A Weekend with Xiao Pang

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting with Xiao Pang again -- Saturday in Nantou, his hometown; and Sunday he came up with his family to Taipei... Alas it was under somber circumstances, as we had to attend his Grandfather's funeral.. His Grandfather is Shaun's father... Since I last saw him, he is a bit taller, tummy a bit bigger, and definitely a whole lot smarter...
We got to take a little drive just to give him a break from all the Funeral goings on... and we were even joined by Wu Papa who also attended the Funeral... Wu Papa, like me, is just a kid at heart and Xiao Pang brings out the kiddies in us!!!!

On the 8th, Xiao Pang and his family came up to Taipei, as his Grandfather's ashes was placed in a Mausoleum in the city. We had dinner and even got to ride the Taipei Eye... and had just a blast screaming our lungs out...

tokidoki XMas Tree - I WANT ONE!!!

Boo Hoo... somebody beat me to a tokidoki themed XMas Tree...
even a HANNUKAH MENORAH to boot!!!!
Look at all these tokidoki goodies doubling as ornaments.... This is TRULY a tokidoki heavenly XMas!!!

Okay, am really not that upset about being beaten to a tokidoki themed XMas tree - as this is done at Royal T in Los Angeles, close by to the tokidoki offices. Royal T is a Cafe, Tea House, and from what I read, "a gallery full of Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, Aya Nakano and a host of other equally awe-inspiring artists". YOWZA!!! It sounds like a MUST SEE place....
One can visit the tokidoki tree and Royal-T at:
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6300

Kawaii Ne!!!

Window XMas Shopping (am stressing WINDOW SHOPPING ONLY HERE!)the last few days during what little free time I have, I came across these really cool looking My Melody Vinyl Figures... Cute and Functional as they double as little mirrors, too! They are offered by HANG TEN, for the Holidays, along with a couple of Hello Kitty Coin Banks (in red or gold)... Of course,m I had to break down and get them...

Though I have liked the SANRIO stuff for many years now, I have always opted for the "not so pink" stuff... so these Goth Look works for me.... alas, the 3rd one in Pink is part of the set and one can only buy them as sets....

Anyway, all these Sanrio cuteness reminded me of the photos we took of the "oh-so'cute" Hello Kitty Waiting Lounge at CKS Airports' Terminal 2 - Taoyuan, Taiwan. I have never seen soooo much Hello Kittyness in one place... even more overwhelming than the SANRIO Shop I used to go to on Stockton St, in downtown San Francisco.

So I dug up the photos right away and UPLOADED them on Flickr - Hello Kitty Lounge, CKS.Below: The Actual Waiting Lounge

For We Need A Little XMas!

Since yesterday's post was a bit of a downer.. I thought I would turn it around a bit and post something light and XMassy... First a photo of our Little XMas corner here in Taipei, it's only little as we spend our XMasses in Manila each and every year.... so it is just this tiny gold wired tree, a Princely coin bank, and a couple of early XMAS presents from Juliana already.... ow for the real Xmas Decor:
============================
Not once - ever since I moved out of my parents' home - did I repeat the same theme for my annual XMas Tree.... it was just something that I did and became somewhat of a TRADITION for me... must be because growing up I kept having to put up the same tree and decorations each year....

Over the years I have done various themes - some turned out nicely (like my ODE to BAXTER -- POLAROIDS of him with my different friends who got to meet him and gold DOGGIE Biscuits) and some were disastrous (like my RECYCLING theme (everyone thought it looked like TRASH!)... i have had them in green, white and even black! Hung them on the wall, upside down from the ceiling, you name it.... oh well, YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME... no matter, as I am pretty much happy with whatever I do...

This year, in Manila, am doing GREEN... all because of the Paper Mache' Holy Family I found at Rustan's back in OCT.... so I built on that... actually am still building on that -- as my tree is not quite finished yet... LOLs... so am sharing some photos here....

Last Year's COPPER colored theme:

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

...Not at all in the Spirit of XMas....

Just a little while ago, my housemate Lyn, was telling me about an article she read on today's, paper earlier today... it happened in Tainan, a couple of hours away from Taipei....

It seems an older man was a victim of hit and run which he survived... but was hit badly that he could not get up fast... it seems no one bothered to help this man at all -- but there were bystanders... along came another car and hit him again - this time fatally...

Alas, no punch lines guys... this is a TRUE STORY right from Taiwan's newspaper for the day...

It is a SAD state when you hear about these things... a simple act of kindness or showing concern for a fellow human being could mean saving a life... and yet, so many people do not want to get involved...

