain research recommended it for my friend Mark after I asked for his advice. The reviews looked so good, I bought a copy myself. A little play-acting for the camera was not that far from the reality: perhaps not a good choice for light bedtime reading!! We’ll be in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam on Wednesday and be back on Sunday afternoon. I should have lots of material for next week’s blog!
Monday, March 21, 2005
Sunday, March 20, 2005
It’s been a while since we entered the cauldron of downtown Taipei city on a Sunday afternoon and we were overwhelmed with the enervating hordes of people and the crush in the MRT stations and trains. It’s not that the situation has changed much, just that we’re not used to it. After Cass had spent the best part of Saturday doing the makeup for a dress rehearsal of the play and I had sat through the first stupefying face-to-face session of my course all day, we were ready to enjoy the change of weather today. We had our usual relaxed weekend breakfast, courtesy of raison toast and our new luxury, Vittoria coffee (we just try not to think how much it costs…about 4 times what it costs at home!!) and Newcastle Herald clippings courtesy of Mum, which arrive with regularity and keep us in the loop of all matters of things, including local news snippets, real estate, books, wine, sport and all sorts of great surprises. The sun was beaming, the wind just doing enough work to refresh rather than annoy and we thought to ourselves; “it looks like Spring has finally sprung”.
Leaving the scooter behind, we thought we’d do an old style MRT trip and we headed for the Taipower station beyond the city center, as we’d never been there. We both remarked how gleaming the stations and trains looked and I was reminded of the news from back home about the graffiti attacks in the city. Is it a peculiar Asian trait we wondered? You have to look very hard to find any graffiti in Japan and it is the same here. Broad inviting canvases would tempt the most timid of Aussie “taggers”, yet there is barely a sign of it here. In fact it is remarkable how much accessible public property is left untouched here. Stations have flat screen TVs dotted along all the platforms and flourishing pot plants and beautifully framed prints along the corridors. I’m sure these wouldn’t last 5 minutes back home. What is the difference? This is a major city, with more than its share of poor and disenfranchised, young and old. It would be anathema for the poorest or least assimilated person to touch these things, let alone other groups. I don’t know what it is.
The Taipower region was fairly unremarkable except for a little restaurant/pub we spied which has a distinct British flavour, right down to such scrumptious offerings as home made beef pies with a beer based gravy, bangers and mash and fish and chips! Fare that could be acquired on any street in Australia no doubt, but that is the point: not many streets in Taipei! A little bit of gold to store away for another time; notwithstanding the half hour train ride to get there! Halfway back to the station we spied some young guys in the middle of the road creating great mirth amongst their friends as they did a grand impersonation of the CKS Memorial Hall guards. Terrific fun was had by all and they seemed quite chuffed that I whipped the camera out to record the moment! We traveled back to the Bade Rd computer market (Mum will remember it’s just beside the mini jade market) and descended to the bowels where a myriad of tiny stalls stack all sorts of goods right to the ceiling in a cramped maze. We bought the Godfather collection at the best price we’d seen so far. I have had my eye on this DVD collection for some time and I’m glad I waited as it was about $500NT less than it has been at other places. Teamed with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, that completed our purchases and we braved the MRT back to Mingde.
Back home we watched the tremendous Roosters vs Panthers game and wondered how the Knights are going to beat any team this year: they all seem so tough! Sue wrote a terrific email this afternoon and said she saw most of the Canberra game and they seemed right in it till fairly late, so I’m going to hold onto that sliver of hope for the time being.
Dan came with Ross and me to the Pillbox on Friday afternoon after our conferences, so I did get a surf of sorts this weekend. It was freezing then, but the swell was solid and we got some pretty good waves. Dan and I sat forlornly in our classroom on Saturday while Ross ventured out with Brian to the Rocket. Ross said they didn’t get much, so while a little disappointed for them, I was pleased to hear it wasn’t 6 foot and perfect! Adieu.
