That I Would Be Good

...time and time again, I need to remind myself of this song and it's meaning... and this is one of those times....

That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy
That I would be good even if I lost sanity

That I would be good whether with or without you

Halloween Comes Early.... a tad bit anyway....

Got an email from my dear friend, Mary today.... just our usual "dropping you a note" type emails - as we do on a regular basis... today she attached a photo of her Halloween themed desk at work - see above photo... gave me that excited feeling, warm fuzzy feeling as most calls it, I always do when I see displays of any sorts -- for any of the many Holidays I would normally go all out doing displays for...

Needless to say, it made me recall all the FUN Halloweens I used to spend in San Francisco... dressing up and hanging out with friends.... walking up and down the CASTRO St to admire all the costumes - elaborate or not so elaborate; and revel in all the excitement and festivities...

Aaaah.... Halloween, along with Dia De Los Muertos & XMas, is possibly one of the Holidays I miss most.... well, at least I have my very own little decoration here, all the way from San Francisco - courtesy of another good friend, Juliana....Thank God for friends who always remind me of all these simple things in life I love most....
PS: This one is Mary's Halloween display at home... Love It!!! Just got it today, Oct 23rd... brightened up a bit my otherwise GLOOMY DAY... Thanks Mary!!

Vicky Christina Barcelona : Movie Review

Over the weekend, I finally got to see Woody Allen's latest film - yes, it has just come out here - "Vicky Christina Barcelona" I was dying to see this film because I am a BIIIG FAN of Spanish Actress, Penelope Cruz and I read soooo much POSITIVE reviews, if not RAVES, about her performance here....

At first I was getting antsy as 1) I realized her name is not even one of the title characters names... and 2) almost 3/4 of the film before she actually came out.... But BOY - it was totally worth it... she made the film come alive even more.... her PASSION... her FIRE.... one of the few HOLLYWOOD films that actually knew how to use and showcase her talents.... for the most part, in other films, only her beauty comes through....

This is not to say that Scarlett, Javier and the other actors were not worth watching...everyone was just right on with their portrayals.... and this is one of those WOODY ALLEN films that really HIT all the RIGHT SPOTS... But it IS Penelope's film... she is the LIFE of the whole film - displaying so much raw emotions -- happiness, sorrow, hope, desperation.... an OSCAR, or at least, a nomination - I HOPE!!!

and I MUST say, having set the movie in Barcelona's BEST and most beautiful places was an added BONUS for me... seeing Las Ramblas, Gaudi's Parc Guell, La Sagrada, Barri Gothic, etc... was almost like being there again... and if you did not know any better, one can actually assume one is watching an ALMODOVAR film -- in English....

Yilan Outing

Saturday, the 18th of Oct. we decided to take a trip to City Of Yilan - just to look around...check out the different scenic spots, and of course some of the town's delicacies.... normally it would have taken an hour and a half or two hour drive from Taipei... With the newly constructed and opened tunnel through the mountains - it is not under an hour.... we had a late start so of course, the first stop was to hunt down some local delicacies... a bit of a late lunch / early dinner.... and that WE DID!!!
After satisfying our tummies, we drove on to satisfy our eyes... we decided to drive a bit more to the town of Jiaosi and hike up the mountains to view the famous Waterfalls - Wufongci (5 Peak-Flag)Falls It is the oldest and most famous scenic attraction in Jiaosi... and got it's name from the 5 peaks that line the background of the waterfall which look like a flag from afar.... Within the Peak is the St. Mary's Church and Villa Located at the top of Wufongci Scenic Area, St. Mary's Villa is considered by Catholic pilgrims as a sacred place. Legend has it that, Mother Mary once appeared to 5 climbers in the St. Mary's Pavilion here helping them to safely descend the mountain. In order to remember and pay gratitude to Mother Mary, an outside Grotto with a statue of her was erected on the side of the pavilion.
After the hike and with the sun having set already, we drove down to the town center, which is running amok with Hot Springs, after Hot Springs... this MUST be the Hot Springs capital of Taiwan...The Jiaosi Hot Springs won their fame early on during the Qing Dynasty when they were known as the "Tangwei Hot Springs", and were selected by Wu, Jhu-Fan, the Qing Dynasty Kavalan Magistrate, as one of the "8 most scenic spots in Yilan". On this crowded weekend, we were LUCKY enough to have been able to at least, soak our tired feet to some really soothing Hot Springs... Across the street from where we soaked our feet, Fried Tofu and Bing Tahui was calling us... the laoban (owner) was soooo kind, and must have taken a liking to us, we were treated to a lot of freebies... I seem to think that he wanted us to sit there as long as we can in order to attract more people to sit and dine.. and it worked as more and more people came... the laoban also took his time to chat up with us... told us some town history and told us of the many places to check out, and best hot springs to go to... notes for when we return, and he is so sure we will....

Heading on to the nite market for some more delicacies before heading back to Taipei, we came across a bakery super crowded with people -- we of course, had to pop in and check out all the commotions... and we were treated to some really nice Cold Tea and slices of different muffins and sweets... all courtesy of the shop... SUPER NICE and GENEROUS shop.... all in all, the township of Jiaosi, we have concluded, is a very KIND and GENEROUS town....