Are we so NUMB to what's going on around us?
And is it maybe from all the SADNESS & DEVASTATION we have witnessed in our lives?
How can we expect to get along with our neighbouring countries when we cannot even show concerns for our own countrymen???

No Matter, there are NO EXCUSES to not knowing that it is our GOD GIVEN RIGHT to lend a hand, show care, & compassion for our fellow men - to just REACH OUT and TOUCH somebody's Hand, somebody's Heart...
====================================================================
Truly not a story one would like to read in keeping with the Xmas Spirits.... makes one think of all the other bad stuff happening in the world, of late, the mindless bombings in MUMBAI, India.... senselessly, so many lives were lost...

Orange You Glad It's Dec....

So I got another early XMAS present... this time from my roomie, Lyn, who just came back from her -- what seems like -- bi-monthly trip to JAPAN... this year - she decided to give everyone Fleece Jackets... so she came home with a suitcase full of Fleece Jackets in varying colors... as she knows that i love colors and am a bit more adventurous when it comes to wearing colors, she opted to give me the brightest one of all - ORANGE!!! Works fine with me as I even have a nice scarf to go a long with it... HAHAHAHAHA....

And it just so happen that, yesterday the 2nd of DEC, I had a get together, catch up, coffee break @ STARBUCKS with Juliana (hey did we not just see each other a lot? Hahahahahaha) -- so I had an excuse to put it all on as weather here is quite cold lately... freezing to be exact, only thing missing is the snow... PERFECT really to wear such a coat....

@ Taipei Starbucks... same XMas Decor as Manila's Starbucks -- but alas, NO PLANNERS/NO STICKERS!!!!

at long last...

....a new COMPUTER!!!! okay, it is not a MAC AIR or Mac Book...but really no matter... it is MINE and I LOVE IT!!!

Actually just an HP ELITE BOOK 2530P laptop... means nothing to me except that, it is FAST and easy for me to use... plus since it is a laptop, i now have the luxury of typing in bed... like now!!!! Still learning the ropes with this one... plus still, have many software to UPLOAD.... he (my computer is manly, of course!) is lite so will travel really, really well... the only drawback for me is that it has a built in WEB CAM - TEMPTATION, get thee away from me... am told that this is Business person's type of laptop -- so I might have to withhold doing YM, cam to cam.... HAHAHAHAHAHA....One of my roomies, SHAUN, who has connections got me this HP for less than HALF the going price.... Boy, working for the leading Taiwan newspaper really has their benefits... they get the BEST DEALS!!! As an added bonus - since it is almost XMAS, it came with this mini XMAS tree that has a USB connection and when plugged in, lites up in all it's XMAS GLORY! FUN!!!
So for now, I will not be having COMPUTER BLUES - I HOPE!!!!

STRABUCKS Planner 2009

Am soooo EXCITED to see that STARBUCKS will have another planner for 2009.... I enjoyed the one for last year and though, this is not as good as the leather bound one from 2008 - some of the graphics inside are really, really nice.... so am working on getting one...

PROMO is already running.... and will run till the 6th of JAN.... you will need 8 stickers from the coffee purchases... and 8 from 3 of the HOLIDAY SPECIAL drinks: Dark Cherry Mocha, Praline Mocha & Toffee Mint Latte = a total of 16 stickers!!! Not too bad as I remembered last year being sooo much more.... Thanks to Juliana's recent trip to Manila, am 4 coffees and 2 special drinks away in completing mine... Imagine, even on our way to the airport to catch a flight back to TAIWAN, we still managed to stop by a STARBUCKS for two more stickers... LOLs....

Not sure where else this PROMO is running... certainly not here in TAIWAN... boo hoo... but it is available in all STARBUCKS in Manila...

Be Sure to check out this really cute HOLIDAY REINDEER they are offering.... it is small enough to fit inside a mug for a SPECIAL GIFT.... and of course, cute enough to buy for yourself!

PS:
am not a SHARE HOLDER of STARBUCKS - I WISH!!! I am merely sharing INFO... hehehehe Below are a couple of ILLUSTRATIONS from the planner that caught my eye....

24 Days Before XMas!!!

...and the COUNTDOWN BEGINS... tis' the season once again... so make your preparations... leave the troubles behind.... and share in the joys of the season with family, friends, love ones, & even strangers....

Here's a funny looking XMas thing to get to started... I met him during the last travel to Manila, just last week....