Technical hitch loading pictures tonight: I’ll try again tomorrow
Leaving the scooter behind, we thought we’d do an old style MRT trip and we headed for the Taipower station beyond the city center, as we’d never been there. We both remarked how gleaming the stations and trains looked and I was reminded of the news from back home about the graffiti attacks in the city. Is it a peculiar Asian trait we wondered? You have to look very hard to find any graffiti in Japan and it is the same here. Broad inviting canvases would tempt the most timid of Aussie “taggers”, yet there is barely a sign of it here. In fact it is remarkable how much accessible public property is left untouched here. Stations have flat screen TVs dotted along all the platforms and flourishing pot plants and beautifully framed prints along the corridors. I’m sure these wouldn’t last 5 minutes back home. What is the difference? This is a major city, with more than its share of poor and disenfranchised, young and old. It would be anathema for the poorest or least assimilated person to touch these things, let alone other groups. I don’t know what it is.
The Taipower region was fairly unremarkable except for a little restaurant/pub we spied which has a distinct British flavour, right down to such scrumptious offerings as home made beef pies with a beer based gravy, bangers and mash and fish and chips! Fare that could be acquired on any street in Australia no doubt, but that is the point: not many streets in Taipei! A little bit of gold to store away for another time; notwithstanding the half hour train ride to get there! Halfway back to the station we spied some young guys in the middle of the road creating great mirth amongst their friends as they did a grand impersonation of the CKS Memorial Hall guards. Terrific fun was had by all and they seemed quite chuffed that I whipped the camera out to record the moment! We traveled back to the Bade Rd computer market (Mum will remember it’s just beside the mini jade market) and descended to the bowels where a myriad of tiny stalls stack all sorts of goods right to the ceiling in a cramped maze. We bought the Godfather collection at the best price we’d seen so far. I have had my eye on this DVD collection for some time and I’m glad I waited as it was about $500NT less than it has been at other places. Teamed with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, that completed our purchases and we braved the MRT back to Mingde.
Back home we watched the tremendous Roosters vs Panthers game and wondered how the Knights are going to beat any team this year: they all seem so tough! Sue wrote a terrific email this afternoon and said she saw most of the Canberra game and they seemed right in it till fairly late, so I’m going to hold onto that sliver of hope for the time being.
Dan came with Ross and me to the Pillbox on Friday afternoon after our conferences, so I did get a surf of sorts this weekend. It was freezing then, but the swell was solid and we got some pretty good waves. Dan and I sat forlornly in our classroom on Saturday while Ross ventured out with Brian to the Rocket. Ross said they didn’t get much, so while a little disappointed for them, I was pleased to hear it wasn’t 6 foot and perfect! Adieu.
Technical hitch loading pictures tonight: I’ll try again tomorrow
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Temperatures plunged to single figures again this weekend, just when we thought the cold was behind us for this season. Ross and I managed a few scrappy waves at the Rocket on Friday after school before heading out early on Saturday morning to the Pillbox (pictured) which was surging with fat messy swell, the north east wind playing havoc with the swell which had whipped up overnight.
Forgoing that uninviting opportunity, we headed back quite early and I arrived home to find Cassy packing the aforementioned wardrobes full of stuff that had been straining on the couple of built-in shelves we have in the study. It has made a great difference and we can now again use the desk for the task it was intended to fill, not as a space to accumulate all sorts of junk. We’re really thrilled with the results and bought a desk lamp for the newly cleared desk. We also moved the shoe cupboard into the study, packed the top with blankets and now it provides an extra “lookout” for Virg’n Mary into the back alley. The back provides all sorts of interest for them, a few big moving trees with the occasional bird to mesmerize them, as well as the new litter of kittens down the back which look suspiciously similar to them! The kittens all have the same Tasmanian tiger style markings and colouring: I wonder if our two feline companions know how lucky they are?