"till death do us part"

More tokidoki fun!!! This was sent my way by a friend who knows I LOVE tokidoki... very cute animation and GREAT use of all the characters in tokidoki world!!! ENJOY and Have a Great Weekend!!!

Uh Oh, I Don't Think So!

Just got back from the Supermarket - where I had one of the WORST and BEST experiences ever - shopping... this is my neighborhood supermarket, Carrefour... I go there practically 2 or 3 times a week -- to pick up this and that... so for the most part I know everyone who works there and vice versa... Never had any kinds of problems... I go in... pick up my things... pay... leave.... everything runs smooth as they should - always... TILL TODAY!

I should have known not to get in line to a new employee's counter.... But no choice... she was the only one not helping anyone... that should have tipped me off right of the bat... anyway I just wanted to get my milk and eggs so I go up to her...

-Never mind that she did not say hello or welcome....
-Never mind that she did not even, at least once, smiled... or even look at me...
-Never mind that she did not even ask me for my POINT card... in most places in Taiwan you do get a VIP Point card and you accumulate points for this and that later on...
-Never mind that she did not even hand me back my Point card properly... (she basically threw it on the counter back at me..).

I was trying to IGNORE all that, shrugging it off to the fact that she might be having a BAD day... and just wanting to get done with it and leave... but when I PAID for my things, handed her my Amex card, she took her sweet time swiping it... then just handed me the slip without saying a thing... and after signing it - she did the same thing with my card... threw it on the counter for me to pick up... that did it.... so I had to ask her in my own COMMAND of CHINESE: "XIAOJIE, nii you wenti ma?" (Miss, do you have a problem?)... without even batting an eyelash, she snappily replied: "Meiyou, nii you wenti ma?" (no, do YOU have a problem?).... WHOAH!!! I snapped... so I told her: "Wo bu zhidao wei shemme nii bu gaoxing, keshi wo shi curren eh?" (I do not know why you are so unhappy, but am a customer...)... to which she just replied: "Souyi le?" (and so what?)...

That did me in... nothing to do but cause a scene and call for a MANAGER - i demanded to speak to the Laoban (Manager).... and of course, the minute I asked for a manager she turned red and the expression on her face totally changed.... the manager came, as did the security guard...... and luckily, they were both someone have spoken with before in passing... just simple hello and smiles.... so right off the bat I knew I can explain my side... throughout the salesperson did not deny anything... just looked on with the "so what!" expression on her face.. which was obviously apparent to the manager and security guard too... and to top it all off, she did not even APOLOGIZE.... BIIIG MISTAKE...

To make the long story short, OK shorter, as I know this is already long, the MANAGER Apologized for her.... and then, pulled her aside an gave her a talk in front of me.... basically berated her.... even went as far as to say (with the Security Guy nodding in agreeance) that I am one of their FRIENDLIEST and most POLITE customer - and did not warrant to be treated like so... OKAY, hearing all that made it all up to me already, what she was saying was MUSIC to my ears.... MY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE QUICKLY WENT DOWN, for sure!
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So if there should be any morals to the story, it would be these two things for me:

1) Now and again, it is Good to stand your point... need not be an underdog all the time.... especially when there is a POINT to MAKE!

2) It is always good to be nice, polite and friendly -- as you never know when you will be seeing or needing the help of those others ,you come in contact with on a daily basis, again..
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Okay, Out of the SYSTEM.....
Happy Friday to you all!!!
Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!

tokidoki wallpapers FREE!!!

As you all know, tokidoki & sharing are two of the many things I LOVE in this life... okay, my Obsessions, really... so am always happy to find a few things to add to the collection and share -- especially when they are FREE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Log on here to see some really cool tokidoki wallpapers to use -- and let the FUN begins:
http://www.playphone.com/Wallpapers/tokidoki

You Call That An Exhibition??? Geez!!!

SOGO Department Store in Taipei, Taiwan just had a two week exhibition marking the 7th Anniversary of the momoko doll... I knew not to expect too much as most of the people there that I have dealt with in the past, does not know much about holding exhibitions... and I was right not to... LOLs!!! 7 years of momoko and they had 6 measly display cases... with each one holding two or 3 the most... one even had only one in the case...

As much as I was glad momoko was in the spotlight - I cannot help but feel SAD as it was hardly a good representation of how popular momoko is... (not even close to what JAPAN did to commemorate her 7th Birthday) All the while I was thinking - why did they not ask us to help??? surely there is someone in Taiwan who has a larger collection to loan.... if not us.... Oh Well, That is that.....

Anyway, below is the last EXHIBITION we helped mount in Taiwan... it was for the Chinese NY, 2007.... the theme was Susie & Global Dolls - so we had a variety of dolls represented -- over 500 dolls!!!!

Aaaaah Youth!

The time spend last weekend with Shaun's family in the Nantou County, made such an impression on me... most especially Jeff/Ben/Winner -- lovingly referred to as, Xiao Pang...