ALESSI: when art meets kitchen

I first discovered ALESSI during one of our get-together dinners here in Taiwan... Sue & Cecilia gifted us with what I came to know later as part of the Chin Family Collection of ALESSI products... I instantly fell for them and had to google more about ALESSI.... hence, I came to know that they are on the pricey side...

On one of my shopping adventures in Manila though, accompanied by Juliana, we happen upon the FLAGSHIP store of ALESSI... for the very first time, I got to see/admire/and study their selections -- including the complete Chin Family Collection... and instantly, my initial love for the products was rekindled -- I broke down and bought the salt & pepper shaker from the Chin Family collection, of course!!! And one more purchase later, the newly released XMas candle holder - AM A CONVERT, A COLLECTOR!!! Needless to say that it helped plenty seeing Juliana purchase quite a few items, too!

The shop showcased a wide array of products... from cookware, kitchen wares, and just about anything you can think of to make decorating your homes fun... and pricewise, they are comparable to the shops in Europe and US -- so you know you are not paying anymore that others. For me, the best thing about ALESSI products are the design twists added on each and every item they make -- clocks, bathroom plunger, juicers, etc -- all are just so whimsically delightful without losing the design edge.

"Architecturally inspired pieces, carefully crafted, pushes the boundaries of creativity. Each piece really do combine great aesthetics with functionality."

ALESSI products, to date, are available from to a number of countries worldwide. In Manila, the flagship store is located here:
ALESSI - High St.
Bldg. 5, Unit 1E10-1E11 Bonifacio High St.
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
Philippines
(632) 8564452

TrAvElInG fUn WiTh JuLiANa...

Just last week, Juliana got adventurous and decided to travel off her beaten path, come with me, and give Manila a shot -- for 5 days!!!

As much as I was looking forward to this trip with Juliana, I was also getting anxiety attacks, as I do when I am playing tour guide... No matter where we might be heading... and it did not help that most of her friends are asking her: "Why Manila?" I guess these days, when people think of traveling to Manila, not for business, they go for the beaches: Boracay, Palawan, Davao... not too much the city -- which can be quite overwhelming to most... I remember traveling there with a friend from San Francisco back in the early 90's - this being his first time in Asia, he totally suffered CULTURE SHOCK!
Am so relieved that all turned out well, more than well to be exact... Juliana was such a perfect traveling companion... not demanding at all... and just as "happy go lucky" as I am.... we filled our days with just about anything... no real schedule and plans.... we roamed where the day took us.... shopped and window shopped... enjoyed the XMas decor - which really is a MUST SEE as the Filipinos go all out for this Holiday.... and ate here and there....

Each day we got back home around 9 or 10 pm... settled in and relax for a bit, shower and chat about the people we saw, people we wished were with us in the trip, the things we bought and did not buy, and life in general -- till 1AM!!! Overall, it was a GREAT TRIP... one for the memories, indeed... and we are already talking about the next one.... here's a bit of the ITINERARY:

Nov. 22nd: First stop was my FAVE place in Manila, Shangrila - Edsa Mall... ate at Sumosam Japanese restaurant, walked about, shopped, and then met up with my family for dinner at Barrio Fiesta, a typical Filipino Restaurant.

Nov. 23rd: Met with Filipino artist, Jose Guillermo Naval @ Artina Resto & Gallery to pick up one of his works; lunch at Jollibbee; DVD shopping at Makati Square; then HIGH St @ The Fort to meet Juliana's Taiwanese friends living in Manila, the Chens, and dinner at Abe Restaurant.

Nov. 24th: Gave Juliana a TRUE Pinoy experience... made her take a tricycle, then the MRT to go North to hang out at one of the biggest and most crowded shopping malls, TRINOMA; lunch @ 5 Cows; saw the movie PASSENGERS; and the double whammy - coffee from STARBUCKS & desserts from Krispy Kreme;

Nov. 25th: Daytime was spent discovering the SPANISH influenced area of INTRAMUROS; lunch @ ILLUSTRADO & antique shopping at SILAHIS; In the evening we headed to The Podium to relax @ The Spa, a bit of shopping, and then dinner at KIMONO KEN.

L.E.G.O., who knew???

It has been so long since I walked down the LEGO aisle of any Toy Shops - I was soooo AMAZED to see how much they have really evolved!!! Really Cool LEGO Exhibition at High Street, The Fort... I was told by the exhibitioners that it should be running through the end of DEC -- so it will be AMAZING more XMAS shoppers, for sure.... Go See it if you have the chance guys... and Enjoy!!!

We happened upon this LEGO exhibition, when my friend, Juliana and I, went to meet a few of her family friends at High St. in the Fort Bonifacio District on Nov. 24th...