We bought a new filing cabinet today on the way home from B’n Q (the big hardware shop down near the night markets). We had gone to that store to look for a cabinet, but on the way home we spied a little office furniture shop jam packed with all sorts of boring grey metal monsters. Through some sign language and some limited Chinese (well, a few numbers at least!) we managed to order a cabinet, which we can pick up Tuesday after work, so we’re well pleased with everything. Add to that a massive clean out of old clothes and re-arrangement of other cupboards and wardrobes, we’re all set up with what feels like a brand new shiny apartment.
I’ve given up trying to get our big Grundig TV fixed. After trying all the TV shops and repair places I’m resigned to the fact that the great multi system TV is destined for the junk pile. They have stopped selling Grundigs in Taiwan and I suppose in a sign of the throw away society here and the lack of both Grundig repair people and a lack of parts, no one is prepared to work on it. The picture tube blew some time ago now, but I’ve finally realized that this is the end. Once we get rid of this, the study will once again really resemble the place we originally set it up to be: I’ll have to do some work then!
Cass has been having meetings after school with her makeup girls in preparation for the school play and needs to do some local shopping for lipsticks and other goods in the next few days. Her internet order has not yet arrived, a source of some anxiety, but she has a little time yet. As mentioned before I’m still doing two Master’s courses at once and I’m halfway through both. The main problem is that the online component of one is coming to an end and the classes start soon. I’ll have lectures and workshops through the week after school and the next TWO Saturdays! You can imagine how enamoured I am with that prospect!
We’ve watched our first two games of the NRL season this weekend and found them both to be very entertaining. ABC Asiapacific will again broadcast the Friday game on Saturday afternoon, necessitating a self-imposed media blackout on Saturday morning and the Sunday game is broadcast about the same time it is back home. I was quite glum watching the Knights progress this afternoon on the NRL’s live scoreboard: looks like Joey might need a few weeks to find the old magic. We’ve also been scanning the draw to work out which games we’ll see when we’re back in June/July. With the Knight’s first home game not till Round 6 we thought we’d get a few bonus games: not to be unfortunately as they end a run of eight home games from nine weeks the weekend we return! We’ll see just 4 games, but we might go to one or two others, especially the one before we fly out against the Bulldogs. Well, very report style this week. I wasn’t really in the mood to wax lyrical about anything and nothing really piqued my imagination this week either. Pictures are of the frenetic Jason’s market place in the basement of Takashimaya, the haven for all things exotic and foreign. The stormy Pillbox features, as does Chientan MRT station with train arriving. The other shot is of the newly refurbished riverside path, just a few steps from our place, with views to the Yangminshan mountains beyond.
Forgoing that uninviting opportunity, we headed back quite early and I arrived home to find Cassy packing the aforementioned wardrobes full of stuff that had been straining on the couple of built-in shelves we have in the study. It has made a great difference and we can now again use the desk for the task it was intended to fill, not as a space to accumulate all sorts of junk. We’re really thrilled with the results and bought a desk lamp for the newly cleared desk. We also moved the shoe cupboard into the study, packed the top with blankets and now it provides an extra “lookout” for Virg’n Mary into the back alley. The back provides all sorts of interest for them, a few big moving trees with the occasional bird to mesmerize them, as well as the new litter of kittens down the back which look suspiciously similar to them! The kittens all have the same Tasmanian tiger style markings and colouring: I wonder if our two feline companions know how lucky they are?
We bought a new filing cabinet today on the way home from B’n Q (the big hardware shop down near the night markets). We had gone to that store to look for a cabinet, but on the way home we spied a little office furniture shop jam packed with all sorts of boring grey metal monsters. Through some sign language and some limited Chinese (well, a few numbers at least!) we managed to order a cabinet, which we can pick up Tuesday after work, so we’re well pleased with everything. Add to that a massive clean out of old clothes and re-arrangement of other cupboards and wardrobes, we’re all set up with what feels like a brand new shiny apartment.