Meeting & hanging out with Xiao Pang made me appreciate and think back a whole lot to my childhood... and being young....
-A time when one does not care so much about many things that troubles us in our adulthood... things such as Politics, Religions, Sexual Orientation, Status, Brand Names, Skin Colors, etc....
-A time when we all feel, for the most part, INVINCIBLE -- that we can climb trees, walls, and other heights and no harm can come to us....
-A time when we just say whatever it is that comes to mind and nothing will be misconstrued -- as all will be relegated to naiveness, curiosity, or just plain, Youth!
-A time when we need not worry about responsibilities, getting a job, raising a family, giving back to the community, fitting into our own niche in the world...
-A time where play time rules our daily life... friends and toys matters the most.... as well as, our favorite chocolates, snacks and of course, Saturday morning cartoons....

Oh how I MISS those times.... and yes, though am happy with where I am in my life right now, for the most part anyway, I still think it would be so cool if I can just relieve the HAPPY TIMES, even for just a little while... Alas, we all know that is not possible unless we live in a dream world... or the world of movie magic....

Oh Well, I do still have my precious memories... and I HOPE they never, ever fade away -- as our Youth Fades, in due time....
A Bit of Fun with Xiao Pang!

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3 on Youth!

“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young”
-Oscar Wilde

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
-Sophia Loren

“In youth we learn; in age we understand.”
- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

...almost....

...but almost doesn't count!!...met this cutie over the weekend... this BEAGLE PUP is only 2 months old!!!
HE WAS SOOOOO PLAYFUL....
i was able to play with him for half an hour - till we had to leave.... I think he could sense that I was really into him, so he just kept playing and licking me....

how I wish I could have taken him home with me....

Spur Of The Moment Part 2

Saturday, Oct 11th
With a WONDERFUL nite, came restful sleep -- needless to say we got up early Saturday morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.... David and I , while our company still sleeps, decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and take in the FRESH air... what a great idea as we were able to enjoy the FRESH MORNING AIR.... walking around to complete silence and no cars or scooters for a couple of hours... happen upon fields and fields of all sorts of fruits... -- Dragon Eyes, Papayas, lemons, Lycees, & Grapes...
Later on we were joined by Lyn, Shaun & his family and we drove about and visited the surrounding towns and got to see so much more of what's around Nantou County... in particular, JIJI County... a quaint little town that's been used to some of Taiwan's popular soap operas... one of them I even watched - so it was a treat to see where it was filmed... of course, we ate some more and tried all the local delicacies.. relaxed for a bit... played badminton with Xiao Pang... hung out... and just totally relaxed....

Later that nite, we all went to the town's hottest and biggest nite market for some food and a bit of fun... Xiao Pang's wishes finally came true as we all had MONGOLIAN BBQ -- the only thing he kept telling us to try all weekend long.... though very oily, it was not a bad recommendation at all... it was tasty and filling.... after that we walked around some more and enjoyed the different booths offering a variety of things... played some games - and even did the BUMP car thing with Xiao Pang - mind you, no one was allowed to bump other cars... if you do, you get kicked out... hmmmm - wonder why they still called it Bump Cars???

Over all it was a great get-away weekend -- we enjoyed everything and everyone's company so much that we are already planning our next visit... in DEC, when grape harvesting season begins....

Xiao Hai: Portrait of an Aboriginal Dog

One of the most interesting thing I learned during our trip this weekend is the 411 on Taiwan's Aboriginal dogs... All these times I have seen this type of dogs running around the parks or by the river where we run, watching over private lands and homes - never would I have thought that they were purebred doggies... I always just assume they are your typical street dogs... But having visited Shaun's family home in Nantou and getting to see and know their dog, Xiao Hai -- I got to learn more about his kind -- and boy was I wrong!!! Now it makes sense to me why they are very territorial, aloof, and commanding looking but not at all in very threatening ways....
This N That about Xiao Hai's Breed:
The Formosan Mountain Dog, commonly referred to as simply Formosan, and also known as Taiwan Native Dog (臺灣土狗) is a breed of dog indigenous to Taiwan. Originally kept by aboriginal Taiwanese as hunting dogs, purebred Formosans are extremely rare. Blood tests showed that they were related to dogs found in Southern Japan and that they were descendants of the South Asian Hunting Dog.

Little known outside of Taiwan, Formosans are recognized with a pedigree from the Taiwan Kennel Club and the International Canine Organization. They are well adapted to the uneven and thickly forested terrain of Taiwan, having become a semi-wild breed prior to the arrival of human Dutch settlers. Notwithstanding these adaptations, Formosans retained the potential to be trained, and are now used as hunting dogs, as guard dogs, as stunt dogs, or simply as companions.

Though one can see them just running wild and free, now and again, at parks or river banks -- Purebred Formaosans can go for upwards of US$1000 each...

FUN FACT About Doggie Names in Taiwan:
For some reason, maybe lack of IMAGINATION, most of the of the dogs in Taiwan are caller, Xiao Hai, Xiao Bai or Xiao Huang (Little Black, Little White or Little Yellow respectively)... they really like to precede names with Xiao -- even when the dogs are hardly on the small side.