I’ve given up trying to get our big Grundig TV fixed. After trying all the TV shops and repair places I’m resigned to the fact that the great multi system TV is destined for the junk pile. They have stopped selling Grundigs in Taiwan and I suppose in a sign of the throw away society here and the lack of both Grundig repair people and a lack of parts, no one is prepared to work on it. The picture tube blew some time ago now, but I’ve finally realized that this is the end. Once we get rid of this, the study will once again really resemble the place we originally set it up to be: I’ll have to do some work then!
Cass has been having meetings after school with her makeup girls in preparation for the school play and needs to do some local shopping for lipsticks and other goods in the next few days. Her internet order has not yet arrived, a source of some anxiety, but she has a little time yet. As mentioned before I’m still doing two Master’s courses at once and I’m halfway through both. The main problem is that the online component of one is coming to an end and the classes start soon. I’ll have lectures and workshops through the week after school and the next TWO Saturdays! You can imagine how enamoured I am with that prospect!
We’ve watched our first two games of the NRL season this weekend and found them both to be very entertaining. ABC Asiapacific will again broadcast the Friday game on Saturday afternoon, necessitating a self-imposed media blackout on Saturday morning and the Sunday game is broadcast about the same time it is back home. I was quite glum watching the Knights progress this afternoon on the NRL’s live scoreboard: looks like Joey might need a few weeks to find the old magic. We’ve also been scanning the draw to work out which games we’ll see when we’re back in June/July. With the Knight’s first home game not till Round 6 we thought we’d get a few bonus games: not to be unfortunately as they end a run of eight home games from nine weeks the weekend we return! We’ll see just 4 games, but we might go to one or two others, especially the one before we fly out against the Bulldogs. Well, very report style this week. I wasn’t really in the mood to wax lyrical about anything and nothing really piqued my imagination this week either. Pictures are of the frenetic Jason’s market place in the basement of Takashimaya, the haven for all things exotic and foreign. The stormy Pillbox features, as does Chientan MRT station with train arriving. The other shot is of the newly refurbished riverside path, just a few steps from our place, with views to the Yangminshan mountains beyond.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Ever since my lack of what anyone could call a semblance of productive work produced in high school, I haven’t been a great fan of music blaring when doing work which requires some thought. If this entry appears disjointed or downright abysmal it is because I have decided to write it while listening to my play list entitled “Loud and Fast” on my iPod. I’m sure Mum remembers the volume at which that high school music was played, as do my siblings. I am trying to emulate it here, as Cassy has just ducked out to Jason’s and I’m left alone tapping away to an eclectic mix of Metallica, JET, Spiderbait and some golden oldies like AC/DC and Midnight Oil. Oh and there’s some Kiss too Mum…. bet you wish you were here!
My elevated mood is partly due to the finish of another assignment for one of two courses I’m doing concurrently, but more due to the fact that the weather, while still cold, has lifted; leaving behind beautiful sunny days minus even a puff of cloud, crisp days with a weak but undisturbed sun. What a treat it was for Carl and me to sit out at Jinshan point this morning, quality left handers peeling off, smooth ocean and an intense blue sky. The only downside was the constant jockeying for position in the crowded lineup and the utter contempt that the locals seem to have for surf etiquette. While lovely, friendly chaps who say “sorry!” every time they drop in, or indiscriminately throw their boards away when we are paddling behind them, we find we have to hold our tongues and our tempers quite often. We’ve finally realized that they surf the same way that they drive. The “I’m all right Jack, #@$* you” rule is very much in evidence. I was foully fin-chopped by a drop-in today and while I’ve got a tasty little cut on my shin, I just got back on board and paddled out again. The trouble is, we just can’t bring ourselves to do the same thing! Too well trained I suppose and with the faint spectre of Times past when someone may take exception and try to beat the daylights out of us!! The local boys are really friendly guys, getting better each week: I just dread what will happen to them if they take these same surf manners anywhere overseas!
What do you think so far? I haven’t concentrated at all with this frantic music blaring…I’m raving a bit I suspect. Cathy has had her baby! Ella Marie Brekke was born 5 weeks premature and sent everyone into a tiz. Mum and baby are doing very well and we’ve been scrambling at work to cover Chad’s classes. He has had a sub of course, but I’ve tried to take care of a few extra little things for him. We were going to visit, but Chad has been hard to catch and we don’t want to arrive un-announced at this crazy time for them.
Cass was set a photo assignment when she went to Jason’s (from which she has returned and the music has been turned down quite a few notches) I asked her to take a photo of a peculiar Taipei phenomenon which has baffled us for the many months it has been occurring. An outlet of the ubiquitous (in Japan, at least) chain “Mister Donut” has opened its first Taipei store opposite Takashimaya. The curious thing is that it always has a long snaking queue leading to its doors. In the most uncomfortable wind, coldest frosts, the most intensely driving rain, still they stand and wait, sometimes for four hours or more! The store has limited the amount of donuts to 100 (!) per customer to try to satisfy the voracious lines. I mean, really, what is going on? These donuts are pretty good, but I’m not going to queue for them! Also spied was a rare Taipei sight, a proper Ducati motorbike amongst the buzzing mass of scooters. How about Tienmu’s answer to the Louvre pyramid? Announcing a grand entrance to Takashimaya, why, we could be in Paris, couldn’t we?!
Perhaps I might dispense with the music next time: this writing has appalled even me. Taipei Life might be bizarre, but it is never dull!
My elevated mood is partly due to the finish of another assignment for one of two courses I’m doing concurrently, but more due to the fact that the weather, while still cold, has lifted; leaving behind beautiful sunny days minus even a puff of cloud, crisp days with a weak but undisturbed sun. What a treat it was for Carl and me to sit out at Jinshan point this morning, quality left handers peeling off, smooth ocean and an intense blue sky. The only downside was the constant jockeying for position in the crowded lineup and the utter contempt that the locals seem to have for surf etiquette. While lovely, friendly chaps who say “sorry!” every time they drop in, or indiscriminately throw their boards away when we are paddling behind them, we find we have to hold our tongues and our tempers quite often. We’ve finally realized that they surf the same way that they drive. The “I’m all right Jack, #@$* you” rule is very much in evidence. I was foully fin-chopped by a drop-in today and while I’ve got a tasty little cut on my shin, I just got back on board and paddled out again. The trouble is, we just can’t bring ourselves to do the same thing! Too well trained I suppose and with the faint spectre of Times past when someone may take exception and try to beat the daylights out of us!! The local boys are really friendly guys, getting better each week: I just dread what will happen to them if they take these same surf manners anywhere overseas!
What do you think so far? I haven’t concentrated at all with this frantic music blaring…I’m raving a bit I suspect. Cathy has had her baby! Ella Marie Brekke was born 5 weeks premature and sent everyone into a tiz. Mum and baby are doing very well and we’ve been scrambling at work to cover Chad’s classes. He has had a sub of course, but I’ve tried to take care of a few extra little things for him. We were going to visit, but Chad has been hard to catch and we don’t want to arrive un-announced at this crazy time for them.
Cass was set a photo assignment when she went to Jason’s (from which she has returned and the music has been turned down quite a few notches) I asked her to take a photo of a peculiar Taipei phenomenon which has baffled us for the many months it has been occurring. An outlet of the ubiquitous (in Japan, at least) chain “Mister Donut” has opened its first Taipei store opposite Takashimaya. The curious thing is that it always has a long snaking queue leading to its doors. In the most uncomfortable wind, coldest frosts, the most intensely driving rain, still they stand and wait, sometimes for four hours or more! The store has limited the amount of donuts to 100 (!) per customer to try to satisfy the voracious lines. I mean, really, what is going on? These donuts are pretty good, but I’m not going to queue for them! Also spied was a rare Taipei sight, a proper Ducati motorbike amongst the buzzing mass of scooters. How about Tienmu’s answer to the Louvre pyramid? Announcing a grand entrance to Takashimaya, why, we could be in Paris, couldn’t we?!
Perhaps I might dispense with the music next time: this writing has appalled even me. Taipei Life might be bizarre, but it is never dull!
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